Operation: Shoot for (Mt.) Moon!

It is said that when one sees their death approaching, their perception of time slows down, allowing them to take in one last look at the world around them in all of its fine details. Perhaps it is a futile attempt to avert the oncoming tragedy, one last ditch effort to throw everything into survival. Perhaps it is merely an innate desire to make that last moment count, to experience life to its absolute fullest before expiring.

It is also said that their mind will also replay an abbreviated version of their life, allowing them to reflect upon everything that had led them to this moment, to allow them to reflect on past mistakes, recall cherished moments, and take into account the whole of one's existence.

Granted, this is not a universal experience. Sometimes people will see the thing that will kill them and simply die without experiencing any sort of time dilation or mental replay, but it happens enough to become a cliche.

Ash was only too aware of the phenomenon. After all, he had become convinced of his own impending doom far too many times over the last few days, whether it be at Team Rocket's hands, Tangela's vines, or simply being broken from a fall, and on more than one instance he too had seen the world slow down around him while his admittedly short life's experiences played out in his mind. Granted, each time was less than the one before it. One can only relive the same moments only so many times before it began to feel like reruns, after all.

Sure enough, as he fell from Ambihilech's head and tumbled down toward the elder Onix's crystalline body, his senses sharpened, allowing him to see everything around him in crystal detail, while a deep sense of regret nearly overwhelmed the sheer terror he was feeling. So many mistakes he had made that had brought him here. So many different decisions could have averted this. However, in contrast to previous experiences, he got the abbreviated version, with everything that had been covered in previous near-death experiences being sort of skimmed over and his life prior to setting out on his Pokemon journey being skipped over entirely.

In a way, he felt almost cheated. If this was indeed where he died, then he ought to get the full experience.

But perhaps his mind had picked up on this not being his actual end, as instead of breaking to pieces over Ambihilech's back, he instead jerked to a sudden stop right before impact.

In midair.

What?

Gawking, Ash frantically looked around, and what he saw didn't help the situation to make any sense.

Misty was hovering right next to him, upside-down. Or to be specific, she was balancing on one hand against Ambihilech's body, having thrust it down just in time to break her fall. And the other was holding onto Ash's backpack, keeping him suspended. Judging by the stupefied look on her face, she was just as surprised by her sudden display of strength and dexterity as he was.

The two stared at each other, and Ash stammered, "H-How did y-y-you do that?"

"I don't know!" Misty said. "It just-"

Suddenly Ambihilech lurched forward, heedless of the small girl doing a one-armed handstand on his back.

"-uh oh."

Another lunge, and Misty lost her balance. The two of them tumbled down to land on the hard ground next to the giant, glowing serpent.

"Ow," Ash groaned. He had hit his hip pretty hard. However, a little bruising was far better than the fatal impact he had been expecting.

Next to him, Misty was sitting up and rubbing her head. "Wow," she said. "I, uh, didn't know I could do that."

"Right?" Ash gingerly sat up as well. It didn't seem like anything was broken, thankfully enough. "That was amazing!"

Misty grinned. "You know, I'm starting to come around on this whole PokeGirl-"

Then Ambihilech roared.

"Oh, no. Ash, move!"

The two scrambled to their feet and ran. All around them, a violent battle was breaking out. He heard the sounds of humans yelling and Pokemon bellowing as stones were smashed and bolts of energy were fired off. Bats screeched as they swooped while stone was ground beneath the heavy bodies of the rock-types. It didn't matter who was on who's side. One errant twitch of an Onix's tail or one leaping Graveler, and the two tiny children would be squashed flat.

Holding onto each other's hand, the pair tried to flee, dodging flung rocks and charging Pokemon.

"There!"

Misty was pointing to what looked like another tunnel branching off of the one they were in. There were no Rocket Grunts in there, so the Pokemon weren't paying any attention to it, making it their best shot at finding some kind of shelter.

They ran for it, Misty in the lead and practically dragging Ash behind her. Almost there. Only a few more steps and they would be-

"ARGH!"

Something hard came sailing through the air to strike Misty between her shoulders, knocking her to the ground. Carried on by their momentum, Ash lost his footing and went tumbling into the tunnel, landing in a painful heap.

"Ash!"

Coughing, Ash struggled to gather his sits and turn around. What he saw nearly caused his heart to stop.

Misty was under attack by several Zubats. The angry flying mammals screeched and snarled as they darted in and out, snapping at her with their fangs and raking at her with their tiny claws.

For a second Ash thought that Team Rocket had somehow gotten past Ambihilech's Pokemon to attack them, but then he realized that these were Ambihilech's Pokemon! They were already suspicious of the two human children, and now assumed that the Team Rocket ambush must be their doing!

"Get off of me!" Misty cried. She extended her arms high, and electricity arched between her arms like antennae on a conductor and rose up to her hands. From there, lightning shot out, striking the Zubats from the sky.

"Misty, are you okay?" Ash said.

"I'm fine!" Misty said, coughing. "They didn't-"

Ash's eyes went wide. "Misty, behind you! Thundershock!"

Misty didn't hesitate. She spun on her heel and fired off another thundershock, blasting two more Zubats from the sky.

Despite how close that had been, Ash had to marvel at their synchronicity. His command and Misty's response had been of pure instinct. It was like the battle against the other Zubat swarm the day before, the two working in tandem.

He had to smile. This was what being a trainer was all about. Pokemon or PokeGirl, it was all the same, two beings linked together in-

Proving that this was neither the time nor place for philosophical musings, Ash was suddenly hit by something heavy and hairy as shrills shrieks filled his ears.

"Ah!" He tried to both cover his ears and neck as something sharp scraped the skin.

"Ash, duck!"

Ash didn't hesitate. He threw himself down, covering his head with his arms.

A moment later, the air above his head got really hot and the shrieking was replaced with a loud crack that left his ears ringing.

"Ash, get up!"

His close proximity to the thunderclap had left Ash feeling a little dazed, but he attempted to pull himself to his feet nonetheless. Looking down, he saw a big, ugly Golbat lying on the ground, its eyes spinning and its fur smoking.

Part of him wanted to catch it, but the rest reminded him that he would have a Golbat of his own soon enough, and lingering any longer would likely result in him being very dead and unable to train Zubat into evolving.

Misty seized his hand, and the two of them fled the sound of battle.

...

A brilliant beam of pinkish-white light swept through the tunnel, filling the air with the agonized wails of those it had hit and the panicked cries of those lucky enough to avoid the blast. The Pokemon enslaved to those human malcontents and their Blessed Mates were all recalled back into those small, magical spheres, and they hastily retreated.

Ambihilech closed his mouth, cutting off the hyper beam's energy. He surveyed the scene.

The battle had been swift, yet brutal. The still bodies of several of his people were lying motionless on the ground, most of them Zubats, though there were a few Geos among them. Team Rocket tended to carry Pokemon and Blessed Mates specially chosen to counter the Pokemon that made their home beneath the Sacred Mountain. That was why any direct confrontation with the infiltrators was so dangerous. They knew the strengths of those that they were up against and how to counter them, as well as how to exploit their weaknesses.

However, even at that disadvantage, Ambihilech's people were warriors. The fallen would live, and none had been captured. The ambushers had all been forced to flee, making this a victory.

The thought irritated Ambihilech further. Victory. Nothing had been gained, and now Team Rocket was even closer than before.

A few growling commands, and his party quickly took stock of their situation. The fallen would be all right. However, it quickly became apparent that something was amiss.

The two human children, Ashley Ketchum and Misty Waterflower, were both missing.

Admittedly, in the heat of battle, Ambihilech had forgotten that they had been riding on his head, which shamed him. True, they had been so slight and so small that he had barely felt them, but that was no excuse to neglect the safety of those in his care, even if they weren't on the best of terms.

However, if they had been hurt, their bodies would surely be there, and yet there was nothing, not even any blood. Suspicion was rising within Ambihilech. While his intuition had told him that they were not in any way allied with Team Rocket, there were a few too many incidents occurring thanks to those two. Ashley's captured Rocket making her escape was one thing, but a Rocket pack finding them in a part of the tunnels where they had not been seen before, just in time to ambush them? A picture was forming, one that Ambihilech did not like at all.

Soon the reports were in. Several Zubats and a Golbat had been found in a nearby cavern, well away from the fight and all of them zapped unconscious by electricity. The children's scent was all over the scene, but they were gone.

That cinched it. Whether it had been due to a misunderstanding or those two were truly entangled in Team Rocket's schemes, it no longer mattered. They had brought nothing but trouble, and now they were gone. Ambihilech's focus was on the wellbeing of his people.

Veech the Golbat fluttered up to Ambihilech and chittered a report. Ambihilech brightened. Team Rocket had left some of their number behind. Ambihilech could see their warmth, the pinkish glow of their life force shimmering in the dark. Both had been hurt, and hurt badly. One in particular was lying in a pink puddle, his life bleeding away into the stones. Ambihilech could hear the frantic pounding of his heart, as it desperately tried to pump life-giving blood to his many injuries, unaware that it was only pumping it right out of his body.

Too much was lost, and rosy haze vanished.

The other, though, was holding on. He was hurt, but not as badly as his comrade. He would live.

Unfortunate for him.

Ambihilech growled his orders. The surviving Rocket would be taken to Malakai and the other psychics. From there, he would tell them everything that they wanted to know. Hopefully, for his sake, he had much to tell, as his breath would last only so long as the information did.

As the writhing human was dragged back to the sanctuary, Ambihilech took the time to consider what lay before him. The debacle with the human children had changed things, though not by much. If anything, it acted as something of a blessing, as now they knew just how close Team Rocket was to discovering their sanctuary.

...

"...because you clearly don't have the balls to do it yourself!" May called into the open space in which she was restrained. "Just a big, blustering coward who can only get off by torturing girls who can't fight back! Yeah, that's what you are! If you're so tough, then how about you give me one arm, just one arm to work with? I'll even give you one free shot!"

May, Roxanne, and Olivia were still shackled and blindfolded within what they supposed was Team Rocket's mountain hideout, and this "Cliff" tool had still yet to make a reappearance. Figures. It was just like these losers to make big threats and not follow up!

Not that May was looking forward to being tortured, but it sure as heck would be better than just hanging around, unable to even see what was happening! Besides, she had a crazy pain tolerance. She could take it!

This Cliff, though. No doubt he would not be able to take what she would do to him if she were able. And the creep knew it, too. That was why he hadn't come back! The big bully was scared!

"Oh, come on!" May continued. "Nothing? Nothing at all? I thought you bad guy types liked to hear yourself talk! Don't you have some kind of big speech about how the giant superweapon you've been building in secret will bring the world's governments to their knees and soon all will realize your genius, bwa ha ha? Let's freaking hear it, then! You've got a captive audience, come on!"

To her side, she heard Roxanne sigh. "May, I appreciate your...fervor, but how long do you intend to keep at this?"

May had been yelling for quite a while now. While she didn't have a watch, she was pretty certain that it had been at least...thirty minutes? It felt like it, anyway. Whatever. May still had plenty left in the tank.

"Until your boss's loser cousin decides to grace us all with his presence again!" May responded.

"Isn't your throat at least getting sore?" Olivia asked.

Actually, it was starting to ache just a bit, but that didn't matter. "No!"

Roxanne let out a groan. "Well, he's clearly not going to give you the satisfaction, so would you please stop screaming? This is bad enough without my companions adding to the torture!"

"NO! I can't move my arms, can't move my legs, can't shoot any fire, can't even see! The only thing I can use is my mouth, so by Jirachi's unerring grace, I'm gonna-"

Then there was a loud, metallic clang. May shut up.

This was followed by the sound of a heavy door with squeaky hinges slowly being pushed open, the high-pitched creak echoing through the chamber.

...

Malakai removed his hand from the forehead of the captured Team Rocket Grunt. The unfortunate human let out one last gurgle and lay still.

The elderly Hypno turned toward his comrades. "They have not yet ascertained the location of our sanctuary," he mentally told the others. "Nor were the human children in cahoots with them. It was coincidence that led you to crossing paths with that patrol."

This information was met with disgruntled grumbles and murmurs. Coincidence or not, there was no denying that taking those pups in had done them no favors.

However, Malakai was not done. "Regardless, they are closer to finding us than we expected. They have meticulously mapped out the paths of the mountain, and draw ever closer to our location. This chance encounter will no likely narrow things down even further for them." He had to pause for a moment as a wave of wooziness washed over him, causing him to sway on his feet. He was tough, but that abominable Rocket woman had done a number on him.

One of his Drowzee attendants took his arm to help steady him. When the dizziness had passed, he nodded his thanks and continued. "Old friend," he said, addressing Ambihilech directly. "It seems we have miscalculated. Every second that we delay only bolsters their forces. They will not simply rob us of our moon stones and leave. They mean to pilfer the mountain of all of its wealth. Including the lives of our brothers and sisters."

This time, the hubbub that rose up was much more dismayed. And angry.

Violence was all but inevitable; that was something that they all knew. But the previous war with humans had been costly. It had been their hope to wait until Team Rocket had been lured into a false sense of security, secretly build their forces, and then take the interlopers by surprise, descending upon them en masse and sweeping them out. However, it now seemed that they would not have that luxury. Team Rocket was far more aggressive than even they could have anticipated.

This changed things. And now, a decision had to be made.

All eye turned toward the Crystal Onix. They were waiting.

For a time, Ambihilech was silent. His eyes were closed, and he remained perfectly still. One could practically see the thoughts running through his crystalline mind, as he weighed the cost of acting against the perils of waiting. Tension hung heavy in the air.

Suddenly his amethyst eyes snapped open, and Ambihilech threw his head back and roared. It was more than an exclamation of anger or challenge. It was even more than a call to arms. The roar filled not only the caverns that made their sanctuary, but echoed throughout the cracks and tunnels. All heard it, from those who dwelt on the peak to those who burrowed deep into the mountain's roots.

There was power in that roar, power that a normal Onix would not have been capable of. Power that no other Onix would have been capable of wielding. By birthright Ambihilech was the Sacred Guardian of Mt. Moon. Only he could have made that call. Only he could have called upon the mountain itself.

And the mountain responded.

Each and every Pokemon lifted his or her head and returned the call with roars, screeches, chitters, and other cries of their own. They had spent a long time readying themselves for this moment.

And now, it was time.

...

Ash hissed as Misty pressed the iodine-soaked rag to his neck.

"Oh, don't be such a baby," she said. "Compared to what I went through yesterday, this is nothing."

"I'm not being a baby! Anyone would flinch a little!"

Once again, their fleeing had gotten them utterly lost within the twisting tunnels of Mt. Moon, but hey, it wasn't like they weren't lost already. At least no one had chased them.

In time, they had found another small cavern with only one way in and nothing hiding inside. From there, they decided it was a good time to catch their breath and see to their injuries.

Misty was fine. This time, the Zubats had barely gotten a scratch off of her. Ash's situation was a little more worrying, though. That Golbat had cut up the back of his neck pretty good. Fortunately, it didn't look poisoned (something that Misty found to be just a little unfair, given how many times she had been poisoned in the last few days), so, with Nidoran and Zubat now standing guard at the cave entrance, they had dug out the small First-Aid kit in Ash's backpack to treat the cuts.

"Too bad we can't just spray a potion on it," Ash remarked as Misty wrapped a bandage around his neck. "You'd think they would have come up with one that works on normal humans."

Scowling, Misty reached over to give his bandage a flick.

"Ow!" Ash slapped a hand over the back of his neck. "What was that for?"

"I am a normal human!" Misty retorted. "I'm just, um, a little more than that."

Ash sighed. "Oh, calm down. I didn't mean it that way."

"Don't forget who just saved you butt just now!"

"I haven't!" Ash sighed. "Believe me, I haven't. Uh, thank you, by the way."

Somewhat mollified, Misty scooted over to sit down next to him.

"So," she said. "We're back to square one."

Ash winced. "Yeah. Looks like it."

Shivering a bit, Misty drew up her legs.

"Our luck sucks," she muttered.

"Yeah," Ash sighed. Then he perked up. "But hey! Most people would be dead by now, so we got that going for us!"

Misty didn't respond.

The two sat together in silence. To be frank, Misty didn't like how quiet it was. The only thing she could hear was their breathing and the soft chittering of Nidoran as he nosed around the entrance to the cavern. Somewhere out there, the Pokemon of Mt. Moon and Team Rocket were probably fighting, but here it was deathly quiet. That disturbed her, for some reason.

Then Ash said, "Can you drop your static thing for a little bit?"

Misty swallowed, but then she nodded. "Um, yeah. Give me a second."

The tingles washed over her skin, and suddenly the cold was biting into her again. Hopefully this was going to be worth it. "Okay, it's-"

Ash leaned forward and kissed her.

The cave was cold, but warmth spread out from where Ash's lips met her own. Misty sighed and let him lead her back down, one of his arms gently slipping around her bare back.

Normally Misty would be the one leading the kiss, but now she was content to let Ash control things. And why not? He was her trainer. It would only help him improve. Letting her eyes close, Misty relaxed, her lips moving with his. His tongue poked out, prodding against her lips, parting them to slip in.

Misty's heartbeat quickened. That blissful haze was descending, spreading peace and delight through her young body. Her master was touching her, kissing her, loving her, and she wanted nothing more than to submit herself fully for his use. She was his, after all, and there was no greater pleasure than to know that he wanted her as much as she wanted him.

Please, Ash, she thought, reaching up to curve one hand around his neck and draw him down deeper into the kiss. More. Touch me more. Love me more. I'm yours.

And he obliged. His own hand dipped down, gently nudging her legs aside so he could slide his fingers in between her thighs.

Groaning into Ash's mouth, Misty spread her legs as much as she could to give him better access. As he had done before, he let his fingers glide over her prepubescent sex, playing with the puffy flesh of her lower lips and stroking her tender slit. Her hips involuntarily thrust up, bucking into his hand, craving more of his touch.

"Ash," she whimpered. "Ash."

Then she gasped, her cries muffled only by his mouth. His finger had pushed its way inside of her, sending jolts out from her loins. Bit by bit he burrowed his way deeper within her, withdrawing ever so much only to push in further every time he pumped his finger.

It was ecstasy, pure euphoria! The more Ash pleasured her, the more love Misty felt. Every thrust of his fingers sent lightning crackling through her body, filling her with warmth. Happy tears rose unbidden in his eyes as she rode out the waves of orgasmic joy surging through her young body.

Then Ash lifted his mouth away from hers just long enough to bring it to her ear and whisper, "Good girl."

With one last strangled cry, Misty arched her back as the charge that had been building finally exploded within her, blowing away all her fear, all her tension, and all her pain. No wonder so many PokeGirls chose to remain with their trainers even after their journey was over. Who could give this up?

But as the haze lifted, so did the shame descend. Darn it, she had done it again! Not that she minded letting Ash make her feel good, but that was still no excuse to lose herself like that! She really needed to learn to keep better control of herself, to not let herself get so lost in-

Then she felt Ash's fingers weave themselves through her hair.

"Good girl," he said again.

Misty sighed. Now, that just wasn't fair. But man, it felt good.

They held each other for a bit longer, and then Ash finally pulled away from her, though he kept his hands on her hips. "So, uh," Ash ventured. "Feel better?"

Misty slowly breathed out. "Uh, yeah," she said. "I do. Thanks." Then she smiled. "And hey, give yourself credit for being a fast learner. That was smooth."

A hint of blush colored Ash's cheeks, and he glanced away. "Well, I had a couple of good teachers," he said, his fingers fidgeting with the bandage on the back of his neck.

"You sure did." Misty then glanced down at his visibly bulging lap. "Um, I suppose it would only be fair of me to return the favor, and-"

Suddenly, a loud chittering broke out. Nidoran, who had been waiting by the entrance, had started hopping up and down, squeaking at the pair in agitation.

"What is it?" Misty said in alarm. "They didn't find us, did they?"

Nidoran shook his head, though he didn't stop. Actually, he seemed more irritated than worried. He continued chittering at high speed, sometimes hopping, sometimes sitting back on his haunches to gesture with his forepaws, sometimes even humping the air. Whatever it was that was bothering him, it clearly had him on edge.

Though Nidoran wasn't speaking any language that any human could discern, Ash always did have a knack for picking up on what his Pokemon was trying to communicate. He watched Nidoran for a little bit, and then winced in embarrassment. "Uh, yeah, sorry about that," he said. "I guess we have been getting carried away."

Misty might not have Ash's instinctive understanding of whatever his Pokemon wanted to convey, but she was a very talented and experienced trainer herself, and given the context, it wasn't hard to figure out what had gotten Nidoran so upset. "He's tired of us stopping to have sex all the time, isn't he?" she said.

Still rubbing the back of his neck, Ash shot her a sheepish smile. "Uh, yeah."

Above, still hanging from the ceiling, Zubat started cheeping in a manner that was obviously laughter.

Great. Now Misty was being judged and laughed at by Pokemon.

"Okay, okay," Ash said. "We get it. We're going now."

In answer, Zubat let out a shrill cry that sounded very familiar.

Misty stared. "Did...Did Zubat just use a wolf whistle?"

Shaking his head, Ash said, "All right. We're done."

"We are?" Misty said. She knew it was silly to feel disappointed. After all, she had been the one being serviced, not him! But she was disappointed a little.

"We are!" Ash picked up his remaining belonging and shouldered his back. "C'mon. If Ambihilech and the others think we're bad guys now, we need to get as far away from them as possible and get back to finding May before...literally anyone else does!"

Nidoran groaned. He turned and stomped off toward the cave's mouth, grumbling to himself as he went.

"What's he upset about now?" Misty asked.

Ash again winced. "Uh, I think he thinks that when we find May, it'll only mean we'll be having sex more often."

Shooting off another sleazy whistle, Zubat dropped from the ceiling and took off flapping.

Misty snorted. "Well, he's not wrong."

Ash's blush deepened. "Let's just go."

Lighthearted as their banter might be, neither of them was feeling particularly light in the heart. In just trying to find their friend and escape, they had stumbled right in the middle of an increasingly hostile conflict between two very powerful factions, and had probably made the situation worse. Things were about to get very violent, and there was no guarantee that they would not get caught up in it again.

...

Mt. Moon was about to go to war.

It would not be the first time. Decades ago, the humans had violated the pact and had come to strip it of its treasures. Though normally docile, the Pokemon had risen up to drive them back, and with the help of honorable humans who were disgusted by the actions of their brethren, they were successful. The encroachers had been driven off, and peace was restored, albeit more warily.

Now new encroachers had come, and like those before them they came to raid and pillage, to kidnap and pervert. However, having learned from the mistakes of their predecessors, they also came prepared. Eschewing the dark and poison-types favored by their organization, Team Rocket had come with weapons specialized against what the local Pokemon brought to bear.

...

"Move, move, move, move!" Grunt Doc ordered his men and women. They spread out, filling the tunnel. Behind them was one of the entrances to the HQ. To reach it, the invaders would have to break Team Rocket's ranks, and Doc had no intention of letting that happen.

"I said move it, you filthy punks!" Doc hollered. "Like we practiced! Fighting-types in the front, water-types behind! Psychic, take the flanks! Focus on the bats and Nidos only! Keep steel in reserve in case we see fairies!"

"Yes, sir!"

Pokemon and PokeGirls alike lined up. Despite his biting remarks, Doc was impressed by their efficiency. It didn't matter how many Pokemon were coming, they were going to be bottlenecked and cut down with ease. Bats would be shot out of the sky, and diggers drowned in their holes. And every one that fell would be captured and used against their former comrades. Smiling to himself, he rolled a tiny pokeball between his fingers. It was empty, but soon it would be filled with another tool for Team Rocket to use.

Pokemon really were stupid, weren't they? Just because they had driven off those stupid miners, they thought that they could just do it again! Well, they had a nasty surprise waiting for them as soon as they tried!

...

But Team Rocket was wrong. Mt. Moon had learned from its previous battles. And it had prepared.

It was true, the local Pokemon had been preparing for war. They intended to smash, tear, burn, and crush any of the invaders foolish enough to stand against them, from the Geos to the Nidos to the bats to the fairies.

But they were not the front lines.

Humanity's previous attempt at encroachment had been utterly brutal. Unlike Team Rocket, who stole Pokemon alongside the minerals that they ripped from the ground, the SilphCo miners had been interested in only the riches that they took from the rock. The Pokemon were of no use to them, nor were they particularly concerned with preserving the local ecosystem.

Nests, habitats, feeding grounds, burrows, territories, and the like had all been destroyed, grist for the machine of industry. And the Pokemon who could not escape in time were destroyed along with their homes. It was not known how many Pokemon lost their lives by the miners' invasion, but it was quite a lot.

But the mountain knew. And it had been waiting.

Ambihilech's roar was more than a call to arms. It was a signal, a signal that only he could make. And it echoed deep into the roots of the mountain.

And the mountain responded.

Mt. Moon was angry. And it was time to go to war.

...

All around the Team Rocket defense force, their lights suddenly flickered.

"The hell was that?" wondered one of the Grunts.

"Oh, don't tell me they got into the power already!" groaned a fighting-type PokeGirl on the front line.

The lights flickered again. And then they died.

Cursing and complaints rose up. Doc pulled out a flashlight and clicked it on. A yellow beam of light cut through the dark briefly before stuttering and winking out. Around him, several other Grunts tried the same thing to comparable success.

"Screw it," he muttered. "Hey, girls! Anyone know flash?"

No one gave an affirmative response. There was some muttering, some feet shuffling, and someone coughed.

"Seriously?" he said, aghast. "You're brought down into a stinkin' cave, and no one bothered to learn-"

A bitter cold chill swept over the group. Doc felt goosebumps raise on what little skin he had exposed.

"What was that?" one of the PokeGirls said.

"Did you feel that?" said one of the Grunts.

Doc had a very, very bad feeling. "Psychic-types!" he shouted. "What's going on? You feel anything?"

There was a pause, and then one of the psychic-typed PokeGirls said, "Uh, you ever accidentally put your hand down on something gross, like a puddle of vomit or something like that?"

"Uh-"

"Well, imagine that, only all over your body. That's what I'm feeling now."

"Uh, Doc?" said Holiday, his partner. "We got company!"

Though the tunnel was still swathed in darkness, up ahead lights had appeared. Glowing white lights were bobbing along, all of them in pairs. They were drifting near the ceiling, and they were coming closer.

They were eyes.

"Zubats," he growled. "Okay, get ready-"

Then he paused. No, wait, Zubats didn't have eyes. Golbats? Probably not. They were the wrong shape for them. And since when did Golbat eyes glow in the dark?

And then he heard the laughter.

It was like the giggling of children: high, tittering, just a little bit deranged. It was also the deep chuckling of a demon: deep, slow, and full of malice. And it was coming from all around.

"What the hell..." someone wondered.

Suddenly, something cold seized Doc by the leg. Yelping, he tried to yank it away, but the grip held fast.

Two more of those hazily glowing white eyes were leering up at him from the ground! What? How had anything gotten down there? Even if something had dug its way up, he should have at least felt the earth move!

"Get off!" he cried as he kept trying to kick it. "Get-"

And then the eyes all charged.

...

Mt. Moon was angry. However, despite what one might think, it did not have the raw, destructive power like a Mt. Cinnabar. It was not a volcanic mountain. There was no Faultline. It could not simply spew fire or tear the earth asunder out from under them.

However, what it did have was the dead. And the dead had memories. Memories of having their homes destroyed, their friends and family perishing before they too perished. Memories of a long-seated grudge that carried from even beyond the grave.

And now, the time had come at last for payback.

...

"Ghost-types?" Rocket Administrator Cliff Harrison repeated in disbelief. "We're under attack by ghost-types?"

"Yes, sir!" came the frantic response on the other end of the line. "Ghastlies and Haunters! Maybe even a Gengar or two!"

Cliff was quite beside himself. Ghost-types had never been spotted in Mt. Moon! He had never so much as thought to prepare for them!

"Where did they come from?" he said. "Where did they even get them?"

"No clue, sir! All we know is that they're here and they're angry!"

"Shit," he muttered. This was an unfortunate complication, though he did have to give that old snake credit. Ghost-types would play merry havoc with the supposedly impenetrable line of defense that Cliff had set up, and when they were all scattered, all the Pokemon that he had prepared for could move in uninterrupted!

But Cliff had not ascended to the position he was in by standing around with his dick in his hands whenever something went wrong. Besides, he had other people to hold his dick for him.

"All right, ghosts or not, if they're local then they're part poison. Get the psychics moving and blasting. And any dark-types we have in reserve, bring them out! Drive them off before the living Pokemon get here!"

"Uh, sir? I don't think that'll be enough-"

"Do it!"

"Yes, sir! Sorry, sir!"

Shaking his head, Cliff added, "Give me an update on the evacuation. Are the helicopters on their way?"

"Yes, sir! Viridian HQ has confirmed that Sky Rocket has been dispatched and should be here within ten minutes! Our moon stone reserves-"

"Belay that. As soon as Sky Rocket is within visual range, bring in everyone to the extraction point. Being evacuating our people the second that the helicopters land."

"But sir, the moon stones-"

"Are mere rocks. They are not what makes up Team Rocket. Our people are."

There was a pause, and then Grunt Clark said, "The boss ain't gonna like that. Sir."

"Let me worry about him," Cliff responded. They should have sent off enough moon stone for the project's purposes anyway. Besides, he had his own plans for the remaining stockpiles of moon stone. "For now, concentrate on getting our people out of here. I'll be joining you in the command center momentarily. Cliff out."

...

"That you, Cliff?" May snapped. "About time! Took you long enough to dig up a pair!"

If it was Cliff then he gave no answer. Instead, there was the distinctive squeak and whirring of small, rubber wheels being pushed across a hard floor. Whatever they were transporting rattled a bit.

May's body tensed up. But not because she was scared, because she wasn't! It was anger! Whatever it was that was being wheeled into the room, it sure as heck didn't scare her!

Though she did wish that her heart would slow down just a bit. It was making her denials ring just a little hollow.

The whirring of the wheels came to a stop in front of her. As they did, May's nostrils twitched. There was something...something nearby...

Then hot arousal burned through her naked loins, forcing a small gasp from her mouth. She stiffened in her restraints, her body informing her exactly what it had picked up on.

PokeGirls. Those were PokeGirl pheromones. There were more PokeGirls in the room with them.

A low, throaty voice then purred, "Well, hello there, girls. Never thought I'd see you again! Much less in this state."

The voice was most definitely not Cliff. It was sensually female, every word dripping with honeyed promises.

Despite this, there was something about it that made May's skin crawl, a sliminess that was utterly repellant to her. This was not a woman she wanted to have anything to do with.

"Wait a minute," Roxanne murmured. "I know that voice."

"Me too," Olivia said grimly. "Ivy, right? Brock's ex...annoyance?"

There was a pause, followed by the sound of something long and thin whipping through the air to strike against flesh. Olivia hissed in pain.

"If anyone is anyone's ex, then Brock is my ex-problem," the woman now identified as Ivy said. "Cliff is so much more of a man than that bleeding heart will ever be."

"Oh, sure," Olivia sneered. "That's why you were always tugging your blouse down and draping yourself all over Cliff only when Brock was around. Uh-huh, yeah. I believe you."

"Seriously, middle-schoolers lie more convincingly," Roxanne added.

"Think what you like," this "Ivy" person sneered. "It doesn't matter. You're the ones in shackles."

Then another voice, this one softer, said, "Mistress, are you sure this is wise? Master ordered-"

"You have no master but me! And I don't care what Cliff said. He can spare a few minutes to let me have my fun!"

May growled. "Oh, big tough woman. Bet you wouldn't be talking so smart if we weren't chained up like this."

"And yet you are chained up." There was a click, and something started whirring. "And I'm not! Funny how that works."

"So, it's come to this?" Roxanne demanded. "Torturing children? This is what you've become?"

"Hmmm." The whirring was coming closer. "Call it more of accepting what I've always been."

"A monster!"

"Oh, I'm a bad girl, all right. Cliff likes that about me. Brock did too. He was just too much of a wimp to admit it."

"Oh, for crying out loud," May groused. "Look, Lady. I don't give a rip about you or Brock. So if you're going to torture me, just get it over with. Because let me tell you: this whole conversation is far more painful than anything else you can come up with!"

There was a long bout of silence.

And suddenly the buzzing ball of a vibrator was shoved right up against May's sex.

...

While Ash understood fully the need for Misty to keep her static field up, he really wished that they were somewhere warmer, or even that that she were properly dressed against the cold. At least then he could hold her hand as they moved through the tunnels.

There was just something comforting about the touch of her body, of the feel of her bare skin against his own. And not just in a sexual way, though the appeal of that was obvious. Honestly, for as fun as sex was, he was finding that he enjoyed the aftercare part just as much, if not more.

Sighing, he shook his head to banish those thought. He had to keep it together. There would be plenty of time for them to fool around when (and not if!) they got out of there. For now, their priorities had to be finding their missing friend and reaching the surface without incurring the notice of vicious criminal poachers or violently territorial Pokemon. Of which there was a lot.

Then he noticed something.

"Hey," he said. "I think I found something. Bring the light over."

Curious, Misty complied, and both Nidoran and Zubat did as well, coming over to a point in the wall that Ash indicated.

There, the stone wall, while certainly weathered, was not naturally rough like the others. Instead, it was creased and cut in a manner that seemed to be deliberate.

"Are those...bricks?" Misty said.

Ash carefully slid his fingertip over the wall. "No, it's still stone. But..."

Then he glanced down. The tunnel floor was also distinctly patterned, not to mention much flatter than it had been.

"Okay, that's definitely manmade," Ash said. "Uh, Zubat? You know anything about this?"

Zubat fluttered down to the ground. He poked at the stones with the tip of his wing and cheeped a negative.

"Team Rocket?" Misty wondered. "Or those SilphCo miners?"

Ash shook his head. "No, this is waaaaay too old for them. And, uh, way too fancy." He pointed to another section of the wall. "See those designs? The ones that look like flowers? I don't think Team Rocket would care enough to carve those out."

"Okay, then maybe we're close to the public area? Could be a rest stop."

Ash considered that, but then shook his head. "I don't think so either. It'd be a lot better care for if it was."

"Then wha-" Then Misty blinked. "Hey, you don't think..."

Nodding, Ash felt a grin slide across his face. "I do. I think..."

Mt. Moon was truly ancient, having been formed since before the dawn of civilization. As such, there had been many times in which humans had taken up residence within its dark tunnels, making a home for themselves alongside the Pokemon who dwelt there.

That was all long since passed, of course, but there were talk of ruins of those civilizations nestled deep under the earth. Not that any human had ever been allowed to go deep enough to find out, but it did stand to reason that something had been left behind.

"...I think we found a piece of an ancient underground city!" Ash rubbed his palms together in excitement. "Oh man, I wish I could spend like month down here without all this Team Rocket junk! Just really go exploring! Do you have any idea what we could find?"

"Uh, I don't know. Hidden treasure?"

Ash scoffed. "Misty, the ruins are the treasure! There's so much we could learn from them! Like how people and Pokemon used to get along, or the sort of things that they ate, or the what they did for fun." He sighed in regret. "Man, if only we could make up with Ambihilech. But he probably hates us now."

"Well, I don't know who this 'Abimmy' person is, but I can't blame him for hating you!"

It was not Misty's voice. It was lower, haughtier, and more nasal. Ash knew it immediately.

He slowly turned. To his dismay, the sight that greeted him was that of Misty grimacing as she struggled against the arm now wrapped tightly around her throat. An arm belonging to none other than Ash's wayward criminal PokeGirl, Jessie.

Jessie looked to be in even worse condition than before. Her clothes were burned, torn, and had wads of Pokemon goo clinging to them, her skin also red from electrical burns, her hair an absolute frizzy horror. But her violet eyes gleamed bright with malice.

Pressing the tip of her nail into the skin of Misty's neck, Jessie smiled cruelly at Ash. "Hello, twerp," she said. "Miss me?"

...

The plan had worked. The dead had done their job, and now Team Rocket's first time of defense was broken. Their agents fled screaming back to their headquarters, leaving their Pokemon and PokeGirls behind.

But even though they had waited a long time for their revenge, even still the dead were discerning. They knew what it was like to be trapped and helpless. The Pokemon were spared. After all, they too had once been normal Pokemon living their lives peacefully in the wild until malicious humans had come.

Most of the PokeGirls were spared as well. Many of them were slaves, having been poached illegally and forced to do Team Rocket's bidding. Those ones were let be.

Others, however, had joined Team Rocket of their own free will, their greed and spite driving them to wear the uniform of Team Rocket. And many had willingly allowed themselves to be caught, trading in their freedom for power. Those PokeGirls...well, they would live, but they were given much to think about.

Regardless, the dead had done their job. Now it was time for the living to do theirs.

...

Corbek led her swarm of bats through the narrow corridors of the enemy's nest, seeking any soft flesh for their fangs. As one of the very few Crobats living in Mt. Moon, she was respected and revered by her smaller brethren, making her the natural choice to lead the Zubats and Golbats of Mt. Moon into battle.

And battle is what she came for, but thus far it had been difficult to find. Here and there they had come across a few stray humans trying to flee, and those were tasty, but Corbek has come looking for a real battle, and so far, she had been left deeply disappointed.

Sighing, she fluttered on, her loyal swarm following close behind. Together, they flooded the halls of the enemy, invading Team Rocket's home in much the same manner as Team Rocket had done to them.

...

Forward-forward-forward.

The One pressed forward, moving its limbs through the ventilation shafts of the Rocket HQ. Legs skittered, claws twitched, and mandibles clicked together in anticipation.

Forward-forward-forward.

There were those who might look at the limbs of The One and see an individual creature, one with thoughts and feelings of its own. They might see a young limb and called it a Paras. They might see an old limb and call it a Parasect. But while they were more than welcome to come up with whatever names that they wished; these paltry words fell far short of describing the vastness that was The One. Spread through dozens of colonies and hundreds of individuals all born with its blessing, The One had been a part of Mt. Moon almost as long as the Crystal Guardians. And it was doing its part in the mountain's defense.

Forward-forward-forward.

While crawling over the body of the invaders' nest, it had discovered an opening. A metal grate, rendered weak and loose from rust. It had been easy to pry off, and now The One was plunging its limbs deep into the invaders' nest. Soon the invaders themselves would be found, as well as where they kept their eggs and their young. From there, they too would join The One, adding giving it greater reach through the gift of their bodies.

Forward-forward-forward.

...

Deep below, where the steel pillars of the enemy's nest's foundation thrust into the stone, the stone itself had risen up against the foreign infection.

Geos of every sort rolled in. Geodudes flung their small, round bodies at the towering monoliths of metal, covering their surfaces with dozens of dents, craters, and pockmarks. Gravelers plowed through the earth to slam into the pillars' base. Golems seized up massive chunks of stone and hurled them as hard as they could.

At their head was Vorrock, a Golem nearly as old as Ambihilech. Though his shell had gone crusty and grey, his strength was still that of the mountain itself. He had fought against the miners, and now he was again going to war.

Again and again he threw his body at the tall tower of steel. Rust chipped off and metal dented inward, but the structure remained standing, to his irritation.

Then he heard another clang, coming from nearby.

Vorrock paused. Then he squinted his aging eyes.

It was Seethrow, one of the eldest of the Nidokings. Though most of his horns were cracked and broken, he was here as well.

The two old-timers locked eyes. Without a word spoken they then both nodded, and swung their calloused fists into nearly the same spot, crushing the rusted metal inward.

...

"Sir?"

Cliff glanced over to Grunt Clark. "Yes, Clark?"

The nervous young man indicated the monitor. "Our people made it safely to the inner level. Er, most of th-them, anyway."

Heaving out a long sigh, Cliff said, "Casualties?"

"We, um, we lost about seven percent of our Grunts, sir."

A heavy loss. Perhaps not much percentage-wise, but every life lost in the service of Team Rocket was a tragedy. "Their sacrifice will be remembered, then."

"Yes, sir. And-Oh."

Cliff raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Grunt Clark was clearly unhappy about relaying the next bit of information. "We, uh, also seem to have l-lost eighty-seven percent of our Pokemon, and sixty-three percent of our PokeGirls. Sir."

Silence.

When Cliff spoke again, his voice was calm. Measured. Controlled. And yet the cold fury bubbling up within him was undeniable. "They...abandoned them?"

"Um..."

"Are they aware that, human or Pokemon, a comrade is a comrade, and Team Rocket looks after its own?"

"I-"

"And are they aware that all PokeGirls who fight for Team Rocket, willingly or not, are still our sisters in arms, and to abandon them on the battlefield spits in the face of that unity?"

Grunt Clark didn't have an answer for him.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Cliff closed his eyes and slowly inhaled and exhaled until the enough of the anger had cooled. "Begin the evacuation. Base staff will board immediately as planned, as well as all sensitive material. But in regards to the Grunts, only those who have managed to retrieve at least one member of their teams. Those who had the presence of mind to recall all of their Pokemon and PokeGirls will board first. If there is still space, then those who have managed to rescue at least one PokeGirl will take those."

"Oh. Um, s-sir? What of-"

"Those who abandoned their comrades on the battlefield will await the helicopters' return," Cliff said in a cold tone.

"B-But..." Then Grunt Clark winced. "I mean, yes sir."

Nodding, Cliff turned his attention back to the monitors. "And the enemy?"

Grunt Clark indicated the display of the base's layout. Several dozen dots of different colors swarmed the exterior and outmost layer. "At this rate they'll have penetrated the second layer within three minutes. But it won't matter either way if those support beams give."

"And how long until that?"

As if responding to his cue, the whole room they were in trembled violently, swaying back and forth. Cliff kept his footing, but Grunt Clark panicked and seized onto the control panel in desperation.

The shaking stopped. Sighing, Cliff laid a hand on Grunt Clark's shoulder. "Easy, son."

Grunt Clark swallowed, but he nodded and slowly drew back. "Right S-Sorry, sir. Um, full foundational failure within nine minutes at this rate."

Cliff nodded. "Well. I suppose the time has come for our second line of defense. Activate integrated countermeasures."

...

All throughout the base, red lights were flashing and alarms were sounding.

The evacuation was well underway. Agents of Team Rocket were scrambling to grab what they could and get to the surface. There, helicopters were presumably on their way to bear them to safety, though the call had gone out that only those who had not abandoned their Pokemon and PokeGirl teams would be allowed to board. The cowards among them were going to have to wait.

Of course, not everyone knew that. They were more concerned with grabbing anything of value and getting themselves out of the way of the incoming invaders as soon as possible.

And among them were four Team Rocket agents, three human and one Pokemon, that were sort of new. Truthfully, they weren't even supposed to be there, and had wound up in the base by pure happenstance. And judging by the panic going on all around them, they had shown up at the worst time possible.

"See?" Cassidy seethed as they all ran through the halls. "I told you something was up!"

"Don't recall disagreein'!" Butch retorted. "What's goin' on, anyway?"

"Well, maybe we can ask someone," James suggested.

A pair of white-coated technicians hurried by, pushing carts full of equipment. "You!" Cassidy snapped. "What's going on? What're these alarms about?"

One of the techs stared at her as if she had spontaneously grown a second head. "Are you daft?" he said. "We're under attack! The Pokemon are breaking in!"

"What? What Pokemon?" Butch sputtered.

"What Pokemon do you think, idiot? Get out of here! Everyone else is!"

"Well, that was rude," James remarked as the technicians hurried on their way. "We just got here!"

"Well, let's leave here!" Butch said. "If they're splittin', then we're splittin'!"

"But what about our mission?" James demanded. "We can't-"

Suddenly the whole base shook.

Then it dropped a few inches.

They were encased in several layers of rusting metal, and the whole thing was starting to fall.

"Never mind, let's go!" James said in alarm.

Sighing, Cassidy led the way. Seriously, if people would just listen to her from the start, so much more could be accomplished!

...

A sharp ker-chunk alerted Corbek that something was wrong.

She paused, bringing her swarm to a stop. They fluttered around, agitatedly seeking the source of the sound. They all had heard it, but unfortunately only she and the Golbats had eyes with which to seek.

They found them. Throughout the walls, several long troughs had opened, within which were lines of glass bulbs. That was odd. What were those supposed to do?

They got their answer a moment later with those bulbs began to loudly whine, filling the corridors with a high-pitched shriek that assailed the sensitive ears of the bats.

Unfortunately, the whine was not the attack. It was the build-up.

The bulbs suddenly started to glow yellow, and fine hairs on Corbek's body rose up. She froze. Oh, no, no, no.

Before she could shriek a warning, the corridors filled with lightning.

...

Forward-forward-forward.

The One was nearly there. Its limbs had skittered further and further into the bowels of the Rocket nest. They filled the tunnels within the walls. Soon they would take the nest for their own. Soon The One would have many more limbs with which to explore the dark.

And then The One paused. It smelled something, some strange, foul odor, one that was reminiscent of the natural gas vents deeper down within the mountain's roots. The One did not like those places. It made it feel sick.

Then there was a whooshing sound.

Followed by light and heat.

Fire!

Despite its status as a highly evolved being, The One was not immune to base responses such as panic. It fled, directing its limbs to get out before the fires reached them.

Unfortunately, the fire was faster.

...

The assault upon the Rocket HQ's foundations was making headway.

The support columns were starting to dent and crack, bending before the overwhelming power being thrown at them.

Vorrock was feeling good. It had been too long since he had the chance to stretch his stony muscles, and while age may have slowed him down, he still had power to spare.

He and Seethrow were now taking turns pummeling opposite sides of the same column. Vorrock would curl up and throw his body into the ever-increasing dent, and then across from Seethrow would slam his shoulder into his own crater. Together, they were crumpling it in, and soon it would no longer be able to support the rest of the structure.

Unfortunately, the thickness of his hide meant that he did not notice the first few cold drops. It was not until the shower truly began that he took notice that his muscles were starting to feel sluggish. The strength began to leave his stubby limbs, and he paused. Across from him, Seethrow did the same.

The two old-timers looked up. All around them, their younger kin did the same.

High above them all, spouts had opened up all over the abominable hulk of the Rocket's lair. And now water was gushing out.

Vorrock opened his mouth to order everyone to take cover, but the downpour had already begun.

...

White-hot lances of pain assaulted the inside of Ambihilech's head. He reared back and roared in agony.

The pain was not his own. But as the Guardian of the Mountain, he was in tune with those under his protection. Their pain was also his pain. And now, they all were suffering.

Team Rocket had no doubt anticipated an attack like this. Their base was riddled with countermeasures, all specifically designed to drive the wild Pokemon back. Ambihilech had to give them credit: they were wise in constructing their defenses.

Unfortunately for Team Rocket, it also exposed their vulnerability.

Ambihilech opened his eyes. Through the cloud of agony, he could see the currents of power running through the Rocket Headquarters. He could see the circuits bringing power to the lightning, the generators producing the flame, the conduits controlling the vents that had unleashed the water.

And he could see where they all led back to. The beating heart of the enemy. The great, humming generators, fed by carefully disguised and heavily guarded solar panels on the mountain's slope. Normally they chugged along at a fraction of their maximum output, which was more than enough to supply the base's daily required level of power.

But now they were all operating at maximum capacity, unleashing all of their stored energy in powering the base's defenses.

And to Ambihilech's gemstone eyes, they shone bright, even from beyond the layers and layers of metal.

Rather than let the pain cripple him, Ambihilech instead used it, channeling it deep into the core of his power. Energy built deep within him, growing hotter and hotter, a blazing inferno fed by his people's suffering and their desire for justice.

Focusing on the radiant star of the generators, Ambihilech opened his mouth wide. And from it was unleashed the fury of the mountain.

...

A violent tremor shook the base. Then the lights went out.

Cliff glanced up. Hmmm…

A moment later the control room was bathed in the dull, red glow of the auxiliary power, given them just enough energy to run the basic systems.

"What was that?" he inquired.

Swallowing nervously, Grunt Clark hastily scrolled through the readout. "Um, it l-looks like…the generators. They're out."

"Yes, I had gathered as much," Cliff said curtly. "Why?"

"I, um…" Sweat shone on the young man's face. "There was…a massive blast of power and heat. It, um, it cut through the entire base. And, um, blew up the generators. Sir."

Cliff sighed. Ambihilech. It had to be.

"Very well," he said. "I suppose this was inevitable." He turned to the rest of the room. "The invaders will soon begin breaching the innermost layers, so you all best hurry to the helicopters."

"S-Sir?" squeaked Grunt Craig.

"There is nothing more you can do here," Cliff said. "You have all performed your duties admirably. Now, your only duty is to see to it that you are able to continue to serve Team Rocket."

He turned to Grunt Clark. "What is the status of Sky Rocket?"

"I, uh…" Grunt Clark hastily checked the readout. "They've less than a minute away, sir. E-Evacuations will begin shortly."

Cliff nodded. "Good enough. You'd better get yourselves up there, then."

There was a pause, and then everyone began to silently file out of the room.

Grunt Clark, however, hesitated. "Sir…" he said, clearly unwilling to abandon his post. Or his leader.

Favoring the young man with a small smile, Cliff laid a hand on his shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. "It's okay, son. I'll make my own way out. There's just something I need to take care of first."

"I…yes, sir," Grunt Clark said. "Um, be safe."

A nod, and Grunt Clark hurried from the room.

Now left alone in the base's control room, Cliff turned and headed for the door himself. But his destination was not the lifts. Rather, he had somewhere else he needed to be.

...

The power went out.

Of course, the loss of light made no difference to the blindfolded May, but even with the buzz of the vibrator tormenting her pussy and Ivy's smug laughter she could still hear the deep whirring of everything powering down.

A moment later something clicked in her restraints, and the pressure on her wrists and ankles loosened. Her mask clicked as well.

And just as if a switch were flipped, May's fire came surging back to life.

"What?" Ivy said. The pressure against May's groin withdrew. "What was-"

"YYAAAAHHHHH!" May burst into flames, melting her restraints away.

She leapt forward, one hand clenched into a flaming fist while the other clawed the sizzling goop from her face. "All right, who wants some?" she demanded.

The vibrator was held by some purple-haired floozy in a tube top and a lab coat. With her were three bespectacled girls, all in what looked like hiking gear that had been cut down to expose their midriffs and legs, presumably the PokeGirls that May had sensed. Next to them was a wheeled cart containing all manner of nasty looking equipment.

May's eyes swept briefly over her foes before settling upon the bitch with the vibrator.

Okay.

Her.

That was the one who had threatened her.

"YAAAHHH!" May shrieked as she threw her hands forward, igniting a massive fireball and launching it right at the bitch's face. As she did so, she was treated to the very satisfying sight of her target's smug face being overcome by sheer terror.

Unfortunately, that was all that she got. One of the PokeGirls stepped in front of the fireball and held out a hand. She flicked her fingers upward, and the fireball suddenly changed direction, shooting up to splash against the stone ceiling.

"Hey!" May shouted in indignation. Stupid psychic-types!

The psychic girl's eyes began to glow, and then the red lights flickered briefly.

When they came back fully, Doctor Ivy and her trio of PokeGirls were gone.

"The heck?" May exclaimed. "Where'd they go?"

"They did what they do best," Roxanne muttered as she walked over to stand next to May. "Ran as soon as their prey started fighting back."

"Well, I ain't complaining!" Olivia said. She seemed to be having trouble with the restraints that had been around her ankle. She had gotten the left one off, but the right one was giving her trouble, and now she was hopping around on one foot as she struggled with it. "The last thing we need…is a fight…with…there!" It finally came off, and she tossed it away with a triumphant smirk.

Maybe so, but May couldn't help but feel disappointed. Team Rocket had been making her life a living hell, and she still hadn't gotten to torch a single one!

"Sweet Tapu Balu's testicles, what was she planning on doing with these?" Olivia said, looking over the cart.

May shivered. "I d-don't know. She was sticking a vibrator against me, though."

"That doesn't sound like torture."

Roxanne picked up a small scalpel. "Pain/pleasure treatment. First step to getting a PokeGirl to associate one with the other."

May stared. "I…already do that?"

The look that she got from Roxanne was quite frosty. "May. Please take this seriously. It doesn't matter how masochistic you might be. You would not have been able to handle their procedures."

"Try me."

"I won't." Roxane planted a foot against the cart and give it a hard kick, slamming the whole thing and all its contents against the wall. "That monster," she muttered. "A child. And she didn't even have to!"

"In what world would they 'have' to?" Olivia wondered.

"Never! But she did it anyway!" Roxanne growled. "If I ever see her again-"

Olivia laid a hand on her shoulder. "Later. For now, escape? Please?"

"Right. Right. Stay on task." Roxanne then looked up at the pulsing red lights. "What do you suppose happened?"

"Who cares?" Olivia said. "Whatever it was, it's bad for them but good for us! So let's get out of here, already!"

"Agreed," May growled. She had had quite enough of Team Rocket's hospitality. "Let's go." She began to move toward the door.

"Oh, uh, May?"

Her eye twitching in annoyance, May turned to Roxanne. "Yeah, what-"

Roxanne lunged forward, capturing May's lips with her own, one arm looping around May's naked waist, while her other hand clamped down on the younger girl's groin.

Gasping into the kiss, May found herself dipped down like a ballroom dancer as Roxanne's tongue slid her mouth and her fingers squirmed their way into May's pussy. Roxanne didn't bother with subtlety or foreplay, merely giving May three rough pumps.

May was so taken off guard that she didn't even notice that she was cumming until the heat of the orgasm had just about nearly burned its way through her. But Roxanne wasn't done. Even as May's inner walls contracted around her fingers, she just kept on pushing in and twisting about, thrusting harder and harder into the girl, working her back to full arousal before the first orgasm had even had time to cool off.

Within seconds May was cumming against. This time she was able to enjoy the experience more, her eyes rolling back into her head while her body shivered with ecstasy. Oh, that felt wonderful.

Slowly Roxanne levered May back up. "Better?" she said, sliding her fingers out of May's dripping pussy. The pubescent PokeGirl's arousal was smeared all over her hand, up to her wrist.

Sighing happily, May nodded once. "Uh-huh. Thanks."

Olivia chuckled. "Wow, Teach. You got over your aversion really quickly."

"Shut up," Roxanne muttered as she wiped her fingers off on her thigh. Her thick, luscious thigh. "It was an emergency."

"Huh. Let me know how to cause another emergency," May murmured. "If that's what it gets me."

Roxanne shook her head. "Can it. Let's go."

...

On the whole, it really must be said that Jessie got a bad rap.

Yes, she wasn't exactly the brightest minion serving Team Rocket. Yes, her petty cruelty tended to get her into trouble more often than not. And yes, her track record of successful heists and schemes was so abysmal that many often wondered why she and her equally dim partner were kept around.

However, perhaps the problem wasn't that she was utterly incompetent. Certainly, someone capable of causing so much wanton chaos and still walking away time and time again had to be doing something right. But perhaps the problem was that she was frequently being asked to step up in roles that her particular skill sets did not lend themselves to. Perhaps her talents lay elsewhere.

Like, say, using her newfound PokeGirl powers to absolutely wreck a bunch of children!

Granted, it didn't start so well. Grabbing onto the boy's prepubescent sex toy and threatening her with a poisonous nail to the neck seemed like a good idea at the time. Unfortunately, Jessie had forgotten that the girl was, in fact, electric-typed. And grabbing onto an electric anything with your bare hands was generally considered a poor decision.

"OW!"

Jessie staggered back, her muscles twitching and palms stinging. Damn it, that hurt!

As did the blast of electricity that hit her squarely in the sternum.

Jessie was rocketed backward to slam into the rock wall. The impact knocked her silly, and she slid down to collapse into a dazed heap.

Everything got all swimmy, the world twisting and squishing around her while voices that sounded like they were coming from deep underwater yelled at her. Honestly, Jessie wished that they would shut up.

Maybe she ought to take a nap. Yeah, a nap would be-

Snap out of it, idiot!

Jessie violently shook her head, pulling herself out of her stupor. Her vision cleared enough to see that infuriating little brat that caught her and his naked ginger concubine glowering down at her.

"Okay, Jessie, enough's enough," the boy growled. He stuck his hand out. "Hand over your human ball, already."

Incredulous, Jessie said, "You must be even dumber than you look if you think I'm just going to let you turn me into your slut like you did that little troll!"

The little slut's right eyelid twitched. "What did you call me?"

"You heard me! How old are you, anyway? Eight? And you still let this little dweeb catch you and parade you around naked! Bet you're real popular on the playground, aren't you? There must be a whole line forming around the teeter-totter to run a choo-choo train on you! Hey, do you only take little boy dicks, or their daddies, too?"

The girl held up a sparking fist. "How about your shut your mouth before I weld it shut? That sound good to you?" she growled. Despite the menace of her threat, the quaver in her voice was evident.

"Aw, what, struck a nerve?" Jessie taunted. To her delight, she saw actual tears forming in the kid's eyes. "Oh, let me guess! It's not their daddies; it's your own! Papa's little girl, ain't you? You're just real happy when he comes home from work so you two can spend quality time together, right? It's even better when he's hit up the bars on the way home and brings along his work buddies! It's the closest thing to love you'll ever-"

The boy pushed his way between stupid girl and Jessie. "Shut. Your. Mouth," he growled. "You do not talk about her like that!"

Infuriatingly, Jessie found her jaw tightening up. Damn instinctive PokeGirl obedience!

"I'm not going to tell you again. Give me your human ball, or I let Misty shock you unconscious and we leave you for the Pokemon to find!"

In answer, Jessie spat at him.

To be honest, it was more of an act of defiance than an actual attempt to harm. And under normal circumstances (whatever those would look like) he would be, at worst, grossed out and offended.

Unfortunately for him but very fortunately for Jessie, her spit was still quite corrosive.

The boy screamed and lurched back. He started frantically scrubbing at his cheek with his sleeve.

"Ash!" the girl cried, reaching out for him.

Ash? Ash and Misty? Really? That was their names? What, were their parents some kind of hippie weirdoes or something?

Well, whatever! An opening had just opened, and Jessie wasn't going to waste it!

Misty had made the critical mistake of turning away from Jessie to help Ash, so Jessie up a palm and summoned up a surging ball of dark energy. It hit the girl clean on her side and sent her flailing across the room.

"Hey!" Ash shouted. He was still clutching at his face, but still had enough awareness to be concerned for his preteen cocksucker. How adorable.

So Jessie lurched to her feet and kicked him.

As Ash doubled over coughing, Jessie heard screeching. Looking up, she saw a Zubat swooping for her face, presumably the same one that had harassed her earlier.

She lifted a hand to blast it, but then something kicked her in the ankle!

"Ow!"

Moments later the Zubat was right in her face, attacking her with its fangs, claws, and wings.

"Get off of me, you flying rat!" Jessie grabbed at it, and was honestly surprised when her hand closed around something small and furry. Really? She had just snatched a Zubat out of the sky? How fast was she?

Questions for later! Near the ground, she saw that stupid Nidoran zipping around, readying itself for another charge.

So she zapped the struggling Zubat full of dark energy and hurled it right at its four-legged partner.

Those two dealt with, Jessie turned her attention to Misty, who was struggling to push herself up on her palms. Jessie sprinted over to her and kicked her as well, the toe of her boot catching the little creep square in the stomach, lifting her up and sending her sailing against the stone wall.

Jessie smirked. Sure, getting turned into a PokeGirl had given the kid enhanced strength, agility, and toughness, to say nothing of the electricity running through her body, but the same could be said for Jessie. And unlike Jessie, it was clear that Misty wasn't used to handling herself in a real fight, whereas Jessie had long learned that the only way to earn any respect from the other Team Rocket Grunts was to beat it out of them.

Granted, she hadn't exactly earned much respect, but hey, experience was experience.

As Misty again tried to pull herself up despite the tremendous amount of pain she was now in, Jessie inhaled deeply before blowing out a noxious cloud of poison. It enveloped the little twerp, and Jessie was treated to the look of shock and dismay as the kid involuntarily took a breath, bringing the poison into her lungs.

A moment later Misty was on the ground, coughing and heaving.

Jessie then heard the telltale sound of a Pokemon being recalled. She turned to see Ash holding out two pokeballs, both of them still glowing from having called back his measly Pokemon.

"Get…Get away from her," Ash seethed as he clipped the pokeballs to his belt. Jessie rolled her eyes. The boy was tenacious, she had to give him that.

"Or what?" she taunted. "You'll go tattle to your mommy? Face it, kid. You're-"

Then he reached his hand into his pocket and pulled out a red-and-pink sphere.

A human ball!

"Get that away from me!" Clearing the distance between them in seconds, Jessie brought her leg up to catch the kid in the elbow, knocking the human ball from his fingers. She snatched it out of the sky. "You're not recalling-"

Wait.

Jessie still had her human ball. To be more specific, it was still fit nice and snug in her ass.

What was the one she now held, then? Was the boy about to bring out his other little slut, the one with the fireballs?

"Give that back!" The boy came at her, swinging his fists. She stopped him by covering his face with her hand and holding him at bay, letting him pound ineffectively at her arm while she examined the sphere.

Its top was scarred by three distinct gouges, as if some kind of beast had slashed at it.

This was the one Meowth had tried to take from him. Which meant that this was probably the ginger twerp's human ball!

"Trying to recall her to save her, huh?" she said to the struggling boy. "Well, nice try, but it won't work!" She gave him a rough shove, sending him sprawling.

Gloating, Jessie turned her attention back to Misty, who was still writhing in agony from the poison's affects. "As for you, now that I've got your human ball, I can…"

Jessie's voice trailed off. Actually, what did she need it for, anyway? Sure, it prevented the boy from bringing her back, but so what?

Come to think of it, why was she fighting them in the first place? She had her human ball! All she needed to do was escape and reunite with Team Rocket! With her human ball, they'd surely be able to free her from the boy's influence. Maybe she'd even be able to keep her cool new powers!

Well, she could still squash the twerps. That would be satisfying. Though to be honest, now that she thought about it, killing a couple of kids in cold blood might be pushing it just a little. Sure, she was evil, but so far she had kept to career criminal levels of evil. Child murder was an upgrade that she couldn't say she was completely comfortable with.

Then a small fist slammed itself into her kidney.

Jessie inhaled sharply. Damn it, the brat was way stronger than he looked! She whirled around, slashing at him with her venomous nails, but she only managed to tear at the shoulder of his jacket. Growling, she swatted him aside.

The next thing she knew, she was writhing in the ground as what felt like every muscle in her body started spasming. She tried to scream, but her throat chose that moment to close up. She tried to get up, but her left leg stopped working.

What happened? Why was her body acting like this? One moment she had been fine, and the next-

Wait.

Grimacing, she forced her neck to turn just enough for her to see that little idiot Misty, still sprawled on the ground and looking very sick, but with one arm extended, her shaking finger pointed right at Jessie, her now-purple face contorted in determination.

"Thunder wave," Misty said. "Bitch."

And then she threw up.

"YOU!" Jessie seethed. "I'M GONNA-" And then her tongue forgot how to work.

Damn paralysis! Her own body was rebelling against her! But on the bright side, it gave her all the determination she needed, as well as banishing any reservations she might have had about ripping the little bitch to pieces with her bare hands!

As Misty continue to gag and heave, Jessie forced herself onto her belly. Her limbs only worked when they felt like it, but she somehow managed to start half-crawling, half-scampering her way over to where her prey was lying helpless.

It was slow going. Paralysis could be overcome through sheer force of will, and Jessie had plenty of will, but random parts of her body would simply shut down for a few seconds. But she was not going to be denied.

Finally, she managed to clear the distance between herself and the brat. "How…dare you?" she snarled as she seized Misty by the shoulders and shoved her roughly onto her back. "Just…for that…I'm gonna…" Then her mouth turned off. As did her neck, causing her head to loll to one side.

Screw it. She seized Misty by her own neck, lifted the little slug up, slammed her up against the wall, and started throttling. Behind her, she could hear Ash saying something, probably pleading for mercy.

Too bad!

"That's…right…" Jessie crowed. "Choke! Choke on-"

Hold on. Misty. Yes, she was choking and coughing, but her eyes weren't focused on the woman doing the choking as one might think. Rather, she was staring wide-eyed over Jessie's shoulder, staring at something behind her.

It was then that she realized that Ash wasn't talking to her at all. He wasn't begging her to spare Misty's life, he wasn't trying to appeal to her conscience, or anything like that. Rather, he was talking to something else.

What?

"…I know, but she's bad! Look, you remember Team Rocket, right? The people who hurt you and made you do all of those terrible things?"

What?

Now Misty was laughing, or at least trying to. That just infuriated Jessie.

So she smashed her forearm across Misty's face until she slumped unconscious.

Letting the little bitch drop, Jessie turned to their mutual owner (oh, that needed to be corrected!). Sure enough, Ash had brought out something that looked like a bush with shoes! Seriously? A Tangela? He knew that she was a poison-type, right?

What was more, the Tangela didn't seem to be anything even resembling a fighter! It was cowering behind Ash, holding tight to his legs with its vines as it shivered and shook!

"Seriously?" Jessie said. "You br-bring out-"

And there went her tongue again. And her side. Jessie swayed in place again until she managed to shake some feeling back into her faltering areas.

"-that stupid thing? What are you, braindead?"

Ash ignored her. Instead, he was still talking to the cowardly bush. "She's Team Rocket! And she wants to give us all to Team Rocket!"

The Tangela stopped shaking. It peeked out from behind his legs.

"That's right; I am!" Jessie shouted. "If this little slut lives, then she'll end up as some rich pedophile's rape-meat! You too! But first, I'm shredding that weed into a salad!"

The Tangela slowly stepped out from behind Ash, it's wide, fearful eyes staring at her. Jessie glowered back. Even when struggling with paralysis, it ought to be no match for her!

And then its pupils constricted as its eyes turned yellow.

"Tan..." it growled, its vines shaking.

"Huh?" Jessie said.

Ash reached over to pat the top walking weed. "Good girl," he said. He thrust a finger at Jessie. "Now, sic her."

...

Ambihilech had known that there would be casualties. He had known that when the dust had settled and all was said and done, that the denizens of the mountain would be lesser for it. He had known that he would lose friends. They all had known this.

Still, they pressed on. There would be time to mourn later. Fresh swarms of bats swooped into the corridors to drag out those struck by lightning and replace them. The One renewed its burrowing, furious at the loss of its limbs and determined to make the perpetrators pay. Those who had not been too weakened by the torrents of water got back up and renewed their assault, while those who couldn't were pulled to safety and fresh bodies rolled in to replace them.

Elsewhere, other attacks were commencing. Sandshrews and Digletts were digging. Fairies were bringing their lunar power to bear, scorching their way in.

As for Ambihilech himself, he had joined the assault.

Getting in had been easy. He merely had to smash his way in through the irritatingly small entrance, and now he was making his way in deeper, the roughly hewn crystals of his body scraping the walls and ceiling. The steel in the walls burned as his moon stone body plowed through, but he ignored the pain. Elsewhere, other Onixes were doing the same.

The battle was basically won at this point. Team Rocket's first line of defense had been easily conquered by the dead. Their second had been much more devastating, but it too had fallen. Now, with no power and their people fleeing, all that remained was to chase them out completely and destroy all that they built. The Pokemon had made the mistake of leaving the facility more-or-less intact after the miners had left. They would not make that same mistake again.

Speaking of which...

Though Ambihilech's hyper beam had knocked out the source of the base's power, the glow wasn't fully gone. There was still one significant wellspring of energy, one that shone bright for Ambihilech's gemstone eyes, radiating a warmth that sang with crystalline voices.

The stolen moon stones.

The pact that the Pokemon of the mountain had made with humanity was quite clear. They were free to take what shards they could uncover with their hands while traveling with their Pokemon, but there would be no further large-scale mining operations. Team Rocket had broken that pact. They had violated the sanctity of the mountain. They had robbed and pilfered the living rock. And for that, they would pay.

As Ambihilech stared through the layers and layer of stone and steel, he felt the anger boiling in his massive heart reach full froth. For these stones, Team Rocket had defiled homes and destroyed families. Well, if the stones had brought them to Mt. Moon, then it was only fitting that they be their downfall.

Again, Ambihilech reared his head back and roared. The first time had been a call to arms. Now, it was a call to retreat. His people, living and dead, had done their jobs. The defenses had been breached and Team Rocket was fleeing.

This next part only Ambihilech and Ambihilech alone could do.

...

On the one hand, having the power go out had given Roxanne and her companions their means of escape. Without it, they no doubt would still be at the mercy of Ivy and whatever the hell she had planned for them. Given the instruments that she had on that cart, Roxanne was infinitely thankful toward whoever or whatever had caused it.

On the other hand, it did make finding their way around Team Rocket's hideout kind of a pain in the ass. She and Olivia didn't have the best night vision, and with only the emergency lights it made finding their way forward downright hazardous.

Fortunately, they did have May and her fire. Granted, it fell short of a proper flash like her young friend Misty could probably provide, but it was better than nothing. May had taken the lead, holding a pair of balls of flame in her palms as torches, which at least let them see where they were going.

Unfortunately, they had no idea where they were going.

The corridors seemed to loop back on themselves. Doors led to empty rooms, while others had seen recent use but had been abandoned. Barracks were worthless. Computers weren't any good without power. Some kind of kitchen might be appreciated, given that it had been a while since they had last eaten, but true to form none were discovered.

They did find a bathroom at one point, though. That had really been appreciated, and they all felt better for it.

Still, they were no closer to finding a way out, and Roxanne was really working hard to quell the desperation she felt gnawing at her. They were so close to finding a way out. To fail now would be unbearable!

"You know what I'm thinking we should do?" Olivia said as they sprinted along. "Just pick a wall and start pounding."

"Uh, you mean each other?" May called over her shoulder. "Because I can't say I hate that idea, but is this really the time?"

Roxanne groaned.

"Of course you would think that," Olivia sighed. "No, the walls! Just smash our way out! This place can't go on forever, right? Sooner or later, we'd break out."

That idea gave Roxanne pause. Honestly, it wasn't the worst option they had available. "May, how hot can you make your fire?"

"You want me to melt solid steel?" May said incredulously. "Because I'm game, but that might just be a little bit above my pay grade."

"No, we don't need you to melt steel, just soften it a bit to make punching our way through easier. Can you do it?"

"Um, I guess? Only metal thing I've ever got the chance to set on fire was my dad's stupid project car, and I didn't stick around to see if it melted or not. But wouldn't that just burn your fists?"

"We can take it," Olivia said confidently. "Though...Hey, wait. What kind of car was it?"

"Um, a 62 Mantine. Why?"

"You torched a 62 Mantine?" Olivia said, sounding absolutely aghast. "Oh. Oh, that hurts."

"Not to me! Screw that piece of scrap!"

Roxanne frowned. "Since when were you into cars?" she asked Olivia.

"Since forever! Besides, you don't need to be into cars to know you don't torch a 62 Mantine! Do you have any idea how rare those are?"

"Well, now there's one less," May said smugly.

"Girl," Olivia said, sounding pained. "Please. No."

Roxanne rolled her eyes. "Forget the car! May, can you do it or not?"

"I mean, sure. Don't blame me if you get blisters on your knuckles, though."

"Good!" They turned a corner. "Then the only thing to do is to find-"

They had found something else. Another party had been running the other way, and their sharp turn had brought the two groups face-to-face.

Faces that were dismayingly familiar.

"You!"

...

The pursuers and the pursued stood on opposite sides of red-light corridor, awash in the screeching of the alarms, staring silently at one another.

May, Roxanne, and Olivia were all completely worn down. They were naked, tired, and dirty, clearly not in any condition to fight. But fight they would, and were determined to take as many of their foes down with them.

And Cassidy, James, Butch, and Meowth all saw this. Yes, the odds were in their favor, but in such close quarters victory would come as a price. And to be honest, they were less interested in fighting as they were in escaping. It made for a troublesome conundrum.

The two groups continued to stare, each waiting for the other to make the first move. The knuckles in May's fists popped. James ground his teeth.

Then James and Butch's hands went to the pokeballs on their belts. Seeing this, fire ignited around May's fists while Roxanne and Olivia slipped into fighter stances.

Violence may have erupted, but before the boys could bring out their Pokemon or the fireballs could begin to fly, it was all brought to a sudden stop.

By Cassidy.

"Okay, no!" the blonde Grunt said. She thrust an arm in front of her male comrades.

"No?" Butch said incredulously. "What'd'yah mean, no?"

"I mean, we are not doing this!" Cassidy snapped. "Forget them! It's pointless!"

"Uh, excuse me?" Roxanne said, lowering her fists ever so slightly. "You punks are the reason we got stuck here in the first place!"

"Well, that was then, and this is now!" Cassidy thrust a finger up at one of the squawking klaxons. "Hear that? That means that there's an army of angry Pokemon breaking their way in right now, and I don't think they're gonna distinguish between Rockets and non-Rockets! If you morons wanna waste time fighting now, then be my guest! Me, I'm getting the hell out of here!"

James sputtered. "Wh-What? We're just going to run? But Jessie-"

"You see Jessie with them? No? Because she's not here! But hey, if you want to stick around and ask all of those angry Pokemon if they've seen her, then be my stinking guest!" To the baffled PokeGirls, she said, "You three go do whatever! Just stay out of our way, and we'll both be happy!"

A few beats passed, and then Meowth ventured, "Y'know, I'm inclined ta' agree wit' dah bimbo. We gotta go."

"I-Ugh, fine!" James spat. Then he thrust a finger at the PokeGirl trio. "But don't think this makes us even! You're still going to pay; mark my words!"

With that, they hurried off, taking a different corridor.

Feeling utterly lost, May lowered her burning fists. "I…what just happened?"

"I'd rather not question it," Roxanne said in a curt tone.

"Well, I'd like to question how that Meowth can talk!" Olivia exclaimed. "Seriously, that's just weird!"

...

All Ash had wanted was to have a normal Pokemon adventure.

Two vines whistled through the air; smacking Jessie clear across the room.

Get away from everyone. Sleep under the stars. Explore the wilds. Make new friends.

She tried to rise up, but another vine swatted her down.

Build a relationship with his Pokemon. Get strong together. Test themselves against Gym Leaders and other trainers. Earn badges. Uncover secrets.

That vine wrapped itself around Jessie's middle. It lifted her high into the air before rearing back and smashing her into the floor.

But from the start, things had turned out differently, and the bulk of the blame could be laid at the feet of Team Rocket. Ash didn't want to deal with notorious criminals. He didn't want to have to hurt anyone, nor did he want to watch people he cared about get hurt. He was only ten years old. But they just kept showing up and showing up, ruining everything.

Jessie was thrust up against the wall, and multiple vines began pummeling and battering her.

Even everything that had gotten weird between him, Misty, and May was well on its way to getting sorted out! But no, Team Rocket had to steal her gym. They had to invade Mt. Moon and ruin everything for everyone. And Jessie…

Another swift crack, and Jessie's bruised body was hurled to the floor.

Jessie had hurt Misty. Badly. And she was keeping Ash from helping her. Enough was enough. Ash should just let Tangela finish the job.

And yet…

"Tangela, that's enough!" he shouted.

Tangela didn't heed his order. Now that an actual member of Team Rocket was in her grasp, she was going to work out a lot of pain and trauma, with Jessie serving as the receptacle for everything that Tangela had suffered.

But if Ash let this continue, then Tangela would no doubt kill Jessie. And as much as Ash was coming to hate the woman, he still couldn't bear to let that happen.

Tangela seized a massive rock with four of her vines and hoisted it up. "TANTANTANTAN!" she screeched, ready to crush Jessie's body to paste.

"Tangela, no!" Ash thrust out Tangela's pokeball and recalled her. Tangela's body vanished into light, and the stone fell to the ground with a loud thud.

Ash had just enough wherewithal to clip Tangela's pokeball back to his belt before falling to his knees and bursting into tears. He hated this. He hated hating people. He hated watching people that he cared about be hurt. He hated hurting people. He hated that he had to hurt people. He just wanted it to stop.

Get a grip. Misty's still hurt. End this.

Steeling himself, he wiped away his tears and forced himself to his feet. Then, those he still hurt from the battering Jessie had given him, he willed himself forward, placing on foot in front of the other.

Jessie and Misty's prone bodies were now side-by-side. Misty had passed out, but miraculously, Jessie was still somehow conscious despite all that Tangela had done to her. She was hurt, she was shaking, but she was alive and she was awake. Ash had to give her credit; she was tough.

Stopping out of range of her hands and spit, Ash held out his hand. "Give me her human ball and yours. Now."

Shaking with pain, Jessie glowered hatefully at him. "W-Why sh-sh-should I?"

Ash could see that one of her hands was still clutching Misty's human ball. "Because you'll die if you don't! Give them to me!"

"G-Go fu…fu…"

Ash's patience snapped. "I'm trying to save your life! Do you really think you'll be able to survive on your own? Give them to me, and I'll heal you! Don't, and I'm leaving you here!"

Finally, some measure of fear and doubt filtered into her bloodshot eyes. "You…You wouldn't!"

"I'm taking her human ball as soon as you pass out," Ash told her. "I don't know where yours is, and if it's not someplace obvious, then I'm going to focus on only helping her. I can't carry you out of here. But if you give me your human ball, then I can." He licked his lips. "You hurt my friend. I should just leave you here. But I'm giving you this last chance. Please. Let me save her. And you."

...

With their power out and their agents fleeing, there was little Team Rocket could do to stop Ambihilech's advance. Walls and doors were no more an obstacle than cold cave mist. Corridors that were too small for his mighty girth suddenly...were not. And any remnants of Team Rocket that had the misfortune to cross his path suddenly ceased to be a problem.

On the surface of the mountain, the evacuation was well under way, with the Rockets loading into those great steel birds that Ambihilech could never remember the names of. Some of Ambihilech's Pokemon were racing to cut them off. He did not interfere either way. His purpose was in the bright glow of power visible only to his eyes.

He reached his destination. The moon stones were stored in a heavily fortified room, sealed by two layers of thick steel doors. It truly was a formidable barrier to any would-be thieves, human or Pokemon.

To Ambihilech, it was laughably pathetic.

Soon the doors were reduced to scraps of twisted metal, and Ambihilech forced his way inside.

Beyond was a large metal room, stacked on all sides with plastic crates. The crates were filled with the spoils of Team Rockets' plundering. To Ambihilech's eyes, the stolen moon stones shone brighter than the full moon on a cloudless night. They called to him, imploring him to release them from their captivity.

And he was more than happy to acquiesce.

However, as his long and massive body slithered into the room, something...changed. Something bounced off of his body, so small that he barely even noticed.

But then the world disappeared.

Everything went dark, and he was suddenly surrounded by the strangest rushing sensation, as if plunging down into a deep and lightless abyss. Chains of power wrapped themselves around him, trying to seize control of his will, trying to bind him to-

NO!

And suddenly, he was back in the room of stolen moon stones, the power having slid off of him like fine silt.

Confused, Ambihilech twisted his head around. There were a few scraps of metal and plastic skittering across the floor, ones that looked very familiar.

It was one of those magic orbs that humans used to capture Pokemon. Someone had just tried to catch him.

Of course it hadn't work. There was not a sphere that had been designed that could contain Ambihilech. But just the idea that someone had tried filled Ambihilech with indignation. How dare they?

And then a hated voice spoke.

"There you are," spoke the voice of Ambihilech's nemesis. "I have been waiting a long time for this moment, old snake."

Ah.

Cliff.

Of course.

But before Ambihilech could make a retort, preferably in the form of a hyper beam to the face, he suddenly found searing heat and icy cold cutting through his body. Fingers of pure agony dug into him, digging deep and filling the holes with madness.

Ambihilech roared.

...

Cliff watched dispassionately as the crystalized Onix writhed in pain, courtesy of the steel-infused electromagnetic field currently coursing through his body. All around him, three Magnezones and multiple Magnemites hovered. On the ground were two Metagross and four Metangs. Cliff had always known that one day, he and Ambihilech would face each other directly, and had prepared these Pokemon for Ambihilech in specific.

He held up a hand, and the energy cut out, leaving Ambihilech lying in a twitching mess.

"You have caused me a considerable amount of trouble, old snake," Cliff said. "Though I do not fault you. We both fight for what we believe in. And you have your responsibilities, just as I have mine."

Though Ambihilech could not speak, the malice radiating from the crystalline serpent was palpable.

"If you have a weakness, it is your devotion to these rocks," Cliff said, gesturing to the crate. "I knew you would not be able to resist coming for them in person. And I admit, their power has its benefits. But as valuable as they are, they are paltry compared to the real prize."

Ambihilech lurched, only to be forced back down by the field of energy surrounding him.

Cliff smiled. "I'm sorry, my friend. But you should not have come. I admire your bravery, but you have only cost your mountain its guardian. When you are gone, who will lead your people?"

He tossed an ultra-ball down at the imprisoned Onix, just as he had done before announcing himself. Again, Ambihilech's body dissolved into pure energy to be swallowed up by the ball, only for the ball to immediately explode, causing Ambihilech to reappear.

"Of course, given your immense power, I doubt there is a capture ball made that can contain you," Cliff said. "Even if you were to be beaten into unconsciousness, you would likely still burst out of any attempt to capture you through indominable will alone. Fortunately, the countermeasure is obvious."

He gestured toward the living magnets holding Ambihilech in place, alongside the psychic beasts of metal. "Rock and fairy. A most unusual typing. Carbink, I think is the only naturally occurring example? And those dwell far from here." Cliff smiled. "However, if I am not mistaken, that only renders you especially vulnerable to weapons of steel. And these are not only designed to hold you. They are designed to drain you."

The eyes of the magnets suddenly glowed bright, and the energy field surrounding Ambihilech surged in time. Ambihilech stiffened, and roared in agony.

The glow dulled. Ambihilech was left visibly trembling.

"One way or another, you will submit to Team Rocket," Cliff said. "You will serve our aims. You will cease your selfish devotion to this pile of dirt and wield your power for the good of all."

The field of steel and electricity again flared up, and Ambihilech's cries of agony filled the room.

"One way or another," Cliff told the writhing serpent. "One way or another."

...

For once, luck was on Cassidy and her companions' side. The elevators still worked, and they were able to catch one just as several other Grunts were about to make the trip upward.

It was sheer relief when the elevator doors opened to the fresh air and sunlight of the mountainside. Honestly, Cassidy didn't want to ever head beneath the ground ever again. What a miserable experience.

Outside was a relatively flat outcropping where several members of Team Rocket were gathered. At one end were gathered multiple members of Team Rocket, of all stripes, though most seemed to be Grunts. At the other were two large transport helicopters, both clearly ready to leave, with Grunts wearing a slightly different uniform standing between them and those trying to flee Mt. Moon.

That struck Cassidy as odd. There clearly were several unhappy people waiting to leave. So why hadn't the helicopters left?

One of the Grunts in front of the helicopters looked around. "Once again, we have three seats left! Does anyone still have their entire team?"

"Man, this ain't fair!" shouted someone else. "I got swarmed by freakin' ghosts! Do you know how hard it is to recall your Pokemon when bein' attacked by the undead?"

"I tried to bring Betty back, but all the lights was out, and I couldn't see her!" another added. "I had to run!"

"What in the world are they going on about?" James wondered.

"No clue, but we ain't waitin'," Butch groused. The three of them (plus Meowth) pushed their way forward.

"Hey!" Meowth called as they got close. "I thwat dis was an evacuation! Wat's dah friggin' holdup?"

Silence fell upon those gathered. Then someone said, "Did…Did that Pokemon just-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I ken talk!" he snapped. "Like I ain't been wit' dis racket longa den mosta y'all! But seriously, wat's takin' so danged long?"

The Grunt in front of the helicopter said, "Orders! Only those who have not abandoned their Pokemon and PokeGirl teams can leave with the first wave!"

"Uh, we still have our teams," Cassidy immediately said. She held up her pokeballs.

The Grunt at guard turned to her. "You do?"

Seeing where this was going, Butch put in, "Yeah, and there's three of us!"

"Hey!" Meowth protested.

"You can ride in James's lap," Cassidy told her. "Or would you rather stay behind?"

"Hey, wait a minute!" someone snapped. "That's not fair! They weren't even helping defend the place!"

"Yeah, they don't even go here!" another voice said.

"Don't care! We need three, and there's three of them!" said the Grunt in front of the helicopter. "All right, get your asses on board!"

Preening, Cassidy, Butch, James, and Meowth hurried from the disgruntled crowd to the helicopter and got on board. Meowth looked quite irritated at having to be strapped to James, but for once he kept his wagging tongue in his mouth.

As the helicopter lifted off, Cassidy slowly breathed out. She still wasn't sure what was going on, but at the very least their luck was starting to turn.

Soon they were moving through the sky, leaving that atrocious mountain behind, presumably with those brats still lost deep inside. With any luck the whole thing was going to collapse on them.

"So, this might be a bad time to point this out," Butch said, raising his voice to be heard over the chopping blades. "But we're still kind of in hot water with Archer."

"And we still haven't rescued Jessie!" James pouted.

"Hey, at least we're alive!" Cassidy said. "Which is a damned better sight than what could have happened! We'll deal with all that once we get back to…"

Her voice trailed off. Come to think of it, where were they going?

"Hey, where's this helicopter heading?" she called to the pilots.

The co-pilot turned his (or hers? It was hard to tell with the helmet they were wearing) toward her. "Base camp north of Cerulean!" she said, her voice denoting her as a woman. "Something big is going down there, and with our base lost here, we're reassigning resources to that! Which includes you!"

"Cerulean?" James wrinkled his nose. "Hey, wasn't one of those brats-"

Butch elbowed him in the side. Cassidy agreed. No need to go spilling that to unfamiliar ears.

All in all, she reflected as the mountain got further and further away, the operation had been a major bust. However, with any luck the chaos from losing the mountain base would mean that their own failures would get lost in the shuffle, and they could quietly return to what they did best: actual crime.

That is, unless they crossed paths with those insufferable twerps again.

If that happened, then Cassidy's criminal rap sheet was going to see a serious upgrade.

...

In a part of the Team Rocket base not currently being swarmed by angry Pokemon trying to claw their way in, others were trying to smash their way out.

There was a small, steel door that opened into a mining tunnel, one carved out by the original miners and expanded by Team Rocket. The door was sealed and locked, but that meant little to those looking to leave. The cold steel turned pink, and then red. Moments later it was sizzling shrapnel.

"See?" Olivia said as she shook bits of hot metal off of her fists. "Told you it'd work."

Wincing, Roxanne was doing the same. A few burns were a small price to pay for freedom, but she hadn't enjoyed it.

"Can I just say how hot that was?" May said. "Because it was really hot."

Olivia looked bewildered. "Well, yeah. Because you superheated the metal. Of course it would-Oh, you mean the other kind of hot."

"Duh."

Roxanne sighed. "Look: the important thing is that we're out. Now, can we please put as much distance between us and here as possible?"

"Don't need to tell me twice," May said with a shudder. "I hope they all get eaten."

They ran and ran, May holding a brightly burning ball of flame in her hand in front of them like a torch. It wasn't the most ideal way to light their path, but the last time they had tried to run blindly through the darkness had resulted in a number of bruises and a broken nose.

Unfortunately, their recent stroke of good fortune did not hold. "Oh, come on!" Olivia cried in frustration.

They had reached a dead end. The tunnel did not connect to the rest of Mt. Moon's paths, instead coming to a full stop.

"No," May said, shaking her head. "No, no, no. This can't...this can't be where it ends. There's got to be a way out, right?"

Roxanne frowned. "Hang on," she said, kneeling down in front of the freshly cut stone wall. She gently placed her fingertips against the rock before leaning in to press her ear to the wall.

"What are you doing?" May asked.

"Shhh! I'm just..." Roxanne rapped her knuckles against the wall. Then she listened.

"Okay," she said at last. "There's another hollow about five feet through the rock. Feels like another tunnel."

May perked up. "Can we reach it?"

"You bet your sweet little booty, we can!" Olivia said with a wide grin. She hunched over and flexed her arms, making her biceps pop. "Smashing through rock is our specialty!"

A sliver of drool trickled out of one side of May's mouth. "But not your only one."

Roxanne slowly breathed out. "Okay, this'll take some work. Olivia? Let's get to work. May? Hold that light steady."

"You got it! Good thing I can do it with one hand, huh?"

"What difference does that-Oh." Of course she was already wound up again. If they did manage to talk her into accepting their offer of going back to the Pewter City Gym for protection and training, then things were definitely going to get weird. "Whatever. Just make sure we can see." She stood up and moved her feet into a boxer's stance, both fists held at the ready. "All right, time to start punching."

The two PokeGirls went to work, slamming their fists into the hard stone and smashing it to rubble. As they worked, Roxanne found herself thankful that it was loud work, as it drowned out the wet, squishing noises taking place behind her.

...

Electromagnetic waves infused with the power of sentient steel surged over the living serpent of solid moon stone. He again bellowed in pain.

Cliff watched dispassionately as his nemesis suffered for his foolishness. The old snake was strong, of that there was no doubt, but sooner or later he would succumb. Cliff wasn't entirely certain what Team Rocket needed all those moon stones for, and neither did he want to know. Such secrets were not for his ears. He only knew that there was something big in the works, something that would cement Team Rocket's dominion over the world.

Well, if that was the case, then how much would their aims be served if Cliff were to deliver a creature of living moon stone to his master? What greater proof of his unwavering loyalty could there be?

His walkie-talkie beeped. Picking it up, he clicked it on and said, "Cliff here."

"S-Sir, it's Grunt Clark. Over."

Cliff frowned. "I recall specifically ordering you to evacuate. Over."

"I am, sir! I'm in one of the helicopters right now! But you should know…the Pokemon are retreating! Over."

"They are? Over."

"Yes, sir! We just got the report from the few that remain in the base! They're pouring out en masse and fleeing deeper into the mountain. Over."

Cliff was troubled. He ought to be pleased, but something struck him as odd about this. Why would they flee? They were winning!

"I see. Thank you for the update. I'll see to it. Cliff out."

He then turned to Ambihilech. "It seems that your comrades have fled," he told the unique creature. "If you were counting on being rescued, then you will be disappointed."

Ambihilech turned his head to regard his human nemesis. His stony face did not allow for a wide array of emotions, but Cliff could have sworn that he caught a smirk.

And then his mouth started to glow.

Cliff sighed. "You cannot be serious. With the electromagnetic net covering you, you have only one way to fire, and that is forward. At your precious moon stones. And you know as well as I do how sacred they are to you. You wouldn't have spent your people's lives so freely to retrieve them otherwise."

Ambihilech didn't respond, but the glow continued to grow.

A trickle of doubt seeped through Cliff. Ambihilech wasn't really going to go through with it, was he?

"Are you not the Guardian of the Mountain, the Keeper of the Sacred Star?" Cliff demanded. "Your people worship those rocks! Will you so heartlessly destroy your own deity?"

The glow continued to grow.

By the Three, he's really going to go through with it. "Stop him!" Cliff shouted. "Drain him dry!"

His Pokemon were already on it. The silvery-yellow field flared bright, but Ambihilech would not be stopped. The glow built and built and built.

Cliff's nerve broke. He pulled out his pokeballs to recall his array of steel-types and readied himself to flee.

He didn't have the chance. Ambihilech opened his mouth.

Hyper Beam.

...

Suddenly, a violent tremor shook the whole cavern. Ash was just about knocked right off of his feet as everything swayed and buckled.

What in the world was that? It was like a volcano had gone off! But Mt. Moon wasn't volcanic! What had-

Another tremor, and this one didn't stop. The whole mountain was shaking. Cracks were cutting through the walls and ceiling. Pillars fell. Stalactites broke from their bases to tumble to the ground.

And beneath their feet, that ground was starting to crack too.

To Ash's horror, the floor gave way beneath both Misty and Jessie, falling down at a slant, one that ended in a gaping hole. "No!" he cried as he leapt forward, seizing them both by the wrist.

Fortunately, there was a wedge of rock for him to brace his shoulder against, keeping him from being dragged down. And there was a shelf of stone right beneath them, which helped keep them in place. But as the room kept shaking and everything kept cracking, it was clear that the shelf was going to give way soon. The slope would probably collapse right out from under them as well. And when either of those happened, there was no chance that he could hold on.

He locked eyes with Jessie, who was still paralyzed and beaten too badly to be of any use. "Don't l-let me g-g-go!" she begged.

"I'm not! But I don't know how long I can hold on!"

Ash looked around him, hoping to see something or anything that could help them. Then his eyes fell upon a small pink-and-red sphere, one split into two hemispheres with a heart on its top half and three claw marks.

Misty's human ball! Jessie must have dropped it when the floor gave way! It was just barely in reach, too! If he got it, then he'd be able to safely recall her!

Suddenly, the mountain shook again. The slope shifted, and the rock shelf started to crumble away. He froze. The weight his arms were supporting was now much greater. He couldn't hold on much longer.

It was then that Ash realized something horrible.

Jessie was hurt. Misty was unconscious. And he did not have the strength in his small, ten-year-old body to hold on to them both.

Ash cast a desperate look to Misty's human ball. It was lying tantalizingly close. All he had to was reach out and grab it, and Misty would be safe.

But to do that, he was going to need to let go of one of them.

Seeing the look in his eye, Jessie immediately tensed. "Oh no," she cried. "Don't you dare let go!"

"Toss me your human ball!" Ash shouted back. "I'll recall you both!"

"Are you insane? You'll j-j-just hand me over to the police!"

She wasn't wrong, but Ash felt that even she ought to see how preferable that was to her alternatives.

"I can't hold on much longer!" he said. "Please! Let me save you!"

Jessie hesitated, and then said, "It's…someplace hard to get!"

"WHERE?" Ash bellowed.

"My ass, okay? I shoved it up my ass!"

Ash gawked at her. "Wait, are you serious?"

"Where else was I g-gonna put it?"

Ash's fingers were starting to slip. "Can you reach it?"

Jessie scoffed. "I'm p-paralyzed, you idiot!"

"Try anyway! I'll recall you before you reach the-"

Misty slipped a few centimeters.

Ash had mere seconds to make a decision.

Jessie must have seen the look in his eyes, and all the spite and meanness melted away from her face, revealing a scared young woman. "Wait," she said. "Don't."

Ash grimaced. No choice. "I'm sorry," he said.

And then he let go.

...

"LOOK OUT!"

In one smooth movement, Olivia seized both of her smaller companions and spun around, ducking into nearby alcove.

And not a moment too soon. A blast of heat and light roared its way through the tunnel where they had just been, one that was loud, bright, and surprisingly pink.

Unable to do anything but wait, May shut her eyes and stuck her fingers in her ears. Even through her eyelids the light still seared at her eyes and the roar hammered her eardrums. She could feel the heat of it. It wasn't fire, per se, but it was strong!

Finally the roar and light subsided. May opened her eyes. Her vision was spotty, and her ears were ringing.

"That was fairy energy!" Roxanne said.

"Yeah, I felt it too," Olivia said. "Why fairy, though?"

May frowned. "How can you guys tell?"

"We're a Gym Leader's PokeGirls, May. There isn't a typing that we haven't had blast us at one time or another." Then Roxanne scowled. "And yes, I know that's an innuendo. I don't care."

For once, May was actually more interested in Pokemon-battle business than seizing upon said innuendo, which really spoke to how weird her week had been. "Wait, people use fairy-types against you? Why?"

"So says the fire-type that volunteered to fight a rock-type twice your size and age!"

"That was different! It was really hot!"

"That's beside the point! Which is we've seen all kinds, so we know fairy energy when we feel it!"

Olivia frowned. "What do you suppose happened?"

"Maybe the local Clefairies put together a bomb," Roxanne said brusquely. "I don't know. All I do know is that-"

Then the world started to shake.

"-that this place is now coming down! Damn it!"

Holding onto a bright sphere of flame, May peeked out of the alcove. Her face lit up.

"Well, turns out it was still good news for us! Look!"

Roxanne and Olivia both leaned out to see what May was talking about.

For once, luck was on their side. It seemed that the blast of energy had finished the job. The wall had been blown in. And, just as Roxanne had figured, it led out to one of the natural tunnels.

A tunnel that just kept going and going. Whether it had already been there or that the blast had really been strong enough to carve it out, none of them knew or even cared. What mattered was that it was there.

And at the very far end, a pale light could be seen.

A way out!

"Come on!" Olivia snatched up May in a bridal-carry, and she and Olivia bolted out into the tunnels while the mountain continued to crack apart around them.

...

First, there was pain. A lot of it.

Then, there was darkness. That part was...weird and confusing, but not so bad.

Then Misty's upper body was jolting straight up as she hyperventilated. Where was she? What happened? Was she dead?

Still trying to catch her breath, Misty patted herself down. Nope, not dead, not even injured. Which was a nice change of pace, but given that the last thing she remembered involved being beaten to a pulp and scratched to shreds by a trio of angry Pokemon, there was a definite discrepancy that needed to be addressed.

"Misty?"

Misty turned. Ash was sitting next to her, his flashlight sitting next to him and illuminating the two of them. Her trainer was obviously shaken, his face, well, ashen.

"Take it easy," he said, holding one hand out. "You're okay. We're safe. Well, for now, anyway. But we do need to get out of here!"

Out of there? Out of where? "Ash, wh-what's going on?"

Ash nervously licked his lips. "Um, what's the last thing you remember?"

"Um…" Misty frowned. "We were…fighting Jessie…and thing got sort of dicey. And then-"

From there, her memory got fuzzy. She vaguely recalled feeling very, very sick, and after that…

"She won," Ash said. "You got poisoned again, and she start beating you. So I…"

More of Misty's memories were starting to return. "Tangela?"

Ash winced. Then he nodded. "Sorry."

"Don't be. It's not like it was on the bridge. This was definitely the time to use her."

Ash nodded again. "Right. Well, Tangela won, but..."

Suddenly, the ground shook.

"Something went bad," Ash said. "The whole place started falling apart. You got hit on the head by a big rock, and then the ground started to cave in under you. I barely got you out in time." He held up her scarred human ball. "I had to recall you."

Misty stared at the small sphere. For some reason, the thought of her entire essence being so easily captured in that tiny thing disturbed her to her core. Wow. She really was a PokeGirl. She really was Ash's property.

Seeing the look on her face, Ash was quick to say, "Only for a little bit! Just long enough to heal you! I popped you out right after-"

"Ash, it's fine," Misty said before the poor guy was hit by another anxiety attack. "You did the right thing. It's just…something to get used to. Thanks." She looked around. "Um, where's Jessie? Please tell me you got your hands on her human ball."

Ash was silent.

"Ash?"

In answer, Ash merely lifted a hand and pointed.

There, where the battle had taken place, was now a yawning chasm.

"The ground was giving way," Ash said. "You both were sliding in. I wasn't strong enough to hold onto you both. Getting your human ball was the only way to save you. I didn't want to let go, but I couldn't…she wouldn't give me…"

Misty placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey. It's okay."

Ash swallowed. "Is it?"

Misty put her arms around him and held him tight until he stopped trembling. "Okay," he muttered. "I'm good now."

With a sigh, Misty pulled away, though not before touching her lips to his. "You saved me, okay? Remember that."

A ghost of a smile tugged at Ash's mouth, but

"Oh, wow, that is not good," Ash said.

"No kidding. We'd better get out of here."

Ash nodded. He pulled out a pokeball and brought out the freshly healed Zubat. Upon seeing the state of the cave, Zubat immediately starting cheeping agitatedly at Ash.

"It wasn't me!" he protested. "Something else is going on. I think it's Ambihilech!"

The noise that Zubat made in response sounded weirdly like a human saying, "Uh-oh."

"Exactly! But we need to get out of here. Do you know any exits from here?"

Zubat fluttered this way and that for a bit before shooting off into a nearby tunnel.

Though she was cold, this time Misty didn't raise her static field. "Come on," she said, taking Ash by the hand. "Let's go."

...

Jessie wasn't dead. But she was starting to wish that she was.

Everything hurt. The beating that that whatever-the-hell-it-was had given her had broken things that she hadn't even known that she had. And before that, she had been electrocuted. Several times.

The hurt ran deep. Every breath inflamed her broken ribs. Her leg was screaming agony. Her head was throbbing something awful. Her muscles felt like they had been rubbed with sandpaper. And there were probably dozens of other hurts that were being drowned out by those complaining the loudest.

But most of all, she just wanted to cry. Ash had let her go. Ash had let her die. Ash had chosen that little whore over her.

What do you care? sneered Jessie, career criminal and proud agent of Team Rocket. You hate him! Why would you want anything from some stupid dweeb whose balls haven't even dropped?

But that part of Jessie, the mean, nasty part of Jessie that was so often in the driver's seat, and even her normal, rational part (which did exist, contrary to what some might believe), had been thoroughly beaten down. What was left was sheer emotion and instinct. And that was all PokeGirl.

And when it came down to it, Jessie had just been rejected by her trainer in the most thorough way imaginable.

Ash had abandoned her. Ash had left her to die. Because of Misty. He had sacrificed her to save Misty. Because in spite of everything Jessie had taunted him about, it was clear that Misty meant more to him than just being his personal sex toy. Ash loved Misty.

In the same way that he didn't love Jessie. Just like no one loved Jessie.

Stop it! screamed everything about Jessie that wasn't scared, unloved PokeGirl. Stop being stupid! Of course he doesn't love you! He caught you by accident! Besides, you tried to kill him, didn't you? And you should have killed him! Besides, who would want to be his PokeGirl? So he can parade you around naked like he does Misty and that fire brat? Who would want that?

Jessie the PokeGirl didn't have an answer. All she could do was cry.

Oh, look at you! If you want to cry like a little baby over being beat up, then fine! But now you're crying because your master doesn't love you! Well, who cares about him? Who cares about anyone? When have we ever needed anybody?

Now, actually. She could really use somebody right about now.

Actually, where even was she? She was lying on a pile of rock; that much was obvious. But rather than being cold and hard, the rock burned where it touched her bare skin, and not just from the pain expected from the beating she had taken. It was like the stone itself was somehow cold and hot at the same time. Not enough to drown out the other pain she was in, but still noticeable.

Furthermore, though her eyes were closed, there was a bright light shining through her eyelids.

Grimacing, Jessie forced her eyes open and looked around the best her limited mobility would allow.

As far as she could tell, she had fallen to the bottom of some kind of crevice, with the floor and most of the walls around her being made of some kind of crystal. A crystal that was pinkish-white and glittering. A crystal that was glowing brightly. A crystal that burned when she touched it.

Jessie had seen crystals that color before, back during her Grunt orientation process, when being educated on which valuables to prioritize due to their use to Team Rocket. Evolution stones were highly prized. And pinkish-white stones were especially coveted.

Moon stone. She had landed upon a vein of raw moon stone.

No wonder it burned. She was a dark-type! Moon stones were infused with fairy energy!

Immediately Jessie's criminal mind regained enough strength to churn out some calculations. This much moon stone had to be worth…a lot. A lot a lot. Millions, probably. Billions, possibly. If she managed to get back to Team Rocket and inform them of the vein's location, then her reward would be more than enough for her to retire to some tropical island somewhere. Not that she would, because what was life without crime? But all that money would sure be nice, to say nothing of the prestige.

And all she had to do was find a way out of here. While deeply injured. And paralyzed.

Taking a deep breath, Jessie rolled onto her back and looked up. Huh. From the look of things, the place was still shaking and breaking. And…was that daylight above her? It was only a crack, and hard to see through the moon stones' glare. Plus, her vision was still bleary. But it did seem like the room had caved in enough to peek out into the open air!

Hey, a way out! Now, how was she-

Wait.

What was that humming?

Jessie turned her head. The humming was the moon stone itself. Come to think of it, wasn't it glowing a little too brightly? And sort of…pulsing? Almost as if it were-

Jessie inhaled sharply through her teeth. Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no.

The moon stone was going to blow. Whatever it was that had brought the whole cavern down had rendered it somehow unstable.

And she was stuck in ground zero.

"No," she moaned. "No, not this. Please, not this." She tried to lift a hand toward the daylight, but the paralysis in her muscles seized up. "H-Help. Someone. P-Please, help-"

The moon stone exploded.

...

"Okay, this place is definitely coming down!" Olivia yelled over the din.

There was no question of it now. Despite having escaped Team Rocket's headquarters, its destruction had utterly destabilized everything that it had touched. Now, even the stone tunnels that they were fleeing through were on the verge of caving in.

"Time to hunker down!" Roxanne said.

May stared at her. "What?"

"It's okay; we're trained for this!" Olivia reassured her. "Rock-types get stuck in cave-ins all the time! We'll form a bunker and wait for things to calm down, and then we'll dig our way out!"

May, who was not a fan of entrapment in any form, couldn't say that she much cared for that plan.

"But we're so close!" she protested, pointed at the light. "It's right there-"

The floor went out from under her.

"Whoa, look out!" Olivia seized May by the waist and swung her to safety.

"Too risky," Roxanne said grimly. She thrust her shoulder into the cracking wall, cratering it inward. "Olivia, start burrowing. May? Come here. I promise I'll protect you."

Even the promise of being wrapped in the arms of a beautiful naked muscle queen wasn't enough to alleviate May's fears. But at this point, what choice did she have?

And then May spotted something through the falling stones, something moving through the next cavern.

It was...it was two people...two children...a spiky-haired boy with a red-and-white cap and a blue jacket...with a Zubat fluttering over his shoulder and...a pretty orange-haired girl...who was naked...holding hands as...as they rushed toward the light...

Misty.

Ash.

THERE!

May gasped once. Once just.

And.

Then.

The.

World.

Turned.

Off.

Everything around her ceased to matter. She heard and yet did not hear the cracks, rumbles, and crashes of the caverns collapsing all around her. She heard and yet did not hear Olivia and Roxanne shouting at her to get down into the shelter that they had cobbled together. She felt and yet did not feel the dust and stone chips falling onto her naked body.

All that mattered in May's world was what she saw.

And she saw her friends.

Ready...

GO!

Faster. Legs pumping. Falling stones. Duck under. Keep going. Faster. Roxanne calling out for you to stop. Olivia reaching out to grab you. Dodge. Keep going. Faster.

Misty. Ash. Right in front of you. Stuck. Won't get out in time.

No. Faster.

Crevice opening. Leap. Almost there. Keep going. Wall caving in. Hop aside. Keep going. Misty and Ash now close. Sunlight beyond. Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, gogogogogogogogoGOGOGOGO!

...

"WHAT!"

That was all Ash managed to get out when he was literally yanked off of his feet and hauled along through the collapsing cavern. Something had seized him up by the backpack, and he was again being carried along by someone his own height, much like when Misty had done the same earlier.

He looked up. And what he saw just about made him lose his mind.

"MAY?!" he heard Misty scream.

May was there, one hand grasping his backpack, the other with Misty tucked under her arm. Like Misty she was naked, and judging by all the dirt and shallow wounds covering her, she probably had a worst time than they had.

But she was here. They were together again.

"May, how-" Ash started to say, only for May to leap forward to clear a stone slab that had just fallen into their path, jarring Ash horribly in the process.

"Where have you been?" Misty cried. "We've been looking all over for you!"

May ignored her. She just kept running forward, carrying both her friends at once, eyes focused only on the spot of daylight ahead of them as she charged through the collapsing tunnel.

All around them, Mt. Moon was coming down on itself. The ceiling was breaking apart above them while the walls caved in. Large chunks of stone came crashing down to smash through the floor itself, creating gaping holes.

Ash wanted to close his eyes, but he found that he couldn't. He just stared on that pinpoint of daylight up ahead.

May kept running and running and leaping and running, dodging stone after stone after stone, each one coming within inches of crushing them. Closer and closer and closer…

And, all of a sudden, they were out!

...

In time, the tremors subsided, the destruction ceased, and the mountain was at peace.

Though it had been a costly endeavor, the invaders had been driven off, their headquarters destroyed, their plans foiled. Even now, the survivors were fleeing through the air, while their abandoned Pokemon and PokeGirls were being escorted (or, in some cases, chased) out as well. Though the suffering that they had wrought upon the mountain could not be made up for, at least now the healing could begin.

The scrapped remains of their headquarters were continuing to burn, but in time that would cease as well. And nestled in the heart of it was one brightly glowing Onix.

The cost of their victory weighed heavily upon Ambihilech. More dead had joined those who had overwhelmed Team Rocket's defenses, on both sides. He mourned the friends lost, the neighbors that would never return home. And though he did not mourn the fallen among the Rockets, he did not celebrate their deaths.

Despite this, he could not help but feel a deep sense of satisfaction.

Cliff had been a fool. All of the humans had been. They had been so convinced that the power-infused crystals that they had been tearing from the mountain had been the Holy Star which had fallen from the Heavens. Little did they know that the Holy Star, the true Moon Stone, was nestled safe and sound deep within the mountain's roots, where it had lain for several millennia. Those baubles that they referred to as moon stones were little more than natural quartz formations infused with the Holy Star's light. Yes, they held a measure of its power, and yes, they were certainly useful. But sacred they were not.

That had been Team Rocket's undoing.

Tonight, they would mourn. And tomorrow, the rebuilding would begin. And should Team Rocket ever dare to set foot upon the mountain again, they would be destroyed before they could again gain a foothold. Such was the nature of things.

Ambihilech slithered out of the flaming remains to start the journey home.

...

"Hey, Teach? You good?

"Yes. I'm fine. You?"

"Well, I'm currently buried under several tons of rubble, but other than that, can't complain."

"I'm glad to hear it."

"You know, I was keeping an eye on May as she was running. I think she and her friends got out."

"Outstanding."

"I mean, it would've been great if she had stayed and given us a hand instead of abandoning us to our fate, but you know, all things considered, we're alive, they're alive, so it all worked out."

"I'm delighted to hear it."

"You okay? You sound kind of-"

"Because since they're alive and free, that means that when I find her again, I can give her the spanking of her life!"

"Yeah, I think she'd just enjoy that."

"I know. Damn it."

"…so, what do we do now?

"Dig."

...

A/N: I would just like to note that the original anime had several episodes in Viridian Forest, but only one in Mt. Moon, whereas I only had one chapter actually take place in Viridian Forest, but spent a long time in Mt. Moon. No reason to this. I just wanted to point it out.

Anyway, I did give a lot of thought to that idea I dangled about doing commissions, and honestly, I just don't have the time right now. I'm scrambling to make use of what time I do have as it is. But I'll be keeping that idea in my back pocket in case things do get freed up a little in the future.