Pokémon Black and White
Chapter Thirty-Five
Although the Pokémon Center isn't far from their current location, the quartet and their Pokémon are unable to arrive when anticipated. Ash, Misty, Cilan, Iris, and Pikachu, Marill, and Axew regard that which bars their way with curious eyes. And a sense of déjà vu. For just yesterday, as Georgia and her Beartic came to block their path, so too does a strange, faceless creature.
"Rogga, Rogga, Rog, Roggen!" the small creature wails, jumping from one foot to the other, sometimes into the air. It glances between Ash and Iris, Cilan and Misty, Pikachu, Axew, and Marill, not settling on any one face for too long.
"Rogga, Roggen?" Ash murmurs, puzzled. It doesn't take him long to retrieve his Pokédex and scan the new arrival. "Who's that Pokémon?"
The Pokédex, as always, helpfully provides the answer.
"Roggenrola, the Mantle Pokémon. Female. A pure Rock-type. Ability: Sturdy. Roggenrola's body contains an energy core which is hard as steel from being compressed underground."
The Pokédex having finished it's description, Ash pockets the device. He devotes his full attention to the Rock-type.
"So that's a Roggenrola!"
"Pika?"
"Roggen!" Roggenrola shouts, as if in response. She continues to jump up and down, showing no signs of fatigue.
"Certainly is an energetic one." Cilan remarks.
"Wow!" Ash breathes. "The way she's jumping all over the place; you gotta love that spirit!"
Dropping a hand to his waist, Ash pulls forth a Poké Ball.
"Alright!" he cries, enlarging the device. "I'm gonna catch it! Snivy, let's—"
However, right as Ash lurches forward, ready to toss the Poké Ball and release the Grass-type inside, one of his other Pokémon has something different in mind. Releasing himself from his Poké Ball on Ash's belt, Oshawott soon appears on the path between Ash and the Roggenrola.
The Sea Otter Pokémon exhales through his nose, crossing his arms proudly over his chest.
"Or not." Ash mumbles. Putting Snivy's Poké Ball back on his belt, he raises his voice, addressing Oshawott. "Oshawott, let's go!"
"Osha!" Oshawott says, glancing back at Ash with a prideful gleam in his eyes.
"Now, use Water Gun!"
Puffing up his cheeks, Oshawott unleashes a powerful stream of water from his mouth. The Water Gun attack doesn't hit its mark. Instead, Roggenrola jumps high into the air, causing Oshawott's attack to fly harmlessly through the air, ineffective.
"Wow," Misty breathes. "That was a pretty impressive jump."
As if in agreement, when Roggenrola lands on the same spot she previously stood, she raises and lowers her head as if in a nod.
"Yeah." Ash murmurs, grinning. "Just makes me wanna catch her that much more!" he pumps a fist through the air in front of him. "C'mon Oshawott, use Aqua Jet!"
Enveloping his body in water, Oshawott shoots through the air. On a collision course with the Roggenrola, once more, the Sea Otter Pokémon ends up missing his target. In a lurching jump, Roggenrola dodges to her left. She lands in a manner such that she's facing Oshawott, her back to the four humans and their Pokémon.
As Oshawott fumes angrily, glaring at his elusive foe, the change in Roggenrola's position allows one of the humans to notice something. Something that is most peculiar.
"That Roggenrola's pretty tough!" Iris remarks, Axew offering up agreement.
A noise of agreement in the back of her throat, Misty nods her head. "Nimble too."
"Marill!"
Meanwhile, a small gasp escapes Cilan as he notices a strange gray device on Roggenrola's back. Starting at a flat circle, the device curves up in a concave shape. From what Cilan can tell, it looks like the sort that would belong to a suction-capable device.
"Look at its back!" Cilan exclaims, capturing Iris' and Misty's attention both. "What is that?"
As Misty hums thoughtfully, Iris asserts, "It looks like the broken half of a suction thing."
Without awaiting his trainer's commands, Oshawott takes it upon himself to attack. His frustration apparent, Oshawott puffs up his cheeks before unleashing another Water Gun attack. The action pulls a small grin to Oshawott's face as it ends up hitting its target. Although the Water-type attack hit, subjecting Roggenrola to a decent super effective move, she remains stalwart, unmoved.
In retaliation, Roggenrola spins her body around and around. While she does, a large tornado of dust and sand forms around her. Lowering her head only slightly, Roggenrola fires off the attack directly for Oshawott. The Sandstorm whipping across Oshawott's body, the attack ends up being so powerful, it sends Oshawott flying into a nearby tree.
"Oshawott!" Ash cries out.
Falling to the ground with a thud, Oshawott looks battered as he regards Roggenrola with a sneer.
"Oshawott, return!" Ash says, retrieving Oshawott's Poké Ball and promptly returning him. Putting it back on his belt, he reaches for Snivy's Poké Ball next. However, the young man cannot so much throw it before a loud cry of his name gives him pause.
Almost dropping Snivy's Poké Ball, Ash turns his head to regard the faithful companion on his shoulder.
"Pikapi." he says, more softly than before.
"Pikachu?" Ash murmurs, regarding his partner with confusion in his eyes. "What's wrong?"
"Pika pikachu pika pi pika chu." he says.
Roggenrola, with no opponent readily available, goes back to jumping up and down and from foot to foot.
"Roggen rogga!"
"Pikachu." he says, looking significantly between Roggenrola and Ash.
Finally, after several moments, what Pikachu's saying clicks in Ash's head.
"What's Pikachu saying, Ash?" Iris asks.
"He's saying Roggenrola's in trouble and needs help." Ash answers, giving her a glance over his shoulder.
"What kind of trouble?" Misty asks to which Ash merely raises his shoulders in a clueless shrug.
"Whatever the case," Cilan interjects, smiling an easy grin. "Perhaps we should take a detour from the Pokémon Center to help it."
"Yeah!" Iris cheers in curt agreement, going on to say, "Excadrill's pretty strong; I think he can wait a little while lon—" her eyes cloud over with confusion, looking abruptly to the left than to the right.
"What's wrong, Iris?" Cilan asks, his own eyes clouding over with concern. He places a hand on her shoulder, but says no more.
"Where's Roggenrola?" she responds.
At the inquiry, Ash, Misty, Cilan, Iris, Pikachu, Marill, and Axew all take to looking around the immediate area. No matter where they turned, no matter where they searched, Iris' question is a valid one.
Roggenrola disappeared, the only sign that she was ever there the indent Oshawott left in the tree.
"This is concerning." Cilan remarks, removing his hand from Iris' person. "It would appear that none of us were keeping that close an eye on Roggenrola."
"Yeah, and who knows where she could've gone." Misty says.
"She could be anywhere by now." Iris adds in quiet lamentation.
"And I really wanted to catch her too." Ash whines, lips in a childish pout.
"Pika Pikapi." the Electric-type offers, patting him gently on the back of the neck.
"Well, no use in complaining about it, right?" Misty says, sliding up to Ash. She grins at him, places a hand on the small of his back.
In turn, Ash gives her a wry smile. "No, I guess not. But still—"
"But," Misty stresses. "Excadrill isn't the only Pokémon that needs to visit the Pokémon Center. Oshawott may not have lost the battle, but he did take a beating."
"You think so?" Ash retorts in dubious tones. "You're only saying that because he's a Water-type."
"Maybe." Misty says, smiling enigmatically. "Maybe not. If you don't want to take him to the Pokémon Center, I guess I could always take him there myself."
She puncuates her statement by making to grab at Oshawott's Poké Ball on Ash's belt. Despite the suddenness of her motions and the clunkiness of his own, Ash grabs Misty's left wrist in his right hand.
"He's my Pokémon, Misty." Ash chides, but there's laughter in his eyes. "If anything, don't you need to take that Palpitoad of yours to get checked out by Nurse Joy?"
Misty hums thoughtfully, extricating herself from Ash's loose grip. "I guess you're right. Palpitoad put up a fight, but it wasn't anything my team couldn't handle."
Ash snorts at that, looking at Misty with wide eyes and raised brows. "Your team?"
"My team." Misty asserts with a knowing smile.
The young woman says nothing more; a jaunty whistle escaping her lips, she begins walking away from Ash and their friends.
She gets about a foot away from them before Ash realizes that something isn't quite right.
His eyes narrowing, he puts a hand to his belt. He puts a hand to it, touching nothing but the texture of it.
"How did she…?" Ash murmurs, feeling equal parts mystified and indignant. He raises his voice, already moving towards Misty. "Hey, that's my Pokémon, Misty!"
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Misty calls back, Ash seeing the grin on her face before she even turns around. When she does, a bright and mischievous gleam exists within her irises. "Maybe it fell off your belt. You can be pretty careless sometimes."
"Not with my Pokémon!" Ash retorts, the distance between him and Misty increasing as she takes step after step backwards. "I know you have Oshawott's Poké Ball!"
"Oh?" Misty drawls, a familiar sphere coming into view, existing in one of her hands. "You wouldn't be talking about this, would you?"
"Misty!"
Misty throws Oshawott's Poké Ball up high in the sky, catches it, and swipes it horizontally through the air in front of her. "You'll have to catch me first, Ketchum!"
Misty runs off in the direction of the Pokémon Center without another word.
An incoherent groan escaping him, his lips twisting up into an affectionate, yet exasperated expression, Ash gives chase, leaving Cilan and Iris in his dust.
Quite literally.
Iris coughs once whilst Cilan busies himself with waving his hand back and forth in front of him.
"Geez, what a pair of kids." she gripes, putting the back of her hands on her hips. "No wonder they're together."
"Indeed." Cilan says, a warmness lining his features as he stares at the empty space Ash and Misty previously occupied. He shakes his head, the warmness dissipating, but leaving behind a smile. He turns to Iris. "In any event, we should chase after them, shouldn't we? It's possible they could get into trouble behaving like that."
Iris blows a disgruntled breath past her lips. "I guess you're right."
That's the end of their conversation as they take to running after their unruly companions.
The sound of hearty laughter lends its voice to the chorus of the forest; the cries of Pidove and Tranquill, the gentle breeze, and the babbling of a distant stream. It's interspersed, of course, by the less peaceful exclamations of the two youngsters traipsing through the foliage. Cries such as "Give him back!" and "You'll have to run faster!" and "Misty!" and "Ash!" until finally it stops. The laughter meets an unexpected end as the two reach the Pokémon Center, Misty runs through the double doors, and directly into the back of a well-built stranger.
Crashing to the ground on her posterior, Oshawott's Poké Ball miraculously still in hand, Misty rubs at her head with her free hand.
"Ouch…" Misty moans, looking up with squinting eyes. "What did I hit?"
The answer readily makes itself - or rather, himself - known. The stranger reveals himself as a young man, his most eye-catching features being his dark blue hat and the insignia of a dark blue faucet emblazoned on the left breast of his outfit.
"I'm sorry." he apologizes. "I suppose I shouldn't have been idling so close to the door. Are you okay, miss?"
Her answer is a less than convincing grunt. "I'll be fine. It was my own fault for not watching where I was going."
"You did hit me rather hard." the unknown man remarks, offering Misty a hand as kind as the smile he shines her way. "Felt like a herd of Bouffalant ran into me!"
Misty, so wrapped up in the embarrassment of running into a complete stranger and the throbbing, albeit receding, pain in her body, doesn't even question what a "Bouffalant" is, accepting the proffered limb gratefully.
"Thank you." Misty says, rising to her feet with his assistance. She returns his smile the same time Ash walks through the entrance of the Pokémon Center. "Guess I ought to be more careful, huh?"
The man chuckles at that. "Guess so."
"What's going on here?" Ash interjects, his voice loud and clear. Although he sounds casual to a passing stranger, someone more observant could detect the suspicion, perhaps even outright hostility in his voice.
"Nothing Ash." Misty says, quieter, but just as clear. "I just kept running without looking where I was going, that's all."
"The name's Brian Garrison." he says, offering a gloved hand for Ash to shake. Ash regards him for but a moment; he must've noticed something for he relaxes considerably.
"I'm Ash." he says, giving Garrison's hand a firm shake. "And this is my partner Pikachu!"
"Pikachu!"
"Wow, a Pikachu." Garrison breathes.
"And I'm Misty." she says right as Marill comes along to stand at her trainer's feet.
"Marill."
"A pleasure to meet you both." Garrison says with a tip of his hat. "Perhaps we could chat—"
"Mister Garrison!"
Five pairs of eyes turn in unison to find a very irate-looking Nurse Joy staring at them from behind the Pokémon Center's counter. Standing on her left, her faithful Audino appears just as furious.
"Aren't you supposed to be working?" Nurse Joy asks.
"Audino!"
Garrison grimaces. "Sorry Nurse Joy. But to be fair, I only just arrived five minutes ago."
Nurse Joy's and Audino's features both soften at the admission, their anger ebbing from their faces as he continues.
"I was actually about to look for you." Garrison says. "In case you wanted to talk about anything beforehand."
"I suppose I did lose track of time." Nurse Joy admits, a light dusting of pink across her cheeks. "I was talking to the Nurse Joy of Nacrene City to make sure those injured Deerling were healing okay."
"It's really not a problem at all." Garrison says. "I can look at the plumbing now."
"Of course." Nurse Joy says, giving a curt nod as she exits through the left of the counter to meet him. "It's right this way."
Unsure of what exactly to do, Ash and Misty and their Pokémon watch as Nurse Joy leads Garrison to a door to the right of the Pokémon Center's counter. It's only after he passes through it that Nurse Joy and her Audino direct their attention to the other occupants of the room.
"Hello there!" Nurse Joy greets, giving a bow of her head. Audino mimics the gesture, giving a tilt of her head. "How may I help you today?"
"My Palptioad and Oshawott could use a check-up." Misty answers.
"My Palptioad and Oshawott could use a check-up." Ash repeats pointedly, earning a playful shove from Misty.
"I see." Nurse Joy says as she and her Audino return to behind the Pokémon Center's counter. "That shouldn't take very much time at all!"
"If you could give my other Pokémon a look," Misty says, picking Marill up and putting her on the counter. "That would be great too."
Nurse Joy gives a quick nod of her head. "It would be my pleasure."
It takes a combination of Nurse Joy looking expectantly at him and a not so gentle shove of Misty's arm into his side to get Ash to say the same.
"I'll get your Pokémon healed immediately." Nurse Joy says.
She smiles warmly as Misty gives her the rest of her Poké Balls, Ash does the same, and Pikachu jumps onto the counter.
And thus, with their Pokémon in the capable hands of a medical professional and Cilan and Iris having yet to arrive, Ash and Misty decide to sit down in a nearby sitting area. Ash opts for the leftmost end of a lime green sectional. As for Misty - either out of a fondness or a desire to further get under his skin - she takes a seat next to him. Despite the inherent aggressiveness of the action, Ash and Misty elapse into a comfortable silence.
A comfortable silence that lasts all of five seconds before Ash speaks.
"I can't believe you stole my Oshawott." he remarks, rather moodily.
"It wasn't like I was battling with him without your permission." Misty points out. "Besides, I would return him. I know how much you care about your Pokémon, Ash."
Ash scoffs, saying nothing as he crosses his arms over his chest.
Glaring sideways at Ash, Misty wonders what she could say or do to lift her friend out of his current state.
She doesn't need to think very long.
"Geez," Misty says, a kind of knowing smile pulling at her lips. She leans back against the sectional, staring up at the ceiling. "I've gotta say Ash, you're acting like such a kid right now."
That has the intended effect as Ash almost jumps off the sectional onto the ground. He leans back against the sectional in a bid to meet Misty's eyes.
"Please, don't start saying that too." he complains. "It's bad enough Iris says that all the time."
"It's not all the time." Misty retorts.
Ash gives her a flat look.
"Very compelling counter-argument." Misty remarks in a tone just as flat.
Ash merely sighs; putting his hands in his pockets, he looks away from her.
"I guess I am sorry." Misty says, so softly she's unsure if Ash can hear her. She inches closer to Ash, lays her head gently on his shoulder. Misty's about to say more when she feels Ash stiffen then relax under her. The sensation pulls a smile to her lips.
Feeling rather comfortable - and finding something that can lift Ash's spirits, if only somewhat - she nestles her head further into the space it occupies and closes her eyes.
The two natives of the Kanto region exist like that for several moments, waiting on their Pokémon to be healed and the rest of their friends to arrive. The latter doesn't take very long at all for not soon after Misty placed her head on Ash's shoulder, Cilan and Iris enter the Pokémon Center.
Irritated by the sudden physical exertion of her companions, Iris primes herself to give Ash and Misty an earful. A quick hand on her shoulder from Cilan, having noticed their state before her, stops her from doing that. Instead, Cilan and Iris with Axew in her hair take the other end of the sectional, albeit they don't sit quite as close together.
With all four of them together again, they wait in pensive silence to hear about the state of the Pokémon.
Finally, after an extended period of time that leaves Ash and Iris asleep and Misty considering joining them, the soothing chime of the Pokémon Center reaches their ears. Waking Ash and Iris up and alerting all four of them into a state of wakefulness, they rise to their feet the same time Nurse Joy emerges from deeper within the Pokémon Center.
She exits through the simple door to the right of the Pokémon Center's counter. Audino beside her, the Hearing Pokémon busies herself with pushing a cart that holds a bright and cheery Pikachu and Marill as well as their Poké Balls.
"Sorry for the delay." Nurse Joy says as Ash and his companions meet her not far from the door she exited. "I'm happy to report your Palptioad and Oshawott as well as your other Pokémon are feeling a lot better now!"
"Audino!"
"Wow, thanks Nurse Joy!" Ash says, Pikachu not wasting any time in jumping off the cart onto his partner's shoulder. It would seem he's a bad influence on Marill as she jumps off soon after, walking over to be picked up into Misty's comforting arms.
"They're looking a lot better, too!" Misty observes. "Thanks!"
"It was my pleasure!" Nurse Joy says whilst Ash and Misty collect the rest of their Pokémon. Ash gives Misty a pointed stare as he takes Oshawott's Poké Ball and places it on his belt. "I must say, it was an honor tending to not only a Pikachu, but a Marill too! We don't see many Pokémon from Kanto around here."
Just then, the sound of a nearby door sliding open captures their attention. A pale bluish-white towel around his neck, a dark gray bag over his shoulder, Garrison emerges from the other side of it.
"Nurse Joy," he says, using the towel to wipe at stray water droplets on his face."There's nothing wrong with the plumbing that I can find. Everything seems to be in perfect condition. I imagine that the problem could be with the original water source."
"The water source?" Nurse Joy says, a dejected sigh escaping her. She lifts a hand to her face, closes her eyes in dismay. "That's too bad."
"Nurse Joy, what's going on?" Iris asks.
"It's simply awful." Nurse Joy says, opening her eyes to better address Iris and the others by association. "We haven't had any running water at all since early this morning." she removes the hand from her face to indicate Garrison with a wave of it. "So, the Samurott Water Company sent Mister Garrison over here to see what needed to be done."
"If the water source is in fact the problem," Garrison says, allowing the towel to fall against his chest. "then something very unusual must have taken place at the nearby cave."
"At the cave?" Ash repeats.
"That's right." Garrison confirms. "This Pokémon Center gets its water from an underground spring that lies inside a cave."
"That's not all." Nurse Joy says. "There are lots of wild Roggenrola living in that cave as well."
"Roggenrola?" Iris says. "We just ran into one earlier."
"You really met a Roggenrola in person?" Garrison asks.
"Yeah!" Ash confirms.
"Hmm." Nurse Joy hums, a hand to her chin. She lowers it, turns to Garrison. "That's very strange. Don't you think?"
"Hm?" Ash murmurs. "What's strange about that?"
"You can run into all sorts of wild Pokémon on the road." Misty adds.
"Perhaps." Garrison says.
"Well, you see, the Roggenrola in that cave almost never come out." Nurse Joy says. "It's even rarer for them to interact with humans. Something must be wrong."
"Audino." she agrees sadly, nodding her head, her gaze on the floor.
"Now that you mention it," Cilan says thoughtfully. "I had the feeling right as we crossed paths that Roggenrola was trying to tell us something."
"Huh?" Iris says.
"You did?" Misty asks.
Cilan nods his head. "Indeed. Of course, it helps that Pikachu confirmed it as true. That's not all. It looked like there was a strange object on its back."
"Then I'll just go over to the cave and have a look." Garrison says. The young man takes a moment to rifle through his bag, soon bringing forth an Ultra Ball. "Come on out, Samurott!"
"A Samurott?!" Ash exclaims, the thought of seeing a new Pokémon consuming his attention.
"He does work for the Samurott Water Company." Iris remarks, her comment going unheeded.
With a mighty roar, Samurott makes its presence known.
"I've gotta check this out." Ash asserts, grinning like mad.
"Samurott, the Formidable Pokémon. Male. Ability: Torrent. A pure Water-type and the final evolution of Oshawott. Protected by armor, Samurott can defeat their opponents with a single sword swipe. Its glare can silence them as well."
"So cool." Ash breathes, pocketing his Pokédex.
Given the loud and exuberant cry that pierces the air, Ash isn't the only one mesmerized by the arrival of an as of yet unseen Pokémon.
Marill still in her arms, Misty crouches down in front of Samurott.
"He's beautiful." she breathes, taking to inspecting every side of the aquatic creature. She stops right where she started: in front of Samurott's face. She lifts a hand away from Marill, as if to touch the majestic features of Samurott. However, before she can, someone interferes with such an idea.
"I don't think he released his Pokémon for you to fawn over him." Ash asserts, dragging Misty away from a puzzled Garrison and Samurott by her ear.
"But he looks so cool." Misty retorts, comical tears rolling down her face.
"Mhm."
"That would be wonderful, Mister Garrison." Nurse Joy says, looking entirely unfazed by the display. "Thank you."
"Pardon me." Cilan says, taking a step forward.
"Huh?" Garrison says whilst Nurse Joy merely stares quizzically at him.
"If it's not too much of an issue," Cilan elaborates; a hand to his breast, the other indicates his travelling companions. "Perhaps we could come along to assist you."
"Yeah!" Iris exclaims. "If that Roggenrola's in trouble, then we just have to help her!"
Garrison blinks twice, looking stunned by such sudden compassion.
"Uh…" he says slowly, an easy grin soon falling upon his lips. "Fine with me. We could use the help, couldn't we, Samurott?"
"Samurott." he says simply, giving a curt nod of his head.
"Wonderful!" Cilan cheers, clasping his hands together.
Iris settles for a grin with Axew.
"But," Garrison continues, giving Cilan and his companions a wink. "Long as you promise to stay out of trouble, okay?"
"Right!" Cilan and Iris exclaim in near unison.
"You don't need to worry about us!" Misty asserts, her ear still in Ash's grip. "By the way, you can let go of my ear now, Ash."
"Okay." Ash says without missing a beat. "Long as you promise not to go running for his Samurott, 'kay?"
"I promise." Misty says with the same confidence, even raising an arm to her forehead in a salute.
Ash grins at that, promptly letting go of Misty's ear.
"Geez, that stings." Misty remarks, lifting a hand to rub at her ear.
"The cave isn't terribly far from here." Garrison says, already walking for the double doors of the Pokémon Center, Samurott close at his heels. "I can lead you there fairly quick."
The four humans and their Pokémon offer neither resistance or gratitude as they follow Garrison out of the Pokémon Center.
Deep reverberations echo off the walls within the nearby cave as the perpetrators responsible for upsetting the Roggenrola continue along the path they've chosen.
Currently, the trio of scoundrels is abducting a quartet of Roggenrola to be used in their next nefarious scheme. Wearing matching smirks of satisfaction on their faces, Jessie, James, and Meowth rest within the latest in top-of-the-line equipment from Team Rocket. Sleek and fully functional, the vehicle with rubber treads and in the shape of a rectangle, its most interesting feature is the device attached to its roof; a structure not unlike that of a radio telescope, albeit thicker and more circular.
Meowth chuckles, slow and low, as the four Roggenrola join their compatriots within the device atop the vehicle.
"We've got all the Roggenrola we need." he asserts. "And ahead of schedule, too."
"The amazing weapon Doctor Zäger designed can unleash unspeakable power." James adds, looking up at the ceiling, but rather, at the device that functions as a containment field for the Rock-type. "All we need are these Roggenrola to power it."
"And once our work here is complete..." Jessie says.
"Unova will be ours!" Meowth declares, easily supplying the words Jessie didn't say.
"As will ultimate control." James adds.
"Let's finish the job!" Jessie says.
"And let's do it for the Boss!" Meowth says, moving their vehicle deeper into the cavernous space.
As Ash, Misty, Cilan, Iris, Garrison, and their Pokémon arrive at the cave - its facade a simple, yet chipped, stone arch - the first person to do anything of note is Garrison and his Samurott. Crossing the distance, he crouches down in front of the brick path leading out of the cave. Samurott looks both in the direction of the cave and opposite it, as if searching for danger whilst Garrison runs a finger along the path.
"It's dry." Garrison remarks, rubbing his fingertips together. Placing his hands on his thighs, rising to his feet, he takes to looking to his right into the cave then to the left. "There's not a single drop of water to be found."
"Are you positive this is the water source?" Cilan asks.
Garrison nods his head. "Yep. Something must have gone wrong inside the cave."
Urgent cries reach their ears the same time a familiar face comes into focus. Given her exuberance, there's no doubt that she's the same Roggenrola they had encountered earlier. She runs along the farther platform of bricks, stopping soon at the entrance to the cave. She stops only long enough to jump up and down exactly once, staring directly at Ash, before disappearing into the dark reaches of the cavern.
"The Roggenrola from before!" Iris says.
"No doubt about it." Cilan says. "Well, that settles it. She was trying to tell us something after all."
"I think she wants us to follow her into the cave." Ash says. "Let's hurry."
"Pikachu!"
They move into the cave without further deliberation. Garrison leads them with his Samurott as Ash and Misty and Cilan and Iris follow behind him.
"That's it!"
Upon delving into the cave, it doesn't take their small group long to find Roggenrola. The Rock-type in question is currently jumping from foot to foot. And behind her, a massive pile of boulders.
Garrison puts a hand to one, his hand coming away covered in dirt. "These boulders are why the Pokémon Center isn't getting any water."
"I wonder how they got there." Iris wonders aloud.
An answer - or at the very least, something - makes itself known as Team Rocket's vehicle bursts out of a wall behind them. Moving, coming to a stop, the singular spiked maces on either side of it retract back into the body of the machine.
"What is that?" Iris exclaims, all of them turning around to look at it.
"I'll give you three guesses." Misty offers dryly, taking note of the glaring capital "R" emblazoned on the front of the machine.
"Axew!" he cries in distress.
The left side of the machine attached to the vehicle's roof opens up. Soon after, a long metallic cord juts out from it.
And makes a Beedrill line directly for Roggenrola.
The Rock-type has just enough time to cry out in panic before the suction cup at the end of the metallic cord attaches itself to her back. Roggenrola secured, the metallic cord brings her high into the air next to the device the cord originates from.
"That thing stuck on Roggenrola's back was one of those suction cups!" Cilan asserts in realization.
"What are you doing to them?" Ash says.
A distinctly familiar, distinctly feminine chuckle emanates from the vehicle.
"Such a heartfelt Twerpish question indeed." Jessie remarks.
"We'll answer you Twerps when we feel the need." James adds.
The left side of the vehicle's roof slides up and away, revealing a chair as well as the person sitting on it. Illuminated by a haunting pinkish-purple glow - presumably from inside the vehicle - Jessie sits with one leg crossed over the other, both of them hanging off the right side of her chair. Her eyes closed, she has an arm resting on top of her chair.
"We bring the white light of evil into the future." she says.
The right side of the vehicle's roof slides up and away next, unsurprisingly revealing James sitting upon it. Sitting so he's facing Ash and his companions - unlike Jessie - he too has one leg crossed over the other. His eyes closed as well, he has a fist to the underside of his chin.
"Thrusting the hammer of justice on the blackness of the universe." he says.
"And carving our names in the rock of eternity." Meowth adds, his chair coming up between Jessie and James. Given his smaller size, he stands upright on his chair. The backs of his paws on his hips, he too has his eyes closed.
"The fiery destroyer!" Jessie declares, sweeping the arm on top of her chair across her face in an elegant motion. "I am Jessie!"
"And with thunderous emotion," James says, sweeping his arms through the air so his left is at a forty-five degree angle whilst his right is at a ninety degree angle. "I am James!"
"Wisest of the wise," Meowth says, his left paw going to point at his shiny charm. "I am Meowth!"
The trio of Team Rocket members have their eyes open as they finish their motto.
"And now, we gather, under the name of Team Rocket!" they declare in perfect unison.
"Team Rocket?" Garrison murmurs, a hand going to his chin. His Samurott settles for snarling at the sinister trio. "I feel like I've heard that name before…"
Iris growls, low in her throat, before addressing Garrison. "They're a group of really annoying bad people who go around stealing other peoples' Pokémon!"
"Axew ew!" he cries in agreement.
James chuckles, the sound ending on a sigh. ""Annoying bad people?" I think someone needs to go back home and learn a few manners."
"Excuse me, but these are wild Roggenrola we've been grabbing." Meowth adds.
"Roggenrola to be used for a brand new weapon," Jessie says. "for conquering the entire Unova region!"
"Just check this out!" Meowth demands.
The weapon attached to the vehicle opens up, revealing a honeycomb layout. And within each of them is a Roggenrola, totaling at nineteen captives. A fact that doesn't escape their attention for long as Meowth glances up almost appreciatively. But that appreciation evaporates when he notices.
"Oi!" he cries. "We're at max capacity!" he whirls on James, glaring at him. "Weren't you supposed to be keeping an eye on the Roggenrola round-up?"
"That's not exactly easy from my vantage point!" James retorts indignantly.
"Quiet your blubbering, you too." Jessie commands. "One more Roggenrola over max; big deal."
"It is a big deal!" Meowth fumes over the panicked cries of the captive Roggenrola.
"How cruel can you guys get?!" Iris shouts, horrified and furious.
"It's awful." Misty adds.
"Those poor Roggenrola." Cilan murmurs, his green eyes a flurry of emotions. "To think, they're being subjected to such torment."
"So Roggenrola was really trying to tell us about this." Ash says.
"Sorry to run, but we must conduct a test firing." James says.
"And honestly," Jessie says, yawning around a smirk. "you're boring us to tears."
"Have a nice day." Meowth says, their chairs retracting back into their vehicle.
"No way!" Ash exclaims, pulling forth two Poké Balls from his belt. "Tepig! Snivy! I choose you!"
The Fire Pig and Grass Snake Pokémon promptly appear on the field of battle: with a cheerful cry and exhale of embers from his nostrils and a nod of her head and a quiet smile respectively.
"Use Ember, Tepig!"
Rearing his head back, Tepig unleashes an explosion of fiery embers from his nostrils. The attack hits its mark, neatly severing the metal cord holding Roggenrola captive.
"Quick, Snivy, use Vine Whip!"
"Snivy!" she says, deftly using her vines to catch Roggenrola. Snivy catches her long before she's in danger of crashing against the ground.
"Roggenrola, are you okay?" Ash asks, the Rock-type in question regaining her bearings.
"Pikachu!"
"Roggen?"
Despite the haggard nature of the cry, Roggenrola's response is still quite encouraging.
Ash smiles at Roggenrola before turning to his Tepig and Snivy.
"Awesome work you two!"
"Tepig!" he cries, thrusting his entire body forward a pace.
Snivy, on the other hand, is much more reversed. She offers a nearly imperceptible nod in gratitude. She sets Roggenrola down on the ground soon after.
Having expressed concern and praise for the Roggenrola and his Pokémon respectively, Ash turns his gaze to glare at Team Rocket's vehicle.
"One for the Twerp." James observes. "I doubt I'll lose any sleep. We have a lot more."
"We're filled to capacity." Meowth adds. "No big whoop that they got the extra."
"Talking about this is a huge waste of time." Jessie remarks.
"Okay, then let's book!"
Meowth kicks the vehicle into gear then; the massive automobile moving backwards through the cavernous area.
Ash grits his teeth, staring after them, soon barking out, "Tepig, Snivy! Save those Roggenrola! You too, Pikachu!"
In response to the command, Tepig, Snivy, and Pikachu get ready to attack. Tepig thrusts his body forward, embers emitting from his nostrils, Snivy stares resolutely ahead, her vines primed, and Pikachu jumps off Ash's shoulder to land next to Tepig and Snivy, electricity sparking from his cheeks.
"I wouldn't even give you the chance." Meowth asserts.
Meowth follows up his words by opening the sides of their vehicle. When he does, the two spiked maces extend forth from within. With the spiked maces made readily available, Meowth promptly slams them into the cavernous walls twice in the same place.
The result is clear to see as boulders rain down everywhere betwixt Ash and his friends and Team Rocket.
"We've got to get out of here, fast!" Garrison advises.
"But the Roggenrola!" Ash says, looking after Team Rocket and their Rock-type captives even as they begin to fade from view.
"We can't save them if we get crushed!" Misty says, hugging Marill tighter in her arms.
Such words do not appear far from the truth as a boulder is shaken loose from the ceiling.
"Ash, look out!" Iris cries out.
"Huh?"
And on a collision course directly for Ash.
However, right as Ash has a legitimate fear that he may be grievously harmed, something astonishing happens.
Leaping into the air, her entire body suffused with a silvery energy, Roggenrola prepares an attack. An attack she soon unleashes at the boulder in the form of a silver and pale blue beam. So powerful is the move, it shatters the boulder on contact, the rocks falling to the cave floor as harmless pebbles.
Roggenrola stands in front of Ash's Pokémon, looking no worse for wear.
When the dust settles and they don't appear to be in any immediate danger, Cilan is the first to speak. He regards Roggenrola with grateful eyes.
"That was Roggenrola's Flash Cannon!"
"You saved us!" Ash says. "Thanks, Roggenrola."
Roggenrola turns to face them then, jumping up and down thrice.
Gaze lingering on Roggenrola for a moment, Ash glares after the path Team Rocket took.
"No way Team Rocket's getting away with this!"
"Pika Pika!" he shouts, raising an angry paw.
Pikachu says no more, jumping onto his trainer's shoulder.
"You're right!" Iris says.
"Let's hurry!" Cilan adds with a decisive nod. "We don't have time to waste!"
The Twerps left behind, the Team Rocket trio exit the cave the same way their adversaries entered. Traversing the distance in silence, it's only when Meowth stops their vehicle on the ground a few paces away from the cave that conversation starts up again.
"Deep within the body of a Roggenrola lies a high-powered energy core." James says.
He, as well as Jessie and Meowth, crowd their heads around an electronic screen. On the electronic screen are charts and diagrams detailing the attributes of a Roggenrola as an image of one takes up the center of the screen.
"Right, and the brand-new weapon designed by Doctor Zäger focuses and ramps up that energy." Meowth adds.
Jessie merely smirks at the information presented before her. Leaning back against her chair, only when she's settled does she speak.
"Let's begin! Put the Roggenrola cannon to the test, Meowth."
"Yeah!" Meowth cries; leaning back himself, his paws are already on the controls. The controls are two simple lever-esque devices: one for charging and focusing the energy, and the other for unleashing the concentrated power. "Time for us to make history."
The screen changes the same time Meowth moves the right lever forward. The image changing to show the honeycomb design holding the Roggenrola, James is the one to observe it. The dark blue hexagonal shapes switch from dark blue to light as the Roggenrola's energy is channeled and focused into their weapon.
"Core energy amplifying."
"Opening target scope!" Meowth says, a thin, translucent piece of glass coming up from his seat to rest within his field of vision. The hexagonal, three-pronged scoping mechanism that appears allows Meowth to more easily target the core energy of the Roggenrola. "Focusing aim…"
The entire outer ring lights up a sharp pinkish-purple, soon receding to the center. Showing that the weaponry is aimed directly for the area above the entrance to the cave, all Meowth needs to know is if the Roggenrola cannon is fully charged.
The entire honeycomb changes from light blue to a brilliant orange, denoting without saying anything what it means.
"Energy is maximized!" James asserts.
"Fire Roggenrola cannon!" Jessie orders.
"Firing cannon, now!" Meowth declares, pressing the red button on top of the right lever-esque device.
The resulting blast is a devastating stream of multi-colored energy. Originating from where the Roggenrola are held captive, the stream of energy consists of orange, yellow, white, and green.
It doesn't take long for the attack to reach its mark. The onslaught from the Roggenrola cannon collides in a fiery explosion with the area above the cave's entrance. As a result, a series of boulders blocks the entrance to the cave, keeping anyone from entering.
Or exiting.
"What a display of power!" James remarks, his eyes wide, then narrow. "Much more than predicted!"
"A complete test success!" Jessie adds, the three of them sharing a glance, a satisfied nod. "Let's move!"
"Right!" James and Meowth say in unison. The former busies himself with driving the vehicle, the wheel in front of him whilst the latter closes the containment field housing the Roggenrola.
James turns around, leaving the cave - and the Twerps - behind.
As Team Rocket was preparing to test the capabilities, Ash and his friends make their way back to the entrance of the cave. After clearing a few haphazard boulders left in the wake of Team Rocket's brutality and soon breaking into a run, it doesn't take them long to reach the entrance, Ash even shouting out, "There they are!"
Finally, a few feet from the entrance, Ash, Misty, Cilan, Iris, Garrison, Tepig, Snivy, and Roggenrola come to a stop. They come to a stop both to rest and due to confusion at seeing an incandescent light shining into the cave.
"What's with that light?" Ash says.
"Whatever it is," Misty says, shielding her eyes with a hand. "it's so bright."
Given the loud, almost heart-breaking cry that wrenches itself from Roggenrola, she seems to be the only one to know the source. She runs closer to the entrance, stopping halfway between it and Ash and his companions.
"Wait, Roggenrola!" Ash cries, even as he chases after to meet Roggenrola. "Look out!"
"Ash, no!" Iris says.
Suddenly, as Ash stands right behind Roggenrola, the incandescent light brightens tenfold. When the light fades, Ash and his friends find their trouble isn't quite finished. Rocks begin to rain down from the ceiling, mostly around the entrance to the cave.
Looking around wildly, incoherent grunts of panic being the only sound that escapes him, Ash quickly picks up Roggenrola. Holding Roggenrola in his arms, Pikachu clinging to his shoulders, Ash runs away from the rocks falling treacherously close to him. Right as a rock is about to fall on him, Ash does a leaping jump forward.
Landing with his stomach on the ground, dirt comes to rest in patches on his face. But as he rests before Misty, Cilan, and Iris, he is unharmed, same as Pikachu and Roggenrola. Ash holds Roggenrola high above him, Pikachu jumping off his trainer's shoulder to regain his bearings.
"Made it." Ash remarks, a thin smile on his face. His eyes shine - and even brighter - as he glances from Cilan to Iris before landing on Misty. "That was close."
The redhead in question, an exasperated sigh escaping past her lips, puts a hand to her forehead.
"Geez, Ash." is all she says.
"Too close, I might say." Cilan says.
"Ash!" Iris says, looking betwixt him, his Pikachu, and Roggenrola. "Are you all okay?"
"Yeah, we're fine." Ash answers, Pikachu adding a cheerful "Pika!" and Roggenrola an encouraging "Rola!"
Garrison clenches his jaw, a breath leaving him in a rush. "How dare they use the Roggenrola's core energy to make such a horrible weapon!"
"Samurott!" his companion shouts out in agreement.
"And not only that," Garrison continues, a hand going to his hat, looking around the interior of the cave. "how are we ever gonna get out of this cave?"
"Don't sweat it!" Iris says, a confident smile pulling at her lips, a certain Pokémon's Poké Ball firmly in one hand. Axew shares in his trainer's enthusiasm, a smile on his own face. "Excadrill, go!"
She throws his Poké Ball forward without further ado, releasing him into the area.
Appearing in a flurry of blue sparks, his eyes gleaming, Excadrill shouts his name out in a mighty cry before turning to Iris, awaiting orders.
"Dig us out of here!"
Excadrill hardly offers a nod of acknowledgement before heeding his trainer's command. His massive claws moving back and forth at impressive speeds, he digs into the ground beneath him. With hardly any time elapsing, Excadrill's body is half-obscured by mounds of dirt.
"Pansage, you too!"
Throwing his Poké Ball into the air, Cilan's Pansage soon emerges from within. He appears next to Excadrill, immediately helping the other in his efforts to create a path out of the cave.
With Excadrill and Pansage working in tandem, it doesn't take them very long to dig a path out of the cave. The opening of their Pokémon-made tunnel not far from the cave's entrance, the first to exit are Ash and his Pokémon. They're followed by Roggenrola, Misty and her Marill - who is helped out by Ash and his Pikachu -, Iris and Axew, and Cilan who helps Garrison out whilst Samurott, Pansage, and Excadrill require no such aid.
"Made it!" Garrison says. "Thank you."
"Sure, no problem." Cilan says.
"Thank you, Excadrill!" Iris says, returning Excadrill to his Poké Ball and it into a sleeve.
"You were a big help too, Pansage!" Cilan asserts, returning him to his Poké Ball, soon pocketing it. Right before Pansage is enveloped by the red beam, he offers Cilan a respectful salute.
"Now," Ash interjects, looking around the immediate wooded area. Pikachu climbs up his trainer, taking his spot on his shoulder. "we've gotta figure out where Team Rocket went."
As if spurred on by such words, Roggenrola jumps into the air once. She follows her action by running away from Ash and his companions, stopping after several paces to look at them. She continues to jump up and down, clearly anxious.
"What's up, Roggenrola?" Ash asks.
"It looks like she's trying to tell us something again." Iris observes.
"I think…" Garrison starts, pauses, nods once. "It's about her friends. I think Roggenrola knows where they are."
"Huh?" Ash murmurs, turning halfway to glance at Garrison.
"The fact is, Roggenrola are incredibly sensitive to sound." Garrison explains.
"Great!" Ash asserts, already running over to jog in place next to Roggenrola. He stares expectantly at his friends. "Let's go!"
"Hm." Iris says as Cilan simply nods.
Roggenrola leading the charge with Ash and his Pikachu next to her, Tepig and Snivy, Misty and Marill, Cilan and Iris, and Garrison and his Samurott follow behind. They run for several feet across a dirt path, trees on either side, before emerging in a clearing. A clearing with a very conspicuous abandoned-looking warehouse therein.
"Over there!" Ash shouts the same time it comes into sight.
As Ash, Misty, and their friends advance on the abandoned warehouse with its walls of cracked stone and windows of shattered glass, the Team Rocket trio of Jessie, James, and Meowth concern themselves with their latest machinations. The trio currently stand a few paces to the side away from the vehicle touting the Roggenrola cannon; each of the three concern themselves with a task. James looks over a tablet detailing the results of their weapons test whilst Meowth studies the particulars of the cannon itself on a bulky laptop. As for Jessie, for the moment, she busies herself with one of the things she does best: supervising her perceived underlings.
Meowth does one final keystroke, stepping away from the laptop to admire the information before him.
"We're all set." Meowth asserts. "This baby's in perfect shape."
James hums, sweeping a finger across the screen of his tablet. He turns to Jessie and Meowth, saying, "And we're right on schedule. The Roggenrola cannon is primed and ready for action."
"Before long, Team Rocket will rule the Unova region with a smile." Jessie says.
The three then share in boisterous laughter of confidence and camaraderie.
Their good mood is quickly squashed when an irritatingly familiar voice reaches their ears.
"That's not gonna happen!"
"Huh?" the trio murmur in near perfect unison; turning to pinpoint the source, Jessie is the only one thus far that treats his appearance with contempt; a sneer pulls at her lips.
They find Ash and his friends at the entrance of the abandoned warehouse. In order they see the Dragon Twerpette, the Cerulean City Twerpette, the Twerp himself, and the Connoisseur Twerp. Pikachu, Axew, Roggenrola, Snivy, and Tepig linger about them. A Samurrot and his trainer stand behind them.
"Oy vey!" Meowth cries, a paw raised at the Twerp and his collection of losers. "It's the Twerp!"
"How did you find us?"
"How did you find us?"
At James' question, Ash cannot help the bright smile on his face.
"With the help of a friend," Ash answers; uncrossing his arms, he looks down at Roggenrola. "This gal."
"Roggen!" the Rock-type in question exclaims, a prideful, defiant nod of her head.
"If you think you're getting away with this, you're wrong!" Iris shouts. "Stop using the Roggenrola."
"Axew!"
Jessie growls, Woobat's Poké Ball already in hand. "Such annoying chatter! Woobat!"
Upon release, the Bat Pokémon hovers in the air near Jessie's head.
"Use Gust, now!" she orders.
At his trainer's behest, Woobat swoops down closer to Ash and his companions. Both his wings glowing light blue, he waves them back and forth, releasing powerful currents of wind upon Jessie's enemies.
The humans and Pokémon both recoil at the ferocity of the Flying-type move, the humans throwing an arm up to shield them. The Gust is so strong, it ends up sending Cilan skidding back a few paces.
"Tepig!" Ash shouts over the whipping winds. "Get 'em with Ember!"
Despite the aggressive airs, Tepig manages to stand his ground and attack. He unleashes several gouts of flames from his nostrils in Woobat's direction. At first, all the Ember manages to do is stop Woobat from using Gust. He manages to evade three entire gouts before the fourth one hits him directly in the face. He recoils, descending to hover next to James.
"What was that all about?" Jessie says.
"Woobat." he says, a tinge concerned.
"Now this is a job for the Roggenrola cannon." Meowth declares.
"Good point." James says.
James, Meowth, and Jessie promptly jump into their vehicle. Woobat flies in right before the door slams shut.
"And away we go!" Meowth asserts, inputting the necessary information into the console of the Roggenrola cannon.
"Amplifying core energy." James says, the energy of the Roggenrola's core being channelled one by one..
"The Roggenrola's core energy's building!" Garrison shouts, an agitated growl escaping Samurott's jaws. "We've got to move!"
Roggenrola is the first to move. However, judging by the wordless gasp that escapes Garrison, it isn't the direction he intended. Roggenrola jumps over to stand in front of the Roggenrola cannon. She jumps up and down, quite animatedly at that.
"Roggenrola!" Ash shouts.
"What does she think she's doing?!" Misty cries.
"I think," Cilan stammers, slightly haggard. "I think she's trying to tell her friends they must stop the attack."
Despite Roggenrola's protest, the light emanating from the Roggenrola cannon only intensifies.
"Energy levels are maxed!" James says.
"Fire Roggenrola cannon!" Jessie says.
"Firing with flair!" Meowth declares, firing the weapon.
The Roggenrola cannon releases its stream of multicolored energy.
It doesn't attack a completely defenseless target as the lone Roggenrola fires off a Flash Cannon attack. However, despite the convictions, the sheer strength of her Steel-type move, it proves ineffective against the unbridled might of nineteen Roggenrola.
The energy from the Roggenrola cannon slams directly into the lone Roggenrola. The force of it sends her reeling back, landing at Ash's feet.
"Roggenrola!" Ash cries.
"Pika!"
Gingerly, slowly, Ash picks up Roggenrola.
"Roggenrola," he repeats, his voice soft, eyes swimming with concern. "Are you okay?"
"Rog…" she manages. She turns over to lay on her right side in the young man's arm. She gazes forlornly at her captive friends. "Roggen…"
"The amazing power of Team Rocket's technology at work!" Jessie declares, smirking.
"Maybe the Twerps need another demonstration." Meowth suggests.
"Amplifying core energy once more." James says, already two steps ahead of Meowth.
"Not again!" Ash cries, the Roggenrola cannon shining bright, denoting that the weapon is activated and charging.
"Pikachu!"
"Roggenrola!"
Although greatly bested by the overwhelming power of the Roggenrola cannon, the spry Rock-type seems capable of much more than languishing in Ash's arms. Roggenrola jumps from his grasp, running over to once again stand in front of the Roggenrola cannon.
"Roggenrola!" she roars with startling vigor. "Roggen Roggen Roggenrola Rola!"
In the face of Roggenrola's passionate words the Roggenrola held captive respond with a chorus of confused and anguished cries.
"It's persistent, I'll give it that much." James remarks.
"Persistent or not, we have more important Magikarp to fry!" Jessie says, turning to Meowth. "Meowth, fire the Roggenrola cannon one more time!"
"Yes, ma'am!" Meowth says, even giving his surly companion a salute.
All the while, as Team Rocket are talking amongst themselves, Roggenrola is busy shouting at her captive friends.
"Roggenrola, get out of there!" Ash shouts.
"If Roggenrola were to take a concentrated blast of Team Rocket's weapon one more time…" Cilan muses, his eyes wide and fearful. He wrenches them shut, shivering. "I shudder at the possible ramifications."
"Rock-types may be sturdy, but…" Iris adds, looking just as frightened for Roggenrola's safety.
Whatever thoughts were whirling through Ash's mind, the comments from the two Unovan natives appear to be all that's needed to force him into action.
"Roggenrola!" he shouts, running, separating the distance between them. When he reaches her, both perilously close to being blasted at point-blank range, he crouches behind her. "It's too dangerous!"
Something shifts in Misty's eyes at the words, but she remains silent.
Iris, however, has no such reservations.
"Ash, you'd better get out of there!"
"You'd better run!" Garrison adds.
"Too late, Twerpette!" Meowth asserts, paw on the lever to activate the Roggenrola cannon. "But not too late to be taught a lesson."
A loud blaring alarm prevents Meowth from forcing the lever forward. The obnoxious sound captivates the Team Rocket Trio, each of them uttering a confused "huh?" as they look down upon the Roggenrola cannon's console. And of the three, Jessie is the least enthused by what they find.
An error message denoting that something has gone horribly, irrevocably wrong with their device.
"What?" Jessie cries.
The error message quickly disappears, showing each of the hexagons representing the captive Roggenrola losing their color. Not only that, but the light from the Roggenrola cannon attached to the vehicle begins to dim.
"Whatever's happening, stop it, pronto!" Jessie demands, Meowth pressing all manner of buttons to try and get the Roggenrola back under control.
"The Roggenrola now appear to be controlling their own core energy." James observes.
"And that energy's reversed polarity." Meowth adds, sweat dripping down his face.
"But that's a bad thing." Jessie says.
The console Meowth was tinkering with begins to crackle with electricity. It stops the Cat Scratch Pokémon cold as the screen goes from showing a diagram of the captive Roggenrola to showing a dark blue purple filled to the brim with repeating ones and zeros.
The device holding the Roggenrola captive sinks a few inches into the vehicle. Electricity and sparks arcing off of it, the captive Roggenrola jump free from their confines. No longer prisoners, they rush over to Ash and their mutual friend.
The nineteen Roggenrola crowd around the lone Roggenrola, all of them jumping up and down with varying intensity. Each of them feeling happy and grateful.
"Pika!" he says, almost laughing whilst Misty, Iris, Cilan, Garrison, and their Pokémon run over to join them.
"I'm so glad you guys are okay." Ash remarks, regarding each of them with warm brown eyes.
"Pika Pikachu!" he adds in agreement.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that!" Jessie cries, her and her compatriots emerging from the top of the vehicle.
"Now, Yamask!" James shouts, holding the Ghost-type's Poké Ball before releasing him into the world. "Use Night Shade!"
Appearing with a cry of his name, Yamask uses the attack not a moment later. His body outlined in light purple, his eyes a bright red, Yamask releases a ghastly rings of crimson towards Ash and his companions.
Yamask is not alone in his offensive as Jessie soon commands Woobat to use Gust.
Flying up to meet Yamask, Woobat's wings glow light blue before he unleashes the Flying-type move.
"They won't get away with this!" Ash declares, even as he's buffeted by the combined might of the two moves. "Tepig, Ember! Snivy, Leaf Storm!"
Moving to stand next to Ash and the congregation of Roggenrola, his two Pokémon are more than happy to acquiesce. Tepig unleashes several gouts of flame from his nostrils as Snivy waves her left arm in the air. The Grass-type move appearing in front of her, she releases a barrage of glowing green leaves at Yamask and Woobat.
The Ember and Leaf Storm attacks manage to cut through the Gust and Night Shade both, colliding with Jessie and James' Pokémon in a direct hit.
Woobat and Yamask retreat back to hover near their trainers.
"Pikachu, finish with Electro Ball!" Ash orders.
"Marill, you help with BubbleBeam!" Misty adds, opening her arms loosely to allow her Pokémon to attack.
"Axew, use Dragon Rage!" Iris says.
The three Pokémon then tack to preparing their attacks: Pikachu jumps into the air, electricity crackling off his tail as an Electro Ball forms at the base; Marill puffs her cheeks up before releasing a stream of bubbles; and Axew channels the energy in his stomach before firing off the bluish-black energy.
The three are not alone as each of the Roggenrola fire off the silvery energy of Flash Cannon and even Samurott lends his aid, firing off a massive Hydro Pump from his jaws at Garrison's request.
Jessie, James, Meowth, Yamask, and Woobat recoil at the sight of so many powerful attacks. Powerful attacks directed at them. When the Pokémon moves hit their target, Team Rocket's vehicle explodes in a violent display of smoke and flame.
A display that manages to cover their escape splendidly. After Jessie and James returned their Pokémon, they and Meowth took to the skies with their jet packs.
"Who knew it would end up this way once more?" James remarks.
"I guess those Roggenrola had lots more oomph than we bargained for." Meowth says.
"Though it hurts to admit, our mission's a failure." Jessie says, her gaze lingering on the abandoned warehouse for but a moment. "But the Unova region is still ours for the taking. And once we do, the crowns of victory will rest on the heads of Team Rocket."
As the smoke clears, Ash, his friends, Garrison, and the twenty Roggenrola rush out of the abandoned warehouse just in time to see the Team Rocket trio disappear past the horizon.
"We did it!" Iris cheers, sweeping an arm through the air.
"Axew!"
The Roggenrola jump up and down, excited chatter coming from all of them.
With the Team Rocket trio defeated for the time being and the Roggenrola freed, they all returned to the Pokémon Center for healing and respite.
It doesn't take terribly long for Nurse Joy and her Audino to tend to their Pokémon. The door to the left of the Pokémon Center's counter opening, it reveals Nurse Joy, her Audino, as well as a variety of different Pokémon. Pikachu, Marill, Axew, Tepig, Snivy and Pansage, as well as the twenty Roggenrola crowd around Nurse Joy's feet. Not only that, but a few paces away, almost out of side, is Excadrill and Samurott.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Nurse Joy says, a hand raised to indicate the healed Pokémon. "but you'll be happy to see everyone's feeling just fine now!"
All of the Pokémon - save Excadrill and Snivy - rush past Nurse Joy to meet their trainers, Pikachu and Marill leading them. Samurott, however, lingers next to the two medical professionals.
"Pikachu!" Ash cries, regarding him then the rest of the Pokémon. "Everybody looks awesome!"
Ash and Misty kneel down, welcoming their most cherished companions with open arms; Pikachu on his rightful place on Ash's shoulder, Marill snug in Misty's arms. Getting to their feet, Tepig, Snivy, Pansage, Axew, Excadrill, and the twenty Roggenrola form a crowd in front of them.
Iris and Cilan both offer their thanks to their Pokémon before returning Excadrill and Pansage respectively. Iris merely smiles brightly, picking up Axew to put him back in her hair.
"You really helped out, Nurse Joy." Ash says. "Thank you!"
"Thanks so much!" Misty adds.
The Roggenrola add their assent, turning to Nurse Joy and jumping up and down enthusiastically.
"You're quite welcome, Ash, Misty!"
"Audino!"
Garrison walks over to Nurse Joy and her Audino, patting Samurott on the head.
"I just finished writing up a complete report that I'm sending to the water company." Garrison says, returning Samurott a moment later. "They'll start the repair work right away." he turns from Nurse Joy to the Roggenrola. "And that includes the Roggenrola's home, too."
The Roggenrola jump up and down happily in response. As they share in each other's happiness, one Roggenrola breaks off from the rest. She turns to Ash and his friends, her gaze on them for a few moments before going past them. Following her with their eyes, they find her jumping from foot to foot in front of the double doors of the Pokémon Center before going through them.
"Where's Roggenrola going?" Iris wonders aloud.
"Axew?"
They don't sit around and ponder, instead chasing after the Roggenrola. Unlike last time, they find her easily; the lone Roggenrola walks about on a grassy field.
"Hold on, Roggenrola!" Ash calls.
When they reach her, the Roggenrola jumps up and down, her excitement palpable.
"I don't get it." Ash admits, Cilan standing to his right as Misty and Iris stand to his left.
"Pika Pikapi." he says.
Cilan hums thoughtfully, turning to regard his friend. "I think Roggenrola wants to battle!"
"Huh?" Ash asks, turning his head to meet Cilan's gaze.
"If I remember, you wanted to catch Roggenrola." Cilan explains. "And I think she wants to go along with you anyway."
"You think?" Ash says, turning back to the Roggenrola. "Alright, then! Snivy, wanna—"
Ash is prevented from finishing his question as one of his Pokémon makes his presence known. He appears between Tepig and Snivy, staring up at his trainer with a curious mix of expectancy and indignance.
"Oshawott?" Misty says.
"What's wrong, buddy?" Ash asks, crouching down to eye level.
"Oshawott!" he practically explodes and Ash can tell immediately that his aquatic friend isn't in the greatest mood. "Oshawott Osha Oshawott Wott!"
"I see." Ash says; a hand to his chin, he appears thoughtful whilst Oshawott continues.
"Oshawott Osha!" he shouts. Jumping into the air once, he gestures with a paw in Roggenrola's direction. "Oshawott Wott Wott!"
"What's Oshawott saying, Ash?" Iris asked.
"Whatever it is, he doesn't sound too happy." Cilan adds.
"Oshawott!" he exclaims, as if response to Iris and Cilan's words.
Ash nods his head, his eyes closed for but a moment. Rising to his feet, he turns to his human companions.
"Oshawott wants to challenge Roggenrola to a rematch." he explains.
"A rematch?" Misty repeats.
"Oshawott again?" Iris says, glancing between Roggenrola and Oshawott, the latter already staring the other down, already raring to do battle. "He may have a type advantage, but it doesn't sound like a good match to me."
"Huh?" Ash murmurs, blinks once. "Why do say that?"
"I believe what Iris means is Oshawott's pride is wounded." Cilan says. "His battle may have ended in a draw of sorts, but that isn't what truly matters."
"What truly matters?" Ash repeats, tilting his head to the side. He closes his eyes, a thoughtful grunt escaping him. Eyes still closed, he says, "That's having fun in Pokémon battles."
Cilan lurches forward, a somewhat pained expression taking root on his face. "That's...not quite what I had in mind."
"What are you talking about, Cilan?" Ash asks, opening his eyes.
Cilan lifts a fist to his mouth, clears his throat. His features relaxing, his eyes open.
"What I mean is, when Oshawott challenged Roggenrola, she managed to dodge all of his attacks." he explains. "No matter what attack he used, be it Water Gun or Aqua Jet, they proved ineffective. And perhaps, Oshawott feels ashamed that he couldn't do anything at all."
Ash stares at Cilan, saying, "Couldn't do anything…"
Trailing off, he glances down at Oshawott. When he does, he finds the Water-type looking back at him. Instead of aggression or rage, he finds a simply curious expression.
Ash nods his head, a decisive air settling about him.
"Actually," he says, grinning, he glances between Cilan and Iris. "I think that's exactly why Oshawott and Roggenrola should battle!"
"How does that make sense?!" Iris says.
"I know Oshawott's battle didn't go so well, but that's exactly why he should be the one to have a battle with Roggenrola!" Ash explains. "I know, because of their past battle, the way it ended unfinished, Oshawott wants to give it another shot. And show 'em what he's made of!"
"I guess that makes sense." Iris grumbles.
"It is usually the trainer that decides how best to care for their Pokémon." Cilan muses.
"Either way," Misty interjects. "I don't think Oshawott is in any hurry to change his mind."
"Oshawott!" the Sea Otter Pokémon shouts encouragingly, giving Roggenrola a resolute stare.
"You're ready to go, aren't ya buddy?" Ash asks, crouching down next to Oshawott.
"Osha!"
"Pika Pika!" he exclaims, jumping off Ash's shoulder to land next to Oshawott.
"That's the spirit!" Ash remarks, rising to his feet. "Oshawott, Aqua Jet, go!"
Enveloping his body in water, Oshawott rockets through the air on a collision course with Roggenrola.
Or so he thinks.
With her remarkable agility, Roggenrola jumps to the left. Oshawott tries to change course to hit her, but she manages to swerve to the right. His opponent having evaded his attack twice, Oshawott ceases his Aqua Jet move. He lands on his feet, a few paces away from Roggenrola.
Roggenrola goes on the offensive, then.
Jumping into the air, Roggenrola twists around so she lands on her head. She proceeds to spin around and around, a large tornado of sand forming in her vicinity. Oshawott thrusts an arm up to his head in response. He grimaces, trying to resist the pushback of the Sandstorm as it envelops him as well as Roggenrola.
"Oshawott, hang in there!" Ash shouts.
Soon, the Sandstorm subsides and Roggenrola opts for a more offensive maneuver. Her body outlined in silver, two rotating rings of pointed orbs of energy coalesce around her. The orbs taking the shape of stones, Roggenrola tips her head down before firing the Stone Edge attack directly for Oshawott.
Pelting Oshawott in the face and torso, the recoil of the attack sends Oshawott flying. He lands in a heap at Ash's feet.
Cilan gasps, somewhat awed whilst Iris says, "Wow, what a move! That Stone Edge was something else!"
"Oshawott, no!" Ash shouts. "Get up, I know—"
"I believe in you Oshawott!" Misty declares. "Show her it'll take more than that to get you down!"
That seems to do the trick as Oshawott immediately jumps to his feet. He even punches the air a few times, jumps from foot to foot.
Misty simply smiles, a gleam in her eyes as she regards the Water-type. However, her expression falters when she realizes she's being observed. If the feeling wasn't enough, the person next to her clears his throat.
Turning to focus on Ash, she finds him looking at her with an amused expression on his face.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You did not clear your throat over nothing, Ash." Misty asserts, feeling a smile of her own cross her face.
"Yes I did."
"Did not."
"Did too."
"Did not."
Ash rolls his eyes then, refocusing on the battle between Oshawott and Roggenrola.
And just in time, since the latter is in the midst of another attack.
Suffused with a brilliant silvery glow, energy crackles around Roggenrola as she prepares to launch a Flash Cannon.
"Oh, no, here comes Flash Cannon!" Iris says.
"Now, use Water Gun!" Ash orders.
Puffing up his cheeks, Oshawott releases a stream of water the same time Roggenrola unleashes a stream of silvery white. When the two attacks meet, it looks as if they're of equal power. Unwilling to have a repeat of the last time they did battle, Oshawott directs more power into his attack.
Such effort proves to not be in vain; the Water Gun overwhelms the Flash Cannon and hits Roggenrola directly. Not only did he manage to nullify the attack, Oshawott manages to send Roggenrola reeling back. Despite the effectiveness of the move, Roggenrola is still standing strong.
"Wow." Ash breathes. "No wonder Roggenrola's ability is Sturdy; she can really take a hit! Oshawott, follow up with Aqua Jet!"
Engulfing his body in water once more, Oshawott charges at Roggenrola. Roggenrola, who does something most surprising. Jumping from one foot to the other, she charges forward to meet Oshawott's Aqua Jet.
"What does she think she's doing?!" Iris shrieks. "Aqua Jet is super-effective! Why would she jump head-first into it?!"
"How strange." Cilan remarks. "Like a culinary masterpiece of a long-lost civilization, it befuddles the mind."
So befuddled is Iris by Roggenrola's reckless actions, she doesn't spare Cilan a glance.
When the Aqua Jet meets Roggenrola's Tackle, the backlash sends both parties back in opposite directions. Both of them looking as strong as the battle began.
"There's no way you're gonna lose this battle now, Oshawott!" Ash says.
"Oshawott." he says with a nod.
As for Roggenrola, she charges forward. And Oshawott doesn't even wait for a command before doing the same. Their heads collide as both of them use Tackle.
They separate, both beginning to show signs of fatigue.
Both charging to meet the other. Again. And again. And again.
"Ah!" Cilan exclaims. "It's a delicious battle of wills. Two distinct flavors struggling to rule the recipe. What excitement!"
"It's not the way I would battle," Iris says. "But I guess it's interesting."
"Oshawott, give it all you've got!" Ash shouts.
His trainer's encouragement propelling him forward, Oshawott charges forward to meet Roggenrola as she does the same.
The two meet, the force of the collison knocking Roggenrola back. She falls on the ground, looking beaten. As for Oshawott, he retreats in the direction of his trainer, only to collapse in front of him. Beaten, and yet still conscious.
"Great work, Oshawott!" Ash remarks, already pulling his hat around, a Poké Ball at the ready. "Now go, Poké Ball!"
Rearing his arm back, Ash throws the Poké Ball at Roggenrola. The Poké Ball meets Roggenrola, accepting the Rock-type into its confines. The Poké Ball falls to the ground, shaking once, twice, thrice, before giving a reassuring click. It stops, awaiting the Pokémon Trainer who threw it.
"Alright!" Ash cheers, sweeping an arm through the air. "It worked!"
Ash rushes over to check out his newest capture. Picking the Poké Ball up, he holds it high above his head.
"I just caught a Roggenrola!"
"Pikachu!"
"Oshawott!"
"Tepig!"
"Snivy." she adds with a small nod, a little smile on her face.
"You did indeed." Cilan says, Iris and Misty close behind.
"That was an interesting battle." Iris remarks.
"And a great way to end the day!" Misty adds.
"Marill!"
"Yeah." Ash says with a nod. He stretches his arms above his head, a yawn escaping him. "A busy day. I think I need some sleep."
"That sounds like a splendid idea!" Cilan praises. "We should check with Nurse Joy to see if the Pokémon Center has any free sleeping space."
"I'm so tired, I might just sleep here." Ash admits.
"Don't give me any ideas." Iris remarks.
"Axew!" he adds, a happy little chuckle.
"We must hurry." Cilan says, pausing to regard their environs. "It'll be dark soon."
"Then let's get going!" Iris says. So enthused is she by the prospect of slumber, she takes Cilan's wrist and pulls him behind her.
With their course set, the four humans - after Ash returns Tepig, Oshawott, and Snivy - and their Pokémon head for the Pokémon Center and possibly some lovely sleeping arrangements.
But not before a certain fiery redhead sought out Nurse Joy to ask about the specifics about mailing something...considerable from a place near Nimbasa City in Unova all the way back to Cerulean City in Kanto.
Originally Added: August 20th, 2019
Updated: October 13th, 2019. Made a mention of Misty seeking Nurse Joy's aid in mailing the box of evolutionary stones back to her sisters in Cerulean City.