Yip!
Ash winced, his ears were ringing from the shrill yipe; although Aurora's horrified expression made him pity the ice type even if she was driving him nuts. She didn't seem to understand that he didn't want to go through the routine either. She flailed around in his arms frantically trying to escape from Ash. A set of sharp claws lashed out against his hand, leaving scratches on the back of his hand.
"Will you hold still?" Ash scolded.
Aurora paid little attention to the scolding and continued to thrash around, causing Ash to groan inwardly. Why did she have to make this harder than it needed to be?
Aurora shrieked again, causing Ash to grow even more irritated. He could only imagine what everyone else in the other Pokemon Center was thinking. He expected a knock at the door from a league official at any second that would haul him away for abusing his Pokemon.
"Aurora, you have to take your antibiotic!" Ash seethed.
The ice type flailed even more at the mention of the word, forcing Ash to grip Vulpix even tighter to prevent her from escaping. Ash cursed under his breath from a sharp pain in his arm. The trainer winced as he examined the red marks on his arm left from teeth.
"Did you just bite me?" Ash gasped, unable to believe Aurora had lashed out at him.
He could barely believe that his cheery Vulpix had turned into a frantic mess over something as trivial as taking an antibiotic and he definitely couldn't believe that she had bit him. She had resorted to running away from him, hiding from him, and swatting away the medicine; but biting hadn't been something she had resorted to previously. This was a new low even for her.
"If I let you go and lay you on the bed, will you take your antibiotic?" Ash bargained, hoping that Aurora would agree to the deal. He reasoned that if he gave her a bit more leeway that she would willingly take the medicine and behave with her usual maturity.
And so far it seemed to be working.
Aurora stopped squirming and stared up at Ash with her sky-blue eyes, seemingly considering the deal. The ice type whimpered and relented, apparently conceding defeat. Ash smiled and loosened his grip on her, and set her down on the bed. "See, this doesn't have to be difficult at all!"
He reached over to his backpack and pulled out a medicine bottle along with an oral syringe. The moment he took his eyes off her, Aurora sprung off the bed, landed on the floor with a thud, and dove under the bed.
Ash growled. Apparently, Vulpix were not to be trusted. "You'll wish you listened to me if you get an infection!"
An amused snort echoed from across the room. Ash peered over at Orion who watched the battle of wills while gobbling down the remaining kibble in his food dish. "You didn't see Orion freak out over the antibiotic, he held still and took the medicine!" Ash exclaimed, pointing to the fire type while peering under the bed at Aurora.
Orion bobbed his head, boasting about his accomplishment to his teammate in hopes of coaxing his teammate out from underneath the bed. Aurora growled in reply. She wasn't conceding on the issue. Ash shoved his hand under the bed and reached out to grab Aurora. The ice type blew a weak stream cold air in Ash's face in response. The trainer sputtered and brushed the snow off his face. "Fine, be that way, I'm not going to fight you anymore." Ash conceded.
The irritated trainer grumbled under his breath. If the ice type was healthy enough to sprint away, she had healed up enough not to need the antibiotic anymore.
At least that's how he was trying to rationalize his decision in his head.
He grumbled a few more complaints under his breath as he tucked the medicine away in his backpack and zipped the bag closed.
Ash quickly changed gears and focused on Orion's empty food dish. There had only been two things preventing them from leaving Pewter City – Aurora not taking her medicine and Orion finishing up his food. Orion had finished his food and Ash was finished trying to convince Aurora to take her antibiotic. It appeared that they were ready to leave, which was good because the Mt. Moon trek would be long.
The sooner they could start the journey through the Arceus forsaken, Zubat infested caves, the better.
Click, click, click.
Ash fidgeted with his badge case while staring at the shiny emblem inside the case.
He was antsy to say the least. As nice as Pewter City was, he hadn't wanted to spend an entire week in Pewter.
He finished all the possible shopping he could do, there weren't many people to battle, and there wasn't much to visit in Pewter City since he had already visited the Pewter City Museum.
He had tied up all the loose ends he had in Pewter after he called his mother to inform her of his progress on his journey and called Professor Oak to thank him for sending him the TM for Double Team. He certainly appreciated that he had people back home thinking of him. Professor Oak's gift had proven to be one of the deciding factors in his battle with Brock.
Aside from the gym and the museum, there wasn't much in Pewter City. Needless to say, there was nothing exciting happening in the small town.
The closest thing he had to excitement was seeing that one thousand four hundred dollars had been credited to his bank account after beating Brock. For the most part, his days consisted of watching television and skimming through the Pokedex while he waited for Nurse Joy to finish her daily treatments on his team.
Nurse Joy had informed him that Aurora and Orion had suffered broken bones from facing Brock's Pokemon. Even with the heavy doses of full restore and Ditto cells administered to them that cut the recovery time by seventy-five percent, it still took them three days for Aurora and Orion's bones set properly and to recover.
Considering the extent of his team's injuries, he wasn't surprised. Aurora received broken ribs from Onix pinning her against the barrier of the gym and had compound fractures in her front legs. Orion's sternum and front legs were broken from the collision with Rhyhorn and he had to get stitches to repair the lacerations received from fighting Brock's Rhyhorn.
The rest of the week was spent doing light stretches and jogging with Aurora and Orion once their bones reset and they regained their movement. Nurse Joy had instructed Ash to exercise with his team to help them rebuild their strength and it was definitely paying off.
While they weren't quite at full strength yet, they had regained about ninety percent of their strength. Unless of course, you counted Aurora's mad dash to avoid taking her antibiotic as a feat representative of her recovery.
Ash stared out the window. He longed for fresh air, wide open spaces, and the adrenaline rush adventure brought for it had been far too long since he had experienced any of those things. He yearned to meet challengers to battle and visit new places. He felt like a Pidgey trapped in a cage. If it wasn't for the company of his friends, he would have been bored out of his mind.
"Ketchum, Ash Ketchum!"
The trainer perked up at the sound of his name and glanced over to the front desk of the Pokemon Center. Nurse Joy was signaling for him to come over to the counter. Ash jumped up from his seat and scrambled over to the counter, stumbling over himself in the process. "Yes?"
Nurse Joy gestured to the tray sitting on the counter. "I just finished my checkup on your Pokemon, they are in perfect shape and are ready to go."
Ash grinned and scooped up the Poke Balls on the tray to clip them to his belt. "Thanks, Nurse Joy," he muttered, tipping his cap to the physician.
"You're welcome, but please," Nurse Joy paused for a moment, trying to find the right words. "Do try to be more careful."
"I'll try my best. Brock really did a number on my Pokemon." Ash remarked. "His rock types are pretty brutal."
Nurse Joy smiled bitterly. "He's a good man and means well, but he can be rough on his challengers. I suppose that's his job."
"Yeah, I suppose," Ash replied.
"Of course it's my job," A masculine voice interjected.
Heavy footsteps announced the presence of another person. Ash wheeled around to see the source of the voice and footsteps. He lurched backwards out of surprise. Brock was about the last person he expected to see. The Pewter City gym leader flashed a bright smile at both him and Nurse Joy.
"I'm the Pewter City gym leader after all, my job as a gym leader is to test a trainer's abilities and make sure that they are worthy of competing in the Indigo Conference. Some rookies might hate me now for roughing up their Pokemon, but if you really think about it I'm saving them a lot of hassle down the road. It's better that they learn how rough Pokemon battles can get early on so they don't learn that lesson when it's too late." Brock defended. "Imagine what type of trouble a trainer could get into at the Indigo Conference if their Pokemon weren't prepared for intense battles, it wouldn't be pretty."
Ash's expression softened at the explanation. He didn't consider Brock a dirty fighter by any means or even a bad person after facing him at the Pewter gym; but the match still left Ash questioning why Brock came off so harsh.
The tone Brock addressed Ash with was emotionless at best and acrimonious at worst. Brock's stoic personality made him seem uncaring even though his cheerful personality after the battle said the complete opposite. He was a strange paradox, but now his cold facade in battle made much more sense.
Brock's facade was a test – a test conducted to see whether or not a trainer could handle the intensity of Pokemon battles. A dose of reality that tempered the idealistic visions of young trainers by reminding them of what Pokemon battles could often be.
Ash's eyes shifted to Nurse Joy as the physician reached for two Poke Balls on a shelf.
"I'm assuming that you're here for these?" she asked, holding out the red and white orbs for Brock to see.
The gym leader nodded and took the orbs from her hand. "Well, now that you mention it, I could be here for another reason...I would definitely appreciate the company if you're free tonight." Brock swooned.
"My answer is the same," Nurse Joy answered with a hint of irritation in his voice. "I already said no."
"Just dinner?" Brock pleaded, desperation in his voice.
"No," Nurse Joy repeated, more forceful than before.
"How about a movie?" Brock asked, cupping his hands together and kneeling on the floor.
"No!" Nurse Joy replied, even more sternly than she had the first two times.
Ash cringed and looked away out of embarrassment for the gym leader. It pained him to watch the stoic gym leader turn into a hormonal mess and grovel before Nurse Joy for a date. Perhaps now was a good time for him to leave. As he turned to leave, a boy rushed into the Pokemon Center and collided with Ash.
He grunted, thrown backwards from the collision before he landed on his back with a jarring thud. The trainer grumbled numerous complaints under his breath as he sprung to his feet and dusted himself off. "What was that all about?!" he scolded, too irritated with the boy's recklessness to remain silent.
The boy groaned as he sat up and brushed himself off. "I'm so sorry, I'm just kind of in a hurry! I need my brother right away!" he panted, seemingly unable to catch his breath.
Ash flinched as he glanced over at the boy, he recognized the boy immediately from his conversation with him in the lobby of the Pewter gym. The spiky brown hair and the squinted eyes were difficult to forget because of how unusual the features were. "Your brother, huh?" he echoed. "Who's your brother?"
Ash noticed the boy look over at Brock, who still appeared to be fawning over Nurse Joy. The trainer from Pallet Town groaned mentally. That had been a stupid question – a really stupid question. The family resemblance was obvious.
"Brock, I need to speak with you!" The boy called out to the distracted gym leader, with an urgency in his voice.
"Give me a second, I'm currently making plans for this evening." Brock huffed, waving the boy off.
The boy grumbled something under his breath and marched over to his brother with a burnt orange-colored phone in his hand. "Look Brock, this isn't a game, this is very important!" he declared, using a more forceful tone of voice as he stormed over to the gym leader and pulled him away from the front counter.
Brock's demeanor shifted back to the stoic man Ash had battled at the gym upon noticing the urgency of his brother. "Okay, you have my attention. What's going on, Forrest?"
Ash took note of the boy's name as he continued to observe the conversation between the brothers. Judging by the frantic behavior of the boy, something big was unfolding. What was unfolding, however, Ash still couldn't figure out; but it had to be incredibly important.
"You left your Pokegear at the gym," Forrest stated before he paused momentarily to catch his breath. "Dad called and said that you need to call him back immediately!"
He waved the device in front of Brock's face.
This time the gym leader grabbed the device from Forrest and swiped the touchscreen, causing the screen to glow with faint light. "What for, is there an emergency?" Brock asked, a hint of concern noticeable in his voice.
"I don't know, all Dad told me was that I needed to tell you to call him back immediately!" Forrest answered.
Brock tapped the touchscreen and dialed in a number before excusing himself and heading over to the far corner of the waiting room. Ash held his breath, hoping to listen in on the conversation. While he usually wouldn't eavesdrop on someone's conversation, he didn't want to be kept out of the loop. If there was any sort of trouble, Ash felt he needed to offer a hand.
Brock was too far away to quite make out the details of the conversation, but the few words Ash did hear sent a shiver down his spine.
"Lance...museum...evacuated...injured...dead...Rockets...mobilize..."
Had he heard all of that correctly? Was his mind playing tricks on him? Was he imagining things? Hundreds of other questions about the situation raced through his mind. Had the league assembled a task force? Were more cities in danger? The sheer amount of questions in his mind made his head spin. His reasoning told him that he had heard the conversation correctly.
Ash felt his heart skip a beat from the sudden realization of how dire the situation truly was as his mind repeated the most important word uttered by Brock.
Rockets.
The organization that Nurse Joy and Tobias emphasized Ash avoid and declared had no respect for life was in Pewter City. Beyond that, they weren't working from the shadows, like Nurse Joy and Tobias claimed they tended to do. Team Rocket was staging a brazen attack for the entire region to see.
Ash's eyes burned with resolve as he grasped for the Poke Ball and Luxury Ball clipped to his belt. His team wasn't the strongest in the world, but he would never live with himself for standing on the sidelines. He was going with Brock, whether the gym leader wanted his help or not.
Ash refused to be a bystander when his region and the city of Pewter was under siege. Lance wouldn't have stood on the sidelines, the Shodai wouldn't have stood on the sidelines, and his father certainly wouldn't have stood on the sidelines.
He stared down Brock as he finally hung up and scrambled over to Forrest.
"Get back to the gym, I want you to make sure that your younger siblings stay inside and keep them safe. This is one of those times we talked about that you'll have to be the one that takes charge, Dad and most of our task forces are currently at Mt. Moon and I'm headed over to the museum to handle the situation over there. I need you to look after the younger ones. Can I count on you?"
Ash noticed Forrest's expressions mimicked the demeanor of his brother. "Yes," he answered with a weak whisper.
Brock reached down to his belt and unclipped a Poke Ball from his belt and handed them to his brother. "Take Geodude with you, I doubt that Team Rocket will be roaming Pewter if they are at the museum; but you never know."
Ash clenched his fists, the mention of the group confirmed his suspicions.
"Good, run if you can; but if you're attacked and can't escape, let them have it. Don't hold back." Brock replied with a smirk.
Forrest smiled and gave his brother a quick nod before rushing off towards the door.
"So Team Rocket's here in Pewter?" Ash muttered, addressing the obvious Donphan in the room.
Brock turned to look at Ash and nodded. "A curfew has been issued in Pewter City, all residents and travelers are advised to stay indoors. We've sent it out through the cellular networks."
Ash glanced down at his Pokenav. A text featuring all capital letters was visible on the screen. Apparently, Brock hadn't been lying; Ash must have been too absorbed in thought to notice the Pokenav chime.
"I don't know what your travel plans are, but I would advise against traveling until further notice because of Team Rocket's presence in the area. I will be assembling a task force to handle the situation at the museum." Brock recited. "We hope to have the matter resolved as soon as possible."
Ash rolled his eyes at the canned speech and shook his head. "The only place I'm going is to the museum," he stated bluntly.
Brock raised an eyebrow at the comment. "No, this is a Pokemon League matter. I will assemble a task force and handle the..."
"Bull," Ash interjected, interrupting the gym leader. "I heard what you said about your Dad and the majority of the forces being at Mt. Moon! I might not be able to do much in the fight, but there has to be a way I can be of some use! I can't just sit back and do nothing!"
"It's too..." Brock fired back.
"Too dangerous?" Ash interrupted again, his voice exuding frustration. He wasn't under the delusion that he would sweep through an entire Rocket squad and their commander, but he could make a contribution even if it was only as small as serving as a scout or standing guard over defeated Rockets.
"You don't think I don't know how dangerous it is? I showed up at the Viridian City Pokemon Center after it got attacked by Team Rocket members, I have a good idea of what they are capable of. Three rogue agents managed to nearly destroy a Pokemon Center, imagine what a group of organized Team Rocket members could do. That's why I feel that I need to help. One more helping hand, no matter how small it is, could decide the outcome of the raid. I'm not asking to lead the raid, I just want to help."
Brock rubbed his chin in thought and let out a muffled groan, realizing Ash wasn't going to be talked out of his position. "Alright, but there's several conditions," The gym leader relented.
"First," Brock held up his index finger. "Your name will not be published in the media. For all intents and purposes, you weren't on the mission – your involvement will be considered classified information and you are to tell absolutely no one of the events that happened at the museum. We don't want to risk you becoming a target."
Ash nodded in agreement. He liked the first condition. It kept him out of trouble with Team Rocket and more importantly it kept him out of trouble at home. The less Delia and Professor Oak knew about his involvement, the better.
"Second," Brock continued, lifting a second finger. "I want you to stick with me during the raid, unless instructed to do otherwise. League raids aren't a battle. Raids are unpredictable, you have little time to react, and one mistake can mean death to you or your team."
Ash nodded again, verifying his acknowledgment of the condition. Brock lifted a third finger. "Lastly, you are to listen to both my instruction and the instruction of the task force. If we tell you to leave, you are to leave immediately. It does not matter what is happening, if we give you an order you are expected to obey. Are these conditions understood?"
"Yes, it is," Ash replied with the utmost confidence.
"Good," Brock stated. "I will debrief you on the way to the museum. We need to catch up with the task force."
The gym leader motioned for Ash to follow him as he headed for the exit of the Pokemon Center.
Ash felt a surge of adrenaline surge through his veins, causing his body to tremble from a combination of anxiety and excitement. He was officially joining a league raid.
"Now would be the best time to inform your Pokemon what's going on and prep them for the raid." Brock added as they stopped outside the Pokemon Center.
Ash unclipped the balls containing Aurora and Orion from his belt. A cloak of crimson light shrouded his friends as they were released from their Poke Balls. The trainer took a deep breath to calm his nerves and shut his eyes while searching for the proper words.
A gentle nudge from Orion made Ash recoil from the intense heat radiating from the fire type. Even with him dousing his mane, the horse generated a substantial amount of warmth.
Orion bobbed his head, acknowledging Ash's terse expression and signaling that he was ready to support his trainer. Aurora woofed at Ash and stared up at him with a worried look upon noticing Ash's anxiety.
Aurora brushed up against the trainer's leg and yipped at him.
Ash smiled. He was grateful for the company of his friends. "We have some work to do, we will be helping the league with a mission. Remember the museum I told you two about, apparently it has been attacked and it's our job to put a stop to it. Are you two in?"
Aurora nodded and voiced her approval with a shrill bark. Ash chuckled, he had one volunteer. Orion stomped his hooves on the ground and snorted, releasing a cloud of embers into the air. He should have known the fire type would never back down from a challenge.
"Then we'll be joining Brock and his team to take down the threat." Ash explained, pausing momentarily. "Be careful, you guys. This isn't going to be like anything we've encountered so far, this mission with the league has consequences. One mistake could cost us dearly."
The trainer omitted the part Brock had added about them potentially dying during the raid. He preferred not to think about it and he imagined that his team didn't want to think about it either.
Besides, all three of them already knew what they were getting into. They were headed to the front lines.
"Alright, we're ready," Ash stated, looking over at Brock.
The gym leader nodded. "Return your Pokemon until we start the raid, they'll need their strength for the raid." Brock instructed. The gym leader motioned for Ash to follow him. "Let's move."
Ash frowned at the sight of the museum in the distance. He wanted his Pokemon to see the museum, but this was hardly the circumstance in which he wanted them to see the place. It hardly seemed like the same place. The windows were cracked or broken, the front entrance was marred with soot from fire or explosion, and a barricade of police tape prevented people from getting anywhere near the place.
Upon noticing Ash and Brock's arrival, a group of trainers–two men and a young woman–scrambled over to meet them. Ash gave them a once over. His mind slowly pieced together who and what he was looking at. The operatives were around Brock's age, although the woman appeared to be younger than Brock was; and they each had white uniforms underneath their silver vests. The tactical gear and the dress uniform were giveaways, the trainers were league operatives.
Brock gave the team a nod to acknowledge their presence which they quickly returned with a nod of their own. Ash noticed the group's gaze fixate on him, obviously questioning why Ash was with Brock even if they wouldn't say it out loud. It made Ash uncomfortable to say the least. He knew he was young, but did they doubt him that much?
"He's with me," Brock stated, his tone reflecting confidence in his decision. "He might not look like much, but he's ready."
The operatives gave Brock a skeptical look. It was obvious that they still weren't buying it at all.
"Status report?" Brock questioned, hoping to change the subject and end their mostly unspoken conversation.
The woman stepped forward. "We got here as soon as we could and set up a barricade. The Pokemon Rangers managed to evacuate some of the injured that managed to escape the museum. We had the injured transported to the Pokemon Center in Viridian City since some of the wounds didn't seem like they could be treated here in Pewter." She stated in a professional tone. If her demeanor and cadence was anything to go by, she had done this before despite her younger appearance.
"Casualty report?"
"We had a couple Alakazam run a scan on the place and sent a few Gengar into the museum to scout the place. From the amounts of wounded we recovered and the information gathered by the Pokemon, we're looking at least fifteen wounded and at least five dead." One of the men answered, his body quivering slightly. He looked a bit nervous, his pupils were dilated, and his body trembled every so often.
Brock looked away for a moment and cursed under his breath, his stoic facade breaking for just a moment.
"It could have been worse. Fortunately, there weren't as many visitors at the time and the museum staff managed to evacuate the place before Team Rocket was able to harm them. We believe the injuries and deaths are a result of the initial explosions when Team Rocket entered the museum." The female operative explained, offering what little consolation she could given the circumstance of the situation.
Brock gathered himself and put on his stoic facade once more. "Alright, the place has been scouted, right?"
"Yes, twice," The second male operative answered. The dark spots under his eyes gave Ash the impression that he hadn't gotten much sleep. "The bulk of Team Rocket activity appears to be on the west corridor of the museum."
"The west corridor?" Brock echoed, almost as if he was questioning the intel. The gym leader rubbed his chin in thought. "Interesting." He muttered under his breath.
"That's the space exhibit, isn't it?" Ash remarked.
The league operatives nodded. "Yes,"
"Then that's where we strike them." Brock replied. "What's the head count for this mission?"
"We'll have a task force of eight, not including you and the boy." The female operative replied while pointing to another group of league operatives further standing off in the distance. "We have five ACE trainers," She pointed to herself, the two men of the group, and two other men standing on the other side of the barricade. "And three rangers." She gestured to the remaining individuals.
"Mobilize all forces, we're going in!" Brock ordered.
The league operatives nodded. "You heard the man, let's go!" The woman shouted. She was obviously the ranking officer of the group. The ACE trainer motioned for the rest of the league forces. The other operatives responded by rushing over to join the group. Like the first group, the other league operatives glared at Brock upon seeing Ash which Brock responded to with a nod. It didn't take them long to focus on their orders which took precedence over Ash's presence.
"What's our orders?" One of the men from the other group of league operatives asked. Ash noticed the dark spots under his eyes. Now that he noticed it, the entire group seemed tired.
"We're mobilizing the task force, we're going in." Brock answered.
The man's face grew solemn. "How are we going to handle this one?" The man replied.
"We'll surround them and cut off their escape routes. If we can't subdue them on our own we will hold the line until reinforcements arrive." Brock answered. The gym leader pointed to the front of the museum. "I want operatives to take the front of the building,"
He pointed to the far west side of the building. "I also want another group to hit the west corridor directly."
Brock motioned for Ash and pointed to the east wing of the building. "We're going to enter through the back." The gym leader paused for a moment to catch his breath after relaying a string of non-stop commands. "All three teams will converge upon the west wing of the museum and box the Rockets in. Any questions?"
Ash nodded and glanced around, apparently the task force wasn't going to say anything either. Everyone appeared to understand the situation and the plan of attack.
Brock took a deep breath. "Stay safe," He instructed. The gym leader pointed at the museum. "The clock is ticking, let's move!"
Ash frowned. Keeping up to Brock was proving to be quite the task. The gym leader was a good five or six steps ahead of Ash, and the distance between them only seemed to be growing. The distance from the barricade to the back of the museum was much longer than Ash imagined. He staggered forward, willing himself to continue even though his lungs felt like they had been set on fire by a Charizard. Brock had let him join the raid, and Ash sure as Distortion wasn't going to give Brock a single reason to question that decision.
The trainer found a second wind as he noticed how close they were to their destination. Brock raised a hand signaling for Ash to stop before darting over to the wall of the building and leaning up against it. The trainer followed suit and leaned up against the stone wall of the museum. Brock peeked around the corner to the right and motioned for Ash to follow him.
"The coast is clear." Brock declared.
Ash sprinted over to the gym leader and followed in his footsteps, mimicking his movements. Brock reached down to his belt for his Poke Balls. He pressed the button on the front of the orbs, causing the spheres to expand to twice their size.
"Send out your Pokemon, get them ready." Brock instructed.
Ash didn't hesitate to obey and reached for both Aurora Luxury Ball and Orion's Poke Ball. He pressed the button on the front of the orbs immediately releasing the fire type and ice type from stasis.
Aurora and Orion glanced around at their surroundings and shot Ash a perplexed look. "We're about to start the raid. Get ready you guys, I want you to neutralize anything that you perceive as a threat to me, Brock, or league forces. I don't care how you do it, just do it."
Both Pokemon perked up and gave a soft grunt of acknowledgment. Ash turned his attention to Brock and glanced over at the thick stone walls of the museum. Suddenly, it dawned on him – there wasn't a door in sight. Just how exactly were they going to enter the museum if there weren't any doors or entry points like a window in the back?
"Are you ready?" Brock asked.
"Yeah, but just how are we going to be getting into the museum without any entrances?" Ash replied with an air of skepticism.
Brock chuckled. "We're making our own door."
A flash of ruby-colored light flickered from the Poke Ball in Brock's hand before a boulder-shaped creature emerged from the orb and stomped its stubby legs. Ash recognized the living mass of earth and smirked. That would certainly do the trick.
"Golem, we need an opening." Brock stated, pointing at the stone facade of the museum.
Golem clenched its fists and thrust a stubby arm forward. A devastating left hook connected with the stone building, causing the wall to crack. Shards of rock flaked from the wall and flew through the air. Ash raised a hand to his face to shield himself from the small chunks of rock raining down around him.
Golem followed his first punch with a right hook. The dent in the wall from Golem's punches grew larger. More dust and debris chipped off the wall from the punch, forcing both Ash and Brock to shield themselves from the shards of rock.
Golem swung its fists at the crater in the wall and unleashed a flurry of punches upon the weak point in the wall. Each punch slammed into the wall and tore more of the stone away until there was nothing left but a pile of pebbles, dust, and chunks of mortar.
Golem lifted the chunks of wall and casually chucked them aside, clearing a path to walk through. Brock nodded to the rock type in approval before stepping through the clearing. Ash followed suit.
Ash glanced around, rapidly inspecting his surroundings. The first thing he noticed was that the room was dark, although he couldn't determine how much of that was due to his eyes needing a change to adjust.
The second thing that he noticed was the temperature of the room. It was cold and not just a brisk chill, but rather a bone-chilling cold. It was a chill akin to that of stepping into a cooler. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Ash noticed how large the room was. It was at least the size of Professor Oak's lab and the layout of the room heavily resembled Oak's lab.
His eyes fixated on several counters in the room littered with paper, lab equipment, and even a few fossils on top of the counters.
A laboratory, perhaps?
It definitely made sense. The test tubes, machines, paper, and fossils supported the assumption along with the temperature of the room. He also remembered Professor Oak telling him something about fossil examinations being conducted in temperature controlled rooms. He pushed the thoughts aside and refocused on the task at hand.
The last thing Ash wanted was to get caught off guard by a Team Rocket member because he wasn't paying attention. He caught a glimpse of Brock motioning for his Golem, causing the rock type to follow them into the room.
Ash followed suit and motioned for his Pokemon to follow them into the room.
Brock pointed to Orion. "We need his flames." Brock mouthed.
"We need your flames to see." Ash whispered just loud enough for the Ponyta to hear.
Orion whinnied in acknowledgment. Radiant orange sparks roared to life around Orion's neck and grew into wisps of flame. Ash squinted from the change in light. It would take a moment to get used to the light again.
Brock used the light provided by Orion's flames to take a closer at the papers on the counter.
"What are they?" Ash whispered, breaking the silence of the room.
"Records," Brock answered tersely, continuing to examine the documents further. "The scientists were running tests on fossils and taking notes of their findings."
Brock turned his head unexpectedly and glared at the door. Ash felt his heart leap in his chest, noticing the gym leader's sudden focus on the door. Apparently, Brock wasn't the only one fixated on the door. Aurora's ears twitched before she tensed up and growled at the door.
"What's wrong?" Ash muttered.
Brock made a slashing gesture in front of his throat. "Douse the light, someone is coming," Brock mouthed. "Tell your Pokemon to take cover."
Ash felt a lump form in his throat. "Douse the flames, Orion," The trainer from Pallet Town trembled. "I need you and Aurora to find somewhere to hide."
The fire type obeyed the command, causing the room to become filled with darkness again. Ash's eyes widened. He was disoriented and he couldn't see a thing; but he heard footsteps. Brock yanked Ash by his collar over towards him and behind one of the pieces of lab equipment.
"I'm telling you, I heard something in there." A masculine voice rang out from the other side of the door.
"This better be good." A second, more irritated, voice responded.
The doorknob jiggled and the door creaked upon being pushed open. Two men in black clothing with a crimson "R" insignia adorning the front of their uniforms entered the room. Both of them eyed the massive hole in the wall carved out from Golem's punches and the man on the left fumbled for a communicator clipped to his belt.
Brock glanced over at Golem looming in the shadows of the far corner of the room alongside Orion and Aurora. The gym leader nodded to the craggy Pokemon and whispered an order to Ash.
"Get ready."
Brock and Golem sprung out from their hiding places and charged the Team Rocket members, catching them off guard.
"How the heck did you get in here?!" The grunts exclaimed. It was a stupid question given the massive hole in the wall, but Ash didn't fault them. They were startled. The human mind didn't react well in a crisis.
Golem lowered its shoulder and rushed at its opponent with speed that Ash didn't know that the rock type had. Before the man could react, Golem slammed into him with a sickening crunch and pinned him against the wall. The man's two-way radio hit the floor with a thud.
Brock followed suit and rammed the remaining Team Rocket member into the wall. The grunt blacked out from his head hitting the wall with a thud. Ash eyed the limp bodies with a hint of concern on his face.
Even if they were criminals, he still hoped that they weren't–Ash forced his mind elsewhere. He didn't want to think about that possibility. It wouldn't lead anywhere good.
"There's bound to be more of them," Brock whispered. "Be careful, they'll most likely be aiming for us as much as they are aiming for our Pokemon. Let them have it."
Ash nodded reluctantly as they slipped out the door into a dimly lit hallway. The trainer felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. It was quiet, too quiet. He scanned over the hallway's features with his eyes. It wasn't much different than the hallway entrance of the museum, although the two other doors in the hallway made him a bit anxious.
Would there be more Rockets waiting for them in the other rooms?
Brock unclipped several more Poke Balls from his belt and sent out several more Pokemon, several of which were foreign to him. He recognized Rhyhorn and even Kabutops, but he wasn't familiar with the bipedal dinosaur with a pointed head or the stocky quadruped with a shield-like head.
However, it wasn't the mysterious Pokemon that demanded Ash's attention; it was the massive forms of Onix and an even larger silver form of the serpent that caught his eye. The serpents were only able to fit in the building by lying low and even then their size made it a tight fit.
With Pokemon that big backing them up, there was no doubt that they would stop Team Rocket.
"Watch our back." Brock muttered to his team.
Ash pointed at the doors in the hallway. "Shouldn't we check them out?" He mouthed.
"Utility closets." Brock mouthed in reply, pointing to the signs next to the doors.
Ash let out a sigh of relief with the knowledge that there were two less places to clear out which meant they could focus on the hallway. The trainer from Pallet Town followed Brock further down the hallway. He recognized the hallway now that he eyed the doors at the end of the hallway. While he had viewed the hallway from the other side of the doors, he recognized the area nevertheless.
The laboratory was restricted to the public, but he saw museum staff walk in and out of the hallway during his tour of the museum. Brock pointed to the men standing in front of the doors and nodded. "Aurora's Confuse Ray, might come in handy here." he mouthed.
Ash nodded at the suggestion, despite his inward hesitation about using from Tobias' warnings about the technique. He pushed the warnings aside, he didn't have time to debate the morality of the risk involved with Confuse Ray. Aurora had used it twice now with no repercussions. Besides, the suggestion seemed logical enough. If the illusions could take down an Onix, they would be more than enough for handling a person and if the power of the technique was limited it wouldn't cause much harm.
One of the men cried out from the end of the hallway as Ash and Brock stepped into the glimmers of light peeking in through the small windows on the swinging doors. "Who goes there?!"
Brock's Rhyhorn grunted and stomped its legs, sending a powerful tremor through the ground that knocked the entire squad of sentries on their back.
"Intruder!" One of the men exclaimed in a panic as he grasped for a Poke Ball.
"Aurora, Confuse Ray," Ash stated. "And scale it down a bit."
The ice type emerged from the shadows and became visible upon stepping into the beams of light. Aurora locked eyes with the man before allowing her eyes to shift color to a menacing red. "No!" The man hissed in terror. Ash cringed as the man hit the floor with a thud.
Aurora growled at the man and admired her handiwork. Ash smiled at the ice type in approval.
Bright flickers of light tore Ash's thoughts away from the terrified grunt and Aurora's Confuse Ray. Several rats with tan fur hissed at Ash and Brock. "Kill the intruders!" The Rocket grunts ordered before they barged out the door and sprinted away, likely to warn the other grunts in the building.
The rats spread out and bared their razor-sharp fangs. The Raticate caught Ash off guard by springing at him with killing intent. Ash leapt out of the way, narrowly avoiding its fangs, only for the other two to lunge at him as well. Bright orange flames roared to life and an orange blur intercepted the attackers. Orion cut them down with a swift kick to the head before turning his wrath upon the first attempted assassin. The fire type thrust a hoof into the Raticate's face, sending the rat flying into a wall.
Orion stomped the ground and scraped the ground with his hooves. Orion was restless and aggravated, clearly a result of their situation. He wasn't taking too kindly to Ash's attackers.
More of the vicious rodents charged at Ash and lunged at the trainer.
"Golem, intercept!" Brock exclaimed.
Golem swung a fist at one of the attackers and flung the rat into a wall with a loud thunk. The living boulder swung a second right hook at a second airborne Raticate sending it tumbling across the ground.
Movement – he swore he saw movement in the shadows of the room. Ash wheeled around to see a lone Raticate leaping from the shadows at him. "Ash!" Brock exclaimed in a panic.
Ash flinched and raised his arms in a pathetic attempt to shield himself, only for the rat to be trapped in a telekinetic prison.
A concerned Aurora glared at the attacker with malice in her eyes. Aurora growled at her trainer's attempted assassin and allowed her eyes to shift to a malicious crimson. The ice type glowed with satisfaction as the Raticate's mind was taken over by its worst nightmares, leaving the Pokemon convulsing on the floor in terror.
Aurora whimpered at Ash. He smiled at her and gave her a quick thumbs-up to reassure her that she was fine. Her facial expression softened slightly after seeing that he was fine, but she was still tense after the entire ordeal. She obviously didn't appreciate the Raticate trying to kill him. He also noticed that Aurora looked fairly tired after using Confuse Ray consecutively–after all the technique was very taxing.
"Thanks," Ash stated. He glanced over at Brock and Golem. "To all of you."
Orion bobbed his head up and down and brayed at Ash, voicing both his excitement and his determination to continue onward. Aurora nodded and yipped.
Brock shook his head. "We didn't do much, in fact, we should have reacted quicker to those Raticate." Brock replied.
Ash nodded before his attention shifted back to the situation. Shouts on the other side of the door caught their attention. The battle was far from over. "More intruders! We need to hold them off! Go, go, go!"
"Get back!" Brock shouted, pulling Ash away from the doors and behind Golem's craggy body.
The security doors burst from their hinges and rocketed forward. Golem reached out and stopped the doors with its arms and tossed them aside with little effort. Several Arcanine barreled into the hallway and snarled at both trainer and Pokemon alike.
"Level them," Brock commanded.
Ash smirked. More of Brock's Pokemon emerged from the shadows and charged their foes. Several of the Arcanine exhaled and unleashed a swirling gout of flame aimed at the charging Pokemon. Kabutops fired a jet of water and Aurora exhaled a weak breath of chilled air to intercept the flames. Steam filled the hallway from the stalemate of cold and heat clashing.
Rhyhorn charged forward through the steam and rammed its horn into one of the Arcanine. The wolf howled in agony before being launched backwards. Brock's bipedal dinosaur and shield-faced Pokemon followed suit by lowering their heads and ramming two other Arcanine.
Orion jumped into the melee and rushed the Arcanine that had been downed by Rhyhorn and the other charging Pokemon. Ponyta finished each of the wolves off with a swift kick to the head from his front legs, rendering each of the Arcanine unconscious.
Orion darted onward and into the room ahead to aid Brock's team in chasing off the remaining Arcanine.
"Let's move!" Brock shouted.
With his Pokemon keeping their would be attackers busy or having outright dispatched them, Brock charged forward into the next room and motioned for Ash to follow suit. Haruko's statue was there to greet them along with countless numbers of Team Rocket members accompanied by scores of Raticate, Arcanine, and Golbat.
The grunts shouted out an all too familiar order. "Stop the intruders!"
Ash kept just enough distance from Brock that they wouldn't become easy targets. He glanced over at Aurora standing beside him. He didn't bother saying anything knowing that she already knew about the enemies and opted for pointing at the foes instead.
Aurora drew air into her lungs and exhaled to unleash a frigid blast of cold air upon the scores of Team Rocket commanded Pokemon to thin their ranks. Dozens of Raticate and Golbat were left writhing on the ground from the sudden chill brought upon them by Aurora's Freeze-Dry.
The remaining Golbat spewed chunks of sludge at Ash, Aurora, Brock, and Golem. Golem slammed its fists on the ground and ripped up a long patch of flooring to form a makeshift wall to shield both Brock and Ash. Ash's eyes widened at the impressive feat only to be astonished by a second surprise. The acid from the sludge ate through the flooring in a matter of seconds. He took a mental note not to let any of the grime touch him or his Pokemon.
Golem ripped chunks of floor from the makeshift barricade and hurled the flooring at the squadron of Team Rocket grunts. The Pokemon and the men commanding them fled in a panic, hoping to avoid being hit and crushed. Several of the grunts and their Pokemon found themselves unable to flee and were pummeled by the debris.
Groans of agony and terrified screams of both Pokemon and men echoed through the room. Ash felt his stomach churn. Being crushed was hardly a pleasant way to die. He pitied the people and Pokemon that were unlucky enough to suffer the fate.
"Aurora, Powder Snow!" Ash shouted, shifting his mind to his next plan of attack to prevent his mind from wandering to despair.
Taking advantage of the chaos and confusion, Aurora fired gusts of cold air at the fleeing Golbat. The poison types unfortunate enough to be hit screeched in agony from the cold. While Aurora was distracted with the Golbat, a massive Raticate charged at the ice type and bared its fangs.
Golem rumbled towards Aurora only for several Arcanine to rush both Golem and Brock, forcing Golem on the defensive to protect both itself and its trainer.
Aurora sidestepped her foe, narrowly avoiding the fate of being ripped apart by the Raticate's massive fangs. The ice type aimed a gust of cold air at the Raticate that clipped the rat's side. Raticate hissed in agony. Pokemon weren't meant to have supercooled air touch their skin.
A mass of blackened skin was visible where Aurora's cold air had clipped it. Aurora wasn't holding back, she was going for the kill. Aurora's icy winds weren't just causing discomfort, the gusts were causing instantaneous tissue damage and severe cases of frostbite. Aurora exhaled once more, this time hitting the rat in the head to put it down.
He was about to scold the ice type for using excessive force, but Brock and Golem's struggle with the pack of Arcanine took priority. The trainer cursed under his breath. Fire types were about the worst thing Aurora could deal with. Fortunately, Orion arrived on the scene to aid them.
Ash glanced over at Golem, who was beginning to find itself overwhelmed. The situation was quickly deteriorating. What Team Rocket lacked in skill they more than made up for with sheer numbers. Brock's Pokemon other Pokemon were preoccupied with battles of their own, attempting to clear the room of Arcanine, Raticate, and Golbat.
Golem staggered backwards after several of the wolves slammed into it at the same time. The rock type swung a punch at one of the Arcanine only for the right hook to be wildly off target. Golem grunted and leapt in front of another Arcanine that was about to spew a gout of flame to shield Brock from the flames.
The craggy boulder took the blast head on and ripped up more flooring to act as a shield.
Ash could only imagine how difficult it was for Golem to shield its trainer and repel the Arcanine at the same time. Golem couldn't keep up the fight forever. He would have to act and give Brock some backup. Just as he was going to issue orders for his team to aid Brock, a swarm of Golbat descended upon them.
Ash gritted his teeth in pain. His eardrums felt like they were going to explode and if the reactions from his Pokemon were any indication, they were suffering as much as he was. He looked up at the Golbat, it didn't even look like they were doing anything but circling them in the air.
Why in the world did it feel like his brain was going to explode?
Orion voiced his irritation with the Golbat with a whinny and scraped his hooves on the ground in agitation. The fire type snorted, releasing radiant orange coals from his maw that caused several of the Golbat to hiss in agony. Aurora followed suit with a blast of cold air that froze their wings and sent the Golbat plummeting to the ground.
Ash breathed a sigh of relief. Whatever the Golbat were doing had stopped.
Orion darted around the battlefield, slamming his hooves down on the disoriented Golbat. Ash winced at the sight of blood left on Ponyta's hooves from trampling the Golbat. Had he killed them? The mere thought made him sick to his stomach.
Ash cursed under his breath at the sight of more Pokemon pouring into the room led by about a dozen more Team Rocket members. Team Rocket also had a few more tricks up their sleeve. In addition to reinforcements of Arcanine, Raticate, and Golbat; Team Rocket were bringing Ekans into the fight.
Ash gritted his teeth and ducked out of the way of a Shadow Ball whizzing towards him. "There's too many of them!" Ash exclaimed.
"Fall back!" Brock shouted back. "My team and I can handle this, I just need you to get out of here!"
Ash frowned. He hated to leave Brock behind, but given the circumstances retreat seemed to be the only answer. There were far more Team Rocket members waiting for them than he could possibly imagine.
"Onix, Steelix, now!" Brock exclaimed. Apparently, Brock had once last ace up his sleeve. The serpents rumbled forward ripping the walls apart upon emerging from the hallway.
The Team Rocket grunts went into a frenzy upon seeing the massive behemoths enter the fray. Brock's reinforcements had arrived and not a moment too soon. He must have been saving them for a psychological advantage.
"Brock wants us to fall back! Clear out as many as you can on the way back, and follow me!" Ash instructed, pressing towards the hallway from which they had entered the main lobby.
Orion shrouded himself in flame and sprinted around the room, bulldozing every single foe in his path with Flame Charge. Aurora, fighting exhaustion, fired blasts of ice and snow at their enemies.
A horde of Raticate and Ekans advanced towards Ash and his team at the behest of the Team Rocket grunts.
"To the hallway!" Ash shrieked, motioning for his Pokemon to follow him. Ash sprinted towards the hallway with his Pokemon providing him cover from behind with barrages of hot coal and frigid winds aimed at their foes. Loud hisses from above caught his attention. The trainer grumbled under his breath.
More Golbat.
The bats flew to the exit, cutting off his escape route. Ash looked around frantically. He was surrounded. Raticate were flanking him from behind and Golbat were blocking the exit ahead of him.
Ash grimaced and leapt out of the way of an attacking Raticate. Orion thrust a hoof in its face to knock it out and spewed hot ash at several of the other charging rats to repel them. A sulfurous scent filled the air that made Ash's eyes water. He wheeled around and spotted a puddle of sludge melting through the marble floor.
Ash felt his heart sink and glanced up. More chunks of sludge plummeted toward him and his team. "Aurora, Powder Snow!" He ordered.
Aurora yipped and fired a wide blast of wind at the falling goop. Upon contact with the cold air, the slime froze and eliminated the threat it posed. Orion fired a cloud of embers into the swarm of Golbat that thinned their numbers and Aurora fired blasts of cold air at the Raticate and Ekans pursuing them to thin their numbers.
He turned to look at the unfolding carnage. Before his mind could process the information, Ash hit the ground with a thud. Something heavy was pinning him to the ground. Sharp claws pierced the skin on his chest. A snarling face met his own and snapped at him repeatedly.
Ash's eyes widened upon recognizing his attacker instantly. The trainer fought back against the Arcanine with all his strength and glanced over at his team. Aurora and Orion appeared to be in the same situation he was.
Ash felt his strength wane as the much stronger creature overpowered him. The trainer shouted in agony. A sharp pain seized his right shoulder, mere inches from his head. Blood trickled from his shoulder and onto the floor. He struggled to get the fire type to let go, but all his efforts were in vain. Was he going to die?
Several loud yips echoed through the museum and a white blur streaked towards Arcanine. Aurora sprung at her trainer's attacker with vehement hatred in her eyes and sunk her teeth into the Arcanine's neck.
The Arcanine howled in agony and released Ash from its grip. Arcanine shook violently to try to shake Aurora off to no avail. Aurora defiantly clamped down harder on Arcanine's neck, restricting its windpipe. Arcanine growled and charged toward a wall, threatening to ram her against a wall.
Aurora released Arcanine from her grip at the last second, causing Arcanine to skid to a halt to narrowly avoid slamming into the wall itself. Suddenly, a powerful kick connected with Arcanine's side. A loud snap came from Arcanine's ribs, causing it to yowl in agony. The wolf turned to address the new threat.
A white shroud of energy cloaked Orion as he rammed into the Arcanine headfirst and slammed it into the wall.
Ash's eyes widened. Had Orion figured out how to use Skull Bash? It certainly appeared like he had. His form was still sloppy, but he had the basic principles of the attack down. He appeared to be capable of generating the energy field needed for the technique.
Arcanine snarled at Aurora and Orion. Aurora retaliated with a growl of her own and lunged at Arcanine again. Arcanine sidestepped Aurora only for two swift kicks to connect with its skull. The fire type staggered backwards and slumped to the ground.
Showing no mercy, Aurora lunged at the wolf a third time and sunk her fangs into its neck to restrict its windpipe. In a matter of seconds, Arcanine went limp either from unconsciousness or outright death–Ash couldn't tell and he wasn't sure he wanted to find out.
With the threat neutralized, Aurora sprinted over to Ash and nudged him in the side with her nose. Orion followed suit and stared at his trainer with an anxious look. Aurora grew even more frantic at the sight of blood leaking from his shoulder and whimpered at Ash. "I'm okay, although that Arcanine really did a number on my shoulder."
Aurora growled at the mention of the fire type. She glared at the wolf with disdain. If looks could kill and provided the Arcanine wasn't already dead, Aurora would have killed the Arcanine instantly. Ash tried to sit up.
His eyes widened and he felt tears flood his eyes. Even the slightest movement made his shoulder feel like it had been stabbed with hundreds of burning knives. The pain was nearly unbearable. "I can't get up." Ash forced out.
Aurora and Orion huddled closer to Ash and leaned up against him. He caught onto their plan almost immediately and placed his arms over them. Ash winced. Half of his body felt like it was touching a stove and the other half felt like it was exposed to subzero weather.
The trainer staggered to his feet and gritted his teeth. Apparently, his shoulder wasn't the only part of his body that was injured. His chest felt like it was bruised or contused. "Thanks," Ash sputtered, glancing down at his team.
Orion voiced his support with a whinny and Aurora followed suit with a high pitched yip.
His mind shifted back to Brock. He couldn't help but wonder what was going on the with the raid. He turned his attention back to the ongoing battle and grinned at what he saw. Team Rocket's numbers were thinning and the league forces had broken through the enemy lines.
The tide had turned as soon as Onix and Steelix sprung into action. Just their mere presence seemed to strike fear into Team Rocket who had no answer for the massive serpents. Their mere roars cut down entire groups of Pokemon and Team Rocket grunts. Team Rocket appeared to be retreating and the league forces pushed the army of Team Rocket forces to the west corridor.
Ash threw his hands up in celebration. It was a very stupid decision and his body decided to remind him it was a stupid decision after he did so. He clutched his shoulder and winced, trying his best not to shriek in agony. He imagined that he was going to need to have his shoulder stitched up, although that wasn't the biggest issue. The biggest issue was that his shoulder wound wouldn't stop bleeding.
He would have to treat the wound, although in order to do that he would need a safe place where he wasn't likely to be ambushed. Ash looked to the end of the hallway and remembered the laboratory.
"I need you two to help me to the laboratory we entered when he got here." Ash instructed. He glanced down at Orion. "Light the way, would you? It's pretty dark in here."
Orion's mane roared to back to life after having doused it prior to helping Ash up. Ash blinked several times, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the change in lighting. Once his eyes adjusted, he shuffled down the hallway.
Aurora leaned up against Ash, serving as a pathetic excuse for a crutch. She was barely the height of his knees. He appreciated her support regardless.
It took a while at his slow pace, but he eventually reached the laboratory and sat down on the floor of the room. Ash shivered. The floor was cold.
Ash threw his jacket on the floor and tore part of his t-shirt off to wrap his shoulder with. He wound the cloth around the bite wound to keep pressure on the injury in hopes of stopping the bleeding. Fortunately, it appeared to be working. The wrapping wasn't a permanent fix, but it would suffice until he could go to the Pokemon Center and have the injury treated properly.
The raid had taken a lot out of him. He felt more exhausted than he ever had in his entire life. He questioned how much of that was due to blood loss and how much of that was just the adrenaline wearing off.
Aurora nudged Ash's hand and looked up at him. The ice type tilted her head inquisitively, almost as if to check on him. Ash flashed her a weak smile. "Tired, if that makes any sense." He muttered.
Orion scraped his hooves on the ground impatiently and snorted. "I bet you'd like to be out there helping the league, huh?" Ash laughed.
Orion brayed in agreement, revealing his passion for the melee. Ash took a deep breath and sighed. "So would I," He admitted.
Blood, carnage, chaos, war–he had seen it all. He had seen devastating wounds and death. He had seen sights that no person should ever see. Much of it would haunt his dreams for a while. He had experienced emotional highs and emotional lows.
He feared defeat and had witnessed a victory.
He wondered how many of those same emotions went through his father's mind and how many of those experiences his father endured when he had participated in league raids. The trainer felt his eyelids grow heavy just thinking about it.
In a matter of seconds, the entire world went black.
An irritated whinny shook him back to consciousness and a cold touch on his face jolted him awake. Orion and Aurora stated at him with visible concern. "Huh? What happened?" Ash grumbled. The entire raid slowly replayed through his mind and the throbbing pain in his shoulder reminded him of his injuries. He looked around frantically. "How long have I been asleep?!"
Aurora shook her head and blew on the floor to cover the floor with a thin coat of snow. The ice type dragged her paw through the snow in a line that resembled a very crude looking one and made a circle beside it. Ash raised his eyebrows in surprise.
Apparently she could count? Aurora's intelligence never ceased to amaze him.
"One hour?" Ash asked not entirely sure what the symbols represented. Aurora shook her head.
"Half hour?" Ash asked. The ice type shook her head again.
Ash decided to give an even lower figure. "Ten minutes?" Aurora nodded.
Ash let out a sigh of relief. He hadn't slept very long. Ash grunted in agony as he staggered onto his feet once more. He supposed that the raid had to be winding down. Team Rocket's forces had been overwhelmed the moment Brock had decided to sic Onix and Steelix on Team Rocket.
The league forces had broken through when he had retreated to patch up his shoulder. He imagined that the league was likely driving back the remaining Team Rocket forces now or taking them into custody. Now would likely be the best time to check on the status of the raid and report his injury to Brock. Ash doubted he had the strength to make it to the Pokemon Center on his own.
Ash motioned for his team. "Let's go." He muttered as he headed out of the laboratory and down the hallway.
Orion illuminated the way while Aurora meandered ahead to keep an eye on things to make sure they didn't get ambushed. The walk to the lobby felt like it took an eternity.
The lobby was far more peaceful than it had been ten to fifteen minutes earlier. The only activity seemed to be in the west corridor of the museum where the battlefield had moved to. The lobby, however, was virtually empty; aside from the bodies of the dead and wounded. He noted that the room was nowhere near as beautiful as he remembered when he first visited the museum.
Entire chunks of floor were missing, there were cracks in the walls, and the pictures of ancient Kanto along with their frames lay on the floor beside the many bodies. Ash sighed at the sight of the dead and wounded.
He couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. Lives had been extinguished. Pokemon had been killed by the league and by his own team; but even worse, human lives had been lost. He knew that the Team Rocket grunts hadn't hesitated to try to kill him, his team, Brock, and Brock's team; but he still couldn't help feel remorse.
Ash wished it could have ended differently. Many of the Team Rocket members didn't seem much older than he was. They had so much life ahead of them, but they chose a road that led to death and destruction.
It made him ill.
Why had they chosen the paths they had? Was it for the money? Was it for the power? Was it for some sick desire for fame, even if that fame was in the halls of infamy? Had Team Rocket promised them a future? Ash couldn't determine the reason that people joined the organization.
All he knew was that it wasn't anything new. Men were often deceived by the supposed benefits of rebellion, sin, and crime as they were promised some glorious reward in return for their participation in it.
It also seemed that throughout human history man's nature had been to make mistakes; and mankind just seemed to gravitate towards death, destruction, and evil.
Ash glanced over at the statue of Haruko Saito and drew a bit of encouragement from it. He supposed that war was an inevitable part of life. Someone had to check the advances of tyrants.
Haruko knew what war was like better than almost anyone. He had stood on the battlefield countless times and experienced the perils of war. He had seen both good and bad men die, he had endured hardship like no one else, and because of it he forged a region.
It was an absolute miracle that the statue was still standing, especially considering the wreckage of the room. Ash found it somewhat ironic since it was an accurate picture of the era Haruko lived in and his life story. Despite turmoil and destruction in the world around him, Haruko had survived it all.
He peeked at his team with his peripheral vision. Aurora and Orion seemed equally enthralled with the massive bronze statues, even if they weren't necessarily sure what they were or represented.
"They say that this was the team of the First Champion." Ash remarked, giving his team the details they craved.
Aurora nodded in understanding. Orion snorted and stomped his hooves in excitement.
"Tsukene's leadership," Ash pointed at the Venusaur. "Tsuru's drive," He pointed at the Tangrowth. "And Chuninsain's heart," He pointed at the Chansey. "They all were instrumental in the formation of this region."
Movement in his peripheral vision caught his attention. Ash glanced over at the hall leading to the fossil exhibit. He clenched his fists. He would have recognized black outfit and the red insignia just about anywhere.
Team Rocket was impossible to mistake.
Apparently, not all the grunts in the entrance exhibit had been taken care of. Ash and his team were about to take care of that. As the grunt inched closer, he noticed a few distinguishing features that separated the grunt from the standard Team Rocket foot soldiers.
Unlike the previous Team Rocket foot soldiers, the grunt entering the lobby was female. Her slender figure, curly blonde locks, and white skirt gave it away. She also seemed to have slight variations with her Team Rocket uniform, the most notable distinction being the white and red hat instead of the standard black hat most grunts wore.
She also didn't seem much older than he was, at most she only had two or three years on him.
Ash smirked. The woman must have been suicidal or really stupid. Team Rocket foot soldiers' strength was in numbers. This would be a piece of cake.
Ash pointed at the woman to alert Aurora and Orion of her presence, causing both of them to tense up immediately.
"Hold it right there, you're not going anywhere!"
Aurora growled at the woman and Orion stomped his hooves on the ground. The woman jumped back almost as if frightened, but quickly relaxed and rested her hands on her hips.
"You know, you really shouldn't sneak up on people like that," She scolded, a hint of playfulness in her voice. "You can really startle them."
Ash glanced around cautiously. He was expecting everything to hit the fan. A lone Team Rocket grunt didn't seem normal. He expected some sort of ambush. "You should be afraid." Ash replied.
The young woman giggled and waved her hand in front of her face, almost like she was fanning herself. There was something "off" about her. It only put Ash and his team on edge. "Is that so?" She asked with a hint of amusement in her eyes. It was like she was playing with him.
"What are you doing here?!" Ash demanded.
"The better question would be what is a cute boy like yourself doing here?" The woman purred seductively. "I'm mean isn't stopping Team Rocket a man's job?"
Ash flinched at the reply and felt his face turn red. Was she flirting with him? That was not the response he expected. Ash's eyes widened. Had she gotten closer? He eyed the flower in her hand as it began to spark.
"Get back!" Ash exclaimed to his team as he leapt out of the way of a lightning bolt fired from the device.
Aurora and Orion darted away from the blast of electricity and retaliated with their own attacks. Aurora exhaled a swirling gust of wind at the woman and Orion fired a cloud of burning ash at the woman. Much to Ash's astonishment, the woman leapt and twirled over both attacks.
Ash gritted his teeth. Had he just seen what he thought he saw?
Before he could process the amazing athletic feat, a flicker of crimson light revealed a Pokemon he was completely unfamiliar with. Something reminiscent of a living bouquet emerged from the orb. A feminine Pokemon with roses adorning its head and arms stared down Orion and Aurora with subtle hostility.
"Roserade, I believe we have work to do." The woman stated. Her tone had changed from playfulness to a much more sinister and calculating voice. "Bullet Seed."
A barrage of glowing projectiles flew out from Roserade's mouth, forcing Aurora and Orion on the defensive. Orion countered by cloaking himself in flame and charging at his opponent, forcing the bouquet Pokemon to leap out of the way.
Aurora glared at her foe and attempted to trap Roserade in stasis. Roserade twirled out of the way and retaliated with an ominous violet-gray sphere of energy. Aurora yipped as the blast hit her in the chest and threw her backwards. Aurora whimpered as the force of the explosion threw her into a wall.
Orion whinnied and spewed a cloud of embers from his mouth that singed Roserade. The flowering Pokemon winced from the intense heat. Taking advantage of Roserade being distracted, Orion lowered his head and rushed at Roserade with Skull Bash.
Orion grunted as he rammed into Roserade, flinging the flowering Pokemon up into the air. Ash smirked as a bright pink orb whizzed through the air and detonated upon hitting the airborne Roserade. Aurora was back in the battle.
Roserade hit the floor with a thud and tumbled across the tile. The flowering Pokemon glared daggers at its opponents and staggered back onto its feet.
Ash's eyes widened. Just how powerful was that thing? No Team Rocket grunt had Pokemon that strong. Suddenly, it dawned on him – perhaps he wasn't fighting a Team Rocket lackey. Perhaps, he was fighting someone higher up in the organization.
The only worse realization was the fact that his team was exhausted. They couldn't hold on much longer.
"Enough!" The woman exclaimed, frustration evident in her voice. "I've had enough fun and games with you three. I believe it's time I show you what we're really capable of!"
Roserade sneered at Aurora and Orion. Sharp barbs protruded from the living bouquet's arms before they were launched forward like darts. "Look out!" Ash cried. His warning came too late. The sharp barbs connected with their targets and sunk into Aurora and Orion's body.
He raised his eyebrows in shock. The attack didn't seem to do much. "Aurora, Freeze-Dry! Orion, Ember!" Ash exclaimed.
Two opposite temperature attacks, each of which would work wonders on his opponent. If his opponent's Pokemon was a grass type as he suspected it wouldn't handle rapid temperature changes very well.
Ash frowned. Instead of dodging, Roserade took the attacks head on and shrugged them off like they were nothing. He cursed under his breath. Roserade was far more powerful than he could have possibly imagined. If things couldn't get any worse, Aurora and Orion staggered momentarily and hit the ground with a thud.
Ash suddenly caught onto what had been fired into their bodies. Roserade had poisoned them.
"This is all the Indigo League has to offer?" The woman mocked. "We visit one of their major cities and they only send a child. How pathetic." She glared at Ash. "Finish the boy."
Roserade smirked in reply. A sickeningly sweet smell wafted through the air. Ash coughed from the fumes. He swore he was getting lightheaded and dizzy. Suddenly, sharp barbs hit him in the chest. Ash hissed in pain.
It felt like his chest was on fire and the flames were spreading to the rest of his body. Ash crumpled up and fell face first on the floor. His entire body was screaming in pain and the jarring impact with the floor made his shoulder hurt even more. His vision was blurred to the point where he couldn't even see the floor beneath him and even if he could see it wouldn't have done any good. The room felt like it was spinning.
He tried to get up, but the pain also made it nearly impossible to move. He heard the faint patter of footsteps getting closer.
"You thought you could play the hero and stop me?" The Rocket member's sinister voice echoed in his ear. "You and the Indigo League have no idea just how powerful we are. With each day, Team Rocket grows more and more powerful. Today we showed Pewter our might, but soon we shall show the entire region."
She chuckled. "Let this be lesson to you, never meddle with Team Rocket again."
Ash grunted as he felt a hand grab him by his injured shoulder sending another flood of pain through his body. He wanted to scream and he wanted to cry; but he refused to give his enemy the satisfaction. He hit the ground with a thud. His mind raced for a way out of the situation and a way to turn the tables on his enemy. What would Lance do? What would his father do? What would Haruko do?
"Roserade, leave a little surprise for the league to find when they return. I think they'll get the message." The woman jeered.
Ash felt a lump form in his throat. What in the world was she planning? A faint creaking sound echoed through the room. He couldn't identify what it was for the life of him. He held his breath waiting for the other shoe to drop.
If only it had been a shoe.
Ash grimaced. Something cold and metallic brushed up against his skin. A piece of metal perhaps? His mind barely got a moment to register what it was before crushing weight pinned him to the ground and ground his bones into dust against the marble floor. Agonizing pain that surpassed the pain of his shoulder wound and pain from the poison coursing through his veins shot through every inch of his body.
However, the pain was nothing compared to the helplessness he felt in his heart as he heard footsteps walking away from him. The woman was getting away. He heard the footsteps stop. "How ironic, a monument to a grand protector will be your demise." she remarked.
The footsteps started to get further and further away.
Ash thrashed and squirmed weakly in a desperate attempt to free himself from the crushing weight of the metal grinding him into the floor. The only thing he could muster was weak twitches. The poison flowing through his body had sapped all his strength. Combined with the pain of his wounds and the metal scraping across his flesh, Ash knew that fighting was hopeless.
His mind grew foggier and foggier. He fought the exhaustion and desperately tried to envision a plan of escape. He asked himself several familiar questions. What would Lance do? What would Haruko do? What would his father have done?
Another weight, another pain far more agonizing than any he had ever encountered fell upon him. He wasn't any of those people and wasn't even close to reaching their status. He wasn't a champion at the peak of their power, he wasn't a legend talked about for generations, and he wasn't a heroic soldier performing his duty for his region.
He wasn't even a prodigy whose Pokemon were to be feared for their sheer power, a tactical genius whose team could bend battlefields to their making and control, or a trainer with advanced years of learning under his belt.
He was only a child, and a terrified one at that. He was only Ash Ketchum, a rookie from Pallet Town chasing after a goal that seemed far too large to handle.
And yet, with his helplessness mocking him, he accepted that title and accepted who he was. It meant he had more time to prepare, more time to train, and more time to develop into the trainer he wanted to be. He might not have been any of them now; but if he lived to tell his tale, one day he would be as strong as his role models.
Ash felt his eyelids grow heavy until they sealed shut, pulling him into what seemed like an endless darkness.