Johto Chapter 4 - Friend or foe?
"… The … the machine … it's still working?!"
"It sure is."
Amber turned to see Shane walking over to her.
"Shane! … The wave machine … it's working … not … not working like you said it would after my pokémon blasted it ..."
"Oh babe." Shane stepped right up to Amber, he flicked his hair and placed his hand flat against her cheek. "You're so unbelievably naïve and trusting." He moved his hand down, grasping her gently by the chin, pulling her face closer to him, tilting her head up to look him directly in the eye. He gave her a sweet half smile. "Honestly. It's what I adore about you." He leaned in closer; Amber held her breath. What was he doing? Shane stopped; his eyes then narrowed as his mouth twisted into a thin scowl. "It's also what I despise about you." Amber's eyes widened as the young man roughly pushed her away, knocking her hard to the floor. Stepping over her he made his way over to the machine.
"Amber!" Freddie, on his way back after hitting a dead end, saw what happened and rushed over to Ambers side, kneeling down he helped her sit up. He glared at Shane. "I knew it! I knew you couldn't be trusted! You just used all that history together to take advantage of her. You aren't her friends at all!"
The young man turned to give the trainers a bored look, as he began inspecting the machine.
"Oh boo-hoo." Thea waltzed in from out the darkness and over to her fiancé.
"Thea!" Amber couldn't hide the pain on her face as her other so-called friend came into view, clearly in on … whatever this was too.
Shane looked to his partner. "Everything taken care of Babes?"
"Yeah, sent all those clueless Rocket Goons after dear 'ol Lancey down in the basement. We won't be bothered for a while."
"Good." Shane gave his beau a kiss before turned his attention back to the machine, pushing buttons as Thea draped herself over him looking squarely at Amber and Freddie, their faces serious "What have you done to Lance?!" The blonde rolled her eyes. "Ugh Teenagers. Everything's such a big deal to you. Look Master Lance had his Dragonite back battling fit … for well …" She looked at the reformed machine. "At least a few minutes. I'm sure he's fine." She waved her hand dismissively.
"You dicks!" Freddie growled.
"Oohoooh" Thea giggled at the insult. "I like this one. He's fiery."
Amber stood up. "Shane … Thea … I know you're not with Team Rocket … tell me, what is going on?!"
Thea smirked "Do we let them in on our master plan?"
"May as well … at least then they'll understand. Besides I know how much you like feeding your ego." Shane continued pushing buttons, not once looking away from his task.
Thea cleared her throat, clearly enjoying her new position of power. "You see little Chimchar and cute friend of Chimchar."
Amber and Freddie frowned deeper at the nicknames as Thea continued "This machine wasn't built just for soundwaves to control pokémon or change a pokémon's stats. Whilst it evidently can do that, it's also capable of much much more."
Amber's stare didn't leave Thea. "I'm listening …"
"See after Shane's parents were revived from fossils, a feat you were first hand to witness Ambs, we spent our time doing a little reconnaissance into what the boffins at Rocket HQ had been up to back in the day. I mean that Thurfizer thing was zubat-shit crazy right? So we did a lil diggin' and boy did we find some gems. This gem to be precise."
Amber and Freddie looked from Thea to Shane still working diligently on the machine in question.
"So, with a little puppeteering" Thea mimicked making a puppet dance on strings. "You know, using that ol' insider knowledge, espionage, manipulation, all that behind-the-scenes stuff we do so, so well. We got Team Rocket Johto division back onto their wave technology." Thea smirked proudly. "They think they're making tech to control the pokémon of the world. No they made this for us."
Amber almost couldn't believe what she was hearing. "But … Why?"
Shane took over talking from Thea. "We discovered some rudimentary research that if you plug this baby with enough power, as you have so graciously provided us with Amber, this machine is capable of producing waves powerful enough to punch holes in time and space itself."
"Time and space?!" Amber and Freddie chorused in horror.
"… Wait … but how'd you know I'd come? Lance was the one who brought us along …" Amber raised an eyebrow confused. "You couldn't have factored that in … or did you control that too?!" Amber squinted an eye, just how powerful were these guys?!
"No we didn't. When we tipped the League off to Team Rockets goings on, I was actually banking on your Father and that Pikachu of his to turn up. But you showing up, well, it was even better than I hoped for. Our gullible little friend with super powered electric pokémon, who wouldn't even dream of questioning us. Just perfect, absolutely perfect."
Amber cast her gaze downwards, feeling little and stupid. She'd been played … just like everyone else it would seem.
"You're the ones who tipped the league off?! Wow you guys really are something …" Freddie growled, his voice dripping with disgust.
"Why thank you." Thea grinned.
Shane stopped what he was doing and looked Amber directly in the eye. "Amber, I wasn't lying to you when I said I wouldn't let Team Rocket ruin anymore lives. Or leave children without their parents. It all ends now for them … and that is starting with ME!" Shane slammed the palm of his hand against a lever as the machine shook violently, it crackled, releasing sparks of built-up electricity and projected a large glowing hole in front of it.
Amber and Freddie stood stunned at what they were witnessing.
"No way …" "What is that …?!"
"It's a time portal. Now I'm going to stop Team Rocket before this nightmare, my nightmare even begins." Shane smirked.
"Wow … You did it Babe." Thea came up behind Shane and rubbed his shoulders affectionately.
"No, we did it." Shane placed his hands over his loves and turned his head to gaze at her happily and then to Amber and her pokémon reminding them they played a part in this creation too.
Amber peered into the portal hole created from afar. It showed the Viridian City Gym no question. But it looked very different from how Amber knew it. "Is that …?"
Shane smiled. "Yes. It's that day. I'm going back to that day my parents were taken from me and I'm going to prevent it from ever happening. Giovanni is going down before he even starts."
"No way ..." Amber stood slack jawed, she couldn't believe it. Was this real?
Freddie looked from Amber to Shane. "I have no idea what going on. Is this good or bad?"
"Bad. Very bad." Amber stepped towards the brunette man. "… Shane you can't do this."
The young man turned and glared at the red head annoyed. "And just why not?"
"Because you'll alter all history as we know it! My Dad stopped Giovanni that night, if you change things now … maybe that won't happen at all … and then things could get real bad for everyone! The whole universe could be affected!"
Shane remained unmoved. "Maybe. But things will be better for me."
"No, they won't!" Amber barked back angrily. "Messing with time you'll only make things worse!"
The ex-Rocket couldn't help but raise his voice. "Really?! And what would you know about it? Hm? Miss perfect life. Of course, you don't want to risk it,. The perfect daughter of perfect Ash Ketchum. You had everything you ever wanted on a whim growing up! I had nothing! I was forced to fend for myself on the streets. Take or be taken! You have no idea what it was like for me …and then Cassidy ... and Butch ... what they did ..." Shane clenched his fist tightly, gritting his teeth.
"My life wasn't perfect …" Amber meeked out, knowing her rebuttal was weak.
"No? Were your parents taken away from you at 7 years old?!"
Amber clenched her jaw and adverted eye contact. Shane sneered. "No, I didn't think so. The universe, as you so boldly put it, has done nothing but shit on me, so I return the favour. So butt out princess!"
The red head paused, was she in the wrong here? Was she being the selfish one? Shane had lost his parents at a young age ... forced to endure Arceus knows what before she was even out of nursery ... ... No ... this was bigger than her, bigger than Shane, bigger than all of them. Amber thought hard, she had one more ace up her sleeve and it was time to use it. "Ok so you'll risk the world and the space time continuum … But what about Thea?"
"Hm?" The blonde woman perked on hearing her name.
Amber narrowed her eyes knowingly. "If you go back, if you change what happened, you'll never leave home and you'll never meet Thea. The two of you will never be. Are you willing to risk that? The girl that you love for the past you lost?"
Amber smirked triumphantly internally. That has to do it … it has to …
Shane paused, he looked from Thea to Amber and back again, clearly torn.
"Shane …" Thea held her hands to her chest. "I can't lie to you. This scares me ... a lot. I have a knot in my stomach that won't go away. But I know what this means for you and I support you 100%. I know in my heart of hearts that you and I were always meant to be together. Whatever life throws at us, whatever time undoes, it doesn't matter. I know we'll find each other again, and we'll be together, I know we will and I'm always right about these things, right? Do it. Save your past and reclaim our new present. I'm with you as always. All in."
"Thea …" Shane's eyes teared up. He grabbed his fiancés hands and clutched them tightly. He bowed his head to kiss them gently. "I will find you again. That I promise."
"I'll hold you to that Mr." Thea leaned her forehead against his. The two hugged tightly.
"Ugh for Mew's sake …" Amber rolled her eyes and glared. "Well, if she's not going to stop your insanity, then I will!" The girl darted forwards and stood in front of the portal, spreading her stance and stooping to a ready stance to widen the area she covered. "Last chance. Shut it down Shane!"
The young man scoffed. "And why would I do that?" He gestured over to her pokémon still in the same dazed position. "You're forgetting little girl you're pokémon are no good here. Face it. You can't do anything."
"Maybe, maybe not! Freddie now!" Amber pulled out a pokéball and launched it. Freddie did the same behind Thea and Shane.
Magneton and Voltorb appeared. "Magnetonmagneton!" "Voltoorb!"
"Magneton just like I said to you in your pokéball!"
The triple magnet pokémon unleashed a powerful supersonic move, washing over Amber's other pokémon curing them from the effect of the waves. The four snapped to their senses and moved in.
"What no way?!" The two ex Rockets faltered in shock. Now surrounded by the electric pokémon.
"Magneton can negotiate the soundwaves just like Golbat did and Voltorb has the ability Soundproof. Thanks for telling me everything." Amber mocked. "Seems I'm not as naïve as you thought!" The electric trainer smirked triumphantly.
*** Flashback ***
Freddie put his hand over Amber's on the door handle, holding it shut. "Do you trust me?"
Amber looked Freddie in the eye. She paused only for a moment before replying. "Of course I do."
"Then listen to me, I think your friends plan is bogus … it has too many holes in it and doesn't make all that much sense … keeping Lance, our most powerful ally out? Me go light a fire indoors to keep bad guys away? Please …"
Amber bit her bottom lip and thought about it. She did see Freddie's point of view. "Then what do you propose we do?"
"We need our own backup for if things turn ugly. I don't think we can count on that machine going down so easily …"
"I hear ya ..." Amber pulled a pokéball off her belt and handed it over to Freddie. "Here I want you to take this."
"What is it?"
"Your back up plan if things get rough. This Voltorb has the ability soundproof, it won't be affected by the waves emitted so you'll be OK if you run into trouble."
"What about you?"
"Voltorb isn't my only option." The electric trainer winked at her friend.
Freddie smiled back knowingly. He too reached for a pokéball. "Well here … I can only carry six at a time, so you better take one of my pokémon too. Besides you never know when you might need a little fire power on your side right?"
Amber giggled a little in agreement.
The two exchanged pokéballs, staring at each other intently as they did so. As their hands touched, the moment in time seemed to pause. They both released the breath neither realised they were holding as they took each other's pokémon and put the balls away.
"Let's go!"
*** End ***
Amber stood firm and confident. "Magneton keep up with those sound waves. Raichu, Ampharos, Geodude, Jolteon, block this portal. They come near you, you let 'em have it. Got it."
"EEEEEEeeeeeee." The pokémon all cried out in agreement.
She then called to her friend. "Freddie, do it."
The fire trainer nodded. "Voltorb let's take out this machine with Explosion."
Thea turned around to face Freddie and the electric ball. "Wait no! You have no idea what that will do!"
"Oh I know what it'll do." Freddie quipped back. "It'll destroy it."
"And what if doing that doesn't stop the portal just renders the machine useless? Hm genius? What then? This time portal could grow bigger and bigger and get stronger and stronger, till none of us can control what it does. It could take over the whole world and then some. The only way to safely shut down a time portal is with the machine that made it." Thea continued keeping Freddie's attention.
Freddie hesitated … He knew nothing about this stuff ... was she right? Or was she calling their bluff …
Buying the calculated blonde some time, she released her Golbat in the hesitation. "Golbat go! Knock that blundering ball back with Wing Attack!"
With no time to react, Golbat flew down and smashed into Voltorb and Freddie, essentially sucker punching them and sending the pokémon and the trainer reeling across the room. "Agh!"
"Freddie! Voltorb!" Amber cried out after her friends as she saw them smash into the wall, knocking them out.
Thea signalled her partner. "Now Shane!"
Shane released a pokéball and out emerged a brown bagworm-like pokémon. "Wooormadamm."
Thea looked to her pokémon. "Golbat, back Wormadam up with your soundwaves."
Amber was a little taken back. "What's that?" She pulled out her rotomdex.
"Wormadam, the Bug type pokémon. When a Burmy evolves its cloak becomes a part of this pokémons body. Depending on where it evolved the appearance and type differs."
"Since when do you have that?!"
"Since I knew I'd need a little more power on my side! Wormadam Bulldoze!"
The bug pokémon lowered herself low and charged into the electric pokémon, driving into them all with the powerful ground attack.
Amber's pokémon scattered across the floor, hurt from the direct ground type move. Magneton floating above them all remained uninjured. Amber looked up. "Magneton use Thunderbolt!"
The triple magnet pokémon built up power and unleashed the mighty electric move onto the bagworm pokémon. Wormadam took the attack full on and didn't even flinch.
"What? No way!" Amber was stunned this couldn't be?
"Haha isn't she great? She's a Sandy Cloak form. That means no electric attack can hurt her, No matter how powerful! Wormadam, take out Magneton. Take out that and they've lost."
Amber recalled her injured friends to rest and pulled out the pokéball Freddie gave her. She wiped under her nose confidently. "You may have planned an advantage over electric types, but fire can beat any bug! Go!"
A four-legged orange furred pokémon striped with black emerged. "Growwwl."
"Growlithe. Flamethrower." The fire move hit the Wormadam, charring her instantly.
"What?" Shane's jaw gaped open. "Since when did you get a fire type?!" He pointed back accusingly.
"Since I knew I might need a little more fire power." Amber ran her fingers through her hair and flicked it out arrogantly.
The brunette boy tilted his head down and looked sadly at red head before him. He let out a deep sigh. "Amber … I really don't want to fight you."
"No, I wouldn't want to fight me neither."
"I'm serious … I know it doesn't seem like it right now … but I thought we we're friends you and I. I don't want to battle friend … not like this …"
Amber found herself caught off guard a little at his 180 turn in tact ... "You ... you haven't acted like a friend ..."
"It's only because I have to do what's right. I have to go back because I want to fix everything, not destroy it." He held his hands up in surrender. "I'm a good guy. Honestly."
The teenager stared at man before her. Her internal struggle plain as anything on her face. She recalled the good times they'd had together. How he'd helped her when she was trapped by Butch and Cassidy, freeing Zapdos, searching for Shiny Stones, raid battling Minccino, reviving his parents in Galar. Amber sighed. "I … I know you are Shane … but what you're doing here … I can't let you!"
The brunette boy continued. "Just imagine, I can go back to that day, I can stop Giovanni before he even starts, I can save all those innocent pokémon from being tested on, going through all that pain. Can stop my parents from being caught in the crossfire and taken from me. Stop a 7 year old boy being dragged into the mental hell of Team Rocket ..."
Shane took a step towards Amber.
"… Can stop your Dad having to go through all that, witnessing that. He won't go through any of that deeply disturbing trauma."
He took another step and placed his hand on the girl's shoulder. Amber looked at his hand and back up into his eyes. His brilliant green eyes. The teenager felt her resolve melting. Should she trust him? Could she trust him?
"Then he won't be so overprotective of you." Shane's hand moved to gently hold a strand of stray hair from her face. He tucked it behind her ear. Their eye contact not breaking.
"Think, all those years you spent trapped in a beautiful cage. No, those times will be gone. Erased. You'll be free. You'll get to go on your journey sooner, at age 10 like everyone else. All the fun adventures you'll have. Just think by this age, now, with all that experience you missed out on?" Shane gave a big smile and gently pushed his knuckles on her face playfully, tilting it away. "You'll be Pokémon League Champion by now for sure! So much more powerful than you already are …" He moved his hand to her cheek. "And who knows … with our parent's history … maybe you and I will meet under different circumstances too."
Amber's life since leaving home flashed through her mind. If I let him do this … everything changes. I won't train under Lt Surge, I won't meet Zapdos …
Freddie regained consciousness. "Amber ... no ... don't listen to him ..." He choked out weakly on hearing Shanes words.
"Shut it you." Thea walked over and smacked him round the head. "Don't make me rough up your cute face, ok boy?"
Freddie's head fell limp again.
Amber's mind went back through her journey to her pokémon.
All my pokémon ... Magneton, meeting it as a Magnemite .. the first pokémon I ever caught. ...
Lanturn ... Geodude ... Mom and Brock might not give them to me.
Voltorb, Electrode, Electabuzz they might not be living at the Power Plant if Team Rocket doesn't scare Zapdos into hiding ...
Jolteon ... Bill might never need me for his Eevee research project.
Rotom ... Gary won't upgrade my gear and Dracozolt ... I wont go to Galar to revive fossil pokémon. Amber deadpanned thinking about the odd looking pokémon. Maybe that's a good thing ...
Ampharos ... Pikachu ... I wont meet any of them.
Amber envisioned her first pokémon, Pichu. Then evolving into Pikachu and then into ... She pictured her sandy light brown friend with bright yellow cheeks and beaming smile. I won't get … Raichu. My Raichu! Amber snapped back to reality. "No! I'm sorry Shane ... I am, but." She smacked his hand away, her eyes steeled. "I can't let you change the past! It's too risky."
Shane's face changed; the soft façade melted back to a cold expression. "Ugh. You're such a kid. THEA NOW!"
Thea didn't miss a beat. "Golbat now fly in and take out that Magneton!"
Amber turned in horror. "NO!" Her distraction had cost her, her trump card.
"Not so fast! Typhlosion Rock Slide!" Freddie was back up, holding his injured arm where the bat pokémon had struck him previously.
Thea's Golbat was able to barely avoid the rock move, but caused the pokémon to stop mid attack, driving the pokémon away from her target.
"You're okay." Amber beamed at her friend.
Freddie looked over to the girl. "Amber, keep your guard up! If we lose Magneton it's all over!"
"Right. Same can be said for their Golbat!" Amber and Freddie nodded at each other in understanding.
Shane and Thea readied two more pokéballs each. Round 2 of their battle was about to begin.
"Snover Ice Beam."
From nowhere a beam of ice shot out and hit Golbat. Freezing her solid, she fell to the ground.
"Golbat NO!" Thea cried out in horror. Shane gritted his teeth and grabbed Thea's hand to protect her as he looked around for the assailant. "What the …?"
"Now Focus Punch."
A snover appeared from the shadows, smashing his fist into Ambers Magneton, knocking it clean out.
Amber cried out as her pokémon hit the floor. "Magneton!" "No ..." Freddie couldn't believe it.
A man appeared behind them. "Sorry, did I interrupt something?"
The four trainers turned to see who it was, the voice all too familiar. Amber gasped as Freddie, Thea and Shane all paled in horror.
Silver stood before them. He smirked at the group of youngsters.
"Hello."