Kanto Chapter 22 - Battling Birds
Charizard tilted against the wind currents and zoned in on Celadon City. Ash, Misty and Pikachu's eyes were glued to the pokégear, the beeping dot remained flashing red in the same spot.
"She's down there Charizard!" Ash called out; his giant flying lizard nodded and brought them down in the centre of the city.
"The Celadon Games Corner?" Ash puzzled. "What would she be doing here?"
"We're about to find out." Misty patted Charizard and slid off his back. Ash and Pikachu followed suit, thanking their friend for the ride and recalling him into his pokéball.
"You think she's just goofing off?" Ash suggested.
Misty frowned and marched forwards.
"I'm not sure what would be worse for the kid, Pikachu. Team Rocket or Misty!" Ash whispered to his buddy, making very well sure his fiery wife was out of earshot.
The trio made there towards the building. A young man was casually leaning up the wall, flipping a game chip and whistling. Upon spotting the caped champion and his hard to miss fiery wife approaching, the man's eyes bugged out. Flinging the chip away he raced inside, the chip clattered to the floor where the man once stood.
Ash and Misty looked at each other. "Weird." They spoke together.
Pikachu ran up and sniffed the discarded chip. "Pika Pi!" He pointed to it.
Ash picked up the object and looked at it. "One Rocket Coin." He read the writing out loud. There was a picture of a cartoon-ish looking Rocket on there. Ash clasped the coin and frowned.
The Rocket Grunt tapped feverishly at the elevator button, willing it to go faster. Comeoncomeoncomeon!
As soon as door beeped and began opening, the grunt forced it wide and rushed through the corridors bursting into the plush Rocket Bosses office, no regards to knocking.
"Ma'am! Sir! Champion Ketchum … he's … he's …"
"Spit it out!" The male boss snapped.
"HERE!"
"Here? Now?!" The male boss spoke with some alarm.
"Outside the building sir! Misty Waterflower is with him too."
"Well, it's a little sooner than we'd have liked but it's no matter! All the pieces are in play and it's check mate for Team Rocket!" The woman grinned her canine teeth showing. "Do it."
The male boss nodded, he pressed a big red button labelled alarm and spoke into his communication device, radioing in to Alpha and Bravo teams.
"All units stand by for intrusion, apply tactical positions stat. This is not a drill. It is what you've been training for people! Detain and confront. I repeat detain and confront. Escape is not permitted. Intruders are to be kept alive at all costs. You know what to do!"
The Rocket team members throughout the building all stood still and silent taking in the message from their leader. As soon as the broadcast on their radios finished the unmistakeable sound of the siren rang through the building. Lights flashed red. The once quiet was replaced with a hub of alarm and movement as they all scrambled to their positions, charging towards the holding room to get their full teams of pokémon armed and ready.
Mean Look seals were scattered and activated around the exits and corridors; nothing would be left to chance. It was finally their D-Day and everything they had been training for was finally coming to fruition
The Rocket bosses looked over at their messenger boy. Still stood rooted at the office entrance.
"That. Means. You. Too." The female boss spoke out at him, condescendingly, her eyes half lidded and cheek resting on her hand.
The grunt gulped and pointed to himself. His eyes went wide with realisation and he scrambled out the office as fast as he could.
"Idiot."
"Let's hope they at least manage to tire the twerps out some before reaching us down here." The male boss commented. "Those pawns got to be good for something right?"
The female boss shrugged.
Ash, Pikachu and Misty wandered around the arcade. The slot machines were all lit up, playing their signature tunes and sounds. But there was no one person playing them, in fact there wasn't a soul about, the place was empty.
"It's dead in here?" Ash commented. This really was out the ordinary, the place was usually a hub of activity, and a big tourist attraction in Celadon City. "But Ambers tracker definitely shows that she's here." Ash looked at the device in his hand and back around the empty room.
"Ash look!" Misty pointed to a big slot machine with a cartoon rocket design pulled to the side revealing a big gap in the wall and a staircase leading down.
They looked at each other and nodded, making their way over and proceeded down the dark staircase.
As they walked through the door entrance at the bottom of the stairs, Pikachu cried out. "Pika Pi! Pika Chuuuuuuuuuuuu!"
A big eye appeared, startling the mouse pokémon.
"Mean Look!" Ash growled. "No going back now." Misty looked at her husband and nodded.
Several red lights flashed and a mob of pokémon approached, there trainers all dressed in black with big Red R's on their uniforms stepped forwards becoming visible.
"Guess we're in the right place!" Ash and Misty readied their pokéballs.
"Hey! Where's our daughter?!" Misty angrily shouted out.
One of the grunts grinned. "Daughter? Oh, you mean the little redhead? She's here alright, we'll take you righttt to her." The grunt snickered "Once we've knocked out all your pokémon of course."
The parent's chests tightened at the confirmation, but they didn't break their resolve.
"Try it." Ash gritted his teeth.
In Viridian City, Moltres and Articuno had finally come face to face and after much calling and squawking, Ice Beams and Fire Blasts began launching and colliding in the air, cancelling each other out with equal measure causing debris of water to rain down on the ground below. Hot and cold temperatures collided and fluctuated, causing glass around the city to crack and shatter and the concrete ground began cracking.
Officer Jenny and the police force were doing their best on the ground to keep order and evacuate the city, Nurse Joy was also on hand offering support.
Gary and Elaine hovered in the air on their tired pokémon, looking on helplessly. They had tried their best to lure Moltres away and then tried to distract the two titans from each other, but the lure of destiny was too strong for either two legendary pokémon to ignore. They were purely focused on dominating each other and nothing would stand in their way.
"Gary what do we do?" Elaine looked to the gym leader, she felt helpless.
Gary looked back at her. He had no reply. He was out of ideas.
"Gary Oak!"
Gary looked to the voice. Four figures approached from the sky. It was Lance and the rest of the Elite Four on their pokémon.
"Am I glad to see you guys!" Gary patted his Aerodactyl and flew over to greet them. Elaine followed with pidgeot.
"Where is Champion Ketchum?" Lance asked, halting his dragonite to hover near the gym leader.
"He had to take care of something." Gary replied.
Will flew over to Gary and Elaine on Xatu. "Xatu use Wish on Aerodactyl and Pidgeot. Restore their energy."
The psychic pokémon reared up and clapped his wings, restoring strength to the tired pokémon. Elaine and Gary beamed patting their pokémon affectionately, who responded in turn, calling out vigorously.
"Take care of something?! Something took precedence over this?!" Koga, riding his crobat spoke out, his tone a mixture of displeasure and sarcasm. He pointed to the birds going at it meters away from them, the city beneath them in panic. Karen riding her mandibuzz also looked to Gary for answers, her facial expression unapproving.
"Yeah. It did." Gary shot back flatly. Leaving no room for questioning.
"I trust my friend's judgement." Lane nodded interjecting quickly, also dispelling any room for further argument. He looked to the battling birds nearby. "Karen, Will, Koga, you take on Articuno. Us 3 will take on Moltres, our pokémon have a distinct disadvantage against the ice blasts of Articuno. 3vs1 should be enough to tire them."
"With all due respect Lance, the two of us battled against Moltres and barely held our own." Gary piped up.
"With all due respect Gary Oak, the two of you are not the Elite Four. Now we know what to do, follow my lead!"
Gary frowned, but smirked, Lance won that round, and guided his aerodactyl into formation.
The 6 trainers flew in, blasting their own attacks to deflect the blasts from the legends and splitting up, each 3 taking on their own bird. The manoeuvre successfully separated the pair, and the teams began their new aerial battle.
Ash, Misty and Pikachu had made short work of the "welcome party" and raced down a flight of stairs to the next basement floor of the Celadon Games Corner.
It was deathly silent.
"Pi" Pikachu's ears twitched, and he quietly called out on his master's shoulder.
Ash took heed of his best friends warning and slowed down, taking a few more steps forwards, with Misty closely behind them. The Champion quickly held his arm out, gently signalling for her to stop.
Rocket Team Bravo descended from the shadows with a mighty roar from their leader, the once deafening silence replaced with battle cries from teems of Rockets, all releasing their pokémon, until the famous trio found themselves surrounded by a ring of Nidorino's and Nidorina's. The pokémon were head down, horns up, and began stepping forwards, closing the gap.
Ash and Misty jumped back-to-back, and both pulled out a pokéball, completely in sync with one another. Pikachu pounced off Ash's shoulder and stood in front. Cheeks sparking. "Pi Kaaa"
"Alright Team! We've got them surrounded!" The Bravo Team Leader called out to his troops. "Do you're worst!"
Ash and Misty gave each other a glance and nodded. "Our pleasure! Donphan I choose you!" "Go Starmie!"
The ground type and water/physic dual type appeared in front of their trainers, standing with Pikachu ready to battle.
Thea ducked round a corner, staying out of sight of a group of Rocket members running around the building like headless chickens.
"Team Bravo have got level 2 on lockdown! We gotta get in position to intercept in case they get by!" A grunt called out and waved her friends to follow her.
"I don't even know the plan position?!" A male grunt screeched, freaking out. "No one from intel is updating us on anything!"
"Well … just … we … um … just battle 'em when ya see 'em! Whatever happens it's our job to stop 'em!" The female re-affirmed.
The grunts nodded in agreement and continued to run towards the building's staircase.
No way am I getting sucked into that! Thea rolled her eyes at the clueless grunts.
**** Flashback ****
"Agent Thea, take these and follow us." The Bravo Leader dropped two pokéballs into Thea's hands. Thea accepted them, looking a little dumb founded. "We'll be intercepting the intruders if they step on the second level. Stupidly intel is down so we've got to lay in wait. Plan is we knock them out and take 'em to the boss. It's not going be easy, and it will take everything we've got."
"Intruders?" Thea cocked her eyebrow.
"Champion Ketchum and Misty Waterflower."
Thea's eyes widened.
"Now get a move on! No doubt they'll be reaching level 2 soon. We need to be in position." The man looked away from Thea and barked out into the bustling room. "Bravo Team, let's head out! Stat!"
The Bravo troops filed out the holding room.
Thea marched out with them but slyly sidestepped out from the rabble and instead tucked herself out of sight. She quickly studied then shrank the two pokéballs and put them in her belt. "These just might come in handy."
The blonde slunk off in the opposite direction. Her own secret mission not yet complete.
****End Flashback****
Shane … I hope you know what you're doing. She thought to herself as she hurried off in the opposite direction of the Rocket crowd.
Ash and Misty had battled their way through Team Bravo and made their way down another level, the walls making a seemingly endless maze. They rounded a corner and saw a lift at the end of a long corridor, it's door wide open, inviting.
"I get the feeling we're being led …" Misty commented.
"So long as it's to Amber." Ash replied determined.
"Pika Pi!" Pikachu alerted his trainers; Misty was the first to spot them. "Ash! Behind us!"
A line of growling Houndooms blocked their exit, Team Rocket members lined up behind the dark pokémon, sporting slightly different uniforms than the encounters before. It was Team Alpha. They all smirked, brimming with confidence and advanced in an intimidating formation. "We got 'em now!" The Alpha Leader stepped forwards and readied a pokéball.
Misty pulled out another pokéball. "Ash, go. I'll take care of these clowns."
"What?!" Ash cried out in alarm. "No way Misty! I won't leave you here by yourself against all these!"
"Pikachu-Pi!" Pikachu cried out.
"Ash, everything we've been through and faced together over the years, you've always come through when it really counted. All my faith is in you." Misty paused and looked Ash in the eye. "Ash. You are the only one person I trust to bring my baby back to me." The beautiful water trainer clasped her husband's hands tightly, her aqua eyes teared up slightly. "I know you won't let me down. Go get her."
"Misty …" Ash choked up, but soon his eyes steeled. "I won't let you down Misty. I'll save our daughter and bring her back to you safe and sound. I promise." He leaned down and kissed his wife's knuckles. "I love you."
"I love you too. Now go, get our baby. Stop Team Rocket once and for all and save the world again."
Ash nodded and stepped into the lift with Pikachu. The doors automatically shut on him and the panel lit up "4".
Looks like I don't have a choice … Misty …
"Hahaha! Seriously, leaving the washed-up water trainer to go it solo against Rocket Elite Team Alpha? The words escape me." The large Alpha Team Leader mocked. "Don't think we'll go easy on you!"
Misty closed her eyes and smirked. "Oh, I'm not left here you with … you're left here with me. And trust me…" Her eyes opened, lit up like the flames of a charizards' tail. "I will definitely not be going easy on you!" Misty kissed her pokéball then threw out. "Go my one and only!"
"Officer, status report." The female boss leaned over and buzzed her intercom.
"Ma'am, Sir, we believe Misty Waterflower is detained on level three currently battling Team Alpha. We've lost sight of Champion Ketchum. Over."
"Idiots! Can't you do anything right!" The female boss slammed her fist onto the desk, ending communication.
"I think we can assume it won't be long before he reaches us." The male boss commented.
"Can't. Wait." The female boss smiled.
Thea snuck round to the security door; she couldn't help but stifle a giggle hearing the commotion on the other side of the door.
"Ohnohnohno! If we don't get surveillance back online and soon, we're as good as Houndoom chow!"
"Tell me something I don't know! Stop dithering and check the wireless connection again!"
Thea smiled and pressed her keycard to the door gaining entrance.
"Ugh errr we're just sorting it now! We'llbebackonlineweswear!" The grunts closed their eyes and blabbered. It was the same pair from earlier, still assigned to monitor duty.
"What's the problem boys?" Thea walked in, acting innocent.
"Thea! Thank Mew it's you." The one grunt opened his eyes sighed. "We were afraid it was an Officer coming in."
"We've totally lost the live feed in here; intel is going crazy at us!" The other one frantically waved his arms at the repeating CCTV screens, clearly not showing the chaos going on in the building.
"Hmm that is a problem." Thea feigned concern. "And at such a critical time too!"
The two grunts nodded furiously.
"I doubt it could be a coincidence." Thea put an index finger to her ruby painted lips. "I bet the Pokémon League hijacked the security systems. Makes total sense, it's definitely what I would do if I were planning this." She couldn't help but slightly smirk. Luckily the expression went unnoticed.
"The League ..." The two grunts paled. "Without us knowing?!" They chorused together.
"Maybe you need the expert help of Team Rockets finest Field Agent?"
"You?" "But shouldn't you be out there battling?"
Thea glared. "You expect a class act like me to be out there. Roughhousing?"
"N,n,no! No way Thea!" The grunts instantly backtracked not wanting to offend the beautiful young agent. "It's just ugh well you're soooo good at pokémon battling, hee hee. One of the strongest on the whole Team I'd say." One of the grunts put his hand behind his head and grinned, really trying to dig them out the hole. "I mean that's why you're out there and we're in here right?"
Thea remained unimpressed. "Move aside, remote hackings my specialty. I'll get your feed back in no time." She flicked her hair, pushed the clueless pair out the way and sat down in front of the monitors. "Though it is thirsty work …" Thea pulled back her shoulders and stretched, accentuating her chest. "Something from the canteen would reallllly help me concentrate." She leaned her head back, gently shaking her short blonde locks.
"I'll get you a drink Thea!""No wait I'll do it!""What do you want a cold soda?""No I'll get you a hot coffee!"
The two grunts practically fell over each other in their rush to help their new "friend" and scurried off out the room to obtain a beverage treasure to gain her favour.
"All too easy …" Thea locked the door behind them and pushed a chair under the handle for extra security. She instantly went to the scramble device she'd planted earlier. "Now let's remove you … and …" the screens fuzzed. Thea opened the CCTV software and instantly got the live feed, back. She could see all Team Rocket members running around the hallways like crazy.
"Now where are you." Thea's eyes scanned as she flipped through the various monitors. Till she found what she was looking for "A ha! Bingo!" Another feed caught her eye and she full sized the screen. "Oh? How interesting, what are you doing there…?"
The lift doors opened, and Ash stepped out with Pikachu. Spotlights lit the room up on their entry, creating a cold eerie atmosphere. The room was lined with pillars but other than that completely empty. A semi-circle balcony with railings sat above the far back wall.
"Champion Ash Ketchum, it's been a while. How lovely to finally have you here!" The sound echoed around.
Ash gritted his teeth and look up at a far side balcony. Those voices …
The wall began to shake and rotated around, two figured appeared from the other side. There features cast in shadow.
"A shrieking whine! A blast from the past!" A female voice spoke out.
"Spinning like a Gyro Ball and moving fast!" The male voice followed.
"To the moon..."
"And beyond..."
"What a blast!" The voices spoke in unison.
"Administering justice with lightning speed!
"Bashing the bad guys, should we feel the need."
"So here's a newsflash from across the wire..."
"The real Team Rocket is now on fire!"
The female boss turned around and stepped forwards, revealing herself in the spotlight. She sported a trim figure, dressed a black skirt suit, trimmed with fuchsia pink and white blouse. Her hair was bobbed, spikey and golden. Streaked with grey.
"Cassidy!"
The male revealed himself next. He matched his female counterpart, dressed in a black fitted trouser suit, white shirt and a fuchsia pink cravat, folded handkerchief in the top breast pocket and cufflinks. He sported a short teal hair cut with distinguished grey sides.
"And it's Butch!"
"Teaching the losers, a thing or two..."
"The true Team Rocket..."
"Us! Not you!" They chorused together.
"Cassidy, Batch!" Ash growled. "Pipi kachu!" Pikachu growled.
"The name is Butch! I literally just said it!" He elder man stomped his foot and pointed accusingly.
"I don't care! You know why I'm here, WHERE IS SHE?!" Ash shouted up the Rocket Bosses.
"She?" Cassidy feigned ignorance.
"Who do you think he means?" Butch joined in, his voice coming across clueless.
Ash frowned, not in the mood for these games.
"Oh, could he mean our guest of honour?" Cassidy countered.
"Why she's right here." Butch pressed a button and a wall to the far side of Ash and Pikachu began to shake and move across, revealing a big glass panel. Behind which was a big plain room with Amber and Shane trapped inside.
"Amber!" Ash cried out. "Pikaaa"
"Dad!" Amber pressed up against the glass, her voice muffled by the thickness.
Ash recoiled at the sight; it was his worst fear come to realisation. She looked bruised and roughed up. Dried blood lined her sweet face.
"What have they done to you?" Ash chocked out.
"Oh my! Well, well, what do we have here?" Cassidy almost sang. "Shaney? Oh this is too precious!"
Shane gritted his teeth. They were in serious trouble. "I, I was just…" the teen tried to come up with something but was falling short.
"Heh, this should be good." The senior Rocket boss smirked at his partner.
"It's cute how he tries." Cassidy joked. "But I'm bored of his excuses now. I literally do not even care anymore."
Shane gulped. He was rumbled.
Ash growled; without hesitation he released his Donphan once more "Donphan rollout attack at the glass! Amber get clear!" The pokémon curled up and spun towards the glass. A red light appeared, Donphan hit something hard and was launched back.
"Donphan!" Ash gasped as his pokémon landed hard on the floor in front of him. "Pi Ka!" Pikachu also cried out to his injured friend.
Amber and Shane both held their breath in disbelief, seeing the Champions pokémon floored.
A large strong looking Tyranitar blocked Donphan's path.
"Now here's the thing." Cassidy called out.
"We really aren't planning on making it that easy for you!" Butch continued on pressing a remote.
"See we also have another guest of honour."
"One we know you'll be dying to see."
A big monitor descended from the ceiling, once it stopped moving down, the screen came on revealing Zapdos imprisoned in a large shock absorbing cage with a glass dome surrounding it. It's legs strapped down by thick rope.
More pokéballs launched out, releasing Slaking, Gengar and Garchomp. The four large strong pokémon surrounded Ash, Pikachu and Donphan in an intimidating semi circle.
"Here's the deal Champ."
The Rocket pair looked down and smiled cruelly.
"Choose."