Chapter 57; on the trail of the rockets
Team rocket admin Archer was observing the finalization of the construction of their masterpiece.
He was in their temporary hideout when word came that the fabled legendary beasts were supposedly freed by team Sonic in Ecutreak city. And that rumor, if real, played into their plans too perfectly to pass up.
Their plan for the eventual return of Giovanni required the hijacking of the experimental generator in Goldenrod city and its subsequent supercharge in order to broadcast the message of team rocket's return worldwide. That of course was the secondary part of the plan. The main purpose was to call Giovanni back from exile to lead them.
He was the only one they believed could stand tall against Sonic the hedgehog. Without him they were destined to fall to team Sonic.
Therefore immediately after the re-emergence of the legendary beasts, Archer immediately tasked their forces to converge at once and help in the construction of a special device; an electricity container that would harness the power of several electric types they had captured as well as several wild electric types. The device would be a useful tool to use when the time came but the big prize in Archer's eyes was a pokemon they could call by gathering so much electricity in one place.
The legendary Raikou.
He had heard stories of Raikou's power. It would make a most useful asset in their plan.
Not only as a tool for the production of electricity for their master plan, but also as a weapon against team Sonic.
More specifically against Sonic the hedgehog's mighty raichu.
That bloody rodent was a menace. Just calling it out in the slowpoke well had everyone turn tail and run, ruining the operation beyond saving.
It had to be dealt with. And Raikou would make a most excellent exterminator for the disgusting rodent that had chosen to make an enemy out of team rocket.
Those were Archer's thoughts as he was informed in the present that the device was set in place. Now they just needed a jumpstart for it. And Olivine city's lighthouse's permanent resident, the iconic Ampharos that lit the way for ships to enter the port, would make an excellent ignition switch.
Archer smiled. Everything was going according to plan. And he was sure team Sonic would arrive on scene too late to ever hope to stop them.
If only he knew that an accidental run-in one of his final arriving squads would have would set off a chain reaction the results if which noone would ever be able to predict.
And the first to be affected by that chain reaction would be none other than Ash and his two friends Brock and Misty who had taken an alternate route to Olivine city and had gotten ahead of team Sonic.
And the day of reckoning found them training by a lake around 3 hours away from Olivine.
"Totodile bite harder!"
Totodile bit down on the branch harder. The eventual result was the breaking of the branch.
"Great work totodile. Now try it with this" Ash encouraged it giving it a fatter branch to bite and snap.
He couldn't help but adopt several methods in which Sonic trained his own pokemon. He turned to his heracross which trying to bring down a tree using horn attack. It had also learned the move false swipe which along with quick attack was an almost surefire way to victory.
Or at least Ash would normally consider it as such. But he had been studying his rival for so long that it was like his mindset was being affected.
"A pokemon of that strength but that weak to flying and you are going to give your opponents a chance to fight back? Come on Ash you can do better" was the thought Ash made when he considered this combo. And the thought spoke to him in Sonic's voice nonetheless.
Ash couldn't even disagree fully anymore. The move combo did show some promise but in the big leagues… Sonic was just so ahead of him that the only way to catch up was to understand how he thought in battle.
And he had to admit that indeed in the big leagues or just at the Johto league, they wouldn't have the luxury of giving their opponents a chance to fight back.
Sonic would not.
"So we won't either" Ash thought as he noticed pikachu practicing thunderbolt and thunder, its mind fixated on increasing its electricity output. The only kind of victory it would accept was a total overpowering of its rival, Raichu.
Pikachu's mind went back to Tails' words that day when Sonic explained to Ash how Raichu was twice as strong as others of its kind.
That meant that if Pikachu had one time trouble beating its evolved form, defeating Sonic's Raichu would mean that many more times the trouble.
It also recalled asking Raichu why it abandoned their middle form in order to become a brute. Raichu simply had explained that not everyone of their kind was the same and that Pikachu had to stop reflecting its desire to remain a Pikachu to their entire race.
Remaining a Pikachu was perfectly ok, at least in Raichu's eyes. He knew Sonic would disagree, claiming Pikachu was choosing to hold itself back. But the two didn't share that belief entirely.
Becoming a Raichu was also perfectly ok. Some Pikachus just wanted that. And it was Ash's Pikachu's job to accept that fact.
A job that Pikachu hadn't made much progress thus far.
"There is no going back from evolving" it thought as it summoned the strongest thunder it could, trying to increase the output even if it got exhausted "I don't need it. I will beat him with my own might" it thought as it summoned another lightning bolt.
All the while, Misty was starving. Their supplies had run thin but according to Brock it was ok. Olivine was relatively close. And they would have been there already if Ash had chosen to go instead of overpracticing.
"Ash I'm starving. Can we please go?"
"Just 5 more minutes Misty. We're on the verge of a powerful breakthrough I can feel it".
Misty slumped back against the log she and Brock were sitting at, sliding down in despair.
"You said the same thing the last 6 times I asked you" she said with a cranky voice.
Brock's stomach also growled.
"My stomach tends to agree" he admitted "come on Ash we will train more in Olivine".
"We're almost done Brock. Just a little more".
"Misty please go and pull him from the ear. You know like you did to me yesterday".
"Yesterday you had it coming for annoying that poor girl".
"You could never understand" Brock said with a tragic voice "I had never felt that way before".
"You literally say that everytime you meet a pretty girl".
Brock then went on a tragic monologue on how he had found love and his heart was broken beyond repair. Just another day in the office for Misty.
Her train of thought about food and Brock's repeatable behavior was disrupted when she heard a truck.
Jumping up in an instant hoping they could hitch a ride on the truck, she rushed to the street. At the very least she would go ahead to town and meet Brock and Ash there later.
Getting to the side of the street she started waving her hands to get the driver to stop.
When that didn't seem to work, her hunger got the best of her and she almost got in the way of the truck. The driver tried to maneuver around her and caused the truck to flip much to Misty's shock.
She called out to Ash and Brock to come and help, almost screaming as she did so. Rushing to help the driver exit the truck, she noticed his jacket's zipper was open. On the shirt underneath was etched a big red R.
"Team rocket!" she screamed in anger and shock.
The driver knowing he was caught, pressed a button in the truck's dashboard. He then took out two pokeball and sent out an arbok and a golbat to keep Misty as well as the arriving Ash and Brock at bay while he tried to head to the back of the truck.
"Pikachu quick! Use thunderbolt on golbat!"
"Starmie!" Misty called it out to help "water gun on arbok!"
Brock however quickly noticed the guy sneaking to the back of the truck.
Unwilling to risk allowing the grunt to go through with whatever plan he had, Brock chose the explosive way out.
"Forretress!" he called it out "Explosion!"
Before either Misty or Ash could react, Brock had pushed them down. The explosion occurred knocking out both Arbok and Golbat and somewhat hurting Pikachu and Starmie as they didn't have time to dodge the attack. The grunt was also knocked back crashing into his truck.
Brock looked up and saw the grunt try to get back up, again heading to the back of the truck.
"Pikachu! Stop him with quick attack!" Brock urgently ordered Pikachu.
Pikachu did as Brock asked, knocking the grunt against the truck, which caused him to pass out. Ash and Misty got up in confusion.
"Brock… why did you have Pikachu attack him like that?" Ash asked his friend trying to make sense of what had just transpired.
Brock didn't immediately answer. Instead he went to the back of the truck. Ash repeating his question followed Brock.
Brock unlocked the container's door and slid the door upwards opening it. Misty got a clear view of the inside of the truck as soon as she got there as well and what she saw caused her to gasp.
Inside the truck was a bound and muzzled Tyranitar, in a very bad shape too. On its side curled up was a small larvitar, with no source of comfort other than physical contact with its mother. That last fact was obvious from its constant shivering of terror before the door opened and it immediately hiding behind Tyranitar as soon as the door was opened.
"What kind of monsters would keep Pokemon locked up like this?" Misty asked with tears in her eyes. The sight was too much to bare.
"Team rocket" Brock said with a hint of anger. Being someone with a dream to become a pokemon breeder, with recent thoughts of taking the Pokemon doctor path instead, such a cruel mistreatment of Pokemon was just unforgivable.
"They're still around? I thought Sonic brought them down" Ash said in surprise.
"Well it looks like they're making a comeback" Brock said taking out his pokegear.
"What are you doing?" Ash looked on as Brock selected a number in his pokegear and pressed the call button.
Brock remained silent until the call was answered.
"Knuckles it's Brock. I think I have something for you guys. Come to this location" he said as he activated the pokegear's location feature.
After ending the call with Knuckles assuring Brock they were on the way, the latter turned back to Misty and Ash.
"When we were still in Ecutreak, Knuckles gave me his number and entrusted me with their team's mission. He also asked me to call him immediately if we came across team rocket".
"Wait he expected us to run into one of team rocket? Excluding Jessie and James obviously" Ash asked confused.
"Yes. You see Sonic, Tails and Knuckles didn't come here for sightseeing. Not for the Johto league either".
Ash and Misty could guess were Brock was going with this.
"They came here because they found evidence team rocket regrouped here in Johto. They are pursuing them to end the team once and got all. Knuckles asked me not to tell you guys anything because the police don't like their meddling with team rocket much".
"So they didn't tell us because they believed we would turn them in?" Ash asked angry, especially after Sonic had admitted Ash was a great person in the orange islands.
"No. It's exactly the opposite. To keep us safe from them" Brock explained.
"Oh I see. They don't think I can handle it" Ash surmised.
"I never said that Ash" Brock stopped his line of thought. Team Sonic weren't that kind of individuals.
Ash, Misty and Pikachu all looked at Tyranitar and larvitar and then to each other with looks of concern.
"So now what?"
"We wait" Brock said seriously. And it was the truth. All they could do was wait for team Sonic to arrive.
Taking the necessary precautions, they tied up the rocket grunt so he wouldn't escape and Brock tried to mend Tyranitar's injuries as best he could. Unfortunately for Tyranitar, its own lack of trust was preventing Brock from helping it.
After a painful wait of approximately 30 minutes team Sonic arrived totally out of breath as they ran the whole way there.
"Is it true?" Knuckles immediately asked Brock while panting heavily trying to catch his breath "you got one of team rocket's members?"
"Yeah we have him nearby guarded by Pikachu" Ash said pointing towards the front of the toppled track.
"We got bigger problems than him right now" Brock intervened "we got a mother Tyranitar and her offspring on the back of the truck. It's gravely injured but it won't let me treat its wounds".
"Why didn't you just call for medical assistance from Olivine?" Tails inquired looking inside the truck. He was amazed by the huge pokemon as well as saddened by the scared larvitar still hiding behind it's mother.
"I suggested we do so while waiting for you. Brock insisted we wait for you".
"You didn't have to" Sonic disagreed "you could have moved the guy somewhere for us to find and have someone come help this… wow" he said amazed "that is one big pokemon".
"If we did we would have to explain what happened. So we either give that guy to the beautiful officer Jennys" Brock began straying from the point before Misty pulled his ear to get him to focus "or we would have to somehow explain what happened to the driver of the truck who in that case would be missing".
"Damn you make a valid point" Sonic agreed "alright. Tails do you mind helping Brock with Tyranitar? You and your butterfree may be able to calm it down".
"Would do so regardless. Question is what do I do if it won't calm down?"
"Have Knuckles' weepinbel use sleep powder together with butterfree. And make sure to spray both the mother and the child. They need to calm down from the terror they probably went through".
"I see" Tails said as he looked at Knuckles who brought out his Weepinbel "Knuckles you coming with me?"
"No need to mate. Brock is more experienced than me in caring for pokemon. You two will definitely be able to treat Tyranitar sufficiently".
Tails nodded as he entered the container with Brock, after catching weepinbel's pokeball that Knuckles threw at him.
"Knuckles I want you to go in the front and try getting the guy to talk. Raichu will assist you if need be".
"Rai" Raichu growled in excitement eager to zap the subject of the interrogation.
"I think you better do it Sonic" Knuckles disagreed "you're the one team rocket fears. You will get him to confess a lot easier. I'll look through the driver's cab to try and find any clue that could be of use to us".
Sonic nodded. Ash immediately rushed to the front of the truck with him declaring he was just as responsible to help stop team rocket as Sonic was. The latter didn't object, not because he wanted Ash in the interrogation but because they didn't have time to argue.
There was one thing however Ash could help him with.
Sonic sent Ash to try to get the grunt to talk first. Ash found that strange but agreed regardless.
Ash went to the front of the truck first where the grunt was trying to break free from his binds.
"Let me go kid. You have no idea who you and your puny friends are messing with".
"What were you planning to do with that poor Tyranitar in the back?" Ash grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.
"Nothing you would understand kid. Now let me go before you regret it".
Ash didn't really know what to do in this scenario. Interrogating team rocket wasn't something new for him but Jessie and James usually didn't resist. This wasn't the case.
"We'll regret it huh?" Sonic said while still being outside the field of view of the grunt.
The grunt gasped and his eyes widened. He also started trembling.
The trembling got more and more intense with each footstep he heard from his right. His worst nightmare, every team rocket member's worst nightmare had found him.
A raichu appeared next to him without him ever even feeling it approach. It growled angrily, its usually cute black eyes devoid of anything except boiling rage.
And Raichu's trainer soon followed.
The grunt wanted to scream but couldn't. He was petrified. And it was perfectly understandable. Every team rocket member knew of what team Sonic had done to them at the slowpoke well.
Sonic looked down at the grunt without any hint of mercy in his green eyes. Even Ash was creeped out by the look in his rival's face.
"Is that right?" Sonic asked with what sounded like amusement in his voice but his face contained no hint of amusement "we'll regret it you say?"
"Rai" raichu growled.
"Very fascinating my friend but I have a better idea. You're going to tell us everything. Starting with… where is Archer?"
The grunt gulped.
"If I talk… he stuttered "there will be dire consequences".
Sonic snapped his fingers. Raichu used his signature trapping move to trap the grunt's throat between raichu's tail and the truck.
"I find you rather confident pal" Sonic let out a menacing laugh "you are rather sure you will make it back to Archer in order for there to be consequences".
Ash backed Sonic up, oblivious to what Sonic really meant with that statement.
Inside the truck, Tails had eventually resorted to putting the Tyranitar and the larvitar to sleep as they were too distrustful for Brock and himself to help. Afterwards he observed as Brock sprayed the tyranitar's wounds with a super potion. Tails noted that the larvitar was uninjured which Brock said as a good thing. A pokemon as young as that would have a lot less chance of healing than a fully grown one.
"Still" he said grimly "Tyranitar doesn't look good. It's very hurt. Something really powerful must have been used to get it to this point".
"Does that mean… " Tails asked concerned.
"That there's a high chance it won't make it? Yes and no. Not a high chance. But a chance nonetheless".
Tails immediately started browsing through his phone looking for anything he could use to help the tyranitar. He couldn't stand by and leave it up to chance.
"Couldn't we feed it some berries?" he asked while browsing.
"What's the point?" Brock asked "berries healing pokemon by eating them is a false rumor. There is one berry that could get the job done though".
"What berry?" Tails asked with his voice radiating restored hope.
"It's called sitrus berry. But it's very rare and usually only planted in farms. The odds of finding one on the wild are very low".
Tails rushed to the door of the container.
"Knuckles! Do we have any sitrus berries?"
Knuckles' head protruded from the cab. He looked at him confused.
"What's a sitrus berry?"
"You don't know?!"
"I didn't know berries had names".
Tails cursed silently but looked up an image of the sitrus berry on his phone. He showed it to Knuckles and the latter got out and began rummaging through their few remaining berries. The farmer couple had given them mostly moomoo milk and processed pokemon food as supplies for their pokemon. They didn't really plant pokemon berries.
"No luck. And to be entirely honest, I don't remember ever picking up a berry like that" Knuckles said in the end.
At that moment a punch was heard from the front of the truck.
"What was that?" Brock asked from inside the container as he heard it through the wall of it.
Tails didn't like the answer he was about to give them.
"Sonic is trying to get the grunt to break and confess" he explained to an unnerved Brock.
The grunt was on the verge of fainting. Being loyal to team rocket to the bone was one thing. Being on the receiving end of the wrath of the hero of Kanto however… only a fool like Proton would choose loyalty in the face of such fear.
"P-please…" the grunt begged trapped between his two fears.
"Ash you might want to look away. That won't be pretty" Sonic warned his rival, finally ready to resort to a more drastic solution.
"Why?"
Sonic didn't answer.
"I'll ask you again pal. Where is Archer?"
"Please… I only deliver shipments. I don't hurt the pokemon we catch".
Sonic snapped his fingers unimpressed.
Raichu used thunder punch on its tail, closing the circuit.
The grunt was electrocuted briefly as raichu didn't keep the circuit closed for more than a moment. He cried out in pain. Ash wasn't disturbed as he often found himself on the receiving end of Pikachu's thunderbolts so they no longer hurt as much. For that reason he didn't see it as much of torture.
Sonic looked disgusted at the panting grunt.
"You think that just because you are not actively hurting pokemon you're innocent? Don't make me laugh. You are just as guilty as the rest of the rockets. Now let's try again. Just so you know the more you don't talk, the longer raichu will wait before opening the circuit again. Now that I've made myself clear I will repeat my question" Sonic leaned over the grunt again.
"Where is Archer?"
"Please don't do this…" the grunt begged again "I'm only a cog in this system".
Sonic snapped his fingers again. Raichu closed the circuit for a total of 2 seconds. Again Ash didn't realize the pain Sonic was putting the grunt through.
"That matters not to me" Sonic said coldly "where is Archer?"
The grunt was close to his breaking point. Proton had described the pain he experienced in team Sonic's hands. He spoke with pride, declaring he was a true rocket to the end. The grunts also said the same thing at the time.
But it was easy to be brave when there was no risk involved.
"I can't tell you that. Please no more".
Sonic wanted nothing more than to allow raichu to close the circuit for 5 seconds but relented. After all there were more things he could learn from that sorry excuse of a man that would be beneficial for the team.
"Alright pal. I'll give you another chance. I am aware team rocket is planning something near Olivine city. What are they planning?"
The grunt still wouldn't talk. Again out of the conflict of his fears.
"Please… you don't know what Archer is capable of. I can't say".
Ash asked Sonic what the grunt meant. Sonic merely answered that he was lying.
"You really think I'm falling for such an obvious lie? If Archer was really that scary you wouldn't beg me. Because you wouldn't be conflicted. But compared to your old boss Giovanni he is nothing. So" Sonic said as Raichu charged its punch again "will you answer or will Raichu fry you alive?"
Ash was unnerved. The way Sonic spoke that phrase was creepy. As if he meant it.
The grunt was at a dead end. It was either a painful way to go at the hands of the hero of Kanto or a painful way to go when Archer called their boss back and told him everything. Because that was his real fear.
He didn't fear Archer. He feared Giovanni but couldn't let it slip to the hedgehog that they were going to call him back.
"Please…"
Sonic sighed.
"Your usefulness has expired".
The grunt's face became a mask of horror.
His fate was sealed.
Before Sonic could decide however what to do – he wasn't planning to hurt that grunt any longer but wanted to play this out so that if the grunt found his way back into team rocket's hideout, he would think he was super lucky to be alive – Tails called out to him from the container.
"Raichu don't let him out of there" he instructed his partner.
Heading on the back, he found Knuckles and Misty keeping watch just in case and Tails at the door of the container.
"What's the issue?" Sonic asked. He knew Tails would only call out if it was something serious.
"Tyranitar is too drained. Nothing we have is working. Our only hope right now is to use a sitrus berry to heal it".
"Don't we have one of those?"
"No. They're very rare. Brock said there is a small chance some can be found in the woods around us" he said pointing to the trees "but the odds are very low. For that reason we need speed".
Sonic understood the severity of the situation but wasn't sure how he could help yet.
"You can use your quirk to get faster Sonic. Knuckles told me back at the farm how you went up that crazy flight of stairs in Molly's house in record time. You probably activated your quirk to enhance your speed without even realizing it".
Sonic nodded as he recalled the instance. But he wasn't sure how to trigger it. Back at the farm he had Raichu use quick attack but now that wasn't a choice as Raichu was holding the grunt down. Not to mention Sonic wasn't sure if the farm instance was a coincidence or not.
"Look in any case we need someone to go into the woods and look for sitrus berries. You are our best bet. Knuckles and I will keep watch along with Ash and his team. You go and if possible use your quirk".
Sonic looked down momentarily and then nodded. Tails nodded as well and sent him the image of the sitrus berry he had downloaded.
Sonic then prepared to run. Ash who had heard the entire conversation despite the grunts pleas for mercy peeked from the side of the truck, eager to see that speed Sonic had displayed at Greenfield with his own eyes.
Sonic took a moment to focus and then sped off.
To Ash's disappointment his speed was normal.
Sonic's departure however was just the opportunity a certain group of team rocket members was hoping for.
After Sonic left, Tails gathered everyone apart from Ash, Pikachu and Raichu to help him move Tyranitar out of the truck so that it could get some warmth from the sunlight. The task proved impossibly hard as Tyranitar weighed almost more than the truck. Larvitar itself required the combined effort of Knuckles, Tails and Knuckles' weepinbel.
Neither of the two friends believed Ash when he said he had lifted a larvitar fairly easily a while back.
When both Tyranitar and Larvitar were out of the container at last, a giant hand appeared out of nowhere and grabbed them – with incredible ease to the surprise of Tails' science obsessed part – and threw them in a net. The two teams gasped in shock following the hand to the source with their eyes only to find a second hand having grabbed Raichu and Pikachu as well and throwing them into the same net.
A net hanging from a familiar meowth shaped hot air balloon.
"Ahahaha! Prepare for trouble!"
"Make it double!"
"To protect the world from devastation".
"To unite all peoples within our nation".
"To denounce the evils of truth and love".
"To extend our reach to the stars above".
"Jessie".
"And James".
"And Meowth too".
"Team rocket blasts off at the speed of light"
"Surrender now or prepare to fight".
"Meowth that's right!"
"Team rocket!" Ash said angry "what makes you think you'll get away with this?!"
Jessie laughed in a classic Jessie confidence.
"We already have you little twerp. You can't beat us without the help of your blue friend".
"Yeah. Without him you lot are nothing" Meowth gloated.
Raichu threatened Meowth from inside the net. Meowth mocked it, saying that without Sonic it was no threat to them.
"You must be truly idiots" Tails said angry at not only the three idiots' cowardice in attacking only when Sonic was out of the picture but also their mistreatment of an already injured pokemon like tyranitar "to think we are weak. Sonic may be the strongest of us, but you forgot something vital".
"And what is that?" James asked with a slightly taunting tone.
"The slowpoke well".
Team rocket looked at each other confused.
"Oh right I remember" Tails said with a confident smile "you weren't there. So you don't know who we are".
"Oh please. Just who do you think you are?".
Tails and Knuckles nodded at each other and called out a pokemon each. Scyther and Heracross.
"We're team Sonic!"
The statement of course made Jessie and James laugh. They still didn't think them to be a threat.
"Knuckles give me a boost".
Knuckles ordered Heracross to use horn attack on scyther in order to launch it towards the balloon. Scyther was launched at an incredible speed and using its strong wings to increase its speed even more, managed to penetrate the balloon.
The balloon started flying around very fast and in a chaotic way, entirely out of control. After a few seconds, it crash landed, with the three idiots getting roughed up and the trapped pokemon landing safely on the now deflated balloon.
Tails then had scyther release them and immediately had Knuckles as well as Ash's team hold their captives down so Sonic could have a word with them when he came back while he checked on Tyranitar. Meowth of course reverted back to a coward and begged for its life, especially when it got face to face with raichu, knowing what it was capable of.
Brock joined Tails in caring for the now awake but even weaker than before Tyranitar. Larvitar was also awake and was hugging its mother's face. Knuckles was about to go through his backpack to see if there was anything until he realized raichu was standing right next to him.
"Wait a minute" he said as his eyes slowly widened "if you're here… then who's…"
He turned to look at where the captured grunt was supposed to be.
And of course he was no longer there having escaped during the chaos after raichu was captured inadvertently freeing him.
After his escape the grunt raced through the woods, fields and cliffs, reaching the location of team rocket's operation. Two agents of the team were overseeing the final preparations when he arrived, dropping on his knees totally out of breath and coughing.
"What took you so long?" the male agent asked the grunt angry.
"And where's the shipment?" the female agent followed suit with another question.
"At… at…" he tried to say as he coughed.
"At?!" both of the agents asked at the same time.
"At the hands of the hero of Kanto and his crew, agent Butch, sir".
The two agents looked at each other. That was a concerning development.
Telling the grunt they would deal with him later for losing the shipment and risking the entire operation due to his inadequacy, they ordered the grunts to end the preparations and left, hopping in their small jeep. They would have to try and clean up themselves or at least draw the hero of Kanto and his allies away from the site of operations.
While the villains were coming for them, the heroes were in disarray.
"We went and let him escape!" Knuckles said angry punching a tree causing it to shake and several berries to fall off.
"Sonic's going to be furious" Tails mumbled.
"With you?" Ash asked them.
"Not with us. With the entire situation. Team rocket is planning something soon and our only lead is gone".
"Why don't we question the three dumbos?" Misty suggested.
Knuckles waved negatively.
"They have gone rogue. They are chasing you three because they want Ash's Pikachu above all else. In other words they know nothing that is of use to us and Sonic".
Ash wasn't going to not try however. He approached the tied up team rocket.
"Alright spill it. What is your team planning and where?"
"We don't know and if we did we wouldn't tell you" James mockingly responded.
"Yeah you are not getting anything out of us" Meowth added mockingly.
Tails having never heard the talking Meowth himself pushed down the urge to question its whole existence. He smiled with a mischievous smile.
"Shall we then have Sonic ask you this question?"
Meowth's face became a mask of horror but it refrained from answering.
"What if they're telling the truth?" Brock wondered referring to Tails.
Tails turned to him. Talking down so they wouldn't hear then he explained.
"They are. But we had to try just in case. Now our only hope is that there is a clue in the truck that could lead us to whatever operation they have going on".
"But if there isn't…" Ash tried to speak.
"There will be" Knuckles stopped him. He immediately went back inside the truck looking for anything of use to them. The rest went back to caring for Tyranitar while Pikachu and Raichu were keeping Larvitar busy to distract it from its injured mother.
But their troubles were only just beginning.
Ash was about to give some water to the injured Tyranitar when he suddenly jumped and pushed Tails out of the way of a projectile aiming for him.
"We're under attack!" he yelled.
Knuckles immediately jumped out of the toppled truck. Tails and Ash got back up too.
The two teams were met with an unpleasant development. And said development was the newly arrived duo of team rocket grunts. Or at least that was what Knuckles thought until he noticed their slightly different suits. They looked to be more like Jessie and James in whatever title they held as members of team rocket. On their sides were a duo of drowzees, which explained the projectile that was heading for Tails a few moments ago.
The duo immediately laughed menacingly at the heroes.
"Prepare for trouble!" the woman started.
"And make it double!" the man continued.
"They stole the three idiots' motto?" Tails thought confused.
"Oh great it's them" Jessie said grumpy.
"Here's our mission so you better listen" both said debunking Tails' theory.
"To infect the world with devastation".
"To blight all people in every nation".
"To denounce the goodness of truth and love".
"To extend our wrath to the stars above".
"Cassidy".
"And Butch of course".
"We're team rocket circling the earth all day and night!"
"Surrender to us now or you will surely lose the fight".
Tails couldn't help but feel that without a third voice to finish their motto like Meowth did, it felt incomplete, missing some rhyme. The content was darker but at this point none of them scared him.
"Butch and Cassidy!" Ash said in anger "you two again! Finally teaming up with them?!"
The duo of team rocket agents laughed.
"We? Team up with those clowns? No way kiddo. But since they are here, we might as well handle them, right Butch?"
"Agreed. They are more trouble than they're worth anyway" Butch commented.
"Mhm I smell a promotion" Cassidy smiled greedily "bringing in all those pokemon, securing the shipment AND nullifying the threat to our team? Right hands to the boss to say the least".
"What makes you two jokers think we will cooperate?" Knuckles asked taking out his Heracross' pokeball.
"Nothing. Because it doesn't matter whether you resist or not. Without your friend, especially without his Raichu you're no match for us".
As he spoke those words, a capsule similar to the ones Giovanni used in Kanto appeared and trapped raichu before any of them could react.
"Mission accomplished. Well almost" Butch smiled menacingly.
You'd love that wouldn't you" Tails rushed to Knuckles' side taking out eevee's pokeball.
"It's a fact kid. Team Sonic? More like team joke" Cassidy mocked them.
"You think you can be any danger to us little fox? Your friend is the only real threat to us and he is not here to save you".
"Get up you two immediately!" Jessie tried to motivate James and Meowth despite the fact they were tied up "we're not losing our payday and our promotion to the twerps or those two… those two… " Jessie hesitated twice before insulting them so hard that even Tails and Knuckles gasped.
"Oh the nerve! Just wait until Archer hears about this, you… you failures" Cassidy fired back again causing team Sonic to gasp.
"The time for talking is over! Drowzee use psychic on those two wannabe heroes!" Butch declared.
The two drowzee used their combined psychic to lift Tails and Knuckles before they had their chance to throw out their pokemon.
"Ash I hate to ask but we need some help here" Knuckles said without turning to Ash being unable to move.
Ash was shocked at the calmness. Nevertheless he immediately went on the offensive.
"Bayleef, totodile come on out!"
Butch and Cassidy didn't even bat an eye to Ash, having faced him before and therefore believing him to be no danger compared to team Sonic.
"Totodile bite that drowzee! Bayleef razor leaf!"
Totodile charged drowzee. Bayleef unleashed a barrage of razor leaves against both the drowzees.
The two psychic types lost focus trying to avoid the attacks which resulted in Tails and Knuckles being released. The two immediately called out Heracross and eevee. The fight was back in their favor.
"You should surrender" Tails warned Butch and Cassidy "there's 3 of us and 2 of you".
Butch and Cassidy burst out laughing.
"Surrender? To you lot?" Cassidy said in between laughs.
"You think we are as stupid and weak as Proton?" Butch looked at Tails menacingly.
Tails' look of determination was momentarily replaced by regret as he remembered Proton. He was past the point of feeling sorry for team rocket but two wrongs didn't make one right.
Butch and Cassidy then attacked, taking advantage of Tails' lack of focus, unleashing a couple of psychic attacks.
After dodging Tails responded by recalling eevee and sending out Butterfree. Knuckles also went on the offensive having his Heracross use horn attack while Ash ordered Bayleef to use razor leaf again.
The two Drowzees were badly hurt by the razor leaf and the horn attack but the fight was only just beginning.
"Drowzee use confusion" both agents said in unison.
The two drowzees attacked Butterfree and Heracross, greatly damaging the latter and confusing the former. Butterfree attempted to use stun spore on the drowzees but it's confusion led it to not only hurting itself but also accidentally using stun spore on totodile, leaving it vulnerable to a combination attack by Butch and Cassidy resulting in a knockout.
Ash got angry and had bayleef use vine whip again only for the psychic to redirect it on Heracross.
"These two are like the three idiots without the Meowth and also if they were actually a threat to anyone" Knuckles commented, impressed by the teamwork.
"Wow rude!" James' voice was heard.
Tails couldn't help but agree. He contemplated calling Sonic back from his search but heard the weak cry of the injured tyranitar as well as the sad cry of its Larvitar offspring.
"We can't always depend on Sonic. We're a team. That means we have to make sure he can depend on us. And that the Pokemon we're trying to save can depend on us as well" Tails thought determined.
An idea then came to his mind on how to break the teamwork of those 2 drowzees.
"Ash have bayleef use razor leaf!"
Ash complied right away. The drowzees deflected the barrage of razor leaves with psychic. Doing so however gave Tails the opening be needed.
"Butterfree now! Use sleep powder!"
Butterfree wasted no time using its newly unveiled move putting both drowzees to sleep. Knuckles looked at Tails in question who explained that he waited for the perfect chance to use the move as a surprise weapon. His friend smiled and seized the opening.
"Together Ketchum! Heracross horn attack!"
"Bayleef vine whip!"
Heracross slammed into one of the drowzees with devastating force knocking it out cold. Bayleef grabbed the other drowzee with vine whip and placed it in the trajectory path of the other drowzee resulting in a double knockout.
Butch and Cassidy were barely phased.
"A temporary setback" Cassidy smiled.
"We're not weak like the rest of our incompetent coworkers. Go cloyster!"
"Go tentacruel!"
Tails, Knuckles and Ash were caught completely by surprise. They weren't expecting pokemon like those.
Butch and Cassidy wasted no time targeting the main counter to their combo first.
"Tentacruel use sludge bomb!"
"Cloyster icy wind!"
The icy wind was fired first, stalling the three pokemon and damaging the still inexperienced butterfree greatly. Before Heracross or Bayleef could make a move the sludge bomb came down hard on the latter, brutally knocking it out.
"Bayleef no!" Ash exclaimed in terror.
Tails quickly realized what had transpired.
Being agents, Butch and Cassidy were very often in the field. And if that was indeed the case they would have probably captured more pokemon than the average grunt. Stronger pokemon too.
And that could be backed by Ash's earlier interaction with them, indicating he had come across those two back in Kanto.
In other words they were all outclassed. Especially Tails.
Tails was now torn. Tyranitar was depending on Sonic to find a sitrus berry but Butch and Cassidy were using too powerful pokemon for him and Knuckles to deal with.
Ash however was confident they could win. After all they were not the only ones with a battle hardened pokemon.
"Pikachu I choose you! Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu immediately attacked cloyster with thunderbolt striking hard. Cloyster faltered for a moment. Knuckles seized the opportunity to strike.
"Heracross brick break!"
The docile bug type brought the attack down on cloyster with tremendous strength.
But Cloyster was still not out. Tails and Knuckles' pokemon were just not ready for such a battle.
Tails' decision was cemented.
Sonic, who had been racing through the woods this whole time, had had a stroke of luck; a lone sitrus berry was waiting for him dangling from the branch of a bush.
The moment he took the berry in his hand his phone rang.
"SONIC COME QUICK! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" was all Tails managed to scream before an attack by Cassidy's Tentacruel engulfed the phone in goo, rendering it useless.
Sonic wasted no time, fear creeping up on him. Why didn't they call him back right away?
He started running like there was no tomorrow, activating his quirk in the process without realizing. Small bolts of electricity crackled on his shoes as his mind was focused on one singular target.
Saving his friends.
Butch and Cassidy were instantly aware their time was reduced to minutes at best. Sonic the hedgehog wouldn't have strayed very far.
And they were not foolish enough to risk team rocket's freedom by fighting the hero of Kanto head on.
"Playtime's over!" Butch declared "Cloyster icy wind!"
The heroes' pokemon again faltered before the cold wind.
The change in the pace of the battle caused the Larvitar to panic. Mustering the last of its strength, Tyranitar shoved Brock who was still trying to treat it aside and, with Larvitar on its back, attempted to flee.
"Tentacruel stop the shipment!" Cassidy screamed "hydro pump!"
Tentacruel fired hydro pump with all the pressure it could. Tyranitar felt it coming and turned 180 degrees to shield Larvitar from harm.
A heartbreaking cry echoed throughout the area as Tyranitar let out a momentary cry of pain. The next moment the high pressurised water attack sent it flying a couple of centimeters back and sending it to the ground motionless.
Tails took the sight in, eyes widened, shock and disbelief etched upon his face. It wasn't conceivably happening.
The otherwise mighty tyranitar was lying face down on the ground motionless while Larvitar, who had rolled a few centimeters away, had raced back next to its mother's face and shaking her, trying desperately to wake her up.
Butch scowled disappointed.
"Damnit Cassidy. You ruined the shipment".
The shipment. Tails couldn't believe what he was hearing. Those two had called tyranitar, a mother tyranitar with a literal baby Larvitar, a shipment. Not even their prey.
His conflicting emotions of wanting to bring down team rocket without causing them harm and his desire to protect pokemon from them reached whole new levels.
Team rocket were monsters. All of them.
"How could you?! You're going to pay!" Ash yelled in rage and had pikachu use thunderbolt on cloyster only for it to close its shell and nullify the thunderbolt.
"How could we? What an innocent child. There is no reason. It was ours to do with as we pleased. We could so we did. No reason" Butch smiled menacingly.
Tails couldn't believe his ears. His hopes to beat the rockets without hurting them were crumbling one by one.
There couldn't possibly be a middle ground with such heartless beings. And yet Tails' kind nature didn't allow him to bring himself to hate them to the point of hurting them.
Looking at the baby Larvitar crying a flare was lit inside Tails' chest.
He called out his scyther.
"Sonic was right about all of you. You are monsters".
The two team rocket agents didn't even acknowledge his insult.
"So what?" she answered to Butch "we still have the little one".
Tails was growing beyond furious.
"No way! I won't let you hurt Larvitar. I won't let team rocket hurt another pokemon as long as I live!" he declared as Scyther charged tentacruel with wing attack.
The wild bug type proved to be very powerful, greatly hurting it but not completely knocking it out.
Butch and Cassidy burst out laughing.
"Oh look Butch that little fox wants to play hero. I say we teach him the true might of team rocket".
"Couldn't agree more. Ice beam!"
Scyther tried to dodge Cloyster's attack but was clipped in the wings, freezing one of them. Eevee came out on its own and used quick attack on Cloyster only to be grabbed by Tentacruel using wrap to immobilize it.
Knuckles and Ash tried to intervene only to be blocked by the Butch sending out a houndoom to hold them off.
"Tentacruel show eevee a world of pain" Cassidy said trying to imitate Giovanni.
Eevee cried out in pain as it was squeezed to breaking point.
Tails racked his mind asking himself what Sonic would do.
But he couldn't find an answer.
For he wasn't Sonic. And at the same time, he hadn't fully found his own style of battling.
His tempered flare was already extinguishing. He looked at the helpless raichu that was trying to break out of the capsule. And it was Butch who had the controller to the capsule.
The next moment felt like a century for Tails. For even in the panic of the situation, even when he wanted to save the pokemon around him, like Sonic would, his nerdy scientific, analytic self came out.
"Why aren't they retreating? Why are they risking a confrontation with Sonic over a Tyranitar and a Larvitar?"
He looked back for a moment as his mind raced. The Larvitar was still crying over its fainted mother. But apart from the heartbreak there was nothing particular about the two pokemon.
Why would they not run when Tails called Sonic?
Whatever the answer was that was a choice Butch and Cassidy would come to greatly regret.
Raichu shifted its gaze to the woods when it caught a movement. Its face lit up with relief.
"HEY!" the voice Butch and Cassidy hoped they would never have to hear reached their ears.
They turned to send out a pokemon each but never got the chance to as Sonic slammed into Butch who in turn slammed into Cassidy.
Ash managed to see his rival move like a blur, his shoes crackling with electricity until he slammed into the agents.
"Beat the pokemon!" Sonic called out to them as he punched Butch and got the controller, freeing raichu.
Cassidy grabbed a nearby branch and brought it down hard on Sonic's head, disorienting him. His distraction however gave his allies the chance they needed.
Ash immediately had Pikachu use quick attack on tentacruel. The poison and water pokemon was unprepared, looking back at Cassidy waiting for instructions. Consequently Eevee was freed.
United now, the pokemon of the two hero teams used their combined attacks to knock out tentacruel and Cloyster at the same time, with Pikachu zapping tentacruel with thunderbolt while assisted by eevee's quick attack. Heracross and Scyther struck at Cloyster with all their might. The Cloyster tried to close its shell to protect itself from the attacks but it proved futile.
Butch and Cassidy managed to push the disoriented Sonic off of themselves, recalled their pokemon and fled, in what seemed to Tails like playing terrified.
Knuckles and Ash approached Sonic to make sure he was ok while Tails rushed to the fallen Tyranitar's side. Brock was already next to it trying everything he could to help it in anyway he could.
"Is it ok?" Tails asked Brock in fear of what answer he would get.
Brock nodded negatively.
"It's… gone".
Tails knelt as his legs suddenly felt like jelly.
Knuckles had told him what Proton had told them back at the slowpoke well in order to trigger them into breaking his legs.
He had taunted them. Telling them they would fail and one of their pokemon would die.
Tails had come to believe after that victory that Proton was an arrogant idiot. That they would stomp over team rocket.
He had chosen to become a support for his teammates thinking they would easily win either way. And he didn't train as much as Sonic and Knuckles to begin with.
In other words Tails had unknowingly become a drawback rather than an asset.
His butterfree had offered minimal assistance to Ash and Brock in that fight due to the better teamwork of Butch and Cassidy. And when it came to helping out his losing teammates all he could do was watch as even scyther, his strongest pokemon at this point couldn't even hurt Cloyster.
He was weak compared to Sonic and Knuckles. And because of that Tyranitar was dead.
Larvitar had now curled up next to the deceased tyranitar's body, unable to comprehend what had happened to its mother.
Sonic, Ash and Knuckles joined the group a few moments later.
Sonic's mind flatlined from shock for a moment. It then raced for a moment trying to process what happened,or rather what he felt he had allowed to happen. Lastly it was taken over by one emotion.
Guilt.
Guilt for not taking their training seriously this whole time. For failing to save a pokemon again.
Tails too was consumed by grief. But unlike Sonic he was also flooded by a feeling of powerlessness.
All he could do the entire fight was just apply status conditions to their opponents. But against rockets like Butch and Cassidy, that strategy would apply if Sonic was battling with them against many.
In other words his idea of being a support for his friends really had just led to the death of a pokemon.
His face during the whole whirlwind of emotions was a mask of shock and pain. But most of all powerlessness.
His eyes then noticed the sitrus berry in Sonic's hands. And that made him feel 100 times worse.
His mind tortured him, asking what they could have done different. What they could have dove to prevent this very outcome.
Sonic with a cold and heartless look, told Knuckles to go back inside the truck and look for anything even the most minute detail that would give them any clue as to what team rocket was planning.
Knuckles nodded and got back in the driver's cab again.
Sonic then approached the still tied team rocket who had been guarded by Brock and Misty this whole time, hence why they didn't help in the fight.
"What is your team planning?" he asked with a chilling voice.
"We don't know and if we did we wouldn't tell you" Jessie taunted him, using the same taunt he had used on Ash, forgetting who he was talking to.
Sonic's fist landed right next to Jessie's head. Accidentally channeling his bond with Raichu to enhance his strength via his rage, he made a dent on the steel basket of what was about half an hour ago, team rocket's Meowth hot air balloon.
"Do I look to be in the mood for jokes?!" he said angry causing Meowth's to leave its body.
Ash was creeped out by his rival. He too was angry at team rocket for what they had done. But seeing Sonic terrorizing the three idiots just made him feel uneasy.
"Please we're telling you the truth" James pleaded "we told you back in Violet too. We've gone rogue. We're not following the main body of team rocket so we don't even know where they're hiding let alone what they're planning".
Sonic remembered that conversation. However his cold look didn't change a bit.
Turning back to the rest he asked Ash who those 2 who attacked them were.
"They were Butch and Cassidy, two of team rocket's agents. We've come across them before but never had such trouble with them".
"Hmm…" Sonic hummed in deep thought.
"What are you thinking?" Brock asked him.
"Their actions just now showed inconsistency. They first appear and attack only after I'm gone. Then the moment I come they flee almost instantly. And if you add the factor of their shipment" he said as he spat on the word disgusted at team rocket's inhumane actions "it makes even less sense".
Tails was silent during Sonic's recap of the facts.
"What do you think Tails?" Sonic asked him, in great need of his friend's analytic thinking.
"I think we failed" he spoke his mind looking at the fallen Tyranitar. The sadness so great that he couldn't even shed tears. His heart was broken and his tear ducts were dry from the shock.
Sonic closed his eyes and sighed.
"I know Tails. Better than anyone".
"From the death of your friend's Jolteon right?" Misty accurately guessed.
"Yes. You three bore witness to my darkest hours. After silph co. And now that I recall… I was rather mean back then and haven't actually apologized Ash. So well… sorry for that".
Ash nodded. He was way past the events of that day.
"Still…" Tails said in sadness "things were supposed to be better now. We were supposed to be stronger together. And yet…"
"Tails" Sonic grabbed his friend by the shoulder "me and Mike combined couldn't beat Giovanni. And back then we each had 5 badges. You and Knuckles are only now building your teams and only Knuckles is doing the gym challenge. Yet you were able to stand up to them. You were amazing buddy" he gave Tails a hug "the only thing we forgot is the kind of monsters we're dealing with".
Tails felt his last hope for a not very violent confrontation die out. His support battling style wasn't as viable an option as he thought. At their current state it was a drawback.
Team rocket wouldn't hesitate. He had to be ready to strike back.
And yet he felt powerless. Powerless to help Tyranitar, powerless to help Knuckles.
Powerless and unworthy to be called a member of team Sonic.
"What do we do about team rocket now though? These 3 know nothing and all our leads are gone" Ash brought them back to the present.
Sonic cursed as he knew Ash was right. This was the worst situation they could be in.
"Sonic" Knuckles suddenly said.
Sonic looked at his friend's direction. The red echidna's head was protruding from the opening of the container of the toppled track, having finished checking the cab.
"Tyranitar wasn't the only thing in here".
Sonic jumped in the container. Behind Tyranitar, at least when it was still in the truck, were several spare parts.
"Tails?" he called out to his tech savvy friend "what can you tell me about these?"
Tails jumped inside the container, needing something to distract himself, when his phone buzzed. Taking a look at the screen his face froze.
"Shit!" he screamed in shock.
"What's wrong?"
"My phone just reported team rocket activity in Olivine city. The Ampharos living in the city's lighthouse was taken!"
"What?!"
"It says they disguided themselves as tourists to visit the lighthouse then snatched it and threw it off the lighthouse straight into the back of a truck similar to this one" Tails explained referring to the truck they were currently in "and drove off. Noone knows where".
Sonic slammed his fist into the container's wall.
Damnit. They're two steps ahead".
"There's got to be something in here we could use right?" Ash said climbing into the container himself.
Tails looked at the parts Sonic had called him to examine.
"These look like generic parts. Except for this one" he said pointing to a long rod "it's a part for a lightning rod".
"A lightning rod? What could they want a lightning rod for?" Ash asked Tails.
Sonic pondered this question himself.
"Do you guys remember what that farmer couple said?" he asked aloud in deep thought "that truck that stopped by their farm also carried parts like that".
"I do. More specifically they mentioned a device that was a mix of a lightning rod and a generator" Tails confirmed.
"They must be trying to generate electricity with the generator and use the lightning rods to attract wild electric types" Brock explained from outside the truck "it is a similar logic to why electric type pokemon choose to live in power plants. They are attracted by the generating of electricity".
"So we got that their plan involves electric types. But we still need a location" Sonic reminded them.
"Wait!" Knuckles suddenly exclaimed jumping out of the container and back into the driver's cab. 5 seconds later he came back out holding a map.
"I noticed it before but was too much of a dumbass to pick it up before. Look here" he gave the map to Sonic. The latter, with Tails and Ash on his sides, observed the contents of the map.
The map was of the area mostly. But it contained a vital piece of info.
"The grunt who was delivering…" Sonic went to say but he knew it would make Tails feel bad again "was an idiot. He marked not only the route he would follow but even marked the destination as exactly that".
Everyone looked at the area marked with a big red circle. A nameless rocky terrain.
"Perfect place to go through with an evil plan" Brock admitted.
"Then let's not waste any time. Let's go get them" Ash was quick to take action.
"Wait Ash" Misty stopped him "what are we going to do with… " she shed a tear, unable to speak Tyranitar's name.
Sonic also knew they couldn't leave them here. Especially not Larvitar. Without someone to care for it, it wouldn't survive.
"You're right Misty. We can't leave it here. Knuckles".
"Hm…"
"Go on. Catch Larvitar".
"Catch it? Me?"
"Yes you. You're the only one here who can care for it like it needs".
Knuckles' eyes widened. He knew what Sonic meant. After all he had only yesterday narrated his backstory to his teammates.
"Why should Knuckles catch it exactly? What about me? Am I not a viable option?" Ash interjected, annoyed.
"And what do you mean he is the only one who can properly care got it?" Brock inquired.
Sonic looked at the pewter trainer.
"You were there. All of you were. You saw how Knuckles was the only one of us who could get through to Molly Hale. That's what makes him the best option to care for an orphaned pokemon".
Ash raised his eyebrow still not understanding. Brock on the other hand figured it out almost instantly.
"You mean what he said to Molly… about losing his parents. That was true?" he asked Knuckles.
"Yes. I wasn't making it up to get Molly to feel like I could understand her. It was the truth".
Ash looked down remembering that day. If what Knuckles had told Molly was true then Sonic was right. Knuckles could take care of Larvitar better than Ash would.
"You understand it" he said in the end.
"I do" Knuckles confirmed.
Ash went to say something but Knuckles motioned him not to. No words had to be exchanged.
As Knuckles went to catch Larvitar the remaining 5 were discussing how to proceed. It was decided that Brock and Misty would call the police – Brock jumped at the idea to Sonic's face slap – and Ash would go with team Sonic to take down team rocket's operation and save Ampharos.
When Sonic went to inform Knuckles however, the latter looked at him concerned.
"I caught Larvitar and Quilava was able to help it as much as possible with accepting the situation. But now it won't stop pointing the other way from where we have to go".
Sonic, weirded out, brought Raichu forward. Raichu asked Larvitar what it was trying to tell them and after a bit of mimicking, it got the message across that Larvitar was leading them to the cave Tyranitar and it used to live before they were taken by team rocket.
Returning to Ash and Tails they relayed the info.
"We don't have time for such a detour" Ash immediately disagreed.
Sonic was inclined to agree. Larvitar was probably just wanting to go back to feel safe or to mentally say goodbye.
Tails however had a different option to offer.
"We can do both".
Everyone looked at him.
"Knuckles, you and Sonic go to the cave and see what Larvitar wants. Ash and I will scout out ahead and see what we're dealing with".
"No way Tails" Sonic disagreed heavily "I let team rocket already get away once just now. I won't take this risk again".
Tails looked at his ally with a troubled face. He managed to fake confidence however.
"We don't have time to argue about it Sonic. Don't worry. We'll just scout and report. I promise".
Sonic didn't know if he fully believed Tails but nodded. He looked at the map again. Thankfully the cave wasn't very far.
"All right. But you won't engage them until we get there got it?"
"Got it".
Sonic nodded fist bumping Tails. He then turned to Brock and Misty.
"Go to Olivine with the police. Tell them everything. I hate to involve the police but this isn't about us and the rockets anymore".
Brock and Misty nodded.
"All right. Good luck everyone. Call Knuckles if anything goes south on any front" Sonic instructed them before heading off with Knuckles.
The two walked as fast as possible, sprinting some of the way too to gain some time. Eventually they reached the cave.
Knuckles brought out Larvitar. The small ground and rock type started crying out inside the cave.
Sonic and Knuckles looked at each other perplexed until Larvitar rushed inside before Knuckles could stop it forcing them to chase after it.
Larvitar didn't go too deep in the cave but kept crying out its name the whole time.
"Wait…" Knuckles suddenly got a crazy idea "could it be calling out to something?"
"Or someone?" Sonic asked back.
Their questions were answered the next moment.
From behind a rock protruded the head of another Larvitar. Knuckles' Larvitar called out to it and the newly appeared Larvitar rushed to hug it relieved and happy to see it.
"There were two" Sonic whispered "the mother probably managed to hide this one… but not the one you caught".
Knuckles observed the two Larvitars as the second one started crying as well. Knuckles' one had told it about their mother.
The two Larvitars then turned to meet the two trainers' eyes. The second Larvitar approached Sonic rubbing its heavy body on Sonic's legs causing him to almost trip and fall.
No words needed to be spoken. Knuckles looked at Sonic and nodded.
"We were meant to be here mate. There is no room for doubt anymore".
Sonic smiled a faint smile of sadness mixed with excitement at catching a pseudo legendary.
"There never was Knucks" he said taking out a pokeball and holding it out. The Larvitar wasted no time headbutting it. 3 wiggles later the catch was confirmed.
As the two trainers headed out Sonic turned to Knuckles.
"Hey um… will you help me if I prove to be improper to raise such a pokemon?"
"You caught a legendary man. A pseudo legend won't be as hard to train".
"No I mean… when it comes to helping it be happy. You can understand these two but I…"
Knuckles patted him on the back sympathetically.
"Don't let yourself be defined by your mistake in Greenfield. The illusion Entei played dirty with the Jolty illusion. You will be a great trainer for Larvitar's sibling".
"You think so?"
"I know so" Knuckles smiled as they walked out of the cave.
"You know… we should probably do something to tell these two Larvitars apart. Don't want to mix them up when we get them to train with us later".
"True" Knuckles agreed "we could give them a nickname. You know so they can answer our call when we call them".
"Great idea" Sonic agreed.
The two friends threw their pokeballs in the air calling out their new pokemon.
Little did the two know however, there would be no need for nicknames.
The moment Sonic's Larvitar appeared, sparkles emerged.
"WHAT THE FU…" Sonic's scream echoed through the area.
"A shiny Larvitar?!" Knuckles exaimed in shock.
Sonic couldn't believe it. 3 shinies? How could this be?
Knuckles looked at Sonic in disbelief.
"What are the odds of this?"
"I have no idea. But even if we took the odds reported by people who research shinies, it still is too big of a coincidence".
Knuckles had a different opinion.
"Maybe not. Nidoking was luck. But hitmontop? And now Larvitar? You were at the right place at the right time. That is not luck".
Sonic contemplated what Knuckles meant.
Was he destined to meet these shinies?
And was he destined to meet more shinies along his way as a trainer?
And then… there was something else. Just the feeling of achievement he got because of the discovery and capture of a shiny pokemon gave him an inexplicable yet intoxicating emotion of accomplishment. Made him feel good.
The ringing of Knuckles' phone brought him back to reality.
The number was that of a pokegear.
"Brock?" Sonic guessed.
"No" Knuckles answered worried "I registered Brock's number".
"Well answer it".
Knuckles answered.
"Knuckles!"
It was Ash. Lying next to an unconscious Tails covered in what looked to be electrical burns.
"Tails!" Sonic exclaimed in terror grabbing Knuckles' phone "what happened?"
"We saw… team rocket with a machine… and then Tails tried… and Raikou…"
"Raikou?!"
"It was an accident. I didn't… it all happened so fast".
Ash was in a state of panic. He couldn't get the words out properly. Sonic became concerned. Ash panicking like that wasn't something normal for him.
"Stay where you are we're on our way!" Knuckles instructed Ash and taking the phone back ended the call.
"Did you see Tails?" Sonic murmured.
"I did. So let's go quick! They need us!"
Sonic nodded.
Recalling their Larvitars, they started sprinting with Knuckles directing them to their destination with the help of the map.
The slowpoke well had been just the beginning. Now things were going to get really serious.