Sorry, stuff happened in life, and laptop issues.
Pikachu: Last time, Ash, Red and Leaf challenged the third gym, and while Red and Leaf got the Thunder Badge easily, Ash had… some struggles with Pikachu. A thunderstorm caused by the legendary Zapdos made the group go investigate, and their investigation directed them to the Power Plant. There, they faced the legendary Zapdos in a spectacular battle that ended when Ash jumped in front of Pikachu to protect him from Zapdos's fury. Zapdos then recognized.. Ash and.. the battle was over… 'sighs!' Then Ash rechallenged Surge and won with… … something. Then they went to the SSN, which by the way, looks like the st. an- oh, never mind. Anyway, they encountered lots of people, and Ash was about to traid his Bulbasaur, but thankfully, he didn't. But Team Rocket lied to everyone and told them there was a contest and they should enter and that there was gonna be delicious food, which there was none of! It was a trick to steal the Pokémon, Petrel enjoyed the moment, and we learned that, with some convincing and Rhyperior using Rock Wrecker on him, Ditto could split himself into two objects. Huh. Anyway, the ship's engine turned out to not be working, and everyone was anxious as Team Rocket planned to explode the ship. Meanwhile, Zapdos, -again-, caused a thunderstorm by accident, and went to rescue the ship's passengers . How'd I do?
Eevee: You didn't mention that Pikachu and Eevee resisted hypno's powers.
Pikachu: That was by accident too.. I think.
Author: Well done! You get a cookie. 'to readers' About the resistance of hypnosis by Ash's partner Pokémon, that's from loyalty, trust, and an even subconscious thought to protect and obey him. It'll be expanded on later in the story, not for now though. Now, enjoy chapter 9: Catching A Break!
'Pikachu enjoys a diliscious cookie with a satisfied smile.'
A thunder boomed, jolting him awake. Lightning shook the ship, and his mind raced in alarm. Pika looked around in search of his trainer, but there was no sign of Red. The only things around were a few scattered Pokéballs and dozens of filled bags.
"Red?" Pika called out. He wandered around, scanning the area with his eyes.
Nothing. Anything, any familiar sound to calm his panic. No. Only the ship rocking between the raging waves.
"Red!" he repeated.
*rumble*
What followed was a wave of chilly fear coursing through him, and cold wind sneaking through his fur.
`RUN.`
With haste, he dashed forward with forceful, urgent strides, his mind a mess of questions. `Where am I-how did I get here?-`
He couldn't worry about them now-he had to find his trainer, it was safer with him.
Where could he be-did he leave him-what could've possibly happened?
He bumped into someone, causing them to fall over with a thud.
"Watch were yer goin'," they said, in a familiar voice.
"…Meowth?" Pika said, pausing beside the Pokémon.
"Pika?" Meowth said, clearly relieved to see him.
"What are you doing here? Where's Red?" Pika demanded. `He oughtta know something.`
"What are -you- doin' here? And where's Leaf?" the scratch cat replied.
"I dunno—wait, Leaf? You're looking for the guys too?" Pika said.
"What else can I do?"
Pika took a deap breath. He didn't know if Meowth was telling the trueth, but he was good company. "Okay, follow me!"
He wandered around aimlessly, hoping to find Red. They were silent, the air tense around them, and sounds of the waves and eerie noises of the storm threatened their hearing as they continued to search for their trainers.
The ship shook violently, causing Pika to lose his footing. "Whoa!" he yelped, wabling. Just before he was about to fall, he used his tail to keep himself upright. "Phew—that was close."
"I tink dat's da waves dis time. I didn't hear thunder," Meowth pointed out. He had a good point, no thunder booms this time. The waves were very violent, clearly the weather wasn't a lovely one. Now don't get him wrong, Pika loved rainy days, thunderstorms and summer all at the same time, but not on a ship,. without his trainer no less. Where the people could've just avoided trouble by just checking if the weather was good to set sale. Why'd the ship set sale otherwise?
"Hey, ya hear dat?" Meowth whispered, his ears perking up.
A voice? Pika didn't pick up on anything, what was Meowth talking about?
A whoosh drew back Pika's attention as Meowh sprinted past him. "Jess! Jimmy!"
Though a bit confused, Pika followed, finally, he was able to hear what was being said.
"What's wrong, Jess?"
"I think I heard…" Pika couldn't make out the rest.
"REALLY? HE IS ON THIS LEVEL THEN!" another familiar voice said. Oh, no, not those to. He didn't have time for this.
Pika's sense of hearing was impressive, as were most Pokémon. And he was able to recognize the speaker—Team Rocket's James.
"Meowth!" Jessie called out, probably catching a glimpse of the scratch cat Pokémon.
To avoid all this, Pika headed a different direction. He wandered at speed, whishing he'd find his trainer. But at the back of his mind, a question kept nagging. How did he end up in this situation? First, they were about to battle Blue, but then Red decided to go to that… contest quiz thing instead. And then, Pika woke up beside that pile of Pokéballs. `How? What?`
…
He climbed several levels, with each, a wave of adrenalin pushed him. Finally, at a sertain level, he could make out a voice of someone he really, really, really recognized—Ash. And where Ash would be, probably Red would be.
Yes!
Ash's and other voices could be heard, with the names Pikachu and Eevee being mensioned here and there. He could only understand few words from this far. He needed to get closer.
"WHAT?!" someone yelled, prompting him to yelp in fright. "THEY'RE GONNA BLOW UP THE SHIP?!"
Now, Pika was close enough to hear the reply. "Yes, I'm afraid so. I overheard that Rocket talking with his partner about it. He mentioned contacting their boss and telling them about the situation. The boss said a helicopter's coming to pick them up, and then the man said he's going to throw a bomb at the ship and blow it up!" the masculine voice sounded scared. "I'm sorry, but I can't do anything. The engine's broken, and the Rockets took everything from me when they put me in that… box thing you freed me from."
"We don't have much time then!"
Pika's eyes widened. That was Red.
"RED!" Pika exclaimed. He rushed forward mindlessly, extatic they would reunite.
He crashed into his trainer with a happy squeal, surprising him a little. When Red realized it was Pika, he embraced him in a big hug. "Pika!" he said with delight. "I missed you!"
"Don't you go away again," Pika pleaded, his voice muffled.
"Uh… kid?" someone said.
"Hang on, let's just cherish the moment," a trainer said, clearly touched by Red and Pika's reuniting and joy. "They seem so happy together.
"Yep, I think that's enough," the trainer said. "OI! KID, FOCUS!" they cried out, clapping.
"Excuse me!" Red retorted, obviously upset that the trainer wasn't letting him and Pika have a happy reunion.
"He's right kid," another trainer supported, which seemed calmer to Pika. "We're in a tough situation here. And for some unknown reason, we adults are unable to do something. So, obviously, we ask the kids we don't know for help."
Sounds of agreement followed, indicating that the trainers on the ship were actually supportive of the idea.
"Wait, captain, what was that about the helecopter?" Ash asked abruptly, an idea undoubtedly forming in his mind.
"Uh, the Rockets will transfer the balls to the helicopter once it arrives, and then they'll throw a bomb at the ship?" the captain replied, sounding confused.
"That's great!" Ash exclaimed. "Since they're gonna transfor them, they need to move them from… wherever they are! Which means that we can surprise the Rockets with a sneak attack and take the Pokémon back! We just need to wait till the helicopter arrives."
"That, is, BRILLIANT!" the captain shouted, earning a yelp from Pika. He moved out of Red's grip to watch the interaction, only to see a man squeezing Ash hard. "I CAN'T BELIEVE WE'RE GONNA SURVIVE! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!"
"Mister…I…can't…breathe," Ash gasped out.
"You! Let go of him!" Pikachu growled from Ash's shoulder, sparks flying from his cheeks.
"Woah there," the captain apologized, letting go of Ash who gasped for air.
"It's a good plan," Leaf supported. "One small problem though. We can't just wait here and do nothing till the copter arrives. We've gotta do something before that. Attack the Rocket's-"
"Really? Attacking the Rockets with just four Pokémon?" Red gave Leaf an incredulous stare. "I mean sure, Pikachu and Eevee were enough before. And now we have Pika, and Ditto can battle anyone other than Houndoom, but still, these are just Archer and Petrel's Pokémon. What about the other members? And what if they hypnotize us or someone else again? We'd be at a disadvantage…AGAIN! Let's just go search for our Pokémon."
"Hold on," Brock started. "Searching the whole ship'd be a waste of time. Pika was with the Pokémon, right? Let's ask him. Maybe he knows something."
"Yup. Definitely a wise choice. When you're lost or something, ask four kids with some Pokémon for help and stand there in bewilderment as they formulate a plan to take back the Pokémon from an evil organization. Remarkable!" a man exclaimed.
"So, Pika, do you know where the Pokémon are?"
"Me?" Pika said nervously. "Uh…"
The level he woke up in earlier was Pika's best guess, since there were lots of filled bags and a few pokéballs scattered around. So he led the trainers there, and regreted doing so promptly.
Pika sighed. "Oh no, I I forgot!"
"Hmm?" Ditto said. "Something wrong?"
Pika nodded, pointing with his paw.
"No, you're kidding." Ditto let out an exasperated sigh. "Get ready, Nonsense alert!"
"Nonsense al-"
"NOT SO FAST, TRAINERS!" a feminine voice shouted from the left. Jessie from Team Rocket. " prepare for trouble!"
"And make it double!" a male voice continued. James.
The group facepalmed.
The group's looks changed from annoyance to confusion when they heard a different couple of people interrupting the stupid motto.
"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!"
"Butch! And don't You dare sayit wrong!"
*slap *
"Ow."
"We're Team Rocket, circling Earth all day and night!"
"Surrender to us now, or you will surely lose the fight!"
"Meowth, dat's not right!" Meowth shouted. He soon realized what he had done and clarified, "I mean da words of da motto, not da facts. Dese tings are totally what Team Rocket do."
"Then why do you say it wrong all the time?" Butch yelled.
"Leave them to be, butch. Insanity is repeating the wrong thing and expecting different results," Cassidy added. "Typical idiocy."
"THAT'S NOT THE DEFINITION AND YOU KNOW IT!" Jessie shouted.
James nodded. "She has a point, you know."
He paused for several moments.
"The definition of insanity is being called Butch without getting arrested," he finished, causing butch to widen his eyes, aghast.
(OOOOOOOH! I'm worried I'm the only onrethinking it's a roast.)
"Yay," Ditto deadpanned. "Wait, no, actually yay!" he smiled. "These four always argue with each other. We can go and get our Pokémon. Quick!" He hurried on, not worried.
The group followed Pika and him, sighing in relief that they didn't need to stand there for ten thousand yearsas they passed by Jessie.
As Ditto expected, she ignored them, and so did James.
As they wandered the level, they noticed bags scaterred across the floor all over the place.
"Psst, kids, you think this's our stuff?" one trainer whispered.
Ditto paused and turned back. "Probably," he replied.
"Don't you think You're relying on us –kids- a bit too much?" Leaf asked.
"CHARGE!" A trainer raced forward towards the bags.
Unfortunately, that attracted unwanted attention. Petrel, on guard, sent out his Weezing and commanded it to use Hyper Beam.
Weezing formed a big ball of energy in its mouth and released it with a cry. *blow* The Hyper Beam raced towards the trainers at lightning speed. Red noticed it and realized, sadly, that there was no way for everyone to avoid it without harm.
Red ordered Pika to use Thunderbolt. Pika charged up a large amount of electricity and shot it towards the Beam in an impressive display of power. It collided with the Hyper Beam, creating an explosion of energy that blinded everyone for a moment.
Once all was calm again, Red charged, tackled Petrel, tried to reech a bag, but Petrel attempted to body slam him. He backed off, remembering that he was a ten-year-old facing a fully-grown man. Punching him in the face like Gary wouldn't work, he needed a distraction.
Iron Tail. Pika rammed an Iron Tail into Weezing, causing it to yelp in pain.
"Huh?" Petrel looked over, only for Red to lung for the nearest bag, grab it, and hurdle away from the strongman. "No, get back here! I was just beginning to have fun…I'll give you another bag of pokéballs if we wrestle, how about it?"
"No thanks, I'm not insain." Red tossed the bag to Ash, who swiftly caught it and opened it.
"I heard that!" a voice yelled from the far.
" Come on out!" Ash said, flipping the bag and letting gravity do its work.
One after another, the Pokéballs burst open, revealing the trainers' Pokémon. Cries of confusion soon echoed around them as Pokémon called out for their trainers.
"Raticate, I missed you!" a man exclaimed, rushing forward and grabbing his raticate and its pokéball. "Let's have vengeance!"
"Blood!" the raticate shouted, his eyes reddening with anger, just like its trainer.
(They need therapy.)
Trainers who spotted their Pokémon rushed at them with glee, eager to reunite with one another.
but there were four left, with no trainer claiming them, a Metapod, a Bulbasaur, a Squirtle, and a Charmander.
(How convenient)
Ash, just realizing they were the rest of his Pokémon, exclaimed, his smile edged across his face. "Guys, you're OK!" He embraced them, checked them for injuries, and found none. "All OK," he sighed in relief.
"K, here's how's this gonna go," Leaf started, excited to join the fight with Ditto. "Trainers with Pokémon, fight and distract Team Rocket. Trainers with no Pokémon, wait till they're distracted, and go get your Pokémon back then join the fight. And if anybody sees my Bulbasaur, please tell me! Got it?"
"OK!" the trainers nodded determinedly.
Leaf grinned. "Getting advantage of the royal power I have been granted by nobody."
And so, began the combat. Trainers attacked this way and that, showing off their best tricks and their determination to fight and defeat the threat—Team Rocket.
"Super Fang!"
"Hydro Pump!"
"Thunder!"
"Electro Ball!"
"Flash Cannon!"
When everything seemed to be going their way, the trainers were surprised to see an armi of people, with the "r" logo of Team Rocket emblazed on their chests approaching .
"It's more of Team Rocket! What are we gonna do now?"
"We're gonna Fight till the end!" Blue cried out, "Hydro PUMP!"
With frustration and fury, the grunts counterattacked, shouting out their commands to put an end to the defiance.
"Toxic!"
"Sludge Wave!"
"Sludge Bomb."
Commands filled the air, either from allies or enemies, turning the battle into a war-like revolt.
"Pikachu, get in there and use Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded, urging his Pokémon to help the others. Pikachu channeled his electric power and unleashed an immensely powerful Thunderbolt towards the enemies with remarkable speed. The electrical attack traveled through the air, emitting a buzzing noise that instilled fear in Pikachu's opponents. The Thunderbolt hit ten enemy Pokémon simultaneously, instantly defeating all of them and leaving everyone astonished.
The Rocket grunts recalled their Pokémon with frustrated ahhs and hmphs. But they couldn't help but look in wonder at Ash and Pikachu, even while attempting to glare.
"I wanna try that!" Ditto said, transforming into Pikachu. "Here, goes, THUNDERBOLT!"
Ditto launched a powerful bolt of electricity at Team Rocket's Pokémon, determined to imitate Pikachu. The electric attack tore through the air, while its buzzing struck fear into the hearts of the Pokémon. Petrel, knowing what Ditto was capable of, returned his Weezing out of fear, and several Rocket members followed his lead.
With an overwhelming explosion, the thunderbolt struck its target, leaving it battered and out cold. Soon, it was recalled to its pokéball by its trainer, with a frustrated "You'll pay for this!"
Ditto transformed back to Leaf and smirked at the speaker. "Don't think so!" he responded confidently. "People, hear me, and fear me! I'm Ditto, the shapeshifting blob! I'm not weak, and I'll stop the villains endlessly! Yeah-" Ditto's uncharacteristic bragging came to a stop as a voice pierced the air with an angry bellow.
"What's going on here?" a voice bellowed, causing Ditto to gulp and utter a "never mind" in fear, before hiding behind Leaf. When the speaker approached, it was clear why. Houndoom was so mad he was literally blazing with rage. "Archer and I leave for five seconds and I hear the pathetic bragging about a victory? Where is he?"
"Hey you!" Pikachu charged at Houndoom with a Quick Attack which the dark Pokémon didn't manage to dodge. "I have a score to settle with you!" Pikachu announced, sparking with determination.
"Oh, brother. H-hi Pikachu!" Houndoom greeted, trying to be as innocent as possible. "I assume we can't talk this out since You're not hypnotized anymore?"
"Houndoom, you useless mutt! Instead of acting innocent and scared, take down that Pikachu!" Archer barked furiously. "Shadow Ball, aim it directly at Pikachu, not below this time!"
Houndoom growled in response. He started gathering the energy for the attack, and Ash stood confidently, ready to give his command. Houndoom shaped the ghostly energy into a sinister, spherical ball, a wicked grin crossing his face.
"Eevee, use Quick Attack to stand in front of Pikachu!" Ash commanded. Though puzzled, Eevee obeyed without hesitation. He sprinted, leaving a streak of normal-type energy behind him. He lept forward, and positioned himself in front of Pikachu. Houndoom launched the powerful Shadow Ball, either overlooking Eevee or unable to stop the attack. The Shadow Ball hurtled towards them, whooshing through the air with force.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Archer barked. "Are you being serious right now? Why?"
(Uhhh…)
"Eevee, blow as hard as you can at the Shadow Ball!" Ash urged, hoping that Eevee could deflect it just as before. Though still perplexed, Eevee followed the command and blew with all his might, stopping the Shadow Ball in its tracks.
"...What?" Pikachu said, baffled.
Eevee simply shrugged, took a deep breath, and blew at the Shadow Ball again. This time, the ball shot towards Houndoom and slammed into him, so he stumbled backwards with a resounding boom.
"…O…kay," Pikachu said. "That was unexpected."
"I didn't know I could do that, but I guess it makes sense. I'm a normal-type blowing wind at a ball of ghost energy, which isn't heavy and is… actually hard-hitting… to other types," Eevee said.
"You can handle Shadow Ball, but can you handle Dark Pulse?" Archer challenged with a smirk.
Houndoom grinned maliciously as he prepared to unleash his devastating Dark Pulse upon Pikachu and Eevee. His eyes glowed with anger as he formed the attack and let out an angry roar. The attack shot towards them with incredible speed, catching Eevee off guard. It crashed into him with a deafening roar, knocking him into Pikachu and sending both of them back several feet.
"Is it me, or was that attack more powerful?" Eevee asked, wincing.
"Ha-yah! Thunderbolt!" Pikachu retaliated angrily, releasing a massive Thunderbolt that crackled through the air. Houndoom seriously regretted using the attack, as Pikachu's Thunderbolt was hurled at him with an unexpected speed, leaving him no time to dodge.
The electric attack struck with a mighty explosion, stunning everyone, Team Rocket included. Houndoom roared in pain as the powerful attack surged through his body, momentarily immobilizing him. Then, with an angry bark, he released a powerful blast of fire at Pikachu, his throat glowing red.
"Squirtle, use Water Gun! Charmander, counter fire with fire!" Ash commanded, urging his Pokémon to work together. Charmander unleashed a powerful blast of fire, aiming to counter Houndoom's attack and protect Pikachu. Squirtle, filled with determination, shot a powerful jet of pressurized water at Houndoom's Flame Thrower, adding to the force of the counterattack.
The combined forces of fire and water managed to halt Houndoom's attack, causing slight damage to the Pokémon involved.
Archer began issuing his next command, "Use—"
"Flash Cannon, target Houndoom!" another trainer interrupted. A blast of concentrated light was unleashed with a powerful boom, grabbing everyone's attention.
The attack soared through the air and, although it wouldn't heavily affect Houndoom, it did cause him to recoil, fearing its secondary effects. The attack hit Houndoom, who let out a pained yelp.
Seizing the opportunity, Red ordered Pika to use Iron Tail. The determined electric mouse charged at Houndoom, aiming to weaken his defenses.
"Pathetic," Houndoom sneered. He retaliated by unleashing a powerful blast of flames at Pika, who had no chance of avoiding the Dark Pokémon's Flame Thrower from that range. The scorching-hot flames engulfed Pika, burning his body completely. Houndoom didn't stop there, roaring, "You're going to regret trying to join the fight!"
The tormenting Flame Thrower continued to burn Pika, draining his willpower. He cried out in agony and jumped backward, desperate to escape Houndoom's relentless assault. But Houndoom's rage knew no bounds. He charged at Pika, unleashing an even more powerful Flame Thrower, fueled by anger and frustration. The flames continued to scorch Pika, their menacing roar striking fear into the poor Pokémon's heart.
The sounds of worried and scared Pokémon and trainers reached Pika's ears as he endured the scorching flames, intensifying his pain and cries. The agony coursing through his body felt like devastation itself, and Houndoom's devilish laughter only amplified his suffering. This Pokémon was mocking him, reveling in his pain—
Then, suddenly, the pain stopped.
(Poor Pika, he's always a victim to these.)
Pika looked up to see Houndoom lying on the ground, a pained expression on his face. And, standing protectively beside Pika, was Ditto-Clefable.
Ditto smirked at Houndoom, then looked at Pika with concern. He transformed into Pidgeot, his most convenient form of transportation, and gestured for Pika to hop on. "Hop on," he said softly. Ditto His fear of Houndoom wouldn't prevent him from protecting his friends, not anymore.
Summoning the last of his strength, Pika managed to hop onto Ditto's back, exhausted but grateful. Ditto flew slowly and steadily above everyone, making his way toward Red, with his primary concern being Pika's well-being. He had experienced the pain that Pika endured, the cruelty of Team Rocket, the emotional damage caused by Houndoom's laughter, and the wrathful flames of Houndoom. He couldn't believe that, despite everything, Leaf had convinced him to save Pika. But he had done it, and she was probably so proud of him.
With a gentle coo, Ditto dropped Pika into Red's arms and quickly flew toward Leaf. He crashed into her and transformed back into his regular form, giving her a scared hug. "Yay! I did it," he whispered. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I want to hide again."
With that, he hid behind Leaf once more, terrified of Houndoom's potential retaliation.
A spine-chilling silence fell over the area, with only the sounds of the crashing waves and pouring rain outside breaking through. The atmosphere was tense, serving as a constant reminder that the ship was on the brink of sinking into the sea.
Suddenly, a ringing sound pierced the air, shattering the silence. It was Petrel's communication device. He pulled it out and responded to the caller.
In the stormy skies above the ship, a helicopter fought to survive, desperately evading the thunderous fury. Zapdos relentlessly attacked, using Thunders and Steel Wings, attempting to bring down the helicopter. It had spotted the helicopter a minute ago and knew they were up to no good, so it tried to stop them. Unfortunately, it had been unsuccessful thus far.
The pilot of the helicopter furiously tapped their communication devices, attempting to contact Petrel or Archer and inform them about the dire situation. They'd urge them to hurry up and come, or they would be forced to leave. The relentless onslaught from Zapdos was worrisome, and they feared the helicopter couldn't endure much longer.
Finally, Petrel responded.
"What?"
"You need to hurry out with everything! Zapdos is attacking the helicopter. We can't withstand these attacks much longer!"
"We can't! Problem with the trainers. They've taken back their Pokémon."
"WHAT?"
Silence.
"WELL, CAN'T YOU DO… WHATEVER YOU'RE DOING FASTER?"
"No. Ditto hit Archer's Houndoom hard with an Aqua Jet. We're struggling here."
"Oh… oh yeah, that must've hurt. But—
Zapdos struck the helicopter hard with a critical Steel Wing, forcing it backward, right into the path of an imminent lightning strike. The lightning struck the helicopter, shaking it and sending it hurtling downward.
"WOAH! LISTEN, THIS MISSION IS OBVIOUSLY FAILING! JUST… JUST GET OUT OF THE SHIP AND LET US GET AWAY FROM HERE! THERE'S A ZAPDOS—"
The communication was abruptly cut off.
Petrel sighed in frustration. "Let's go," he commanded, pointedly staring at Archer.
"Why and where?" Archer said.
"It looks like the storm is freaking the pilot out," Petrel said. "Said the mission is obviously failing and made up some story about Zapdos before signing off."
"Zapdos?" Archer pondered the thought, unlike Petrel, who casually walked away. Petrel walked among the trainers as if he were one of them, even saying "excuse me" if a confused trainer didn't move aside.
"Jessie, Cassidy, Biff, James! Quit fighting and let's go!" Petrel yelled at the four grunts, still arguing about something, even during everything that happened. The grunts followed him without question, Meowth behind them.
With a frustrated hum, Archer recalled his Houndoom, and raised his voice so every Rocket member could hear him. "We're leaving. Forget the trainers, forget the pokéballs, let's go, now!"
With these words, he ran off after Petrel, leaving the grunts to recall their Pokémon in a hurry and confused. After they did, they followed their superiors away.
The trainers cheered, glad they can get their Pokémon back. They charged at the left bags and opened them, releasing all the Pokémon inside.
The rest of the stolen Pokémon were indeed in these left bags. The trainers gave another victory shout while picking up their pokéballs and recalling their Pokémon, smiles edged on their faces.
"Now that we got our Pokémon back, nobody can stop us!"
"Let's teach Team Rocket a lessen. Ignoring the fact they're a known criminal organization that can hunt our families down because we're trainers! TO VICTORY-"
"What are you talking about?" Gary interjected. "They're leaving the ship! Didn't ya hear the man?"
"Oh, uhm… yeah, oops. Let's just use our water Pokémon to swim back to shore and forget this has happened completely?"
"Good idea. Who here has water Pokémon?" Leaf asked everyone.
Voices were raised, hands were raised, and everyone started counting what water-types they had. The number of water Pokémon was thankfully massive, and everyone could be carried to shore if the passengers work together.
Unfortunately, if was the key word here. Petrel's threat of throwing a bomb at the ship and exploding it came true, and the ship exploded. Chaos ensued.
"SEND OUT ANY POKÉMON THAT CAN HELP!" Leaf urged. Every trainer that had water-type Pokémon sent them out in a hurry, and used them for support to quickly swim away in fear.
Ditto immediately transformed into pidgeot, and signaled come on to the group. They tried to climb, but the see waves and the chaos around them made this impossible. Leaf decided to try, one last time, and jumped from the water, and back into it.
"Can you transform into any big water-type?" Red asked Ditto, hoping the solution would work.
Ditto thought about it for several seconds, and unfortunately, couldn't transform into such Pokémon. He shook his head, still thinking of a way to get the group out of danger.
"Let's just ask squirtle to help us swim, anywhere, just… let's get away from here!" Ash suggested, urging his friends.
"Right," Red agreed, sending out his squirtle. Ash and Leaf followed, each sending out their own squirtle. The three water-type Pokémon instantly realized the danger of the situation, and immediately started helping their trainers swim away, followed by Ditto, who transformed into Starmie.
"What. Exactly. Is. Happening?" Petrel asked, shaking due to the copter's shaking. Zapdos had been attacking it more viciously since he threw the bomb at the ship, and they were barely able to fly.
*roar* Zapdos used Thunder, and damaged the copter, incapacitating the plane a bit.
"Oh c'mon," Petrel complained. "*sigh* how has this gon so badly?"
"You're the last one to talk, 'nice guy'," Archer barked angrily. "Now shut up, it's a marvel we're alive."
*different roar*
Everyone in the plain looked back down, only to see a bunch of gyarados coming out of the water and roaring angrily.
"James, see? This is what your magikarp evolves into. So evolve it already."
They were unfortunate enough to be caught by gyarados. The gyarados were furious, and the group couldn't get away from them.
*roars*
"Why are they so mad?" Ash asked.
"The explosion must've angered them!" Brock replied.
"WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO?" Leaf asked.
"Let's battle them. We can swim away when they're distracted," Red suggested as an answer. "CLEFABLE, LET'S GO!"
With a flash, clefable emerged. She realized the seriousness of the situation, and prepared to battle.
The gyarados charged at them with angry roars, causing the squirtle to shutter in fear. With second roars, all the gyarados released jets of high-pressured water towards them simultaneously, and Red began forming a plan.
Red ordered clefable to use Disarming Voice. A charming cry soon topped the raging waves around, the gyarados' roars, and the storm howling above as clefable released her attack. Clefable's Disarming voice soon struck the gyarados mightily, forcing them to yelp, pained. Mighty roars escaped them, so everyone had to cover their ears to not get deafened by the loud howls of agony.
Metronome. Clefable paused her mighty Disarming Voice and turned her focus to using Metronome, but, of course, gyarados wouldn't wait for it to select an attack. They cried out in anger as they charged towards the group. The three humans gulped, they remembered legends they heard about gyarados's power. Turning a city into nothing in nighttime, going on rampages for a month at least. And the dragon rage. Where the gyarados attack with a powerful destructive Dragon Rage that nobody, and I mean nobody, could survive. If Pikachu and Eevee tried to hold off the attacks, they could hold off two or three. And clefable's Metronome needed some time to select something. They were defenseless against the whole onslaught.
Nobody moved as they waited for sertain doom, they were paralyzed out of fear.
"This's it," Leaf muttered in fear.
"Time to say goodbye," Red said.
Suddenly, a roar frightened them, followed by a lightning bolt that launched a gyarados to the bottom of the ocean.
The gyarados came to a halt, looked up, and Zapdos was flying above them.
"Sorry, was anyone hurt?" it asked, concerned. "I was aiming at that human flying machine, but I heard the roars and automatically used Thunder."
"Zapdos? Your automaticallyness saved us from them. Thank you so much!" Ditto called with relief.
"Happy to help-HOLD ON! THAT HUMAN MACHINE GOT AWAY!" Zapdos shouted in frustration, and started charging another Thunder supconsciously. "I WAS SO CLOSE TO TAKING IT DOWN!" it unleashed the Thunder and struck down another gyarados. It kept furiously Thundering while grumbling to itself about the human machine, copter, and striking down the gyarados. One by one, the gyarados fell, likely to the bottom of the see, and the danger subsided, causing the group to sigh in relief as Zapdos kept grumbling about the copter getting away.
"You know what? No! That's it! I'm taking it down!" Zapdos declared, before he took off in literally lightning speed and roared.
"HEY, WAIT! I WAS WONDERING IF YOU-" Red's words weren't heard by the maddened legendary. "*sigh* Never mind. Let's just swim away. Quick, before something else happens!"
With that, the group swam away.
(Underwhelming? Yes. Funny? No)
Giovanni was disappointed to hear that the mission was a faliar, from both executives. Petrel told him the story from the beginning, how the plan started very well. The trick contest, the hypnotization process, the amount of the pokéballs they had, until an unexpected storm woke any person who was hypnotized up. And then about the child and his Pikachu and Eevee and their defiance, and Ditto. That shapeshifter, oh! How had he missed the time he himself went to experiment on that foolish disobedient thing. He, Petrel, also told Giovanni about their encounter with the Zapdos after a pointless battle aboard the SSN, in which that same boy showed impressive skils, but the encounter with Zapdos was unbelievable, and it was probably another joke from Petrel.
But Archer, the most serious person in Team Rocket in missions, confermed it.
Perhaps he was joking as well. But Zapdos aside, if Petrel and Archer mentioned that boy and his power, then he must join Team Rocket.
Brainwashed or not.
"When you arrive, tell me more about your encounters with that boy. And tell Jessie and James to…" Giovanni trailed off.
"Boss?"
"...just a moment. I process the fact I'm actually trusting them with something. Tell them to get back Meowth first, then tell them to… to follow the boy around and inform me about everything he does."
"Right," Petrel conceded, then Giovanni signed off.
"persion, I think I need to lie down a bit. I just gave the worthless duo a mission to do," he informed the Pokémon.
"Per-meow? Meow…" the cat replied.
"No. You're not dreaming."
Dragonite was flying over the ocean, checking if their were people in need of help, when it spotted four humans struggling and swimming while four Pokémon helped them go on, though they all seemed tired. It descended a little, hoping to hear some of their conversation.
"Keep, swimming," a boy said, panting. "We're, getting close. I know…"
"You said that like an hour ago Red," another replied, exhausted a little. "And it's only reminding us that we're not close to shore."
"Thanks Ash, let's be negative and lose hope instead of being positive, you gotta like that," Red deadpanned.
"I'm not being negative, I'm just hoping we'd get rescued. Probably by a dragon from a dragon island that's impossible to find, and then we find it and catch ourselves some dragons to prevent this from…" the boy gasped for air. "Happening and… you get the point."
"Ash this isn't a fantasy world…"
Dragonite descended towards them, ready to lend a helping hand or two.
Then paused mid descend. "How did he know I was going to do that?"
hr
Red is officially flabbergasted. After that Team Rocket thing on the ship, he didn't expect anything worth mentioning was going to happen for a while.
But then a Dragonite showed up and helped them out.
Then this conversation happened.
"Where do you think Dragonite's taking us?" Leaf said.
"Probably to a safe place on land," Brock supposed. "On… an island maybe?"
Red and Leaf looked at him, incredulous.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Think about it, Ash said he wanted a dragon to get us to a dragon island, and here's the dragon, and its
"He's," Ditto-Meowth corrected.
"He's taking us to an island full of dragons," he corrected himself. "Also I think I heard someone mention an island full of Dratini and its evolutions once while watching TV."
(I love the idea of him putting Ash's suggestion before the fact, it adds up with his younger siblings watching lots of cartoons. So he's kinda used to it maybe?)
Red couldn't form a logical response. "Still, that's pretty unlikely."
"Don't you want a dragonite?" Ditto-Meowth asked.
"I mean, I'd love to get a Dratini, Dragonair, or Dragonite. I'm just being realistic here."
"I'm very glad you're interested in our species, boy. If you befriend one of us on the island, you can take them. If they accepted, of course. But take good care of them," Dragonite said, and Ditto relayed his words.
"Course I will," Red assured. "I'll take care of them as much as possible. They'll be my friends after all."
Dragonite hummed.
"Wait, we're actually going to a dragon isl-"
"HAH, I KNEW IT!" Ash jumped.
Red, Leaf, and Brock couldn't believe their eyes, and Ash, Pikachu, and Eevee were smiling brightly. Before them, dozens of Dragonair circled an island, creating a storm around it.
Dragonite approached and passed through the storm, cries filling the air around them. He landed with an inoffensive roar, signaling they arrived at their destination.
Leaping off Dragonite, Ash couldn't help but exclaim, his enthusiasm — returning. "Yeah! A dragon took us to a dragon island, this is the best!"
Pikachu and Eevee mimicked him, bouncing up and down. "YAY! WOO-HOO!"
"Hello, new friends!" a tiny voice exclaimed.
Pikachu and Eevee paused. "Huh?"
"Did you hear that?" Eevee asked, looking around.
"Yeah," Pikachu confermed, also searching for the source. "Whoever said that, where are you?"
"Here!" the tiny voice replied, before an object came hurtling towards them.
And bumped into Ash.
"NO!" Pikachu shouted in horror, he was worried this thing would hurt Ash, or knock him out completely. Stopped, exammened the creature, and sighed in relief. "Never mind."
It was a dratini. A Pokémon with a blue serpentine body, and itsbump into Ash didn't seem to damage the boy since it didn't look heavy. It had white three-pronged fins on the sides of its head and a white bump on its forehead, and Pikachu staired at it for a couple of seconds before speaking again.
"Hi, dratini!" he greeted cheerfully, relieved that, now at least, Ash isn't in danger. "Were you the one who was saying friends?"
"Yup, that's me!" the dratini squealed. "I heard voices, so I knew big dragonite rescued someone, and I wanted to meet them."
"Oh. Yeah, That'd be us," Pikachu informed it.
It tackled him cheerfully. "Welcome to this grand island of awesomeness where you see us dratini, dragonair, and dragonite have fun and eat and… stuff I don't know. Welcome to… uh, I don't know the name of the island. But welcome anyway. Come on, lemme show you around !" It stopped, and looked at Pikachu, waiting for him to react. But the electric-type was confused by all this. Sure, he'd love to play and have fun and look around, he needed a minute to just… collect himself. "Pleas say yes!"
Dragonite made a noise. "Dratini, I think our friends need a little rest first before they go have fun and look around," big dragonite suggested calmly, giving the dragon-type a smile.
"Oh right," Dratini remembered, trying, but failing to compose itself. "I'm just so happy… there are more friends."
"Look at it, it's so happy," Leaf cooed.
"Wants to make friends imediately," Ditto relayed.
"We'd be happy to be your friends," Leaf told dratini, smiling.
"Ash, I see you there, about to check your pokédex. Well don't," Red ordered. "That's a dragon-type Pokémon called dratini, the first evolution in the dratini line. Ask me next time."
"Sure," Ash accepted. "Thanks!"
Brock was cooking lunch with his stuff, which was not possible. "Brock?" Red said.
"Yeah Red?" Brock kept his eyes focused on the meal being cooked.
"How is that food still eatable? No actually, how is that bag not soking-wet right now?"
Brock shrugged. "No idea. But I'm not complaining, we didn't get to eat very good food on the ship. We barely ate any thing at all…"
"I should also change the seven wonders of the world," Eevee was telling Pikachu.
"I get learning how to talk human, but why changing the seven wonders? And with what?" pikachu asked, curious.
"Brock's backpack should be one of them," Eevee explained. "We literally swam in the see for hours! And before that, we battled gyarados, gyarados pikachu, gyara,dos! Seriously, how is it not even wet?"
"Fair enough," pikachu acknowledged. "aren't we supposed to be in there too then?"
"Why?" Eevee asked.
"We survived a ship's explosion," pikachu pointed out.
"Good point. Though I don't think the motor was blown up yet."
"W-WHAT?" a tiny voice shouted in fear. "YOU SURVIVED A BLOWN UP SHIP? AND YOU WERE ABOUT TO DIE?"
"No, it's not like that. It's-"
"WH… BU…," the Tiny voice started, before the earlier Dratini came and tackled pikachu, and then tackled Eevee and started to tear up. "Thank goodness you're alive!"
"Uh," Eevee voiced, bemused. "Are you… OK?"
"Just… gimme a moment!" Dratini requested, trying to pull it together. "I need to process that you're alive."
"O…K."
"Back to the topic," pikachu requested. "So the seven wonders should be me, you, Ash, Red, Leaf, Brock and his backpack that contains large tables, and Ditto?"
"Yup, pretty much."
"Ok, I'm calm now and…" the Dratini said, then paused.
It sniffed the air and smiled eagerly as a Delicious and fragrant aroma filled the air. "What's that smell?"
"That's Brock's cooking," Eevee smiled. "He always cooks delicious food, it tastes even better then it smells…"
Before any of the three could say anything, a shadow of a person passed over them.
" I saw you! Ash Ketchum, I expected anybody to do this, except you! How could you betray my trust?!" Red acused.
"I didn't do anything," Ash defended himself.
"How many times do I have to tell you to ask me about Pokémon information? Don't. Use. The pokédex!"
"OK, OK, who's that Pokémon?" Ash pointed at a Pokémon in the sky.
"Dragonair, the evolved form of Dratini. A dragon-type. They say that if it emits an aura from its whole body, the weather'll begin to change instantly."
"Wow, really?" Ash wondered. "So cool!"
"Thank you!" Dragonair smiled down.
"Sis!" Dratini called out, up to the dragonair. "Come on, we have new friends!"
"OH?" Dragonair descended.
Brock was so focused on preparing lunch that he didn't notice Ditto standing beside him. "Brock?"
"Hmm?"
"We have Dragon guests, make lots of food, will you?"
"Sure thing."
"Need help with anything?"
"Pass me the bag please…"
"Red? Why don't you like the pokédex?" Ash asked curiously.
"It called me stupid," Red explained. "And I'm not stupid. And Pika started laughing at me. So I started a war against the… pokédexes ? Pokédexs? Pokédexeses? Poké…every pokédex in the world."
"Really? It did that to me too," Ash told him. "But we showed that pidgey who's stupid?"
"Pidgey?"
"Yeah, it said, pidgey steals things from the stupid trainers."
"That's… different than what mine said. Mine said that rattata usually comes and steals food from stupid trainers, or something like that."
"Literally neither of those entries are in the Kanto pokédex entries," Leaf said, glaring at nothing.
"I know!" Red said. "The –stupid- thing did that on perpous!"
"When I see Oak I'm gonna…!" Pika declared, sparks flying in anger. "Sure, I thought Red was actually stupid and annoying back then, and sure, I wanted to shock him but… there's a good explanation for this… I was lonely and took an officient course of action… it's totally different."
"Is it though?" Eevee asked.
"I was being protective and inclosed…it's…you…but…" he sighed. "OK, fine, I was wrong. But still, doing that on perpous, especially for a pokédex that's supposed to help and give trainers information about Pokémon is still wrong!"
"And causing a spearow flock to attack them isn't?" Pikachu asked.
"No that's just… it…" Pika sighed. "I give up. But I'm doing something to Oak. Teaching him a lessen."
"Let's teach him a lessen together," Eevee grinned, his tone dripping with malice.
"Distract him with Swift, and I'll Iron Tail him to the moon."
"Deal."
Pikachu shocked both of them.
Brock was cooking the lunch when Dragonite came and offered to help him with fire, supposing lunch would be cooked faster that way. When Ditto passed on the offer, Brock accepted with a smile. And so, the lunch was big and cooked well, added to it were several kinds of fruits. And also, they made a meal for the Dratini, Dragonair and Dragonite that they had warmed up to.
The lunch was tasty, even better than Brock's usual cooking, and the Dragons reactions to it were to jump in joy from the explosion of flavors they had just tasted. Dratini tackled Brock in a thank you so much manner, and Dragonair thanked him with a smile, just like Dragonite. Obviously, they had never tasted human cooking before, and Brock's delicious food made it easier for the dragon-types to trust them.
Then they decided to play a ball game, however that works. Ditto was the judge at least, so he could translate what were the Pokémon saying. The rules were simple, humans on a side, Pokémon on the other, if any team scored ten points they'd win, and last but not least, only one Pokémon from each of the dratini line was allowed to participate, or the Pokémon team might be overpowering, more than it should be. The trained Pokémon, unfortunately, accepted to battle against their trainers, which means there was a giant rock and ground-type snake and a destructive Geodude and Pika, Clefable, two firefiting water blastingSquirtle. Pikachu and Eevee refused to battle against Ash, though Bulbasaur and Charmander didn't.
"Before we begin, Dragonite, I wanna ask a quick little question," Red called. "How should we throw the ball? With our feet, hands, or what?"
"You can throw it with literally anything," Dragonite explained, smiling and sounding calm and smug at the same time. "You just need to score ten points. If you do that, you'll win. But I warn you, as long as I'm standing here, this ball isn't gonna hit that mark."
"Throw it with anything except me," Ditto translated. "And I mean –anything-, except me. Even Pika, and Squirtle."
"Wait, what?" Pika asked, worried. "Seriously?"
"Uh, yeah. Why?" Dragonite asked, confused.
"Can he actually throw the ball using me?"
"Of course," Dragonite smiled.
"Now if you'll excuse us, we'll cheer Ash on. So…" Pikachu informed. He and Eevee bounced up and down, chanting "go, Ash! Go, Ash!"
"One… two… three… throw the ball!" Ditto called out.
The ball game was underway, and the Pokémon team wasted no time showing their power and dominance. As soon as the match began, the two Bulbasaur, with their vines extended, cleverly passed the ball between them, evading the humans' attempts to intercept it. Pika, agile and quick, darted across the field, adding electrifying speed to their strategy.
Meanwhile, the two Squirtle worked in tandem, making a powerful water barrier around their goal, effectively deflecting any shots made by the human team. The human players, Ash, Red, Leaf, and Brock, found it challenging to keep up with the Pokémon's swift moves.
"Come on, guys, we need to step up our game!" Ash shouted, determined not to let the Pokémon team get the upper hand.
But the Pokémon team continued their assault, with Dratini and Dragonair gracefully soaring through the air, intercepting the ball and passing it with incredible precision. Dragonite, a giant in comparison to the other Pokémon, stood guard near the Pokémon team's goal, using its massive wings to block shots with ease any time the human team actually managed to get hold of the ball.
"They're unstoppable!" Leaf exclaimed, impressed by the Pokémon team's coordination.
"Don't worry, we can do this!" Red encouraged, refusing to back down.
The human team regrouped, forming a defensive wall to protect their goal. Ash predicted the Pokémon team's moves and intercepting their passes. Brock, ever the strategist, analyzed the Pokémon's patterns and adjusted their tactics accordingly.
Despite their efforts, the Pokémon team's dominance seemed unshakable. They moved in perfect sync, and their control over the ball left the human team scrambling to keep up. But Ash, Red, Leaf, and Brock were not ones to give up easily.
With unwavering determination, Ash, Red, Leaf, and Brock began to fight back against the Pokémon team's dominance. They moved more cohesively, showing teamwork and coordination, and started to gain some ground.
Red in particular was relentless in his pursuit to score a goal against Dragonite. He had seen the Pokémon's incredible defensive abilities, but he refused to let that deter him. Time and again, Red attempted to throw the ball towards Dragonite's goal, but the powerful Dragon Pokémon effortlessly blocked his shots.
"Come on, Red! You can do it!" Ash encouraged, cheering his friend on.
"I'm trying, but it's like he knows where the ball will go before I even throw it!" Red grunted, though his determination remaned unwavering.
Dragonite, with a playful glint in its eyes, seemed to be enjoying the challenge. "Gimme a moment, I need to learn sleep talk, I'm bored," It moved with grace and precision, anticipating Red's every move. The human players began to strategize, trying to find a weakness in the Pokémon team's defense.
Red kept trying, throwing the ball with all his might towards Dragonite's goal. Each time, Dragonite's wings or tail intercepted the ball, sending it soaring away from the goal.
Red's frustration grew, but he didn't give up. He knew that if they wanted to win, they needed to push through the seemingly insurmountable challenge. He took a deep breath, focused on his target, and threw the ball once more.
The ball sailed through the air with incredible speed and precision. It seemed to be heading straight for the goal, but at the last moment, Dragonite's tail flicked, and the ball was sent flying in a different direction.
"Argh!" Red clenched his fists, feeling a mix of frustration and determination.
"Don't worry, Red, you'll get it!" Leaf encouraged, seeing the fire in Red's eyes.
Squirtle blasted the ball with a powerful jet of pressurized water, Water Gun. The ball hurtled towards Ash, who was standing there, waiting for the precise moment to block.
"Ash, catch it, or They'll be one hit away from winning!" Red warned, his concerned growing.
Ash caught it.
"Phew—for a minute there I thought you'd let it through," Red sighed in relief. "Gimme the ball, quick!"
Ash threw the ball towards Red with a swift motion, and as it dashed through the air, it made a woosh sound. It collided with Red, literally sending him tumbling to the ground.
*thump*
The ball sailed through the air, and for a moment, time seemed to slow down. Dragonite leaped into action, its wings outstretched, but it was too late. The ball soared over Dragonite's head and over the mark identified as the goal.
"GOAL!" Brock exclaimed, raising his arms in victory.
The human team cheered and high-fived each other, celebrating their hard-earned point. Red's face lit up with joy and relief as they finally succeeded in scoring a goal against Dragonite.
"Nice shot, Ash! You got us!" Dragonite praised, a hint of playfulness in its voice. "Also, you got Red's face."
"Thanks!" Ash replied, feeling a sense of accomplishment.
"It's eight-one, Ash earned the humans a point!" Ditto announced, his voice louder than the commotion.
"…is… is that a microphone?" Eevee asked, blinking.
"Yeah."
"Where did you find that?" Pikachu asked incredulously.
"It came with the popcorn," Ditto told him, then he took out an amount of popcorn in his hand and filled his mouth with it. "Want some?" he asked, his words barely understood.
"Eh, why not," pikachu accepted, taking some popcorn.
The game continued with even more intensity as both teams fought fiercely for victory. The human team, now charged with energy and determination, scored several more goals, with Leaf and Red showcasing their skills and teamwork.
Brock also joined the action, using his knowledge to strategize and create openings for the human team to score. And when the Pokémon team tried to make a comeback, Red, Ash, Leaf, and Brock worked together to block their shots and protect their goal.
With only a few points left for either team to win, the excitement in the air was palpable. The humans and Pokémon were giving it their all, each side fiercely determined to come out on top.
Red, Ash, Leaf, and Brock charged forward once again, coordinating their moves with precision. They weaved through the Pokémon team's defense, passing the ball with swift and accurate throws.
"Here it comes, Leaf!" Ash called out, seeing an opening.
Leaf nodded and leaped into the air, performing an impressive acrobatic move to kick the ball towards the goal. The ball soared through the air, moving like a flash of green. It passed through the gap between Dragonite's wings and found its way into the goal.
"Goal! That's seven points for the humans!" Ditto announced, excitement evident in his voice.
The Pokémon team was not one to back down easily. Determined to make a comeback, they rallied their efforts and took control of the ball. Bulbasaur and Ash's Squirtle combined their abilities, creating a dynamic duo that quickly scored another point for the Pokémon team.
"Great job you two!" Ash cheered, giving his Pokémon a thumbs up.
"Who's side are you on?" Red scolded, and Ash smiled sheepishly.
"Sorry."
The human team was not about to let up. They continued to fight back, showing exceptional teamwork. Red spotted an opportunity and, with a powerful throw, sent the ball flying towards the goal. It hit something, but the rebound was caught by Brock, who skillfully shot it past Dragonite.
"Eight points for the humans!" Ditto declared. "And the popcorn's over!"
Dragonite, however, was not about to give in either. It summoned all its strength and unleashed a powerful Twister attack, creating a fierce wind that sent the ball flying back towards the humans.
"Look out!" Leaf shouted, trying to shield herself.
But Ash was there in an instant. He jumped into the air, using Supersonic Awesome Ash Strike to intercept the ball and send it soaring back towards the Pokémon team's goal. The ball found its mark, and the human team scored their ninth point.
"This is incredible!" Brock exclaimed, caught up in the adrenaline of the game.
With just one point left for either team to win, the tension reached its peak.
(Author here to tell you, you could've skipped this. It was just something in the dayly life of humans and Pokémon)
Both teams were giving it their all, displaying extraordinary skill and determination.
Dragonite and the Pokémon team were not about to let the humans take an easy victory. They strategized and coordinated their moves, working together to defend their goal and make openings to score.
Meanwhile, the human team was equally relentless. Red, Ash, Leaf, and Brock fought with everything they had, their teamwork and bond evident in every move they made.
In the final moments of the game, the ball was flying back and forth between the teams. Each side made daring attempts to score, but both Dragonite and Ash were proving to be formidable defenders.
Meanwhile, Ditto was bored.
So he decided to intervene. He transformed into a giant, inflatable ball and rolled into the field.
"What in the world?" Ash exclaimed, taken aback by the sudden appearance of the giant Ditto-ball.
"How did he even learn to do that?" Red asked, trying not to laugh.
Ditto bounced around the field, causing chaos and confusion among the players. The Pokémon and humans couldn't help but burst into laughter at the sight.
In the midst of the laughter, the game came to a standstill, and both teams agreed to call it a tie. They congratulated each other on a fantastic match and thanked Ditto for adding some humor to the game. (Told you, skip it.)
"Listen, the popcorn on this island isn't a lot, I demand to talk with the manager of this game!" he demanded, deadpan.
"There's no manager," Dragonite informed him.
"Then I refuse to judge anymore matches," Ditto declared.
And blew in a flute.
"Where on earth did you find these?" Leaf asked, baffled.
Ditto shrugged. "They usually come with the microphone, judging and other stuff."
As the sun began to set, the humans and Pokémon shared a moment of camaraderie, bonding over their thrilling game of Pokémon Bond Ball. The experience had brought them closer together, and they knew that this adventure on Dragonite Island was one they would treasure forever. But, Ash remembered an important question that left them in fear instead, a question that they had to answer, sooner or later.
"What now?" Ash asked, breaking the silence.
"What's wrong?" Leaf asked.
"Well, we played, ate, and enjoyed for now. But still, that doesn't mean we can find home. We're in an island full of Dragonite, and that's awesome and all, but… our parents, our journeys, is it all over? Are we stuck here?" Ash asked. He didn't want to get stuck in one place, he missed his mom. He just wanted to rest after what happened today. He was scared, even though he was an Adventurous-type.
None of the group could reply, they knew Ash had a point. Sure, the Dragonite island is amazing, and sure, they had a blast, and it was incredible seeing all those Dratini and their evolutions, and playing the Bond Ball, eating with the dragons, everything was nice. But that was like, five or six hours. Where would they go? What would they do next? Would anyone come searching for them? Even if they tried, would they find this remote, unknown island?
Silence fell upon them for seconds, and extended to minutes, with nobody saying a single word. Not even a loud hum escaped someone, or loud gasp could be heard, only the wind, the dragons chatting, and the rest of the nature around them.
"I know," Ditto said, brightening up. "Brock, you do have a map, right?"
The next day, after a nice long rest, the group ate breakfast. While they were doing that, the friendly dragon-types came to say morning, claiming that they smelled delicious food, so they knew Brock was cooking, so the group was surely awake. They had breakfast with the group, and Ditto, being the only one able to understand them and talk like a human, decided to inform Dragonite of their whish to leave. Dragonite wasn't happy about this, and neither was Dragonair, but they told Ditto that they couldn't force them to stay with them. Dratini on the other hand…
"PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE DON'T GO!" Dratini begged.
"I'm sorry, I can't prevent my trainer from leaving," pikachu apologized.
"BUT, BU… PLEASE!"
"Please, stop being sad," Eevee requested. "We might come and visit someday."
"But that's too long! Why can't you stay with us?"
"Well, there's the fact we're not dragons. And we're on a Pokémon journey to see the whole world, and have fun and battles and form new friendships. Also, Ash wants to challenge the Pokémon league, and that requires some gym badges and powerful trainers and Pokémon, and we can't stay here forever and challenge the league, that would be bothering you guys. Have you seen the stadiums these are made in? they're so full of people. Like, millions and millions, they're so big, maybe like this island," Eevee informed the Dragon-type.
"Wow, that big?" Dratini asked in awe, listening to Eevee's explanation carefully.
"Maybe bigger. We've seen them only twice, both were on the TV with Ash."
"What's a TV?"
"It's a… uh, a box that has lights and pictures in it and we can see them somehow? I dunno how to describe it, but humans enjoy looking at it and seeing the things in it."
"Oh."
"So we need to go. But we'll probably visit again sometime."
Dratini didn't respond to that, it whished they wouldn't leave ever, but it knew that it couldn't just force them to stay against their will, that wasn't fair. But pikachu and Eevee were nice to her, lots more than the other Pokémon, and they seemed to love Ash very much. What should it do? Could it… would Dragonite accept? Maybe, just maybe, it would try, no harm would come from it.
Dratini looked pleadingly at Dragonite, hoping for an 'OK'. "Can I go?"
"Go?" the dragonite repeated. "You mean, go with the boy?"
"Yeah. Please!"
"Listen, I cannot prevent you from going if you wish to go. But you need to prommice me you'll be careful. The outside world isn't like Dragonite island, there are many dangers in this world," Dragonite informed Dratini. "There are many criminals, human machines, even evil Pokémon that simply love destruction. If you promise to take care of yourself, and let one of your siblings come with you, I accept. If not, well, perhaps after twenty-five years you'd be allowed to. Just perhaps."
(Little reference there…)
"I promise."
"Good. Your brother, who played Bond Ball, as the humans called it, has been really interested in meeting that pikachu again. He says he was impressed with the skills he saw. How about you both go? He also needs training, you know," Dragonite suggested.
"Acceptable."
Ditto spoke next, in Pokémon. "So, do I tell Ash, Red or Leaf to catch Dratini? Or-"
"No. If he's going to be caught, it's by a battle," Dragonite said.
"Which one of you three wants a Dratini?" Ditto asked Ash, Red and Leaf.
The three trainers didn't think for a moment before calling in unison, "I!"
"What?" Red said. "No, I'm keeping it."
"I want it!" Leaf shot back.
"Not if I catch it first!" Ash exclaimed.
"That's not a competition Ash. Dratini asked Dragonite if -he-, not it, can come with us. How about rock paper sisors?"
"That's gonna take a long time. Can I decide?" Dratini's tiny voice came suddenly.
"Course you can. You're life you're choice," Ditto confirmed.
"I wanna go with the boy with the pikachu and Eevee. They're nice."
"Ash?"
"Yeah. Eevee said Ash was his name," Dratini confirmed.
"Change of plans, Ash battles Dratini, and if he wins, he catches him. He loses, you play rock, paper sisors!" Ditto informed them.
"They'll need to play it anyway, to decide which one of them gets to train his brother," Dragonite reminded.
"Leave it for later!"
Of course, they needed to clean up before the battle, so Brock quickly made the floor shiny. They prepared a makeshift battlefield for the battle to begin, and even though Ash didn't completely understand the conversation between Ditto and the dragon-types, he understood that he needed to battle dratini to catch him. And so, there he was, pikachu on Eevee on his shoulders, standing and waiting for Brock's signal to begin the battle.
"Pikachu, ready?" Ash whispered.
"Ready," pikachu nodded.
"Begin!" Brock called out, signaling the start of the battle. Pikachu jumped from Ash's shoulder onto the makeshift battlefield with a cry of his name, while dratini concentrated and quickly gained a speed boost.
Dratini raced towards Pikachu at speed, then struck him with his tail for a Quick slam. Though Dratini was speedy now, pikachu was not fazed at all. At Ash's command, he unleashed a giant Thunderbolt at Dratini. The attack struck Dratini, forcing it back with a buzz. Dratini, startled, unleashed a powerful spinning Twister with a yelp.
The Twister Dratini unleashed had a strange feeling to it. It spiraled upwards, and lifted pikachu with it for a quick ride. Pikachu yelped in surprise. Worried, he tried escaping, to no avail.
Through the Twister, pikachu was flung, spun, and struck. His head was light, he was frantic, and didn't hear any commands from his trainer. He attempted to get free, he thrashed around as he was spun through the Twister, trying to reach out of it.
Pikachu was flung out of the Twister towards Dratini, as the dragon Pokémon focused to reuse Agility. Dratini prepared himself to sprint forward, but pikachu fell on top of him, causing significant damage.
"Ow!" Dratini commented.
"Sorry," pikachu appologized.
Pikachu jumped away in a flash, leaving Dratini confused. Wow, pikachu was quick. Again, at Ash's command, pikachu used Agility too. Uh-oh! Dratini needed to catch pikachu right now.
Dratini raced towards pikachu at super speed, ready for the next attack. He wrapped his long, serpentine body around pikachu, squeezing him hard. He was sure pikachu couldn't move.
"Uh-oh!" Ash called out. This was going to be so painful!
Pikachu tried to free himself. He tried jumping upwards to get rid of Dratini, but he still squeezed stronger and stronger. He flailed around, but it still didn't work, Dratini squeezed, and he needed some air. He needed to get away this instant. He tried gathering energy for thunderbolt, it didn't work either.
`Can't breathe!` Dratini squeezed more. O much pressure, his head was about to explode. Dratini squeezed harder. He needed to do something about this, now.
For an entire thirty seconds, nothing changed, pikachu struggled in hopes of freedom, and Dratini squeezed harder and harder, until pikachu was unable to inhale at all. Ash's heart skipped a beat as he saw pikachu like that, and he knew he couldn't recall him even if he wanted to. he had to do something. `think! Think!`
The group watched the battle, impressed by Dratini's power, and worried for pikachu. Ditto, observing the scene, couldn't breathe to, just seeing pikachu like this had taken away his breath, and he wanted to find a solution himself. Dragonite continued observing, knowing that Dratini had been training his Wrap attack very well. But his Twister… they forgot it was still there, in the battlefield, wildly moving. "Hmm."
Pikachu had to get free, air. His body was losing energy, his paws… he couldn't feel his paws. He was exhausted, he only wanted air. `just little bit!` He previously thought onix's Wrap doing this to Pika was just normal and that he could resist it. but if Bind was literally like Wrap, he could see why Pika felt so much exhaustion and pain. His head was about to explode! He would apologize to Pika after this. Wasn't there any way of escaping? Was he going to fail Ash now? After he chose him specifically? Never! He'd try forever, he'd never lose and disappoint Ash. he'd jump upwards from the ground and try getting Dratini away from… him…
Where did the ground go?
When pikachu came back to his senses, he wasn't on the ground. He was being flung from the Twister again. How'd this happen? A squeal was heard.
And he was free.
He could breathe.
And he free fell onto the ground, landing on his paws and grunting in pain.
`What just happened?` He thought.
"Pikachu, are you Ok?" Ash called out, his voice filled with concern.
"i… I just need some air-ow!" pikachu yelped as something crashed into him.
"Ow!" Dratini yelped on top of Pikachu. "That hurt."
"Dratini?"
"Yeah?"
"What… happened?"
"Please finish your battle!" Dragonite called.
`Oh, the battle!`
"Right," Ash replied. "Thunderbolt pikachu!"
"Right," pikachu responded. He began gathering energy, and he felt a surge of power envelop him. He channeled his electricity, and unleashed a powerful electric bolt that hurled at Dratini, exploded upon contact, and launched Dratini through the air. By now, the Twister had done its job, and lost energy, and so, Dratini's literal self damaging move that he used wasn't around. Pikachu didn't pay attention to that though, because Ash issued his next command.
"Agility pikachu!"
OK. Pikachu concentrated, now that his mind wasn't in chaos anymore. He felt incredibly agile, he felt he could race the air with his swiftness. He was ready for Dratini this t-
He got Wrapped again.
The groups remarks and worries were heard.
"Oh no!"
"This is bad!"
"This is terrible! The last Wrap was about to finish pikachu off. That Dratini's powerful."
From their side, reassuring words came. "pikachu, you got this!" Eevee called out encouragingly.
"Well, this one won't finish him," Ash declared firmly. "pikachu, Endure!"
`Oh right!`
Pikachu suffered the power of Wrap, but he never felt that pain and ache like before. Ash made the right call. He endured, endured, and endured, and started channeling his every bit of electricity and energy for one last Thunderbolt. he just needed to wait for Ash's order, since the move may not work if he didn't use it at the right moment.
Wait…
Wait…
And…
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash called out.
Pikachu released his thunderbolt at Dratini, and it immediately blasted him away with a loud pained yell. Pikachu stood there, then shook himself, and re-prepared himself to attack if necessary.
But fortunately, it didn't seem so. As Dratini fell on the ground and mumbled something and didn't move afterward.
Ash smiled and threw a pokéball. "Go, pokéball!"
The pokéball hit Dratini and absorbed him in, and began shaking. This was it. Either it caught, or they'd keep on battling.
One…
Two…
Three…
*ding* Dratini was caught.
The group cheered as the pokéball signaled a successful capture. Pikachu and Eevee bounced up and down in excitement, while Ash couldn't hide his smile. He had caught Dratini, a powerful and rare dragon-type Pokémon, and it was all thanks to Pikachu's determination. Dratini's brother, watching the whole battle, smiled proudly at his sibling, happy that he would be going on an adventure with Ash and his friends. He would travle with a strong trainers too, just like him.
Ash approached the pokéball containing Dratini. "Welcome to the team, Dratini!" he said with enthusiasm.
Dratini emerged from the pokéball, looking a bit dazed but happy. He looked at Ash and Pikachu gratefully. "Thank you, Ash, for letting me join you," he said in his tiny voice.
"No problem," Pikachu replied, "We're glad to have you with us!"
Dragonair got everyone's attention with a soft cry. "He agreed," it explained, indicating Dratini's brother, Dratini's, agreement. "And he watched most of the battle, it literally lasted like, three minutes or something, so probably yes, most of the battle."
"Hmm," Dragonite nodded. "Congratulations, you two, you got some friendly trainers, take care of each other, and yourselves. Don't forget to train, and please visit us, we'll miss you so much!"
"I promise," Ash's dratini assured Dragonite.
"So do I," his brother said.
hr
As Ditto-dragonite soared through the sky, away from Dragonite Island, the group couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions. On one hand, they were excited to continue their Pokémon journey and visit new places. On the other hand, they couldn't help but feel a tinge of sadness at leaving behind the friendly dragon-types they had grown so fond of.
As they flew through the clear blue sky, they looked back at the island, marveling at its beauty. The waves nearby sparkled under the warm sunlight, and various Water-type Pokémon could be seen swimming gracefully beneath the surface. The dragonair gardians, whom received their name from Ash, circled the island, their enchanting cries adding piece to the moment. The protective storm around the island was beautiful when it wasn't trying to crush their bones, the Sunlight reflecting from it.
"It's so beautiful," Leaf said, gazing at the tranquil scene.
"Yeah," Ash agreed. "I'm glad we got to visit Dragonite Island and meet all those amazing dragon Pokémon."
"Me too," Red added. "It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience."
"I'll miss Dragonair and Dragonite," Pikachu said, his voice tinged with a hint of sadness.
"Yeah, me too," Eevee chimed in. "But we'll definitely remember this adventure forever, treasuring it in our hearts."
"Spoken like a wise man," Ditto-Dragonite chuckled.
"Hush, don't ruin the moment."
The group fell silent for a moment, reflecting on the incredible adventure they had just experienced. They had battled powerful Pokémon, made new friends, and formed unbreakable bonds with their own Pokémon. It was a adventure they would never forget.
And so, they ventured forth, ready to explore the vast world of Pokémon and create even more unforgettable memories. Their quest for adventure and friendship was far from over, and they couldn't wait to see what the future held for them.
(The readers could though. Right?)
(right?)
**first person vew: Professor Samuel Oak**
"I see," I said. "So you don't know at all?"
"Regrettably, our search of the SSN path was in vain. The designated destination, a short distance from a well-known city, was intended as a voyage trial. Unfortunately, the ship failed to arrive at its intended port. My colleague informed me yesterday of an incident involving a group of trainers who supposedly were in the SSN but were discovered swimming in the sea. They relayed a rather distressing account of the SSN's untimely detonation, leaving numerous trainers in dire need of rescue. Interestingly enough, they mensioned young heroes who helped out, specifically mentioning Gary and Blue. Hence, I ask you to divulge any peculiar occurrences involving the trainers under your purview, considering that most, if not all, embark on their Pokémon journeys starting from Pallet Town and obtaining their starter Pokémon from you."
"Well," I began, thinking. The last things I'd heard weren't unusual, Gary had his thirty-fourth capture, Ash, Red and Leaf earned The Thunder Badge, Blue's Squirtle evolved and learned Double Team. He also told me he got a tickit to the SSN, b the SSN exploded. Oh dear! Did blue and Gary just die? No, maybe not. I needed to check the pokédex status. If they were in the SSN, they would've sank and their pokédexes wouldn't have been active.
"Professor?"
"Please officer, give me a second," I requested. I opened one of the computers quickly and began checking. Pokédex,GaryOak.
Active
I sighed in relief. Pokédex,BlueOak.
Active
Again, I sighed in relief. The two were alive, I'd ask them what happened later, but now… hmm? |inactive pokédexes|? I thought they were active? I clicked to see, and I saw AshKetchum And Red's names appear on the screen. That was strange, I wondered why. They didn't tell me they were going on the SSN, so it was possibly something else. I'd call them later and ask, or just… I suppose waite for them to call.
"Professor?"
"Yes," I replied, now relieved. "I checked if some trainers' pokédex status. Just for safety. No, I don't think there is something strange that I know of."
"Oh? Could you tell me what did you see?"
"Well, I didn't check everyone, I checked my grandsons' only, they are active. But a notification told me that Ash Ketchum's and Red's pokédexes aren't active for some reason."
"Could you tell me something about them? Maybe they're one of the trainers from the SSN."
"I don't think they got on the SSN, but, both are nearly identical, like twins, one has a pikachu on his shoulder, and the other has both a pikachu and an-"
"An Eevee?"
"Yes."
"They -were- on the SSN!"
What?
"Are you sure?"
"I am one hundred percent sure professor! The trainers talked a lot about them too! Does that mean their pokédexes are lost?"
Maybe because they were in the water."
"Do you think they're…" the officer trailed off.
I hoped what he and I were thinking of was false. Were they gone?
"Did you ask the trainers about the location of the explosion?" I asked.
"Most of them developed a trauma toward the see, unfortunately. They refused to talk about anything, no matter how much we tried."
Oh, no. Poor children, both were really kind and helpful. I'd miss them so… much?
A pokéball opened
Alakazam emerged from his pokéball and cleared his throat.
'Oak, do not forget, you are simply speculating,' he telepathed. ' I can help, if you would like.'
"Yes, please!" I requested.
'Very well. We should go to officer Jenny ourselves. This way, I can read the trainers' mind, and I can perhaps also wipe their memory of the event to prevent any trauma from developing even more. We should bring Delia Ketchum with us, she would certainly want to know what happened to her son.'
…
Alakazam Teleported Delia and me to officer Genny to scan the trainers memories. Then teleported us again to the middle of nowhere, above the see all of a sudden, and we began freefalling.
"HOW IS TELEPORTING US TO THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE HELPING US?" I asked Alakazam.
'They're on that Dragonite's back.'
Hmm?
D-D-D-DRAGONITE?
"ASH, DEAR?!" Delia called out.
"MOM!" Ash called back, waving excitedly. "HI! I MISSED YOU!"
"Missis Ketchum!" Red and Leaf called in unison. "Professor!"
I'm sertain if I wasn't about to drown in the sea, I'd have staired in shock and awe at the Dragonite in front of me.
'don't worry, professor. I'm holding us midair and preventing us from falling into the sea below. Well, you at least. I cannot hold myself in telekinetic powers. Luckily, I don't need to remane like this to any further extent, for it looks like Dragonite has come.'
Dragonite caught us with its hands with a smile, so I could thank Alakazam and recall him.
"Hi mom!" Ash greeted.
Hi dear, how have you been?" Delia asked. "And what's going on? Why was the professor so worried?"
"Well, I've been good," Ash replied. "I caught a Dratini. He's so strong and awesome."
"As for why I was concerned, well," I began, paused, and continued. "I thought they have drouned in the ocean."
Delia gasped. "WHAT? WHY?!"
"I think it's because of what happened on the SSN," Red supposed, and I nodded.
"Mm-hmm, exactly. I was talking with an officer from a city nearby the explosion. He told me that trainers who needed help when the SSN exploded were found swimming nearby, and we ended up guessing Ash and Red were… well…"
"But we're safe!" Ash pointed out enthusiastically. "And I caught a Dratini!"
"That's true. However, your pokédex isn't safe."
(I don't think he heard the part about the Dratini.)
"My… pokédex?" Ash asked.
Back to omniscient point of view.
Eevee: Huh!
Pikachu: Short chapter?
Author: I mean, everyone would wonder what's wrong with the pokédex and why Dratini didn't go back to the professor's lab, Ash has more than six Pokémon after all. So I can explain it here. Ash's pokédex is malfunctioning due to being exposed to the water while they were swimming, so Oak wants to fix it. then the group are heading to Safron City. And I'm absolutely, definitely, totally sure I didn't forget anything emportant. Lemme check…
Tentacool & Tentacruel…
Author: Oops, forgot this one.
Pikachu: Your writing still needs improving though. Are you sure you wanna continue?
Author: Readers, would you like me to continue? If so, thanks! Note, if I don't, there won't be anything to narrate. So, pikachu and Eevee, you aren't getting any cookies then.
Pikachu and Eevee: NOOO-
Thank you for reading! Constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated!
