Disclaimer: I do not own any Pokémon characters! I only own my OCs!
Chapter 35: A Reunion's Silver Lining – Part 2
Chaos broke out shortly after Lugia swam away to find more food for Silver and Luka sailed to Ogi Isle to gather supplies. It all started while we sat and ate a quiet lunch; Silver found a fake baby Lugia far in the sea and got caught by Cassidy and Butch who had returned with their repaired submarine. Even Jessie, James and Meowth showed up, wanting to take Silver and deliver him to their boss for promotion. Cassidy's Houndour used Smog which gave them time to grab Silver and escape underwater, but not before they knocked our rowboat and forced us into the water.
Thanks to Misty's water Pokémon and Ash's Croconaw, we swam back to the small island, but our mood was really low. Oliver was crying his heart out after Silver got snatched by Team Rocket. The rest of us were feeling really down and heartbroken that we failed protecting Silver. The whistle from Luka's boat snapped us out of the trance, but it didn't lighten up the mood.
"Hey, what's wrong with you guys?" Luka asked worriedly when she sensed our depression. "What happened while I was away?"
None of us wanted to tell her what happened, but she had to know, so Ash took the initiative. "Silver…is gone."
Just hearing that made Oliver bawl his eyes out again after he had managed to calm down. "I'm sorry, Silver! I'm so sorry! It's my fault!" he kept blaming himself.
"What?!" Luka exclaimed in disbelief. "When did that happen?! How did it happen?"
"Team Rocket happened…", Brock sighed and buried his face into his palms. "They used a decoy to trick Silver out to the ocean and captured him."
"Oh no…", Luka gasped, placing her hand against her mouth.
"Guys, I just realized…", Ritchie spoke up. "How will Lugia react when it notices Silver is gone?"
Misty gasped loudly in realization. "I can't imagine how angry it will be-"
Like clockwork, Lugia dived up and out of the ocean right next to the shore, its feathers glittering like silver in the moonlight. It carried a piece of seaweed in its mouth, food to feed its child. Its eyes widened in surprise when it didn't see Silver among us. "Ruuuh?"
"Lugia!" Oliver called out, trying to sound brave, but he started crying once again. "I… I'm so sorry! Silver got caught!"
"Ruuh?!" Lugia shrieked and dropped the seaweed before it dived back into the water. I felt very worried how it was going to react when it doesn't find Silver. Lugia flew out of the water and started screeching in panic and fear, not knowing where its child could be. "Ruuuuh! RUUUUH!"
"We're sorry, Lugia! But we want to find Silver again!" Misty shouted to the crying parent. "We want Silver to be with you!"
"Togi togii!"
Lugia started flying around the island, crying out for Silver, but its cries slowly turned into anger. The proof of that was Luka's Silver Wing started glowing red again. "Oh no… Lugia is getting really angry", she warned us.
Before we knew it, grey clouds appeared out of nowhere and covered the night sky before it started raining. Lightning crackled up the sky, expressing Lugia's wrath. The wind picked up its strength and large waves crashed against the shore. One wave almost pulled us out to the ocean, but we dodged it in the nick of time. To make it even worse, Lugia started firing random Aeroblasts, attacking everything it thought was a threat.
"We need to take cover in the cave behind us!" Brock shouted.
"Right!" Ash nodded.
I grabbed my backpack and rushed inside the cave with everyone, even Luka. I was worried her boat would float away, but she reassured me she had dropped the anchor and her boat was safe. Ritchie pulled Oliver into the cave after the boy tried talking sense with Lugia. A small part of the cave was connected to the sea, so Lanturn could swim inside and stay in water. It even provided us some light so we didn't sit in the darkness.
"We need to figure out how to calm down Lugia and find Silver", Luka commented.
"Yeah, but how?" Misty wondered.
I looked down on my lap as I tried using my brain to come up with an idea. "Umm… Cassidy and Butch showed up twice in a submarine, right?"
"Yeah? What about that?" Ash asked.
"Think about Jessie, James and Meowth with their air balloon…", I spoke slowly to make sure I worded my sentences correctly. "When they run away from us, it's often with the balloon to find a place to hide on land, right? So, if Cassidy and Butch used a submarine…"
"Then their base might be underwater!" Ritchie figured out where I was going.
"Pika!" Sparky chirped.
"Mm-hm", I nodded, verifying my theory.
"If so, we don't even know where to start looking", Brock pointed out. "The ocean is a vast place."
"I don't think their base could be that far away", Ritchie argued. "If they are after Lugia, they need to be close to the Whirl Islands and Ogi Isle to capture it."
A sudden screech from outside made us jump before there was a rumble after Lugia fired an Aeroblast. Its anger was getting worse since Luka's Silver Wing glowed stronger than before, the red color becoming a sickening dark shade.
"Guys, I'm going outside!" Ash suddenly announced.
"Where are you going, Ash?" Brock asked with pure shock on his face.
"I'm going to calm Lugia down!" my brother exclaimed.
"What?! Are you crazy?!" Misty shrieked in disbelief. "Lugia will tear you apart when it sees you!"
"How else can we calm down Lugia if we don't communicate with it and let it know we want to help it?" Ash argued.
"Piika!" Pikachu hissed determinedly.
"I'm going with you too!" Ritchie called out.
"Pika!" Sparky nodded.
"Are you sure about that…?" I asked, concerned about the situation. I didn't want to go outside and face Lugia with the way it was behaving. It was in moments like this I envied my brother. He had such courage that I felt like I could never have. I love Pokémon, but I didn't think I was that strong to try reaching out to a rampaging Pokémon and calm it down.
"Don't worry, Ashley, we'll be fine!" Ash told me with a determined glance. "You'll see we can calm Lugia down!"
"Well, if you're going out to the sea, then I'd better bring you with my boat", Luka spoke up. "I'm the only one who has experience driving a boat in bad weather like this."
"Thanks a lot, Luka!" Ritchie smiled in relief.
I was feeling very anxious when the trio rushed outside in the awful storm to reach Lugia. I intertwined my hands and made a quick prayer to Arceus to protect them.
XXXXXXXXXX
I didn't know if it was a miracle, but Ash and Ritchie made it back to us after they calmed Lugia down and promised it we would find Silver and bring it back to it. Lugia retreated into the deep ocean while we got a few hours of sleep until we woke up in the early dawn to start the rescue mission. Lanturn, Croconaw and Misty's water Pokémon searched underwater while Mystic, Crobat and Noctowl flew to nearby islands to check if Team Rocket had a secret base on land. We hadn't seen Lugia ever since last night, so we had no idea where it could be. Hopefully, it was still searching for Silver and didn't get caught by Team Rocket.
"I wish I had at least Queendra with me…", I mumbled as I anxiously chewed on my right thumbnail. I did consider during the Whirl Cup to perhaps add Queendra to my team because I wanted to try evolving her into a Kingdra, but I decided to wait until we meet Blackthorn City's Gym Leader. I wanted to ask her for some advice about dragon training and she could probably help me evolve Queendra.
"Hey! Noctowl, Mystic and Crobat are back!" Ash called out.
The three flying Pokémon settled down on the railing in front of us looking a little defeated. "Did you find something?" Ritchie asked them.
They just shook their heads no.
"So this kinda confirms that Team Rocket's base is not located on any of the nearby islands", Brock spoke up. "We need to continue looking under water."
"You did a great job, guys", Ash praised the Pokémon as he recalled Noctowl. "Take a good rest."
"You too, Crobat", Brock nodded and retrieved his Pokémon.
I grabbed Mystic's Pokémon from my belt just as the water Pokémon swam up to the surface, chirping frantically. "What's wrong, guys?" Misty asked concernedly.
A rumble suddenly erupted from the other side of the island. The small waves shook the boat, but it wasn't anything like a tsunami. A large oval metal structure rose up from the sea and floated toward the island. It didn't have any logo, but it was obviously Team Rocket's hidden base!
"Team Rocket!" Ash gasped.
"It must be their base! There's no other explanation!" Ritchie exclaimed.
"Silver!" Oliver gasped in terror.
A gate opened on the side of the large base before a mechanical arm brought out a cage containing Silver. The cage was placed on the land before the arm retreated into the construction and left Silver alone. Not even one Team Rocket grunt watched over it. Silver was crying repeatedly, not even taking a break to catch his breath. All he wanted to do was to go home to his parent.
"What are they doing?" I wondered while I strapped Mystic's Poké Ball onto my belt.
"Togitic?" Mystic tilted his head to the side.
"Who cares what they're doing?! We need to get Silver!" Oliver shrieked. He was about to jump out from the boat when Ritchie grabbed him by the arms and pulled him back.
"No! This could be a trap!" the brunet said. "You stay here while the rest of us save Silver!"
Oliver pleaded with glassy eyes. "But-"
Misty recalled her Pokémon while Ash returned Croconaw to his Poké Ball. "Ritchie's right! It's too dangerous for you, Oliver! We'll go and take care of Team Rocket!"
"Luka, look after Togepi for me, please", Misty asked the young woman as she placed the baby Pokémon in her arms.
"Of course", Luka nodded. "Be careful, everyone!"
"I'll always be careful, Luka!" Brock waved his hand while we climbed out of the boat and rushed across the shore to get to Silver.
The closer we got to him, the more we saw the construction of the cage. It didn't look like an ordinary cage. It had other compartments that were highly questionable. I couldn't figure out what they were for, but Ritchie realized Team Rocket's plan. "They're using Silver as bait to capture Lugia!"
Two familiar figures appeared out of nowhere and blocked our path. We immediately skidded to a halt and glared at Cassidy, Butch and their Pokémon. "You are correct, brat", Cassidy chuckled.
"We won't let you take another step closer to the baby", Butch warned us.
Houndour and Hitmontop stood in front of their Trainers glaring dagger at us. I noticed they were wearing some kind of gear on their heads. They didn't have them before, so they must've gotten them shortly after they caught Silver.
"Get out of our way!" Ash growled.
"Pika!" Pikachu hissed aggressively.
"Like we'd do that!" Butch laughed. "You're the ones who should get out of our way!"
A cry came from the sea which caught everyone's attention. Lugia was flying toward the island now that it had spotted its child. Silver chirped happily, not really understanding the current situation.
"No, Lugia! Fly away from here!" Ritchie yelled. "It's a trap!"
"Don't get any closer, Lugia!" Misty shouted.
"Lugia!" I cried out.
"Togitic togi togiii!" Mystic chirped.
Our cries fell deaf in Lugia's ears. It only wanted to take its child and bring it back home to the sea.
"Save your breaths, brats!" Cassidy told us before she started messing with a mechanical box. "Pay attention to our Pokémon! Watch as their rage will give them power!"
The headgear on Houndour and Hitmontop glowed for a few seconds before the LED lamps changed color from blue to orange. In addition of that, the two Pokémon began acting aggressively, glaring at us like they wanted to hurt us badly. It gave me the chills and made me rub my arms.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on Lugia!" Ash shouted. "Stop it from reaching Silver!"
"Pika!" Pikachu jumped up from my brother's shoulder and launched a Thunderbolt. I didn't know if Pikachu missed intentionally or Lugia dodged the move with ease.
"Your battle is here, not in the sky!" Cassidy cackled. "Houndour, use Enraged Flamethrower!"
"HOOOOUN!" Houndour breathed a large Flamethrower that only evolved Pokémon could use. We dodged the flames before they could scorch us.
"That was a powerful Flamethrower!" Brock yelped out.
"What made Houndour so strong in such a short time?" Misty wondered concernedly.
"It's those headgears!" Ritchie gasped, finally noticing the strange devices. "They're messing with the Pokémon's biology!"
"What?!" Ash growled angrily.
"Guess the Meowth's out of the sack!" Butch laughed. "Hitmontop, use Enraged Rolling Kick!"
"TOOOP!" Hitmontop screeched and rolled on top of its head with arms and legs spread out, spinning around like a toy.
"Mystic, use Extrasensory!" I yelled.
"Sparky, use Thunderbolt on Lugia!" Ritchie shouted.
Mystic activated his powers and sent a psychic shockwave at Hitmontop. The move was super effective and threw Butch's Pokémon back while Sparky aimed a Thunderbolt at Lugia. Just like with Pikachu, Lugia dodged the move with ease, getting closer to Silver and his cage.
However, the price the Pokémon had to pay was getting barbequed by Houndour's Flamethrower. "Mystic!" I shrieked worriedly as he crashed onto the ground with his body covered in burn marks.
"Sparky!" Ritchie gasped as his partner collapsed onto the ground.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt again on Lugia!" Ash yelled.
"Pika…CHUUU!" Pikachu launched a new Thunderbolt, but the Legendary Pokémon dodged it once again.
"RUUUUUH!" Lugia screeched aggressively. It had become very agitated with us trying to stop it reaching its young, so it fired an Aeroblast right at us! I had just picked up Mystic when the Aeroblast struck the ground in front of us, the force of the blast throwing us back. I remember crashing onto the ground and hitting my head before everything turned black. The last thing I heard was Lugia's painful shriek.
"RUUUUUUUH!"
"L-Lugia…", I grunted before I lost my consciousness.
XXXXXXXXXX
I heard myself groaning as I woke up from my dreamless sleep. My eyes slowly opened as everything was first blurry. It took a couple of seconds to adjust my eyes before I saw Ritchie's sleeping face lying right in front of me. I blinked twice to see if it was a hallucination, but he didn't disappear. I felt my cheeks heat up as I held back a soft shriek in my throat and flinched backwards, bumping into somebody else.
"Ugh…", Ash grunted behind me as he woke up. "W-Where are we?"
I looked up when I realized we were no longer outside. We were locked inside a cage with Misty and Brock as well. Pikachu, Sparky and Mystic were nowhere to be seen. Team Rocket had also taken our Poké Balls and put them in a crate on a desk several meters from us. It was far out of our reach, so we were trapped.
Misty, Brock and Ritchie awakened shortly afterward, all three of them okay with no injuries. After we tried breaking the cage, we sat down in a circle to discuss our next step of action.
"So Team Rocket took us hostage after we all fainted?" I asked to make sure I was following the current circumstances.
"Yeah, and they took our Poké Balls", Brock nodded toward the crate storing the capture devices.
"And they took Pikachu, Sparky and Mystic away and we don't know where they could be", Ash growled and lightly punched the floor.
"It's the same with Silver and Lugia", Ritchie spoke worriedly. "Who knows what Team Rocket might be doing to them right now?"
"And the worst thing is you two promised Lugia you will save Silver", Misty added. "It might never trust humans again."
"We know we're locked inside a cage that has an electric lock", Ritchie pointed out. "We need to figure out the code to get free."
"I don't think Team Rocket will give us the code", I commented.
The door to the room slid open before a short elderly man with half bald head and moustache stepped inside. He wore a lab coat and had a sinister glance in his eyes. "Well! Looks like our guests are awake now."
My brother jumped up onto his feet and grabbed the bars of the cage, glaring at the scientist. "Who are you?! Where are our Pokémon and the Lugias?!"
"Quite a rude young lad you are", the scientist chuckled. "My name is Professor Namba and you shall bear witness to Team Rocket's evolution!"
"What kind of evolution?" Ritchie growled.
"Since your young minds are curious, I shall gladly explain it to you", Professor Namba replied. "I discovered a way to transform Lugia's power into a completely new form of energy, and only I will be able to control it! After all, Pokémon exist to serve us humans, so we shall harvest their power for us human to use!"
"No! That's wrong!" Ash yelled back. "Pokémon and human are meant to live together in harmony! They are not our servants!"
"Yeah, we live together in peace and help each other out!" Misty agreed.
"That kind of cooperation helps everyone!" Ritchie added.
"Yeah, that's what keeps the nature its balance!" Brock joined in. "If we disturb the balance, there will be major catastrophe!"
"Your poor souls are still so naïve", Professor Namba giggled amusingly. "Nature and Pokémon exist to serve the mankind!"
"No!" I shrieked out and glared at the crazy scientist. "We exist to preserve the nature with the help of Pokémon! That's why Legendary Pokémon live; to protect the planet from harm!"
"Exactly!" Ritchie agreed.
"Besides, what makes you think you're better than the Pokémon?!" Misty growled at the man.
"Because I know I am superior to them! After all, I was the one who invented the Pokémon Provoker to increase the anger and rage within them!" Professor Namba revealed. "You got quite the taste of my invention when you battled Houndour and Hitmontop, didn't you? Those devices can artificially stimulate extreme rage attacks!"
"So those headgears were behind their sudden increase of strength!" Brock gasped in realization.
"That's the worst way bringing out Pokémon's strength!" Ash yelled and punched the bars. "You're supposed to train together with them to bring out their true and pure strength!"
"If you believe I'm wrong, then allow me to give you a demonstration of the Pokémon Provoker!" Professor Namba chuckled before he pressed a button on a machine.
Mystic and the two Pikachu's cries echoed from said machine before they were elevated up, revealing they were strapped onto that machine. "Mystic!" I shrieked worriedly, my voice melting in among Ash and Ritchie's as they yelled their Pokémon's names. They shrieked and fear and tried to wiggle out of the straps, but they were unable to move.
"My plan is to enrage Lugia until its power reaches maximum level before I can harvest its power to create the new energy", Professor Namba explained. "But I still had a few glitches left to fix, so they should be gone now. The only way to confirm that is using the Provoker on your Pokémon! Let us witness their power of rage!"
Three mechanical arms elevated down from the ceiling holding the headgears. They slowly went down toward our Pokémon. "Stop!" I screamed as I began tackling the cage with my whole body. Ash and everyone else teamed up with me as we tackled the part where the lock was, hoping we could break it.
"Stop the machine!" Misty demanded before she tackled the cage. She pulled back and held back a grunt as she rubbed her right arm where bruises were forming.
"Be quiet! I can't concentrate!" Professor Namba yelled back at us.
The cover of an air vent was kicked down before Oliver crawled out and rushed to the cage. "Hold on!"
"Oliver?!" we exclaimed in surprise.
"Where did this kid come from?!" Professor Namba shrieked.
Oliver typed a code on the cage and successfully unlocked it on the first try. Ash threw the cage open and rushed straight at the scientist who shrieked out. My brother tackled him into a wall while Ritchie and I rushed to the mechanical arms. I grabbed the one heading to Mystic and pulled it as hard as I could. The construction was quite weak, so the arm broke off easily. Ash and Ritchie ripped the arms off and slammed them against the machine. It nearly blew up, but it was enough damage to free the Pokémon from the straps.
"Mystic!" I exclaimed in relief and hugged him tight. "I'm so glad you're okay!"
"Togitic tiic!" Mystic chirped happily.
"Pikachu, thank goodness you're safe!" Ash hugged his Pokémon.
"Piika!"
"Are you okay, Sparky?" Ritchie asked.
"Pika pika!" Sparky nodded.
Misty and Brock rushed to us with our Poké Balls. They had theirs safe in their pockets, so Ash and I grabbed ours and strapped them on our belts. Ritchie's Poké Balls still had star stickers, so it was easy to figure out they belonged to him.
"You guys alright?" Oliver asked.
"Yeah, thanks to you", Ash nodded.
"But how did you get here? And where did you get the code for the cage?" Ritchie wondered.
"Long story short, I snuck in and got help from two superheroes", Oliver grinned.
"Superheroes?" the rest of us repeated confusedly.
"This isn't over, kids!" Professor Namba hissed after he had regained consciousness. The next thing we knew, an alarm went off.
"We need to leave and find Silver and Lugia!" Ash exclaimed.
We rushed out of the room and only managed to run a few meters before we were surrounded by Team Rocket grunts, including Cassidy and Butch. "Hold it! You're not going anywhere!" the female threatened.
"I don't know how you got out, but this is where you'll stay!" Butch yelled.
The duo released their Pokémon that were still wearing the Provoker headgear. Now that we knew the secret behind them, we needed to destroy them to defeat Houndour and Hitmontop.
"Pikachu, you know what to do!" Ash called.
"You too, Sparky!" Ritchie said.
"Pika!" the two Pikachu stepped forward to take on the battle. Mystic remained in my arms as I hadn't called him back. I had a feeling we were going to need him to reach out to Lugia. He had been able to communicate with Lugia since he saw it.
"Houndour, use Enraged Flamethrower!" Cassidy yelled.
"Dodge it, Pikachu!" Ash called.
Houndour breathed a large Flamethrower, but Pikachu was ready this time. He jumped away just in time before the flames could scorch him.
"Use Enraged Rolling Kick, Hitmontop!" Butch yelled.
"Sparky, dodge!" Ritchie shouted.
Hitmontop began spinning around on its head with arms and legs stretched out. Sparky barely dodged the incoming move.
"Now, Ash!" Brock yelled.
"Pikachu…"
"Sparky…"
"Use Thunderbolt on the devices!" Ash and Ritchie yelled at the same time.
Pikachu and Sparky charged themselves up before unleashing their electric power. The lightning bolts struck the Provoker on both Houndour and Hitmontop, shattering them into splinters. The two bad Pokémon flinched back and looked confused as if they had just come out from a trance. That was enough distraction for Pikachu and Sparky to finish them with a Quick Attack each. Cassidy and Butch gasped in terror at the sight of their fainted Pokémon.
"Alright!" Ash cheered excitedly.
"That's two down!" Ritchie smirked.
"H-How did those brats beat our Pokémon?!" Cassidy shrieked in disbelief.
"Butch! Cassidy!" Professor Namba's voice echoed from loudspeakers in the hallway. "Somebody has broken into Lugia's room! Investigate immediately!"
"We're on it, sir!" Butch replied before he recalled Hitmontop to its Poké Ball.
"Everybody, take care of the brats!" Cassidy commanded the grunts after she had recalled her Pokémon.
"Yes, ma'am!" the group of grunts saluted. The duo ran into another corridor before the horde of grunts charged toward us without calling out any Pokémon.
"Mystic, use Sweet Kiss!" I called before I threw him forward.
"Tic!" Mystic shrieked determinedly before he started blowing kisses. For each kiss, he summoned a heart and sent them toward the grunts. As soon as the hearts touched them, the hearts split into dozens at the same time as they got confused. The grunts ran into the wall and even into each other or just collapsed on the floor.
"Wow! That was an impressive Sweet Kiss!" Ritchie exclaimed with a smile.
"Thank you", I smiled shyly as Mystic flew above the fallen grunts.
"Let's go! Silver and Lugia are waiting for us!" Oliver called.
We ran past the grunts, accidently stepping on them, but they kind of deserved it since they were bad guys. We ran down the corridor aimlessly until Mystic started guiding us. We followed him into a new room where we found Silver but also that nasty scientist.
"How did you get here before us?!" Brock exclaimed at the sight of Professor Namba.
The scientist himself stood in front of Silver's cage with a malicious grin. Silver was shrieking and crying out for help, looking very desperate to get free.
"I have my ways", Professor Namba replied. "And I insist I keep this little Lugia as part of my experiment."
"Let Silver go free!" Misty yelled at him.
"Yeah, Silver belongs with his parent out in the ocean!" Oliver added.
"Don't test my patience!" Professor Namba growled before he threw a Poké Ball. "Go, Electabuzz!"
An Electabuzz was released from the Poké Ball wearing the Pokémon Provoker headgear. It roared aggressively and beat its chest like a Slaking. "Eleeeec!"
"Bear witness to the ultimate power of rage!" Professor Namba exclaimed before he picked up a square box and messed with it. "Electabuzz, rage, rage, RAGE!"
The LED lamp on Electabuzz's headgear changed from orange to red just as its expression grew so scary that it might want to kill people. "ELEEEEC!"
"Rage does not bring out a Pokémon's potential!" Ritchie yelled and threw a Poké Ball. "Go, Cruise!"
"Pupitaaar!" Cruise growled once he was out of his Poké Ball.
I quickly realized Electabuzz's weakness. Even if it were to use rage to increase its electric strength, it was useless against Pokémon types that could resist it. I grabbed Cedric's Poké Ball and threw it to join the battle. "I need your help, Cedric!"
"Pupitaaaar!" Cedric screeched as he joined Cruise's side.
"Hah! Your puny Pupitars won't stand a chance against my power Electabuzz!" Professor Namba cackled. "Electabuzz, use Enraged Ice Punch!"
"Oh no! Ice-type moves are super-effective against Pupitar!" Ash exclaimed in terror.
Electabuzz clenched its right hand into a fist that got covered in ice particles. It then rushed toward Cedric and Cruise, rage clouding its eyes.
"Cruise, use Protect!" Ritchie yelled fast.
Cruise jumped in front of Cedric and summoned a green shield that enveloped himself and Cedric. Electabuzz's fist made contact with the shield, but it couldn't break through no matter how many times it punched it.
"Ashley!" Ritchie called. "Let's team up!"
"Okay!" I nodded, understanding what I had to do next. "Cedric, use Screech!"
"Puupi!" Cedric jumped to the side and released soundwaves from his body, aimed at Electabuzz. Electabuzz stopped punching and covered its ears with a painful roar just as Cruise canceled the Protect move.
"Pikachu, use Quick Attack on Electabuzz!" Ash shouted, joining the battle.
"Pika!" Pikachu hissed and dashed toward Electabuzz who was still a little disoriented after the sudden screech.
"Electabuzz, snap out of it and use Enraged Thunder Punch!" Professor Namba shouted irritably.
Electabuzz got over the ringing sensation in its ears before it clenched its fist again, this time crackling by electricity. It aimed its fist at Pikachu and dashed toward him, threatening to collide with him.
"Dodge it, Pikachu!" Ash yelled quickly.
"Pika!" Pikachu screeched and jumped up and above Electabuzz just as it punched the floor where Pikachu was before.
"Sparky, use Quick Attack!" Ritchie shouted.
"Pika!" Sparky dashed toward Electabuzz and got a hit on its stomach, tackling the large electric Pokémon backwards while Pikachu ran back to us.
"Elec!" Electabuzz growled as it remained on its feet, rubbing its sore abdomen.
"That barely did anything, even with a Screech!" Brock gasped.
"Hahahah! See? Rage does bring out the true power of a Pokémon!" Professor Namba laughed and messed with the box in his hands. "Electabuzz, keep going! Rage more!"
"ELEEEC!" Electabuzz's body sparked before it released some of its electricity, almost electrocuting us, but we dodged the sparks in time.
"Guys!" Ritchie called out. "We need to get that box from Professor Namba! That might be a remote controller for the Provoker!"
"Got it!" Ash nodded.
"Mystic, when I give you the signal, go and use Sweet Kiss on Professor Namba", I told him with a quiet voice to make sure the evil scientist didn't hear me.
"Tog!" Mystic nodded.
"We'll distract Electabuzz!" Ash proclaimed. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on the headgear!"
"Pika!" Pikachu jumped up in the air and charged his cheeks in preparation for the move.
"Electabuzz, use Light Screen!" Professor Namba yelled.
Electabuzz stretched its hands out just as Pikachu fired a Thunderbolt. A transparent screen appeared in front of Electabuzz that bounced off the incoming move.
"Light Screen weakens special moves like Thunderbolt!" Brock called out.
All of the sudden, the whole base started rumbling like it was moving. I nearly lost my balance, but Ritchie caught me before I could fall onto the floor. I blushed at the contact and straightened up, trying to hide my warm cheeks. "Thank you…"
"No problem, Ashley", Ritchie smiled.
"What's going on?! Why is the base moving?!" Professor Namba growled.
"Emergency! The internal hydro-wall has ruptured! We're raising up to the surface!" a man's voice yelled from the loudspeakers. "All man take shelter! Lugia is free and on a rampage!"
"What?! Lugia got free?! How did that happen?!" Professor Namba exclaimed in shock.
Silver started shrieking intensely as he probably sensed his parent was nearby. Electabuzz remained silent and turned to its Trainer waiting for further commands. That was the opening we had been waiting for!
"Now, Mystic!" I yelled.
"Togi!" Mystic immediately flew past Electabuzz toward the scientist.
"Whaaa! Electabuzz, use Enraged Thunderbolt on that fly!" Professor Namba shrieked when he noticed my Pokémon.
"Eleeec…!" Electabuzz prepared itself by charging up its body.
"Cruise, use Headbutt on Electabuzz!" Ritchie yelled quickly.
"Pupitaar!" Cruise bounced quickly toward Electabuzz and tackled it before it released its charge, electrocuting him. Ritchie's Pokémon didn't even blink as the electric move was ineffective against ground-type Pokémon.
Professor Namba yelped when Mystic blew him a kiss, making him so confused that he dropped the remote controller.
"Pikachu, destroy that remote controller with Thunderbolt!" Ash yelled.
"Pika…CHU!" Pikachu unleashed a Thunderbolt and struck the controller, shattering it into pieces. The headgear on Electabuzz changed back to its default color of blue. Said Pokémon lost its aggression and blinked confusedly now that it was back to normal.
"Elec?"
"Sparky, use Thunderbolt on Electabuzz's headgear!" Ritchie yelled.
"Pika…CHUUU!" Sparky fired the move and struck the Provoker, shattering it into tiny fragments, freeing Electabuzz from the device.
"Cedric, use Rock Slide on Electabuzz!" I shouted.
"Pupitaar!" Cedric jumped up and summoned multiple large boulders before he threw them at Electabuzz. Poor Pokémon got buried under the rubble, its head peeking out from a creak that showed it had fainted along with its Trainer.
"Alright! We beat them!" Ash cheered happily.
"Great teamwork, everyone!" Ritchie smiled and high-fived my brother.
"Cedric, Mystic, you were wonderful!" I praised my Pokémon and gave them each a hug.
"Let's celebrate after we get out here!" Misty yelled as the base rumbled again with a loud siren going off. "Lugia is out of control and we need to save Silver!"
"Silver!" Oliver ran past the pile of boulders and even kicked Professor Namba on his head before he reached the cage containing Silver. "Don't worry, we'll get you free now!"
"Ruuuh!" Silver shrieked frantically.
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Everything happened so fast after our battle with Professor Namba. We freed Silver and found Lugia who was destroying Team Rocket's base with raging Aeroblasts. It had allowed its rage to take over its mind, but it snapped out of it when it saw Silver. Its anger vanished like paint dissolving in water and it nuzzled its child. With Lugia calm, we escaped the base and swam away from it just before it exploded into a large inferno. Lugia made sure to protect us when some flying debris almost hit us.
Luka picked us up and we sailed away from the now destroyed base with Lugia and Silver swimming after us. She had informed the local authorities about Team Rocket, so the police could show up any minute now and we didn't want them to see Lugia.
The sun was on its way down for the day, the sky and the sea colored in soft orange. Lugia and Silver nuzzled each one of us as they silently told us they were going to leave now. Oliver and Lanturn were crying as they cuddled with Silver one final time.
"I-I'm going to miss you, S-Silver…", Oliver hiccupped as he gently caressed Silver's head.
"Laaan…", Lanturn cried as it swam next to the boat.
"Ruuuh…", Silver chirped sadly and poked Oliver's cheek with its beak.
"Silver might be leaving now, but he will always be there in your heart, Oliver", Ritchie comforted the boy. "And Silver will always remember you and Lanturn."
"I… I know…", Oliver sobbed before he reluctantly let go of the baby Lugia.
Silver jumped off the boat and swam to his parent. Mystic was having a conversation with him before Lugia made a weird movement with its neck, like it was pointing at something on its body. Mystic flew down and played with Lugia's feathers before he gently plucked one.
"Mystic?!" I called out concernedly. "What did you just do?"
"Togitiic!" Mystic flew back to me with a Silver Wing in one of his tiny hands and held it out to me. "Togi togetic!"
"Is that another Silver Wing?" Luka gasped in surprise.
"I think so…", Misty mumbled, cuddling with Togepi.
"Togi?"
"I think Lugia wants you to have one of its feathers, Ashley", Ash spoke up.
"Pika!" Pikachu chirped.
I glanced at Lugia who nodded to me, like I could take the feather and bring it with me. I slowly took the Silver Wing from Mystic and twirled it around with my fingers, seeing it was completely clean and had a gently silver shine, compared to Luka's Silver Wing that had a slight dark shade.
"Thank you, Lugia", I smiled to the Legendary Pokémon. "I will treasure it."
"Ruuuh", Lugia rumbled from its chest.
Silver chirped happily and flapped his wings so he sprayed water around him before he and his parent swam toward the vast ocean. We waved goodbye to them before they jumped up and dived into the water, disappearing to the depths of the ocean where they could live together and nobody could ever harm them again.
Oliver wiped his tears off and slapped his cheeks. "That's it! I'm gonna become stronger together with Lanturn so we can protect Lugia and Silver if they ever come back to the Whirl Islands!"
"Laan!" Lanturn chirped happily.
"You mean you want to become a Pokémon Ranger?" Brock wondered.
"Yeah! That's it!" Oliver nodded with a determined glance in his now clear eyes. "I'll become a Pokémon Ranger and protect the Pokémon living on the islands and make sure nobody like Team Rocket will harm them ever again! And maybe…someday I'll meet Silver again!"
"That's a great dedication, Oliver", Ritchie praised the boy.
"I'll sail back to Ogi Isle where we can rest for the night", Luka spoke up. "And tomorrow, I can bring you guys to Transit Town. There's a ferry that goes straight to Olivine City from there and I think you want to challenge the Gym there as soon as possible."
"Yeah, that'd be a huge help, Luka!" Ash nodded.
"I think I'm gonna stay on the Whirl Islands for a while", Ritchie revealed. "I want to explore the other islands and look for unusual Pokémon."
"Guess we're gonna split up", Ash chuckled softly. "But we'll keep in touch, right? I've got a PokéGear now!"
"Me too", I nodded and grabbed my PokéGear. I actually felt sad that we were going in separate ways. I wanted to spend a little more time with Ritchie… Hopefully we would meet again someday like we did now.
"Great! We can exchange numbers and call each other!" Ritchie smiled widely. He grabbed his PokéGear and opened it before we wirelessly exchanged our numbers.
"Cool! That way, we can stay in touch and give each other advice for training!" Ash smiled.
"Mm-hm", Ritchie nodded. "And I promise I'll do my best to make it to the Johto League."
"I hope so…", I mumbled softly. "I…really want to battle you once, Ritchie."
"Me too", Ritchie confessed, giving me a smile that made my heart beat faster. "I don't regret having the match with Ash, so I hope I get to battle you in the League. I've learned a lot from both of you during the battle against Namba. I look forward to our future battle."
"Same…", I mumbled shyly and tucked some strands of my hair behind my ear.
"Let's go to Ogi Isle and get a well-deserved rest!" Luka exclaimed and pulled a string, causing the whistle to blow as we made our way to Ogi Isle.
I glanced at the Silver Wing in my hand and smiled softly at it before I held it against my lips. "May Arceus watch over you and your child, Lugia…"
I swore I heard Lugia's shriek echoing in my ears, but it was just a hallucination. Or it could've been a message sent by telepathy. Whatever it was, I had a feeling I would meet Lugia someday again.
After all, I am the Trainer with the soul of silver.
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Ashley's party:
Cedric the Pupitar (male)
Hikaru the Ampharos (male)
Mystic the Togetic (male)
Victor the Houndoom (male)
Axel the Scyther (male)
Lily the Espeon (female)
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Ashley's Pokémon at the Lab:
Trica the Furret (female)
Wanda the Gyarados (female)
Queendra the Seadra (female)
Aria the Lapras (female)
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Ash's party:
Pikachu (male)
Bayleef (female)
Cyndaquil (male)
Croconaw (male)
Shiny Noctowl (male)
Dunsparce (male)
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Ash's Pokémon at the Lab:
Heracross (male)
Tauros (male)
Ivysaur (male)
Snorlax (male)
Kingler (male)
Poliwrath (male)
Wartortle (male)
XXXXXXXXXX
Misty's party:
Staryu (genderless)
Psyduck (male)
Togepi (female)
Poliwhirl (male)
Lanturn (female)
Corsola (female)
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Misty's Pokémon in the Cerulean Gym:
Goldeen (female)
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Brock's party:
Geodude (male)
Onix (male)
Crobat (male)
Pineco (male)