Ash stared at the horizon as Ogi Island slowly became visible. He could see dark clouds collect over it, and if the sounds were anything to go by, a storm was brewing on the island.
"We're not far from the island now" Silver approached from behind and stood beside Ash.
"Yeah…" Ash muttered.
The finals of the Whirl Cup had ended in a flash. Silver had wiped out Ash's team with just his Feraligatr at such a speed that Ash couldn't even command them well in battle. Silver was powerful, far more powerful than Ash was.
Before the ceremony to crown Silver the champion, the Sea Priestess had come with devastating news. Which was why both Ash and Silver were headed to Ogi Island.
Team Island had attacked the Island and captured the guardian deity of the Whirl Islands.
The island was swarming with Team Rocket members when Silver and Ash, alongside a few more trainers from the Whirl Cup, arrived. Immediately the trainers launched into battle against the grunts while Ash, Misty and Silver ran deeper into the Island. Silver used his Feraligatr's Hydro Pump to blast any grunt in their way away without mercy. Both Ash and Misty felt it extreme, but also necessary considering it was Team Rocket and they were certain these goons deserved it.
Team Rocket's base of operations was deep in the island, a metallic fortress guarded by the elite grunts and some of the more vicious and destructive Pokemon. Misty stuck behind, sending out Tentacruel, Starmie, and Wartortle to battle. Ash left his Crobat and Scizor (Ash had previously recalled his main team and left his water team at Professor Oak's) to help her, while Silver left behind his Ursaring, Murkrow, Nidoking and Kadabra.
"Those Pokemon seemed a lot more aggressive than normal" Ash said to Silver as the two rushed inside the base.
"Team Rocket's developed a device that allows them to completely control wild Pokemon. It's a band around their neck, a collar-like thing. You noticed it yes?"
Ash nodded. He had noticed it.
"It emits a sort of radio wave that allows them to control wild Pokemon without capturing them."
"I see… but how do you know all that?"
Silver said nothing, picking up his pace. Ash kept the displeasure to himself and sped up to catch up with the boy.
Oddly enough the inside of the base was lax in terms of guards. Neither of the boys ran into any Team Rocket members until the very end when they ran into the main chamber, where a Pokemon sat on a giant machine with blank eyes.
"Lugia, the Diving Pokemon. Lugia's wings pack devastating power - a light fluttering of its wings can blow apart regular houses. As a result, this Pokémon chooses to live out of sight deep under the sea."
But that Lugia looked extremely different from the Pokemon shown on the Pokedex. For one it had jagged silver eye-spikes, a dark-purple body with white undersides, talons on its feet and glowing red eyes.
Could it be a shiny Pokemon? Like his Noctowl perhaps. The look on Silver's face said otherwise.
"Welcome!" a very familiar voice had Ash straightening. His eyes shot away from the Lugia to the man standing before the machine, Damien, a blank-faced young man with blue hair and a blank-faced young woman with red hair standing with him. Ash knew all of them extremely well. "I knew you'd come to your senses and finally join the efforts, son."
That was definitely not meant for Ash.
Shocked, Ash turned to Silver, who was red in the face from anger.
"I will never join you" the boy snarled. "I swore I would dismantle Team Rocket with my very hands and drag you down from your throne into disrepute and I am here to do just that!"
Giovanni laughed.
"I remember how I was just as stubborn and driven as you. It's what got me where I am today! You'll see reason, my son, and soon you will stand beside me."
Giovanni's eyes then turned to Ash, his smile turning cruel.
"Ash Ketchum, we finally meet in person" the man sneered. "I have not forgotten how you've cost me my Mewtwo."
Silver stared at Ash in shock.
"But I'll get it back back eventually. Have you seen my latest creation?" he motioned to the very different Lugia behind him. "An associate of mine from the Orre region informed me of an organization that was able to turn the emotions of a Pokemon off completely and control them to do unspeakable things without any issues. They were kind enough to 'share' the knowledge of it with us. And here it stands, the results of our efforts!"
The Lugia twitched.
"Now wake! My beautiful creation, SHADOW LUGIA!"
The Pokemon woke, a single black slit appearing in each eye. The beast roared, shaking the very ground they stood on. A shadowy aura gathered in its mouth before it blasted a wicked blade of air and decimated the roof. It took to the skies and came between Ash and Silver and the Team Rocket quartet.
"Any ideas on how we can beat this?" Ash asked Silver.
"I had no idea something like this even existed" Silver answered back.
Shadowy aura began to leak from the Shadow Lugia before it let out a terrifying shriek that forced Ash and Silver to their knees.
Giovanni laughed before ordering Shadow Lugia to attack. The Pokemon reared its head back as it collected a dark aura in its mouth. But before it could fire it, beams of fire, water and light hit the Pokemon.
Giovanni's laugh stopped abruptly and his eyes shot up.
Six people dropped from the Helicopter and a Dragonite landed behind the man with red hair.
"Leave Shadow Lugia to us. You two deal with the Team Rocket members" the man ordered.
Silver nodded and pulled Ash away.
"Who is that?" Ash asked. He recognized two of the six people, and they smiled at him in recognition.
"That is Lance, the champion of the Johto and Kanto Region" Silver explained. "Other others are Elite Four Members from Kanto and Johto. The red-haired woman is Lorellei, the muscled man is Bruno, the Old Woman is Agatha, the boy with glasses is Will and the Yellow top wearing woman is Karen. Leave the Shadow Lugia to them. We need to handle the other Team Rocket members."
The Team Rocket members in question were Damien and the two blank-faced man and woman.
Damien grinned cruelly and sent out his Rhydon, Primeape, Aerodactyl, Ursaring and two Pokemon Ash did not recognize.
"Granbull, the Fairy Pokemon. Granbull has a particularly well-developed lower jaw. The enormous fangs are heavy, causing the Pokémon to tip its head back for balance. Unless it is startled, it will not try to bite indiscriminately."
"Tyranitar, the Armor Pokemon. Tyranitar is so overwhelmingly powerful, it can bring down a whole mountain to make its nest. This Pokémon wanders about in mountains seeking new opponents to fight."
The blue-haired man sent out a Weezing and the red-haired woman sent out an Arbok.
Silver sent his Feraligatr and another Pokemon Ash hadn't seen before out.
"Sneasel, the Sharp Claw Pokemon. Sneasel scales trees by punching its hooked claws into the bark. This Pokémon seeks out unguarded nests and steals eggs for food while the parents are away."
Ash sent out Wartortle, Pikachu, Cyndaquil and Bayleaf. Cyndaquil greeted Feraligatr cheerfully, old friends reuniting after a long time, but she quickly got into battle mode.
It was obvious that Damien was after Ash with how his Pokemon concentrated purely on Ash's. But Silver's Pokemon got in between each time and intercepted them with ease, putting Ash down to play support. The other two Team Rocket members were silently ordering their Pokemon, listening to what Damien said. Ash took on both of them with Wartortle and Pikachu, while Cyndaquil and Bayleaf backed Feraligatr and Sneasel.
Arbok attacked with Acid that Wartortle washed away with a Hydro Pump. Pikachu followed it with Thunder that Weezing blocked completely with Protect. Weezing then used Sludge Bomb and Wartortle used Hydro Pump again to counter it. Arbok used Sludge Bomb and Pikachu used Thunder to block it. Arbok immediately dug underground and Pikachu combined Agility with Double Team to rush all across the field to confuse the digging snake. Weezing used Thunderbolt at Wartortle, who took it with Withdraw before countering with a Skull back. But before Wartortle could hit, Arbok shot out and intercepted the move.
Weezing and Arbok stood to one side and Wartortle and Pikachu stood on the other. Ash commanded Wartortle to Withdraw and Pikachu to jump on him. Wartortle withdrew and began to spin while using Hydro Pump. Pikachu (while spinning with Wartortle) used Thunder, channelling it to Wartortle and spreading it through him to the spiralling waves of Hydro Pump. The combined moves hit both Pokemon, refusing them to escape before knocking them both out.
"Even brainwashed into soldiers you two are absolutely useless!" Damien sneered, hitting both the man and woman with a baton and knocking them out. "I guess I have to do this myself."
Feraligatr, Sneasel, Cyndaquil and Bayleef were still standing, tired but standing. While on Damien's side his Aerodactyle, Tyranitar, Ursaring and Rhydon were still standing. Ash joined Silver's side with Wartortle and Pikachu.
All four of Damien's Pokemon fire Hyper Beams at Feraligatr, who was easily the strongest in that group. Cyndaquil with Flamethrower, Wartortle with Hydro Pump, Pikachu with Thunder and Bayleef with a belated Solarbeam intercepted the beam, causing a massive explosion that sent both sides flying back. Ash and Silver crashed into some machinery, reeling when they were electrocuted. Damien on the other hand had slammed into a wall and knocked himself out. Damien's Pokemon was still recharging from the Hyper Beams so Wartortle cut through the smoke with a spiral Hydro Pump, Pikachu and Cyndaquil used Thunder and Flamethrower to power it up, in the same way, Pikachu merged Thunder with Hydro Pump to knock Weezing and Arbok out before, Except Pikachu was doing Thunder from above by jumping on top of Wartortle and Cyndaquil was throwing Flamethrower from below. Bayleef and Sneasel jumped in with Solarbeam and Ice Beam right after, either knocking them out or freezing Damien's Pokemon.
Ash and Silver had won this battle, but neither had the time to celebrate. Shadow Lugia roared and they turned in unison. The six elite trainers were on their last legs, and most of their Pokemon fainted. The only ones still fighting were a group of very damaged Dragonite, Lapras, Gengar, Umbreon and Alakazam. Shadow Lugia was injured as well, but the Pokemon seemed to have become even more violent.
"We need to stop it somehow" Ash stuttered, the effects of the electrocution still in play.
"There has to be some machine that's controlling it" Silver stuttered.
Ash and Silver looked at one another before commanding their Pokemon to destroy every single piece of machinery in the room.
Giovanni and Shadow Lugia noticed them too late.
As the last machinery blew up, the entire facility roared with flames before exploding.
Ash's body still shook from the explosion. Had it not been for Agatha's Gengar pulling them all out through the shadows, they would all have died. Lance was furious with the boys, but in the end, he agreed it might have been a stupid but right thing to do. He thanked them before he and the elite trainers were off. Shadow Lugia had been neutralized thanks to whatever machine Ash and Silver destroyed. For now, it had gone dormant and Lance was taking it to the Orre region to possibly purify whatever Team Rocket had done to it. He knew someone there that could help.
"What will you do now?" Silver's question snapped Ash out of his thoughts.
The red-haired boy stood in front of him, relying on a cane and had bandages on his neck, arms and right leg.
Ash cleared his throat.
"Olivine City. I have a gym battle to get to."
Silver nodded, before turning to leave.
But Ash called him and he stopped.
"What about you?"
"I'm looking for my father. I will not rest until I put him down."
Giovanni had escaped in the chaos somehow. But not Damien or the red-haired woman and the blue-haired man. The Police had custody of them now.
"You're not a bad person" Ash stated, "so why did you steal the Totodile?
Silver turned and stared dumbly at him.
"I did what now?!"
A quick call and conversation between Ash, Silver and Professor Elm set things right. Silver had come to collect a Pokemon for his journey that day and the Professor, lost in research, had told him to choose whoever he liked. So Silver chose Totodile, gave his information for the Pokedex (which Professor Elm put in himself) and left with the Pokedex and Pokeball. Professor Elm had been too engrossed in research to even remember doing all of that.
Professor Elm apologised profusely and promised to take back the complaint from the Police.
Ash almost snapped at the Professor for being so reckless.
Silver left not long after, leaving Ash with a King's Rock. Silver told Ash to trade his Poliwhirl while holding that to get a whole new Pokemon. Ash tucked it away in his bag with that intention in mind.