Earth rumbled and ice creaked, ice shattered and stone fell to asphalt.
Blood splattered onto the sidewalk as Daisy staggered back, clutching her front, where the very tip of a stone spike was embedded in her flesh. She fell to one knee beside her dewgong, her blood dripping, her teeth bared in a silent snarl.
Beside her Lily and Violet were picking themselves up off the ground, bruised, bloodied, and battered after being thrown off their feet by the clash of ice and stone.
"How?"
Daisy looked up to see Giovanni, his mouth pressed in a frown. It may have been the first honest expression she'd ever seen on his face.
He held two more pokéballs in his hand, standing just behind his rhydon. Daisy grit her teeth, sucked in a deep breath and stood up.
"You don't have to be a great actress to know when someone's putting on a performance," Daisy growled, meeting his eyes. "And I've never seen you drop yours."
Giovanni's frown deepened, but he said nothing.
Screams were sounding from the edge of the city behind the traitor, mixed with the rolling boom of explosions.
"Glacial Push!" Daisy commanded, throwing herself on the dewgong's back.
"Seaking, help out with a Hyrdo Pump!" Lily called out, white light blazing.
"Cranky, Bubble Mines!" Violet ordered, her kingler already on the field.
Blue-white light shone off the dewgong's horn as the ice wall swelled up in size, the whole structure moving forward, tearing up concrete and asphalt. A rushing frothing geyser hit it from behind, sending it hurtling forward towards Giovanni.
His rhydon stomped on the ground in front of them and a wedge of stone shot out of the street. Ice shattered and water roared as the sisters' attack flowed around Giovanni and his pokémon. Gradually it subsided, leaving the street wet and littered with glistening chunks of ice, the area ahead of Giovanni covered with large oily bubbles planted on the asphalt and sidewalk.
The sisters were nowhere to be seen.
Sirens shrieked throughout the city as crowds of people began to run for the shelters. At major intersection corners metal plates slid back to allow thin metal rods to rise up and the sides to unfold into something that resembled an umbrella, if umbrellas crackled with white energy that blasted at the invaders and could manifest small force fields behind fleeing citizens.
Spouts of water and spike-flowers of ice dotted the inside of the city as the gym trainers sortied out to meet the attackers. Police began to coordinate the evacuation and cover the civilians, flame and fang from the Cerulean Police's growlithes keeping Team Rocket at bay.
"Thundershock!"
"Ice Beam!"
"Rock Throw!"
Ash, Brock, and Misty found themselves engulfed in a sea of violence not five minutes after getting off their bus. A squad of Rockets had come down the road straight at them in broad daylight and if it hadn't been for the screams and explosions the trio might have thought that it was a hallucination or a tasteless joke.
Pikachu's electricity, Starmie's ice, and chunks of road from Onix scythed through the Rocket squad and their pokémon, scattering them and forcing them into cover.
"Where the hell did they come from?" Brock shouted, pulling Aaron into an alleyway, Misty close behind.
"I swear, if my sisters fucked up security this badly- "Misty growled, but Ash saw that her face was pale.
"Pikachu, get high and Thunderwave them!" Ash ordered, while taking out another pokéball. "Go Butterfree!"
White light blazed while Pikachu bounced between the walls of the alley. Butterfree came to a hover in front of Ash while electricity buzzed overhead.
"Try to sense any Rockets getting near us!" Ash ordered.
"Good idea," Misty nodded. "Go Staryu! Cover our backs!"
"Zubat! Help Butterfree detect anyone getting too close!" Brock sent his pokémon out as well.
I got all of them, Pikachu said, bouncing back down to land on Ash's shoulder.
It's hard to tell who's near us, Butterfree said, his face scrunched up in concentration. Everyone is really loud right now.
Brock peeked around the corner and then ducked back into the alley.
"They look down," Brock said. "But I'm not sure. What do Butterfree and Staryu have to say?"
Butterfree remembered to give an aerial shrug while Staryu performed a strange series of gestures that Misty seemed to understand.
"Butterfree's not sure," Ash told him.
"Same with Staryu," Misty added.
"Then we'll have to make a break for it," Brock said. "Everyone spread, but don't lose sight of each other. Aaron, have Pikachu and Butterfree cover us. Misty, keep Staryu in reserve for now."
"Got it," Ash nodded while Misty recalled her pokémon.
The trio sprinted out of the alleyway and Ash could feel an itch, an anticipation of an attack, as they dashed down the street and around the nearest corner, falling in with the rear of the evacuating crowd.
Following the screaming masses, the trio flanked by Ash's pokémon sped down the street. More explosions sounded at the edge of the city and another Rocket squad barreled into an upcoming intersection, eliciting shrieks as the crowd scattered before them.
"Starmie, Ice Beam to shield the crowd!" Misty called out as white light blazed.
"Geodude, attack!" Brock shouted at the same time.
"Pikachu, distract them with Thundershock!" Ash ordered while his companion's pokémon moved into action.
Ice creaked as Starmie created a frozen wall in a semi-circle behind them, shielding the crowd from the Rocket squad. Geodude hurled himself forward as Pikachu sent out tendrils of buzzing electric power.
The Rockets had a rhyhorn, a machoke, two bellsprouts, and a poliwhirl. Pikachu's attack earthed itself harmlessly in the rhyhorn, but coursed through the machoke and bellsprouts drawing out cries of pain, and blasted the poliwhirl off of its feet before it could do anything.
Then Geodude was among them. Grabbing the rhyhorn by its namesake, he flipped it over to smash down the machoke before it could attack.
"Rock Throw!" Brock ordered, just as the Rocket squad was about to shout their own commands. Geodude ripped two chunks of asphalt from the street and hurled them at the bellsprouts, faster than the human eye could track. The two grass types went down while the machoke picked itself up.
"Starmie, Water Gun!" Misty cried out and a pressurized stream of water jetted out, spearing through the machoke's shoulder as it leapt at Geodude. The fighting type was knocked askew and into a spin that ended with its face planted into the asphalt.
"Houndoom, Smokescreen!" One of the Rockets shouted while throwing a pokémon. Before the pokémon had even finished solidifying dark and billowing smoke was spewing from it. Beams of red light lanced out of the cloud, recalling the defeated pokémon.
"Pidgeot, blow it away!" Ash ordered, sending out his flying type. She emerged with a defiant caw, her broad wings conjuring up a windstorm to whip and drive the smoke away. When it cleared the Rockets had already retreated down the street. Ash caught a glimpse of them sprinting around a corner before they were out of sight.
"Well, we've made a target of ourselves again," Misty sighed, looking at the ice wall.
"We didn't have a choice," Brock told her, recalling Geodude. "Come on, we need to get to the shelter. Aaron, stick close to us."
"You and Aaron should do that," Misty replied. "But I need to link up with the gym."
"Maybe once the situation has stabilized," Brock retorted. "But first we've got to get Aaron dropped off."
"I can fight!" Ash protested.
"Sure, but you shouldn't," Brock told him. "But let's save this argument for when we get to the shelter. We can clear the way for the civilians and then figure out what to do after that."
"Agreed," Misty nodded.
"Fine," Ash grumbled.
The three of them took off after the crowd, catching up with the mass as explosions erupted in the nearby streets. Twice more the three trainers had to fight Rocket Squads, elements clashing and dancing, adults and children screaming, pokémon crying out in rage and pain. Both times the Rockets were driven back, recalling what pokémon they could as they escaped electricity, stone, and water
"Why are they attacking them?" Ash asked, looking at the fleeing mass of people as he collected himself after the latest attack.
"They're not, not exactly," Brock sighed. "They're probably trying to take streets and the civilians are just in the way."
"And right now Team Rocket doesn't care about civilian casualties," Misty growled. "Well, they picked the wrong city to try this in. Whatever trick they pulled in Saffron won't work here and they're going to regret messing with us Ceruleans."
"Come on," Brock said. "We're nearly to the shelter. We can talk more there."
The three trainers started moving again. The crowd slowed down, turning into a massive screaming, crying horde. Ash could see them filtering into underground entrances to the shelters.
"There's too many people here," Misty said, her face pale. "Why aren't they at the other shelters in this district?"
"Too much fighting I bet," Brock said, looking up and around. "We'll need to protect them until they're all in."
"I don't think they'll fit," Misty replied. "We might need to escort them somewhere- Shit! Rockets!" She pointed down the street and there was a large group of Rockets coming. A kangaskhan, rhyhorn, and a nidoking formed a vanguard, followed by abras wearing collars. After them came a golduck, an electrode, and a marowak.
"Go Onix!" Brock roared, throwing the pokéball.
"Staryu, Starmie!" Misty cried out. "Ice Spear!"
"Pikachu, Thunder! Pidgeot, protect us all with Gust!" Ash ordered, throwing a pokéball of his own.
Onix bellowed as he materialized out of white light, shaking the streets as he charged. Staryu lashed out with an Ice Beam as Starmie lashed out with a Water Gun, the two attacks combining into a jet-propelled frozen spike. Electricity buzzed and yellow light flared as Pikachu's Thunder swept down the street.
A purple glow surrounded the charging Rocket vanguard at the same time, coming from the collared abras. The special attacks from Ash and Misty's pokémon clashed with the glow, all the power exploding as it destabilized, shattering the street and kicking up a cloud of dust.
Chunks of road pelted towards the trio, only to be caught in Pidgeot's windstorm and hurled aside. The Rocket vanguard appeared out of the dust, meeting Onix head on.
"Staryu, Starmie, Rain Hail!" Misty ordered.
"Pikachu, Thundershock! Bulbasaur, Razor Leaf! Primeape, guard us!" Ash shouted, white light blazing as he called out two more pokémon.
Spikes of ice fell from the sky above the Rocket pokémon as tendrils of galvanic power reached for them and slicing greenery cut through the air. Purple light flared into existence above the Rockets, stopping the deadly ice. The marowak jumped to absorb as much of the Thundershock as it could while the golduck countered the Razor Leaf attack with a Bubblebeam.
One of the abras suddenly flew towards a building on the side of the street only to fall to the ground, clutching at the collar around its neck.
"Why are they doing that to their pokémon?" Ash asked, looking at the stricken abra.
"They're probably stolen pokémon." Brock told him, not looking away from their enemy. "The Rockets are using collars to punish them if they don't obey. It's an old tactic. They've probably been torturing them ever since kidnapped them from Saffron-"
Ash's heart went still at Brock's words.
And then it ignited.
"Charmander! Squirtle!" Ash shouted, white light blazing around him. "Bubblebeam and Ember! Primeape, and Pikachu you're with me! Stop anything that gets too close to us! Pidgeot, Gust Bullet the nidoking and kangaskhan!"
Don't be an idiot! Pikachu growled even as he obeyed and jumped onto Ash's shoulder.
"With you-"Misty, growled. "Oh no buster. You're not running out there alone- "
"Then come with me!" Ash shouted to her, already moving forward.
It felt like something had broken inside of him, or maybe something had been broken and was finally fixed. His body felt strange, light as a feather. The core of his bones seemed to tingle, to spark, to shout. The world around was unusually clear. He felt his muscles tremble and it was hard to stay still.
So, he didn't.
Ash dashed forward, running faster than he could ever remember running before. Primeape, the swift and powerful fighting type, struggled to catch up to Ash after the sudden burst of speed. Pikachu clutched Ash's shirt and jacket tightly, making sure not to fall off.
The boy reached Onix almost before he knew it, the stone serpent wrestling with the three large Rocket pokémon. For an instant Ash felt like he could jump and clear the struggling pokémon, his body seemingly shouting from the rooftops that he could do it.
Instead, Ash sprinted to the side and then slid under Onix's tail as Brock's pokémon slammed the nidoking into a nearby building. He was up on his feet and sprinting forward before the nidoking finished falling.
Primeape, Close Combat that rhyhorn! Ash ordered as he ran. And then catch up with us!
Ash didn't bother looking back to check on Primeape, didn't bother looking back to see if Misty was coming along to back him up, didn't bother looking around at the clashing special attacks exploding all around him as Bubblebeams collided, Razor Leaves were incinerated by Thundershock, as Embers were swept aside by Bone Rush. His vision was focused on the abras.
He ducked under a blasting bubble, rolled to avoid a bone club smashing the street before bouncing back to the marowak who threw it, jumped when the hairs on the back of his neck tingled to avoid the Thunderbolt that came right after, and then Ash reached the abras.
Pretend to attack me! Ash shouted as hard as he could to the collared pokémon, heart pounding in his ears. They can't understand what I'm saying! Pretend to attack me while Pikachu and I get those collars off! Pretend to do what they say!
If Ash had actually thought his plan through instead of acting on instinct he would have known that this was the weakest part of his plan. There was no guarantee that the abras would listen to him, no guarantee that the Rocket trainers would order them to attack him instead of withdrawing their prizes.
But Ash was on the only path that he could see and wouldn't have cared about any of that anyway.
Pikachu, I need you to disable those collars without hurting the abras, Ash said as he began to bob and weave. Blast of psychic power and telekinetic blows rained down on the asphalt around him. All of them missed.
Is that why you needed to get so close? Pikachu asked, holding onto Ash's shoulder for dear life. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the collars in question. I think I can draw most of the electricity away the abras while making the devices overload, but-
Don't care, just get on it! Ash ordered, continuing to act like he was dodging the abras attacks. The hairs on the back of his neck tingled again as Pikachu began to build up a charge. He's going to break your collars! Ash cried out to the entrapped psychic types.
Water rushed and ice creaked. With a roar the kangaskhan flew down the sidewalk, propelled by a torrent while being pelted with shards of ice. Razor Leaves soared through the air, taking curving trajectories to evade the seeking galvanic tendrils of the electrode. Bubblebeams continued to collide in midair, filling the battlefield with a constant cacophony of blasting. Dust hung in the air, stinging Ash's eyes.
Pikachu began to shine with a yellow light that Ash could see out of the corner of his eye and feel on his face and neck. The marowak charged them, bone club held low, the psychic 'attacks' from the abras letting up as the ground type engaged.
Ash's body felt so light, so easy to move. He leaned back and the marowak's blow, which could shatter the asphalt beneath their feet, passed through the space his head used to be, missing his forehead by inches. He could feel the breeze from the blow gently ruffle his bangs.
Its movements should have been a blur, but Ash could see the marowak recover from the miss and raise its club high for a vertical strike. As casually as if he were letting someone pass him by, Ash stepped to the side and the blow destroyed the street.
Ash heard water rush and then Misty on Starmie was jetting past him, accompanied by Primeape, the two pokémon body checking the marowak and sending it flying back.
"What in Kygore's Maelstrom are you doing?" Misty shouted turning around on Starmie to face Ash, too angry to even glare properly.
I'm freeing the abras, Ash said.
"No, say it in Sinnohese not whatever language that is," Misty ordered, getting in his face. Ash shook his head, forcing himself to remember how to speak to humans.
"Just don't let them stop Pikachu," Ash told her. "Pikachu hop off. Primeape, come with me."
Don't get hurt, Pikachu growled, hopping off Ash's shoulder, still building up power.
What- Primeape began, but Ash was already moving. He heard Misty swear behind him, but he didn't feel her fingers or Starmie's ice hold him down, so Ash figured she'd guard Pikachu until he was ready.
Special attacks still blazed in the air around him. The Rocket trainers shouted something and the abras moved to the sides of the street and then the golduck and electrode had clear shots at him.
The instant he felt the fine hairs on his neck stand up Ash burst forward and threw himself to the side. Electricity crackled where he had stood while his leap carried Ash into the brick wall of one of the buildings lining the street.
Close Combat that electrode! Ash commanded, pushing himself off of the wall, flakes of brick falling off of him as he tossed himself back into the fray.
Primeape rushed ahead, pounding on the electrode with fist and foot. Pressurized jets of water met in an explosion of droplets as Starmie and the golduck struggled. With a growl and a thud the marowak landed in front of Ash, eyes narrow behind the bone helmet.
"Goldeen! Waterfall!" Misty shouted, white light blazing as her third pokémon was sent out. Even before she finished materializing, water was gushing, rushing, flowing and frothing all around the golden-white pokémon. A sudden stream, a roaring creek with Goldeen in the center slammed the marowak back down the street.
"And return!" Misty cried out, pokéball at the ready. A beam of red light lanced out and Goldeen vanished before she could touch the ground.
A Bubblebeam came right at Ash, projectiles gleaming in the sun. The boy sprinted to the side, blasts blowing holes in the street and walls of nearby buildings as the golduck tracked him.
Yellow light flared behind Ash, startling the golduck and ending its attack. With a cry of exertion Pikachu threw his head back, galvanic power buzzing and crackling about him. The air was heavy with static as tendrils of electric power reached down the street and earthed themselves in the collars around the necks of the abras.
Each of the bands sparked and twitched as Pikachu's power touched them, but the abras were unhurt. Tiny streams of crackling yellow power floated heavenward as Pikachu grit his teeth and then the collars exploded.
Instantly the Rocket trainers and pokémon were enveloped in a purple light. The abras turned as one as their captors rose into the air, shouting, baying, and screaming. Once they had risen above the rooftops all of the abras's eyes flashed and-
Ash turned away, closing his eyes so he wouldn't have to see what was happening, but he couldn't block out the screams.
When he looked back the street was clear of Rocket trainers and pokémon and the abras had collapsed together in a heap.
What- what should we do next? Ash asked, his voice and body shaking. The lightness he had felt was gone and while his body felt fine something within him that Ash couldn't place or describe felt drained.
"Are you even speaking a language or are you just babbling?" Misty said from behind him, her voice flat and hard. Ash turned to face her and found that her eyes were cold.
"Oh, sorry," Ash said, forcing himself to speak Sinnohese.
"Groudon's fucking Claws, what was that?" Brock shouted, riding in on Onix. "Aaron, what in the Distorted World were you thinking? Are you purposefully trying to get yourself killed?"
"Huh?" Ash blinked and then thought back on what had just happened. He could feel the color drain from his face as he realized what exactly had been going on.
That marowak could have split his skull like an overripe fruit.
Ash's legs trembled and then he collapsed into a sit.
"Oh," he said, his voice shaking.
"Oh indeed," Brock's voice was flat and hard.
"I honestly didn't think," Ash admitted, looking at the ground. "You said that thing about those abras and I…. I… I don't know…"
There was a harsh sigh from above him and Ash looked up to see Brock pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Aaron, you are such an idiot at times, but at least you're starting to learn" Brock said finally. "Come on, let's get the civilians into the shelter and then we can talk about this."
"And what was that language you were speaking?" Misty asked, grabbing Ash by the arm and hauling him to his feet.
"Oh, uh…" Ash tried to ignore the sudden chill, the sudden gaping pit in his stomach at the causal question. "It doesn't matter."
"Oh, come on, after that scare you owe me," Misty said. "I want to learn the cusses."
"No, it really-"
"Actually, I think it does matter," Brock cut in, not even looking at Ash. "But we'll talk about it when we get to the shelter."
Ash grimaced, his entire body suddenly leaden with cold fear. He forced himself to keep moving and recall his pokémon, trying to act normal despite it all, despite how close he was to being exposed, to having the secrecy that protected him torn away.
He had overcome extreme terror before and had lived with dread for a long time, but Ash had never felt dread this intense. The only spark of hope he had was that Brock might forget about the whole thing as the day drew on and if they got in more fights.
Ash was almost wishing for that to happen.
"What should we do about the abras?" Misty asked Brock.
"We'll have to tell them to hide," Brock said, as the trio approached the psychic types. "I think we'll have to put them in the shelter- Oh, come on!"
Brock immediately grabbed a pokéball while Ash and Misty looked where he was looking. Another squad of Rocket trainers was running down the street.
"Kygore's Maelstrom, we didn't even have time to finish up after the last one," Misty cursed.
"We can't let them near the abras," Ash said, forcing the words out through his dread. He needed to put it aside if they were going to protect the pokémon he had just saved.
"Obviously," Brock said, stepping forward. "Go-"
Before he could do anything, a gigantic torrent of water slammed into the approaching Rocket squad while they were in an intersection. When the water let up the squad was gone.
"Oh, thank goodness," Misty said, wiping her brow. "Friendlies, finally."
A group of trainers in khaki uniforms accompanied by water-type pokémon rounded the corner of the intersection where the Rockets had been washed away. Ash recognized the man in the lead as Eddie, the gym trainer they had run into last time they had traveled to Cerulean.
"Misty? What in the Distorted World are you doing here?" Eddie asked when he arrived. "And what's with those abras?"
"Those abras are from the Saffron City Gym and were rescued by this idiot here," Misty jerked a thumb over at Ash, "when he decided to disregard his own life in a maneuver that seemed more like a suicide attempt than a plan."
"It wasn't that bad!" Ash protested.
"And I'm here because I knew my sisters were doing something stupid," Misty said, looking around at the pillars of smoke rising from the city, the crowd of civilians trying to fit into the shelter, and the battle marked streets. "I've got to say, I wasn't expecting things to be this bad."
"It's worse than you think," Eddie said, face grim. "Your sisters are currently incapacitated and are recovering at the gym while directing the defense."
"Wait, what?" Misty's face was pale and her mouth hung open. "What happened?" She asked in a small voice.
Eddie shook his head. "Come on, we'll get you up to speed on the way."
AN: I'd like to thank Amationary for beta reading.
Finally nearing the end of the Kanto part. I'm slowly getting back to my old writing habits, but I might just as easily fall out of them again.
I've been thinking about Daisy's line in the beginning of this chapter since I started writing this story and it took me an embarrassingly long time to get it into the form it took when published. I just sometimes blank on obvious synonyms.
The next chapter will be released on 1/3/2024.
Don't forget to review! Concrit is welcome!