Chapter 29
"I'm stuffed." James exhaled, his stomach bloated to a huge degree.
"Me too." Jessie agreed, unable to move.
"Hey, where's Meowth?" James asked.
There was a rattle across the room from a large pile of silver plates, bowls and cups. Suddenly Meowth emerged from the pile.
"That was a good feast." He said happily.
"I'll give it to that twerp." Jessie stretched. "He's a pretty good chef."
"Was it worth it though?" James asked, shifting the mood.
The three remained in silence for a moment, the weight of what they agreed to was beginning to settle on them.
"Today is the day isn't it?" Jessie asked.
"Yeah." Meowth confirmed.
"I'm scared." James admitted.
"Me too, but we need to honour our agreement." Jessie told them.
"Since when?" Meowth asked in confusion.
"Yeah that doesn't sound like us." James added.
"Okay fine I want to help them." Jessie blurted out. "I don't want to be under the Team Rocket umbrella anymore. We've been following those kids for 9 years and they've had so much freedom. I want that taste of freedom."
Meowth and James exchanged surprised looks. They never would've expected Jessie to admit something like this.
"I want that too." Jane's agreed.
"We could do it." Jessie told them. "This is our chance to break free."
"Once you're in, Team Rocket doesn't easily let you out." Meowth admitted. "This could be our best chance."
"Then let's agree to give it our all today." Jessie suggested. "Not for the twerps but for ourselves."
The other two agreed and they began to prep themselves for the big day they had ahead.
"My head still hurts, are you sure I just fell?" Leaf double checked, clutching her head.
"I'm sure, just forget about it." Misty brushed off.
The pair of them were eating breakfast in the cafeteria alongside Brock, Lucy, Anabel and Gary. The rest of the group were yet to rise.
The cafeteria was surprisingly clean considering the mess it was left in after the party last night. The birthday banner was taken down, the dirty plates were no longer there and all the surfaces and the floor were scrubbed clean.
"I'm guessing we won't be seeing everyone else until later." Anabel speculated. "We were up pretty late last night."
"There's no harm in them getting a little extra rest," Lucy spoke calmly. "Tonight is the night."
Everyone at the table fell silent as the prospect of what was to come this evening entered their minds.
"I hope Team Rocket are up for it." Leaf mused aloud.
"Me too. They're the most important piece of the plan." Gary admitted.
"I told Medicham to bring them here as soon as they were awake." Anabel told the group.
As if on cue Team Rocket came floating into the room, protesting as usual until they were dropped unceremoniously on their heads.
"Good timing." Misty noted as she continued her food.
"I'm getting tired of this." James muttered, rubbing the sore spot where he dropped on his head.
"Don't worry that could be the last time." Brock told them. "After tonight it'll all be over."
"If your plan actually works." Jessie said sceptically.
"It's a big if." Gary agreed. "But I think we can pull it off. Only if we have your help though."
This seemed the mollify Team Rocket for the time being. Seeing what Gary did there Misty have him a quick smile and she got a wink in return.
"You're just lucky the food last night was that good." Meowth grumbled. "Otherwise there was no way we'd be helping you twoips."
"Let's hope it wasn't our last." Jessie said worryingly.
Back in Pallet Town, Professor Oak took a big stretch and and let out a mighty exhale.
"Finally." He said to himself as he stood up stiffly. He was not used to sitting in the the same spot for such a long amount of time. Plus, his age wasn't helping the matter.
He made his was slowly into the dining room when Tracey emerged from the kitchen carrying two steaming cups of tea.
"How'd it go Professor?" He asked as he placed both cups on the table.
"Better than expected." Oak admitted as he picked up one of the cups and took a sip. "I've managed to get a few extra people to help."
"Will that be enough?" Frowned Tracy.
"Every little helps." Oak replied optimistically before taking another drink.
"Professor, be honest." Tracy said seriously. "How much danger are they in?"
"A lot." Oak answered with zero hesitation.
"I had a feeling." Tracy let out a short, harsh laugh with no heart. "It's going to be a long night."
"There definitely won't be any sleep tonight." Oak agreed. He walked over to the large window at the back wall of the dining room.
He looked over the vast grounds of his lab. He could see the vast majority of Ash's Tauros as well as countless Pokémon belonging to Gary and Leaf.
Would these Pokémon have a trainer come this time tomorrow?
It was just after midday by the time everyone else in the Battle Tower rose and joined the others in the cafeteria.
"Now that we're all here," Gary started, shooting a not so subtle glare at Max who was up the latest. "Let's decide on a time for this crazy idea tonight."
"I'm ready to go now." Ash and Cameron shouted in unison.
"It would be stupid to go now." Max pointed out. "Remember Jessie, James and Meowth said the security is not nearly as tight at night. We should wait until then."
"I still think we can win if we bust in there right now." Ash shook his head.
"Trust me you wouldn't." Jessie warned.
"Are you having any second thoughts?" Dawn asked their 3 temporary allies.
"Of course we are." James snapped. "But we've come too far now to turn back."
"You're doing the right thing here." May told them.
"That just makes me hate this even more." Meowth groaned.
"Don't act like this is the first time you've done something decent." Brock smiled.
"What are you talking about?" Jessie asked in surprise.
"Back in the Whirl Islands." Brock recounted.
"That's true." Ash agreed. "You all practically sacrificed yourselves in order to help me stop Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres."
"That was different." Jessie protested. "That was essentially to save the world. If we hadn't have done that we would have been dead for sure."
"The point is you did it." Misty explained. "You put your own lives on the line, you were brave enough to make that decision. You made a conscious selfless act in order to help what you deemed right."
"Plus judging by how Team Rocket have been moving recently this could be to save the world as well." Gary warned.
"After tonight it will all be over and you'd have done a good thing." May told them.
"We already sealed our fate when we helped you in the forest." James sighed. "There's no point having doubts right."
"I guess you're right." Meowth agreed. "But let's make one thing clear."
"What?" Brock asked apprehensively.
"We'll get you in but that's it." Meowth said seriously. "That's it, once you're in we're gone."
"That's fair, I was assuming that anyway." Gary said unfazed. "You'd have served your purpose by then. And it was a part of the original deal."
"Just making sure." Jessie insisted.
"But just so we're clear here, this means we won't help you get out." Gary clarified.
"What do you mean?" James asked.
"It means that if you run into trouble in there we won't help you, you're on your own."
Paul casually strolled up the corridor, which was surprising giving the circumstances. He had just received the big news he and everyone else in his organisation was waiting for.
He rapped lazily on the big door at the end of the corridor. He heard someone grunt "enter" from the other side of the door and he swung it open.
Giovanni was sitting behind his usual table laboriously flicking through a pile of reports. Persian was laying lazily beside him and both barely glanced up as Paul approached them.
"What is it?" Giovanni asked.
"The operatives arrived with the last of the specimens we need." Paul told him coolly.
A smile slowly crept across the Team Rocket boss's face.
"So finally it's time." He whispered before bursting into a fit of bellowing laughter.
Giovanni stood up and took a big stretch, savouring this moment.
"Well Paul, as the bearer of good news I'll allow you to accompany me and watch the next step begin." He smirked.
"What an honour." Paul said dryly, Giovanni either didn't notice the term or didn't care and he strode quickly out the door of his office.
Paul was curious all the same so he followed Giovanni out the door and continued to follow him throughout the base.
After a completely silent walk that took them from one side of the base to the other, Giovanni and Paul stood at huge steel doors that Paul could only guess were impenetrable.
Giovanni scanned a card on the wall to the left of the doors and they slowly screeched open.
Paul had a suspicion on what he'd see on the other side, but actually laying his eyes on it still caused him to step back in awe.
There were two rows of cages on either side of long, spacious room and in every one there was a legendary Pokémon.
"Of course it would be impractical to have every Pokémon stored here." Giovanni informed Paul, snapping him from his trance. "A lot of the Legendaries in our world are too heavy and inconvenient to transport, but we have all the rest of them here."
"So you kept the others in their cages in the wild?" Paul enquired.
"Exactly," Giovanni confirmed. "Not only did it save us the trouble of transporting them but it also helps to have them in their habitats."
"How?" Paul asked.
"These Pokémon are incredibly powerful," Giovanni began to explain. "However, sometimes even a small change in their environment can cause their strength to be reduced to a degree. For example, a Groudon won't be as strong if he was in an ocean."
"Well obviously." Paul remarked, receiving a dirty look from his boss.
"This also works both ways." Giovanni continued. "Certain environments may hinder Pokémon but they can strengthen them too. So, if we left these Legends in their natural habitat then their power will be at their maximum."
"But how will that work when the time comes for the summoning?" Paul still had a lot of questions.
Giovanni led him to a single screen near the end of the room. He ordered a grunt to switch it on and it brought up a picture in picture image of Legendary Pokémon seemingly unconscious in cages.
A Lugia was trapped in a lake, with both wings wrapped around a smaller Lugia assumed to be its child. A Groudon was caged in a desolate, empty crater while a Kyogre was in the same predicament deep in the ocean.
Also trapped on screen was a Rayquaza, Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, Reshiram, Zekrom, Kyurem, Xerneas and Yveltal.
"These beasts have been under our thumb for the last few weeks. In that time we've been using it to our advantage. All of these cages are linked through the energy and aura a legendary Pokémon emits. Since they all produce this energy it also means other legendary Pokémon can sense it when nearby. Of course, they can choose to release it or hold it in, depending on whether they want to be detected or not. We managed to replicate this energy and are replicating it through the cages. Professor Namba really proved his worth with that one." Giovanni smirked.
"How that ties into the summoning is that, when prompted, we can use this energy being produced from these Pokémon to draw out our target. If our information is to be believed, as soon as all Legendary Pokémon choose to release this energy at the same time, our target will appear."
"And how will we convince them to release the energy when we want them to?" Paul asked.
Giovanni laughed.
"By force of course. When attacked, they are forced to unleash the energy, whether it is to fight, flee or simply call out from the pain.
Even Paul couldn't help but be left dumbstruck at the sight of the power in front him.
And even more so the fact it seemed so easily restrained.
"You see it don't you boy?" Giovanni barked a laugh. "We practically have the entire world under our feet, and by tonight the landscape of the world will be changed forever."
"It's actually happening." Paul whispered, willing himself to believe it.
"Yes it is." Giovanni smirked. "I'll forgive for doubting it since you've been such a help. I promised you the day you walked in here that everyone who doubted you and your methods would love to regret it, that you'd be proven right."
"And now it's my chance." Paul laughed.
"Yes it is. Not just yours though." Giovanni picked up a phone by the desk. "Send them all in to the control room." He spoke calmly down the phone.
A few moments later Drew, Kenny, Ritchie, Harley, Cilan and Domino walked into the room.
"What is it?" Domino asked sharply.
"We're going to run through all your roles for tonight." Giovanni told them all.
"Does it really matter?" Drew asked. "I mean there's no way anyone would be able to stop us at this stage."
"Of course it matters." Giovanni growled. "I've been foiled too many times before it won't happen again. This is the most important night of my life and , in turn, the most important night of yours. So don't mess it up. Or else there will be dire consequences."