I do not own Pokémon. Credit goes to Satoshi Tajiri and Game Freak.
All I own are some OCs I make.
With the advice from the hiker, they were able to find a ladder leading to another lower floor. Shortly after Gary reached the bottom of the ladder, Pikachu scampered ahead and scanned his surroundings. It wasn't long before his ears twitched.
"Pika!" Pikachu called over.
Red sprinted over to Pikachu and knelt to his eye level.
"Pikachu," Red asked, "did you find anything?"
"Chu!" Pikachu pointed ahead.
Mewtwo scanned ahead as he peered around the corner.
"They're all culminating near here," Mewtwo told the kids, "it's as if the Rockets are strategically cornering them."
Red straightened his spine upon hearing this revelation.
"Should we alert the Pokémon Ranger?" Red asked, "with reinforcements, they can put a stop to whatever they're doing."
Gary groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head.
"Red, we are not backtracking!" Gary chided, "the exit is not too far from here, remember?"
Before Red could say anything, Leaf noticed her messenger bag shaking until one of her Poké Balls opened up and Cleffa popped out.
"Cleffa?" Leaf warbled, "Cleffa, what are you doing?"
Cleffa gave her trainer a worried expression.
"Cleffa! Clef Cleffa!" Cleffa insisted.
Leaf's eyes widened when she noticed Cleffa pointed around the corner.
"No, Cleffa, we can't!" Leaf protested, "it's too dangerous! They'll do really bad things to you if you get caught!"
Cleffa stiffened for a moment before she put on a brave expression and darted around the corner, much to Leaf's disbelief.
"Cleffa!" Leaf shouted.
With dread seeping through her veins, Leaf frantically sprinted after Cleffa. Not surprisingly, Mewtwo flew after them, trying to grab the two of them in his telekinesis.
"No, little one," Mewtwo warned Cleffa.
By the time Leaf scooped Cleffa into her arms, she stared in disbelief as she stood at a cliff overlooking a large cavern chamber with a hole in the ceiling, sunlight illuminating a massive Moon Stone in the center. She softly gasped in horror as Team Rocket Grunts were corralling Cleffas, Clefairys and Clefables into large sturdy cages. Other grunts were patrolling the cages while a man with short turquoise hair observed the giant Moon Stone.
"N-No way," Leaf whimpered.
Mewtwo stood next to Leaf and held her from the edge with his tail.
"Go back to the others," Mewtwo advised, "I'll meet you in Cerulean."
"Be careful," Leaf nodded.
Leaf turned for the tunnel entrance, only to pause when she spotted a Golbat blocking the path.
"Hey, you!" Leaf snapped, furrowing her eyebrows, "out of the way!"
Golbat didn't listen as it flapped its wings with all of its strength, sending a powerful gust of wind which pushed Leaf off the ground, sending her over the edge of the cliff as she let out a panicked yelp. Time seemed to slow for Mewtwo in his moment of panic as he watched her fall towards the Rockets, and dove after them with telekinesis blaring in her direction, knowing he would be seen but her safety was more important. Much to his relief, Leaf landed safely on the ground with Cleffa still in her arms, even if she landed on her behind. Her eyes widened and tears welled up as several Team Rocket grunts focused their eyes on her. A few more, however, turned their gaze to Mewtwo. The psionic feline landed in front of the girl while he glared at them.
"Are you hurt?" Mewtwo asked Leaf.
Leaf spotted her hat nearby, so she grabbed it and put it back on. She reached out her hand, allowing Mewtwo to pull her to her feet. A grunt sweated nervously as he turned his head towards the Rocket executive.
"Archer," the grunt whispered, "orders?"
Archer curtly flicked his hand as he took a few steps away from the massive Moon Stone.
"We've been looking all over for you, Mewtwo," Archer said, "it's such a shame we didn't prepare any traps for you."
Archer then locked eyes onto Leaf.
"But your friend will have to give up that Cleffa if she values her life," he continued.
Leaf gritted her teeth and held Cleffa much closer to her chest.
"You can't have her!" she barked.
Mewtwo extended his hand towards Archer.
"You won't touch either of them," Mewtwo threatened, "if you value your lives, release the fairies."
Archer scoffed and shook his head.
"I cannot do that, Mewtwo," he objected, "now come quietly before I make things worse for you."
Without warning, Archer sent out a Houndoom. Leaf and Mewtwo flinched as the canine growled at both of them. The psionic feline held out his tail protectively. The brunette winced as grunt after grunt sent out their Rattatas, Grimers, Koffings, Zubats and Ekans. Still, she steeled herself as she sent out her Sandshrew.
"Sand?" Sandshrew perked his head up.
"You, ready to do some damage control, little guy?" Leaf stammered.
Sandshrew nodded with fierce determination in his eyes.
"Sand!"
One of the grunts beckoned his Zubat to close in on Leaf, who took a moment to check her Pokédex and study her Sandshrew's moves.
"Zubat, Supersonic!"
"Dodge," Leaf countered, "and Sand Attack!"
Leaf flinched as the Zubat emitted a blast of sound waves. Sandshrew thought fast and leapt out of the blast before it kicked into the ground, spraying sand onto Zubat's eyes and eliciting a screech out of it. Meanwhile, Mewtwo avoided Houndoom's Fire Fang before he countered with a Brick Break. The psionic feline gave Leaf a quick reassuring glance before returning his gaze to the Houndoom. He'd held up a herd of Tauros before, dealing with everyone here would be a piece of cake, suit or not.
"Leech Life!" the grunt ordered.
"Rollout!" Leaf commanded.
Sandshrew curled up into a ball and charged along the ground until it leapt up and rammed into the Zubat before it could even shake off the sand. All the while, Archer extended his arms.
"Enough games," Archer directed, "Foul Play."
Just as the grunt confronted Leaf recalled his fainted Zubat and sent out an Ekans in his place, Leaf stared in horror as Houndoom emitted a dark aura and barreled after Mewtwo. When the dark canine rammed into the psionic feline, he felt his assailant using his physical strength against him. He let out a groaned pain as he then collided into the cavern wall.
"Mewtwo!" Leaf panicked.
Mewtwo tried not to strain as he tried to stand back up quickly. Yet, that move had taken a chunk of his energy as Archer smirked.
"Show no mercy, Houndoom," Archer commanded, "Crunch!"
Cleffa, who had been whimpering in Leaf's arms, saw the stunt Houndoom pulled and didn't hesitate to wiggle out of her trainer's arms.
"Cleffa?" Leaf warbled.
Cleffa landed gracefully on the ground and focusing quickly, she unleashed a Disarming Voice that knocked Houndoom off balance briefly before it could close in on the psionic feline. The dark canine snarled as it turned its gaze towards Cleffa. With Houndoom distracted, Mewtwo took a moment to focus his energy to envelope himself in healing energy emitted by a Recover.
"Cleffa!" Cleffa shouted, "Clef Cleffa!"
Archer widened his eyes at the sudden attack from Cleffa before he narrowed his eyes at her.
"Thank you," Mewtwo told Leaf.
The psionic feline regained his balance and readied his Focus Blast. Houndoom frantically switched its gaze between Cleffa and Mewtwo, unsure who to attack. Once Mewtwo unleashed his Focus Blast, Cleffa launched another Disarming Voice. Archer gritted his teeth as both attacks pummeled Houndoom hard, causing the dark canine to collapse. Leaf returned her focus to her challenger as the Rocket executive recalled Houndoom.
"Sandshrew," Leaf directed, "Swift!"
"Poison Fang!"
Sandshrew avoided Ekans' poison charged fangs before he launched star-shaped projectiles with his tail. The poison snake Pokémon hissed as the projectiles pelted it without missing. Mewtwo hovered towards Cleffa, keeping his eyes narrowed at the grunts.
"Well done, little one," Mewtwo praised.
"Cleffa!" Cleffa chirped as she waved her arms.
Cleffa suddenly stiffened when she noticed the Golbat flew off the ledge and began diving down towards her. Before it could open its fangs wide, a bolt from a Thunder Shock struck it and stopped it in its tracks as electric particles enveloped it. Leaf and Mewtwo looked up again, only to see Red and Pikachu standing at the ledge.
"Hey!" Red called, waving his hand at the brunette and the psionic feline, "you guys ok?"
Leaf gasped in awe as her challenger recalled his fainted Ekans.
"Red!" she exclaimed.
"Some assistance would be appreciated," Mewtwo answered.
Red nodded as he and Pikachu jumped off the ledge and slid down the slope.
"Gary should be here with backup soon," Red told them, "until then…"
Red sent out his Charmander while Leaf sent out Pidgey and Bulbasaur. The young boy locked eyes onto Archer.
"There's more of you?!" Archer snarled.
Red widened his stance and pointed at Archer.
"You're so going to regret messing with the Clefairys soon!" Red proclaimed.
"Char!"
"Pika!"
Just then, two Team Rocket grunts approached the young trainers and sent out their Rattata and Koffing while Archer sent out a Wheezing. Cleffa widened her stance while Pikachu scratched at the ground.
"Cleffa, use Pound!" Leaf commanded.
Leaf watched as Cleffa leapt forth and slammed her paw onto Rattata hard. She heard coughing from Pikachu and tilting her head, she noticed Red's expression of disbelief as Pikachu shook his head while coughing after he got hit with a Koffing's blast of smog. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed as Mewtwo took down a Wheezing with his Psychic before he swept his cloak at the smog, fanning it back at the Team Rocket grunts. Leaf relaxed her shoulders a little as the affected grunts began backing away, so she returned her gaze to Cleffa, with Mewtwo turning his attention to the other Pokémon the grunts had already sent out.
"Pikachu, are you ok?" Red called.
Pikachu rubbed his face and glanced back at his trainer.
"Pika!"
"Let's counter with a Thunder Shock!"
Pikachu eagerly rubbed his cheeks until they began sparking electricity.
"Pika…"
"Koffing," the grunt ordered, "Poison Gas!"
"Chu!" Pikachu cried out.
Pikachu unleashed a Thunder Shock which enveloped the opposing Koffing. Meanwhile, Leaf grimaced as the Ratatta charged at Cleffa and bit her arm hard, eliciting a pained cry out of her.
"Come on, Cleffa," she pleaded, "shake it off quick!"
Cleffa regained enough coherent thought to smack the Ratatta with her other hand, causing the purple rodent to withdraw.
"Now use Disarming Voice!"
Cleffa unleashed a Disarming Voice which made the finishing blow on the opposing Rattata. While Mewtwo observed the battles, Bulbasaur, Pidgey and Charmander approached the psionic feline.
"Saur," Bulbasaur called, pointing the tip of her vine at the cages, "Bulbasaur?"
Mewtwo nodded at the Pokémon gazing upon him.
"We can all make short work of setting them free," Mewtwo agreed, "let's go."
Red and his Pikachu turned his focus to the next Team Rocket grunt while Leaf sent out her Sandshrew to give Cleffa a chance to catch her breath. This gave Mewtwo a chance to lead Charmander, Pidgey and Bulbasaur as close to the cages as they could. The trapped lunar fairy Pokémon noticed the approaching psionic feline and began calling out to them. Mewtwo held out a hand which caused them to quiet down before he studied the faces inside.
"Is anyone injured?"
One of the Clefairys lowered its head and sniffled, its voice hinting at fear. Mewtwo nodded before his eyes began glowing, using his Psychic to bend the cage bars wide enough for the captive Pokémon to escape. Charmander approached another cage and used Ember to heat up the lock while Bulbasaur and Pidgey teamed up to open yet another cage. He glanced at the battles once the cage was open enough, waving them out with his tail. The Clefairys inside filed out of the cage without hesitation.
Just as Leaf knocked out a Zubat with help from her Sandshrew's Rollout, she spotted another Team Rocket grunt sneaking up on Cleffa. The instant she scooped Cleffa into her arms, the grunt snarled before he began charging at her. She let out a panicked yelp as the grunt tackled her to the ground and kept a firm grip on her arms.
"Let go!" Leaf shouted.
"Just hand over the Cleffa or things will turn nasty for you," the grunt threatened.
"No!" she shook her head.
The grunt narrowed his eyes at her as he tried prying her arms apart. Mewtwo heard the girl's cry and turned back. He waved his arm, trying to reel his anger back in.
"Leave her!" Mewtwo warned the grunt.
The Team Rocket grunt made a brief glance at Mewtwo but then he went back to pulling Leaf's arms apart, her Cleffa trembling in fear. Mewtwo narrowed as his eyes began glowing again. The Team Rocket grunt let out a startled yelp as a Psychic aura enveloped him and levitated him midair. With a flick of his arm, the psionic feline threw the grunt at Archer, the colliding impact sending them tumbling down the platform holding the massive Moon Stone. Mewtwo flew over to Leaf, crouching down at her side and shielding her behind his cloak.
"Are you two hurt?" Mewtwo asked.
Leaf could feel her heart pounding rapidly and her breath quickening as she stared into Mewtwo's eyes.
"I…I was scared," Leaf stammered.
Leaf slowly sat up while Cleffa nestled closer to her chest. Mewtwo carefully examined her for any signs of blood before glancing at where the Rocket executive landed. Archer slowly staggered to his feet, eyes narrowed at Mewtwo as blood trickled from the side of his face. All the while, Red ducked behind a boulder while he pulled out a Potion to administer to his Pikachu.
"It's ok, buddy," Red assured, "you're doing pretty great out there."
"Pikapi," Pikachu squeaked softly.
The remaining Team Rocket grunts noticed as Charmander broke the lock to one of the cages.
"Hey!" one of the Grunts shouted, "our prizes are escaping!"
Bulbasaur and Pidgey paused before they scurried to form a protective stance in front of Charmander. Before Archer could even give an order, he spotted a Squirtle leaping off the ledge and withdrawing into his shell. The tiny turtle spun and bounced around as he knocked over some grunts one by one. Leaf, Mewtwo and Red tilted their heads up just in time to see Gary standing on the ledge.
"Just in the nick of time," Gary grinned with a wink, "don't you think?"
Archer's eyes widened in shock as a few seconds later, several Pokémon Rangers stormed into the chamber, sending out their Pokémon to battle the remaining grunts. Mewtwo slumped his shoulders in relief as he pulled his hood back up.
"Help has arrived," Mewtwo told Leaf, "do you need anything?"
Leaf stood back up before she met up with Red and Gary. They and Mewtwo proceeded to open up the cages while Archer made a reluctant retreat. While some grunts followed suit, the others couldn't make their escape as the Pokémon Rangers apprehended them. By the time the chaos died down, the lead Pokémon Ranger noticed as the cloaked psionic feline and the three young trainers opened up the last cage, freeing the Cleffas inside.
"Is that all of them?" Mewtwo asked as he healed the Cleffas with a discrete Recover.
Leaf nodded. Red and Gary shifted their gaze towards the lead Pokémon Ranger who waved his arm at them.
"Excuse me," the Pokémon Ranger called over, "do you kids have a moment?"
Leaf shuddered as she brushed the dust off her hat before putting it back on. Red and Gary exchanged brief glances before they and the young girl approached the lead Pokémon Ranger.
"I should thank you for letting me know where Team Rocket was running their operations," the Pokémon Ranger praised Gary, "we'll get to work taking down the lights in no time."
Gary nodded as he folded his arms.
"Anytime, sir," Gary winked.
Mewtwo kept his head bowed while the other Pokémon Rangers noticed all of the cages were opened.
"Now," the lead Pokémon Ranger continued, "what brought you three to get involved directly and meddle in Team Rocket's affairs?"
Leaf nervously fluttered her hands, focusing her eyes on the lead Pokémon Ranger's hat instead of his eyes.
"It wasn't my idea," she admitted.
Leaf turned her gaze towards her Cleffa, watching as the other Cleffas, Clefairys and Clefables danced around and chattered to her, seemingly congratulating the young pink fairy Pokémon for coming to their rescue.
"I see," the lead Pokémon Ranger commented, "you might consider yourselves lucky you're still alive. If you want, I could have a fellow Ranger escort you to the exit."
Cleffa waved goodbye to the Clefables and Clefairys before she skittered towards Leaf, the young girl scooping her into her arms.
"N-No thanks," Leaf shook her head, "we'll find our own way out."
Feel free to drop a review, because Leaf and Mewtwo could use them to offer each other emotional support!
Fanart for this fanfic is also welcome.