Hello everyone, I'm back. After a nearly 2-year hiatus I have reignited the itch and am continuing this story. No some of you may be feeling Deja vu reading this message as I posted the same message a couple days ago. Unfortunately I realized I reposted the same chapter as the previous one. It is my first time back in a while! Too make up for it I'm posting two chapters tonight.
"Ash, get off of me!" Misty shouted.
"Give me a break. I can't move." Ash grumbled back.
"Uh Serena, do you mind moving your foot? It's right on my face." Brock mumbled painfully. "Serena?"
"Stop enjoying this!" Misty hissed at the girl.
The group currently found themselves in a peculiar place. The day had started like any other, the group was marching on to their next destination in Vermillion City. Their spirits had actually been quite high. Ash was marching ahead of the group. Still beaming with pride that he had added Charmander to his team the previous week. The heat was also lessening compared to their earlier travels. They were still in the early parts of August but now an ocean breeze could be felt from the south, proof that the group was closing in on their destination. The group had spotted a sign for Sangria Town, a small town that was the last rest spot before Vermillion City.
"If we keep at this pace, we could be in Vermillion City in a week." Brock noted.
"The showcase doesn't start for about three weeks. We could be in Vermillion for a while." Serena added.
"That's fine with me!" Misty responded cheerfully, "Vermillion City is a beach city. I really could use the sun and some fishing time."
"A nice bed every night would be a welcome change of pace." Serena added, "Plus I'll have plenty of time to work on my performance."
"Between your showcase training and training with Misty you've been working really hard recently. I'm sure you'll be ready." Brock said.
"I wouldn't mind seeing your performance early though if you want to practice in front of someone." Misty offered.
"Sorry, but I want you guys to be just as surprised by it as everyone else!" Serena replied with a playful wink.
"Ash, will you stop humming that annoying song." Misty grumbled. The boy was about 10 feet in front of the group marching enthusiastically while humming loudly to himself as his Pikachu mimicked the boy.
"How can't I be happy? My team just keeps getting stronger and stronger. I don't think my luck can get any better!" The boy responded confidently.
Of course, as if it was fate itself at that very moment Ash felt his right foot sink into the ground. The boy stopped moving and looked down skeptically. It was until his companions caught up to him until the group felt the earth under them sink further and soon they were stuck in a hole about 6 feet below the road.
This is where we pick back up with our heroes. Ash sitting on Misty, Serena, oblivious to her foot in Brock's face as she blushes deeply at the close contact to Ash.
"Who put this hole here?" Ash groaned as he attempted to shift his weight off of Misty.
"This is the second trap we've fallen in in the last few weeks. Let's not make this a habit." Misty added.
It was then that group heard snickering above them. They all looked to the top of the hole to see six blue pokemon with distinctively round heads snickering down at the group.
"I'm guessing we just found out who dug this hole." Serena said as she finally composed herself.
"Oh, when I get my hands on them." Misty spat with anger.
"Wait! I have a better idea." Ash said with a wide smile, "I'm going to catch one."
"Well, you can't do a whole lot from the bottom of the hole." Brock replied.
After a little more uncomfortable shuffling, the gang was finally able to climb out of the hole. The six Squirtle stood together and fearlessly continued to smirk at the group. Standing in the front was a single Squirtle that was slightly larger than the others.
"I'm guessing that's their leader." Misty noted.
"Then that's the one I'll catch." Ash said confidently as he pulled out a pokeball, "Bulbasaur, I choose you!"
Ash's trusty grass type materialized in front of the group and stared down the Squirtle. The lead Squirtle sized up it's foe before giving a condescending smile. Bulbasaur growled at this and glared forward.
"Alright Bulbasaur, let's start this off with razor leaf!" Ash called out.
Bulbasaur fired off a volley of sharp leaves. The Squirtle gracefully dodged these attacks before finally leaping into a grand somersault.
"Not bad" Ash noted as the water type smirked at Bulbasaur.
The grass type again growled and launched a vine whip. Again, Squirtle avoided this and fired off a water gun. The attack hit Bulbasaur directly but the grass type didn't flinch. Instead, it charged directly into Squirtle's attack. Bulbasaur was able to fight through this though and hammered Squirtle with a tackle. Squirlte stumbled a bit at this and collapsed to the ground. As it composed itself it looked up to see Bulbasaur smirking at it. Now it was the Squirtle's turn to growl before preparing another attack. It was halted though by a distinctive siren. The 6 Squirtle all froze at this noise before firing off water guns at the group. Nobody was injured by this attack, but they were momentarily blinded which gave the gang of water types the chance to escape.
"Well, that was… different." Serena noted.
At that moment a police motorcycle pulled up. A tall man in his early 20's with shaved brown hair stepped off the bike.
"Hey there everyone, have you seen a group of Squirtle pass through here by chance." He asked.
"Yea they just ran that way." Misty said, pointing to the forest the Squirtle rushed off to.
The officer sighed, "Darn, missed them again. I'm Officer Miles by the way."
The four each introduced themselves.
"Those Squirtle also made that hole over there." Brock added as he nodded to the trap in front of the group.
"I'm sorry about that." The officer said, "Those Squirtle are completely out of control."
"Why are they digging holes everywhere?" Serena asked.
"Oh in all honesty this is one of their smaller pranks." Officer Miles replied, "Those Squirtle turned up to this town about a month back and have been running wild. Pranking the townsfolk, vandalizing buildings, even stealing food from shops."
"That's terrible!" Misty exclaimed.
"It's quite unusual." Brock said thoughtfully, "Squirtle are very rare in the wild. Why would six all show up at the same time."
"Well unfortunately they aren't technically wild." Miles explained, "The Squirtle are from a breeding farm around here."
"A breeding farm?" Ash questioned
"It's a place that raises pokemon to be sold to trainers." Brock explained, "They're especially common for regional starter pokemon. They all have to come from somewhere, right?"
Miles continued, "They were raised to eventually be given to new trainers. The women at the farm unfortunately passed away though and nobody was notified so the Squirtle were left without any help. Eventually they got bigger and started coming out to cause trouble. They don't seem to be aggressive, it's likely that the leader of their group is just a bad influence. Still they're a problem. We're a small, quiet, town here and, frankly, I'm brand new to this job. We just don't have the experience or resources necessary to stop them. I'd normally call in for some support but…"
"Let me guess," Misty cut in, "Team Rocket."
Miles nodded sadly, "Some rogue pokemon stealing food and causing pranks is just not that big of a concern with everything Team Rocket is doing."
"Well, is there anything we can do to help?" Misty offered, "Me and Brock are former gym leaders and Ash and Serena can definitely hold their own in a battle."
Officer Miles smiled at them gratefully, "Actually there might be. We've been gathering trainers passing through town the past few days to join a pokemon trainer task force. The goal is to overwhelm the Squirtle with numbers next they're spotted. We're offering 500 dollars to any trainer who helps, out of the town budget."
"We could use the money." Brock thought aloud.
"And we could do some good." Serena added.
"If we help you, can we keep a Squirtle we catch?" Ash asked.
Miles shrugged, "I don't see why not."
"Then we're in!" Declared Ash.
Miles smiled widely, "That's great to hear! With you four we might have the numbers to actually pull this off." He then pulled out a business card, "This is the address of my station. We're having a meeting there in an hour. The towns only about a 15 minute walk from here so I'd get your pokemon looked at in the pokemon center and then head over."
With one last tip of his police helmet the officer drove off.
"I'm definitely going to catch that leader Squirtle!" Ash declared.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that Ash" Misty replied with a devious smirk, "I'd love to add a Squirtle to my team too."
This began a fresh round of bickering as the group headed into town.
As our four heroes made their way into the town another group was coming in from the opposite side of town. They were riding in an all-black van. It was none other than Jessie, James, and Meowth.
"I can't believe we've had to drive all the way out here." Jessie groaned from the driver's seat.
"Commander Petrel said this was of the utmost importance. We should be honored that he chose us." James replied.
"Yea, being a glorified delivery driver. What an honor." Complained Meowth from the back.
"I just don't get why we had to meet this guy so far from Vermillion City." Jessie added.
"It's like the commander said: this contact isn't an official member of Team Rocket. He couldn't get linked to our operation. This is the safest way to meet him." James explained
"I'm guessing he's just being lazy." Jessie shot back.
"Well, whatever da reason let's just grab da package and get out of here. Every minute here is a minute where we can't be impressing da commander." Meowth added.
"True there." Replied James, "Apparently, he works on secret Team Rocket projects out of a warehouse in town. We're to park in the back and wait for him to come to us."
As James said this the van rolled into town. There was one large, distinct, warehouse that looked like the building described to them. The van pulled up and the Team Rocket agents relaxed as they waited for their contact. Little did they know that they were being watched themselves, by a gang of Squirtle.
After checking in to the pokemon center the gang made their way down to the police station. To the surprise of no one the station was tiny, maybe slightly bigger than Ash's childhood home. As Officer Miles had described it the police force only had 5 members. In the corner of the office was a small holding cell while the main area was cubicles for the officers, at least that was normally what was there. Most of the office space had been cleared out and replaced by a large number of folding chairs where the hired trainers sat. As the group sat in some empty seats they got a good look at their new partners. Nobody looked overly impressive. Everyone was about their age and didn't look particularly intimidating. Misty had guessed as much when they had been walking into town.
"They've probably been grabbing any trainer they could find. Most are likely newbies looking to make a little money. I doubt they'll be anything more than a liability when we get out there." She had said.
After a few more moments of waiting Officer Miles stepped in front of the group, "Thank you all for joining us." He began, "We're all here to help remove a major nuisance from the town. The goal will be to capture the six rogue Squirtle so they won't cause anymore issues for the town. Some of you have asked about keeping the Squirtle you catch. This is fine with me. Whether you keep them or turn them in to me is of no importance as long as they are no longer a hindrance to the town."
A short girl with brown braided pigtails raised her hand, "How are we supposed to find the Squirtle to stop them?"
"We won't need to worry about that." Miles responded, "The Squirtle have been very successful at causing trouble but that's made them very arrogant. They basically show up every night around dusk to cause trouble somewhere in town. We'll have you all stationed at various points all over town. When you see the Squirtle you'll turn on a flashlight and point it into the sky. That will single everyone to converge on that position. It's very important that no one engages the Squirtle until backup arrives. The pokemon are great at escaping and will flee the moment they feel they are in any real danger. Any questions?" At the silence from the group Miles added, "Very well. I want everyone to pair up with a partner. I'll tell you which position I want each of you to take once you're in your groups."
Ash immediately turned to Serena, "What do you say Serena, you want to team up?"
Serena was taken back a bit by her crush asking her, "Y-you want me?"
Ash smiled widely, "That's right. I need someone I can rely on if I'm going to catch that Squirtle before Misty. And I can't think of anyone I could rely on more than you."
Serena blushed lightly at this before saying, "We-well I guess I'm in."
"Hah, you'll need all the help you can get, Ash. Because me and Brock will totally get those Squirtle first!" Misty taunted.
"When did Serena and I get roped into this contest?" Brock sweat dropped.
"What do you mean you won't be my partner? The officer said we all need one!" Came a shout from behind the group. The voice it came from was a pudgy black-haired boy. He was staring intently at another boy. This boy stood at about 5'10 with purple and black clothes and harsh black eyes. He also notably had shaggy purple hair.
The purple haired boy scoffed, "I don't need a partner because you'd only get in my way. I'm not looking to babysit here."
The other boy growled but Miles stepped forward, "I'm sorry but you will need a partner. This is a safety concern. The Squirtle may not have been violent yet, but we can't take any chances."
The purple haired boy scoffed at this, "Whatever just stay out of my way. I'm here to catch one of those Squirtle, that's it."
"So, you're trying to catch a Squirtle too?" Serena asked.
The purple haired boy appraised her and Ash for a moment before replying, "Of course. Most water pokemon in this region are so weak that I can't miss this opportunity to catch one."
Misty growled at the dig on water pokemon but Ash chose to ignore it, "Well I'm trying to catch one too. I'm Ash and this is my partner Pika-"
"I don't care." The boy said, turning away.
"Hey what's with the bad attitude?" Misty exploded.
"I'm just not here to make friends." The boy replied coldly as he walked away, "If you all are that's fine but find someone else to do it with."
At that he strode out of the building with his new "partner" behind him.
"Well, that was… interesting." Serena deadpanned.
"Yea what a jerk" Ash said, "He couldn't even bother to give us his name!"
"Forget it." Muttered Misty, "Let's just make sure to catch a Squirtle before he does."
Across town the three members of Team Rocket had nearly fallen asleep when they jumped to a knocking at their van window. A man in his late 40's with large glasses and shaggy hair stood expectantly in front of them.
"Did Petrel send you?" He asked.
The three groaned as they got out of their van, "Why didn't you come earlier? We've been waiting for hours!" Jessie complained.
"Had to make sure you were the right people, and that no one was following you." The scientist answered nonchalantly. He then escorted the three to his warehouse. The inside was a large open space filled with many experiments.
"What is all dis stuff?" Meowth asked.
The scientist froze at this and examined Meowth, "So you're the talking pokemon I've heard so much about. Fascinating."
"Yea yea, I'm a national treasure. Now answer the question." The talking pokemon shot back.
The scientist smirked at them, "This is my unofficial place of business. I have a real job elsewhere. Like my name it's unimportant that you three know it. On the side though I work for Team Rocket on pet projects that assists in their business. The pay is wonderful, and your organization is less… morally inclined, compared to my true employer. I sneak out to this site once every few months to spend time working on these projects. As for the type of projects I'm working on, why don't you three come see what you were sent here for."
At that he pulled a curtain off a nearby table to reveal a strange contraption. It was a large metal box with buttons on one side and a satellite dish sitting on top of it.
"Impressive, isn't it?" The scientist said with adoration.
The three Team Rocket members looked at each other in confusion.
"Are we supposed to know what this is?" James asked.
"Well, this little baby is going to fix one of Team Rocket's biggest problems. With this you three wouldn't have been almost caught in Viridian City."
"We were almost caught in Viridian City because that dumb gym leader showed up!" Jessie spat.
"True, and why did he come? The scientist asked.
"Because he noticed we cut the power." James responded.
"And one more time, why did you cut the power?"
"Because den none of dose twerps couldn't call for help!" Meowth added.
"Exactly!" The scientist beamed, "And this will fix that. You see this box blasts out a signal that interrupts all communication within a specific area. So, if you had been in possession of it in Viridian City you wouldn't have had to cut the power. And nobody would've come running to help."
"Brilliant" Jessie admitted, "How does it work?"
"Oh, a lot of technical nonsense you three don't need to try and understand." The scientist replied dismissively, "All you need to know is that you press these buttons on the side to set the range and fire it off. Now help me carry this to your van. I don't want you here any longer than you need to be, it could cause suspicion."
Jessie and James then picked up the large box and began carrying it to the door. On their way Jessie bumped into a small creature, "Meowth! Watch where you're standing!" She hissed.
"What are you talking about? I'm over here." Meowth replied.
"Then what was th-" Jessie began as she looked down. Standing in front of her was a group of Squirtle with mischievous grins on their faces.
A few minutes earlier
Ash and Serena were lying face down on the roof of a building facing a number of warehouses. They had been in their position for over an hour and the sun was beginning to set but neither minded.
"I can't wait to watch you perform, Serena. It'll be so cool!" Ash beamed.
Serena giggled, "I'm honestly surprised. I didn't think showcases would be your thing."
"Generally, they wouldn't but I get to watch you perform!" Ash responded.
Serena blushed lightly at this, "Thanks, I just hope we're ready."
"You've been training so hard recently. I know you'll be great!" Ash replied as Serena smiled warmly. She was glad to get this time with her crush. Traveling with Misty and Brock had been great, but the one downside was she didn't get a lot of one-on-one time with Ash. It was nice to spend the last hour talking together. Just then they heard a rustling up ahead. The group saw the Squirtle squad jumping across the roof and entering one of the warehouses from the top. Serena went for her flashlight but Ash stopped her.
"Wait a second." He whispered, "Once they're all inside then send it. That way they won't be able to see the light."
The honey blonde trainer nodded at this before waiting a moment. When the water types finally were in the building, she and Ash began frantically waving their flashlights in the air. When they noticed the others converging on their position Ash leapt from the roof and rushed over towards the building. Throwing the doors open Ash came across a surprising scene. The Squirtle were all over the place with large cans of paint. The pokemon were happily throwing the paint all over the place. As this was happening three adults and a Meowth covered in paint were desperately trying to stop the rogue water types.
"Stop right there!" Ash called out. The three adults stopped in fear and stared at Ash but the boy didn't notice. Instead, he stared down the largest Squirtle. The pokemon dropped its bucket of paint and marched forward. Ash's expression hardened as he released Bulbasaur. The grass type growled as it stared down its opponent while Squirtle arrogantly smiled back.
"Bulbasaur, use vine whip!" Ash ordered.
As the two pokemon battled it out the warehouse began filling up with more and more trainers. The scientist grabbed Jessie and James. "You need to leave now, before anyone notices!" He spat.
"What about you?" James asked.
The scientist sighed, "I've prepared a contingency plan if something like this happened." He then pulled a small device with a red button on it. As he pressed it flames began erupting all over the building. Shrieks of terror rang out from bewildered trainers.
"Go,'' he whispered.
As the three Team Rocket goons snuck away, they were confronted by a familiar face.
"Hold it!" Misty shouted.
"You!" Jessie spat.
"I knew I recognized you losers." Misty responded as Brock and Serena backed her up.
"These were the Team Rockets members responsible for Viridian City." Serena whispered to Brock.
"We'll get our revenge now!" James shouted as he released Wheezing.
Meowth though punched him on the back of his head, "Don't forget our mission." The cat said.
"That pokemon talks?" Brock asked in confusion.
"He's right, James." Jessie growled. We'll get these twerps another time.
James sighed, "Fine, Wheezing use smokescreen!" The poison type belched a dark black for that covered the group. When it cleared Team Rocket was nowhere to be found.
"Oh, where did they go!" Misty shouted in frustration.
"Misty not now!" Brock shouted. As they looked around, they noticed the situation in the building was deteriorating. The flames were spreading out of control and the building was looking to collapse.
"It could spread to other buildings if this doesn't stop!" A boy exclaimed.
Misty nodded, "We need to stop it. Starmie, Poliwag, come on out!"
The two pokemon joined their trainer in fighting the fire.
Back with Ash he was still fiercely fighting Squirtle. Bulbasaur had the advantage thanks to its type but the water type was tough and wouldn't back down.
"Razor leaf!" Ash shouted. Bulbasaur fired off the grass attack, but Squirtle took it head on with a rapid spin before smashing into Bulbasaur. The grass type fought back with a tackle attack knocking it to the ground. As the water type got to its feet it didn't notice a pillar slowly collapsing above it.
"Watch out!" Ash shouted as he rushed forward. The water type stared at the boy in bewilderment as he rushed towards him. Just as the beam broke loose and came crashing down Ash laid out and tackled Squirtle. Saving the water type from major damage.
"Are you ok, Squirtle?" Ash asked. The water type looked at Ash in surprise. This was the first human that had ever done something nice for him. This human had saved Squirtle life. Looking around Squirtle saw the damage being done. Frantically it began shouting to its comrades trying to escape. The water types looked at it in surprise before soon joining the trainers in putting out the fire. When they were finished the warehouse, and everything in it, was completely destroyed but the fire had not spread to any other buildings. The Squirtle had all been rounded up together as Miles walked towards them.
"What are you going to do to them?" Serena asked, "I hope you'll go easy on them."
"Oh, I think the Squirtle proved they're more than troublemakers." Miles replied as he knelt down to the Squirtle, "What do you all say, would you like to help me take care of the town?"
The Squirlte looked unsure about this until Miles added, "I'll give you lots of food." At this the water types broke into cheers and hugged the officer.
"Why do you think Team Rocket was here?" Misty asked.
"Maybe this is where they've been hiding since Viridian City." Serena offered.
Brock shook his head, "I doubt it. It's been a long time to stay in hiding. And that Meowth mentioned they had a mission."
"Too bad the fire destroyed everything in the warehouse. It could have offered some clues." Misty added sadly.
As he was listening Ash felt a tug on his jeans. Looking down the trainer saw Squirtle smiling broadly at him.
"Squirtle!" The pokemon cheered.
"It looks like he wants to go with you, Ash." Misty noted.
"Really?" Ash asked in surprise.
"Well, you did save it." Serena said as the Squirtle nodded.
A large smile broke out across Ash's face, "Alright then welcome to the team, Squirtle!" The water type smacked a pokeball on Ash's jeans and was instantly absorbed into the ball.
"I'm glad you're taking that Squirtle with you." Miles said as he walked over, "I can tell it would do better with a real trainer."
As he said that the purple haired boy walked by.
"Hey, are you still trying to catch one of the Squirtle?" Serena asked.
"Of course not!" The boy scoffed, "That was the only Squirtle I wanted. The others are all weaklings."
The remaining Squirtle seemed to frown at this.
"Hey, you take that back!" Ash shouted.
The purple haired boy glared back at Ash, "Why should I? I'm not wasting my time catching weak pokemon and I'm not apologizing for stating a fact."
With that he turned and marched off.
"Well, he seems nice." Misty said sarcastically.
"What a jerk." Ash growled.
"He might not have great people skills, but I watched him in battle a bit before the fire got out of control. It was impressive." Brock said.
"I wonder if you'll ever face him, Ash?" Serena added.
The next day the group was gathered at the edge of town. Squirtle was out of its pokeball as it waved goodbye to its fellow Squirtle.
"Best of luck in Vermillion City you guys. And thank you again for your help!" Miles called out.
"See you, Officer Miles!" The four said as they waived before walking off.
As the group left, they were off to their next adventure. They were finally heading right towards Vermillion City.
Much further down the road a black van sped ahead.
"You three sound like you had a fun night." Petrel said over the radio.
"I can't believe we ran into those twerps again!" Jessie spat.
"Do you think that scientist got away?" James added.
"That scientist is slippery. I'm sure he escaped, and the warehouse was under a fake name so no problems there. As for those kids, forget them for now." Petrel responded, "Did you secure the package?"
"Of course we did, commander." Meowth responded.
Petrel laughed over the radio, "Good, it will soon be time for Team Rocket to strike even more fear in the region. Come back to Vermillion City soon. We have a boat to catch."