Chapter 12.5: Calm Before the Storm
"Green? Is that you?" a voice called out.
Ash had arrived at Lavender Town.
4 badges in hand and 3 Pokémon in his team.
Pikachu, Charmeleon, and Snorlax.
He caught Snorlax when it blocked a path on Route 12.
"…Hey, Red. What brings you here?" Gary replied weakly.
"Your Pokémon don't look dead."
Ash froze in his tracks as he saw the tombstone Gary was facing.
'No…' he thought in disbelief.
'It can't be…'
"Green… that grave…"
"Well, I can at least make them faint. Let's do this, pal!" Gary challenged with a dark expression.
Ash noticed something was wrong the moment the battle started.
Eevee was crying.
Mourning.
Pikachu hesitated.
Ending the battle with two moves.
A sob from Eevee and a hug from Pikachu.
"Stop it, Green!"
"Eevee's in no condition to battle!"
Ash placed a pat on Eevee's head.
His eyes pleading Gary to snap out of his trance.
And the boy left, recalling Eevee.
Paying his and his Pokémon's respects to the late Raticate, Ash continued onwards.
In the Tower, he found a fleeing Cubone.
A Cubone holding a bone club his size and another double.
"Yo, kid," a voice called out.
"Thanks for stopping that thing. Now hand it over," a Rocket grunt ordered, her voice clad in venom.
Ash had his own share of experience with Team Rocket.
When he saw Cubone's tears and shivering body…
He stood, ready for battle.
"I don't think so…" he growled, gritting his teeth.
His back turned towards Cubone.
"Hah! Look, brat, that Cubone's skull is worth a lot, you know…" the female grunt snickered.
"We need to reach our quota, you see. And we're only missing one," she continued.
Ash did not know where she was going with the conversation.
But he never let guard down for a moment.
"Such a shame your Mommy had to make it so difficult, isn't it, Cubone?" she cackled maliciously.
Ash snapped.
He had written Team Rocket off as just thieves who stole Pokémon.
'I was wrong…'
'These people…'
Ash knew right then and there.
"Pikachu! [Thunderbolt]!"
He was face to face with real evil.
"So now, the little guy's with me now," Ash explained, holding Cubone close to him.
Since then, Ash was constantly hunted down by Team Rocket.
They even went as far as to corner him in a PokéCenter.
"Sorry, Blue…"
Ash felt anger.
Angrier than he had even felt before.
He knew he had to protect Cubone.
He understood.
Because he was the same.
Cubone's mother gave her life to save her child.
Delia Ketchum gave her life to bring Ash Ketchum into the world.
Mothers who sacrificed themselves for their babies.
It reminded him of the pain.
They were just orphans.
So, for the first time in his life…
He burned everything in his mind.
Ṟ̴̯͍̗̲̓ͅȩ̶̮̠̣͉̮̻̺͖͙͍͙͔̗̼̾̓ṕ̸̨̘͔̯̥̩͐̓l̵̘̘̯͍̑̈́̉̀͝͠ḯ̶̺̗̫̟̱̻̣̃͗c̵̡̡͇̙̟̮̗̰͓̗̀̄̉̀͛ā̸̛̬̳̀̕͝ţ̵̫͖̹̗̻̐͋͑͋͒̿̇̿ì̷̡̪͓̰͖̣͖͔͚̗̲̜͖͒̈̏̎͐͘͜͜͠͠o̶̧̖̣̩̲̟̜̯̜̻̮̱̒̂͒̏̽̐̐̔n̵̨̡̧̬̞̩̤̙̻͕̻̙̯̼̓̒ ̶͓͇̺͔̊͑͝c̴̢̨̥͕̩̭̗͚͖̻̠̳̩̓̀͊̊̃͆̊̏̅̀̓̈́͑͠ͅǫ̵̛̻͇̯̹͇͉̦̓̃̒̈́̂̋̿̎̀̎ḿ̸̧̗͖̟̹̦̱͎̮̻̬͕͌̏͠ͅp̴̢̥̱̰̜̼͖̩͕̑́̽̀̐ļ̷͇̲͚͉̜͓̠͖͍͎͕̖̺͒̀͆̓̑̃̊̔͜͠ę̷͎̘̳̺͓͙̳̠̠̲̰̱̆̂t̶̡̡̖̝͙̣̟̼̜̺͙̼̊͛̑ͅȩ̶̖͙͇̟̞̘̫̯̉̑̕͠͝͝ͅd̵͉͚̫̘̩͗̍̅̊͛.̴̨̡̨̢̛͕͇̙̪̼͈͉̜̺́͒͆͆̑͆̎̉
All to protect Cubone.
S̷̡͕̭͓͉͖͈̪͍͙̣͗͐͋̾̂y̸̧͇̲͔̩͇̣̳̼̳̗̬̏͋̍͐̔̐͌̓̚̕m̸̨̡̙͍̝̠̦͙̼̲͔̞̭͉̝̅͆͑̇̀̈̔͗̔̋͒̍͛̀̚p̶̛̭̝͓̤̭͎̋̔̆̐̆̂̽̀̅̌̕͜ã̴̧̳̻̼͇̘̬̺̫̦̬ͅͅt̶̖̲̘͔͍͇̳̭̳̊̅̅ͅh̴̡̢̡͖̰̬͈̗̗̰̜̩̮̘̍͒̽̾̿̀̐̕ͅi̶̭̻̦̥̻͈̣̮̲̙̳͍̓͊̅̃̎̂̈̄̍͝z̷̢̲̖̬͓̠̥͓̝͇͂́̑͠͝͠i̷̞̮͇͈̊ṅ̷̨̛͕̗͓̫̙͎̤̓̊̀̇͊͐͋̂͜ͅg̶̨̛̱͓̦̦͈̳͇̗͙̽͂́͑̆͊͊̿ ̷̨͍̬̒́͒͝w̸̤̰͇̙̰̬̟͎͙̫̰̆̑̓̈́͆͋̈́͊̾̏̓͜i̸͍̝̠̼̟̥͙̩̟͎̅̅͊̉̌͒͛͂̈́̀͘͠͝ͅͅṫ̶̰͙͎̬͙͇̪̠̰̩̂̄͌͗́͑̾̆̚ͅh̸̨̖͈̦̻͈̘́ ̴̱͙͙̪̱̹̫̝̤̪͝m̵̨̨̫̝̮̟̄̅̌͑̃̄̊́́͋͘e̶̡̧̳̻̜̟͎̫͇̪̾͌̒̎̍͌̽̃́̏͘͜͝m̷̧̙̯̘̤̹̳͙̭̗̬͍̯̐͒̓͛̈́̈̌̚͘͠ͅơ̴̡̖͚̦̰͔̮̗͈̦̱͉̹̝̑͆͂̽̋̐̕͘͘̚͝r̶̫͉̲̣͕͚͚̱̲͙͎̣̦͓̓̎̍͋͑̿̀̉͠y̵̨̞͙̰̫̖̠̦͕̝͋̊̆̿̍̊̆̿̃͂̀̍̌̆͠ͅ.̵̢̯̱̯̰͎͈̝̦͐͊̆̓͊̐̋̾͊̓͠
His Pokémon's well-being.
S̸̨͇̖͈̬͚̪̹̦̣̙̟͉͎͓̉̏͋͌̊̂̄̍̕ţ̵̥̪̰̦̝͓̼̯̦̪̠͊́́́́͂͂̆͑̊̈͒͘e̴̛̱̼͚̭̤͇̭̲̯̰̘̖͒̀͛̍̐͑̾͗̌̔̄̚͘̕p̷̨̹͚̮͓͚͔͉̻̘̗͇͎͌͝ ̴̧͍̮̗͙͆̐̆͑̋͝͝͝c̸̨̼͚͓̝͔̫̯̭̯͉͎͔̫̉͜o̶̢̥̞̓̊̄̔m̵̛͉͍̥̫̯̋̇͒̉̑̏͒̾p̴̛̭̖͉͋̍̑͐̽͌̈͛̂̀͆͌̕͠l̷̺̒̅͑̊̓̓̔͘͜͝e̶̛͉͕͎̱̫̬̜̟̓͌̉̌̈̀̈́̋̕̕̚͘͠t̸̡͖̖̟͉͚͔͉̞̯̱̔̆̽͛̃̐͊͋͝ͅe̴͉̖͕͂̈̏̅͋͒͛͂̈͠d̴̨̡̪̜̮̞͓̖̖̙̻̼̥̭͒̒̈.̴̨̡̼̰̖͓͉͍̹̻̳͈̅̓̎̆̀̀̍͗ͅ
His memories of his friends.
R̵̨͕̔̎̃̕a̴͕̰͖̥̟̬̝̪͝t̶͔͍͕̲͉̙̩̳̜̤̝̰̝̅̅͋̌̉̅̈̀͒͘ḯ̷̯̻͙̗̱͇̗͈͙͖̲̕ͅc̴͔͙̖͙̀̊͋̔̎́̕ậ̶̩̻̫̹̮̰̲̬͑͐̈́͂̿̾̀͜͠ͅt̶͎̼̲̳̦͚̝̦̩̯̜͔̀̒̓̎̓́͑̕ę̸̧̢̬͍̻̙̜͍͙͈͎̪͗̽̾͑́́̓̅̾͂̿̄͝ ̷̡̥͓̯͙̪̤̜̞͙̇a̴̧̡̧̘̙̩͙͂̎̈́͗̍̿̈́̒̾͐̑́̿̒̌d̸̼̫̻͖̥̹̲̻͓̰͑͛̈́̓̍͋̀́̕̚͠ͅd̴̢̮̟̜͚̰̈́̇͛̓̀͗̓̄͋̈́̕͘͠e̸̡͙̠̦̲̒́̍͋̄̚͝d̶̡̖̭͉̩͈̲̭̬́̈́̇̈́͒̀̿̚ ̷̤͇͖̜͉̘̬̊͑̌̌̇̂͒͊̋̂̈͘͜͝ţ̵̲͈͈̝̠̣͚̱͕͛̄̂̾̒̾͐̉̏͘͜͝͝ǒ̴̜̼͇̼̯͇͚͖̭͚͙͚̰̯̀̅̆̄̐̕ͅ ̸̢̤̳͔̲͎̜͙͌̒͋̑̌̐͜͜ͅļ̵̨̨͍̘̭͍͙̼̙̞̳͚̓̀͛̏̄̏̓͝ͅi̴̘̳̽́͌̂̉̉͗͊͐̓̕͠b̴̡̪͕̈́͐̈́̀̍̑̂͐͛͋͐͋̇ŗ̴̡̢͙͖̜̑͊̄͛ã̴̡̡̫̮̫̬̙̝̪͉̹̻̖̋̂͊̐́͑̈́̓̏͝ṛ̴̨̡͉̪̞̹͙͔̯͚́͜ͅy̶̯̺̟̟̦̽͐̓̎̔̌̈́̇̐̈́͛͛͒.̷̢̛̺̤͉̤̳̱͗̌̓͑̐̔͘ͅ
…Serena.
Ŗ̶̨̨̤͎͎̗̞̥̬͎̜̝̽̃͋̎̏͗̀͊̎̕̕ͅe̵̹͔͐̌̾͑́q̴̥̳̣̙̟͎̪̓̊́̇̈̐͑͂͐͠͝ư̴̜͍̬̮͍̄͛̅̌̆̎͂͌̐͒̐͒͗͠i̵̬̝̫͕̎͐̅̋͑͑̀r̵̡̳͎̫̩̝̩̭͍͇̯̝̞̂͑̚̚e̵̢̡̡̢̠͙̭̱̪̻͉̩͓̙͐̓̀̽̊͌̌̄̚ͅm̴̲̀͒̽̿́̈͗̆̕͠e̸̛̳̲̦͍̅͒̊̔͒͘͜͠n̸̯̳̲̘͙̦̻̞̳̼̟̾́̃̍̽̆̌̆͐̈́͋̾̂ͅt̴̢̡͍̲̫͕͚̦͇͓̮͕̏̍̄͐̓̎͘͝͠ ̷̢̙͔̪̠̲̗̪͇̬͔͇̄̓̉̈́̃͒́ň̸̜̓̍͐̉̕o̴̡̫͉̻͕͓̓̇̐̇͝͠t̸͔̝̮͈̦͚̘̖̊̆͋͆͛͐́̓͌̊̌͂́͌͠ͅ ̴̢̧̞̘̖͈̺̀͐̚͝͝m̶̧̨̡̢̬̪̲̦̲̦͗͐̄̒͛̑ȩ̷̛̹̳̐̇̃̽́̓̈́̈̂̆̈́̈̔t̵̛͙̹͎͈̳̗̪͒̓̀͐͜͝.̵̡̧̮̘̺̰̙͔̮͈̓
"I've gotta deal with these assholes."
Chapter 12.5: Calm Before the Storm
And the red eyes flickered ominously.