Glass had flown in every direction after the skylight caved in. On instinct he threw himself to the ground, hiding his body behind the bleachers and his face in his hands. Ash really shouldn't be so surprised. It had been a hot minute since he had met with his usual trio of stalkers, so a visit was due, but seriously? Right now?
The blue light of a Sir Aaron's shield slipped away as he let it drop. Ash clamored to his feet, no even realizing that the knight had tried to shield them until that point. The dark-haired trainer looked to the battlefield for his cousin and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw a similar blue shield dissipate above her head. She looked confused at first, locking eyes with Sir Aaron, before turning her attention back to the balloon.
What's happening?
"Team Rocket is here," Ash said.
"The ones' who kidnapped you?" Sir Aaron said.
"No these are the three grunts who just follow us everywhere. They're mostly harmless," Ash said, taking off into the screaming crowd. Jumping from one bleacher to the next.
"Why would they be attacking? This is a front for a Team Rocket facility! Are they running it or stealing from themselves?!" Goh called out after him.
"Well, that was rather rude," A woman with the longest pink hair said looking down at Amanda from above her nose.
"Such language is unnecessary it's true," the man with the blue bob said shaking his head.
Amanda scoffed in disbelief, "What unnecessary language? You literally just slammed through the roof with giant meowth head for a balloon! And why are you talking in rhyme?!"
"Ya know some people just can't appreciate a good show," The fucking meowth of all things said.
"It's sad, the other twerpettes were more fun, you know?" The woman said.
"Wobbuffet!"
Okay what the ever-loving fuck? Amanda tried desperately to comprehend the utter insanity in front of her. A woman with way too much spray in her hair, a man who looked both confident yet unsure, both of which were in Team Rocket uniforms, and a talking meowth just crashed through a skylight in a meowth shaped hot air balloon. What part of secret criminal organization did these grunts not get? Where were the normal grunts who just tried to beat up and kidnap her?
"Team Rocket!" Ash screamed as he ran into the Arena.
Wait, her cousin knew these guys?
"My, my looky here's the twerp!" The Meowth said.
"Are you seriously doing this right now?" Ash said, "We're on a time crunch here!"
"Pika Pika!"
Amanda tuned out the banter that Ash was sharing with the grunts. The crowds around them were running wild, some clearly trying to leave as fast as possible while other just seemed plain confused. Uncle Aaron, Goh, and Lucario were still in their place, clearly paying close attention to the scene unfolding. Ready to intervene should they need to.
Odette was stuck in her place, just staring on in bewilderment. She looked to Amanda, and the young aura user just motioned for her opponent to flee. Thankfully Odette listened, recalling her Sylvoen and booking it out the arena.
The crowds having thinned, Amanda grit her teeth and turned back to the grunts. She had enough of this. Who's to say these guys weren't just a distraction to make it easier to grab them.
"Shadow Ball!" Amanda ordered and her partner was quick to comply.
Umbreon leaped forward launch, a sphere of shadows and smoke generating in front of her.
"Amanda wait!" Ash tried to warn, but it was too late.
The orb of smoke was flying towards the two grunts and their mangy cat. It was a perfect shot. It would hit. It should have hit, but…
"Mirror Coat!" the woman screamed.
Amanda's stomach dropped…a missing variable that she didn't solve in time…
The Wobbuffent leaped up onto the rim of the balloon basket. Its blue flesh shifted in a swirling hue that shined like polished pearls. The shadow ball collided with the gleaming body. Light shifted, infusing the given attack with power untold and then launching it back at them.
Amanda wasn't sure what happened next, her feet moved, something was shoved behind her as she futilely tried to shield whatever was behind her from the attack. She couldn't let anyone else…The light flashes and Amanda's eyes sealed shut. She braced…for a hit that never came.
Her eyes opened and she let out a quiet gasp. Blue bubbling light washed over her in waves from the aura field overhead. Where? From behind her popped out her cousin, who looked equality as surprised by the field.
"What in the world?!" The meowth screamed. While the grunts only blinked.
Then they screamed, as the balloon basket was suddenly rocked by an explosion from blue sphere.
"Harming the children was a bad play!" Uncle Aaron shouted from the other side of the battlefield.
Her uncle lowered his hand and the field around them dropped. Lucario leaped in front of them. Making himself into a barrier between them and the grunts.
The Meowth growled then his eyes blew wide, "Wait a second I know you! Yous were in that freaky tree with us 'bout three years ago!"
Seems as if you're memory isn't as short as I believe it to be, stray.
"Ooh! Hey! I also remember that yous didn't make it, hound!" Meowth growled.
"The word of our deaths was greatly exaggerated," Uncle Aaron said.
"hummm and let me guess yous not the sucker from Iron Island, huh?" Meowth said.
"I hope to visit one day," Uncle Aaron said with a smile.
"Enough of this ridiculous game!" The woman said.
"It's time for you to witness Team Rocket's ticket to fame!" Said the man.
And now their back to talking in rhyme…great…
"If it's a battle you want! It's a battle you'll get!"
"Just make sure you don't lose your bet!"
That last line didn't even make sense, Amanda wanted to scream. However what happened next was even more confusing.
"Alright come on down!" the grunts screamed.
Through the broken sky light flew in a Pelipper with a rather weak war cry and something rather large in its beak. The flying type then suddenly dropped…a gumball machine?...the grunts caught it and then screwed the meowth's charm into the coin slot. Amanda held back a wince that had to hurt. And then collected an oddly painted pokeball.
"Only one?" the man said.
"We'll still win," the women replied and then hurled the poke ball at them.
Lucario seemed to tense, readying himself for a fight. Umbreon and Pikachu followed suit, joining the jackal like Pokémon in the space been their group and the grunts.
There was a flash of light, and…
"KARP!"
A rather large magikarp flopped on to the floor. It's eyes wide and empty, as it struggled there. It's sizable fins flapping uselessly. Those fins were really big. Amanda and Ash shared a glance, both knowing what that meant…oh no…
"A magikarp?! Seriously! What do we have to do to get some good pokemon!?" the woman raged, slapping the gumball machine repeatedly.
The man just sighed, "This is embarrassing…"
"So same time next week?" Ash said, with much sarcasm.
"Are you scheduling with your stalkers now?" Goh said.
"Goh they've been after me for six years, you learn a lot about your stalkers in that kind of time," Ash said, then turned back to the grunts, "Wanna re-schedule?"
"If it's an option," them and said.
"No! We can still do this; we just need to get this stupid dispenser to work right!" The woman screamed now shoving a clearly dizzy meowth into the coin slot again.
"Does that mean we can leave?" Amanda said, "Because we should probably get out of here."
"Why?" Goh asked.
The fish on the floor suddenly began to gleam in bright blue and sparkle.
"Before that happens!" Amanda said.
"Oh no not again!" The male grunt said.
Amanda's mind began to spin and churn. Magikarp evolved into Gyarados. Gyarados were powerhouse of water type Pokémon. And highly aggressive. Prone to rampages with powerful sprays of water that could blow a man's head off if it chose to. Water. Water that Amanda couldn't stop.
"DOS!"
James shook out his wet hair, as he pulled himself off of the dirt road he was thrown into. Getting blasted off, by a hydro pump attack was worse than just normally blasting off. What was with him and Gyarados? First it was that incident where he got conned on that stupid boat, and then stranded on an island of giant Pokémon. And now this?!
Ughhhh. He just needed to stay away from the ocean. Shame that he loved fishing so much.
Jessie let out a shriek as she sat up, "Why does this keep happening?! We were so close!"
They really weren't but James wasn't going to correct his partner. This was as close to positive thinking as Jessie got in this state.
"Just a bad luck of the draw, Jess," Meowth whined, "Well, get 'em, next 'round."
"We'd better!"
"Wobba…"
James just tuned out his teammates squabbling and started to replay the recent events before the Gyaradoss slapped them away and sprayed them with water. Things were different this time. That girl. The new twerpette. She wasn't like the others he has seen before. She was too old, and not as perky. Sure the first red head Twerpette had a temper, and the others could put up a fight if needed, but this one.
She was ready to blow them away before they even finished monologuing. She didn't bother with the dramatics. And the way she held herself. Proud, yet internally stressed beyond her mind. Like she had to have the world on her shoulders. Clearly from a wealthy family, if James could tell. Took a rich kid to know a rich kid. Though her situation probably wasn't exactly like James'. Still her home wasn't a happy one.
"James!"
Th blue haired man startled, "Uh, what Jessie?"
"I've been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes, what is up with you?" Jessie said.
"Sorry, it's just don't you think that last encounter with the twerps was a little odd?" James said.
"What was odd about it? We gave our best entrance, then the dispenser screwed us over," Jessie said.
"No, James is right," Meowth chimed in, "Dat Lucario…humm..Did neither of ya really no recognize him?"
"What was to recognize it was a Lucario," Jessie said.
"The one from the Cameron Palace," James said, "We never saw him after that, did we?"
"Well, dat cause he's suppose ta be dead," Meowth said.
"And so was that man with him," James said, "Two ghost back from the dead. Maybe we need to lay low for a while."
"Lay low?! At a time like this!" Jessie said suddenly excited, "We give up this opportunity!"
"Opportunity?" James said.
"Clearly the twerps have found a way to bring back the dead! We bring back that discovery back to the boss and we'll be set for life!" Jessie said.
"Yeah! Such a t'ing might not be a powerful Pokémon, but the secret to life and death gotta be somet'ing that boss would love! And with no zombie issue to boot!" Meowth said.
"So, we agree, steal the secret revival magic and give to the boss?" Jessie squealed.
James was about to agree. When a shiver went up his spine.
"I'm afraid…"
James turned around, only to see a purple figure…then black swallowed his vision.
"I cannot allow you to got through with that plan."
A/N:
Amanda has met TRio…she is not impressed. And don't worry Mewtwo didn't kill them.