Chapter 5
"Blastoise! He's gone!" Ash had gone into full-on panic mode after realizing his starter Pokémon had disappeared. Had Blastoise run away? Or was it stolen? Either way, he had to find his friend.
His heart threatened to burst from his chest as his mind quickly got away from him. What if he never found Blastoise again? What if it was taken away to be sold on the Pokémon black market? No, he couldn't think that way. "I gotta stay focused on finding Blastoise."
Slowly, his eyes drifted to the factory-shaped Gym behind him. He had just arrived and then this happened. But, Badge or no Badge, finding Blastoise was priority number one. Pulling in a deep, cleansing breath to try and calm his mind, he hurried away from the area with his gloved hands curled around both sides of his mouth. "Blastoise!"
o 0 o
It was dark, and it was forced to the ground by something that surrounded its whole body. As much as it tried to struggle or break the hold around it, the net wouldn't give way. So, it was forced to sit and assess the situation. And Blastoise hoped with all its heart that Ash wouldn't think that it abandoned him.
It all happened in a flash. One moment, Ash was walking forward, looking for a way to enter the Gym. Another, and a steel net had wrapped itself around Blastoise and pulled it into the moat nearby. Luckily, as a Water-type, Blastoise didn't have trouble being underwater, but it was being pulled by what looked to be a... giant metal Magikarp? No, it was obvious this was man-made. There was a propeller attached to the back fin that propelled it forward.
Now, it was being dragged by two humans in white uniforms, accompanied by a Meowth that spoke human language as well. The Meowth provided no physical help at all, and the humans did all the pulling, dragging Blastoise on its stomach in the steel net down the dimly-lit stone hallway. The two humans bickered among each other quietly, spitting and throwing nasty words at the other.
Finally, they reached a large chamber where Blastoise could see a lot more people inside. They were dressed in uniforms similar to the white-dressed ones, but these ones were black. Leaving Blastoise in the corridor, the two Rocket members danced inside while another human, this one dressed in a dark suit, glared at them in annoyance.
"Prepare for trouble! Make it double! Prepare for trouble! Make it double!" they both sang.
"To protect the world from devastation!" the magenta-haired young woman sang.
"To unite all peoples within our nation!" the blue-haired young man beside her added.
"To denounce the evils of truth and love."
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light! Surrender now, or prepare to fight!" This sounded familiar to the Shellfish Pokémon, but surprisingly, they went on. "Talking trouble, walking trouble, big trouble's gonna follow you..." And before they continued, they came back in and pulled on the rope at the head of the net, and once again dragged Blastoise, but this time, dragged it inside the chamber. "We captured Blastoise for you."
An evil laugh filled the rocky chamber, and as they dragged in the Water Pokémon, its brown eyes looked up to see an older man with brown hair that was slicked back. His beady eyes looked down hungrily at Blastoise. "I can't believe it!"
"It was easy," Jessie praised happily.
"We snatched it from that Ash kid out on the lagoon," James added.
"It was like snatching Pokémon fruit snacks from a baby."
Now realizing the situation it was in, Blastoise tried biting on the net, but Meowth jumped up and sat down on its shell before peering over and looking down at the Water-type. "You can chew all 'ya want, Blasty, but you ain't ever gonna rip 'trough 'dat steel net."
"Blastoise!" The voice sounded very familiar. Ignoring Meowth, Blastoise's head perked up, and across the circular-shaped chamber, there was two cells, and inside them were two humans it recognized immediately: Ash's mother and the professor who took care of it as a Squirtle. The voice that had spoken up was Delia. "Oh, Blastoise! Where's Ash?!"
"Blaaaast-" Blastoise began, beginning to get all riled up upon seeing its Trainer's mother captured, but before it could stand up fully, something large moved into the light, grabbing Blastoise's attention immediately. It was huge, at least eight feet in height, and looked to be completely mechanical. Where feet should have been were two tank-like treads, and its eyes glowed red artificially. Blastoise wasn't one to back down from a fight, but even it stepped back a step upon seeing the huge... creation.
The man in the black suit snapped his fingers, and Jessie, James, and Meowth all snapped to attention with their arms stiff at the sides of their bodies. "Take the Blastoise, and order it to attack MechaMew2."
"Why don't you do it, boss?" James asked questioningly as the greasy-haired man began to walk away. This statement caused the man to freeze, and he slowly turned around and glared daggers into the blue-haired Rocket member.
"I can't have a Pokémon battle with myself, you idiot!" the boss barked, and a red flush washed over James's face.
Running a finger through his hair, he chuckled away the embarrassment. "Oh, yeah." James walked over to Blastoise and began to pull at the net, but suddenly stopped and his green eyes trailed over to Jessie, who was fixing her hair in a compact mirror. "How about a hand, short, magenta, and useless!"
Jessie perked up and an angry look crossed her face, and she looked to retaliate angrily, but then saw their boss shooting lasers from his eyes at her as well, and she clicked the small make-up mirror shut and gave her own embarrassed chuckle. "I was just fixing my hair..."
With both of them, they managed to get the net off Blastoise's body, and Blastoise was finally able to stand up straight. The Shellfish Pokémon was larger than them both, so they both looked a little nervous, but guided it forward nevertheless. "C'mon, nice... Blastoise," James said gently. "Why don't you do that... that hydro thing you do!" Both he and Jessie ran out of the way and for cover, and pointed at the giant mechanical creature.
But Blastoise was smart. They wanted it to attack that creature for some reason, but it wasn't going to fall for it. It could feel all the eyes boring holes in it, but the most prominent ones were Professor Oak and Delia's. "NOW!" James screamed, and both Jessie and James jumped in front of it, right between Blastoise and the cages.
At once, Blastoise's eyes flashed. "Blastoise!" it cried, and its shell opened up, revealing its cannons. The two Team Rocket members smiled upon seeing the Blastoise obey, but their smiles quickly faded when Blastoise leaned down and aimed, not at the MechaMew2, but at the duo themselves. They both let out screams of horror before Blastoise launched a Hydro Pump, sweeping both of them off their feet and sending them flying into the cages behind them. Seeing this, Mrs. Ketchum and Professor Oak dove out of the way, and as the Hydro Pump and Team Rocket hit the bars, they shattered open, and when the attack stopped, Jessie and James collapsed to the floor drenched to the bone while Delia and Professor Oak peered around and saw they were free.
"Let's go!" Delia called, but Professor Oak grabbed her arm.
"We should try and save Blastoise!" he said, and when they looked back at Blastoise, the Water-type Pokémon shook its head.
"There's no time; we've got to get Ash!" Delia translated, and together, they ran into the darkness. Meanwhile, the boss of Team Rocket was calmly walking down the stairs that he had walked up moments before. Despite the fact that his hostages had just gone free and his men were attacked, he didn't seem too worried.
"Very funny, my large blue friend," he said. "But we'll see who has the last laugh." Looking at two black-clad members standing guard, he gestured a nose to Blastoise. "Take him out of here."
Blastoise bared its teeth at the pair approaching, but they pulled out a long prodder from their belt and with a flick of their wrist, it extended and electricity sparkled at the tip of it. "Move it, squirt, or you'll get it where it hurts," the Rocket member ordered. Blastoise gave the villain a dirty look, but followed his command, turning around and walking down the hallway. Now it just had to hope that Ash's mother and the professor could find Ash.
o 0 o
Now he was really starting to panic. Circling back around to the factory, Ash's teeth bit his lip as tears stung at his eyes. There was no sign of Blastoise anywhere in the forest. Not only had he retraced his steps, but he also searched other areas as well. And all the Trainers that he seemed to have seen earlier had all but disappeared. Where was it?
"Pigeott-TOH!" A shrill cry from above made Ash crane his neck, and hope bloomed for a split second as his Normal and Flying Pokémon came down from the skies. He had called upon his Pidgeotto to try and get a bird's eye view of the forest and look for any sign of Blastoise.
"Pidgeotto, did you see anything?" he asked it, but the Bird Pokémon shook its head sadly as it fluttered in the air. As quickly as the hope had flourished, it died in his chest, and his shoulders sank. "It's okay, you tried your best," he said quietly, pulling out its Poké Ball and recalling it inside.
The sound of branches shifting grabbed Ash's attention, and his eyes lit up as his head whipped around. "Blastoise?!" he exclaimed, his breath hitching in his throat. But instead of one figure, two came through the woods, and neither of them were Blastoise, but he did recognize them. "Mom? Professor Oak? What are you doing here?!"
"It's a long story..." Ash's mom replied quietly, but Ash didn't seem interested in it, and kept on talking.
"Guys, you have to help me! Blastoise is gone!"
"We know," Professor Oak said.
"We better get-" Ash suddenly stopped, and froze in place as the Pokémon Professor's words registered in his brain, and he raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean you know? How could you?" Both of the adults looked uncomfortable, and exchanged a glance.
"Do you want to tell him?" Professor Oak asked Delia.
"Tell me what?"
"That..." Mrs. Ketchum began, and took in a deep breath. "Giovanni has Blastoise! Team Rocket kidnapped him!"
"I knew it!" Ash murmured angrily.
"It's all part of Giovanni's plan to take over the world. He's built himself some sort of... super mechanical Pokémon."
Now that he knew Blastoise hadn't run away, Ash didn't care about the details, and he only looked at his mother with determination. "Where are they?"
"His headquarters," she responded quietly, glancing in the direction of the factory.
"Nothing that involves Team Rocket ever turns out good," Ash stated, staring with intent at the ground.
"That's not necessarily true," Professor Oak responded quietly, but Ash was already beginning his march over to the entrance of the factory.
"Let's go!"
"Ash, wait," Delia called, and Ash threw a glance over his shoulder.
"I love 'ya, Mom, but a Trainer's gotta do what a Trainer's gotta do."
"There's more." Ash froze in place and adjusted his hat before turning back.
"About Blastoise?"
"No, about me."
"I don't have time now, Mom!" he argued, and gave her a quick peck on the cheek before looking deep in her eyes. "It'll have to wait."
He spun on his heel and went to go run to the entrance, but was stopped by the angriest voice he had ever heard from his mother. "No, it can't wait!" Ash's eyebrows hit his hairline as he turned around and looked at his mom in silence. Now that he had her attention, Delia gave a deep breath and spoke much more calmly than before. "I know how you feel... about Team Rocket."
"I hate them! Everything they stand for; everything about them."
"I know..." Mrs. Ketchum muttered, and her face looked as though she were fighting some inner conflict. "but what you don't know is... A long time ago, before you were born... before I met your father... I was... friends with Giovanni when he was starting to get involved with Team Rocket."
"What?" The words came out of Ash's mouth like a rush of air. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "No way!"
"Oh, it wasn't for long. When I met your father, I left!" she hurriedly explained.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I wanted you to hear it from me! Not from Giovanni..." Ash stared at his mom with a million emotions running through his mind, but finally, he turned on his heel.
"I'm getting out of here..." he murmured, and Delia reached out as if to stop him, but he stopped on his own. Not to talk to her, but because of three figures coming towards them on scooters. Their bells were ringing loudly, and both figures had smug looks on their faces. He knew exactly who they were. "Just who I was looking for!"
Jessie, the red-haired girl of the group, gasped and looked at James. "That's supposed to be our line, isn't it?"
'Uh, yeah..." James muttered back.
"Just who we were looking for!" Jessie shouted with a pointed finger. Ignoring them, Ash stomped forward.
"Take me to Giovanni and Blastoise! Now!" James blinked and cocked a head at Ash.
"That's supposed to be our line, too," he said quietly to the boy with a nervous chuckle, and then placed a strong hand on the boy's shoulder. "We're taking you to Giovanni and Blastoise!"
"Whether you like it or not!" Jessie added.
"I like it!" Ash retorted, and all three of the Rocket members gasped.
"You do?" The pair studied the determined look on his face.
"Ooh, he does..." James murmured, then looked back at Jessie.
"Why is this being so... easy?" she asked.
"Maybe it's our lucky day?"
Ash was quickly growing impatient, and finally had enough and walked past them. "Let's go!" The Team Rocket trio let out a yelp and hurried after him, ditching the scooters that served as their transport in their haste.
Behind them, Delia and Professor Oak tried to go after them, but Meowth jumped in front of them and extended its claws in a threatening manner. "Sorry, but 'da boss said only 'da kid!" And with that, it hurried after the others as well.
o 0 o
Leaving Jessie, James, and Meowth in his dust, Ash rushed inside the factory Gym blindly. It was very dark inside, and it was cold and clammy inside, but he only registered this on the subconscious level – his main goal was to find his Blastoise.
There wasn't a single soul inside that he had seen so far – the place seemed to be abandoned. But once he navigated the maze-like hallways correctly, he was emptied out into a large circular chamber. And standing at the top of the stairs was a man with slicked back brown hair. The man's beady eyes fell upon him, and the smallest hint of a smile curled his sinister lips. It was as if he had been expecting him.
"I'm Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town!" Ash introduced, his voice echoing in the large empty area. "Where's my Blastoise?!"
"Ash Ketchum?" the man stated, and began to descend slowly down the stairs. "You wouldn't by any chance happen to be Delia's son?"
"Leave my mother out of it!"
"Your mother made a big mistake when she walked out on me!" Giovanni said angrily, stepping off the stairs.
"Not as big a mistake that you made by stealing my Blastoise!" At that moment, the Team Rocket trio all came hurrying in, and came barreling past Ash without even giving him a second glance, and surrounded Giovanni.
"We caught the Trainer, boss!" Jessie cried.
"We were bringing him here – to you..." James continued.
"But, uh... He got away from us!" They both began to cry loudly, but Meowth stood next to Ash and pointed a paw up at him.
"Hey, Rocket scientists!" Both Team Rocket grunts flicked their heads up and looked at Ash up and down before their faces instantly changed to one of happiness.
"You're here!" Jessie cried, this time in happiness. "He's here!"
"It looks like we did good, boss!" James said to Giovanni, and him and Jessie high-fived each other. "Twice in one day! Twice!" Both of them then proceeded to dance and sing in victory, but Giovanni gave a mighty shout.
"Shut up and leave us alone!" he screamed.
"Y-yes, sir," James murmured, and the two hurried out of the room.
"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" they cried, their voices echoing down the hall, and then a big thump followed suit, as well as the sound of crashing metal. Meanwhile, Meowth shook its head and pinched the bridge of its nose.
"Knuckleheads..." it grumbled before being swallowed by the darkness after them.
Now that the grunts were out of the way, Giovanni spoke up yet again. "I'll give you your Blastoise... If you agree to have him battle my Pokémon."
"You'll be good practice for the Gym Leader I'm on my way to battle!"
"You mean the one who's offering the new Diamond Badge to the Trainer who defeats him?" Giovanni reached in the inside pocket of his dark suit and held up the item he retrieved. It was the Diamond Badge that had been shown on TV. "I've been waiting for you."
"You're the Gym Leader from the commercial?"
"Of course I am! I've manipulated every one, and every thing to get to this moment," Giovanni said proudly, and then snapped his finger. "Bring in the Blastoise."
An agonizing silence fell over the room, and soon Ash became apparent to how loud his breathing was. Swallowing a lump in his throat, two Team Rocket grunts – these ones wearing black uniforms – came in, and they held a rope. At the end of the rope... was Blastoise. When the Water Pokémon came into the light, they untied it. Instantly, relief swept over Ash, and he rushed over to his Pokémon. "Oh, Blastoise!" he yelled, and leapt up and wrapped his arms around the Shellfish Pokémon's neck.
"Blast-toise!" it responded happily. His feet clapping against the ground, Ash twisted his hat around on his head and turned to Giovanni.
"Ready to battle?" he challenged. Giovanni smirked, and snapped his fingers.
"I choose... MechaMew2!" A bright green light illuminated the darkness on the side of the room, grabbing Ash's attention, and his eyes slowly widened as he could hear mechanical whirring coming closer and closer. Finally, the large mechanical beast that his mother had mentioned came full into view.
"The famous mechanical Pokémon...!" Ash breathed.
"Word travels fast," Giovanni said with a smile, and then flicked his fingers, sending something in them soaring toward Ash. Reacting quickly, Ash cupped his hands, and the object landed perfectly in his palms. "This is what you want, isn't it?" The Pallet Town boy looked down and saw that it was the Diamond Badge. It was circular and green, and in the center was a brilliant diamond that shimmered even in the small amount of light that the room provided.
"Yes, but I'm gonna win it fair and square!" he replied, and made to throw it back.
"You're not going to win it at all," Giovanni retorted before Ash could do so. "So why don't you hold onto it while you can. I'll take it back when you're defeated."
"I'm not going to be!"
"Then start the battle! Or are you afraid?"
Ash scoffed at Giovanni, and hesitantly looked up at MechaMew2 before turning to look at Blastoise. "Blastoise, BubbleBeam! Now!"
"Blaaaaassstt!" Blastoise cried, opening its mouth and unleashing a fierce stream of bubbles out from its mouth at its robotic opponent.
"MechaMew2, Learn!" Giovanni retorted. The green light that illuminated its face turned white, and though the attack struck it full-on, it looked to... absorb the attack. Finally, Blastoise stopped the attack, and it looked undamaged. Ash and Blastoise blinked in confusion, but Ash didn't skip a beat.
"Blastoise, Hydro Pump attack now! C'mon buddy, give it everything you've got!" Blastoise opened its shell and produced its hydro cannons, and leaned forward before giving a loud yell and releasing a blast of water from each of its cannons at MechaMew2.
"MechaMew2, Learn!" Giovanni repeated. Once again, the green light turned white, and the attack hit it square in the face. Though it should have been a direct hit, the water seemed to... be drawn into the artificial Pokémon. When Hydro Pump stopped, Blastoise was breathing heavily and glaring at its opponent.
"Blastoise, try Hydro Pump again!" Once again, the water starter shot a blast of water from its cannons, but this one wasn't as powerful, and only succeeded in moving MechaMew2 back a few inches.
Across the battlefield, Giovanni laughed. "My turn. MechaMew2, BubbleBeam now!" A metal compartment opened up on the artificial Pokémon's chest armor, and a stream of light blue bubbles shot out at twice the speed of Blastoise's attack and hit the Shellfish Pokémon. Blastoise grimaced, but stayed upright, and skidded on its feet as the attack hit it. "MechaMew2, Hydro Pump now!"
The BubbleBeam attack stopped, and soon, a single burst of water took its place. This one was quite large, and shot at Blastoise with tremendous speed. "Blastoise!" Ash screamed, fearing the worst.
"SolarBeam, now!" A flash of bright light soared past Ash's head and collided with the Hydro Pump, causing a large explosion that seemed to shake the whole factory. Ash's eyes widened in surprise at the new attack, and he whipped around to see a cloaked figure standing in the hallway standing beside... a Venusaur.
In one swooping movement, the cloak was pulled off, revealing the person underneath to be... "Gary!" Ash cried.
"Hope you don't mind me cutting in," his childhood rival said, smiling and approaching the dark-haired boy with his Venusaur in tow.
"Gary, what are you doing here?!"
"I was on my way back from Pallet Town and I saw you coming here with those three from the blimp. I knew nothing good could come from it, so I followed just in case," the auburn-haired Trainer said, and his face hardened as he looked up at the mechanical Pokémon. "And it's a good thing I did. What kind of creature is that?!"
"Welcome to the world, boys!" Giovanni smirked. "My world! I created MechaMew2 with the power to learn, and amplify any attack that was thrown at him! Blastoise's Water attacks were the last on the list! Now that he has them, nothing can stop him! The world will be mine! And I couldn't have done it without you." His head twisted to Ash. "Thank you, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. Now nothing can stop me, no matter how many of your little friends come out of the woodwork!"
"We can, and we will!" Ash and Gary called at the same time, and both of their starters stepped forth and uttered cries of response.
"I don't have time for this!" Giovanni stated, and glanced up at his creation. "MechaMew2, dispose of them! Hyper Beam! Now!"
In all the commotion, MechaMew2 had closed its chest armor, and now, it opened it again, and this time, the cannon in its chest stuck out a bit before an orange ball of energy began to form. But it wasn't aiming for just the Pokémon – if it made contact, it would hit all of them. The ball began to grow larger and larger, until finally, a loud boom shook the ground they stood on as a beam was fired from the ball, breaking the sound barrier and sailing toward them. "Nooo!" Ash screamed, and closed his eyes in horror. But suddenly, another explosion occurred, and he slowly opened his eyes to see a blue barrier surrounded not only him, but Gary, Venusaur, and Blastoise. "It's a force field! Hyper Beam can't penetrate!"
"What's going on?!" Giovanni cried.
"The boy will not be harmed." The strange voice seemed to sound in his head, but just when he thought he was hearing things, he looked and saw Gary had a confused look etched on his face as well; he too had heard it.
"Who said that..." the leader of Team Rocket grumbled as the Barrier disappeared around them.
"I did..." Both Ash and Gary turned to see a strange Pokémon floating through the air from the same hallway that Gary had emerged from. It was mostly gray, but a long, purple tail trailed out behind it. Its eyes were glowing blue with energy, and it was also outlined in psychic energy, enabling it to float.
"Mewtwo!" Giovanni realized, his eyes widening slightly.
"Mewtwo...?" Ash repeated, his eyebrows meeting together on his forehead. The strange Pokémon floated beside Ash and landed.
"You do not know me, Ash Ketchum, but I know you," the Psychic Pokémon said through telepathy.
"How?" Ash asked it, but the Genetic Pokémon's attention was pulled back to Giovanni.
"Mewtwo! Meet MechaMew2!" the boss of Team Rocket said proudly, holding his arm up to the towering robot as though presenting a new trophy. "Quite an improvement, don't you think? Better looking, more obedient, and much more powerful!"
"I am the world's most powerful Pokémon."
"Then here's your chance to prove it," Giovanni challenged with a sneer.
"Prepare to battle." As Mewtwo's eyes began to glow once again, and it held its three fingered hand up, Ash rushed out.
"Don't, Mewtwo! He'll just learn your attacks!" he warned it. "It's got more power than you think!"
Mewtwo studied Ash, looking down at him, and rested his hand on Ash's shoulder. "I think the true power... is within you." Once again, Mewtwo's eyes began to glow, and with its hand still on Ash's shoulder, it directed its attention back to its predecessor and extended its free hand. A blue glow appeared around both Mewtwo and Ash, and Ash felt a tingling sensation all over his body, and felt as though his energy was being slightly drained. It almost took his breath away, but it didn't hurt at all.
"MechaMew2, Learn!" Giovanni commanded, and the creature's processors began to whir as the blue psychic energy surrounded it. Silence filled the room as the two Pokémon battled telepathically. Soon, more and more energy drained from Ash, and with one last burst – as well as a strange image of his mother's face appearing in his head – he fell to his knees.
"Ash!"
"Blast!" Both Blastoise and Gary rushed to his side, and stood on either side. Mewtwo also seemed like it was tired as well, and it was sweating and breathing heavily, and its arms lowered.
Giovanni didn't seem to understand what had happened, but he looked at his creation. "MechaMew2, return the attack now!" The artificial Pokémon raised one of its arms, but the glow on its face only stayed white. Impatience showed clearly on Giovanni's face, and he stepped forward and glared up at it. "Return the attack, now!" When the robot ignored him again, he walked up and stood directly in front of it. "I command you! Use what you've learned!"
Suddenly, one of MechaMew2's arms reached out and snatched Giovanni by the front of his suit, and pulled the human in close. Panic appeared on his face as he struggled to get out of its grip. "What are you doing?! You must do as I command!"
"Not anymore." A robotic voice came from the metal Pokémon, and it sounded like both a man and a woman at the same time. This time, the look of panic was replaced with confusion.
"I didn't give you the power of speech!"
"You didn't give me a lot of things. But you did give me the ability to learn. And I have. From the boy I've learned about love and goodness. His heart is pure; his love for Pokémon and his friends and family is real. I've learned right from wrong. And I've learned which one you are. Now I know what I must do: something else I learned – Selfdestruct."
A bright glow appeared around MechaMew2's body, and a number countdown starting at 20 appeared on its face, and slowly began to tick down. Seeing this, Giovanni's attempts to escape became even more frantic, and he tried to wiggle out of his creation's grip. "Let me go! I command you!"
But MechaMew2 ignored him and turned to Mewtwo. "Take them away, where they'll be safe." Mewtwo nodded, and its eyes began to glow again. This time, it wasn't the only one that rose into the air. Ash, Gary, Blastoise, and Venusaur also rose up along with it, and they looked in amazement as their feet left the ground.
"Mewtwo! I can't believe you were able to defeat me again!"
"This time, it was not me, Giovanni," Mewtwo corrected as they headed toward the exit. "It was the boy..." And as Mewtwo rushed away through the air with the humans and their Pokémon just ahead, a loud explosion seemed to rock the planet, and blast through Ash's ear drums. At that moment, everything went black.
o 0 o
"Ash? Ash, can you hear me?" The voice of his mother drew him out of unconsciousness, and his eyes blinked. Slowly, fuzziness came together, and formed into his mother's worried face looking down at him.
"Mom?" The auburn-haired woman smiled with relief, and tears fell down onto his face. She quickly wiped them off with her thumb, and slowly helped him up into an upright position. His brain was still really foggy and he felt completely wiped out. Not only that, but he had a constant ringing in his ears. But soon, the reality of the situation sunk in, and he shot upright. "Where's Blastoise?! And Gary! Are they okay?!"
"Blast!" he heard, and looked ahead to see Blastoise standing off to the side. A laugh of relief escaped his throat, and he stood up and wrapped his arms around the Water Pokémon's shell.
"Oh, Blastoise!"
"Please don't hug me, okay, Ash?" he heard Gary say, and Ash pulled away to see Gary being held up by his grandfather. Overlooking them both was Gary's Venusaur. Both of them were covered in scrapes and bruises, and Ash looked down to see that he was as well.
"Oh, thank goodness you're all right," his mother sighed in relief.
"What happened in there?" Professor Oak asked, and Ash opened his mouth, but no words came out. Now his eyebrows drew together as he tried to get the information from his brain, but nothing could form.
"I'm... not sure. One minute, I was battling Giovanni. And the next... I don't remember," Ash explained.
"I don't know what happened either. I remember stopping an attack with Venusaur, and that's it," Gary added, as his Venusaur used its Vine Whip to support its Trainer to stand up.
"But I know what happened to you, Mom," Ash stated, turning to look at his mother. "It doesn't matter who you were back then; you're my mom, and I love you."
A smile spread across her face, and she placed a hand on her son's arm. "And you're my..." She hesitated, and then chuckled. "...young man."
"And you're both well on your way to becoming Pokémon Masters!" Professor Oak said with a smile on his face.
"Blastoise!" Blastoise uttered, and pointed to Ash's pocket. Not sure exactly what his Pokémon meant, he reached inside, and his finger gripped something oval shaped. Pulling it out, he realized what it was.
"The Diamond Badge!" he exclaimed. "Giovanni gave it to me to hold!" His smile quickly faded, and his happiness deflated just as fast. "But, uh... I'm not sure I really earned it."
"Blastoise! Blast blastoise!" his Pokémon told him, grabbing his arm holding the badge and raising it up in the air. Everyone laughed at Blastoise's enthusiasm, and as did Ash.
"Well, if you say so!" he chuckled, and looked at it in the setting sun's light. "It's really beautiful!" Looking past it, he could see his mom's eyes sparkling as tears formed in them once again, and he smiled and held it out. "Mom, this is for you." She was caught off-guard by the offer, and blinked in surprise. When he did, a tear fell down her porcelain skin.
"Me? Are you sure?"
"Sure! Think of it as a thank-you present. A thank you for being my mom."
o 0 o
It took a couple of days for Ash to recover. He wasn't sure why he was so exhausted; after all, it was just a simple battle that he had. As far as he could remember, at least. But either way, after a couple good nights of rest, and a few plates of his mom's fantastic cooking in between, Ash was back to full strength and ready for whatever life was looking to throw at him.
Able to stand upright and feeling a bit of cabin fever, Ash decided to take a walk to Professor Oak's lab. He knew that the entire time since they had been back from the Orange Archipelago, that Professor Oak had been using his machines to run all sorts of scans and tests on the GS Ball, and he hadn't heard a peep from the professor.
There was no answer at the front door when he rang the doorbell, but the door was unlocked, so he let himself in, and out of instinct, followed the hallway that led up the stairs to the professor's lab. As expected, the gray-haired Pokémon Professor was sitting with his back to him and his face to the large monitor, and behind him, the GS Ball was sitting inside a machine while a metal device orbited around and around the gold and silver Poké Ball. "Professor Oak!"
"Ash!" Professor Oak greeted, swiveling around in his chair. From the way his arms were crossed and the frustrated look on his face deepened the wrinkles on his face, Ash was sure that his interruption was a welcomed one.
But he was really surprised to see someone else in the room as well. Gary was standing beside the machine, looking down at the scanner humming as it ran its bars over the GS Ball. "Hey Ash. How're you doing?" he asked with a small smile.
"Gary! I didn't know you'd be here." Ash returned the smile and looked at the professor. "Have you been able to figure out anything about the GS Ball yet?"
"Nothing so far..." Professor Oak replied. The computer behind him beeped, and he turned around with a slightly hopeful look, but large question marks dotted the screen. The scan was inconclusive, to say the least. "I'm totally stumped."
"Wow, Grandpa. If you can't solve it, and Professor Ivy couldn't solve it..." Gary trailed off. Professor Oak shut down his scanner in defeat, and the glass lid opened, but he let it rest on the pedestal while curling his finger around his chin.
"I just can't figure out who made this GS Ball, or why..." He let out another sigh, and took the GS Ball from the machine before taking his grandson's wrist and holding it so his palm was up toward the ceiling, and placed the GS Ball down in it. "I'm giving this back to you, Gary. I need you to help me find out more about it." Both Ash and Gary gasped in shock, and blinked at the sudden decision.
"What do you want him to do, Professor?" Ash asked, and in response to his question, Professor Oak walked over to a small computer and typed in a few keys, bringing the device to life. After a few more keystrokes, the image of a grumpy-looking man with long gray hair appeared on the screen. "Who's that?"
"That is Kurt – the famous Poké Ball designer." Both Ash and Gary stared at the man's picture. "If anyone can figure out the GS Ball, it's Kurt." Professor Oak balled up his fists and placed them on his hips before smiling at the pair. "Gary, I'd like you and Ash to go to Azalea Town and take the ball to him."
"Azalea Town... isn't that in Johto?" Gary asked, and Professor Oak nodded.
"Johto?" Ash repeated quietly. "What's that?"
"Johto is a region to the west. It is also the home of the Johto League; which I figure you both might be interested in."
"Are the Trainers there strong, Grandpa?"
"Oh, it's a very challenging league," he said. "Trainers have to compete and win battles and Badges at a number of Gyms in the western territories to qualify for the championship."
"That's good, because I'm planning on battling as many other Trainers as I can," Gary smirked with determination.
"But you're already strong enough to battle against the Elite Four!" Ash argued, and then blinked and reeled back a bit. "Uh, how did that go, anyway?"
"I lost against Agatha," he admitted. "But there's always more to learn, and more Trainers to battle! And besides, with all the experience I can get, I'll become an even stronger Trainer." Gary's words only succeeded in firing Ash up as well, and the black-haired boy smirked with determination.
"Right! Me too! I've been slacking in my training since the Indigo League, and I'm raring for a good battle, too!" Professor Oak nodded with a faint smile on his face. It seemed this was his plan all along.
"But Grandpa, if we go to see Kurt, won't we miss the Johto League?" Gary asked.
"No no no no," he quickly dismissed with a wave of his hands. "It won't take you out of your way, and I'm sure you two would enjoy meeting him."
"I sure would, Professor!" Ash piped up. "Kurt's like a big celebrity!"
"This will work out perfectly!" he said to them. "Take the GS Ball and head straight west to New Bark Town, where great things await you. That's why they call it 'Town Where Winds of New Beginnings Blow'!" A powerful gust rattled the window looking outside, and it blew the window pane open.
"What do you mean 'new beginnings'?"
"New beginnings in the Johto League, of course!" Professor Oak replied matter-of-factually with a finger wag. "As luck would have it, New Bark Town is the place where all Trainers have to sign up to participate and compete in the Johto League!"
"Great! We'll go there first!" Ash decided.
"I'm not too thrilled about traveling with Ash again," Gary said with a sneer and looking at the younger boy through the corner of his eye. "But he will at least keep me entertained. At least until I take the GS Ball to Kurt in Azalea Town."
"Don't forget: I'm counting on you," Professor Oak reminded, interjecting before Ash could retort back.
"Just leave it to me," Gary assured him.
o 0 o
As the sky was turning hues of pink and orange, Ash and Gary headed back to Ash's house to tell his mother the news. Entering in through the front door, he found the older Ketchum sitting in the living room with her Mr. Mime. "Hey, Mooom!" Ash called, and smiled at her from the entryway.
"Hello," Gary greeted, trailing in behind Ash.
"Well, I heard everything went well," she said.
"Mime!" Mimey added. As the pair walked into the living room, Ash's eyes fell upon the green object in her hand and cocked his head.
"What are you doing with my backpack?" he asked.
"I'm putting in some fresh you-know-what!" she answered as Mimey handed her a bundled up rope, and she placed it in the backpack's main compartment. "I was just on the phone with Professor Oak, so I'm packing things up for you."
"Uhhh..." Ash murmured, blinking in surprise. But before he could say anything else, she stood and handed him the bag.
"Here."
"Then... you know I'm leaving?"
"Don't worry, Mrs. Ketchum. He has someone to look after him," Gary assured her. "Not to mention, there will be tons of new Trainers, and new Pokémon!"
She nodded at her son's rival and gave him a smile. "Well, I better get to work and cook up a big bon voyage dinner in honor of this joyous occasion!"
"You don't have to be that happy..." Ash murmured, hugging his full backpack close to his body.
"Hey, it's been a long time since I've had your cooking, Mrs. Ketchum."
"And of course, I'll invite Professor Oak, too!" she replied, and then handed Mimey a small list. "Mr. Mime, would you do me a favor and run to the market for me?" The Psychic Pokémon happily replied, jumping to its feet and taking the list before skipping off and out the door.
"I wish... my Pokémon obeyed me like that..." Ash muttered.
"Your mom would make... an excellent Pokémon Trainer..." Gary whispered.
o 0 o
"Here's to you, honey!"
"And to you, Gary!" Four glasses rose into the air, each of them filled with sparkling orange-flavored soda, and clinked together.
"Cheers!" the two boys said together, and Ash immediately drained his cup of its contents. Letting out a sigh and wiping his mouth with the back of his arm, he smiled up at his mom.
"Bet I won't get a great dinner like this 'til I get back from the Johto League!"
"Well, dig in, everybody!" Mrs. Ketchum said. There was quite a wonderful spread laid out on the table. Hamburgers, chicken, pizza, and pork all spread out across the table, and trays of fruits with wonderful sauces drizzled over them dotted between the main courses. Of course, Ash went for the hamburgers first, and stuck the whole thing in his mouth.
"Great!"
"Oh, good!" she smiled at his compliment. "I wanted everything to be just perfect for you two!"
Gary was sitting beside Ash, and bit into one of the cut fruits. "Wow, this is amazing, Mrs. Ketchum! Ash, have you tried this?" Sticking his fork in one of the cut pears, the black-haired boy let the fruit bounce lightly between his tongue as he chewed on it, and his eyes lit up.
"Hey, that's great, too, Mom!"
"You boys are much too kind!"
"So, boys," Professor Oak spoke up after swallowing his mouthful. "You'll be running into lots of Pokémon you've never seen before out west."
"And we'll get the chance to capture some of them, too," Gary added.
"It'll be great!" Ash agreed. "I can't wait to get started!"
Reaching into the pocket of his lab coat, Professor Oak fished out two red devices. "Gary, Ash, I have a little something for you two." The device was square, and featured a Poké Ball symbol on the front that also served as the cover to the screen. "I think this may really come in handy."
"All right!" Ash exclaimed, jumping up so fast his chair almost fell over onto its back. "A brand new Pokédex!"
"This new model is loaded with anything and everything you need to know about the abilities, temperaments, and habitats of the new Pokémon you encounter," Professor Oak further explained.
"Thanks!"
"Thanks, Grandpa." Both Trainers took their respective Pokédexes and Ash immediately opened his up. The covers flipped open, revealing a screen inside, and Ash's picture immediately lit up on it.
"This unit belongs to Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town."
"Grandpa, I think I'm gonna leave most of my Pokémon with you, and take only a few of them with me to Johto," Gary said. "I'd like to have as much of a fresh start as I can."
"Have you decided which ones you'll be keeping?" his grandfather questioned after taking another bite of his food.
"I'm going to bring Venusaur, Nidoking, Nidoqueen, and Arcanine with me."
"Those are your most reliable Pokémon," Professor Oak nodded. "What about you, Ash? I noticed that you've decided to let your Primeape stay in my lab, and it seems to be having quite the time with the other Pokémon of its species."
"Yeah, Primeape always had a lot of energy, and I always felt bad keeping it in its Poké Ball for so long," Ash explained. "I think I'm gonna leave Pidgeotto with you, too, so that it can fly around as much as it wants."
"Which means you'll be leaving with Blastoise, Bulbasaur, and Charmeleon!" Ash nodded, and soon, Delia and Mimey appeared behind him on either side.
"Here's to all your new beginnings!"
"Mime, Mr. Mime!" And with a loud pop in both ears, streamers and confetti fell down, coating Ash's hair and clothes, and most importantly, his food.
o 0 o
Though he was set to depart early the next morning, Ash could barely sleep he was so excited. With his arms folded back behind his head, he stared up at the ceiling. In a scene that resembled the night before he became a Pokémon Trainer, he lay in bed wide awake and in his green and yellow striped pajamas, ready to set out on a new adventure. He wasn't sure that sleep would come, just as it hadn't come that fateful night a year ago, but at least this time, he had his Blastoise.
Holding his starter Pokémon's Poké Ball up, he watched as its polished surface reflected the moonlight coming in through his bedroom window. "Well Blastoise, we leave for the Johto League first thing in the morning." He sighed with content and closed his eyes briefly. "It was nice to spend a few weeks here, but when you're a Pokémon Trainer, you've got to keep moving."
His smile faded as his mind drifted to Brock. As he had thought many times, it was going to be strange traveling without his old traveling buddy. "It's too bad... I'm really gonna miss Brock not being with us when we head out west."
He sat up in bed, and cradled Blastoise's Poké Ball in his hands as if it were a delicate egg. "I think we can win that Johto League!"
And though he lay back down with his head against the pillow, as with his first day of being a Pokémon Trainer, sleep never did come for the excited Pokémon Trainer.
o 0 o
The morning dew still hung heavy in the air as Professor Oak and Gary came early the next morning, but Ash was already dressed and all ready to go. With his backpack firmly on his shoulders and all filled up, he and Gary exchanged a nod before turning back to their elders. "Visit my mom so she doesn't get lonesome."
"Don't worry," Professor Oak assured him. "Give my regards to Kurt when you bring him the GS Ball."
"I sure will, Gramps," Gary said with a nod.
"I promise I won't let him forget," Ash piped up with a cheeky grin.
"And who's gonna to help you not to forget?" the auburn-haired Trainer jabbed back, and they all laughed.
"Don't forget to help each other when the going gets tough, and always do your best," Professor Oak advised.
"Right!" they both replied with a nod.
"Ash!" his mother sang, walking forward. "Remember to change what we talked about changing every day!"
"Don't worry, I will..." he said, trying to hide his small grin.
"I'm going to miss you."
"Good-bye for now, Pallet Town!" Gary called with a wave, using his other hand to hold his duffel bag over his shoulder. And as they walked away, Ash threw one last look over his shoulder and smiled at his mom as he waved.
"I'll bring you a trophy this time!"
"You just bring yourself back, Ash! That's the only prize I want!"
Ash:
Party:
Blastoise (Poké Ball) (m)
Moves: Skull Bash, Dig, Hydro Pump, BubbleBeam
Bulbasaur (Poké Ball) (m)
Moves: SolarBeam, Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, Leech Seed
Charmeleon (Poké Ball)
Moves: Flamethrower, Fire Spin, Skull Bash, Slash
At Professor Oak's Lab:
Tauros (Safari Ball) x2 (m)
Moves: Fissure, Horn Attack, Take Down
Kingler (Poké Ball) (m)
Moves: Water Gun, Bubble, Crabhammer, Hyper Beam
Muk (Poké Ball)
Moves: Poison Gas, Sludge Bomb
Primeape (Poké Ball) (m)
Moves: Thrash, Mega Kick, Scratch, Seismic Toss
Pidgeotto (Poké Ball) (f)
Moves: Gust, Quick Attack, Whirlwind, Double-Edge
Kanto Badges:
Boulder Badge
Cascade Badge
Thunder Badge
Marsh Badge
Rainbow Badge
Soul Badge
Volcano Badge
Earth Badge
Diamond Badge
Indigo League Rank: Top 4
Gary:
Party:
Venusaur (Poké Ball)
Moves: SolarBeam, Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, Mega Drain
Arcanine (Poké Ball)
Moves: Take Down, Fire Spin, Fire Blast, Flamethrower
Nidoqueen (Poké Ball) (f)
Moves: Strength, Hyper Beam, Mega Punch, Double Kick
Nidoking (Poké Ball) (m)
Moves: Horn Attack, Earthquake, Tackle
At Professor Oak's Lab:
200+ Pokémon
Kanto Badges:
Boulder Badge
Cascade Badge
Rainbow Badge
Seven unknown Badges
Indigo League Rank: Winner