Author's Note:
Hey, guys, I know it's been a while. I've been really busy with my YouTube videos and some other stuff and also my personal life has been extremely hectic with my mom's ongoing health issues. The good news is that I have some prewritten chapters that I finished a while ago and I can just post them for the time being. I hope you guys enjoy them. I don't know when I'm going to resume this story again, but hopefully it'll be as soon as possible. There is also a possibility that I might end up starting a couple of new stories, one that is basically a Beyond The Gates one-shot centering around Bill Hamilton and Hayley Lawson's infamous wedding and the other one that is basically my own re-telling of the new Lion King live-action movie.
See you guys around!
Chapter 9 – Rescuing A Stray Pokemon
A couple more weeks passed and Ash and the gang were wandering in the woods with Ash watching a group of Spearows with a pair of binoculars.
"There's nothing but Spearow around here," Ash groaned.
"Well, that's the least of our worries, isn't it?" Misty growled as she was kneeling on the ground.
"Just because we're a little lost doesn't mean I have to stop catching all the Pokemon I can, does it?" Ash shot back at her.
"Chu," Pikachu squeaked in agreement.
"Of course not. Enjoy yourself," Misty scoffed contemptuously.
She then hung her head in exhaustion.
"I just can't go one step further. We've been looking for Vermilion City for ten whole days!"
"Uh, there's a bug right on your…" Brock interjected while pointing at Misty.
"Get it away!" Misty screamed in a petrified voice as she then leaped right on top of Ash's head.
"Heh, it was just a piece of grass," Brock chuckled as he held up a single stalk of grass in his head, prompting Misty to scowl at him irately.
Brock then laughed softly while rubbing the back of his head, only to receive a swift kick to the face that left him dazed and stunned.
"I'm going crazy! Where are we?!" Misty wailed while clutching her head in frustration.
"According to this, we're right in the middle of nowhere," Ash replied while glancing over at the map in his hands. "But it looks like Route 24 leads right to Vermilion City."
"Does this trail take us to Route 24?" Misty questioned him with a hopeful look on her face.
"According to my calculations, it does," Ash answered confidentially.
"All right! Then let's get the show on the road!" Misty cheered as she walked right off.
Just then, she suddenly stopped and looked up to see a large shadowy creature lying on top of a massive rock.
"Hey, Ash. Take a look at this thing," Misty hissed.
"It looks like some kind of giant Pokemon," Ash surmised as Brock also got up to his feet and stared at the strange creature.
"Pikachu," Ash cried out as Pikachu quickly hid behind Ash's backpack in fear and trepidation.
"Pikachu!" Ash groaned as Pikachu poked his head out from behind the backpack apprehensively.
Then as Ash and his friends got closer to the rock, they noticed that it was actually a Charmander laying there.
"Wait a minute, that's not a massive Pokemon. That's a Charmander," Rhonda quipped.
"Char," the Charmander yawned deeply as the others fainted with loud groans.
"Charmander… a flame burns on the tip of its tail from birth. It is said that a Charmander dies if its flame ever goes out," the Pokedex intoned.
"When I went to get my first Pokemon from Professor Oak, I was disappointed because I couldn't get a Charmander. Now I can catch my own," Ash said with an excited and eager look on his face.
"I suppose that Fate might actually be smiling on you today, Ash," Jasmine replied with a wry and demure smile on her lips.
"I don't know. It looks like it's in bad shape," Misty frowned as she studied Charmander carefully.
"Yeah, catch it and we'll take it to the Pokemon Center for help," Brock suggested.
Ash then tilted his hat back as he then flung the Poke Ball into the air.
"Poke Ball, go!" he yelled as it hurtled straight for Charmander.
However, Charmander managed to knock it away from it as it bounced right back into Ash's hand.
"It looks pretty healthy to me," Ash said to Brock. "You think I should have Pikachu battle it first to weaken it and make it easier to catch?"
"That actually might not be a bad idea, Ash," Katie quipped. "It might make the whole thing easier."
"Seems to me that Ash might finally be learning a few things," Rhonda muttered underneath her breath.
"Why don't you let me catch it?" Misty offered. "My water Pokemon would be stronger against Charmander."
"Hold on a minute. Take a look at the flame on its tail," Brock suddenly interjected as he pointed right at Charmander.
The heroes then noticed that Charmander was gasping softly with its flames slowly but surely shrinking and dying out.
"There's no way it could still have the strength to battle," Brock continued. "Ash, try the Poke Ball one more time."
"All right, I will," Ash nodded as he then held up his Poke Ball.
"Poke Ball, go!" Ash yelled as he tossed the ball at Charmander again and it disappeared into the ball.
"All right!" Ash cheered as the ball landed right on the ground.
However, Charmander soon broke out of the Poke Ball as the ball ricocheted right off Ash's head.
"OW!"
"It sure has a lot of spunk," Brock murmured.
"A little too much if you ask me," Ash growled tersely.
"It's definitely one hell of a fighter for somebody who's in such a sorry state," Rhonda quipped.
"I think this Charmander has an attitude problem," Misty scoffed.
Pikachu then slowly walked over to the rock and climbed onto it as he approached Charmander.
"Pikachu…"
"Char… man…der…" Charmander growled softly with its eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Pikachu…"
Then after a brief back and forth conversation between Pikachu and Charmander, Pikachu then rushed back to the gang.
"What's the story, Pikachu?" Ash asked.
Pikachu then made hand motions resembling putting on a tie.
"A neck tie?" Misty asked questioningly.
"Hmmm… a man maybe," Ash pondered while pointing at Pikachu.
Pikachu then let out a squeak of approval as it continued to make random gestures.
"I don't get it," said Misty.
"Hey, Ash, why don't you try to figure out what Pikachu's saying?" Brock proposed.
Ash, Misty, Brock and the others then knelt down as they listened to Pikachu's squeaking as he continued to gesticulate wildly. Ash then nodded as he and his friends got up to their feet.
"Okay, I think I've got it. Pikachu says that Charmander's waiting on that rock for somebody to come and get it."
"You mean it belongs to somebody?" Misty retorted quizzically.
"Well, I'm not exactly sure," Ash frowned with a puzzled expression.
"If it's waiting for someone, then I think we better leave it," Brock announced. "It's probably best if its own trainer takes care of it."
"I hope its trainer comes back soon," Ash replied hopefully.
"Brock, are you sure? It doesn't look good. I don't think we should leave it here," Katie frowned uncertainly.
"Don't worry, Katie; as soon as its trainer comes back for it, he or she will take it straight to the Pokemon Center down the road," Shirley replied gently while putting a reassuring arm around her friend. "It'll be okay."
"I hope so," Katie sighed deeply with a worried grimace. "I don't feel right about leaving it to fend for itself out here."
Ash and his friends then turned around to leave and headed straight for the nearby Pokemon Center. Charmander then whimpered softly while gazing up at the sky, a part of it hoping that its trainer would come back soon.
As the gang was approaching the Pokemon Center, the sky was getting dark as night was beginning to fall.
"Hey, you guys. Look over there! It's the Pokemon Center!" Misty exclaimed while pointing at the Pokemon Center ahead of them.
"The one on the map. Route 24 can't be too far," Ash said.
Just then the sky darkened with an ominous grey hue as rain began to pour down rapidly. Pikachu gazed up at the sky curiously as his cheek pouches began to generate small surges of electricity.
"Hurry!" Ash yelled as he and the others made a frantic dash for the Pokemon Center.
However, unbeknownst to them, a mysterious figure cloaked in a gray raincoat was following after them while accompanied by a Grovyle.
"There you are, Rhonda," the man whispered with an evil, conniving grin. "I finally found you."
Meanwhile, as the storm continued to pour and rain down heavily, Charmander was desperately trying to keep itself dry and warm by covering itself with a leaf even as its flame continued to wither and fade away.
TLSTLSTLSTLS
Sometime later, Ash, Brock, Rhonda and the others were sitting at a table as Misty was bringing over a tray of soup.
"Here's some nice hot soup," she said as she set it down.
"Thanks, Misty," Ash replied.
"Have some soup, Brock," Misty offered and then her face faltered upon noticing the dour look on her friend's face. "Huh? What's wrong?"
"I wonder, do you think anybody picked up that Charmander yet?" Brock asked while resting his head against his hand. "What if its trainer left it there?"
"I wonder too," Yuki mused while glancing down at the table nervously.
"What kind of awful person would even do that?" Shirley growled fiercely at her. "You have to be a special kind of messed up to do that to an innocent creature like that."
"I don't think the Charmander would wait around this long, do you?" Ash inquired curiously.
"I don't either, Ash," Brock replied with a reassuring smile. "Its trainer must have gotten it by now."
Just then the heroes heard some laughter and turned their attention to a group of boys sitting on the sofa by a firepit.
"Sure got a lot of them," one of the boys cackled.
"For sure," another boy replied.
"Just look at them. It's a pretty cool collection," a blue haired boy with glasses and a thick Australian accent bragged as he showed off his collection of Poke Balls to the other boys.
"Heh, way cool," one of the other boys replied.
"You're the man, Damian," a short, brown-haired boy murmured with deep admiration and awe as Damian sat with a proud smirk and his arms crossed.
"Yo, I thought you had a Charmander too," a dark blue-haired boy quipped.
"Yeah, I had one, but that puny thing was so weak, it couldn't even beat the weakest opponents," Damian retorted while squinting out of his right eye.
"I don't like his attitude," Misty retorted with stern disapproval on her face as she took a seat next to Brock.
"This punk really thinks that he can just abandon a Charmander in the middle of nowhere and leave it to fend for itself, does he?" Luthor growled with a vicious scowl on his face, gripping on the edge of the table tightly.
"Cool it, Luthor. We don't need to start a fight here," Shirley admonished him sternly.
"Charmander may be weak against water Pokemon, but if their trainers work hard, they can be strong," Brock informed everybody.
"So what did you do with the Charmander?" the blue-haired boy asked curiously while leaning against the sofa.
"Eh, I left it on some rock in the woods," Damian answered with a casual shrug.
Ash and his friends gasped in horror and surprise as they soon realized what Damian was talking about.
"That thing is so stupid. No matter what I do to it, it keeps on following me. I finally got rid of it by promising I'd come back for it. It fell for it. It's probably still there waiting for me."
Damian and the other boys then burst out into maniacal laughter as Brock could barely hold back his cold, simmering fury.
"He's the one who abandoned that Charmander," Ash growled darkly.
"Yeah, and it's still waiting for him on that rock," Misty agreed.
Rhonda and Brock then suddenly got up from their seats and marched over to where Damian and his friends were.
"Hey, Brock, what are you doing?!" Ash hollered.
"Where are you going, Rhonda?!" Katie yelled.
"I bet it's still up there wagging its tail," one of the boys laughed.
"It'll probably wag it so long, it'll put the flame out," the blue-haired boy retorted derisively.
"Yeah, for sure!" Damian cackled.
Rhonda and Brock then stood just a few feet away from the boys as they faced them down.
"Hey, you, asshole!" Rhonda yelled while pointing her finger at Damian.
"What the hell do you want, girlie?" Damian sneered as he turned his head to face her.
"You're the fucking prick that left that Charmander to fend for itself in the woods, yeah?" Rhonda snarled indignantly as she advanced closer to Damian, her eyes still burning with rage.
"Yeah, so what if I did?" Damian hissed snidely, glaring at her coldly.
Brock then suddenly grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and lifted him up in the air, snarling.
"Hey, what…" Damian sputtered in surprise as he locked eyes with Brock, who was staring him down with an intense, fiery glare.
"Go and get it!" he ordered. "That Charmander is still waiting for you. Go and get it now."
"Why should I?" Damian growled while gripping Brock's wrists tightly and shooting a dirty, withering glare at him.
"You lied to your Pokemon and said you'd be back for it," Brock shot back sternly. "Now it's waiting for you out there in the rain. And if its tail flame goes out, it'll die."
Damian then shoved Brock's hands away from him while glaring sullenly at him.
"Oy, what I do is none of your business."
"Actually it is our business and I have a mind to arrest you for criminal abandonment and reckless endangerment," Mitchell announced as he and the others joined Brock and Rhonda.
"Do what he says!" Ash shot back angrily.
"What'd you say, nerd?" Damian sneered contemptuously.
"You heard what I said. And you want to be a Pokemon trainer," Ash demanded determinedly, refusing to back down from Damian's threats.
"You're disgusting," Misty scoffed.
"Pika, Pika!" Pikachu growled while clencing up his fists and wiggling his ears menacingly.
"You want to fight with me?" Damian scoffed incredulously as he then picked up one of his Poke Balls, preparing to fight.
"You better not mess with Damian," another one of the boys snarled.
"Let's go!" Ash yelled as the two groups continued to stare each other down with tensions threatening to boil over.
But then Nurse Joy intervened as she started to clap her hands rhythmatically.
"Let's break it up," she ordered sternly. "You know the rules."
A scattered chorus of gasps and murmurs erupted from some of the boys as everyone gawked at her in surprise and awe.
"Pokemon are never to be used in personal fights. It's disrespectful to the Pokemon and their trainers," Nurse Joy continued.
"Yeah, well, tell them. They were the ones that started it," Damian scoffed as he turned around to walk away and one of the boys scooped up the Poke Balls before marching off with the rest of the group.
"I think you'd be better off not to get mixed up with them," Nurse Joy admonished them gently. "They have a very bad reputation."
"Uh, thanks for the advice," Brock stammered as he found himself dumbstruck by Nurse Joy's beauty.
"Ah, you could've at least allowed us the chance to give them a piece of their mind," Rhonda groaned exasperatedly while crossing her arms with a pointed glare.
"Your courage and bravery is admirable, Rhonda, but believe me when I say that there are some situations that you just shouldn't be involved in," Nurse Joy retorted sternly while wagging her finger at her.
She then turned around and walked away as she headed back to her desk.
Rhonda just watched her walk away with a slightly chastised yet annoyed look on her face before shaking her head and marching off.
"Christ almighty; the nerve of some people," she muttered underneath her breath.
"She sure is pretty. I've never seen anyone as pretty as her," Brock muttered dumbly with his face still blushing furiously.
"What are you talking about? She looks just like all the other Joys," Misty retorted sardonically with her arms folded across her chest.
"It's a joyful world," Ash sighed glumly.
"You know, after the first few dozen Pokemon Centers that we've been to, seeing all of those Nurse Joys stationed all over this region doesn't even faze me anymore," Katie retorted with a quiet shrug.
"Well I figured I'd find you here," a male voice addressed them as everyone whipped around to see a mysterious figure wearing a heavy gray raincoat with a Grovyle.
"What on Earth?" Katie murmured as the man then pulled off his hood and revealed himself. It was Nicholas Alamain!
"Nicholas?" Rhonda gawked in shock and amazement, scarcely believing her eyes.
"Hello, cuz. Did you miss me?" Nicholas flashed a cocky yet charming grin at her.
"Who is that?" Ash asked while staring at Nicholas bemusedly.
"That's my cousin Nicholas," Rhonda answered. "My much older cousin in fact, by about at least a decade."
"Wow, that's quite an age gap," Misty stammered with her eyes wide open.
"Well, I mean, he's like my second or third cousin… I don't remember the specifics exactly…" Rhonda stammered nervously while fidgeting with the collar of her shirt.
"What's that Pokemon? I don't think I've ever seen it before around here," Misty inquired while pointing at Grovyle.
"Oh, him?" Nicholas gestured over to Grovyle with a knowing gleam in his eyes. "That's Grovyle, and no, he's not from this region. He's actually from the Hoenn region; that's where I got him by the way. I was also hoping that we would get a chance to battle, cuz, but I can see that for the moment that would be impossible thanks to the nurse that owns this joint. There might be something I can do to help you though."
"And what's that?" Ash demanded.
"On my way here, I saw a poor Charmander lying on the rock in the middle of the woods and if I were you, I better go get it and rush it here straightaway. By the look of its dire condition I don't see it lasting much longer," Nicholas added with a sly smile while glancing over his shoulder as he and Grovyle prepared to leave.
"Ah! We better get going! Let's hurry!" Brock yelled as he and the others scrambled out of the building and they raced to the spot where they had last seen Charmander.
Nicholas then watched them leave with an acknowledging nod and a knowing smile on his face.
"Come on, Grovyle. If we hurry, we can still make it to the nearest hotel by morning," he said as he and Grovyle then departed from the Pokemon Center.
TLSTLSTLSTLS
Meanwhile, Ash and his friends were running through the woods with raincoats on as they were desperately trying to get to Charmander in time.
"This is dangerous, going out in a storm like this to help a Pokemon," Misty chided them sternly. "What if we all catch pneumonia?"
"Well, nobody asked you to follow along," Ash snapped irascibly at her.
"Got to help a Pokemon in need," Misty retorted with a determined and confident smile and a wink.
Meanwhile, Charmander was still slumbering on the rock as a group of Spearows were hiding in the grass and eying it menacingly as if preparing to strike at a moment's notice.
Just then the Spearows pounced right on Charmander as they attacked it fiercely with some of them scratching and clawing at Charmander's face, with Charmander too weak and frail to defend itself.
Just then a rock hurtled straight at the Spearows as they looked over to see who had thrown it at them.
"Knock it off!" Ash growled as one of the Spearows lunged at him and attempted to attack him, with Brock chasing it away by waving his raincoat in front of it.
"Thundershock, Pikachu!" Ash ordered.
Pikachu then scampered over to the flock of Spearows and then released a powerful Thundershock attack. The Spearows then cried out in sharp, agonizing pain as the powerful surge of electricity was enough to drive them away. However, Pikachu turned around to find that he had accidentally shocked the others too as they were all lying on the ground in a stunned daze.
"Next time, make sure you don't shock us too, Pikachu," Ash groaned.
Pikachu blushed sheepishly while rubbing the side of his head with his paw.
"Oh, no! The flame on its tail is almost out!" Ash cried.
"Let's get it to the Pokemon Center," Brock urged as he covered Charmander with his own raincoat.
"I'll make sure that its tail flame stays lit," Ash declared resolutely as he also took out his raincoat.
Then as the wind began to pick up, Ash and the others raced against time to make it to the Pokemon Center as Ash was covering Charmander's tail with his raincoat to make sure that it stayed lit.
"Hold on! You can make it, Charmander!" Brock bellowed.
"Our Father who art in Heaven… hallow be thy name…" Rhonda whispered softly while gazing over at Charmander fearfully. "Thy kingdom come… thy will be done…"
The Pokemon Center was dark and empty by the time Ash and the rest of the team finally arrived. Nurse Joy was looking out the window while watching the storm as she spun around to face them.
"Joy, please help us," Ash panted as the heroes were completely soaked to the bone and Brock was cradling a motionless and bundled up Charmander in his hands.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Nurse Joy exclaimed as she rushed over to the gang.
"This Charmander is in bad shape," Brock explained.
"The flame on its tail…" Ash interjected while pointing at Charmander.
"There's not much time," Nurse Joy gasped as she realized that Charmander's condition was indeed critical.
TLSTLSTLSTLS
A short time later, Ash and the gang were in a hospital room as Nurse Joy was checking over Charmander.
"Will it survive?" Brock asked.
"Charmander is very weak," Nurse Joy replied as she then shot a stern yet indignant glare at them. "How could you let it get into this condition?"
"It's not our fault. Damian's the one who abandoned it," Ash protested.
"What?" Nurse Joy gasped incredulously.
"Well, Damian promised Charmander that it would come back for it," Ash explained as he gazed at Charmander worriedly. "Charmander's loyal to Damian, so it believed him."
"Poor Charmander," Nurse Joy sighed sadly. "And Damian just left with the rest of them."
"Joy, I'm begging you. Please, save it," Brock pleaded desperately. "Charmander has got to get better."
"I'll do whatever I can," Nurse Joy nodded in acknowledgement.
Then as the hours passed, Brock, Misty, Ash and the others stood in front of the E.R. door waiting as Nurse Joy fought to save Charmander, with Charmander wearing an oxygen mask and hooked up to I.V. and heart rate monitors.
Ash paced around the room nervously while Misty sat on the floor with her legs crossed while cradling Pikachu in her arms and Brock stood silently in front of the door.
Charmander, you got to hold on. Please, keep your flame burning.
Katie then glanced over at Rhonda as they were both sitting on the sofa.
"What do you think Nicholas is doing here in this universe?" she asked.
"Whatever it is, he's apparently on some sort of mission from Aunt Vivian," Rhonda replied pithily. "The last time I saw him was a few years ago when he was still attending high school in Salem. Last I heard was that he decided to travel the world after graduation since he feels that he isn't quite ready to ascend the throne just yet. He's an all right bloke; it's his father I don't like. There's something about him that's off and yet I can't quite place my finger on it as to why."
"You don't think he's dangerous, do you, Rhonda?" Katie inquired curiously.
"I can't say," Rhonda shrugged while letting out a deep sigh. "All I know for certain is that we need to keep an eye on him because we don't really know what kind of nonsense Aunt Vivian might've put in his head and we also don't know what he might've been up to since he left Salem. He also really seems anxious to battle me for some reason and I don't know why. I don't think that this will be the last we see him though."
Just as she says this, the red light above the door dimmed as Nurse Joy stepped out of the E.R. She then smiled and flashed a peace sign at them, prompting relieved sighs from the gang.
"Charmander's recovering. It should be fine by morning," Nurse Joy said as the heroes peeked through the doorway to assess Charmander's condition.
That's the spirit, Charmander, Brock smiled as he watched Charmander sleep in the glass incubation chamber.
TLSTLSTLSTLS
The next morning, everybody was sleeping soundly in the sofa area as they all decided to spend the night at the Pokemon Center. Ash was dozing peacefully on the sofa when he suddenly heard a loud voice piercing the air.
"Wake up, everybody!" Brock hollered as Ash was startled awake and nearly tumbled off the sofa.
"What's up, Brock?" Ash asked.
"Yeah, what's the matter?" Misty inquired curiously.
"It's Charmander. Charmander has disappeared from the E.R.!" Brock exclaimed, gasping heavily in fear and panic.
"But how?" Ash inquired in a puzzled and baffled voice.
A few minutes later, the heroes rushed back into the hospital room where Charmander was recuperating at the night before, only to find the bed empty and the window open.
"I bet it went back to that rock to wait for Damian," Ash surmised.
"We got to go back!" Brock urged.
"But that's no use," Misty sighed reluctantly. "We can't force Charmander to come with us if it wants to wait for Damian, even if he is a lying creep."
"So nearly dying of hypothermia last night wasn't enough to make Charmander see that this punk is no good?!" Luthor gawked in utter disbelief and amazement.
"She's right. There's nothing you can do until Charmander realizes the truth," Nurse Joy sighed.
Just as she says this, Charmander was already on its way back to the rock where it was waiting for Damian, as it glanced over at the Pokemon Center pensively.
TLSTLSTLSTLS
Meanwhile, Ash, Brock, Misty and the others had already left the Pokemon Center as they were heading to Route 24.
"Oh, I thought Charmander understood that we cared about it," Brock groaned in bitter disappointment.
"Brock, Charmander knew that we cared but don't you see? It couldn't forget about Damian; it's still loyal to him," Ash informed Brock. "That's why it went back."
Misty smacked Brock on the back.
"Come on! Route 24 is just ahead," she said. "Once we get to Vermilion City, there will be plenty of Pokemon."
Meanwhile, Team Rocket was in the woods as they were examining their latest contraption.
"Huddle up! They're going to be here soon!" Meowth ordered.
"Finally, a fool-proof plan to capture Pikachu," James said.
"I'm so excited," Jessie practically shrieked in delight. "I can't wait to test our new automatic, high speed, super duper, whatchamacallit!"
"Start it up!" James and Jessie chorused as they both pushed a blue button on a controller.
The villains then watched the machine activate as it began to change form.
"So, what does this thing do, anyway?" Meowth asked.
A large drill emerged from the machine as it began to dig a massive hole in the ground.
"Not another hole driller! We tried that already!" Meowth exclaimed in an exasperated voice.
"If at first you don't succeed…" Jessie mused.
"This time, we'll remember where the hole is," James vowed confidentially.
Jessie and James then set up the trap by placing leaves and a rope-like net into the hole and burying it with a shovel.
"Are you sure you're going to remember where the trap is?" Meowth whined impatiently.
"Meowth, don't you think we're smarter than that?" Jessie scoffed disdainfully, prompting Meowth to faint while falling backwards with a sharp groan.
"Our trap is set," James declared proudly.
Meowth then quickly got up and saw that the heroes were now heading their way.
"Hey, here they come now!"
Team Rocket then quickly dove into the bushes and Jessie also used the remote controller to get the machine to hide itself in the trees too. Jessie smirked excitedly as she saw that the gang was getting closer to the hidden trap.
"Hm, they're getting warm."
"Warmer…" James murmured excitedly.
"They're burning up," Meowth hissed softly.
Pikachu then walked over the trap as it somehow managed to sidestep it.
"It's too strong; you used too many tree branches," Jessie hissed irately.
"Me? You're the one who covered it with too much dirt," James shot back argumentatively.
Meowth then let out a low growl of frustration as he then slashed Jessie and James in their faces to shut them up.
"Quiet!"
Ash and his friends then stopped right on top of the buried hole as he suddenly felt something shifting beneath him.
"Whoa, you feel something?" he stammered.
"I did," Brock replied.
"Something's not right here…" Rhonda muttered suspiciously.
"Huh? Feel what?" Misty questioned the boys curiously.
Misty then took one more step as the ground completely gave way and they tumbled right into the hole with loud screams. Pikachu then rushed over to the gang and saw that they were trapped deep below.
"Did we literally just fall right into a hole?" Luthor groaned as he was lying flat on his back.
Pikachu then flew into a terrified panic upon noticing that Team Rocket was standing right near him while wearing blue rubber hazmat suits.
"I can't believe they fell for it," Meowth cackled evilly.
"Our invention worked. We're geniuses!" Jessie cheered triumphantly.
"Come with us, Pikachu," James commanded as Pikachu began to step away fearfully. "You belong to us now."
Pikachu then unleashed a huge bolt of electricity, however it didn't seem to have any effect on Team Rocket.
"Rubber won't conduct electricity," James cackled evilly.
"Just another example of our incredible genius at work," Jessie smirked deviously.
"You have to be a rocket scientist to outsmart us… the Team Rocket scientists," James interjected
"We call these our anti-Pikachu suits," Jessie explained while examining her suit wistfully. "We made them ourselves. I must admit, I don't think this is really my color at all."
"Enough talk! Let's just grab the Pikachu and get out of here!" Meowth snarled.
Pikachu then dashed away in fear as James took out a bazooka and aimed it at him.
"We'll use our anti-Pikachu rubber ball bazooka," James announced.
"Ready, aim, fire!" Jessie hollered.
James then fired the bazooka as a red rubber ball emerged from the weapon and began floating over to Pikachu. Pikachu then tried his best to outrun it but no matter how quickly he ran, the rubber ball just kept on following his every move and eventually Pikachu got sucked right into the ball. Pikachu then tried to use his Thundershock attack to pop the balloon and free itself, but to no avail.
"Pikachu, Pikachu!" Team Rocket chanted tauntingly as they gazed at Pikachu in the rubber ball.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu wailed.
"Pikachu!" Ash cried as he then tried to scramble up the wall, only to fall right back in.
Ash then made a couple more attempts to climb out of the wall but he was still unable to get out.
"Come on, you guys, get up! We got to do something!" he groaned petulantly.
"It's no use! We'll never get out; it's too steep and high to climb out!" Katie wailed.
"We're trapped! We're all going to die miserable, horrible deaths!" Luthor sobbed hysterically while falling down on his hands and knees. "I want my mommy!"
"We'd love to get up, Ash. Unfortunately, you're standing on us," Misty groaned with a side eye.
The heroes then heard an evil female cackle as they glanced up to see Team Rocket standing over them with James holding Pikachu.
"Hello down there. Thank you so much for dropping in," Jessie smirked evilly.
"Don't worry, Pikachu is safe with us. We won't lose it like you did," James reassured them with a sinister smile.
"Chu," Pikachu whimpered softly.
"Pikachu!" Ash cried.
"Let's get out of here," Meowth declared as Team Rocket were about to leave.
"I wouldn't leave if I were you," a male voice suddenly announced as Team Rocket suddenly froze and their eyes fell on a familiar face and his Pokemon partner.
"Who are you?" Jessie demanded.
"The name is Nicholas Alamain, heir to Alamania," Nicholas announced with a dark gleam in his eyes. "And you better stop messing with my cousin and her friends."
"Why should we listen to a little boy like you?" Jessie scoffed contemptuously with a derisive smirk.
"You're not even a real king as far as we're concerned," James retorted in a taunting and mocking voice. "So step aside, little runt."
"You're going to regret messing with an Alamain," Nicholas growled ominously as he motioned over to Grovyle.
"Grovyle, attack!"
But just as Grovyle was about to make its move, Nicholas then let out a loud, startled scream as he, Grovyle and Team Rocket were suddenly overcome by powerful, massive flames. Team Rocket was completely charred and incinerated as they turned around and raced off for the hills.
"You see, didn't I tell you we needed fireproof uniforms?" James bellowed.
"Shut up and keep running!" Jessie shrieked.
"Some geniuses! Meowth!" Meowth scoffed.
"Looks like Team Rocket is blasting off again!"
"Hey, thanks for saving me back there," Nicholas said as he pivoted around to face Charmander. "What's your name by the way?"
"Charmander," Charmander nodded its head in acknowledgement.
"Huh? Charmander beat them?" Damian mumbled as he stepped out into the open from the bushes.
"Wow! Thanks for the help, Charmander," Brock expressed his gratitude to Charmander as Misty, Ash and the others had finally managed to climb out of the hole and were now surrounding him, with Nicholas and Charmander joining them.
"You see, Brock? Charmander knew we cared," Mist beamed at him with a smile. "That's why it's here."
"Way to go," Brock groaned softly as he also pulled himself out of the hole.
"Charmander, how'd you like to join up with us?" Ash proposed. "I'm afraid your trainer isn't going to be coming back."
"Hi, Charmander. Been looking all over for you," Damian announced with a smug smile as he walked over to the gang.
"Damian, it's you!" Ash exclaimed.
"What do you want, Damian?" Brock scoffed.
"I came back for Charmander just like I promised," Damian replied. "So let's go."
Charmander whimpered softly as he looked back at the gang hesitantly.
"Careful. This trainer's already abandoned you once before," Brock admonished it.
"Charmander is mine. I'm the one who caught it, remember?" Damian retorted with the smug and haughty smile still plastered on his face.
"Damian, you bragged about how you abandoned it," Ash shot back angrily.
"Good thing I did," Damian retorted coldly. "That toughened it up. Besides, what's wrong with dumping off a weak Pokemon ?"
Charmander gasped in horror at Damian's words.
"I wasn't going to come back for it, but now that I've seen what it can do, I'm real glad I ran into you guys. The best thing is, I didn't have to raise it myself."
"That's terrible," Misty gasped in an appalled voice.
"Raising a Pokemon is the best part of being a trainer," Brock argued.
"You wish!" Damian laughed. "It's the most boring part of the job."
"How dare you call yourself a Pokemon trainer?" Brock snarled furiously.
"You see? He doesn't care about you. He just wants to use you to win matches," Misty informed Charmander.
"Charmander, return!" Damian yelled as he then tossed the Poke Ball right at Charmander.
However, to his surprise, Charmander smacked the Poke Ball away with its tail as it smacked him right in the face.
Damian then scowled in fury as the ball fell off his face and he picked up all of the Poke Balls in his hands.
"That does it! I'll crush you with every Pokemon I've got!"
"Grovyle, use Razor Leaf, now!" Nicholas ordered.
"Grovyle!" Grovyle hissed as it then jumped into the air and spread out its arms before releasing a huge flurry of leaves at Damian.
Damian then yelped and cried out in pain as all of the Poke Balls landed straight on his head simultaneously. Charmander then released a huge spurt of flames and Pikachu unleashed a huge bolt of electricity as both Pokemon electrocuted and burned Damian at the same time.
A defeated and humiliated Damian then turned tail and ran for his life, sobbing hysterically.
"Mommy!"
"Way to go, Charmander!" Brock cheered.
"Yeah, good work," Ash beamed proudly.
Pikachu then returned to Ash's side as Charmander stared at Ash quizzically.
"Go ahead, Ash," Brock said while placing a hand on Ash's shoulder. "You get Charmander. It will be a great Pokemon."
"But Brock, you saved it, so you deserve it, I guess," Ash retorted uncertainly with a tentative gaze.
"Right, but don't forget, you're the one who kept the flame on its tail lit," Brock reassured him. "I'm sure you'll raise Charmander to become a great Pokemon."
"Thank you, Brock," Ash nodded as he then turned to face Charmander.
"Come on, Charmander. Welcome to the group," he said as he opened up his Poke Ball.
Charmandered beamed happily as it then jumped into the Poke Ball and disappeared inside. As soon as Charmander went into the Poke Ball, the ball landed right back in Ash's hands.
"You got a Pokemon and a new friend," Misty declared proudly.
"Yeah," Ash smiled while holding the Poke Ball in his hand.
"Thanks for saving us, Nicholas," Rhonda expressed her gratitude to Nicholas with a smile.
"No problem, cuz. See you around; I'll meet you guys in Vermilion City, okay?" Nicholas returned her smile as he turned around and started walking away with Grovyle. "Don't forget that we have a score to settle. Just keep on training with your Charmeleon and I know that you're going to make it to the Pokemon League someday."
"Bye," Rhonda whispered as she watched Nicholas and Groyvle leave with a pensive and wistful look in her eyes. "I knew that you still had some good in you, Nikki."
Meanwhile, Vivian and Ivan were hiding in the bushes as they were watching Nicholas's interaction with Ash and his team.
"Good work, my dear nephew. Everything is going according to plan. This couldn't be more perfect."