RE: Seven Days of Terror (Chapter 13: it's the freakin' end)
Here it is! After six years, the story ends with this final chapter! Ash and what's left of his friends are finally back in Kanto, and they're out for Giovanni's blood! Will everything go as planned? I'll tell you, things didn't go as well as _I_ planned, that's for sure!
Enjoy this, the (I can't believe I'm saying this)
final chapter.
Word count: A little under 7700
Chapter Thirteen: Revenge
Warning: Character death
"I never should have gone."
Ash repeated that mentally as Captain Dillertz helped him onto dry land. He could hardly believe that so much could happen in just under a week.
"I never should have gone. I should have known Giovanni would pull something like this. He wants to make the world a better place? I'll make the world a better place, starting with his body six feet under. I'll break him. I'll end him. I'll burn Rocket HQ to the ground if I have to. I'll -"
"...Mr. Ketchum?" a voice said, snapping the young man back to reality.
"Sorry, Captain," Ash apologized. "I've got a lot on my mind." What an understatement that was. He extended a hand to Tracey while Captain Dillertz did the same for Brock and May. "They’re the ones that need help, so could you please have someone take them to the hospital?"
"Of course, right away. This way." As Captain Dillertz escorted Brock and May to a waiting medical team, Ash resumed his inner monologue. Deep down, he was hoping that after all he'd been through over the past week, the inevitable confrontation with Giovanni would be rather uneventful.
The three males made their way to a nearby Officer Jenny. “Afternoon, guys,” she greeted them. “What can I do for you?”
“We need to get back to Pallet Town,” Ash responded. “How fast can you get us there?”
“Well, we’re pretty far away. It’ll be a while,” Jenny replied.
“We’re in a hurry,” James added.
Officer Jenny frowned. “Even if we hurried, it’d still be several hours before we could make it to Pallet Town from here. Going by boat won’t be much faster, either. Why not ask to use the Starmie Squad?”
“That’s a great idea!” Ash exclaimed. “Thanks, Jenny!” He ran over to where an ambulance had just taken Brock and May away. “Captain! Would you allow us to use the Starmie Squad to get back to Pallet Town? We really have to get there as fast as we can,” Ash said.
“Not a problem. We’re happy to help in any way we can,” the large man said, leading Ash and his friends towards the dock, where a single Starmie was being cared for by one of the crew. “Starmie, can you teleport these kids to Pallet Town? They’re in a hurry.”
The dual-type let out a cry, and within seconds, two more Starmie teleported to its position. The first one hovered a little closer to Ash. “All right, you’re all set. Take hold of each other’s hands and let Starmie do the rest,” the bearded gentleman said with a grin.
The three did as they were told, and within seconds they could feel Starmie working its magic. The two Starmie that had been previously summoned vanished for a few brief moments before Ash, James, and Tracey were whisked away in a flash of blue. In seconds, they were in Pallet Town, in front of Oak’s laboratory. Ash thanked the Pokemon for its work before it teleported back to Fuchsia City.
Professor Oak, having just returned from the Poke Mart, witnessed their arrival. “Ash!” he exclaimed, not sure if he was more surprised to see the blue Starmie, Ash’s sudden appearance, or the male half of Team Rocket that was with him. “And Team Rocket! What’s going on? How did you get here? Whose Pokemon was that? Does-”
“No time to talk now! Come to my house and I’ll explain everything there!” Ash yelled as he broke into a run, with James and Tracey at his heels. Truthfully, he could have spared a few minutes, but he really didn’t want to go through the details of the past half week, especially since his mother would have him talking about what happened until he was blue in the face. Better to only have to explain things once.
Luckily, Ash’s home was very close to the lab, so the three did not have very far to go. Ash threw open the front door and made a beeline for his trophy room, noticing with some relief that his mother was not at home. “What kind of Pokemon does Giovanni have?” he asked to no one in particular.
“I’m not too sure, to be honest,” James said, crossing his arms. “Giovanni does a lot of his training in secret. Other than Persian and his Weavile, your guess is as good as mine.”
“Weavile! Oh man, I totally forgot!” Ash exclaimed, removing Weavile’s Poke Ball from his pocket. “Will one of you take him to the Pokemon Center? It’s just down the street.”
“I’ll do it,” Tracey happily volunteered. “I’ll stay with him there. It should be easier to get into Rocket HQ with just the two of you, anyway.”
As Tracey left, Poke Ball in hand, a familiar yellow mouse entered the room and made its presence known. It leaped onto Ash’s shoulder and hugged his face, releasing some of his pent up electricity as he did so.
“Pikachu!” Ash cried out as the shocks shook his body. “I missed you too, buddy! Listen, I need your help. We’re gonna go take out Team Rocket once and for all. You in?” Pikachu crossed his arms and looked at Ash very strangely, as if to ask “Are you serious?” “Yeah, you’re right, I don’t know why I even asked,” Ash remarked, putting the mouse onto the floor. Upon seeing James, Pikachu leaped away and assumed a full-on battle position. He voiced his concern to Ash, who looked down to him to see what had him so agitated. “What’s the… oh, James? It’s a long story, but he’s on our side. You don’t have to be afraid of him.”
“That’s right,” James said with a smile, kneeling down so he was at Pikachu’s level. “I’m through with Team Rocket, and I'd like to apologize to you personally for all the trouble we caused you and your friends over the years.” He offered his hand in an attempt to prove his sincerity. Pikachu did nothing at first, but then slowly offered his paw, which James shook slowly, so as not to startle him. “I understand your hesitation,” the human added. “But as Ash said, I’m on your side now. My boss – well, former boss – has done both Ash and myself a great wrong, and I’d be happy to have your help in getting revenge.”
Pikachu thought about this for a moment. Was he really serious? He looked to Ash for support, but Ash was paying attention to the rows upon rows of Poke Balls, carefully considering which ones to take. Ash
did say James was on his side, however, so Pikachu decided to put his trust in James. He voiced his approval and nodded.
“Thank you. I’m glad to hear it,” the human spoke. “Ash, have you decided on what Pokemon to bring?”
Ash reached for a pink Poke Ball. He blew some dust off of it and wiped it down with his shirt. “Just about. It’s been a while since I used some of these guys… Type-wise, I got a lot of stuff covered, but I’m not sure that’ll be enough.”
“Don’t forget, I’ll be with you, too. My Pokemon are pretty tough, I’ll have you know,” the elder trainer flashed a grin. “Your Pikachu is just absurdly powerful.”
Ash chuckled. Yeah, that was right. If fighting Giovanni was as easy as fighting Team Rocket, he’d be able to win effortlessly. Then again, Ash realized as his smile faded, Giovanni wasn’t head of Team Rocket for no reason. Ash had never actually battled Giovanni, just Team Rocket on his behalf, and that was years ago. Ash could barely remember what Pokemon they used. Maybe if they hadn’t played like a couple of chimps, he might have been able to recall a detail or two. “Let’s hope it’s enough. So, have you given any thought to how we’re going to get into your headquarters?”
The two left the colorful room of Poke Balls and took a short rest in the living room. They plopped down on the sofa, thankful for something soft to sit on. “You suggested posing as my prisoner, remember? I think that could still work.”
Ash considered this for a minute. “We could always try a more stealthy approach.” He grinned, holding up an old, worn Poke Ball. “You’re not the only one with a Pokemon that can use smokescreens. Besides, with the firepower I’m packing, I think we could just go in there guns blazing.” He chuckled to himself at his puns.
James shook his head. “Bad idea. There’s a panic button located underneath the receptionist’s desk. One press and the whole building goes into lockdown. All doors and windows below the seventh floor are locked.”
Ash raised an eyebrow. “Why only the first six floors?”
“Giovanni says that it doesn’t really matter. He said, ‘If anyone wants to jump out of a building to his death from seven stories up, that’s his business.’ He also said that it got him out of paying to cover the rest of the building,” James said wryly. “Anyway, once that button gets pressed, an alert goes straight to Giovanni. A live feed of the ground floor is also sent directly to his computer, so he’d see us coming right from the word go. There’s an elevator hidden behind a false wall in his office that leads to the roof. His private helicopter is there, which is fully fueled at all times, which he can use to get away.”
Ash grumbled. “Well, that is a problem… wait, hold on. How do you know there’s an elevator behind a wall in his office?”
James cursed to himself at his slip of the tongue. “Uh, well… one time, Jessie and – you know what, that’s not important,” he said, waving a hand in front of his face. “The point is, it’s there, and we’ll have to take things easy if we want to catch Giovanni off guard.”
Ash grinned. “Yeah, okay, I see how it is.” He decided not to press the issue further and went back to the topic at hand. “We could always put everyone downstairs to sleep. My Jumpluff would be perfect for it. He’s small, he can fly, and his Sleep Powder is pretty potent. It should give us enough time to get up there unseen. What do you think?”
Again, James shook his head. “No need. If I say I’m taking you to Giovanni, there shouldn’t be any cause for alarm. This mission is supposed to be secret, remember? No one except Giovanni should be surprised to see us. We’ll get in the elevator and head to the ninth floor first. That’s where the administrators’ quarters are. I’ll get my Pokemon, then we’ll take the elevator to the eleventh floor. That’s the top floor, and it’s where Giovanni’s office is. This is our best chance.”
“Mmm,” Ash nodded. “You know the place better than I do, so we’ll do it your way. I guess that means that Pikachu has to be in his Poke Ball, at least until we get out of sight.” Pikachu tilted his head at hearing that. Was Ash really going to make him go in the ball? He’d become accustomed to living outside of it; going in now after years of avoiding it made him feel a bit uneasy. Ash saw Pikachu’s expression and picked up the small creature. “Don’t worry, buddy. It’s just for a little while. I know you don’t like it, but it’s something that you gotta do. For me. All right?”
“Everything’ll be okay,” James added. “Once we get into the elevator, you’re free to come out.” Pikachu nodded, trying to be brave for his master. Ash went upstairs to his bedroom where his Poke Ball belt was and put it on. He replaced his current Pokemon with the five he’d chosen earlier, then brought them back downstairs to return them to the Pokemon room.
Ash removed Pikachu’s Poke Ball and looked at the lightning bolt design. It had been so long since he’d used it, he’d forgotten it was there. He looked down at Pikachu, enlarged the ball, and held it out. “In you go,” he commanded; the ball’s red light had enveloped Pikachu and sucked him in before Pikachu could say anything. Ash hooked the ball onto his belt and removed another of them. “We have no time to waste. I'm getting us to Saffron City the fastest way I know how. Come on out, Alakazam!"
The Psi Pokemon emerged on Ash's order, and gave a small bow to his master. He walked outside, having already progged Ash's mind for his next command. Ash and James followed him. "You know what to do - Silph Co. Land us right around the corner. Understand?" Alakazam nodded as he closed his eyes, focusing his power on his destination.
"What do you think?" Ash asked, grinning. "If Giovanni's Mr. Mime can do all sorts of havoc, I can't wait to see what Alakazam can do!"
"Do you know why Giovanni's Mr. Mime is so strong?" James asked the younger trainer. When Ash did not reply, James answered his own question. "It's because Giovanni trains his Pokemon to exceed their limits. He might be cruel, but he's no pushover. He forces his Pokemon to endure constant barrages of attacks they're weak to, just so they can build up a resistance to it. You might not agree with his methods, but there is no arguing that they're effective. Jessie and I fought him once--two against one--a few years ago. He won with two Pokemon left, two that we never even saw. Let that sink in, Ash. Four of his Pokemon took out all twelve of ours."
Ash stared, wide-eyed. That was certainly a reality check. "I see. Well, no offense, but I've beaten you guys pretty handily in the past, even two against one."
James sighed. "Just be careful, is all I'm saying. Don’t make any rash decisions. Giovanni isn’t going to hold back."
A flash of light. "And you think I'm going to?" Ash asked incredulously. "Oh no. He gets no mercy." He turned to Alakazam. "All right, teleport us to - oh. You did." He took a minute to admire Saffron City's tall buildings and citizens going about their business before noticing their target was across the street. "Well, it's not perfect, but good work. Now come on back," Ash ordered, returning his psychic steed to its Poke Ball.
"Give me your belt," James instructed. Ash looked puzzled at this, so James explained. "You're my prisoner, remember? You've been disarmed. It's just until we get out of sight." Ash nodded in understanding as he did as he was instructed. Ash chuckled, hardly believing that two weeks ago if James had asked him to hand over his Pokemon, Ash would have laughed him out of town. "Now then," the older man continued, forcing Ash's arms behind his back, "March, twerp!"
James led Ash across the busy street and led him directly into Silph Corporation, known to few as Team Rocket HQ. Ash struggled in James's grip, trying his best to sell the story. A few concerned citizens, recognizing both Ash and James, got on their phones and immediately phoned the Saffron City police...
The secretary at the front desk burst from her seat, eyes wide in disbelief. She let loose with a flurry of questions as James led his charge swiftly around her desk and to the elevator. "M-Mr. Whitmore! What is the meaning of this? Is that Ash Ketchum? Where is Miss Emerson?"
James pressed the 'up' button, and the elevator doors opened. "Gone, yes, and I am taking this filth to see the boss," James answered her as the two of them disappeared into the shaft. No sooner did the doors close on them was the bewildered redhead on the phone.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Eleven stories up, Giovanni sat behind his desk, entering some data in his computer. He didn't like doing actual work, but it was necessary to keep up the facade that was the Site for Illegal Pokemon Handling, commonly known throughout the world simply as Silph.
"Three more days," he mused to himself.
"Just three more days, and--"
The phone rang. A glance at the extension revealed it was the front desk. He wasn't sure why she was calling--he hadn't sent out for anything or anyone lately--but he was grateful for a break, and he reflected this in his voice as he answered. "Yes, Merla, what is it?"
"Sir, James is on his way to your office with Ash Ketchum."
Giovanni stopped mid-breath. Did she just say what he thought she said? "Mind repeating that?" he asked, his mood quickly souring. When she did, her words rang clear as a bell in his head. There was no mistaking it. "Sound the alarm at once!" he barked. "Where are they now?!"
"Th-The elevator, sir," Merla stammered, fearing she had done a terrible thing by letting James pass. "Is something wrong?"
Giovanni opened up the security camera feed from his computer; specifically, the elevator camera, and found that it was completely empty. "The elevator's empty!"
Merla begun to panic. "Sir, I swear, they got in the elevator and then I called you straight away!"
Giovanni grumbled. Merla had to have been telling the truth; if James really was back in Kanto, he would not waste time by taking the stairs. He listened carefully, trying to hear their footsteps coming toward him, but he could not hear nothing.
"Of course..." He tapped a few keys into his computer, and a different feed came up. The view on his monitor changed from the elevator to a long hallway, and sure enough, there were Ash, James, and Pikachu, running towards a room. As the three disappeared inside, Giovanni screamed at his secretary again. "Why don't I hear that alarm yet?! I said sound it at once, not at your leisure!"
Merla literally jumped out of her seat at Giovanni's sudden outburst. "Y-yes, sir! Right away!" She hung up the phone--once the alarm had been triggered, all phone lines were temporarily cut until the alarm had been shut off—-and slipped a hand underneath her desk. She frantically searched for the button that would put Silph into lockdown. Finding it, she hit it several times.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
James walked into his room and smiled upon finding his Pokemon undisturbed. "Hey, guys," he greeted them. "I missed you all." Just as he clipped the belt on, a loud siren wailed, so loud that Ash clamped his hands over his ears to shield them from the noise. James cursed. "That's the lockdown alarm. Merla must have told Giovanni we were coming! Quickly, we'll have to take the stairs! Let's go!"
Giovanni watched on his monitor as Ash and James ran as fast as they could towards the stairwell.
”Thought so. Those little punks are coming here.” He opened a drawer, removed his own trainer’s belt, and moved to a wall near the corner of a room. He removed a picture from a wall and pressed a small button located behind it, and the wall opened up for him, revealing a small elevator.
Ash and James had reached Giovanni’s office by this time. James tried to force the door open, but as he had guessed, it had locked itself once the alarm had been sounded. James removed one of his Poke Balls, and without a moment’s hesitation, threw it down. “Toxicroak, help us out!”
Toxicroak emerged with a flash, and very quickly made his own door out of the door with a surprisingly strong Brick Break, which crushed the lock from the inside, enabling his trainer to simply swing the double doors open. Ash, despite not having seen the Pokemon before, correctly deduced that Toxicroak was a Poison-type based on its name and those 3-inch claws on its knuckles that glistened in the light with Ash assumed was poison. Based on the sheer power and ease of using Brick Break, Ash also surmised it was part Fighting in type as well.
The two burst into Giovanni’s office and found it completely empty. James rushed to the secret elevator and hit the button behind the picture, but nothing happened. “Agh, we’re too late! He’ll be gone by the time we get up there!”
“No we won’t,” Ash declared, staring into the sky above Saffron City. Now it was Ash’s turn to show off his Pokemon’s skills. “Charizard!” he began as he tossed his ball down, “Shatter this window with Fire Punch!”
Charizard grunted in reply and immediately threw a devastating flame-coated fist into the inch-thick glass. While it didn’t shatter the glass on impact, Ash didn’t expect it to. It would submit eventually – the first punch itself had made a large dent. When Charizard punched the glass again with his other fist, the glass began to crack more noticeably. With a mighty roar, Charizard threw a third punch into the glass, and this time, the entire window shattered, glass shards falling down to the street below. James looked on, quite impressed with the strength of Ash’s Charizard.
Ash mounted his dragon. “To the roof!” Ash ordered. “We have to stop Giovanni!” Charizard flapped his wings and leapt out of the window, easily rising the short distance to Silph’s roof. He spotted Giovanni quickly approaching his helicopter, and he pointed Charizard in that direction. “No you don’t, Giovanni! Charizard, get down there and use Flamethrower!”
Charizard made a beeline for the Rocket lead, who turned just in time to see a huge surge of flame directed at him. He quickly dove out of the way, barely avoiding being incinerated. Charizard dropped Ash onto the roof, and he wasted no time in ensuring that Giovanni wasn’t going anywhere. “Charizard! Use Fire Spin on the helicopter!”
James, who had just come from the elevator with Pikachu, heard the command. He rushed over to the young man from Pallet Town, hoping he wasn’t too late. “No! Charizard, stop it! You’ll kill us all!”
This was enough to give Charizard pause in executing Ash’s order. Giovanni used this opportunity to try to run for it, but Pikachu stopped him in his tracks with a shot of Thunderbolt; the attack had come so close to hitting Giovanni that it singed his suit and blackened his shoes. Ash pointed a finger at him. “Don’t you even think about moving. I got words for you.” He turned to James. “And what’s the big idea with telling me to stop? Giovanni almost got away thanks to you!”
James resisted the urge to smack this kid upside his head. “This is what I meant when I said to not make rash decisions! If Charizard would have set that helicopter on fire, it would have ignited the fuel in the helicopter, causing the whole thing to explode! Those fuel tankers over there would have exploded, too, which not only would kill you, me, Giovanni, and anyone on the top couple floors of Silph, but the flaming debris that would result would undoubtedly injure innocent people on the streets below. This is exactly the stuff that—-AHH!”
James’s chastising was cut short by a searing pain suddenly shooting through his left leg; the two looked down to find a Mightyena slinking her way back to her master. The newly made slash was bleeding quite badly. Quickly, James removed his jacket and tied it tightly around the wound. It would work for now, but he’d have to get to the hospital eventually. “That… was a cheap shot…” James seethed through clenched teeth.
At this, Giovanni laughed openly. “You burst in unannounced in what is obviously an attempt on my life and don’t even give me a chance to defend myself? If that is not the definition of a cheap shot, I don’t know what is!”
Ash fumed. There was no way he was going to let Giovanni enjoy even a second of this. “Pikachu, Thunderbolt!”
Seemingly out of nowhere, Mightyena leapt forward as Pikachu charged the attack. Fast as lightning, Mightyena sliced at Pikachu with its sharp claws, forcing Pikachu to abort the attack and evade.
“Good girl,” Giovanni grinned. “You’re very naughty, Ash, attacking me while I’m not ready,” he taunted. He saw the look of confusion on Ash’s face and decided to indulge him. “What you just saw was called Sucker Punch. If my opponent—-you—-decides to use an attack, my Pokemon can use that time to get in an attack before yours. And that’s all you need to know, really.”
“Quit being such a novice, Ash,” James scolded him. “You need to stop thinking with your heart and start thinking with your head, or you are never going to win.”
“I understand you’re upset, Ash, and understandably so,” Giovanni began again, casually strolling away from the two men. Mightyena obediently stayed by his side, eyeing Pikachu and Charizard in case they decided to make a move on her trainer. It made Ash’s blood boil knowing that he couldn’t do anything. After all this, Giovanni still had the upper hand. “I’m quite upset that Shelly failed me, though I do note, with some delight, that Jessie is absent.” He smiled when he saw the expression in James’s face change. “Ah, so Shelly did do something right.
“Listen, Ash,” he continued. “My request to have your help in making this world a better place was not simply a ruse to get you to come to Orre. I want you to—“
“Save it,” Ash growled. He was not in the mood to make idle chat with his best friend’s killer. “You are going to pay for what you’ve done. For Misty, May, and all my friends hurt by you and Shelly, and for the countless others your disgusting organization has hurt since the day Team Rocket was born, I will punish you.”
“
We will punish you,” James corrected, removing one of his Poke Balls. “Jessie was my life. My universe. My everything. And you
stole her from me!” he screamed, tears welling up in his eyes. “You!! Empoleon, go!”
Ash turned back to his dragon. “Get him, Charizard!”
Giovanni smiled. Perhaps this might be some fun after all. Mightyena assumed a full-on battle pose, prepared for anything her opponents might throw at her. Charizard ignored her and soared high above the two, spewing a hot Flamethrower directed not at the canine, but at her trainer. Mightyena leapt to Giovanni’s side and threw up an enormous barrier that easily enveloped both Pokemon and human, causing the Flamethrower to bounce harmlessly off it.
“Careful with those flames, Charizard!” Ash reminded him.
Charizard nodded, having no issue with fighting at close range. Charizard made a dash for Mightyena as James directed his Empoleon. “Okay, use Yawn!”
And Empoleon did just that. He yawned, quite loudly, and try as she might, Mightyena could not ignore it. As Charizard closed in, Mightyena yawned. It wouldn’t be long before the sleep took effect. Giovanni issued his own command. “Uproar! Then Captivate!” Mightyena suddenly shrieked loudly. Charizard stopped immediately and fell to one knee and clutched his head tightly, stunned by the large shriek. The echo rang in his ears, so distracting he could barely hear Ash shouting his words of encouragement. Empoleon, who was not at close range, was not immobilized as Charizard was, but he still expressed discomfort at the sound left in his ears. Mightyena didn’t waste any time in executing Giovanni’s second command. She gazed affectionately at them, making both dragon and penguin feel uneasy.
Charizard wildly swung at Mightyena with claw and wing, but the agile canine easily dodged each blow. The uproar’s effects were preventing him from concentrating. James decided to provide some help. “Empoleon, Rock Tomb!”
Giovanni smiled. “Me First!”
Mightyena summoned the large boulders and circled them around her fast, very fast, and directed them not at Empoleon, but Charizard. One by one, Mightyena launched them. Charizard raised his arms to block, but the first one stung a lot more than he thought it would. The second one shattered his left arm. He tumbled backwards, wincing and roaring in pain. Empoleon finally launched his Rock Tomb, using the boulders to stop Mightyena's attack from hurting Charizard any more.
"What was that?!" Ash screamed, dashing over to his injured Pokemon.
"There's no time to explain!" James yelled. "Get away from there or you're going to get hurt! Empoleon, Steel Wing!"
Ash ignored him and tried to soothe his Pokemon's pain with words. Meanwhile, Empoleon made a dash for Mightyena, wings spread wide. Giovanni calmly gave his next command. "Attract."
Empoleon brought his wing down as Mightyena scampered out of the way, barely avoiding the attack. Empoleon swung his other wing in a sweep motion and tripped Mightyena. She fell on her back and cast another tender look at James's Pokemon as he brought his wing up again. "Empoleon, don't fall for it!" James warned. Too late. Empoleon had fallen under Mightyena's love spell. He turned toward Ash and his wounded Charizard. "No! Empoleon, snap out of it!"
Ash stood protectively in front of his Charizard, despite the obvious danger. Giovanni, still cool as a cucumber, stayed on the defensive. "Howl."
James's Empoleon screeched and charged a move that was sure to be devastating, all while Mightyena howled deeply. James continued to try to reach his Pokemon. "Empoleon, come on! Pull yourself together!" Nothing was working. James held out his Poke Ball. "Empoleon, return." That Hydro Cannon probably would have hit Ash and Charizard so powerfully that it would have sent the two of them over the edge of the building. Better safe than sorry. Another Poke Ball was enlarged. "Growlie, help me!" James's Arcanine was summoned in Empoleon's place. "Ash, pull Charizard back! I need your help! Arcanine, Flamethrower!"
Ash realized, with some dismay, that James was right. He recalled his dragon and quickly considered his options. Giovanni's Mightyena was growing stronger by the second. He needed a Pokemon who could take any attack, and he thought of just the one. This is exactly what he brought him for. "Muk, I choose you!"
Ash's sludgy, affectionate pal burst forth as Giovanni issued his command. "Sucker Punch." Mightyena dashed forward just as Arcanine finished the attack. She leapt into the flames head-on and viciously slashed at Arcanine's body. Her claws sliced through Arcanine's leg like a hot knife through butter, causing his blood to spill on the rooftop. Arcanine ignored the pain, knowing what was at stake. He continued his assault; Mightyena was barely able to avoid the streams of fire. Mightyena decided to lure Arcanine's attacks towards Muk, hoping to deal some friendly fire damage. Muk saw Mightyena running straight toward him and raised his arms high before Ash could even order it. He'd done this once before, many years ago. His opponent was much smaller then, of course, but Muk was much stronger now. Mightyena leapt at Muk and he brought his entire body down on the canine, completely enveloping her.
Mightyena panicked and thrashed about under Muk's weight, desperately trying to escape. For the first time since the match began, Giovanni's demeanor showed a slight hint of concern. He would probably lose Mightyena, he reasoned. There was no way she was getting out of that one. Giovanni began to formulate his next course of action.
James looked on at Muk, who still held strong despite Mightyena's vicious struggling. They had become less frequent now, and soon had stopped altogether. "Ash." He said nothing. He held a finger to James meant to silence him as the three trainers looked in silence. "Ash." James said again, and again, Ash said nothing.
Giovanni sighed, taking out another Poke Ball. "He wants to kill her," he said plainly. "Make me suffer as I've made you suffer, is that it? Expecting me to lose control, swear vengeance, and all that?" He shook his head. "You'll see no tears shed by me." He drew another Poke Ball. "Gallade.." He tossed the ball down. "Fix this mess."
The Blade Pokemon came out; lean, limber, with fur of shining blue. Immediately, he pointed a finger at Muk, eyes glowing blue. Muk glowed the same blue color. He tried, tried hard, to hold his ground, and he did succeed for a time. Gallade simply focused harder, and Muk's body jerked upwards, letting Mightyena's lifeless body to fall on the ground. James commanded his Pokemon. "Help him, Arcanine! ExtremeSpeed, hit Gallade with everything you got!"
The attack best could have been described as Awkward Gait; with only three fully functioning legs, any attack involving swift movement just wasn't happening. James recalled his Pokemon. "Clefable!" he called. "Use Psychic!"
When Ash saw the direction Gallade was carrying his Pokemon, he whipped out his Poke Ball, fast as lightning. "Muk, return!" But Gallade simply moved Muk out of the beam's way. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled Muk effortlessly over the side of the building. Ash (and James's Clefable, which Ash noted was mysteriously on fire) rushed after him. Ash screamed Muk's name as he made a second attempt at recalling his Pokemon. Thanks to Clefable's psychic control, the beam connected and Muk returned safely. Ash gritted his teeth. No more messing around. This Pokemon of Giovanni's most certainly possessed formidable psychic power. It was probable that it was Psychic in type. It did bear a striking resemblance to Gardevoir, Ash noted; both had the same red chest plate.
"And against Psychic-types, I have just the thing." "Crawdaunt! I choose you!"
Meanwhile, James's Clefable was given another order. "Trick, quickly!" Clefable used more of his psychic powers to hurl the shining red ball it was carrying at Gallade; it latched onto him upon contact. The Flame Orb activated instantly upon impact, setting Gallade aflame the same as Clefable. "Ash, be careful, Gallade's a Fighting-type too!"
"He's
what?!" Ash realized his potential error.
"Clefable's got him burned, so his attacks will sting less. That doesn't mean to let your guard down, though!"
"I got it. Let's take him down in one shot! Crawdaunt, Guillotine!"
"Clefable, hold him in place with Psychic!"
Giovanni raised an eyebrow.
"Very clever," he mused. While it was true that Gallade was mostly useless--his physical attacks were far weaker than normal, and his psychic attacks would literally do nothing to Crawdaunt and almost nothing to Clefable--Giovanni did not feel like sacrificing another Pokemon so easily. He had a couple tricks up his sleeve. "Protect!"
Not having to move proved to be useful, as the barrier was up before Crawdaunt had even reached it. Giovanni gave another command. "Now, Fling that ridiculous orb at Crawdaunt."
James went wide-eyed. "No you don't! Clefable, Follow Me!" Clefable waggled his finger, and succeeded in getting Gallade's attention. Gallade threw the ball of flame at Clefable; it bounced off harmlessly, cracked open on the ground, and dissolved. "Nice try."
"Looks like you're not a total idiot after all."
Ash waved at his partner. "Thanks, man."
James dismissed it. "Later, Ash. Focus on this right now. Do something!"
"Right. Crabhammer, one more time!"
"Clefable, use Encore!"
Gallade was forced to attempt to throw away an item he didn't have anymore as Crawdaunt repeatedly assaulted him with water-cloaked claws. Giovanni shook his head. It still wasn't over, not by a long shot, but he didn't exactly feel comfortable anymore. He'd lost two Pokemon far too quickly for his liking. He'd physically wounded one of each of theirs, so there was no way they would force them to fight, effectively bringing their combined total to ten. That Clefable certainly could prove harmful if left alone, he decided. He recalled Gallade and thought of the best--and his only--Pokemon who'd be able to do the job. "Roserade!" The thorny Pokemon landed quite elegantly, her cute-looking eyes betraying her deadly skills. Ash noticed that both of Roserade's hands were beginning to glow white. "Vine Whip, on Clefable."
Using both of its arms, the vines shot out tremendously quickly and surrounded Clefable before James could react, but this time, Ash was on top of things. "Guillotine!"
Roserade, without even having been told to, quickly jumped behind Clefable, attempting to use him as a shield. Crawdaunt quickly stopped the attack and Roserade grinned. This was too easy. Roserade released her grip on Clefable with one of her hands and simply tightened it with another; with one of her hands free, and Clefable totally immobilized, she was free to do what she liked without worrying about Clefable getting in the way.
James realized this as well, and it troubled him. What could he do? James decided to spin the wheel of fate. "Clefable, Metronome!"
Clefable was very tightly bound by Roserade's vines, and only barely managed to waggle his finger again. And Clefable started to rumble.
All the trainers knew what that meant. Giovanni was the first to act. "Roserade, return!" No way he was going to lose a third Pokemon so easily. Ash sent Crawdaunt back into his ball as well, mimicking Giovanni's sentiments. Ash, however, felt sorry that James had lost a Pokemon due to luck. With that, Clefable exploded, sending an enormous energy wave out that blew away all three trainers. Mightyena's corpse was instantly vaporized; Giovanni's helicopter was blown clear off the roof. Ash and James could only watch in horror as it fell to the ground and exploded in a giant fireball. They cringed as the sounds of crashing cars and the screaming populace were heard below.
Clefable collapsed limply to the ground, unable to even stand anymore. James cursed to himself as he put his Pokemon back into his Poke Ball. Things really could not be going any worse. All three trainers released their Pokemon: Crawdaunt, Roserade, Empoleon. James cursed again, thinking that even Arcanine could do better than Empoleon against Roserade, even with a busted leg. Roserade instantly went to work. She blew a cloud of Sleep Powder in Empoleon's direction. It would miss, but that was okay. Crawdaunt, seeing the opening, rushed forward for another Guillotine attack. Roserade quite simply put her hands together and showed Crawdaunt up close and personal the reason why her hands were glowing. Suddenly, an enormous column of white-hot energy shot from Roserade at an upward angle, melting Crawdaunt's head clean off. The attack dissipated harmlessly in the sky, but the damage was already done... and Roserade's hands began to glow white again.
Giovanni laughed. "Excellent! Simply outstanding! Well done, Roserade! Do you see that?! What strength!"
Ash could only stare in disbelief. Was that... SolarBeam? It had to have been, but that power... that must have been why Roserade's hands were glowing. She was charging power for the SolarBeam all that time. Time to utilize the all-purpose wall. "Muk, I choose you..."
Giovanni could tell the young boy's morale was plummeting. Good, he decided.
James was appalled at what he'd just seen. Never in a thousand years would he have ever thought that a Pokemon would be capable of storing energy for one attack while utilizing others. There was no way James was going to let that continue. "Empoleon, Rain Dance!"
Empoleon cried to the sky, and the dark clouds began to form. Roserade, favoring his more powerful attack option, charged at him, but Muk slipped in between them, creating a poison wall. He inhaled deeply, then shot out a tremendously large stream of fire, engulfing Roserade completely. She rolled on the ground, shrieking in pain, attempting to put the flames out. Fortunately for her, the rainstorm started, and the natural water did the job. She stood up slowly, looked down in disgust at her charred body, and glared death at the surprisingly versatile Poison-type. Muk grinned a gooey grin, and Roserade became absolutely livid. Much to Ash's delight, Roserade's glow faded. No sun, no sun-based attack. Roserade--and Giovanni--thought that was just fine.
"Sleep Powder!" Giovanni commanded.
It was a command that would be ignored. Roserade focused her energy and lifted Muk up using some sort of strange power. "Empoleon, Drill Peck!" Empoleon made a leaping dash into the sky and spun downards at his target. Roserade ignored him and focused all her energy on Muk. She twisted and contorted his body, fully intent on causing him harm, but the attack only caused him mild discomfort. Empoleon crashed directly onto Roserade's body, forcing her to drop the pile of sludge. Perhaps taking a direct hit was not the best idea, she realized. And since it was raining, her self-healing was essentially worthless.
Giovanni started to become visibly upset, having realized much too late that Muk had taunted Roserade into attacking him directly. Her attacks were far less useful now that the sun was no longer shining. "Roserade, return." He switched to a different Pokemon. "Let's see how you punks handle Ursaring!"
Ursaring stood proudly at his master's side, awaiting command. James saw that purple ball hanging around Ursaring's neck and immediately went on the offensive. "Hydro Cannon, Empoleon, and step on it! Ash, do something, quick, just don't--"
"Muk, use Sludge Bomb!"
"--try to poison it..."
None of that even mattered. Giovanni's Ursaring instinctively used Protect--he'd done this before. He cringed in pain briefly as the Toxic Orb released its poisonous gas, forcing itself into Ursaring's body. "What's going on?!" Ash yelled. He knew something had to be up. Giovanni might be a sinister, evil dude, but there was no way he was going to poison his own Pokemon without having a really good reason why.
"Would you like a demonstration?" Giovanni asked rhetorically. "Ursaring, Facade!"
Ursaring charged forward at a wicked speed, throwing a monstrous punch at Muk. Muk braced himself for the blow, but it wasn't enough. He submitted, groaning in pain. Empoleon made to run straight for him, but James held him back. "No, Empoleon. Keep your distance! No doubt he'll have some Fighting techniques as well..." Empoleon nodded and opted for a Hydro Pump instead. Ursaring effortlessly avoided the large, unwieldy beam, and focused his energy on Empoleon instead. He raised a glowing white fist and charged.
"Muk, use Thunder!"
And so it was. Muk called forth a wickedly large bolt that looked a lot more damaging than it actually was. It served its purpose, however; Ursaring was hit.
"Saw that Focus Punch coming," Ash said. "No matter how fast the opponent is, Thunder won't miss in the rain."
The sound of helicopters was heard fast approaching. A voice was heard over an intercom. "This is Lance Dalton, Pokemon League Champion and leader of the Kanto Elite Four. Cease fighting at once and put your hands in the air! Giovanni Romano, you are under arrest for murder, conspiracy to commit murder, theft, destruction of property, and that is just on the first page of the warrant. Give up now or we will open fire!"
"Listen, kid," Giovanni began, keeping his eyes on the approaching helicopters. "Get those choppers outta here and I'll give you anything you want."
Ash laughed. "You don't have the power to give me what I want."
"Not even the gift of knowledge?"
"What could you possibly know that I would even care to know?"
"Your father. I know you've been searching for him. I can tell you all about him, Ash," Giovanni pleaded as the helicopters closed in. "Just tell those cops to take a hike!"
James was shocked that Ash still hadn't told Giovanni to leap off the building yet. "Ash, you're not seriously considering it, are you?"
The roar of a Dragonite was heard as the rain clouds began to subside. "Well..."
James walked over and actually shoved Ash so he was facing him. "Hey! No! Think of why we're here! For Misty, for Jessie, remember? Don't lose sight of what's important!"
Just then, Lance's enormous Dragonite came down and crashed itself into Ursaring, sending the two of them to the ground. Giovanni made a run for the elevator, but James's Empoleon put a stop to that with a fierce roar. Dragonite and Ursaring continued to brawl on the sidelines, but Dragonite was clearly going to win; the poison was taking its toll. Lance's helicopter landed on the spot where Giovanni's used to be. He leapt out and tended to his Pokemon while three armed escorts took care of Giovanni personally.
"No! Wait!" Ash pleaded, rushing towards them. "Giovanni, tell me! Where is my father? Who is he?!"
Giovanni said nothing as he was escorted to a waiting helicopter.
Ash fell to his knees. There went the one possible link to knowing the identity of his father.
Ash ran over to Lance, who was seeing to both his own Dragonite and Giovanni's Ursaring. "Lance! Stop, hold on!" Ash pleaded. "Giovanni is claiming to know about my dad. What do you know about that?!"
Lance paused. "Oh. Ash... well, hello! Can't say I was expecting to see you here. Just why
are you here, anyway?"
Ash was not in the mood for this. "No stalling, Lance! Does he or does he not know who my father is?!"
Lance sighed. "It's possible, but I don't have time to explain things to you here. You look an absolute mess." He looked over at James. "I bet your story is just as interesting."
James chuckled. "You don't know the half of it, sir."
Lance nodded. "I bet." He grabbed James by the arm. "Come on, let's go."
"Whoa, whoa, just a minute here," Ash stopped him. "What do you think you're doing? He's with me."
"Yes. I see that, but I still have to bring him in. As far as the Elite Four is concerned, he's still a member of Team Rocket. You're welcome to hitch a ride with us back to Indigo Plateau and explain everything there."
Ash nodded. That was fair enough. "We have to head to the Pokemon Center first. Both of our Pokemon need some serious medical attention, and James also has his own injuries."
"We'll treat them all once we get to Indigo Plateau."
Pikachu leapt on Ash's shoulder as Kanto's Champion led him and James to a separate helicopter. Once they secured themselves in, they took off.
When they were airborne, Ash leaned back, look out the window, and sighed. What a week. He'd gone through the unnecessary death of multiple friends, had even more traumatized, and nearly lost a few Pokemon. He was, at least, thankful for that. He still didn't know what he was going to tell Caroline... the truth, he supposed. He'd made a gross error in judgment and gotten her son killed. Her daughter - oh hey, her daughter. He'd have to ask Lance to take him to Fuchsia City when this was all over.
He glanced at James, who was looking out the other window, most likely reflecting on the past week. Ash thought to say something, but decided against it. There wasn't really a need for words right now. They were home, at last. Giovanni was in custody - not exactly the ending Ash would have preferred, but it would do. With all the evidence against him, there wouldn't be any chance Giovanni would walk free ever again. Thinking of this, Ash genuinely smiled for the first time all day.
Finally, at long last, he could say with absolute certainty that his ordeal was over.
END (ish)
That's it! It's finally done! (kind of). I still have to write an epilogue, which shouldn't take nearly as long as this did. CREDITS TIME
Me - I don't care what anyone says, I SAID I WAS GOING TO FINISH IT AND BY GEORGE I FINISHED IT. Mighta took me six years to do but darn it, I FINISHED IT!!!!!!
Hm, wow, uh... Oh yes. I would also like to thank my dear friend Talon (not on pb) for the idea that started it all. <3
Anyone who stuck with this story from start to finish despite its immenseness, you few are all cool in my book, and especially Crystal Hikara who read the entire thing in like, one go. Wow.
Uh.... god, I dunno. Uh, oh yeah, I decided everyone should have a last name. choke and die if you don't like it >O
So yeah that is all the credits I care to name, I am a habitual forgetter so whatever.
The story is officially over, but please do come back for the epilogue.
NO WAIT I FORGOT ONE OH MAN. That mystery dude who gave me the final push to breathe life back into May and finish this story. How could I forget you, mystery dude? :x
I gotta say a couple things about this chapter.
I originally had planned for a much longer battle between Ash, James, and Giovanni. Ash still had Alakazam and Pikachu, as well as Sceptile; James' unseen Pokemon consisted of Chimecho (don't laugh, I had huge plans for that little guy) and, of course, Weezing; Toxicroak was shown briefly earlier. Giovanni had a Rhyperior and, of course, his wickedly powerful Persian, not to mention Ursaring and Roserade who would have tore them up if Lance hadn't intervened.
I got literally to the point where Lance shows up when I realized that they could not just battle endlessly on the rooftop, especially after the helicopter was blown off the roof. If you recall, people called the cops as early as when Ash and James arrived in Saffron City. I figured the war had waged on long enough, and so, for Ash's sake, here comes Lance and his awesomely cool new last name to save the day.
If the battle had been allowed to continue to its end, it would have been very close. I don't know who is stronger: Ash's Pikachu or Giovanni's Persian. I imagine them much on the same level in terms of power, but while Ash's Pikachu is very powerful, Giovanni's entire team is roughly equal in strength. If James hadn't been there to back him up, Ash would not have stood a chance.
Pikachu was never used in the fight because, as I often do, I forgot all about him, which is why he is never mentioned until the very end. HA
How about those last names? Am I slick or what? Brock and May get them, too, and you will find out what they are... in the epilogue.
Okay. Now I am done. Comments, I demand them, from all of you! The story is done, you have no excuse not to post! >O
