Chapter XXIX Price for Persistence It had commenced raining once again. The Rock Poke`mon were brought once again inside the Gym by Brock, who was the only one in the building, save Giovanni, who was at work planning the next takeover. The silence of the building was eerie, only the feverish scribbles of the Leader mapping out the plan and his heavy breathing could be heard. In the middle of the activity, he turned his chair to face Brock, who was not three feet away, watching the Plant Poke`mon roam. "You there, Brock," Giovanni adressed. "Lieutenant Surge is in charge of Electric Poke`mon. Your Rock Poke`mon will be helpful against his Raichu and the other ones he keeps." "How about your Ground Poke`mon?" "Yes, I was just getting to that. Since most members collect Poison Poke`mon, they leave them vulnerable to electricity. We cannot take over Vermillion City Gym without weakening then taking control of their Poke`mon. Using Rock and Ground Poke`mon would be the best approach to weaken them." "Yes, Sir. When are we going to attack Vermillion City?" "A week from now. We need time to secure our.........prizes at Saffron." He smiled at the thought of those large corporations. "The cops are trying to kick us out of there! Butch and Cassidy told me that they're trying to break into Saffron City Gym AND the........Fighting Dojo!" "What?" Giovanni ceased his planning. With that, he stormed briskly out of the Gym, ordering, "Keep an eye on the Gym while I am gone. You know what to do if there is any intrusion." "Yes, Sir." That was followed by a quick salute. With that, Giovanni disappeared into the driving rain. He had forgotten to grab his coat in his haste, and shivered in the cold rain. Unfortunately, the man was not aware of the danger he was about to encounter. Swiftly walking to his black helicopter, he did not notice the blue-haired officer from Saffron approach him, and announce, "You are under arrest!" The four words stopped him in his tracks, and he was completely taken aback. "How did you find out where I was?" "A kid told me. He saw you leaving Silph. Now I've got you. The boss. The head. The big cheese. Team Rocket's doomed without you. Heh, heh, heh. Okay. Hands on the wall-uh, helicopter!" Giovanni obeyed, though beyond embarassed. He usually planned everything so perfectly, and his isolation had always guaranteed him not being arrested. The people under made sure they were inconspicous to also avoid arrest. However, an unexpected interference from a zealous Poke`mon Trainer led him to his doom. Or so all present thought. "Go, Pikachu! Thundershock!" "Starmie, go! Tackle!" "Golbat, go! Wing Attack!" "Arbok, Poison Sting Attack!" "Weezing, Haze Attack!" All five of the Poke`mon rushed toward Jenny, attacking. The distraction was enough to let Giovanni and his minions escape. They rushed back into the Celadon City Gym, dripping water across the floor. Giovanni smiled, thanking his followers, which was a rare occurence. The celebration was short, however, for a familiar and unwanted voice rang out through the Gym. "Give me back my Poke`mon, or else Pikachu and Togepi will get hurt!" The voice was unmistakable, and Ash and Misty yelled in unison, "Richie!" "Give me back Pikachu, first!" "And Togepi!" Misty added. "Why don't we have a battle, ASH? A fight to the death! Can you handle that?" Richie sneered. Ash shouted, " Fight to the death? I can handle that! Your Poke`mon are the ones that'll die!" " Good! Winner gets all of mine and your Poke`mon! You and me and Misty-two on two! Your other friends not included. I'll use two of the Celadon City Gym's Poke`mon!" "Okay! You're on, Richie! Charizard, I choose you!" "Starmie, go!" "Give me some Poke`mon," Richie commanded. "Of course!" Jessie answered, handing him the Poke`Balls, and gave a wink to Brock, James, and Giovanni. The small boy grabbed the Poke`Balls from Jessie's gloved hands, and hurled them at the ground. "Poke`Balls, go!" "Bell............." "Parasect!" Ash's eyebrows slanted, and he ordered, proud to fight against his former friend once again, "Charizard, Flamethrower, now!" Misty joined the fight, shouting, "Starmie, Water Gun!" The Rockets' Poke`mon rushed toward the enemy's monsters, and assaulted the Charmander and Butterfree. Neither side was daunted, though, and Richie ordered, sure that the battle belonged to him: "Victreebel, Acid!" "Parasect, Spore!" Unfortunately, Richie did not know about the perfume scam, and suddenly, the eyes of Richie's fighters glowed an evil red. Instead of following the orders, they only stood there, letting Charizard and Starmie burn and soak them. Richie's mouth fell in disbelief. "You---you---rigged it! You liars!" "You should know by now, boy. Neverr trust Team Rocket. Truth is not important to us. You have lost. Admit it now and we will be able to continue our lives." "YOUR lives!" He shouted. "Yours, but not mine! Zippo, Sparky, Happy.....they mean so much to me! As much as your Poke`mon do to you. If you win, you'll lose those Poke`mon. Please.....listen to me! You weren't meant for this life! Crime isn't the way!" His eyes fixed on Ash and Misty, and for the first time in this ordeal, the latter understood the opposite side, and nodded. They turned to Giovanni, and Ash said, full of anguish, "I'm sorry, Sir, but we can't do it." "CAN'T do it?" Before Giovanni could voice his opinion, Brock did it first. "You wimp!" Jessie nodded in agreement, and yelled, fire in her blue eyes, "You've disgraced the name of Team Rocket!" "You'hre a shame to all of us!" Continued James. "You are recieving a pay cut!" Giovanni declared, with a stern look. "If you wimps can't finish off them, then I'LL do it! Onix, go! Bind them, now!" Ash and Misty couldn't say anything more. They weren't sure if the mistake they had made was good or bad, and they were left without words at the over-zealousness of what was once a calm and collected Poke`mon Breeder. But, that was the past. Now, he was squeezing the life out of Victreebel and Parasect, determined to go to any lengths to steal Richie's Poke`mon, as Ash had done a while before, and to keep his teammates' Poke`mon, whatever the cost. "Onix, keep Binding them!" "Victreebel, Parasect, fight for good! You can beat that Onix! Vine Whip, Victreebel! Please! Do it!" Different messages seared through the mind of the Grass/Poison Poke`mon. It wanted to embrace the darkness, but its past life was also beckoning. It couldn't stand the emotions anymore, and extended its vines. The assault began swiftly and ended swiftly. It threw its Vine Whips in all directions, breaking the windows, allowing the rain to get in, and making a horrible din on the floor. Ash couldn't stand the vines smacking against him, and the rain that blew through, and he had no choice but for Charizard to attack. "Charizard...ngggggg......Fire Blast!" The Flame Poke`mon let lose the powerful stream of flame, that set Victreebel completely on fire, and reduced it to ashes. Parasect tried to hold out against it, but it met the same fate. Ash looked upon the destruction, with horror in his eyes. Richie's temporary Poke`mon vanquished, he was forced to hand over Pikachu, Togepi, and his Poke`mon. He left the Gym in disgrace, and realized that there was no other way to win them back anymore. Before he did, though, he was allowed a last embrace with his Charmander, Butterfree, and Pikachu. "Good-bye, Zippo, Happy, Sparky. I won't forget you. Don't pick up any bad habits from these guys, okay?" "Charrrrrrrr......" Zippo's eyes filled its blue eyes, dripping on its flame. "Don't cry, Zippo. I asked Giovanni to give you all to Ash, since I knew him before. Good-bye." With that, he ran out of the building, crying over the rain.. Chapter XXX The Split? Ash looked out the window, Misty next to him. Jessie, Brock, and James were about to leave to take Vermillion. The boy removed his hat, and let it dangle through the window, not caring as it the water soaked it. He had lost yet another friend, though he had kept posession of his Poke`mon. Misty leaned more on the side of the rest of her teammates' thinking, but she also wondered about their method of stealing Poke`mon. Ash loves Pikachu, almost more than anything, but was it really right to kill two of our OWN Poke`mon to get it? And, Togepi means a lot to me, but......I wonder if we should just quit. But then what if the Boss doesn't want us to? And does Ash agree with me? "Ash? Do you think we should quit?" A sigh came out of the mouth of the boy, who then answered, "I don't know, Misty. I think we've gone too far. But the Boss won't just let us quit!" "Who knows? We haven't asked him yet." "That's a good point, Misty." Then, a shadow came over them, scowling at the young members. "So, you're planning to turn traitor, huh? The Boss won't be too happy. You're definitely wrong about us: we're not going too far. Team Rocket's goal is to get Poke`mon by any means necessary, even if we have to kill our own." "Chu. Pika!!!" The Electric Mouse wailed, angered at Brock's words. Ash glared at the older boy, and yelled, "It's not right! We might be stuck in Team Rocket, but that doesn't mean we need to act worse than Jessie and James!" Brock was about to argue again, when Giovanni stalked in. "Ash, you have been one of the best members I have ever had. Why are you suddenly so much on the side of good?" "I don't know, Boss! But........I can't do it anymore." "Me neither, Sir." Misty agreed. Hard lines crossed Giovanni's face. He faced the broken window, and plunged into deep thought. What happened? At the beginning, they did their job efficiently and swiftly. Maybe I overwhelmed them, showing what we are all capable of? Or maybe those words of that child poisoned their brains, and they're embracing good. Or maybe they're upset about the pay cut. Either way, I don't want to lose these members. What should I do......... "Mrowwwwww.........." "What is it, Persian?" "Mrowww!!! Mrowww!!" Don't.....let......them......go! Giovanni stroked his cat's head, and listeen to its advice. "I will not let you quit, Ash, Misty. I'll raise your paycheck to three-hundred dollars." Jessie and James looked on in envy. "THREE-HUNDRED?" They asked in unison. "Just a bribe, ya dopes," Meowth explained, soft enough to escape Ash and Misty's ears. However, the latter shook their heads. Misty then spoke for both of them. "Sir, we've done all this dirty work for almost a month! We're getting too bad......I mean, the job is getting too bad. We don't care about the paycheck." Giovanni sighed in frustration and confusion, and demanded, "If you loathed the job so much then why didn't you quit when you joined?" Ash threw his soaked cap on his hair, and answered, angrily, "We weren't sure that it would be so bad! We were so scared of you that we couldn't say anything back then!" "But now we ARE saying something! And we want out!" Then James stepped in. "What makes you.....so sure that youhr mother will take you in again, after all you've done to her?" "And, Misty," continued Jessie, "What makes you think that your SISTERS will take you back?" "'Dey could call da police as soon as ya walked in!" Meowth speculated. "Or while you were asleep!" Brock continued. Ash answered them all, determined to win the argument. "It's a chance we've 'gotta take!" "Right, Ash. I'm with you on this one." With that, they performed an act that they would not dream of doing before, and held each other's gloved hands, showing their teammates that they were determined to leave. Giovanni nodded, understanding their sincerity. "You obviously had had enough of Team Rocket. BUT NOT WITHOUT A POKE`MON BATTLE, FIRST! AGAINST ME!" "Poke`mon Battle? Okay!" Ash stood up, his hand on his Poke`Balls. "A battle got us into this, and a battle will get us out!" Misty shouted, doing likewise. Within minutes, the Gym took on the appearance of another typical battle with Erika, who sat on the side bleachers, along with her Trainers. They discussesd who would win. "Hmm, that Ash fellow is pretty agressive. I think he'll win." "If he wins, then maybe there will be some peace." Erika mused. "I don't think so. I know Giovanni. He's one of the greatest Trainers in the world." "Hey, dont'cha think that he and Ash resemble each other? I mean, the hair, the eyes?" Erika's eyes widened in disbelief, dismissing the thought. "I don't think so! Giovanni's an old fat pig! Ash is......was.....an innocent little boy." "You know what she meant, Erika! They both have the same dark hair, they're eyes are both dark, they have the same pudgy, small, faces." "But they're so different! Are you suggesting that they might be related?" "That's exactly what I'm saying!" "Well, I think you're wrong! What do you think, Gloom?" The Gloom, who had a perfect view of the whole room, cried out, "Gloooooom! Gloom-Gloommmmmm......Gloooooooooooooooooooom!" I think they'e father and son! Both are rottener than my gas! "Oh, Gloom, you've been around them too long." "I still think they're related!" "You're wrong; they don't look alike!" "You depend too much on looks, Erika." "Put a sock in it! The fight's about to start!" Jessie informed. The room quieted, and the lights flashed on, revealing Ash and Giovanni, on opposite sides. They stood ready, eyebrows slanted, eyes narrow, and aflame with contempt for each other, just as it was nearly a month ago. The battle would incorporate the use of six Poke`mon each. "Venusaur, I choose you!" "I choose Nidoking!" The two Poke`mon, both with the element Poison lingering in them, faced each other, studying the opposition carefully, until their Trainers ordered the attack. "Venusaur, Solarbeam!" "Venusauuuuuurrrrrr!" Though small, the dinosaur-like Poke`mon delivered a crushing blow to the Nidoking. The latter was not stirred enough, though, as it responded like lightning to Giovanni's voice. "Nidoking, Thrash!" "Nido--king!!!!!!" Ash's small Grass Poke`mon was no match for the destructive Normal Attack. "Waugh! Venusaur, hang on!" Ash pleaded. Venusaur obeyed, using its whips to sheild itself. "Venusaur, Vine Whip! Tie Nidoking up!" "Venusssss!!!!!!" "Your efforts are futile, boy. Nidoking, break free with Horn Drill!" Ash gasped, in awe of the powers of the Ground/Poison Type, and amazed at the skill of his Leader that he so wished to beat. "Wow, Nidoking got stronger. Uh......Venusaur, Vine Whip again! Tie its horn!" This child is better than I thought. He has become stronger since out last battle. I have underestimated him, but I will not do that anymore. "Nidoking, break free!" "Nido-Nido-Nido-King............" "Wow! Ash is fighting really well! Keep it up, Ash!" "Shut up, Misty!" "Now, Venusaur! Solarbeam!" "Nidoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" The deep growl of the monster turned into a painful howl, and Giovanni was forced to recall Nidoking. He released his next Poke`mon, and Dugtrio appeared. "Dugtrio, Dig under the floor!" "Trio-Trio-Trio!" "Venusaur!" Dugtrio burrowed under the ground, and minutes later had pushed Venusaur over, despite its prodigious mass. Flipped over, it was incapacitated. "No! Venusaur, return!" Then, the Rocket paused, not sure who to send out. "Blastoise, go! Hydro Pump!" "Blassssssss........." From Blastoise's heavy water cannons, came forceful waterspouts, engulfing Dugtrio. It struggled against the terrible blast, but it was in vain. Before it fainted, it tottered a bit, and it dropped back into the hole it had dug. "Dugtrio, return! Kingler, go!" Anyone spectating could see that the Viridian City Gym Leader was becoming impatient. "Kingler, Crabhammer!" The Water Poke`mon walked towards Blastoise, and delivered such a powerful blow that Blastoise fell on the spot. The latter returned to his Poke`Ball, and Ash was down to four more Poke`mon. "Charizard, I choose you!" "Groaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrr!" A flash came from the Flame Poke`mon's blue eyes. He looked at Ash coldly, and sat down with an echoing thud. "Charizard, what's wrong?" The boy was in a sweat, now, for Charizard had never done this for what it seemed like an eternity. "Grrrrr........oarrrr.....rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!! RRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr......rrrrrroarorrrrrr.raroooaroooooaaaaarrrrrr..........ro aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrr.............roarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr..........aaroooooo ooaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrroar.......groargroargroargaarrrrrrrrrroarrrrrrrrr..... ....GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOARRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!" You won't take me away from here, kid. You ended up here with your carelessness and you'll stay here, I'll make sure of it. I've grown too attatched to Team Rocket..........Now it'll be like the old days: I won't obey you, Ash! I won't let any of us become good, again! You're staying here! Ash listened to Charizard's speech, devestated. All the old memories of his lost battles flooded back to him: the anger that he had felt when his unruly Poke`mon fell asleep in the middle of the battlefield. Tears flowed from his eyes, because his life would be forever ruined if he lost this battle. He stared death at Charizard, and recalled him with contempt for the Flame Poke`mon, the thing he had once cherished as a young Charmander. Before he disappeared into his Poke`Ball again, Charizard defiantly burned Ash in the face. The latter was stunned, dejected, but would not give up. "I'm not letting you win, Giovanni! My dream has always been to become the greatest Poke`mon Trainer......the greatest Poke`mon Master.....of all time and in the world! I let that dream go away the first time, but not now! Pikachu, go!!!!!" "Pikachu? Ha! What a pathetic effort!" "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" The boy was so distracted in his zeal that he didn't realize the familiar flash of red light streaming from one of his Poke`Balls. What happened next was horrific to Ash's, Misty's, and the Celadon Trainers' eyes. Pikachu, who had been loyal to Ash since he was ten years old, shook his head. "No! Pikachuuuuuuuuuuuuu! Don't act like Charizard!" "Pikaaaaa.........." Giovanni chuckled, and ordered Kingler to deliver its strongest attack. "Kingler, Guillotine!!" Kingler walked slowly towards Pikachu, it's gigantic claw raised. Ash couldn't bear to watch. Why would Pikachu act this way? Is it loyal to Team Rocket, too? Or..........wait! That scruff of hair.....it's Sparky! It didn't recognize "Pikachu"! No wonder it's not obeying me! "Sparky, Thunderbolt!" The Pikachu's ears stood up. The claw was coming down onto his head, and made a huge din on the floor. A stream of electricity flew from Sparky's cheeks, and Kingler fell over heavily on his side. Now both were even, with three Poke`mon left to use. "I choose Nidoqueen! Double Kick!" "Sparky, Agility!" "Pikaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Nidoqueen jumped, headed towards Sparky, but the tiny Pikachu dodged, darting across the room, confusing Nidoqueen, causing her to kick herself. "QUEENNNNN!!" "Nidoqueen, Poison Sting!" "Huh?" "Uh-oh! I didn't know that Nidoqueen had poison attacks!" Misty commented, worried. "Well, the Boss always liked poisonous things," Jessie explained, smiling. Sparky fell under the attack, and turned a sick purple. "No, Sparky! Return! Go, Pidgeot! Flying has the advantage over Ground! Use your Quick Attack!" "Pidgeotoooooooooo!" The Bird Poke`mon glowed, and tore toward Nidoqueen. He slammed into the monster with terrible impact, knocking it down. "Nidoqueen, return! I choose Machamp!" "Be careful, Ash! Pidgeot's no match for Machamp if it uses Seismic Toss!" "Got it, Misty! Pidgeot, Sky Attack!" The Bird charged toward Giovanni's Fighting Poke`mon, knocking it over. Unlike Nidoqueen, though, Machamp stood up again, awaiting his master's orders. "Machamp, Low Kick!" Though not effective, the massive blow sent Pidgeot whizzing through the air, except backwards and not of its own power. It banged against the wall, shaking the entire structure. "Nggggg.....Pidgeot, return! Go, Muk!" "Muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuk.........." "Muk, Body Slam!" The Sludge Poke`mon slid over to Machamp, and blanketed him with his body. "Machaaaaaammpppp!!!!!" The cry was muffled, and when Muk slid off of Machamp, the latter had fainted. Giovanni was shocked. He was down to one last Poke`mon. He was debating one which Poke`mon to use, but then a menacing growl was heard. "Mrowwwwww........." Brock's eyes attempted to widen, but everyone could see his astonishment. "The Boss never uses Persian!" "Now he's about to," Misty observed. "Persian, Slash!" Muk crumpled under the claws of Persian, and Ash was forced to recall him. Now he was in the same situation as his opponent. All of his Poke`mon were incapacitated in some way, so he had use his newer ones. "Zippo, I choose you!" "Char!" "A Chamander. Hmm. Impressive fire, but can it defeat something ten times bigger? I think not! Persian, Fury Swipes!" "Zippo, Tackle!" The two clashed, and the battle wore on, each delivering equal blows, causing massive damage. Finally, both Zippo and Persian were completely worn out. They had no more strength to fight. It was only a matter of time, and then one would fall. "Zippo! Please get up! Just one more hit! Please!" "Charrrrr........" Zippo struggled to stand, and try to Scratch Persian, but the latter leaned to the other side, trying to avoid it. The feisty Charmander tried to lean closer to the Classy Cat, and the other leaned farther, and farther, and finally........fell over on his side. He closed his eyes in exhaustion, and did not attempt to pick himself up again. There was silence for a space of four minutes in the Gym. All mouths were wide open, until Meowth broke the silence. "I can't believe it! 'Da kid won!" "And that means......" Jessie started. "...We've lost two bad kids!" James finished, a waterfall gushing from his green eyes, hugging Jessie in despair. On the floor, Ash hugged Richie's former Charmander, tears of joy coming from his own eyes. "Char....." "Thanks, Zippo. Thanks to you and all of my other Poke`mon, we're free!" He then stood up, looked Giovanni in the eye, and burst into an unending burst of joy. "Whoo-hooooooooo! Yeah! We're freeeee! Yayyyyyyyyyyyy! Bye, SIR," Ash shouted, sarcastically. Misty was so overjoyed, and jumped out of the bleachers, making a hard landing on the Gym floor. He embraced Misty, and Pikachu, who was in the bleachers for the whole time. "Pikaaaaa!" With that, the two ex-Rockets threw off their uniforms, revealing the familiar clothes they had grown so used to. They refused to say good-bye's, though, for Team Rocket were staring daggers at them. Ash and Misty ran to the door, opened it, and slammed it. The slam caused a deafening, dark echo throughout the Celadon City Gym, leaving a dark cloud over the gang, adding to the cold mood of the rain, that had strengthened again. Back in the Gym, Brock watched them, staring death at both. Yet, even if he was feeling ill toward them, deep in his heart, he was saying, "I wish I could go with you. Goodbye, Ash, Misty." The End (for a few days) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------- I'm sorry it took so long, everyone! And now that it's done, I'm not sure if it was worth it! And I'm not sure if I should wrap up the whole thing in Part IV, or keep it going for several decades! I'm not sure! Give me your opinion! Do you want this ongoing series to go on, or do you want it to stop? Since I'm clueless on the future of And the Rocket's Red Glare, give me what you think (as long as you have a reason) Flames will be responded to, but not nicely! Blue9Tiger@aol.com