Chapter 2 – Shadow raid ----- -Pewter city- After 2 days of traveling, Ash and Misty finally reached Pewter city. It was late afternoon and the sun was starting to set. As they entered the city, the streets were silent, too silent. It wasn’t a bustling metropolis like the other cities such a Viridian, but there would still be some business and people going about. It was a wonder what could have happened. “It sure is quiet…I wonder where everyone is.” Ash wondered to himself. “Yeah. It’s starting to creep me out.” Misty walked closely to Ash, glancing cautiously. It had been over five minutes, yet neither Ash nor Misty saw anyone, not even Pokémon. Ash was about to turn the corner when he stepped back and blocked Misty from stepping any further. Pikachu’s fur stood on end as he growled. Danger was near. “What’s wrong Ash” She whispered quietly. “It’s Team Rocket. They are here.” “Did they follow us here?” “I don’t know, but we need answers. With them here and this city being so quiet, I have a bad feeling about this. We should try to find Brock. Let’s hurry!” The two stealthily dodged the rocket patrols as they made their way to the Pewter city gym. The gym was a little over five blocks away, and each intersection had 1 to 3 rockets patrolling the area. The first block was relatively easy. There was only one rocket there and all they needed to do was run the opposite direction he was facing. The second block was just as simple. Though there were two rockets, there was a trail of bushes that allowed Ash and Misty to keep out of sight. This continued until they reached the last block. There were two rockets and little cover. It seemed simple enough. ACHOO! …Until an allergenic Pikachu caught dust in his nose. The two grunts turned to see Ash and Misty trying to get past them. They were caught. “Get him!” One of the grunts yelled. Ash had to hurry and take them out before the other rockets were alerted. The rocket grunts summoned a Golbat and a shrew with many sharp, brown spines on its back, a Sandslash. This was a double battle. “Go, Starmie!” Misty called out. A purple star Pokémon with a red jewel in the middle stood ready to battle. “Use Water Gun on Sandslash!” Starmie blasted the Sandslash with a high pressure water attack. It was super effective and resulted in knocking out the Pokémon. “You’ll pay for that! Golbat, use Mega Drain on Starmie!” The second grunt commanded. The giant bat screeched as it shot after Starmie with bared fangs. “Thunderbolt Pikachu!” Ash called out quickly. The lightning quick mouse jumped in front of Starmie and released a powerful charge of electricity at the bat. The electric attack was super effective against the poison/flying type. Golbat fell to the ground and fainted. The rocket grunts were defeated. “That’s it, time for reinforcements!” “Oh no you don’t!” POW! Ash swung his fist at the grunt who held the communicator in his hands, laying him out cold. The second grunt was about to strike Ash when Misty sent him flying with a mallet bash! Ash narrowed his eyes as Misty slipped her mallet back in her secret hiding spot. “You know, even with all the years I’ve known you, I still can’t figure out where you hide that blasted thing!” Ash commented, “I’ll find it one day!” “Yeah, in your dreams!” Misty countered, “There’s no time left. Let’s hide the bodies and hurry. The other guys might’ve heard the brawl.” “Okay.” Ash and Misty quickly hid the bodies behind some bushes, making sure they didn’t leave a trace. It took a minute before they reached the gym gates, but there were two grunts and a Pokémon keeping guard. Ash and Misty’s jaw dropped in surprise. ‘You’ve got to be kidding me…’ They both recognized the two rockets. The woman with the dark red hair, Jessie, and the man with the light violet hair, James, wore their custom made Team Rocket uniforms. The cat with a gold medallion on his forehead, Meowth, was next to them, apparently telling them how lucky they were to have him around. Luckily, those were the only rockets. After conceiving a plan, Ash, Misty and Pikachu separated. “This is SO boring…” Jessie groaned, resting against the fence along with James and Meowth. “Why doesn’t the boss give us something better to do?” “It’s because you two keep messing everything up.” Meowth answered snidely. Stomp! “It wasn’t like you were of any help you stupid feline!” James shot, crushing the cat under his boot. “You shouldn’t talk James! It’s not like you’re any better!” Jessie snapped. “What!? I’m WAY better than that—EEP!” James jumped when he felt something poke at his back. Jessie and Meowth did the same, feeling something similar behind them. “It’s been awhile.” Ash said from behind. “I know that voice! It’s the twe—err, Ash!” James corrected quickly, not wanting to make the mistake of calling Ash a twerp. He was about to turn around when Ash jabbed him in the back. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you! One wrong move and it could be your last.” Ash whispered evilly. James started sweating bullets. “Go ahead and do what you want! Just don’t hurt me…” James cried. Jessie narrowed her light blue eyes at the cowardly James. “You wuss! Show some back bone!” “My back bone is what he’s aiming at!” Ash winked at Misty and Pikachu, who was behind Jessie and Pikachu. “Now Pikachu!” “Pika—CHU!!” A strong surge of electric energy surged through Meowth, Jessie and James, paralyzing and knocking them out. “Good work you two.” Ash complimented. He grinned sneakily as he held his two fore fingers in the air as though it was a gun. He loved that trick! “Alright, we cleared the way, so let’s go find Brock.” “Right!” Misty nodded. The three entered through the front double doors of the stone built gym. The main arena was dim, only a few lights filtering the building. As they walked throughout the gym, they found the place eerily quiet. Misty walked close to Ash, feeling nervous. Being so close to Misty made Ash apprehensive as well. It was a wonder how he was able to stay in the same bed as Misty that night. Maybe Brock really was an influence… Ash shuddered to think what he would do next if that was the case. “I wonder if Brock is even—WAA!” CRASH! Ash slammed face first on the floor, tripping over something. “Man that smarts…” He seethed. His eye caught a small rope on the floor. Come to think of it, that part of the floor had a faint, but noticeable line, creating the image of a secret door. “What’s this? I never noticed this the last time I was here…” He grabbed the rope and yanked it open. A path was revealed! Ash took a peek inside. “It’s so dark down there, I wonder if—” WAM! “GAH!” Ash fell backwards, clutching his face in pain. A small volleyball shot from the basement and careened into his face. Misty took a closer look down at the basement. There were kids inside! One of the dark skinned kids recognized Misty’s face. “Hey you guys, it’s Misty! She’s come to rescue us!” A boy cried to his brothers and sisters. They were about to emerge from the basement when Ash shot up and glared at them. “I’m the one who came to save you, yet I just got beamed by a volleyball! Don’t just throw stuff at people’s faces, especially those who are trying to save you!” Ash bellowed. The eldest of the group of kids smiled apologetically. “Sorry about that. We thought you were Team Rocket at first glance, so we sorta panicked.” “Aren’t you Brock’s siblings?” Misty inquired. The boy nodded. “Yeah, I’m the second oldest, Jiroo. You’ve got to rescue Brock! When Team Rocket burst inside, Brock hid us here and took them on, but ended up getting captured! They took him to their base in the middle of the city!” “Sure thing! We’ll not only save Brock, but the city as well!” Ash declared, clenching his fist. Misty nodded in agreement. “Thanks. I’ll show you some of our supplies.” Jiroo guided Ash and Misty to the medical room where Brock goes after his gym battles. Ash and Misty grabbed some Pokémon healing supplies and extra medical kits in case they wind up injured. “I’m sorry, but we don’t have any Pokémon to help you with. We’ll stay here incase you need to come back for healing.” Ash nodded. “Yeah, good idea. Let’s go Misty.” “Okay.” After they made a plan for a back attack, Ash, Misty and Pikachu left the gym and headed towards the Team Rocket base stationed in the city. -Team Rocket Base- “Professor Shiranui. Our spy cameras have detected a red headed girl and a boy with a Pikachu in the area. They are currently heading towards the back of the complex. Should we eliminate him?” The blue haired scientist grinned wickedly. “No, this is the special guest we’ve been waiting for. Make the special arrangements for them.” “Understood.” Shiranui hung up the phone, eager to see the look on Ash’s face when he realizes that he is heading towards a trap. Revenge was never so sweet. -The back of Team Rocket Base- “Pikachu, use thunder wave!” Ash commanded. Pikachu let loose an electrical wave, paralyzing the remaining rockets and their Pokémon. “Alright, that takes care of them. Let’s head inside.” With that, Ash and Misty ran inside the back door of the base. The facility was very high tech and clean, just like the past bases they had infiltrated before. After crossing a few hallways, the group came across a large, dark room. “Man its dark here. I wish we had some light…” Just as Ash said that, the lights turned out. When Ash saw dozens of armed rockets pointing guns at the two, he wished the lights were off. He noticed the blue haired scientist among the rockets, Shiranui, the head of Team Rocket’s R&D division. “It has been awhile Ash Ketchum.” Shiranui sneered, “I would like to welcome you to the last moments of your life. I hope you enjoy your stay. SEIZE HIM!” Two of the rockets shot stun bullets at Ash, Misty and Pikachu, knocking them unconscious. Sometime later, Ash’s eyes fluttered open, still feeling the effects of the tranquilizer shots. His eyes met with two people, one of them being Misty. The other was a dark skinned man around 18 years old with short, spiky brown hair. “Misty? Brock?” “Hey man, how are ya?” Brock inquired. “Agh…I’ve had better days.” Ash was suddenly alert, “What happened!?” “Team Rocket locked us up. They took all of our Pokémon and items.” Misty answered. “Oh no…Pikachu…” Ash thought fearfully. There was no telling what was going to happen to them. Without items and Pokémon, things were starting to look hopeless… Meanwhile, on the roof of the complex, a Team Rocket guard stood watch, carrying a sniper rifle. It was night time and he had night watch, which was equal to extreme boredom. “Man this is boring. Who the heck is going to come from the roof? I need a smoke…” The man was about to grab his pack of cigarettes when a pair of arms immobilized him from behind, forcing him to drop the gun. The blade of a knife was inches from severing his throat. “Ack!” He struggled to break free, but it was useless. “Didn’t anyone tell you that smoking is bad for your health?” A female voice whispered. “Arg, who are you?” “I’m a medical doctor with a bad attitude. If you don’t tell me what I need to know, I’ll be sure to prescribe a knife for your sore throat.” The woman replied through clenched teeth, pressing the combat knife closer to his throat. “Okay, okay, I’ll tell you what you want to know!” “How many hostages you have inside.” “Three hostages.” “And where are they?” “They are in the basement. Two guards are keeping watch on them. C-can I go now?” “Of course. Good night.” THWACK! The rocket grunt crumpled to the ground, unconscious. The woman who knocked him out wore an all black stealth suit and military boots. On her waist was a utility belt, carrying Pokéballs, smoke bombs, a high tech cloaking device, a stun pistol, a sheath for her knife, and an mp3 player, a personal favorite. On her back was a large, custom made rifle. A black mask covered her mouth, nose and hair while a pair of specially made goggles covered her eyes. She clicked on the ear piece communicator. “Sniper tango put to rest. Did you catch what he said?” “Yeah,we did. Rescue the hostages first and then go to the main control room and shut down the facility. That’s when we will send in the rest of the team to neutralize the enemy forces.” A mature female voice spoke. “Roger. I’m going in stealth mode.” The girl pressed a button on her cloaking device. Suddenly, her body started to fade from sight, turning virtually invisible. She pressed another button, this time on her mp3 player, playing a song perfect for the sneaking mission. “…Must you always play music during a mission?” The voice sighed from the communicator. “It sets the mood.” She reasoned. “It sets you up for disaster.” “Don’t worry yourself about that. The volume mutes itself whenever there’s a certain level of noise, or you guys call me, so there’s nothing to worry about. You know how I work.” “Fine, fine, just finish the mission.” “You got it.” The cloaked spy walked towards the edge and jumped off the building! Halfway down, she took out her rifle and shot a grappling hook at the wall. She swung and landed soundlessly on the ground. Stealthily, she made her way towards one of the windows. She set the heat sensor function of her visor and looked through the window. No one was home. The next sensor she activated was the EM (electromagnetic) sensor. There was a camera on the corner of the room. Good thing she was invisible, and having the window already open made it easy for her. Wait…it was too easy. Switching her visor to infrared sensor, she spotted why it was so easy. Infrared lasers streaked across the room. One false step and the enemy would be all over her. With one leap, she somersaulted into the dark room and made acrobatic flips towards the other side of the room, dodging all of the lasers. With only ten seconds before the cloaking device needs to recharge, she whipped out her rifle and aimed it at the camera. Click! The gun’s laser pointer turned green when it hit the camera. The camera’s lens was being infected and blinded. Just as she finished, her cloaked wore off. Deciding it was better to conserve energy, she switched off her cloaking device. She stepped in front of the door and inserted a small, camera like device under the door. When she looked through it, she saw no guards. Security was at a minimum. Opening the door, she went from shadow to shadow, making sure to avoid detection at all cost. When she reached a stairway leading to the basement, she was halfway down when a guard was approaching. Thinking quickly, she jumped up on the wall and suspended herself by pressing her legs on the walls. The guard didn’t notice her when he was going upstairs. Once he was directly under her, she dropped down and knocked him out. The less enemies the better. After hiding the body, the girl continued towards the basement. According to the map of the structure’s interior, the prison chambers were four cell blocks away. It should be easy with her cloaking device, which she activated. After checking for infrared lasers and other such traps, she sprinted through cell blocks 1 through 3. At the fourth one, she saw the two guards… With Ash, Misty and Brock, seeing they were stuck, might as well pass the time with friendly conversation. “So Brock, what have you been doing with yourself?” Misty asked. “Well, I’ve been taking care of my brothers and sisters while trying to work on my breeding skills. The only thing left is to set up a breeding center, but this city is too small and I don’t have enough people or money. What about you guys?” “I came on top in the Orre league!” Ash boasted. “Good job Ash!” Brock then held his chin in thought. “You know, isn’t that the first league you got first place in ever since the orange islands? And even then, it was just against one guy.” “Well…a victory is still a victory!” “Yeah, that’s just another way to say newbie!” Misty quipped jokingly. “Well at least I won a few leagues, unlike a certain, lazy redhead!” Ash countered. “And all of this is coming from a wannabe trainer who got his tail whipped at the whirl cup competition by the “lazy redhead”.” “You guys never change.” Brock chuckled. Suddenly, they were interrupted by the sound of two bodies dropping. It came from the guards who were guarding their cell. The gang stood alert, silently watching the front of their cells, which started opening. Ash looked around, but found no one. “Who’s there?” Ash asked. Everyone was started when a woman appeared in front of them from out of nowhere! Ash, Misty and Brock were flabbergasted. How did she do that? “Ash? Is that you?” The woman asked, surprised. “Yeah, I’m Ash. But how do you know me?” Before Ash could say anymore, Brock immediately came up to the woman. “Why hello dark, lovely and mysterious! My name is Brock, and if you are not busy after we get out of here, how about we have dinner, just the two of—OW, my ear!” He seethed, being tugged by Misty. “Save it for when we’re out of here!” She chastised. The spy was about to say something when her receiver came to life. “What’s your situation?” “Hostages rescued, and you wouldn’t believe who it is! It’s Ash, Misty and Brock!” “What!? You’ve got to be kidding me!? It’s really those kids?” “Yeah. Permission to have them come along for the duration of the mission? They could prove to be helpful.” “Well, I suppose the more the merrier. If they won’t get in your way, then feel free.” “Thanks.” The spy turned to face the curious threesome. “Alright, here’s the plan. First, we’re going to grab your Pokémon and equipment, and then we are going to the main control room to shut down the base’s defenses. You three will follow closely to me and do whatever I say, got it?” The three teens nodded. “Good, now Ash, use this.” She handed him her stun pistol, equipped with a silencer. Ash eyed the gun with a horrified expression. “A gun? I don’t want to kill anyone!” “I figured you wouldn’t want to, that’s why this gun is a special stun gun. It has a good amount of ammo and packs a punch. I only got one, so the rest of you will have to improvise. All right, enough talk. Let’s go.” “Wait a minute.” Ash called, “How do you know us? Who are you?” Ash couldn’t tell, but the woman smiled. “I can’t tell you that. Let’s just say that I’m one of your fans. Now let’s hurry, there’s no time to waste!” With that, the spy, Ash, Misty and Brock headed towards the higher levels. The building had five floors. Each floor had from 8 to 10 rooms. First, the gang had to grab their equipment from the third floor, and then they move onto the fifth floor, leading to the main control room. They were currently on the basement, so they had a lot of ground to cover. -Basement – B1- The spy led the group as she stealthily crossed the cell blocks and hallways. It was dark, confined, and perfect for the stealthy spy. Misty punched Brock several times for gawking at the woman’s skin tight suit. After telling them to keep quiet, the mysterious girl pressed herself on the wall and scaled until she got to the corner. She hinted Ash to come next to her and look around the corner. When Ash peeked, he saw a rocket taking watch by the door, but he was facing away from them, holding a rifle. “Perfect. Okay Ash; this is going to be practice.” She pointed to the guard. “I am going to show you how to probably restrain your opponent. Afterwards, with the next opportunity, I’ll let you do the same, okay?” When Ash nodded, the girl searched around for any cameras or hidden traps. After confirming, she crouched as she stepped lightly yet swiftly towards her prey. Ash watched her cat-like steps, making sure to pay extra attention. This could save his life one day. First, she grabbed and twisted the man’s arm that was on the trigger of the gun, and just as quickly with the other arm she took out her combat knife and held it to the guy’s neck. Ash and the others were amazed. It happened so quickly they almost couldn’t catch her moves. The girl carefully guided the restrained grunt towards the group. “Arg, who…who the heck are you?” The rocket grunted. “I am a substitute teacher for these three teens.” She answered smoothly, “If you don’t tell me what I want to know, I’ll give my class hands-on-training on human anatomy.” “Alright, alright, please don’t kill me! I got—” “Yeah, yeah, wife and kids, I don’t care about that crap; just tell me what I want to know!” She hissed sharply, tugging him while twisting his arm even more. “Ow, ow, okay! On the second floor, there is a place where you can shut down the infrared sensors and security cameras. There are two guards inside the room. If you are looking for their equipment, it’s on the third floor, but it’s locked with a retina scanner. That’s all I know.” “Why thank you. Class dismissed!” The minute she released him, she slammed the butt of the knife on the back of his neck, knocking him out cold. “Wow…” Misty stared at the woman in amazement. “That was so cool! Even the lines were awesome!” “It takes practice.” The girl gave Misty the thumbs up, “Alright, let’s continue upward.” Thankfully, there were no more enemies or traps when they made their way up. -First Floor – 1F- The woman opened the door to the first floor. There were two guards in a large, square hallway. In the middle was a large pillar, creating a circle-like path. “Okay Ash, I’ll let you take this one. Do what I did before, but with the gun. Memorize the enemy patterns, and then hold one of them up while stunning the other with your gun. Got it?” “Yeah, I’ll be careful.” Ash spun his cap backward so it wouldn’t obstruct his vision. The patrol pattern of the guards was simple enough. They walked around the circle in a counter clockwise fashion. They were across from each other, so the guards couldn’t see each other. Ash pressed himself on the wall while scaling the sides. He stopped when he was close to the corner, waiting for a guard to pass by. This was exciting! All of sneaking around, hiding in the shadows and waiting to strike, it was like a Pokémon battle. Just then, the guard stopped at his corner and started turning away. This was his chance! Mimicking the girl’s early moves, he crouched down and swiftly stepped towards the rocket. When he was close enough, he grabbed and twisted the man’s arm while placing the gun under his chin. He pressed the stun gun close to the man’s neck to keep him silent. Just like the girl did, Ash slowly stepped back towards the group with his captive. Now all he needed to do was to wait for the other guard. “Good job Ash…” The girl whispered. Brock raised an eyebrow. The girl’s voice seemed very familiar, but he still didn’t know who she was. Come to think of it, she didn’t even tell them her name. Something caught Brock’s eye, causing him to grin widely. The girl was bending over slightly, and there was a piece of dust on her backside… ‘Almost…come on…’ Ash had the gun ready to take down the second guy who just arrived at Ash’s corner. He closed one eye, laid the crosshairs on his target, took aim and then— “EEK! YOU PERVERT!” SLAP! Ash glanced back at the group and saw Brock on the ground with a dazed look in his eyes, along with a red hand mark on his cheek. Of all the times… “HEY!” The guard shouted, pointing at Ash. “You’re that prisoner!” “Crap!” Ash shot two stun shots at the guard, but missed horribly. The spy had to act quickly. The guard was going to call for reinforcements! In one motion, she spun from behind Ash and lunged at the man with her rifle. CRACK! She slammed him on the face with the butt of her weapon. In a quick spin, she twirled and shot a shock bullet at Ash’s hostage. The man twitched violently before dropping to the ground. A small, communicator dropped from his hands. “Whew, that was close!” The spy sighed. Brock soon recovered, still grinning. “Hey, it looks like you got some more dirt on you…hehehe…” He froze on the spot when the girl aimed at Brock. “I was just kidding!” “Let’s just continue…and Brock, you’re in the back behind Misty and Ash.” After hiding the bodies, they continued towards the next floor. -Second floor – 2F- As they made it to the second floor, the spy stopped dead in her tracks. She set her goggles to the proper settings and frowned. It was just as she thought. “You guys stay here and keep watch. This floor is littered with infrared sensors, not to mention a few cameras. I am going to go to the camera room to disable the sensors and cameras. When I give you the word, come to my position.” The girl stepped up to the starting point and took a deep breath. First, she used her rifle to disable the camera. It was then she expertly traversed over the invisible beams with graceful, acrobatic flips. The gang watched with astonishment as the gifted woman moved like water, smooth and fluent. Just as the girl got past the third door, the door opened. The girl didn’t have time to take out her gun and stun him. Reacting on instinct, Ash took out his stun pistol and shot the man in the chest, stunning him. To finish him off, the spy kicked the door closed, knocking out the rocket. “Great going Ash…” The woman whispered. After an extra minute, she finally reached the door where the camera room was. As a safety precaution, she snuck a small camera under the crack of the door. There were two guards, and each of them was looking at the screen in front of them. Perfect. She ran inside and performed a double split kick to their faces, knocking them out. After hacking into the computer, she shut down all of the camera systems and infrared sensors. She came out the door and ushered the others to follow her upstairs. -Third Floor – 3F- Ash was anxious to see his Pikachu again. There was no telling what they would do to him. The girl glanced behind her to see Ash with a serious expression on his face. “Don’t worry Ash; I’m sure your Pikachu is fine.” She reassured. Ash couldn’t guess how it was that she knew him so well, but decided to push his doubts aside until he found Pikachu. Halfway down the corridor, they came across a room that was electronically locked. Next to the locked door was a retina scanner. The spy could try and hack into it, but it was risky since she could trigger an alarm. She needed a “key”. After a quick look around the corridor, she checked one of the rooms with her camera and found a guard sitting on a chair. A plan in mind, she told the gang to wait next to the door. When they did so she knocked on the door and stepped away. The door opened and the rocket saw Ash. “What the? Weren’t you in—ACK!” “Gotcha!” The spy said victoriously, capturing him. She led him to the retina scanner and forced him to open to lock by threatening a knife to the back of his head. After a few moments, the red light above the door turned green, unlocking the door Just like her other victims, she knocked him unconscious. “Alright, go ahead and grab your gear. The Pokémon should be in the next room ahead. I’ll keep guard here.” The room had a few lockers and containers, carrying different kinds of materials and equipment. Across the room was a door that led to a chamber holding several captured Pokémon. While Misty and Brock gathered their own equipment and Pokéballs, Ash went to find Pikachu. It took a few minutes of searching, but he found Pikachu confined in a cage. “Pikachu!” Ash cried, kneeling in front of the cage. “Don’t worry buddy, I’ll get you out!” His fingers searched the cage until his hand handed on a switch. Once he opened the cage, Pikachu leapt joyfully into his arms. Ash gratefully returned the embrace. “Pikapi!” Pikachu cried. “I missed you buddy!” Ash placed Pikachu on his shoulder as he stood up. “Alright, I think it’s time for a little payback!” “Pikachu!” Pikachu agreed, his cheeks crackling with energy. The two left the chamber and met back with Misty, Brock and the spy. Pikachu took a quick whiff and lunged towards the spy. “Pika!” “Pikachu! Are you doing alright?” The spy asked cheerily. “Pika pikachu!” Watching this, Ash had had it. “Hey, wait a minute! First, you know all of our names, and then you knew I had a Pikachu, and now my Pikachu actually knows you!? Who are you!?” he demanded, surprising everyone. “Is that any way to thank someone who got you out of jail!?” The woman snapped. “Don’t dodge the question! Yes, I am thankful that you got me out of jail, no complaints here, but you seem to know everything about me, and the only thing hiding your identity is that stupid mask and goggles! How can I know whether to trust you or not? You could be some spy from team Aqua or Magma for all I know!” Even with the mask and goggles on, everyone knew the girl was perturbed. “For one, you have no choice but to trust me! Who’s the one that got you out of jail and your Pikachu back, hm? And another thing, how dare you insult me by relating me to Aqua and Magma! All you need to know is that I saved you, and I’m going to help you get out of here!” Suddenly, the alarm started going off! Everyone turned to see the rocket the spy knocked out earlier gained consciousness long enough to set off the alarm! The voice in the spy’s communicator came to life. It was a different female voice this time. “What’s going on in there!? I’m picking up a lot of baddies heading your way!” The spy held her chin thoughtfully. “Yeah, I know. I just need to think of a way to buy time…but how?” That was when she thought of a brilliant idea, but she would have to buy some time before it could work. She turned to Ash and the gang. “You guys, I have a plan, but I need your help…” Outside the door, over a dozen rockets armed with stun clubs waited at the door. When one of the rockets was about to open the door, it suddenly opened, followed with a foot to the face. The rocket stumbled back and growled as the woman slowly stepped out from the door. She looked left, right, and then closed the door behind her. Now things were getting interesting… “You guys made good time. I’ve been dying for a brawl.” She grabbed a pair of gloves and slipped them on. The men were about to charge when she flashed her palm at them. “WAIT!” She called. The rockets stopped and stared curiously as she adjusted her headphones and pressed another button on her mp3 player, playing a song fit for melee battling. “Okay, now go.” “GRAAH!” All of the grunts lunged at her, stun sticks ready to strike. The spy slammed her elbow at the one behind her, following with a back spin kick smashing the second grunt’s face, and then a thrust punch to the face, knocking out the third. The fourth grunt was about to strike her with the stun weapon when she spun in a dodge and followed up with an uppercut to the jaw. The fifth rocket swiped furiously at her, but with her agility he might as well had been fighting air. Swiftly, she grabbed the stun weapon, slapped him several times in the face with it and then tossed it at his head, knocking him down. “Is that all you guys got!?” She taunted, smashing a grunt’s chest with her palm. One of the rockets struck her face with the stun club, knocking off her goggles and revealing her sapphire eyes. She glared menacingly at the man. “Oh, you are so going down for that!” She ducked under him and performed a powerful kick to his chin, sending him high into the air. In a quick move, she grabbed his foot and sent him flying into one of the approaching enemies. As the fight progressed, more and more rockets started arriving. If this kept up, she was going to have to use her rifle. There would be casualties, which she was trying hard to avoid. Knock…knock…knock… ‘About time!’ The spy grabbed a grunt’s shoulder and flipped over him, heading towards the door. She quickly went inside and closed it behind her. Curious, one of the grunts opened the door. What he met was many pairs of menacing eyes, Pokémon eyes. Calmly, he closed the door and turned to his comrades. He took a deep breath, and… “RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!” Just as he shouted, the door burst open, Pokémon of all kinds swarmed the entire facility! Within the stampede, Ash and the rest ran towards the next floor. -Fourth Floor – 4F- Just as the gang was about to make a corner leading to the main hallway, the Spy stopped and peeked the corner. Pokémon and rockets armed with stun guns littered the hallway. If she had stepped any further, they were toast. With the Pokémon there, she couldn’t use her cloaking device. Curse their enhanced sense of smell! “You guys turn away and cover your ears!” The spy unclipped a small, capsule like device from her utility belt, bent it and tossed it at the large group. She turned away and covered her ears. BANG! The resounding flash and bang from the capsule blinded and deafened the Pokémon and enemies. Now was the time to act! “Go, Blaziken!” The spy called, tossing her Pokéball. A tall, red and yellow humanoid chicken emerged from the Pokéball, ready to strike. “Hurry and use extreme speed!” As her Pokémon began taking down the Pokémon at breakneck speed, the spy used her rifle to stun as many rockets as she could. Within moments, all of the Pokémon and rockets were subdued. When Ash, Misty and Brock uncovered their ears and peered over the decimation caused by the spy and Blaziken, they were astonished with their power and teamwork. Ash was even more curious after noticing the Blaziken and the spy’s blue eyes. It was familiar. After clearing the hallway, they made it to the next floor. -Fifth Floor – 5F- Thanks to the chaos the Pokémon in the lower floors caused, most of the rockets were too busy trying to keep them from destroying the base. The blue eyed spy and the rest of the group made it to the main control room. The place was very large, taking up most, if not all, of the floor. There were many panels and computers in the room. No one was there. The spy quickly went over to the main controls and was about to shut down the base when something caught her eye, a shadow. “Crap!” She quickly jumped back, avoiding the crushing force of a red, tall cybernetic suit. On one of its arms was a powerful energy cannon, and the other had sharp grip claws. The back had twin Vulcan guns and on his side was a powerful, wide sword and a laser handgun. The armor was over 12 feet tall. Next to mechanical soldier were two Pokémon, a Nidoking and Kangaskhan, both equipped with strong overlapping armor and steel knuckle guards. The man in the cyber suit laughed haughtily at his opponents. “Well, well, if it isn’t the brats. I’m honestly impressed that you got this far, but this is the end of the line.” “That voice….Shiranui!” The spy recalled, grabbing her rifle. Shiranui glanced at the spy in surprise. “Ah, you must be with the infamous Team Shadow I’ve been hearing about all over the place. You and that other team have been more than just a thorn in our side. Not even Ash and his friends have caused us more grief.” “Team Shadow?” Ash echoed. “I doubt you’ve heard of them since they are so secret, but I can guarantee that you aren’t going to be friends with them for long, especially after I destroy you all with my latest creation, the Amerigo! Pokémon, attack them now!” Both the Kangaskhan and Nidoking charged after Ash’s group furiously. Ash was about to take them on with Misty stopped him. “You and the woman go ahead and stop Shiranui. Brock and I will handle the Pokémon.” Ash nodded. “Okay, but be careful.” With that in mind, Ash went with the spy to stop Shiranui while Misty and Brock diverted the Pokémon’s attention. Shiranui cocked his energy cannon and aimed at Ash. A rush of powerful energy flowed past Ash as he barrel rolled to the side. The blast from the energy cannon went through the steel floor! One hit and Ash was done for! Ash shot his pistol at Shiranui while Pikachu used thunder attacks, but it was useless. “Is that all you got? Prepare to die Ketchum!” Shiranui charged the energy cannon again and aimed it at Ash. Suddenly, his aim began to distort. He looked on the head of his weapon and noticed the spy on top, coming out of the cloak. The spy placed a small explosive on the weapon and jumped off. Noticing what she was doing, Shiranui tossed the explosive-ridden cannon away. BOOM! Shiranui was shaken from the blast, but soon shook it off and aimed his twin Vulcan cannons at the spy. The spy and Ash quickly hid behind some cover before Shiranui let loose a hail of bullets. The Team Shadow agent opened her weapon and changed the ammo. She had to be careful with this ammo. With only five shots to spare, she couldn’t risk making a mistake. “Ash, listen up because I’m only going to tell you once. I need you and Pikachu to direct its attention to you while I go behind it and blast it. Do not be reckless, just buy me some time.” Ash nodded and peeked on the side. Shiranui stopped firing, but kept his aim at them. “You ready Pikachu?” Ash asked. “Pika!” Pikachu answered. “Alright, on 3…3!” Both Ash and Pikachu bolted out of the hiding spot, instantly being shot upon by the Gatling cannons. “Pikachu, use agility!” He called. In an instant, Pikachu zipped around speedily. “You fools! You think such cheap antics will stop me!?” The Team Rocket scientist used his grip claws to swipe at Pikachu. The attack was just as quick as Pikachu’s move, resulting in an accurate slash. Pikachu flew across the room, scarred by the strong attack. “Pikachu!” Ash cried. He was about to run towards Pikachu when Shiranui started running towards Ash, blade in hand. The floor cracked under the weight of Shiranui’s mech. “I’ll slice you limb for limb!” The blade was raised to slice Ash in half. Just as Shiranui was about to cut him, the agent jumped in front and shot a shotgun burst in the face. The attack forced Shiranui to stumble back slightly, canceling his strike. “You think a mere shotgun is going to affect me? This suit is made from only the toughest materials in the world!” He scoffed. The agent smirked smugly. “Who said it was a shotgun blast?” “Hm?” That was when Shiranui noticed strange objects implanted on his suit. It blinked red…oh…crap… BOOM! Shiranui fell down from the multiple explosive at point-blank range. The suit was more than tough enough to survive, but the force knocked him down, making him temporarily immobile. Quickly, Ash ran towards the fallen mech and jumped on it. Click-click! Ash quickly jumped away before the mech could stand up to swipe at him. The agent stared at Ash inquisitively. “What was that about?” “I noticed it awhile ago. His suit has five locks on it. He may be nearly invincible outside, but if we could take off the front protection…” “Then he will lose a lot of defense! Great thinking Ash!” The agent praised. She had only four shots of the explosive shotgun remaining, and with four locks to go, each one had to be precise. Luckily for them, Shiranui didn’t seem to notice their plan. The scientist started slashing at them with his sword. The blade was so sharp that it cut cleaning through solid steel. Ash had to jump back constantly just to prevent being sliced in half. “Pikachu, use skull bash!” Ash called. Pikachu took a few steps back and then lunged at Shiranui with swift speed. The attack struck the mech’s arm, temporarily throwing it off balance. Now was the chance! The shadow agent shot another round of explosive bullets at the mech. The explosion once again knocked down Shiranui for a few moments. Just like Ash did, the spy unlocked another lock. Click-click! She rolled forward and got out of harms way at the nick of time. Seeing they were going to need help, she called forth her Blaziken again. “Blaziken, use blaze kick!” Blaziken jumped high in the air and tried to land a kick, but Shiranui was quick to act. Grabbing its leg, he swung it like a rag doll and smacked Ash and the agent with Blaziken then slammed the Pokémon hard on the ground. “Nice try!” Shiranui scoffed smugly. Blaziken was badly injured, but could still fight. “Blaziken, use sky uppercut!” The agent called out. Immediately, Blaziken broke free of Shiranui’s grasp and performed a powerful uppercut. The attack gave the agent a small window of opportunity to shoot another volley at the mech. The mech fell over on its back again, allowing the agent to break another lock. Click-click! Before she could get off, Shiranui grabbed her with his sharp claws. “Oh…now I get your plan! You’re trying to break off my protective shell in order to get to me. Time for you to pay!” The claw was charged with high voltage, shocking the agent. “AAAH!” The woman couldn’t break free, and she was slowly losing strength. Ash noticed her gun dropping on the floor. He quickly grabbed the weapon and slid under the mech. When Ash pulled the trigger, the force was so great it jerked his arm back forcefully. The bullets lodged themselves into the armor and exploded on contact. Since the girl was still being held by Shiranui, she also received some injures. The girl flew from Shiranui’s hands and almost slammed into the wall, but Blaziken caught her in time. When Shiranui fell, Ash got on top and broke another lock before leaping off. Click-click! “Why you little brats…” Shiranui was officially perturbed. They were nothing but trouble for him. Though his armor was strong, the repetitive attacks and explosions made the armor weaker. One more blast like that and his armor would be in critical condition. He could no longer take them lightly. “Prepare to die!” He took out his laser gun and aimed it at Ash. “Oh no you don’t!” Ash shot the last volley at the mech. “Not this time!” The bullets were repelled by Shiranui’s claw. Everyone took cover as the exploding bullets sprayed all over the area and exploded. The Shadow agent paled. That was her last shot! She ran to the spot where Ash hid. “Ash, that was my last shot! How are we going to knock him down?” She peeked over the edge of the obstacle to see the mech approaching them with daunting steps. “I wish I could use Snorlax, but he would be mowed down by that stupid gun on his back. If only there was a way to divert his attention or get rid of that gun, Snorlax could knock him down. Hmm…” He looked towards Blaziken and Pikachu who were nearby. After putting two and two together, he thought of a risky, but great idea. “Hey, are you still able to turn invisible?” “Yeah, but why? Got a plan?” The spy asked. Ash went over the plan with her… “The time for delay has ended! Die!” “Not today Shiranui!” Ash immediately shot from the hiding position and shot his pistol at him. Harmless as it was, it only directed Shiranui’s attention. The Vulcan cannons blazed at Ash in flurries. Ash winced as a few bullets grazed his body, but he had to keep running! Shiranui glanced left and right. He was no fool. Ash was obviously trying to cause a distraction while someone else tried to attack him from another direction, but from where…? “Gotcha!” Shiranui exclaimed, catching Blaziken and Pikachu running along side each other, going the opposite direction Ash was. His cannons were about to tear them to shreds when several bullets hailed his targeting screen. “WHAT!?” Shiranui looked to see the girl with the rifle shooting at him. How could he have missed that? He swiped at her with his blade, but merely grazed her stomach as she jumped away. The Vulcan cannons didn’t work in close range, so Shiranui had to resort to close range tactics. He continued to slash at her, but could not get a mortal strike. His blade was about to strike her down when she used her rifle to block the blade. Even for the girl, the mech’s strength was far too overwhelming. “Blaziken, NOW!” She yelled. Shiranui only had enough time to glance as the fire/fighting Pokémon picked up the electric mouse and tossed him towards the cyber suit. Pikachu quickly latched himself on the mech’s head and scampered towards the twin Vulcan cannons. “Pikachu, use a full powered zap cannon!” Ash commanded. Pikachu used every ounce of energy he had and released the most devastating electric attack, wrecking the twin cannons and causing them to explode. The blast sent Pikachu flying, but Blaziken’s swift speed enabled it to save Pikachu. “Curse you, curse you all!” Shiranui turned to charge after Blaziken, but never had the chance. “Snorlax, use mega punch!” Ash called, summoning a giant, overweight Pokémon. SLAM! The crushing force of the powered punch sent Shiranui crashing down onto the steeled earth. “HIYA!” Ash, who held onto Snorlax’s back, jumped over and landed on Shiranui. Click-click! Steam suddenly protruded from the suit and the front barrier released, revealing Shiranui himself! SMASH! Shiranui’s iron fist slammed into Ash’s body, sending him tumbling like a pebble tossed over a lake. The powered down suit stood up. The damage received from the powerful punch combined with the past explosions started to take effect and wore down the mech. “Ugh…never did I think that you all could be that much of a nuisance. I feel it is time to show my true strength!” Shiranui, whose main body was clearly visible and unprotected, pressed a few switched and pulled on a red lever. Instantly, some of the heavier parts and armor dropped off. The more visible parts of the armor lit bright blue. This was the true power of the Amerigo, overboost mode! While the mech had less defense than earlier, its speed made him a deadly opponent. “Laser pods, assemble!” Several, small spheres emerged from the armor and floated around the entire area. “Attack!” The small laser pods began firing weak, but painful rapid fire lasers towards Ash and the group. Though Shiranui no longer had a long range weapon, his laser pods were enough to cover for that. The spy recalled her weakened Blaziken and hid behind some cover along with Ash and Pikachu. “Not this time!” Shiranui growled, clutching his sword tightly. Slice! Ash and the group quickly scattered from the hiding spot before the blade sliced it cleanly in half. The laser pods struck the group several times, burning them. No matter what hiding spot they tried to hide in, Shiranui’s blade would slice through it, and with his speed and laser pods, the battle had gone from difficult to near impossible. As the battle dragged on, Ash and the spy were getting weaker and slower. Luckily, Ash managed to land a few shots from his Pistol, so Shiranui was in bad shape as well, but his mech was still too powerful. “I had enough of this! You’re mine, Ketchum!” Shiranui roared, blitzing after Ash. There was no way the spy could stop Shiranui in time. Shiranui raised his blade and— RAM! “GWAH!” The mech was slammed by a head on collision from a long, stone snake Pokémon. The laser pods were about to mow down the Pokémon when several blue ice beams shot at each one, freezing them and making them useless. “Ugh…where did that come from?” It was then Shiranui noticed saw that his two Pokémon were defeated, their armor cracked. Misty and Brock had defeated the Pokémon and now joined the fight. Ash smiled gratefully at them. “Talk about dramatic timing, but thanks.” Ash thanked. “The fight’s not over yet, so save the thanks for later.” Brock said, pointing at the mech that was recovering from Onix’s head butt attack. “It is not over yet!” Shiranui declared, going on the offensive. He smashed his clawed fist into Onix’s face hard. The Onix was injured, but the attack didn’t do too much damage. “Onix, use slam!” Brock called out. Onix roared loudly as it swung its long tail at Shiranui. Shiranui caught the snake’s tail and slammed it repeatedly on the ground. “Pika-CHU!” Pikachu lunged at Shiranui head on and shocked him with a thunder shock. “GRAH!” Shiranui grabbed Pikachu and started squeezing him. “Die you little rodent, DIE!” “No, Pikachu!” Ash cried out, running towards Shiranui. Shiranui tried to slash Ash with the sword, but Ash dodged it and shot at him several times. Shiranui dropped Pikachu from the pain inflicted by Ash’s handgun. Ash grabbed Pikachu and jumped away from Shiranui’s clutches. “Snorlax, grab Onix and slam it into Shiranui! “Onix, use iron defense!” Brock commanded. Onix hardened its stone skin immense while Snorlax grabbed its tail and swung it like a bat. SMASH! SHATTER!! Shiranui was stuck with a direct hit, causing the Amerigo to shatter to pieces. He fell to the ground, unconscious and defeated. Ash’s group won the battle! “Alright, time to get to work.” The spy walked over to the main controls for the base. She pressed a few keys and commands. Soon, all the power of the base was gone, leaving it defenseless and dark. “Alright, the place is shut down. Commence clean up.” The spy spoke into her communicator. “Good job. We’ll make sure the Pokémon are taken care of while we mop up the remaining enemy units.” The girl sighed with relief as she turned to face Ash, Misty and Brock. “Good job today. This wouldn’t have been possible if you guys hadn’t helped out. Thanks to you, Pewter city is now freed from Team Rocket’s grasp. Now we can go home and rest.” “I don’t think so…” Everyone gasped as they saw Shiranui stand up wobbly, pointing a gun at Ash. “I won’t let any of you get out of here alive!” He pulled out a switch from his coat and pressed the button. All of the alarms blared red, signaling the self-destruction sequence. “Man…that is just SO cliché!” Brock quipped. “If anything, I’ll personally see to your death first, Ash Ketchum!” BANG! BANG! “Ah! No…” Ash’s eyes widened with shock. The spy leapt in front of him, receiving the shot instead of Ash. Shiranui soon passed out again, glad that he at least took someone out. Ash knelt next to the girl and peered over her wounds worriedly. The bullets struck her leg and shoulder. She was bleeding badly too. “A…Ash…p-please go, leave me and save yourself…” The fallen girl pleaded. Her voice and consciousness began to fade from weakness. “After you saved my life!? Fat chance! I’m gonna get you out of here!” Ash took her arms and slung it around his neck as he gave her a piggy back ride. “Brock, we need to get out of here, and fast!” “I’m already on it. Onix, break through that wall!” Brock called. Onix slammed into the wall Brock pointed to, ripping through it with ease. Everyone recalled their Pokémon and rode the Onix out of the installation. Just as they made it out safely, the building started to crumble to dust. -Pewter city gym – Brock’s room- Ash laid the mysterious girl on Brock’s bed. She was unconscious and bleeding. Something needed to be done. “Brock, can you get me some towels? And Misty, if you could find some bandages that would be great.” “Okay.” Both Brock and Misty left to gather the supplies. “Okay, now let’s see…hm?” Ash noticed her stirring slightly. “Ash…” The girl whispered in her sleep. Ash frowned. There it was again! Just who was this girl and how did she know him? He couldn’t take it anymore; he had to find out. Ash took off the goggles and pulled down the mask. Once he saw her face and brown hair, it hit him like a lightning bolt. Misty and Brock stepped inside the room and almost dropped the supplies in shock. It suddenly made sense. No wonder the girl knew him so well. The Team Shadow spy who saved them…was May. “This…can’t be real…” Ash said breathlessly. The other two were speechless. May, the 14 year old girl who was as sweet as can be, was a spy from a secret organization. Ash decided for the better to continue working on her wounds and confront her when she wakes up. One answer led to a million more questions. ----- I hope you liked this exceedingly long chapter. If you noticed, I’ve put music into this chapter, but didn’t say what the song was. That’s because I feel that everyone has a preferred style of music to suit a situation, so instead, I will put songs that I recommend for the part. This doesn’t mean definitely, but just means for that particular scene I chose the music that I felt fit. This is the following in scene order: First scene – sneaking spy (Ruthless – Splinter cell, Chaos theory – main theme) Second scene – Spy vs. Rockets (Fighting – Final Fantasy VII) Please leave a review and let me know if this music system works for you.