Chapter 6

"Well, it was great to have met and battle against you Ash" said Tyson and he and Ash shook hands. It 
was now morning and Ash, May, Max, Brock and Misty were saying farewell to Morrison and Tyson before 
setting off on the long trek home. 

"Right back at ya Tyson. Well Morrison," he turned to his male, orange haired friend, "I hope you do 
well in the Johto League. There are some great pokemon there."

"Thanks Ash, maybe we'll battle again one day and then you'll see how difficult I am to beat when I put 
everything into the match!" responded Morrison, shaking Ash's hand before he and Tyson walked away.

"Come on guys, lets get on that boat!" yelled Ash, brimming with energy again at the prospect of getting 
to his hometown. They boarded the ferry that was to take them back to Slateport City where they would 
then be able to walk to Petalburg City where May and Max would leave the old trio.

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"Mum? Dad? DAD!" screamed Max and he and May burst through the door to their home to find both their 
parents in the kitchen.

"Oh, hello my darlings! It's wonderful to have you home again!" said Caroline, their mother, "Oh, hello 
Ash, Brock" she smiled as her children's older friends walked through the door, followed by a red haired 
girl she didn't know, clutching an Azurill. "Congratulations in the Ever Grande Festival Ash!"

"Thank you, this is Misty by the way." He smiled back and by the way the girl glanced at Ash, and he at 
her every so often, in an almost unconscious movement, she could tell they had feelings for each other.

"Yeah, Misty's the gym leader of the Cerulean Gym in Kanto!" said Max, removing himself from hugging his 
father and swapping with May to hug his mother. "She joined us before Ash's last battle."

"Well, it seems you too have a knack for meeting people of a high pokemon status" replied Norman, pleased
with his children's choice in friends. "Would you like to stay here for the night? It is getting late 
and you must still have a long way to travel."

"Thank you very much sir, it would be nice not to have to camp out again!" said Misty.

"Oh, call me Norman, please"

"And me Caroline."

"Hey Dad, where are the pokemon?" asked Max, just as eager, if not more so to see his Dad's pokemon as 
he was to see his parents. 

"They're in the greenhouse out back, why don't you go and introduce your pokemon to them May." commented 
Norman.

"Sure thing Dad, come on guys!" and with that they followed May through the house, leaving their bags at 
the door. "Skitty, Beautiful, Bulbasaur, Combuskin and Munchlax, come on out!" she threw all her 
pokeballs in the air to release her team. Wriggling out of Misty's grasp, Azurill joined the pokemon on 
the grass introducing itself. 

"Don't worry about Azurill, Misty. It'll be fine with my dad's pokemon." said Max, seeing the look of 
concern for the baby pokemon on her face. 

"Dinner time!" Caroline called for all the hungry youths to come and eat, leaving the pokemon behind to 
rest and relax in their new surroundings with new friends. 

"This is just great! You're an excellent cook, Caroline." said Misty as they tucked into their meal. "I 
can't see why either or you would want to leave home!" she directed this comment to Max and May.

"Yeah, we were reluctant to leave to, but I couldn't wait to go and find out about as many pokemon as 
possible!" said Max through a mouthful of food.

Norman looked at Max before saying, "Don't talk wi-"

BOOOM!

An explosion from the back of the house caused the room to shake with intensity of the force. "What was 
that?" said Caroline.

"I dunno, sounded like from the back of the house...PIKACHU!" Ash sprinted out of the room, realising it 
must have been one of Team Rocket's ideas to steal his and his friend's pokemon.

"Azurill!" Misty screamed, following Ash while the others leapt from their places, hot on their heels.

"Ahahahahaha!" cackled a red haired woman, perched on yet another mecha in the shape of a Wooper. Out of 
the two antennae on each side of the mecha's face, nets containing Beautifly, Bulbasaur, Skitty, 
Munchlax, Combuskin, Pikachu and Azurill as well as Norman's three pokemon Slakoth, Vigoroth and 
Skalking who had emerged once the children had previously left. Munchlax, Skitty, Vigoroth, Combuskin 
and Bulbasaur were in the left net while Pikachu, Azurill, Slaking, Slakoth and Beautifly occupied the 
right net. Pikachu was attempting to calm a hysterical Azurill. "Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double!" said a young man with violet hair, perched behind the woman.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!" 

"James!"

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth! That's right!"

"Wobbuffet!"

"Argh, get back in your ball you stupid blue blob!" screeched Jessie before removing her pokemon from 
the scene. 

"Give us back our pokemon!" yelled May.

"Or what? We’ve got all your pokemon!" teased Meowth before they all jumped into the mecha and could be 
seen through the grinning mouth of the wooper mecha.

"Are these the awful people who've been following you through Hoenn?" asked Caroline.

"Yeah, but don't worry, they're seriously pathetic." said Max, obviously looking bored.

"You might have Pikachu, but there's one pokemon you won't be able to get, go, CHARIZARD!" challenged 
Ash, spinning the pokeball to release his pokemon who appeared with a roar.

"Ch...ch...charizard?!?!?" all three Team Rocket members looked scared at the appearance of "an old 
friend" before Meowth stated, 

"Don't worry guys, we've got our water guns, that'll show them!" he pushed a big blue button and water 
shot out from a cavity just below the mouth of the mecha, shooting water directly at Charizard, forcing 
him into the air, scaring Azurill further. 

"How DARE you scare my Azurill!" screamed Misty, furious as seeing her baby so terrified "Go, Gyarados!" 
The huge water, flying type rose into the air, its face level with Team Rocket. "Pikachu, keep Azurill 
safe!"

"Pika pika!" affirmed Pikachu, use to looking after young baby pokemon and proceeded to catch Azurill's
attention.

"Charizard, flamethrower those nets at let the pokemon free!" commanded Ash, teaming up with Misty as 
she had Gyarados do the same on the other net.

"Ahahahahahahaha!" cackled Team Rocket, "Those nets are completely fire, water and electricity proof! 
You're never going to break through those!"

"Yeah, for once we decided to cover many aspects so you wouldn't have a hope! Ha-ha!" commented Meowth.

"Well, let's try this, Forretress Rapid Spin!"

"Forrrrret!" Brock's pokemon went spinning through the air, colliding with the nets and freeing the 
trapped pokemon. Ash darted forward and caught Azurill and Pikachu before they hit the ground before 
asking for a Dragon Breath from Charizard to match Gyarados's Hyper Beam. The huge Wooper mecha couldn't 
take the power of the attacks and exploded into thousands of fragments and launching Team Rocket into 
the air.

"Waaaaaa Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" DING! 

"Great work Charizard!" Ash praised his pokemon before returning him back to his ball. "Here you go 
Misty" he smiled at her, holding out Azurill who had calmed greatly since being caught in the nets but 
still required reassurance from her mother.

"Thanks Ash." she melted at his smile before giving her Azurill a big hug while is chirruped happily.

"Well kids, seems that we really didn't have to worry about you two with Ash and Brock around, and now 
of course Misty." said Caroline, impressed by the skills of pokemon battling she had just witnessed. 

"Yeah, that and Team Rocket are really pathetic!" said May, checking over her pokemon.

"Hey! We heard that!" Jessie's head came from where Team Rocket had Dinged, before disappearing again.

"O...k...that was weird..." said Ash and they all looked at each other before going back inside to 
finish their meal. 


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"Bye Ash, bye Brock, bye Misty, it was great meeting you again!" waved May while she stood on her 
doorstep with her mother, father and brother as Ash, Brock and Misty were walking off. The sun had 
recently risen and was throwing its golden light across the valley to light the way. Trees rustled in 
a light breeze while the cloudless sky promised nothing but good weather. Together, the old trio walked 
away from their friend's home on their way back to Kanto.

"Bye guys see you again some day!" said Ash over his shoulder as the family disappeared from view over a 
hill.

"Well guys, it's just us again!" said Brock.

"Yeah, now which way is it to Littleroot Town? You two know this place better than me!" asked Misty.

"Errr, Brock, have you got a map?" Ash turned to the older, usually more responsible member of the trio.

"Me? I thought you had the map...guess we haven't really used nor needed one with Max and his Pokenav!" 
shrugged Brock.

With a sigh Misty pulled out her Pokenav. "You two are useless!"

"What! You had a pokenav and still asked us if we had a map?!?" yelled Ash.

"Yeah, cos I think a map is easier to use than this stupid thing!" retorted Misty, her blood starting to 
rise.

"What! Max was 8 when he started with the Pokenav, we never got lost with that thing! It tells you where 
you are!" 

"Are you saying that I'm less competent at reading one of these things," she brandished the pokenav, 
"than an 8 year old!"

"Well yeah!"

"Why you!" Misty pulled out her trusty mallet and proceeded to beat Ash on the head, who tried to run 
off down the road.

"Ahhh" said Brock to Pikachu and Azurill who had leapt off their respective trainers a few minutes 
earlier. "It's so good to have us all together again!" before they started off after the two arguing 
trainers.


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