Endless Night by Mana Lugia Disclaimer: Through this Disclaimer, I shall discuss the issue that describes the characters in this fanfic are for Nintendo to claim. If you are in disbelief, don't. Nintendo shall be able to set you straight. In other words, Nintendo owns all characters in this fic. [[part1]] "Dammit!" Ash cursed under his breath. He looked down at his battered Pikachu, lying in his arms panting heavily. "Hang in there..." He mumbled. He kept on running down the dark corridor, with Misty and Brock behind him. Behind them, they could hear the sound of running feet, and faint voices, shouting "This way!" and "Intruders!". Ash saw the intersection up ahead, and light was coming from the left turn. Impulse told him to turn right, and with a burst of adrenaline, he ducked under the beam of light, and turned right. They kept running onwards, ignoring their fears that haunt them as they ran through the dark corridors. The building was darker than normal. Maybe the lack of windows this high up has something to do with it. They kept running, until Ash stopped. In front of them was a large glass window, but no exits. They were trapped. "Darnit!" He cursed again, as he turned to his friends. Misty and Brock were also worried, as Brock furrowed his eyebrow, while Misty hugged Togepi tight. Ash's heart felt a little sad, to think that all this started a day ago... ---------- "Hey Ash! We're here!" Misty called out to Ash, who was trailing the group. Ash had that really tired look, from days of travelling out on the road. Pikachu sat on his shoulders. "Aw man! I don't think I'd ever get used to long term travelling outdoors." Ash declared, as the trio... "PIKA!" ...Errr, I meant the quartet stood at the entrance of Saffron City, one of the most flourished cities in the land. It was night time, and lights lit all around the city streets. However, something doesn't look right... Brock frowned. "That's weird. Normally there'd be many people bustling around, even at night! Let's just go and find the Pokémon Center." He suggested. They walked around the bare city. The wide streets, the tall offices, the large malls, all deserted, as if someone teleported them out of the city. Not even a car was travelling. There was an eerie silence to the city, not to mention the many unlit buildings. The only thing lit were the street lights. The quartet arrived at the Pokemon Center, which should have been bustling with activity. However, the large building is strangely silent, the inside faintly lit. Ash the others walked up to the front door, expecting it to open. However, it stayed shut. Ash, impatient, knocked loudly, and the passing gust of wind carrying it far and wide, the sound bouncing from every wall in the city. There were footstep sounds, and a click was heard. The door opened, and before the quartet knew what was happening, a slim arm pulled them inwards. "Who-" was all Ash could muster before another hand clamped over his mouth. "SHHH!" A female voice said fiercely. Ash nodded, and the hand removed itself. There stood Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy, both with their uniforms half torn, the skirt ripped. Joy had bags under her eyes, and wearily said, "Great... more victims." Ash narrowed his eyes. "Victims?" He asked suspiciously. Jenny motioned them to sit down at the table, and they complied. She sat down opposite of them. "Welcome to Saffron City." She motioned her hand around her. "This is the Pokemon Center, or what it used to be. The Center was definately not what it used to be. The counter was wrecked, the computer has been smashed, its spark long gone. The various accomadations had been crushed by what seems to be a heavy pokemon. The rejuvination machine was gone, and a dark mist hung in the air. Nurse Joy spoke up. "Saffron used to be a tourist attraction, but a few months ago, a mysterious organization who called themselves "Team Rocket" attacked, destroying the Police Station and everyone in it." "Lucky for me, I was out on call at the time. By the time I got back, the Police Station was gone, and in the place was a pile of rubble." Officer Jenny finished. "What happened to the rest of the people?" Ash asked. "We didn't see a soul on the way here." Jenny sighed. "Most people ran for their lives. In this world nowadays, who would be willing to die for guarding their city? The few who stayed behind, including me, Joy, and some others, tried to fight them. But they were too powerful. The others were taken captive by the Rockets, while Joy and I barely escaped. We now hide in the Pokemon center..." She started sobbing. Brock, who was now not in one of his "girl drooling" phases, spoke up. "What about the gym leader? Sabrina?" Joy sighed too. "Sabrina was one of the few who fought with us. Her psychic signal to the outside world was blocked, and she was taken captive." "Well, where would the Rockets be holding her?" Ash asked. "Well, they've taken over the Silph Co. building as their Headquarters, so I assume she is there... but why would you want to know?" Ash's face was solemn. "Because I'm going to go rescue her." ======== Misty was worried. When Ash made that remark, she feared. For him. She've been trying to deny this, but she was afraid for Ash's life. "Ash... Think this through first! You're powerless against the massive corporation of Rockets!" She begged him. Ash shook his head. "No, Misty. Remember the time when I was still collecting the Indigo league badges? Remember the cheerfulness of the city? The happy people on the streets? The cars honking as they pass by, the happy couples in the park? Well, this city will never go back to the way it was if we don't do something about it. My mind is made up. There's no way you can get me to back off on my promise." Misty bit her lower lip in thought. "Ash... I'm coming with you," She declared. Ash was startled by her declaration. "Misty..." He said in a soft voice. "Ash, there's no way you can win against the Rockets. At least let Brock and I come with you," Misty said. Ash thought for a little while, and finally nodded. Under the cover of the darkness of the night, three shadowy figures sneaked out of the Pokemon Center towards the Silph Co. building. ========== Silph Co. is at the center of the city. It's the only building in the entire city that was still lit. It towered above the other buildings around it, its light acting as a beacon of impending doom. The trio had arrived at the main entrance, and found it guarded by only 1 Rocket member. His dark uniform blended in with the dark, but the bright red "R" on the front gave him away. He held a flashlight, and walked back and forth in front of the door. The trio quickly jumped behind a large bush before getting spotted. Ash chucked a pebble onto the ground on the other side. A small tap was heard, and the guard went off to investigate. Meanwhile, Pikachu crept up to the guard, and gave it a little shock to paralyze him. The trio made their way past the entrance, and entered the elevator. The small elevator steadily climbed, while the group discussed the next move. "Well, as long as no one spots us, we'll be ok. Didn't Officer Jenny say our best bet is to try to top floor?" Ash said. Brock looked around the elevator. "Ash, the top floor is inaccessible from this elevator! We've got to get as high as we can and then find an alternate elevator up!" Ash and Misty agreed, and they waited anxiously till the elevator reached the top. They got off, and took a look around. There was an elevator beside the one they were in that goes to the top floor. They got in, but found that they needed a key card to access it. Meanwhile, they heard the footsteps of patrolling guards. "Shoot! Let's go before they find us!" Ash exclaimed. Misty shook her head. "Too late." The guards had already rounded the turn, and are standing right in front of them. "So, you are the intruders that paralyzed R-201 downstairs!" The first guard snarled. "Go, Raticate! Tear these villians apart!" He threw a pokeball. A flash of light appeared, and materialized into an oversized rat. Its giant front teeth twitched menancingly at the trio. Ash looked at Pikachu. Pikachu, catching the signal, jumped down from Ash's shoulder, and faced Raticate. "Pi-Ka-CHUUUUU!" A flash of electricity shook the room. The Raticate didn't have a chance to dodge, and lied on the ground, dazed. The Rocket member looked shocked. "INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!" Alarms blared, as more footsteps could be heard down the hall. The trio turned, and ran into the other corridor, with Pikachu leading. It shocked all the members that appeared in front of them, as they looked for the nearest way to exit. Suddenly, a piece of rock appeared from nowhere, and hit Pikachu head on. Pikachu collapsed with a squeak, and Ash quickly picked him up. Sounds like the big guns had arrived. They kept running, but without the aid of Pikachu, and not wanting to arouse more comotion, they played hide-and-seek in the dark corridors, until... ---------- Tens of Rocket guards has by now assembled in front of the Trio. Each was ready to shoot them down with their handguns, and the other side was a large glass window. No way out... Ash looked at the enormous crowd in front, and whispered to Pikachu, "Flash attack, Pikachu, ignite the room for a minute, please..." Pikachu could only give a small "Cha", before jumping down from Ash's arms. It staggered, but it quickly powered up, and let loose a blinding light. Shouts of "AHH!", and "I can't see!" filled the room. Meanwhile, Ash took out a pokeball, and let it loose. Charizard quickly appeared in front of the trio. "Charizard! Break the window, and hover outside!" Ash hissed. Charizard obeyed, and with a massive slash, the glass shattered, and Charizard quickly flew outside and hovered there. Ash turned to Brock and Misty. "Get on." Ash commanded. Brock obeyed, but Misty didn't move. "Get on!" Ash said again. "But Ash, what about you?" Misty asked, worried. "Don't worry. I'll get on after you do." Ash reassured her. Misty slowly got onto the hovering Charizard, half-believingly. The moment when she got on, Ash yelled to Charizard, "Charizard! Quick! Fly away!" Before Misty could get back off, Charizard flapped its wings, and took off to the sky. Misty watched desperately as they got farther from the window. Meanwhile, Ash stopped Pikachu, and said, "Let's have our final stand... THUNDER!" Thunder and lightning ignited the entire floor of Silph Co. [[End Part 1]] === So, What did you think? Send all comments to manalugia@yahoo.ca If you want to flame this, flame away. I support constructive criticism, and since Golem puts out all the flames, you'd just be wasting your PP trying to flame me :) Mana Lugia