Desert Hurts
By Puffin/Puffinstuf/Hector Gilbert

Chapter Four
"Embracing the Fallen"

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

The pain from Gary's attacks got to Rob's head once he felt better, annoying him persistently. While heading for the door, he cleared his throat and spat out some blood in Gary's general direction in the hopes that it would make him feel better.

But Rob, Will continued, there's no need to thank me. You have enough problems of your own now.

It wasn't usually Will's style to say things like that. Something was wrong. But then Rob remembered what may have been bugging Will. That Mantine Gary gave Butch...

"Oh, shit!" Rob yelled, bolting out the door.

***

One of Rob's grunts stepped outside the sector containing her quarters, closing the door behind her. Usually Rob wasn't outside his own quarters in the compound, but now was an exception as he scurried around almost in a panic towards her.

"Do you need any help, sir?" she asked.

Rob seemed to stiffen up before her upon hearing the word "help". "Yes," he rasped. "We need to go after our guest."

"So I suppose that Butch left a little too early?" she inquired, in somewhat too informal a fashion for his expectations.

"I suppose you could say that," Rob muttered. "He's heading for Rocket City with a Mantine. We'll need to follow them both, but not necessarily kill them."

"I'll go get reinforcements," she said hurriedly while leaving to tell the others.

Rob breathed deeply in and out, trying to think pleasant thoughts. He now felt that he should never have trusted Gary Oak. Gary was too independent for him. He felt as if he had to rethink his chain of command. But on that, another regret reached him.

Damn, Rob thought, I should have got her to clean out Gary's mess.

***

...It was just like the Team Rocket days of old.

The last time that Butch had a Mantine, it was during the days when he was a serious option for leading Team Rocket after Giovanni. In the end though, Butch was very much "on the side" as Fortress was the one who had pretty much led the whole operation.

There were also suspicions that the "loudmouth" Cassidy - who defiantly stood by Butch's side the whole time - would really be the one in charge if Butch was brought in as leader. Butch didn't like to admit it, but it was probably true.

Looking like a leader threw a lot of criticism in Butch's direction. Stuff that was true, stuff that wasn't. Fortress seemed oblivious to what he got; Butch wasn't, and it was clear to others that he was taking what was said personally. All he had on his side in the end was his new Pokémon. Mantine made Butch feel like the leader he wanted to be when he didn't know the consequences.

Then Butch got yet another accusation thrown at him - that he killed someone in Team Rocket, under the influence of Cassidy. It was wrong; Butch even overheard the culprit before he made his getaway. Nobody was convinced, and out went his Mantine and his future in Team Rocket.

Butch feared that he would be too hard on his Mantine though; perhaps his expectations were too high. But when Butch released it into the soft sand in the dunes well away from Rob's Tohjo Falls base, he immediately noticed how strong it looked.

From the start Butch felt odd about the emphasis Gary put on the fact that it was now his and not to be considered with minimal use. Perhaps there was something about this Mantine that was different. Something that would make Gary want to get rid of it as soon as possible.

Butch shrugged it off quickly. Nobody got past Rob's orders and lived, at least not to the most of Butch's knowledge.

The Mantine cut itself into the sand using its left fin as it began to "slip" across the surface, picking up speed. Butch had heard of this technique, but it wasn't entirely natural; clearly Gary had taught Mantine a thing or two.

The Mantine seemed to tense up as Butch ran up to it and hurriedly hopped on. Most Mantines didn't like riders, but this one kept going to Butch's satisfaction, as its movement through the sand and eventually virtually levitating over the surface grew quicker with each passing second.

It was just like the Team Rocket days of old...

***

In the dark inner areas of Team Rocket's Pokémon reprogramming center, a largely unguarded pokéball began to glow a bright blue color. A kinetic force began to reverberate from it, causing the others on the shelf to gradually roll away.

The pokéball then began to rock back and forth, as if it was trying to support a just-caught Pokémon again. Inside, though, was a Pokémon that wasn't meant for a pokéball. It wasn't in one for a very long time, so it took a long time to capture.

Fortress described Pikachu as "feral" once he finally managed to snatch it from Ash Ketchum - answering to a trainer yet with the behavioral characteristics of a wild Pokémon. Feral Pokémon were impossible to reprogram.

So for over a year, Pikachu stayed in the numbing darkness thinking about how it was regarded as different. Like a patient at a mental asylum that couldn't be cured.

Today wasn't the same old routine, though. Pikachu had waited so long for this day to come. Whether it was a psychic Pokémon's message or blind intuition, Pikachu thought - but not so much as it knew - that its trainer was nearby, in a pokéball-like prison of his own no doubt.

Pikachu's discharge steadily increased in power as it kept testing the strength of the ball. If only to get to Ash. Or perhaps also to spite Fortress as Pikachu was told that there was no escape.

To Pikachu, it was fate. To Pikachu, fate finally broke that pokéball apart, deforming the surrounding area with shrapnel.

***

Rob walked at the proud front of his pack towards the City, twelve lesser men and women following him. Whenever he did this, he tested his co-ordination by tossing the pokéball containing his one Pokémon between his two hands as he walked. He kept on for hours on end, not dropping it once.

It was made a fair bit harder this time, as he found himself talking to Will at the same time. His merry men and women eyed him curiously, watching him continue to maintain control of the pokéball.

Well, this is certainly fun. What's your next plan?

My plan is an obvious one, Rob answered, in the meantime just hang in there.

Stop acting as if I can't handle him. The whole point is that Butch is going to be out of control. The Mantine is only a bonus.

You see, Rob shot back, these are the words of someone who doesn't know Butch.

You know what, Rob?

He stopped. Everyone behind him stopped, looking at the ground where he had dropped his pokéball.

What?

I know more than you think I do.

***

A young man lay beside the door out of his cell unable to move, just like he was after recognizing Misty on her way to her own fate. By these standards, it was a most eventful day.

And as the door to the cell suddenly blew off with several electric bolts and a single loud "bang", things were about to get a lot more complicated for Ash Ketchum.

"Pikachu!"

***

Butch kept on his water/flying-type "kite" Pokémon as he advanced towards the building that he knew of all too well. By this time the ground was not sand or rock but a ground form of gravel, but Mantine had picked up so much speed that it managed to glide a surprising distance before with a tilt of its nose it began to make a landing.

It started at the edge of the courtyard, and ended almost at the wall of the building such was the gradual nature of the descent. Butch didn't mind that though, for he knew that the alternative involved him being chucked off by the inertia and meeting that same wall as a result.

So many memories. So little time to revisit. Butch withdrew Mantine back into the confines of his pokéball, and with a sense of raw determination began to approach his objective.

Butch thought about what Fortress would say to his actions. Probably something along the lines that he was technically killing himself.

Butch grinned. Maybe I am, he thought. Maybe I am.

From the corner of his eye, Butch noticed a Pokémon disappear into the entrance of the building. It was a Wobbuffet, retreating as fast as it could from the Butch it knew.

Butch's grin faded. He knew whose Wobbuffet that was.

***

Rocket Grunt Ted sat at his desk, sipping coffee. If he knew what was going to happen next, the chances were that he would have forgotten completely about the drink that he savored now.

Rocket Grunt Syl burst out the door in front of him, retching out blood. She smelt like she had been jabbed with a cattle prod several times. Another such jab was about to come, with a long blue bolt knocking her away to Ted's surprise from behind.

That one caused her to leap forward like Ted never thought she could, before finally breaking into a tumble. The inertia carried her gracefully along to the firm wall on the opposite end, leading to a loud impact of bone against concrete.

The final impact incidentally broke Syl's neck, killing her instantly. As she lay smoking and lifeless, a young trainer and his Pikachu followed her in.

The young man before him glowed with electrical power seething through his veins. The power the Pikachu obviously gave was stimulating him, preventing him from remaining docile like he was supposed to as a prisoner of Team Rocket.

Ted lay back in his chair, grinding his teeth together. Somehow he felt as if he didn't have much longer.

Ash Ketchum laughed coyly at the petrified guard facing him. "Shocking!"