Chapter 10!

Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks

Red and Ash are not the same person, again.

Chapter 10

 

            “Clair, what are you doing here?”

            “Charlotte.” Clair nodded politely. “Nice to see you again.”

            “You as well… is something wrong?” The elite trainer asked, as she dismounted from her Charizard in front of the Petalburg pokemon center and recalled her pokemon. “I thought you would be at your gym.”

            Clair grimaced. “Blackthorn’s gone.”

            “WHAT?! Why?”

            “My grandfather,” Clair spat, “Sold us out to Team Rocket for a pocket of gold.”

            “That bastard!” Charlotte yelled. “Don’t worry, you can crash at my house for a few days…”

            “Thanks…”

 

            Ash looked surprised. “Charlotte?”

            “Oh! Hi, Ash.”

            “You know him?” Clair asked.

            Charlotte nodded. “I’m his half-sister, but I have my own family. His mother donated five eggs during her college years to pay for her tuition.”

            “Ah… makes sense.”

            “I never knew her, of course, but whatever. We chat sometimes.” She turned to Ash. “You can stay with me as well.”

            “Arigato aneki!”

            “No problem, although I hope you don’t mind teleporting to Cosmos.”

            Clair shrugged. “It’s still safe… right?”

            “Yes. Team Rocket only controls Kanto and Johto, although they are heading for the Orange Islands. But the Aquamarine, Emerald, Ruby islands, and the Cosmos and Houen landmasses are still safe.”

            “That’s good.”

            “I know.” She sighed. “Shall we go?” She flicked her wrist, releasing a pure-white Eterneon, the light evolution of Eevee.

            Ash gaped, but followed Clair as they vanished…

 

Back in Kanto/Johto…

            Fire… burning brightly…

            He closed his eyes in pain. Ow…

            What to do now?

            All the cities were burning… he could see rockets with water pokemon, the few that had them, trying to put the blazes out, but it didn’t make him feel any better.

            He was scared.

            He hid behind Lance as the Dragonite breathed out another Fire Blast towards a group of rockets.

            Lance glanced at him, as if to say ‘this is what you wanted’. True, he had wanted to save the pokemon, but was causing more destruction the only way?

            It seemed so…

 

            Red closed his eyes and clung to his brother for security.

            ‘Hyper Beam!”

            An anguished scream came from several of the rockets that found themselves on the receiving end that particular attack.

            Lance grinned ferally. “Cowards.”

           

            Team Rocket was falling now, oh, no doubt about that…. They could not rule forever, could not hide forever, corruption had eaten a festering hole in the system, and now, it was time to exploit it.

            “Rhydon, Horn Drill!”

            Lance’s dragon barely dodged the attack.

            “Ah, so Giovanni himself has come to intervene.” Lance sketched a bow. “I am honored by your presence.”

            “Cut the crap, so-called Dragon Master.” Giovanni growled. “I will now demonstrate the power of the Viridian Forest to you, and you will see why Team Rocket shall reign!”

            Baka….

            Doesn’t’ he know I have the power too?

 

            In response, the earth beneath the his feet began trembling, shaking, boulders hurling themselves out of everything… Lance smiled as he took to the air on Dragonair, Red clinging onto him tightly. “Red. Get out of here, fast. Things are going to get nasty.”

            “I can’t just run and leave you here!” Red said, obviously angry.

            “I know that. Just don’t interfere in Giovanni’s battle with me. You can take down any other Grunts.”

            “I… I understand, aniki.” Lance was stronger than he was, and more experienced with pokemon, so….

 

            Red released his own pokemon to protect him as he jumped off. Lance turned to Giovanni.

            “You may have the advantage on the ground, Giovanni, but in the air?”

            “I’ll just have to knock you back to earth then! Nidoking! Thunder!”

            Dragonair easily avoided the lightning, before torrential rain began to fall, severely damaging several of Giovanni’s ground type pokemon.

            Hah.

 

            “Raticate, Hyper Fang!’

            “Venomoth, Stun Spore!” The spores froze the rat solid. “Now! Giga Drain to heal!” Venomoth proudly latched onto the rat and sucked out its life for all it was worth.

            Raticate dropped down in pain.

            “Grr! Golbat, Bite!”

            “Heh, not so fast! Psybeam!”

 

            Yes, Red was doing quite well it seemed…

 

            “Fissure!”

            “If we’re in the air, it doesn’t work!” Lance snapped back. “Hyper Beam!”

            Hyper Beam slammed into Giovanni’s Nidoqueen, but as soon as she hit the ground, her HP bar went back up to full.

            “Hehehe, the earth itself heals my pokemon!”

            “Then I’ll have to bring them into the air!” Lance cried, thrusting his arms outwards with a gesture, as chunks of earth were ripped apart from the sheer force. As Dugtrio went flying into the air, a block of ice froze it solid… thus; it was not touching the ground and could not be healed.

            Giovanni growled, shards of rock breaking free and shooting at the trainer and his dragons. With a howl, Dragonite vanished into nothingness.

            “What-?”

           

            Lance’s eyes blazed with triumph as he laughed. “Destruction Wave!” From the sky, his other four dragons descended, as Giovanni stared in disbelief. If that was an illusion earlier, then-!
            “You-!”

            “Yes, you fool, I have the Viridian Power as well!” Lance finished, the dragons scattering as he could feel Team Rocket collapse. “And… I win.”

            “Not so fast! Beedrill!”

            The bee shot out of its poke ball, straight at Lance. Red tensed, and reacted immediately. After all, he didn’t’ want anything to happen to-!
            “Thunder!”

            Magneton fried the bug, drawing Giovanni’s attention to Red. A snarl and in an instant, Onix had Red trapped in its coils.

            Lance froze.

            “Now then, shall we reconsider?” Giovanni asked pleasantly. “One wrong move from you, and he dies.”

            “A-aniki…” Red choked out. “Don’t…”

 

End Chapter

Completed 4/11/05

Cliffhanger… again! ^_^