Blade of Destiny
Chapter 5: Ashura, the Thunder Guardian



	"Well, Doctor, what do we do now?" Roxanne asked, flicking her hair back. The 
wiry scientist took his glasses off and cleaned them before putting them back on. 
	"I suggest we start searching for these people, even though it's gonna be like 
finding a needle in a haystack," he replied.
	"Yeah, if that haystack weighed six tons," she grumbled. "Have the Directors 
heard this yet? I was very surprised that they weren't here at the debriefing." Roxanne 
rose from her seat and started towards the door, the doctor following close behind. 
	"Steadman is coming to meet us in the laboratory, along with Jessie and James. 
The whole facility has been on edge ever since we received word that you had acquired 
the sword. No doubt you noticed when you arrived here." Both of them strolled through 
the halls of the facility, as the doctor explained everything.
	"How has the genetic testing been going? Have you actually been able to keep a 
subject alive for more than a week, or are you still working out the kinks?"
	The doctor smiled widely as he led her down another hallway. "Director 
Steadman actually volunteered for the project, and it was a complete success. His 
strength, reaction time, and fighting abilities have increased tenfold. With the data from 
him, we'll be able to formulate a serum that anyone of our agents can take. That, coupled 
with the powers of the Guardians, will make us unstoppable." He paused in front of a 
massive metal door with the words "Research Center" printed on it. 
	"After you, Agent Summers." Roxanne nodded and stepped through the doors 
into the massive laboratory. Computer screens littered the walls of the center, excited 
chatter from the numerous agents floated about in the air. Cylindrical glass tanks were 
placed throughout the lab, containing random pokemon inside. 
	Roxanne walked up to a tank containing a Machop. The pokemon was relatively 
small, but possessed massive muscles that would put any modern bodybuilder to shame. 
Its grayish-blue skin seemed dull as the creature floated in the chamber, curled up in a 
fetal position. 
	"That Machop will be experimented on very soon. We're going to try to reverse 
the process that we underwent with Director Steadman. Hopefully, it won't reject the 
serum. It's not a pretty picture if that happens, trust me. We've had some very messy 
cleanups."
	Roxanne gave the pokemon one last glance and turned to face the doctor. "It 
looks like the Directors are here, Doctor." She gave a nod and the Doctor turned to face 
the three in charge of the facility.
	One of them was a man, who was certainly attractive to Roxanne; his girlishly 
handsome features offset by his muscular body that was obviously well versed in the art 
of combat could be easily spotted in his loose fitting training outfit. His bluish-green hair 
swayed as he turned to his companions.
	Roxanne instantly recognized his partner, a beautiful but sinister looking redhead, 
her long hair tied back in a ponytail. A smile crossed her face as she crossed her arms and 
chuckled. "Well, Roxanne, who would have thought that you would actually be trusted 
with a mission as important as this? You should be off fetching someone coffee or 
something." 
	"Sorry Jessie, but some of us actually do work to rise through the ranks instead of 
whoring out to the high-ranking officials," Roxanne spat. Jessie growled as she walked 
closer to her. 
	"You'd better watch your mouth bitch, before I rip it off and cram it down your 
throat. No one talks to me like that and gets away with it," she warned.
	A gruff voice interrupted the two from advancing any further. "Both of you stop. 
We don't have time for this. Team Ultima is on the verge of becoming the dictators of 
this world, and dissension in our own ranks will only hinder our progress."
	A massive man stepped forward, his very steps seeming to sink into the concrete 
floor. His body was a gargantuan mass of muscles, arms thick as tree trunks; his chest 
seemed like it was stretched to its limit and was about to burst. Atop a rugged, battle 
hardened face sat cropped brown hair, the strands ending in black highlights. A long scar 
adorned his right cheek, obviously a souvenir from battles past.  He looked like he could 
take on a Machamp and defeat it without breaking a sweat.
	The Doctor walked up to the giant of a man and shook his hand. "Ah, Director 
Steadman! I trust that your training has been going well after the procedure?"
	Steadman grinned. "Doctor, you truly are a genius. After you figure out this 
situation with the Guardians, you will most likely rank second only to the Board. Now, 
show us the Legacy Weapons. We have all been anxiously awaiting any news."
	The Doctor nodded and led them throughout the lab. "The weapons are right this 
way. Once we find these people able to withhold the spirits within their bodies, we can 
train them to become the ultimate warriors, and easily take control. We've still been 
rushing to translate the remaining text on the tablets, but we will have all the information 
we need in the next week or so." 
	The Doctor rounded another batch of tanks, and stopped before a huge glass case. 
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the fabled Legacy Weapons," he announced, 
raising a hand to the glass case. 
	The shield sat, gleaming in the light, its crystal surface shimmering with an array 
of colors. It appeared to be a half frozen block of ice, the liquid inside containing the 
spirits of the elements. Unlike the sword, which sat next to it, it contained no precious 
metals, it was simply a huge disk of crystal, but that did not make it any less radiant from 
its counterpart. 
	The smaller man gasped as he stepped forward to take a closer look. "They're 
beautiful. I've never seen anything more amazing in my life."
	"Well, Director James, these weapons are more than amazing. Not only do they 
house the spirits of the Guardians, but they seem to be unbreakable. All of our tests have 
shown that the sword has been able to cut or pierce anything we can find, even diamonds. 
The shield is able to withstand anything also, a rocket at close range; we've even take a 
car and rammed it into the shield. The shield held while the car was crumpled like a piece 
of paper," the Doctor explained. 
	Suddenly, a barrage of alarms went off, the lab going ballistic. The Doctor's eyes 
widened. "What's going on?" Jessie asked. 
	"The sword is reacting!! We've found someone who can hold the spirits' 
power!!" the Doctor replied frantically as he rushed to a computer screen.
	James stared at the shield. "Look, some of the colors are glowing." He walked 
closer and placed his hand against the glass case. The shield began to vibrate viciously, 
the glass shattering from the stress. James jumped back, barely avoiding the shards of 
glass that were flung from the case.  The weapon hummed and a flash filled the entire 
room, blinding everyone. 
	"Status report!! What's going on here?!" The Doctor screamed as he fought to 
regain his vision. The white spots in his eyes slowly cleared, as he glanced at the 
Directors. All three of them, including Roxanne were lying unconscious on the ground. 
He quickly reached out and grabbed the nearest agent. "Call the Board. We've acquired 
four Guardians." 
	The agent nodded and dashed out of the room, heading for the nearest phone. The 
Doctor walked to the shield and stared at the now brightly shining colors of maroon, 
white, violet, and gray, entranced by the beauty of it all. He chuckled and pulled off his 
glasses. "Now we're making some progress."  

***



	The moonlight pierced the night sky, accompanied by the countless stars that 
adorned the night sky. Ash sat on the balcony, staring at the twinkling lights of the city of 
Saffron. He sighed and enjoyed the moment. He barely had time to himself anymore. The 
only sound was the soft breathing of Pikachu, who sat on the balcony with its master, 
obviously exhausted. 
        The events of the past day replayed themselves over and over, like a broken 
record in his mind, unrelenting and constant. Rummaging in his pocket, he pulled out a 
cigarette and lit it, letting the smoke flow into his lungs as he took a long puff from it. 
	"Don't mind sharing, do you? After all, I did just save your ass," a voice said 
from behind him. Ash turned and grinned at Ritchie as he tossed him the pack. "Knew I'd 
have to come bailing you out eventually, especially after that stunt you pulled at the 
museum."
	The click of the lighter interrupted the tranquility of the night, and Ritchie hopped 
on the balcony and stared at Ash, the cigarette hanging limply form the corner of his 
mouth. "Something's going on, isn't it?"
	Ash leaned against the wall and continued staring at the city. "You know who that 
woman was? The one I was fighting?"
	"Hell, I don't know, some Special Forces chick, I guess." He shrugged and took 
another puff of the cigarette and exhaled; the smoke drifting away in the light breeze.
	"Rich, it was Misty." Ritchie laughed, obviously not believing him. "I'm serious 
Ritchie!!" Ash exclaimed. "It was Misty, and Gary was there. They work for the League 
Special Forces now."
	Ritchie took one last puff and flicked the butt away. "Since when did they become 
Special Forces? Better yet, since when were they cops?" 
	"I have no idea. Now seeing them is just dredging up these old memories from the 
past."
	"That should be a good thing, man. I mean we all had good times then, especially 
during the Hoenn league competition." Ritchie chuckled. "You had just won the Hoenn 
cup, Misty had arrived from her travels with Gary, and our whole little gang was together 
again." 
	"You don't understand, Rich. Just seeing Misty just opened all these old wounds 
all over again. I'm with May now, and just when things start getting serious with her, 
Misty shows up. This just isn't my day," Ash said dejectedly. 
	"Ash, I know you still have feelings for Misty, but you have to put that behind 
you. All of it, Ash. For someone who says they hate talking about the past, you sure seem 
to dwell on it an awful lot." Ritchie hopped off of the balcony and placed a hand on his 
companion's shoulder. "Shit happens, man. We all know that. You just gotta roll with the 
punches. Come on inside. Take a shower and get some rest. Max has been sitting on that 
computer ever since we got back trying to figure out where this Roxanne lady's gone." 
	"Oh, tell him he doesn't need to worry about that. I got it all under control. You 
got all of the towels in the bathroom right?" Ritchie nodded and pointed up the stairs. 
"First door on your left. I'm gonna head on to bed, man. Here's praying to God I don't 
wake up Duplica. She gets pissed if you wake her up in the middle of the night, and I am 
not trying to have Ditto smother me to death in my sleep." 
	Ash grinned and waved a hand as he headed up the stairs to the bathroom. He 
showered, letting the hot water run over his body and through his hair, trying to wash 
away the memories of the day. The water felt like liquid heaven as it rolled over his sore 
and exhausted frame. To Ash, nothing felt better than to have a hot shower after a long 
day, and this day seemed to be the longest he'd had in awhile. 
	As Ash stepped out and dried off, he slipped on a muscle shirt and training pants 
and quietly slithered into the bed next to May; he had no idea what lay ahead of him. The 
moon had disappeared behind a cloud, and a flash of lightning lit the night sky, the 
thunder rumbling in the distance, giving off an ominous ambiance as Ash slowly drifted 
to sleep, the rain beginning to patter on the glass. 
	And at that exact same time, a soaking Pikachu chattered angrily to itself as it 
climbed through the window, intending to shock its owner for forgetting about him.


***


	Chief Azusa stared at his three best agents as they sat in front of his desk. He 
rubbed his temples and leaned back in his chair. "I'm going to ask you a question 
concerning yesterday's events," he said quietly. Suddenly he shot forward and slammed 
his fist onto his desk, causing the items on it to jump and clatter to the floor. "How in the 
hell did these four escape form a police station filled with our best agents?!!" 
	"Well, they did take us by surprise, and that Thunder Wave the Pikachu 
performed paralyzed half of our team, sir. With all due respect, we were immobilized in a 
matter of seconds," Gary said timidly. 
	"Oh?!" the Chief exclaimed. "And where was the other half?!!"
	Misty gulped and spoke quietly. "Well, we came to assist but were quickly taken 
down too, sir. These people are highly skilled, and it didn't help that they used C4 
explosives to blow away half of the police station."
	Chief Azusa glared at Jenkins, who sat there, not saying a word. "And where were 
you, Jenkins?"
	He sunk into his seat, pointing his gaze to the floor. "I...I was in the bathroom at 
the time, sir." Azusa glowered at all three of them. 
	"We are the Pokemon League Special Forces!! We are the best that all three of 
the regions have to offer!! We have single-handedly dismantled Team Rocket, Team 
Magma, Team Aqua, Team Jet, and Team Helicopter!!! And yet here we are, beaten by 
four people, who escaped from a police station that was stocked with our best agents!!" 
Chief took a deep breath, and grabbed a folder that was lying on his desk. "These are the 
surveillance images from inside of the station at the time of their escape. Run these 
pictures through the database, and find these people, understand?!!"
	Misty and her companions nodded slowly and the Chief tossed the folder to them. 
"If you guys screw this up, I'm busting your asses down to rookie!! I'm putting Agent 
Harrison on this case since you three can't seem to handle it on your own. Meet him in 
the crime lab. Now get out of my office." With that, he leaned down to grab his pencils 
off the floor. Gary rose and left the room, Misty and Jenkins close behind. 
	Chief tossed the pencils on his desk and clicked the speakerphone on. "Cindy, 
inform Agent Harrison that he's going to be put on the Museum case." He glanced over 
and saw his broken coffee mug lying on the floor in pieces. "And get me another cup of 
coffee." 
	
***


	"So Ash, what's the plan? How we gonna go get this sword back?" Max shifted 
his glasses and closed his laptop. "I mean, it's not like we can just walk outside and run 
into this lady."
	Ash grinned as he poured himself a glass of juice. "When me and Brock were at 
the construction site, I could tell things were going south real quick." 
	"So he stuck a tracking device to the sword before she ran off with it," Brock 
replied as he walked into the living room, scratching his head. May, Duplica, and the 
others were scattered about the room, Pikachu and Sparky chatting loudly in the corner. 
The two rodents chirped as they held a small deck of cards in their paws, and tossed them 
onto the floor. 
	"Exactly. All you have to do is follow the tracer and voila, there's the sword, and 
our backstabber. I sent Pidgeot out this morning with a camera attached to its leg and it 
came back with these pictures." Ash gulped down his drink and handed Duplica a 
handful of photos. 
	She rifled through them; they were all pictures of an abandoned looking 
warehouse. "Uh, Ash, I hate to rain on your parade, but there's nothing here except an old 
building. And where is this, anyway?"
	"It might look old, but trust me, that where the sword is. The tracer's fitted with 
an altitude marker too, and according to that; it's underground.  Pidgeot took those 
pictures outside of Goldenrod City. That's where we're going tonight." 
	"Perfect. So what's the plan?" May asked. Max cleared his throat and stood up.
	"Well since we've never been to this place before I suggest that we try and gather 
some info on it first before we go rushing in." 
	Ash shook his head. "No, we go in tonight. It can't be that big, and this lady only 
seemed to be working with a few more people. Ritchie, Brock and I have already 
hammered out the plan. May, Duplica, you guys are going in to create a distraction. 
While all of the people are busy chasing after you; me, Ritchie and Brock are going to 
slip in and yank the sword right from under them. It'll be quick, clean, and an easy job."
	Max folded his arms and stared at Ash. "So what's my job?"
	"You're staying here. We need someone to direct all of us, and we're no doubt 
gonna be preoccupied with other things."
	Max smirked and opened his laptop again. "I think it's an idiotic plan, but fine, 
you wanna go with this, ok."
	"Good. We leave tonight at nine, so everyone get some rest."

***


	A gentle breeze blew through the abandoned compound, causing the young Team 
Ultima recruit to shiver. Damn it, just my luck that I get stuck with perimeter duty. I hate 
it out here, and this damn cold isn't making things any better either, he thought to 
himself as he pulled a pokeball out and tossed it in front of him. The ball opened with a 
loud crack and a flash of light temporarily blinded him, the energy forming into a small 
red lizard, a small flame at the end of its tail, slightly brightening the surrounding area.
	"Charmander, bring your tail over here, I'm freezing." The small reptile waddled 
over to its owner and turned around, its flaming tail warming him. A small snap caused 
them to jerk their heads to the forest that lay in front of them. "Charmander, Ember those 
bushes right there!!" The Charmander opened its mouth let out a small stream of flame, 
blackening the grass and shrubbery. 
	Slowly, the recruit edged over to the now charred vegetation and pulled out a 
small pistol. Nothing was there except a small black mark on the earth. He let out a deep 
breath, and slid the pistol back into its holster. "Guess I'm just imaging things, huh 
Charmander?" The pokemon nodded and turned to go back to the compound. The recruit 
took one last look at the forest, and the last thing he saw was a small yellow blur rushing 
towards him.

***

	"This is Brock. All perimeter guards have been taken care of. I'm heading inside 
the building now with the others," he said as he dropped an unconscious guard to the 
ground. 
	"Alright. The others are already inside waiting for you. Good luck," Max replied 
through the earpiece. "Oh, and Brock can you do me a favor?"
	"What's that, Max?"
	"Please make sure Ash doesn't break anything this time," he pleaded. Brock 
chuckled and walked through the open door to the warehouse. 
	"No problem, man. Brock out." He moved to the others who were bunched 
around an old service elevator. "What's the deal?"
	Ash turned and disconnected a cable from a keypad near the door. "Dexter just 
got done hacking access code to this elevator. Somebody's been doing some 
redecorating." Ritchie rolled his eyes and entered the elevator with the others. 
	"No offense, Ash, but your one-liners suck."
	"Shut up." The car shuddered and began its descent downwards, the technology 
seeming to get newer the deeper they went. Its inhabitants nodded at each other, 
preparing for any resistance they met at the bottom. Now wasn't the time to joke, and any 
mistake on any of their parts could mean their lives. 
	They felt the elevator begin to slow, and finally come to a stop. The doors 
separated and all of their eyes opened wide as they realized they should have gone with 
Max's plan anyway. They were expecting a small hideout, no more than thirty or forty 
people. But what they were staring at suggested there was at least a force of one 
thousand. 
	A huge command center, filled with personnel and technology that would put the 
Cinnabar Research Center to shame packed the enormous room. The elevator had landed 
them on a small bridge high above the center, and anyone could spot them if they weren't 
fast enough to cross it. 
	"Oh boy. We are screwed," Ash commented as he stuck his head out of the 
elevator. 
	"Thanks for the morale booster, Ashy. I was just starting to think we had a 
chance," Duplica replied. 
	"We've gotta get to the other side of this bridge before anyone spots us," Ritchie 
whispered. 
	"No problem." Ash began sprinting across the metal bridge, leaving the others 
behind. Brock reached out to grab him, but he was already halfway across. Unfortunately, 
his steps were anything but quiet, and soon every person in the room was staring at him. 
	"So much for stealth!!" Brock exclaimed as he tore out of the elevator and tossed 
a grenade down into the mass of personnel below them. It fell onto the floor with a 
clatter, and rolled in front of a group of agents before exploding, sending their bodies 
hurling into the air like rag dolls. 
	The others soon followed, tossing random grenades below, sending the room into 
chaos. An agent scrambled across the floor and slammed his hand onto the panic alarm 
before being blown to pieces by another explosion. Lights flared all over the facility, 
alerting its inhabitants that intruders had infiltrated the compound. 
	"We gotta figure out where they're holding the sword!! Brock, go with Amy and 
Duplica and keep them busy!! Me and Ritchie are going to find the mainframe and hack 
into it with Dexter!!" Ash yelled over the now blaring alarms. Brock nodded and 
disappeared around a corner with the girls. 
	Ash and Ritchie took off in the other direction, in search of the mainframe.

***

	A random agent burst through Dr. Leto's door, and started to shout over the 
alarm. "Sir, we have intruders!!"
	The Doctor stared at him and replied, "Thank you for stating the blatantly 
obvious, Agent Palmers. Lock down the lab, and send the Elite Guards down to make 
sure no one gets in, understand?" The Agent nodded and ran out of the office to perform 
his duties. 
	The Doctor took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Would 
someone turn off that damn alarm?!"

***

Brock crouched behind an overturned table, ducking from the various ricocheting bullets. 
Quickly, he leaned up and fired off rounds from his twin Berettas, causing the other 
agents to duck for cover. The agents were hiding behind a makeshift barricade of desks, 
and he had become separated from the girls in the chaos. I'm gonna be here all day. Time 
to clear out this hallway, he thought to himself. He reached onto his belt and grabbed a 
pokeball and tossed it, revealing a massive Golem, a stone creature that almost filled the 
entire hallway.
	"Golem, Rollout attack now!! Clear this hallway out!!" The stone creature 
grunted and pulled its appendages into itself, leaving only a hard rock exterior. It began 
to roll, slowly at first but gradually, picking up speed; the incoming bullets bouncing off 
its stone hide harmlessly. It smashed into the makeshift barrier the Ultima agents put up, 
and sent bodies flying everywhere through the narrow hallway. 
	It unfolded and sent a fist into a nearby agents face, shattering his jaw. It raised its 
hand to strike again before it was slapped by a long vine across its back. It roared in pain 
and turned to attack and was met by another Vine Whip across its face. 
	"Golem, return!!" Brock yelled as he held up his pokeball and called it back. The 
ground quaked as a gigantic Venasaur came stomping around the corner; the walls of the 
narrow hallways crumbled as it shoved its way through.. It roared and sent another huge 
vine directly at Brock. He yelled and dove to the side, the vine narrowly missing him. It 
raised its floral appendage again and flicked it at its opponent, intent on smashing him 
through the wall. Brock closed his eyes and felt the wind rushing towards him, preparing 
himself for the pain that was soon to follow. 
	Suddenly, the Venasuar bellowed in pain, and as Brock opened his eyes he saw a 
tall red figure holding the vine, the whip now aflame. A feminine voice from behind him 
cried out, "Blaziken, finish it off with Blaze Kick now!!" The Blaziken dropped the now 
useless whip and leapt into the air; its right leg glowed white hot before bursting into 
flame. It descended rapidly and sent a crushing roundhouse kick to the Venasaur's face. It 
screeched in pain once more and sent another Vine Whip into Blaziken's face, sending it 
crashing into a wall. 
	"Ditto, Fire Spin!!" another voice yelled. A stream of flame smashed into the 
large green pokemon from behind, and whirled around it like a whirlpool before 
dissipating, leaving a blackened pokemon in its wake. From around the corner, Duplica 
came tearing around the corner riding a majestic Rapidash, its fiery mane snapping and 
crackling like a campfire as it galloped around the smoking creature. 
	May appeared from behind him, and called back Blaziken into its pokeball. "You 
gonna stare at me and Duplica all day, or are you gonna hop on?" she asked as she leapt 
onto the horse. Brock slowly got up and climbed onto Rapidash, grinning. 
       "Well, ladies, let's cause some mayhem."
       
       ***
       
       	Ritchie tossed another grenade into the room and slammed the door shut. 
A loud explosion rocked the room and rattled the door violently, threatening to come off 
of its hinges. When he opened the door, all that was left were the bodies of random 
agents everywhere, lying across the room. "Ash, you got any idea where this mainframe 
is?!" 
       Ash fired more shots from his Desert Eagles at the agents behind them. "It's in 
that first room we were in. I saw a huge computer in the middle of what looked like a 
command center. I'll bet anything that's what we're looking for." He ran into the room 
with Ritchie and slammed the door, pushing a desk in front of it. "That should hold 'em 
for a little while. It should be through that door over there," he said as he pointed to a 
door across the room.
       Ritchie ran over to the door and found it locked. Grabbing a pokeball from his 
belt, he called out a Hitmonchan, and ordered it to smash the door pieces. The creature 
complied and hurled its gloved fist through the door, demolishing it. He peered through 
the door as he called back Hitmochan and realized they were in the huge computer filled 
room. "Well, Ash, looks like you were right. Come on!!" he yelled as he headed through.
       Ash followed behind, and crouched behind a huge computer that sat in the center 
of the room. Swiftly, he pulled a cable out from the computer that was embedded in his 
combat outfit's sleeve and attached it to the mainframe. Bullets bounced near his head, 
causing him to dodge to the side of the computer. "Ritchie, give me some cover!!!"
       Ritchie complied and fired at the agents who stood overhead on the bridge. The 
bullets from his twin Glocks pierced the shooter's bodies and they fell from the bridge 
above, their bodies landing on the ground with a sickening thud.
       "Come on, come on!!" Ash exclaimed as he watched the small bar fill, indicating 
that the download was taking place. The words "Download Complete" filled the screen as 
Ash ripped the cord from the mainframe. "Rich, I got it, come on!!" 
       He rose to follow Ritchie, but spotted an Ultima agent who appeared on the 
bridge above them, carrying a rocket launcher. "Shit!! Ritchie, get down!!" Ash yelled as 
he yanked his Desert Eagle from its holster and fired, hitting the agent in his chest. He 
dropped, but pulled the trigger and sent a rocket that collided with the ceiling and caused 
debris to fall between the two, separating them. 
       "Ash, can you climb over?!" Ritchie screamed from the other side of the debris. 
       "No!! Rich, find the others!! I'm gonna go find the sword!! I'll have Max, tell 
where to find me, ok!!" Ash replied. Ritchie yelled in agreement and took off to find the 
others. Ash turned on his heel and activated his earpiece as he ran off. "Max, download 
all the data from Dexter now!!"
       Max's voice crackled over the receiver. "Ash, what the hell is going on over 
there?"
       "There's no time for that!! Just download the data!!" Max's end was silent as his 
laptop downloaded the data from Dexter. Numerous files appeared, filling his screen. 
       "Ok, I got the data. Now what?"
       "Find out where the sword's being held. When you find that out, tell me and then 
tell the others," Ash answered as he dived to his left and sent a barrage of bullets at a 
group of agents in the hallway next to him. 
       "Right. Well, your tracer's on so I'll direct you. Make a left at the next turn," Max 
instructed. Ash followed his directions, taking out any agent that had the unfortunate luck 
to come across him. "Ok, you should come across some double doors. Go through that 
room, and you'll be in front of the lab. 
       Ash nodded and dashed through the doors before skidding to a stop. In front of 
him was a force of at least twenty men, armed to the teeth. Some carried assault 
rifle/grenade launcher combinations, while others simply skipped a gun that used bullets 
altogether and armed themselves with rocket launchers. The lead agent however, hefted 
two rocket launchers, one in each arm, and didn't seem to be strained by the weight at all. 
       "Ah hell," Ash said to himself as dashed to the right, a hail of gunfire following 
close behind. He dived and hid behind a pillar, one of many that littered the room. He 
caught his breath for a moment before he heard a large whoosh of air from behind him. 
He peeked around the corner and screamed as he saw a rocket screaming towards him at 
breakneck speed. Ash screamed and hurled himself away from the pillar, the explosion 
throwing his body into the wall.
       He groaned and turned, only to scramble away from another barrage of gunfire. 
The explosions from the rockets, grenades, and bullets were slowly catching up to him as 
he emptied his clips at his opponents, missing every shot. He dove behind another pillar 
and threw the last of his grenades, before having to take off again from another volley of 
rockets.  He cursed loudly; none of his efforts to stop these guys were working, and he 
was out of ammo. 
       He hid behind another pillar to gather himself, and suddenly his vision started to 
darken. What the hell? What's wrong with me? I can't black out now, or I'm dead!! He 
shook his head fiercely in a desperate attempt to stay conscious, but slowly his sight 
blurred and became murky. The last thing he heard was the sound of another rocket 
rushing to his location.
       
       ***
       
       Duplica threw a left hook across another agent's chin, his body collapsed to the 
floor, unconscious. "Geez, is there ever an end to these guys?!" She yelled as another 
man rushed her, only to be met with a roundhouse kick to his jaw. She finished with an 
uppercut, sending his body into the air before it crashed into the ground.
       "Hell if I know!!" May answered back as she swept one man's feet out from 
under him and jumped into the air, smashing her knee into his spine. He cried out, and 
fell to the ground. He was paralyzed before he hit the ground. Brock grabbed the last 
agent and threw him through a glass window, his screaming being heard until he fell to 
the ground with a loud thump. "That's the last of em over here." A yellow blur blazed 
around the corner and screeched to a halt in front of him. "Pikachu, there you are. I'm 
surprised you're not with Ash."
       "He told me to take care of him for a while, but I don't think he minds. He hasn't 
had a good fight like this in ages, have you Pikachu?" May cooed as she scratched his 
head. Pikachu chirped in agreement and scampered up her arm until it found a resting 
place on her head. 
       "Well, I guess we head to another area and do some more damage," Duplica 
commented. They all nodded and turned, only to run smack into Ritchie. "Ritchie!! 
You're fine!!" Duplica squealed as she leapt into his arms. "Wait, where's Ash? He's ok 
isn't he?"
       "He told me to find you. And now that I have, I need to call Max." He placed a 
hand to his earpiece and called for Max.  Max replied and switched the open channel on, 
so that all of them could hear him. 
       "It's good to know all of you are ok. Now everyone, turn right and head that 
corridor," Max instructed. The others obeyed and followed his instructions until they 
arrived at the same double doors Ash had arrived at earlier. "His tracer shows he's in 
there, so be careful, there might some resist-" Max was cut off as the doors were smashed 
open by a body that was hurled through it and crashed into the wall. 
       The crew jumped back, avoiding the airborne man and then stepped forward to 
get a closer look at him. The man was horribly burned all over his body, and blood 
poured from his open wounds. He groaned lightly before going limp, his body no longer 
among the living. "What in the hell?" Brock wondered aloud as the others walked into 
the now demolished room. 
       Bodies were scattered all over, some charred and blackened, others still aflame. 
"Oh my god, what could have done this?" Duplica gasped as she stared the victims that 
littered the room. 
       "Geez, it looks like a bomb went off in these guy's faces," Ritchie replied. Even 
Pikachu let out a small whimper at the site of the destruction. Suddenly a booming laugh 
echoed throughout the entire room, startling the only ones left alive. They all turned and 
nearly fell over at what was before them. 
       Ash was floating in the center of a mass of bodies, blood splattered all over the 
walls and floor. He glowed the color yellow, and chuckled again as he floated over to one 
last agent who was cowering in the corner, fearing for his life. 
       "Please, don't kill me!! I'll do anything you want, just let me live!! You can't 
blame me for this, I was only doing my job!!" the man pleaded. Ash only chuckled. With 
a flick of his hand, an arcing bolt of electricity collided with the agent's body, and Ash 
lifted him off of the ground. 
       "You show cowardice in the face of death. You disgust me, human. Do you know 
what electricity does to your frail little bodies? First, your muscles start to spasm, 
paralyzing you. Then your nervous system shuts down, and you suffocate to death. But 
did you know that if a large enough charge is sent through you, you will actually cook 
alive? I find that to be very amusing." 
       His lips curled into a sinister smile. "Know this, human; you have challenged 
Ashura, the Guardian of Thunder, and you have failed miserably." His raised his hand 
again, and a large sphere of electricity appeared, crackling and sparking, giving off its 
own light. "Now you must pay the ultimate price." The man started to thrash wildly in a 
desperate attempt to escape from his now imminent fate. 
       Ashura hurled the ball at the man, and the electricity collided with him. His 
screams of agony were matched only by the crackling of electricity, and a blinding light 
filled the room. Ritchie and the others turned their heads away to shield themselves from 
the brilliant radiance. They turned back and the man's body landed on the floor, aflame 
and twitching. 
       Ashura landed onto the ground without a sound, and suddenly collapsed. May 
cried out his name, and dashed across the room. He awakened with a groan, and the 
yellow glow faded until it finally disappeared. "Hey, May, what's up?" He looked over at 
the others and noticed the looks of shock that appeared on their faces. 
       He stared, puzzled at their expressions. "Why's everyone looking at me like 
that?"