*************** Pokemon, Asylum of the Damned Chapter XXXVI Saga VIII- Zerobadge Saga Chapter II- Revenge *************** “Hello?” “Tom! It’s Sabre!” “What’s up?” Sabre’s voice sounded very frantic on the other end of Tom’s cell phone. “Larry’s up! That’s what!” she said quickly. Tom froze in his tracks. “Larry! Where is he-?” “Some tipster said he just left Hydro City! And he gonna’ be headed your way!” “Shit,” Tom groaned. “Sabre, what should I do?” “Lay low for awhile,” she answered, “Or run to wherever you’re going. Fast.” Tom grimaced. “Are you going to be…?” “Yeah, me and Jason will be there soon. We just left Mega City. Tom, keep alive.” “I’ll try,” Tom grimaced. “Anything else?” “Besides the fact that Larry wants to kill you, nothing else.” “Alright. Goodbye, Sabre,” Tom said gloomily. “We’ll be there soon as we can. Bye,” said Sabre. Tom shoved his cell phone I his jacket pocket. “Damn those Rockets,” he growled. Tom quickly whipped out his Pokedex from his jacket and pressed a few buttons on it. Five of Tom’s six Pokeballs vanished from his belt. “Take care of them, professor,” Tom murmured, looking at his one remaining Pokeball. Suddenly, Tom heard a faint rattling sound behind him. Tom looked over his shoulder down the rocky gravel road. A storm of dirt clouds was being kicked up and rapidly traveling towards him. Tom whirled around just in time for a blazing streak of red to swoosh by him. The mighty gust of wind nearly spun Tom over. The crimson blur stopped right behind him and took form. Tom’s blood ran cold when he saw the familiar insignia wrapped around the left arm of the now-visible shadow. It was a Sizor, wearing a Team Rocket band around his arm. Mounted on his back was Larry, in Team Rocket uniform and all, who hopped down and faced Tom. “Hello again, Tom,” said Larry, bearing an insidious smirk on his face, “I don’t think you ought to be alive.” Tom took a fist-fighting stance. “No need for hostilities, just give me your Pokemon, and I’ll leave you alone,” said Larry. “Fuck off!” Tom snarled back. Larry sighed. “I don’t think I can kill you,” Larry sighed, “Because I do believe that you are already dead.” “Your point?” Tom growled. “I don’t believe in dead men walking,” Larry replied with a growl. “Hand over your Pokemon now.” “I’ll say it again: fuck off!” Tom roared. Larry pulled out a sleek revolver from his pocket, and walked within an arm’s reach of Tom. “I’ll put a hole in your other hand if you don’t,” he threatened, “Last chance.” Tom gave Larry the one-finger salute. “Fine then,” Larry growled, aiming the gun at Tom and squeezing the trigger. Tom violently jerked his body backwards and swiftly kicked his leg up; his steel-capped boots smacking Larry in his knee. With an anguished cry, Larry dropped the gun and fell to his good knee. Tom quickly got to his knees and reached for Larry’s weapon. Larry’s hand shot out and grabbed Tom’s gloved hand. With a sharp swinging of his shoulder, Larry tossed Tom away about a good five feet. Before Larry could grab his gun, Tom got back to his feet, ran over to Larry, and kicked the gun far away along the gravel road, the gun bouncing and skittering all over the ground. “Don’t just stand there Sizor!” Larry barked at his Pokemon, “Kill him!” The Sizor nodded, and opened his claws. Tom quickly dashed away from Larry, grabbed his one Pokeball, and opened it up. “Khan!” roared the emerging Pokemon. Tom left the empty Pokeball on the ground. It was merely an eye’s blink before Sizor and Kangaskhan tore into each other. Larry had gotten back up, and was running to retrieve his pistol. “Oh no you don’t!” Tom shouted, pouncing on Larry and tackling him to the ground belly first. Tom sat on top of Larry, and shoved his face into the gravel road. Larry’s raw strength far outmatched that of Tom’s as he easily rolled over and swatted Tom off of him with his elbow. Larry got to his knees and made a scramble crawl to his gun. Again, Tom lunged at him and pinned his chest to the road. Not even taking time to wipe his bloody nose, Tom gripped Larry by the hair and slammed his face into the rocky road repeatedly. Larry soon repeated his escape, knocking to clear off his back. Larry finally made it to his pistol, only to have Tom kick the weapon out of his hand again. Larry wound back his shoulder and gave Tom a brutal punch to his face. Tom was knocked down by Larry’s brute strength, but not before he shot out his leg and kicked out Larry’s injured knee. Soon, Tom was on top of Larry again, rifling punches left and right on Larry’s face. Sizor had Kangaskhan pinned to the ground. Sizor raised his claw and jabbed it at Kangaskhan’s face. Kangaskhan tilted his head just in time to narrowly miss Sizor’s Metal Claw attack, and responded with a Thunderpunch to Sizor’s face. Sizor was knocked off of Kangaskhan, Kangaskhan got back to his feet. Kangaskhan balled his hand into a fist, and it soon sparkled with flames. As soon as Sizor got up, Kangaskhan charged at him, wielding his fiery fist. Kangaskhan nailed Sizor on his cheek- Sizor smashed his closed claw into Kangaskhan’s cheek in return. By now, Larry had finally managed to writhe himself free of Tom’s pin, and tossed the young man off. Larry rolled over to his stomach and rubbed his bloody and swollen face. Tom groaned, and began pampering his cut lip and broken nose. Larry got to his knees again, and made a mad dash on them to his weapon. Tom quickly gave chase to Larry and threw his arms around Larry’s muscular body. Tom’s response was a fierce punch to his face. Just as Larry was about to grasp his gun again, a ball of Kangaskhan and Sizor crashed in front of him, knocking the gun further away. Sensing his moment, Tom quickly dove for the gun, grabbed it, and stood up. “Hold it!” he cried. Sizor, Kangaskhan and Larry froze. Larry looked down at his feet. Kangaskhan’s empty Pokeball was at them. “Larry, call off your Sizor,” Tom ordered. “Sure,” Larry smirked. “Sizor, get out of the way.” “What?” Tom murmured. Sizor bolted beside Tom as Larry raised his foot and kicked the Pokeball into the air. The ball hit Kangaskhan in the face. With an anguished roar, Kangaskhan was zapped back inside the Pokeball. Quickly, Tom rushed over to Sizor, threw his arms about his neck, and pressed the barrel of the gun to Sizor’s head. Larry quickly scooped up Kangaskhan’s Pokeball and held it in his hand. “Give me back my Kangaskhan Larry,” Tom breathed, his cut and bruised face drenched in his and Larry’s blood, “Or I’ll kill your Sizor!” “You let my Sizor go,” said Larry with a smirk, “Or I crush your Kangaskhan in this Pokeball.” “You can’t,” Tom said defiantly. “Those things are made of-” Tom’s words were cut short as Larry gave the Pokeball a little squeeze; the ball fizzled with shorting-out circuitry. “Well?” asked Larry, “How about it?” “How about it to you?” Tom asked, “Don’t you care about your Sizor?” Tom asked with a grin, poking the barrel of his gun deeper into the side of Sizor’s head. “Nope,” Larry replied casually. “Sizor!” the Sizor gasped. Tom bit his lip. “You win,” Tom said, releasing Sizor. “Smart kid,” Larry crooned. “Now give me the gun.” “Give me my Kangaskhan first,” said Tom. Larry groaned, and gave the Pokeball another squeeze. The ball fizzled and sparked again. “Alright!” Tom gasped. “No, then again, put the barrel of the gun in your mouth,” said Larry, a perverse grin spreading across his face. Tom did as he was told. Larry dropped Kangaskhan’s Pokeball and kicked it aside. “Kill yourself,” he ordered. Tom froze. “Kill yourself!” Larry screamed. Tom shut his eyes tightly, and began to squeeze the trigger. “Tom! Stop!” A sudden outburst from a familiar female voice made Tom halt his forced suicide. Larry, Sizor and Tom turned their heads to see a large black truck speeding towards them, Sabre leaning out of the passenger side window. The van stopped in front of the trio, Sabre hopped out of the van wearing her trademark Yanma shirt. Jason leapt out of the driver side seat, his muscular body’s hands holding a large machine gun in his hand. “You’re through, Larry,” Jason said, pointing the semi-automatic at Larry. Sabre dug her hand into her jeans’ back pocket and pulled out a small pistol, aiming it at Sizor. Tom followed suit and aimed Larry’s gun at him. Larry looked around. He and his Sizor were beaten. “Alright, you got me,” Larry chuckled underneath his breath. He raised his hands into the air. Jason and Sabre quickly walked behind Larry, Jason took out some handcuffs from his belt. Just as Jason took Larry’s hands to bind them, Larry quickly spun around and gave Jason a brutal elbow smash to his temples. Jason was bowled over by the blow. Sabre dashed at Larry trying to help her partner, when Larry turned around and effortlessly swatted her aside. Just as Tom was about to fire his pistol at Larry, Sizor suddenly crushed the barrel of the gun in his claws. “Time to go Sizor!” Larry barked at his Pokemon. Sizor nodded, and took to the air. Sizor swooped over Larry, and picked him up by his shoulders. The pair soon disappeared into the sky. “Oh no you don’t!” screamed Sabre. She took a Pokeball from her belt and tossed it to the ground. The Pokeball popped open, and out came a Pidgeot. Sabre and Jason quickly hopped on the back of the giant bird. “Pidgeot, after him!” Sabre cried. Pidgeot cawed, flapped her mighty wings, and was soon in full chase of Larry and Sizor in the sky. The trio soon dissolved into the sky as well. Tom tucked the broken gun in his jacket pocket. Tom began to look around for his damaged Pokeball containing Kangaskhan, when he heard another familiar voice call to him from the truck, “Looking for this?” Tom turned his head to look at the truck, and he saw Laura. Her golden blonde hair was still as long and flowing as it had been before. In her hand she held Kangaskhan’s Pokeball. “What are you doing here?” Tom barked. “I was- just here to help,” Laura weakly replied. “Well if I wanted your help, I’d have asked for it,” Tom rudely replied, walking up to Laura and snatching his Pokeball. “You Rockets really do turn on each other.” “Rocket!” Laura gasped, “I’m no Rocket!” “Said the bitch that killed me in the first place,” Tom growled, attaching his Pokeball back to his belt, “Stole my Pokemon and Pokedex,” Tom continued. “I’m not a Rocket anymo-” “-Killed Sabre, mugging people at gunpoint, selling Pokemon for profits, dumping bodies in rivers,” Laura was sent into tears. “Stole Porygon… once a Rocket, always a fucking Rocket,” Tom growled. Laura sobbed as she climbed back into the truck and slammed the door tightly shut. Tom heard the locking click of the doors and weeping. “Serves her right,” Tom muttered, as he turned around and headed south to Zero City. *******************