Matt dashed at Ash, aiming a hook at his head. Ash took a step to the left, the wind of the punch brushing his cheek. The floor groaned as Matt's momentum carried him forward.
As he fell forward, Ash sent a punch up into Matt's ribs, knocking the air out of his lungs. It hurt way more than it should have, but Matt just chalked it up to being because of the knuckledusters.
Matt growled and swung again, faster this time. Ash leaned back just enough for the punch to miss, then slammed his elbow into Matt's chest.
Matt was sent skidding across the floor, boots screeching as he barely kept his footing.
"That all you got?" Matt snarled, charging again.
Ash ducked under a wild swing and planted a knee into Matt's stomach. Matt doubled over, gasping, and Ash followed up with a sharp strike to the side of his jaw, then grabbed his head and slammed it into the wall
Matt crashed into the wall of the gondola, denting the metal.
He shook his head, spitting to the side, "You think you're strong?" he growled, "I train every day!"
Matt rushed again, grabbing Ash by the jacket and trying to overpower him. Ash let it happen, then, when he was up close, he twisted his body and kneed Matt across the cheek, making him loosen his grip. Then he spun again, twisting Matt's arm down behind him.
"Yeah, well, I trained ALL day yesterday," Ash said smugly as he pulled on Matt's arm.
Matt snarled as Ash twisted his arm behind his back. He raised his foot to stomp down on Ash's foot, but these were some fresh Jays, and Ash wasn't about to get them dirty, so Ash let go before the stomp landed and shoved Matt forward.
Matt stumbled, caught himself, then spun and threw a backhand. Ash raised his forearm and blocked it, the impact ringing through the cart. Matt blinked for half a second.
Ash stepped in and drove a punch into Matt's side. Matt grunted and swung again, but Ash slipped inside the arc and slammed his shoulder into Matt's chest, knocking him back.
Matt rubbed the spot where he got hit, while Ash gave him a smirk, adjusting his fists where the knuckledusters sat, "Aww, what's wrong? I thought you were stronger."
Matt grit his teeth harder and rushed at Ash. Ash countered by grabbing his two hands, now they were locked against each other. Matt smirked, thinking he had the upper hand now that Ash couldn't move around.
"Now I've got you, brat. I'll crush you with my bare hands if I have to," he said, starting to push Ash's arms down.
Over by the side, Flannery panicked as she looked around, trying to see a way she could get herself out. There were shards of glass on the ground, but this wasn't a movie. She didn't know how to cut the rope with the shards. The best she could do was try to nudge the glass with the ropes, but that just made her look like a bear scratching itself on a tree.
But Ash just smiled at him, "Wow, you are pretty strong. I'll admit, you'd definitely beat me in pure physical strength." Ash's smile widened, "Too bad we in Kanto don't know the meaning of a fair fight."
His eyes started glowing, yeah, that's right, that whole fight, Ash hadn't been using any Aura enhancement. After all, he needed to train too. But now that he was activating his Aura, Matt's push suddenly stopped.
Then Ash started pushing back.
He overpowered Matt, much to both Matt's and Flannery's shock.
Matt strained, putting all his strength into trying to push Ash back. But Ash, who had never fought a fair fight in his life, raised a leg, brought it up, and kicked Matt straight in the balls.
Matt inhaled sharply before he keeled over from the pain, collapsing to his knees, "You… cheap… shot…"
"Maybe," Ash said casually, tearing Matt's communicator off him as he crouched down, "Buttttt… I really don't care what you think." He straightened, "Also, I'm bored with you."
Ash Spartan-kicked him.
Matt went flying out through the broken window.
He fell and landed with a crash next to his two other Pokémon, left groaning in pain. Yeah, the drop wasn't high enough to be lethal, especially since people in the Pokémon world were built different, but it would definitely cause some brain damage.
With Matt dealt with, Ash turned back to Flannery. She was still staring at him in shock.
Ash ran over and knelt in front of her, "Hold still." He grabbed the tape over her mouth and peeled it off.
Flannery gasped as it came free, coughing hard as she sucked in air like she'd been underwater for hours.
"H—hey—!" she wheezed, "You—are you insane?!"
Ash winced, "Okay, yeah. Probably not the gentlest peel. Sorry."
He moved behind her, slipped the Sharpedo teeth off his knuckles, and used the jagged edges to cut through the rope, "Give me a second to get these off you."
The tension around Flannery's arms loosened instantly.
She hissed as feeling rushed back into her shoulders, rolling them carefully as Ash cut the last strand and tossed the rope aside.
"Ow—okay—okay—yeah, that's numb," she muttered, flexing her fingers. Then she looked up at him, eyes still wide, "You just— you just kicked him out of a cable car."
Ash shrugged, "He'll live. Probably."
Flannery stared at him for another beat, then let out a shaky laugh that turned into a cough, "You're insane."
"Yeah," Ash said, taking her hands and checking her wrists for any lasting damage. Getting tied up with ropes was no joke, depending on how someone did it, there could be serious consequences if it wasn't dealt with quickly, "I get that a lot."
By now, Vee and Pikachu finally let themselves out of their Poké Balls. They looked around at the wrecked gondola and sighed, clearly disappointed they hadn't gotten to join in on beating up Matt.
The gondola creaked.
Not a normal sway-in-the-wind creak.
A long, ugly metal groan that vibrated through the floor.
Pikachu's ears shot straight up, "Pika."
Vee stiffened, fur bristling.
Ash glanced up toward the cable, then out the shattered window, "…Huh."
Flannery followed his gaze.
The thick steel line above them was fraying. Individual strands snapped one by one, each ping sharp and final. The extra weight from Team Aqua's sabotage had pulled the gondola lower than it was ever meant to hang.
The whole car dipped an inch.
Flannery's face went pale, "Oh. Oh no. No no no no—"
Ash, meanwhile, squinted up at the cable like he was judging a bad haircut, "…Okay, yeah, that's not ideal."
Another strand snapped.
The gondola lurched.
Flannery yelped and grabbed his sleeve without thinking, "We're gonna die! We're gonna die! This is it! I didn't even get to clean the Gym floor—!"
Ash steadied himself, one hand braced against the wall, the other gently closing over her wrist.
"Hey. Hey," he said lightly, "Relax."
She stared at him, "WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS."
He shrugged, "Coping mechanism. Get used to it. Anyway, how are you feeling?"
"My entire body hurts. I can't walk without help right now," she said, looking down at her knees. She tried to stand on her own but had to lean on Ash for support, "And they took all my Poké Balls. I can't do anything right now."
Another line snapped, and the gondola dropped an inch, nearly knocking them off balance.
"Well," Ash said, regaining his footing, "looks like we've got no other choice. You can thank me later."
He stepped in front of Flannery and turned his back to her.
"Up," he said casually.
"…What?"
"Piggyback," he clarified, "C'mon. Arms around my neck."
Flannery blinked, "You are not serious."
Another sharp ping cut through the air. The gondola dipped again.
Ash glanced up, "…We are on a timer."
Flannery swore under her breath, "Fine. Let's do this."
She looped her arms around his shoulders as best she could, wincing as her bruised ribs protested. Pikachu and Vee leapt up, scrambling into Ash's bag to make sure Flannery wouldn't slip.
Ash crouched slightly and hoisted her up like she weighed nothing.
"There we go," he said, "Try not to pass out on me. It'd be really awkward."
"Try not to drop me," she shot back weakly.
"It's fine," Ash said, "I did promise I'd protect you, didn't I?"
He took three running steps and jumped.
Ash shot his arm upward and caught the fraying cable barehanded. He hauled himself up, grabbing onto a more stable line just as the damaged gondola finally gave out and plunged into the mountains below. But they were safe.
The wind roared in Flannery's ears. She clung to Ash's back like her life depended on it, which, yeah. It did.
Below them, the ruined gondola shrank into the mist, crashing somewhere far beneath with a dull, distant boom. The cable swayed violently from the sudden shift in weight.
Flannery squeezed her eyes shut, "I— I hate this— I hate this— I hate this—!"
Ash grunted as he tightened his grip on the steel line, muscles flexing as he stabilized them. His Aura flared faintly around his arms, just enough to keep his hands from being shredded by the fraying metal.
"Okay, first of all," he said calmly, "you're doing great."
"DO NOT START COMPLIMENTING ME RIGHT NOW."
"Second," he continued, ignoring her, "you're holding on too tight. If you crush my windpipe, I will drop you out of spite."
She yelped and loosened her grip a fraction, "S-sorry—!"
Ash glanced up toward the intact gondola far above them, the one carrying May, Max, and Brock. It was also stuck. Then he looked off to the side, where helicopters were landing and people in red uniforms were marching out one by one.
"…All right," he muttered, "Vertical sprinting. Not even in my top ten weirdest Tuesdays."
He shifted his weight, hooking one arm around the cable and reaching higher with the other.
"So, while we're hanging, do you want to fill me in?" Ash said, grunting as he climbed the line, Aura, as always, coming in clutch.
"Right, okay, well… my name's Flannery. I'm the Gym Leader for the Lavaridge Gym."
"I'm Ash. Just an average trainer, here for fun," he said with a smirk, making Flannery almost want to smack him on the head.
"Right. Whatever. I was out training when these guys in blue attacked me. I couldn't even use my Pokémon, and when I woke up, I was tied up and they'd taken all of them. You know the rest from there."
"Anything else?"
"I don't know why they're here, but I heard them talking about a plan. They're probably going to do something terrible to the volcano, and I can't let them get away with it." Flannery tried to sound tough, but considering she was bruised and had been crying not even ten minutes ago, it didn't quite work.
"Right," Ash said, "Well, first things first. You can't fight like this, or without your Pokémon."
He swung up and finally landed on top of the gondola the gang was in.
Flannery tried to get off, but her ribs flared with pain, so she stayed leaning against Ash. He found the door and kicked it open, revealing a group that looked equally surprised, scared, and relieved.
From May, Max, and Brock's point of view, it had gone like this: one second they were on a relaxing ride, the next they shot upward and stopped. Then nothing moved. Then the gondola next to them, the one Ash had been in, started flooding. Then someone got thrown out. Then the entire gondola fell.
And they hadn't seen Ash at all until after it happened.
Ash dropped down into the gondola, Flannery still half-supported against him.
For a solid two seconds, nobody spoke.
May's mouth hung open.
Max gripped the railing like it had personally offended him.
Brock had one hand halfway to a Poké Ball, the other frozen mid-air, then
"Ash?!" May yelped, "YOU FELL."
"Correction," Ash said, steadying Flannery as she winced, "I jumped."
Max leaned over the edge, peering into the mist where the other gondola had vanished, "THE CABLE CAR JUST FELL."
"Yeah," Ash said, "That part wasn't intentional."
Brock finally found his voice, "…Who is she?"
Flannery lifted a shaky hand, "H-hi. Sorry. Uh. I got kidnapped. Then he kicked a guy out of a cable car. Then the cable snapped."
May blinked once. Twice.
"That… explains nothing," she said slowly, "…and yet it makes way too much sense, considering Ash…"
Ash guided Flannery to one of the bench seats and eased her down carefully.
"Okay, Pikachu, Vee, keep watch," he said. He rummaged through his bag, and now that the cart wasn't at risk of falling, he pulled out actual medical supplies and started treating Flannery's wounds.
Flannery exhaled hard and leaned back, one hand pressed to her ribs, "Wow. I really thought I was done for."
May hurried over and crouched in front of her, "Are you okay?! You're bleeding!"
"It's fine—!" Flannery said too fast, then hissed, "…Okay, maybe not fine-fine. But I've had worse."
Ash raised an eyebrow and very lightly pressed against her palm, "Ow—yeah no, right there, don't do that."
Ash nodded once, "Yep. Cracked rib. Maybe two. You're lucky, could've been worse."
"Lucky," Flannery repeated flatly, "Yeah. Super lucky."
He wrapped a bandage snugly around her torso, careful not to cinch it too tight. She tensed anyway.
"Breathe out," he said.
She did, hissing as he secured it.
"There," Ash said, "You're officially held together by first aid and bad decisions."
"Story of my life," she muttered.
May glanced between them, "So… Team Aqua kidnapped a Gym Leader. Sabotaged a cable car. Tried to kill you. And now they're doing something with a volcano."
"Yeah," Ash said, "Tuesday."
Flannery tried to stand. She immediately regretted it, her legs wobbled, and Ash caught her by the arm.
"Nope."
She scowled at him, "I can still fight."
"You can barely stand."
"I don't care! They took my Pokémon! My town, my Gym, my grandfather's mountain—"
"Stop," May said firmly, "You can't just go in there blindly."
"But we can't just sit around and do nothing!" Flannery snapped, "If we wait, who knows what they'll do to the volcano? It's extremely important to Lavaridge Town!"
Ash sighed, "And we're not going to do nothing. But we need a plan."
"Wait—what?" Max asked, "Then what are we supposed to do?"
Ash thought for a moment. Then a slow smirk crept across his face as he turned toward Brock.
Brock flinched. He knew that look.
"No. No, no, no, no. You don't mean that. No way, no—" Brock paused, grimacing, "…But then again…"
He sighed.
Ash really was contagious sometimes.
–
{Back at the top of Mt. Chimney}
Amber was finishing the final preparations when he heard the beating of wings overhead. He looked up to see two figures descending on Vibrava, Shelly and Professor Cozmo.
"Here we are, Professor Cozmo," Shelly said as they landed.
"Ah! Welcome to our experiment," Amber said, approaching with a smile.
"Nice to meet you," Cozmo replied, wiping sweat from his forehead, "It's terribly hot up here near the crater, isn't it? Phew. And you are?"
Amber took his outstretched hand and shook it, "Amber. One of the three Team Aqua admins, also known as the SSS."
"Ah, I see." Cozmo's gaze drifted past him to the massive machine connected to the volcano, "Oh! Then this must be the machine you told me about."
"The one that will temporarily halt the mountain's volcanic activity so we can raise the sea level near here. It's huge!" Cozmo said, staring at it in awe.
Amber nodded, putting on his most righteous expression, "Yes. According to our data, the Hoenn region's sea levels have been declining rapidly over the past year. We don't know the cause, but we must put a stop to it. The sea must be protected!"
And Cozmo believed every word.
"My! What a wonderful organization you have!!" he exclaimed.
Amber smiled and turned back toward the machine, "The experiment is already underway. However… there is one small issue."
He glanced back at Cozmo, "Mt. Chimney is an active volcano, and the machine doesn't have enough power to control it. That's where you come in, Professor Cozmo. We need the Meteor you dug up, as well as your unique technology to extract its energy."
"Of course! My pleasure!" Cozmo said eagerly, reaching into his bag and pulling out the Meteor.
"Ah, I see, so this is the meteor that fell from space," Amber said smoothly, Shelly's eyes gleaming as she stared at it.
Cozmo was handed a copy of the blueprints. As he studied them, he immediately began explaining the modifications needed to connect the meteorite to the machine and properly channel its energy.
Then they saw it.
Helicopters, coming from every direction.
As their doors slid open, red uniforms spilled out, the very sight of them making Team Aqua tense.
Amber clicked his tongue, "Dang it…"
"What's going on?!" Cozmo panicked, noticing the sudden shift in mood.
"It seems a rival organization is bent on interfering with us, Professor Cozmo!" Amber said urgently.
"A rival organization?!" Cozmo repeated, shocked.
Amber lowered his head, acting fearful, "Yes… we seek only to protect the world and bring more water to it. However, we have a dastardly rival organization, Team Magma. They want to dry up all the world's water for their own selfish reasons."
"W-what? But that's insane!" Cozmo gasped, "We would all die!"
"I know," Amber said gravely, "And my guess is they're heading straight for the mountain's peak. They're completely unpredictable. I have no idea what they might do if they catch you."
"Oh no!" Cozmo looked around in panic, as if Team Magma might appear at any second.
"Shelly, quick!" Amber barked, "You must protect Professor Cozmo and the machine! Professor Cozmo, you must complete it, for all our sakes! I'll go fight them and buy you time!" He spoke like he was marching off to sacrifice his life
Cozmo gulped, then nodded firmly, "O-okay. I'll do it! For all of you!"
Shelly quickly guided Cozmo away toward the machine, while the grunts began mobilizing. Amber turned and ran downhill with them.
Once he was out of sight, Amber pulled out his communicator.
"Mobilize the internal teams," he ordered calmly, "We predicted Team Magma might show up." Inside the mountain, more grunts began to move.
He went for his belt to make sure he'd left Flannery's Poké Balls by the machine. He didn't need the extra dead weight.
That reminded him, Flannery, Matt. Matt was supposed to be on lookout and holding onto Flannery
He grabbed his communicator and tried to reach Matt, but there was no connection.
Amber clicked his tongue. That had to mean Matt was already out. That wasn't good, but he wasn't going to let it slow him down. He pulled out a Poké Ball, released a Pelipper, and jumped on, flying down the mountain. As he descended, he could already see tons of grunts on both sides locked in combat.
As he scanned the ground, he spotted someone in the crowd. They were fighting off five grunts at once, and winning. Someone he recognized.
Team Magma Admin Tabitha.
The Magma admin stood with his coat flaring in the heat, calmly directing a Camerupt as it blasted a line of Aqua grunts off their feet. Another Aqua Pokémon lunged, Tabitha barely glanced at it.
"Camerupt, [Earth Power]."
The ground split, and five Pokémon were blasted away.
Amber clicked his tongue, "Of course it's you."
Pelipper descended in a sharp arc and slammed into the rocky slope in a gust of wind, scattering ash and dust. Amber hopped off mid-landing, boots skidding.
Tabitha looked up, unimpressed.
"…Team Aqua," he said flatly, "You people really don't know when to quit."
Amber rolled his shoulders, cracking his neck, "Funny. I was about to say the same thing about Team Magma."
Behind Tabitha, Camerupt snorted, magma bubbling at the humps on its back.
Amber snapped a Poké Ball into his palm, "Looks like it's just you and me, lava boy."
Tabitha adjusted his glasses, "Unfortunate. I was hoping for something more interesting."
Amber smirked and threw his ball, "Pelipper, let's wash this place out!"
Pelipper surged forward, wings spread wide, wind snapping outward as it let out a sharp cry.
Tabitha didn't flinch, "Camerupt. [Rock Slide]."
Camerupt reared back and slammed its front legs down.
The slope behind Amber exploded as jagged stones tore free and hurtled forward in a deadly wave.
"Pelipper, [Hurricane]!"
Pelipper spun in midair, a roaring vortex of wind shredding the falling rocks into gravel and dust. The storm slammed into Camerupt, driving it back a step.
Amber grinned, "That all you got?"
Tabitha's coat fluttered in the hot wind, "…Predictable."
–
Back at the top of the volcano, Shelly practically dragged Professor Cozmo across the metal platform, the massive machine humming louder as vents opened and energy conduits flickered to life.
"Professor, we're losing time!" Shelly urged, "You have to speed it up!"
"I-I'm trying!" Cozmo said, frantically typing into a terminal, "The meteor's energy output is unstable, if I don't calibrate the resonance field, the whole system could overload!"
Shelly clenched her fists, "We don't have the luxury of perfection!"
The machine shuddered.
Warning lights flashed amber.
Cozmo yelped, "S-see?! That's what I mean!"
Before Shelly could respond, there was the light tapping of footsteps behind them.
Shelly froze.
Cozmo turned, his face draining of color.
"…Ha."
The single syllable drifted out of the steam behind them.
"That voice—" Shelly narrowed her eyes.
A figure stepped into the glow of the warning lights, red uniform pristine despite the ash and heat. Short pink hair. A blank smile with unblinking eyes. Courtney.
"… … …I knew you would come."
Shelly grit her teeth, "Team Magma."
Courtney tilted her head, studying Shelly like a lab specimen.
"…Analyzing."
"…Hah. ♪"
Cozmo squeaked and ducked behind a console, "W-who is that?!"
Shelly stepped forward, jaw tight, "Team Magma…"
The woman raised her Poké Ball slowly, almost lazily, "How about it? Will you get away from me… or not?"
Shelly scowled, "Over my dead body."
"…Well then…"
"Deleting…"
Courtney flicked her wrist, "Camerupt."
The ground boomed as Camerupt materialized, magma bubbling at the humps on its back.
Shelly hurled her ball in response, "Sharpedo, [Aqua Jet]!"
Sharpedo burst forward in a blue blur.
"…Get away."
"Camerupt, [Earth Power]."
The ground erupted.
Sharpedo slammed into the rising shockwave mid-dash and was sent tumbling sideways into the rocky slope. The impact cracked the stone.
Shelly gritted her teeth, "Sharpedo, [Crunch]!"
Sharpedo lunged again, jaws glowing dark.
Courtney's eyes gleamed.
"…There."
"Camerupt, [Rock Slide]."
The cliff face above them shattered.
Boulders tore loose and came crashing down.
Sharpedo plowed through the first two, but the third smashed into its side, knocking it completely off the platform.
Both Pokémon lost their footing as the ground collapsed beneath them.
They rolled.
End over end.
Down the mountainside in a violent avalanche of rock, dust, and roaring Pokémon.
"SHARPEDO!" Shelly screamed.
Courtney blinked once.
"…Unanticipated."
Both admins bolted for the edge.
Shelly skidded to a stop, peering down the slope.
Below them, Camerupt and Sharpedo were locked together, tumbling, slamming into outcroppings, tearing a trench through ash and stone.
Courtney leaned forward slightly.
"…Funny. ♪"
Shelly rounded on her, "You're insane!"
"…Yes."
Sharpedo finally broke free, skidding to a halt against a boulder. Camerupt dug its legs in, magma hissing.
So Courtney and Shelly slid down the mountain to continue their battle with their Pokémon.
Meanwhile, Cozmo worked frantically. His heart pounded in his chest, he felt like his safety depended on this. Taking a shaky breath, he quickly inserted the meteorite into the machine.
The moment he did, the system roared to life.
"Yes! It's working!" Cozmo said, still believing the lies Team Aqua had told him.
The machine began to cool Mt. Chimney, slowly but steadily.
Now it was a race against the clock before Mt. Chimney died.
Already, the volcano was growing colder.