Rocking a Robbery
"Hello." Humans
"Pika-chu." Pokémon addressing human
"Hello." Pokémon addressing Pokémon
"Now class. I demand exceptional behavior today! The last tour group got complaints from the Museum. So, no funny business today!" Mrs. Croaker sternly told the bus full of students, only to get groans from them.
"You got it, Mrs. C! Ya hear dat, ya bums!? Be good this time!" Benjamin called out to the rest of the class.
"Don't worry, Benny Boy. The only problem we gotta worry about around here is you not eating all the snack cakes." Gary chipped in, getting chuckles from the rest of the bus.
"Aye, a big guy needs fuel, Oak." Benjamin replied.
"You should learn from Isaac. Give him a few grains of rice and he's good for the day." Gary said with a smirk.
"I'm staying out of this." Isaac bluntly replied; Blaze curled up in his lap.
"Can you move over? I barely got any room on this seat." Gary complained as he sat back down next to the samurai.
"I can't move unless Benjamin moves over." Isaac complained.
"Why do we have to have the big homeroom class?" Gary complained in kind.
"I just follow the rules. I don't make them." Benjamin grumbled, his Machop sitting on his shoulder.
"For that matter, Lillie? How come you only have to share that seat with Ashy boy?" Gary asked, leaning over the seat in front of him.
"Because we're in the front." Lillie replied with a small smile.
"Pika Pika." Pikachu sternly said to Gary, looking up at him from the seat.
"And Pikachu needed his own seat." Lillie chipped in.
"He has a seat. It's called a Pokéball." Gary replied in annoyance.
Pikachu's cheeks soon sparked with electricity, causing Gary's eyes to widen. With discretion the greater part of valor, he sat back down in his seat with a huff. Lillie then looked over to her left towards Ash. On the whole trip from Viridian, he had remained uncharacteristically silent, only staring out the window at the rolling countryside. Finally, she put a hand gently on his shoulder, which finally got his attention.
"Huh?" Ash asked as he looked away from the window.
"Is everything okay, Ash?" Lillie asked, visibly concerned.
"Yeah. Yeah. Everything's fine." Ash replied, trying his best to play cool.
Lillie, however, didn't buy it for a second. "Ash… if something is bothering you, you know you can tell me." She reminded him.
This caused the young boy to let out a deep sigh. "I don't want to go back to Pewter. Not yet." Ash grumbled, crossing his arms before sighing.
"Is it because of your loss to Brock?" Lillie asked, as if reading his mind.
Ash flinched a bit at her saying that before looking away. Seeing this, Lillie smacked the seat behind her to get Gary and Isaac's attention. This had the effect of Squirtle jumping out of Gary's backpack, and Blaze leaping up and clinging to Isaac's face.
"Really, Lillie?" Gary groaned, picking his Squirtle off his back.
"Yeah, really!? Ow, claws…! Claws…!" Isaac replied in annoyed pain.
"What did I say about giving Ash a battle pep talk!?" Lillie hoarsely whispered.
"I can still hear you." Ash deadpan answered.
"Shush you." Lillie snapped.
"... Yes, ma'am…" Ash replied, being surprisingly submissive.
"You two are being bad friends and terrible teammates right now." Lillie scolded the two.
"At least I have the excuse of Charmander claws digging into my face! And Blaze, please get off!" Isaac snapped at Lillie before looking down at Blaze.
"Char Char!" Blaze replied, refusing to let go.
"I don't care if you got scared, this hurts!" Isaac replied sharply.
"Ash, how many times do we have to tell you? We aren't going to the Gym. It's a field trip to the Pewter Museum. That happens to be close to the Gym." Gary explained.
"Gee. That makes me feel so much better." Ash sarcastically answered.
Isaac, after finally negotiating his face away from Blaze's claws, finally spoke up. "It should. You don't have to worry about the rematch yet. Just try to have some fun. Now where's my first aid kit…" He explained before reaching into his backpack.
"Gary, didn't you let Professor Oak borrow the first aid kit for that Spearow's wing?" Lillie asked, which immediately caused Isaac to look at Lillie.
"... Alolan rich girl say what?" Isaac asked in disbelief.
"Look, it was the closest one available. Don't worry, gramps will get it back tonight." Gary explained.
Isaac sighed in frustration at that, realizing that he would have to go the entire day like this. As the bus began to pull into Pewter City, Ash turned away from looking out the window. He had seen enough, and he did not want to be reminded of his loss just yet. Next to him, Snowy began rummaging through Lillie's bag, before pulling out an Oran Berry. The little white fox then leapt over the seat into Isaac's lap, before putting the berry down for him to grab.
Isaac smiled and gently petted the baby fox's head. "Thank you, Snowy." He told her before picking the Oran Berry up and beginning to eat it.
Soon the bus came to a stop, and Mrs. Croaker ushered the children out of the bus. As the bus pulled away, they all looked to see a sign that said, "Pewter Museum of Science." Towering over them at a full three stories, the building was made of well-cut stone with a vague resemblance to a medieval castle. At the edge of each story was a line of purple shingling and several balconies. Cresting into a full majestic purple shingled roof. It stood equal parts inviting and imposing. Yet as the class began to walk in, Ash turned behind him. There was, across the street, the Pewter City Gym. Before he could dwell on it, Gary and Isaac pulled him inside.
Yet as the class entered the building, a trio sat at a nearby bench in long grey overcoats and fedora hats. One with long red hair, one with short blue hair, and one extremely short. They looked on from behind their Pewter City Chronicle newspapers, eying the Museum.
"Did I just see those twerps from Professor Oak's lab walk in there?" Jessie asked, nudging James' right arm.
"I do believe you did, Jessie…" James replied with surprise.
"What's da matter Jessie? Afraid dey're gonna beat you again?" Meowth chipped in with a toothy grin.
"They beat you too, Furball…!" Jessie snapped at the feline Pokémon.
"Ladies, ladies. We all know that was a fluke." James said, trying his best to calm his companions down.
"Jimmy's right. Next time, we'll win." Meowth replied firmly.
"We better. I don't know how we lied our way out of the last one. Matori must be losing her touch." Jessie answered, looking at her nails.
"Well then. Let's get to work. I know the best way in." Meowth said with a smirk.
"Don't tell me it's the back way again." James groaned.
"Can it, pretty boy. No one wants to see your mug walk through that front door." Meowth scowled before disappearing into a set of bushes. "Let's get a move on before the fuzz gets snooping about."
With a nod, Jessie and James followed their partner into the bushes and began to hop from bush to bush towards the back of the Pewter City Gym. One way or another, they were gonna get their prize. Twerps be damned.
Meanwhile: Inside the Museum
Once the entire class fully assembled in the lobby, they were immediately struck by the massive Pokémon strung up above them. It had a barrel shaped ribcage, two massive wings stretching nearly the entire room, a large and boxy head filled with razor sharp teeth, and a tail that reached into the main floor beyond, as if directing them further inside.
"W-What is that?" Lillie asked fearfully, swiftly hiding behind Ash at the sight of the perturbing skeleton.
"That, my dears, is the largest known specimen of Aerodactyl ever discovered! In the entire world I might add." A jovial, booming voice cried out.
Everyone looked to see a towering man, easily over six feet, standing before them. He had a full scraggly brown beard and mustache over a tall flat face, as if it were a slab of stone cut from the earth. His body was as large as he was tall; some would even say rotund. Instead of a lab coat like everyone expected, he wore a light purple shirt and a blue sleeveless overcoat. He wore a tan safari hat with goggles attached to it, as he finally spoke up again to address them.
"Glad to see you all made it safe and sound. And uneaten." He said with a joking tone.
"Humorous, Dr. Slate." Mrs. Croaker replied, adjusting her glasses in a bemused fashion.
"Thank you, Mrs. Croaker. I try." The now identified Dr. Slate replied mirthfully.
"How big is this one?" Isaac asked curiously.
"Oh, it's got nearly a fifty-foot wingspan. Absolute behemoth. Shame we didn't find any amber near it. It's a crime to let this puppy lay in the dustbin of history." Dr. Slate explained.
"Whatever ya say, Doc." Gary replied with a grin.
"Ketchum. What is up with you Kantoians and insane?" Isaac whispered.
"I don't understand the question." Ash replied.
"Anyways, I am Doctor Mason Slate, Curator of the Pewter Museum of Science! The leaders in Pokémon Paleontology and Fossil Resurrection! He said proudly, putting his hands on his sides as he did.
"Are we going to see any Fossil P-Pokémon today?" Lillie asked nervously.
"Oh of course we are! We're even getting a new shipment of stone in today, so you kids might get lucky and see the magic happen!" Dr. Slate boomed excitedly.
"Goodie." Lillie fearfully replied.
"Lillie? Are you gonna be okay?" Ash asked, turning to look at her.
"I-I'll be fine! I should definitely be able to handle seeing and touching Fossil Pokémon! Theoretically, at least…" Lillie replied nervously.
"Oh, I can't wait for you kids to see the Alpha Aerodactyl we got in the aviary!" Dr. Slate said giddily, like a kid in a candy store.
Lillie at hearing that froze up, causing Ash to get very confused.
"Lillie. Lillie. Pikachu, you think she's okay?" Ash asked his partner.
"Pika." Pikachu replied, shaking his head.
"What should I do then?" Ash asked.
Pikachu merely climbed up onto Lillie's shoulder, slapped her with his tail, and quickly hopped off before she noticed.
"Huh?" Lillie asked, shaking herself back to reality.
"Oh good. For a second there, I thought you were gone for good." Ash said with a sigh.
"I-I'm fine! I just got nervous at hearing about an… A-Alpha Aerodactyl…" Lillie replied, visibly unnerved.
Ash sighed as he noticed the group leaving them behind. "Well, we are already running late. Come on." He said, before grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her along. "Besides, if that thing tries anything, I'll make it wish it stayed extinct."
Lillie sighed in relief and smiled. "Thank you, Ash." She replied.
The tour soon went off without a hitch. Dr. Slate showed them around vast rooms filled with fossil skeletons on display, dioramas, reconstructions, rock walls, and even Pokémon footprint trackways. Once they got a full taste of the visitor side of the Museum, he then led them into the "Aviary" as they called it. Inside was a hot and steamy tropical jungle, the closest thing they could imagine what Kanto looked like millions of years ago. There in the various swampy ponds they saw the skittering shelled Kabuto, staring at the students with its glowing red eyes.
"Those things give the creeps." Gary muttered as they walked past.
"Agreed…" Isaac replied, shuddering.
"KA-BU-TOPS!!" A Pokémon's voice called out.
Everyone looked as, out of the mist and muck; they saw a brown shelled Pokémon walk out on two thin legs. Its wide flat head held two small eyes that stared at them, as its arms were tipped with a long scythe-like blade on each end.
"EEP!" Lillie shrieked before jumping behind Ash again.
"Oh, that looks cool!" Ash said excitedly.
"And there's one of our few Kabutops. They get pretty defensive about the Kabuto, viewing all of them like their children." Dr. Slate explained.
"Doctor, why aren't they in an ocean environment?" A student asked.
"Good question. Recent research has shown that some populations of both the Kabuto and the Omanyte line may have lived in fresh water. This is a test run to see if that is backed up by current living examples." Dr. Slate explained.
"So where are the Omanytes?" Isaac asked.
"Just up ahead before we get to the Aerodactyl enclosure. We have to keep them separate, or else they will fight over territory." Dr. Slate explained.
"Careful you don't get too close, Blaze! They might splash you!" Pikachu said to the Fire Type with a smile.
"Do not even joke about that, rodent!" Blaze snarled, flashing her claws.
"What if I freeze the water? Will that help?" Snowy asked, being held close by Lillie.
"You might hurt them if you do that." Blaze explained patiently.
This horrified Snowy as they arrived at the Omanyte enclosure. In the warm, steaming pool and clambering among the rocks were scores of spiral shelled Pokémon. They clambered and swam about with a series of blue tentacles that poked out of their shell, along with far more chilled and relaxed eyes than the Kabuto.
"Professor? Where are the Omastars?" A student asked curiously.
"Oh, they tend to stay at the bottom of the pool, waiting for feeding time. They don't like moving around with their heavy shells as much as the Omanytes do." The Curator explained.
"T-they look more friendly." Lillie nervously said, stepping out from behind Ash.
"Why don't ya' go touch one, Lillie?" Gary asked teasingly.
"I-I'll pass." Lillie gulped.
"C'mon. I thought ya said you should be able to touch 'em. OR was that all purely theoretical?" Gary teased further.
Ash then turned to face Gary. "That's enough Gary." He sternly said.
"All right, all right. I was just messing with her a little." Gary replied, putting his hands up defensively.
"Aero!!!" Came a loud, echoing cry through the aviary.
"Oh, the big is on the move." Dr. Slate said nonchalantly.
"Th… the big one…?" Lillie asked nervously.
"Yes. One of our few Aerodactyl's grew rather rapidly and got to an Alpha's size." Dr. Slate explained.
"Roughly twice its normal recorded size." Mrs. Croaker chipped in.
Soon they heard a flapping noise as the call rang out again, only this time being closer. Soon, with a great rush of wind, something landed on a nearby boulder. Standing twice the height of a man on two thick, bird-like legs was a winged Pokémon with the same features as the skeleton they saw earlier. It craned its massive head to look at them as its grey skin was slick with moisture from the humid terrarium. Sharp, blade-like teeth soon appeared from their great maw. This made Lillie freeze up, as it turned its attention to her. Prompting Ash to stand between her and the towering terror.
"Hey! Eyes off her!" Ash yelled at the Pokémon.
"Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu chipped in, his cheeks lighting up with energy.
The Aerodactyl growled down at them before turning its head to look away. This caught everyone off guard.
"My word! I've never seen anyone make him back down like that before!" Dr. Slate exclaimed in surprise.
"Mr. Ketchum… how did you do that?" Mrs. Croaker asked in disbelief.
"I don't know. But I wasn't gonna let it scare Lillie or push her around." Ash replied, clenching his fists as he kept one eye on the ancient Pokémon.
"Fascinating. It must have been acting on its instincts. Since Mr. Ketchum put himself between what he viewed as the weak and defenseless, it would make any action potentially risky for it. And an injured predator is one that might not survive to get its next meal. Oh, I have to write this down!" Dr. Slate said as he frantically pulled out his journal.
"Look at you, Ash. Making scientific discoveries while embracing your inner caveman." Gary said with a smile before punching his arm.
"Yeah. What's next? Are you going to kill a six-hundred-pound tiger with a stick and a rock?" Isaac replied playfully.
Ash rolled his eyes. "Very funny, guys." He sarcastically replied.
Lillie breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Ash…" She said gratefully.
Ash smiled. "You're welcome, Lillie." He told her with a smile.
After the class finished with the Terrarium and had a quick lunch, they then were shown the laboratory in the depths of the Museum. The lab was quite large, easily the size of Professor Oaks' entire building, if not larger. At any given space were holding cases for fossils, lab tables, computers, and other forms of equipment. All around them were people and Pokémon in lab coats running around, hustling and bustling about their work. At the back of the massive room, a large set of bay doors opened. To the class's surprise, Brock walked in without his shirt, pushing a massive boulder.
"Afternoon, Dr. Slate. I found this while on the slopes of Mt. Moon. Where do you want this?" The Gym leader asked.
"Right over there by the fossils please, Brock." Dr. Slate replied with a smile.
Isaac slowly turned to look at Gary and Ash. "What. Is in. The water here!?" Isaac demanded in disbelief.
Ash and Gary merely shrugged as Brock pushed the boulder to the desired location. He soon chugged down water from a water bottle on his belt. He then turned to see the class and smiled, before heading over to them.
"Afternoon, Mrs. Croaker. Good to see you and your class again." Brock said with a warm smile.
"Gym Leader Brock. Please put on a shirt." Mrs. Croaker requested.
"What? Oh. That. Sorry. I forget that sometimes." Brock replied as he untied his shirt from his waist and hastily put it on. "I take it Dr. Slate's given you guys the tour so far?"
"Yes, he is. It's going very well." Mrs. Croaker replied with a smile.
"That's good to hear." Brock said with a smile.
As Brock and Mrs. Croaker talked, Ash did everything possible to stay hidden. He even tried covering his face with his hat. Seeing this, Isaac grabbed Ash by the arm and dragged him towards Brock.
"Isaac, what are you doing!?" Ash harshly whispered.
"You can't keep avoiding this forever, Ash. Best to tackle it head on and get it over with." Isaac told him. "Mr. Brock?"
Brock turned his head to see the two boys and smiled. "Hello again, you two. How have you been?" He asked with a big smile, putting his hands on his sides.
"Good. Ash has been a little down since he lost." Isaac explained.
"Oh, really? Well, you shouldn't be, Ketchum." Brock replied.
This caught Ash a bit off guard. "I shouldn't?" He asked.
"You nearly defeated me, Ash. You did well. If you let one loss get you down, how can you expect to get very far?" Brock explained.
Ash thought about it for a bit before speaking. "I guess you're right…" He said in agreement.
Brock then smiled at him. "I know just the way to get the tension out of you." He said chipperly.
"You do?" Ash and Isaac asked in unison, only to get handed hammers and chisels by Brock.
"How about I teach you kids how to break open rocks?" Brock asked with a smile.
"Yes please!" All the boys in the class said, swiftly ready to go.
However, before they could get started, they all heard a loud noise ringing through the building. They all turned and followed it, heading out of the laboratory and back towards the lobby. It was only then when they saw that the alarms were going off in the Pewter City Gym…
Meanwhile: Pewter City Gym
With a heavy thud, the Gym Trainer fell to the floor after barely pulling the security alarm. Ekans hissed in frustration as he loosened his grip from his neck and turned to look behind him. The halls inside the Gym had turned into a battle ground, with his trainer and team fighting other Gym Trainers and their Pokémon, consisting mostly of Geodudes.
"Great going Jessie! Ekans blew our cover!" James yelled as he held a Gym Trainer in a chinlock.
"Oh, stuff it, James! It's not like Koffing is doing much better!" Jessie yelled as she suplexed another Gym Trainer before pointing at Koffing.
"Little! Help!" Meowth yelled between his face, getting smashed into the nearest wall by a Geodude.
"Ekans, Burrow underground!" Jessie called out.
"Koffing, use Sludge on that Geodude!" James called out as well.
"Ekans!" The snake Pokémon cried out before slamming through the floor to begin digging.
"Koff! Koffing!" Koffing bellowed before spitting a barrage of globs of purple gunk at its target.
Geodude tried to hop back and forth to evade only to take a shot of the purple gunk to its face. "Geoooo!" Geodude cried out in pain as it was left blinded, trying to rub its eyes clean before its face then flushed purple in color. Meowth, seeing his chance, scampered deeper into the Gym.
"Now where do dey keep da Pokéballs?" Meowth muttered as he began his search.
Trying his best to ignore the chaos behind him, he checked each and every door, trying desperately to find what they were looking for. Then, when all hope seemed lost, he found the motherload. Inside a heavily locked room, after an especially difficult lockpicking attempt, he found row upon row of Pokéballs stored in cases. Rubbing his greedy paws together, he was just about to grab them, when he heard a loud bang.
"Jessie! James! Don't blow da whole place down, will ya!?" Meowth shrieked behind him.
"That wasn't us!!" James called back.
"What!?" Meowth shrieked.
Back in the main Gym Space
"What is going on in where!?" Brock roared as he barged through the doors, only to see the chaotic brawl unfolding.
"You're too late!" James cackled. "Meowth, hurry up!!"
"Dis ain't as easy as it looks, ya know!" Meowth yelled as he began working on picking the locks on the cases.
Ash, Gary, Isaac, and Lillie soon rushed into the Gym, and were stunned at what they saw. This shock quickly faded away to anger when they saw who was doing it.
"Team Rocket!" Ash, Isaac, and Lillie shouted.
"You know them?" Brock asked as he grabbed a Pokéball from his belt.
"They attacked Professor Oak's lab a few weeks ago!" Lillie explained, cradling Snowy defensively.
"And we would have gotten away with it too, if you twerps didn't get in the way!" Jessie scolded.
"This time, you're not fluking your way to a victory!" James scowled before standing at Jessie's side.
"I got them! I got them!" Meowth huffed and puffed as he ran out with several cases of Pokéballs.
"We have to stop them now. That's the Gym's Pokémon!" Brock yelled.
"Agreed! Pikachu! Hit that thief with Quick attack!" Ash yelled before Pikachu jumped off his shoulder.
"Pika Pika Pi!" Pikachu yelled before rocketing towards Meowth.
"AAAHHH!!" Meowth yelled in panic before trying to run away from Pikachu.
Gary and Isaac then grabbed a Pokéball of their own as they threw them forward. Brock followed in their footsteps.
"Get them, Squirtle!" Gary yelled.
"Yokozuna! Front and Center!" Isaac yelled.
"Let's get them, Onix!" Brock cried out.
In blinding flashes, the three Pokémon appeared in the center of the room. Ekans and Koffing rushed in front of their trainers to defend them. Ekans hissed menacingly while Koffing floated and twirled, attempting to intimidate the other Pokémon. Everyone soon was distracted as they heard an almighty crash come from behind them. Jesse and James turned to see Meowth splayed out on the floor, with Pikachu standing over him with a stern look.
"That was for putting my friends in nets. And this is for being a crook!" Pikachu growled at Meowth as his tail started to glow before changing into a metallic color.
Meowth scrambled before dodging Pikachu's Iron Tail, barely getting out of the way of the move as it cleaved through the tile. As Meowth began to run, Pikachu followed behind closely, determined to give him a beating. Jessie and James soon turned to face their own opponents as the rest of the Pokémon surged forward to attack.
"Yokozuna, use Headbutt on that Ekans!" Isaac called out.
"Water gun, Squirtle!" Gary ordered.
"Onix, use Tackle!" Brock ordered.
"Muuuunch!!!" Yokozuna called out as he charged forward headfirst.
"Squirtle!" Squirtle called out before shooting a blast of water from his mouth.
"OOOONN!!!" Onix roared before screaming forward with its head.
"Ekans, dodge and hit that Munchlax with Acid!" Jessie called out.
"Koffing, dodge them and use Smog!" James ordered.
"Ekaanns! Koff!" The two roared in unison.
Ekans used his flexible body to dodge Yokozuna's Headbutt before inhaling deeply. He then shot a blast of viscous black acid at Yokozuna, forcing him to dodge. Yokozuna barely made it out of the way in time as the Acid attack burned a hole in the floor. Meanwhile, Koffing dodged between Squirtle's Water Gun and Onix's Tackle before releasing a cloud of toxic smog from his body, obscuring the vision of his two opponents.
"Onix, blow it away with Dragon Breath!" Brock called out as Onix and Squirtle both coughed in the smog.
Inhaling, Onix unleashed a blast of pale purple, flame-like breath that blew the Smog attack away. This revealed Koffing and Ekans as Ekans was wrapped around Yokozuna.
"Yokozuna, use Rollout to escape and run over Ekans!" Isaac called out.
"Munchlaaaax Munch-Munch-Munch-Munch!!!" Yokozuna called out before rolling into a ball and beginning to rapidly spin forward, the friction forcing Ekans to let go.
"You think that will work twerp? Dodge with Dig Ekans!" Jessie ordered.
Silently, Ekans dove face first into the dirt and disappeared before Isaac's eyes. Stopping his Rollout, Yokozuna stopped and looked around, trying to figure out where Ekans would pop out from. However, before he could react, the ground beneath him cracked open.
"Yokozuna, look out!" Isaac called out in concern.
"Munch!?" Yokozuna replied in confusion, frantically looking for his opponent.
Ekans then came flying out of the ground, smashing into Yokozuna from below. The force made Yokozuna cry out in pain as he was sent flying back. Turning, Ekans rounded on Lillie and Snowy with a hiss. Lillie recoiled and tried to shield Snowy, but the small white fox was having none of it.
"Vul-pix!" Snowy cried as she fired a freezing gust at Ekans.
"Ekaaaaaans!!" Ekans cried out in pain from the cold, freezing solid.
"Nice work, you two! Now, Yokozuna! Use Rock Smash on Ekans while its frozen!" Isaac complimented Lillie and Snowy before calling out to Yokozuna.
"Munch-lax!!!" Yokozuna roared as one of his fists glowed orange, eyes burning for vengeance.
"Try to break free, Ekans!" Jessie called out in concern.
"Eeee… kaaaans…" Ekans called out weakly from inside the ice.
Yokozuna charged forward with his orange-glowing fists raised. Rearing one back, he slammed his Rock Smash into the frozen snake Pokémon, shattering the ice on Impact as Ekans cried out in pain and was sent flying. Ekans soared into his trainer, slamming into her on impact as Jessie cried out in pain.
"Jessie! Are you okay!?" James asked.
"Does it… look like I'm okay…?" Jessie groaned in pain from under Ekans.
"Oh, you'll pay for that! Koffing! Ruin their day with Sludge!" James roared.
"Koffing!!!" The spherical Pokémon roared eagerly, before firing a barrage of hideous purple sludge.
"Squirtle, counter with Water Gun!" Gary called out.
"Squir-tlllllle!" Squirtle gurgled as he shot a blast of water from his mouth at the barrage of sludge. The two attacks slammed into each other and sprayed wet sludge everywhere.
"Let's try a new move, Squirtle! Hit 'em with Rapid Spin!" Gary called out.
"Squirtle! Squirt-squirt-squirt-squirt-squirt!!" Squirtle called out before withdrawing into his shell and spinning at high speed, heading right towards Koffing.
"Get in there and defend your honor with Tackle, Koffing!" James ordered, raising his fist in defiance.
"Koffiiiiing!!" Koffing called out as it rushed at Squirtle.
The two attacks collided in midair, clashing against each other repeatedly. Sparks flew off Squirtle and Koffing's forms as the two clashed repeatedly. Finally, Squirtle managed to eke out a win, slamming hard into Koffing and pushing it back. James leapt as high as he could to catch Koffing before it could fall.
"Well… it could be worse…" James groaned, rubbing his back as he cradled Koffing.
"Onix, use Tackle!" Brock called out.
"OOOOOON!" Onix called out as it rushed headlong into James and Koffing.
"Spoke too soon, spoke too soon!" James cried in a panic as Onix collided with him and Koffing, making them both cry out in pain.
Swiftly, the two went flying before crashing down on Jessie and Ekans.
"Well… still could be worse…" James groaned.
"Speak for yourself… you're not on the bottom…" Jessie groaned in pain.
"I feel like we are missing someone…" James said.
"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!!" Ash called out.
"Chuuuu…. PIKA!" Pikachu's voice cried out through the halls.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Meowth's voice wailed before being sent flying out of one of the backrooms and colliding with the rest of his team.
The group groaned as Meowth slammed on top of the growing heap. James composed himself and looked around.
"Still could be…" James tried to say, before getting cut off.
"If you finish that sentence by saying it could be worse, I'll kick you…" Jessie groaned in pain from the bottom of the pile.
"Good job, Pikachu!" Ash called out as he and Pikachu came back into view.
"Now let's send them packing! Onix, use Dragon Breath!" Brock called out.
"Snowy, use Powder Snow!" Lillie yelled.
"Squirtle, Water Gun attack!" Gary called out.
"Pikachu! Thunder Shock attack!" Ash cried out.
In unison, each of the Pokémon charged their move, and fired it at Team Rocket. In quick order, the moves collided and caused a massive explosion, sending the criminals through the roof.
"I can't believe this!" Jessie yelled in the air.
"No doubt!" James yelled.
"Also, why did we explode!?" Meowth wailed.
"Team Rocket's blast off again!!?" Were the last words echoing through the sky as they disappeared, a twinkle being left in the sky as they vanished from sight.
Everyone stared up through the new hole in the building in brief shock before Gary finally spoke.
"Seriously. Why do they explode?" Gary asked, looking at them.
"I have no idea…" Isaac replied, scratching the top of his head in confusion.
"Sorry about the hole in your roof…" Ash nervously said, scratching his own head.
"It's okay. We've been planning to put in a sunroof anyway." Brock replied with a shrug.
"Is everyone all right?" Lillie called out to the Gym Trainers.
The Gym trainers simply groaned, and all gave a thumbs up. Brock sighed before turning to address Ash.
"Thank you for helping protect our Pokémon. Without you, those crooks might have made off with them." Brock said with a smile.
"Don't worry about it, Brock. I can't stand people who steal other people's Pokémon." Ash replied with a smile, hands behind his head.
Brock raised his eyebrow, before smiling even bigger. "For your help today, how would you like another shot at the Boulder Badge?" Brock offered.
Ash looked unsure for a moment before Isaac, Lillie, and Gary all quietly hissed at him. "Take… it…!" They urged him.
"O-Of course! Wait… you mean… now?" Ash asked, confused.
Brock nodded. "After we hit the hospital and Pokémon center. And clean up the mess." He elaborated.
"All right! Let's get to it!" Ash cried out, pumping his fist.
"About time the real Ash came back." Gary said with a relieved sigh.
"Agreed. I was getting sick of dealing with Depresso Ketchum." Isaac replied with a smile.
"Let's just hope the training and Steel Type moves are enough." Lillie said nervously.
Ash turned to look at his friends. "Win or lose, we are going in there swinging!" He said with a smile.
Isaac smiled at that. "That's the Ash we know and love." He said with joy as everyone got to work cleaning up the mess. Eager to see what this next bout would bring.