Chapter 33:XXI. Back from the dead: Guardians Wrath p.1
"Hi dad." voice quiet, deep with shakiness hidden inside, rang on the top of the Pokemon world.
"This is it. In a few hours, the fate of this world will be decided. By me. A 16-year old kid who has no clue what he is doing." continued the man overlooking the Sinnoh region.
"Is that how you felt when you went against them? Like you had no clue what you were really doing? And just going through with it, hoping it's the right way?" he asked, but the answer never came.
"Huh. Waiting for answers from a dead person in the middle of nowhere with blizzard raging around. I must be going crazy." he said with a small sad chuckle.
"I guess it's because I just have to let this out before my time will come. Truth be told dad, I'm scared."
"Not to die. No. I learned to die some time ago. I am scared that I will fail. I am scared that the things that happened to me will also happen to others. To my friends. To mom. And to Cynthia." He looked down confessing his fears.
He then looked up to the sky, letting the blizzard with a strong wind blow away his hood, revealing the blue magic eyes and a hairy face.
"I wish you were with me here. To guide me. Through it all. To tell me I got this. That you believe in me. But... in the end, I can only wish that you would tell these words to me. At least I hope I am making you proud, dad." Ash said with clear doubt in his voice.
"Anyway. I have to go now. It's time for me to finish, what you started. Hopefully, when this is over, I will be able to talk to you like this again, and not from the place where you are now, but still from the place where living people and Pokemon walk. Wish me luck, dad. I will need it." finished Ash.
Upon finishing his talk with his dad, Ash turned around and walked towards the boulder to the cave he spent so much time in. The cold outside of the Haven was harsh, unforgiving but somehow, it calmed him down. After so long here, the cold weather here has its certain calm charm to it.
Even though, he was not 100% ready, he walked with his head held high to his team. Dragging his boots through the thick snow, Ash slowly approached the entrance to the cave. The blizzard caused his cloak and cape to fly from side to side. Ash however, stood still in front of the entrance, not bothered by the cold environment at all.
A gust of wind caused something to come out of the inside of his cloak pocket. A piece of a brown leather string. Ash recognized the string that was flapping in the wind now. It was hard to recognize it in this evening, but he didn't need much to know what the item is.
Ash grabbed the string and pulled the item from his pocket. "I completely forgot about it..." he thought looking at the item. Ash clenched the item in his fist closing his eyes. "Should I?"
With one last deep breath in front of the entrance Ash opened his eyes again. He was ready. As ready as he could be that is.
"Mewtwo, the door."
The big boulder in front of him was slowly lifted, revealing everyone standing behind it. All of the Pokemon, Cynthia's and Ash's, were standing in front of him. With Cynthia, Pikachu, Lucario and Mewtwo in front.
Ash stepped in and Mewtwo dropped the boulder behind him as soon as Ash was in.
"You sure you don't want to stay here, Mewtwo?" asked Ash.
"Not a chance." said Mewtwo.
Ash sighed. So the communication Mewtwo provided went out of the window. Great. But on the contrary, they acquired massive firepower by bringing Mewtwo with them. But will it be enough? More importantly, will all of his be pokemon okay? It's a great risk that he would be glad not to take. Unfortunately, Mewtwo is more stubborn than the he and Cynthia combined.
"Well... That means being extra careful. I want everyone to watch their, and each others, backs to make sure everyone will come out of this unscathed. Is that clear?" said Ash.
All Pokemon agreed with a loud shout, which brought faint smile to Ash face. They don't lack determination, that's good.
"Cynthia. I want you to be extra careful too. Don't do anything reckless, OK?" Ash asked.
Something about Cynthia was... off. Her emotions were jumping all over the place. Unlike the time here when it was very clear when she was happy, sad or frustrated. It gave a vibe to him she was unsure of this. And that she was afraid. But even though he pointed it out earlier, she insisted to go with them.
"Don't worry. I have everything planned out already." she said with a smile. But again, something was off...
Well, he can't dwell on it right now. Probably just a nervousness from the upcoming battle messing with her emotions. To be honest, he is not faring any better so it isn't that out of place.
"Cynthia, come here." said Ash. Cynthia raised an eyebrow slightly, but nonetheless complied.
Ash got lost in his thoughts for a moment when she appeared in front of him. She wore her old Champion attire. And Arceus does black suit her.
"Turn around." Ash said when she was face to face with him.
"Why?" she asked tilting her head in confusion.
"Since you have been such a good girl I have a reward for you." Ash joked a little.
"How sweet of you." Cynthia with a small chuckle turned around.
Cynthia suddenly felt Ash's hands on her shoulders and something being place around her neck. The prehistoric tusk was now dangling on her neck.
"It's not gold, silver or any other expensive jewelry, but it's everything I have right now. And I would like you to have it." Ash said sincerely, tying the leather necklace around Cynthia's neck. "Well, technically it's still not mine." Ash thought. But hey, Steven most likely forgot about the tusk so where's the harm in giving it to Cynthia. Besides, he promised to deliver it to her. So Cynthia can still give it back to Steven if she wants to.
"Ash...That- "
"Do not even try to protest. I promised, so here I am delivering on that promise." Ash said silencing Cynthia in the process. Though she didn't say anything she was visibly happy. That sweet, sweet smile decorated her face in the greatest of fashion.
As Ash was focusing on Cynthia, his Aura seemed to be focused somewhere else. Ash's abdomen started glowing again. Dimly at first, but as Ash was in his thoughts longer and longer, the light grew stronger too.
"Do it." the voices in his head tempted him.
"Do it." something was pushing him further. It was so hard to keep it in for so long it was getting unbearable.
"Do it!" he knew this could be his last chance. Should he even tell her? It is said that getting this thing off of the chest would relief you a lot. Regardless of the response. Even from the tactical standpoint it would be good idea to get it out of him.
"DO IT!" yeah, he can't fight like this if his mind is split like this. Confess, get it over with, and focus on the fight. Arceus what will she even think when he confesses? Looking back at it now, he was kind of a douche. And she even may have someone out there. "Whatever, it doesn't really matter. You need to get it of your chest and focus and something else. You have to be 100% focused on your task. Not on whether she would or would not be with you."
"DO IT!" Why now though? He could confess during the month here. What was stopping him? Was it nervousness? Was he actually afraid of something other than Team Rocket? Afraid of rejection? "Wow. This is not me at all." he thought. Maybe Aura is toying with him again?
She was looking at him with the ashened eye. Curious look it seemed. How long was he out?
"Ash? Are you OK?" she asked, clenching the tusk with one hand.
Voice sweet as honey rang through his ears. "Of course." Ash replied sincerely with a small smile as a quiet atmosphere filled the cave.
DO IT!
"FINE!" Ash shouted breaking the silence with his deep voice. Ash was so wrapped into his inner thoughts that he completely forgot to isolate his thoughts and his voice.
"Ash?" asked Cynthia again, completely confused on why Ash yelled out.
"Listen Cynthia. I have something to tell you. And please, do not interrupt me, because I don't know if I will be able to continue if you do so." he said. "In front of all of my Pokemon? Am I stupid or something?" he commented in his head looking at all the Pokemon around. It should be private conversation, but in the Haven... you can't exactly have that. In addition, he picked such a great time that there was no time to drag her into the corner away from the eyes and ears of his fellow Pokemon family.
"So. I was never interested in girls..." he started.
"Oh..." was her simple reply. Ash seeing her even more confused state realized shortly after how that sounded.
"NO! NO! Not like that! I mean, I am interested in grills. I MEAN GIRLS. Not grills. ARRRRGGGGHHHH! Just... you know. When I was younger I never paid attention to them." Ash babbled his way through an explanation. "Great way to start, idiot." Ash thought as he scratched the back of his head. He can't do it like this. This is just so alien to him. Some stupid confessions. There has to be another way how to express his feelings. "Well, there is a way."
He imagined it a lot. Do her lips taste like vanilla too? He hopes so. Vanilla ice cream is the best ice cream. Why is he so nervous!? He emits confidence other times! It isn't even his first kiss with a girl! Although that depends if the Bianca that kissed him in Alto Mare was indeed Bianca or Latias. Mystery he hasn't solved even till this day. So it still could be his first kiss with a girl. Why is everything so complicated?!
DO IT! DO IT! DO IT!
"God dammit!" he yelled in his head. And before anyone could comprehend what was happening, Ash sealed his lips with Cynthia.
"It's everything he has... And he is giving it to me."
Cynthia couldn't help but feel a storm of butterflies in her stomach. It's not the first gift she received, but somehow the feeling of receiving this one was different. Cynthia looked on the necklace, but quickly her look shifted elsewhere. Her abdomen was glowing. Again.
There was this crazy theory in her head that came up with the discovery that Ash was alive about the light. But after one month here, and no advances from Ash, the theory was getting more and more likely to be false.
"I didn't realize that it was this beautiful when I pulled it out of his backpack." she looked back at the necklace, ignoring the blue light for now. It's not like it happened for the first time.
It's true that the necklace isn't shining with grace as silver or gold, but the old leather necklace is still beautiful in its own words. Why though, she didn't know. Perhaps it is not the item that makes it seem beautiful, but the fact Ash gave it to her.
She tried to protest when he gave the necklace to her, but Ash didn't even let her finish. He already knew her through and through. Well, almost. Seems like her hidden plan still wasn't discovered by Mewtwo.
She feels kinda guilty that she is doing this behind his back. She saw how torn he was on the inside in front of her so she asked him if he is OK. But even after it he still seemed torn yelling "FINE" out of nowhere.
"So. I was never interested in girls."
That one line broke Cynthia's heart to pieces. Well, that was until he cutely stuttered and tried to explain his bad choice of words. She printed the image of a nervous Aura Guardian Ash into her brain, because how long would it take before he will be nervous like this again?
Regardless of the funny circumstances, it was clear that something was weighing on his mind. And what that was she found out shortly after.
When Ash crashed his lips on hers, her eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. Unlike Ash's who were tightly shut. She enjoyed the short moment when he kissed her and when he scratched her chin with his beard, which wasn't as uncomfortable as she imagined it in her dreams.
Nevertheless, when he pulled away, her eyes were still ready to fall out of their sockets.
"I- Uhhh. I was never good with words. So... You know what I am trying to say. Right? Even through all the hardships I endured here, this month with you here was able to erase those 3 years of isolation. You are the source of joy and happiness here. Not only that, but you are just so sweet, kind, smart. And don't even get me started on your looks. This level of beauty should not be allowed. Well. What I am trying to say is. Uh... I think I... like you? Probably more than I should?" blushing Ash somehow managed to stutter out these words unsure of his own thoughts.
"And look, I am not telling you this because expect you to return my feelings." he said.
"I would be over the moon if you did though." Ash added in his head.
"Since I was confessing my fears to my father outside, I figured that I should confess everything to you too, so my head will be clear once all the hell breaks loose. I will give you some time to recollect your thoughts and then we will be on our way. Spitting it out like this must be shock for you so be free to stay here if you don't want to go there with me. I will understand." Ash said.
Ash tried to make something of Cynthia's surprised expression, but nothing came to his mind. She just stood there. Not moving. Not even blinking. He tried to look for some clue that would tell him what Cynthia feels, but Cynthia was like a statue. Not giving any emotions away. Well, maybe after few minutes alone with her thoughts, she will be able to sort them out. For a few seconds he locked his gaze with hers, but when Cynthia's mind was still not working, he eventually sighed and walked passed Cynthia to his Pokemon to talk to them one last time before the fight. Maybe after that, he can come to Cynthia and ask her what she thinks about all of this.
Cynthia still wide eyed looked now on the empty space before her with thoughts running wild. Her mind was so occupied to comprehend what happened that she only heard faint whispers behind her as Ash was going through the plan one last time.
Slowly the realization of what happened was dawned on Cynthia. She slowly turned around to see Ash talking to his Pokemon discussing the plan.
"Did he just confess his love for me and acts like nothing happened?!" she thought.
For a second she thoughts that the whole confession now didn't even happen. That was until Ash's Gardevoir start giddily, jumping around Ash expressing her joy of her trainer in love asking him bunch of questions. Ash with nervous chuckles was calming Gardevoir down but on Gardevoir who is a Pokemon that loves romance it didn't really help.
Even Ash's Pikachu joined in and pat his trainer on the back saying something in pokespeech which Cynthia couldn't really understand.
"Lady Shirona, I think it's your turn to confess." said Mewtwo through telepathy only to Cynthia.
Her eyes wandered between Ash and Mewtwo few time before settling on finally settling on the last Aura Guardian.
The way he now interacted with his Pokemon. Petting Meganium, scratching Pikachu under his and high-fiving with Infernape. One last heart to heart moment with his Pokemon before the fight.
"Damn... I DO love him..." Cynthia realized. The restraints that were holding her back all this time in here were suddenly broke and she tackled Ash right in front of his all Pokemon on the ground giving him a another kiss. Fortunately for her, her aim was good and with this Tackle attack, their lips touched again when they fell to the ground.
Part of Cynthia couldn't even believe what she was doing right now. The kiss was again brief but it was very sweet. Looking into his eyes, she knew now it was pointless to tell each other how they felt. It was very clear to both of them.
"Ash... Whatever happens, promise me that you will come back to me in one piece. I... I need you back alive. OK?" Cynthia pleaded with watery eyes still lying on top of Ash. Cynthia supported herself with her hands so she could see Ash's face. From this position, she could see that Ash's own thoughts were now running wild.
Then, Ash smiled. "Now I have a very good reason to come back alive." And he kissed her briefly on the lips again.
As they were lying on top of each other, there was a painful burning sensation that caused them to groan. For a moment, both of their minds went blank. Even with their eyesight. All they could see through the burning pain was white light. White light didn't disappear when they closed their eyes. It just got more intense. The pain quickly subdued and they were released from this unpleasurable experience. Both had to blink few times to get their eyesight back to normal.
Ash was the first one to recover. His pants were quicker than they normally are, so he sat down. With Cynthia still on top of him, this caused still recovering Cynthia to be seated on his legs. Ash quickly lifted his black t-shirt and looked at the place where he felt the burning.
"So you finally showed up." Ash thought upon looking at the mark. The mark there was releasing a small white smoke and the skin around the dark blue mark was red. Even though the mark looks great, he still has no idea why it appeared. Or more precisely, why it was burnt onto his skin.
"Looks like you are stuck with me, Ash." that familiar sweet voice dragged his attention back to Cynthia. She too lifted her clothes and showed Ash the same mark he has. So they were burned simultaneously. Huh. And now, when the mark is finally visible, he felt Cynthia's emotions seeping through it. Clearly than ever before. "She DOES love me back… I am one lucky bastard."
"I wouldn't have it any other way." Ash smiled back.
Even when she enjoyed those brief kisses, she wanted more. They lasted barely a second and as she remembers from the movies she saw, this isn't even scratching the surface of how people express their love for each other.
Suddenly whole cave cheered for the two newfound lovers.
"Soulmates. Just like I said. And you doubted me." Lucario said smugly to Ash.
"Shut up." Ash retorted back.
"I am sorry to ruin the moment, but we are 15 minutes late already. We should go. Everyone is expecting us." said Mewtwo.
More than two hundred Jennys were now gathered in the training field behind the Police HQ. All of them standing in a formation ready for their commands, inextinguishable from one another like a clone army of police officers. In front of them stood another Jenny, but with a different badge on her blue uniform. Bigger, golden, and with director written on it.
And right beside the officer Jenny unit, another unit stood. This time, there were 64 people, with vast majority of them being men. These men and women didn't have any unifying uniforms like Jenny's, however, there was still one piece of clothing that bound this unit together. A short sleeve red and yellow jackets that didn't extend all the way to the waist, but ended below their chests. And there was an emblem sewn on the left sleeve of their jackets. Another thing they had in common were the devices on their wrists.
But that's where the similarities in this unit ended. The undershirts varied from person to person. In front of this unit was a spiky, blonde haired tall man in great physical condition dressed in the same jacket and with a same device on his wrist, with white undershirt and black shorts with yellow stripe. The man looked like he was in his early thirties. And just by the look of it, it seemed that this man has had a lot of experience with this kind of thing.
"How exactly will this work? We will just give our units to him and wait for his commands?" asked the man next to director Jenny. The displeasure of giving his Pokemon Rangers to some stranger was hearable in his voice.
"I guess so. We will just have to wait for him and see what he has in store for us." replied director Jenny turning her head from her unit to the blonde man.
"He better have a good plan prepared or I will not give him a single man. I don't want to fill in another paper and declare somebody dead." the man grunted.
"Are you going to pick a fight with the Aura Guardian, Jackie?" asked Jenny raising an eyebrow.
"If I'm not satisfied with his plan, then yes." Jackie replied sternly.
Director Jenny sighed and looked back to her unit formed before her. These are all the women the Police HQ can offer right now. In three days, it was impossible to mobilize every Jenny from every city there was. So this will have to do.
And even when she didn't say it outloud, she isn't exactly thrilled about this either. But she isn't as much opposed to this idea either. After the Aura Guardian said directly to her that he doesn't want anyone else die to Team Rocket. So he will surely make sure they all will be fine. Right?
As director Jenny was recalling her encounter with Aura Guardian, behind the unit of Pokemon Rangers and Police Officers, the sliding door opened and 4 men in total and one old woman exited the door. Those men were Charles Goodsnow and the regional champions, Lance, Steven and Tobias.
All three of them dressed in their usual clothes. Tobias with his vine colored cape that nearly covered his whole body, Steven in his usual suit and Lance in his signature black cape and blue clothes underneath.
Charles, with the Champions, was walking between the two units and all four of them were inspecting the army they will take with them to the battle.
The only woman of the group was slowly walking behind them. Grey hair, very short stature and a lab coat. Carolina wanted to see if what Charles said to her was true. So she is here, hoping to see her granddaughter alive and well. Carolina hasn't slept since Charles told her the news through the phone. Her granddaughter may be alive and she had to wait three long days to find out if it was true. Now, the truth will be revealed, and she can only hope to see her beautiful granddaughter again.
"Director, Jackie. Is everyone ready?" asked Charles the two in command of the two peacekeeping organizations.
"Yes." answered director Jenny. But Jackie didn't answer.
"Jackie?" asked Charles.
"Of course they are..." answered Jackie in displeasure.
"Professor Sato, nice to meet you." said officer Jenny and shook her hand with professor.
"Likewise, director Jenny."
"What are you doing here professor Sato? I don't think this is a place for a professor to be in." asked Jackie.
"What do you think, Jackie? What could possibly bring her here?" asked an irritated director Jenny.
"I thought these information should be classified." said Jackie.
"It's her granddaughter. Even though it is classified, she deserves to know and be here." Charles looked at Carolina.
"Thank you again, Charles." Carolina said and did a small bow.
The Champions stood there silently the whole time not uttering a word. None of them knew what to expect. Lance and Steven particularly gave the vibes of nervousness, even though they tried to hide it. Especially Lance. Tobias on the other hand, was again not moved by the situation, being mysterious and calm as ever.
The sun was setting over the horizon slowly and everyone waited patiently for the Aura Guardian and Cynthia to arrive. However, 15 minutes later and nobody showed up.
"If he can't be on time in a serious situation like this, how can we trust him with lives of so many people?!" asked Jackie restlessly.
"I am sure he has a good reason to be late." replied Charles.
"Behind you!" yelled out Solana, who was with her colleagues among the Pokemon Ranger unit. The Champions, director Jenny, Jackie, Charles and Carolina all turned around. Behind them, on another field, whole army of Pokemon appeared. Ranging from all types and sizes. And in front of them, stood the Aura Guardian and Cynthia. Cynthia in her black coat and the Aura Guardian in his dark green cloak and black cape over his arm. The necklace Cynthia received was around her neck, but the tusk on it was hidden in her coat so Steven wouldn't suspect anything.
As the others were now thinking if it's a good idea to approach Red with so many Pokemon behind him, Carolina was the first one to regain her senses and rushed towards her granddaughter. And for a woman of her age, she moved as fast as Pikachu's Quick Attack.
"Don't do this to me again. Ever." mumbled Carolina as she was hugging Cynthia with all the strength she could muster. Tears began falling down the floor from Carolina.
"I am sorry. So, so sorry grandma. Please forgive me." said Cynthia as she was getting very emotional as well upon reuniting with her grandmother. The two women were hugging and weeping for quite a while. The Aura Guardian who stood near them, could only watch with a faint smile on his face.
"Why are you late?" asked Jackie who with all the others walked up to them.
"I am sorry for my late arrival, gentleman. I was getting ready for the battle." despite the fact Red apologized, Jackie is still displeased.
"Cynthia, child, it's so great to see you live and well!" said Charles as he approached the two hugging women with a big smile.
"Cynthia, what happened in your villa? Did Team Rocket really attacked you? Are you alright?" asked director Jenny and the hugging women both looked at her.
"Did they hurt you?" asked Carolina who broke the hug when she heard director Jenny asking about her condition. Inspecting her, she seemed alright, but you never know. Carolina varily looked at the Aura Guardian.
"Did HE hurt you?" Carolina harshly asked another question and Red's eyes widened when he met the deathly glare of a furious grandmother.
"No grandmother. He actually protected me and risked his life for me. If it weren't for him, I would not be here."
"He better not hurt you, if you did hurt my only granddaughter then I-"
"Grandma. He is an Aura Guardian. Hurting people is not in their blood." Cynthia reassured Carolina.
"Cynthia, what happened in your villa?!" asked director Jenny, whose question from before were completely ignored. Those two women were locked in their own world for some time.
"That's... a long story." she said locking her gaze with Red. Both of them smiled slightly at each other and looked back at the other people here.
"What was that?!" asked observant Carolina.
"Huh? What?" asked clueless Cynthia.
"That look between you two. I don't like it." said Carolina crossing her arms.
"Nothing! It was just... a look." exclaimed Cynthia with small pink blush which thankfully went unnoticed by Carolina.
"So we meet again." Steven walked up, to the rescue, and offered the Aura Guardian a handshake, focusing the attention from Carolina to the trio of champions.
"Mr. Stone. Glad to see you again. How was your way down the mountain? Without troubles I hope." Aura Guardian smiled and shook his hand with Steven.
"Ahhh. Yes. No big troubles worth talking about." Steven said. "I am glad you are alive and well Cynthia." Steven continued and made his way to Cynthia.
"It's great to be back too." Cynthia said and both Champions hugged. Though as they were hugging, there was a slight tension in the area. Scary presence is felt here. None of the two knew what happened or if they just imagined it. But as soon as they broke their hug, the scary presence was gone.
"Did… Did you feel that?" asked Steven.
"Yes. So I wasn't imagining it? That scary presence here?" asked Cynthia.
"No. But I wonder what it was." Steven quietly said and thought about it all.
"Mr. Wataru and Mr. Yami. Pleasure to meet the other two Champions." said Red as small blue flames around him disappeared and with smile he turned towards the other two Champions. The deep voice and blue flames surprised both Lance and Tobias, but none of them showed it. BOth tried to act professionally in front of everyone present.
"Nice to meet you." said Lance in a neutral tone. Though corners of his mouth moved to form a very small smile which disappeared as soon as it appeared.
Tobias on the other hand shook Red's hand without any response. He only looked him in the eyes, inspecting those unordinary eyes he heard so much about.
"And who is this?" asked Jackie who first found out, there was a completely new Pokemon in the army Aura Guardian brought.
"I am Mewtwo. Red's Pokemon. Nice to meet you all." Mewtwo's telepathy surprised everyone.
"A new Pokemon with a telepathy? Where did you find him?" said Steven. Steven could swear, that for a second, there was a really unfriendly look upon him by Red. But that quickly changed.
"He actually found me. Right Mewtwo?" asked Red his Pokemon.
"I suppose it could be phrased liked that." Mewtwo answered by telepathy.
There was one man who was observing this Pokemon very , this Pokemon has a great power. Maybe more power than his own legendary Pokemon. Another thing that peaked his interest was his name. "Mew-TWO. That can't be coincidence." thought Tobias.
"I believe we should get to business. What is your plan, Red?" asked Jackie, ending the introductions and reunions. Red's face got serious and he explained what is expected out of all of them. And when the sun was set over the horizon, on the cloudy, cold autumn evening, all of them were teleported near the Team Rocket HQ.
"TELL ME WHY YOU RESCUED THE AURA GUARDIAN!" yelled out furious Domino and she gave James a very hard and painful slap across the face. James took the slap with his eyes still set on the floor not uttering the word except for a painful grunt.
In a familiar torture room, the Team Rocket trio hanged by their hands right next to each other. Jessie and James were striped of their clothes and handed to Domino for investigation. And the investigation is just starting out.
No member of the Rocket trio didn't say a word from the time they were thrown at Giovanni's feet. Unsurprisingly, this angered Giovanni so he gave them to Dominno for 'information gathering' as he called it. But they felt they were the one who gathered the most information. Particularly about the twerp and his Aura Guardian status.
"Fine... You want it rough? You will get rough." said Domino and she picked a knife from the bloody table of various torture tools.
She slowly walked up in the direction of James, but on her last second, realizing that she has been beating only James the entire time with her hands, she made a turn and walked up to Jessie. Jessie started breathing heavily as Domino was coming closer to her.
Shackling of chains near Domino caused her to look to her left. James finally showed emotions as his eyes widened when he saw a knife near Jessie's bare stomach who was rising and falling rapidly along with her breasts.
"Does this bother you, James?" Domino pressed the knife a little harder so few drops of blood escaped from Jessie who yelled out in pain.
"Not her. Please..." were the first quiet, desperate words James said upon returning to the base.
"Ohoho! This will be very interesting!" yelled out Domino as she was running the tip of the knife on Jessie's still rising and falling stomach. She never tortured two people who cared about each other so there is whole realm of possibilities how to make this interesting.
"Whatever you want to do with that knife, do it to me. Leave her out of it. Please..." James begged with his eyes tightly shut.
"I took you always for a cowardly one. The one who would never want to be in pain. What changed?" Domino asked. But the only answer she got was a weird look that James gave to Jessie who was still looking at the knife roaming around her stomach.
"Don't tell me you have fallen in love with HER! HA! This is just too perfect! I am going to so enjoy this!" said Domino who began smiling and laughing.
"James..." Jessie said now looking up to meet James's eyes. But the only thing she found was James looking at the ground below.
"I am sorry, Jessie." James said quietly.
"Let's see which one of you will be hurt more by this." said grinning Domino who prepared to stab Jessie right through the abdomen.
"STOP!" yelled out the last member of the trio, Meowth who surprised Domino and created a slight pause.
"Nearly forgot about you." Domino turned to Meowth and stopped the knife right before it was about to hit Jessie's stomach.
"Let them be. Give them at wheast a chance to express how they feel towards another. I will take the torture in the meantime if you can't help yourself you sick bitch." yelled out Meowth desperately.
"You were always the smart one... Hmmm. A possibility of torturing lovers who realize their feelings towards another right before watching each other suffer is an opportunity I will not have again... Fine. Jessie, confess." she said with a sleazy smile pulling back the knife.
"James... I- I-"
"Don't say anything. Don't give her the pleasure." said James shakily, looking at Domino.
"And this is where the fun starts... James. If she doesn't confess..." Domino walked up to Jessie again and pressed the knife to Jessie's throat. "Do you know what will happen?" And James shuddered when he saw the sight. Just what Domino wanted to see.
"You will not kill her. You said it yourself. This is a gweat torture opportunity for a sick bastard like you, who doesn't want to miss it." said Meowth.
"Ooooh." purred Domino sadly.
"Guess I will have to start with your tongue so you will not ruin the fun for me in the future." said Domino who pulled the knife of Jessie's throat and went to Meowth.
But her walk was interrupted when an alarm started ringing through the room. "ATTENTION! WE HAVE BEEN ATTACKED. I REPEAT, WE ARE BEING ATTACKED! THE INTRUDER IS IN THE WEST WING OF FACILITY! EVERYONE GATHER IN THE WEST WING AND STOP THE INTRUDER! A speaker in the room said in robotic voice.
A big maple tree towered over the rest of the forest near Pallet Town. Autumn created a vast range of colored leaves that were falling lazily to the ground creating a beautiful scenery. On this beautiful autumn night, an army formed around the tree.
Police officers and Pokemon Rangers were standing all around the big maple tree, watching, waiting for the first criminals to escape from the Team Rocket headquarters.
Several minutes ago, the Aura Guardian teleported all of them to their places. The Rangers and Jennys stood around the 1 km radius all around the maple tree, hidden in the forest. All of them had a walkie-talkie so they could communicate with each other. Because of their large numbers, the group of 284 justice fighters was divided into 20 groups of approximately 14 people so the channel they were broadcasting on would not get overloaded. Of this group of Jenny's and Rangers, one captain was chosen and only the captain could talk to the director, or Jackie through the walkie talkie. This created a communication network that Red came up with.
From the information gathered by Red, they knew there was one main exit and one backdoor exit that was hidden in case of the attack. But thanks to Red, they knew the location of the secret exit.
And at these two entrances, the big guns were unloaded. Cynthia, Lance and director Jenny with 2 groups of Jenny's and Rangers were at the secret hidden in the bushes with their respective Pokemon.
Tobias, Steven, Jackie and with another two groups of Jenny's and Rangers were at the main entrance prepared to capture anyone who would dare to escape from the cave that hidden the entrance.
There was a possibility that there are some other small secret exits that they didn't know about, and that's where the other groups of Jennys and Rangers came in. Pokemon Rangers 'captured' a whole bunch of flying Pokemon to scout the area for any criminals who would want to escape. Hopefully it will find its usage, because the forest behind Pallet Town is incredibly thick so there is not a good sighting spot for them.
Charles and Carolina remained at the Police HQ, since they do not have a lot of experience with fighting. Carolina in particuliary protested when she just got her granddaughter back. Charles had to remind her that she should not be in here in a first place so she should be gratefully she even knows about this mission. Carolina protested regardless. But it was no use, because not only Charles, but Cynthia herself was determined to fight. And so Carolina's protests found only deaf ears.
And so everyone was in place. It was time for Red to get into the cave and put an end to Team Rocket.
Ash saw from afar how the two guards at the main entrance in the caves retreated into the facility. Not surprising, since Infernape, Typhlosion and Charizard flames illuminated the cave and the army of Pokemon Ash brought with himself into the caves.
Ash slowly walked up to the doors. "Mewtwo, the door please."
Mewtwo's eyes glowed blue and an entire front wall with the iron doors crumbled into a bunch of iron scrap leaving only a big hole in the wall that separated the cave and the Team Rocket HQ.
The hole inside the iron wall in the cave revealed a big hall. It looked like a gathering room, with big couches, TVs on a wooden floor. The hall was even nicely decorated by plants here and there. Even though the hall was as big as Cynthia's villa, his Pokemon couldn't stack themselves in that space. Thankfully, the broken wall extended the room for battles all the way to the roomy cave.
Inside the hall countless grunts had their Pokemon already out and attacked Ash without hesitation. A Rhydon and Electivire jumped at Ash with white glowing fists as soon as they saw him. However, they were stopped in mid air by Mewtwo with Psychic. Mewtwo used his telekinetic abilities to slam two fully evolved Pokemon to the ground without mercy and at a very high speed.
"Metagross and Mewtwo, take care of the guns." Ash said in the deep voice.
Even though he said it, as soon as he entered through the broken iron wall, several grunts already pulled their guns out and began shooting at Ash. Ash quickly extended his hand forward and created the shield to protect himself and his Pokemon.
"Seriously, they should know this won't work by now." thought Ash.
"Mewtwo, be on lookout for Alakazams teleporting here." Ash said to which Mewtwo nodded.
Paying attention back to the hall in front of them, Ash got to work. One, two, three ...twentyone. Twenty one grunts pulled their pokeballs and released bunch of Pokemon.
As he has done dozen of times already, Ash let his Pokemon take care of the enemy Pokemon, and he turned his attention to the grunts. Several grunts had weapons of their own, like knives, throwing knives, and even swords.
Looking at those grunts, he knew these were a different kind from the ones on their bases. None of them shouted in fear when he appeared, and they weren't surprised when their guns crumbled. They were calm as he was, which got Ash slightly nervous. These must be Giovanni's top soldiers. Thanks to the Aura sense, he knew there were much, much more of them in here.
As the fighting between Pokemon started on the various places in the hall/cave, Ash finished analyzing the situation and rushed towards the first grunt. Dark green blur with a streak of blue from his Aura eyes indicated his fast movement towards the first grunt.
Ash aimed his right kick on the grunts head, but surprisingly, he ducked down evading the first blow. As the momentum of the kick was causing him turn, he noticed the grunt was trying to make him trip by his own low kick.
Ash quickly pulled his left leg of the ground, and let the momentum of the right kick carry on, creating a horizontal spin.
Seeing the enemy under him, Ash created an Aura Sphere in his right hand, and he slammed it at grunt's head creating a small explosion. The explosion knocked the first grunt down.
Keeping track of a position he is in, the spin was far easier with his enhanced senses and reflexes so landing was not a problem.
As he landed on the kneeling position, two knives were thrown from the distance. His Aura sense sensed three other grunts coming from the sides, and others were prepared to attack too.
"Knives instead of bullets... Interesting change."
Seeing the two fast traveling knives, Ash dodged one with jerking his head right, and as the second one was coming in, he caught it with his right hand.
Using his shining blue eyes, Ash saw the three grunts getting closer from each side. Ash took advantage of the kneeling position and jumped high in the air. Fumbling his knife in his hand, he saw the knife thrower throwing another knife at him.
Ash blocked the knife in the air with the one he caught. Ash then immediately threw the knife he held, back at the grunt. However, he dodged the knife Ash threw. Not wasting any time, the grunt pulled three knives between hin knuckles and with a sinister grin, he threw the six knives in total at Ash.
This didn't caught Ash off guard however, he knew these guys would be another level as soon as he laid eyes on them. So he was prepared. The knife he blocked previously was blocked to bounce upwards and not down. And just in time, the gravity pulled Ash and the knife back to the ground and Ash caught the knife and blocked all the other knives.
He didn't have much time to think, because a grunt with a sword came from behind and tried to slice Ash's head off with a fast swing. Ash's Aura sense caught that and he quickly bent his back, and used his hand to make a flip back, leaving the knife he caught on the ground.
"These guys are no joke." Ash thought as they now surrounded him from all sides. By now, on the other bases, he would have at least 10 grunts down already. But right now, he only had one. This is gonna be a long fight.
Four grunts launched at the same time and they quickly approached Ash. The one with a sword began with a slash aiming at his head. Ash ducked under the sword, but another grunt was already near him and tried to kick Ash in the back of his head. Ash managed to catch this guy's leg with his right hand. With a quick spin, Ash threw this guy at the other two approaching him, and fortunately, he hit them.
The sword guy quickly tried another slash, trying to slash kneeling Ash in two. Not having time to dodge in this weird position, Ash had to quickly manifest the shield and protect himself from the sword. When the sword bounced of, Ash switched from the Shield to an Aura Sphere and threw this Aura Sphere at the sword guy.
The last guy jumped at Ash, trying to restrain his movements when Ash was busy with the others. And he succeed. For a moment. As soon as the grunts hand touched Ash, he grabbed the hand, stood from his position and he threw this man over his shoulder.
"Slowly getting used to fighting for real again. Feels... great."
Cynthia, Lance and director Jenny where at the secret entrance to the HQ. The secret entrance was hidden behind a several vines which hanged from the small clif on which a tree stood. Silently, all three of them with their squad stood there.
"OK. Time to go." Cynthia looked at her watch. Ten minutes went by and that means Ash should be already deep inside the base. Now it should be safe to come out.
"Time to go? Where?!" asked confused officer Jenny with her Arcanine at the side.
"Inside." she said in a serious voice.
"But, didn't the Aura Guardian said that we should wait here and he will smoke them out of their holes?" asked Solana, who was the member of the group of Rangers and police officers that joined the two champions and director Jenny.
"Yeah, he said that. But he needs our help. According to the map I have, we are closest to the place where their leader is. If we go there while their leader is occupied with A-... Red, we will have a better chance to capture him." Cynthia said.
"But…. doesn't that goes against what he ordered us to do?" asked director Jenny unsurely. The fact they are waiting at the exit far from the actual fighting is actually soothing. None of her women is in greater danger and that's all she can ask for. But on the other hand, it is true that the Aura Guardian placed an enormous responsibility on his shoulders. And they are the police. They are the ones who should be doing this and not hiding out here.
"We are obliged to follow his orders. And he ordered you to follow my orders. Didn't Red make himself clear?!" asked Cynthia.
"But those aren't his orders. Are they? Those are your own. He doesn't know about this plan of yours does he?" stated Lance simply, gathering the attention of others.
Cynthia looked at Lance and saw his neutral expression. Stupid detective. Just from a few words he could see the real picture of what was going on here.
"WE are going in!" Cynthia raised her voice.
"Are you really OK with this?! Just watching? The thing he is trying to accomplish now is a suicide! I am not going to just stay here and pray for his success! He is the last Aura Guardian. THE LAST! We should be saving him and his kind! Not the other way around! Do you know what he went through?! What they did to him?! The inhuman torture that they were performing on him?! You all see just an eye scar and a missing hand. And trust me, there are much nastier things hidden under that green cloak."
"Our responsibility is not watch him suffer again! It's to fight! So I am going to say this one last time. WE are going in!" Cynthia shouted. And the speech did it's job. They eventually went in.
Giovanni was eagerly watching how the Aura Guardian was making his way through his maze on the computer in his office. Beside him, three women stood like guards watching over Giovanni. Sipping his coffee Giovanni enjoyed the show on the display. It is like a ballet. Fighting with such a grace requires a lot of talent
He expected that this worm will come back and try to destroy his plans. But from what he could tell, he lost the hand to the torture Domino inflicted upon him. That made the corners of his mouth smile. And he even saw his old creation, Mewtwo. When Mewtwo appeared on screen, Giovanni could only look at his Psychics and wonder who was stronger.
Grabbing a mouse, Giovanni switched the screens. He saw a group of people approaching the secret entrance right before his camera was shut down.
Not that it bothered Giovanni much. He discovered these guys with his camera in the forest before they decided to go in. Pretty good strategy. Laying siege to the base and smoke everyone out.
However, Giovanni knows how to play this game. He knows very well that the only threat here is the Aura Guardian. And maybe Tobias outside. But if everything will go according to the plan, not even those threats will stop him.
"I am getting into position." a familiar female voice rang through the computer.
"Good." he said as another camera was shut down by the group that went in through the secret entrance.
Cynthia and the others were walking through the halls of the secret entrance to the Team Rocket HQ. Along the way, they encountered several grunts. But none of the were match for the full Team of Pokemon that belonged to the two Champions.
Only three individuals went through the entrance. Cynthia, Lance and Jenny. The rest stayed outside under the command of Solana. The least amount of people that go in, the higher chance they will slip by unnoticed by their leader.
Metal walls decorated the big hall through which the trio was going through. Cynthia was walking in front of the others with her map in hands. The place was unusually quiet for a place that is being invaded right now. All of Lance's and Cynthia's Pokemon, with Jenny's Arcanine, were following them. With the exception of two. Cynthia's Lucario and Milotic were the only Pokemon walking beside Cynthia.
The reason is very simple. She knows how Team Rocket fights from what she witnessed in her villa and from the stories she heard in the Haven. Guns. Those are the things that made her worry and she was planning on how to deal with them as soon as she decided to help Ash.
Ash was dealing with it by Psychic attack. That one attack, unfortunately, isn't in her Pokemon team. Not even in Lance's team. She counted on the fact she would be paired with either Tobias or Steven who have this attacks at their disposal. luck was not on her side. So she had to go for plan B. Lucario has to sense the grunts with guns and Milotic has to protect them with Light Screen.
Lucario nudged Cynthia and growled silently.
"Milotic!" Cynthia said and Milotic wrapped them in a light cube
Several seconds later Cynthia and the others saw several people running to them. As soon as they saw Red R's on their vests, everyone was ready for combat. Cynthia turned around and saw her Pokemon with Lance and Jenny there. "Garchomp, it's your turn. Be careful, girl."
Garchomp nodded, growled and before anyone knew it, the landshark disappeared underground. "Lance and director, are you ready?" Cynthia asked as she folded the blueprint of this place and put it into her, coat. Both of them nodded and were ready.
Team Rocket grunts were now right in front of them, pointing their guns at them. Seeing the barrier, none of them started shooting. This slightly surprised cynthia, because the grunts in her villa didn't hesitate and began shooting despite a barrier being placed around her and Ash. None of them even said a word.
Around ten people were right in front of them ready for the fight. "Release your Pokemon." one of them said. And as he said, several Pokemon appeared out of theri Pokemon. Majority of them being Crobats. But there were others like Magmontars, Nidoqueens, Nidokings, Beedrills and more.
Cynthia couldn't help but smile. As soon as those Pokemon dropped to the ground, metallic floor cracked. Everyone outside of the Light Screen Cube lost balance and the floor was beginning to fall apart.
"NOW!" Cynthia yelled out.
"EXTREME SPEED!" both director and Lance yelled out.
The Light screen cube dispersed and both Arcanine and Dragonite vanished from their initial spots and rushed to destroy the guns of Team Rocket. With fast speed and element of surprise, the two Pokemon quickly disarmed all of the grunts in the room.
Lucario then nudged Cynthia again.
"There's more coming!" Cynthia said loudly.
"RETREAT!" both Lance and director said and their Pokemon got back to their initial position and the Light Screen cube was formed again. When the new grunts arrived, they were surprised by the state of the hallway. "As expected of the Champions." mumbled one of the grunts. Suddenly the ground began to crack and fall apart again.
"AGAIN!" yelled out Cynthia.
And the same thing as before happened. Arcanine and Dragonite disarmed the newcomers and now only Pokemon were inside the hallway.
Lucario poked Cynthia's waist. This got her attention and she turned to her Pokemon to receive a nod from Lucario.
"Time for a Pokemon fight, Lance." Cynthia turned to Lance. "Director." she added.
"Finally." said Lance as he joined Cynthia in the front. All of their Pokemon stepped in front of their trainers, facing a herd of Pokemon that belonged to team Rocket grunts. Thirteen Pokemon against what looked like fifty Pokemon.
"I shouldn't be excited." thought Lance. "But I missed this so much." he added. Being a detective, circumstances like this rarely came. Usually it's just to investigate the crime scene. However, what he seeks are circumstances where he is forced to go all out. And when they finally appear, his heart screams in excitement over the fights that will take place. There is one slight problem. His lovely wife. Lorelei forbids him to get involved in something so dangerous again. Too late for that now. Sigh. He can already hear the lecture Lorelei will give him. "Sorry Lor."
"Dragonite, Dragon Claw on Magmortar! Gyarados, Dragon Pulse on Nidoqueen! Aerodactyl, Rock Slide on Nidoking! Charizard, Overheat on Electivire! Kingdra, Dragon Breath on Jolteon! Flygon, Solar Beam on Golem!" commanded Lance.
"Arcanine, Flame Charge on Exeggutor!" Jenny joined.
"Roserade, Sludge Bomb on Crobat! Spiritomb Dark Pulse on Crobat! Gastrodon Stone Edge on Crobat! Lucario, Aura Sphere on Rhydon! Milotic, Ice Beam on Beedrill! And Garchomp, Dragon Rush on the rest!" yelled out Cynthia.
Once the Champions and Jenny commanded their Pokemon to attack, chaos unfold. Dozens of commands from the grunts were yelled out and dozens of attacks collided in mere seconds apart from each other.
Dragon Claw against Fire Punch, Dragon Pulse against Thunderbolt and all the other attacks collided with each other created a big cloud of smoke that covered the whole hallway. Gusts of winds caused Lance's cape and Cynthia's black coat to flicker and everyone had to cover their eyes as the force of so many attacks created strong gust of wind that flew through the hallway all the way to the exit.
When the gust of wind stopped, Cynthia looked up to evaluate the situation. But when she looked up, she saw a grunt and he was about to kick her to the stomach. Fortunately for her, Lance jumped over her and he kicked the grunt away from her.
"Cynthia, stay behind me. Let me and the director take care of the grunts." Lance stood in front of Cynthia and director Jenny joined him. Cynthia then could only watch as Lance and director Jenny were fighting against dozen of grunts all on their own. Cynthia stepped a few steps back and analyzed the situation.
She has no experience in hand to hand fighting so she can't help them directly. But they really need some help. She can see that they are being overwhelmed by the grunts and they barely can defend themselves. If this will continue, they will never be able to continue to their leader.
Wait. If they are here, that means their leader knows about them. So what now? Yelped of pain brought her back from her thoughts when she saw some grunt punch director Jenny to the face and immediately after another one kicked her into the stomach. She knelt on the ground trying to regain energy but not even a second later another grunt kicked her in the head. and she yelped again.
"DIRECTOR!" yelled out Lance. But he couldn't focus on her.
Cynthia knew that she has to do something. It is only matter of time before they get past both of them and she will be next. She looked at the battlefield and saw Lucario and Milotic just beating their opponents.
"Lucario, Milotic, help the director and Lance!" she yelled out from behind all of them.
What she failed to notice was one of the grunts was running at her with a knife. And just when he was about to reach her, Garchomps Dragon Rush sent this grunt flying through the hallway. Garchomp nodded and left to fight again.
"This is much more chaotic than I anticipated." she thought.
At least Lance and director Jenny are handling situation better with the help of Milotic and Lucario. The director's moves were now slower then before, but she managed to still get some good hits on the grunts. Slowly but surely, the tide of this battle was turning to their favor. As more and more of their Pokemon were defeating the enemy Pokemon, more Pokemon helped director and Lance in the fight and in protecting Cynthia. Cynthia coordinated the fight from the back like a chess player managing her board, and with her wits, slowly but surely, this battle was won by them.
As the smoke cleared, Cynthia saw the state of the board. Most of their Pokemon are in good condition to fight another battle. However, Lance and director Jenny clearly needed a break. The fact that over 15 grunts ganged up on them was clearly visible.
Lance seemed very tired but other than that, he seemed alright. Director Jenny however was holding her stomach and seemed to be in a worse state. So Cynthia walked up to her. "Are you alright director?"
"Yes. I will walk it off in a minute. Just… give me a second to catch a breath." answered panting Jenny.
"Alright. And… Do you want to continue?" asked Cynthia.
"We will not let you go there alone. Your grandma would kill us if we would let that happen." answered Lance who too panted slightly. Director agreed with Lance and nodded when Cynthia looked at her.
"Right." chuckled Cynthia. "Dragonite and Arcanine, give them a ride so they can rest for a little bit." she added. And despite not being their trainer, the two Pokemon listened to her command. It wasn't her command that caused them to listen, rather the state in which their trainers are in.
Cynthia pulled the map out of her coat. "I don't know how many of them can we withstand. My Roserade and Lance's Aerodactyl are out and Lance's Gyarados doesn't look good either. Hopefully there will not be many of these encounters. After all, we are not that much of a threat as Ash is." she thought. Lance and Cynthia recalled their two fallen Pokemon and the three justice fighters continued their walk deeper into the base.
After the first encounter, the walk through the base was surprisingly quiet. Lucario stayed by Cynthia's side and tried to sense Team Rocket grunts in their area. Cynthia really tried to focus on her task and not get distracted by anything. But even though she tried, her mind wasn't as calm and focused as she wanted it to be. She couldn't help it but think about Ash and how he was doing right now. That wouldn't be so bad, but sometimes her thoughts made a quick turn around and the concern for Ash turned to something not so innocent. She doesn't remember the time she was lusting for someone so strongly. "Probably never…. Surely never." she thought.
Ever since the tattoo appeared, the thoughts she was suppressing about him came to surface and were bothering.
"Did you find something?" asked director Jenny, who was riding on Arcanine next to Cynthia.
"Huh? Oh, no. Just thought of something." Cynthia said when she realized that she stopped walking.
"Say Cynthia. Do you know who the Aura Guardian is? Behind that Red sharade?" asked Lance who was riding on his Dragonite. Cynthia chuckled.
"Nothing goes by you, does it?"
"Who is he?" asked Lance ignoring the question.
He hasn't changed a bit. Same old Lance who doesn't care about useless banters. Usually this behaviour comes out as rude. How does Lorelei puts up with this she has no idea. Maybe she has some secret manual on him. Could be useful. She should ask Lorelei when her next meeting with Elite Four comes up. That's if Charles hasn't replaced her yet.
"I can't tell you that I am afraid. That's his secret to tell. Not mine." Cynthia continued her walk with the blueprint in hands.
"Secret huh?" Lance chuckled. "Now I really wonder who he is…" he added quietly.
"Do not worry Lance. There is not a person you could trust more than he is." Cynthia said. There was that small shake in his voice that said to Cynthia, Lance still isn't sure about this mission. Or her own mission.
"He gives that vibe off…." added director Jenny.
"... Vibe of a chick magnet." Lance sighed. And as to confirm his statement, both director and Cynthia blushed. Cynthia didn't say a word to respond, but director did.
"Well… I mean, can you blame us? He is the manliest man to ever be manly." said director Jenny.
"Right…" Lance responded in disbelief. What was that even supposed to mean? Better not think about it too hard. Women are more complicated that the universe itself.
"If only they knew he is just sixteen…" thought Cynthia. They probably wouldn't even listen to Ash if they knew. Not probably, they would've sent him back to the Haven to change his diapers if they knew. Not only that. Director Jenny would have to quickly explain why a woman who entered her thirties is going after a sixteen-year old. And how dare she? Ash is hers. And she refused to share. "Mine. He is mine." she thought and rubbed the mark on her abdomen. "Only mine." she added possessively again.
"Is it here?" asked Lance. who stopped his Dragonite and their walk.
Cynthia was brought back from her thoughts and looked at the direction where Lance was looking. She discovered a small iron door. She looked into the map and tried to find the room on the map. But it didn't add up. Right across these iron doors, there were another door. This time a white wooden door, with a sign that read 'STORAGE 14'. But on the blueprint, there is no room across storage 14. Only a blank space.
"This shouldn't be here." Cynthia walked up to the unknown door.
"How recent are those blueprints?" asked Lance.
"Not so recent to be honest. But still. Everything was in place so far, so this is rather strange" Cynthia turned around and replied. Turning back to the door, she examined them with her watchful eyes. Well, if they are from iron, they must hide something valuable. Right? Or they could hide something that could weaken Team Rocket in this fight. Or make the fight easier. "Only one way to find out." she thought. Cynthia tried to open the door, but they were locked.
"Garchomp, Use Dragon Rush and break through the door."
Garchomp enveloped herself in a blue energy and rammed the door open. The iron door flew to the other end of the room, nearly hitting one of the bodies hanging there.
Fortunately the naked bodies hanged by their wrists. And looked to be OK and alive. they were visibly breathing. They were breathing faster and were stradled when they entered the room though. Thankfully there wasn't a sign of torture or anything like that. Though, there was a small slash on the pink haired woman's stomach.
"Seems like we came just in time." said director Jenny, who entered the room with Arcanine and Lance with his Dragonite after Cynthia.
"You are late. Far too late." said Meowth out of all the persons in the room. Only after Meowth response, the three guys in chains finally lifted their heads to see who came to rescue them.
"Cynthia?!" yelled out purple haired woman.
"Huh?" confused Cynthia tilted her head.
"Did you save him? Is he here?" asked the blue haired man. There was a need for hope heard in his voice by the others.
"What are… you…" Cynthia tried to ask before she realized. "You dropped him at my doorstep."
"Is he here?!" asked the purple haired woman in a demanding tone.
"He… is." she replied still shocked by this sudden discovery.
"What is happening?" asked Lance.
"Release us and let's get out of here! This is not a fight we can win!" said Meowth out loud.
"How can you even talk?" asked director Jenny the talking Meowth.
"That's not important! We have to get out of here and let HIM to take care of this. We have no chance against Giovanni's experiments!" yelled out Meowth
"I am afraid we can't do that. We are here to help him to fight. Not to run away." said Cynthia.
"Then I am afraid this will be your last day on Earth, Champion." said some woman.
But his time, it was not the purple haired lady in chains who talked. The voice came from behind them. The three invaders turned around and saw a young blonde woman with red R on her black jacket. She stood confidently on the doorstep to the room with a dark, sinister smile. Cynthia's Lucario recognized this woman and immediately lurched to her. However, she stopped in midair just before she could punch Domino.
"Now, now. Don't try anything clever or this Lucario will crumble into a beautiful blue marble." she said. She stepped aside and a woman with pink/white dress came into the room. Her eyes glowing light blue and her face devote of any emotion.
"It is very rude to come without invitation. Didn't you know? Well, it doesn't matter now. I am afraid I will have to bring you to my boss. He is very displeased that you disrupted his calm evening today. You are lucky though. He is in a great mood so you might come out of this alive."