Celadon Slugfest"And as I was running away, I thought about all of the times that Pikachu and I had had together since we had met in Oak's lab," Ash said to the intently listening six-year-old next to him. "The good times, the sad times, the scary times, even the times we fought. And I wanted to go back so badly, but I knew that Pikachu would be happier with the wild Pikachu in the forest."
The curly-haired nine-year-old sitting across from Ash had spent most of the story trying to look uninterested, but his resolve had crumbled. "So what happened then?" he asked.
"Well," Ash went on, "As Misty and Brock and I were headed off down the road, we saw this shadow fall over us. It was Pikachu, and he had the whole herd behind him. I didn't know if he was saying good-bye, or what. But then he and that little one shook tails, and the whole herd started cheering for Pikachu and me. And Pikachu started running toward me as fast as he could."
"He didn't want to stay with the wild Pikachu?" little Emily asked, as if the idea of a Pikachu deserting its own kind was unimaginable.
"I think he kind of did," Ash explained, "But he wanted to be with me even more. That adventure brought Pikachu and me closer than ever."
Nicky looked down at Pikachu, who was snoozing in Ash's lap. "Wow. I wish my Pikachu and I were that close."
"You just got yours. Give her some time," Ash said.
"Can you tell us more? About you and Pikachu?" Emily asked.
"It's too late now," Ash explained. "Artemis will yell at me if I let you guys stay up too late. Where's that Jigglypuff of yours?"
The pink Pokémon, hearing its name, hopped into the room. "Jigglypuff," it said cheerily.
"Can I stay up awhile longer?" Nicky asked hopefully.
"We're all going to bed," Ash said. "Her because it's past her bedtime. Us because we have to face Major Surge tomorrow." The former Vermilion City Gym Leader was now in charge of training the cadets and junior officers in their resistance cell. He would have them doing calisthenics, running through the obstacle course, and any other unpleasantness he could think of.
"We're not going to bed yet," Misty Arewt said flatly. "Come on, you two. The General wants us in her office now."
Ash indicated his and Nicky's pajamas. "Like this?"
"She said right away," Misty said. Unlike her counterpart, she wore her fiery hair down over the right side of her face, to hide the ugly scar that she had gotten when Team Rocket had hit the Cerulean City Gym. "Come on."
Ash and Nicky followed her down the hallway to the isolated corner office. Misty, ahead of them, knocked at the door. "Enter," Artemis's voice responded crisply.
The trio walked in. "What's up, Miss Artemis?" Nicky piped up. Despite its use of military rank, the Resistance had little use for protocols such as ma'ams and sirs.
"Sit, all of you," Artemis said. "Looks like you guys were ready for bed."
"4:30 comes awfully early," Ash explained, referring to their wake-up time.
"Well, you get to sleep in a little tomorrow," Artemis explained. "I've put together a mission, and the three of you are playing a crucial part."
The general and founder of the Pokémon Resistance eyed the three youngsters as they reacted to the news. Ash Ketchum, lieutenant and team leader. He had fought at her side in the battle that had started it all, and only his young age and relative inexperience had stopped her from giving him a much higher rank. Misty Arewt, former Cerulean gym leader. The raid that had killed two of her sisters and hospitalized the third had scarred her face and had scarred her soul as well. All she cared about was revenge, making her an effective operative, but a volatile one. Finally, Nicky Hart. At nine, he was too young to be a Pokémon trainer, but he had helped Melanie Kowalski run a Pokémon spa in the forest outside Vermilion City. Team Rocket had raided it, and Melanie (who had raised Nicky from a young age) had disappeared. Nicky had been running from both them and social services for months. He was also very adept as a trainer, and Artemis could not afford to turn anyone away.
Ash spoke first. "What's the plan?"
"You know about the Celadon City Game Corner, right?" Artemis returned.
"Yeah, I think so. It's where they've started having those Pokémon battles, right?"
"Yes," Artemis confirmed. "In addition to all the slots and other games of chance, they've set up a Pokémon battle area, kind of like a gym, but with no leader. People and their Pokémon battle, and they take bets on the outcome. Team Rocket gets a generous helping of whatever's brought in, of course."
"I wish we could go there and take 'em on," Misty said. "Any of us could mop the floor with the geeks. Even you." She said the last to Nicky. His Pokémon team was the weakest of the three.
Nicky glared at her. "What do you mean, even me? I'm as good a trainer as..."
"You're all great trainers," Artemis interrupted, squelching the incipient squabble with a glare. "And that is why you're here. Now Misty, you said you wanted to hit that place?" Misty nodded, and Artemis continued. "You'll get your wish. You three are going to the Pokémon pits tomorrow."
"But if we do that, won't Team Rocket snatch all our Pokémon?" Ash wanted to know.
"It's up to you to make sure that doesn't happen," Artemis said. "But even if it does, this mission is critical. I can't tell you why that is, but it is. Trust me."
"What do we need to do?" Nicky asked.
"Simply put, the three of you need to show up at that Pokémon battle zone, pretending to be visitors from the Orange Islands, or somewhere else outside Team Rocket's sphere of influence. You start fighting them, and you keep fighting them."
"We can't take them all on," Misty said.
"No," Artemis agreed, "but you can keep the matches going for awhile, especially since the one-on-one rule is rigidly enforced. There will be no chaotic gang fights like we had taking Lavender Tower."
"Sounds like it'll be a long day," Misty said. "I'm glad all my Pokémon are fighting fit."
"Mine have had a rough day," Nicky said, crestfallen. "We were training extra hard."
"You're always training extra-hard," Ash said. "We all are, thanks to Surge's training regimens." To call those regimens unrelenting was an understatement.
"Give them to Joy," Artemis said. "She'll have them at full strength by tomorrow."
"Will it be just us?" Ash asked.
"Yes," Artemis explained. "Everyone else will be working on other things. I can't tell you what the plan is, though. Most of the others won't know what you're up to, either."
"Why all the secrecy?" Misty queried.
"Let's just say that this is an important job," Artemis said. "One more thing. By now, Team Rocket is aware of our special new TM's. Therefore, you cannot use them. Use only the usual attacks. If they think you're from the Resistance, it'll unravel everything."
Ash nodded. "That's why you chose us, I'll bet." With the right clothes, he and his team could look like three kids, just hanging out together.
"Right," Artemis said. "You're innocuous."
"What's that mean?" Nicky asked.
"It means we look harmless," Misty told him.
Artemis stood. "You'll be leaving at six-thirty tomorrow, and entering the city discreetly, via the Celadon waterway, so make sure you have Pokémon that can move fast over water. Major Surge will tell you everything else you need to know. I suggest that you select your Pokémon teams very carefully." Ash no longer had the Pokédex override, so he and the others were limited to six Pokémon each. "Dismissed."
© Oddish c.2000
