The Wraith of Blaze #3: Ash VS Erika Written by Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@IEATSPAMhotmail.com) http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/pokemon/index.html Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo. Proper licenses belong to respective properties and characters. This file may be freely distributed so long as it appears in its complete form and proper credit is given. No part may be reproduced in part or whole for monetary/personal gain without permission from the author. Fair question: who is Cinder? Fanart can be found at: http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/fanart/index.html ------------------------------------------------ Pokemon League Final Tournament, Day 4 Ash was surprised to find himself still standing after the previous three days of the tournament. In a bizarre turn of events it turned out that this year the Gym Leaders in the local area were to compete for the right to keep their gym status for the next three years. It was a well known fact to most trainers that the Gym Leaders were among the best Pokemon masters, but in an unfortunate turn of events, that proved not to be the case at all. On the first day of the tournament Misty, representing her sisters in the tournament, lost, due to a quirk of fate pitting her against Ash that day. The other Gym Leader suffering a defeat that day was Surge, who was pitted against another Gym Leader, whose Pokemon were invulnerable to electric attacks. Many other minor Gym Leaders lost that day, but not enough to possibly create some sort of hazard. The third day, however, proved far worse than the first day. Even though it appeared that the Gym Leaders were changing their tactics by utilizing different Pokemon, some of them still could not make it past the third elimination round. Koga, who narrowly won the previous day, suffered a terrible loss to Ash, and Blaine, one of the veteran Leaders, was beaten by Giovanni, even though he used Pokemon other than Fire-type. Brock, representing his dad in the tournament, also lost his match to Sabrina. After that series of defeats rumors were spreading around amongst the trainers that the tournament schedule was purposely-designed to defeat the current Gym Leaders, while others pointed to the sole entrant made by the notorious Team Rocket. Ash found Team Rocket's entry puzzling; although he knew the Viridian Gym was owned by the Rockets, he never expected them to be so open about it. The Rocket, Billy, was not known to Ash, but it seemed he knew what he was doing. Other than the rumors, Ash started to become suspicious himself when he first faced the days' opponent: yet another Gym Leader. Across the stadium field stood Erika, the Gym Leader of Celadon City, her arms folded, and, strangely enough, smiling. Had Ash not known any better he would have expected the girl to be afraid for herself... but there was only confidence in her youthful face. "It's been quite a while," Erika said. "We never finished our last battle." "Well, I'm not going to let anything stop us this time!" Ash replied. "I've gotten a lot better since last time!" "As I've seen," the Gym Leader said, nodding. She produced a Pokeball. "And, as you'll see, I've gotten better as well! Your luck streak is about to run out!" Ash turned his cap backward as he produced his own Pokeball. "We'll see!" "Charizard, go!" he yelled, throwing his Pokeball into the fighting arena. "Kabutops!" Erika yelled in turn. "Show 'em what you've got!" Ash gasped in surprise as the ancient Pokemon, Kabutops, materialized before Charizard. "N... no way!" "Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!" laughed the Gym Leader. "I KNEW when I'd be fighting you that you'd assume that I'd be using Grass-type Pokemon, and use your own Fire-types. So I chose Kabutops to take advantage of that." "No way you could have THAT!!" he complained. Pointing at Charizard, Erika commanded, "Kabutops, use Swords Dance!" "Kabutops!" the monster yelled, swinging its bladed arms about. "Charizard, don't let that distract you!" Ash yelled. "Attack it with a Flamethrower!" Obeying Ash, Charizard belched a stream of flame toward Kabutops. The ancient Pokemon sidestepped the flame attack, narrowing its eyes with contempt. "Now, Kabutops!" yelled Erika. "Slash Charizard!" Swinging blades like sickles Kabutops leaped at Charizard, but the fire Pokemon kept its enemy at bay with its own Slash attacks, acting in self-defense. "Don't let Kabutops get you!" encouraged Ash. "Use Seismic Toss!" Charizard roared, and, instead of Slashing, rushed into a slam against Kabutops, sinking claws around its arms. Lifting the ancient Pokemon into the air, Ash's monster slammed Kabutops head-first into the battle arena's ground, creating a huge hole. Kabutops rolled backward and onto its feet, angered, but hardly dazed, protected from the brunt of the attack by its hard, rock shell. "Absorb Charizard's energy!" Erika ordered. "Ka...bu...tops!" Suddenly, Ash realized the real reason why Erika had ordered Kabutops to Swords Dance first. "Charizard!" he yelled. "That Absorb attack is much stronger than usual!" But it was too late, as Kabutops, crossing blades, fired a concentrated beam that collided with Charizard's midsection, bathing Ash's monster in hellish light. The fire Pokemon resisted as Kabutops' Absorb sucked its energy, stomping closer to the ancient Pokemon. But Kabutops held its ground, confident for good reason, as Charizard's resistance lessened gradually. "I can't stand this!" Ash screamed, holding out a Pokeball. Firing the ball's tight-beam on Charizard, he yelled, "Charizard, return!" Erika laughed. "Never underestimate old fossils, Ash!" "I don't know where you got that Kabutops from," Ash said, "but I'm not letting it beat me!" He produced his second Pokeball, and threw it into the arena. "It's your turn, Muk!" A smelly, sludge-like Pokemon materialized before Kabutops, bobbing up and down with a wide grin. Erika took an involuntary step back, but soon recovered herself, producing her Pokeball. "Kabutops, return!" "Both trainers withdraw their Pokemon," the two heard the announcer say. "No points awarded this round." "I knew Muk would remind you of Grimer," Ash said triumphantly. "Not only does it have an advantage against Grass Pokemon...." "Very cute, Ash!" Erika yelled, holding another Pokeball. "Be disappointed, that I'm not the little girl I once was!" She threw it into the arena. "Dratini! Show Ash what you've got!" The young dragon Pokemon, Dratini, materialized in the arena, eyes full of innocence. He crooned puzzlingly at Erika, as if unsure what to do. "That's just as rare as Kabutops!" Ash complained. "But THIS is hardly rare!" Erika shouted back. Pointing toward Muk, she commanded, "Dratini! Show that Muk your Dragon Rage!" Dratini turned to face Muk, who was slowly advancing, arms wide open. At the last moment when the dragon Pokemon appeared to have disobeyed his master, Dratini opened his small mouth and belched flames. Muk shielded itself from the Dragon Rage with both of its gooey arms. "Muk, Sludge attack!" Ash ordered. Almost stupidly, Muk wound one arm back, then pitched a piece of itself at Dratini. But the small dragon was far too agile for such a clumsy attack. "Your Muk is pathetic!" Erika said, laughing. "Now, it's time to stop playing games; Dratini, Hyper Beam!" Ash stepped back in surprise as an energy wave formed around Dratini's open mouth. A strong blast of wind blew the stadium as the dragon Pokemon unleashed his most powerful attack. A solid column of air fired from Dratini's mouth, cutting through Muk as if it were not there. Muk exploded in all directions as the Hyper Beam ripped it apart. "NO!!" Ash screamed. The sludge Pokemon, however, was already putting itself back together as Dratini recovered from the desperate attack. Congealing back into a somewhat familiar form, Muk appeared less stable than before to Ash, and it was no surprise when it collapsed to the ground with a heavy splash. "Dratini is the winner!" the announcer said. "One point goes to Erika." "One out of three," Ash told himself. "Looks like I'm going to have to count on this." He held out an empty Pokeball. "Muk, return!" "Don't bore me by bringing that Charizard back out!" Erika taunted from the other end of the battle arena. "Then you should like this one!" Ash shouted back. Throwing his third Pokeball, "Your turn, Bulbasaur!" Materializing into the arena, the lizard cried, "Bulbasaur!" Erika smirked. "Dratini, return!" "Huh?!" the other trainer gasped. "Now what?!" She produced her third Pokeball. "I should've known better than to overestimate you, Ash! I've been saving this one for you since our last battle!" Throwing the Pokeball into the arena, Erika shouted, "Victreebel! Go!" "I don't remember fighting Victreebel," he said. "Of course not! Last time, it was Weepingbell." "So you evolved your Weepingbell into Victreebel?! Fine then, this shouldn't be much different from the last time!" To Bulbasaur, he commanded, "Show Erika some of your own 'new' tricks! Finish that Victreebel with Solar Beam!" "Bulbasaur!" Solar energy gathered around the bulb on the lizard's back for Bulbasaur's most powerful attack. Erika shouted, "Stun Spore, Victreebel! Don't let that Bulbasaur finish gathering sunlight!" Pointing its 'mouth' toward Bulbasaur, Victreebel expelled a cloud of spores, using its leaves to fan the spores toward Bulbasaur. Abandoning the Solar Beam, Bulbasaur leaped back in an attempt to dodge the spores. "Vine Whip, Bulbasaur!" Ash shouted. Two vines lashed out from Bulbasaur's back, slapping Victreebel twice. "You just don't get it, do you?" Erika said. "When it comes to Grass-type Pokemon, nobody can beat me! Victreebel, Razor Leaf!" Spinning in place, the bell-shaped Grass Pokemon threw a storm of leaves at its opponent. Each leaf cut through Bulbasaur's tough hide as if they were knives, true to the attack's name. As soon as Ash's Pokemon fell on its side, the announcer declared, "Victreebel has beaten Bulbasaur. Point awarded to Erika." Summoning Bulbasaur back into its Pokeball, Ash reproduced Charizard's Pokeball. He stared at the ball intently. "Now it's all up to you, Charizard. You can beat that Victreebel easily!" He threw the Pokeball into the arena, summoning Charizard for the second time in the match. "Now it's time for payback, Victreebel!" the Gym Leader encouraged her Pokemon. "Razor Leaf!" "Charizard, Flamethrower!" Although weakened from the battle with Kabutops, Charizard obeyed, belching a blast of flame at the incoming Razor Leaf attack. Each leaf burst into flame in mid-air, but none of the flames touched Victreebel. "Eh?!" gasped Ash. "Don't you think I'd remember that from last time?" Erika said. "Your problem is that you're too predictable, Ash!" To Victreebel, she ordered, "Stun Spore!" From the bell's mouth Victreebel blew another cloud of stun gas spores. "Charizard, Fire Spin!" Ash shouted. Roaring loudly, Charizard spun in place, summoning a column of flame around it. As the spores came into contact with the flames they burst, proving just as useless as the Razor Leaf attack. Stopping itself, Charizard threw its spinning flame at Victreebel. Erika yelped in shock as the Fire Spin attack caught Victreebel in its deadly spiral, sending the bell Pokemon into the sky with flames trailing behind. "Charizard," Ash shouted, "follow up with Seismic Toss!" Charizard launched itself into the air, wings beating rapidly. The great lizard caught Victreebel at the top of the Fire Spin, and with a mighty heave slammed the Grass-type Pokemon toward the ground. When Charizard landed, Ash was shocked to find that Erika was still smiling. Victreebel was getting up! "I admit that surprised me," the Gym Leader said. "But with proper training even using a Pokemon's weakness is no match! Victreebel has one more trick up its sleeve." "I thought Victreebel's best attack was Razor Leaf," Ash said, confused. "For the most part," Erika said. "But this is a technique of my own design.... Victreebel, Mega Drain!" Although weakened, Victreebel complied, firing a beam from its mouth. Charizard took the full brunt of the attack, and started to become weaker. "An attack even more powerful than Absorb?!" Ash cried. "It's... it's fast!" True to its name, Mega Drain siphoned energy from Ash's Pokemon and gave it directly to Victreebel, which appeared to get stronger with each passing moment. When Victreebel completed its attack, Charizard was lying on the ground, knocked-out. "Victreebel is the winner. Point awarded to Erika." Ash stood dumbfounded. "I... I lost?" "Erika is the winner!" the announcer cried, followed by great applause from the audience. Recalling Charizard, the Orange League champion walked off the field in defeat. "An unexpected turn of events," Billy, the black-suited Rocket said to himself, rubbing his chin. In the stadium seats next to him Jessie, James, and Meowth simply stared at the field, jaws dropped. "I don't believe it," Jessie said. "The brat lost." "To that girl, of all people," James added. "They say 'you win some, you lose some,' but that's takin' it a bit too far," Meowth agreed. Billy shook his head. "Not good, not good at all. My plans were riding on that kid beating the Gym Leaders for us... and one of them beat HIM." "Isn't she the Grass-trainer?" James asked. "I thought so, too," Jessie answered. "So what's she doing with all those rare Pokemon?" "Who cares?" Meowth said. "We could always swipe 'em later...." "We're NOT here to steal rare Pokemon!" Billy yelled. "Have you forgotten our mission?" "Hey!" the Pokemon said. "Nothin' wrong with doing a few jobs on the side." "You stupid beast!" the black Rocket yelled, drawing the attention of those around him. "Don't you talk back to me!" Jessie shook her head. "I don't know how much more of this I can take!" Leaning over to whisper in her ear, James said, "If I didn't know any better I'd think he didn't like us." "What gave you THAT idea?!" Jessie yelled back. "C'mon!" Meowth complained to Billy. "I'll give you a good share of the ransom cash, too!" "Ransom cash?!" echoed Billy. "Yeah!" the cat Pokemon said. "Didn't y'know that girl was filthy rich?" Regaining his calm exterior, the black Rocket considered the new information carefully. He snapped his fingers. "I've got it!" "Got what?!" Jessie and James asked in unison. "Milk?!" Meowth asked hopefully. Billy waved the Rockets to follow him, away from the stadium crowd. As soon as the four were out of sight from any of the audience members, he said, "I think might have a way to get our 'friend' back in the competition, and get rid of the girl." And get rid of three birds with one stone, he added silently. He picked up Meowth by the scruff of his neck. "Tell me more about this Gym Leader...." Cinder slammed the door to his room shut behind him, not bothering to take off his robes even when alone. Since the Pokemon League's tournaments often drew very large crowds there were many hotel accommodations to trainers and viewers, varying in degrees of furnish and expense, depending on what the customer was looking for. The room Cinder rented for his stay was a few buildings down from the VIP building, where important individuals stayed in luxurious comfort, and this included the Gym Leaders. Cinder's single-room contained all that he deemed necessary: a bed, a window, climate control, an alarm clock, a bathroom (of course), and, most importantly, a television set, mounted on a dresser directly across the room from the bed. He sat on the edge of his bed, dumping Pokeballs behind him with one hand and grabbing the remote control with the other. Immediately the local Pokemon tournament newslets appeared. Whenever the Pokemon League held tournaments all the televisions in the local area were given broadcast signals from a station below the stadium, providing real-time news of events that might concern the guests, ranging from Pokemon battles to last-minute schedule changes and important announcements. The former was particularly important to those guests unable to attend the battles in person, but it was the latter that Cinder was mainly interested in. A Pokemon battle in-progress was being televised live from the stadium, which, judging from the scoreboard in the upper-right corner, had just started. Three lines of ticker-tape-style scores ran across the bottom of the screen, in a fashion similar to the televised stock exchanges. Cinder paid no heed to the trainers duking it out for the fourth elimination round, and checked the time on the alarm clock behind him-- this was the last battle of the day. He turned back around to find the standings of those people he knew in the tournament, but the combatants caught Cinder's attentions first. In the obvious lead, even though she never scored a point yet, was Sabrina, the psychic Gym Leader from Saffron City, her vicious Alakazam making mincemeat of the opponent's Jolteon. Cinder folded his arms, not surprised that the psychic girl was having no troubles in the final tournament, unlike her comrades; only Giovanni and Erika managed to keep ahead besides Sabrina, and it was perhaps more due to variety than luck that got them that far (Cinder made sure in the case of the former's selections). The wraith snorted with amusement, sounding quite similar to someone blowing air through a tube. When the opponent's Flareon entered the battle arena Cinder knew, and he guessed Sabrina knew as well, that this particular fool was an Eevee- trainer-- that is, a trainer that relied on the tri- evolutions of Eevee, the genetically-unstable Pokemon. The creature Eevee itself was uncommon to most areas, and battling an individual with even one Eevee monster was rare, but trainers with three Eevee monsters was extremely rare-- as well as quite limiting. Such tactics only worked against those trainers who are unprepared for Eevees, but any veteran trainer can overcome them. Not that Sabrina's Alakazam was having any problems in the fight. True to form, Alakazam picked up Flareon with a Psychic attack, and slammed it to the ground-- hard. Cinder knew the tactic well, as it was terribly common for any Psychic Pokemon to psychically-slam opponents in such a manner, since only the strongest- willed Pokemon could resist such an attack. Cinder reached one claw into his hood, and scratched his chin, producing a metal-against-metal grating. He stopped himself, as such behavior was only suitable for his previous life. Only such an unrefined master would use such a predictable attack, he broadcast in his mind to the girl on television. Sabrina jumped, causing the wraith to chuckle out- loud. Tearing her eyes from the battle she stared directly at the camera currently in use. Cinder! she 'cast back from the stadium. Careful, he warned, or your slave may fumble without your constant command. My Pokemon are more than capable of handling a battle themselves! the Gym Leader replied proudly, turning her eyes back to the arena. Once I'm through here I'm coming for you next, she added, recalling Alakazam as if to prove a point. Cinder watched her send out Porygon, as if to insult the opponent by beating him with an inferior Pokemon. The battle is in the bag already, he 'cast back. I look forward to our little confrontation. He watched Porygon fire a simulated Psybeam at Flareon, taking the Eevee monster out, and giving Sabrina her second point in the match. There was no surprise when the opponent produced Vaporeon; the Gym Leader remained impassive, allowing Porygon to continue the battle. For a moment the wraith wondered how the other trainer ever got so far into the elimination in the first place as Porygon unleashed Tri Attack. "And therefore we look forward to our match on day six," Cinder decided, as Porygon finished-off the other monster. The wraith waited for the usual closing pleasantries to commence, only watching because the news was coming on next. Each day the Pokemon League's tournament ended with a summary of the day's events, in particular the highlight battles of the day, and speculation upon which trainers in the lineups would come out ahead of their peers. The exercise was a pleasantry, nothing more, as Cinder found the opinions of the so-called 'experts' to be quite flawed, even if some of their picks did win. Instead of the closing, however, the words "Special Report" blotted-out everything on the screen. Leaning forward with interest, the wraith relaxed his chin on his folded arms, staring at the television. His mechanical left eye adjusted itself to focus quickly. The message tore away to a reporter standing in the packed conference hall, blabbering on about some kind of important announcement concerning the tournament. Cinder ignored the reporter's words, wishing the authority holding the conference would make it quick. His thoughts were rewarded when Lance, the head of the local League and of the tournament, appeared and headed straight for the podium, dark cape flowing behind him. Arrogance was the only word that described the Pokemon Master, for it permeated his very being, and his eyes were full of confidence, and appeared somewhat piercing to any who looked at them directly. The Dragon trainer was unmatched in terms of ability, and some whispered he was just as reptilian as the dragons he trained. "Ladies and gentlemen," Lance began, "I've called this conference so soon because we have learned of a conspiracy within the tournament." The Dragon trainer allowed a pause as those gathered in the conference room murmured amongst themselves. He produced a file folder from the folds of his cape. "We have conclusive proof that the tournament has been tampered with, as given by these documents, among other pieces of evidence. Also, we have reason to believe that the perpetrators are here at Indigo Plateau, participating in the tournament themselves. More murmurs ran through the audience. "It's those damn Rockets!" someone shouted, a woman. Lance raised his hands. "We're not pointing fingers at them yet; there's no conclusive evidence of their involvement." "But you let one of them participate, and he's still winning now!" the woman cried. "This is not a press conference!" the Dragon trainer pointed out. "And we are not here to form a lynch mob. Now, be silent, or be removed. Your choice." When the woman remained silent, Lance took it as his cue to continue. "However, although the Rocket Gang may not be the perpetrators, we do have certain individuals under investigation. For that reason, we are pulling them from the tournament." This time the murmurs turned into outright yelling and complaining. Cinder chuckled as the sound room monitoring the feed attempted to filter-out the 'background noise.' "Following an anonymous tip," continued Lance, "we have put the following trainers under investigation." Cinder listened intently to the list of names-- a short list of eight names, but his concern raised as two of the names were ones he recognized: Erika and Giovanni. For a moment, the wraith was surprised that his name wasn't mentioned at all. And neither was the Rocket's, either. "All being investigated operate under unusual anomalies," the Dragon trainer explained. "Each will be removed from the tournament and be placed under house arrest." "What about the people you're taking off tomorrow's fights?!" a man yelled. "A reasonable question," Lance said. "At the moment, this affects only three trainers, so in their cases their replacements will be the trainers that lost to them today. We're effectively giving them a second chance." Some of the words Cinder made out were "Rip-off!" and "Scandal!", but the very idea of the investigation made the wraith uneasy. "The girl Erika has my Pokemon," he said aloud, to himself. "If that is the reason she's under investigation, they can easily trace the Pokemon back to me." Cinder stood up, and began pacing. "But, there may be a way...." He had stopped paying attention to the conference, but at that moment a runner handed Lance a note, instantly grabbing the wraith's interest again. "Ladies and gentlemen, if I may have your attentions!" Lance shouted, over the numerous angry voices. Strangely enough, the noise died down, satisfying the Pokemon Master, but there was a hint of worry in his expression. "While conducting a search for the whereabouts of Giovanni," Lance read from the note, "the investigators happened upon positive proof in his hotel room. We have conclusive evidence to prove that Giovanni of Viridian City Gym is in fact the Rocket Boss...." Gasps of shock and surprise seized the audience. "...and a search is being conducted for Giovanni, who has an outstanding warrant for his arrest." From their hiding spots in the ventilation shaft of the conference room Jessie, James, and Meowth let out a scream of shock. Fortunately, since the conference room was just as noisy, the Rockets' presence went on undetected. "Someone sold out the boss!" Jessie whispered, trying to contain her excitement. "We're going to get it now!" James whined in panic. "If they're looking for the boss, then they're going to come after us as well!" she pointed out. "But what are we supposed to do now?!" From down the shaft, the voice of Billy said, "That just means *I'M* the boss now!" All eyes turned to the black-suited Rocket as he appeared from around the corner. "Now that the boss is... busy, and since he put me in charge... I'm the boss now." "So now what?" asked James. "Don't ya think the boss'll need our help?" Meowth added. Billy shook his head. "We're going to continue on as planned, but this time we're not going to play by the rules. While they will start searching for us now that the boss has been exposed... we still need a gym secured." "So we're going to steal one?" guessed Jessie. "Any number of sucker-trainers'll help us out for the right price," answered the black Rocket. "Now, let's get going, before we're noticed." Ash stared at the cafeteria television set, along with Brock, Misty, and Pikachu, in shock. While the news of Ash's reinstatement to the tournament was a pleasant surprise, the idea that someone like Giovanni being a wanted felon was something else entirely. "Giovanni's Team Rocket's boss?" Ash said in disbelief. "I can't believe it," Brock said. "After all this time the guy in the next city was one of them." But Misty was skeptical. "It does make sense; if he's the Gym Leader of Viridian City, and Team Rocket has that gym, that he'd be one of them. But don't you think it's fishy how it just came up like that?" Likewise, Cinder remained unimpressed with the revelation of Giovanni's affiliations, as the special report ended. Even if Giovanni was the leader of Team Rocket, an idea which Cinder seriously doubted, the fact remained that the sudden appearance of the 'evidence' was a little too convenient. He gathered the Pokeballs strewn on his bed, placing them in special slots in the sleeve of his robes. Cinder walked out the door, heading for the one place he needed to go before getting back to the business of getting trainers to change their ways. The trick was, of course, avoiding trouble. Gary Oak, grandson of the famous professor of Pallet Town, sat up in bed when someone knocked at his door. Picking up the alarm clock that rest on the nightstand next to the bed, his lack of energy burst into anger. "Can't anyone tell I've gotta sleep, even if it IS five in the afternoon?" he wondered to himself. After completing a grueling match that morning Gary found himself lethargic, and as soon as he made it to his hotel room sleep overcame him, so he hadn't the time to even take off his boots. Thinking back, he decided that it was probably due to the fact that some of Jeanette's Bellsprout's Sleep Powder got to him; that was the most ridiculous monster he'd ever fought in the tournament. The knock came again, much harder than before. "Awright, I'm comin'!" Gary yelled, rubbing his eyes. Not bothering to peek his eye through the door, he pulled the door open. All thoughts of slumber were swept away as Gary stood at attention to Lt. Surge. "Taking your time, soldier?" the Gym Leader asked in his stiff voice. "N...not at all," Gary replied. He stood back, gesturing a hand inside. "Come on in." Surge entered Gary's room, hands behind his back, as if inspecting troop barracks. As soon as Gary shut the door he turned to face him. "Have you been keeping up with the news?" Surge asked. "Well... no," admitted Gary. "I've been sleeping." Starting his pacing, the Gym Leader explained, "In the space of two hours two more Gym Leaders have been removed from the tournament, as well as one other, in investigation to the sabotage." Gary nodded, knowing Surge referred to the alleged tampering of the tournament roster. "Blame has fallen upon one of eight people, those three inclusive, and Team Rocket EXCLUSIVE," the former soldier continued. "This, I believe, is also the work of the saboteur." "It has to be the Rockets," Gary concluded. "It's the only explanation why they've been quiet." "My thoughts exactly, soldier!" agreed Surge. "It is apparent to the saboteur that the remaining Leaders are too good to be beaten so easily even when stacked, and therefore they had to be removed by technicalities. Erika stands accused of using her money to buy off her wins, while Giovanni was initially accused of the same." "Initially?!" "Conveniently, upon searching his empty hotel room the investigators found evidence pointing to his alleged affiliation to Team Rocket, as their boss." "That's crazy," the younger trainer said. "That only means it's Team Rocket for sure." "An old tactic, but perfectly effective," Surge said. "To throw off blame you thrust it on another. Yet, it must also be pointed out that although it appears Giovanni has fled, so has Team Rocket." "So it can't be them?" "I didn't say that." "But wouldn't it be counterproductive of the Rockets to disqualify themselves from the tournament?" "Winning the tournament was likely not their original intention. Creating a ruckus with the power structure may be it." "So now what?" "We need to find Team Rocket, of course." Gary sighed. "That could take all night. I've gotta go to the tournament early tomorrow, too, you know." "I won't keep you late," Surge promised. "If my scouts are correct, then they haven't left the plateau yet. We may find them quickly if we act fast." While Billy was gone the rest of the Team Rocket members sat around the campfire in their camp hidden in the woods, not far from the stadium. James poked a stick into the fire, sifting the ashes meaninglessly. "The boss is gone," James moaned, "and we're all alone!" "Without the boss Team Rocket is finished!" added Jessie. "He was the one who kept everything together." "And now we've got to put up with Mr. 'I'm the boss now' for the rest of our lives!" James added, bursting in tears. Meowth shook his head, and folded his arms. "You two don't get it, don't ya?" "What?" both Rockets asked, their attentions fixated on Meowth. "Do I have to come up with the brilliant ideas myself?" the cat Pokemon wondered aloud. "Anyway, if those police are lookin' for the boss, we should GIVE him to them." "Don't be ridiculous, Meowth!" Jessie yelled in anger, raising a fist. "We don't even know where the boss is," James pointed out. "Not THAT boss!" corrected Meowth. "I mean... the 'boss....'" "Ohhh...." the two Rockets said in understanding. "We can get rid of Billy that way!" James exclaimed in excitement. "And clear the boss's name at the same time!" Jessie added. "The trick is turning him in," finished the cat. "I assume you have a plan?" asked the female Rocket. "All we gotta do is tie him up and throw him to the police. Then we turn ourselves in and tell them that Billy's really the boss, which ain't entirely untrue!" "That's brilliant!" praised James. "Wait a minute!" Jessie said. "That requires that WE go to prison, too!" "And there ain't no prison us three can't get out of!" Meowth replied proudly. "He's got a point there," agreed James. "You guys got Pokemon to deal with him!" "But he took away my Weezing...." "And Arbok," added Jessie. "You expect me to win a fight without him?" "What makes you think they'll listen to him over you?" the cat asked honestly. Nostalgia filled his eyes. "Don't you think, after all we've been through together, that they'd run out on us like that?" "Actually, now that you mention it, they will," Billy yelled in anger, appearing from the darkness of the woods. For the seventh time since being placed under house arrest Erika wanted to throw a few hotel pieces around in her room. Confined to the luxurious VIP room was hardly the source of the problem for the Gym Leader, but being cooped up there by force was. She sat down on the couch in the living room of the room (it was more like a condominium, she admitted to herself), and buried her head in her hands. One of the biggest obstacles of becoming a Gym Leader in the first place was being taken seriously by the rest of the trainers, and that was hard the first time, given how Erika was born to a rich family. And, of course, that automatically gave the impression to those who knew about it that she got her Gym title by virtue of the fact that she had money to spend. That was the primary reason why Erika never told anyone about her wealth, or allowed any of her 'attendants' anywhere near the Celadon Gym. But, unfortunately, it seems the choice caught up with her in a bad way. "How are you feeling?" a low, metallized voice asked. Without turning to the source of the voice, Erika answered, "As best as can be, given the circumstances, you know." Cinder nodded, glad he hardly had to explain how he got into the room in the first place. "What exactly is the accusation?" "Somebody's saying that the only reason I'm winning is because of money," the girl said, telling the wraith nothing new. "But there's other stuff, too, that the League won't say until there's positive proof of it." "And that is?" "They think I paid-off somebody to use their most powerful Pokemon, and that's how I got so far ahead of the other Gym Leaders." "And in that they would be partially correct." "I know. But it sounds so much better to them if money was involved." "Do they suspect me?" Erika shook her head. "Not yet, at least, if at all. The last I heard someone wanted to tie me with Giovanni and Team Rocket." She looked back at Cinder. "Can you believe it? I mean, Giovanni?" "If he truly were the master of Team Rocket," Cinder observed, "then I doubt he would've been as clumsy as to leave direct evidence pointing that way in plain sight. It was planted." "Except there's no proof of that, either," the Gym Leader pointed out. "Nobody's got a motive to do that." "Only those who wish to see either Team Rocket fall, or all the Gym Leaders vanquished. Whoever has done this also rigged the tournament from the start, and their goal is not apparent." He was ready to say more, but Cinder felt a tingling feeling on the back of his neck. "What is it?" asked Erika, catching the break. "It appears I'm going to confront someone very soon," answered Cinder. "You know what it is. If you don't hear from me in twelve hours, you can assume that I won't be coming back. My battle will be late tomorrow afternoon... so I may return." "I see," she said, nodding in understanding. "Both of you have until tomorrow afternoon, then." The wraith turned to leave. "If it becomes necessary I'll do what I must. In the meantime, keep your head above water, and don't mention my connection." "B...boss!" gasped James. The black Rocket leaned against a tree, arms folded, hat tipped low. "Don't you think I would've known what you three have been planning? Did you really think I made all these plans so you could throw me out in an hour?" "I really should turn you three in," continued Billy, "but you do have rather loose lips. Only one thing to do." James clutched his neck in fright. "I don't want to die!!" "Shut up!" Jessie yelled, shaking her partner violently. "He's NOT going to kill us!" "To be bluntly honest, I really don't know what to do with losers like you," Billy admitted. "But, as we are now on the run, I want the balloon blown up and the camp broken as quickly and as quietly as possible." "And you expect us to get out quietly in a hot-air balloon?!" Meowth said. Billy kicked the cat Pokemon with his boot. "Just do as I tell you, lowly monster! We will return to headquarters by sunrise tomorrow, with or without you." "Well, you can do it yourself!" Jessie shouted in anger. "We're tired of following your orders, when all you do is run off and hide to play stupid games!" "My work is very delicate!" Billy insisted. "Now get the balloon ready!" James stood beside Meowth and Jessie, suddenly finding a surge of confidence. "What've you ever done for the boss?" "All ya did was betray our boss!" Meowth accused. "Even greedy guys like us'd NEVER betray him!" "Oh?" Billy said with amusement. "What are you going to do about it? I've got your Pokemon!" "And that's mistake number two!" Jessie yelled, throwing a Pokeball. "Lickitung, GO!" "Victreebel, GO!" James ordered, throwing out his own Pokeball. The black Rocket's eyes moved from Victreebel to the comical Lickitung in surprise. "You have MORE?!" "Looks like someone didn't do his homework!" Jessie taunted. Billy threw three Pokeballs of his own. "Raticate! Farfetch'd! Tauros! Show them what you've got!" Arrayed across from each other, the Rocket Pokemon stood at a face-off: Raticate and Lickitung, Meowth and Farfetch'd, and Tauros and Victreebel. Grabbing the training whip tied to his belt, Billy lashed out his weapon. "Attack!" But already the battle proved to be against the black Rocket, as Lickitung wrapped its long tongue around Raticate, paralyzing it. Meowth slashed the duck Pokemon's onion sprig into pieces, disarming Farfetch'd. Victreebel spat acid at the charging Tauros, forcing the bull Pokemon to fall back. Seething in anger, Billy threw his final two Pokeballs. "Arbok, Weezing!" Both Jessie and James lost their battle edge as they paused in shock when their own Pokemon appeared. "Chaaaarrrbok!" "Wwwweeeeezing...." "That's not fair!" James complained. "Arbok, constrict Lickitung!" Billy ordered. "Weezing, Smokescreen!" For a moment, both Pokemon hesitated, staring from Billy to their respective masters. "Arbok!" Jessie yelled angrily. "Get HIM!!" "Yes, Weezing, you too!" ordered James. "Whata'ya waitin' for?!" demanded Meowth, looking to both Poison Pokemon. "Don't listen to them!" Billy shouted. "They don't treat you as well as I! They can't get you two to win any battles, when I can! They're betraying Team Rocket by defying their leader... me!" Arbok and Weezing passed confused looks to each other, then back to their masters. "Aarrrbok?" "Weeezing?" The two looked back at the black Rocket. And attacked. "CCCCHHHAAARRRRBOOOOOK!!!!" "WWWWEEEEEZZZZIIIINNNGGG!!" "You ungrateful monsters!" Billy cried, turning to flee. "You're not getting away!" James cried. "Weezing, Poison Gas attack!" "Arbok!" yelled Jessie. "Bind him!" With surprising speed Weezing belched noxious gases toward the fleeing Rocket, overcoming him instantly. Arbok, being used to Weezing's terrible gases, had no trouble catching up with Billy and winding around him. When the gas cleared Jessie, James, and Meowth surrounded Billy, caught in Arbok's snaky body. "So nice of you to volunteer yourself," Meowth said. "The boss'll thank us for your sacrifice, even if he doesn't find out about your betrayal," James added. Struggling in Arbok's grip, Billy replied, "Don't think this is over between us! You're still a bunch of incompetents!" "Maybe," Jessie conceded, "but we're members of the team, unlike you." Standing opposite each other in the empty stadium, Sabrina and Cinder stared each other down, neither unyielding to each other's gaze. "I knew you'd come," Sabrina said. "Rivals such as we shall end it now," Cinder replied in a bored tone. Smiling to herself, the psychic Gym Leader produced a Pokeball. Unlike most other Pokeballs, this ball was blue instead of red, and a large 'M' was prominently emblazoned on it. "Master Ball," the wraith knew. "I made a deal with the president of Silph, Co.," she explained. "Then you indeed are in over your head," spat Cinder. "No creature requiring such a device would listen to a lowly trainer such as yourself." "Oh, no, that wasn't my intention at all," Sabrina insisted. Dropping the Master Ball on the ground, she produced another Pokeball. "You see, it's more of an insurance. I don't need it to destroy you!" "Such arrogance!" Cinder replied with a chuckle. "If you know what's good for you you'll use it right now." "Enough talk!" Sabrina demanded, throwing her Pokeball into the air. "Alakazam, go!" Cinder smiled under the darkness of his hood, dropping a Pokeball of his own on the ground. "Now, Spidera...!" Pokemon League Final Tournament, Day 5 Ash was the first to enter the stadium that morning, as it was hours before he would have his turn to battle in the fifth elimination round. For a moment, he felt a tinge of regret, that his second chance in the tournament came at the expense of a fellow trainer, even if it was her own fault in the first place. He looked behind him to Pikachu, who followed along behind his master, and smiled. "Pikachu," he said, "this time, we're going to make it to the end." But Pikachu appeared to have not heard, looking beyond Ash with worry in his eyes. "Piiikaaa...." "What's the matter, Pikachu?" Ash asked. When the little Pokemon pointed a stubby finger past Ash, the trainer looked forward, and gasped in shock. Six craters littered the field, each about five feet deep, with a radius just as large. At the bottom of each crater was a Pokemon... Alakazam, Ash knew, from peering into the first crater. Quickly scanning the rest of the craters, Ash found a Mr. Mime, a Hypno, a Kadabra, a Porygon, and a Jynx, all battered and beaten from the same disaster that befell Alakazam. "These are all of Sabrina's Pokemon," Ash knew, walking back to Alakazam's crater. Suddenly, the young trainer was assaulted by mental images projected from Alakazam. In a flash, Ash saw Sabrina and Cinder from the previous night, ready to duke it out in their grudge match. He saw Sabrina discard the Master Ball to the ground. He saw Alakazam battling a huge, horse-sized spider-like creature, and lose to its awesome Thunder attacks. He saw the rest of Sabrina's Pokemon, likewise defeated by more of Cinder's Pokemon, including a scorpion creature, an Aerodactyl, and a Scyther. Finally, Cinder threw a yellow and black Pokeball at Sabrina.... Pikachu was tugging at Ash's pants leg when he came to. He looked down at the monster with worried eyes. "I think Sabrina's in trouble." Suddenly, Alakazam's psychic energies propelled the Master Ball in front of Ash. He caught it when the psychic energies released it. "A Master Ball?!" As soon as Ash exited the elimination round victorious he went straight to where Brock and Misty were waiting for him. Quickly, he explained what he saw that morning. "Apparently," Brock said, "it must mean that Sabrina challenged him, and she lost." "But both of them are still in the tournament," Misty pointed out. "Why would they leave so suddenly when they still had a chance to win?" "I don't know, either," admitted Ash. "But we've got to find out where they went." "Do you have any ideas where to start looking?" she asked. Brock scratched his chin. "Maybe... maybe somebody else knows where they went?" "Who could we turn to?" wondered Ash. "Sabrina isn't that kind of person, and neither is Cinder." "You forgot one thing, Ash," Brock pointed out. "There IS somebody who seems to know Cinder." Ash's eyes lit up as he came to the same conclusion as Brock. "Erika!" ------------------------------------------------ Author's Notes Believe it or not, the real reason I started the fic with a battle between Ash and Erika was simply because I'd just seen that episode before writing, and, needless to say, I was 'pumped' :) Anyway, from the looks of it Erika pretty much whooped Ash's butt even if he did have Charmander, so my opinion of her skill raised quite a bit-- and also gave me a unique opportunity to exploit a problem seed I planted in the last part (and helped in giving me a reason and opportunity for Billy to usurp control of Team Rocket, and give the Rockets another good reason why they want to get rid of him ^_^). Will Ash and company find Sabrina in time to get her back to the tournament? Just what is Cinder planning on doing with the psychic Gym Leader? What is Team Rocket going to do with Billy? And, just what IS in that Master Ball? Stay tuned.... Q: Why is (Kenji) not in this story? A: I know absolutely nothing about the character other than what Pokemon he uses, much less the name 4Kids is going to give him for the NA release. If it matters to you that much he's gone home (which is likely in the Southern Islands somewhere). ---------POKEMON ROSTER---------- Name: Ash Ketchum (Orange League Champion) Pokemon: Pikachu, Charizard, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Snorlax Stored: Kingler, Muk, etc. Name: Gary Oak (Professor Oak's grandson) Pokemon: Blastoise, Nidoking, Arcanine, Pidgeot, Exeggutor, Alakazam Stored: Kingler, Fearow, Rhydon, Jolteon, Sandslash, Gyarados, Cloyster, Magneton, Ninetails, etc. Name: Cinder (The Wraith of Blaze) Pokemon: Scyther, Kingler, Omastar, Aerodactyl, Scorpin (new; see below), Spidera (new; see below) Stored: Venomoth, Tentacruel, Beedrill, Parasect, etc. Name: Brock (Rock Gym) Pokemon: Graveler, Geodude, Onix, Vulpix, Zubat, Rhyhorn Name: Misty (Water Gym) Pokemon: Staryu, Starmie, Togepi, Psyduck, Goldeen, Dewgong Name: Erika (Grass Gym) Pokemon: Gloom, Victreebel, Tangela, Ivysaur, Exeggcute Stored: Vileplume, Clefairy, Wigglytuff, Dratini Borrowed: Electabuzz, Magmar, Cloyster, Pinsir, Kabutops Name: Sabrina (Psychic Gym) Pokemon: Alakazam, Slowbro, Exeggutor, Porygon, Jynx, Hypno Stored: Kadabra, Mr. Mime, Abra Name: Giovanni (Ground Gym; Team Rocket) Pokemon: Gyarados, Nidoking, Cloyster, Electabuzz, Rhydon Stored: Persian, Kingler, Machamp, Nidoqueen, Dugtrio, etc. Name: Jessie and James (Team Rocket) Pokemon: Lickitung, Victreebel, Meowth Name: Billy (Team Rocket) Pokemon: Raticate, Farfetch'd, Tauros Borrowed: Arbok, Weezing ---------POKEDEX ENTRY----------- Basic Pokemon Spidera Spider Pokemon Bug/Electric No. 690, Level 6; Evolves at Level 23 (Spidek) Length: ???',???", Weight: ??? lbs. Skill Level ----- ----- Tackle - String Shot - Thundershock 9 Thunder Wave 13 * Absorb 20 * Thunderbolt 24 * Agility 32 * Thunder 45 Spins sticky webs in order to catch prey. Usually sends electric shocks through its webbing. --------------------------------- ---------POKEDEX ENTRY----------- Basic Pokemon Scorpin Scorpion Pokemon Bug/Ground No. 693, Level 7; Evolves at Level 25 (Skullpin) Length: ???',???", Weight: ??? lbs. Skill Level ----- ----- Scratch - Sand Attack - Poison Stinger 8 * Swords Dance 15 Twineedle 21 * Slash 28 * Earthquake 36 * Guillotine 48 It's stinger and pincers are made of stainless steel. Wears a strange reptilian helmet of unknown origin. --------------------------------- Razorclaw X http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/pokemon/index.html