Chapter Text
After leaving Ash behind to deal with his friend, Jessie, James, and Meowth run further into the base, chasing after Aldith. "Are we sure we want to go after an Admin of Team Terra?" James asks. "After all, I hear they have some powerful technology at their disposal." Jessie stops and stares at him. "What makes you think we're going after her?" she asks. "Well, we won't be able to fully take it back with her here," James points out. "Which means at some point, we'll need to confront her." Meowth laughs at this. "Oh come on," he exclaims. "You can't seriously believe we're that stupid!" he exclaims. "Why do you think we brought the Twerp with us?" James stops as he begins to connect the dots. "Ah, I see," he says. "Very clever of us!" Jessie and Meowth look at each other with exasperation.
"Look, all we need to do is clear out the rest of these goons," Jessie explains. "Then, we get the twerp and the Coordinator to handle the Admin, then the base is ours." "But what if something happens to him during the fight?" James asks. Jessie and Meowth smirk at this. "All the better," Meowth replies. "Because then we won't have to worry about him stopping Team Rocket's return." James nods at this, then the 3 of them press on. As they run through the hallways, they quickly come across 2 Team Terra agents, both of which are carrying big guns. They're taken by surprise, and start fumbling with the weapons, giving Jessie and James enough time to ram into them and knock them out. Jessie picks up the guns and throws one of them to James, who fumbles with it. "Wait, don't tell me you expect us to kill people?!" he exclaims. "Of course not!" Jessie replies. "Look, these weapons have a stunning option." James sighs with relief, then he and Jessie set the guns to stun. With that, they resume their walk through the halls, determined to completely clear Team Terra out.
I recommend you listen to Animal by Pearl Jam during this fight.
Ash and May charge at each other, with May's fist raised to punch him. Instead of punching back, Ash grabs her arm and uses the momentum to throw her away. "May snap out of it!" he yells, "I don't want to fight you!" But May clearly can't hear him. She charges again, throwing punch after punch at him. Ash limbos under the first two, then swerves left and right to avoid the others. Then, he lets out a small blast of Aura, knocking her back a few paces. May stumbles backwards, then goes after him again. Ash braces for more punches, but instead she sweeps her legs out, knocking him over. Ash hits his head on the ground and feels momentarily dizzy. He sees May standing over him, going down to punch him in the face, and he quickly rolls out of the way, scrambling to his feet quickly as May throws another barrage of punches. Ash holds his arms up in defence, channelling his Aura into them so that she doesn't do any damage to him.
After taking a few swings, he throws his arms out, sending another blast of Aura May's way. She flies backwards, crashing into another wall. She gets back on her feet, then runs again. But before she can get very far, Ash shoots small pulses of Aura from his hands, the way Bonnie does. "I'll admit, that girl is creative," he says to himself. May staggers from the pulse, but keeps coming. So, Ash sends out a few more, eventually managing to knock her over again. Before she can get back up, Ash is on top of her, pinning her with his knees. She tries to hit him, but he grabs her hands. "That's enough May!" he shouts at her. "Please come to your senses!" But she doesn't. Instead, she squirms around, giving her legs more room to work. Then, she repeatedly knees him in the back, until he's forced off her. As he rolls away, May gets back to her feet and goes in for more punches. Ash goes back to dodging, unable to bring himself to hurt his friend.
"There must be some way to undo this," he mutters to himself, as he jumps over May's legs as she makes another swing at him. He plans to land on his feet and try sweeping her legs out himself, but before his feet can touch the ground again, May quickly gets to her feet and kicks his chest, sending him flying backwards. He hits the wall and feels the air leave his lungs. As he staggers forward slightly, he sees May charging at him again, and barely manages to dodge out of the way. May's fist makes contact with the wall instead, and she cries out in pain from the strike. Ash takes the moment to look around for anything to incapacitate her. And that's when his eyes land on the Hypno, watching the fight from a balcony above them. Ash grins at this, figuring out a way to end this fight quickly. He creates an Aura Sphere in his hand and aims to throw it at the Hypno. But before he can, he feels someone grab his arm. before he has time to react, he feels May throw him over her shoulder, causing the sphere to dissipate.
Ash hits the ground hard, as May slams her elbow into his chest, causing him to become winded again. May starts punching him a couple of times, but Ash quickly shoots a 3rd blast of Aura. May flies off him and hits the ground. She sits up, ready to resume fighting, when Ash suddenly leaps at her. He uses her shoulder to jump higher into the air, where he fills his hand with Aura again. Before May or the Hypno have time to react, Ash hurls the sphere at it. The balcony explodes from the attack, as the Hypno falls from the balcony. It tries to launch a Psybeam at Ash, But Ash blocks it with an Aura Barrier, causing the attack to be redirected at the Hypno, knocking it out. "YES!" Ash exclaims. "That ought to be enough!"
At that moment, May's fist collides with Ash's cheek, sending him spiralling to the ground. "Aw come on!" he shouts. "I thought that would free you!" But it clearly hadn't, as May seems just as intent on fighting him as ever. Ash sighs as he gets to his feet again. "Either hypnosis works differently than I thought, or they modified this pokémon," he says, then gets ready to keep fighting. That's when he remembers an ability that he invented. Tranquilise. With this in mind, he rushes May once again, reaching his hand out to grab her head. But May knocks his hands away, then knees him in the face. Ash staggers back from the blow, giving May the opportunity to punch him in the stomach. Ash lurches forward from this blow, and sees May reach out to punch him again. But, before she can, he quickly lunges, grabbing onto her face. He shoots off a small but intense blast right into her skull, and May collapses to the ground, out cold.
Stop music here.
Ash catches May before she hits the ground. Once she's laying down, Ash checks her pulse to make sure that he didn't hit with too strong a pulse. Once he's certain that she's still alive, he slumps down against the wall and sinks to the floor. "Well, glad to know that ability works," he says to himself, before hurling an Aura Sphere at the door he came through, causing it to collapse. "Team Rocket can repair that later," he mutters to himself. After throwing that sphere, he suddenly finds himself quite drained of energy. "Damn, I overexerted myself," he think to himself. He lets Pikachu out of his bag, and has him stand guard for a bit. Then, he closes his eyes. "I just need to recharge my energy before we continue," he tells him, before nodding off.
Now armed with proper weaponry, Team Rocket continue their raid of their old base. While before, running into agents caused them some trouble, now they could shoot them down with their new toys. Using the stun option of course. Although, they aren't certain that Team Terra are giving them the same courtesy. During one particularly long firefight, one of the bullets grazes Jessie's bare arm, causing her to develop a burn on it. "You know," she comments, staring at the burn, "I think these guys are aiming to kill." "Good to know," James replies. "So, let's not get hit then." He summons his Mr. Mime and has him use reflect to block the bullets, before they dart down another hallway. James makes sure to return Mr. Mime before he leaves.
They start going up some floors, clearing out every single agent they come across. "This would be a whole lot easier if we had some backup," Meowth comments. "We'll have that once the Twerp is done fighting his friend," Jessie points out. "So, we just have to keep going without him for now, and hope he catches up." "That is, if you can get any further," says a new voice from behind them. All 3 of them wheel around to find a Sub-Admin of Team Terra standing in their hallway. And it's one that they recognise. Standing before them is a woman, about 2 or 3 years older than Jessie and James, with short light blue hair in a catlike style. Where a Team Rocket uniform once covered her now sits the uniform of Team Terra, along with the shaded glasses, signifying a Sub-Admin. "Oakley," says Jessie coolly. "Fancy seeing you here and not in prison."
Oakley seems to gain some amusement from seeing her former comrades standing there, two of which are pointing guns at her. "Hello Jessie, James, Meowth," she says, as if meeting them for lunch. "It's been 6 years since we've spoken, correct?" "We're not speaking on friendly terms with a traitor!" Jessie spits. "How can you even side with Team Terra?!" James demands. "You don't even care about the world!" Oakley laughs at this. "That is true," she admits. "But it's profitable. Especially when Team Rocket has become a sinking ship. So, I decided to jump ship before the water reached my ankles." "This is just a temporary setback," Meowth argues. "Team Rocket will bounce back soon!" Oakley laughs at this. "Will it?" she asks. "Because it's losing members by the day, your size has greatly reduced, and now you're relegated to a small corner of the Johto Region. I think the chances of it bouncing back are slim to none."
With that said, she begins walking towards them. Jessie and James raise their guns. "Step any closer and wheel shoot!" James exclaims. Oakley laughs. "Would you really shoot at a former comrade?" she asks him. "I'd gladly shoot at a filthy traitor," he replies. "So don't test me Oakley." Oakley laughs again. "Very well then," she says. "It seems that we'll have to fight each other after all." She stands in a combat position. "And by the way, address me as Sub-Admin O now. That is my new title." The trio roll their eyes, then Jessie and James open fire. O dodges both shots, then runs at them. The two take aim again, but she kicks both guns out of their hands, before spinning around and kicking both of them in the face. They go down with ease, but get back up again. They nod to each other, then charge, with Meowth extending his claws and leaping into the fray.
When May wakes up, the first thing she sees is a young man in a Team Rocket uniform sleeping next to her. She jumps out of her skin, then grabs Blaziken's pokéball, ready to beat the living daylights out of him. But before she can, she hears a Pikachu crying out behind her. Spinning around, she sees Ash's Pikachu waving his arms at her, shaking her head. She looks at him quizzically, then back at the man in the Team Rocket uniform. Upon closer inspection, she realises that it's Ash wearing a disguise. Relieved that she isn't being held prisoner by Team Rocket, May sits back down, as she suddenly registers how sore she is. Looking around, she realises that she's in some sort of destroyed room. "Ugh, what happened to me?" she thinks out loud.
Eventually growing bored of waiting for Ash to wake up, she decides to prod him. When that doesn't work, she kicks him awake. He's on his feet immediately, Aura Spheres at the ready. Then he sees who woke him, and gets rid of them. "Oh thank Arceus you're back to normal," he says. May looks at him quizzically. "What do you mean by that?" she asks. Ash proceeds to explain what happened here, to which May looks horrified. "Well, I'm just glad Drew wasn't here," she says. "I don't think I could stomach it if I found out I hurt him." "Thanks, I'm fine," Ash replies. May smacks his arm. "I've beaten you up before," she points out. "This just makes us even." She looks around at the damage their fight did. "Why didn't you use your Aura by the way?" she asks. "You would've won so much quicker." Ash shakes his head. "Maybe," he says. "But I didn't want to hurt you with it. You're my friend."
May chuckles at this. "Didn't stop you from wanting to blast Megan with Aura spheres when she revealed herself," she points out. "That's different," he replies. "I don't know her as well. She's a friend of a friend, so I don't feel as close. Meaning when I got angry at her, she wasn't close enough to spare her from my powers. If it was one of you, I would've been a lot more hesitant to use them." May nods, then looks around. "So, what happened to you?" Ash asks. "You've been missing for over a month, and then you turn up here, hypnotised and fighting me. What happened?" May sighs. "I found a Team Terra base near Pallet," she tells him. Immediately, a look of worry crosses Ash's face. "Don't worry, it's not an active one," she reassures him. "Anyway, I went scouting as myself first, to find out what's in there before I came back as my alter ego to smash the place. Before I got very far in, I got sprayed with Sleep Powder, and the next thing I know, I'm here."
Ash nods, then starts heading towards the other door, the one he hadn't destroyed. "Come on," he says. "Let's get this done, then you can call Max and your parents and let them know you're ok." May nods in agreement, then they take off. As they run, May starts rummaging through he pockets, pulling out her bandana with her mask attached to it. Before she can put it on, Ash stops her. "What are you doing?" he asks. "I want to be able to cut loose," she replies. "I was locked away by these guys for over a month, I'd like to be able to actually hit them with my full power." "But think about how that would look," Ash points out. "The Blaziken Mask running around with someone dressed in the Team Rocket uniform, right after the Admin left you with said person. At best, they'll think that the Blaziken Mask is working with Team Rocket. At worst, they'll figure out your identity." May realises that he's right, and puts the mask away. "Fine," she says. "But I'm still hitting them as hard as I can." "Wouldn't expect anything else," Ash replies, before the two of them continue running.
May expects thinks that Ash is looking for Team Rocket, in order to join forces and finish the job quickly. Instead, he continues to climb higher and higher up the base, knocking out agents as he goes. Eventually, the two of them come to the top of the base, where Ash knocks down an important looking door, before throwing Aura Spheres at the 3 Team Terra Agents that are manning the place. May quickly realises that the two of them are in the base's main control centre. "Uh, Ash, what are we doing here?" she asks. "Stopping Team Rocket from getting a foothold in Kanto," Ash replies. Before he begins tapping buttons. "What!?" May exclaims. "If I send a distress signal, it will alert Team Terra that the base has been taken over," Ash explains, "they'll send troops over here to take it back, which will keep Team Rocket out of Kanto, and keep Team Terra's attention away from where Max is."
As much as May likes this idea, she stops Ash. "Now it's your turn to think about this," May points out. "If you do this, how long do you think it will take Team Rocket to figure out it was you who sent it?" she asks him. "Well, this is Team Rocket we're talking about," he points out. "SO, probably a while if they figure it out at all." May shakes her head. "No, this is Jessie, James, and Meowth you're thinking about," she replies. "Team Rocket is a lot more than just those 3. One of the other members will notice, and it probably won't take them too long to figure out that it was you who sent it. Then, since you broke your end of the deal, they can just tell Team Terra that Max is in Kanto, and the next thing you know every single Team Terra member has arrived in Kanto!"
Ash stops messing with the controls, realising that she's right. So, he steps away from the controls. "You're right," he sighs. "So, let's go find Jessie and James huh?" May nods, then the two of them leave the control room, heading back around the building looking for their accomplices. "Never thought I'd ever be working with those 2 again," May comments. "If I had a PokéYen every time I said that," Ash jokes, as they run past an open window, overlooking a courtyard. Suddenly, May stops him, pointing out to the other side of the courtyard. Through another window, Ash sees the very trio they're looking for, struggling in a fight against a Sub-Admin that Ash recognises. "Oh boy," he says. "They're fighting a former member of Team Rocket." "So we should help them," May says. Ash nods, opening the window. "That's the plan," he says.
Before May can ask him what he's planning, he fuels Aura into his legs, and leaps out of the window. He fills his fist with Aura and throws a sphere at the Sub-Admin, smashing the window and throwing her against a wall. He releases Lucario right as he enters the room, making it look like he was the one to throw the sphere. Ash slides along the floor coming to a stop next to Jessie and James. He keeps his head down to avoid the Sub-Admin recognising him. "Your top has a hood on it," James whispers. "Put it up." Ash feels around and finds the hood. He pulls it over his head to avoid being recognised. The Sub-Admin, who Ash now recognises as Oakley, smirks upon seeing him. "Well, it seems you have some more help, and this one seems to be decent fighter," she comments. "Why don't we test that?" Ash asks, deepening his voice to avoid being recognised.
Oakley laughs. "Oh please, I'm not that stupid," she says. "I'll be outnumbered 4 to 1, with one of you actually knowing how to fight. So, I think I'll be going now." She pulls a grappling hook off her belt and aims it through the broken window. "Our Admin has already left the place, I was here to merely stall you while she escaped, and it worked. SO, I'll be on my way. Let's catch up soon guys." Then, with a taunting laugh, she uses the grappling hook, and flies off. Ash wants to chase her, but Jessie stops him. "Wait, let her go," she says. "Let her send a message to Team Terra that Team Rocket is back, and not to be messed with!" "Well, that certainly makes my job easier," Ash thinks to himself, before nodding his head.
The rest of the takeover is handled with minimal difficulty. Once they learn that their Admin and Sub-Admin had abandoned the base, they surrender pretty quickly. By dawn, Team Rocket has the base completely surrounded, and Jessie, James, and Meowth are met with cheers as they exit the building, leading hosts of Team Terra agents with them. Ash and May use this opportunity to sneak out of a back window. They remain hidden while Team Rocket celebrate the reclaiming of the base. "There really is a lot less of them than before," Ash comments. Once the brunt of them had gone inside, Jessie, James, and Meowth approach them. "We know you don't want any credit for this," says Jessie. "But we really can't thank you enough for helping us. As much as it pains me to say that." "Oh trust me," Ash replies, "it pains me just as much to hear that." Despite the situation, the five enemies can't help but grin at each other.
"Well, this has been fun," says May, "but Ash and I must really be getting back. Enjoy the base guys." She and Ash turn to go, when a new voice calls out to them. "Just a minute you two! Someone wants a word with you." They turn around to spot a woman with purple hair and glasses, wearing a magenta suit. Ash recognises her immediately as Giovanni's secretary, Matori. She walks over to them, holding a tablet with the screen pointing towards her. Once she's in front of them, she turns it around. There, on the screen, sitting on a chair with a Persian on his lap, and a broad, victorious grin on his face, is the leader of Team Rocket, Giovanni himself.
Jessie, James, and Meowth panic at this and kneel in front of him, while Ash and May remain standing, glaring at their sworn enemy. "Relax your 3, I'm not here for you," says Giovanni. "Though, |I do commend your work, and will reward you handsomely upon your return," The 3 of them look at each other with pleased looks on their faces. "I am here to speak with Ash Ketchum, the man of the hour," Giovanni continues. "For, without his help, we would never have been able to reclaim this place." "What do you want?" Ash demands. Giovanni holds up his hands in mock surrender. "Touchy, aren't we,"" he laughs. "Though I suppose that's understandable. Well, alright then, I suppose I'll get right to the point."
A flash suddenly appears from the tablet, and Ash and May are temporarily blinded. When Ash is done rubbing the blindness out of his eyes, he sees Giovanni grinning. "I know you quite well Ash Ketchum," he says. "And I know that at some point, you will be bringing an army of police here, maybe even the Elite 4 themselves, in order to prevent Team Rocket's glorious return to Kanto. What I have just done is created a precaution to avoid such things from occurring." With that, the image on the screen changes, showing a picture of Ash Ketchum, the monarch of the World Coronation Series, standing their in Team Rocket uniform, with 2 other members of Team Rocket standing beside him. As Ash's eyes widen, Giovanni's face reappears on screen. "That's quite the photo, wouldn't you say?" he asks. "Though, it would be a real shame if it were to end up all over the internet. Imagine what it would do to your reputation, or even your war effort, if people found out you sided with Team Rocket."
"What do you want from me?" Ash asks. "For you to keep your end of your agreement with my agents," Giovanni replies simply. "Do not attempt to stop us from regaining territory in Kanto, and do not tell anyone that we have retaken this base. If you do, I will leak the photo, as well as other information I have of you aiding Team Rocket in their return to Kanto." Ash's glare turns to Jessie and James. "You told him about our agreement!?" he demands. Giovanni laughs at this, while Jessie and James look panicked. "Oh don't worry, they didn't have to," he tells him. "I grew suspicious of their behaviour so I bugged their blimp. You wouldn't believe what kind of information I have. Especially in regards to a certain boy that Team Terra are after."
Ash and May look horrified at this. "You wouldn't," May says, which makes Giovanni laugh again. "Don't test me Top Coordinator," he says, "or you will learn what I'm truly willing to do to gain power. Keep quiet about what happened here, and I will do the same. If you share what happened, I will share the photo. If you get one of your subordinates to do it for you, I will reveal the location of Max Maple to Team Terra. Then, your lot will be far too busy keeping them safe to worry about my return to power." Ash and May don't say anything to him, they just nod to show they understand. "Wonderful," says Giovanni with satisfaction. "Well then, that will be all. I must say, it was nice to speak with you again Monarch, let's talk soon." Then, he ends the call. Matori nods to Jessie, James, and Meowth, shoots a hateful look at Ash and May, before walking off. the other 3 don't say anything else, they just follow her, leaving Ash and May alone to think about what they've just done.