Chapter 15 Growile

James jogged into the next clearing. "Phew… I need a quick rest after that. Meowth?"

The scratch cat materialized next to him. "Dey're about three minutes behind yas, da ambush by Cubone slowed them down a lot."

"Right." James considered. "We ready to use Growlie yet?"

"Eh… probably. We got Arbok an' Weezing in reserve, and dey're more useful in blocking positions."

"I'll give him a go then. Let Jessie know I'll be along in a minute."

Meowth nodded and vanished again.

For a moment, a manic grin flickered across James' face. "I love being competent!"

As the trio stormed into the more open area of path, Ash reached for his Poké balls. He was going to-

Brock warded him off. "No, Ash, it's my turn. You're running out of team members after that last clash, but I still have all of mine. I'll let Ninetales handle this."

Ash agreed, dropping back slightly as Brock sent out his newly evolved, "borrowed" Pokémon.

Across the field, James sent out Growlie.

The two Pokémon stared at one another, flaring their fires. Will-O-Wisp danced across Ninetales' fur, Embers formed in Growlie's shaggy mane.

Then the two of them nodded at one another and ran off back towards Celadon.

James blinked. "Er… what just happened?"

Ash shrugged. "I dunno. But… that means… you don't have your Arcanine protecting you anymore!"

James let out an eep of surprise, and threw another Poké ball. As Weezing appeared, he shouted "Smog!" and legged it.

Weezing complied with a massive cloud of toxic gas that effectively blocked the path.

The three looked to one another.

"There's no way we can get past that. It needs to be gotten rid of."

Brock snapped his fingers. "Got it! Poison types aren't affected by poisons, and so we can get your Ivysaur and my Crobat to handle this."

Ash frowned. "Any reason Crobat can't do it on his own?"

"Well, since evolving he's always been a bit more focused on slashing attacks than wind walls. He can't cut a path big enough alone."

Misty grumbled to herself. "I'm useful…"

"Of course you are. It's just that your main team variety is still in the future for us, two of your three heaviest hitters were involved against Abra, and your third is part of our reserve."

Misty looked slightly mollified, and Ash got on with sending out Ivysaur. "Think you can clear that Smog?"

"Sure! I know Whirlwind from my Flying ancestors!"

Ash groaned. "Why didn't you use that in the gym battle with Erica then?"

Ivysaur froze. Then he bashed his head into the ground. "Such an idiot…"

"Okay, then. Plan?"

Ivysaur reached into his flower with a vine. "Here. Worry Seeds. They'll make you immune to sleep effects temporarily, and I plan on punching a cloud of Sleep Powder up into the middle of that smog bank. If I do it right, the Sleep Powder will replace the Smog for long enough you can make it through."

"You don't think that's a little… convoluted?"

"It'll keep Weezing from just recreating the zone of Smog in the clear area, as he won't be able to get close enough."

"Fair enough. Everyone ready?"

Receiving a series of affirmatives, Ash downed his own Worry Seed. "Okay, go!"

Weezing listened to the sound of pounding feet with interest. They were attacking. Interesting.

"Crobat, now!"

"Defog!"

With a blast of wind, the cloud of poisonous gas he had been generating disappeared. Of course, they had a Crobat. That one was a Defog user who had evaded the Knock Down. Hm. Better go over there and handle that, then.

Weezing floated over, but flinched back just before entering a glistening cloud of airborne powder. Oh. Nice plan there.

If he couldn't stop the main group (and he couldn't, they'd made it into the clear air while he was recovering from the Sleep Powder), then at least he could handle this pair.

Ivysaur lumbered into a run. So far Weezing hadn't done much, but as a Pokémon that could float, catching him was going to be hard.

And I may be many things, but I don't recall Psychic being among the list.

His vines lashed out, capturing Weezing in a web of green tendrils.

Huh. Maybe it's not so-

Boom.

Ivysaur reeled back, feeling the faint stirrings of shock. That really hurt, damn it! The explosion felt like it had actually severed his vines, and while that wasn't a disaster it did reduce his ranged options rather drastically.

Crobat swooped in during the moment of vulnerability, but unfortunately for him Team Rocket had enough money to buy TMs now. He was met with a foot thick bolt of lightning that blasted him out of the air.

He's kicking us all over the place! Ivysaur thought frantically. What do I do?

Then something clicked.

He set his feet squarely, faced Weezing, and drew upon his saurian ancestry.

(Yes, he's got a lot of ancestry. But who doesn't?)

He roared, and the rocks around responded to him. Moving and cracking under the strain, they slammed together into a glowing ball in front of his face.

Weezing realized he was about to lose. Oh well.

"Ancientpower!"

The ball of concentrated energy and matter smashed into Weezing, sending him into a tree.

Ivysaur slumped, spent. Glad I remembered that one. Then he frowned. Hang on a minute… Weezing was glowing purple…

The Destiny bond triggered, and Ivysaur promptly passed out.

"Boss," asked the waiter, "Why are we doing this?"

The restaurant manager adjusted his violin. "What do you mean?"

"Well, for starters, why did we serve two Fire types – which, might I add, are both very large – out the back of our restaurant in the first place? Second, we're a sushi restaurant. Where did the spaghetti and meat balls even come from?" The waiter broke off for a moment as his boss started to sing. "Yeah, that's another thing. Why are we serenading them in Italian? I didn't even know you had a violin, nor that the cook had an accordion."

Ninetales and Growlie were in the process of re-enacting a certain famous scene from a certain Disney film. It was enough to count as a Charm attack covering much of Celadon.

"I have to say, I find your company delightful." Growlie commented.

Ninetales giggled. "Oh, you! Besides, I assure you the feeling is mutual."

The Arcanine sighed. "Thanks. But I just wish that it didn't divide our loyalties."

His companion shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure neither of them would mind one bit. Besides, seeing you would be enough alone to make it all worthwhile, I don't mind admitting something in you resonates with me."

"Thanks," Growlie said, touched. "Very well, then. We'll enjoy what time we have, and if it goes further, then take it as it comes."

"Spoken like a true Pokémon of wisdom." She said with finality, and both went back to their meal.

James let out a slight giggle. This one was going to be fun.

Ash and his friends staggered with burning legs into the next clear area, a small depression that had filled with enough water to be considered a marsh, to see both Jessie and James standing on the other side of the swamp.

Jessie cooed. "Oh, looks like they caught up." Her voice turned harsh. "Suppose we'll just have to delay them again."

James pointed. "Attack!"

With a rumbling BOOM, an enormous shape shot from the marshy depression – forcing the friends to flinch away from the flying water and mud - and reared up to full height. As they looked back at it, Misty realized first.

"That's a Gyarados! Where the hell did they get that!"

Brock groaned. "Not only that, but it's covered in mud. So much for just zapping it."

James laughed. "That's right! And he's been eating his five fruit and veg a day! All Wacan Berries, of course…" The two turned to go.

James' Gyarados roared again, and lunged.

Ash dove for cover, and was mildly surprised when he wasn't tossed aside by any impact-like-a-freight-train.

Looking back, he saw Misty and Brock releasing all their remaining Pokémon to handle the enormous, enraged Gyarados. Misty's own Gyarados seemed to be at a disadvantage here, as that one was still weak to electric.

Brock caught his eye. "You go on ahead, this one's a handful!"

Ash nodded determinedly, forced himself to his feet again, and went back to the chase.

Misty watched James' Gyarados carefully. "Brock, it's on at least one Dragon Dance as well!"

"Right. You get yours to hold him off while I get Steelix and Geodude ready, then we switch and you boost yours the same way."

Misty was dubious. "Can you actually boost a Rock type to that sort of level?"

Brock just grinned, before ordering his Pokémon to use Rock Polish.

James' Gyarados tried to use the moment of vulnerability to Thunder Fang Misty's Gyarados, but unfortunately for him Ash and Pikachu weren't quite out of range yet, allowing the yellow mouse to siphon off the electricity. Before he could try again, Misty's Gyarados had copied her opponent in covering itself with mud.

Misty frowned. "How does that Gyarados even know Thunder Fang?"

Brock shouted from where his Steelix was gradually boosting itself. "Why not? Now, pay attention to the fight!"

Misty jumped back as the ground near the marsh shook. "Gyarados, Stone-"

James' voice rang out. "-Edge!"

Misty's Gyarados flung a storm of rocks at her foe. James', however, instead called up a single massive slab of rock in front of itself as a shield. The shower of rocks from Misty's end of the battlefield deflected harmlessly off the shield, which then fell forwards and came close to crushing Misty's Pokémon.

With a roar, Steelix blazed forward into the fight, slamming into James' Gyarados with a Smack Down (driving it into contact with the solid ground beneath the marsh) and then releasing a massive Earthquake.

Brock dashed over as Steelix began trying to hold down the thrashing enemy. "Misty! Get your Gyarados to Dragon Dance!"

She rapped out the order, trusting him, before turning to ask, "Why?"

"I can have Steelix copy the Dance with Psych Up, it'll remove the enemies' advantage! Good work, Steelix, keep up that Bind!"

James' Gyarados arced and twisted in attempts to break free, before a cunning gleam came into his eye. Taking a great breath, he released a Surf…

Which had little effect on the dripping wet Steelix. Surprised, he looked closely.

Misty held up her hand in a V sign. "Goldeen are useful!"

James slapped his forehead. "Of COURSE she'd teach it Soak…"

Thoroughly enraged by now, James' Gyarados broke free by main force, sending Steelix sprawling on the floor.

The two Gyarados, both boosted on several Dragon Dances by this point, finally decided to settle it with a beam war. Both of them launched powerful Hyper Beams at the other, and the point of intersection between the beams flared with violet light. Misty flinched back from the blaze, and James pulled out sunglasses.

Brock just squinted more than usual.

The beam gradually crept towards the Gyarados from Cerulean gym, despite her best efforts to resist the torrent of energy. As that bead of fire came close enough that it was all but touching, Misty withdrew her exhausted Pokémon and let the beam of the other Gyarados go flying off into space.

Then Steelix landed on James' Gyarados in a massive landslide.

"Took you long enough…" Misty grumbled.

Brock grinned. "I had to build the hill first, give me some respect."

James looked around himself desperately. "Damn, I'm out of Pokémon!"

He frowned. "Huh. I was expecting to just white out there and wake up at a Pokémon centre. Could be all the mental trauma from being blown up a lot…"

Misty stomped forward. "Where's Jessie?"

"She went ahead to the escape vehicle. You'll probably not make it there in time to stop me."

Brock frowned. "Why not?"

"Well, I'm sort of a Substitute…" The James they were talking to vanished in a puff of smoke.

Misty shook her head. "Since when were they this good?"

Ash crashed through a bush and all but collapsed on the ground, Pikachu hopping down from his shoulder. Since the Pokémon had been carried here, he was fully rested up and ready for battle.

He was confronted by Arbok, rearing up for action – and both human members of Team Rocket behind them, fiddling with something hidden in a thicket.

"I see ya finally got here!" Meowth grinned, seeming to melt out of the foliage. "Took ya long enough."

Ash raised his head from the dirt. "We had to run all the way – that has to have been at least a few miles!"

"I expect it is, but not like I care." Meowth tossed his head. "After all, I didn't have ta travel it. This is da first time you're seeing the real me. I love substitutes…"

Pikachu's cheeks sparked. "You mean you've just been waiting here for us to arrive?"

"Well, yeah, but more waiting for da other me ta turn up with your Pokédex…" Meowth mused. "Ya actually almost beat it, not bad at all."

Ash pulled himself into a sitting position. "Well, I suppose we'd better get to it." He glanced unhappily at his collection of Poké balls. Only three were full, and of those two had the warning telltales of an injured Pokémon. "Squirtle, it's up to you and Pikachu!"

That turtle set himself. "I call the handbag."

Pikachu nodded. "Suits me."

Squirtle adjusted his sunglasses. "Now listen here, you bozo! I am Squirtle, leader of the Squirtle squad, and I don't take kindly to people who try to get in my way!"

Arbok chuckled darkly. "Fine by me. Sludge wave."

Squirtle blinked. "Wait, what?"

With a yelp, he retracted his limbs into his shell and released a gush of water from the gaps, propelling him into the air and above the tide of poisonous sludge. "That was not nice at all!"

"I'm a poison type, take it or leave it. I personally would prefer you to take it."

Squirtle spun himself into a strange pattern in the air… which caused the sky to rumble as clouds began to form from nowhere. "Wash it down your drainpipe, snake!"

"Now that's just rude." Arbok plunged into the thin layer of gunk and disappeared from view. Squirtle stayed airborne until the newly forming layer of liquid was at least partly see-through, then grabbed a Pecha berry from his shell to hold off any lingering toxicity and landed.

"Now, where are you…"

The water rippled slightly. Squirtle noticed, and stared at it intently.

Hmmm… "There!"

He jumped, and just avoided being caught as the snake erupted from the ground, fangs bared. Using the moment of vulnerability, he launched a Water Pulse and set up the tripartite pattern of an Aqua Ring.

Arbok shook off the Pulse with little effort, and turned his eyes on Squirtle, noticing that the raindrops were sinking into the little turtle's skin. "Cautious little mouthful, aren't you? Aqua ring to back up the Rain Dish?"

Squirtle flashed a smile. "Comes with the shell."

Arbok blurred into motion, lashing out with a crack at Squirtle. The turtle whipped his glasses off to block, and was forced back several inches by the jarring impact. "You little serpent! You used Coil underground, didn't you?"

"Thanks for the compliment." Arbok lashed out again, this time with fangs sparking with electricity. Squirtle dodged that one, chopping at Arbok's neck to send him off target, and slapped the ground with his tail.

A massive rumbling heralded the arrival of a muddy geyser from below the ground as he used Muddy Water, hence rendering the water around them useless to conduct anything just as Arbok hit it.

"Fool! You've sealed your fate! Giga Drain!"

The grass energy was given almost no resistance by the ambient conditions, and Squirtle jerked as his strength was rapidly sapped by the attack. Gritting his jaw, he threw himself towards his tormentor.

Arbok, caught off guard, was knocked backwards by the desperate Zen Headbutt and stunned lightly.

Squirtle supported himself with his glasses. He was healing, but slowly, as the Giga Drain had given him a lot of trouble.

"Well, I have a chance. Let's not waste it."

Drawing himself fully erect, he wound up and threw the pair of sunglasses at Arbok. As had happened before, it flared blue with Aura and split into two larger duplicates that pinned Arbok in place by his frill.

Shaking himself out of the stunned state he was in, Arbok looked up – and his jaw dropped open in disbelief.

Squirtle was floating above him in a blue haze of Aura-saturated water. "By harming me, you only increase my resolve! The more a battle comes down to the wire, the more it reinforces the devotion of a Squirtle Squad member to win every time!" He stuck his right arm out towards the sky, and the water flowed towards it. "Horn…" The water formed into a small drill-like shape, which quivered and expanded to the size of a house. "Drill…"

Swinging his arm out to face Arbok, Squirtle poured his remaining strength into the attack. "Breaker!" He rocketed forward and smashed into Arbok, the impact tearing up the ground for tens of metres around and dissolving both Pokémon back to their Poké balls.

Ash shook his head, his eyes drawn by the light show. "I've heard of showy, but that turtle takes the cake."

Pikachu faced down Meowth across the grass between the trees. "We've done this too many times before."

"It'll have new content this time, I swear."

The mouse focused briefly, and sent a bolt of lightning forward, hitting…

Nothing.

"What?"

A coin bounced off the back of his head. "Like I would'a missed da new look, mousie. There's more dan one type of Double Team."

Pikachu slashed out another Thunderbolt, aiming at the sparking image of a living being in his electric sense.

That same sense informed him that the bolt had barely travelled halfway to its' target before it grazed something and was drawn into the intercessor, melting what turned out to be a coin and expending itself uselessly.

"Oh, didn't ya know? Meowth coins are high quality metal! Dey're brilliant conductors!"

Pikachu shook himself, and fired out an omnidirectional Shock Wave, only for another two electric pulses to expand within the same volume he was covering and negate his. Two?

With a rush of wind, something cut Pikachu's fur on his flank. Looking, he saw a trio of clawmarks in neat parallel lines.

He hadn't sensed anything.

Deciding not to mess around any more, he tapped into his Light Ball and expanded out an electric shell ten feet across with the Counter Shield method, trusting that secondary power source to maintain it indefinitely as he continued looking around for the infernally evasive Meowth.

"Not what-" an Electro ball blew up a hapless tree, and the voice continued from another direction, "ya think of when someone says 'cat an' mouse game', is it?"

Pikachu ignored the voice now it was clear it wouldn't provide any clue, keeping his eyes active and considering the possible tactical implications of the storm that was beginning.

A very faint electric signal usually came from the ground. It wasn't anything unusual, just an effect of having piezolectric Quartz crystals as part of it, but something was striking Pikachu as unusual.

Suddenly he got it. Somehow, Meowth was masking his own electrical signal perfectly, but he wasn't able to prevent any of the quarts crystals he disturbed from generating electric signals as well. Pikachu pulled the electric globe back in and retasked the Light Ball to providing a levitation effect with Magnet Rise, lifting him off the ground and out of the way of Meowth's attempted surprise attack.

Feeling glad he finally had a break, he laid an Electroweb over his former location.

Then a coin flew in from somewhere and shorted the net, just before Meowth burst from the ground and looked confused.

Acting on a suspicion, Pikachu closed an eye, seeing half a dozen weak Aura signatures all over the place.

"Substitutes? Oh, of course!"

The Meowth on the ground smirked. "So, ya worked it out? Too bad for you that ya got nothing you can do about it!"

Pikachu smiled in reply and blasted a Thunder into the sky.

Meowth frowned. "What was dat for?"

The returning bolt of lightning struck the wet ground and popped not only the speaking Meowth, but three or four others hidden in the shadows. It didn't go far, though, as the water was quickly becoming contaminated with mud from the other battle.

"I know that wasn't all of you!" Pikachu called. "Show yourself!"

"Now why would I do that?" A pair of coins arced in from different locations. Pikachu swatted them both with Thundershocks and they dropped to the ground, melted into uselessness. The hiss they made as they struck the rainwater was almost drowned out by the rumbling overhead.

"So," Pikachu asked, floating in a cocoon of Counter Shield formed from his own power, "Since when were you a ninja?"

"I met dis cool cat at Fuschia gym, and she showed me what I was doin' wrong all dis time." Meowth remarked via a Double Team controlled by his Substitute. "For starters, paranoia helps a lot."

A rush of green flared across the ground, but it hardly had any strength here. Meowth didn't notice the Giga Drain's outer periphery consciously, mentally classing it as not a threat.

"Right. Hang on, gym? You lot are visiting gyms?"

"Yeah. It's kinda easy for a lot of 'em, and with Abra we don't have ta walk all da time."

"I hate you now. Have you any idea how far I've walked since Pallet Town?"

Meowth didn't reply. Pikachu smirked; looked like the cat didn't want to talk any more. That was okay, he was ready for the next step now.

Suddenly, a spray of water interrupted his thoughts. Looking over, he saw that Squirtle had finished his fight in true style – the crater left looked like it would take years to disappear.

Best make good use of the distraction.

Pikachu sent up another massive bolt into the sky, and was answered by a series of ripping strikes all around the area. Lines of lightning snaked in to meet his Counter Shield, and Meowth realized with shock that Pikachu had just created a second Shield layer about a hundred metres across.

And was shrinking it.

He hastily began creating as many coins as he could, ready for a last ditch gambit.

Overhead, a massive BOOM heralded another lightning bolt coming down. Meowth realized Pikachu had left the peak of the outer shell weak, and had planned it so if he tried to escape that way he would be caught.

Each of the trees inside the outer shell exploded as Pikachu darted between them, destroying any large enough to hide in with a Volt Tackle.

Meowth shook his head. "He's really goin' all out on dis one."

Then, with a great cracking sound, a huge area of ground was saturated with electricity and fused to glass. "Ouch. Good thing I wasn't plannin' on digging out…"

Meowth punched a Shock Wave through the coins he had ready to fuse them and threw the metal circlet that resulted at the outer layer. Diving through the rapidly melting loop, he made it out of the Counter Shield and into the scorched area left by the shrinking curtain of electricity.

Then he heard a snap.

Looking around, a sinking feeling developing in his chest, he saw that the metal ring was the only thing of the outer curtain still chirping with lightning. And Pikachu was sitting in the middle, his inner shield forming a second ring of electricity – and his Light Ball aura a third – all moving in a complex pattern.

"Damn it…"

"Volt crash!"

The three rings locked and sent a massive stream of electricity through their centre into Meowth, frazzling him and knocking him out.

Pikachu gradually floated back to the ground as his Light Ball reserve gave out, exhausted. "He is definitely a LOT better than I remember."

Ash forced himself back to his feet, practically running his young body on Aura alone to have a chance of moving. Staggering past the devastated ground where the battles had taken place, he pushed into the copse Team Rocket had been messing around in.

"Oh, look! The twerp's just too late." Jessie said with a grin.

Ash stared. They were in some sort of jet aircraft, which was even now starting up. But how were they going to-

James interrupted his thought. "Like it? It's an old Suicune Su-37. Nice piece of kit, much better than a balloon. It takes off straight up, you know." He nodded. "You have no idea how good we are at getting great deals on machinery – hence all the robots."

Help!

Ash clenched his fist. "Give back Dexter!"

James shook his head. "Sorry, not now. Maybe later, but all this information is going to be a great help to us. You'll get your Pokédex back in a week… possibly."

Oh, that's not fair. You're going to copy me?

"He's right, that's not fair at all! This doesn't even make sense, this whole elaborate setup… what's it for?"

"We may as well kill two Bird-types-"

James whispered, "Flying."

Jessie frowned. "I could swear it was Bird-type."

"Not even here in Kanto since the early nineties, when people catalogued the vulnerability of Charizard and similar to electricity."

"Oh. Anyway, we may as well kill two Flying-types with one stone. That look impressive?"

Ash shook his head angrily. "I don't care about that right now, I want to have my friend back!"

You said friend.

"Of course I did, that's what you are to me!" Ash shouted over the rising engine roar.

So I'm a friend now. It feels… nice.

Ash's stolen Pokédex began to glow.

Stand by. Ready. Set up.

James and Jessie exchanged dull looks. "Cut our losses?"

"You got it." James threw the Pokédex out the cockpit, closed the canopy and blasted the ex-Russian jet into the skies on full vectored thrust.

Set up complete. Ability: Trace/Download/Analytic. Materialization complete.

Ash stared as the Porygon that had apparently been inside – or been - Dexter formed itself like a vector drawing out of thin air around the red computer.

What? You didn't see this one coming? Professor Oak programmed well, you know, and I think restoring my memory after the time jump made me fully sentient.

"Okay, wow. No, I didn't see that one coming."

I thought it was obvious.

Pikachu limped over, leaning slightly on a coin found as detritus of his battle. "I didn't see it coming either."

Oh, maybe there was a problem then. I thought it was just Ash being Ash.

"I heard that!"

That was the point.

A sharp crack of displaced air drew their attention. James' Abra Teleported in, Poké balls orbiting him like moons, and returned Arbok before grabbing Meowth's limp form and disappearing.

"So, he has a Porygon now you say? Interesting. And what happened with the Pikachu is most encouraging as well. A powerful specimen of that species, with the wit to use that power. Yes, good work you three. I feel you're doing fine as you are, so I'll just tell you to keep it up."

Giovanni's image vanished off the screen in the jet. Jessie, James and Meowth let out heartfelt sighs of relief.

James put a finger to his lips. "Was it me, or did the boss just praise us unconditionally?"

Jessie froze. After a second, she let out a weak laugh. "I'm sure there was a disapproving note in his tone of voice. Being just praised would be weird."

AN: Whee, gigantic battle. Any thoughts on how the battle scenes went? It's my first attempt to write two separate battles in the same area at the same time.

Dexter's awakening is based on the Devices from Nanoha.