"Gary! Ash! Look at the top of the bleachers!" Professor Oak shouted.
"Ash! Look!" Gary face twisted in anger.
Ash saw what had both Oaks worried. Team Rocket's Meowth Balloon sat
perched on the the top bleachers. And just then two familar voices shouted. Prof. Oak
tossed a pokeball to Ash who caught it.
"Ash here's your Heracross! I had some trouble getting him to leave my garden!"
Professor Oak shouted.
"Thanks Professor! I almost forgot I still have Heracross!" Ash turned glare at
Jessie and James as they begin to leap from the balloon. "He'll take care of those two clowns."
"Not so fast Mr. Wannabe Master!" Jessie screamed.
"Yeah! We have a little invention that will get you hair raised!" James nodded to
Meowth.
"You might wanna look at your Eevee!" Meowth was laughing, as he pushed a button on the
remote control.
Gary saw Eevee hissing and it's hair bristled as it charged again. Gary
ducked as Eevee leapt at him. He could hear her leap over him.
"Say hello to the Eevee Mind Eraser! Wit this little device all Eevee have no
choice but, to obey us!" Meowth began to push buttons. "Especially such a poorly trained
Eevee like yours!"
A metal Eevee launched from the balloon. The robot's mouth opened and shot a
metal net which wrapped around Pikachu.
"So kids..." Meowth held up the remote.
"Prepare for trouble!" Jessie announced.
"And make it...." James was interrupted by Meowth.
"Skip the motto dumb bells!" Meowth begins to fiddle with the controls. "Let's get
the job done while we're still winning! So kids say goodbye to your Pokemon!"
"Who said you get to have all the fun Meowth!" James grabbed onto the remote.
"I do dimwit!" Meowth tugged as hard as he could.
"Let go Meowth! It's not fair!" James whines.
"Stop it you fools!" Jessie slapped both and snatched the remote. "This is why we
always lose! We fight with each other!"
"You really think so Jessie?" Meowth scratched his chin.
"Yes! Now let's act like a team!"
"Now Pikachu full power!" Ash commanded and Pikachu let out a burst of electric
power.
Though weak Pikachu launched his attack. Misty rushed to Ash and Gary as the
power surge began to travel through the net and the connecting cable. The surge streaked along
straight into the robot's mouth. The Eevee Mind Eraser began to glow.
"This is for all the times you called me an old hag!" Jessie hollered as she threw
several switches.
Misty cried out in surprise. She landed head first into the dirt next to Ash and Gary.
Eevee hopped onto her back knocking Misty down again as she sat up. Gary grabbed Eevee
around the waist.
"Stop it Eevee! This is not right!" Eevee bit down on Gary's wrist as hard as she
could. "Eevee! Stop! We're partners! Friends!"
"Why hasn't that piece of junk exploded yet!" Ash shouted as he attempted to help
Gary restrain Eevee.
"That's simple twerp!" James laughed as he swished a rose in the air. "That jolt of
electric juice was harvested by our net and now the EME is super powered!"
"That's not all!" Meowth toggles a switch behind the EME's head and the net
along with Pikachu fly towards Team Rocket.
The Eevee Mind Eraser held Pikachu in it's steel maw. Pikachu tried to struggle
out. The trio began to dance with joy.
"We finally stole Pikachu! And now all the Eevees in the stadium are ours it looks
like Team Rocket has finally won!" James pumped his arms in victory.
"It only "looks" that way!" Gary watched as Brock and Tracey snuck behind Team
Rocket. "You three losers will never win!"
"Who are you calling losers! If your grandpappa didn't happen to be Prof. Oak you
would be a big loser like us! I mean like Meowth...uh Jessie! Uh I mean like the twerp!"
James scratches the back of his head with a sheepish grin on his face.
James' insult was a very bad one but, it struck a nerve in Gary. Gary was always
questioning his skill. He wondered if he scared his rivals because he was the grandson of
a world renown Pokemon expert. He lowered his head as he pondered his wins and his
mistakes.
As Tracey inched toward them he had a burlap sack in his hands as did Brock.
They intended to toss them over Team Rocket and restrain them until Officer Jenny and the
Indigo Police arrive. Brock freoze as he heard Tracey step on a soda can. Meowth turned
around and hissed.
Both shrugging they leapt forward with the sacks held high. Meowth shouted a warning. Team Rockeet ducked, and as Tracey and Brock flew over them they reached up
and grabbed them by the waists.
"Have a nice flight!" Jessie snickered.
"Make sure to enjoy the in-flight movie!" James chuckled.
Brock and Tracey were thrown into the crowd below.
"When did Team Rocket get smart?" Tracey asked.
"They're not any smarter, they are just working together!" Brock looked up to see he
crash landed into the lap of a girl. "You truly have the beauty of an angel Miss! I would
love to...." Brock took a closer look.
"You look familar, where have we met?" Brock looked puzzled.
The woman pushed Brock off her lap. She placed the her hood back over her head.
"That is unimportant right now. You must stop your friends from following Team
Rocket no matter what!" Her eyes glowed. "Come Melanie we must be off!"
Brock jumped to his feet. He saw Melanie, she gave Ash his first Bulbasaur. Brock
began to remember that the woman had something to do with a Haunter and an Abra. He wondered
why did he have to stop Ash from following Team Rocket.
"By the way Brock you must be sure that Gary does not follow either. What will
happen if they do shall change our world in a dark way. All will suffer and justice will be
lost." She removed her hood. "Save us all Brock."
Brock raced after them but, lost sight of them in the crowd. Melanie watched Brock out
of sight as she followed her mentor. She tapped her on the shoulder.
"My Lady, is it wise to leave this all up to Brock?" She inquired.
"No, we however need his help. We will travel to the hill just outside Indigo
Plateau. I'm sensing that the future will be made there. Hold my hand, I shall teleport us
there."
"Am I a loser? Do I win just because of my gramps?" Gary began to feel a
headache forming. "He's right! If my gramps wasn't the Prof. I would...no I am a loser!"
Gary sat on the floor his grip on Eevee loosened. She kicked herself free and raced
toward Team Rocket. Ash grasped Gary's shoulder and Misty grabbed the other.
"Get up Gary! If you give up now you will be a loser!" Misty urged him to stand
up.
"Come on Gary! You're a great trainer! Don't think that way!" Ash helped him to
his feet. "I need your help Gary! If we don't stand up to them we will lose our Pokemon!
Eevee will be gone for sure!"
"They're right Gary! All that you've done so far is because of your skills." Prof. Oak
looked Gary straight in the eye. "You are in fact ahead in experience when I was your
age."
"Thanks guys! Thanks Gramps." Gary faced Team Rocket. "Let's get them!"
"With what loser! You wasted all your Pokemon!" Jessie shouted.
"I'm such a loser! All my Pokemon are fainted!" Gary slapped his forehead.
"Go Heracross!" Ash unleashed his giant bug. "Horn attack!"
Heracross obediently charged toward the trio.
"Hurry James! Turn that knob so the all the Eevee will follow us." Jessie reached
for Arbok's pokeball.
It was too late, Heracross crashed into all of them sending them crashing to the
floor of the balloon basket. The EME which still held Pikachu fell into the Meowth
balloon as well. Eevee leapt to join Team Rocket.
"We need to get away fast! Looks like Team Rocket is blasting themselves off!"
Meowth slashed the balloon causing it to gust the trio away.
"They're gone!" Misty stood in disbelief. "That's impossible!"
"Great! Now I lost to Team Rocket!" Gary stomped his foot.
"Come on Gary! We have to follow them!" Ash took off running.
"If there is one thing I will not do is lose to Team Rocket!" Gary was right behind
Ash.
"Stop! Ash Gary! Stop!" Brock and Tracey ran shouting and waving their arms.
The two rivals leapt over the railing and were bounding over the bleachers with
ease. At the top of the stadium the two looked at the huge drop. They still hadn't heard
Brock's warnings.
"They can't have gotten far with a busted balloon!" Gary tried to watch the distant
dot that was the Moewth balloon.
"We'll use Heracross to lower us. Then he can search for them." Ash signaled
Heracross over. "Heracross! Take Gary down there please."
"Hera! Craw!" Heracross held Gary and flew him to the stadium parking lot.
"Thanks! Now go get Ash." Gary waited as the beetle flew back up.
"Ash don't follow them!" Brock was still too far away.
Ash gave Gary a thumbs up as he landed next to him. He nodded.
"Heracross go find Pikachu!" Ash and Gary followed the bug from the ground.
"They picked a good time to start showing team work!" Brock watched from
above as the two ran into the woods.
"Brock use your Zubat to follow them and we will use Marill to track Zubat!"
Tracey suggested.
"Good idea! Zubat follow Ash and Gary!" Brock and Tracey raced toward the
exit.
In the dark Ash and Gary tripped over something. The two went down hard. Ash
sat up and felt around for what he tripped on. Gary found something lodge in the ground.
They both tugged until it came loose.
In his hand Ash held an Emerald crystal, in Gary's was an Amber colored crystal.
Both gems seemed to be perfectly identical in everyway but, color. One end was like a
handle and the other ended in a triple prong formation.
Team Rocket heard voices and snuck around some trees to see who was there.
They saw the two gems.
"They're massive!" Jessie gasped. "So lovely."
"They must be worth millions!" Meowth exclaimed.
"Why do I have to hold the Pokemon!" Whined James.
"Shut up! We have to steal those stones while we are still on a roll guys!"
Meowth's eyes were trained on the jewels.
"Something is wrong!" The hooded figure stopped.
"My Lady?" Melanie asked.
"No! We are on the wrong side of the hill!"
"Then we must teleport quickly!"
"It's too late! The event is happening now. Look to the West." From the East a
blinding light flashed through the night air. "I have failed."
To Be continued.....
What event has taken place? Who is the mentor of Melanie and what has she
failed? What are the strange gems Ash and Gary found? Find out in the next chapter as
the world of Emerald opens up.-JLB
Chapters: