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Seven Days of Terror	By : Perfect Purity Category: Pokemon > General Views: 8337 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 12
- 13
- 14
This chapter is largely unchanged. The only difference is a couple lines from May.

Seven Days of Terror

by Perfect Purity

Chapter Twelve: Rescue

Operation Ketchum, Day 14

Our mission has taken a turn for the worse... Jessie and Meowth were both killed by Shelly's Pokemon. It infuriates me knowing that Giovanni is sitting back in Saffron City just waiting for word that we've all been killed. He will die by my hands. For all those lost in this endeavor, I swear I will get justice by any means necessary.

I miss her. She was everything to me. I had no idea that Jessie was suicidal... I feel terrible that I couldn't see that, and even worse that she felt like she couldn't talk to me about it. Truth be told, I'm tempted to join her, but I don't think she'd want that. She'd want me to live on, although I can't fathom living my life without her.

Unfortunately, wishing she weren't dead won't change anything. She may be gone from this earthly plane, but she will always live on in my heart and in my memories...

I'm a little worried about Ash. Despite my efforts to convince him otherwise, he feels responsible for this whole ordeal. I apologized to him for keeping him in the dark, and thankfully he forgave me. He asked me if I planned on doing something about Giovanni, to which I gave him an emphatic affirmative. Not surprisingly, he asked to accompany me in whatever I choose to do.

Just what it is I will do, I'm not sure. Hopefully I can use Team Rocket's ignorance about this mission to my advantage - I should be able to sneak into HQ without any red flags being raised. I don't know how well it will go if Ash is with me, though.

This is the final entry I will be writing regarding this mission. As far as I'm concerned, this mission is over.

Until next time.

Returning the pencil to the inside of the book, James put his diary his suitcase. He felt a pang of sadness as he continued to put things into the suitcase, wishing that the extra space in Shelly's boat would be filled by people instead of things. Still, he realized, it was important to get as much of the dead's personal effects back home as possible.

He resumed looking around Jessie's room, wishing he could take everything of hers back with him. "At least there's nothing here that isn't replaceable," he thought as he rifled through her clothing. Finding nothing of importance, he left.

"James, you finished?" a voice was heard. It was Ash. "Tracey's trying to get in the safe in Giovanni's room. Me and him are looking for the key and we could use some help."

"Did you finish packing everyone's things?" James asked, in no mood to stay here any longer than necessary.

Ash nodded. "I took care of mine and Misty's things. Tracey volunteered to pack for him, May, and Max, and since you packed Brock's belongings when we came inside, that does it for everyone. Why, is something wrong?"

"Not in the immediate sense, no... I'm just a bit hesitant to stay here any more than I have to. I'll help you if you think that getting in the safe will help any."

"Yeah, about that... Tracey and I were talking about it, and we were thinking that maybe Shelly might have the key on her, since she was using that room. She's definitely the kind of person who would go snooping around for something like that, and if there's anything in that safe that will help us in our fight against Giovanni, I'm all for getting it. I know it's not something I can just ask you to do after all that's happened, but would you go out there and check her body for the key?"

James gulped. Of all the requests... Ash wasn't lying when he said it wasn't an easy thing to ask. James considered refusing him right there, but after realizing it wouldn't be any easier for Ash or Tracey to do it, James decided to suck it up and take one for the team. "Yeah. No problem," he said, hoping he could get himself to believe it. Deciding that the best way to get this done was to not waste time and be done as fast as possible. He put his suitcase next to Jessie's room and headed downstairs, passing by Brock as he did so.

"Hey, how are you holding up?" James asked him, thankful for a brief delay in his task, though still genuinely concerned for Brock's well-being.

"Doing okay," he answered slowly with a nod, careful to not strain himself.

"Good. Just sit tight. I'm sure we'll be heading out real soon," James tried to reassure him. He directed his attention to the young girl sitting next to Brock. �May, how are you holding up?�

�I�m okay, thanks. Just waiting for you guys to finish so we can get home.�

�We�re almost ready. Just sit tight,� James said as he resumed his task. Heading outside, he walked over to Shelly's corpse and, despite his promise to himself not to, hesitated before examining her. A flood of memories came rushing back to him. "Cool it, James. She's dead," he reassured himself. "You won't learn anything by beating it out of her. Just do what you came out here to do and be done with it."

He slipped a hand into one of her pockets, hoping he'd find something so he wouldn't have to examine her any further. His prayers were answered in the form of a small key that he nearly missed in his hurry. "This has got to be it," James said as he thankfully rushed back inside, item in hand. He dashed up the stairs two at a time and burst into Shelly's room, where Ash and Tracey were still searching, "Here," he said, catching his breath, presenting the small key to both of them. "You were right... she had it."

Ash took the key from the former Rocket agent. "Great. Thanks, James." He passed the key to Tracey, who was at Giovanni's desk. He'd been scrounging through the drawers when James walked in. "Let's open her up and see what we got in here!" Ash said, a bit too cheerily for James's liking.

The room fell silent as Tracey inserted the key into the safe and turned it, with all three men hearing the clicking sound of the lock opening as he did so. With a little effort, he turned the large handle and peered inside the dark safe.

"Wh...what the..." Tracey said.

Ash went wide-eyed. "Is that all money?"

Tracey scooped out several stacks of bills and set them on the desk for the others to inspect. Truly, it did seem that the safe was filled with nothing but money. James picked one of the stacks up and examined it. "This one's a 10k stack." He looked over the others Tracey had put out. "Looks like they're all 10k stacks. There must be a million Pokedollars here!"

"Let's steal it," Ash said without missing a beat. "Giovanni took so much away from us, I think it's only fair that he loses a little something in return."

Both James and Tracey were shocked at Ash's sudden outburst. Ash Ketchum, the wholesome kid from Pallet Town that both men had known for several years, not only condoning breaking into Giovanni's safe, but actually suggesting that they have at its contents? "Is that going to make you feel better, Ash?" James asked.

Ash contemplated James's question. Would robbing Giovanni for a cool million make him feel better? Well... yes, it would. Giovanni had indirectly been the cause of the deaths of his closest friends. While he would never see his fallen friends again (though he very briefly wondered if there existed an entity, Pokemon or otherwise, that could raise the dead), taking this huge sum would surely be a thorn in the Rocket leader's side.

Then again, this was the leader of Team Rocket he was talking about. Giovanni could probably fill a swimming pool with half of the cash he had. He might not even mind that the money was gone. Still, Ash pondered, stealing is wrong, and - wait, why was he even considering Giovanni's feelings?

"It's not about making me feel better," Ash finally replied. "This is about making that man suffer as much as possible. Besides, you really think I need this money? Please. I easily have twice this in the bank. We can take this money and donate it to a good cause. Who cares how that blowhard will feel? When we're through with him, some missing money will be the least of his problems."

Tracey was silent as Ash made his case. Tracey was thankful that he hadn't lost anyone especially close to him. He thought of his family back home and the Pokemon he'd left behind, thanking his lucky stars that on a personal level, Tracey hadn�t lost a thing. Still, he felt a little left out, unable to relate to his companions' troubles.

As far as he knew, Ash and Misty were never anything more than friends. He (and everyone else) always wondered why Ash never bothered to take things further, but the general consensus was that he would when he was ready. After all, they were just kids; they had all the time in the world.

�So much for that,� Tracey realized with a sigh.

James, too, had lost someone dear to him, Tracey remembered. He had no idea what James's relationship with Jessie entailed, but from James's account, the two of them were very much in love. That wasn't such a hard thing to believe, Tracey figured - after all, they were people first, and Rockets second. Both Jessie and James were seven years his senior, and Tracey imagined their relationship was more serious than James let on. Tracey had never been in a serious relationship in his life, and once again was reduced to speculation about what James was going through.

He was glad that Brock had at least forgiven him for beating him into submission, but it was little consolation compared to the rest of his troubles.

"I thought you might say that," James said, pocketing the stack he had in his hand. "I'm with you. We'll use Jessie's suitcase; it's huge. We should be able to fit all of it in there. I'll go get it."

Meanwhile, Brock sat downstairs in a chair, having overheard the conversation that took place upstairs. He couldn't blame Ash for feeling the way he did, but he was still disappointed he would choose to steal another person's money, even if that person was the leader of the world's most prominent crime organization. He hoped that Ash would keep his cool when he confronted Boss Rocket (though that hope was slowly dwindling after listening to Ash talk), and Brock hated that he would be unable to be there with Ash when he did.

"James will be with him, though," the dark-skinned man thought to himself. "He has a good head on his shoulders. Here's hoping he can convince Ash to keep his emotions in check when the time comes."

Wait a minute.

James lost someone, too.

...What if James was the one who freaked out?

"Nah, that won't happen," Brock answered his own question. "Out of the two of them, James has acted calmly and with a clear head� for the most part. But still..." He dreaded what would happen to the two of them if they rushed in without thinking. "I'll be sure to warn them before they go."

Brock sighed, wishing there was something more he could do to help his friends in their time of need.

Ash, James, and Tracey finished packing Giovanni's money into Jessie's suitcase, then the three of them brought it and the rest of their belongings downstairs.

"It pains me to see so few faces here," Ash began. "There has been so much death, so much pain, over the past few days. I'm tired of it all... and we're going to put an end to it once and for all. Here's the plan.

"James mentioned a boat on one side of the island. It's probably the vehicle Shelly used to get here initially. The five of us will take all our stuff and head to that spot and hope that the boat is still there. If it's not, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Assuming the boat is there, we will drive to the mainland, whatever's closest. Thankfully, I'm fairly famous in three countries, so assuming we hit one, it should be pretty easy to get to Kanto if we don't already end up there.

"First, we'll fly to the hospital in Pewter City and get Brock checked in. May, you should get looked at, too. I don�t think they can do anything about your sight, but it couldn�t hurt.�

�Um� yeah. That�s a good idea,� May nodded, having her own reasons for wanting to see a doctor.

�I'll have Officer Jenny give us a lift back to my house, where we will leave our stuff. Tracey and I are going to get our strongest Pokemon and then I'm flying us to Saffron City. Once there, we'll head to Rocket HQ, where Tracey and I will pose as prisoners. James will get his own Pokemon, and then we force our way to the top, where we take care of Giovanni. Are there any questions?"

No response. All the others were as ready as Ash was to bring this dark chapter to a close.

"All right," Ash said with a nod. He picked up his suitcase and the suitcase with the money in it. With a deep breath, he headed for the door. "Let's get out of here."

The group exited the mansion, eager to get home. They all ignored the corpse lying at their feet as they ventured towards the far shoreline, where Shelly's boat lay.

"You know, now that Magnezone is gone, do you think our phones would work?" Tracey asked as they walked.

"Probably, but I don't want to stop and waste time, just in case they don't," Ash answered. "Once we get to the boat, we can worry about that."

After a long walk underneath the burning sun, James spotted the watercraft he'd come across days before. It appeared to be undisturbed from the time James had examined it. "Good thing this is still here," he said as he jumped into the driver's seat. He breathed an audible sigh of relief as he saw that the keys were still in the ignition. "Don't know what we'd have done if the keys were missing..." Fortune continued to smile on them as the engine turned over on the first try. "Hop in, guys," James said with a grin. "We're goin' home."

James looked around in front of him. Water as far as he could see. "Looks like we're gonna have to just head straight and hope we find land..."

"Hold on a second," Ash suddenly realized. He thought for a moment, then looked back at the path they'd walked. "Drive us to the front of the mansion and then go south," Ash said. "That's the general direction we came in when we first got here. Hopefully it'll lead us to Kanto."

"Great idea," James said as he brought the five out to sea and then in the direction Ash described.

All was quiet as James drove, each one trying to take it easy after a difficult few days. James was finding it particularly difficult to focus on his driving and not Jessie. "Easy, James," he told himself. "Get everyone back home safe first. If you crash this boat, you can forget about avenging Jessie's death." He took a deep breath and let the cool ocean breeze relax him.

Ash made good on his unspoken promise to Tracey and removed his phone from his suitcase. After dialing the number of the police department in Pallet Town, he held a breath as he held the phone to his ear.

Static.

"Phones are still dead!" Ash announced over the roar of the engine. "So much for that plan..."

"Try my radio!" James said, pulling the device from his pocket. "Change the frequency to one-one-two-J. That's the KOSAR distress frequency! If Shelly can call Saffron City from here, there's no reason you won't be able to contact them!"

Tracey looked confused. "What's KOSAR?"

"Kanto Oceanic Search and Rescue," Ash explained as he changed the radio's frequency. "Great idea, James. This'll work for sure!"

"I sure hope so. I've called them more than a few times in the past after we landed in the ocean after being blasted off," James said with a chuckle.

Ash wasted no time in sending his message. "KOSAR, this is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. Can you hear me?"

Nothing but static was heard on Ash's end following his message. Not one to give up, Ash tried again. "I repeat, KOSAR, this is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. I am in dire need of rescue. Is anyone there?!"

More static.

"Why aren't they responding?!" Tracey began to panic.

"I don't know. I've used this same radio for years and it hasn't failed yet," James said, surveying his surroundings for any sign of land.

"No way. I'm not giving up," Ash said. "KOSAR! This is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. Do you read me?"

This time, there was not static, but silence, following Ash's plead for help.

Ash gasped. "Guys! The signal's clean! James, kill the engine!" James, who understood the significance, did not dispute that order, doing so before Ash could finish his sentence.

More silence followed. "...What? What's going on?" Tracey inquired.

"Shh!" Ash quieted him. "Listen."

A few more moments of silence followed. Then, as clear as day, came a message back:

"This is Hugh Dillertz, KOSAR Alpha Team captain. We read you loud and clear, Mr. Ketchum."

"YES!" Ash shouted to the sky, almost tossing the radio overboard in his excitement. "Captain Dillertz, I'll spare you the details, but suffice it to say, we need to be rescued."

"Yes, sir," Captain Dillertz replied. "Do you know where you are? How many are with you?"

"Only that we're somewhere in Orre. We're in a motor boat out in the middle of the ocean." Ash stood up in the slowly bobbing boat and looked all around him. "The only land I can see is the island we came from, and that's just a speck on the horizon now. There are four people with me, three male and one female. Two of them are in need of medical attention. How fast can you get here?"

Captain Dillertz sighed. He'd been told numerous times about Ash's trip by his worrisome mother. She spared no details; from who and many were going with him to his expected return time, even his blossoming relationship with Misty, Delia Ketchum made sure nothing was left out. To hear that so few were returning, especially knowing that everyone involved were kids who had their whole lives ahead of them, saddened his heart. "My men are working on pinpointing your location, Mr. Ketchum. Once we do that, it won't be long. Just sit tight and we'll radio you back shortly."

"Great! Thanks, Captain." Ash set the radio down and turned to his friends. "Hear that, guys? Help is on the way!" Ash smiled, ecstatic that he'd be able to realize his plan sooner than expected. This one would not fail. It could not. Not only for the sake of all the lost lives, but to put an end to Giovanni's reign of terror once and for all.

No sooner did Ash set the radio down did it ring again with the loud voice of Captain Dillertz. "Mr. Ketchum, this is Captain Dillertz, are you there?"

"Yes, go ahead!" Ash spurted out, scrambling for the radio.

"We have a lock on your position. We're sending the Starmie Squad to you now. Stand by."

Ash went wide-eyed. "The whole thing?!"

"Yes, sir," Captain Dillertz affirmed. "It'll speed up transportation this way. Let us know when you see them."

"Got it," Ash said. "We'll wait for them, then."

"What's the Starmie Squad?" Tracey questioned.

"I'll take this one," James said. He turned to the Orange Islands native. "The Starmie Squad is a group of 20 Starmie trained by KOSAR for, well, search and rescue. In the area immediately surrounding KOSAR headquarters, agents will usually attach themselves to one of the Starmie and then head to the place where the person needing rescue is at. They can then teleport with the rescued person back to base, where the KOSAR medical team can treat any injuries. They also have a helicopter that they use for more serious injuries, and they'll be taken to Fuchsia City Hospital, since it's closest to KOSAR HQ. The chopper is also used for search and rescue, but in urgent situations, the Starmie Squad is utilized to speed up the search."

"And that guy said he was sending all of them? Is that really necessary?" Tracey asked.

"Normally, no. You know that all Psychic Pokemon can teleport themselves and surrounding objects to a certain degree, right? If you put two Psychic Pokemon together, they can link their powers. The teleport distance, as well as the size and amount of objects movable, increases accordingly."

"What? I didn't know that," Tracey admitted. "So, what, you could teleport all of Kanto somewhere?"

James laughed. "No. Only mobile objects can be teleported. Things that are rooted in the ground, like buildings, or even plants, aren't affected. What KOSAR is going to do with us is called a teleport chain."

Tracey nodded. "I think I can guess what that is, but go ahead and tell me."

"Think of it like a yo-yo," Ash chimed in. "One by one, each of the Starmie Squad teleports a little further from base in the general direction of the person needing rescue. Once all the Starmie are in position, they link their psychic signatures together. The last Starmie in the chain "grabs hold," so to speak, of the person needing rescue, and then starting with the last Starmie, they teleport back to each other, one by one until they're back at HQ. I guess they're using all of them because we're really far away. It sounds like they're planning on teleporting the entire boat back to base!"

"That's what I thought. That's pretty intense," Tracey said in awe. "We don't have anything like that back home..."

Just then, a group of three Starmie, dark blue with shining blue cores, surfaced from underneath the waves. No sooner did they appear did James's radio go off. "Mr. Ketchum, Captain Dillertz here. Our lead Starmie has sent us a signal that it has arrived at the location. Do you see it?"

"Yeah. There are two more with it," Ash confirmed.

"Really? I guess I misjudged the distance. Oh well, that only makes things easier. When you're ready, just give Starmie the signal. We'll be waiting for you."

Ash smiled. It was time to go home. "Roger that. See you soon, Captain." Clicking the radio off, he motioned to the Starmie in the water. "Whenever you're ready. We have injured people on board, so take it easy, okay?"

A shrill cry from one of the Starmie was the only reply they gave. The three of them surrounded the boat, each of their cores beginning to flash in a bright rainbow of colors. Slowly, all aboard could feel the psychic stars lifting them slightly into the air. Then, in what seemed to be an instant, they vanished in a flash, leaving no trace they had ever been there. One by one, another Starmie in the chain joined them, appearing to Ash as if they were coming to him, not the other way round.

Within seconds, Ash and his friends found themselves docked at KOSAR headquarters surrounded by Starmie, each one of them the same color as the three that came to their rescue. They relished at the sight of the tall buildings of Fuchsia City, the people and familiar streets, thankful to be back home.

On the dock, a hairy arm was extended to Ash. "Mr. Ketchum, I'm Captain Dillertz. Welcome home."

~ End of Chapter Twelve ~

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Seven Days of Terror