Chapter Text
Ash got up wincing, "Pikachu? Are you alright?"
Pikachu cried, -Am I alright? Am I alright? You shielded me and took the blow. YOU ARE FUCKING BLEEDING! And you are asking me if I am okay? I can't even with you.-
Gary, "Pikachu makes a good point Ash. Don't move! I mean it."
Ash sweat dropped, "I look that bad, huh?"
Eevee barked, -Hold on! Ivysaur is with you right?-
Pikachu, -Right! Good idea!-
Ivysaur appeared after Pikachu got the pokeball, -What in the name of the Great tree is going on here? Why is Ash hurt and bleeding? Never mind, stay still I am using aromatherapy to heal you.-
Pikachu, -We were attacked. Most likely Team Rocket.-
Ivysaur, -Why am I not surprised?-
A familiar face appeared, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I am Sniper the new leader of Team Rocket."
Red, "It's him! It's that bastard! He is alive."
Charizard snarled, -I have a bone to pick with him.-
Green hissed, "Sniper! So, he finally came out."
Alakazam, -Green, stay calm.-
Green, "I am okay buddy. Let's go!"
Alakazam nodded, -Green, do not freak out but Ash got hurt protecting others. Green? Green? Calm down!-
Delphox, -Well, it could be worse.-
Green rushed to the stadium as fast as he could worried about the little boy he had watched over with his boyfriend. Red though was apoplectic and rushed to battle Sniper personally especially after seeing Ash get hurt because of him. Green rushed in to see Red battling Sniper and rushed to help him while Gary made sure Ash was alright. Misty was dealing with her own problem with Team Rocket attacking her side of the stadium but her sisters were there to help her. It was pandemonium with the trainers helping the civilians run when one of the audience saw Ash hurt and bleeding. To say Giselle was pissed off, was an understatement and ordered her Marowak to send a strong boomerang to Sniper's Arcanine.
Sniper was shocked then furious, "What the? Why you little bitch!"
Giselle sneered, "I may be a little bitch but you are an unforgivable asshole!"
Joey, her boyfriend was by her side, "I agree! Seriously though, attacking civilians? How pathetic can you get?"
Red smirked, "Charizard now! Use overheat!"
Sniper, "Charizard dodge it! Shit! You crazy brat!"
Red gave a cold grin, "I blame you for my madness. How dare you try to destroy the one person who keeps me sane. I will end you."
Ash's breath hitched, "Oh no!"
Gary, "What is the matter?"
Ash, "Red's power, it is going out of control. We need to get up there or he may end up killing himself."
Gary, "No way!"
Pikachu's ears flattened, -Such power!-
Eevee, -We should do something Gary.-
Gary, "Okay, let's go! I got your back, you hear me?"
Ash nodded, "Okay, thank you Gary."
Gary held his face and kissed him, "I want you to promise me, you will be careful."
Ash was pink but nodded, "Yes, I will be safe. I promise you."
Gary, "Good!"
Misty, "Daisy, Violet, Lily, are you okay?"
Daisy nodded, "I will live."
Lily eyed her pale face, "Are you okay baby sis?"
Violet pointedly said, "Yeah, your Pokemon really pushed themselves."
Misty smiled, "We are okay."
Omanyte puffed up, -A bunch of ruffians will not bring me down. I am an armoured lady.-
Starmie, -What she said! We have been training hard. We will not go down that easily.-
Misty, "Still I apologize for making you battle back to back."
Omanyte shook her head, -No, my innocent Princess. As a future Lady of the water fights for survival like this is very common.-
Lily eyed the exchange between her youngest sister and her Pokemon and wondered what they were talking about. From the looks of paleness then fiery determination filling Misty, she figured it was fine, especially if it made Misty become stronger. She would need the determination if she wanted to become a Water Master and take over the Cerulean Gym in the future. Violet and Daisy were going around helping the civilians who were hurt in the cross fire between them and Team Rocket. It was at this moment Lance walked in and saw the aftermath of their battle in the field. Lance checked on each sister as he headed pointedly towards Misty looking her over and noticing the exhaustion and determination.
Lance, "Are you alright Misty?"
Misty nodded, "I am fine. Any idea how Ash and Gary are?"
Lance, "They were attacked by Sniper directly. Want to join me and help them out?"
Misty, "Do you even have to ask? Let's go!"
Lance smirked then turned to her older siblings who were about to protest but he reassured them she would be safe. The three siblings stared hard and then agreed to let their baby sister leave their watch with him. Gou and Erika were keeping an eye on everything from the security office as he dealt with the two who had attacked him. Good thing Inteleon knew how to stay invisible and hide the rest of his Pokemon, or he would not have been able to take their attackers by surprise. It was however worrying how they had managed to infiltrate the League so easily but it did explain the uneasy feeling. He had warned Lance about it and the red head had advised him to listen to his instincts as he has a similar feeling but no proof.
Gou, "Bloody jerks! Oh no! Ash and Gary are fighting against the main leader."
Erika, "Something is wrong with Red, look."
Lt Surge, "Is his Aura turning black?"
Raichu, -That is not good, right?-
Scorbunny growled, -We need to help them but we cannot leave this place unguarded.-
Vileplume, -I agree!-
Gou, "I know! Lance come in, Lance!"
Lance, :Lance here!:
Gou, "Ash, Gary, Green and Red are battling Sniper and his Elite fighters I think. They are being helped by Giselle and Joey."
Misty, :Giselle? Huh! Who would have thought that a fashion obsessed girl would have the balls to fight against Team Rocket.:
Lance, :I am just glad they are not fighting him alone.:
Gou, "Yeah but the Pokemon are strong, strangely so. I suspect a device or drug use."
Lance, :I see. I will get there soon. You stay safe as well.:
Gou, "Don't worry! Erika, Lt Surge and I make a good team."
Erika smirked, "We dealt with the attackers attacking the security office."
Lt Surge, "And I can keep them safe. So do not worry about us."
Lance, :Are you alright? Koga will not be happy if you are hurt.:
Erika, "That is sweet of him but we are fine. It is Red I am worried about."
Lance, :We are at the stadium.:
Erika, "Good luck!"
Gou, "Good thing the stadium has been evacuated thanks to the trainers who worked together."
Lt Surge, "Indeed!"
Lance, "There they are!"
Misty, "Ash! Oh sweet Mew! What happened to you?"
Ash, "I am fine."
Lance spoke sternly, "There is blood on your clothes, do not lie to us."
Ash, "Ivysaur took care of me. I promise."
Gary, "Ash, something is wrong."
Ash, "Red!"
Red's aura was turning blood red and black because of the fury and resentment he felt inside him. Over the years, his resentment towards Team Rocket had been growing slowly and steadily to a boiling point. Watching Ash getting hurt was the last straw on the back for Red and his control over his rage snapped like a string. Red had been sending his Aura to his Pokemon and it had powered them up enough to defeat the enemy Pokemon. Now, with nowhere to go, the dark furious Aura turned to it's target of absolute hate and Red approached the man who glared back at him. Sniper took out his guns and started shooting at Red, but Red used the aura to dodge and attack him.
Ash tried to rush to him, "Red!"
Lance stopped him, "No Ash."
Ash, "But Red is in trouble. His Aura is out of control."
Green spoke softly, "Red is angry, Ash. Mew knows I would have been too if Gary had been hurt in your place. Red has been angry with Team Rocket for a long time now. This was bound to happen at some point."
Ash, "We have to help him."
Lance, "We are helping him. As long as he can see you are safe he will calm down. For now however it is best we let his anger flow out."
Gary, "Oh! You mean like what the Professor told us long ago?"
Ash spoke slowly, "Anger is like a volcano. You have to let it blow up in order for the ash to cool down and nurture the surroundings."
Misty, "Huh! That makes a lot of sense in a way."
Gary nodded, "We will be here for him, like always."
Lance nodded and Ash agreed as well calming down from his worked up state and focusing on his magic. He made his presence known to Red and Ash was sure he felt Red's aura respond to his presence. Ash felt relieved when he got the response and decided to make himself as noticeable as possible. Lance then noticed a change in Red, his eyes that had been filled with fury were now sharp and clear. Red stood a few steps back from Sniper who was watching him with interest, anger and suspicion only for Red to disappear from sight. Sniper looked around him to see if he could notice Red somewhere only to feel something on his neck.
Misty saw Sniper fall down, "He did it."
Lance, "He won."
Red appeared again in front of Ash then hugged him, "Ash! My baby brother."
Ash, "Red! You are okay."
Red's furious Aura had disappeared now, "Seriously? You were the one hurt and you are worried about me."
Ash, "Of course, I was worried. You are my brother."
Green, "Red, Ash, why don't you both go get checked by the medic? Lance and I will deal with that clown. He is not getting away from this."
Red nodded and pulled Ash along who was asking him if he was really okay and Gary shook his head. The two brothers were no different from each other when the other's life and health were concerned. Misty just smiled and followed them as Brock came with the medics to help out those who were injured. Red had insisted they check on Ash and his Pokemon first as they had taken the blow for the bomb in broad daylight in front of all cameras. The feed had gotten cut after that but the image had been seared in everyone's minds and Red doubted he would ever forget it.
The media was already knocking at their hospital door asking questions, it was only the hospital policy and the law that kept the reporters out. Red was sticking to Ash like glue, not like Ash minded as he was using his magic to soothe Red's aura. Mewtwo had rushed to them after questioning the previous capture on seeing the news and had lectured them on safety and self awareness. They may have special powers but they were still human not Pokemon while Delia sat on the side smiling. She wanted to lecture her children but Mewtwo was doing a great job so she left him to it.
Cypress meanwhile was working with Blue and brought up multiple charges against Sniper. Those ranged from kidnapping children to stealing Pokemon to destruction of property to murder of civilians. The civilian population did not always have Pokemon, even if they do those Pokemon were considered civilian themselves. They were not equipped for battle like the Pokemon that trainers have on them so attacking a civilian was a crime. It was considered a battery charge and Sniper had killed quite a number of civilians during his time of crime.
Giselle and Joey meanwhile were being lauded as heroes and had skipped town to get away from the press. They were okay with the press in the beginning but then the questions became a little too private for their taste. The Waterflower sisters unfortunately could not avoid the press and the questions as they were pretty popular. Misty had a tight grin as she answered questions as best she could citing NDA for a lot of them. She mentally thanked Lance for the idea as she could avoid most of the questions about Team Rocket saying it was being investigated and she was a participant not a part of the G - man yet.
Ash, "Well, I guess that is the end of our Kanto journey."
Cypress, "The Doctor said you should rest at home. So let's do exactly that for the next few weeks."
Blue, "Sounds good. Besides Daisy is due any day now."
Gary perked up, "I will be an Uncle then, right?"
Red, "Excited?"
Green, "Very!"