Blast From The Past

CHAPTER 11

"Where is Leader, anyway?" Mason asked, looking back at Jack.

"He's already gone to Kanto, we were supposed to hold them off," he pointed back down the hallway. "But, you guys came at the right moment."

"I guess our time-sync hasn't gone off, then," Webb smiled, laughing. Jack and Mason joined.

"Yeah, I'll say," Jack chuckled. The three girls looked at each other, shaking their heads.

"Men," Lexi sighed, the girls nodding in agreement. The group stepped out the doorway leading outside, wincing as the sunlight overtook their sight.

"Ah...That place is darker than I remember..." Webb stated, shielding his eyes as the men laughed at him.

"Come on, we're taking off," Jack drew a pokeball, tossing it and revealing his blue dragon. Hopping on its back, the dragon took into the air. Jack looked around, seeing Trevor and Lexi ascend with their swan and eagle pokemon. He saw Gina riding a steel-skinned bird with Krystal behind her, while Mason and Webb lifted into the air on their own pokemon. "To Kanto!"

"For Leader!"

"Almost there, Pidgeot," Leader said, stroking the side of the bird's head as he watched the land ahead grow larger.

"Chupi kachu?" the mouse asked, looking in its trainer's eyes.

"I'm fine, Pi. Just..." he sighed, looking into the sky. "...I guess, I still can't believe it."

"Pi?"

"I left them, circled the globe for almost five years training some apprentices, then we reunite. Just like that..." he sighed lightly.

"Kachupi, pikachu pi," the mouse said, putting its paw on his arm.

"I know, I know..." he closed his eyes, his lips drawing up. "...I bet she hates me right now..."

"Kachu pika pi!" the mouse responded, its voice raised. He looked at it in surprise.

"You think she still loves me? After all these years, all of that happening, you say she still carries her feelings for me?" he asked, the mouse nodding in agreement with a smile. "...Well...Anyway, it doesn't matter. I can't allow to be distracted now, not at this point."

"Kapi..." the mouse sighed, lying down in the bird's ruffled feathers, falling into a slumber. Leader smiled, moving his hand down the rodent's fur.

"...I'm sorry, May..." he muttered, frowning as he watched his bird descend to his homeland. beneath him, the Pokemon League. "I can't return after all of this..."

"Man, how do we get out of here?!" Max sighed heavily, throwing his hands in the air.

"We've told you multiple times now, we don't," Gary sighed. "We can't, those bars are way too strong to budge."

"But, can't we use science or something? In a movie, the person would think of 'leverage' or something," Max replied.

"We're not in a movie, in case you didn't notice," Gary responded, lowering his head. Misty and Dawn glanced at each other.

"Face it, Max. We're done, finally outwitted after all our evil organization encounters, we were done-in by Plasma knock-offs," Brock stated, leaning back against the wall.

"But...But it was Ash, he'll help us. He's probably playing along with them to get closer, then arrest them!" Max said hopefully, looking at everyone expectantly. "...Right?"

"No," everyone looked at May, surprised as the brunette remained still leaning forward, looking down at her knees. "He's not saving us. He's changed, he's not on our side anymore."

"May, don't say that!" Dawn told her, but felt Misty's hand on her shoulder and stopped.

"You all saw him, he wasn't the boy we knew. He was grown up, and heartless," she closed her eyes. "...He wasn't our friend anymore."

"But...But you dated him! You can get him back to normal!" Max told her. May looked up.

"...How am I supposed to change him when we're stuck in here?" Max frowned. "Look around, Max, Ash beat us. Every option we have, there's something to block it off. He thought it through," May told the boy, looking back down. She moved her wrist, the bracelet gleaming in the single streak of sunlight from the very small window. "...Ash won...He beat all of us, now he's going to beat the world..." everybody watched her, frowning as their minds agreed. The boy had outsmarted them.

"Do you believe that to be the truth?"

May's head raised, every set of eyes looking around for the source of the mysterious voice. "Who's there? Where are you?"

"Speak the truths you seek."

Everyone continued searching, knowing the voice was close but unseen. May thought of the words spoken, then blinked her sadness away. "...We want to stop Ash's plans for pokemon liberation. We want our old friend back."

"You want peace and your friend...Is that the truth you have resolved?"

May hesitated, then nodded. "...It is, please, help us," It was silence for a few moments.

"...Very well. Stand back."

Everyone moved against the back wall, waiting to see how they would be rescued. Their eyes were drawn to the gate door, the old-style lock on it glowing in an outline of blue. It snapped off, the door creaked open. Everyone stepped cautiously toward the door, looking down the corridor as they moved out. A faint red glowed from around the corner, then footsteps were heard.

"Who are you?" May asked, then a figure emerged from around the corner. The man stood taller than Brock with a white top over a black shirt, with grey pants and a strange golden cube on a chain dangling from his left waist. Green and black sneakers, a latex wristband over his right wrist, three gold wristbands over his left, and a chain holding a strange diamond around his neck. A black and white cap concealed his face, as his head was down, but his vibrant-green hair was visible around his neck.

"Wait...You're...!" Brock trailed off, awestruck. The man down the hall lifted his head, looking at them with his emotionless expression concealed by emerald-green eyes. The young professor stared in surprise. "Team Plasma's former leader...!"

"N!"

END