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ACO, Part 1: The Meeting
**Note: Some the material in this fanfic comes from the episode called "Battle for the Badge" where Ash gets the Earth Badge.**
Three dark figures could be seen in a kneeling position on the ground. The three were in a room that appeared to be some sort of throne room. As if on cue, a bright spotlight suddenly shone down on the trio, revealing them to be Jesse, James, and Meowth of the elusive Team Rocket. It would appear that they had returned from yet another failed attempt to capture the electric-mouse pokemon, Pikachu.
"So," a loud voice boomed from the darkest shadow of the room. "Have you successfully completed your mission, or did you manage to screw up again?"
Jesse and James looked at each other nervously and cleared their throats. "Well, the plan went fine, sir," the two teammates squeaked out at the same time.
"But," the loud voice boomed again, full of omnipotence.
"However," Jesse continued, "what happened next wasn't our fault. That meddlesome boy and his friends were. . ."
"Enough! I grow tired of your incompetence," the owner of the voice said, this time more calmly. At that point, a man, dressed in an obviously expensive suit, stepped out from the shadows. Shrouded half in darkness and half in light, the man began to speak. "I shall save you the trouble of coming up with another plan that will surely end in failure," he stated. The Persian that he was stroking seemed to snicker, and Meowth scowled.
"Giovanni, sir," James began. "The three of us are fully capable of completing this mission. We've just had a few set backs and. . ."
"Silence," Giovanni bellowed, his voice shaking the room. "One more outburst from you, James, and you will be dispatched from this establishment." He stopped to look pointedly at James before he continued. "And you know what that means."
"Yes, sir," James replied quietly, shrinking back in fear.
"Now, here's what I have planned," Giovanni began . . .
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Meanwhile, Ash, Brock, Misty, Togepi, and Pikachu were leaving Viridian City and were heading towards the Viridian Forest. Ash had just earned his eighth and final badge -- the Earth Badge. The trio of friends were celebrating and talking excitedly as they walked along.
"Did you see the look on Jesse's face when she got shocked?? That has got to be the funniest thing I've ever seen," Ash exclaimed.
"Yeah," Brock answered. "Those three just don't know when to quit. How many times must they be battered and bruised before they realize that they'll never get Pikachu?"
"Cha! Pika pika pi (Yeah! I'm invincible)," Pikachu added.
Ash chuckled and told his friends what Pikachu had said. The trio burst into laughter. Once they had calmed down, Misty said, "So, Ash, where are we headed off to now?"
"Geez, I don't know," he replied. "A vacation right about now sounds really great, maybe the beach. We could all use a little fun and sun. Sunbathing, surfing, beach volleyball . . ."
"Don't forget to mention all the girls, Ash," Brock interrupted.
"And the guys," Misty added.
"Uh, yeah," Ash continued. "We'll get to meet new people."
All nodded in agreement. Then Misty quizzically added, "Well it sounds like a plan, then. That is, of course, if you don't get us lost, Ash!"
"Hey! I never once got us lost, Misty," Ash replied angrily. "We just simply got sidetracked."
"Sidetracked? Ha! Admit it, Ash Ketchum. You get us lost every single time," Misty retorted.
"I do not!"
"You do, too!"
"Do not!"
"Do too!"
As the two friends continued one of several daily fights, Brock sat down on a nearby boulder. He had grown so accustomed to Ash and Misty's daily routine that he was able to block them out and think to himself. 'Those two remind me of Team Rocket,' he said, chuckling a little. 'They just don't know when to quit! It's unbelievable.' The two continued to fight while Brock watched with growing annoyance. "Hey you two," he cut in, somewhat angrily. "If you don't stop bickering, we'll never get anywhere!"
"I won't stop until Ash, here, admit he's wrong," Misty said haughtily. "Ash, just say you get us lost."
"Fat chance of that happening Misty," Ash retorted. "We get sidetracked."
"How about this, you're both wrong," Brock said. "We go on mini adventures."
"Be quiet, Brock," the two yelled in unison.
Brock glared at the duo and said, "Fine! I'll just do that." With that, Brock stood up, grabbed his satchel, and stormed off. Ash and Misty were too engrossed in their argument and didn't notice as their friend gathered his belongings and left.
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Brock had walked for about twenty minutes before he slowed his pace. "Those two have some nerve," Brock fumed out loud, not paying any attention to his surroundings. "I spent three years of my life with those . . . those unappreciative brats!" He stopped to gather his surroundings and sighed heavily. "And just to think, I could have spent those three years going on several dates with hundreds, no, thousands of beautiful women!" He shook his head and then continued, "When it comes to the love department, I really stink. I'm a complete failure when it comes to love just like Team Rocket are failures when it comes to stealing Pikachu. I'm the Team Rocket of love!" As he finished his last sentence, a waterfall of tears began to fall. "It's just not fair!"
"Excuse me," a female voice said, coming from behind Brock.
Brock slowly turned towards the beautiful voice that he had just heard. To him, it sounded like an angel would sound. It also reminded him of a soft breeze whispering over a meadow full of flowers in bloom. Finally, Brock stood face to face with the girl who had spoken to him. She was the most beautiful woman that he had seen. Even to him, that was a shock because in his opinion, every girl he came across was beautiful. The poor boy was speechless. She stood about 5'7" in height to his own 5'10". Her hair was a shade of pink and her eyes were the color of a placid blue lake. She gave Brock a warm smile.
"Has the cat caught your tongue," she inquired politely. "I could have sworn I heard you talking a few seconds ago."
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OK, well that's it for now. Who is this mysterious girl and where did she come from? More importantly, will Brock be able to talk to her? Stay tuned!