The
Great Crossover Adventure
by
Xanthix
Chapter
6: Confrontation
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Slowly,
the Great Fox crept towards the solitary moon. All its systems were again
operational, and the moon seemed to be devoid of activity so far, but the
ship's crew was taking no chances.
Washu
had predicted that any enemies in the area would use the moon as a base, and
since she had been right so far, everyone was inclined to believe her. But no
one was sure who the enemy was, or what form their attack would take. All the
crew of the Great Fox knew is that their adversaries had the power to reach
across dimensions, and that they had used this power to steal their friends and
summon a dragon to fight for them. No one was sure how the final confrontation
would end.
But
despite the unknown odds against them, the unlikely alliance in the Great Fox
crossed the void towards whatever further surprises awaited them.
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"James,
have you gotten the new shipment of pokémon from the transfer station
yet?" Jesse asked her partner as they passed in a corridor of the moon
base.
"No,
I was on my way to do that, but then I had to coordinate our defense plan with
the pokémon trainers. Oh! That reminds me -- I have to get Koffing ready!"
As he realized this he dashed away down the hall.
"But
Koffing's gas attacks won't work in space!!" Jesse shouted after him, but
he didn't hear. Meowth, however, was just coming around a corner and saw her.
"Hey,
have you seen the new pokémon the Boss sent us?" the feline asked.
"He must really be serious if he's trusting us with ones like those!"
"Well,
Meowth," Jesse replied, "if we can win this battle, it'll make up for
all the times we let Ash and Pikachu slip through our fingers. THIS will be the
triumph to show the world the power of Team Rocket!"
Meowth
had always wondered about how Pikachu was always escaping them, and he wondered
how Jesse and James were going to hold off an interplanetary assault when they
couldn't even catch a yellow rodent. But he held his tongue, and instead said,
"Okay, I'll go check how things are going in the control room."
"Right!"
Jesse agreed, and resumed her course to the hanger of their moon base. As she
walked, she replayed the Team Rocket motto in her head and thought about how it
would feel to finally show the good guys who was in charge. Her soft evil
laughter echoed in the halls.
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Everyone
was gathered as close as they could get around Washu in the small dark cockpit
in the head of the Great Fox. When she saw that everyone was ready to listen,
and that the moon was looming closer outside the viewport, she began.
"Now,
are you all clear on the plans I went over in the cargo bay?" She was
answered with a variety of nods but summarized for everyone anyway. "Fox,
after we see if we can contact whoever's here, you're in charge of the Great
Fox. Ranma, Ryoko, and I will descend to the surface to try to break in and
rescue our friends. Zelgadiss and Ameria will stay behind, to help Fox out in
case you're attacked from space."
"When
do you think an attack will come, Miss Washu?" Ameria asked politely.
"That
I can't calculate, but I know one way to find out. Fox, open a communication
channel and use the orders I gave you. This'll either work for us, or give us a
guess at who we're up against."
Fox
nodded and opened the channel. After the static cleared, he said,
"Attention all criminals! This is the F.D.A., the Federal Displacement
Agency. You are all under arrest for illegally displacing the following-"
He
was cut short by the haughty reply. "F.D.A. indeed!" The voice was
feminine and young, but arrogant. "We know who you are! We are Team Rocket
-- you'll never defeat us! Surrender noww or prepare to fight!"
A
second, barely audible voice added, "Meowth! That's right!" At this,
everyone in the small cockpit looked around, unsure of what to think about the
reply. Most looked to Washu for guidance.
Washu,
ever ready to assume command, replied with a thoughtful look. "Well, that
doesn't tell us much. We'll go on with the plan. I'm sure we can cope with
anything they can throw at us." She ended her thought with a smile, to
encourage the rest. "Let's go!"
As
she left the cockpit to head to the shuttle bay, Fox got up to follow.
"I'll get the Landmaster Tank ready for you, and warm up the undamaged
Arwing for Zelgadiss," he said as they walked down the corridor. The
others got up and followed too, until the cockpit was empty except for the
light from the expanding view of the nearby moon.
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In
the shuttle bay, Washu, Ranma, and Ryoko were seated in the Landmaster Tank.
Fox stood just outside the tank, explaining the various controls.
Fox
concluded, "So now you know how to control the tank and use the weapons.
If you need any further help, just contact the Great Fox."
Washu
replied, "Thanks Fox. This will certainly make it easier to bring everyone
back to the ship through space. And having access to extra firepower is always
good..."
Fox
wasn't sure if Washu was kidding or serious, but regardless he closed the access
hatch to prepare the tank for descent to the moon. As he went to the shuttle
bay control room to open the shuttle doors, he saw Zelgadiss and Ameria
preparing for "launch" as well, Zelgadiss in an Arwing, and Ameria in
her new outfit. As they concluded their conversation and Zelgadiss closed his
cockpit, Fox gave the command to open the airlock.
Fox
watched as the two vehicles and one person drifted out into the great beyond.
Even after the Arwing and Ameria accelerated out of view and the Landmaster
used its thrusters to begin the descent to the moon, he remained in the room,
musing about what events the next few hours would bring.
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When
Fox returned to the main cockpit, he was ready for action. His excitement was
still high from the last fight, and now that he knew the capabilities of his
teammates, he wanted some more action.
He
was just about to tell Zelgadiss and Ameria this when his request was granted:
he saw the radar screen light up just as Rob64 began to announce incoming
enemies. There was a multitude of small hostile craft approaching from around
the moon. He relayed the information to Washu and the others.
"Good,"
Zelgadiss replied, "Their approach will lead them right to us, so that
Washu can sneak in as she planned."
Ameria
continued the thought. "And we'll show them a thing or two in the
meantime, right, Mr. Fox?"
"Absolutely,"
came Fox's reply. He armed the Great Fox's weapons with great satisfaction.
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"All
right all of you!" James bellowed into a microphone. "Get ready for
our surprise attack!" He was using the same communication unit that had
allowed him to give the dragon orders previously. Jesse just hoped he would be
more successful this time.
The
'all of you' that he had addressed was a rather large group of various flying
pokémon, now hovering above the dark side of the moon, getting ready to fly
around to ambush the Great Fox.
There
were all manner of pokémon in the group, from dragons to ghosts to legendary
birds. Those that needed oxygen were equipped with spacesuits, and all of them
were in formation, prepared by months of Team Rocket training for what could be
the largest pokémon battle of all time.
In
the large moon base control room, Jesse looked over the assembled fleet of
pokémon. She was sure that this time, there would be no stopping Team Rocket.
Seeing the amassed forces of the best of their pokémon trainers filled her with
a sense of power. She couldn't help but laugh evilly. Again.
In
the Landmaster's cockpit, Washu looked at the radar image of the assembled
fleet of enemy craft. She was confident that the others could handle the
situation, but she knew that this time she wouldn't be able to calculate the
outcome in advance. Seeing the radar image reminded her of this, and she
couldn't help but feel a tiny bit uncertain.
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"Here
they come, Fox," Zelgadiss's voice crackled in the Great Fox's cockpit.
The enemies, whoever they were, were just coming around the moon. The Great Fox
was on a course to meet them, along with one Arwing and one senshi.
Fox
coordinating their attack, telling the others, "Prepare to engage...
Now!" At that moment, the fleet of pokémon emerged from the moon's shadow.
They were moving fast, and rushed at the Great Fox and its escort in waves.
Fox
was surprised by the number and variety of the attackers. The assailants ranged
from small birds to dragons half the size of the Great Fox. Many had spacesuits
on, but some could apparently take the vacuum of space without help. Fox was
used to fighting enemy creatures in space, so he didn't think twice about how
the enemy looked more like a flock than a fleet. In fact, he had the ship's
weapons trained on the mass of opponents as soon as they cleared the moon's
horizon. Zelgadiss and Ameria, however, were surprised that it was not space
ships but animals that were attacking them. But they had fought all kinds of
monsters before, so they took on the pokémon without too much confusion.
As
Fox squeezed the trigger to launch a barrage of laser fire, he noticed how
quickly Zelgadiss and Ameria had engaged their foes, and was impressed. Ameria
was blasting ghost pokémon right and left, lecturing to them about good and
evil in between shouting her magical attack names. Zelgadiss was deftly zipping
between waves of various birds, scattering them with laser fire and Flare Bits.
Fox aimed the ship's laser cannons at a large red fire-breathing dragon that
was coming his way, and again pulled the trigger. The powerful beams hit the
Charizard's side and wing, causing it to flail off course into the distance.
All
three continued to fight the creatures, which soon formed a swarm around them.
They came at the Great Fox from every direction, and tried to keep up with
Zelgadiss's Arwing. Ameria had created a magical shield which she was using to
repel the claws and beaks of several Pidgeots, and she was also using it to
bash them over their heads in between strikes.
Fox
was almost enjoying his part, as he used the Great Fox's laser cannons and
missiles to blast one after another of the creatures out of the sky. Despite
all his efforts, a few smaller electric pokémon managed to evade his aim and
land on the large ship's vulnerable aft section. Rob64 sounded an alarm,
sensing power fluctuations in the aft electrical systems.
Fox,
thinking quickly, brought it to Zelgadiss's attention. "Zel! Some of the
enemies have landed on the Great Fox, and they're chewing on the power cables!
Think you can clean them off?"
Zelgadiss's
steady voice answered, "Yes -- Flarreee LANCE!!!" The reply was brief
but welcome; as Fox saw a blazing red bolt angle towards the back of his ship,
he knew that those pokémon wouldn't be evolving anytime soon.
Fox
used the temporary reprieve as a chance to signal Washu. They'd both be too
busy to talk, but he had Rob64 tell her that they could hold the fort until she
returned. He then returned to the matter of the impending interplanetary
battle.
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Washu
was encouraged by the news. She always liked it when things went as they were
planned, even if the plan was quickly-formulated and had uncertainties in it.
She likened it to multivariable calculus: the more unknowns, the more
interesting!
But
for now she had to trust that Fox would keep the situation under control until
the next part of the plan was complete. She and her team of Ranma and Ryoko had
to focus on their task: break into the enemy's base, do what they could to
disable their forces, rescue their friends, and get out in one piece.
Washu
wasn't worried, though. After all, she had her brains, Ranma's brawn, and
Ryoko's sheer force of will. And having a good-sized assault tank at their
disposal didn't exactly hurt their odds...
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A
pacing guard was interrupted from his pace by a communication from the moon
base control room. "Unit TR-421! Keep an eye out for any intruders! Most
of our pokémon are occupied in the space battle, so make sure no one gets in
through the airlock! Over and out!"
The
guard snapped to attention for the communication, but it ended as abruptly as
it had begun. He was puzzled by the message; surely the foolish intruders in
Rocket space would have their hands too full with the pokémon attack to try to
enter the moon base. Oh well, he thought, may as well stay extra alert just in
case. As he resumed his pacing, he heard a faint rumble from beyond the airlock
door he was guarding. He turned to investigate the sound, readying a pokéball
he kept handy for emergencies.
Gradually,
the rumble grew louder, and it soon became a roar. The guard began to open the
inner airlock door slowly, to see what was happening in the airlock. However,
someone else had other plans for the door.
With
a explosion, the door burst from its mountings, its shape horribly distorted by
some tremendous force. It clattered to the ground a dozen feet from the airlock
entrance, and the force of the impact threw the guard to the ground, knocking
the pokéball from his hand. Immediately following the door came the main gun of
the Landmaster, followed by the hulking tank itself. As it lurched through the
airlock, it crushed the remnants of the door underneath its treads.
The
guard, following standard Team Rocket operating procedure, took a good look at
his situation, noted the tank which dwarfed him in size and was turning to head
down the corridor into the base, and turned tail and ran for his life.
As
he ran off down the hallway, the Landmaster's cockpit window opened. A girl
poked her head out, her red hair standing out against the silver of the tank
and the black of the charred rubble. She yelled after the fleeing guard,
"Freeze! F.D.A.!"
Inside
the tank, a second redhead pulled the first back into the cockpit. "That's
okay Ranma, I think they've already seen through our ruse," Washu
explained. "We can stop pretending we're a federal agency, and we can
start showing these creeps that we mean business. Follow that guard!"
As
she concluded, she put the Landmaster in gear and floored it down the hallway.
She enjoyed being able to be in control of the situation firsthand, and it
showed. Ranma was encouraged by her confidence. Ryoko, quieter of late, liked
seeing her mother in action. She could definitely relate to her take-charge
attitude.
This
might not be such a stupid universe after all, she thought.
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Continued
in Chapter 7: Turning Tides
"Slayers" is copyright H. Kanzaka / R. Araizumi. Original ideas, artwork, and text present on this page are copyright Esther Nairn, unless otherwise noted. No reproduction is allowed without express written or emailed permission. Violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.