Pokemon: Fire and Ice

Chapter 24

The Team Plasma captain wore an emotionless mask, but he was secretly beaming with excitement. They had done it! They had captured the Meteonite! He watched loaded the Meteonite into a waiting helicopter and quickly made their leave, heading straight for the Desert Resort. They left the rest of the invasion in the hands of their comrades. The captain slightly wanted to face their enemies' leader, wanting to see the look on his face, but he had heard the man had already fled. What a coward.

But he still grinned as he looked out into the night from within the helicopter's belly. Yes, everything was going to plan. Leave it to their King to create the perfect operation.

Despite being unbearably loud in the city, the helicopter flew over the desert's sands quietly—a mere whisper in the night. The land looked like a lifeless, shadowed realm, like a part of the Underworld itself. But that wouldn't be for long. Soon Team Plasma's helicopter softly landed a flat area of the desert, the soil cracked and unmoving.

The chopper's blades hadn't even come to a complete stop before the Team Plasma agents impatiently piled out. They quickly pulled out their cargo: the precious Meteonite stored in a large, high-tech storage box. As the lower members worked on setting it up, the captain eyed an interesting device that looked like a mixture of a large cell phone and metal detector. He analyzed the data displayed on the screen until it brought him a specific spot in the very center of the clearing. After allowing a quick smirk, the captain looked around.

Even though it was almost pitch-black, the Team Plasma commander's sharp eyes could see the very faint traces of scars from an ancient battle. Yes, this was the spot. This place had a more powerful field of energy than the Temple. After all, this was the place where the Legendary Dragon took its final stand.

He stood to the side as his comrades pushed the Meteonite within its new shell into place. It hadn't even settled before it started reacting. The rock suddenly began to glow, energy pulses pouring from it. When it was pushed to the very center on the clearing, its brilliance multiplied tenfold, illuminating the entire area. Team Plasma backed away, allowing the Meteonite to take over. They were all grinning, including the captain.

"With the power of the Meteonite, we are invincible," he hummed.

"NOT IF WE CAN HELP IT!"

All of the Team Plasma agents jumped, startled by the sudden harsh roar. They looked up only to see three dark silhouettes outlined against the sky. The captain immediately knew who it was, causing him to snarl viciously. Team Rocket...

James, Jessie, and Meowth descended from the darkness, all wearing powerful jet backs. They unfortunately stuck out in their all-white uniforms, but that only made them appear like sinister ghosts coming to haunt them. Most of the group glared up at them in hatred with a red haze covering their vision, but a few were able to see the large gun-like device in the man's arms.

The team was so stiff from anger they did nothing to stop the newcomers as they landed neatly in front of them. The trio gave them glares that were a mixture of confidence and disdain.

"You are to surrender the Meteonite immediately," Jessie demanded, surprisingly in a professional voice.

"And if we don't?" a rookie Team Plasma member blurted out.

Jessie narrowed her eyes. "Then we'll take it from you."

The captain was the one closest to them, but he refused to be unfazed by this interruption. He pulled a Pokéball from his belt and expanded it. He wore an expression of sinister amusement.

"You're not taking anything," he replied menacingly. "One way or another, the powers of the Meteonite will awaken tonight, and Unova will have no choice but to submit."