Pokemon Moonlight Silver (COMPLETE!!!)

[EmeraldSky]

@Scytherwolf; @Soups;

Episode 74: All that Glitters!

"Zephyr Badge...okay..." Ash mused as he admired the wing-shaped badge sewn to his vest. "Little spot over here..." he mused as he wiped some dust from the Hive Badge. "but the Plain Badge needs a little scrubbing. Once my other three badges are clean, I'll get Brock to sew on my Fog Badge."

"I'll come do that after we have lunch." Brock replied as he tended to some broccoli casserole simmering over the campfire. "Luckily, the color that matches your vest is very easy to find."

"I can see myself in your Badges..." Misty smiled as she admired her reflection in the Plain Badge. "Think you can polish my Pokethlon medals too?"

"Sure!" Ash retrieved his rag as Misty got out her medal box.

But before he could wipe down Misty's first silver medal, a rustle alerted Tintri. [What was that?]

[I'll check it out!] Ami volunteered.

She reared back as three black crow-creatures emerged from the brush. [What the...] she gasped as the three crow-Pokemon hopped and danced towards the camp.

Ash, meanwhile, decided to read up on the dancing crow-Pokemon:

"Murkrow, the darkness Pokemon. Feared and loathed by many, it is believed to bring misfortune to all those who see it at night."

"But it's daytime, so it can't harm us." Misty smiled.

No sooner were the words out of her mouth did two of the three Murkrows snatch Ash's Fog Badge and her medal box! "Hey!"

"Back, get back!" Brock waved away the third Murkrow, who seemed determined to get at the four stripes of his Lore Stage rainbow "Go on, shoo!" he called as the third Murkrow gave up on his stripes and fluttered up onto a branch, where its companions waited with Ash's Fog Badge and Misty's medal box.

"Mina, knock the Murkrow out of the tree!" Ash commanded as he heaved a Poke Ball skyward.

[HAH!!!] Mina charged at the tree, knocking the three Murkrow to the ground--surprisingly with Ash's Fog Badge and Misty's medal box intact!

Ash was not far behind Mina as he ran towards the Murkrow. "You guys have some explaining to d--!"

He did not, however, expect a wave of mud to come flying in his face! "WAUGH!!!"

[You okay?] Mina asked as she fluttered by Ash's side.

"Follow those Murkrow while I go and get cleaned up!" Ash replied.

[Right!] With that, Mina soared away.

"What happened to you?" Brock asked as Ash returned to the camp with mud splotches all over him. "I remember three Murkrows came out here, and then they took your Fog Badge and Misty's medal box..."

"Mina and I tried to stop them, but they sent a wave of mud in my face..." Ash grumbled as Brock carefully wiped off the mud stains. "I sent Mina on ahead to try and catch them..."

He gasped when he saw Mina land, battered and beaten, at his feet. [Ash...I'm sorry...] Mina wheezed. [I tried to engage them, but they sent me flying with a huge Gust...]

Brock covered the cooking pot, then reached for a Poke Ball of his own. "Hitomi, use your Supersonic to find these rogue Murkrow!" he commanded as he heaved it skyward.

As the Golbat materialized, she fired a few Supersonic waves at a cluster of trees, only getting an echo in a nearby bush. [There they are!] she reported, showing Brock that the Murkrow were huddled in the bush, looking over Ash's badge, Misty's medals, and a number of other shiny things.

"Maybe if we asked nicely, these Murkrows would give our stuff back?" Misty asked as she followed Ash to the bush.

"It's worth a shot..." Ash mused as he approached the bush. "Uh, guys? Could you please give our stuff back? They're important to us."

[You want'em? Come and get'em!] one Murkrow smirked before all three Murkrows fluttered off

[I'll go corner them for you!] Hitomi offered as she fluttered off after the fleeing Murkrows. But she balked as the three Murkrows created a massive Gust, sending her flying backwards, landing at Brock's feet as he arrived in the brush. [Master, I failed...] she gasped as she fainted.

[YEEEE-AAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!] Tintri screeched as he fired a Thunderbolt, knocking out the three Murkrow all at once with a Thundershock.

"Good shot, bud." Ash smiled as he located his missing Badge and Misty's medal box in the stash of items as Misty watched from nearby.

He did not, however, expect to see Team Rocket looming over the hill in their balloon, with Tintri struggling in a net! "Where'd you guys come from?"

"Do we really have to answer? That is a lot of trouble..." Jessie shot back.

"And even if we did answer, our haul's going to be double." James agreed.

"To protect the world from devastation..." Jessie began.

"And unite all peoples within our nation..." James smiled, twirling a rose in his hand. Ash just watched and growled in annoyance at the familiar motto he, Misty, and Brock had heard a million times before:

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket! Blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth! Dat's right!"

Brock, meanwhile, had joined Ash and Misty on the hill and was preparing to fire a shot when he heard a POW! and James yelling something in anger. "What in the...I didn't even need to shoot an arrow this time!" he gasped as he stood down.

"The Murkrows!" The lightbulb went off in Misty's head. "The Murkrows popped Team Rocket's balloon!

She tried oh-so-hard not to laugh as Team Rocket attempted to capture the Murkrow with a net. "I'd still keep an arrow handy, though--while the Rockets were busy trying to catch these Murkrow, I snuck onboard the balloon and got Tintri." Ash reported. "I left them a little surprise..."

All three watched as Team Rocket pulled on the rope connected to the net, but the net caught a boulder instead, causing Team Rocket to get thrown away. "Very clever, Ash--let's go get our stuff back." Brock grinned. "They were headed towards that hill to the north."

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"Aina, climb the hill and help us find the Murkrow!" Ash called as he heaved a Poke Ball on the ground, revealing the Machop.

Aina skillfully darted to the top of the hill, where she spotted the Murkrow in a bush admiring their stash of shiny objects. [Found them!]

"Thanks!" Ash grinned as he crept up by the bush, careful not to startle or rouse the Murkrow to his presence.

Moments before Ash could take the Fog Badge and the medal box, a twig snapping alerted one Murkrow, spurring all three to thoroughly peck Ash, then send him tumbling back to the bottom of the hill.

"Ow..." was all Ash could say as Misty arrived with some medical supplies.

"So much for the direct approach..." Brock mused.

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"Okay...." Brock began as he showed Ash and Misty a blueprint outlining his plan to get Ash's Badge and Misty her medal box. "It appears Murkrow like shiny objects, like Meowths do...so what I want you guys to do is hold these pie tins so that they flash in the sun. With the Murkrow distracted, Silver and I can move in and get the Fog Badge and the medal box back."

He added. "If something happens, I revived Mina for you, Ash."

"Thanks!" Ash smiled as he took a pie tin and stepped out into the sun, angling the pie tin so the sunlight created a flash. Misty was on the other end of the plain with a pie tin of her own, disorienting the three Murkrows from following the light that seemed to arc from one end of the hill to the other.

Just then, one of the Murkrows spotted Ami making a flower crown by Misty's foot. "Uh oh..." Ash gasped when he saw the Murkrows flying in their direction.

"I thought I told Ami to stay put!" Misty grumbled as she and Ash abandoned the pie tins and dashed off.

"Let's find Brock first--I have a plan B..." With that, Ash heaved a Poke Ball skyward. "Mina, we need you!"

[Murkrows are carrion Pokemon, right? Maybe if I played dead, you can get your stuff back!] Mina suggested.

Ash and Misty watched as Mina fluttered to the ground and laid very still. The Murkrows arrived some moments later, and began examining what they thought was a Pidgeot corpse, periodically poking Mina to make sure she was dead.

Once sure the Murkrows were distracted, Mina grabbed the Fog Badge in her talons, and took off, just as Brock arrived on the hill. "Good thinking, Ash--I didn't expect Ami to wander out here and blow our cover." Brock muttered.

"Even after I gave her explicit instructions to stay put." Misty agreed before a wind gust knocked the three companions and the Murkrows to the ground.

Ash looked to see Team Rocket in a giant robot resembling a giant Murkrow. "You guys again!"

"We'll be takin' all of dis, tank you!" Meowth grinned as he turned on the mecha's vacuum, setting it to suck up all of the shiny objects that the Murkrow collected.

"Get the Murkrows!" Misty called to Ash.

"I got this!" Ash called back before scooping up the three Murkrows in his arms, just as Mina battered the vacuum with a Wing Attack.

Just as Ash set the Murkrows on a safe spot, he gasped as Team Rocket grabbed Tintri. "Guys...if you can help my Pidgeot save my Pikachu, will you give us our things back?"

[It's a deal!] the first Murkrow replied as he and his fellow Murkrows rushed to join Mina in the sky, darting this way and that so quickly, the mecha struggled to keep up.

"It's working!" Brock smiled as the mecha started to short-circuit, causing it to release Tintri.

"And now for the coup de grace..." Misty grinned as Tintri electrified one of Brock's arrows.

Ash rushed to catch his Fog Badge and Misty's medal box as Team Rocket went flying off into the sky from the impact of the electrified arrow. "Thanks, guys..."

"Yes, thanks." Misty smiled, relieved her medals were safe.

[It was nuttin'--you saved our feathers and helped us protect our turf from those hoodlums, we got ya stuff back, as we agreed.] the second Murkrow explained.

As Ash waved goodbye to the Murkrows, Brock noticed the sun beginning to set. "Let's get back to camp---and get your Fog Badge sewn on so nothing else can take it, Ash."

"Good idea--I don't want another Murkrow taking my medals for a long time!" Misty agreed, to the boys' laughter...

To Be Continued...