(A/N: Sup everyone. The Iron Raven here landing in the Pokefiction world for the first time. The prologue would be quite long so I hope you can bear with me on that. It's just essential to the story.)
Rating: Rated T for now for general violence, suggestive themes and language. May be reset to M later on if necessary.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon and all other registered trademarks that are to be mentioned throughout the fic. All rights belong to their respective owners.
Setting: The story starts of 20 years after the latest Pokemon series, save for the prologue. The main regions concerned would be Kanto and Hoenn but not restricted to only the two.
Misc. Stuff: I've put a slight militaristic touch to the Pokemon world such as implementations on communication, character allignments, tactics, gear, etc. Firearms are also present.
Now on with the story...
Prologue Part 1
5 years ago
Somewhere on the skies above Rock Tunnel...
Blake threw his head back, gladly welcoming the mad rush of wind on his face. Letting it ripple through his navy blue clothes and dark hair. A small grin slowly crept up his lips as he savored the rush. "C'mon Sal, take it a little higher."
"Sal!" The Salamence grunted in approval, soaring upwards and gaining a little more altitude. They burst through the thin clouds, everywhere around them except below was sky blue. He laughed to himself, nothing can ruin such a perfect day.
A beep from the Oculus on his wrist reminded him of an exception. The call hadn't come unexpected though. With his current rank in the Sentinel serving with the Vanguard Spec Ops unit, duty is always ready to call right around the corner. Keeping his Salamence on a steady glide, he pushed a button on the watch-like gadget (it does tell time too so it's also literally a watch) and the communicator in his ear buzzed to life. There was a sliver of static before the line became clear and the operator spoke up. "Rook to Third Leader, come in. Repeat, Rook to Third Leader, come in. Do you read?"
Blake sighed before responding, there goes the day off they 'promised'. "This is Third Leader, I hear you loud and clear..."
"Copy that, switching line to 0-1 Alpha."
Blake's brow perked up. Usually, they reserved this line for total emergency situations.
There as another short moment of static before a husky voice spoke on the other end sounding rather relieved. "Vermilion, we're just in luck. This is an S-class priority one operation and we need every Vans available on this."
"Go right on with the details, sir." He replied in a serious tone. For the colonel to call him personally, something really bad must be going down.
"Very well." The man cleared his throat. "At 0932 hours, exactly forty-two minutes earlier, we have received reports of high hostile activity at the Cerulean Cave. Scout teams report various aircraft including a large transport with several flying Pokemon escorts. I don't need to give you a hint, you know who they are."
Blake frowned in disbelief wondering if he heard it right. "Sir? I thought we had wiped Kanto free of Team Rocket?"
"Apparently we have, and apparently they have set up another command somewhere in the Johto. There can only be one Pokemon they're after and they have succeeded in doing it once again. Mewtwo is currently held on a lone An-225 heading on a course to Lavender Town . The rest of the strike team are currently laying siege on Saffron City to divert attention. We are arranging response teams to help out the local defence force and fend off the assault. Your primary and only objective is to retrieve Mewtwo."
"But sir, Saffron's-"
"I understand, son. But there's more at risk here." His superior cut him off. "Review your priorities..."
Blake felt his chest tighten upon hearing Saffron being under attack and he can't do anything about it. If only he hadn't gotten carried away with all the flying and hadn't taken this longer path home, he could've at least secured his family. It took him a few seconds to answer, his voice strained. "Understood, sir. I'll do what I can."
"Good luck. Colonel Sanderson, out." There was a short beep signalling the transmission to be over but he didn't notice. His chest felt heavy and a strong urge made him want to drop it all and head straight for Saffron.
"Sal?" His Salamence was looking up at him as if saying Where to?
He took a deep breath, mumbled I'm sorry, and tapped his old friend on the neck. "Let's get Mewtwo back, shall we?"
"Salamence!" Sal folded his wings for a steep turn then soared towards Lavander town.
***xvx***
Somewhere 4 miles east off Lavender Town's shoreline...
Their plane was fast.
Blake had to give them that. It had been half an hour before he finally glimpsed its shadowy figure about half a mile above him. A huge Soviet-era transport plane capable of transporting a few full-sized main battle tanks. Mewtwo definitely didn't take up that much cargo space and he was left to wonder with slight dread on what other things are being carried from all those extra space.
"So it's true that some hotshot Vanguard's gonna come crash in on my party." A girl's voice suddenly spoke over his communicator, suddenly shattering his train of thoughts. "Good news. Saffron's fine. Those guys barely stood a chance when our guys showed up. There'd only been minimal civilian casualties. They came just in time."
"Glad to hear it." His mood seemed to lighten a bit when he heard her voice and the news literally took half the weight off his chest. "Always up for a competition, eh Claire?"
He heard her giggle through the other line, making him grin. "Not letting you steal the show. Try and keep up! First Wing, on me!"
As if on cue, five Flygons zoomed above him in a V-formation with their trainers aboard moving to strike the cargo plane. He laughed to himself barely catching a glimpse of her long blonde hair flailing wildly. "C'mon Sal, let's show these guys how it's done..."
Sal let out a roar and followed suit.
***xvx***
"Break formation!" Claire barked and the Flygons scattered. A jet of flame shot out on where they were a second ago. "Aerodactyls, where'd they get so many? Prepare to intercept!"
It turns out that about ten Aerodactyls were clinging to the plane's large fuselage the whole time, ready to engage any potential threats. Claire and her team were having a hard time as the Aerodactyls prevented them from going anywhere near the plane. The sky was filled with flying Pokemon locked in dogfights spraying Flamethrower and Dragonbreath attacks and trading claws and bites.
"My Flygon's hit! I-I can't shake them off! They're unto me!" One of Claire's teammates cried out, trying to outmaneuver two Aerodactyls with her injured Flygon. One of them finally caught up and was about reach in for a Bite attack when it was blasted by a Dragonbreath from above.
"Sal, Dragon Claw!" Blake called out while on a steep dive straight towards the pursuing Pokemon.
"Sal!" Sal's claw began to glow as they closed in and struck directly on the Aerodactyl's broad back sending it spiraling out of control towards the sea hundreds of feet below.
They both didn't have time to admire their handiwork as another came at him. Blake pulled to a sharp left as it zipped pass through him in an attempt to hit him with an Iron Head. They spun half-way, a perfect striking position on the Pokemon below. "Dragonbreath!"
The Aerodactyl cried out as the attack grazed its wing. It then stiffened, obviously paralyzed from the attack, and drops down onto the blue void below. They have cleared the defenders above the plane but the other Aerodactyls also noticed this and moved up to intercept him.
"Claire, keep them off me. I'm going in!" He and Sal made another dive, aiming to land on top of the plane just right.
"I'm going in too! Dragon Tail!" She called out as her Flygon swept off an attacking Aerodactyl barely a few feet behind Sal and Blake.
"Alright Sal, take us in." Sal used Dragonclaw to break through the plane's thin plating. Claire's Flygon did the same until they both opened a large enough hole for Blake and Claire to slip through.
The plane shook from the sheer turbulence. The hole where they slipped through created a tiny but strong vacuum that sucked in any small object nearby. Blake and Claire were barely able to stay on their feet. The pilots would be alerted by the breach by now and they'll send guards here soon.
They ducked behind a steel crate as the sounds of about a dozen footfalls from a couple of men and what sounded like a few Scythers rushed nearby. Their footsteps clunking noisily against the plane's metal grail flooring. Claire pulled out her handgun, a standard M9. She glanced at Blake quizzically, expecting him to draw his weapon as well. He simply shrugged. He was off-duty and he didn't bring his weapon, save for Sal who was wreaking havoc outside. Claire let out an exasperated sigh and pulled out a knife and handed it to him.
"That's it?" Blake stared at the standard issue combat knife he just received.
"Hey, I'm the better shot and it's not my fault you didn't bring a gun..." She retorted. Blake raised his hands in a mock surrender earning him an eye-roll from her.
They managed to reach the cargo hold undetected but getting in there now is a bigger problem. About a dozen men in Rocket uniforms stood on guard. Along with them are a couple of Houndooms and Hitmonchans.
"You ready?" Blake said in a hushed tone. Claire nodded, both with a Pokeball on their hands as they hid by the doorway.
"Go, Lucario..." Blake called out, still hushed. A Lucario whom he named Luke, knelt beside him waiting for the signal.
"Ivysaur, come out..." Claire called out her Ivysaur, who shook its head like a wet dog. "Alright Ivysaur, sleep powder..."
" 'Saur!" The Ivysaur shoots out a volume of green powder across the room. The men and Pokemon started feeling drowsy but the room was too large and the powder dispersed easily which was expected.
"T-they're here!" One of the Rockets called out, trying to shake his head off of the sudden sleepiness. "Secure the cargo!"
"Now!" Blake and his Lucario burst out of the door. Blake tackled the nearest trio of Rockets while Luke used Extreme Speed and a flurry of Quick Attacks to take out the rest inside. Claire and her Ivysaur stood guard by the door and joined them once they cleared the room.
The "cargo" lay right in the middle, a large rectangular metal container with a dozen or so machines connected to it. There was a small round glass window revealing the face of Mewtwo. It looked so serene but both can see it's in pain from all the visible wounds in its face. It obviously tried to put up a fight but was eventually overwhelmed.
"Luke, can you try to get it open?" Blake ordered the Pokemon who nodded and was about to proceed when Claire stopped it.
"This is a Cryo-Stasis capsule. Opening it by force might endanger its life even more. We need to move the container out." She explained as she ran her hand on the edge of the glass window before speaking again softly. "Poor thing, they just can't leave you alone can they?"
"Alright then, Luke, try to help me unhook this thing." With much effort, Blake and the Lucario managed to pry off one of the steel rigs holding unto the container. They were about to do the other one when the remaining three unlatched by themselves with a hiss.
"Always had to do it the hard way. That's my Blake..." Claire muttered typing furiously on a nearby machine's terminal as she worked through the container's secondary steel reigns through the computer. "And-done!"
There was a resounding hiss and the container popped loose, shaking loosely with the turbulence.
"Call in the team, I'm opening the hatch and letting it slide out." Blake said as he moved towards the hatch's lever.
"Ivy-Saur!" Claire's wounded Ivysaur smashed against the screen of the terminal she's using in a shower of sparks, a wide slash mark on its side, bleeding heavily. She looked up at the doorway in rage and saw a Scyther and three Rockets armed with MP5s.
"Luke, Flash Cannon!" Claire grabbed Ivysaur and hid behind the broken terminal while Blake dove behind Mewtwo's container. There was a blinding flash followed by the angered screams of the Rockets.
"Ivysaur, return!" Blake heard Claire call out. The men open fired sending bullets ricocheting around the room.
"So fast! Ack!" Blake peered from his cover and saw Luke taking out the trio in a flash.
"Scyther!" Before he could react, Blake found himself lunging forward, a warm tingling feeling starting to spread from his shoulder all the way down his back. He heard someone calling out his name, a furry hand appearing out of nowhere and preventing him from hitting the metal grail flooring.
Two shots rang out and something slumped beside them. A dead Scyther.
Blake winced as the warmth and pain starts to surge all over his back. He noticed that his Lucario was breathing heavily before he saw the bleeding on his side. "You'll be fine. Return!"
"Destroy them all...Metagross!" Another voice called out a little further away before Blake could return his Pokemon back to his ball. The room suddenly lurched, throwing them all off-balance, as something really heavy came down with a loud thud.
The Rocket who released Metagross laughed manically before losing consciousness. The Pokemon lunged forward with Metal Claw. Lucario, still able to move despite its injuries, managed to push Claire and Blake out of the way. Metagross barreled past them and smashed into the rear cargo hatch almost tearing it completely apart.
"META!" The Metagross turned to face them once more but was hit by a bluish orb of an Aura Sphere right on its face sending it back.
"It'll wreck the whole plane before we can get Mewtwo out." Blake said in a shaky breath.
Luke charged at the Metagross, keeping it busy while Claire dragged Blake next to Mewtwo's capsule. "Stay here, I got a plan."
There was a cry and Luke smashed against the capsule, he cannot take anymore and had fainted. Blake returned him.
Metagross, now finished with the distraction, proceeded to hunt the two humans. It saw the girl, clinging against the wrecked walls of the fuselage for support. With Metal Claw ready, it charged at her.
Claire saw everything as planned, at the exact moment, she dove aside, not caring where she landed. But Metagross already aware of what happened before, slowed just in time and faced her.
Claire's eyes grew wild, she whipped out the M9 and fired at its face but it bounced harmlessly off the Pokemon's pure metal skin. Metagross made a low grumbling sound as if it was laughing but then stopped when Claire smiled. "Didn't see this coming, huh?"
She pressed the detonator on her Oculus and a large portion of the fuselage was blown off by the small amount of explosives she set up on the walls beside Metagross creating a large enough vacuüm that sent the Metagross out of the plane in less than a second.
"Claire!" She turned to Blake who as doing his best to hold down Mewtwo's capsule and keeping it from getting sucked off as well. Blood starting to seep through his shirt.
"Danny, Amber, we have the package and we're tossing it out. I hope you're ready to catch it!" She radioed her teammates.
"Say again- oh? Gotcha!" Amber replied. "We're in position!"
"Blake, let go!" Claire cried out and Blake let Mewtwo's capsule get sucked away into the breach.
The plane shuddered and groaned having taken too much damage, and started to lose altitude. The rear cargo hatch gave away and the two held on tight by a railing as everything around them gets carried off. Amber along with Claire's Flygon hovered behind the plane dodging the plane's dismembered debris.
"Jump for it!" Amber called out. The two were about to let go when an explosion rocked the plane and tilted it violently leaving a trail of debris behind. "It's a Metagross!"
Another Hyperbeam punched through the cargo hold. The plane was literally going down. The two still hung on for dear life. Blake's face was flushed from the strain of holding unto the rail and the ever-growing wave of pain across his back. They held on to each other, waiting for the right time to let go. "I hope this doesn't happen every time I ask you out..."
Claire pressed her lips on his for a second and pulled away. "Let's hope not. See you later at nine if we live."
They both braced themselves as the entire tail end of the plane broke away. "Now!" They said in unison and let go. Sal and Claire's Flygon were waiting for them and caught the two cleanly.
The whole team watched as the fiery remains of the plane headed straight down to the ocean leaving a trail of dark gray smoke in its wake. The Metagross broke away from it and levitated towards them, still shooting off occasional Hyperbeams which were rather easy to dodge from this range.
"I've had enough of that Metagross. Sal, show it how it's done."
"Sal!" Sal tucked his wings for a dive, both its claws started glowing ominously. "Dragonclaw!"
The impact of the claw on Metagross' face, right in the middle of the large X, made its entire body shudder. It stopped it in its tracks dead on but Sal wasn't finished yet as he drove the another claw at the same spot.
The Metagross fell limply towards the ocean. Sal was still letting out a deep growl.
"Alright, for Luke." Blake tapped Sal's neck. "Finish it with HYPERBEAM!"
Sal let out a loud roar and shot a beam of pure energy straight down at the helpless Metagross cutting off its descent time by more than half.
The duo watched for a few moments, panting heavily before rejoining Claire's team. The remaining Aerodactyles had fled and Claire's team had secured Mewtwo's capsule.
Blake and Claire's communicator buzzed from an incoming transmission form the colonel. "Mighty fine job there First Wing and Third Leader. I want the package dropped off at Mindspike. The medical team will take it from there. And Claire, clear off your entire schedule for today and rest up, you've earned it."
"But da- I mean, sir, I got my own plans for tonight." Claire replied trying to retain the subordinate attitude.
"I hope you're still not going out with that bloke. I just don't think he's the type of man." The colonel said sternly.
"Gee, I feel so wanted. Thanks..." Blake rolled his eyes with Sal letting out a grunt of approval.
Claire suddenly perked up, her face all red. "Daddy! He can hear you, you know!"
"Can't your old man have any fun around here?" The man chuckled. "Son, take care of my little girl. Do anything out of line and you'll be lucky to even get Court Marshall'ed. Just a reminder."
"Count on it, sir." Blake said in a monotone. Trying to hide his annoyance every time Claire's dad enjoyed referring to him as "bloke" which he found more suiting than his actual name.
"Good. Sanderson, out..." There was a short beep, ending the transmission.
"Alright, First Wing on me. We're heading for Mindspike. Amber, you take point. I need to patch Third Leader first." Claire teased as her team took off. Blake smirked and just shook his head as he watch the Flygons move on ahead.
Mindspike was a codename for a Sentinel military research facility in the Viridian about an hour's ride away. He can't wait to drop off Mewtwo there and head to Saffron. He doesn't usually 'believe in what his gut tells him' but he can't help to feel some sort of dread and he feels that the answer lies back in Saffron city. Something was definitely off...
(A/N: Chapter 1's rewrite is done. I'll be rewriting the other chapter as I update. Just some minor tweaks and fixes. Anyways, read and review. I'd love to know what you think. That's all for now. Iron Raven, out...)