The Wrath of Koga

Part II

"They arrived about an hour ago in several large zeppelin-type aircraft." A Fuchsia City police officer explained the situation as they drove at emergency pace towards the direction of the Safari Zone.

"We were caught completely off-guard. As soon as they landed, they barricaded the entrances and gathered together every employee and guest in the park..."

"And now they're being held hostage..." Koga finished the officer's statement for him.

"Precisely."

"Hmm..." Koga put his hand to his chin in thought. "What are their demands?"

"They announced that they wish to be left alone for 24 hours, and if anybody is caught entering the Safari Zone during that time..." The officer's expression turned grim. "The safety of the hostages would no longer be assured."

"I see." Koga nodded. "Does anyone know I'm coming?"

"No sir, only a few know that we sent for you."

"Good." He unlatched his seat belt. "Tell no one else of my arrival."

Koga opened the passenger side door of the speeding police cruiser, and gracefully hopped out.

"LEADER KOGA!" The officer exclaimed reaching over the seat; never in his life having seen someone voluntarily leap from a moving vehicle before. His concern however, was soon replaced by amazement, as the ninja master could be seen in the distance leaping from rooftop to rooftop at an impressive speed.

"My wife is not going to believe this..."


"We've got to move-in while we still have tactical advantage!" Pokemon Ranger Kennan argued. He and his fellow Rangers were a few of the only people allowed beyond the police barricade, which marked off a wide perimeter outside the main gates of the Safari Zone.

"Don't be foolish," Ranger Ivy replied, looking over a map of the massive area of land the park covered. "We have to assume they've gathered the hostages somewhere far from our position. There's no way we'd be able to secure them all before Team Rocket has a chance to retaliate."

"Like a Magikarp swimming upstream..." Ranger Dawson, who was standing off to the side, adjusted his sunglasses as he spoke. "We're stuck."

Just then, a small object struck the ground between the group of Pokemon Rangers. Upon further inspection, it appeared to be a throwing knife with a paper note tied to it. Kennan and Ivy were hesitant to investigate, but Ranger Dawson seemed to have no problem with walking over and retrieving the message.

"Rendezvous by the Lapras pool at the Pokemon Zoo," Dawson read aloud.

"Signed, 'K'..."

The Rangers looked around the immediate area, trying to discern where the note was thrown from, but it appeared the messenger was long gone.


Lapras was a large aquatic Pokemon with a long stretching neck, a thick shell covering it's torso, and two wide fins on both the front and back sides of it's body. It was one of the more popular exhibits at the zoo, and had it's own private lake, artificially built deep and far enough to house the seafaring Pokemon comfortably. Visitors especially enjoyed coming in the evenings, when Lapras would sing songs; a natural behavior that reminded all that listened of a mother's humming lullaby.

"Look at this!" Kennan exclaimed angrily. "They evacuated everyone from the park, but just left all the Pokemon in their enclosures!" The passionate ranger turned to his partners. "This could have been Team Rocket's plan all along; distract the public while they move in and rob the zoo!" Suddenly, the group heard a voice from behind them.

"An interesting theory, but I don't think the zoo is what they're after..." Gym Leader Koga commented from behind the rangers. They hadn't even heard him approach, but he was standing casually, as if he had been there the entire time. The Pokemon Rangers immediately upon recognizing the man, shot their hands to their foreheads in salute.

"Drop the formalities please," Koga began. "Time is of the essence, what do we know about the situation so far?"

"Right away, sir." Ranger Dawson replied, dropping his arm. "Ivy..."

Ranger Ivy nodded and retrieved a Poke-gear device from her belt. After a few taps on the touch-screen, she brought up a map of the Safari Zone territory.

"Team Rocket's blimps entered the Safari Zone from due-north, and from there they spread out, landing in different areas of the park."

"In almost no time, they had taken all the surveillance cameras offline, and with their own Pokemon, sealed off any routes in or out of the area using earthquake and rock-slide techniques. They then took control of the park loudspeakers, and announced themselves."

"Hmm..." Koga held his hand to his chin in thought. "If they've gained access to the PA and security systems, they must have taken control of the Warden's Cabin as well. This is not good..."

"We're ready to move in on your order, Leader Koga," Dawson stated calmly.

"No, I'm going in alone."

"That's crazy!" Ranger Kennan blurted out. Dawson and Ivy both shoot him aggressive looks, silently urging him to show some respect to the esteemed Gym Leader.

"I mean, they must have over a hundred Grunts in there, right?" Kennan continued, sounding almost apologetic. "Nobody can take on that many Rockets at once..."

"I appreciate your concern," Koga assured the ranger. "But I don't plan on taking them all on directly. Once I infiltrate the Safari Zone, my first priority will be to locate the hostages. Once they're found and accounted for, we can move on to figuring out how to get them out safely."

"After that, we deal with Team Rocket..."

"We have the utmost confidence in you Leader Koga," Ranger Dawson said on behalf of the group. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

Koga nodded and reached into one of his pockets. He tossed Dawson a small earpiece.

"Keep this on. Once I find the hostages, I'll need your assistance in getting them to safety."

The rangers all nodded and said in unison;

"Understood!"

"Very well then..." Koga put two fingers to his mouth and made a loud, sharp whistle. Suddenly, from off in the distance, Lapras began to swim towards the edge of the water to where the group was standing. It arched it's long neck over the wall to greet the gym leader. He reached out towards the muzzle of the massive sea-faring Pokemon, and petted the area above it's mouth with familiarity. "Pardon me, but may I ask for a ride?" Lapras replied with an appeased bellow, and lowered it's head closer to where Koga was standing.

"That's amazing..." Ranger Ivy whispered to herself, witnessing firsthand the expert trainer's way with Pokemon.

In no time, Koga had mounted Lapras, and now stood about 2 stories high, riding atop the head of the towering water-type Pokemon as it swam further and further away from the shore towards a giant concrete wall. On the other side of that wall was the edge of the Safari Zone, which he knew like the back of his hand. It was well known in Fuchsia City that Koga frequently patrolled the Safari Zone, lending assistance to visitors that happened to get lost in the vast grounds of the park, but he also used the more treacherous natural features of the area for physical training. In short, this mission would be a true test of his abilities, and the stakes were high.

"WEEZING!" Koga called out as he opened a pokeball. The noxious, two headed Pokemon Weezing appeared. It floated above his master with a disciplined and dignified expression on both it's faces. Koga reached out, and with one hand grabbed hold of the center joint that connected the bumpy purple orbs that made up the Pokemon Weezing.

"Fly!" The gym leader commanded. Weezing gave an affirmative grunt, and soon Koga was floating death-defyingly high in the air towards his objective.

"Good luck Leader Koga..." he heard Ranger Dawson say through his headset.

"Copy that." Koga replied. He reached his free hand under the collar of his robes and pulled up a ninja mask to cover his mouth and nose.

"Beginning operation..."