What's the best way of starting a new year if not with a new chapter? And here it is! Just a warning, though. From this chapter on, the story will become serious business, meaning it will become a bit dark. Got it? Then, enjoy!
Journey of a thousand James
Chapter9: Attack on Olivine City
"Well, Kiki... Welcome to Olivine City." James and Kiki had just stepped off the small ladder that connected the boat on which they had boarded to the Olivine Pier. James had been in the city before, but for Kiki it was the first time, and it showed by her awed expression.
So... So big... And different, and the buildings are so tall. The Kirlia's attention got particularly drawn by the towering figure of the lighthouse. What's that one? It's shaped so strangely...
"It's a lighthouse. It uses light to signal to ships at night just how close they are to dry land. Wouldn't want a boat to ram the local gym or something..." Then James remembered something. Unlike most of the things Kiki was going to see in this time, lighthouses were an old enough invention that she should know them. "You've never seen a lighthouse in your time?"
No... I spent most of the time training in one of the safe houses, and when we left it was for missions, so there wasn't much time for sightseeing. James nodded, feeling a little sad. Even when she was in her time, she knew little of it. Maybe it would help her with the transition, but still, it was sad. Such a secluded life...
"... My childhood was pretty much the same, you know." James muttered silently as they walked on the pier, heading towards the main city. He removed his hat and used it as a makeshift fan to cool himself down a bit. It wasn't at the level of the Orange Islands, but it was still hot. Good thing he had managed to find some cool clothes in Pummelo islands that would work even when they left that latitude. Light brown cargo pants and a survival jacket of the same colour, a light grey t-shirt wore under the jacket, then a still light brown cap and black fingerless gloves. He had also bought a new set of survival gear, his own one being back with Erika and Sabrina. "Being a rich kid isn't all fun and games."
I'm sorry to hear that... I-Huh? Kiki's attention was suddenly drawn this time to a large group of people, marching side by side, all wearing similar clothes and carrying various objects, the most glaring ones were huge flags. Also they were making a lot of noise and racket. A-An invading force?
"Ehm... No, they're not." James had started looking at the group too once they had come into hearing distance. The slogans, the flags, the long jacket that suited an old-fashioned carpenter only with precise colours in mind, the megaphones. "They're something worse..."
S-Something worse? Kiki tensed, a bit scared, and James couldn't help but chuckle.
"Yup. They're baseball fans."
"WHO DO WE FOLLOW?"
"THE ELECTABUZZ!" James hair was comically thrown back as the little army of sports fans was excited in a choir by who seemed the leader of the ragtag band, who was currently riding some sort of shield which was in turn carried by some of the biggest baseball fans he had ever seen. Strange to him that the leader was a girl.
"... Hey, she's familiar." Also wearing the trademark yellow, black-striped, jacket of the team and the team's cap, she completed the outfit with an azure t-shirt and black and white striped shorts. "... Ah! The crazy Electabuzz girl!"
"WHO WILL WIN THE GAME?" Indeed. She had grown taller and she had grown a little more on the chest over the years, even if it couldn't be more than a B-Cup from the looks of it, not that one could expect a 14 years old girl to have more than that, and somewhere in Hoen a coordinator sneezed, but she still kept her hair in the same style, so it was easy to recognize her.
"THE ELECTABUZZ!" Also, it seemed that she had climbed the ladder into the cheering team or something. James shivered. He remembered how hyper the girl was about her favourite baseball team, and if she managed to spread the contagion to the rest of the fans... He dreaded the day. The Electabuzz already had a very loyal fanbase, but to take it to Casey's level was madness.
"Though... I wonder what they're doing in Olivine." James said, putting a hand to his chin, while Kiki asked him what was baseball to begin with.
"What? You don't know?" His thoughts were broken by a voice suddenly answering his questions, coming from behind him. He turned his head and came to lay his eyes to yet another familiar face, this one male and with much shorter hair than him, golden brown coloured accompanied by blue eyes and tanned skin. "Of course, it's because today is the day of the inter-league finals!"
"Inter-league finals?" While his face was familiar, James couldn't immediately remember where he had seen him. That was probably because he had never tried to scam him. He usually remembered every face he tried to scam because he associated them with the scam. That, or eccentric personalities. This one just blinked at his question.
"Hmm, not a baseball fan, are you?" James shook his head from side to side in sign of no. The stranger emitted a 'Hmmm' of disapproval, before returning to a normal visage. "Oh, well. Nobody's perfect. Suffice to say, it's a special every four years direct elimination tournament that puts in competition the champions of each region's league. The Sinnoh and Kanto teams lost in the semifinals, and finally, tonight, there's the final match between the Electabuzz from Jotho and the Houndoom from Hoen! It's gonna be a great game!"
"... You a fan of the other team?" The guy who looked just a few years younger than him nodded, and then dug into his pocket to show him some kind of ID. It was all black and red and it said 'Member of the Official Houndoom Fanclub'. "I see... I happened to find myself in Olivine in a pretty particular time, didn't I?"
"You don't know the half of it! It will be a great way to inaugurate the Olivine Stadium!" The young man pointed with his arm and finger to a dome in the distance, something that wasn't there the last time he came to the town. When he came to Saffron to pick up Chimecho didn't count, since he just jumped off the ship and climbed on another. "They finished building it two weeks ago. I saw some photos, and it looks like state of the art."
"Hmm... Well, thanks for the advice. I'll try not to anger any fan while I'm staying here." James smiled and pointed with one hand at Kiki. "This is Kiki, and I'm James." He then extended his own arm towards the gold-haired man, who copied the gesture to shake James' hand with his own.
"I'm Harrison from Littleroot. Nice to meet you." Mentally, James snapped his fingers. Now he remembered the guy. It was the trainer that had defeated the twerp in the Silver Conference an year and a half before or so. "Well, I guess I'll see you around. I'm not saying at the game because, even wanting to go, the tickets have been sold out for months."
"Heh, I guessed so. See you, Harrison." Harrison winked at James and then walked away, waving at him with his right hand. James returned the gesture until the trainer was out of sight. "Well, seems like the world is small indeed. Now come on, let's go take a room at the Pokémon center, Kiki."
-Breakline-
"This should be far enough." Unseen by everyone, a silent flying machine slowly lowered himself on the innermost part of one of the cliffs surrounding Olivine city. At the commands, two masked figures wearing a leather uniform, a gold R badge evident on the left side of their chests. "Lowering now. Slooowly..."
"Hmm... Leather. Why did it have to be leather?" The one member with silver hair didn't like the choice for their new uniforms. They supposedly were to distinguish them, the elite, from other members, but blue leather with golden refinements and a gold badge? Not his style. A slight shook told him that his blonde haired partner had landed their vehicle.
"Perfect landing! Yes!" He complimented himself and then adjusted his sunglasses. "So, when do we go in?"
"The boss told us near the end." The blonde one turned to his partner with a raised eyebrow.
"Seriously? But that could take days."
"This vehicle comes with a bathroom." He simply raised, crossing his arms over his chest. "But seriously, would you prefer to get caught in the crossfire? It's gonna be hell."
"... I guess." The blonde one removed his sunglasses and massaged the bridge of his nose. "Though, it's gonna be so boring... Know any card games?"
"No." The blonde rocket groaned. It was going to be a looooong wait.
-Breakline-
"A wonderful Pokémon, indeed." Electric Pokémon may had been on the opposite side of his expertise spectrum, but he had enough skill and confidence to make it accept a few caresses on his nuzzle. "Alone, he keeps this lighthouse up? Incredible."
"Yes. Amphy is... Special." She tucked a long strand of light brown hair behind her right ear. "He can generate an enormous amount of electrical energy, the double of any normal Ampharos... That's probably way he's always so weak. It takes a tool on his body."
"I guess." He adjusted his own blue hair, placing it back so that they safely covered one of his eyes before stopping caressing the electric type's nuzzle. "I can see you take very good care of him... Well, I guess I should at least relay the message I have to give you. As much as it pains me to say so, this isn't a visit of pleasure."
"Hehehe, I guessed as much." Jasmine chuckled, bring a half-clenched hand in front of her face while doing so. Falkner just shook his head.
"A Gym Leader asked to be errand boy for the League... Well, what can I say. I am a master of flying Pokémon, after all." He chuckled before crossing his arms on his chest. "On the 1st of Novemeber, a special meeting of the League will be held at Indigo Plateau. All Gym Leaders of Jotho and Kanto are required to be there. All the Elite Four and the Champion will be there as well."
"Oh... That's unusual." Jasmine remembered that her predecessor had attended such a meeting just once in his life, and for her, that would be the first time. "For all the Gym Leaders of Jotho and Kanto to be summoned, along with the Elite Four... And the champion? Sir Lance's role hasn't even been made official yet."
"Yes, that struck me as strange as well." Falkner walked to the glass window of the lighthouse, looking outside at the setting sun and the mass of people starting to head towards the stadium, which artificial lights were beginning to shine. "I can only guess that it's something big... Maybe it has something to do with the recent Team Rocket activities."
"The attack on the Magnet Train... The Flame of Moltres, the attack on Miss Lorelei..." Jasmine summed everything up nicely as she knelt down and checked Amphy's resting place. "They've never been so bold, except for that failed attack on the drowned Sn Anne a few years ago... Team Rocket has always thrived on secrecy, after all."
"If they decided to come out like this, something so big... This will force the attention of everyone on them. And I'm not talking about Pokémon Leagues only." Falkner observed silently as the orange flaming ball slowly went down behind a far cape. "Team Rocket has bases in other regions too. Something like this will force other cryme sindicates' hands as well. They must know it will happen. So, either they went stupid..."
"Or they think they can take all the 'attention'." Jasmine said, slowly narrowing her eyes at nothing in particular, which unsettled Amphy as he laid eyes on her. The gym leader blushed in embarrassment and apologized to the electric type by rubbing his head comfortingly.
"Only time will tell, I guess." The sun went down completely, and Amphy saw it as a sign that he was to begin his nightly work. Closing his eyes, he began to focus.
"Ah. We'd better get downstairs. Amphy is getting to work." Jasmine got up back on her feet and opened the trap door that led down. "It can get quite... Bright, up here, once he does."
"I'll take your word for it. Also, I guess it's time I hurried up to the stadium. Want to find a good spot to perk on." Jasmine blinked at that, confused. Falkner frowned at that. "I didn't buy the ticket just because I was rooting for the Kanto Wartortles."
Jasmine understood and then chuckled again, earning a blush from the flying type master.
-Breakline-
"Hmm... I hate to admit it, but I'm starting to get used to this, you know?"
"Same here. Travelling and Pokémon are everything to me, but a life like this is fine too... Room-mate."
"Don't start saying those things!" Dawn shouted while Ash and Brock just laughed and kept their attention on the pre-game of the big baseball match. "It's not funny! Start thinking like that and you'll want to keep on working here forever, even after paying back the damage of the wall! I have ribbons to win!"
"Dawn, come on, we're just joking." Ash tried to laugh it off as he caught another handful of pop corn, courtesy of a bowl handed to him by Pikachu and Dawn's Prinplup. "I am, for one, not going to stop travelling till I become the best Pokémon Master ever! But for the time being, this is not bad."
After understanding that they were gonna be there for a few weeks, the owner of the diner fixed them with an apartment that he owned to stay into, having overwelcomed their stay at the Pokémon center. Brock and Ash had bunked together, while Dawn had moved in with Jessie, but she still came to visit as often as she could. And sometimes...
"Hey, twerps. We brought the beverages!"
"Ahhhhhh! Jessie! You..." The purple haired rocket slammed Brock in the floor with a foot before he could even think of latching onto her body. Ash chuckled at his predicament, but then understood that that was the sign that they were warming up to the rockets. After all, Brock had never tried to hit on Jessie for a reason. "Ooooh, you look lovely in those shorts."
"Sicko." Jessie dug his face into the floor a little more while Meowth dropped a six-pack of beers on the nearby table.
"De big game's here, finally. I'm betting on de Electabuzz." He then plopped down on an armchair and Pikachu handed him a poffin. "Ah, thanks."
"... Damn, this is messed up. Up until a few days ago, he zapped at the first sight of you and look at us now." Ash said, laughing and scratching the back of his head. "We're all dressed casually in a living room watching a baseball game together."
"And handing alcohol to minors..." Dawn said, narrowing her eyes at the six pack. She then yelped when Jessie slapped her ass.
"Ahh, come on, flat stuff. It's just a beer. You can break mama's rules, once or twice." Dawn blushed and then started waving her fists in anger at Jessie for the flat comment.
"Uh? My Pokénav..." Brock had successfully removed himself from the floor and cleaned himself up when a ring coming from his right pocket caught his attention. "Moshi moshi? Oh, dad! How are you?" Brock smiled as he listened to the reply. "Just fine. I'm about to watch the big game with the others, here... Oh? A message from the League? Ah, damn. I hope they didn't finally find out..." His father cut him off if the renewed silence was anything to go about. Suddenly, the smile disappeared from Brock's face, leaving space to surprise. "... Seriously?"
The change in tone in Brocks' voice caught everyone's attention. Brock was rarely seen or heard as serious. "... The first of November... Alright, I got it. Thanks, dad." With that, he closed the call. "I can't believe this..."
"What's wrong, Brock?" The tanned gym leader turned to his companions.
"The Elite Four summoned all the Gym Leaders of Jotho and Kanto for a meeting on the first of November at the Indigo Plateau." That made everyone surprised. The ones who understood the implications of the thing, actually. So, just Meowth and Jessie.
"That's... A big thing, right?" Dawn asked, while Ash just scratched the back of his head. Brock nodded.
"Yeah... I wonder what could have happened to force such a summoning... Maybe..." Brock 'hmm'-ed for a few seconds, before shrugging. "Oh, well. Let's just enjoy the game, for the time being!" Without Kanto or Jotho newspapers or a computer, the guys had no idea of what had happened to Lorelei, of course.
-Breakline-
"And then there's the role called pitcher. A pitcher is the player who throws the ball from the mound to the catcher."
Ooooh... Kiki had a whole new world to know about. After asking about boats, lighthouses, electricity, running water and Pokémon food, she had taken an interest in the game of baseball, but it wasn't surprising. Even outside of the stadium, and even if there was still half an hour before the beginning of the game, there was the same tumult. Diners were full with people eating and waiting for the game to start on the many maxi videos hung up everywhere, some even in the middle of the streets.
"That... Pretty much sums up what I know about baseball. I'm not an expert..." He said as he turned to the television again, and Kiki followed with her own gaze. "You'll probably learn more by watching."
Ahhh... Suddenly a small growl echoed in the room, and Kiki blushed. James was confused, but the chuckled as he realized it came from her stomach. Sorry...
"It's alright, don't worry. Our food should be here soon, by the way..."
"I'm sorry..." James turned to the side to meet the bowing shape of the diner's waitress. "Your food is almost ready, but, we would like to ask a favour of you. There's a person who wants to eat, but yours are the only remaining places in the diner..."
"Ah. Well, it's alright. Kiki can sit beside me." He nodded and shifted in his seat to allow Kiki to come sit on his left. Just as she did so, a tall female figure came into sight.
"Thanks for having me."
"Ah, it's no problem. I... Huh." James blinked as he laid eyes on the third female Jotho Gym Leader he had met since coming back to Kanto, and this one had had the honour of kicking his team's ass twice. The girl noticed his staring and turned her head to the side, embarrased.
"Ah... I see you recognized me." An escape route that James took immediately.
"Ehm... Yes. I was just surprised, that is all." James smiled and Jasmine took her seat right in front of him.
"I'm sorry to disturb you as you were talking... Oh, my. What a lovely Kirlia." Kiki blushed and tensed at the attention, not really used to be in the middle of a crowded place with so many unknown people. James chuckled.
"Yeah. One of my friends said that she's beautiful. Can't say that I don't agree." Kiki lowered turned her head to the side. "So... Not a baseball fan either?"
"No, I'm not." She admitted. "I don't like crowds very much either, but... I guess I just have to go with the flow. This is a big event, for Olivine. There are people from four different regions of the world currently in town."
"It's true. I can't remember the last time I saw so many people in the same city in the streets or in diners... An even of aggregation of such magnitude... Uh." James blinked. He had never been one to use such big words. "That was weird."
"Hehehe, but it was fitting." Jasmine giggled earning a flushed face from the violet haired trainer. He hoped the food was coming soon. No one had the right to have such nice eyes and a cute laugh to go with it. He almost made him wish to make a fool out of himself on purpose.
-Breakline-
"... It's finally in sight." Two shapes emerged from the sea water. It was still a few miles from Olivine, but the city was finally able to be seen.
"Your orders, Leader?" The younger protégé asked to his superior.
"As planned, you will lead one team of nine at each time, changing between them each time they run out of shots. The four we've selected will be stationed at the agreed positions after the initial attack." He kept his gaze on the faraway city, before moving his eyes to the visage of his lieutenant. "Don't intervene nor attack unless particularly strong trainers happen to appear."
"I understand. As for the targets of the initial attacks? Are you sure..."
"Young man..." The young lieutenant stopped talking as he was interrupted by his superior. "I've been training just for something such as this. Don't even think of suggesting I might not be up to the task. This is something that I will do."
"... Of course, Leader. Your will is law."
-Breakline-
"... I must say I'm impressed, Karen." After an extensive background check which confirmed thought that Karen had never won a badge nor competed for one, there was still the matter of her placement. One didn't just 'ask' to be an Elite Four, after all. Karen decided to make short work of the process and offer to battle everyone of her 'future colleagues'. She had managed to defeat Bruno and Koga, only to fall before Lance's. He recalled his Pokémon while Karen tended to her defeated Umbreon. "I guess that places you as the leader of the Elite Four... Well, three."
"Hmm... About that, I think I have another candidate to suggest. You were looking for one, right? And I know for a fact that he's in the list you have made." Karen stroked her Pokémon's neck one more time before recalling it to her Pokéball. "His name is Will. He trains Psychic types Pokémon, and I know for a fact that he's strong enough to fit the position of the weakest member of the Elite Four."
"... You've battle and defeated him, I guess. Then again, Psychic attacks don't work on Dark types." Lance sighed. Indeed, he remembered the name of a certain Will on the list of candidates for the Elite Four Lorelei had prepared. "Now, though... You must indulge my curiosity."
"Oh? And what could the Indigo League's champion want to know about little old me?" Karen chuckled as she stood back up.
"You're a powerful trainer, yet you've never challenged a Gym and you didn't figure in our database, which probably means that you've battled very few times in your life. Why?" Lance crossed his arms under his mantle and Karen chuckled a bit more as she walked up to him.
"Because I found it boring. If you haven't guessed yet from my refined speech and flawless body... And the gold I carry around on myself, I have little to wish for from life. The only thing I crave is excitement... So, when I read about Team Rocket attacking and hospitalizing Lorelei... I knew that something big was coming up. I've been so bored recently..." Lance remained impassible as Karen brushed one of her fingers on each of his cheeks. "I just had to be a part of the storm that is brewing on the horizon. One way or the other."
"... I understand." Lance understood right there that Karen was dangerous, and that if she hadn't gone to them, she would probably have gone to Team Rocket. I think it's best that she's here, where I can control her.
-Breakline-
"Oh. So you've managed to beat miss Sabrina. I've heard that she was undefeated." As dinner disappeared bite by bite, James and Jasmine ended up making casual conversation. Having a gym leader as an interlocutor, he eventually ended up talking about his badges. They were just two, but they were well earned.
"Yeah... It was a really close one." James drank some water from his cup as he recalled the end of the fight.
"Then again, reading about what you've done on the train... You had to be someone special." James blinked and then realized that to eat, he had removed his hat. Though, his identity didn't seem to faze Jasmine, and she did send him flying twice, after all. She could it again in case he did something. "That scar..."
"Uh? Ah, yeah." James right hand instinctively went to his nose, touching the thin line that now adorned his face. "I guess it will be a reminder of what I risked on that day."
"And all the lives you've saved." Jasmine interjected, as she could foresee James' thoughts taking a turn for the grim.
"... That too, I guess." He sighed. Seriously, why was he so negative?
"Ooooh! The teams are entering the field!"
-Breakline-
"Yeaaaaah! Go Houndoom!" Harrison cheered along with the rest of the fans on their half of the stadium as the two teams entered the diamond field, making a run around it to salute, as it was tradition, each one in the opposite sense. "Man, this is gonna be awesome! Kick..."
"WHO WILL WIN TODAY?"
"THE ELECTABUZZ!" He was blown away along with most of the Houndoom half of the stadium by the sheer air moved by the organized cheer of the Electabuzz fans. All captained by the same little girl. Brandon sweatropped.
"Heh... I don't know who's the better team, but they sure beat us at cheering." In the meanwhile, a blue haired trainer was perched right above one of the steel beams making up the structure of the opened dome, eating some chips and passing some to three bird Pokémon.
"Hmm... Oh, well. So, I suppose you're cheering for the Houndoom too?"
"Pidgeooooot!"
"Yeah. Can't stand electric types either." Munch munch.
-Breakline-
After all, even if in a month or so he would probably be on the black list of Team Rocket, right now he was enjoying a nice evening in the company of a nice person and an even nicer Pokémon, with lots of happy people surrounding him...
-Breakline-
"We've reached firing range."
"First team, deploy!"
-Breakline-
What could possibly go wrong?
-Breakline-
"They're starting!"
"Go Electabuzz!"
"Hm... I wonder if Casey is there... Ah, there she is!"
"Flat stuff, pass a can?"
"Stop calling me flat stuff!" Dawn snarled as he threw a can of beer to Jessie, hoping it would splash her with beer when it opened it if she shook it enough. He then took a sip of her own can. She had been persuaded into drinking, after all, if her slightly flushed cheek were any indication. That was her second beer.
"Alright. Here it begins! First pitch of the game!" Ash leaned in instinctively on his knees, observing the screen better... Then, something happened. A big white light suddenly flashed and filled the screen, and then it all went into static. "... What the hell did just happen?"
"Oh, I really hope it's not the antenna! I..." Brock stopped ranting when he heard similar reactions coming from other rooms and other floors. "... It's not just us. Maybe something happened at the stadium?"
-Breakline-
His right arm stung. It stung a lot. No, it didn't stung, it down right hurt like a son of a bitch, screw language. "Hnngh..."
"J-James-san!"
Ah! Y-Y-You're bleeding!
"I'm alright... It's just..." Yeah, what was it? James slowly opened his eyes again, his gaze unfocused and his ears still ringing. It had been an explosion, that much he knew, but what had caused it, he didn't know. He just saw a bright white light and, on instinct, grabbed Kiki, jumped over the table and threw himself over the psychic type and Jasmine.
He didn't know how he knew what was coming. From the voices he was starting to hear, many hadn't had his same intuition. He winced as he finally laid eyes on his arm. A few glass shards, the biggest as big as his thumb, were sticking in his right arm. "... Just a flesh wound, though."
"Let me see it." Jasmine said to him in a firm voice. As he turned to her again, he noticed that her gaze was as firm as her voice, and stern indeed. He got up from on top of them and slowly put himself into a sitting position, feeling more pieces of glass falling from his previously arched back. Jasmine immediately grasped his arm, observing the damage done from the glass shards. "... They're not in that deep."
Suddenly, she ripped off a long piece of her dress and then turned it into a bandage. "This will sting a bit." She firmly took a hold of his arm and then of the first piece of glass, and she ripped it out. James bit down on his lip to avoid a yelp of pain, and kept on doing it as she ripped out in rapid succession the other two smaller shards. Then she automatically picked up the make-shift bandage and wrapped it tightly around his arm. A few spots of blood appeared almost immediately, but that was that. "We will have to disinfect it later."
"Thanks... Ehm..." James tore his gaze away from her now exposed milky tights. A great sacrifice indeed. He then turned to Kiki and observed her. She was unscathed. He sighed in relief, and she blushed as she felt his concern for her well-being. "... What the hell happened?" He then got back on his feet.
The shock-wave caused by the explosion had destroyed every single glass window of the diner, and many of the people near one of them had ended up injured just as if not worse than him. Others had been throw off their feet and hit furniture on their way down, and he could see the waitress massaging her sore ankle. He then looked outside. It seemed that every building with glasses in a range of kilometers had met the same end. Some people were already stumbling outside, confused, or calling for help.
He then moved his gaze further to the right and his breath got stuck in his throat. "... The stadium..."
-Breakline-
"Damn... Thanks, Blaziken."
"Ziken!" The fire type stood fierce, holding a steel beam over his head before throwing it on a vacant zone of the field, landing with a loud metallic noise and raising dust. Harrison helped a nearby man back on his feet as he observed the damage done to the stadium.
"... God..." It had been new, and now half of it was destroyed. First there was the flash of light, than a series of explosions that had destroyed a good third of the stadium's structure on the spot, and more began to break down on its own, the precious geometries forever compromised, crushing under them... "... Most of the Electabuzz side..." He suddenly felt sick. He brought a hand to his mouth.
"Are you alright, down there?" Harrison looked up as he heard a voice from above. He raised his head to find a trainer, riding a pretty big Pidgeot, hovering above as he flapped his wings. "Can you move?"
"Y-Yes! I'm alright!" Harrison replied, getting back on his feet and cupping his hands to his mouth.
"Then start helping people on your side! I'll go and check on the other side!" Harrison nodded as Falkner prompted his Pidgeot to fly on the other side of the stadium, as he observed the damage, grimacing as he saw a red spot going under a steel beam. He landed near the place where the first explosion had taken place.
As he looked at the crushed and broken steel, he noticed something. There were no burns, no melted spots, no flames anywhere. The explosion had simply broken its target. An explosion that doesn't burn... The only thing that I can think of that can do something like this is... An hyperbeam. Falkner then noticed a steel beam moving among the rubble. He dove straight for it with his Pidgeot just as it got moved out of the way.
"Hnngh..." A guttural sound came from the mountain of steel as three big muscled men suddenly raised the beam with sheer strength, surprising Falkner too. He slowly hovered in front of the provided opening, getting in their line of sight. "S-Save... Save the leader..."
"Eh?" The men were all gravely injured, he saw, if the flowing blood was any indication. Another one suddenly appeared from behind them, carrying in his arms an unconscious but mostly unscathed young girl, handing it to Falkner. The gym leader took her as he recognized her for the leader of the Electabuzz fans.
"Don't let her die... Else the Electabuzz spirit dies with her... Ngh!" Falkner's eyes widened and his Pidgeot instinctively flew back as the men lost the last of their strength and the steel beam came crashing down on them again. The blue haired leader grimaced and turned his head to the side. "... We need help. Damn it we need help."
-Breakline-
The plan had succeeded and indeed he realized that the leader had been planning everything from a long time. The only ones in their group with enough experience to use Hyperbeam were him and the leader himself, but he had pushed them so that they could learn to at least fire it once a day. They had done so, and the fruits were being seen.
The first part of the plan had gone smoothly. They attacked when everyone were occupied with their sportive event and then disappeared underwater again. Now they would wait till most of them were in the streets to attack again. Then they would let them see them, and then the leader would make himself known.
"Get ready for the next wave".
-Breakline-
As Jasmine, James and Kiki walked through the streets of Olivine, a feeling of dread and uneasiness filled them with each step. Whatever had happened, it had first destroyed the stadium, carving open half of it, but that was not all.
Other explosions had fell closer, all over the cities, some hitting buildings that had fell onto themselves in clouds of dedritus and others had just hit the road, excavating holes in the concrete. James immediately recognized it as the effect of an hyperbeam, having been on the receiving end of their explosions, but never like this. He guessed that, bless the owners' hearts, he had always been hit with watered down versions.
He recognized them still because they lacked what a man-made explosion always had: burn marks, smell of sulphur or gunpowder, whatever kind of combustible or explosive that a bomb was needed to be made out of. As predicted, most of the people had gathered around the Pokémon center, finding it unscathed if not for the broken glass.
"... What could have happened? For this many hyperbeams to be fired at the same time... It must be a big pack of Pokémon or an organized group of trainers, but where could have they attacked from?" James asked out loud, while he noticed that Jasmine was looking around nervously, looking for someone. "Who are you looking f..."
"Jasmine! Jasmine!"
"Janina!" The Gym Leader cried out, relief clear in her voice as a dark blue haired girl ran to her and hugged her around the waist. She looked no more than twelve. The gym leader hugged her back as the girl cried in mid-hug. "Are you alright?"
"I was... I was so scared... I was going back to the Gym when... Huuu!" James guessed that one of the targets of the attack had been the gym, in case the local gym leader was inside it. He just had to wonder though, just what purpose could such an attack have.
"It's alright... I'm here, now."
"Jasmine!" The trio of human plus a Pokémon raised their heads to watch a landing Pidgeot approach them, along with his trainer riding it, carrying an unconscious girl in her arms.
"Falkner! You're alright!" Then Jasmine remembered that Falkner had been planning to watch the match perched on top of the stadium. As he landed and got on the ground, still holding the unconscious Casey in his arms. "By any chance, did you..."
"... I only saw a big white flash, but..." Falkner turned his eyes to his Pidgeot. "My Pokémon have seen several big Pokémon shapes, all similar between them, poking out of the water a few meters offshore."
"... Big water Pokémon..." Jasmine's eyes widened while James turned to the water. "A pack of water Pokémon that naturally learn Hyperbeam... That can only mean..."
"Yeah." James swallowed and then turned to Kiki.
"Kiki, by any chance, could you..." Kiki nodded, already guessing what he wanted to ask of her.
Yes, but... Only if you can give me your hand. James was confused, but quickly nodded and gently grasped Kiki's left hand with his right one. The girl closed her eyes and focused and, as clear as day, she felt it. The surge of power coming from James. There was no more doubt in her mind. He was one of them, even if he himself didn't know it yet. Then, she began to borrow on its power and extend her psychic perceptions to the sea.
As she did so, James suddenly felt a strange sensation. A tingling warmth generating from his abdomen and surging all the way up to his shoulder and then down his arm to Kiki's hand. What... What is this feeling? It's like I was dropped in hot water after risking to be frozen to death in a snowstorm...
Kiki began to search... And there they found them. There were... About twenty of them. She could feel so much rage, and malice, a chaotic amalgam of negative feelings that made her feel sick. Then, she came upon a different mind. This one held rage as well, but it was kept deep down in the core of his mind, controlled, and apart that it was perfectly calm and devoid of everything the other minds had in common. It was calm, precise, focused. Like a well trained soldier. She found it strange... Then, she focused on the last mind...
"Kiki!" The scream and the sudden jerk and powerful squeeze the Kirlia gave to his hand made James jump out of his skin. He knelt down in front of the psychic type, who just kept on screaming, though. "Kiki! Kiki, look at me! Look at me! I..." Then, he tried removing his hand from her own one.
"... Ki..." That worked. Kiki suddenly slumped to the ground as the sensation disappeared from his arm, seemingly exhausted, but James knew better as he stared deep into her eyes and heard her ragged breathing. She was terrified.
"Kiki... Kiki, what did you see?" He asked, worried. Kiki breathed in and out quickly a few more times before calming down enough.
A-A monster. A terrible monster... She thought to James, and even her thoughts sounded scared. It's a terrible being, filled with hate, a lust of blood, a desire to inflict pain on others... Ahhh... Kiki had touched a similar mind just twice before in her life, and neither time had been pleasant for her. Again, it had happened. Again, she had come in contact with someone whose mind was focused on pure evil.
"A monster...!" As James turned his gaze to the sea again, he saw shapes coming out of the water. His eyes widened as he recognized them and recognized the white flash coming out of their mouths. "They're at it again!"
"What...!" Jasmine had just a few seconds to see that her fears had been confirmed before watching the pack of Gyarados fire another volley of hyperbeams at the city.
-Breakline-
"Fire!" The lieutenant Gyarados ordered and the others obeyed, firing their hyperbeam at the respective targets, the places where the humans had aggregated, causing explosions and clouds of dust to raise up in the sky. Then, as clockwork, his fellow pack members started to cough and hack. It was to be expected. Using such an attack without being ready for it wasn't exactly healthy. They could only fire one shot daily, and then had to wait twenty-four hours before shooting again.
I wonder about how many we have already killed... And then, he felt strange. As he thought about the attack, the humans they had already killed... He previously thought that he would have felt joyful, gleeful, at the revenge they were exacting on them... But instead, he felt indifference. He felt nothing. Maybe almost pity for how they had been killed without the chance of retaliating.
His mind travelled back to when he had first joined the pack. He had already had his vengeance, striking out at his neglectful ex-trainer, but he was still full of rage. That's when he had met the leader. So unlike any other Gyarados he had met in those few days after his evolution. He had taught him that rage was almost a natural state to their species, but that it could be guided, focused, harnessed for battle. He had offered to be his teacher. He accepted.
Together they then started attacking human ships every now and then, other Gyarados joining the pack as time passed, while his rage was wrestled better and better. He was now confident of being in full control of himself, no matter the situation. He no longer desired revenge or destruction... He would have probably left the pack months before had it not been for the debt he owed to the Leader. All of this was pretty much pointless to him.
He got broke out of his thoughts as he observed the dust clearing around the Pokémon center, revealing that their attacks focused on that point hadn't hit the targets. A large Pokémon, its skin shining in the moonlight, had stood between it and their volley of hyperbeams.
-Breakline-
"... That was some quick thinking."
"No matter the power, Hyperbeams are still Normal Type attacks, and it's not easy to damage a Rock/Steel type like Steelix with those types of attacks." Jasmine said as she hugged the sobbing Janina to her and then recalled her Pokémon. All around, people were having similar reactions, cowering in fear or crying their hearts out.
"This is bad... What could have possessed a bunch of wild Gyarados to gather together and attack a city?" Falkner had hugged to himself Casey instinctively to his chest, his Pidgeot covering them both with his wings, which now threw to the sides to quicker dissipate the cloud of dust hovering on the spot. "Also, they're too organized... Too intelligent. They hit everywhere to cause panic and make people gather around spots like Pokémon Centers, and then they attacked again to maximize casualties. Also, with the first attack, they hit most of the big ships at the docks."
James slowly moved his head to the shore and noticed that, indeed, the cruise ships were in the process of sinking, leaving intact, and he believed for very little yet, just ships from medium size down. "They... They don't want us to escape."
"Hmm..." Then a moan of pain brought his attention to Falkner again. Casey was coming to her senses again. "What... What happened..."
"Easy. You..."
"The stadium!" And she made a quick recovery if the way she had got back on her feet to stare at the ruined forms of the stadium was any indication. Her little gasp was heard by everyone, and Falkner was the only one close enough to see her eyes beginning to water. "... The guys... The players..."
"... Most of the Electabuzz half of the stadium has been buried in steel." Jasmine shot a glare at Falkner as Casey let a sob escape her throat and the flying type trainer just returned it. "You think we could have hidden it from her for long?"
"... I guess not." Jasmine conceded, before returning her gaze to the sea again. "... Something is happening again."
-Breakline-
"Leader, it seems we've been met with resistance. We couldn't destroy the Pokémon center."
"Hmm... Not as planned, but..." The leader emerged from the water, standing in all its monstrous glory. "It's not an unforeseen circumstance."
-Breakline-
"Kirlia!" Kiki's jerk and cry made James understand that the Gyarados now exiting the water along with all the others which had hidden underwater was the one whose mind had scared her that much.
"... What the hell is that?" Not that its appearance wasn't frightening.
The first thing he noticed was that it was red. A red Gyarados. He had seen something similar before, hadn't he? It was red, and it was big, really big. There was one Gyarados which stood bigger and stronger than the others, the one that had done nothing until that moment, but the red one was even bigger and stronger, and looking meaner. He didn't know if it was because of the huge scar over its left eye or because he could swear he had seen another row of teeth, but it was scary enough.
"A red Gyarados?" Jasmine commented, and everyone's attention was now on it. Then... It started happening. It was gathering light in its mouth. "It's preparing an Hyperbeam!" Jasmine got her Steelix out again to protect the Pokémon center. They would need the structure if they wanted to fight back, but then she noticed something.
"Everyone get... Eh?" Falkner looked around and noticed that they were missing someone. "Where's that little girl?"
It was taking much more time to charge than a normal Hyperbeam, and the light gathered in the Red Gyarados' mouth was much, much stronger, almost lighting up the night sky. "What... What is he..." Then, it happened.
"Ahhhh!" Everyone instinctively covered their eyes but James. He felt like he needed to see this. There was no way the thing coming out of the red Gyarados' mouth was a Hyperbeam. It was too big, wide, and too powerful looking. Just the movement as it travelled towards its target was causing abnormal winds to blow, snapping in half weaker structures near its epicentre, and if the light before risked lighting up the night sky, this one filled the whole city with white light.
James protected himself with his coat as he stared at it as it continued on its destructive path. Its target wasn't them. Nor any of the other buildings. The pure white ray impacted the cliffs on the other side of the city, and the ex-Rocket understood. The explosion was a dome of white light that impacted and crumbled to pieces the two cliffs that delimited Olivine's only entrance and generated even stronger gusts of wind. A few seconds later, his vision was filled with white spots and the sight of the cliffs now obliterated to boulders that created a wall, maybe not as high, but surely full, blocking anyone from leaving or entering. "... We're trapped."
"... We what?" Jasmine was the first to recover, having noticed that the explosion hadn't happened anywhere near them and moved her eyes in the same direction as James. She was visibly shocked. "Goodness gracious..."
"... Too intelligent. Too intelligent for Gyara... What the hell is she doing?" Falkner had found Casey again.
-Breakline-
"I'm sorry I doubted you, Leader." The young lieutenant declared as the red Gyarados, the Leader, panted out, in effort. But I can see that it's not something that comes without risks. He knew just the theory and what he had seen of his Leader's training. Firing all at once the destructive force of five hyperbeams, all at the same time.
"No harm done, young one, but... Now, I will need rest... And protection." The red Gyarados slowly turned around and began to swim in the opposite direction. "For twenty-four hours I will be unable to even use a lesser attack... Now, deploy the sentinels and let us..."
His speech was interrupted by the crackling noise of electricity and a loud growl, coming from one of the other Gyarados. All the other members of the pack turned around to watch as the victim cried out in pain before the electrocution ended and smoking, unconscious, it fell into the sea. Then, another Thunder attack shot from the shore and hit another Gyarados just as the pack turned to the shore.
Their eyes fell on the tear-stained form of a violet haired girl. Beside her stood the bigger, more dangerous, hulking shape of an Electivire. "The game... The team... Everyone..." She hiccuped, even as they couldn't possibly hear her. "Damn yoooou!" The shout was more audible as she cried out and the Electivire reacted by sending another powerful Thunder attack flying.
The third targeted Gyarados tried to move out of the way but failed, and ended up unconscious in the sea along with his other two companions. The leader narrowed his eyes. "Young one!"
"I'm on it, Leader." The lieutenant acted instantaneously. He shot forward with the shore, and turning on itself dodged another thunder attack, raising his tail out of the water and in the air, the appendage making a long arc till it impacted on the ground a few meters from Casey, sending shockwaves that were raising earth and sea and detritus which headed towards the Electabuzz fan and her Electivire at high speed. Recovered a bit from her rage, she gasped as she recognized the attack.
"Earthqua... Yaaaa!" The wave reached the small girl and her Pokémon and send them both flying through the air, injuring both of them severally as they fell to the ground with sickening loud 'thuds', the culprit Gyarados watching in annoyance. The purple haired girl struggled to get back on her feet as her Electivire did the same, injured but not out of the fight yet... "E-Elekky, return." But she couldn't bear the sight. She recalled him in her Pokéball.
"... Target neutralized, Lead..."
"Kill her." The lieutenant was surprised as he turned to his fatigued mentor.
"But sir, she recalled her Pokémon. She's no longer a threat."
"Her Pokémon can be cured. She dared to attack us alone. She'll always be a threat." The leader growled. "Dispose of her!"
"... I..." The choice was taken from him as what looked like a streak of high speed feathers dropped down and snatched the girl away from danger.
"Crazy girl..." Falkner muttered under his breath as he carried the now badly hurt girl to safety. "Those guys entrusted you to me. Want to make me look bad or something?"
"... Let's retreat. Sentinels, take your posts." The Leader declared, and the whole pack submerged itself, carrying their injured with them. The Lieutenant though hesitated a bit, letting his gaze linger on the departing Pokémon a bit more before going down as well. The attack that Falkner expected to be coming never arrived.
-Breakline-
"... Damn, those were some fireworks!" The blonde rocket member said, applauding. "Why the hell hasn't the boss done anything to get its hands on something like that?"
"... You really should read the mission briefings thoroughly." His silver haired companion sighed in disappointment.
-Breakline-
"Oh, come on!" The twerps-TR baseball alliance was currently desperate over the fact that an announcer had announced that the transmission from Olivine stadium had mysteriously been cut off and that it would be back as soon as possible. "We're losing the game of the century!"
"I bet James is watching it without problems right now. Damn it..." Meowth muttered. "The sap doesn't even like Baseball!"
"Unfair, I tell you." Jessie muttered under her breath, while Dawn snorted, fast asleep on the other couch, having drunk one beer too many, it seemed. Brock, in the meanwhile... Was thinking. He couldn't help but feel uneasy. It was probably because of his father's earlier message, but still... He felt uneasy.
-Breakline-
"I can't believe this..." Erika and Sabrina had arrived in Ecruteak City, and as planned had contacted the local Gym Leader, Morty. After the various pleasantries, Sabrina had gotten what she wanted: advice on how to train Ghost-types and the usual tour of town.
Then, they had been invited to watch the game at his home, only for the signal to disappear and to recive a message that something had happened in Olivine city. They put it to something in the transmission machinery to have broken down, but then...
There came the report of the huge explosion seen by miles by all those travelling in either direction, be it to or from Olivine at night. The network tried sending the usual Fearow with a camera to the place only to get an image of an enormous crater and a destroyed cliff that practically sealed off Olivine from the rest of the world.
The flying Pokémon had then tried to fly above the cliff and was almost struck down from a Thunder attack, which, though, only succeeded in burning out the camera. "He decides to travel to Olivine, and what happens? This! More trouble!"
"... Maybe he is cursed." Morty suggested, not joking one moment. "Some Pokémon are known to do that... Did he ever upset any ghost Pokémon in the past?"
Sabrina kept silent deciding to not comment. Haunter just snickered in the background. Erika sighed and brought a hand to her forehead. "... James... What have you gotten yourself into, now?"
-Breakline-
"Stupid girl! What the hell were you thinking?" Falkner had take it upon itself to admonish Casey for her dangerous behaviour once they were safe back in the Pokémon center, being the one having been entrusted with her safety. "You could have gotten yourself killed! All of you against thirty Gyarados?"
"Twenty-four." Falkner stopped as he turned around to face James, the violet haired trainer being the one who had talked. "They were twenty-four. Casey took out three of them... That leaves twenty-one."
"And how do you know that?" James patted Kiki's head. The Kirlia had recovered from the previous scare, and now sported a hearty blush at the gesture. "... Last I checked, psychic Pokémon couldn't really read minds at will."
"She's special. Let's leave it at that... Though, you've been the one who's been the closest to them. Impressions?" James asked the bird type trainer, changing the subject.
"... Singularly they're not that strong. The fact that Casey's Electivire dropped them with one electric attack is proof of that. The only dangerous ones if tackled alone..." Falkner remembered how that Gyarados had used Earthquake of all attacks to take out Casey. "Are the one who did nothing and the red one... The red one is probably the leader or something, while the younger one... He was bigger and stronger than all the others bar the red one. Also... He knew earthquake. That's troubling."
"Earthquake?" James tried to remember what he had read about Gyarados on his nights passed on the Pokédex to prepare for his Gym fights, and he understood as he recalled. "... This is troubling."
"W-Why is that?" Casey had recovered enough strength and spirit to ask a question.
"Gyarados don't learn Earthquake naturally. It's logical, they're water Pokémon, after all." Falkner explained. "Their only chance to learn that attack, is to be taught it... And I'm sure that there's no human head behind them. They're just a pack of wild Gyarados."
"Then, who the hell taught him that attack? And who..."
"The red one." Falkner cut James off almost immediately, remembering the spare glance he had given to the Leader's eyes. "... His eyes... They almost scared me. There was a human intelligence behind them... And something else. Something evil. I don't know how, but I'm sure he's the one responsible of everything."
"... That's what Kiki told me too." Falkner raised an eyebrow at the name Kiki, but he put two and two together quickly and understood that it was the Kirlia's name. "... This is a mess. We... Ah!"
"Again?" Casey reacted the most strongly among the people present as the sound of another hyperbeam suddenly went off, or at least they thought it was an hyperbeam. It didn't have the same sound. Also, there wasn't any explosion coming this time. "... No explosion?"
"Nah. It wasn't us that they were targeting, this time." A tall trainer accompanied by a Blaziken, carrying two injured people over his shoulders appeared into the chaos that was the Pokémon center. He met James' eyes almost immediately. "Hey. Happy to know you survived."
"Thanks... But what do you mean it wasn't us they were targeting?" He asked back. Harrison 'hmm'-ed with his arms crossed for a few seconds and then shook his head.
"I don't know for sure... It was a flying Pokémon that was trying to fly over the cliff. One of those Gyarados shout out a Thunder attack at him." Harrison uncrossed his arms to scratch the back of his head, a bit embarrassed that he couldn't give more information even though he cut in that way. Falkner cursed. Thunder was another attack that Gyarados didn't learn on their own."I believe that it was probably a scout of the rangers, or of some TV Station. The explosions... In particular the one that levelled the cliff, couldn't have been unnoticed. Also, the game was being transmitted live..."
"The game..." Casey's humor took a turn for the dark again, and Harrison winced at having made her sad... "Damn it!" Or so he thought. Casey reacted by punching her own legs with her hands clenched into fists. "Damn it! Why, why, why?"
"We don't know... And quite frankly, right now I don't care." The assorted group turned to their right to meet the visage of a pretty serious Jasmine with a still pretty shaken Janina gripping her left arm in search of some measure of safety. "All I know is that they attacked my city... Hurt my people... They trapped us and are making so that no help is on its way any time soon."
"Yeah. If they are going to target every flying Pokémon poking its head over what remains of the cliff, that means that they will have to remove the rocks by hand or dig a tunnel. That will take days. Approaching from the sea would be a suicide for anyone." Falkner continued. "They've thought this well. Two attacks a day with Hyperbeams to maximize damage and so that we have just that small arc of time for even trying to counter-attack, and sentinels for flying types."
"We don't know what they want, but we can only assume the worse. They're not gonna stop until they leve this city." Jasmine narrowed her eyes and Janina grasped her arm a bit tighter. "As Gym Leader, is my duty to retaliate... But, I can't leave this location." That made everyone turn to her. "All the survivors and the injured are being brought to this Pokémon center and the surrounding buildings... And my Steelix is the only thing that can resist a volley of those attacks. I can't leave the immediate surroundings... So... I will need help." Jasmine let her gaze pass on each and every one of the presents. "And you four are the highest level trainers still able to fight in town."
"You can obviously count on me to help, Jasmine." Falkner immediately offered his assistance.
"And mine." Harrison.
"Mine too!" Casey, hot blooded as few. "Those overgrown lizards will pay for what they've done... And for ruining the game!"
"... I want to help too, but..." Before James could even finish saying what he wanted to say, Kiki pulled on his arm. The trainer turned around to meet the pleading look of the Kirlia. "... Kiki, are you sure? You aren't really..." She nodded fiercely. "Kirlia, this will be dangerous." She raised an eyebrow, and James felt stupid. She had fought a war, after all. "... Ok, we're in too. But I only have Kirlia with me."
"If she can really read minds, she will be more than useful." Falkner commented, remembering James' earlier words. "Now, I guess we need to think about the most pressing necessities."
"Yes. I think the first thing to do is..." As Jasmine began to speak again, the lights in the Pokémon center suddenly flickered out and died. Janina yelped and Jasmine muttered something under her breath. "This, actually."
"The power went out?"
"The nearby electric central has been one of the sites hit by the Hyperbeams. Up till now, the Pokémon center has been running on an emergency generator... But I guess its autonomy has almost ran out. They're keeping it just for the medical machines now, but ithat's going to end too in a few hours." Harrison cursed slightly under his breath as his Blaziken stepped on his right foot. "We have to restore the power."
"How? If the power went out, it's probably because the machineries have been destroyed." Falkner asked.
"The connections are still intact because they've been built completely underground. We just need a powersource, and I have just the Pokémon." Falkner understood.
"Your Ampharos, right?" The lighthouse hadn't been hit, he remembered, even if the light had stopped shining. "But... You've told me that he only listens to you, and you've said that you can't leave here..."
"Not to me only... Right, Janina?" The small girl tensed and started trembling as her name was spoken. Jasmine knelt down in front of her and gently grabbed her shoulders. "Janina..."
"I-I don't want to... I'm scared!" She immediately retorted, shaking her head from side to side and tears flowing freely.
"Janina, I can only count on you to do this." Jasmine then dropped a little bomb on Janina. If the little girl had ever wanted anything, it was Jasmine's approval or praises. "Amphy only listens to me and you. You're the only one who can do this... Otherwise, all the injured Pokémon and people here... Do yo understand?"
"... I..." Janina's tears had stopped coming. She lowered her head and seemed to be thinking about it. Then, she suddenly nodded.
"I'm proud of you. You're a very brave Pokémon trainer, Janina. But of course, I won't send you out there alone." Jasmine turned to the group of trainers again. "I'd like you two to accompany her, James and Harrison."
"Why the two of us, specifically?" Harrison asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Your Blaziken has already helped in freeing captive people from the stadium's wreckage thanks to his strength and his fire. Judging by how it was hit, I don't think the path to the central's core will be clear anymore." Harrison nodded and then she turned to James. "And if your Kirlia can really read minds..."
"We can stay ahead of the Gyarados patrolling the shore line." The road from the city to the lighthouse was near the shore, and now most of the buildings in that area had been levelled. He swallowed. He didn't want to find himself on the end of one of those attacks, but... There was little he could do. "Well... Let's do this."
"W-What about me?" Casey stood on her feet when she realized the plan wasn't including her.
"We stay here and wait for the power to come back so that we can heal your Electivire." Casey at a reminder of her earlier actions. "I bet you have other Pokémon, but for the battle ahead, we're going to need Electric types... More than anything else." Falkner then grumbled under his breath. He hated electric types more than anything else.
"Why is that? I mean... I have a Meganium. He was my starter. Gyarados are water types, right?"
"They're not just water types. They're dragon types." James suddenly voiced, swallowing, remembering a particular close encounter he had had with a bunch of them years before and their own version of Dragon Dance. "Dragon types are resistant to almost everything..."
"Yeah, and there aren't many grass attacks that pack enough of a punch to overcome a dragon type's resistance... We're lucky that they're neutral to Electric attacks. Casey showed us before that a powerful enough one can down the minor ones... The lackeys, we could say." Harrison tsk-ed at Falkner's information. He had no electric types nor any of his Pokémon knew any electric attacks... "Dragons are only weak to ice." Then he blinked and smiled. He could do Ice, though.
"The lackeys... Let's make a point of what we're facing before continuing." Jasmine took from a nearby seat a poster advertising the tragically cancelled game and a marker. She turned the poster around exposing the white back and began to draw twenty-four small circles. "Your Kirlia said that we're facing twenty-four Gyarados, right?"
"Yes. Twenty-four in all." James nodded in reply and Jasmine marked away three of the circles with a cross.
"Casey took out three of them... They were in the group of the weakest ones, the one who only attack with hyper-beams." Falkner commented as he guessed what Jasmine was doing. "They were two groups of nine. Eighteen of them in total."
"Now there are two Gyarados patrolling the shoreline, and they knew Thunder. They are sentries for flying types and anything else, I guess." Harrison rubbed his chin. "If they were split in two groups too... That would make them four."
"It fits. That would only leave..." Jasmine added small 'S' inside of four of the circles. "The other two."
"The one who wasn't doing anything and knew Earthquake... I think he's sort of the second in command. The Leader of course being the red one." Jasmine nodded at her fellow gym leader's words and added a '2' and a 'R' inside of two other circles. "... All in all, this is gonna be though."
"Yes... But we can only think about counter-attacking after we secure the Pokémon's center and our survival." Jasmine said and Harrison got up on his feet.
"I say we leave now. We need light, but right now the darkness will be our ally." James nodded and shivering, he got back on his feet as well.
"Janina, take this." Jasmine handed the young girl a Pokéball with a small 'A' sticker on it. "It's Amphy's Pokéball. Take good care of it."
"I-I will."
Here we go again. James thought as he looked out of the window. First the train, now this? Did I suddenly become a magnet for bad luck or anything? He shook his head and turned apologetic to Kiki. I'm sorry, Kiki... It's probably going to be like this as long as you follow me around.
It's alright. She thought to him. I'm used to fighting... Also.. She blushed as she suddenly averted her gaze, embarrassed. At least... I'm not in that ball anymore.
"... Yeah." But at least there she was safe, James couldn't help but add.
To be continued...
In the next chapter
James, Harrison and Janina go on a mission to bring Amphy out of the lighthouse and to the power central, while Jasmine and Falkner start thinking about fighting back just as the Gyarados prepare for their second attack. The first clash between wild Pokémon and trainer will have unexpected results, though.
