Author's Note: I don't know how many of you reading have been watching the Pokemon Generations shorts that have started running on YouTube recently, but they're actually proving to be pretty good. I actually watched the third one about an hour ago, and it actually helped me a little bit with finishing this chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.
Chapter 9: Reckoning of Thunder and Earth
The moon had risen as the small army that had been assembled to take on Team Rocket surrounded the base. Hours before the operation, Quinton had give the Officer Jenny of Stardust Falls the coordinates of Christine's tracking signal, which had allowed Officer Jenny to check for any abandoned buildings at that location and find the abandoned weather institute. With this information in hand, Officer Jenny had gotten old blueprints on the layout of the weather institute building and plan the most effective raid possible. The weather institute building was actually quite large, with three stories, a small basement level, and sprawling wings on the east and west side. Upon their arrival, the raiding party split up to surround the large grey edifice.
Two teams had quickly positioned themselves outside the walls of the east and west wings, while Bolt and the gang remained with the team that was going to be entering from the front. On the lead Officer Jenny's signal, the two teams on the east and west deployed their Pokemon and broke through the walls. Once the other two teams had penetrated the building, the team with Bolt and the others broke in through the front. As soon as they were in, the lead team that had come in through the front door encountered six Team Rocket soldiers that immediately sent out their Pokemon to fight off the intruders. The police officers deployed their own Pokemon and a brutal Battle Royale ensued. In the midst of the chaos, Bolt and the rest of the gang remained where they were to plan out where to find Christine.
"Unfortunately, the tracker I planted on Christine can't give us an exact location!" Quinton informed the others over the roar of the battle. "The most logical place for Richter to put Christine is the basement, since there aren't many exits out of there! Just in case though, I think we should split up to cover more ground! Skins and I will go with two of the cops to the top floor and begin searching our way down! Bolt, you and the others head for the basement! We'll meet back up with you as fast as we can, hopefully with Christine!"
"Sounds like as good a plan as any!" Bolt decided. "Let's do it!"
With that, Quinton and Skins took the only two police officers that weren't occupied in battle and headed for the stairs to the top floor. Meanwhile, Bolt went with Skins and Lorain to the hallway that led to the basement door. Lorain had to duck out of the way of a Flamethrower attack from one of the combatant's Pokemon from the way there; from which side the attack came from, Lorain couldn't say. The hallway leading to the basement seemed completely clear at first, but when Bolt and his two companions finally came in sight of the door, Cassidy and Butch were standing in their path.
"This is as far as you go!" Butch declared.
"The boss was expecting you to come here, so he had us wait here to greet you." Cassidy revealed. "Of course none of us were expecting you to bring so many friends with you. You're going to pay double for that!"
"Get the hell out of our way!" Bolt ordered.
"Not a chance!" Butch told him. "If you wanna get past us, you're gonna have to beat us first!"
"Go Poliwrath!" Ross called out as he suddenly threw a pokeball.
Bursting out of the thrown ball was a bipedal dark-blue creature with a pair of almost frog-like eyes on top of its body in place of a head. It had two thick powerful-looking arms with white gloves on the hands. It had a white chest that bore a black spiral pattern on the front.
"Go Beedrill!" Lorain called as she threw out a pokeball of her own.
Beedrill flew out of the ball and buzzed in front of Cassidy.
"You go on ahead, Bolt!" Ross told him. "The kid and I will take care of these losers."
"Check! Thanks guys!" Bolt replied as he ran past Butch and Cassidy.
In moments, Bolt was through the door that led down into the basement. Meanwhile, Cassidy and Butch remained standing against Lorain and Ross' two Pokemon.
"You two are gonna regret this!" Butch declared as he pulled out one of his pokeballs. "Go Shiftry!"
Butch's white-haired plant creature burst out of its ball to face Ross' Poliwrath.
"You picked the wrong Pokemon to go up against me, girlie!" Cassidy declared as she produced her own pokeball. "Go Houndoom!"
Bursting out of the thrown pokeball was a large black dog with a red snout. The creature didn't seem to have any visible ears. In their place, the dog had a pair of long white horns that curved backward. Its tail ended in a point like that of a devil, and on its back were white bands that looked like ribs. There was also a white band around its neck that had a small skull on the front of it, giving the band the appearance of a dog collar.
"This is going to be a piece of cake." Cassidy declared.
"Don't bet on it!" Lorain told her. "Beedrill! Use Poison Jab!"
The stones that Lorain and Beedrill both glowed, and in seconds Beedrill's body gave off a brilliant light and changed shaped. The multicolored DNA symbol glowed above Beedrill's head as soon as his transformation had finished. The stinger tipping Beedrill's abdomen glowed with a purple light as he tucked in his legs and flew towards Houndoom at incredible speed. Houndoom attempted to turn its head to avoid the worst damage from the attack, only to get stung in the neck.
"Poliwrath! Hit that Shiftry with Scald!" Ross commanded.
Poliwrath blasted Shiftry with a powerful stream of steaming hot water from his chest, hitting the forest creature in the stomach. The attack seemed to do little damage, but a bright red mark had been left on Shiftry's stomach.
"What are you? An idiot?" Butch asked Ross with a mocking smirk. "You know that Water attacks won't work on a Grass Pokemon like Shiftry!"
"I know that, but damage wasn't what I was going for." Ross revealed. "In case you haven't noticed, you Shiftry just got left with a pretty bad burn!"
Meanwhile, Houndoom suddenly seemed to be having a little trouble standing. The demon hound's face had turned a slight shade of purple as its legs began to shake.
"Looks like my attack poisoned your Houndoom." Lorain observed. "Now I've got you right where I want you."
Cassidy scowled and clenched her fists. "You're dead, you big-chested bitch!"
Bolt reached the large almost cavernous chamber that served as the main part of the building's basement. Several old wooden crates were lining the bricked walls of the room, and standing in the middle of the room was Richter.
"I figured you'd show up sooner or later, Hanson." Richter spoke. "It's far past time you and I settled things once and for all."
"Where the hell is Christine?" Bolt asked.
"That's none of your business." Richter told him. "I thought this room would work for the stage of our final battle. Until you beat me, and that's very unlikely, you're not going a step further."
"Dammit!" Bolt cursed as he pulled out a pokeball. "Go Magnezone!"
Flying out of the thrown pokeball was a blue-grey machine-like creature that looked like a flying saucer. It had a single large eye with a red iris on the front, and on the sides of its body were what could be considered two extra heads, each with a large eye of its own. Both heads had a large horseshoe magnet on its underside, and on top of the smaller heads was a large screw that pointed back at an angle. A third magnet was on the underside of the main head at the rear, and on top was a large yellow antenna.
"You're making this too easy." Richter declared with a confident smirk as he threw out a pokeball. "Go Torterra!"
The giant tortoise Pokemon burst out of the ball and hit the ground with a loud thud.
"Attack Magnezone with Bulldoze!" Richter commanded.
"Use Magnet Rise!" Bolt ordered.
The three magnets attached to Magnezone's body suddenly began to crackle with yellow electrical energy. Just as Torterra stomped the floor and sent a wave of jagged earth across the battlefield at Magnezone, the saucer Pokemon lifted several feet in the air towards the high ceiling, causing the attack to miss.
"Thanks to Magnet Rise, Magnezone can't be hit by your Pokemon's Ground attacks!" Bolt revealed. "Okay Magnezone! Use Flash Cannon!"
"Fight back with Seed Bomb!" Richter ordered.
The antenna on top of Magnezone's body pulsed with yellow light for a few moments as its central eye began to glow blue. After a few moments, the electrical Pokemon fired a powerful beam of blue energy from its central eye that struck Torterra in the face. The attack caused Torterra to stumble back two steps but seemed to do very little damage. After recovering from the attack, Torterra opened his jaws and fired several large balls of white light into the air at his opponent. Magnezone attempted to weave out of the way of the projectiles but ended up getting hit two times.
"Use Magnet Bomb!" Bolt commanded.
A ball of blue energy formed around Magnezone's crackling right magnet. When the ball got large enough, the mechanical Pokemon fired it down at Torterra. The glowing projectile struck the base of the tree growing from Torterra's shell, creating a small explosion. When the smoke cleared, Torterra was relatively undamaged from the attack.
"Use Seed Bomb again!" Richter commanded.
"Flash Cannon!" Bolt ordered.
Magnezone fired another beam of light from its central eye that struck Torterra on his shell. Soon after, Torterra fired another barrage of light balls that managed to strike Magnezone three times. Suddenly Magnezone's magnets stopped crackling with electricity and the mechanical Pokemon descended to its normal level of flight.
"Finish it with Bulldoze!" Richter ordered.
Torterra stomped the floor and sent another wave of earth across the battlefield. This time Magnezone was hit and flipped back through the air six timed before crashing to the ground. When the dust settled, Magnezone was unconscious.
"Did you really think that taking those cheap shots from the air was going to work?" Richter asked as Bolt called back Magnezone.
"Nah. But I figured it might at least soften up Torterra for this!" Bolt responded as he threw out another pokeball. "Let's rock, Rotom!"
Flying out of the thrown ball as a red-orange creature resembling a refrigerator. It had a small spike growing from the top, and its freezer door had a face consisting of a grinning mouth and two crazed purple eyes. Its body gave off a purple electrical aura that formed two lightning bolt-shaped blades on the sides near its base.
"How predictable." Richter remarked. "But then there is only so much you can do against my Pokemon. Still, don't think you can beat me the same way you defeated me in our gym battle back in Viridian. This battle can only end one way."
"You bet it can!" Bolt responded. "With me beating you to a pulp!"
Ross and Lorain's battle against Butch and Cassidy continued to rage on. Beedrill and Poliwrath had already taken some significant damage due to Houndoom and Shiftry's type advantage. Even so, the poison that was coursing through Houndoom's veins was really taking its toll, as was the burn on Shiftry's stomach. Despite the heavy damage that both sides had taken, neither one was willing to give an inch.
"Shiftry, attack Poliwrath with Bullet Seed!" Butch commanded.
"Houndoom, finish Beedrill with Flamethrower!" Cassidy commanded.
"Dodge and use Drill Run!" Lorain ordered.
Houndoom spewed out a stream of flames into the air at Beedrill. The wasp Pokemon swiftly moved to the side to avoid the attack, causing the flames to leave a burn mark on the ceiling. Beedrill flew down towards the demon hound at full speed, and as he did the stinger on the end of his abdomen began to glow green and spin like a drill. The whirling stinger struck Houndoom on its back, and after Beedrill withdrew Houndoom collapsed onto its side unconscious. As all this was going on, Shiftry opened its mouth and fired a barrage of small balls of orange light. The attack struck Poliwrath on the chest, but the fighting polliwog remained standing.
"I've had enough of this loser!" Ross declared. "Poliwrath! End this with Ice Punch!"
Poliwrath charged in with his fist raised, and as he moved in his gloved hand became covered in an icy mist. Once he was in range, Poliwrath rammed his fist hard into Shiftry's stomach, causing a large patch of ice to form over the front of the forest creature's torso. Shiftry collapsed to the ground and was out like a light.
"Don't think this is over yet." Cassidy declared as she and Butch called back their Pokemon. "We're just getting warmed up."
"Freeze!" a voice suddenly interrupted. The four looked and saw that a member of the Officer Jenny trio leading the assault force arrived with four other officers. "You're outgunned now. Just put your hands in the air and come along quietly."
"Dammit!" Butch cursed as be pulled out another pokeball. "Go Abra!"
Emerging from the thrown ball was a small bipedal creature with a head with a slight resemblance to the head of a fox. Its eyes were closed and it sat on the ground with its legs crossed. Much of its skin was colored a brownish yellow, with the skin of its upper torso colored completely brown and resembling armor.
"Get us the hell out of here Abra!" Butch commanded. "Use Teleport!"
Abra's eyes opened slightly and its body glowed with a feint blue aura. Before Officer Jenny and her team could do anything to stop them, Abra vanished in a flash of white light along with Cassidy and Butch.
"Well damn!" Officer Jenny cursed. "Those two are actually a pretty infamous pair of criminals. To think that I let them slip through my hands like that."
"With all due respect Officer Jenny, we've got bigger problems right now." Lorain told her. "Right now, Bolt is down in the basement fighting against Richter."
"Yeah, and he'll probably need all the help he can get." Ross added. "Hopefully Bolt's been able to hold out while we've been stuck with those two pinheads we were just fighting."
The battle between Bolt and Richter continued on as Rotom let loose a Blizzard attack against Torterra. The storm of ice and snow hit the giant tortoise and covered him in a layer of frost. Torterra remained standing however and fired another Seed Bomb attack into the air at Rotom. The possessed refrigerator was hit by three of the glowing projectiles, but still managed to remain floating in the air. Both Pokemon had taken some pretty significant damage since the start of their battle, but Rotom seemed to be worse off than Torterra.
"This is becoming a waste of time." Richter declared.
"Rotom! Attack with Shadow Ball!" Bolt commanded.
The fridge doors on Rotom's chest opened again and fired a ball of crackling black energy at Torterra. The attack struck Torterra's shell near the base of its tree, creating a small explosion. When the smoke from the explosion cleared though, Torterra seemed relatively undamaged.
"End this, Torterra!" Richter ordered. "Wood Hammer!"
Torterra cried out and suddenly jumped into the air higher than one might expect possible for such a large bulking tortoise. As he came down towards Rotom, Torterra's underside began to glow with a green light. The tree-covered tortoise crashed into Rotom with enough force to leave a crater in the floor of the basement. When the dust settled, Rotom was found to be out cold.
"You were hoping to weaken my Torterra enough to finish it off with Raikou, right?" Richter assumed as Bolt called Rotom back to its ball. "That may have worked in our gym battle, but it won't work here. Even if you did somehow manage to beat Torterra, I've still got plenty of other Pokemon that are more than enough to finish you off. In the end, an Electric Pokemon specialist like you could never truly surpass a Ground-type specialist like me; just like you can never truly hope to gain all the things that I have. I will always be above you Hanson, and nothing will ever change that."
"You really are an arrogant son of a bitch, you know that Richter?" Bolt responded. "That's going to make it even sweeter when I finally take you down!"
"That's not going to happen." Richter told him. "I'm going to crush you into the ground. Then I'm going to make it so that you never come near Christine ever again."
"Go Ninetales!" a voice suddenly interrupted.
Bolt and Richter looked to see that Christine had just thrown a pokeball into the arena. Meloetta was out floating next to where Christine was standing. Bursting out of Christine's thrown pokeball was a large fox covered in a shimmering coat of bluish-white fur that seemed to give it an almost ethereal quality. It had nine tails covered in wavy white fur that almost seemed to resemble an aurora, and long wavy tuft of fur covered the top of the fox's head. The eyes of the fox were colored a deep ice blue.
"Christine! What're you…?" Richter began to ask.
"Ninetales! Attack Torterra with Blizzard!" Christine commanded.
Ninetales opened her mouth and breathed out a storm of snow and ice stronger than the attacks Rotom had been using. This time Torterra was buried in a thick coat of snow. When the attack ended, Torterra collapsed and was unconscious.
"I'm your opponent now, Richter!" Christine told him. "And I'm not going to let you hurt Bolt!"
Richter calmly called Torterra back to his pokeball. "Okay Christine… I guess I'm going to have to beat you into the ground too in order to teach you a lesson."
Author's Note: I don't actually know if the Alolan Ninetales is going to be capable of using Blizzard in the upcoming Sun and Moon games, but it really looked like that Ninetales from that one trailer had used a Blizzard attack against its opponent. Let's hope this doesn't prove to be a mistake that comes back to haunt me later.
Please review and let me know what you think.
