Author's notes:See Wikipedia for some real artillery weapons that appear here. Don't forget to review!
Disclaimer:I don't own Pokemon because if I did,Ash&co. would be dead and Team Rocket would rule the world!!
Chapter 9:
Team Rocket captured Cerulean after a feisty battle and came one step closer to the destruction of the UEPPF. Their best forces were however,exhausted and depleted in numbers and the conquering of Pewter City seemed like a difficult task. The city was surrounded with rocky mountains and naturally, Rock Pokemon predominated there. All inhabitants of the town were combat ready,barricades were positioned along the roads leading to Pewter and large stone walls were built around the city. TR generals who were participating in this operation were uncertain about the way the city should be captured.
Gen. Reaper suggested first in his deep hoarse voice,clenching his fist:
˝I say that we go with airstrikes. The defenders haven't got many Flying Pokemon to defend them from our airforce.˝
˝That is true, Gen. Reaper but,if they see fighters and bombers,they'll flee to their underground bunkers and hide. We would have to fight a guerilla war then. I think this isn't an option.˝, gen. O'Hara objected with a worried face.
Gen. Hal Carsley moaned in a depressed state,his eyes pointed at the sky:
˝Yes... Since Pewter has only 2 small rivers near it,we can't flood it. I can't think of a plan here.˝
˝Generals,may I join your conversation?˝,major Tamazaka asked them in his thin voice.
˝Certainly, Major. If you have a good plan,share it with us.˝,gen. O'Hara approved, waiting to see what is the plan of the young,highly decorated Japanese major.
˝Ok. I've read the info data about Pewter and it is stated that it's an old city,with a long stone-carving tradition. The great majority of the houses are built of stone,with steel reinforcements. I'm not certain about this,but I think that we could destroy their defenses using ultrasound. If the frequency is high enough,the stone buildings and barricades will turn to rubbles.˝,the major explained his plan briefly.
The generals began to murmur, they found this plan interesting,many of them nodded in a sign of approval. General O'Hara then said,thinking deeply about the innovative plan:
˝Indeed,a very good plan. But you say you are uncertain of this. Is there a way to check your assumptions?˝
Major Tamazaka nodded and replied,rising from his chair:
˝I think the plan is valid but,I can check it. With your permission,Sir,I would like to contact our insider in the UEPPF,he will know is this plan feasible.˝
The general nodded and waved with his hand,giving him the permission to go. The major bowed,then went to the Communications Room. He had a chat with some guards,then he sat on the chair,pressed 3-4 buttons,then spoke on the microphone:
˝Major Tamazaka to Agent 369,do you hear me,over?˝
Somewhere deep in the UEPPF Pallet base,a young boy who was in his room,while comfortably watching TV,responded to this call:
˝Hello,Tammy,this is agent 369,how are things in your base?˝
˝Oh,Max,you're safe and sound. Nice to hear you. Everything is OK. Listen,are you in a safe place? There is a thing I'm requesting you to do for me.˝,the major said very gently,almost whispering.
˝Yeah,I'm alone. What do you need?˝,Max replied readily.
The major breathed in relief,then began to explain,simplificating the task to the junior agent:
˝Max,you need to check how old are the buildings in Pewter and how much of them is built of stone. Can you find it?˝
˝I'm on it! Just one moment... Here it is! The data will come up any second. By the way,Tammy,why do you need that thing for,if I may know?˝,Max was curious about the reason for obtaining such information.
The major exposed the plan on his friend's request:
˝Well,Pewter is our next target. We need to capture it,and I've got a plan. If the stone is old enough,the ultrasound waves will be able to crush most of the city and destroy their defences. Could it be done?˝
˝Wow! An awesome plan! ...and it seems you're lucky,Tammy,because Pewter is built 95 percent of stone,and the buildings are very old,some age up to 150 years. The trick is, you'll have to place the source of the waves close to the city,without anyone seeing it.˝, Max announced the good news.
Major Tamazaka put on a broad smile and squealed trough the microphone:
˝This is great,Max! Don't worry,we'll transport the equipment somehow. Thanks Max,your help will be rewarded greatly. Take care of yourself,goodbye!˝
˝Don't worry,Tammy,I will! Goodbye!˝,Max finished cheerfully,cutting the line.
The major strode back to the Main Ops Room in a happy mood,humming a song. He informed the generals that his plan could work. The preparations began right away,he had 5 gigantic ulrasound generators secretly transported near the city. They were cloaked by Ghost Pokemon using their ability to be invisible. He also prepared a big squadron of well trained Lickitung,Whismur,Loudred,Exploud,Zubat,Golbat and Crobat for use of their Supersonic,Screech and Hyper Voice attacks on the stone buildings.
On June 10th,at 13:30,forces of general Hal Carsley counting 5000 men assaulted the town from the north,pummeling the first defense line with constant heavy fire. Gen. Korsakov's artillery helped too,creating crater-filled fields covered with corpses in short time.
Commander of the city's defence Bruno Tyler waited until the enemy reached the 2. defense line,and then ordered his forces to press them. Rocks were thrown at the enemy,many Onix,Graveler and Golem charged at the Rockets,creating panic and mass confusion among them. Major Tamazaka,who was in charge of this operation, stood up and ordered calmly on the microphone:
˝All troops,retreat to the suburbs. Ultrasound team,begin after they retreat. Stop when you see that the town has been razed to the ground completely.˝
Carsley's men began retreating back to the remains of the 1. defense line,making the UEPPF forces believe that they are too much weakened to strike again.
˝We got 'em! My Pewter won't be conquered by some thief army!˝,Lt. Brock Hudson growled,preparing to chase the enemy.
Major Ketchum looked at the Rocket corpses around him,and added,chuckling evilly:
˝Yep. They must've run out of ideas. Pewter is inconquerable! Boy,what I'm gonna do if I get my hands on a Rocket... especially Jessie and James. Grrrr!˝
˝I agree. We will defeat them this time. They... What the hell?? Get down!˝,major Oak screamed while leaping and grabbing the other two. A part of a house had nearly smashed them.
The ultrasound units began their work,emiting strong waves that reduced the buildings to rubbles. The whole city was shaking,rocks and pieces of plaster were falling around. People covered their ears,trying to protect them from the loud high-pitched sound which tore everything apart. The Rock Pokemon were also affected,they died in agony, disintegrating to dust. The resonance crushed everything with ease. Some people managed to save themselves entering sewer shafts. The 3 UEPPF officers followed them,thinking that is the safest place to be,at the moment.
˝Ash,Brock! W-What was that? The city has just been pulverised!˝,Gary was shocked by the events and didn't notice that a piece of a gas pipeline began to vibrate nearby.
˝It looked like Supersonic and Hypervoice attack. And it was damn strong. Hey! What's that over there? Oh,no! Brock,watch-˝,major's voice was cut off by a blast. The pipeline had ruptured due to resonance,and the gas that leaked out exploded,a white-blue fireball hit Brock,frying him.
˝Broooock!˝,the 2 Pallet-born boys screamed and began digging through the rubbles frantically to pull out his body. They found him very soon. He was unrecognizable,his body was charcoal-black in some parts,others covered in blood. They found him dying. He squeezed their hands,and mustered his final words,in agonizing pain:
˝Guys... I-I'm d-dying here... Thanks for...for being my...best friends. Take my Pokemon with you...and...fight the Rockets for...me. Good...bye!˝
˝Brock,no! Don't die! Why? Why do you have to die??!˝,Ash sobbed loudly,he was in mess,deranged from all those deaths. His whimper didn't stop at all.
Gary's eyes began to release tears slowly as well. He wasn't the type to cry much,he would rather take it like a man but,Brock was a very important person to both of them, and he couldn't stop himself now. He slowly put his arms around Ash's neck and said in half-whimper,wiping his tears off:
˝What a tragic loss! He was such a good man,such a caring friend and such a brave justice fighter. Ashy,I know how you feel. You're not alone,I'm with you all the time and always will be.˝
Upon hearing those words,Ash gripped him tightly,what somewhat soothed his cry. They regained their mental stability after some time and went to Pallet on Brock's Onix, carrying his body. They had 2 reasons to go there:to give Brock a decent burial, and to prepare Pallet's defence.
Pewter was turned to rubbles after 15 minutes. Paratrooper forces of general Diderik Rijkardsen landed soon afterwards,joining the elite infantry troops of major Shinjiro Tamazaka who came there before them. They dealt with the remaining survivors easily. Later,construction and engineer squads came there to build a TR base. General Tyler died,because his command post collapsed due to resonance.
Major Tamazaka was monitoring the construction works from nearby when the boss himself,accompanied by generals Janšetić,Crohnfeldt and O'Hara approached him, carrying a uniform and a hat.
˝What have I done to earn your presence here,Sir?˝,the major stuttered,wondering why has the boss personally come here.
The boss cleared his throat,then started to speak in a calm tone,smiling a little bit:
˝Major Tamazaka,your plan was a complete success. You have proven yourself as a man worthy of promotion. After consulting with other generals,I've decided to promote you directly to the rank of Major General. Here is your uniform,along with the cap. You may go and change your clothes.˝
The promoted Japanese officer bowed and scratched his head,then spoke nervously:
˝I'm glad that you are satisfied with my efforts. I will try to improve further,Sir.˝
He then walked to his room and put his uniform on,then went back to discuss about the ways how to capture Pallet with other generals.
After Pewter fell,battle plans for Pallet were put into consideration,and every general had its own plan. They debated,showing the key spots on the digital map of Pallet and its surroundings with their sticks. Gen. Crohnfeldt proposed his way of solving the problem:
˝I know 3 Rockets that have very much knowledge about Pallet,they would be able to tell us more about it. They have been there several times. I'm talking about lts. Jessie, James and Meowth.˝
The other generals looked forward to hearing new information about their next target and the 3 Rockets were called soon. After seeing the map,they began talking, James was first:
˝Well,the town is big and has a mighty defensive force. The resistance commanders will probably be Ash Ketchum and his boyfriend,Gary Oak. The thing you managed to do with Pewter won't pass here,because their buildings aren't so old and built out of stone. Those 2 will try to round up every Pokemon in the town and use them. They like setting ambushes and traps,too. If you don't wanna bother yourself,just throw an H-bomb on the damned town.˝
That idea was intriguing to several generals,Janšetić and Crohnfeldt seemed very keen to do it. Jessie then continued where James had left off,in a warning tone:
˝Yes. The town will be swarmed with Pokemon. If you don't like using nukes,you'll have to get rid of their 1. and 2. defense line firstly. But those will contain tanks,guns and strong Pokemon in large amounts. Airforces and paratroopers are in danger because of the numerous Flying Pokemon out there. You will need a lot of time to take that town over.˝
˝And forget 'bout usin' nerve gases or da MWRR-1,dey've got protective suits and gasmasks. If I were ya,I would take over da hills around da town,and place some big guns dere. Dat way,we coud be shellin' 'em all da time.˝,Meowth suggested his plan.
˝I agree with that.This plan of yours seems good. About the radiation:don't worry, our scientists have invented a spray which gives protection against it,so we need the suits no more. There is no reason why we shouldn't use the weapon against their Pokemon, they are defenseless against that.˝,gen. Crohnfeldt replied,reassuring them.
Suddenly,gen. Janšetić rose up from his chair and said in a deep,profound tone of voice:
˝Generals,I have a request that you let me be the leader of this operation. I'm very motivated to lead this strike because of some personal reasons. I assure you,I won't fail if you give me the command.˝
˝We believe in your abilities and decision making,but we must know the real reason, tell us,why do you want to do this?˝,gen. O'Hara questioned,puzzled by the Croatian general's wish.
The general breathed deeply,his face twitched visibly,showing great anger. He began talking,clenching his fists:
˝Allright. 3,5 years ago,while I was only a colonel in the Croatian army,a group of Croatian tourists came to Kanto region in search for a good vacation spot. TR was dangerous then as it is now,many people were afraid of their spies and infiltrators. Ash Ketchum and Gary Oak were known to hate Team Rocket with passion and they searched for anyone who looked suspicious. The tourists wore T-shirts with white-red checkered patterns,that appears on the herald on our flag. Since those 2 had many encounters with Jessie,James and Meowth,who wear white-red TR uniforms, they thought that the tourists are actually TR agents. They tried to force them to admit that by torturing them. Of course,those tourists had nothing with TR. The torture and murders were authorized by the Police Council of Pallet. My friend Lovro was among those tourists. I swore that I'll get revenge. I applied for membership in TR right after that event. I began to make strong bonds between our army and TR, popularizing it within our youth. That culminated a year ago,when pro-TR politicians took over. Our country got a lot of money for supporting TR. Sending of our troops here was the final step. I want to destroy their town,for what they did to my fellow countrymen.˝
˝O-OK. I see. You have the commanding position,Gen. Janšetić.˝,gen. O'Hara was shocked by this story and granted his request immediately.
The Croatian general nodded,explained his plan and ordered that the attack be carried out at midnight. He had replenished and rested troops at his disposal,and he didn't want to waste time attacking the town on the next day. The soldiers were allowed to sleep from 16:40 till 22:35. The generals didn't sleep though,they worked on the plan, correcting flaws in it and making backup plans in case something failed.
They contacted Dr. Sebastian to make sure that the radiation block sprays don't fail. This was very important,it enabled soldiers to go without protective suits,thus move faster in radiated areas than the enemy which had to wear them.
At 22:35,sirens rang in TR camp in Pewter,signalling the soldiers to begin the final preparations. Bases in Cerulean and Viridian were already alerted by then. The soldiers put on their uniforms,took their equipment and weaponry and entered their transport vehicles and were driven to the place of the battle. The songs they sang while travelling there echoed through the landscape.
Around midnight,3 special battalions assaulted the hills around Pallet Town. ˝Fury Dragons˝of gen. Tamazaka,˝Blitz Rockets˝of gen. O'Hara and ˝Berlin Butchers˝of gen. Helmer first cut off the comunications, preventing the UEPPF patrols from alarming the town,then slaughtered them heinously. After they secured the hills, many cannons, howitzers,mortars and rocket launchers were hauled there,setting the stage for city bombardment.
After he was informed that all of the artillery groups are in place,gen. Janšetić shouted the order,smelling the scent of the long-awaited revenge:
˝Gen. Janšetić to all groups:commence firing now! Devastate this town with all of your firepower! Flatten it to the ground!˝
At his order,the 1st,6th,12th,19th,25th,41st and 68th Artillery Group began their merciless cannonade,hammering the town and its outskirts with no pause. M777,T-11,M-198 and the infamous burst fire 275mm RG-97 howitzer were the most likely to see. The fearstriking German 880mm H1K4˝Adolf˝ siege cannon,the Japanese 550mm DSO-5 ˝Monosugoi˝ burst fire rocket launchers and the Russian 680mm 3S6 mortars were the most formidable representatives of Team Rocket on the battlefield.
˝Christ God! What is the fuck goin' on here? How did they get on those hills?˝,swore Ash,seeking shelter as explosions illuminated the night sky over his hometown.
˝Uh! I guess those patrols were for no good. We must go somewhere safe,and try to organize a counterstrike,Ash! I know that those bastards have powerful artillery,we gotta destroy it! Crap! They smuggled those damn ˝Monosugoi˝ launchers here! I recognize their sound. Even though the Japanese are on our side, their pro-Rocket militias had transported some amounts of them here.˝,Gary replied,panting from exhaustion.
˝Let's try to reach your grandpa's Pokemon Center,and get all of our Pokemon with us. When their infantry comes,we'll be ready for them.˝,Ash suggested,wiping off the sweat on his forehead.
Gary nodded and they started running,watching out for incoming shells and missiles. The town was getting bombarded heavily,with no aid possible. The cannons fired with no stop,aiming to destroy the resistance with their bludgeoning power.
Brock is dead,Pewter has been disintegrated. What will happen to Pallet Town and its two valiant defenders,Ash and Gary?
