Shadows in War, Segment One, Chapter 10 – Project Fate: The Trial of Lightning
Disclaimer Alert: The author has nothing to do with Pokémon or Game Freak. I'm just writing a story.
Cannonballs rained close by, nearly hitting the fleet sailing forwards. However, it was evident that the shots fired were only warning shots.
A voice boomed from the opposing fleet standing guard over the waterway.
"Halt! These are forbidden waters! Leave at once, or you will be shot!"
The main cast, Benjamin, Sarah, and all the Pokémon on their fleet all exchanged glances and braced themselves. Before them was a Periculum fleet containing thirteen ships, three of them Man O' Wars.
"This is it, folks…" Oscar mused.
"No turning back." Nathan stated.
"On your go, Captain…"
"All hands to cannons, lads!" Benjamin yelled. "Fore and stern castles, load heavy chain shot! Be ready to fire!"
The sound of rumbling on wood down below indicated the crew were following their orders. Nathan pulled a single arrow encased in a ghostly aura and drew it on his cloak's string.
Samantha took out a large yellow gem and focused her energy into it. Taryn and Oscar braced themselves, and Angel stood as cold and indifferent as ever.
"This is your last warning! Turn back now, or suffer the consequences!" The Periculum officer shouted on his speaker.
"Broadsides loaded with standard ball shot!" The Shiny Glaceon shouted amidst the chaos beginning to spread. With a spin of the wheel, the Ice-type captain then turned the Le Paroi De Fer's right broadside towards the opposing ships. "Fire one cannonball, check distance!"
The mighty schooner fired off a single cannonball, alerting the slow enemy ships and bringing them to aim as well. The cannonball sent managed to hit the hull of an opposing brig with ease.
A blow of the schooner's horn sounded, and with it, the captain opened his mouth to give one command.
"FIRE!"
A heavy roar resounded from Le Paroi De Fer. Following that was a pondering Periculum brig, while the others scurried to get into position.
The allied fleet all turned to shoot at the opposing fleet with their cannons. Swivel guns were used for the shot and powder reserves that opened up on two more Periculum brigs.
"Archers, fire now!" A Resistance Alakazam yelled through Telepathy. Within seconds, a barrage of arrows rained down on the Periculum decks, knocking out quite a large number of crew Pokémon on the opposing side.
"Return fire, return fire, right now!" A Periculum commander shouted on the speakers. Instantly, the remaining ships all began shooting cannons blindly, most of the projectiles missing.
"Change cannon load, ready up some grapeshot!" The Ice-type Shiny Pokémon gijinka.
Soon after, canvas bags releasing plenty of lead musket balls were fired at the enemy ships, followed by chain shots, canister shots, and round shots from the other allied ships.
"We're under attack!" Another Periculum soldier screamed before being hit directly in the lower middle of his body by a cannonball.
"Uh… I can confirm that guy's not going to be having children anytime soon." Nathan mused with wide-eyes at the sight of the screaming soldier on the nearest ship, a large frigate.
"Shit… I legitimately feel sorry for that guy." Oscar had a mortified look on his face as the other men on the ships watched the scene too with pained looks.
"Sheesh, I don't think it's that bad!" Taryn yelled as she shot a Thunderbolt once Le Paroi and the allied fleet began to engage the opposing Periculum fleet.
"Well, imagine the small hole at the end, then insert a rock in there!" Sarah replied to the Jolteon's comment.
"You're not even a boy, how would you know that!?" The Jolteon queried, turning back to face the Fennekin gijinka.
"Ugh! Please don't make me imagine that anymore…" Oscar remarked as he gazed down with an expression that screamed "kill me."
"Good grief…" Nathan mumbled, looking like he had lost the will to exist.
"We have a fight to deal with." Angel abruptly said as she shot a Shadow Ball at a Corphish gijinka attempting to jump on board from an opposing schooner.
"Cannons are ready, sir!" An Eevee shouted up towards the Shiny evolved form steering the capstan.
"Concentrate your fire on the middle of her hull, lads! Fire!" Benjamin ordered. The crew on Le Paroi loaded round shot and began aiming for the center of a foe man o' war getting ready to let loose about fifty-eight broadside cannons onto the schooner.
"Here it comes…!" Samantha yelled.
"Brace yourselves!" The Shiny Glaceon commanded. Everyone on board all prepared themselves for the numerous round shots that either slid off the schooner's hull or flew past a few heads.
"That was a close one." Nathan began shooting the crew on board the larger ship. Each arrow found their marks and took down enemy after enemy.
"Quartermaster, take the wheel for just a moment." Benjamin stated to the Aurorus standing by his side.
"Aye, captain!" The Ice- and Rock-type took the wheel and steered right to ram the bow into a frigate trying to shoot at their teammates.
"Ready, Sarah!?" Benjamin shouted out.
"Ready!" The Fire-type shouted back in reply amidst the chaos.
The duo jump up and cling to the ropes on their ship. They then prepared to fire off a Flamethrower and Ice Beam combo at the frigate shooting at their allies on the schooner's deck down below.
"Keep us safe from the wrath of bullets, arrows, and strikes… Reflect!" Samantha threw up a pink gem into the air. The jewel burst into a Reflect move that slowed the bullets and arrows flying towards the deck, reducing the damage done to the crew.
An Ice Beam froze the water around the enemy frigate. The Fire-type move on the other hand, set the three masted ship ablaze, torching a few soldiers running for water buckets on the deck.
The duo then landed back onto their ship, to watch the spectacle that followed.
In the next instant, the once terrible frigate exploded into splinters and debris as the fire had reached the powder reserves inside the ship. Thanks to Samantha's Reflect Gem, though, the crew on board did not suffer much. Meanwhile, on a Resistance-provided frigate on the opposite side of Le Paroi De Fer, the crew on board suffered the same damage due to a Reflect cast by a Steenee on board.
"We're doing good so far!" Nathan yelled over the sound of the explosion.
Around them, a few more Periculum ships were beginning to ponder while the allied ships kept on throwing barrage after barrage of cannonballs, arrows, bullets, and Pokémon moves. Their side had taken much less damage so far, while dealing much more to the enemies defending the large waterway.
"Fire the chain shots!" The Quartermaster ordered, causing pairs of cannonballs held together by chains to chip away at the frigate floating in front of Le Paroi De Fer.
"We're being boarded!" A Buizel gijinka yelled as the crew on board, alongside the Resistance and the main cast, began to fight off a large group of Seaking, Carvanha, and Starly gijinkas attempting to board Le Paroi.
Oscar blocked the attack of a Seaking spearman, causing the fish water-type to stagger, giving the Floatzel the opening he needed to parry.
"I'll dispatch them quickly…" Angel mused in a bored tone as she hacked away at a pair of Carvanha that tried to use a double Ice Fang attack.
"Mowing 'em down!" Taryn commented as her Thunderbolt zapped a Starly and another Seaking, knocking them out.
"I'm not getting left out here!" Samantha yelled as she shot a Shock Wave at a Carvanha about to tackle her.
"Keep me covered, I'll snipe the ones leaving their ship!" Nathan stated as he pulled another arrow to headshot a Monferno before it threw a grenade at them.
"Killing makes my dick hard!" A Carvanha yelled as he charged Sarah with an axe.
Benjamin quickdrew the pistol holstered on his right and shot the Water- and Dark-type in the face, sending the piranha Pokémon to the floor.
"Not today, lad!" The Shiny retorted.
"That guy must have had some weird fetishes…" Nathan remarked as he took down a Simipour and a Skiddo attempting to jump from their frigate to the schooner.
"Talk about gross."
The Shiny Glaceon captain ran to one of the mounted guns on the ship's railing and began to fire at the enemy crew trying to leave their ship. Away from the boarding, the allied ships dueled against Periculum's frigates and two man o' wars. Neither side was willing to shoot at Le Paroi De Fer nor the frigate attempting to board it, due to the risk of hitting their own allies in the process.
Another opposing brig sunk to the depths as a charged up Fire Blast torched the wooden hull.
"Gotcha!" Oscar slammed his opponent upside in the head, followed by a swipe from his twin tails onto the Carvanha's torso. The Floatzel recoiled slightly from Rough Skin, giving a Starly the opportunity to use a Wing Attack.
"Too slow!" Taryn exclaimed as she managed to smack the attacker out of the way.
"Thanks, Taryn! I got this!" Oscar slashed at his opponent with his spear, knocking the enemy out onto the deck.
Angel skillfully cut down the soldiers attempting to surround her. The Absol then stood over the numerous bodies littering the decks and sighed.
"They never learn…"
"Go, Angel!" Samantha yelled as the opposing frigate began sinking. A Samurott gijinka belonging to Benjamin's crew hopped back on board from the frigate.
"I've managed to let water flow into the ship's cabins. That frigate won't be bothering us any longer." The Water-type remarked as he placed his twin blades back onto the sheaths on his legs.
"Fire to the right!" Benjamin yelled as he took the wheel once more and turned the ship to the left. The crew did as told and landed several chain shots onto a frigate moving in to ram them. Before the foe ship could finish the maneuver, an allied ship took it down with a series of round shots, causing the crew on board to have to get to the emergency boats, all while carrying the poor man shot in his crotch to safety.
"Put 'em out of their misery?" Samantha asked as her stick blazed with a bright flame.
"No, let them run. They don't have any intentions of fighting anymore." Nathan replied as his Foresight deactivated and his eyes returned to orange from white.
"As much as I dislike seeing others in that kind of pain, I'd certainly love to hear his tale!" Benjamin added with a laugh. Oscar and Nathan couldn't help stifling a few laughs.
"Hmm… Alright."
"That is just too cruel to endure…" Oscar remarked with a nervous chuckle.
A Shadow Ball launched from Le Paroi De Fer begged to differ, though.
"AGH!"
"There's still a battle ahead of us!" Benjamin shouted as Le Paroi narrowly dodged a few grapeshot bags thrown by a brig. "Return fire!"
"Fire? How about a little lightning?" Taryn parkoured her way up a scouting tower and let loose a Thunderbolt down onto the brig.
"That de-masted them, but only their fore!" A Buizel yelled up.
"Then I'll take care of the rest…" Angel mumbled as she narrowed her eyes before firing an Ice Beam at the remaining masts.
"Just a little more! Keep pushing on!" A Wooper gijinka shouted as she cast a barrage of Mud Shots at a frigate's rudder.
After the battle, the Periculum ships were defeated with those who ran being the only survivors. The Resistance and the Glaceon's forces had lost only one of their own ships, a Man O' War provided by the Resistance.
Once the final Periculum ship, another Man O' War went down in a boarding battle between it and two Resistance brigs.
"So far, the plan is going well." Nathan remarked as he looked around.
Like pirates, they would conquer the territory, defend it, and party right after battle. They were to look as authentic as possible, to throw Periculum off any possible trails they may have left.
"HEY, EVERYONE! ALL THE FOOD IS HERE!" An Unfezant gijinka roared out from above as three fourteen-meter tables carrying all sorts of delectable meals lay there, from steak, chicken, and beef to luxurious vegetables were slowly and very carefully being taken out of the ship's cabins.
"Wait, NO!"
Suddenly, the decks of that particular ship were bombarded by round shot, nearly knocking off everything on the tables. The Pokémon on board hurriedly rushed the tables back into the safety of the cabins, while the scouts tried to see what was attacking them through the fog.
"Who the hell shot!?"
"Not my crew!"
"Neither mine!"
"Don't look at us!"
"Fools!" A new voice exclaimed over a large speaker from the front. "You dared to enter Periculum-controlled waters, defeat the fleet guarding it, and then have the nerve to taunt!" In the next instant, mortar fire rained down from above, dealing plenty of damage to the fleet.
Every captain quickly began steering their ships away to the best of their ability. For their efforts, they weren't as seriously damaged as they would have been, but the damage taken was still heavy.
"I now personally welcome you all to the depths of hell." The voice said in a much more calm, yet sinister voice.
Before them, the fog up front cleared, leaving only thin trails of mist around. Where there was once fog, a large Man O' War now stood tall and proud. Rather than the wooden hulls that every other ship in the battle had, this was something more sturdy, more powerful.
"That's a steel hull." Nathan looked on at the ship, not needing Foresight to see how great an adversary it would be. "We're not going to have a lot of fun fighting this one…"
"Now, perish!" The voice boomed over the speakers. The massive ship slowly turned and began sending a barrage of shots at the fleet, lighting four of the allies' eleven ships on fire.
"Man O' War! He's got incendiary rounds!" A Samurott wielding a bow shouted amidst the panicking soldiers.
"All hands to cannons! Let our ship roar!" The Ice-type captain commanded.
The crew of Le Paroi De Fer loaded up the cannons without a second thought and began firing off round shots in retaliation.
However, the cannonballs all simply slid off the enemy's sturdy hull, eliciting a gasp from a Sunflora gijinka standing on the decks.
"Simple round shots will do nothing against La Ballena!" The voice jeered from the speakers. The steel hulled ship let out another flurry of burning cannonballs at the fleet, causing two more to sink and an extra three to catch fire.
"They're too strong!" A Shellder gijinka yelled.
"You seeing that armor!? It'll dent as much as Registeel's freakin' body!" A Seedot stated.
"At the rate we're going, we'll all be in the water!" A Shelgon cried out.
"Wait a minute…" Nathan trailed off as his eyes began to glow a light hue of orange. "The wood at the stern doesn't seem as strong as anywhere else on their ship!"
"I see that. Good work spotting it!" Sarah commented.
"Uh, guys… Look up!" Taryn yelled.
Up above, the clouds were beginning to stir and crackle with lightning. It seemed as if a whirlpool had formed up above in the gray masses, and the amount of electricity could even be seen flowing in the molecules.
"Thunder, look out!" The Jolteon screamed at the top of her lungs.
Benjamin instantly spun the capstan as fast as he could. Even with the water resistance against Le Paroi's rudder, the captain had managed to move the ship just barely out of the Thunder's way. Everyone on board were thrown to the left side of the ship, and the scouts mustered their all not to fall off their posts.
"What the hell, they can control the lightning!?" Oscar exclaimed.
"This is bad. Very, very bad." Samantha remarked as three more of their ships pondered, leaving two burning ships, a brig carrying food, and Benjamin's three ships.
"Help us!" A Poochyena called as the survivors of the ships began swimming off to Le Paroi De Fer and the other three ships still in good condition.
"All hope is lost!" The enemy captain roared out. "You shall all taste the wrath of the Berserker!"
Instantly, lightning struck one of Benjamin's three ships. However, insulated lining managed to fend off most, but not all of the damage. A loud cracking noise reverberated throughout the area, but the barquentine's masts still held strong, albeit a little wobbly.
"All hands at cannons, aim for the stern! That's her weakest link in the chain!" Benjamin ordered.
"Fire!" An Eevee gijinka called out. Only a few of the projectiles managed to hit the stern of La Ballena due to the turn it made to keep the back safe.
Mortar fire rained from the opposing Man O' War and onto whatever remained of the fleet. The ships all quickly steered away, and had to turn their opposite directions as a barrage of thunderbolts rained from the clouds and into the paths the fleet were taking. One of the two burning ships exploded due to the magazine, while the other sank as lightning and mortar fire smashed its wooden hull to bits.
"They're leading their targets!" A Phanpy gijinka exclaimed.
"Not good…" Sarah cursed under her breath.
"We can't let them sink the ship carrying our freaking food!" A Houndoom roared as he got on board one of Benjamin's ships, a brig.
"We're about to die here, and all you can think of is the food!?" A Marill retorted.
Benjamin maneuvered the schooner closer to the opponent to fire more broadsides with better precision. The cannons found their marks, dealing significant damage to the stern, but instantly, La Ballena turned and rammed right into Le Paroi De Fer.
"Here it comes…!"
With a mighty crash, the two ships- one of metal and one strategically built-wood and metal plating smashed right into each other. The crews of both ships both stood their ground. The angle at which they collided kept either side from being able to board the other.
"The lightning's stopped attacking us." Angel looked up at those words and true- the hellish rain of thunder was only attacking at the desperate Resistance ship and the other two of Benjamin's fleet.
"Halt to loading!" The Shiny Glaceon ordered.
"What's wrong, captain!?" The Aurorus quartermaster asked through the gunfire and incendiary shots being deflected by the numerous Pokémon moves. Explosions rang out in the background as the crew on board fought with all their might to keep Le Paroi De Fer and its allies from taking any incendiary rounds.
"Load the experimental shots!" He commanded.
The same Eevee who ordered the crew to fire turned to face the captain standing behind the wheel on the stern.
"But sir, did Sir Ben not say that it's too dangerous in a storm!?"
"It's our only chance at this!"
The crew hesitated for just a moment, but they then went below the decks to bring back strange-looking round shots.
"BRACE YOURSELVES!" Oscar exclaimed as incendiary rounds pushed through the barrage of moves. The higher cannons on the Man O' War missed the ship completely- ropes, rigging, and so forth. The middle nearly killed the crew on board, however, and left some nasty burns on the Grass- and Bug-types that were almost hit. The bottom most cannons hit the hull.
"Someone take them to the bloody infirmary!"
Those who were weakened but could still stand struggled to get the severely wounded down below decks where they'd be much safer than sitting around on the surface.
Half the shots slid right off, while the rest made small dents and left burn marks on the mighty schooner.
"Hmph… Captain, can you get us close in!?" Angel exclaimed against the thunder that nearly struck the side of the ship opposite to La Ballena.
"Not much a chance right now!" The Ice-type replied. "But if we do, execute your plan!"
"It will have to do." The Dark-type thought to herself. "There's only one explanation to that Thunder support they're getting."
"What are you planning?" Taryn asked. Next to her, Nathan managed to shoot an arrow with enough force to throw off the trajectory of one of the burning cannonballs headed for them.
"Hm… You and the other three are free to join me once we're there."
"Huh?"
"Duck!"
The two girls crouched low to evade more burning cannonballs from the Man O' War. Taryn shot a Shadow Ball towards the stern, but missed.
La Ballena was now in position to move in to ram Le Paroi De Fer. With a resounding cheer from their crew, the great Man O' War moved in for another ram attack against the schooner. However, thanks to greater speed, Le Paroi De Fer barely avoided being struck by the larger ship.
Directly after the miss, the great ship was struck by mortar fire from one of the other of Benjamin's ships. The barquentine fired broadsides and landed a few hits onto the great ship's stern, but was met with incendiary rounds sent by the enemy's broadsides, dealing some damage to the craft.
"Cannons are ready!" The Eevee shouted.
"Captain." The Absol mercenary stated from behind the Glaceon. The Ice-type turned to face the Dark-type addressing him. "Save it for after my objective."
"Alright. But if you're going to board that ship, then I'm going too." Benjamin replied. Angel nodded and faced the Man O' War raining mortars, lightning, and flaming metal balls at a Barquentine, Frigate, and a Brig.
Angel glared out into the enemy ship and cast an Ice Beam into its direction. The move landed on the hull, freezing up a small portion of it. Le Paroi De Fer maneuvered towards the opposing ship and dodged another Thunder strike from above. It fired its broadsides into the stern and managed to nick a few cannonballs, dealing moderate amounts of damage.
"Now!" Angel yelled as she took a rope and used it to swing towards the opposing ship.
"Stay aboard, lads! Don't follow me!" Benjamin commanded as he followed Angel onto the Man O' War.
"You're not leaving without me." Sarah stated as she followed the shiny Glaceon on board.
"Alright then… Here goes nothing!" Taryn said as she jumped onto a scouts post and jumped onto an enemy scout post.
"Looks like we aren't following orders after all." Oscar remarked as he took his lance and dove into the water.
"Well… We're not going to be left behind, are we, Samantha?" Nathan queried.
"Not a chance, since the rest of our team is there. Let's go!"
"Fall."
With a single sweep from her broadsword, Angel downed a Tentacool, Remoraid, and an Araquanid. Nathan fired a barrage of arrows against the enemy crew, Taryn kept the foes distracted with her speed and taunts, Oscar struck down the bulkier opponents with his Liquidation, while Samantha dealt with the enemies with stronger physical defenses.\
"What have we gotten ourselves into this time?" Nathan turned to kick a Deino coming at him with a short sword, then sliced at the attacker with Razor Leaf.
"Just defeat as many as necessary. We push for the lower decks." Angel ordered calmly, as if she didn't just drop a Bisharp, Electabuzz, and a Ninjask in one Night Slash critical. The Absol blocked and parried a blow from a Crawdaunt wielding a claymore, forcing the Water- and Dark-type to the ground.
"Then go! Sarah and I will keep this deck busy!" Benjamin ordered as his hatchet chopped its way into the face of a Heracross. With his foot on the body of the Bug-type, he pulled out the hatchet and quickly stabbed a Ledian that nearly got in a Power-Up-Punch using his dagger.
Sarah mowed down a large group of enemies with her double barreled pistols before stabbing an Ariados with her knife to keep the attacker away.
"Go. We'll be fine." Sarah stated. Angel nodded and motioned for her team to follow her down past the enemies and into the ship's top deck.
"I must applaud you for making it this far." The captain's voice on the speakers commanded. "But now that you're here, I'm afraid we'll have to extinguish what hopes you have of survival."
At the end of a large room was a strange device emitting visible purple and yellow waves. The rest of the room was fairly empty, as opposed to the corridors and rooms the team fought through in order to reach their current location- the center of the ship.
"Where is he?" Samantha queried. She and her team looked around, careful of any openings from which Periculum could strike.
As the group drew closer to the middle of the room, the doors all shut with heavy metals. The beacon in the room began emitting more purple waves rather than yellow.
"Urgh…!" Angel fell to her knee and clutched her head.
"Angel!"
"D-Dammit…" The mercenary mumbled. She grit her teeth and lifted her gaze to the beacon on the other side of the room. "Destroy that thing… Quickly." The white gijinka bit down on her lip to hold back a scream of agony.
"Gotcha. It's giving me some really bad chills too." Oscar stated as he drew his spear.
The four exchanged glances and rushed the device, only to be knocked a few meters back by a crash from above.
"I hope they serve alcohol in hell." The voice said on the speakers before the audio devices on the walls exploded.
"Grr… RrrrAAAAAAGGGHHH!" The man shouted in front of them, his fists and twin wire-like tails crackling with electricity. The man wore yellow armor with black lightning bolt patterns running across it, and a helmet generating plenty of electricity sat on his head. His eyes glinted purple and he stomped down once, shaking the ship before glaring daggers at the four Resistance Pokémon.
"Oh, crap."
[Boss – Shadow Electivire]
With a blood-curdling scream, the Electric-type boss rushed the group with a Thunderpunch. Samantha, Nathan, and Oscar backed off, allowing Taryn to take the hit with her Volt Absorb ability.
"Heh, that won't work on us!" The Jolteon smirked. However, when the move connected, the Lightning gijinka was sent flying to the wall and hit it with a scream of pain.
"Wait, WHAT!?" Oscar gulped.
"H-How in the hell… That should've healed me!" Taryn stated as she coughed and stood up.
"GRAAAAAHHH!" The Electivire quickly charged Samantha with a Hammer Arm attack. The Braixen barely dodged the move and rolled out of the way of a Thunderpunch thrown her way by the Thunderbolt Pokémon.
"It's a Shadow Pokémon…" Nathan fired a Spirit Shackle. The raging gijinka shook off the power-packed arrow like it was nothing and fired a fast Signal Beam at the owl archer.
"Gah!" Nathan took the blow and was sent back by a couple of meters.
"Pick on someone your own size!" Oscar yelled as he landed a Liquidation on the Electivire, forcing the Electric-type Shadow gijinka to block with a powerful swing of Hammer Arm.
"Burn to cinders!" Samantha let loose a Flamethrower from her wand, striking the boss Pokémon in its back. This was quickly followed by a Shadow Ball from Taryn, who had now recovered more from the initial attack.
A ship-shaking roar escaped the Electivire's mouth as he shook off all the damage as if it was nothing.
"He just doesn't care about all this damage we're doing!" Samantha said with clenched teeth.
"Even though he'll ignore it, his body will think otherwise!" Nathan exclaimed. "We have to bring him down!"
"The device…" Angel said with a shaky breath. "If you can destroy that, it s-should make things easier…!" The Dark-type stated whilst using her broadsword as support for her weakened form.
"Hm. The three of you, keep him busy. I'll snipe that machine down." Nathan stated as he took aim for the device on the wall.
Despite the barrage of Stored Power, Psybeam, and Water Pulse, the Electivire charged through and landed a Thunderpunch onto the Decidueye, sending him back to the other side of the room coupled with an agonized shout.
"Dammit… This isn't l-looking good!" Angel thought to herself as she shakily got to her feet. In the background, Nathan was slowly getting up as well but electricity coursed through the Arrow Quill gijinka's body, paralyzing him.
Samantha, Taryn, and Oscar continued to fight, but it was clear that if they were to be hit by a single attack, they'd be done for.
Back on the main deck of La Ballena, Benjamin and Sarah fought over plenty of corpses and injured Periculum soldiers. Down in the water, a small shadow could be seen leaving the Man O' War and headed into the fog from whence the ship-of-the-line came from. It went unnoticed due to the efforts of Benjamin, Sarah, and the remainder of the allies' fleet.
"There's too many of them!" Sarah yelled out as she ran her knife into the neck of an Ekans, knocking it out. "We're going to get swarmed like this!" Sarah thrust her hand forward, causing a small blast of energy to knock back a number of Periculum grunts.
"Backup is on the way, just hang in there!" A Watchog scout from the Resistance's frigate yelled. "We're trying to keep these ships up and save the guys down here!"
"We're going to need to back off soon, we can't hold out for much longer!" The Ice-type captain, Benjamin responded.
The duo kept up the fight, but not without plenty of effort not to be struck by one of the many enemies assaulting them.
"Wait a second…" Sarah glanced back towards the ships. "The thunderstorm stopped!"
"Well, it looks like they've done their part." Benjamin mused before blocking a sword-wielding Stantler with his dagger, then delivering a heavy blow with his hatchet to the Normal-type's face.
"Is that star party still down there!?"
"I believe so!" Benjamin quickly spun around to drive his hatchet into the head of a Cacnea gijinka before it could strike with a Needle Arm.
Benjamin narrowed his eyes as he pointed all of his fingers of a single hand towards a Vileplume, then snapping his fingers, creating a flash of white hot flames.
The ship shook frantically, causing the Periculum crew to lose balance along with Benjamin and Sarah who were unprepared for the tremor.
"Oh, sweet heavens…" Benjamin mumbled as he struck down another soldier. "What in the bloody hell is going on down there?"
"Pull them out already! We need to sink that ship!" A Lombre gijinka called out.
Benjamin and Sarah both exchange glances and nod as they begin to push through the enemies towards the door on the deck.
"Dodge right!" Taryn yelled.
The Floatzel lancer rolled right to avoid a slam from the Electivire. With a roar, the Shadow Pokémon shook off a Flamethrower from behind and retaliated with a Signal Beam aimed for the mage.
Samantha managed to impede the beam in its tracks with a Shock Wave, keeping her safe for the moment.
"That thing is strong…" Nathan mumbled as his arrows couldn't even dent the device. The owl archer stood feebly, having just recovered from paralysis. "I can't destroy it- let's switch places!" Nathan called out as he ran into the fray with a Razor Leaf attack. The move landed a critical hit on the Electivire, who dismissed it as if it wasn't there.
"Alright, I'll give it a spin!" Oscar stated as Taryn used Agility to speed around the Electivire and land a few blows with her clawed knuckles.
The Floatzel ran over to the device, but when the waves reached him, he stopped cold in his tracks and grunted in pain.
"What the heck… This thing…" The Floatzel mumbled. Oscar quickly stepped back and breathed heavily before letting out a series of coughs.
"Oscar, what's wrong!?" Samantha asked. Behind the Fire-type, Taryn was struck by a Signal Beam, while Nathan's foresight was stopped by the Electivire charging with Thunderpunch.
"I-I don't know, but we can't get close to this damn thing!"
"GRRRRRAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
The duo looked back to see the Electivire throw a purple bolt of lightning at them. They screamed in agony as their bodies were shocked by the super-effective shadow move.
"He's got a Shadow move! Watch out!" Taryn shouted as she almost got hit by a Hammer Arm.
"Can you two still fight!?" Nathan asked.
"Ugh… Yeah." Samantha mumbled as she slowly stood up.
"Guh… That stung worse than a normal Electric-type move." The Water-type groaned and shook himself.
The Thunderbolt boss groaned and clutched his head in agony as he screamed in pain. With his eyes turning purple, he rushed Taryn with a Hammer Arm that actually hit the speeding Jolteon.
With a scream, Taryn was sent back to the door she and her friends came from, and with a thud, she stayed down.
"Taryn!" Oscar yelled. Before them, the Electivire let loose another Shadow Bolt attack aimed at him.
Oscar barely dodged the move and countered with a Rock Tomb to slow down the Electivire.
"Maybe this will work!" Samantha shot a Flamethrower at the device, but to no avail as not a scratch or burn mark was found on it.
"No way…" Nathan mumbled.
"What do we do now!?" Oscar slashed the Electivire's torso and backed away before a Thunderpunch could strike him.
"The door's locked!"
Benjamin kept back as many Periculum soldiers as he could, all while Sarah was attempting to open the heavy iron door. She was trying much harder once she heard a crash and plenty of shouting in the room behind it.
"Sarah, you know the drill with doors like these." The Ice-type said.
"Got it."
The Fennekin gijinka began charging up a searing flame in her body, preparing to fire it at the door. Benjamin continued to fight off the crew assaulting them from the end of the hallway and the surrounding rooms.
"I'm running out of ideas here!" Oscar shouted as his spear blocked a Hammer Arm, allowing Samantha and Nathan to get in blows with Psybeam and Razor Leaf.
"We can't help Taryn if we're fighting!" Samantha stated as she sidestepped to avoid a Shadow Bolt.
"A Haze would only work against us!" Nathan exclaimed as he shot more Spirit Shackle arrows. "He'll shoot Shadow Bolts everywhere if he can't see anything!"
"Freaking berserkers…" The Braixen mumbled as she threw another Toxic, still missing her target.
"ENOUGH!" The three standing Pokémon all gasped in surprise when they saw a Hammer Arm from the Electivire narrowly block a heavy swipe from Angel's sword.
With considerable effort, their hired mercenary teammate was keeping a deadlock with the beast.
"Go…" The Dark-type said in a raspy voice. "Do something, now!" She screamed as she pulled back only to throw another attack in the form of a Night Slash at the Electivire. The shadow boss glared down the smaller foe, and let out a furious roar, much more angry than when he was fighting the others.
"Angel…"
"I'll help Taryn. You two try to focus your attacks on that thing!" Nathan stated as he quickly ran over to the fallen Jolteon's side.
"You heard him, Samantha. Let's go." Oscar stated. The Fire-type nodded and tossed a Flamethrower over at the strange device while Oscar created a large boulder and hurled it at the device.
This time, the device dented and began spreading the waves around the entire room. The duo attacking it both recoiled from the odd waves touching them but forced their way through the feeling to continue using move after move.
"It isn't working!" Angel thought to herself as she cast her glare to her allies for a moment to see how they were doing. "If this keeps up…" The Absol's eyes dawned in realization for just a moment before she screamed as she fought back a Thunderpunch with her blade. "We need to… Direct his Shadow B-Bolt… at that thing!" The Absol yelled.
"Great, how do we do that!?" Oscar queried.
"…I've got it."
Thanks to a Potion from Nathan, Taryn was back on her feet.
"Samantha, do you have one of those gems?"
"Angel, come over here!"
"W-What are they…" The Absol's vision blurred faintly as she looked at her allies. She shook her head and stepped backwards to evade a Thunderpunch.
"Hurry up!"
After a moment's hesitation, Angel withdrew and fell back with her allies. The Electivire let out a low growl as his tails and helmet began to spark with purple lightning.
"Grr… AAAAAAGGGHHH!" A full powered Shadow Bolt was launched from the Boss' body, coming straight for the main cast.
"Here goes nothing…!" Samantha held up a pink gem, and focused her power into it.
The shadow move came, and was absorbed into the gem. The Electivire panted and stood still but wary, seeming to be unable to move from the amount of energy it spent and the damage it took.
"Uurrgh… Deflect the damage from special fire… Mirror Coat!" Samantha chanted before turning around to fire the move into the beacon.
What followed was an immense burst of shadowy electric energy into the device. With a loud but small explosion, the device crumbled to a heap of parts on the floor and stopped emitting waves.
The Electivire froze up before shaking itself and glaring down the crew silently.
Angel panted and required Oscar and Nathan to be able to even stand. The mercenary, however, kept her glare onto the opposing Electivire.
Suddenly, the door burst open, revealing a Shiny Glaceon and a Fennekin gijinka, both pointing their pistols as they slowly walk into the room.
"Captain Benjamin!"
"Grr…" The Electivire charged the duo with intent to kill in its fierce eyes. The two sidestepped and began shooting.
However, the Thunderbolt Pokémon jumped as they began firing, and headed out the door they came from.
"W-Wha…"
Following an almighty roar, the sounds of screaming and fighting echoed from the hallway.
"We survived…" Taryn let out an exasperated sigh as she fell to her knees.
"Ugh… I thought we were done for." Samantha mused.
"Angel, are you alright?" Nathan asked.
"I… I'll be fine now…" The Absol coughed before standing up independently, but recoiled back and clutched her head.
"Damn, that thing sure did a number on you."
"I don't know why…"
"What happened?" Sarah questioned.
"There's no time!" Benjamin exclaimed. "We have to get off this ship now and back to Le Paroi!"
"Can't we just take it easy after that!?" Samantha asked back in an annoyed tone.
"Alright sure, all of you can." Benjamin replied. "But please do note, you will be pierced by several iron bits, and you'll be at the bottom of this river. But if you're alright with that, then be my guest."
The Glaceon then stood there, waiting for a reply.
"…Screw you."
"Jump!"
The team managed to jump from La Ballena, which was now burning down, to Le Paroi.
"Get all of our mainsails and topsails on the wind. We're taking it slow and easy now."
Once Le Paroi De Fer and the other allies backed away from the ship, Benjamin gave out orders as he pointed the left broadside of the schooner to the burning Man O' War.
"Easy now, lads. Ready… Aim… And fire."
Le Paroi fired its left broadsides, and the moment the cannonballs came into contact with the Man O' War, they exploded, causing the metal armor to fall off bit by bit. With openings, the other three ships fired, bringing La Ballena to ponder.
Benjamin then pointed the right side of the ship and ordered to fire the right broadsides. The explosive cannonballs did the last of it, and the ship sunk down to the depths of the river.
After the silence of watching La Ballena sink, the crews onboard all four vessels erupted into cheer and song.
"We can bring the food out now!"
"YEAH!"
"Those were fine orders, Captain. And I have to add, this ship is a lot better than I thought it was." Nathan finished before eating into a round apple then smirking at the jealous-looking fox standing next to him.
"It's still not over yet, huh?" Samantha queried almost mockingly, causing Nathan to laugh a bit.
At the capstan of the vessel, Sarah and Benjamin both stood, the former eating a slice of cake and the other simply watching everyone else.
"Benjamin? Are you not going to eat at all?" The Fennekin gijinka questioned.
"No, I'm fine." The Shiny Glaceon replied.
"I can know that there is still a plate full of blueberries there."
"Berries? Well then, let's go. It would be a shame though, if there aren't any cherries to go with it." The Ice-type replied.
"Wait, are those cherries?" The Fire-type queried. "Mine!"
"Ahh… That hits the spot." Taryn mumbled as she downed a can of softdrink.
"I'm so freaking glad that the ship carrying this stuff was completely intact." Oscar remarked.
"Except the wood carrying the sails being torn." Samantha added.
"It's called a mast, dimwit." An Eevee bitterly stated as he passed by.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"Well… That was rather rude." Nathan commented for his silenced friends.
"Eh, don't mind him. He's one of those sailors who get annoyed when one can't identify the name of a ship's parts." A Buizel crewman stated as he walked along, munching on an orange.
Meanwhile, though, on the bow of the ship, stood a lone figure clad in white with a sword sheathed on her side.
The Absol glanced back at her allies and sighed, looking towards the empty spot in the water where the Man O' War sunk. She peered into the water, as if noticing a shadow moving around—
"Angel? If I'm not mistaken with the name, anyway." The Absol turned to face the captain's partner- Sarah.
"…What?"
"I noticed something… You're fairly lonesome."
"Why should that bother you?" The mercenary questioned, turning her gaze back into the water. "Nothing there now… Perhaps I'm tired."
"Oh, it's… Just that you… How you act reminds me of Benjamin." The Absol gave the Fennekin a questioning look. "I'm not talking about this Benjamin, but the way he acted about four years ago."
"…Should that matter?" The Dark-type queried.
"Not really, but…" The Fire-type paused. "It's just… You don't meet many Pokémon out there who are like that."
The Fox Pokémon looked towards the Fresh Snow standing behind the wheel, conversing with the Aurorus.
"…So?" Angel asked.
"Oh, it's uh… Just never mind."
"Hmph…"
Angel continued to watch the water.
"Are you watching the still waters?"
"Why should that matter to you?" The mercenary quizzed back.
"Did you see anything? I'm considering someone may have escaped…"
"No. Nothing is in there." The Absol replied.
"All on board." Benjamin stated, gaining Le Paroi De Fer's attention. "Today was a rough day and battle. We will put to land, and we will rest up before infiltrating the base. Quartermaster, You'll be taking Le Paroi, Farkas, and the Hummingbird back to the Runswick docks. Wait for my further orders."
"Aye, Captain!" The whole crew responded.
Until then, the Pokémon all had a merry time. After a while had passed, the ships all left the area. Once they were ready again, they would head back there to hold the position to keep Periculum from re-taking it.
"So, they have captured the waterway?"
"Yes… And we've lost connection to the Electric Berserker."
"Hm… Impressive of them to defeat a Berserker and hold their own against La Ballena. I'll just have to find a way to reward them, no?"
"They're not the Resistance, miss…"
"Excuse me?"
"I-I mean, Master…"
"That's better. Now, why don't you and the others inform the captain to set out to another base? I've got a few preparations to make before heading to the Southeast."
"Yes, my liege."
"Good. Once you're done, report back to him."
With a nod, the cloaked soldier ran into the rainy alleyway and into the city.
The girl chuckled to herself and held up a sword, hidden in the darkness of the night.
"This will be entertaining."