Shadows in War, Segment One, Chapter 12 – The Raid I
Disclaimer: I only own the characters and story. Benjamin, Sarah, Le Paroi De Fer, The Farkas (the bark), and the Hummingbird (the other ship not from the Resistance) belong to my little brother, and the rest, we have nothing to do with.
So I mentioned a Water-type elite team. I'll be talking about them in detail later, but for now, their species are: Vaporeon, Gorebyss, Swampert, and a Wailord. While the story is mainly about Angel, Taryn, Samantha, Oscar, and Nathan more than anyone else, I've got big plans for pretty much every side character the story offers.
For the sake of rules and formality, this chapter may or may not contain a bit more swearing and maybe a bit of gore. Just a little bit. If I should change this story to M over those few scenes, let me know.
Sorry for being late, btw. Lots of things to do with school.
Also, I wanted to address something: human weapons, such as swords, spears, axes, guns, bullets, and anything that you wouldn't see in a normal Pokémon game work like Pokémon moves- they don't kill instantly/take off a limb quickly as they do in real life. Rather, they just do decent damage. For example:
A regular claymore would have an average power of 65~70, making it as effective as moves such as Aerial Ace, U-Turn, and the like. Angel's broadsword has a power of 90-ish, making its regular hits comparable to Flamethrower, Ice Beam, and Thunderbolt, while Oscar's spear could be around 80 making it as great as Scald, Psyshock, and Poison Jab in terms of power.
As for when Oscar uses Liquidation via spear or Angel uses a Night Slash, the weapon's power shifts accordingly. For this example, Night Slash has 70 power while her sword is 90. An average is taken, making the blow's power 80. For Oscar, since the move has a higher power than the weapon (85 move, 80 weapon) the weapon will copy the move's power.
However, if let's say a weapon's power is about 60 or so and it tries to use a move with a power that's 20 points above, then the average is taken. If let's say a knife has 40 power and tries to use Shadow Claw, the attack's power will be 55 instead. This would mean that an "unarmed" Shadow Claw would be stronger than using it with our example knife. This same principle also applies to situations where a weapon is much stronger than a move, like with the Angel Night Slash example above (90 power sword, 70 power move, 20 difference).
Benjamin and Sarah's pistols also work the same way, at least here in my story.
I'd explain how items and those move-gems work too, but given that this is long, I'll save it for another chapter. It's only just been introduced, it isn't being used too much, and besides- I think it's more fun to let you people think about how it works and form your own systems. It's how I got to make these. :3
Numerous splashes were almost silent underwater. Le Paroi De Fer and the rest of the fleet all floated on the surface of the waterway above the Pokémon diving down into the depths where sunken ships rested.
Each were wearing their regular clothes, but two who stood out were a Gorebyss and a Vaporeon.
The first of the two wore a pink tank top with a pair of purple shells on her chest. She also had on a pink pair of leggings with a long, pink serpentine tail ending in a pretty fin. Her hair too was pink and very long, extending from her head down to her lower back.
The Vaporeon on the other hand wore a blue t-shirt, blue cargo shorts and sported a fish tail. His hair was dark blue, and three fins decorated his head. Aside from that, a small white collar-like fin surrounded his neck and finished the Water-type's look.
Both of them had the Resistance emblem on their tops, and next to it was a symbol of a trench in the deepest reaches of the ocean.
Oscar swam with his spear slung securely to his back while Angel kept on a rebreather so as not to drown. A few Samurott and Buizel from Benjamin's crew accompanied them, as well as a variety of other Water-type Pokémon bearing Resistance emblems.
"This is General Ethan. Do you read me?" The Golisopod's voice sounded in the earpieces of the Pokémon underwater.
"Loud and clear, General." A Panpour gijinka replied.
"How does it look down there? We're tracking your progress with the help of the Foresight scouts and Taryn's computer."
On the wooden posts every two sails on each mast of the fleet's ships were Furret and Watchog scouts, alongside other Pokémon scanning the water with glowing white eyes. Among them stood a certain owl archer, narrowing his eyes and peering into the fog.
On the main deck of Le Paroi De Fer were the Resistance General, the fire mage Samantha, the hacker Taryn, the captain Benjamin, his girl Sarah, the rest of the crew and the Resistance Pokémon, all ready for hell.
Samantha's psychokinetic abilities, though limited, did aid in the scouts' abilities to see past dense fog, trees, and even extend their visions. Other Psychic-type Pokémon followed the example, while the rest stood as spare lookouts and guards.
Taryn was busying herself moving the cursor over to match where the Resistance underwater were on radar. The sockets and plugs were taken out of her hair and now, the ship had electricity for as long as the other Electric-types kept the extension cords supplied.
"Everything's clear, but this quiet is killing me." Oscar replied.
"Yeah… Keep your eyes peeled." A Squirtle commented.
The team all swam further, silently in the surprisingly clear water. The scouts back on board the ships gave a negative response to the question of enemy presence. Taryn guided the teams down below by keeping track of their location and telling them which route to take once the waterway split into a few rivers.
"So we're finally going to tackle the boogeyman at their base."
"One of their three bases, anyway."
"Three major bases, mind you."
"Hey, when we get out of there alive, who's buying us all the drinks?"
Laughter and chuckles echoed in the earpieces and on the speakers back on board.
"You're approaching the target." Taryn stated seriously after stifling a small chuckle. "About eight meters down and twenty-six degrees to your left, you'll see the hatch. Remember, if you screw up the first part, everyone here will die. And if you screw up the second part, Vivi…"
"Geez, don't make it so pressuring." Oscar replied.
"Just reminding you." The Jolteon replied with what Oscar could tell was a smirk.
"I know." The Gorebyss, Vivi stated.
Oscar, alongside Vivi and a Vaporeon, dove deeper towards the hatch. The three held still in the water as a Slowking gijinka quickly stood on the seafloor and used his psychic-type capabilities to shield the trio from the scanner's view.
At that moment, a pair of Finneon, followed by a Luvdisc in their ordinary clothes passed by the scanner, looking as normal as possible.
The small orb on the concrete closed, allowing the Slowking to let go of his hold as well as the Finneon and Luvdisc to head back to the others.
"Good work, you three."
"Couldn't have done it without ya, sis."
The Vaporeon vanished into the water, while the Gorebyss floated forward ever so slightly where the other Water-type disappeared.
"Try not to fuck this up…" Samantha said over comms. Taryn audibly gulped as the Gorebyss sucked in the water that made up the Vaporeon earlier by morphing her mouth into a much thinner, pointy mouth.
"Vivi, stay calm." A new voice stated.
"Thank you, Darrion…" The Gorebyss quietly replied.
Oscar and the other Water-types underwater all watched the scene with a tinge of fear in them, but remained alert and watchful.
The South Sea Pokémon gijinka slowly and carefully positioned the tip of her mouth on the small crack at the hatch. She blew out slowly and gently, closing her eyes as her body began to glow pink.
"Oh, crap…"
"Done." The Gorebyss quietly stated as her mouth reverted to normal and she looked into the hatch with worry.
"You sure you didn't leave anything behind?" Oscar queried.
"Double checked." The pink gijinka replied.
The team all waited with suspense heavy in the air at the ships and in the water they all floated in. After a few moments, the hatch opened, revealing the Vaporeon gijinka, unharmed and giving the underwater team a thumbs up.
Relieved sighs came from the earpieces worn by everyone as soft clapping was heard from the crew on board.
The underwater team all nodded and began to move into the hatch. Oscar took the lead along with the Vaporeon, a Lanturn, and a Frogadier.
"Clear. Moving up." The Frogadier stated. Angel, the Gorebyss, a Squirtle, Panpour, three Basculin, sixteen Buizel, four Samurott, the Finneon siblings, the Luvdisc, and the Slowking all followed into the hatch.
"We've lost your position on radar." Taryn said. "Be careful down there- we have no idea what exactly is in there."
"Roger that, hacker." One of the Basculin stated.
"This place is a little narrow for an emergency exit." Oscar mused as he swam forward with his spear pointed front. The Resistance and Benjamin's crewmen were all following in a long line, traveling in threes, fours, or fives to allow enough room for everyone to move forward.
"You'll be passing by two doors. If I'm right, then Oscar's in front?" Taryn questioned.
"Yep. What do you want?"
"We need you to hit the second door with a Liquidation."
"Why not the first door?" The Floatzel quizzed.
"…You don't want to know." The Electric-type replied.
"Geez, you're pretty boring today, Taryn. Anything up?"
"Very funny, Oscar."
The Sea Weasel gijinka came up to a door and swam past it, followed closely by the Vaporeon and Angel, then the rest of the Pokémon. After seeing the second door, the Floatzel raised a fist and glanced back at his allies.
At the motion, everyone stopped moving and floated in the water.
"Just to make sure… The hatchet's closed?" Oscar asked.
"I can confirm that." The Slowking replied.
"Alright, sweet." The Floatzel motioned for Angel and the Vaporeon to back off. The duo nodded and floated back a little, giving Oscar room to ram into the door with Liquidation.
The door burst open, and much to the Water-type lancer's surprise, he fell into a dry catwalk.
He quickly recovered and got back up, looking around the room full of pipes and a passage headed further inside.
"I'm in… And this freaking place is still dry. Water isn't flowing in here." The Floatzel said as he watched his allies cautiously move into the room.
True to his word, the water on the narrow passage wasn't flowing into the opened door. The others who went in reported what they felt going through back to the Le Paroi De Fer and the surrounding ships.
"A barrier that keeps out water and air…"
"Keep moving. If you see any Periculum guards down there, take them out before they raise any alarms." Taryn ordered.
"And try to do it quietly." Samantha added.
"Will do." The Panpour gijinka replied.
"Let's move."
After splitting up into four teams, the Resistance slowly made their way through the tunnels, all while being careful not to be detected despite the empty halls.
So far, the teams were going well. They inspected any rooms they passed by and continued forward, mapping the place out for Taryn to compile.
"Okay… I think I've pinpointed the entrance. Sending it to some of your phones." Taryn stated. "But make sure those things are on silent mode before I do that…"
"Heh, got it."
"Ready."
"On your go."
"Alright, sending."
"We have it. Thanks, Taryn."
"Good work so far, keep it up." Ethan said.
"Teams, we're re-grouping at the entrance. Whoever gets there first, make sure that wide room is cleared before the rest arrive." The Vaporeon stated on communications.
"Copy that, A. We're moving up, people." A Resistance Samurott's voice stated across the communications.
"Angel, take a left, then take the right that comes after that." Oscar said.
On Angel's end, she was followed by one Basculin, four Buizel, Vivi, and the Squirtle. The Absol followed the route given to her, checking for anything suspicious in the area.
"We're almost there." The Squirtle stated.
"Gee, that was a scary move there, Vivi." The Basculin remarked.
"I-I know… Even I'm still a little shaky after just having swallowed him." The Gorebyss replied.
"Hm… I have to admit…" Angel mused as she walked forward with her broadsword in hand. "Even I'm impressed that you managed to do that without killing him in the process."
"I- Thank you, um… Angel, was it?" Vivi queried.
"…Yes."
"Wow, you managed to get the star mercenary to talk." A Resistance Buizel remarked.
"That in itself is an amazing feat." The Squirtle added. Vivi blushed lightly and giggled as she and the others followed the Dark-type walking ahead.
"We're here… It seems fairly clear." The Frogadier stated as he scanned the room around them.
"Now we play the waiting game, aye?" A Buizel from Benjamin's ship stated.
"Aye."
"Hm… Let's work on getting this door open. The Lanturn mused as he walked closer to the door at the other end of the room.
The Light Pokémon gijinka walked over to it and blinked a couple of times as he gripped the handle on the door. Slowly, he turned to his teammates.
"What's wrong?" The Frogadier asked.
"This door will electrocute you."
"Say what now?"
The Vaporeon walked over, followed by four more Buizel, a Basculin, the Finneon duo, and a Slowking.
"Austyn. This door is just running with electricity." The Lanturn stated. "If not for my Volt Absorb, I'd probably be fried."
"Hm… Then only you can get it open?" Austyn, the Vaporeon, queried.
"That won't be necessary."
The group turned to see Angel's and Oscar's groups coming closer.
"I'll handle it." The Absol stated as she walked closer.
"But you'll-"
Oscar was cut off by the Absol freezing the door's handle with an Ice Beam. She closed her eyes before rushing the frozen lock with a Night Slash in her blade.
The handle broke off, leaving plenty of confused Water-type Pokémon bearing Resistance emblems standing in a wide, rounded room. Following that, Angel kicked the door down, revealing a much cleaner room inside.
Without wasting a second, the Absol strode forward into the room and looked around her.
"We're clear. This is it."
"Is she always like that?" Austyn asked.
"Yes, sir." Oscar replied with a dull nod. "Yes, she is."
"You're in the main facility?" Taryn quizzed.
"According to Angel, ma'am." The Panpour replied into the earpiece.
"Alright, gimme a second… You wouldn't mind describing where you are, right?" The Electric-type said through chatter on her end.
"Uh, let's see…"
The room had dull gray walls, ceilings, and floors. However, it was fairly clean. A laptop was on one of the few tables that decorated the room. A single light bulb illuminated the entire room, save for the nooks and crannies covered by the furniture. Another door led to three large elevators that were destined to go up.
Austyn passed over the details to the crew back at the waterway. Taryn added the information to the data she held and with the help of two others, she managed to find out the exact location of the underwater team.
"Go up the elevator. A couple of guards will be standing in the hall as soon as you exit, so deal with them quickly."
"Will do." The Vaporeon gijinka replied. "Let's move, everyone."
"The halls there are thin. Split up and try to cover at least a fourth of the floor before you open the gates." Taryn stated.
"You heard her, everyone. It would be best if you do it without leaving a trace." Ethan's voice added.
"Roger that, General." Austyn said. "Vivi, take Oscar, the Buizel, the Basculin triad, and the Finneon siblings. The rest of you, on me."
"We'll be logging off communications until you get that gate open. Try not to die in there, alright?" The earpieces' lights then went out, leaving the radios silent.
"Aren't the groups still large?" The Lanturn queried.
"We won't have to worry about that." The Water-type Eeveelution replied. "I doubt Periculum is clueless right now."
"What do you mean?"
"They know we're here."
"Hold." Angel whispered as she stepped out of the room her group hid in. The Absol peered out into the corridors, instantly sliding behind a wall when she heard footsteps from from the end of the hallway.
A couple of Periculum Pokémon, a Seadra and a Nosepass, passed by the still Absol and the closed room. The duo were equipped with a crossbow and an axe. Both seemed to be alert, as if searching for something.
"That Vaporeon leader was right…" Angel thought to herself as she walked to the end of the hall where the guards came from. She then returned to the room after making sure nobody was there. "We're clear."
The group followed the Absol silently through white halls. For the most part, not many Pokémon wandered around the first floor of the main building. It was either a janitor, or the occasional guard.
"Say, Angel…" The Floatzel lancer trailed off.
"What?"
"How do you know where we're going?"
A brief pause followed.
"I don't know where we're going." The Absol coldly replied.
"B-But wait, aren't we supposed to head for the gates with Austyn's group?" Vivi asked.
"…I know. We'll just have to keep moving." The mercenary replied.
"Sir, I've found an open computer." The Frogadier gijinka stated.
"We'll handle those later once the others are in. For now, we keep moving." Austyn the Vaporeon replied. "The gate should be just up ahead. If we can-"
"Hold it right there!" A Gastrodon gijinka exclaimed from across the hall. Nobody moves, nobody gets hurt!" The Water- and Ground-type added.
"Heh, he's no problem." The Squirtle remarked before shooting a Water Pulse at the Periculum guard. However, the move was sucked right into the target's body, causing the Gastrodon to smirk.
"Storm Drain…" Austyn mused.
"Now you're going to pay!" The Gastrodon pulled out a large green gem from a pocket in his armor.
"Oh, crap."
Right as the gem began to glow, a sword's blade found itself in the chest of the Gastrodon. The gem fell to the floor with a resounding thud, while the guard let out a faint groan before the blade was pulled away and he fell to the ground in a lifeless heap.
The white gijinka with the bronze blade picked up the gem and tossed it over to Austyn.
"You'll need that for the other Storm Drain and Water Absorbers down here." Angel casually remarked as she continued down the hallway.
"That was perfect timing." The Panpour commented.
"I know… Where's the rest of her group?"
"Right here." Oscar stated as he, Vivi, and the other Water-types appeared from the corridor. "Come on, the gate's that way!" The Floatzel yelled.
Austyn and his team quickly regrouped with them, then Angel in a very large room with one huge door right next to a small keypad on the wall.
The room held three other bigger doors, labeled as "Hangar 1," "Hangar 2," and "PF EXIT."
"Get on that control panel." Austyn ordered. Immediately, the Panpour headed to it and attempted to hack the keypad.
"So the hangars are obvious enough…" Vivi mused. "But what's the other door?"
"Hm… Stay here. I'll scout in." Austyn said before he completely vanished from sight, leaving a puddle of water flowing quickly for the "exit" door.
"Ugh, this hack sucks…" The Panpour mumbled.
"Lemme have a spin!" A Basculin said. The Panpour moved away and allowed the Water Pokémon to attempt the hack.
"PF…" Angel thought. "There's no way that they'd be that obvious… Right?"
"Dammit. Anyone else wanna try this?"
"I do." The Lanturn said.
"Ugh, this is going to take some time…" Oscar mumbled as he looked to the halls which they came from.
The leader of the Water-type Elite team rematerialized in a large room with a rather tough looking metal box being held over water. To the right was a door leading to what appeared to be a control room near the ceiling. To the left was another door that most likely lead out of there.
Austyn looked around- thankfully enough, nobody was in sight. The Vaporeon stayed alert and examined the place, walking around.
"Hm… If this is an exit, what is it for?" Austyn asked no one in particular. The Bubble Jet Pokémon hopped into the water and melted into it to get a closer look at the box.
Below, it seemed like there was a hatch that would open up if the metal bars surrounding it were to let go. It gave an unsettling feeling, making the Water-type's senses ring, telling him to leave.
"Something isn't right."
Footsteps were heard coming from the left hand door. The invisible Vaporeon looked to the source to find a Piloswine, a Munna, a Frillish, a Rhydon, and an Ariados all walking in. The five of them were each dressed in open lab coats over their ordinary wear.
"You are sure we're being infiltrated?" The Piloswine questioned.
"Without a doubt. It looks like those Resistance scumbags payed off the pirates." The Ariados replied.
"Then we must finish the refining of Lancer…" The Munna mused. The Periculum scientists walked into the door leading to the control room, where they now began working on the machines, sending a few electric currents to the metal box floating above the Vaporeon.
"I've got to get out of here." Austyn thought. "But that Frillish will not make this easy…"
Back at the gate, the group finally managed to get the entrance open. The result was the whole fleet- fourteen ships, including Le Paroi De Fer and the other two of Benjamin's ships- moored right outside the base.
Resistance Pokémon were all headed into the first room, regrouping and sharing intel with the underwater team along with Angel and Oscar.
"You did it!"
"Heh, it was no biggie!" The Floatzel replied. "So Taryn, why didn't you want me to go into the first door underwater again?"
"Do you WANT to be covered in gunk?"
"Never mind."
"Where's Austyn?" Ethan queried as he walked over to the group.
"He said he'd check out that exit door over there." Oscar replied.
"Hm… It would be unwise to leave him here." The Golisopod mused.
"Then we'll simply have to call him back."
Before anyone could make a move, Vivi's cellphone rang. The Gorebyss slipped the device out of her pocket and put it on speaker.
"Um, hello?"
"Vivi. It's Austyn. Periculum scientists testing on something in this exit room." The Vaporeon's voice quietly said. "I'm underwater, avoiding detection from Periculum scientists in a control room here. They're testing on something I really don't like. There's an alternate entrance to this room, but I've got no clue as to where it is."
"Well, isn't that great… Austyn, try to hold off engaging them for now." Ethan stated. "We'll get to you as fast as we can."
"Well then, let's hurry this up." Benjamin said as he and Sarah joined the large group of Resistance Pokémon pooling in the room.
"Alright then. We'll split up, try to cover as much ground as possible." Ethan stated. "Don't be afraid to run if you have to- retreat to the ships and defend here if they corner you. Do I make myself clear!?"
"Sir, yes, sir!"
"Alright. Whoever will lead is completely up to you, but each group should have at least five members. Good luck." Ethan stated as he walked towards the corridor.
"Wait, General, where are you going?" A Gligar gijinka asked.
"To send some of these bastards to hell."
After a little organizing, the Pokémon all went their separate ways to uncover the rest of the floor.
Angel was now traveling with her team of five, plus Benjamin and Sarah. The seven gijinkas met little resistance and even managed to intimidate a guard enough to make him unlock a few doors in the facility.
"This place is a lot less scary than I thought it would be." Samantha mused.
"I know, right?" Oscar said.
"Yeah… Doesn't look a thing like what I'd expect from such a company." Taryn added.
"Still, we'd best be alert… Something feels off." Nathan stated.
"Like how not too many people are trying to stop us?" Sarah asked.
"They should know we're here now." Samantha said. "It's weird that they'd leave one of their main bases unguarded after a recent attack.
"Yes, something certainly is amiss here." Benjamin added.
"Hm… This way." Angel turned a corner and headed up a flight of stairs. The group followed her up, but with confused looks.
"How do you know where we're going again?" Oscar quizzed.
"I don't." The mercenary replied. "All I know is they're probably stockpiled on the higher floors to guard whatever it is that's so important."
"Hm, sound logic."
"Then we need to move higher." Benjamin stated.
"Halt!" a Stufful gijinka yelled as he approached the group unarmed right as they climbed the stairs.
"Aww, look at this little guy!" Samantha cooed, much to the Periculum guard's annoyance.
"How dare you taunt me! Die!" The smaller Pokémon yelled as it flailed its arms at the group in a charge.
Sarah and Samantha both burned the Fluffy Pokémon with a double Flamethrower, causing the Stufful to fall to the ground in a heap with a few embers still lingering on him.
"That would have destroyed us if it hit…" Nathan mumbled.
"But he's so small!" Samantha said.
"Yeah, but those guys are known for having as much physical strength as a couple of Machokes." Oscar added. The Braixen gulped and looked at the knocked out Fighting-type on the floor.
"Never underestimate your opponents." Sarah commented.
"Let's keep moving." Angel stated.
The group fought through a few more Periculum guards on the second floor. At a few points, they met up with a few other teams, including Ethan standing by a bunch of mortified Periculum soldiers huddled up into a corner.
The alarms were raised only then, giving the Resistance the signal to increase their paces. The team traveled through room after room, corridor after corridor, and made their way up multiple staircases and elevators.
As they got further into the base, the enemies became more aggressive and numerous. They were now fighting for real rather than just tossing an attack at a few weak guards.
"Everyone good?" Nathan asked as the remains of a few soldiers lay on the ground by a destroyed portion of floor by an explosive.
"I am."
"All is well."
"Good to go!"
"Hmph.. Don't lag behind." Angel stated as she entered another room.
"She seems a little excited to be here." Taryn remarked.
"Yeah, it's like she knows what to expect."
True to the Water-type's word, the Absol seemed to know what kind of opposition each room had. Her guesses were almost never wrong, as the specific type of Pokémon in each sector was exactly the way the Absol guessed. Aside from that, Angel even knew the best way to counter the enemies she could guess correctly.
"Even Psychic-types are incapable of doing that in a place like this." Samantha said.
"What choice do we have but to stick with her?" Benjamin stated. "It is an interesting topic, but it works to our advantage." The Shiny Glaceon added.
"Benjamin has a point." Sarah followed. "We can save why she's like that for later. For now, we need to focus on the mission."
"Yeah, we got ya."
The team followed the mercenary into the room she vanished into. There, Angel stood as cold as ever, examining a locked sliding door.
"Doesn't have any traditional locks…"
"I think I got it." Taryn walked over to a keypad next to the door. However, Benjamin jumped up to an opening near the ceiling where he climbed into a vent.
"Benjamin?" Oscar said.
"Hey, hang on, what's he…"
The Jolteon was cut off by the Ice-type eeveelution opening the door from behind.
"You're welcome." The Shiny Glaceon captain stated.
"Quite attentive." Nathan remarked. The Glaceon only nodded in reply.
"We'll split up here. We'll try to meet up two floors up." Sarah said.
"Alright. Good luck!" Taryn smiled.
"Let's go." Benjamin ordered, and he and the Fennekin took a right past the door.
"Let's keep up the pace, guys." Samantha began walking down the hallway, followed by the others.
Angel lagged behind for a moment before shaking her head and catching up to her team.
"They haven't changed much."
Angel began walking away, to the mild confusion of her allies.
"You're going alone?" Nathan queried. The Dark-type didn't repliy and kept walking until she disappeared past a corridor.
"Hm, she's an odd one."
"Stored Power!"
Taryn's attack landed a direct hit on a Venonat, knocking the Poison- and Bug-type back to the wall.
"Duck!" Oscar shouted. The whole team crouched low to avoid a powerful high velocity projectile passing right over them.
"Dammit!" The Mothim swore under his breath as he hid behind an overturned table to reload the Railgun.
"Oh no you don't!" Oscar shouted as he leapt up and fired a Water Pulse at the table, leaving the Flying-type in a confused state.
Taryn fired a Thunderbolt at the confused guard, knocking him out cold. The Railgun on the floor however, was out of ammo and it didn't seem like any more were in the immediate area.
"That would have been a good weapon to use." Nathan remarked as he picked up the heavy weapon.
"With your accuracy? Yes, it would." Samantha stated.
"If it wasn't so heavy, I'd bring this out with us."
"Hey, maybe we can find their armory or something."
"If anything, I think a layout of the whole base would be more useful." The Jolteon stated.
"Agreed, looking for key points in the base is wise." The Decidueye added.
"Then that's what we're doing."
The team of four continued down hallways, fighting off any guards that showed up and peeking into rooms containing Pokémon that were, oddly, asleep.
"Won't those guys be trying to fight us?"
"It doesn't seem like they can."
"Those doors were made of some stern stuff." Samantha remarked.
"Guys, over here!" The yellow gijinka called.
"You found something?" The Water-type asked.
"Yeah. A couple of open PCs."
"PC, so Personal and not business?"
"Yep. Wallpaper and account name says it all…" The Electric-type trailed off. The other three followed her into a medium-sized room and looked towards the seat of the Jolteon, then to the computers before her.
A Lopunny and Gardevoir gijinkas were posing for a camera, both wearing a brown and white bikini, respectively. The Jolteon didn't seem to mind it, however, it did gain the attention of the Floatzel and Braixen much more than the Decidueye.
"So why do we need to see this again?" Nathan asked.
"Ugh… At least we confirmed that these things aren't for business." Samantha remarked.
"Not exactly." Taryn said. "Check this out." The Jolteon clicked on a file on the desktop, opening a long stream of data.
"Whoa, what is this?" Oscar said quizzically.
"Something just about as scary as the three projects we know of. It was created twelve years ago, but what's in it is…" The Electric-type Eeveelution trailed off. "I'll read it out to you guys."
"Let me make sure we're clear." Nathan interrupted as he walked back to the door and used Foresight to scan the immediate area for any Pokémon nearby. "We're clear. There's just four Poochyena sleeping in a room five doors away."
"Okay. According to data from head labs, Subject F is performing quite well and is already beginning to adjust. She still resists, but is slowly becoming more and more accepting of herself- rather, the shadow process is going well. Subject F however, has been known to go into what we now term as "Reverse Mode" more often."
"Reverse mode?"
"Reverse mode is a status for Project S Pokémon, first discovered on Subject F. This is when a Pokémon begins acting oddly, (from both their original behavior and their behavior as Shadow Pokémon) fighting differently, and they even start to voice their emotions more powerfully. For example, when a Shadow Pokémon is ordered to use a regular move, they will disobey regardless of what control methods they are under. Aside from that, reverse mode causes the Pokémon to receive damage from an unknown source that actually does noticeable damage to the subjects. Subject F remarked that she could feel pain in Reverse Mode, but claimed she had no idea where it was coming from."
"That sounds… Bad." The Braixen commented.
"At least we have a slightly better idea as to who we're looking for since it's a girl." Nathan said.
"Yeah, for all we know, the escapee could be this Subject F girl we're hearing about." The lancer added. Taryn cleared her throat, gaining the others' attention again.
"Most noticeably, their eyes will give off a mild purple light while their bodies will exude an almost transparent red and black aura. Aura has not been documented in history to be visible to the eyes of the normal, which makes Reverse mode- this flaw- the latest study of Periculum."
"So… Shadow Pokémon have a flaw to them."
"There's more." The Lightning Pokémon gijinka stated. "This next part was updated just four months ago. Even today, Reverse Mode is still in the unknown- what causes it and how to deal with it are still being researched. Subject F, on the other hand, being perfected, no longer experiences Reverse Mode and serves in excavations very well."
"OK, scratch that. Little miss F isn't the escapee."
"Yeah, she's still with Periculum."
"That's kinda scary…"
"Taryn, you are downloading this, right?"
"Yep. Started the download of every useful thing they have as soon as I started reading." She replied.
"Alright, good… Now we have a little more to go about with this."
"Wanna finish this last part up?" Taryn asked. "This is where it really gets scary. It's about the other one with that F girl."
"Well, let's hear it."
"For all we know, our target could be here."
"Well, the info might lead us to them." Taryn said. "Ahem… With the escape of Subject A, our efforts to cover up any traces of Project S and to find her are the main things making us all active. Subject A should theoretically be quite volatile right now, and perhaps already killed a few street Pokémon around the area. With the data we've collected from Subject F, the other lower-tier Shadow Pokémon, and Reverse mode, we've predicted that Subject A would enter Reverse mode much more often than not, which would make her easy to spot in a crowd."
"Hm, makes sense."
"Carrying on, it turns out that Subject A blends in with crowds very well. Not a single report of any Pokémon going on emotional outbursts and throwing up shadowy spikes from the ground to decimate those who stand in her path."
"Yeesh, I'm glad there aren't any."
"The absolute last part of this topic was updated three years ago." Taryn said. "With the years that have gone by, Subject F's perfection, Project S' success, and plans to start a project that will create type-changing Pokémon from DNA samples, we've all but given up hope of locating Subject A. She's still in the nation, but by now, she must have adapted very well to keep off our radars and sights. It also doesn't help that the mountain dwellers up in the northeast and down towards the southeast have returned to mainland Driasia, making Subject A just that much more difficult to find in a crowd of suspects."
"Mountain dwellers?"
"So her species must be something that lives in the mountain."
"Lots of Flying-, Ice-, Rock-, Ground-, and Steel-type could be suspects…" Oscar said.
"They didn't elaborate on her species at all?" Samantha asked. The Jolteon sighed.
"In the event of any disaster, the details concerning Subject A are not to be spoken of anywhere, except by word of mouth with the President's or Subject F's approvals."
"Wait, they report to F now?"
"Hang on… Didn't their president have a right-hand Pokémon who does really, really well in missions?"
"You're not saying…"
"We need to find the General. Only he and the other leaders can confirm our suspicions."
"Subject F… Periculum's second-in-command…"
A grunt escaped Angel's lips as she cut down a Nidorina. Her blade tossed the Poison-type's defeated form to a large group of fallen Periculum soldiers.
"Is that it…?" the Absol mused as she strode forward, a certain elegance surrounded her steps. She then clutched her head and looked towards a large group of soldiers headed her way.
"Hmph… I figured I'd need release sooner or later…"
"Stop right there!"
"Fools." Angel stated as she charged a large Shadow Ball and threw it at her enemies. Using the opening, she blasted down the cameras and rushed the soldiers with a blade coated in jet black energy.
"Oh, shit!"
"You'll wish you never signed up for this." Angel stated as fear etched itself into the eyes of the soldiers, reflecting a mass of destructive power about to stab them from below.
"Shite."
Benjamin and Sarah both took cover behind sandbags as a couple of Periculum guards approached them with a light machine gun and a shotgun.
Gunfire rained down on them from across the hallway. The sound of bullets passing by and striking the wall sounded loudly in the ears of the Shiny Glaceon and the Fennekin hiding behind the sandbags.
"Bloody 'ell, the suppression from those automatic weapons are greater than a single musket shot!" The Fresh Snow exclaimed.
"I know. We need to find an opening!" The Fire-type replied.
"Hold on, I have an idea."
The Shiny Glaceon tossed an older Flashbang model through the corridor. Shortly after, the shooting stopped, leaving a pair of blinded and deafened guards standing with an L86 LSW and a USAS-12.
"Now!" Benjamin ordered.
He and Sarah popped out of cover and shot the guards down with their pistols, knocking them out. The duo moved up immediately and hid behind the next set of sandbags next to the downed guards.
Plenty of footsteps ring throughout the halls, signaling the approach of many soldiers. The footsteps stop, causing Benjamin to peek from behind cover.
At the end of the T-intersection were a large group of soldiers armed with M4 Carbines, AK-47s, M16s, MP7s, and in one case, a SPAS-12.
"Their weapons are too advanced for our pistols!" Sarah shouted as Benjamin ducked his head to avoid a few 7.62 and 5.56 rounds from hitting his skull.
The Glaceon looked around, finding nothing that could help them. Except…
"Wait, those two guns over there!" The Ice-type stated.
"On it." Sarah stated as her psychokinesis, albeit very weak due to her species, pulled the LSW and USAS closer to the duo.
Benjamin peeked out one more time, this time exposing more of himself. He had to get down instantly or else he would have been shot by the barrage of large bullets and the 12-gauge buckshot shells.
"Here!" Sarah yelled as she tossed the LMG over to Benjamin while she took the USAS-12.
Benjamin took the weapon and peeked out with it. The soldiers on the other side were all reloading, but the shotgunner managed to get a shell in the midst of reloading, forcing the Glaceon back down.
Benjamin instantly took the opportunity to apply force to the trigger as he aimed it down. However, he ducked back behind cover when he found the weapon's recoil was too much to handle.
The soldiers were all reloaded and ready to fire again, seemingly unfazed by the few bullets sent by the LSW.
"Watch out, Sarah. Your gun might have severe recoil like mine. Magic cast."
The Fennekin nodded and cast a spell onto her weapon. The Fresh Snow gijinka did the same, causing a faint orange aura to surround the weapon before it dissipated.
"I hope this thing ain't a piece of turd." The duo said as they prepared to fire. At lightning speed due to a speed spell, Benjamin deployed the bipod on the sandbags and applied pressure to the trigger.
The machine gun let loose a storm of bullets down on the opponents, while the shotgun in Sarah's hands sent out 12-gauge buckshot pellets flying at the soldiers.
In the next instant, every single soul standing at the end of the hallway got mowed down by MG fire and shotgun fire. Their bodies were bruised and badly torn from the gunfire. A small amount of blood made itself present around the bodies of the defeated soldiers.
The duo both slowly stood up, looking at the enemies, then to each other, then to the weapons, and repeated this five times. Afterwards, they exchanged glances again and opened their mouths to speak.
"I think we found a new toy." They both said in unison with big smiles. More footsteps were approaching, but as soon as the Periculum soldiers appeared, 12-gauge pellets found themselves striking down the soldiers knocking them out from the force of many pellets from four shells.
"Ho… Ly… Shit…" Sarah mused as she took in the weapon in her hands with a look of pure amusement.
"I like this." Benjamin stated with a big grin as he ran to the intersection and took cover behind the wall.
Bullets flew past the captain and when it stopped, he returned fire with the enchanted recoilless LSW.
Within nanoseconds, the eight soldiers standing at the end of the hallway were reduced to a bunch of injured gijinkas. Benjamin and Sarah both headed over to them, only to find something interesting at the end.
A room filled to the brim with expensive weaponry, including riot shields and other ammo types.
"Is that…" Benjamin trailed off.
"…The motherload?" Sarah questioned The two exchanged glances and sped for the armory.
Inside the armory were AA-12 shotguns, Striker shotguns, AK-47s with GP-25 Grenade launchers, 12-gauge frag shots, Barrett .50 CAL rifles, UMP45 SMGs, M60E4s, more USAS-12s and L86 LSWs, ACRs, M14 EBRs, Python revolvers, M1911s, USP.45s, Riot Shields, RPGs, bazookas, War Machines, and even a railgun hanging from the ceiling.
"We're going to need to mark this place."
"Okay, last place we probably haven't marked yet is up ahead!" Taryn exclaimed, leading the way for her group. Samantha let loose a quick Shock Wave, zapping the Bunnelby in front of Taryn as well as charging up the Jolteon's next Thunderbolt.
"Your cue, Taryn!" Oscar shouted as he used a Double Hit with his spear to send a Koffing back before he could release poisonous fumes.
"We've got you covered!" Nathan added as his arrows took down a Pinsir before it could run in with an X-Scissor.
"Thanks. Now, time for a sweet shock!"
The Electric-type hacker's Thunderbolt tore away at all the opponents before them, leaving a clear path for the Resistance team to follow.
"Let's move!"
As the group approached a door, they went cautious at the sound of steel mashing against steel. The group stepped into the room, ready to fire their moves.
What they found was a certain gijinka clad in white trading blows with a Honedge. She was overpowering the Ghost- and Steel-type with just regular strikes, not even needing her super-effective Night Slash.
The sound of swords clashing stopped as Angel managed to cut down the opposing Honedge down with a Night Slash.
"Where have you been?"
"Hmph..." Angel took a deep breath and blinked before replying. "Dealing with some soldiers."
Another wave of enemies interrupted the team as they prepared to shoot them down. However, they only smirked as they took aim.
"Alright, now to move on the rest of these guys!"
As the Periculum soldiers prepared to shoot down the main cast, a door to the right side of the room opened up. In an instant, several well placed 7.62x51mm rounds took down every single enemy the crew were about to face.
The group stayed alert, but relaxed slightly when they saw Benjamin and Sarah come out, both wielding M14 EBRs with M1911s strapped to them aside from their flintlock and wheel lock pistols.
"Whoa, where'd you find those?" Nathan asked.
"From the armory two rooms behind us." Benjamin stated.
"Did you know they even have a fully loaded railgun in there?" Sarah said.
"Those weapons will be a fine addition to the Resistance." Ethan stated as he casually walked in with his two gigantic swords about twice the length and width of the Buster Sword (because though I do use real life statistics, this is still a fantasy/fiction at some point). The Golisopod general sheathed the weapons to his back and smiled. "So two rooms to the right?"
"Of course."
"I'll have the others pick them up. We've already scrounged through the first half of the building. Intel is being uploaded to the internet and to HQ. Other supplies are already being looted." The general explained as he walked towards the armory."
"Kinda makes you wonder why we still use spears and swords." Oscar mused.
"Holy fucking shitballs!" Ethan's voice rang from the corridor. "I'm in heaven!" The older gijinka shouted.
"The five of you should go ahead and look into the room as well." Benjamin suggested.
"And if you want, take your pick." Sarah added.
"No thank you, I'm happy with my claws and my moves." Taryn answered.
"I'm not much of a gunner myself…" Samantha added.
"Well… I'm not missing out on opportunity... Especially to get myself a railgun!" The Decidueye stated as he rushed over to the armory, followed by a curious Oscar.
"Hm… I'm fine with my blade." Angel remarked.
"What the hell is with all this beauty!?" The owl archer's voice rang through the corridor.
"SHOTGUN!" Oscar yelled.
"They sure sound happy." Samantha remarked.
"Now I know what I sound like when I find the computer room…" Taryn mumbled. She, along with Samantha giggled and peeked past a corner to see the armory.
In the room full of weapons, Oscar was holding a SPAS-12 and grabbing yellow boxes of 12-gauge frag shells, Nathan took the railgun and scoured for ammo, while Ethan simply stood still, obviously unable to move from the beauty before his eyes.
"This is essentially the equivalent of pirates finding a mountain made of gold." Benjamin remarked.
"Hmph. When they're done toying around, we move forward." Angel stated as she walked over to a table to polish her broadsword.
A bunch of explosions sounded in the hallway, forcing a group of Water-type Resistance Pokémon to stop in their tracks as the Periculum soldiers blew up, for lack of a better term.
"Shotguns that explode." Oscar said. "Shotguns. That. Explode." The Floatzel grinned from ear to ear as he dashed into the corner to take out the Pokémon. However, the Floatzel lowered his weapon when he found his allies there.
"Where did you get that!?" A Ducklett asked.
"Armory, one floor down, center room." Nathan said as he appeared with a railgun in hand.
"Ethan should be there with a few others. Feel free to grab what you want." Taryn added as she showed up alongside Benjamin, Sarah, Samantha, and Angel.
Footsteps were heard behind the Pokémon. Nathan instantly turned 180o and fired a shot from his weapon. The projectile tore the air around it and exploded on impact with the Periculum soldiers, painting the walls with some blood.
"Ah… That feels good." The owl archer remarked.
"No kidding. That looks OP as hell." Samantha commented.
"Hang in there, Austyn!"
Vivi ran down the corridor alone as her allies fought off a large wave of Periculum soldiers behind her. The Gorebyss ran past a door that took her to a long staircase going down.
"Bottom floor."
The South Sea Pokémon ran down the stairs. She ignored the many doors with numbers telling of which floor they led to or what room they led to, and headed straight for the bottom.
"YEAH!"
The Periculum soldiers screamed as fire torched them. Before them stood Ethan wielding one of his swords in his left hand and using a Striker shotgun loaded with incendiary rounds.
"It's been fun." The General stated as he holstered the shotgun onto one of his sword's sheaths and drew the next one. "But I still prefer to use these!"
The Golisopod dashed forward at high speed and struck down a Sealeo with First Impression. The Water- and Ice-type stood back up and threw up a Protect, giving his allies behind him the time to throw a white gem into the air that exploded in a Heal Bell, curing the other soldiers of the burns.
More soldiers arrived on the scene, pointing spears, bows, and guns at the general. The Hard Scale Pokémon simply chuckled in response.
"Do you know who you're dealing with, sirs?" Ethan queried. The Water- and Bug-type Resistance leader threw a quick Focus Blast at the opponents, blocking a Shadow Ball, Energy Ball, and a Sludge Bomb.
Ethan instantly stretched his arms to create a Wide Guard that protected him from the Heat Wave thrown by a Growlithe.
Before the soldiers could react, the Golisopod was upon them in a Sucker Punch. Right after smacking down the Sealeo, he swung his massive blades at the opponents, sending them down with cries of agony from the sharpness and weight of the swords.
"This never gets old!" Ethan laughed as he cut his way through more Periculum Pokémon, headed for a large, well defended room.
Austyn observed the strange box creaking and shaking as the scientists continued to operate the devices in the room.
The other door swung open, revealing a pink Water-type gijinka looking around the room frantically.
"Intruder!" The Munna up in the control room yelled.
"I'll take her on! Finish this up!" The Rhydon stated as he rushed down the stairs to face against Vivian.
"Austyn!" Vivian called. The Gorebyss threw up a Barrier to reduce the damage from the Rhydon's Stone Edge.
"Dammit!"
The Water-type fired off a Hydro Pump, sending the Rhydon back to the wall in a knocked out heap in just one hit.
"That was a strong Hydro Pump… I suppose I will have to deal with her." The Frillish giggled as she vanished and reappeared before Vivian.
"Stay out of my way…!" Vivian shouted as she created a burst of psychokinetic force and sent it flying towards the Frillish. The Water- and Ghost-type cast a Protect to keep the move from doing any damage.
"Now, little girl… Fall prey to my poison~" The Floating Pokémon hurled a purple cloud of poison at the Gorebyss.
Vivian dodged the move with a twirl and shot back a Signal Beam at the scientist.
The Frillish took the hit with modest damage, but shook off the pain and created an Ominous Wind to strike back.
The move hit home but didn't do much damage. However, Vivian noticed the Frillish glow red, green, purple, yellow, and blue all at once for just a moment.
"Hee-hee, it looks like that move raised my power~" The Frillish mused. She then shot a zigzagging beam of red at the Gorebyss, causing the Elite to scream in pain from the super-effective move.
Vivian fought back the pain and attempted another Psychic, but the move missed its mark as the Frillish's speed was too much for her.
When she turned, she found a knife stabbing her torso. The Gorebyss grunted in pain and stepped back, only to be slashed across the face with the blade.
"That's enough."
The Frillish turned in time to see an Aurora Beam hit her face. She shook the move off but lost her physical attacking power.
The Water- and Ghost-type turned to see the attacker, only to find a Vaporeon wearing the same emblems as Vivian.
"Oh, do you want to play too?" The Frillish queried before shooting another Ominous Wind.
Austyn melted into water to avoid the move and then cloned himself with Double Team as soon as he rematerialized from Acid Armor.
"Pick on someone your own size." The Elite Team Vaporeon stated as he rushed the Frillish with an Iron Tail. The move connected with the Frillish's knife, but the defendant struggled to keep up the pressure against a much more powerful strike.
Austyn turned to do a kick, sending the Frillish back a couple of meters and giving Vivian enough time to blow an Icy Wind at the opponent, reducing the speed stat.
"How dare you…" The Frillish groaned and aimed another Absorb at the Vaporeon and Gorebyss.
Austyn's double team vanished, allowing two more clones to rush with another Iron Tail. The Frillish hovered up further to narrowly avoid it, but was met with a Psychic, sending her to the ground.
"Ugh… I concede defeat." The Frillish mused as she vanished into thin air.
"This is bad!" The Piloswine stated. "Now I recognize those emblems! Those two are part of the Water-type Elite Team in the Resistance!"
"Well then, we'll simply have to release Lancer to the field early." The Munna said.
"No, finish it up! I'll be their next opponent." The Ariados said as he crawled down the stairs and fired Toxic Threads at the duo.
Vivian and Austyn evaded the move with ease and fired a criscrossing Signal Beam and Aurora Beam at the Ariados.
The Bug-type jumped to dodge and let loose more Toxic Threads, forcing the two Water-types to evade.
"Lancer is at 88%!" The Piloswine exclaimed as he burst open one of the windows to throw Icicle Spears at the two Water-types.
"Vivi, cover us!" Austyn ordered. The Gorebyss moved to his side and threw up a Barrier to keep away the projectiles, allowing the Vaporeon to create a massive wave of water to swamp the Ariados below and nick the Piloswine in the leg.
"You idiot, of the computer gets soaked-!" The Munna shouted as she threw up a Light Screen to cover the control room. "Lancer only needs a few more seconds!"
"This is bad." Vivian mused.
"We need to get out of here and warn the others…" Austyn said.
"Why, what is this 'Lancer' that they're talking about?"
"A refined Project F Pokémon."
The metal box crackled with electricity before bursting open, letting a tall Pokémon fall out into the water. The impact of the gijinka hitting the ground underwater caused the room to shake very slightly.
"It's done…" The Piloswine mumbled.
"Argh… Now we need to escape." The Ariados groaned and stood up before crawling up the wall to the control room.
"I'll teleport us… Now hurry."
"Wait for me!" The Rhydon yelled as he managed to get into the control room in time to be teleported away.
"Darn it…" Austyn said. "Vivi, go. I'll keep him busy!"
"But Austyn…"
The Bubble Jet Pokémon gijinka sighed.
"Fine, RUN!"
The duo instantly made their way to the left hand door of the room. They sealed it before continuing up the stairs while relaying details of the base to one another.
Back at the "exit" room, a large figure emerged from the water, carrying a gigantic spear almost twice the size of its own 6'1 height.
The figure's evil eyes were positioned a little oddly for a gijinka- leaning more to the sides of the head, but still nearby the normal place. Heavy armor plates covered its body, armor that looked thicker and tougher than even Ethan's armor. Three wing like appendages extended from either side of the gijinka's back, while a tough and powerful tail extended from the lower back. Accents of yellow and black decorated the grayish blue armor, and the Pokémon's arms had heavy, sharp plates meant for slicing and stabbing coupled with the spear.
The Pokémon paused for a moment and took a deep breath before breaking down the massive vault door with a swing from his spear.
"What the hell, who is that!?"
"He doesn't look very friendly."
"Maybe because I'm not, scum." The Armaldo roared and fired an Ancientpower at the Resistance Pokémon.
Again, very sorry that this is late! I'm studying for a couple of quizzes right now and organizing my things. Plus, there's been long assignments lately.
Oh, yeah, Austyn mentioned earlier that Periculum knew they were infiltrating. So far, it doesn't look like it, does it? You'll find out what exactly he means in a couple of chapters or so.
As you can probably guess, Project F took obvious inspiration from a certain series. But I'll have you know that the President didn't commission this one.
I hope you'll find this chapter enjoyable. Since I want to get this up now, I'll end these notes here.
7-22-2017 Update:
Yes, I am indeed aware that this update is short. And given my busy schedule, I don't have as much progress on Chapter thirteen as I would like.
But I'll give it my all to try to upload the next chapter before Saturday next week. Currently working on planning an interview and a report with a couple of groups, tho.
I can't think of much else. I'll update again when I do.