"Mega-Ventures of Remnant"
Chapter 21: Present 14: The Great Thief
Last time, with Ruby and Blake stopping Hei Xiong and the White Fang grunts from a heist made from inside the Grimm City Game Corner until Blake went out of sight, and with Yang clearing off of the area until things are clear, Ruby, now pulling off of Jaune in the ear, sets out of her sights while teaching Jaune a lesson for not risking a life from another problem caused.
Outside Grimm City, 11:06pm
Risking
"Ruby, you can let go now," said Jaune.
"I'm not risking you for that, Jaune," said Ruby, letting go of Jaune's ear before teaching him a lesson. "Come to your senses; think before you act."
"Okay. I promise not to borrow any lien."
"Lesson learned. Let's find a place to rest."
Jaune shook his head as he and Ruby find a place to rest for several hours until they wake up in the morning.
White Fang Secret HQ: Boss' Main Room, 8:02am
A Pitiful Consequence
Torchwick arrived at the secret headquarters of the White Fang. His stomach was tying itself up in knots at the thought of having to confront the boss after his consistent failures due to that trainer in red who kept constantly showing up at the worst possible times. People who messed up in the White Fang weren't simply fired; the boss made sure they suffered a worse fate than that. As he approached the door leading to his boss' office, for the first time in his life, he crossed his heart and prayed to Arceus for a minimal punishment.
He slowly opened the door and saw the boss' chair turned to the back window. Torchwick was somewhat relieved he didn't have to see the look on his boss' face as he pleaded his case.
"Hello boss," said Torchwick, legs shaking as he walked up to the boss' desk. "Look, I realize how incredibly mad you must be at me for not getting your jobs done, considering I'm the Second in Command of the White Fang and all. I shouldn't have an excuse for my shortcomings, but believe me, I have a very valid reason for performing less than expected."
The boss gave no response to Torchwick. The longer the boss remained silent, the faster Torchwick's heart began to beat.
"You see, there's this trainer, and even though her skills are relatively amateur compared to mine, she seems to have some kind of uncanny luck on her side! I swear if I was able to just face her normally, I can get rid of her no problem! Also, keep in mind that the grunts are just as much at fault as I am! So really, none of this is really my fault! So will you please just turn around and...well...forgive me?"
"...BWA ha ha ha ha!" said a voice behind the chair. Torchwick was dumbfounded; the voice wasn't of his boss, but rather of some smug teenager. "If I knew I'd get to see the Second in Command grovel in fear, I would have recorded this!"
"Wait a minute! You're not the boss!"
Torchwick grabbed the chair and turned it around, revealing the cocky silver-haired boy laughing at Torchwick's plight. Torchwick was familiar was this kid, and was even less pleased to meet him than the boss.
"Mercury! What are you doing here?"
8:04am
Enter Mercury Black
"I dunno," said Mercury, leaning back and placing his feet on the desk. "Cinder said she wanted Emerald and I to meet her here."
"Oh jeez, that brat is here as well?"
"Brat you say?" said a voice by the door. Torchwick sighed and turned to see the green-haired girl he hated even more than Mercury. "At least I know how to stay on my boss' good side."
8:05am
Enter Emerald Sustrai
"Yeah, by being the teacher's pet."
"Oooh!" said Mercury. "You tell her Roman!"
"Go ahead, let it all out," said Emerald. "Once Cinder arrives, I'm fairly certain this will be the last time I'll have to see either of you ever again."
"What did I do?" asked Mercury.
"More like what don't you do? You've been falling behind on your assignments as well, Mercury."
"Because they're BORING! I didn't join this place just to go around finding Pokémon like you losers."
"Hey, I do more than just find Pokémon!" said Torchwick.
"Like what? Make coffee?"
"I bet he can't even do that right," said Emerald.
"Do you know who you kids are talking to?" yelled Torchwick. "I am the White Fang's Second in Command, and if you don't start showing me the respect I deserve I'm going to-"
"You'll be doing nothing," said a sultry yet stern voice entering the office.
8:06am
Enter Cinder Fall
Torchwick's spine froze as he recognized the voice of his actual boss; the voice of an older woman wearing a long red dress and black heels. Despite appearing to be just a regular, beautiful looking woman, those in the know recognized her as Cinder Fall, the mastermind of Remnant's most notorious group of Pokémon criminals.
"Hello Miss Cinder," greeted Emerald, standing tall and saluting her boss. Torchwick quickly tried to do the same thing, causing Emerald to smirk as Torchwick tried to emulate the "teacher's pet." Mercury on the other hand simply sat where he was.
"Yo," greeted Mercury, giving Cinder a two-finger salute.
"Mercury, off!" yelled Cinder. Cinder rarely, if ever, had patience for her underlings' antics. Mercury got up and stood by Torchwick and Emerald.
"So boss," said Mercury, "what's the big occasion? Are we throwing a farewell party for Roman?"
"Maybe the party is for you!" replied Torchwick.
"Oh snap, what a comeback. How can I possibly top that one?"
"Enough!" said Cinder, slamming her fist on the desk. The pounding of her desk nearly caused Torchwick to jump out of his boots. Mercury simply rolled his eyes at how cowardly Torchwick was of Cinder.
8:08am
Miserable Judgment
"Now on to the matter at hand; Torchwick, time and time again you continue to come up short on your endeavors. I expect better from someone who brags about being the master of Pokémon crime."
"Yes boss," said Torchwick.
"Tell me, why exactly are you not performing the way I expect you to?"
"I have no excuse."
"He got his butt kicked by some girl," replied Mercury. If he wasn't in Cinder's presence right now, Torchwick would swing his cane and knock Mercury out for tattling on him.
"Some girl?" said Cinder. "Explain yourself Torchwick!"
Cinder sent out Houndoom from her Poké Ball. "Houndoom, Snarl that failure of a fool."
Under Cinder's command, Houndoom Snarled at Torchwick, releasing violet-and-black soundwaves, nearly scaring him to death.
Torchwick swallowed some air and tried to find his voice as he froze his spine from the chilling roar from his boss' Houndoom's Snarl attack. "S-see, there's this trainer...I think she's about 15-years-old? She just happens to show up and somehow ruin my plans. But it isn't just her! Sometimes she has this scrawny blonde friend and this mysterious ninja friend who also show up and-"
Houndoom growled at Torchwick, making him stop his explanation to its owner.
"I've heard enough," said Cinder. "Either this trainer is secretly a powerful threat to our organization, or you are really terrible at handling such weak opposition."
"I vote the latter!" remarked Mercury.
"Which is why from this point on, I'm assigning the two of them to go with you."
Upon dropping that bombshell, the trio across from Cinder all had the same reaction of shock and disgust at having to suddenly work together.
8:11am
Dysfunctional Teamwork
"Oh come on!" said Mercury. "I have to work with stupid and bratty?"
"Miss Cinder," said Emerald, "I never question your decisions, but I am NOT working with these useless buffoons!"
"You really think these two pests are going to help me?" asked Torchwick.
"Let me make one thing perfectly clear," said Cinder sternly as she petted her Houndoom in the head. "I don't care how much the three of you hate each other. Roman, you will be working with Mercury and Emerald until I feel you deserve to go out on your own again. As for the two of you, I don't care how much of a chore you think it is; if any one of you screw up your assignment, I'm placing the blame on all three of you."
Hearing that last statement caused Emerald to groan mildly while looking over at Mercury and Torchwick. She knew those two would eventually screw up whatever assignment Cinder gave them. She was essentially going to play babysitter for these fools.
"Now, I want the three of you to seek out this little trainer that Torchwick has so much trouble dealing with and make sure she never becomes a nuisance again. Understood?"
"Yes Miss Cinder!" said Emerald.
"Whatever," said Mercury.
"I assure you that this time, I won't screw up," said Torchwick.
"Torchwick, make sure you don't screw up again," warned Cinder. "Or, you'll suffer from my Houndoom's Snarl. Get it done, or else."
"I promise I won't screw it up this time."
As Torchwick and Mercury went outside HQ as they left Emerald with Cinder, Emerald talked to Cinder.
8:14am
Enter Cinder's Houndoom
"Miss Cinder, is that your Houndoom?" asked Emerald.
"Yes," answered Cinder. "I raised my Houndoom, and as a Houndour, I taught him some strong moves like Snarl, and petted him for days."
"Is he a stray dog?"
"Yes; I raised him to become a savage canine capable of having high-intelligence by learning special attacks such as Snarl, Dark Pulse, Overheat, and more."
"And where's the Key Stone you need to Mega Evolve Houndoom?"
"It's the "Mega Anklet," worn in the shin of my right leg. I have the Houndoominite from its owner."
Seeing Cinder's Key Stone made Emerald nod before answering solemnly.
"I understood. I'm going with those two."
"Good luck, and tell Torchwick not to screw up."
Hearing Cinder's answer caused Emerald to shake her head solemnly before heading outside in HQ.
Ten hours later at Route 5, 8:16am
Searching for the City
After ten hours of sleep, Ruby, Eevee, and Jaune woke up in order to set their sights in the next location.
"According to the Pokédex, Lazuli City is about three miles from here," said Ruby. "We should be able to get there before the sun sets, and then I'll challenge for the badge that night. We'll be halfway to the Pokémon League in no time Eevee!"
"[Yay!]" chirped Eevee.
"I'm not sure we'll get there by today," said Jaune. As they were walking down the route, Jaune was looking every which way and keeping his hand near his belt containing his Pokémon, as if he was expecting something to happen.
"What are you doing Jaune?"
"What else? Looking out for any potential attacks by the White Fang!"
"Jaune, I doubt we're suddenly going to get jumped by the White Fang out in the open like this."
"Really? Because it seems like anywhere we go, Torchwick and the White Fang just happen to be around. It's almost like they're following us on purpose!"
"Or maybe it's because with a criminal organization as expansive as them, it's just coincidental we constantly run into them."
"So you think it's just a coincidence that...they're right over there!" yelled Jaune, pointing to a nearby bush on the side of the road. Ruby walked over to the bush and found nothing.
"Did you seriously see something here?"
"Actually, I thought if I pretended I saw them, they would jump out and reveal themselves."
"Jaune, I'm glad you're trying to stay alert, but relax. We've kicked Torchwick's butt several times now. If and when he comes after us, I'll be more than ready to deal with him."
Jaune kept glancing towards the trees and bushes on the side of the road as they continued their trek to the next city. Every time Jaune heard a rustle, he would turn to see if anything was going to come out. At one point he could have sworn he heard something jump from out of a tree; he turned to see the tree's branches shaking slightly, but no sign of anyone nearby.
"Is it me or is that tree moving suspiciously?"
"Probably just the wind, Jaune."
Right after Ruby said that, the both of them heard a loud rustling in a nearby tree, too loud to have been caused by wind. Jaune immediately grabbed one of his Poké Balls, ready to throw it at a moment's notice.
"This time I know something is watching us! Whoever is out there, show yourself!"
8:18am
Enter the Three Stalking Monkeys
Eevee jumped in front of Ruby and got ready to fight whoever was stalking them. Out of the tree above came a little green monkey with big green hair to greet them.
"Oh, it's just a harmless little Pokémon," said Ruby. Ruby took out her Pokédex to learn about the new Pokémon.
Pansage
Grass Monkey Pokémon
It shares the leaf on its head with weary-looking Pokémon. These leaves are known to relieve stress.
Abilities: Gluttony, Overgrow (Hidden Ability)
Height: 2'00"/0.6m
Weight: 23.1lbs./10.5kg.
Shortly afterwards, two more monkeys came down from the tree. One looked red with swirly hair, while the other looked blue with poofy hair. Ruby first scanned the red monkey, then the blue monkey.
Pansear
High Temp Pokémon
Very intelligent, it roasts berries before eating them. It likes to help people.
Abilities: Gluttony, Blaze (Hidden Ability)
Height: 2'00"/0.6m
Weight: 24.3lb./11.0kg.
Panpour
Spray Pokémon
The water stored inside the tuft on its head is full of nutrients. It waters plants with it using its tail.
Abilities: Gluttony, Torrent (Hidden Ability)
Height: 2'00"/0.6m
Weight: 29.8lb./13.5kg.
"A Grass, a Fire, and a Water type all in one place," said Ruby. "If I can capture them all, I'll definitely have a more balanced team. Get ready Eevee!"
"Eevee!" confirmed Eevee, ready to start the battle. Instead of getting into a fighting stance, the Pansage walked up to Eevee and held out a berry for her.
"Pan Pan!" said the Pansage, smiling as he gave Eevee his berry. Ruby was semi-confused as to what the Pansage was doing.
"Hey Penny, what is this Pansage doing?"
"The Pan Trio Monkeys are known to be very friendly to Pokémon and trainers," explained Penny. "Rather than fight, they will usually offer berries and help others despite being total strangers."
"Well that's sure nice of them," said Ruby. Eevee ate the berry and was delighted for the treat. The Pansage then went up to Ruby and offered her a berry as well. "Thank you Pansage!"
The other two monkeys went up to Jaune to offer him berries as well. Despite their generosity, Jaune was still a bit suspicious about them. "I don't know about this Ruby. What if this is some kind of elaborating setup?"
"Jaune, do you really think the White Fang would try to attack us by giving us free berries?"
"I guess not," said Jaune. Jaune bent down to take the berries from the monkeys; as soon as he did; the Pansear jumped up and got on Jaune's back.
"Pan Pan!" said Pansear, raising his arm in victory. The Panpour and Pansage turned to Pansear and cheered with him.
"What is it doing now?" asked Jaune.
"Looks like they're playing with you," said Ruby. The other monkeys soon jumped up on Jaune, causing him to fall on his back. Ruby and Eevee laughed at the monkeys having a good time. Jaune was starting to enjoy it as well; until they started to tug at his backpack.
"Okay guys, that's enough monkeying around. Time for the three of you to go home." Jaune tried to get up, but the monkeys started to pull on his backpack, causing Jaune to lose his patience. "C'mon guys, knock it off!"
"PAN!" yelled the monkeys, pulling as hard as they could to rip the backpack off of Jaune. The three of them grabbed the backpack and started running away.
"Hey, come back here!" yelled Ruby, chasing after them with Eevee. The Pansear turned around and shot a Flame Burst, causing Ruby and Eevee to stop in their tracks as the trio ran into the forest with Jaune's belongings.
8:23am
The "Pan" Chase
"I knew those monkeys were up to no good!" yelled Jaune.
"I'm really sorry Jaune," said Ruby. "But why would three random Pokémon just come up and take our stuff like that?"
"They have to be working for the White Fang! I just know it!"
"You might be right; those wild monkeys might actually belong to someone. Eevee, can you pick up their scent?"
"[Look!]" nodded Eevee.
"Then let's go nab some thieves."
As Jaune got up and followed Ruby, he patted his pockets to make sure he wasn't missing anything valuable. On the side of his belt was his Pokémon, and started to freak out when he realized he only had two Pokémon on him.
"Oh no," said Jaune.
"What's wrong Jaune?"
"I left one of my Pokémon in my backpack!"
"Do you know which one?"
"Let's see; this one belongs to Raticate, and this one should be Steelix, so..."
Route 5 Forest, 8:24am
Enter the Thieved Stranger
In the middle of the forest, a trainer in denim shorts and an unbuttoned white shirt was hanging upside down from a branch, waiting for his team to arrive with food for his growling stomach.
"I knew I should have stolen that guy's lunch when I had the chance," lamented the trainer.
"Pan Pan Pan!" yelled the monkey trio. The trainer looked down and saw his friends arrive with a backpack. The trainer smiled and jumped down below.
"All right, what did you guys find?" asked the monkey trainer. The trio emptied the backpack that was full of snacks and canned goods; the trainer was ecstatic to finally get his hands on real human food. "Jackpot! Although I kind of feel bad for the guy we stole it from. Oh well, a man's gotta eat!"
As the trainer started digging into the food he found, he didn't notice the Poké Ball he moved aside. The Poké Ball started shaking and out popped Jaune's Snorlax.
"Snorlax!" greeted Snorlax. The monkeys and their trainer turned to see their uninvited guest.
"Uh oh," said the trainer. "Looks like we accidentally took one of their Pokémon."
"[I'm hungry!]" said Snorlax, pounding his stomach.
"Hey there big guy, need something?"
Snorlax walked over to the trainer's stolen buffet and tried to eat one of the snacks; the trainer grabbed it out of Snorlax's hand before Snorlax could eat it.
"Sorry dude, but we're pretty starved as it is. You're on your own."
"[I'm hungry!]" yelled Snorlax, stomping his foot.
"Look pal, what part of 'you're on your own' do you not understand? Take a hike before I decide to stop being nice!"
Angry that this stranger was denying him food, Snorlax grabbed the trainer by his shirt and growled. The monkeys broke Snorlax's grip and got between their trainer and him, ready to fight off Snorlax.
Back to Route 5, 8:27am
Finding the Scent
Ruby and Jaune kept following Eevee as she followed the monkeys' trail. Jaune was rubbing his arms worrying about what was happening with Snorlax.
"Don't worry Jaune," said Ruby. "I'm sure Snorlax is safe."
"It's not Snorlax I'm worried about," said Jaune. "I'm worried about the guy who is going to deal with a hungry, crying giant. I just hope Snorlax doesn't eat them before we get there."
Just then, they heard a nearby trainer scream towards where Eevee was leading them. The three of them quickly ran through the forest towards the source of the scream.
Route 5 Forest, 8:28am
A Strange Encounter
Once they arrived at the scene, they were shocked to see what was going on. The Snorlax was sitting down with the Pansage's head in his mouth like he was going to eat him; the Pansage was trying to pull itself free. The other monkeys and their trainer were trying to hit Snorlax to get him to release Pansage, but Snorlax refused.
"My Pansage isn't food!" yelled the monkey's trainer. He was trying to punch Snorlax in the gut, but Snorlax didn't feel a thing from the punches. "Unhand him you glutton!"
"Snorlax, spit out that Pokémon!" commanded Jaune. Snorlax spat out the Pansage, mortified about being covered in Snorlax saliva. Snorlax turned to Jaune and started moaning, rubbing his stomach to show Jaune how hungry he was getting. "It's okay boy, I know how hungry you get. As soon as I find another berry tree, you'll be fed in no time."
"Thanks for your help," said the trainer. "We'll just be on our way now." The four of them turned around to hightail it out of there.
"Not so fast!" said Ruby, getting herself in front of the trainer.
"Man, you run really fast. Ever thought about being a thief?"
"You've got five seconds to start explaining why you stole my friend's stuff before I get my Pokémon to teach you a lesson!"
"All right, sorry! I haven't eaten real food in like two days and I was getting desperate! As soon as I was done, I was going to give your friend back his stuff, I swear! We cool?"
"Yeah...I guess. What's your name anyway?"
"Sun Wukong, wandering trainer from Vacuo."
8:30am
Enter Sun Wukong
"Ruby Rose, wandering trainer from Vale." Ruby shook Sun's hand while Jaune was collecting his stuff back.
"Jaune Arc, also of Vale," said Jaune.
"Again, I'm sorry about stealing your stuff," said Sun. "I swear I was only going to take your food."
"Ever tried, I don't know, asking nicely?"
"Not really; heard that doesn't work."
"Well next time you get hungry, try it. You might be surprised how nice people are when you DON'T try to steal their stuff."
"Fine, I'll try it your way next time. We cool bro?" Sun held out his hand for a handshake; reluctant as he was, Jaune decided to shake his hand.
"Yeah, we cool."
"So how about that apology?"
"Apology for what?"
"You owe me an apology for your Snorlax trying to eat my Pansage!"
Angry at Sun being disrespectful, Snorlax growled at Sun and opened its mouth in an attempt to bite Sun's head off.
"Snorlax, no!" shouted Jaune. Snorlax sat down and folded his arms, still upset at Sun. "We'll take care of this mean thief; take a nap and make yourself feel better, okay?"
Snorlax growled loudly, laying down and immediately going to sleep so Jaune can get him back inside his Poké Ball.
"You're not good with talking to other people, are you Sun?" asked Ruby.
"Pretty much," said Sun. "Everyone just acts so uptight and serious all the time."
"I don't think that's the problem," remarked Jaune.
"I have to agree," said Ruby. "You do seem to come off as...well, as a jerk."
"Not the first time I've heard that," said Sun.
8:32am
Sun's Story
"Tell us about yourself. You said you're from Vacuo right? What brings you to this region?"
"In Vacuo, I live with my sensei while working on being a trainer. Course people over there like me about as much as people like me here."
"You didn't get kicked out or something, did you?"
"My sensei got sick of my attitude and thinks I'm just a troublemaker, so now he has me going on some quest to learn how to be good or whatever."
"Sounds like you really hate doing this quest."
"If you really hate this quest, why do you bother trying to complete it?" asked Jaune.
"Because everyone assumes I'm some slacker who doesn't want to improve himself," said Sun. "Look, I may be laid back and do some things that aren't exactly the moral standard, but that doesn't mean I'm some lazy good-for-nothing jerk."
"What exactly do you have to do on this quest?" asked Ruby.
"See, that's just the thing; my sensei just told me to go to Vale and do good deeds until I was ready to come home. Only problem is, I don't know exactly what good deeds he wants me doing, and how I'm supposed to know I'm 'ready' to go home without him claiming I cheated."
"Maybe we can help."
"I don't think we'll be able to help," said Jaune. "I mean we're already quite busy on our own journey."
"Nonsense Jaune, we can still help out."
"Can we REALLY?" asked Jaune, indicating that he didn't actually want to help Sun.
"Yes we can," said Ruby sternly. "So anyway, have you thought about what to do on this quest of yours?"
8:34am
Sun's Narration: White Fang History
"I was thinking of joining the White Fang," said Sun.
"The White Fang?" yelled Jaune. "You thought joining a bunch of criminals was going to complete your quest?"
"The White Fang weren't always criminals actually. My sensei used to tell me about all the good things they did to stand up for Pokémon. But that was over a decade ago; one day for whatever reason, they just turned into this criminal organization."
"Those thieves were actually the good guys once?"
"You didn't know? The White Fang started as a Pokémon humanitarian organization. Then I heard they attacked some company's building and got lots of innocent people hurt, and they got worse ever since. Guess they got tired of trying to do things the peaceful way."
"The White Fang were originally a group of good people?" thought Ruby. "Does Blake know anything about this?"
"So since that's out of the cards, I'm basically out of ideas."
"Sounds like that was your only idea," said Jaune.
"It was," shrugged Sun.
"There's gotta be something you can do," said Ruby.
8:36am
Journeying a Part of Ways
"How about you? What journey are you on Ruby?"
"I'm going to compete in the Pokémon League and become the new Vale region champion!"
"Hey...that gives me an idea! Ruby! From this point forward you and I will be arch rivals! I'll travel the Vale region and win eight gym badges so I can compete in the Pokémon League and defeat you!"
"Actually, I'm already doing that with a different rival."
"Oh. In that case...I'll win the badges and defeat Jaune in the Pokémon League!"
"But I'm not trying to compete in the Pokémon League," said Jaune.
"Wait, what? So what are you trying to do?"
"I'm not sure yet."
8:37am
Jaune's Struggle
"Are you serious? There's gotta be SOMETHING we can compete against each other for! What about breeding, or trying to be a gym leader, or I don't know...fossil exploring?"
"Too hard, failed miserably, and possessed by a ghost."
"For the love of...okay, how about this? You and I will travel together until one of us reaches a calling first!"
"Sounds like a plan to me," said Ruby.
"Until he steals my stuff and runs off like the no-good thief that he is!" said Jaune.
"First of all," interrupted Sun, "I'm a great thief! Secondly, I said I was going to give it back!"
"Somehow I don't believe you!"
8:38am
Impasse
"It appears we've reached an impasse," said Ruby. "Tell you what; there's only one fair way to settle this: A Pokémon battle! Sun, you and I will have a match, and if you win, I'll let you come along!"
"Sounds good to me," said Sun. "Except can we add one more stipulation?"
"What did you have in mind?"
"We face each other in my specialty: A triple battle! My three monkeys against any of your three Pokémon fighting at the same time!"
"This sounds like some sort of trap," said Jaune. "I wouldn't do it Ruby."
"I accept," said Ruby.
8:39am
Ruby vs. Sun: Triple Battle
Ruby reached into her bag and decided to use Geodude and Beedrill along with Eevee to fight the monkeys. Jaune stood to the side and was keeping his focus squarely on Sun in case he tried to pull something. Sun and the monkeys gathered around to discuss their strategy.
"Even if I'm not using my best Pokémon, this should be easy," thought Ruby. "Beedrill should be able to beat Pansage without a problem, and Geodude can easily take out Pansear, so Eevee just has to focus on Panpour."
"We're ready any time you are Ruby!" said Sun.
"Then let's go!" replied Ruby. "Beedrill, poison Pansage with Toxic!"
"All right Pansage, begin phase one of Round!"
Pansage took a deep breath and began emitting a sonic force, released with multicolored music notes, from its mouth. The force did little damage to Beedrill as it flew up and sprayed poison from its stinger. The Pansage got drenched in the poisonous purple goo and was now badly poisoned. Ruby thought it was strange that Pansage decided to stay still and continue its attack rather than avoid Beedrill. Nevertheless, with Pansage weakened by poison, it was Geodude's turn to focus on Pansear.
"Geodude, Rock Throw at Pansear!"
"Pansear, phase two of Round!"
Pansear took center stage and also emitted a sonic force, the same thing Pansage did earlier. The force came out stronger than Pansage's, but thanks to Geodude's toughness, did just as little as last time. Geodude proceeded to grab the nearest rock it could find and hurled it straight at Pansear, dealing a great amount of damage. Once again, Sun's Pokémon were focusing on finishing their attack rather than go on the defensive, a strategy that didn't seem to be paying off.
"Looks like this battle is going to end pretty soon," said Ruby. "Eevee, Take Down Panpour!" With Eevee wearing her new Silk Scarf, this attack was going to do greater damage than usual; enough to take out Panpour in one hit. Eevee powered up and charged at Panpour, and took a little damage.
"Now Panpour, finish the Round!" commanded Sun. Panpour took a deep breath and let out its Round. This time the force was so loud that it nearly popped Ruby and Jaune's ears upon hearing it. It was also strong enough to stop Eevee in her tracks and send her flying back, taking serious damage from the attack.
"Where did that come from?" exclaimed Ruby.
"He has to be cheating!" said Jaune. "How can an attack like that get so powerful?"
"That's the beauty of Round!" said Sun. "Alone it's pretty weak, but the more Pokémon that consecutively use it, the stronger it gets! Why did you think Pansage and Pansear let themselves get hit?"
Ruby took out her Pokédex and searched the info of the move "Round."
Round
Power: 60
Accuracy: 100
The user attacks the target with a song. Others can join in the Round and make this attack become more powerful.
Contest Conditions:
Beautiful – Works well if it is the same type of the move used by the last Pokémon. (Contest Spectaculars – Normal Mode)
Beautiful – Raises the score if Voltage is low. (Super Contest)
Beautiful – Affected by how well the previous Pokémon's move went. (Contest Spectaculars – Challenge Mode)
"And here I thought you were just a bad trainer," said Ruby. "Still though, I've dealt serious blows to two of your Pokémon and you only dealt against one. By my count, I'm still winning this battle. Beedrill, attack Pansage with Twineedle!"
"Panpour, help Pansage out!"
Beedrill held its needles forward and shot green-purple needles launched after Pansage, who could barely move due to the poison. Panpour took out a berry and threw it at Pansage; Pansage quickly wolfed it down and cured itself of the poison, just in time to jump out of the way of Beedrill's attack. "Now Pansage, give Pansear a Helping Hand!" While Beedrill's glowing needles were buried in the dirt, Pansage ran over to Pansear and grabbed his friend's shoulder, transferring his energy, surrounding in green energy, into Pansear. "Now Pansear, attack Beedrill with Flame Burst!" Beedrill got out of the dirt and charged at Pansage again. This time Pansear jumped forward and shot a powerful orange-shelled fireball of Flame Burst at Beedrill. The flames struck Beedrill and did enough damage to knock out Beedrill.
"So is it now a tie or am I now winning?" asked Sun. Ruby was starting to regret underestimating Sun's skills, and decided to get desperate.
"Geodude, Magnitude attack!" commanded Ruby. Geodude raised its arms and then slammed them to the ground, causing a mild earthquake that released white shockwaves and the ground to pop up around the area. Everyone involved was taking a hit, including Eevee. Realizing the attack would take out their friend, Pansage and Panpour quickly grabbed Pansear and tossed him into the air to avoid getting attacked.
"Panpour, Scald that Geodude!" Panpour quickly released boiling hot blue water at Geodude. As tough as Geodude was, it didn't stand a chance against Water based attacks, and was knocked out quickly just like Beedrill.
"I can't believe this," said Ruby, baffled at what just transpired. "A moment ago I had the upper hand, and now I'm on the verge of losing!"
"You see Ruby, team battles are a lot different than single battles," explained Sun. "The problem is you're treating this like three individual fights. The key to winning team battles is to have your Pokémon work together as one. Individually my monkeys aren't impressive, but when we fight together, we can hardly be beat!"
"Pan!" shouted the monkeys, raising their arms together. Even if she was losing, Ruby couldn't help but smile at how well these four got along.
"It's a shame you've got terrible people skills Sun, because you're definitely a good trainer."
"Does this mean I'm coming along?"
"This battle isn't over!" said Jaune. "Ruby can still kick your butt with Eevee!"
"As obnoxious as my friend is acting, he's right," said Ruby. "I've still got a chance at making my comeback!"
"Eevee!" shouted Eevee, standing tall in front of Ruby.
"All right boys, time to perform our grand finale!" said Sun. "Triple Acrobatics!"
The monkeys got together and jumped in the air, planning to attack Eevee all at once. Eevee was getting ready to strike back when a loud gunshot rang out and the monkeys were suddenly engulfed by steel net.
"What gives?" exclaimed Sun.
"Oh no," said Ruby. "I know this part all too well!" Everyone turned to where the net came from and sure enough, there stood Torchwick along with his new allies.
8:50am
Enter the White Fang Trio
"You can't even aim at the right Pokémon," said Emerald.
"I still captured something, didn't I?" replied Torchwick.
"Aaaw, at least you tried," said Mercury, patting Torchwick on the back.
"I knew they were going to show up again!" exclaimed Jaune.
"Who are they?" asked Sun.
"That's Roman Torchwick, one of the higher ups in the White Fang. Those other two must be his henchmen!"
"Oh please!" said Emerald. "The last thing we would be considered is henchmen under this oaf."
"Yeah man," said Mercury. "That's just insulting."
8:53am
Trio Role Call
"Allow us to give you a proper introduction. I am the White Fang's most notorious thief, Emerald Sustrai!"
"And I'm the White Fang's most ruthless mercenary, Mercury Black!"
"And I'm the leader of this ragtag trio!" said Torchwick. "But you already know who I am!"
8:54am
Annoyance
"Excuse me?" said Emerald. "What makes you think you're the leader, Roman?"
"Yeah," said Mercury. "If anything, I'm pretty sure you work for us now. Be a dear and grab some waters while the professionals do their jobs."
"I'M the professional here!" said Torchwick. "You two are just some random juvies the boss broke out of jail! I'M the leader and I'M giving the orders!"
"The boss made it very clear we're working WITH you, not FOR you!" replied Emerald.
"Wait, did she?" asked Mercury. "I wasn't really paying attention."
"I don't care what you think the boss said!" said Torchwick. "I was making my rise through the ranks of the criminal underworld while you two were still in diapers! I've forgotten more about stealing than you'll ever learn!"
"Is that why your hat just got stolen?" asked Emerald, pointing to the suddenly exposed top of Torchwick's head. Torchwick looked up and realized he was missing his hat. Torchwick looked around and saw it was stolen by the monkeys, who already escaped and were playing with Torchwick's hat.
8:55am
Escaping Act
"How did they escape that net?" asked Torchwick.
"We're used to escaping from traps," said Sun. "Nets, handcuffs, cages...you name it, we've escaped it."
"Why am I not surprised?" remarked Jaune.
"Return my hat now or else!" demanded Torchwick.
8:56am
Imitation
"Pan Pan Pan, Pan!" yelled Pansear, putting on Torchwick's hat and imitating Torchwick.
"Pan Pan, Pan Pan Pan!" said Pansage, putting his hands on his hips like Emerald was doing.
"Pan Pan Pan, Pan Pan!" said Panpour, folding his arms and trying to look cool like Mercury.
"Look out everyone!" said Sun. "It's the White Pan!"
Sun and the monkeys burst out laughing after putting on their performance. Ruby and Jaune were giving them a round of applause while Torchwick was fuming about nobody taking him seriously.
8:57am
Back to "Annoyance"
"That isn't funny!" yelled Torchwick.
"I don't know," said Emerald. "That monkey does a pretty good impression of you."
"And the green one definitely looks like Emerald," said Mercury.
"Are you two just going to stand here and crack jokes or actually do something for once?" asked Torchwick.
"Relax Roman," said Emerald. "Now that we've had fun at your expense, it's time to take out these trainers for good."
Each member of the White Fang trio called out their signature Pokémon. Torchwick of course had his Krookodile, Emerald called out her Weavile, and Mercury called out his Scrafty.
8:59am
Teamwork-Lashing
"I'll take care of the red pest," said Emerald. "The two of you can focus on those monkeys."
"I'm not taking orders from you!" replied Torchwick. "I'll take care of little red and you take out the monkeys!"
"How about the two of us handle the battle and you stay back?" suggested Mercury.
"Listen rookie, I know how to battle! So how about you do what I say or-"
The White Fang were so busy arguing with each other that their Pokémon stood there impatiently, waiting for their masters to give them an order. Seeing an opening, Ruby wasted no time starting the fight.
"Eevee, Bite attack!" commanded Ruby. Eevee ran up behind a distracted Krookodile and bit down on his tail, causing him to yelp. The White Fang stopped arguing once Krookodile's pain caught Torchwick's attention.
9:01am
Interruption
"Look what you two made me do! Krookodile, show that thing what a real bite looks like!" Krookodile turned to Eevee and Crunched down on her tail, then yanked Eevee off his tail and threw her to the side. "Now, Iron Tail attack!" Krookodile powered up his tail glowing metallic-silver and swung at a weakened Eevee; the attack was suddenly blocked by the presence of Steelix, who used its body to absorb the hit, barely causing any damage.
"Thanks for the save Jaune," said Ruby.
"I'll stall for time while Eevee recovers," said Jaune. "Steelix, hit them with Rock Slide!" Steelix scooped up a bunch of rocks with his mouth and crushed them with its teeth, dealing some damage to the White Fang trio.
"You think that giant hunk of junk is going to protect you?" said Torchwick. "Krookodile, attack him with-"
"Scrafty, High Jump Kick!" commanded Mercury. Before Krookodile can attack, Scrafty suddenly jumped and stood on Krookodile's head, then jumped off him to perform a High Jump Kick to Steelix's jaw. The attack was strong enough to knock Steelix for a loop, leaving him open to another attack.
"What gives Mercury?" asked Torchwick. "I was already going to-"
"Now Scrafty, Low Kick him!" said Mercury, ignoring Torchwick.
"Krookodile, Crunch that Steelix!"
Scrafty moved a few feet back and took aim at Steelix's lower body. Scrafty charged and jumped slightly in the air with one foot out, while Krookodile opened its jaws glowing orange and aimed for the same part of Steelix's body on the opposite side.
"Watch out Steelix!" yelled Jaune. Steelix regained his focus and moved his body just in time to avoid the attacks at the last moment. Scrafty missed the Steelix and wound up flying into Krookodile's jaw, landing the attack on him instead. Krookodile closed his mouth and screamed from the pain his mouth was in. Needless to see, Torchwick was angry at Mercury's botch.
"You hit my Krookodile you idiot!" said Torchwick.
"It's your fault for getting in the way!" said Mercury. "I'll handle Steelix; you just stand there and keep acting useless!"
Torchwick was close to blowing a gasket, but decided to calm down and concentrate his efforts on the thief and his band of monkeys. Emerald was already fighting off all three at the same time; despite the numbers advantage, Emerald was evenly matched against the monkeys.
"Pansear, Flame Burst!" said Sun. Pansear shot a yellow-and-orange ball of fire at Weavile, but Weavile quickly dodged the flames and attacked Pansear with a powerful Night Slash, leaving a purple-aura from one of her claws, weakening Pansear severely. Pansage then tried to attack with Seed Bomb, but Weavile was able to avoid that as well. While Weavile focused on Pansage, Panpour was going to sneak up from behind and attack.
"Now Panpour, Acrobatics!" Panpour jumped up and was going to land on Weavile when it was suddenly attacked from the side by Krookodile's Iron Tail. The attack was strong enough to knock Panpour into a tree and temporarily take him out of the fight as well.
"Looks like you can use some help," said Torchwick.
"You actually did something right for once," replied Emerald, much to Torchwick's annoyance. "Just one more monkey to go." Weavile and Krookodile got on either side of Pansage to make sure it couldn't escape. The Pansage was worried, knowing it couldn't stand a chance against both Pokémon at the same time. "Now Weavile, attack-"
Before Emerald can finish, a banana peel suddenly fell on top of her head and messed up her hair. Torchwick was laughing until a peel fell on top of him as well. The two of them looked up to see Sun throwing his garbage from above.
9:07am
Mischievous Antics
"Get down here and fight like a real trainer!" yelled Torchwick.
"Why don't you make me?" taunted Sun.
"I will! Krookodile, attack the tree!" Krookodile used Iron Tail on the tree, causing it to timber over. Sun jumped off the branch and landed on his feet.
"You idiot!" said Emerald. "He wanted you to do that!"
With Krookodile moving out of the way, Pansage quickly made his escape. Luckily Emerald remained focused and had Weavile chase after Pansage, who was running towards where the others were fighting. "Weavile, slash him with Metal Claw!"
Weavile caught up to Pansage and lunged with her claws glowing metallic-silver. Meanwhile, Scrafty was still going one on one with Steelix. As he was preparing his next attack, Pansage suddenly jumped over him, causing him to turn around to see what was going on. The next thing he knew, Weavile suddenly slashed him with her Metal Claw.
"What was that for?" asked Mercury.
"I was aiming at Pansage!" said Emerald.
"Does my Pokémon look like a Pansage to you?"
Their arguing gave Steelix enough time to perform another Rock Slide, damaging both Weavile and Scrafty.
"You still haven't beaten that Steelix?"
"I'll finish it off right now! Scrafty, Low Kick attack!"
Scrafty charged at Steelix and nailed him in the lower gut; the force of the attack was strong enough to cause Steelix to start falling over.
Meanwhile, Torchwick and his Krookodile rejoined the battle, and decided to go after Eevee. "You're mine now little red! Krookodile, Crunch that Eevee!"
"Eevee, Sand Attack!" Eevee turned around and kicked finely-brown sand into Krookodile's face. Krookodile shielded his eyes to avoid being blinded, then went after Eevee with jaws wide open. As it got closer to Eevee, Krookodile noticed a giant shadow forming over him. He looked up and realized he was about to be crushed by Steelix. Krookodile panicked and tried to run away, but Steelix's giant size made it pointless; Steelix fell unconscious on Krookodile, inadvertently damaging him while being knocked out. Once Jaune recalled his Steelix, Torchwick ran over to check on Krookodile.
9:12am
No Surrender
"All right!" said Mercury. "One down, two to go!"
"Surrender now and maybe we won't cause any further harm," suggested Emerald.
"We'll never surrender to scum like you!" said Ruby.
"I'm sorry I couldn't hold out longer," said Jaune.
"Don't worry Jaune; I know we'll be able to beat them!"
"Me and the boys don't know the meaning of surrender!" said Sun.
"You fools have no idea who you're up against," said Emerald. "I'm not some brainless amateur like some other members of the White Fang."
As Emerald continued boasting about herself, between the insults, the degradation of his position, and not even caring about the condition of his Pokémon, Torchwick lost every bit of patience he had left.
9:14am
Enraged Impatience
"THAT'S IT!" yelled Torchwick. "It's bad enough you two constantly disrespect me, but you're making this battle EVEN WORSE!"
"Maybe if you told that dumb crock of yours to get out of my way, it wouldn't get hurt!" said Mercury.
"I should have battled them by myself!" said Emerald. "You two are just dead weight!"
"Who are you calling dead weight?" replied Mercury. "My Scrafty is a lot more useful than that ugly Weavile and stupid Krookodile combined!"
"All right big mouths!" said Torchwick. "You think you two are better than me? Krookodile, Earthquake attack!"
Krookodile raised its leg and stomped the ground, released with orange-and-white shockwaves, as hard he could. Everyone felt the effects of the attack, including Torchwick's own teammates.
"What are you doing?" yelled Emerald. "That attack could have knocked out our Pokémon!"
"That was the point, you snot-haired brat!" replied Torchwick.
"In that case," replied Mercury, "Scrafty, hit him with Payback!"
Scrafty turned its attention to Krookodile and punched him in the jaw. The Krookodile responded by picking up Scrafty and throwing him into Weavile using Foul Play. As Scrafty got up, Weavile attacked Scrafty with Metal Claw, causing Scrafty to now go after Weavile. The three Pokémon and their masters continued arguing with each other while Ruby and her teammates looked dumbfounded at their rivals' self-destruction.
9:18am
Last Luck: Retaliation
"Those three seem to hate each other more than me," said Ruby.
"While they're busy fighting each other," said Sun, "let's send them packing with one big hit. Boys, all of you give Eevee a Helping Hand!"
The three monkeys gathered around Eevee and all used Helping Hand, boosting Eevee's power significantly.
"Let's give 'em a taste of their own medicine," said Ruby. "Eevee, Retaliate!"
Once fully powered, Eevee charged at the White Fang with her Retaliate attack. It wasn't until the last moment when the White Fang's Pokémon turned around and saw Eevee ram into Krookodile. The force of the blow was enough to knock Krookodile into the other two Pokémon and send them flying deep into the forest.
"Did she just knock out all of our Pokémon at once?" asked Emerald.
"I've never seen Pokémon fly that far before," said Mercury.
"This isn't over little red!" said Torchwick. "You'll pay for messing with the White Fang!"
9:23am
Retaliated Victory
The White Fang ran into the forest to find their defeated Pokémon. The monkeys cheered for their successful victory.
"Another day, another successful fight against the White Fang!" said Ruby.
"Eevee!" chimed Eevee, jumping into Ruby's arms.
"Wow, Ruby," encouraged Sun. "How did your Eevee learn that new attack?"
"It's from Jaune by our gym battle," said Ruby.
"That's "Retaliate," stated Jaune. "It's because Eevee launched this powerful attack after an ally has fainted in the previous turn."
Hearing Jaune's statement caused Sun to open his mouth and gasp in agreement.
"So, that's why."
"Jaune mastered that attack," said Ruby. "It's usable since our Gym Battle, and Eevee learned this powerful move that packed more punch very often."
9:25am
Journeying to "Lazuli City"
"Well, that's enough of the story," said Jaune. "Let's go."
"So where are you two heading off?" asked Sun.
"We're going to Lazuli City," said Ruby. "Wanna come with us?"
"Lazuli City? My friend is the gym leader there! I'll come with ya!"
"No you're not!" said Jaune. "Look, I appreciate you helping us today, but that doesn't make up for stealing my stuff!"
"Give it a rest Jaune," said Ruby. "Sun was nice enough to help us; I say he can come with us on our journey."
"Actually," said Sun, "I didn't win our battle, so technically the bet's off. I'll just come with you until we reach the city. Is that okay, Jaune?"
"If it's just until the city," said Jaune. "Well, thanks for our efforts of teamwork."
Jaune made sure to walk behind Sun to keep an eye on him. Ruby sighed and didn't say another word; she just wanted to get to the city and earn her next badge.
Outskirts of Route 5, 9:26am
Disgraceful Defeat
"You two were supposed to help me DEFEAT little red, not the other way around!" said Torchwick.
"I would have if you two didn't mess everything up!" said Emerald.
"Quit acting like you're my boss!" said Mercury.
As if on cue, Torchwick's scroll starting ringing, causing everyone to go dead quiet. Torchwick groaned as it could be only one person. Torchwick took out his scroll and answered his boss' call.
9:27am
The Boss' Call: Consequence of Pettiness
"Torchwick speaking."
"Tell me you've dealt with the trainer."
"Actually boss...we didn't," said Torchwick. Needless to say, Cinder wasn't happy.
"How is it that the three of you couldn't handle beating a single trainer?"
"The reason we can't beat this single trainer is because..."
Torchwick was ready to go off on his teammates ruining everything for him, but then started to think how Cinder would respond. Even if he blamed it entirely on them, Cinder was still going to hold him responsible and do things that made him wish he was dead.
"Well Torchwick? What do you have to say for yourself?"
"The truth is...she's a serious threat to the White Fang."
"Is that so? Mercury, Emerald, is what Torchwick saying true?"
9:28am
Feedback
Torchwick handed the scroll over to Emerald, silently signaling to Emerald to not tell her the truth about what happened.
"Actually...it isn't just her," said Emerald. "She tends to have allies who jump in and help her out."
"It's kind of like she has a team of her own," said Mercury. "Either way, we can't be underestimating her."
Cinder went silent as she thought about what they said. The three of them were begging for her to remain calm.
"If she's truly a threat to our organization, we'll need to keep an eye on her," said Cinder. "You three will continue to monitor her to find out just how good she really is."
"Understood Miss Cinder," said Emerald. Cinder hung up, causing everyone to sigh in relief. "Quite frankly I hate the two of you so much, but for now, we'll all pretend to like each other to stay on the boss' good side. Agreed?"
"Agreed," said Torchwick and Mercury.
White Fang Main HQ, 9:31am
A Confidential Project
As Cinder finished her call with her best mercenaries about their defeat from a trainer in red Torchwick encountered earlier from the failures of his past missions, she patted her Houndoom in the head and fed him with a spicy-flavored dog food, increasing his special attack power. A White Fang grunt entered her room and gave her the document containing confidential information.
"Madam Cinder," said the White Fang grunt, "We have some documents containing confidential information for today."
"Maybe each of them is about "Mega Evolution" someone is talking about; I know it," said Cinder, "Keep them at all costs from unauthorized personnel. Put them back inside the safe."
"As you wish."
The grunt went out of Cinder's room and put the following documents to where they belong from unauthorized personnel.
"This time," said Cinder, smiling evilly. "The powers of "Mega Evolution" will soon be mine. Houndoom, it's time."
Cinder and Houndoom walked and left their own room as they went to another area of HQ, with the Houndoominite left atop of Cinder's table.
Ending: With Torchwick meeting Emerald, Mercury, and their boss, Cinder, and the three had a disgraceful defeat against Ruby and Co., with the help of Sun Wukong, the mercenary trio decided to get along after their first failure in order to defeat Ruby and her friends. Ruby and Jaune meet Sun Wukong and decide to tag him along in heading to Lazuli City. Cinder plots her own mission: "To harness and possess the powers of "Mega Evolution" to bring everyone in Remnant to their knees."
Author's Note: This chapter marks the second "Death Anniversary of Monty Oum" this year, and also for the "Farewell of Pokémon20." Enjoy this chapter.