Chapter 21: Our Last Shot
"What do we do now, guys?" Scarlet asked. Truthfully I didn't know what to tell her. If the previous battle was difficult then this one was damn-near impossible. Not only were our tired and weakened Pokémon now facing three fresh opponents but Giovanni had made it impossible for us to switch out by using Mean Look and then using Disable to keep our Poké Balls from working.
"I'm open to suggestions," I said.
"Right now I think fighting back isn't a suggestion but our only option," Poka called.
"Agreed," I said. "Esther! I know you and the others are tired! If we could get you three out of there we could but Giovanni…"
"(You don't… need… to explain,)" Esther said. "(We… understand… the circumstances… and are ready… to play… the hand… fate has dealt us.)"
"(Besides… it's not like… we have a choice here,)" Zero agreed. Crazefire simply nodded in agreement with the others.
"Okay, guys. I know it's going to be difficult but let's win this!" I shouted. Even in their weakened state all three managed to assume battle positions. Giovanni snickered at the sight.
"You really think your weakened Pokémon stand a chance?" he asked. Their three Pokémon sneered at ours. I didn't want to say it out loud, but I had a feeling that our Pokémon wouldn't get out of this battle the winners. Still, I had to remain confident.
"Only one way to find out, isn't there," I answered.
"Indeed there is," Giovanni agreed. "Now… ATTACK!" We barely had any time to react. Team Rocket's Pokémon attacked so fast the looked line nothing more than blurs on the battlefield. Luckily for us our Pokémon were able to dodge in time, but after that things started going downhill. Esther was standing off against the Tangrowth while Crazefire and Zero faced off with the Drapion. Somehow during the confusion we lost track of the Dusknoir.
"Anyone know where the Dusknoir went?!" Scarlet asked.
"I didn't see it!" I answered. "Poka?!"
"Me neither! Stay sharp! That thing could attack from anywhere!" he shouted. Great! That's the last thing we needed. Unfortunately we couldn't worry about that now, or else we'd risk being defeated by the other two.
"Okay, guys! Let's take these two down! We'll worry about the Dusknoir when it reappears!" I shouted.
"That's what you think!" one of the agents said. "Vine Whip!" It became clear that he was the Tangrowth's trainer. Seconds later the Grass type lashed out at Esther with two vines.
"Dodge them and fight back with Shadow Ball!" I shouted. Esther ducked around the incoming vines and fired off the dark orb. I could tell she was low on strength based on how slowly the Shadow Ball was traveling.
"Stop that with Protect!" the agent ordered. I gritted my teeth as I saw the shimmering protective shield form around the Tangrowth, effectively blocking Esther's Shadow Ball.
"Now attack with Energy Ball!" the agent ordered.
"Counter with your own Energy Ball!" I shouted. Esther put everything she had left behind her Energy Ball, managing to match the power the Tangrowth's Energy Ball. The two green orbs collided and exploded. The shockwaves barely budged the Tangrowth, but because of her weakened state Esther was blown back quite a bit.
"Are you alright, Esther?!" I called.
"(I'm… alright,)" she answered. Whew… that took a load off of my mind. Now it was time for us to counter-attack.
"Okay, Esther! Show him your Will-O-Wisp!" I shouted.
"(At once!)" Esther replied. She charged towards the Tangrowth, two small orbs of fire in her hands. Just as she was about to hurl the orbs a ghostly hand shot out of the ground and grabbed her leg, causing her to stumble and drop the Will-O-Wisp.
"(What is this?!)" she questioned, looking down at what grabbed her. Unfortunately this took her attention off her opponent.
"Tie her up!" the agent ordered.
"Look out, Esther!" I shouted. I didn't warn her soon enough and could only watch as the Tangrowth tied her up in his Vine Whip. Seconds later the Dusknoir emerged from beneath the ground.
"So that's where he was hiding!" I shouted. Moments later a second agent, clearly the Dusknoir's trainer, stepped forward.
"I think it's time we dished out a little punishment on that Gardevoir," he said. "Shadow Punch!" The next thing I knew Esther was being ruthlessly pounded by a barrage of Shadow Punches, and with her being tied up by Tangrowth's Vine Whip there was no way she could defend herself.
"No, Esther!" I cried. As I watched I could almost feel each and every blow, a fact that apparently didn't escape the notice of Scarlet and Poka.
"We've got to save Esther!" Scarlet shouted. "Let's go, Crazefire!"
"Hurry, Zero!" Poka shouted. Their Pokémon sprang into action to try and save Esther. At first I thought they'd succeed, but that was before the Drapion stepped between them and Esther.
"(Out of the way, bug-brain!)" Crazefire shouted.
"(Move or we'll go through you!)" Zero threatened. The third agent, who also happened to be the Drapion's trainer, snickered at their threats.
"I think not," he said. "Show them what I mean, Drapion! Use Cross Poison!" The Drapion spread his arms wide, his claws giving off a purple-ish glow. He then slashed at Crazefire and Zero, making an X-pattern slash. The attack struck them hard, sending them sliding back a few feet.
"Now follow up with Earthquake!" the agent ordered. The Drapion slammed his claws on the ground, sending out powerful shockwaves. The Dusknoir hovered above the ground to avoid the attack while the Tangrowth used Protect. Unfortunately the rest of us had no protection. We felt the full force of the Earthquake, barely managing to remain standing. The attack was over within a few seconds, but our bodies were still trembling.
"Now, toss that pathetic Pokémon!" the first commanded. His Tangrowth lifted Esther over his head before hurling her at Crazefire and Zero, the three of them kicking up a dust cloud as they collided.
"This isn't good," I commented, watching as our three Pokémon struggled to their feet. "At this rate they won't have enough strength left to defend themselves."
"If only there was a way to restore their energy," Scarlet said. At that moment I noticed Poka appeared to be in deep thought.
"Is something wrong?" I asked him.
"It may be a long shot… but I may know a way to restore their power," he said. That was some of the best news I've heard since this battle started.
"Well, don't leave us in the dark. What is it?" Scarlet excitedly asked.
"It's an experimental attack Zero and I have been working on," Poka explained. While promising I didn't like the sound of that word 'experimental'.
"Experimental? You mean…" Poka nodded without having to hear me finish.
"We haven't tested it that thoroughly, especially not in a real battle like this, so I have no idea if it'll even work the way it's supposed to," he explained. From what I could tell going through with this would be a huge risk. The only question being was this a risk we were willing to take.
"Let's do it," Scarlet said.
"Are you sure?" Poka asked, giving Scarlet a look of concern.
"Whatever this experimental attack is and whatever risks are involved can't make things worse than they already are," she said. They way she said it made me realized she was right. Our current situation was as bad as it could get.
"Do it," I said. Poka gave me the same concerned look he gave Scarlet.
"You agree with her?" he asked. I nodded.
"Like she said things can't get worse than they already are," I answered. "Besides, if we do nothing then we've lost anyway." He really looked to be considering going through with whatever he had planned.
"Are you sure you're both okay with this?" he asked one more time.
"What have we got to lose?" I replied. With Scarlet and I both agreeing Poka finally gave the order.
"Okay, Zero! Use Static Drain!" he shouted. That must be that experimental attack he was talking about earlier.
"(Are you sure you want to go through with that? We haven't finished testing that attack yet,)" Zero warned.
"I know, but right now we're out of options," Poka replied. "If we don't try something, anything, then we're done for." Okay, now I getting worried. If even Zero wasn't sure then this must have been a huge risk. In the end though Poka managed to convince him to go through with it.
"(I need some time to prepare,)" he said. Unfortunately time wasn't something we had a lot of at the moment, meaning we had to buy him as much as possible.
"Esther, we need you and Crazefire to buy Zero as much time as you can!" I said. "Can you do it?!"
"(We… shall do our best,)" she answered. I really hated doing this to them and I knew Scarlet felt the same way. Our Pokémon were already worn out from all the battling they just did and now they had to try and keep the enemy from getting to Zero while he prepared the one attack that could either give us a miracle win or push us that much closer to defeat.
"Knock those weaklings aside!" Giovanni ordered. With their orders clear the agents commanded their Pokémon to attack. For the lack of a better term it was now 'Crunch time'.
"(Let's do this!)" Crazefire shouted.
"(I shall back you up,)" Esther said. The Monferno looked to her and nodded before turning his attention back to the charging Pokémon. The Drapion was the first to attack, swinging one of his massive claws at Crazefire. The Monferno jumped back to avoid the attack and retaliated with a Flame Wheel, knocking the Drapion back a bit. That victory was short-lived for moments later the Dusknoir launched a surprise attack, catching Crazefire off-guard with a Shadow Punch and knocking him to the ground.
"(Crazefire!)" Esther shouted.
"Esther, look out!" I warned. I thought I had warned her in time, but that was not the case. She looked just in time to receive a harsh slap across the face from one of the Tangrowth's vines. She too was knocked to the ground.
"Esther!" I shouted.
"Are you okay, Crazefire?!" Scarlet yelled. The two of them barely had the strength to get up to their feet without having to try and answer us. The Tangrowth, though, wasn't finished with them yet. Two more vines extended from his body, one wrapping around Crazefire's tail and the other around Esther's legs. The Tangrowth then lifted them into the air, hanging them upside-down.
"(Hey. Let me go!)" Crazefire demanded.
"(Release us at once!)" Esther shouted. The Tangrowth smirked. He swung them apart before violently bringing them together, our two Pokémon crashing into one another. With the two of them stunned the Tangrowth then slung them to the ground right in front of Zero.
"This isn't looking good!" I shouted. "Our Pokémon are getting creamed out there!"
"How much longer until Zero's ready, Poka?!" Scarlet asked. Poka looked to his Pokémon.
"How much longer?" he asked.
"(Almost… ready,)" his Luxray answered. There was a sour feeling in the pit of my stomach, for I knew that our Pokémon were now at the mercy of Team Rocket's Pokémon.
"I'm through playing games. Finish them off!" Giovanni ordered. As I watched their Pokémon advance on ours I knew our chances were slowly slipping away. If Zero didn't get his attack off soon… I didn't want to think about that.
"This is it!" Scarlet shouted. It certainly looked like our time was up, but right before their Pokémon were upon ours Zero gave off a bright yellow glow.
"(I'm ready!)" he declared.
"Alright! Do it!" Poka shouted. A loud roar emanated from the Luxray's throat as Static Drain went into effect. Bright yellow streams of energy shot from his body, crackling as they flew through the air towards Team Rocket's Pokémon. The beams of energy quickly surrounded and engulfed them.
"What the?! What is this?!" Giovanni shouted.
"Just watch! You'll find out soon enough!" Poka replied. The attack swirled around them, draining them of their energy. In my opinion it looked like an electric version of Giga Drain. I would soon find out that was where the similarities ended. The energy swirled back towards Zero, but to my surprise it then started swirling around all of our Pokémon.
"What's happening now?" Scarlet asked.
"The tricky part. You see, Static Drain can be used to heal not only Zero but his partners as well," Poka explained. "Unfortunately that's the part that's experimental."
"You mean it might not work?" I asked.
"There's a chance it won't," Poka answered. "Like I said, we haven't tested this move in a real battle situation like this." I didn't feel good about knowing this could fail, but I also had faith that it would work. With that in mind we could only stand and watch as Static Drain ran its course. The swirling energy soon faded out, revealing our Pokémon. At first it seemed like nothing happened, but then Esther and Crazefire slowly stood up.
"Are… Are you guys okay?" I asked.
"(Yes, we are. I can't explain it but somehow my strength has been restored,)" Esther said. "(Tell me… what happened? How has our strength been returned)"
"You can thank Poka and Zero. They did it," I explained.
"(How'd they do that?)" Crazefire asked.
"(I'll explain later. Right now we have to finish this battle,)" Zero said. True to his word Team Rocket's Pokémon were still standing, though thanks to Static Drain they had lost a considerable amount of energy.
"Get up and finish them off… NOW!" Giovanni demanded. Whether it was out of fear for what Giovanni would do or what we were going to do I didn't know, nor did I care. But what I did know was that they had Dusknoir, Drapion and Tangrowth ready for round 2.
"Okay, they're weakened! Let's put them away for good!" I shouted.
"Right!" Scarlet agreed.
"Let's end this!" Poka shouted. Our Pokémon shared our mindset and readied themselves for battle once more.
"Get moving, Dusknoir! End this!" The Ghost Pokémon bellowed in rage, charging towards us.
"Freeze him in his ghostly tracks, Esther!" I said.
"(With pleasure!)" With a quick movement of her hands Esther froze the Dusknoir on the spot using Psychic. The Dusknoir frantically thrashed about as Esther held him in her psychic grip.
"(I think it's time to pay you back for that earlier assault,)" she calmly said. Her calm demeanor soon turned viscous as she violently slammed him to the ground. She then lifted him off the ground, only to slam him once more. She then tossed him to the side, the Ghost type landing in a heap beneath a tree.
"(I believe we are now even,)" she declared. One down, two to go.
"Grr… Drapion! Get that Gardevoir!" The Ogre Scorp Pokémon wasted no time carrying out his orders, charging right for Esther with a claw drawn back. He was just about in range when he was violently jerked back.
"(Didn't your mama ever teach you it's not polite to hit a lady!)" Crazefire scolded.
"Let's show them some real power! Use Strength!" Scarlet cheered. Despite the Drapion being considerably bigger than him Crazefire had no problems lifting the large Pokémon over his head. Then, in what I learned was typical Crazefire fashion, he pressed the Pokémon over his head a few times.
"(One… two… three!)" he counted before slamming the Drapion to the ground.
"(I call that my Slaking press slam,)" he bragged. He then grabbed the Drapion's tail and started swinging him around and around.
"(And now for my Mankey swing!)" he shouted. He had to have swung him around at least seven or eight times before finally releasing him. He landed right next to the Dusknoir, both of them in no condition to keep fighting. Crazefire beat his chest.
"(Me strong like Tauros!)" he bellowed.
"Showoff," Scarlet sighed, bringing a hand to her forehead. That just left the Tangrowth, who no longer looked like he wanted to battle. Unfortunately for him there was someone who hadn't had his turn yet. He found out who as he started to back away. He only took two steps before he bumped into someone. Turning around he stared right into Zero's eyes.
"(Boo,)" he said. The Tangrowth was so startled that he tripped over his own feet trying to get away. Of course Zero couldn't let him leave without a parting gift, and that's just what that Iron Tail was. Moments later the Tangrowth found himself among Team Rocket's other defeated Pokémon.
"That's showing them, guys!" I cheered. I didn't know how but we managed to repel another attack.
"Man, talk about pulling one out of the hat," Poka commented.
"The three of us are real 'Cardiac Trainers'," Scarlet joked. We all had a good laugh at that one. Too bad Giovanni didn't feel the same way.
"Laugh while you can," he spat. "I can guarantee you won't survive this time." This time?! You mean there was more?! In a flash the three defeated Pokémon were replaced by three more. This time we faced off against a Sableye, a Raichu and a Rampardos. Not good.
"Oh man… just how many more Pokémon do they have? I don't think we can handle another battle like the last one," Scarlet groaned. It was true. Though Zero's Static Drain restored their energy they had used some of it up during our last offensive. Their breathing was quite heavy, indicating how exhausted they were.
"So, now what do we do?" Scarlet asked.
"Now that we've defeated that Dusknoir shouldn't the effects of Mean Look have worn off? We should be able to switch our Pokémon out now," Poka explained. I hadn't thought of that but he's right. With that Dusknoir defeated Mean Look shouldn't be in effect anymore.
"Okay, let's get them out of there," I said. "Esther, return!" I pointed her Poké Ball at her and tried to recall her, but nothing happened.
"Hold on! Mean Look isn't in effect so why can't I recall her?!" I shouted.
"Did you forget about what else Dusknoir did?" Giovanni asked. What else he did? What else did that Dusknoir… oh shit.
"Our Poké Balls are still disabled!" I yelled.
"Damn! That means they still can't be recalled!" Scarlet shouted.
"Which means that your weakened Pokémon must try and survive another round, though I doubt if they can," Giovanni taunted. That did not bode well for us.
"Looks like we've got no other choice but to stick with Esther and the others," I said.
"As much as I hate that idea you're right. Without being able to switch them out that's our only option," Poka agreed.
"I just hope they have enough strength to win," Scarlet said.
"So do I," I told her. "Okay! Let's start off on the attack! Shadow Ball!"
"Use Flamethrower, Crazefire!" Scarlet shouted.
"Thunderbolt, Zero!" Poka shouted. Our three Pokémon launched their attacks, intending on ending the battle with one blow.
"Use Zen Headbutt!" We thought we had them, but that changed once we saw their Rampardos charging through our attacks, his head glowing with psychic energy. He tore through our combined attacks and went for the first Pokémon he saw, which unfortunately was Crazefire. The Monferno took the devastating attack, forcing a painful grunt out of him. He doubled over in pain, clutching his gut and gasping for air.
"Crazefire!" Scarlet screamed.
"(Are you okay?!)" Esther asked.
"Esther, look out!" I shouted. Before she could react the Sableye slashed her with Shadow Claw, the dark energy from his claws tearing at her.
"(Gah!)" she cried.
"Fury Swipes!" With a mischievous glint in his eyes the Sableye began slashing at her, his claws raking across her body.
"Quick, Esther! Get out of there!" I shouted. The only thing that happened were her cries of pain becoming louder.
"Now finish her with Shadow Ball!" The Sableye held his hand in Esther's face, an orb of dark energy beginning to form. As time went by the orb grew larger and larger until it finally exploded, harshly knocking Esther to the ground.
"No!" I yelled. That left Zero as the only Pokémon on our side that could still battle, and with the Raichu the only one of Team Rocket's Pokémon that hadn't fought yet it looked like things were slowly slipping away from us.
"Okay, Raichu! Use Mega Punch!" The Electric type Pokémon ran towards Zero, his fist giving off a white glow.
"Counter with Iron Tail!" Poka shouted. Before the Raichu's attack landed Zero swung his tail at him, the clanging sound of fist on steel echoing all around.
"Whew… stopped him," Poka sighed.
"But not for long! Thunder!" Normally an Electric attack wouldn't do much damage to an Electric type Pokémon, but given the condition of Zero that logic did not hold true. The Luxray was blown back by the powerful Electric attack.
"Now use Mega Kick!" Without missing a beat the Raichu swung his foot, making solid contact with Zero's gut. Zero gasped in pain, all the wind having been knocked out of his body.
"Now put him down with Focus Punch!"
"Zero, fight back!" No matter how loud or urgent our cries Zero did not have the strength to stop the Raichu's attack. His Focus Punch charge unhindered and was delivered with malicious intent. With that attack Team Rocket's assault was finished, leaving our Pokémon down and in no condition to fight.
"Oh no…" I gasped. Both Scarlet and Poka were left speechless. With them down our chances of getting away with Jirachi were slim-to-none, and as the old saying goes slim was packing his bags.
"Now, bring me Jirachi," Giovanni ordered. Their three Pokémon began making their way towards the Great Wishmaker, but bravely standing in their way was Foxy.
"(If you want him you'll have to go through me!)" my Vulpix declared. Giovanni merely chuckled.
"My dear, that's the idea," he said.
"Over my dead body!" Without any concern for my own safety I jumped in between them and Team Rocket's Pokémon, quickly adopting my Shifter form.
"Plan on getting your own paws dirty, I see," Giovanni taunted.
"Whatever it takes to make sure you fail!" I growled. As I stared down the opposition two flashes of light caught my attention. The next thing I knew Scarlet and Poka were by my side in their Shifter forms.
"Don't forget about us!" Scarlet shouted.
"If one of us fights then we all fight!" Poka announced. "We're a team!" Hearing that really made me feel good. Perhaps we stood a chance after all.
"Alright you sadistic bastard! Give us your best shot!" I challenged.
"With pleasure," he replied. With Esther and our other Pokémon down it was up to us to continue the fight, and I knew this would be the fight of our lives.
This is getting real intense, real fast. With our Pokémon defeated we've been forced to fight ourselves. Well there's no way in Hell we're going to let Giovanni win and get Jirachi, so join us next time as we bring the fight to Giovanni and Team Rocket in the next chapter of The Shifter Chronicles!
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