AN: Well I finally got a critique. While a little harsh in my opinion since they didn't get very far, I did ask for it so can't complain. But just to clarify for those of you that made it past Chapter 4. The Academy is half school and half military base. The kids were raised first as if they were in a normal, albeit strict, boarding school. It wasn't until later that military tactics and PT was added. I will get more into that in later chapters but just thought I'd explain. I have had close family members and friends in the military as well as seen/read plenty of action movies/books that are military oriented. That is where I am pulling my material from. Yes Gary and Ash will still have as close as I can get personality wise to the anime but it will be different based on what they went through and so on.
But also question to you all. Do you think I am using too many details? Kinda comes with being an engineer but I can tone it down if it's bothering anyone else. Just let me know!
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or any of the characters. Just the random plot bunnies that my mind creates.
Chapter Warnings: Language, threats of torture
Pairing: Ash x Gary
Chapter 29 - Squadron
Storming into their room, Gary rips his hand from Ash's own tan one. Eevee slips inside behind them before the door can close. Sliding the comms set back in his ear, the brunet rushes around the room to get changed and gear up for their newest change of plans.
Ash stands near the door where his partner left him, watching the brunet warily.
"Gary…"
Turning around abruptly, furious green eyes lock onto him. He struggles not to flinch at the malice swirling in their depths.
"No Ash. We are finishing this mission. They sent us, an Alpha Team, for a reason. We are the highest ranked field agents. A squadron means that they're most likely just sending a Captain and a few Privates. You know that. They will be overpowered immediately even if the sailors don't have any pokemon, which I am pretty sure they do. We have to do this ourselves."
Ash walks towards his partner slowly and reaches out to touch the slightly shaking shoulder. Gary flinches at the contact. Sadly watching the brunet back away from his comforting gesture, Ash sighs softly before heading to his duffel to change into darker clothing.
"Gary, you are still recovering from your head injury. We only took this mission because we have orders not to engage. I know this makes no freaking sense at all but orders are orders. We can't afford to be investigated or court martialed, remember?"
The brunet scoffs at his last ditch effort to stop them from engaging the sailors. Slipping into the black jeans he wore on last night's mission, Ash slides his belt on and and black jacket. Gary is already waiting impatiently at the door. Walking out onto the balcony, Ash whistles low and long. A gust of wind is all of the warning he has before Pidgeot plummets to the railing in front of him, waiting for her next orders. Sliding the fake sunglasses down briefly, he can make out Lapras watching him below. A cold, menacing presence gives away Haunter's position to his right. Pushing the glasses back up into his hair, he quietly whispers to the two pokemon near him.
"Alright guys. We are going to engage the small vessel that is docked next to the ship. They most likely have weapons and pokemon so this will be a stealth mission until one of us is spotted, which hopefully won't happen until we have an advantage."
The pokemon nod silently. He turns to the ghost pokemon.
"Haunter, can you relay my instructions to Lapras? She is to watch them from underwater. When she hears my signal, she is to attack the small boat. And I want you to make another sweep of the ship. See if there are any other contraband we have to worry about. Meet us at the boat when you are done."
Laughing creepily, Haunter floats off down towards the transport pokemon. Pidgeot takes off afterwards. Turning back to the brunet, he sees a pokeball in his partner's hand. Gary holds the pokeball out to Ash and speaks.
"Take Primeape back since Larvitar can't fight now. I will still have Kingler and Eevee in case anything happens."
Nodding in agreement, Ash takes back the ball and attaches it to his belt. Pulling out the map of the ship, he lays it on the table in the sitting room. He points to the back right side of the ship.
"The boat is around here. We need an outside vantage point that isn't too high up but is still outside and hopefully low enough that we can drop down from."
The duo stare at the map for several moments. Gary's gloved fingers point to the first restaurant they ate at. Ash glances at the brunet for an explanation.
"The windows were open last time we ate there. There is a very small maintenance walkway that runs underneath them. It's on the lower levels so the ship is painted black there. We will blend into the side of the ship and is only maybe a level above the boat. If we stay still, they shouldn't be able to see us."
Nodding in agreement Ash looks outside into the dark night.
"Once Haunter joins us, he can cast Confuse Ray or Hypnosis on the terrorists while we board. We need to take at least one alive for interrogation. But we need to be as quiet as possible. I don't want to get any passengers involved."
"Sounds good." Gary agrees.
Plan in place, the brunet opens their door and peers out into the hallway beyond. We are going to have a lot more trouble this time. The power is on and many passengers are wandering around on deck since it isn't too late yet.
xxx-War of the Dragon Riders-xxx
They make it to the restaurant without too much difficulty. They had to act slightly tipsy a few times when passing other couples but didn't receive any odd looks due to the other passengers' obvious intoxication.
That bartender better get an awesome haul tonight. He clearly has some skill...Unless the plan was to get everyone drunk so they don't notice the deal going down? Because that would make him a total dick.
A mop of black hair suddenly dropping in front of him jolts him back from his thoughts. Looking down, he releases a long slow breath upon seeing Ash facing away from him messing with the lock to the side entrance of the restaurant. Hearing the soft click of tumblers falling into their proper places, the door swings open silently.
The visible sliver of moon feebly tries to illuminate the restaurant but fails to create more than an outline of the larger pieces of furniture. Walking across the room, they stand behind a column of bunched curtains. Sliding night vision glasses down once more and throwing up the hood on their jackets, the duo peer out at the boat slightly below them and to the left. Just past the last of the windows.
The two guards are standing at the side of the small boat. Concentrating on the few sailors who are transporting the crates back and forth. They occasionally scan the side of the ship briefly before focusing back on the men before them.
What is the point in being a lookout if you aren't even scanning the area properly? They look more concerned about the SS Anne's crew than any possible passengers causing a nuisance. Do the two crews not trust each other?
Gary watches for several more minutes as the crates of Rare Candies are loaded one by one carefully onto the boat. They must have already unloaded whatever that boat had before we got here.
Backing away from the glass, he motions toward the back of the room where the curve of the ship will block any window movement from the lookouts below. The raven squats to unlock the window but it swings open from just a slight amount of pressure.
Goosebumps burst to life as a wave of cold envelops him. Turning, he sees Haunter appear next to Ash with a Shadow Ball floating next to it. A malevolent aura emitting from the swirling sphere. The gas pokemon reaches inside the ball and pulls multiple pokeballs and an assault rifle out of the small space and tosses them into the air. Glowing in red light, the items float down to the raven's waiting arms.
How the hell does that all fit in that little ball? Actually...never mind. Probably don't want to know.
"So the police were right. They are smuggling pokeballs and weapons. Did you grab all of it?" Gary asks the ghost pokemon.
Haunter turns his disembodied hand into a thumbs up gesture. The balls and weapon glow red once more as they float back up to the purple ball and disappear. The ball shrinks and blinks out of sight taking the feeling of death and fear with it.
"Go invisible for now Haunter," Ash commands. "Wait for my signal to attack. Knock them asleep."
With its signature creepy chuckle, the ghost type dissolves into the blackness. Shaking his head, Gary motions back to the boat.
"Ready?"
The raven nods and leads the way out onto the narrow walkway. He follows behind Ash as they slowly make their way around the bend of the ship, crouching close to the metal path. Matching their movement to the waves and clouds to avoid drawing attention. Stealth lectures rush through his mind as green eyes lock on the boat ahead.
"If the guards know how to keep watch properly then they will know how to scan with their peripheral vision. They won't stare at anything that catches their attention. But rather look slightly off to the side since you can pick up movement more easily out of the corner of your eye. This will likely trick most thieves or undercover operatives into moving since the guard is not looking right at them. They are thus spotted and caught."
"Whenever you are trying to move undetected, first observe the area you need to sneak through. See where the shadows are. How they move with the light or wind. Match them and be patient. Rushing will lead to capture and death."
Stopping a stone's throw away, the duo quietly observe the operation before them. Waiting for the right time to strike. Hiding in the cowls of their jackets, they scan the ship for any possible traps or other sailors. The deep hoods hiding their faces in dark shadow. Dark clothes blending them into the side of the ship.
A smirk forms on his face as a rough wave causes one of the SS Anne sailors to drop a crate causing it to shatter. A man emerges from the bowels of the ship.
The leader maybe?
The leader and sailor begin to argue. Remaining sailors frozen as they wait for the outcome of the dispute. With the distraction in place, he pokes Ash lightly in the back. It's go time.
Ash caws out quietly, mimicking a Wingull cry. The sound low enough that the fake pokemon sounds far away. Looking around, he sees Lapras poking her head out near the bow of the boat, waiting for her unique signal to attack. Shimmering air in front of them gives away Haunter's position.
The distortion floats down towards the boat. Haunter pops into existence behind the arguing duo. One of the lookouts watching them cries out in alarm at the sudden appearance of the ghost type.
Turning quickly, the recently arguing pair are met with large red eyes and slowly moving hands. The leader and clumsy sailor drop to the ground out cold due to the Hypnosis. Zipping around, Haunter knocks out any that dare to make eye contact with him.
Weapons and bullets shot from the suppressed rifles pass through its body without harm. They clearly have no idea how to fight ghosts.
Releasing a low pitch whistle, Ash stands abruptly and jumps down onto the ship. Gary follows quickly behind him with his KaBar drawn. He knocks out the one remaining sailor that is cowering behind a stack of crates with a swift smack from the blunt end of the heavy knife.
The duo look out at the scene before them. That was way too easy...but no alarms have been raised yet and we didn't see any other sailors or terrorists transporting goods.
"Haunter, can you use Nightmare to make them think that they all knocked each other out in a fight?"
Glowing red, the ghost pokemon releases a heavy, maroon fog that absorbs into their sleeping heads. The duo then arrange the bodies in pairs with limbs tangled together as if they really did just knock each other out in a brawl.
Pausing to catch his breath, he watches as Haunter enters the leader's body. Pidgeot swoops down from above and snatches the possessed body away to take back to their balcony for questioning later.
Weapons still drawn, the duo make their way towards the door that leads below deck. Moving silently, they search the remainder of the ship but find no other sailors or anything out of place besides the stack of crates from the storage room.
Returning to the deck, they watch as a few of the sailors twitch in their sleep as the Hypnosis begins to wear off. Turning to Ash, he watches the raven lean over the rail. Closer to the waiting waiting water pokemon.
"Lapras, they're going to wake up soon. Use Ice Beam to puncture a small hole in the ship. We need them to leave without their leader and I am betting they will in order to save the drugs from being washed into the sea."
Keening quietly, the water pokemon takes aim at the side of the boat right at the water level. A narrow beam of glowing ice shoots out from her mouth. The metal groans at the intense change in temperature. With a screech, the beam breaks through. Forming a hole the size of his fist.
A gust of wind announces Pidgeot's return. Climbing onto her back, Gary reaches back and pulls Ash up behind him. A bright red beam briefly lights up the night as Ash calls back Lapras for a rest. The bird pokemon takes off just as the Hypnosis wears off.
They land on their balcony seconds later. Hopping down from the flying pokemon, he enters the room and freezes at the blonde man sitting on their couch. Eyes glowing a bright white.
xxx-War of the Dragon Riders-xxx
"Haunter, can you tell us what's the name of the group this guy is from?" Ash asks his pokemon that's currently inhabiting their prisoner.
The man turns towards him and chuckles quietly. His mouth opens but no words come out.
Can Haunter not talk telepathically like Gengar can?
Ash turns towards his partner who is staring at the possessed man with a thoughtful look on his face.
"What should we do?" Ash asks quietly. "We have no equipment to restrain him besides having Haunter possess him but Haunter doesn't seem to have Gengar's ability to communicate telepathically. If he fights back, it could bring the SS Anne sailors here. I don't want an all out fight to break out. It could end up sinking the ship or end in civilian casualties."
Gary glances at him briefly before returning to stare at the man. He reaches down to pull Eevee and Kingler's balls off his belt and releases them in a burst of light.
"Recall Pidgeot and bring out Primeape. We'll just have to use good, old fashioned intimidation. Primeape can hold him down if needed."
The brunet walks off towards the bathroom. Ash follows his partner's instructions as he hears a series of sharp tearing sounds from the other room. Gary returns with strips of a towel in his hand. Tying ends of pieces together, he secures their prisoner's feet and hands. He also slides the last piece around the blonde's head in a makeshift gag.
That should hold for the most part as long as he doesn't struggle too hard.
The duo pause to look over Gary's handiwork. Motioning towards his pokemon, Primeape hops up onto the armrest of the couch, towering over the man, with fists ready to deliver a knockout blow in case of resistance. Ash moves the small table back to allow Kingler room to stand in front of the man's legs. The large red claw opens. Surrounding the muscled leg, just below the knee.
Rummaging inside his bag, he pulls out another dark shirt. Throwing the piece of clothing over the small lamp next to the couch. He quickly turns off the rest of the lights. Leaving just enough light for the man to make out the pokemon threatening his well being but not enough to make out his and Gary's facial features. Finally, they adjust their comms set to alter their voices by pressing a button on the side.
We can't have this come back to the military after all. That is a mistake I will never make again.
"Ok Haunter. Come on out." Ash commands.
The bright light fades from their prisoner's eyes leaving hazy blue orbs behind. The duo remain silent as they wait for the blonde to come back to his senses. Blue eyes widen and his body stiffens visibly once he realizes he can't move. A snort from Primeape causes him to reel away to the side but is stopped by Kingler's large claw. Harsh panting is clearly heard in the silence of the room.
"They won't hurt you if you cooperate." Gary's calls out harshly from beside him. The manipulated tone having a dark and menacing quality.
Ash steps forward so his outline is more visible in the low light. Large blue eyes lock onto his form. Upon seeing him, he watches curiously as the blond visibly forces himself to relax and dampen the fear in his eyes.
He has some form of interrogation training then. Interesting.
"I have a few questions I want to ask you," Ash begins. He speaks carefully. Not letting any emotions infiltrate his words. "I'll remove the gag. If you so much as speak above a whisper, Primeape will knock you out. Then we will start over when you wake up. Note that your brain can only take so many hits before it will cease to function. Kingler will cut off your leg if you try to escape. It's in your best interest to follow instructions. Is that clear?"
The blonde nods once. Blue eyes now hard and narrowed as he tries to make out more of Ash's features. Looking over towards Gary, his partner motions Eevee forward. She bounds up onto the back of the couch and grabs the gag with her teeth. Jerking sharply to the side, the gag unties and falls onto the man's lap. He remains silent as he continues to stare at him. Ash stands still, meeting the stare head on even though the man can't see his eyes.
"You are the one in charge of the interrogation. Never let your prisoner think they have any ounce of control or you will never get anything out of them."
"What is the name of your group?" Ash demands.
The man stares silently at him. Not a muscle moving. Not even blinking.
"Are you a part of the Dragon Riders or Team Rocket?" He tries again.
Scoffing at the question, a small smirk forms on the blonde's face.
"Of course not. I don't have a death wish."
The blonde has a slight Johto accent, barely noticeable if one doesn't know what to look for.
Is his group from Johto? Why are they all the way out here?
Ash watches the man quietly. Minutes pass in silence. The man offers no more explanation. He doesn't even appear to be ruffled by the stillness.
"What do you mean when you say death wish?"
The prisoner adjusts his position but freezes as the large claw tightens around his leg.
"Answer me." Ash growls out. Letting his annoyance and impatience seep into his disguised voice.
Clicking his teeth in annoyance, the blonde man hisses at him.
"We've been contacted by them before. Evil dicks. Almost killed my entire team to take what they wanted. No respect for the rules of the trade."
"So what is your group called then?"
Silence.
Motioning to Haunter, the gas pokemon creates a large Shadow Ball. The man freezes as the uncomfortable aura washes over him. Eyes large once more.
Sailors are very superstitious it looks like. Even the other sailors freaked out more than the Lavender townspeople did.
"Where are the pokemon and weapons you were traded going? How do you get them in the first place?"
Primeape pulls the blonde's head back by a fistful of hair when he is silent once more. Arm poised to deliver a powerful blow to his temple.
"How should I know? The goods just show up sometimes in this old ass warehouse. We never see who puts them there or where they come from. We just have orders to bring it to the ship and make the trade. We put the crates back in the warehouse and that's it. Money shows up the next day. We don't even know what the goods are most of the time."
He observes the slightly panicked look on the prisoner's face.
Looks like he finally cracked. He isn't giving away any tells that he is lying either.
Ash glances over at Gary who has not moved since the interrogation started. Walking closer to his partner, he leans up to whisper in the brunet's ear.
"He isn't lying. His group just seems to be the middleman. We aren't going to get anything else out of him."
The brunet nods silently as Ash continues to watch the scared man.
"Please man. Just let me go." The blonde begs. His wide blue eyes swinging back and forth between the two pokemon threatening him with severe bodily harm. "We won't deliver anything else. My crew listens to me. We won't-"
"Your crew left you here," Gary interrupts harshly. Not wanting to hear anymore pathetic excuses and bargains the man might make. "They are long gone by now. With a hole in your ship, who knows if they will even make it back in time or not."
That appears to be the last straw for the blonde leader as he sits quivering in his spot on the couch. Large eyes staring out at the inky blackness outside. Mouth hanging open.
"They left me here? After all I did for them? Assholes."
Gary finally turns toward him. Whispering to prevent the blonde from overhearing.
"Let's keep watch over him for now. We'll hand him over with the weapons and pokemon tomorrow to the squadron. I'll take first watch."
Nodding in agreement, Ash motions for Primeape to knock the blonde out. With a loud thud, the pig monkey pokemon lands a solid blow to the unsuspecting prisoner. Instantly causing him to crumple onto the couch. Sighing in exhaustion, Ash recalls his two pokemon and lays down on the bed.
The last thing he sees is Gary closing the curtains to prevent any light from coming in when the sun begins to rise. A gleam of metal gives away the KaBar in the brunet's hand as he sits down in one of the chairs for his watch.
xxx-War of the Dragon Riders-xxx
Ash leans out on the railing overlooking the bustling Cinnabar Harbor nestled in the beautiful cove. Below him, passengers steadily file off the ship to explore the tropical island. Various shops, inns and tourist traps spread out from the harbor. A vast forest borders the town and beach leading off towards the hulking mountains in the distance. A steaming volcano sits at the center. He can barely make out a small building nestled precariously on the cliff of the burning mountain.
That must be the Gym.
He stands next to Pidgeot who is once more at his side enjoying the pleasant weather. Hearing a quiet squawk, he follows her line of vision to a small group of men wearing all black and carrying packs and rifles.
The squadron.
The soldiers carefully search exiting passengers and quarantine the sailors to a small area next to the ship. He pats her neck affectionately to show he got her message.
"Good job. You remember your orders?"
A large dark eye turns towards him. Her feathers ruffles slightly in indignation.
"Right. Of course you do."
With one last pat, he turns back towards the room. All of their gear is already packed away and by the door. Gary is standing next to the couch where the blonde leader still lays asleep. Gag back in place but his feet no longer bound for easier transport later.
Seeing him walk over, Gary heads towards the door to grab their packs. Exiting the room, they leave the prisoner with Pidgeot as they head out to meet the squadron. Half of the soldiers stand at attention at their approach. The others too far away to notice them.
The Captain of the squadron, a short grizzled soldier in his late 30s that looks as if he has never smiled in his life, steps forward and salutes them smartly. Ash nods in order for the man to fall into a relaxed position.
"Majors. We received the details of your mission from Colonel Sanders. If you could please point out the storage room where they kept the drugs, we will retrieve the illicit goods."
He opens his mouth to explain the change of plans but Gary places a hand on his shoulder to stop him. Shoulders squared, Gary stares down the older man in front of them.
"We've already recovered all of them. They were illegally transporting pokemon and weapons as the Vermillion Police have feared. Ash's Haunter has everything stored in one of its Shadow Balls. We also have the leader of the pirate transport group as our prisoner. We already interrogated him. He knew nothing of importance, but you are welcome to have a go at him."
Ash watches concerned as blood rushes towards the older Captain's face. Dark eyes glare at them as Gary explains the situation. A cold pit forms in his stomach at the sinister grin that slowly forms on the angered soldier's face.
"Well, I guess the Colonel predicted right then. You did end up disobeying your orders. Then this is for you."
Brown eyes narrow at the folded piece of paper pulled from the Captain's pocket.
What is he talking about? How did they know we were going to disobey orders?
Gary reaches forward and snatches the paper away. Ash leans closer in order to read over his partner's shoulder. His eyes widen at the concise message.
"Temporary suspension?" Gary snorts in disbelief. "You must be joking."
The Captain smirks condescendingly at them and motions to the official seal at the bottom of the paper.
"Approved by the Commander himself. You two are to report to Pallet and remain there until the Colonel deems necessary to meet with you. You are not allowed to leave or take on any missions. So I suggest you hand over the smuggled pokemon, weapons and prisoner and be on your way. Don't want to get court martialed for being late to your prison do you?"
Reaching out quickly to hold back the furious brunet, Ash glares at the smug man in front of them. Whistling sharply, he waits for his flyer to deliver the prisoner. In a flash of brown, a body is dropped in a pitiful heap at their feet before rushing back off into the sky so the soldiers don't see her collarless neck.
A few Privates step forward to pick up the moaning blonde. The Captain rotates his hand around in a "continue" motion. Ash scoffs and points to a dark alley to their left where two large white eyes peer out at them.
"Haunter unloaded everything in that alley. He can't come out into the sun without injuring himself."
The older man points towards the alleyway causing several soldiers to approach it readily with a large cart dragging behind them. Ash smirks at the large outline of the pile that Haunter unloaded.
Have fun hauling that back assholes.
Recalling the ghost pokemon, he turns to face the soldiers once more. However the Captain is already lazily saluting, completing dishonoring the respect soldiers of their station are due, before stepping back to lead the squadron away into the thinning crowd.
Whistling once more, Pidgeot lands quickly at his feet. Hopping onto her back, he turns back when he doesn't feel the warm body of his partner behind him. The brunet is still standing ramrod straight and staring after the soldiers. Fists squeezed tight as his sides. Jaw clenched hard enough for the tendons in his neck to stand out.
Waiting patiently for Gary to calm back down, he observes the port around them. This would be a nice island for a vacation even if it is kind of touristy. After a few minutes, he feels a large wall of warm muscle press against his back and corded arms around his waist. Nudging the bird pokemon with his knee, he braces himself for her powerful takeoff.
They fly in silence for several hours. The threatening words in the letter running over and over in his mind. He can practically see them seared into his eyes whenever his eyelids slide shut.
This is ridiculous. Sure we disobeyed orders but to get a temporary suspension? It isn't like we screwed it up or anything. We completed the mission, got a prisoner AND got a tracking device into the Rare Candies shipment. We have never been punished this harshly before. Just what the hell is going on?
xxx-War of the Dragon Riders-xxx
AN: Have any of you read the Ranger's Apprentice series? If not, highly suggest it. Has a lot of great action and gave me some ideas for stealth related things.
AN: I'm am not really one for song fics but I have been playing this song a lot lately and it reminds me of Gary when he is having issues and Ash needs to swoop in and make him better again. It's called Pieces by RED in case anyone is curious.
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Next up: Chapter 30 - Investigation
