...hi. Please don't kill me! Life hit me in the face and I kept getting distracted from this chapter. I'm really sorry! But it's pretty long, and I bet you're all going to enjoy it. This is another essential one to the plot, so we're moving along rather nicely :)
LAST TIME: Aiden battles Janine, the leader of the Fuchsia Gym, for a soul badge. After a victory, he not only wins the badge, but also Janine's promise that she will veer away from a life of conning.
Chapter 36: A Rocket Ambush
Michelle let out a loud yawn and stretched her arms over her head. "Man…I'm tired."
She, Brandon, and Aiden had just arrived on the Seafoam Islands, where Michelle's next Contest would be held. It had been a rather long boat ride from Fuchsia City, and now the redheaded girl was looking for the nearest bed.
"We should head on over to the Pokémon Center," Brandon advised the two siblings. "We can get some dinner, and then head straight to sleep!"
"I'm not even hungry," Michelle grumbled. "I'm just exhausted."
"Pi…" Pichu sighed, bowing her head on Michelle's shoulder.
"I could eat," Aiden chimed in.
"Well, I think we should all get ourselves settled, and then go from there," Brandon decided. "Come on, the Pokémon Center is right up this way."
XXX
"Targets sighted."
The green eyed boy perched next to her huffed quietly and looked over his shoulder. He just watched silently for a few seconds as she looked through the pair of high tech binoculars. Once she lowered them, however, she stared back at him and growled lowly.
"What?"
"Are we ever going to attack them or what?"
The girl sighed and rolled her golden eyes. "Oh, be quiet, Alex. You don't know anything."
At this, the brunet boy seethed. He couldn't stand being talked down to by his partner. After all, half of the time, she didn't have any more of a clue than he did. She just liked to pretend she was in charge, because she had a massive ego. Alex knew for a fact that she got it from Cassidy.
"I know just as much as you, if not more, Sydney," Alex hissed. "And I know that those three little brats move fast. We've got to get our hands on them before they're out of our sight!"
"And what are we going to do after the fact?" Sydney demanded. "We don't have a plan beyond ambushing them! We've got to come up with one first!"
"Fine," Alex huffed, crossing his arms against his chest. "Let's come up with a plan, then."
"I was thinking that perhaps we don't want to attack the two main brats," Sydney began, her voice contemplative.
"WHAT?!" Alex cried.
"Be quiet and listen!" Sydney hissed.
"Sorry…"
"Attacking those two is so obvious, and it's expected," Sydney continued. "They'll just team up and find a way to escape. But their little friend isn't quite as daunting."
"The other brat?" Alex huffed. "Please. What can he do for us? He's useless!"
"Not if we turn this into a well thought out hostage mission," Sydney replied.
"You want to take the extra brat boy hostage?" Alex deadpanned.
"It's really quite brilliant," Sydney hummed. "Like you said, he's useless, talent wise. But he's still got a plethora of information on our two main targets. If we kidnap him, and set him up in a threatening situation, we can probably pry some useful information about the other two brats out of him!"
"I…actually like that plan," Alex admitted.
Sydney smirked. "I knew you would. I'm a genius!"
"But still, how do you intend on kidnapping him? He seems to be the smartest one out of the three."
Sydney's smirk only grew at Alex's question. "You're so slow. Don't worry, I've already got that figured out in my head. It'll all come to fruition soon enough. Just you wait."
XXX
Inside of the nearby Pokémon Center, after checking in with Nurse Joy, Michelle headed right to the room along with Pichu for a nap. Aiden, on the other hand, was about to make a mad dash for the dining hall, until he remembered his best friend was still standing with him.
"Brandon, what are you gonna do?" Aiden asked. "Wanna come get something to eat with me?"
"Sure," Brandon decided after a moment of deliberation. "Let me just go put my things down in the room. Want me to take yours?"
"Nah, I'll keep it with me," Aiden replied. "I'll grab a plate and get us a table!"
"Great!" Brandon chuckled. "See you in a few minutes!"
He and Aiden split at the end of the hallway, Aiden heading left towards the dining hall, and Brandon down right where the guest rooms were. By the time he reached the room, Michelle was already sprawled across her bed and solidly passed out, her open mouth and quiet snores proof of her state.
"Guess she was exhausted," Brandon chuckled. He chose the bed on the opposite side of the room and placed his backpack down on the mattress. Before he could do anything else, however, the window to the room shattered, broken glass raining down on the wooden floor. "What?!"
Brandon gasped and whipped around, staring at the broken window. Standing in front of the destroyed frame were none other than two of the Team Rocket operatives he had, unfortunately, grown very familiar with: Sydney and Alex.
"You two creeps," Brandon muttered. "What do you want?"
"That's for us to know, and you to find out," Sydney haughtily replied.
"Yeah, now be a good little boy and come with us," Alex calmly demanded.
"Why would I do something as stupid as that?" Brandon bit.
"Because if you don't come on your own free will, we'll have to force you," Sydney replied coolly. "And I don't think you want to put up a struggle and wake that pretty little redhead over there up."
Brandon snarled and looked over his shoulder. Michelle was a heavy sleeper, so the window breaking had done nothing to stir her. He knew, however, that Team Rocket wanted nothing more than to get their hands on her and Aiden. He had no idea why, but they did. And Brandon had known the two long enough that he felt as though they were all family. He couldn't stand the thought of anything happening to them. But still…that didn't mean he wanted to give himself up to Team Rocket either. There was no telling what they would do to him.
"He's not answering," Alex muttered.
"That's perfectly fine," Sydney crooned. "Guess we'll just have to do this the hard way." Tossing a poke ball, the purple haired girl released a well-sized Vileplume and smirked down at the dual type Pokémon. "Vileplume, sleep powder."
Tilting its head down, the flower Pokémon released a fine indigo powder from the center of its head. Before Brandon could react, the attack overtook him and caused him to collapse on the floor, fast asleep.
"How's that for a well-executed plan?" Sydney scoffed, punching Alex's arm as she strode past him.
"Ouch…" Alex muttered, rubbing at the sore spot.
"Oh, please, don't be such a girl," Sydney drawled, referencing the same "insult" Alex and the other young operative boys had hurled at her as children. "Make yourself useful and help me pick up the hostage. We're only at the beginning phase of this mission."
XXX
After about fifteen minutes of eating alone, Aiden began to grow suspicious.
He knew it shouldn't have taken Brandon so long in the room. After all, he was just putting his bag down. That took a matter of about five seconds.
"Maybe Michelle got him distracted," Aiden muttered. "I better go bail him out. Or else he may be stuck in that room forever."
Picking up his own backpack, which had been placed next to him on the seat of the booth, Aiden slung it over his shoulder and headed back down the hallway, to where he had previously split up with Brandon. Once he reached the room, Aiden opened up the door with the key that Nurse Joy had given him and pushed it back.
"Hey, Brandon! Come on! I thought we were-"
Aiden trailed off with a gasp. Situated right across from him was a shattered window. To the right, an otherwise unoccupied bed sat with nothing more than Brandon's backpack on it. The young breeder, however, was nowhere to be seen, and Michelle was still fast asleep in her own bed on the other side of the room.
"Michelle!" Aiden shrieked, running over to his twin and shaking her awake. "Michelle!"
The coordinator groaned and slowly opened her emerald eyes. "Aiden…knock it off! I'm tired! I was sleeping…"
"Michelle, you have to get up," Aiden pleated. "There's a problem!"
"Yeah, the problem is I'm not getting enough rest," Michelle grumbled, closing her eyes once again.
"Brandon is missing!"
Now Michelle's eyes snapped open. She sat up in bed, staring wide eyed at her brother. She searched his face, waiting for an impish grin or a twinkle in his eye. Something to indicate he was joking. Then she could strike him for being such a nuisance. But those signs never came. In fact, after that confession, Aiden only began to look more panicked.
"W-what do you mean he's missing?" Michelle sputtered.
"I mean he's missing," Aiden lamely replied. "He told me he was going to put his stuff down in the room, and then meet me in the dining hall. But he never came. I thought he got caught up talking to you. But when I got here, and I opened the door, I saw that the window was shattered."
Michelle looked over her shoulder, and gasped when she saw the damaged window.
"How did that not wake me up?" Michelle murmured.
"Wait…you've been asleep this whole time?" Aiden breathed.
"Yeah," Michelle admitted. "I didn't even know that Brandon came in here."
"Do…do you think he ran away?" Aiden whispered.
"Why would Brandon run away?" Michelle scoffed. "We're best friends! And he's not insane! Besides, if he were to run away, why would he jump through a window? He could have just used the front door! And I think he would have taken his backpack with him."
"Fair enough," Aiden sighed. "But then where could he be?"
"I think…I think maybe Brandon was kidnaped," Michelle shakily concluded.
"Kidnaped?!" Aiden yelped.
"Why else would the window be broken?" Michelle pressed. "Someone obviously came in with the intent of taking something! Or, in this case, someone…"
"Who would kidnap him?" Aiden questioned.
"I don't know," Michelle began dryly, "how about the crazy, evil organization that has apparently been after us all our lives?"
"Team Rocket?" Aiden muttered.
"Mmhm."
"Why would they kidnap Brandon?" Aiden asked. "He's got nothing to do with us!"
"But he does," Michelle hummed. "He's our friend. We've known him all our lives. He's got information on us. Information that Team Rocket probably wants."
"My gods, you're right," Aiden breathed, all of the color draining from his face. "We've got to find him!"
"We will," Michelle promised. "But we can't just run out of here and start looking for him. We need some sort of plan."
"Like what?"
"Like…a tip off," Michelle murmured, reaching into her bag and pulling out a poke ball. She held it in her hand and locked eyes with Aiden, who, after a few seconds, smirked and returned her glance.
XXX
"Mmm…huh?"
When Brandon awoke, he found himself unable to move his arms. He winced and struggled, feeling something rough against his skin. Glancing down, he realized that he was bound by rope, tied against the trunk of an old oak tree.
"What is this?!"
"Wouldn't you like to know."
Brandon looked back up and snarled. Standing only a few inches away from him was Sydney, but of course, Brandon couldn't reach her. He did know, however, that the devious little smirk on her face was driving him mad. And not in the good way that girls usually drove him mad.
"Yeah, I would!" Brandon bit. "You can't just kidnap people!"
"But we did," Sydney haughtily replied. "Now who's the foolish one?"
Brandon ground his teeth out of sheer frustration. He couldn't understand why Team Rocket was so evil, or what their evil plans even were. It all just seemed so convoluted and confusing.
"Sydney!"
The purple haired girl turned around just in time to find her brunet counterpart hurrying back towards her.
"Alex," Sydney began crisply, "what is it?"
"I just got in contact with Cathy and Yvette," Alex replied. "They're just about to arrive in our general vicinity. They're ready to question the boy."
"Excellent," Sydney drawled. "Everything is going according to plan!"
Brandon furrowed his brow. He didn't recognize those names. Briefly, he wondered just how many operatives Team Rocket had. For a group of bad guys, they sure were good at attracting employees.
"Ah, here they are."
Alex's voice regained Brandon's attention. He looked up as a strong wind blew through his dark brown hair, catching sight of a small aircraft flying overhead. The closer it got, the better Brandon was able to see its dark gray exterior and wide, tinted windows. The plane soon landed only a few yards away, the side door opening up and turning into a runway for the inhabitants to disembark on. Brandon turned his head and watched as the two females emerged. As they did, he let out an audible gasp. He recognized them right away from when he, Aiden, and Michelle had infiltrated the Team Rocket hideout with Eusine.
"Cathy, Yvette," Sydney coolly greeted.
"You two actually managed to capture someone with useful information?" Cathy sneered. "I'm shocked."
"Now why in the world are you shocked?" Sydney teased. "Alex and I are quite competent. We're nothing like those two messes Jason and Jewel."
Brandon raised his eyebrows and silently agreed with the assessment of the two operatives he was more familiar with. Granted, he was not giving any credit to the two that had kidnapped him, but it was easy for him to agree that the other two were pretty lame.
"You do make a good point," Yvette agreed somewhat reluctantly.
"Those two couldn't even catch a rock," Cathy scoffed.
"Would you all let me go already? I don't even know what you want from me!"
The four operatives turned towards Brandon and smirked. Their devious smiles sent chills up his spine, and just for his own protection, he bit his lower lip to keep his mouth shut.
"I'll tell you exactly what we want from you," Cathy purred, narrowing her nearly black eyes. "Information."
"I don't have any information," Brandon spat.
"But that's where you're wrong, brat boy," Yvette chastised. "You do have information we want. Lots of it, in fact."
"About what?" Brandon seethed, his voice rough with anger bubbling at the surface.
Cathy and Yvette exchanged glances and smirked at one another before placing their attention back on a thoroughly confused Brandon.
"Not so much what as who," Cathy teased.
As soon as those words left Cathy's mouth, Brandon could feel his stomach drop. Now he understood. He knew exactly what Team Rocket wanted. He knew exactly who Team Rocket wanted information on.
"No…" Brandon whispered, his voice hoarse.
"Yes," Yvette bit back, barring her teeth through a nearly evil grin. "Tell us what you know about those two you travel around with. The Pokémon Master's children."
XXX
"Michelle, are you sure we're headed in the right direction?"
"Of course I'm sure! Both Eevee and Pichu were able to pick up Brandon's scent from his backpack! Now we just have to follow them, and we'll find him!"
Aiden let out a quiet breath, but said nothing in response and simply continued to run alongside his sister. He could tell that Michelle was very worried about their friend, but at the same time, she seemed very confident that they would be able to track him down. Maybe that was just a cover up for her true feelings. Michelle was easy to rile up, after all.
"It might help if we look from the sky, too," Aiden suggested, figuring it couldn't hurt. "I can have Ledian search, and your Butterfree could help out too!"
"That's a great idea, Aiden!" Michelle complimented her brother. Pulling out another poke ball, she tossed it up in the air and yelled, "Butterfree, help us out!"
"You too, Ledian!" Aiden chimed in, tossing his own sphere.
The two bug Pokémon emerged and fluttered next to one another side-by-side, looking down at their trainers and patiently waiting for further instruction.
"Brandon is missing, and we think someone might have taken him," Michelle explained to the two. "So we need you guys to look for him from above!"
"That's a much better vantage point than down here," Aiden agreed.
Each one letting out their own perspective cry, Butterfree and Ledian began to fly ahead, both looking down below in search of Brandon.
"I wonder if there are any caves around here," Aiden mused. "That would be a good place for them to hide away. And then we wouldn't be able to see Brandon! That's a problem."
"No it's not, because there are no caves around here," Michelle refuted. "I'm sure of it."
"How?" Aiden questioned.
"This isn't the kind of terrain for a cave to be in," Michelle elucidated. "Brandon's taught me about this kind of stuff since we've been travelling. All of this area is just forest, so he shouldn't be too hard to locate."
Aiden smirked at Michelle's response. "Where would we be without Brandon?"
"Not as far as we are now," Michelle answered without hesitation. "Which is why we have to find him. You and I both know we can't go on without Brandon. He's like the glue that holds the two of us together!"
"Yeah," Aiden agreed before smirking and playfully adding on, "or the wall that keeps us separated when we're fighting!"
XXX
"I'm not going to tell you four anything about Aiden and Michelle."
Sydney, Alex, Cathy, and Yvette all glared at Brandon. They had been trying to pry information out of the aspiring breeder for almost ten minutes now, and he wasn't opening his mouth one bit. Except to argue, that was.
"You're quite the brat, aren't you?" Sydney remarked.
"He might be even worse than the original two!" Alex complained.
"Alright, let's not go that far," Sydney scoffed. "Those two are the brattiest little kids I've ever met in my life. Totally insufferable."
"You're going to have to tell us something eventually," Cathy hummed to Brandon, interrupting Sydney and Alex's bickering spree.
"I don't have to do anything," Brandon replied through ground teeth. "You can't force it out of me."
Suddenly, Cathy's smirk grew even more sinister. "Oh, I can't, huh?"
Brandon's heart began to pound as the feisty blonde pulled out a poke ball, pressing the center white button and releasing a regal-looking snake Pokémon.
"Serperior," Cathy requested in a mockingly sweet tone, "be a dear and show our little fugitive just what's going to happen if he keeps being a pest, won't you?"
"Ser," the grass type hissed, unleashing a dark green vine and quickly snapping it against the young male's shoulder.
"OW!" Brandon hissed.
"Not so pleasant, is it?" Cathy hissed.
"That hurt!" Brandon whined.
"Of course it did, that was the point," Cathy snapped. "Now, give us what we want, or I won't hesitate to have Serperior hit you even harder!"
Brandon sucked in a deep breath before wincing and turning his head away.
"Stubborn," Yvette muttered from behind her partner.
"That's quite alright," Cathy purred. "I've got the cure for that."
And, without any other warning, Serperior hit Brandon once again, this time with more force. Brandon let out a small yelp and ground his teeth together, trying not to give into Team Rocket's demands.
"Still not talking?" Cathy sighed.
"N-no," Brandon replied, his voice breaking.
"You'll change your mind soon enough," Cathy assured the boy. "Serperior, again."
XXX
"Free! Free!"
Michelle gasped and looked up with bright, hopeful eyes. "Butterfree, do you see something?"
"Free!"
"Le!"
"It sounds like Ledian's got something too!" Aiden breathed, a huge smile stretching out on his face.
"I think we might be on our way to finding Brandon," Michelle agreed. "I don't want to get my hopes up, but it sounds good!"
Indeed, it was. Butterfree and Ledian stopped short just a few feet ahead, and their trainers below followed suit. The two bug types fluttered downwards, over to the awaiting pair.
"Did you find Brandon?" Michelle whispered.
"Free," Butterfree confirmed.
"Is he with anyone?" Aiden questioned.
"Le!" Ledian affirmed.
"You were right, Shelly," Aiden sighed. "Sounds like Brandon got kidnapped."
"This was the one time I didn't want to be right," Michelle muttered. Pulling out a poke ball, Michelle smiled at the butterfly and murmured, "Thanks, Butterfree. Return!"
"We'll have to approach carefully," Aiden decided, following Michelle's suit and returning Ledian to his own poke ball. "I don't know who's got Brandon, but my guess is if they're crazy enough to kidnap someone, they'll go nuts if we charge right in."
"If it's Team Rocket, that's a definite," Michelle grumbled.
"So what should we do?"
Michelle narrowed her eyes and observed their surroundings. All trees, just as a forest should be. The more she focused, however, Michelle realized she could hear voices coming from within the nearby trees.
"I hear them," she muttered. "Come on."
"Come on where?" Aiden demanded as his sister strode forward.
"I'm going to spy from behind one of those trees," Michelle replied in a hushed tone. "I want to see what we're dealing with."
"Trouble, obviously," Aiden sighed, following after his sister. Pichu and Eevee ran at his feet, eager to catch up to their trainer. Once the group was finally all gathered, both Aiden and Michelle observed the scene in the clearing from behind the safety of a thick oak tree. What they saw caused both of them to gasp silently, their eyes widening out of sheer horror.
Brandon was tied up to a tree, under the watch of four different Team Rocket operatives. Aiden and Michelle recognized all of them from the previous infiltration of the underground hideout. The worst part of the scene, however, was Brandon being vine whipped by a Serperior, letting out soft whines and whimpers of obvious pain while the unimpressed villains watched on.
"Those jerks," Aiden seethed, his voice quickly filling with venom.
"They're so…ugh!" Michelle shrieked, her eyes narrowing. "They make my skin crawl! I just…I just want to punch them all in the face!"
"Don't do that!" Aiden quickly warned. "If you do, then you'll be getting a lot worse than a vine whip."
"But Brandon-"
"But Mom and Dad!" Aiden scolded. "They'll never forgive me if I ever let anything happen to you! I'll never be able to forgive myself!"
Michelle pouted and drew her shoulders back, obviously giving up the fight.
"We're still going to save Brandon," Aiden promised. "But we're going to do it in a way where you won't get captured."
"Got it," Michelle muttered. "But how?"
Aiden bit his lower lip before looking up at Michelle and rapidly nodding his head. "I've got an idea. And I'm going to need your help."
XXX
"Still don't want to talk, huh?"
Brandon looked up after his latest lashing and glared at Cathy. The blonde huffed at his silent protest and turned her head towards Yvette, who looked just as annoyed.
"I don't know how much longer I can deal with this pest," Cathy admitted through a scowl.
"Oh, Cathy," Yvette sighed childishly. "It's simply because you don't properly know how to torment someone in order to actually get what you want. It looks like I'll have to do everything, as always."
Cathy growled as Yvette pulled out a poke ball, tossing it with a simple flick of the wrist. Brandon watched as the sphere popped open and released a blue and yellow Pokémon standing on four legs, with a high-perched, almost geometric mane, and an evil glint in its red eyes.
"Manectric," Yvette ordered simply, "discharge."
Huffing, Manectric unleashed a shock of bright yellow electricity that sent a powerful jolt through Brandon's body. This time, instead of just whimpering, he let out a loud scream that clearly announced the amount of pain he was in.
"We're not here to play games," Yvette roughly informed the aspiring breeder. "We're here for information. The sooner you give us what we want, the sooner we can let you go and end this nonsense."
Brandon wanted to escape in the worst way possible. But that would mean giving out information that could potentially put his best friends in serious danger. And…who knows? Maybe Team Rocket wouldn't let him go. They were criminals, after all. Who ever said they had to be true to their word? Brandon didn't trust them.
So, against his aching body's will, Brandon sealed his lips shut and continued to say nothing.
"You might just be the stupidest one in the bunch," Yvette remarked. "Manectric-"
"Night slash!"
Just as a gasp escaped from the blonde's lips, a flash of white leapt out in front of Brandon, slashing the ropes that bound him with a set of glowing purple claws. The exhausted boy fell to the grass with a grunt, panting as he gripped at the emerald blades with his thick fingers.
"Brandon!"
The boy looked up in awe as Michelle knelt down beside him and held onto his shoulders. Concern was clearly written all over her face, and she looked nearly apologetic on top of it.
"Michelle…" Brandon breathed.
A shadow stretched over his crouched being, causing Brandon to turn his head straight. Aiden had stepped out in front of him, arms crossed against his chest while Absol stood proudly by his side, ready to fight.
"Just what do you creeps think you're doing?!" Aiden barked.
"Well, this might just be even better than getting information out of the brat," Yvette purred. "Aiden Ketchum. What a pleasant surprise!"
"I'd like to say the same, but you're pretty gross," Aiden dully replied.
"Aw, do you think you threaten me?" Yvette giggled. "Trying to be a big, scary boy? Please. I can take you. And since you and your runt of a sister decided to make your presence known to me, you can expect to be coming back to headquarters with me."
"Don't call me a runt!" Michelle snarled, jumping to her feet and joining Aiden. On her shoulder, Pichu's fur stood up, the little mouse getting angry as she sensed her trainer's own rage.
"I'll call you whatever I please," Yvette seethed. "And I'll do whatever I please, too! Manectric, wild charge!"
The discharge Pokémon's body became surrounded by electricity as it went barreling towards Aiden and Michelle.
"Oh no you don't!" Aiden huffed. "Absol, quick attack!"
Absol charged forward, eventually butting heads at full speed with Manectric. Both Pokémon were sent skidding backwards, wincing in pain from the brutal contact.
"The boy likes to use his head," Cathy remarked to her partner.
"Please, it's about as empty as an abandoned house," Yvette scoffed. "I'll take care of it. Manectric, bite!"
Snarling, Michelle looked over her shoulder and quickly ordered, "Eevee, you use bite, too!"
The two Pokémon bared their teeth and lunged at one another, trying to bite the other Pokémon's leg. While they were engaged in battle, Aiden whipped around and grabbed at Brandon's arms, yanking the older boy up to his feet.
"Are you okay, bud?" Aiden asked breathlessly.
"Yeah," Brandon sighed. "It could've been worse, actually."
"Maybe you should run," Aiden suggested. "They won't be able to get you! We'll meet up with you again in a little while."
"No!" Brandon immediately protested, setting Aiden's eyes wide. "I can't leave you and Michelle here alone to battle!"
"Brandon, we can handle it," Aiden promised. "Shelly and I don't want Team Rocket to torment you anymore. We kind of know the only reason they kidnapped you is because of us."
"I don't care," Brandon continued. "You, me, and Michelle are best friends, and I'm not going to let Team Rocket do anything to the two of you! We've all got to have each other's backs. I'll fight with you."
Aiden watched with a dropped jaw as Brandon stepped around him and stood next to Michelle, who let out her own surprised squeak at his sudden appearance.
"Don't worry, Michelle," Brandon assured the girl. "I'm going to help you and Aiden!"
"But-"
"No, it's fine," Brandon cut her off, plucking a poke ball off of his belt. "We're going to beat these creeps together!"
A wide, admiring smile stretched across Michelle's face as she watched Brandon chuck the sphere, releasing his Spearow. Cathy, however, was able to witness this, and wasn't about to let their arch rivals get the upper hand.
"Serperior, vine whip," Cathy quietly hissed to her regal Pokémon.
Narrowing its red eyes, the giant snake unleashed its twin vines at the newly released flying type. Brandon, however, was not deterred, nor did Cathy's sudden command make him nervous.
"Spearow, dodge and use fury attack!" Brandon called.
Heeding his trainer's orders, Spearow expertly dodged Serperior's attack before repeatedly hitting the grass type with his beak.
"Yes!" Brandon cheered.
"You brat!" Cathy shrieked.
"Unacceptable!" Yvette gasped, realizing that Serperior was under attack. "Manectric, discharge on Spearow!"
"Dodge it!" Brandon cried as soon as the electricity surged towards his Pokémon.
Spearow expertly flew beneath the rush of lightning, eyes glinting with determination.
"Peck!" Brandon ordered.
Before Manectric could move out of the way, Spearow began assaulting the electric type with repeated pecks, earning a pained and torturous cry from the discharge Pokémon.
"Ugh, they're unrelenting," Cathy muttered.
"We can help!" Alex offered, moving his hand in preparation to pull out a poke ball of his own.
"No!" Yvette barked, recalling Manectric. "We're going to retreat."
"WHAT?!" Sydney and Alex gasped.
"He's useless," Yvette seethed, turning towards the two bewildered operatives. "We're just going to have to go back to the boss and explain that this one," she threw an evil side eye at Brandon, "was insubordinate."
"Great, so he can kill us?!" Sydney snapped.
"I'll take care of it!" Yvette bit. "Just shut up and trust me!"
Heeding Yvette's words, Cathy pulled out a remote and pressed a button in its center, bringing the pair's aircraft overhead. Four ropes dropped down from the machine, and they each grabbed onto one, ascending back inside the ship.
"This isn't over!" Sydney couldn't help but to scream down at the four young trainers.
"Yeah, that's what you think!" Aiden yelled back, Michelle rolling her eyes at her brother's yelp.
Brandon, on the other hand, chuckled at Aiden's outburst before looking down at Spearow. "Great job, buddy!"
"Spear!" Spearow crowed. Soon after, however, his body began to glow, causing all three trainers to gasp.
"Wow…" Brandon breathed.
Michelle breathed out softly, her eyes widening. "Spearow must be-"
"Evolving!" Aiden finished excitedly.
Its wings spread out wide, and both its neck and beak elongated. Its tail fanned out, and its claws grew bigger. As soon as the light disappeared, Spearow's new form was revealed: larger, more intimidating, and even stronger.
"Fearow!" Brandon laughed. "Awesome!"
"Wow, a real life Fearow!" Aiden chuckled, pulling out his pokedex to scan the newly evolved bird.
Fearow, the beak Pokémon, and the evolved form of Spearow. Fearow have enough stamina to fly for an entire day without landing. They are experts at catching prey of any size, and often swoop down in order to claim their target.
"Fearow's a pretty powerful Pokémon," Michelle playfully teased Brandon. "Think you can handle it?"
"I know I can!" Brandon cheered. "I can't wait for us to battle again, Fearow!"
The newly evolved Pokémon squawked in response, flapping his wings as he chirped.
"Hopefully not against Team Rocket," Michelle sighed, shaking her head.
"Please, those guys are a joke," Aiden scoffed.
"They clearly aren't!" Michelle argued. "They kidnapped and tortured Brandon!"
"Why would they do something like that, anyway?" Aiden hummed. "You never did anything to them!"
"They wanted information on you two," Brandon informed the twins, who both paled at the idea. "I didn't tell them anything, though! Not even when they used their Pokémon's attacks on me!"
"Brandon, you should've just said something!" Michelle wailed. "It was horrible to watch you get hurt!"
"It was fine," Brandon sighed. "I was more concerned about you two. If I gave up any information, you could have wound up in their grasp instead."
"We could've handled them," Aiden grumbled, earning an elbow in the side from Michelle.
"Don't listen to him," the redhead urged. "What you did was really sweet, Brandon. You're an amazing friend."
"Thanks," Brandon murmured with a smirk. "Glad you think so."
XXX
Up in the airship, Yvette was still steaming.
She had managed to hide enough of her anger in front of the operatives. She felt that she had to, seeing as she was a better agent than all three of them.
In her own mind, anyway.
But now, Yvette knew that Giovanni would be furious. And even worse, Magnus would be disappointed in her. And him being disappointed in her was far worse than the boss' scorn.
Stomping into the cockpit of the plane, Yvette threw back the door and glared at the girl in the pilot's seat who had just whipped around in response.
"Get out," Yvette ordered, her voice even though angry.
Blinking her eyes just once, the girl jumped out of her seat and scurried out of the cockpit, right past Yvette. As soon as she was out, Yvette slammed the door closed once again, startling the younger girl she had just kicked out.
Sighing, the dark brunette haired girl sulked over to a nearby window and stared down at the Earth below, her sea foam green eyes catching sight of the three young trainers interacting with one another.
"Wish that were me," she muttered to herself, pressing her forehead against the glass.
Too bad that'll never happen.
Who's that girl? It's-
Just kidding. You'll have to wait to find out :P But she's important to the big Team Rocket plot!
Next up is Michelle's Contest. What else will happen on the Seafoam Islands? Stay tuned and find out!