Part 2 is here at last, and now we get to see if our heroes escape the Abyssal Raiders' trench at last. But the warriors of the Jellicent Kingdom won't make it easy for them, for sure!
Also, I have started writing yet another fanfic, this one based on Pokemon B/W. I call it – "Black & White: Tale of a Legend" (yes, a lot of my story titles involve the word "legend").
I'd love it if you kind readers would take a look at it and give me some feedback!
-.-.-.-.-.
The group of former Abyssal Raider prisoners – Team Knights, Wyvern, Cliff, Luke, Terra, Pteryx, Gaby, Okami, and Cenric – all stood with their backs to the exit, unable to escape as the chaos of battle rapidly surrounded them. Well, technically they still were prisoners to the Abyssal Raiders… but it didn't look like the Raiders would be in control for much longer.
The only thing standing between them and certain doom was a single Sharpedo, the battle-scarred General Fang. "Certain doom" took the form of two impressively large Jellicent, the monarchs of their kingdom. The warriors of the Jellicent Kingdom and the Abyssal Raiders were fighting viciously – the former trying to wrest the western ocean from the others' fins, and the latter desperately defending their chosen home.
"We're trapped!" Terra squealed, holding her tail high as the shallow water was whipped into a frenzy of tiny waves. "It's up to us to escape," Wyvern stated, pointing toward the exit. "No one's going to rescue us, and the Abyssal Raiders don't care for our safety. We must fight our way out of this trench ourselves."
But, to the group's eternal shock, General Fang turned around and spoke to them gruffly. "I beg to differ," he growled. "It might not seem like it, but I'm rooting for you sorry bunch to escape. The Jellicent Kingdom has done enough damage, and I will not allow them to claim any more innocent lives. I will hold the royals at bay, and you lot can escape with your lives."
For the second time in as many minutes, Pteryx's beak dropped open. "Th-that's… very nice of you," Luke stammered, clearly not expecting the General's support.
Any more innocent lives? Gaby wondered, wide-eyed. What does he mean by such words? She had newfound suspicions about the Sharpedo, and indeed expressed them in the form of a question. "Do you know these folk personally?" she asked.
General Fang opened his mouth to speak once more, but he was interrupted. "Time's up, old friend," Pearl said triumphantly, gliding slowly closer. "This time, you will not manage to scrape your way out of this one." Her and Khan advanced on the Sharpedo, who gritted his impressive array of teeth and braced for combat.
"He's not going to make it!" Okami exclaimed, clearly frightened. "Like Wyvern said, we're going to have to make our way past the Jellicent Kingdom warriors ourselves," Jowl said, trying to sound brave.
"Not so, me hearties!"
The unexpected voice caused everyone to look up in surprise, including the two Jellicent. They did so just in time to witness three figures plunging down from the ledge above. With splashes of varying sizes, the trio hit the ground in unison with a single, tremendous crash.
All three were Water-types, and clearly part of the Abyssal Raiders – none of them had tentacles, meaning they couldn't have been with the Jellicent Kingdom. The leader was a huge Kingler, bigger than any the group had ever seen. Dangling from the arm supporting his gigantic pincer was a loose bracelet adorned with fishhooks. He also wore an eyepatch over his left eye. The other eye had a wild, excited glint in it.
His partners were similar Pokemon. The one on the right was a Corphish, complete with the crown of horns and small lobster-like tail. His eyes were narrowed determinedly, and he snapped his claws as if he couldn't wait to clamp down on his prey. The one on the left, the smallest one, was an aqua-blue, shrimp-like Pokemon with long antennae and a huge right claw – a Clauncher. She, too, looked ready to rumble with whomever had the misfortune to get in her way.
"Avast, ye pitiful landlubbers!" the Kingler crowed, hefting his big claw. "We are Claw, Chet, an' Boomer – Team Crustacean, the Platinum-ranked rescue team o' the high seas! We've come ta get yer sorry hides outta this scurvy cavern, and ta smash down any slimy sea dog, be it Raider or tentacled dweller o' the deep, that gets in our way!"
-.-.-.-.-.
Far from the arena, two Pokemon entered the fortress of the Abyssal Raiders and instantly knew that something was wrong. Vizeli and Madeleine could see that the corridors were deserted – each and every one that they cautiously swam past.
"What's goin' on here?" the Floatzel whispered, unnerved by the perpetual silence that pervaded the tunnels. "The trench ain't never this quiet."
Madeleine peered down another empty hall and shuddered involuntarily. "I knew something was wrong when we came back and there were no guards swimming outside," she murmured, as the Krabby crouched on her back replenished her air bubble. "Did something happen to make everyone flee?"
All of a sudden, there was the sound of someone swimming up behind them. "Make way!" the voices suddenly called. The duo turned to see a contingent of Basculin rushing past, bubbles trailing from behind them, clearly in a rush to get somewhere.
"Excuse me!" Madeleine called after them. "What's going on here?" The Basculin didn't even turn around or stop swimming as one of them called faintly back, "The Jellicent Kingdom is attacking! Battle stations, everyone!"
In moments, the corridor was empty again. "Jellicent Kingdom…?" Vizeli said to herself, and then suddenly realized the truth, growling and grinding her teeth angrily. "I knew it! I knew that ditz was up to no good from the moment she arrived!"
The Absol looked grim even as they followed the path the Basculin had taken. "Lady Sapphire has been working against us this entire time," she muttered, everything coming together to make sense for her. "And if the Jellicent Kingdom is indeed stronger than the Abyssal Raiders… which is most likely the case, or else they never would have attacked… then I can…"
Her voice trailed off as an epiphany came to her. As fast as she was able, she swam off down a side corridor, heading for the dungeons and leaving Vizeli to travel alone the rest of the way.
"Off for her beloved parents, of course," the Floatzel grumped. "And who does she leave in the lurch without ever considering the consequences? Little ol' me." The Sea Weasel Pokemon continued to grumble to herself as she sped off through the underwater tunnel using her propeller-like tail.
Soon, she had reached an air pocket, and she walked the rest of the way toward the arena. Undoubtedly El Nino would be there, commanding his Raiders in order to hold fast against the rising threat. Maybe she could convince him to do something stupid so that she would be able to escape without getting her nails ruined again.
At the end of the corridor, Vizeli came to the door of the arena. But when she opened it, she could not believe her eyes – the battle was taking place right here in the arena! She splashed through the shallow water even as she witnessed the epic clash taking place before her. It was organized gang versus disciplined kingdom, and something told her that the Raiders were losing.
"Nope, fightin' ain't for me," she decided, already taking a step back away from the arena. "I can still get outta here and start a newer, better life somewhere else."
But she hadn't even turned around when a sickeningly sweet voice pierced through the din of mortal combat and into her ears. "Leaving so soon, Vizeli dear?"
The Floatzel froze and reluctantly turned around to face her worst enemy. It was none other than Lady Sapphire herself, with her husband Neptune following close behind her. The couple was floating just over the water – and more importantly, between Vizeli and her only escape.
"It's a shame, really," Sapphire sighed, bowing her head slightly. "I was just starting to warm up to you, you know. But then you go and abandon your teammates in order to succeed in your own cowardly escape! Now, what kind of person does that, hmm?"
Her innocent voice began to drive Vizeli over the edge. She was so sick of Sapphire – the lovely, polite, absolutely perfect little princess that had come out of the blue and robbed Vizeli of her dream of getting a high-ranking position amongst the Raiders. And now, her rival turned out to be a spy determined to destroy the organization that the Floatzel had given everything to join. It was as if the Frillish existed purely to ruin Vizeli's life.
It was maddening.
"Out of my way, you idiotic, air-headed traitor! Ice Punch!" Vizeli roared, lunging forth with her fist cloaked in freezing air. Neptune immediately shot between her and her target, setting up a Protect barrier that rendered her Ice Punch useless. "Traitor?" he smirked, his once-kind-and-calm face suffused with malicious excitement. "We were never on your side in the first place!"
Vizeli screamed something incomprehensible as she readied a Surf attack. Water drained away from the battlefield and pooled underneath her, forming a small whirlpool. Soon, it would change shape and rise behind her as a twenty-foot tall wave and crush her opponents without mercy.
At the sight of the attack, Sapphire smirked even as more water drained from the battlefield and began to swirl beneath her as well. "You know, Vizeli," the Frillish began, "pure water is indeed one of the purest substances in the world – but it is fragile and delicate as well, and therefore is so easy to twist and taint into a force of destruction."
The Floatzel's Surf attack reformed, slowly rising higher into the air as Vizeli gave her a dark scowl. But Sapphire just grinned, sharp teeth twinkling even in the dim light as her own wave mimicked her opponent's. But this wave… this was no Surf attack. The water rising behind the princess was indeed tainted, a toxic mess that would contaminate Vizeli's Surf attack and destroy it.
"So let's see how you, a pure Water-type, can handle a little pollution," Sapphire finished with a shrill cackle as she launched her Sludge Wave. Vizeli desperately sent her tidal wave forth, but the poisonous, grimy water was thicker and heavier, crashing down upon it and ruining its power. Vizeli couldn't even grab a breath as the toxic liquid smashed into her, almost immediately soaking into her fur and sucking away her strength.
Sapphire stood above her, her shadow falling upon the fallen Floatzel like a vengeful spirit. "Let's wrap this up, my dear friend," she whispered. "There are other innocent Pokemon I wish to kill today."
And with that, the demented Frillish lunged, her evil laughter blending with the ferocious noise of hundreds of other combatants – but still ringing perfectly clear in the ears of Vizeli, threatening to be the last unpleasant noise she ever heard.
-.-.-.-.-.
"Is that the best ye got?" Claw roared. "Lemme give ya a taste of me Crabhammer!" His giant pincer began to glow blue as he heaved it over his head and brought it down hard. Pearl squeaked and just managed to float out of the way before it hit. Claw's claw, so to speak, crashed down upon the ground with a tremendous *boom*, sending a shockwave forth that swept up the water covering the ground.
Team Crustacean and General Fang were in heated battle with Khan and Pearl while the prisoners looked for an escape. As it turned out, Sapphire and Neptune weren't the only infiltrators amongst the Abyssal Raiders – Team Crustacean had joined as spies for the Guardians. When they revealed that, General Fang had taken it surprisingly well, muttering something about impressive cover stories and deceptive behavior. Apparently the three crab-like Pokemon had proven to be effective and ruthless killers during their time with the Raiders, all for the sake of not getting caught.
"Let's see how you take my Energy Ball, good sir!" Khan proclaimed, throwing his tentacle back and forming a sphere of green energy. When it was fully charged, he hurled it like a bowling ball on a certain collision course with the Kingler's face.
But Boomer was quick to defend. "Sonicboom!" she cried, opening her big claw as wide as it was able. She snapped it shut, and the force of the snap caused an echoing sound wave to blast out from it. The two Jellicent held their ears futilely as the sound pierced through their minds. The Energy Ball met the Sonicboom and immediately exploded midair.
"Now Ancientpower!" shouted Chet, glowing with mystic energy. Rocks appeared from nowhere, levitated by Chet's power, and then hurled themselves at the king and queen. "Night Shade!" screamed Pearl, sending out ghostly waves that smashed the rocks to dust.
General Fang was hanging back in the fight. None of his attacks would be any good against Water-and-Ghost-types. But he did have a plan, one that he hoped Team Crustacean would pick up on once he executed it – it needed them to work.
"Scary Face!" he yelled, eyes glowing red. A huge illusion of the Sharpedo's face was then projected from him with a monstrous, hollow roar. The sight of that made even the Jellicent Kingdom monarchs scream and back away in fear.
The general wasn't disappointed, as Claw observed him with his beady eye and picked up on his plan. "Rock Tomb!" he shouted. His claw glowed with power as he smashed it on the ground – the wave of power that ensued caused huge boulders to rise up out of the ground around the Jellicent, trapping them. Chet called upon Ancientpower for good measure, burying them completely under the weight of his rocks.
"Are they still alive?" the Corphish asked. "If they are, which is likely, then those rocks won't hold them for long," General Fang growled. "Let's escape while we still can – I've seen enough of this carnage to know that the Abyssal Raiders will not survive."
Indeed, the four warriors looked around and saw Water-type Pokemon all around them, fighting and dying in futile protection of their home. The Jellicent Kingdom was far stronger than the Abyssal Raiders, it seemed.
"There's no escape!" Luke wailed, sticking close to his friends. "The exits are too far away, and blocked by fighting Pokemon! We'll be killed if we try to make our way around them!"
Claw and General Fang looked at each other and shared equally wide grins. "Then we be fightin' our way through 'em!" the Kingler chortled. "Come on! There be victory on the horizon!"
Lancelot stepped forth. "I will help you fight," he said. "I insist on doing my part to make sure everyone escapes safely." At these words, and the sight of his Guardian friend, Claw nodded in acknowledgement and approval.
"Stop the chibber-chabber and let's get movin', ya old fools!" Boomer yelled in her weird accent. "Sonicboom!" she added, releasing another potent shockwave that cleared a temporary path to the exit for them.
"Let's move!" General Fang roared, jetting forward with Team Crustacean close behind. The other Pokemon followed quickly, with Team Knights bringing up the rear. The rescue teams made sure the others got through safely, using their attacks to swat any Frillish, Tentacruel, or Tentacool away.
At first, it looked as if they might make it. No Pokemon that got in their way stood a chance against the powerful rescue teams. Okami, Gaby, Jowl, and the rest started to hope that they'd escape the Abyssal Arena safely, and that the rest of the fortress would be deserted.
But something just had to go wrong.
A Shadow Ball and Water Pulse streaked down from out of nowhere, striking the ground and setting off a huge explosion of water and darkness. The group stopped just short of the explosion, and as the smoke faded, out came the two beings responsible for this entire mess.
"You honestly thought that we'd forgotten you?" Lady Sapphire asked innocently. "Of course not! Remember what I said earlier? If you survived the arena, then I'd get to have the honor of killing you! And now that the Abyssal Raiders will soon be no more, you might as well die with them, don't you think?"
She giggled hysterically, the sound making the group shudder as one. Even Claw and General Fang were put off, but not for long. "You will pay dearly for this outrage, vile witch!" Arthur spat. "The Guardians will hear about this, and you will indeed be punished for your selfish actions!"
Now it was Sapphire who looked put off. "Selfish?" she protested. "Not at all, my dear! I only want what's best for my kingdom! And with the Abyssal Raiders running around, trying to conquer the oceans, how could I not act with my home as a potential target?"
Lancelot stepped forward and extended his blades. "You've proven yourself an effective liar," he stated, readying himself for combat. "You don't just want to protect your home – you want the four oceans for yourself."
Sapphire smiled at him. "Ooh, a smart one you are," she praised him. "There's no pulling the kelp over your eyes! But sadly, you're doomed to die… and you'll be spending your last moments with me, just as I planned it from the start." She fluttered her eyelids at the Gallade and let out a cute (yet still creepy) little giggle.
A Shadow Ball formed at the end of her tentacle. "So, any last words, handsome?" she asked. "And please don't use those overrated lines like 'go to the Distortion World' or 'good-bye, my dear family'. That gets very old, very quickly."
The Gallade smiled slightly. "How does 'Leaf Blade' sound?" he asked, right before lunging at her with a glowing green blade aimed to slash her. She held up her tentacle and blocked the deadly attack with her Shadow Ball, and it exploded violently. Lancelot hit the ground hard, and Sapphire was thrown against the wall with a pained gasp.
As the pink Frillish struggled to get up, Neptune's eyes blazed at the sight of his dear wife in such a condition. "Bad idea," he growled, charging up a Water Pulse attack. Lancelot got back up and readied another Leaf Blade. Meanwhile, Fireclaw stepped forward to do battle as well, wincing at his injury. His tail flame began glowing brightly as he prepared a Solarbeam.
No one moved for the next few seconds. Lancelot was breathing hard at the effort of maintaining his Leaf Blade, as well as from the previous explosion. Neptune was waiting for his enemy to make a move, holding his swirling sphere of water between his tentacles. In the background, Sapphire finally got up and stood strong once more. In the end, though, it wasn't Neptune, Sapphire, or Lancelot that made a move.
Fireclaw finished charging power and released his Solarbeam attack with a fierce roar, and the beam of white-hot light blasted out from his jaws. It was aimed straight at Lady Sapphire, who stared at it with wide, frightened eyes, unable to move in time in her condition. If the Solarbeam connected, her wounds would most likely be fatal.
But the Solarbeam never hit its target. Neptune saw it streaking directly toward his beloved Sapphire. He gave out a fierce yell that rivaled Fireclaw's previous battle cry, dodged Lancelot's thrust with his blade, rocketed toward Sapphire and tackled her out of the way, and ducked under the beam he had placed himself directly in the path of. The Solarbeam hit the wall above the exit instead, exploding with a dazzling flash of light and raining rubble down upon the battlefield.
Neptune, breath coming hard with fear and fury, glanced once at where Sapphire lay on the ground. She was breathing, thank Arceus. But the same won't be said for the one who dared try to strike her down! he roared inwardly, and threw his Water Pulse attack at Fireclaw with all his might, rage and vengeance fueling his muscles and giving him a huge boost of strength.
The Water Pulse hit in seconds, but to Fireclaw, it felt like an eternity. With his nasty leg injury, there was no way he'd be able to dodge the attack. Instead, he whispered a wish for Lancelot and Arthur to take care of things for him – for indeed, he knew that he would not be coming back home.
And then, he was enveloped completely in a roiling ball of suffocating liquid. He didn't struggle at all, instead flashing his friends in Team Knights a half-grin and giving them a thumbs-up. His tail flame sputtered, then went out. His life force was snuffed out with it.
The Water Pulse faded, and Fireclaw hit the wet ground with a splat. He didn't stir. He didn't even twitch.
Lancelot struck with Leaf Blade instantly, delivering a devastating downward blow to Neptune's head and knocking him to the ground. The blue Frillish hit the ground, out cold. The Gallade retracted his blade, even as he turned to look at his lifeless teammate lying on the ground in front of him, so helpless-looking that it made tears spring to his eyes.
"Let's go! This could be our only opportunity to escape!" Chet the Corphish yelled, snapping everyone out of the shocked spell they were under. The group made a beeline for the exit, and all of them made it through safely. The only one who stopped was Lancelot, giving Fireclaw once last glance before following his surviving friends.
They found themselves back in the dungeons. "Follow us, maties!" called Claw, scuttling down a side passage. "We'll find yeh some Krabby and then ye all can swim outta here and into the open sea!"
Each of the group could almost taste freedom as they ran after the Kingler. After Fireclaw's death, they were all more determined than ever to do, in his honor, what he hadn't managed to – escape with their lives.
None of them noticed the white blur that came out of nowhere and snatched Cenric, dragging him into the shadows.
-.-.-.-.-.
Sam and Blanca were crouched in their cell. They miserably wondered if they'd ever get out of this terrible place, and dismissed the thought immediately. As long as Madeleine remained a servant to the Abyssal Raiders, they would never escape. And if El Nino no longer had a use for Madeleine, he'd kill her, and they would certainly follow.
But then, the sound of multiple feet hitting the ground at a rapid pace caused them to look up. The Ninetales and Absol both looked up toward the cell door and saw not only a Crawdaunt guard, but Madeleine and two Krabby as well, standing in front of their cage. Cenric was unconscious and being carried on Madeleine's back.
"Mother, Father," Madeleine whispered to them. They stood up, then flinched back in shock when the Crawdaunt stomped forward and clamped his pincers around the prison bars. With a mighty wrench, he tore the door out and threw it aside with a loud clang.
And then Madeleine said the words that Sam and Blanca never thought they'd hear. Their daughter grinned at them and told them, "We're getting out of here."
-.-.-.-.-.
Team Crustacean belongs to me, ye scurvy scallywags!
I enjoy writing Lady Sapphire's parts so much more now. All of her attacks seem to reflect her nature – Shadow Ball is a sphere of dark power, Night Shade is a torturous wave of psychic pain, and Sludge Wave is simply tainted.
Also, Boomer the Clauncher is based off of a little-known crustacean called a pistol shrimp. It actually kills its prey with shockwaves from its claw! It's about time they found their way into the Pokemon world!
If it turns out Clauncher can't learn Sonicboom, I'll kill myself.
So… Fireclaw is dead, and Vizeli certainly might be. General Fang has allied himself at least temporarily with our heroes, and the Jellicent Kingdom seems to have won this round… What will become of everyone now?
Claw: "Review or be forced ta walk the plank, me hearties!"
Chapter Question #22: Which character in the story do you want to die the most, and whom do you want to die the least?