Chapter 38: Brian versus Giovanni
I didn't know how my friends were doing at the moment, and as concerned about them as I was I also knew I couldn't let that dominate my thoughts, for I had a much bigger obstacle in my path.
"Well then, shall we get started?" Giovanni offered. My blood boiled as I glared at the man who single-handedly destroyed my life.
"You want to go? Fine. Let's do this!" I prepared to shift when Giovanni raised a hand to stop me.
"Come now, there's no need for that," he said. "Let us settle this like true trainers… with a Pokémon battle."
"(The nerve of that bastard. After everything he's done to us he has the nerve to pull this shit,)" Ivy growled, making sure to keep her voice down.
"Actually, I think we should accept his offer," I announced, causing my Pokémon to stare at me as if I had just lost my mind.
"(Are you crazy? Why should we trust him?)" Foxy quietly barked.
"I never said trust him. We'll go with a traditional battle, but I want everyone who isn't battling to keep a close eye on him. If he tries anything… take him out," I instructed. This was something I knew none of them had any problem doing. With that taken care of I turned my attention back to the tyrant standing across from me.
"What are the rules?" I asked.
"Three Pokémon each using a best two-out-of-three format," he replied. This actually worked in my favor. If I only had three of my Pokémon battling then the other three could act as lookouts.
"Fine," I agreed. With an evil smirk Giovanni grabbed a Poké Ball and threw it out, calling on his Golem.
"A heavy-hitter right out of the gates," I commented. Well two could play at this game. I glanced back towards Riptide and nodded.
"(You got it,)" my Feraligatr responded.
"(Give 'em Hell, big guy,)" Ivy urged. He looked back at her and smirked.
"(You know it,)" he replied. He lumbered onto the field and stared at his opponent. I know he wanted nothing more than to tear right through that Golem and get to Giovanni, but I knew we had to be careful. If we let our emotions get the better of us we'd lose this battle.
"I think I'll make the first move," Giovanni announced. "Golem, Rollout!" The Megaton Pokémon barreled towards Riptide, picking up speed as he rolled along the ground.
"Intercept with Aqua Tail!" I instructed. Twisting his body Riptide called for a column of water to start swirling around his tail. Then, once Golem was in range, he swung and made solid contact. Golem's Rollout wasn't stopped, but he was sent horribly off-course, slamming into a wall.
"Keep up the pressure with Ice Punch!" I shouted. The Feraligatr drew his fist back as frigid air began swirling around it.
"(You need to chill out, boulder brains!)" he roared. He then broke out into a charge towards the Golem, intent on putting the Rock-and-Ground type on ice. As he swung his fist Golem intercepted the attack, catching Riptide's fist in his hand.
"(Not this time, loud-mouth!)" the Megaton Pokémon taunted.
"(That's Mister Big Jaw to you!)" Riptide roared. He formed a second Ice Punch in his free paw and tried to attack with that one, but the Golem blocked that one as well. Both Pokémon were locked in a test of strength, neither one giving an inch. Riptide, however, had other methods of attacking.
"Hydro Pump!" I instructed. With a smirk Riptide opened his massive jaws and prepared to spew forth his Hydro Pump.
"Sandstorm!" Giovanni shouted. I swore loudly as his Golem whipped up a massive Sandstorm attack. Not only was the sandstorm damaging Riptide, but it caused him to cancel his attack and attempt to cover up.
"(Damn! I can't see anything!)" he roared.
"Stay calm!" I instructed, though I doubt if he could hear me over the swirling winds.
"Mega Punch!" Giovanni ordered. Even though Riptide couldn't see very well in the sandstorm Giovanni's Golem had no trouble with his vision, and though I couldn't see I could clearly hear the Golem's Mega Punch make solid contact with Riptide.
"Again!" Again the sound of Golem's Mega Punch making solid contact echoed loudly over the sandstorm.
"Don't let up!" Giovanni ordered. As the sound of repeated Mega Punches rang in my ears I couldn't help but worry for Riptide's safety. I knew Giovanni wouldn't hesitate to tell his Golem to kill him.
"Concerned? You should be," Giovanni said, noticing the look on my face. Oh, how I wanted to just go over there and rip his damn throat out, but as much as I wanted to I needed to stay focused on the battle.
"Riptide, try and get out of there!" I shouted, hoping he heard me. Seconds later he did emerge from the Sandstorm, but not in the way I had hoped. His exit was due to one powerful Mega Punch from Giovanni's Golem. As my Feraligatr collapsed the Sandstorm subsided, revealing the Golem with a sadistic smile on his face.
"I think it's time to end this little battle," Giovanni stated. "Golem, Body Slam! Crush his skull!" If it were anyone else I wouldn't believe they meant that, but considering that this was Giovanni I knew for a fact that if he ordered his Golem to kill Riptide then that's just what the Megaton Pokémon would do. As I saw the Golem launch himself into the air I knew I had to act fast. Unfortunately Riptide was in no condition to comply, meaning his only option was a powerful counter-attack.
"Quick, Riptide! Use Hydro Cannon!" I shouted. It would leave him exhausted but it was the only choice I had.
"(One… Hydro Cannon… coming up…)" Riptide gasped. He opened his jaws and fired a concentrated ball of water at the Golem. The water ball exploded, sending the Golem hurtling through the air. He came crashing down moments later, the impact creating a small earthquake. In the end, even though Riptide was low on energy the gamble paid off. Giovanni's Golem was down for good.
"Oh man… that was too close," I sighed, wiping my brow. I almost allowed myself to smile as I heard Giovanni curse as he recalled his Golem. Kane took it upon himself to retrieve Riptide and bring him over to our side.
"(Did… Did I… get him?)" Riptide panted.
"(You whooped his ass, big guy,)" Ivy said as she fanned him with her tail. The Feraligatr, through his exhaustion, managed to smile.
"(Heh… That'll… teach that bastard… to mess… with us…)" he stated. Thanks to him we were up 1-0.
"Brian!" And even more good news was coming our way.
"Poka! You made it!" Man, was I glad to see that he and his Pokémon made it back in one piece. As we hi-fived each other I could see the scowl on Giovanni's face grow more displeased.
"I take it things went well for you," I assumed. As soon as I said that Poka frowned.
"Not really. That son-of-a-bitch Cyrus was too much of a coward to face me himself," he swore. "All that coward did was send a mech in his place." That sounded real shitty to me, but the main thing was Poka was okay. Still…
"Have you heard anything from Scarlet?" I asked.
"Not since we first split up," he replied. This didn't leave me with a good feeling. In my opinion this mission of ours would only be a success if we all returned alive in the end, which meant that I had to hurry up and finish Giovanni off here and now.
"So what's the plan?" Poka asked me as we both glared at the tyrant.
"I'm going to finish this battle and put an end to him. All I need to do is take sown one more of his Pokémon," I explained.
"What should I do?" Poka asked.
"Keep an eye on him. If he tries anything… take him out," I said. Poka nodded as he and his Pokémon joined mine in watching Giovanni.
"If you're done over there we have unfinished business," the Team Rocket leader stated.
"I know, and I plan on finishing it, and you!" I declared. I was about to send out my next Pokémon when Giovanni sent out his next Pokémon, a Machamp. This worked in my favor, for I had three Pokémon that matched-up well with him. The only question was who to send out against him?
"(Brian, allow me to face him,)" Esther offered. I turned to my Gardevoir.
"Are you sure?" I asked. Esther nodded.
"(I am. With my Psychic powers I should be able to defeat him quickly,)" she stated. I knew she spoke the truth, but at the same time I knew Giovanni would do anything to come out on top in this battle. As reluctant as I was to send her out there the confidence that Esther was showing at that moment made me believe that she would be true to her word and end this quickly.
"Alright. This is your battle," I agreed.
"(Take him down, girl,)" Maggie cheered.
"(I shall do my best,)" Esther replied. As she stood across from her opponent Giovanni quickly ordered his Machamp to attack.
"Stone Edge!" he shouted. With a loud battle cry Machamp called forth hundreds of razor-sharp stones and sent them hurtling towards Esther.
"Send them back with Psychic!" I instructed.
"(At once,)" she complied. Her eyes took on a bluish glow, and with a simple flick of her wrist she sent the Stone Edge right back towards Giovanni's Machamp.
"Dynamicpunch!" Giovanni ordered. If I hadn't seen it myself I wouldn't have believed it, but his Machamp managed to obliterate every one of those stones with just one punch.
"This won't be easy," I thought. "Esther, use Teleport!" In the blink of an eye the Gardevoir vanished from sight. I thought I might have had the element of surprise on my side, but then I saw Giovanni smirk.
"She's behind you!" Giovanni shouted.
"What the?" I was floored when I saw his Machamp turn around just in time to catch Esther in a powerful bearhug. Just how in the Hell did he know what was coming? Giovanni must have known what I was thinking.
"Come now, Brian. Did you really think I wouldn't know about your little tricks? Remember, I've been watching you for years," he explained. Damnit! I should have known!
"What now?" Poka wondered. I knew there was no way Esther could overpower that Machamp physically, but he couldn't match her when it came to her Psychic powers.
"Esther, use Psychic to break free!" I shouted.
"Don't you dare let her get away!" Giovanni warned. Before Esther could attempt to break free the Machamp used his two free hands to grab her around her neck.
"No!" I almost couldn't believe what I was seeing. Giovanni was intent on not only defeating me, but he wanted to break my spirit by killing my Pokémon. Well there was no way I was going to let that happen.
"Come on, gang! Esther needs our help!" I was about to lead the charge when Esther motioned for us to remain where we were.
"(P-Please… l-let me… handle this,)" she pleaded.
"But Esther…"
"(T-Trust… me… I… can… d-defeat… him…)" Every fiber in my being was telling me send the cavalry out there, but for some reason I decided to do as she asked and called the others back.
"(Are you sure about this? That Machamp can kill her at any moment,)" Foxy argued.
"I know, but I also know Esther wouldn't have held us off if she didn't believe she could win," I retorted. "Call it a hunch but I think she's going to come out of this okay." I could tell my Vulpix didn't 100% believe me, and to be honest I didn't fully believe myself either. All I could do was hope I made the right call.
"(Hah! Little weakling thinks she can beat me!)" the Machamp taunted. "(You no strong enough to hurt me!)" Despite her predicament Esther managed to smile.
"(That's… where you're wrong,)" she argued. "(I… am m-more… than capable… of hurting you.)"
"(You think you can hurt me? I like to see you…)" His boasting was brought to an abrupt end by a rather un-Esther-like move. He released her and doubled over in agonizing pain.
"Oh man…" I commented.
"That had to hurt," Poka added.
"(I hope I never have to experience anything like that… ever,)" Kane said. While it wasn't a very dignified tactic it did get the job done, and like the old saying goes 'Desperate times call for desperate measures', and this certainly were desperate times.
"Okay Esther, use Psychic before he can recover!" I instructed. By now the Gardevoir had recovered from her ordeal and was more than willing to comply.
"(At once!)" Her eyes once again took on a bluish glow. Moments later Giovanni's Machamp was enveloped in a similar glow.
"(I'm afraid our confrontation is at an end,)" she declared. Then, with a motion of her hand, the Machamp was sent crashing into the wall. She then motioned the other way, sending him crashing into the wall on the opposite side. She then motioned upwards, sending the Machamp into the ceiling. Then, to finish him off, she swung her hand down and slammed the Machamp into the ground. Needless to say Giovanni's Machamp was in no shape to continue, meaning we had won the battle.
"Whew… we did it," I sighed.
"(That was a bit too close for comfort,)" Maggie commented. I completely agreed with her. Riptide and Esther had to really work for those wins, but in the end I was proud of their efforts. Giovanni, on the other hand, was furious that he had been defeated. He recalled his Machamp and glared daggers at us.
"I will not stand for this!" he roared. "Persian, teach them a lesson!" I should have known he wouldn't play by the rules, even if they were his to begin with. I was about to issue an order when Kane sprang into action, catching the incoming Persian with a Dragon Claw. The Classy Cat Pokémon was knocked into one of the side walls, but Kane wasn't done yet. To guarantee that Giovanni's Persian would no longer be a factor he attacked him with a Dragon Pulse, knocking him out.
"Thanks, Kane," I praised. This only further fueled Giovanni's rage.
"I… have been humiliated by you… for the last time!" He reached into his suit pocket for what I believed were more Poké Balls. What he took out, though, was much worse than I anticipated.
"Bastard…" I heard Poka say under his breath.
"Now this brings back memories, doesn't it?" I could only stare down the barrel of Giovanni's handgun, the fear of what he would do next rooting me to the spot.
"I seem to recall someone losing their life the last time I had to resort to taking this out," he commented. I had to resist the urge to charge him for speaking of Sonya's death so nonchalantly.
"I wonder… whose life should I bring to an end this time?" I watched as his eyes surveyed the group. No matter who he chose to shot it would be a huge loss.
"If you're going to shoot someone then why don't you shoot me," I seethed.
"Oh no no no, that would be too easy," Giovanni refused. "I want you to suffer before I kill you… and I know just how to do that." I looked on in horror as he trailed his aim downwards… right at Foxy.
"What better way to break you than to make you watch as I kill you precious Pokémon one at a time… starting with the one you're closest to." I had to do something, but what? If I told Foxy to run he'd shoot her before she could move. If I tried to make a move he'd more than likely shoot one of my other Pokémon… or worse yet, he could turn his aim at Poka or his Pokémon. For the first time in a long time my hands were tied.
"Say goodbye to your beloved Vulpix!" I saw him start to squeeze the trigger, but before the shot was fired a Shadow Ball and Flamethrower flew by my head.
"What?" The next thing I knew the attacks struck Giovanni, blowing him back into the generator. The impact caused the generator to start sparking.
"It's gonna blow!" Poka warned.
"Esther, shield us with Protect!" I shouted. In the blink of an eye a Protect barrier was formed around us, and not a moment too soon. Within seconds the generator exploded, showering us with deadly shrapnel. Thankfully Esther's Protect held strong, keeping us safe. When it was safe she allowed the barrier to fall.
"Is everyone alright?" I asked. Looking around it appeared as though everyone had escaped injury.
"(Yeah, we're all fine,)" Ivy announced. That put my mind at ease for a moment. During that time I wondered about those attacks that seemed to come out of nowhere.
"Who launched those attacks?" I wondered.
"(Yo!)" Turning towards the voice we were all met with a very welcome sight.
"Scarlet!" The third member of our group had finally arrived, as had Crazefire. With them was someone I didn't recognize, along with an Absol and an Eevee. Foxy, however, recognized him immediately.
"(Hey! That's Scarlet's brother Mark!)" she barked.
"Him?" I asked. I remember Scarlet saying he wanted to kill her, but then why was he here with her? Before I could ask her about that Poka noticed the condition Scarlet was in.
"By the Guardian, what happened?" he asked.
"Let's just say things got a little out-of-hand," she replied. I noticed her voice was very raspy.
"(Scarlet! Your throat!)" Foxy gasped. That's when we all saw the bad scar on her neck.
"Are you going to be okay?" I asked.
"Yeah. I'll be fine," she said. I was still concerned about that injury, but Scarlet knows her body better than anyone. If she says she's going to be fine then I'll trust her judgment.
"(So, what happened during your battle? Did you win?)" Ivy asked.
"Not exactly," Scarlet replied. "We never got finished."
"(Huh? What happened?)" Maggie wondered. I was wondering the same thing. Right then I saw both her and Mark glance over at Shocky and the Eevee.
"They happened. During our battle we saw them laughing and playing with each other, even though they were technically supposed to be enemies," Scarlet explained.
"Seeing that made us realize that out true enemy wasn't each other, but the man who's at the center of all the pain and heartache we've suffered over the years," Mark finished.
"Well we won't have to worry about him anymore," Poka announced. All of us looked at the now destroyed generator. Nothing more than burning, mangled scrap metal we knew that buried somewhere in there was Giovanni. A fitting grave if you ask me.
"It may have taken us a long time… and cost us many lives… but I can now say we can live without the fear of him or Team Rocket," Scarlet solemnly said.
"Yes," I agreed. "It's over. It's finally over." With nothing left to do we prepared to leave Spear Pillar when…
"It's not over… until I say it's over!" We all stared at the generator wreckage.
"(You have got to be kidding me! There's no way he survived that!)" Crazefire gasped. As much as we wanted to believe him what happened next shocked us all. Not only had Giovanni survived the generator explosion, but he emerged with only his suit being damaged. Other than that he was perfectly fine.
"(Just what the Hell is he?)" Maggie gasped.
"(To survive an explosion of that magnitude at such a close range… he possesses abilities not of this world,)" Esther commented.
"You'll have to do more than that to stop me!" the Team Rocket tyrant declared. As he looked our group over he spotted Mark.
"I'm disappointed in you, Mark! I thought you were loyal to team Rocket!" he boomed.
"That was before I realized my mistake!" Mark countered. "It's like they say… blood is thicker than water!"
"Is that so? Then you can die along with your sister and the rest of those pests!" he declared.
"(Um, newsflash, dumbass! We destroyed your generators! There's no way for you to capture Dialga and Palkia, which means no new Shifters!)" Ivy shouted.
"Face it, Giovanni! We've stopped you from realizing your dream of creating the ultimate Shifter!" I declared. I was feeling pretty confident, until Giovanni started laughing.
"You haven't stopped anything!" he declared.
"What do you mean?" Scarlet challenged. The next words out of his mouth sent a shiver up my spine.
"The ultimate Shifter… has already been created…"
No... we were too late. Everything we've done to prevent this from happening... was all for nothing. No matter what we can't let Giovanni's ultimate Shifter defeat us, so join us for our most difficult battle yet in the next chapter of The Shifter Chronicles!
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