The wind was whistling through my hair as Elliot and I soared above Lavaridge Town, heading directly for Mt Chimney. I tightened my grip around his waist as we got closer and closer to the looming mountain where I knew my dad was hiding out, just waiting to capture Groudon… Agitation and nervousness were dancing through my veins, making it incredibly difficult to stay still. I fidgeted incessantly on the back of Elliot's Tropius, making the giant Pokemon roar in annoyance every now and again, but I couldn't stop myself. I knew what was facing me in there. And it was scaring me more than I cared to admit. My dad already had Kyogre; I had accepted that I had failed in that respect, but I couldn't let him get Groudon too! Alakazam had told me that the world would never be the same if Groudon fell to my dad's hands and I couldn't let that happen! Alakazam had died for this cause… and I couldn't let him die for nothing.
We were getting ever closer to our goal and I was shocked to see that Mt Chimney looked exactly the same as it had when I had left there all those months ago. The earth had been raised and split, built up to make rocky, craggy cliff faces, almost impossible to climb on foot. But thankfully, we had Tropius and it was easy to simply soar above the difficult paths, heading straight for the only entrance to Mt Chimney that we knew.
"Oh my God, look!" something suddenly became terrifyingly apparent to me and I had to point it out to Elliot. "The entrance to Mt Chimney! It's been reopened!"
"Oh my God… the bastards…" Elliot breathed out in shock.
The entrance to Mt Chimney that Groudon had sealed up itself had been blasted straight through, reopening the inner chambers of the hideout inside. Even from a distance, it was clear what they had done. I couldn't believe it. It had already started!
"Come on, Tropius! Let's hurry!" Elliot ordered.
With that, Elliot's Tropius picked up speed and seconds later, we had begun a rapid descent. We were in the air for only a few more minutes before we touched down onto the rocky ground again. After jumping down, Elliot recalled his Tropius and immediately began investigating the newly opened entrance.
"This has been opened recently," Elliot mused, investigating the ragged, burned edges of the entrance. "Looks like it's been blasted open…"
"So…" I said in a low, hushed voice. "They must be in there now…"
Elliot nodded, letting out a long breath. "Looks like it."
Fear shot through me and I glanced upwards towards the peak of the volcano. Everything still seemed so quiet and so peaceful. Like nothing could be wrong with the world. But my heart still beat hard against my chest as I looked up at this stoic, passionless mountain. I knew that Groudon was waiting in there, somewhere… And I knew my dad and all his followers were right there too, their sights set on the legendary Pokemon. My hands clenched into fists. "Then we should go straight in there!" I burst out. "We need to stop them as soon as possible! We should—"
"Hold it right there!"
A harsh voice sounded from behind me, startling me. I heard Elliot swear and we both turned around. "Oh God, not again!" Elliot cried out in exasperation.
We were faced with three trainers all in the telltale black uniform. Three giant burly men, none of them wearing masks so we could see their ugly, red faces, stood in front of us, brandishing Pokeballs.
"Well, well, well…" the one in the middle smirked. "This is a very exciting catch to fall right into our net… the daughter of Cal Volbeda and the brother of Lance… seems like you two just simply won't go down!"
"Yes, we commend you on your impeccable survival skills," the one of the left cackled. "It's not everyone that can withstand an attack made by a Legendary Pokemon and live to tell the tale!"
"Even more commendable that you knew exactly where to find us," the third interjected, folding his muscular arms.
"But it ends now, you little runts!" the first man's voice took on a dangerous, threatening edge. "We're not gonna let you interfere again!"
"Oh my God…" I murmured worriedly.
"Hah, please!" Elliot scoffed, suddenly sounding brave and confident. "You seriously think you can take the two of us? And win?"
"It's not even about winning…" the first man had a wicked smirk on his face as he spoke. "All we have to do is keep you away long enough to let Cal summon Groudon and then, he'll be unstoppable!"
As those words left the man's lips, Elliot grabbed me and started pushing me towards the cave entrance. "Run, Sienna! I'll keep these guys busy if you just run in there and—"
"I don't think so! Go, Skuntank!"
Before I knew it, a Pokeball was sailing above my head! It burst open, revealing a giant purple Pokemon shaped like a skunk! The Pokemon totally blocked the entrance of the cave and I juddered to a halt as this Pokemon reared up on its back legs, roaring, and a horrible, noxious smell began choking its way down my nose and throat. I had to clamp my hand over my noise and mouth as the horrible smell made me feel like I wanted to retch!
"You're not getting in there!" the second man yelled, throwing his own Pokeball. "Go, Honchkrow!"
"And I'll choose Zangoose!" the third man chipped in, hurling a Pokeball.
Both Elliot and I had to leap to the side as the giant bird Pokemon and the mongoose Pokemon burst out from their Pokeballs. Elliot and I backed away as the three Pokemon started advancing on us.
"What a pain!" Elliot cursed. "It's not even about them winning! If they just can keep us away… then they can summon Groudon without worrying!"
Even as Elliot said that, there was a massive explosion! I let out a screech and grabbed onto Elliot as the force from the explosion rippled through the ground. Something blasted straight through the thick rock of Mt Chimney, scattering massive boulders and debris all across the ground!
"Sienna!" Elliot turned a panicked face to me. "We need to stop these guys now! That could be them trying to blast their way to Groudon right now!"
"I know, Elliot, I know!" I cried. "But what can we…?"
"Just get ready to battle!" Elliot told me, swiftly unhooking two Pokeballs from his belt, his eyes firmly fixed on the Pokemon blocking the entrance to Mt Chimney. "We need to get past them! One way or another! Now come on out, Jet and Tropius!"
With a flash of brilliant white light, Elliot released his Pokemon. I had to admit, the small lithe body of Jet the Umbreon alongside the massive girth of the Tropius looked intimidating. And that was with me knowing just how strong these Pokemon were.
"Umbree!" Jet called as soon as he was released, and Tropius let out a bone-chilling roar at the sight of the three enemy Pokemon.
"Sienna!" Elliot summoned me, snapping me back into reality. "Release a Pokemon, now!"
"Right! Go, Meloi!"
As my Ampharos took her place alongside Jet and the Tropius, I felt a sense of panic invade my body again. This was never ending! So many trainers to fight, so many Pokemon to battle, it felt like it was never going to change! But I couldn't give up now! I was so close now! I had to stop the Groudon from being captured.
I looked at Elliot, but he didn't return the gaze. He was fixated firmly on the task at hand, looking the Honchkrow, Zangoose and Skuntank up and down. He didn't look nervous, but focused, determined, I would say even confident. I knew this was Elliot's battle face. He was completely centred on this goal now. I felt a strange rush of emotions, realising that this was the first time I was going to be battling alongside Elliot. I couldn't lose now, not with Elliot backing me up, could I? He was just simply too strong a trainer! We had this… didn't we?
"Zangoose, use X-Scissor!"
"Skuntank! Use Poison Gas!"
"Honchkrow, Pursuit!"
I cursed inwardly to myself as soon as the three Pokemon were ordered into battle. They sprang into action so quickly I had no time to react! Elliot on the other hand held no such hesitations and threw himself straight into battle.
"Jet, quickly, use Confuse Ray! And Tropius, use Magical Leaf!"
I watched in awe as Jet emitted a strange, pulsing wave of energy that floated sinisterly towards the enemy Pokemon, eventually wafting over the Zangoose, stopping it dead in its tracks. A vacant, confused look appeared over its face, and it turned around and swiftly delivered the X-Scissor attack to the Honchkrow by its side! Meanwhile, Tropius's Magical Leaf attack swept towards the three Pokemon, the sharpened, pointed edges of the brightly coloured leaves slicing their bodies, making them howl in pain.
"Snap out of it!" the black uniformed men screamed at their Pokemon. "Attack, now!"
"Sienna, don't just stand there!" Elliot turned to me suddenly, whilst Jet and Tropius readied themselves for the next part of the battle. "Do something!"
I came crashing back into my senses almost immediately. What on earth was I doing, just standing there letting Elliot fight my battles for me! I had trained for months, months, just waiting for this opportunity! It had been bad enough I had failed… failed to stop my dad from capturing Kyogre… I couldn't let him capture Groudon too! But, if I just stood here doing nothing, that's exactly what would happen!
"Meloi, use Thundershock on that Honchkrow, now!"
As the giant black bird swooped straight in towards Elliot's Tropius, ready to inflict a powerful Wing Attack, Meloi sprang into action, sending a beam of electrical energy speeding towards the Honchkrow! It was a direct hit! The electricity coursed through the bird's body, sending it plummeting to the ground, smoking slightly. It couldn't battle! Even better, as its trainer ran up to it, the electrical charge still present in the Honchkrow's body shocked the trainer, leaving him paralysed!
"Yes! Well done, Meloi!"
"Amph! Amph!" she cheered happily.
"Now, let's help Elliot out! Use Thunderpunch on that Skuntank!"
Meloi bounded straight into the field of battle, injecting herself straight between a battling Skuntank and Jet. As Jet neatly dodged an incoming Toxic attack, Meloi grabbed her opportunity and delivered a powerful punch, fuelled with electrical energy straight into the massive girth of the Skuntank. But it barely seemed to have any effect on the giant, heavy brute of a Pokemon! I shot Elliot a panicked look, but he seemed too interested in giving orders to Tropius, who was locked in battle with the Zangoose!
"Skuntank! Use Flamethrower on those little pests!"
Well, I certainly hadn't expected that and as the white hot flames burst from the Skuntank's mouth, it was all I could do to give the order to dodge! Mercifully, both Meloi and Jet were able to agilely dodge the incoming flames and jump to safety.
I had to think quickly! That Skuntank had an impressive defence and I had to break through that if I had any chance of taking it down! I needed a move stronger than both Thundershock and Thunderpunch! But what!
But even as I was thinking what on earth I was going to do, a massive explosion blasted from deep inside Mt Chimney! I screamed as without warning, the ground began shaking and small rocks were dislodged from the bulky form of the volcano, tumbling down and breaking apart as they collided with the ledges! A thin haze of smoke was beginning to casually drift from the mouth of the volcano, blotting the otherwise flawless afternoon sky. The sight of it made frantic panic rise up in my body, my heart thudding painfully against my chest, feeling like someone had it in a vice. What was going on in there!
Then I saw a triumphant smile break out over one of the black uniformed men's ugly faces. Just seeing that, I knew. I knew that the attack on Groudon had started! It had started, and I was standing out here idly battling with a couple of grunts! I had to get away and stop it, before Groudon fell too!
"Elliot!" I hollered across to him. "We need to get in there now! The attack's already started!"
He could no nothing but nod determinedly at me, before engaging back in the battle between his Tropius and the troublesome Zangoose. I turned back to the gigantic Skuntank and gritted my teeth. "Come on Meloi! Use a Thundershock, and put everything you've got into it!"
"Amph! Amph!"
Whilst Meloi started gathering electrical energy to blast at the Skuntank, Jet darted around the massive Pokemon using his Agility, before executing an impossible fast Quick Attack, momentarily winding it. Rooted to the spot, there was no way it could avoid Meloi's Thundershock! The blast of electricity hit the giant Pokemon straight on, frazzling its massive body! But it still wasn't enough! Even though it was dazed and confused, the giant Pokemon was still standing! Well, wobbling is probably a better word, I guess. It was down, but it wasn't out yet! I had to take it out with one more attack!
I looked down at Jet and Meloi. I felt a little strange, issuing an order to a Pokemon that wasn't even mine, but I just hoped it would work! "Guys! I need you to do a double Tackle attack on that Skuntank!"
"Amph!"
"Umbree!"
Miraculously, both Meloi and Jet obeyed me! The two of them broke into powerful runs, pushing their bodies, heading straight for the dazed Skuntank! Seconds later, they slammed straight into the massive Pokemon's flank, sending it crashing into its own trainer, knocking them both to the ground! Also, seconds later, Elliot's Tropius used a vicious Stomp attack to knock out the Zangoose for good and sending its trainer sprawling on his backside. Before I could even react, Elliot had swiftly recalled both Tropius and Jet to their Pokeballs and it wasn't until Jet disappeared from near to me that I realised what had just happened! We had beaten them!
"Sienna!" I heard Elliot say from near me.
"I know, I know!" I snapped back into my senses, returning Meloi to the safety of her Pokeball and securing the ball to my belt. I cast one last look at the black uniformed trainers lying on the ground, completely incapable of getting up, before fixing my sights at the entrance to Mt Chimney. My dad, and Groudon, were both waiting for me in there! I couldn't afford to waste time! "Elliot, let's run! Come on! We need to stop them now!"
We took off at a frenzied run, panic pushing my fatigued body forward! However, it was hard and gruelling. The corridors inside the depths of Mt Chimney were just the same as they had been all those months ago. Dark, with almost no natural light, and uncomfortably humid, with a thick putrid smell hanging dense in the air. We ran through the interlocking corridors, not even sure where we were going. I just ran, taking corridors and forks at random. I had no idea where I was going, but I didn't care! I had to keep running! However, as we were running, there came another massive blast from inside the belly of the volcano. We both juddered to a halt, screaming, as the explosion ripped through the corridors and floors, scattering thick rocks across our path! Once the explosion settled, and things were calm once more, Elliot and I looked at each other. We didn't even have to say anything. Somehow, he just knew what I was thinking, and we simultaneously began running in the direction of the explosion.
"Come on, come on, keep running!" Elliot yelled as we sped along the corridors. We were running uphill, ascending stairs now. My legs burned with the effort of every step, but I couldn't stop! At the end of this upward ascent, I could see light! I had to keep going!
We eventually emerged in a giant cavern. As soon as I set foot inside, a blast of heat swamped me, making me recoil backwards. I had to squint to see anything as the air was thick with smoke. It cleared after a few moments and my eyes were fixed immediately on a giant pool of lava directly in the centre of this cavern. Artificial light lit up what would normally be an inky black cave, casting a low light on everything. I was able to see that the place was swarming with more men in black uniforms and their Pokemon, running around carrying heavy equipment. I whipped my head left and right, scanning the ranks for the person I knew was here.
And then I saw him.
Knelt down, right by the side of the lava, his black mask stripped away revealing his face for all to see, there he was. A tremble ran through my entire body. I took a few determined steps forward, and then before I knew it, I was running. Running straight at him. "YOU!" I bellowed, as I came with close distance of him.
He stopped dead in his tracks, and then slowly got to his feet and turned around to face me. The expression on his face was odd… at first, he looked almost… relieved… then a flash of what anyone could have said was sadness… then, moments later a look of fury burst onto his face. "Sienna!" he shouted, my skin crawling at the sound of him speaking my name. "What are you doing here!"
"Stopping you, obviously!"
"God, you are just like your mother! This doesn't involve you!"
"How can it not?" I screamed. "You're trying to capture legendary Pokemon! I can't let you do this! Do you not realise how much you doing this is gonna affect the world!"
"You silly little girl! You don't understand!"
"Wh… what's not to understand?" I hung my head in exasperation and shame. "You're… you're trying to take over the world! Like some glorified comic book villain! I…" I rose my head to catch his gaze. "I… I can't let you do that."
For a moment, his face almost softened. I found myself quiet, my heart thudding, watching the peculiar look on his face. "Sienna…" his voice was quiet, with no malice or anger behind it. "I'm… I'm sorry…"
I stopped, completely in shock. "What…? What did you…say?""
Then suddenly, that softness was gone and he was yelling. "Everyone! Intruders! Stop them! Stop them now! They must not be allowed to interfere any further!"
"Wha…? No! No, wait!" I started to scream in protest as all of a sudden a swamp of trainers suddenly had me surrounded. I heard someone shout my name and saw Elliot pushing through the mob, trying to get close to me. Then with a barrage of flashing lights, Pokemon starting bursting out of Pokeballs all around us! They were all snarling and roaring, and their trainers were standing alongside them, wicked, menacing smirks upon their faces. Panic set in as they began to advance on us further, then with an almighty surge, I was surrounded!
"Elliot!" I couldn't help but scream as we were separated in the scrum! I heard him call my name, but it was useless! I was penned in by all these trainers and Pokemon, all looking like they were hungry for my blood! Panic rooted me to the spot and I found I could do nothing! However, seconds later, I heard the noises of Pokeballs opening and craning my neck upwards, saw all six of Elliot's prize Pokemon released! With fearsome cries, they launched themselves into battle, fighting ferociously against the onslaught of enemy Pokemon and trainers. Wondering what on earth had made me wait this long, I scrabbled for my own Pokeballs and threw them all, not caring where they landed. "Guys! Please help me!"
It was chaos. My Pokemon managed to surround me, making a protective shield, shooting attacks at anyone who tried to come near me, but it was by no means an easy task. Meloi and Aurora proved the toughest competition, easily knocking over foes from a distance with wild water and electric attacks, whilst Monty delivered sharp scratches and bites to anyone who managed to evade Aurora and Meloi. Cairo, Indigo and Kiba proved to be helpful too, shooting varying attacks in any direction they could!
But it wasn't enough! The Pokemon on the black uniformed men's teams were strong and so many in number that my own Pokemon were quickly overwhelmed. I watched in terror as the other Pokemon broke through my protective line and my own were subjected to attacks!
"Hang in there guys please!" I begged, as the swarm of Pokemon got closer and closer to me, my Pokemon barely able to keep them at bay now. The sounds of men yelling, the cries of Pokemon, the sounds of explosions and Pokemon moves rang in my ears and I could barely focus on anything going on around me. I cast a panicked glance towards Elliot who was in the same boat as me, trying to fend off all the Pokemon attacking him. But, his Pokemon seemed to be doing a much better job than me! Anything that came near him was blasted away within seconds! Me, on the other hand… even after all the training I had done, my Pokemon were still being overpowered.
"Wow… I guess… I guess there's a much bigger difference between Elliot and I than I had thought…" I wondered to myself, watching his Tropius and Roserade execute a double Magical Leaf attack that cut down another wave of Pokemon heading for him.
I whipped around to look behind me. My father was kneeling at the side of the bubbling lava pool, something that I couldn't quite make out nestled in his hands. Whatever it was, it was emanating a faint orange light. My heart leapt to my mouth. This was exactly like what he had done when he had summoned Kyogre! He had used an orb to summon it! Could it be… that he had another one to summon Groudon?
"No! No, stop!" I shouted, trying to break away from the scrum. But no sooner had I managed to get away I heard one of my Pokemon screaming in pain. I whipped around immediately and saw Indigo go flying through the air after a particularly nasty attack courtesy of a Magmar! I screamed as she came crashing to the ground next to me. "Indigo!"
She barely had the strength to get to her feet and as I attempted to help her, I saw Kiba get hit straight-on with a vicious Rock Throw from a Hippowdon! Kiba faltered on his feet, wobbled ominously and then collapsed to the ground, completely out of it. I let a cry of despair. With both Kiba and Indigo unable to battle, my line of defence was crumbling. Meloi, Aurora, Monty and Cairo simply couldn't just stand up to the onslaught of Pokemon closing in on us.
"Please guys! Hang in there!" I screamed, recalling Kiba and Indigo. I watched in horror as the interlocking slabs of colours that were the Pokemon belonging to the black uniformed trainers started slowly, but surely overwhelming my team! "Elliot!" I screamed. "I need help! Please!"
But Elliot didn't hear me. He was far too caught up in his own battles. All I could do was shout commands, begging my Pokemon to stay strong, but it was useless. Cairo fell next, and soon after that, Monty succumbed to the same fate. Only Aurora and Meloi were left, but there was no way they could stand up to all these Pokemon! Even worse, flashes of light were beginning to spring up from near to me, coming from the thing my dad was holding! I was torn! I couldn't just run to him and leave Meloi and Aurora at the mercy of those Pokemon! But then again I couldn't recall them either! The other Pokemon would turn on me and rip me to pieces before I could even turn around!
I felt like sinking to the ground. "This… this is hopeless!" I thought in despair, watching my dad cackling to himself as he began to lower whatever he was holding into the lava. "I can't do this! Not by myself! Please! I just need help! I know Alakazam said I was the only one who could stop this… but I need help! Please! Someone! Just help me!"
"Amph!" I heard Meloi screech as she was tackled by a vicious Take Down attack and got thrown through the air, landing only a few paces away from me. A moment later, before I could even act, Aurora was knocked backwards, also appearing only a few feet away. I looked at my only two remaining Pokemon… panting, out of breath and barely even able to stand. I then looked in fear at the swarm of enemy Pokemon, all roaring, snorting and baying, ready to jump straight at us! I heard someone give the order to attack and as the Pokemon leapt towards us, I let out a terrified scream.
"I'm gonna die!"
But then I heard two voices echo across the cave.
"Use Double Flamethrower!"
A blast of heat erupted across the cave and next thing I knew flames were dancing across my vision. The fire powered across the ranks of Pokemon in front of me, making them roar and screech as the red hot flames burned their bodies. I whipped my head up and caught sight of two Pokemon darting across the cave, spraying torrents and rings of fire everywhere they went! I squinted, desperately trying to figure out what they were!
The two Pokemon easily cleared away the remaining Pokemon still surrounding me with wicked fire attacks and sent their trainers running for the hills. Even Elliot stopped in amazement and took the opportunity when the other black uniformed trainers were shocked to mount a massive offence and clear away the other trainers.
I looked in shock at these two Pokemon that bounded past, their sights set on my Dad! I whipped around and the Pokemon finally came into the light! I let out a gasp of surprise as I laid eyes on a Ninetails and a Quilava!
And then I heard the voices of two people I thought I would never hear again.
"Now Dixie—!"
"Sulphur!"
"It can't be!"
Author's Note
Well, this is my last update for at least the next month as exams start on the 14th! Eeeeek! :( Sad times. But! I shall be wholly committed to updating afterwards! I'm sorry for getting all your hopes up to just shoot them down again.
Yeah, I was kind of aware that I overpowered Cairo last chapter. Wasn't until I read it through that I realised I had done it. Heh heh. Guess watching too much of the Pokemon anime watching Ash's tiny little Pikachu, Squirtle and Bulbasaur take out huge massive powerful Pokemon with one hit kind of instilled too much anime physics in my brain! I'll probably go back and change it, but for now just assume his extra strength was just down to his determination to protect his trainer and his newly acquired strength from his evolution :)
TheSpanishInquisition97: Well, thank YOU for continuing to review :)
WildCroconaw: It almost killed me to kill off Alakazam even though I had it scripted for ages! Thank you for reviewing!
Splashstorm: Aww, your review made me so happy! I can't even think of how long it took you to write all those YAYs! Thank you so much :)
Chaison: Yep! I'm gonna try and be better with updates when uni finishes! Thank you :)
Killeralchemist747: Heh heh, as much as I am partial to some vodka and a nice party, I can assure you it wasn't me that bathed my laptop in vodka! :) Was a flatmate of mine! :) I'm not that wild, haha! :) Thank you for the review!
WOWfan123: Aww, thank you! I'm so happy you're enjoying the story! I haven't really scripted Kiba to evolve... maybe one day :)
ArchXDeath: Yes, OceanSpiral is back in the land of the living! Haha! Uni is hard, I'll admit, but I shouldn't have neglected everyone so long! I'm so sorry :( And I can't wait to catch up with Lost Names! :) Its a great fic that I missed during my absence! Thank you very much!
DarkLadyPegasus: Thank you very much! :)
SonOfHades96: Well I hope it doesn't disappoint! Thank you!
Sniper Mudkip: LOL at Justin Bieber fangirl reference! :) That actually made my night :) Aaaaah, I would never say Spirited is the "best story on the archive" , but thank you so much! I really don't deserve so many lovely, dedicated reviewers!
Please read and review if you can! Thank you all so much :)
OceanSpiral 3 3
