There wasn't much Reath could do after losing to Takeba. All the defeated grunt could do was sit in the snow, sighing as Takeba fumbled around with her phone. "Hello?" The pinkette spoke into the phone.
"…How'd you get this number?" The voice on the other end belonged to Nanu. He was clearly irritated for a number of reasons.
"Oh, Lovrina gave it to me. She wanted us to call you in the event we found and captured Cipher members! They are on Ula'ula after all, so isn't it your responsibility to get involved?" Takeba twirled some of her hair around her finger.
Even Nanu had to admit that Takeba was right. He did say that if it wasn't on his island, it wasn't his problem…but that wasn't the case. Nanu let out a heavy sigh and it sounded like he was getting up from his chair. "Seriously? They just had to hide away on this island, didn't they? Man…"
"I told you that you should've been helping on the spot…!" Acerola was speaking in the background. "We should go help them!"
"Agh. Where are you all, exactly?" Nanu asked.
"Mt. Lanakila!" Takeba said.
"….Of course." Nanu let out another sigh. "Couldn't be anywhere else…all right, all right. I'm on the way…" And then he hung up, sounding pretty grumpy at the end of it.
"And that is how you call the police." Takeba was very proud of herself. "So just sit tight and stay warm. I'll be keeping you company until your police escort arrives."
"Ugh." Reath rolled her eyes. It was pretty embarrassing losing to Takeba. "And you think you'll be able to help your friends once I'm taken away?"
"I have to." Takeba looked towards the building that wasn't too far away. "I know Cipher isn't anything to take lightly."
"Well, having said that." Reath sat up in the snow, staring up at Takeba. "I think you should learn about the little trap we set up. You're all too late to stop it anyway."
For some reason, Takeba stiffened up. It wasn't a good thing when the bad guy was informing you of a trap they had laid out. "Eh…?"
Reath could take a small victory in Takeba's reaction. "Just as you all left Melemele Island, we sent Folly to Professor Kukui's house. In a matter of minutes, he'll be back with the Professor's wife as a hostage, and unless you want her to get hurt, it would be easier to surrender now."
"Wha?!" Takeba's green eyes widened. "How do you guys even know where his house is!?"
"Pssh, we've been tracking all of you for the last two days." Reath waved a hand. "So we know that by the time Folly gets there, even he'll be able to sucker punch the Professor and get the woman before it's too late. Alolans are far too friendly and that's such an easy trait to exploit. Since they're all alone in there, it's only a matter of how fast he gets back. And since you and all your friends are here, there's not really anyone who can stop him."
Takeba remained silent for a few moments. Her lips curled into a frown before…turning up into a smile. "Well, I had to admit, you really had me scared for a second. I don't know what we'd do if Burnet became a hostage, since she's expecting and all."
Takeba's dismissive attitude annoyed Reath. "Hey, why are you acting like the situation is already wrapped up nicely! We have you cornered!"
"Do you?" Takeba smirked. "You said we're all here, right?"
"That's right!" Reath exclaimed. "That dumb kid Ash and his friends, and you and the others! That's everyone accounted for from our days of investigating."
"Ah…so that's how it is. Then we've no reason to be worried. You see, you didn't account for one thing." Takeba leaned forward, placing her hands on her hips. "We have a secret weapon at our disposal! Of course you'd never know, since that person hasn't been outside with us the last few days. But as long as she's there, I know she won't let any harm come to either Kukui or Burnet."
Reath didn't like the confidence Takeba had in her voice. Did their plan go awry somewhere?! "W-What are you talking about…?"
"You see…!" Takeba was just about to explain with a smug grin, but that's when she noticed Team Rocket's hot air balloon closing in from a distance. "Huh? Is that…?"
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Since Mallow was the one with the healing supplies, she took the liberty of using a few potions and berries to restore Shaymin, Sandy, Primarina, and Tsareena. "Thank goodness you came when you did, Lana. That man was really strong."
"I'm just glad I was close by." Lana flashed her best friend a smile. "I wish we were able to go after him, but he's a lot bigger than us…" They weren't going to do much at the time with injured Pokémon.
"Me too. I just hope the others are okay." Mallow and Lana started walking down the same corridor Dakim took his leave from. Even if they weren't going to catch up to him, they could at least try finding the others.
"Yeah. You know, I had a thought during the battle…" Lana thought back to her fight with Dakim. "First, his muscles were really big…"
"Lana!" Mallow chided her friend.
"T-That aside…!" Lana shook her head, snapping out of it. "He was really strong. Didn't Lovrina say they had Shadow Pokémon here, too? We haven't fought one, but if he was that strong without one, I'm a little worried about what we'll do if we do have to fight one. Ash said they were extremely powerful…"
"Mm…" Now that Lana brought it up, she did have a point. Mallow could barely hold her own against a regular Pokémon. If it was a Shadow Pokémon… "I know Lovrina and Rui said they had a way to deal with them, but I don't think they were anticipating us getting separated like this."
"We'll be okay, though!" Lana held a reassuring smile. Even if the situation around them was tense, Lana had the confidence that they would be all right. "Everyone is strong. We'll be done with Cipher before you know it."
That was just like Lana, always cheering Mallow up. Mallow smiled and gave a vigorous nod. "Mhm!"
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"Shell Smash!" Kiawe's command was about to ramp this battle up. A defensive battle style wasn't going to work against the likes of Gorigan and Poliwrath, which was fine by him. Turtonator let out a battle cry as it broke out of its 'shell' sharply lowering its own defenses for the sake of raising its offense. "Now, Dragon Tail!" The spiky dragon bent over, whipping its tail around before sprinting ahead at amazing speeds! Spinning like a top, it slammed its tail against Poliwrath's body, the increase in power causing the water type to crash into a nearby wall.
"Oh!" Gorigan was impressed by this sudden display. The intensity of the battle got to him and suddenly he took a pose similar to that of a Primape, jumping up and down ferociously as Poliwrath stood back up. "Cross Chop!" Poliwrath shook off the impact and jumped forward with its arms crossed, slashing Turtonator's chest with a direct hit! The powerful blow forced the dragon type to skid backwards across the ground. While Turtonator was now dealing more damage, it was also receiving more damage as a result. "Water Pulse!"
"Flamethrower!" Kiawe reacted on a dime. Turtonator recovered from the Cross Chop and exhaled a strong burst of flame from its mouth. Fire and water collided, resulting in a stalemate that was an explosion of steam that filled the entire room, making it difficult to see.
"Cross Chop!" Poliwrath dove through the steam, aiming to attack Turtonator, but to its surprise, it struck nothing but air!
"Focus Blast!" With its amazing speed, Turtonator appeared to Poliwrath's left, already releasing a condensed sphere of energy from the hole in its chest. This was a direct hit, exploding upon Poliwrath and sent it skidding backwards yet again, the damage beginning to rack up. Kiawe was feeling confident and believed he could bring this battle to a swift conclusion if he kept this up. "Dragon Tail!" Turtonator repeated its actions from before, swinging its tail at dangerous speeds towards Poliwrath.
"Heh…" Gorigan had the timing down now. The Cipher Admin smirked as Turtonator came barreling it, and now it was time to unveil his secret weapon. "Submission!" Poliwrath started to sprint forward, only to stop just before Turtonator actually hit it. It shifted its body to the side, allowing the dragon to completely miss its target! Right when it did, Poliwrath gripped Turtonator with its massive arms, being careful to avoid touching the spikes on its back while squeezing it tightly. "Gotcha!"
"Turtonator!" Kiawe gasped. Turtonator was a large Pokémon, so to think that even Poliwrath would be able to hold it in such a tight grip! "Get out of there!"
"Oh, we'll be letting it go soon! Bulk Up, then throw it!" Poliwrath complied to this notion, spinning around a few times before leaning backwards, suplexing Turtonator into the ground violently. With Bulk Up increasing the strength of its grip, and its defenses, this impact hurt Turtonator a lot more than the recoil did Poliwrath.
"Turtonator, are you all right!?" Kiawe asked worriedly. His partner was indeed heavily damaged, but not out of the battle just yet. "Good. Hit it with Flamethrower!"
"Charge right through with Cross Chop!" Poliwrath once again moved in with a Cross Chop, dashing right through the Flamethrowe that no doubt dealt damage to it. Poliwrath closed the gap and slashed at the Dragon with its arms once more, the increased impact throwing Turtonator to a wall, getting stuck by its spikes. "Heh! Bulk Up again!" Poliwrath flexed
"Oh no…" Kiawe grit his teeth. Shell Smash was indeed a risky play, since Turtonator was more vulnerable. Clearly he needed to up the ante as well. "Shell Smash again!" Turtonator complied, breaking its shell once more. At the cost of extremely high offense and speed, the once durable Pokémon was now a glass cannon.
"All or nothing, huh? I respect it. Bubble Beam!" Gorigan had a little respect for the fight Kiawe was putting up, but even so, he was confident that it wouldn't be enough. Poliwrath fired another barrage of explosive bubbles towards Turtonator.
"Dragon Tail!" Kiawe commanded. Turtonator spun forward, popping the bubbles while making way towards Poliwrath. With its speed, it was going to be hard to evade and even Gorigan must've known this.
"Submission!" Which is exactly why Gorigan had a plan. Poliwrath held strong against the Dragon Tail, holding its ground as the powerful attack nearly outweighed its increased defenses. At that moment, it wrapped its arms around Turtonator once again. They were chest to chest, only this time it didn't look like Poliwrath was letting go. "You shouldn't have gotten close! This time we're gonna squeeze until you drop!"
Kiawe remained silent for but a moment. The situation would've been bad…if it were the other way around. "This is just what I wanted, actually. Because now…you can't avoid this. Focus Blast!"
"What!?" Gorigan's eyes widened under his glasses. Turtonator's chest was directly against Poliwrath's…and that's where the Focus Blast came from. It was point blank so there was no reason to second guess if it hit. Poliwrath was forced to release Turtonator and slammed into a wall, falling onto a knee. "Damn…!"
"Now!" Kiawe crossed his arms, his Z-Ring beginning to shine brightly. "Let it burn! My fighting spirit, and become the zenith of all that I am!" As he spoke, he slammed his foot on the ground, Z-Power surrounding him as it emanated from his Z-Crystal. "And I'll burn even stronger than the fires of Wela Volcano! Go, Tutronator! INFERNO OVERDRIVE!" The Z-Power flooded into Turtonator, who used this energy to create a gigantic sphere of fire within its mouth. With a loud battle cry, Turtonator released this sphere of flame, allowing it to fly forward as it passed Gorigan and exploded against Poliwrath, causing the base to tremble from the sheer power of its flames.
"GAAAH!" Gorigan had to cover his eyes from the brightness of the flames. The result was rather clear when it was all over: Poliwrath was defeated. "N-No way! What am I supposed to tell Ein and Ardos!?" As he asked this, he rolled backwards and covered his face, returning his defeated Pokémon. "No wonder we were told to watch out for you…you kids are tough. I almost respect it, if it didn't dash my reputation!"
"There's nowhere to run." Kiawe crossed his arms. Even though he used his Z-move, and Turtonator was a little exhausted, they clearly weren't going to let Gorigan get away that easily.
"Ghh…" Gorigan was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He wasn't going to be escaping this situation so easily…no doubt Turtonator would outs peed him before he could make a run for it. His options were limited… "I guess you got me…"
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"Hmph…" Trudly was eying his watch, tapping his foot impatiently. "What's going on with Folly? He should've been back by now. Even if something came up, there's no reason he shouldn't be able to call and tell us…" The area Trudly was in was a bit different than the rest of the base. Since they built it on Mt. Lanakila, some parts of the base were inside of the mountain, thus leaving it a little chilly than most.
"Oh, watch out…!" Lillie warned Sophocles, who almost stumbled over. They ended up together and now were standing across from Trudly, who yelped in surprise since he was genunenly hoping nobody showed up to him. "Oh…!"
"Whoa…!" Sophocles stood up straight while staring at Trudly, who was doing his best look intimidating.
"Well well…!" Trudly held out a Pokeball was staring at the two in front of him. Luckily he had tinted shades on, so they couldn't see the slight lack of confidence his eyes had. "Looks like you two were unlucky enough to face me!"
"This one isn't an Admin…" Lillie said aloud. That didn't mean she was underestimating him, but she could kind of tell he didn't have the same presence as the others.
Trudly couldn't refute that, but he could take offense to it. "Hey! I'm still a member of Cipher like everyone else here! And you're unlucky, because you're going to taste the might of a Shadow Pokémon!" This immediately made the two stiffen up, which swung the mood back in Trudly's favor. "That's more like it!"
"A Shadow Pokémon…" Sophocles muttered. He and Lillie called forth Snowy and Togedemaru respectively, the two tiny Pokémon prepared to do battle. They were small, but underestimating them because of their size would be a mistake, just as Lana showcased to Dakim earlier.
Lillie thought back to the Shadow Drapion encounter had with Moon. Unlike the rest of her friends in Alola, excluding Ash, she knew how terrifying a Shadow Pokémon could be to fight. A wild one was threatening enough, but to think a Trainer could actually control those beasts. "It's going to be really strong, no matter what it is…"
Trudly had their attention and fear now. If he could exploit this carefully, this battle was all eyes! "This one's special! Coalossal, go!" Trudly threw the Pokeball into the air, calling forth a Pokémon that wasn't native to any other region. Coalossal stood at 9 feet tall, towering over Snowy and Togedemaru.
"W-what is that thing!?" Lillie was understandably shaken at the sight of this unfamiliar Pokémon. She hadn't even read about it before! If only Rotom was here with them!
"I-I don't know…!" Sopchocles was just as shaken as Lillie. Trudly didn't look like much, but he brought a powerhouse with him. Lillie and Sophocoles didn't need special vision, or even Trudly's word to see that they were fighting an incredibly powerful Shadow Pokémon.
Trudly adjusted his glasses, letting out a sinister chuckle. The evil feeling was starting to finally vibe with him. "And now…you'll be crushed."
Lillie shook her head, steeling her gaze as she pointed a hand forward. She was an Ultra Guardian and she wouldn't back down from this fight. "Snowy, I'll be counting on you! We have to give this one everything we have and more!"
"Vul!" Snowy jumped forward, finding the resolve to fight since Lillie needed its help.
"Right! Togedemaru, we can do this!" Sophocles said with just as much confidence. Lillie and Sophocles were in for an extremely tough fight…but neither of them would bow down that easily.
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Venus sat on top of Steelix's head, legs crossed, looking down at the two who happened to cross paths with her. It was so ironic it brought a smile to her face. "Well well…how lucky am I to be graced with such a fated meeting? It's been such a loooong time…" Who was Venus looking down on? Two of her least favorite people: Grace and Marcus. Grace had her Salamance out, while Marcus was at the ready with Gallade, the two of them glaring up at Venus. They could never forget the pain and agony she caused Kasumi. "I've missed you two oh so much!"
"Venus!" Grace grit her teeth.
"Lucky us. I was hoping to see your face again soon." Marcus said while looking up at Venus. It annoyed him that he had to do so, since he knew that Venus enjoyed looking down at them.
"We have some unfinished business with you." Grace told the Admin.
Venus brought her hand to her mouth, looking surprised. "Oh, you do? That's news to me. As far as I know, my business with the both of you concluded a while ago. Right, Mini-Venus?" That name was more than enough to invoke Grace's ire. "I see you still have that façade of cool and collected…but deep down you're just rash and hot blooded. So unattractive for a lady of your age."
"I'm sure it's very easy to speak when you're all the way up there!" Marcus shouted.
"What? You want me to come down and put myself on your level? I'm far too good for that." Venus scoffed and ran a hand through her hair. She then pulled out a Pokeball and tossed it into the air, calling forth a Ninjask. "I'm also far too good to battle you myself…so I'll be watching this Shadow Ninjask do the job for me."
"You are so…!" Grace grit her teeth. Venus had the audacity to belittle them and not even fight them herself! This was just like her!
"If you want to fight me so badly, then just beat the Ninjask." Venus snickered. Clearly that was easier said than done. "Then again, it's not like you'd be accomplishing much anyway. Defeating me won't bring back your friend or the damage that was done to her. Then again, that wouldn't have happened in the first place if you didn't try and stand up to me at the time."
"…!" Grace felt a sudden rush of anger. Anger because Venus was the only person who could press buttons no other human alive could. "Salamance!" Salamance let out a roar and started to fly towards Steelix and Venus.
"Grace wait…!" Marcus hated when this happened. Grace rarely got so angry, but it was only around Venus that this happened.
"So predictable. You're just as easy to provoke as before." Venus yawned and snapped her fingers. Ninjask acted on that cue, shadow energy exploding around its body as it slammed into Salamance with a Shadow Rush! The impact was so strong and fast, Salamance hit the ground violently and was stunned for a bit.
"Ngh…" Grace kept her gaze on Venus.
"All this time apart and you've barely grown at all. It's honestly so sad to watch." Venus shifted her legs, staring down at her targets. "You're hardly worth my time, but I suppose I can play a little bit with you. I wonder how long you'll last before you'll break…"
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Next Time: Shadow Dominance.
