Author's Note: One thing that always kind of bugged me a bit was the fact that you don't get a proper battle against all of Team Skull. They always could've pulled a cutscene override or something (like they did with the Grovyle fight) if the player's team needed to "actually" lose from a story perspective, after all. Anyway, that's what happened in my stories' universe: Team Shadow did fight Team Skull here, but still ended up getting in trouble with Chatot afterwards.
Apple Woods
Claire took a deep breath as she arrived in the farthest point of Apple Woods. The dungeon hadn't been difficult, but they'd gotten lost once or twice, so it had taken longer than it needed to. Oh, well; at least they were there now.
Chatot had sent Team Shadow to stock up on Wigglytuff's favorite Perfect Apples. They seemed to be in the right spot, as Claire quickly noticed the giant tree near the back of the clearing. The apples sprouting from its branches looked especially large and juicy, even from Claire's spot on the ground, and she was sure they tasted as good as they looked.
"All right!" Iris grinned. "This must be the place. Now we just have to get up there and—"
"Um…I don't think so."
Everyone stepped backwards as three certain Pokémon came out from behind the tree. Skuntank, Koffing, and Zubat—Team Skull. They'd been staying at the guild for the past couple days, intent on coming along on the expedition. (This was probably Team Shadow's fault for having mentioned it to Zubat and Koffing, but there was nothing they could do about it now…)
At any rate, Claire supposed it made sense that they'd heard about the Perfect Apple shortage somehow. It also made sense that they'd show up and cause trouble. Still, Claire had hoped they'd be able to finish their job.
Felix bristled at Zubat's remark. "A-and why not?"
"Because we're going to bring them to Wigglytuff instead," Skuntank replied smugly. "Obviously, chaw-haw! We need to get on his good side so we can get that expedition treasure!"
Iris rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right! This is our job, so we're gonna do it. Now get out of our way!"
"Then come over here and make us!" Koffing taunted.
He spat out a Sludge Bomb at Iris, and she barely managed to dodge it. She responded with an immediate Pin Missile, and Rin followed it up with a Flamethrower. Koffing was sent flying, wheezing as he crashed into the tree. Still, he wasn't unconscious yet, and he managed to get airborne again soon.
Claire narrowed her eyes as she raised a paw, her claws sparking with electricity. Of course they wouldn't get out of this without a fight… Still, with four-against-three odds, hopefully this would go in their favor. She released the Thunderbolt in Zubat's direction, and she screeched as she tumbled through the air.
Felix gulped and took a step forward. While he looked nervous, Claire knew he was doing his best to join in anyway, and she appreciated that. He opened his mouth and started forming an Ember, but Skuntank lashed out at him with a Fury Swipes before Felix could launch the move. Yelping, Felix clutched his stomach as he stumbled backwards—Claire could make out a good deal of bloody scratches on his torso.
She hissed and leaped at Skuntank, Scratching him across the back before preparing to launch a Water Pulse. Before she could, though, Koffing tackled her off his boss. Claire gasped as she crashed into the ground, and she was too stunned to move for a few seconds.
"Claire, move!" Iris shouted.
She could hear Iris launch another Pin Missile, and Claire barely rolled out of the way in time. Koffing grunted as the attack struck him, and he fell to the ground near Claire. Somehow, Claire scrambled back to her feet, and she shot another Thunderbolt at him. Koffing's eyes slid out of focus, and Claire sighed. There, that was one of them down.
She turned around to see how the rest of the battle was going. Zubat had Felix pinned against one of the smaller trees lining the clearing, and she was striking him with repeated Wing Attacks. Claire winced when Felix crumpled into a heap; if only she hadn't gotten so distracted with Koffing, maybe she could have—
Iris yelped as Skuntank hit her with a Sludge Bomb. She stumbled around awkwardly, leaning forward and resting her arms against the ground for support. It seemed Skuntank really was as strong as Koffing had suggested; the type disadvantage didn't help, either.
Rin valiantly tried to help out with a Bonemerang, but Skuntank just turned around and blasted her with a Flamethrower. Then, he spit out another Sludge Bomb at Iris. The Cacnea couldn't take the second hit; Iris collapsed into an awkward heap on the ground.
Claire tried to lash out at Skuntank again, but she was interrupted by Zubat crashing into her. She bit down into Claire's arm, and she refused to let go even after Claire flailed her arm around to shake her off. Zubat's mouth glowed slightly, and Claire's eyes drooped as she started feeling numb. Leech Life—and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
She tried to launch another Thunderbolt at Zubat, but the attack missed and harmlessly scorched a nearby tree. Soon enough, Zubat let go of her, but she'd already drained so much of Claire's energy… Claire stumbled and fell to the ground, her vision blurry as she tried to look around.
Skuntank had finally taken care of Rin; one more Sludge Bomb was all it took. The Cubone fell backwards with a thud, and Skuntank lumbered back over to the Perfect Apple tree. Zubat fluttered over to him, and Claire could barely make out their conversation.
"All right, Zubat! You get up there and grab a few Perfect Apples. Make sure you don't leave enough for those wimps, chaw-haw! I'll get Koffing. Now let's blow this joint."
"N-no," Claire croaked as she tried to crawl forward.
There wasn't anything she could do, though. Zubat was already flying up to the higher branches of the tree, and Skuntank had grabbed Koffing and roughly lifted him onto his back. They were too late—
Her last thought before passing out was that she really, really didn't want to face Chatot when they got back to the guild.
