Chapter 82: Fighting for Freedom
About an hour after the meeting at Mosca's Dojo, Orino walked the last few steps over to Bluewhorl's Guardhouse and into its main foyer, where the normal sleepy atmosphere had given way to a lingering tension after the outpost had been restaffed at Bunsen's orders. Far from the familiar faces he was used to, the foyer that day was taken up by scowling lackeys from off-island shuffling between rooms or otherwise lazing about in idle chatter, with not a single Cintillo Trombense to be seen among the lot of them.
The Nidoran made his way up to the second floor, following the corridors until he found Osmund's office. The room had since been taken over by Sicula, who had unceremoniously thrown away of the Sceptile's personal effects, one of the few exceptions being a simple teapot and set of cups on a tray, and a flint set beside a heater for the teapot.
"… Tendrá que servir."
Orino checked the heater and saw that it had already been stocked with tinder and the teapot still had water in it, striking the flint to stoke a fire before he turned and began to paw through a chest in the back corner. He poked his head and shoulders in and felt around the edges of the chest's interior when he felt a patch that had been papered over, carefully peeling it back and retrieving a metal key. The Nidoran slipped the key into a small satchel at his waist and quickly pulled himself out as the teapot started to whistle, hurrying over to it where he took it off the burner and paused tensely as he heard footsteps in the hallway.
"Eh? What's that noise?" a voice asked.
"Meh, it's just Officer Sicula's teapot," another replied. "She must've put one of the hicks on drink duty again."
Orino waited for the unseen guards to walk off and breathed a sigh of relief, quickly grabbing a porcelain strainer and a few batches of tea leaves that he placed on a small dish. The Nidoran went off to fetch a pair of cups, before going back to pour the teapot's contents into them and setting the dish and strainer beside them. With the tea set in paw, Orino retraced his steps, passing back down the stairs and through the foyer for the northern wing of the building along the ground floor, eventually reaching and entering a storage room lined with battle items meant for the guards to use, with a door with a keyhole at the end of the room. The Nidoran approached the door and after casting a quick glance backwards to make sure nobody had followed after him, raised his voice softly to call out beyond the door.
"Pleo? Are you there?" Orino asked. "The coast is clear right now."
The Nidoran waited, only to be met with silence in reply. He shifted uneasily, before creeping up and moving an ear up against the door when he heard the faint sound of approaching footsteps. At once, the Poison-Type reared up, sliding the key into the door's keyhole and turning it to the right.
Click
Orino pulled the door back, seeing a large wooden crate shifting just behind it, a quick glance at its base revealing Pleo's feet as he shuffled underneath impatiently. After waddling into the room, the young Lugia pulled the crate up, poking his head out warily to look down at his Nidoran guide.
"I am, but what do you have there?" Pleo wondered.
"It's something we'll need later," Orino answered. "Just follow my lead and I'll let you know when you need to duck."
The Nidoran went ahead, propping the door out of the storage room open for Pleo to follow along in his crate, the pair sneaking down a hallway lined with rooms towards the Guardhouse's main foyer. As the two neared the foyer, Orino pricked his ears at the sound of nearing footsteps, prompting him to tap sharply on the crate. At once, Pleo dropped down onto the floor, the Nidoran hastily setting his tray and teacups on top of the crate just as a Dubwool and Mandibuzz in Company scarves rounded the corner.
"Eh? What's with the crate, runt?" the Dubwool questioned.
"Oh, you know, just some supplies that needed to be moved around," Orino offered, prompting the two guards to stare in puzzled silence.
"And we're supposed to believe that you moved that on your own?" the Mandibuzz scoffed.
"… Yes?" the Poison-Type shot back with a sharp frown. "It's not the first time I've been asked to pull a crate out of a backroom before."
Orino's protests prompted the Dubwool and Mandibuzz trade skeptical glances with each other, the Normal-Type of the pair shaking his head with a gruff harrumph.
"Tch, suit yourself," the sheep grumbled.
The Nidoran nosed behind the box and pushed at it with his shoulder, seemingly budging it along in fits and starts. The Mandibuzz and Dubwool rolled their eyes and moved along, Orino continuing with his show until the two were safely out view when he hit the crate with his foot. At once, Pleo got up, hurrying forward with the crate as Orino carried along, the young Lugia following glimpses of the Nidoran's feet down a winding path to the Guardhouse's corridors when the Poison-Type suddenly tapped for a stop. Pleo at once dropped to the ground with his crate with a soft clatter, the Lugia peeked through a small hole in one of the crate's planks where he spotted a doorway up ahead as Orino looked about, before the Nidoran leaned back and cupped a paw to whisper.
"Alright, there's two guards posted at the beginning of the cellblock," Orino whispered. "I'll try to distract them by talking to them so you can sneak past."
Orino reared up and nabbed his tray off the crate's top, before setting off for the entrance to the cell block. The Nidoran shuffled along, opening the door and passing through before approaching a guarding Orbeetle and Thievul when he raised his drinks up in offering with an overeager smile.
"Hey, here's that tea that you two asked for."
The Orbeetle and Thievul looked at each other, before raising their brows back at the Nidoran in front of them.
"Huh? We didn't ask for any tea," the Orbeetle said.
"Yeah, well Jef said you two wanted some," Orino explained. "I figured that I'd make it quick before getting another earful."
"Hrmph, so go give it to Jef then," the Orbeetle snapped. "Since I don't want it."
"Oh come on, Emma, the runt is showing some initiative for a change," the Thievul insisted. "Besides, I could go for a drink right about now. Are you really going to turn down a free drink? I'll take yours if you don't want it."
The Orbeetle stiffened up and shot a sharp growl over at her counterpart, throwing a claw out to claim a cup in reply.
"I didn't say anything about that, you glutton!" the Orbeetle protested. "Give me that tea, I'll drink it- Huh?!"
The Orbeetle caught herself as she spotted a crate sneaking ahead with white feet poking out from under it. The Thievul let out a low snarl, prompting Pleo to drop down and let the crate clatter to the ground.
"Oi! What's going on here?!" the fox snapped.
The Orbeetle fluttered up and pulled the crate back, looking down in surprise to see the form of a silvery-white bird cradling a Petrify Orb in his wings. The Bug-Type reflexively jolted back, as Orino cried out.
"Pleo! Now!"
Pleo dashed the orb against the ground, sending a shower of sparks out that quickly swallowed up the Orbeetle and the Thievul, the pair's limbs stiffening from the Petrify Orb's effects.
"Agh! I can't move!" the Thievul shouted.
"You stupid bumpkin!" the Orbeetle snapped. "What do you think you're doin-?!"
Pleo bolted ahead as Orino followed suit, the pair running down the cell block as the guards' loud threats and bays of protests grew muddled from the distance.
"No nos queda mucho tiempo," Orino said. "Let's hurry up and get Osmund out of here."
The two ran ahead, passing cells as their occupants roused from slumber and stumbled up until they reached a cell on the left at the very end. There, Osmund was already standing and pawing at the bars, casting a wary glance off down the hallway.
"Guess it was too much to ask for a stealthy entrance, huh?" the Sceptile asked. "But it's good to see you again, Protector."
"Beggars can't be choosers, Captain," Orino piped back.
Orino hastily shoved the master key into the keyhole of Osmund's cell, turning it sharply right and twisting until the lock creaked open. At once, the Sceptile pushed the door open, hurrying out as Pleo and Orino turned to follow him, when a whining cry rang out from behind.
"Hey! A little help here?"
The three looked over to see a Machoke waving an arm out through the bars of the cell across the hall, as others gathered at their cell doors and looked over pleadingly. Orino looked about at the other prisoners, hesitating before turning back towards a sighing Osmund.
"Might as well," Osmund said. "We're going to need all the help we can get."
Orino hastily darted over to the Machoke's cell, opening the lock before quickly doing the same for the neighboring cells. After tending to a few of the nearby cells, the Nidoran threw the key over to a Quagsire and turned to hurry off with Pleo and Osmund as the sound of movement from the end of the hallway reached their ears.
"Hey! A little tap would've worked fine, you know!" the Thievul's voice cried.
Pleo and his companions reflexively grimaced, realizing that the guards from earlier must've finally broken free. One after the other, the three ran forward and tensed their bodies in anticipation of a fight.
Much as they expected, the Orbeetle and Thievul were free, but had since been joined by a Tangrowth and a small party of guards, who shot an icy glare back at the three.
"End of the line, hicks," the Tangrowth snarled. "If you know what's good for you you'll surrender here while you're ahead."
"Oh, stuff it, you stupid square-neck!" a Dodrio's voice bellowed.
The Dodrio zipped in from the cell block and knocked the Tangrowth back with a trio of harsh pecks, followed by a Machoke and a Mightyena joining in with blows as the newly-freed prisoners collided with the guards in a confusing whirlwind of attacks. Pleo and Orino hastily attempted to dodge the ensuing melee, as Osmund swiftly swatted aside the Thievul and called out to the two with a sharp bellow.
"This way, hurry!"
The three ran ahead, making their way into the main foyer as yelps and cries rang out behind them. As they ran out into the space of the foyer, they spotted guards massing the front entrance to the Guardhouse, standing under the direction of a livid Togekiss.
"Keep those entrances blocked off and don't let them get away!" the Togekiss barked.
The guards charged ahead and ran into the crowd of prisoners, the foyer devolving into a chaotic whirlwind of blows and attacks zipping by. Amidst the chaos, Orino hastily tugged Pleo along towards the right as Osmund hacked his way along to try and keep up, bolting for the corridor back to the storage room when a sharp cry rang out from above.
"Oh no you don't!"
Pleo looked up just in time to see the Togekiss flinging a cutting gust of wind at him and frantically darted ahead. In spite of his efforts, the young Lugia felt the wind slice across his back, making him trip with a pained squawk.
"Gwark!"
The Togekiss dove at Pleo with a swift tackle, when Orino hastily stepped in and threw a jabbing punch with a poison-slicked paw at the guard's face. The Fairy-Type recoiled, breaking her momentum when Osmund leapt up and uppercut her with an electrified fist, knocking her out of the air as Orino hastily drug Pleo back up to his feet.
"Come on!"
Pleo, Orino, and Osmund hastily ran off, the Togekiss stumbling back upright after them as she let out a threatening growl.
"Rrgh… where do you think you're goin-?"
The Togekiss turned just in time for the Quagsire to barge in with a swipe of a water-wreathed tail, knocking the Fairy-Type to the ground. Taking advantage of the distraction, Pleo and the others hastily bolted towards the right end of the foyer where they followed the hallways for the room with the secret entrance. Orino counted the doors they ran past to track their nearing escape route, when a cutting gust of wind suddenly flew in and sent the three skidding to a stop as the Dubwool and Mandibuzz from earlier blocked the path with harsh glares.
"Hrmph, I knew there was something fishy about you, runt," the Dubwool bleated. "Time to put you down!"
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Osmund snapped.
The Sceptile ran forward, throwing forth a slash from one of his blades that struck the Dubwool's side. Much to Osmund's alarm, he felt his arm struggle against the Normal-Type's wool as the Dubwool stood firm, largely unfazed by his slash.
"Huh?! What the-?!"
"Take this, you lousy gecko!" the sheep shouted back.
The Dubwool knocked Osmund off his feet with a charging tackle, prompting Orino to try and come to his aid with another Poison Jab. Before the Nidoran could close the distance, he was struck by the Mandibuzz swooping in with a bone firmly in her talons. Orino crumpled to the ground, struggling to right himself in a daze as the Mandibuzz descended on him and struck him again and again with her Bone Rush when…
BZZT!
… a sudden bolt of electricity sailed into the air and forced her off with a pained squawk. Osmund looked over in astonishment as the vulture fought to stay in the air, seeing arcs of static crackling among Pleo's feathers as the young Protector glared back at the Mandibuzz.
"Heh, I see you've learned a few new tricks," Osmund said.
"Well a fat lot of good that'll do you," the Dubwool harrumphed. "The only trick you'll be playing when I'm through with you will be fitting in a four-piece suit!"
The Dubwool charged with a headlong tackle, when a swift kick at his throat stopped his progress. The sheep gagged when a second kick against his left foreleg swept him off his feet and brought him face-to-face with a glaring Nidoran, followed by a Thunderbolt striking him while he was down. As the Dubwool bleated in pain and writhed, a loud screech filled the air, Pleo and Orino turning to see the Mandibuzz swooping and diving at them. The pair flinched, when sharp footsteps and Osmund's voice rang out beside them.
"Not so fast!"
Pleo and Orino watched as Osmund latched onto one of the Dubwool's legs and flung the Normal-Type into the air with a swinging throw, sending the sheep forward with a startled bleat and square into the Mandibuzz's face.
"Gwark!"
The Mandibuzz and Dubwool hit the ground with an audible crash, coming to a stop in a groaning daze. Pleo looked on, panting tensely when he felt a paw tugging at his shoulder and looked down to see Orino looking up at him.
"They won't stay down for long," the Nidoran insisted. "Come on, let's go."
The three ducked into the secret passage, pulling the door shut behind them before they ran down it. Pleo felt his feet land upon uneven dirt flooring, stumbling up towards a light which revealed wooden supports along the sides of the tunnel until the group emerged out of a wooden trapdoor among a small patch of bushes. The young Lugia walked out panting for breath and saw they were back at the ledge overlooking the entire town, when he turned around and saw a number of Pokémon in Company scarves hurrying inside through the Guardhouse's entrance. The Lugia grimaced as his mind turned back towards the other Pokémon in the cell block, the young Protector looking up at Osmund with a worried glance.
"Are the Pokémon we left behind going to be alright?" he wondered. The Lugia waited for a reply, only to be met with an uneasy pause from Orino and Osmund, the Nidoran of the pair shaking his head back.
"Everyone's doing their part here, Pleo," Orino insisted. "They all knew the risks of trying to escape, and if all goes well they'll be free by the end of the day regardless."
Pleo turned his head back uneasily, when the sound of a door being thrown open followed by the sound of voices came from down the tunnel.
"Hey, was this this tunnel always here?" the Dubwool's voice asked.
"Ack! The runt and the others must've fled through it!" the Mandibuzz's voice replied.
Pleo and the others blanched, as Osmund hastily turned back to the Nidoran and young Lugia in his party.
"You said that everyone else was getting ready for a big fight in town, right?" the Sceptile asked. "Looks like we shouldn't keep them waiting too long."
Pleo and Orino nodded back as the three darted off, running off for the paths that led deeper into Bluewhorl. All the while, Pleo kept finding himself looking off towards the center of town, hoping his friends' fortunes hadn't run out.
Unbeknownst to Team Traveller, at the same time, Ander hurriedly darted up the forest path to his house, the Scyther passing the small burn piles and discarded Apricorn shells along the way until he found himself at the entrance of the family shop. The Bug-Type approached warily, tensing at the lack of sound coming from the shop when he pushed the door open and poked his head in warily.
"Cassie? Sandra? Are you there?"
The Scyther's buzzing cry was answered by the sound of rustling, as Sandra and Cassie clambered down the ladder up to the loft above the shop. The pair stood in blinking silence for a moment, unsure whether to trust their own eyes when the mother Scyther broke the silence.
"… Ander?"
Ander began to pace forward, before his mate and child cut him off by running up and embracing him in the store's showroom.
"How on earth did you make it back?" Sandra asked. "The harbor's been taken over by that awful Commissioner and his goons for the past week!"
"We managed to sneak into the harbor with false sails, but it doesn't matter now," Ander explained. "We need to pack our stuff and get out of here."
"Daddy, what do you mean?" Cassie wondered.
"The rest of Beatrix's crew is planning to start a revolt with Lugia to kick the Company out of Tromba," her father answered. "On top of it all, Zygarde is with them as well."
The color drained from Sandra and Cassie's faces at Ander's explanation, Sandra flaring her wings out sharply with a start.
"Zygarde is awake and here on the island?!" Sandra exclaimed.
"Yes, which is why we need to leave," Ander insisted. "I've seen the damage the two of them can do and I don't want you two to be anywhere close to them as they take on the Company."
"B-But where would we even go?" Cassie stammered.
"We'll hide out in the island's interior," Ander said. "Once things settle down it should be safe enough for us to return."
"Right," Sandra replied. "We have some provisions in a bag, we can take that and get going."
Sandra hastily clambered upstairs as Ander ducked into the backroom, making his way to a chest by the door where he hastily pulled out a few dried scraps of meat and berries, before hurrying back out to the shop's front where Sandra was busy coming down from the loft and stuffing some canvas and stakes for a tent into the bag. The pair quickly snatched a small doll they'd kept for Cassie and readied themselves to leave when the door flung open with a loud crash.
"Going somewhere?!"
The three flinched and turned towards the door, where they saw the form of a Marked Charizard in a Company scarf lumbering in with a sharp, piercing glare.
"That would really be a shame, since you haven't introduced me to your new companion here," Bunsen growled. "But I don't think that will be necessary, now would it, Ander."
Ander hastily pulled his scythes at his ready, turning over to Sandra with a sharp buzz.
"Sandra, take Cassie and go out the back entrance. Ya!"
The Charizard motioned for calm with his claw, before his features eased into a more neutral expression.
"Now hold on there, Scyther. As one Marked to another, there's no need for us to come to blows…" the Commissioner offered. "If you're willing to lend a helping claw."
Ander wavered a moment, before turning back towards the Charizard with a wary, defensive expression.
"… What do you want?" he asked.
"The ship you were with. You couldn't have made it back if they weren't here, and it's fallen afoul with the law," Bunsen answered. "Help me find it, and I'll see to it that your name is stricken from its roster."
Ander said nothing back, lowering his scythes as he took in the Fire-Type's offer. Bunsen eyed Ander carefully and, sensing that he was winning him over, carried on with his voice taking on a more friendly tone.
"My understanding was that you didn't even want to get roped in with that crew anyways and that they drug you off from the rest of your family, so this shouldn't exactly be a difficult decision," Bunsen said. "All that stands between you and going back to a normal life is that crew of devil-worshipping pirates. Hardly 'mons worth sticking your neck out for, right?"
The Charizard waited expectantly for a reply, only for Ander to pause and cast his eyes towards the floor of his shop with a shake of his head.
"… I'm afraid I can't do that. Devil-worshipping or not, they have stuck their necks out for me in the past, and I could hardly repay them in such a fashion," he responded. "Even with demons prowling about, I simply couldn't entrust them with your employers."
Bunsen's congeniality abruptly went up in smoke as hot, angry breaths came out from between his bared fangs.
"Fine, if you're going to lie to me as well then you'll suffer the consequences alongside them!" the Charizard snarled.
Bunsen spewed forth a column of fire, Sandra hastily dragging Cassie away for the backroom as Ander tried to dart out of the way and felt a searing flash over his right shoulder. The Scyther dug a scythe into the ground to steady himself, before lunging at Bunsen with a spread-wing tackle, which struck the Charizard across his belly and made him lurch back with a pained bellow.
"GRAWR!"
Ander skidded to a stop as Bunsen recoiled in pain, the Scyther readying his blades for another blow when the Fire-Type abruptly leapt backwards. The Charizard beat his wings together, and threw a slicing gust of wind forward back at the opposing Scyther. Ander widened his eyes as the Air Slash barreled along, flinging aside baskets of dried meat in its wake before it struck him in his chest and sent him crashing to the ground in full view of his horrified mate and child.
"Ander!"
Sandra hastily ran in, readying her scythe for a swing at the Commissioner to try and defend her fallen mate, only to be cut off mid-stride with a Flamethrower. The mother Scyther screeched in pain, before slumping over, weakly cracking her eyes open as she looked down to see a visible burn on the plates of her chest.
"Nngh…"
"Mommy!"
Sandra's condition prompted Cassie to cry out and run over to her mother, tugging desperately to try and help her up. The young Scyther turned at the sound of a heavy footsteps, seeing Bunsen turning towards them and stepping forward. With her waning strength, Sandra threw herself onto Cassie, shielding her from what she expected to be another fiery plume, only for it to never come.
The pair cracked their eyes open in response to the unexpected lull, looking up to see Bunsen finishing a knot before slinging Ander over his shoulder with his scythes tied behind his back at their wrists. The Charizard paused for a moment, before shooting a venomous glare down at the mother Scyther and her child.
"Hrmph, I tried to give you a way out," Bunsen growled. "But you've made your bed, now lie in it!"
The Fire-Type turned to leave, Sandra feebly trying to reach after him only to stumble onto the ground. Bunsen continued ahead, going through the still-open door for the path outside. As he made his way down, he heard Cassie's voice from inside the shack hitch and start to cry, the Commissioner pausing a moment before shaking his head and taking wing with Ander's unconscious body as the child's cries faded with the shack in the distance.
As Bunsen left the scavver's shop with its proprietor in his claws, the approach to Bluewhorl's main bridge over the town's river teemed with activity as Sicula waited impatiently with a large party of guards standing watch over a group of villagers. The Roserade looked over the gathered Pokémon, troublemakers who had been rounded up in order to fire a shot across the bow to Tromba's ever-rebellious residents. The Grass-Type gave a smug smirk to herself at the sight of Marley in the crowd, satisfied that even the blue terror herself had been brought to heel by her efforts, when the sound of approaching footsteps turned her attention towards one of the lanes joining the square. There, a Bronzong entered, leading forward a train of villagers being grudgingly pushed and jostled along by other guards. After counting heads with her blooms, Sicula stepped forward and looked up at the floating Steel-Type.
"Is that the last of them?" the Roserade asked.
"Yes, ma'am. All the villagers with a relocation notice have been accounted for," the Bronzong answered. "We're just waiting on that party to come back with the prisoners from the Guardhouse."
"Hrmph. Let's not beat around the bush any longer, then."
Unbeknownst to Sicula and the rest of the gathering, from the alleyways along the lane leading up to the square, shifting figures shot furtive glances out at the Company Pokémon and their unhappy captives. Among them was a Glaceon, who pulled back around the corner where Nida, Kline and a group of villagers were gathered, and gave a worried glance over to Mosca.
"Did anyone ever hear back from Orino?" the Ice-Type asked. "He and the Protector should've broken Osmund out by now!"
"Patience. Sometimes it takes time for word to travel," Mosca whispered back. "Just get ready to help Zygarde into position as soon as we make our move."
"Officer Sicula! Officer Sicula!"
Mosca and the others held their breaths as a party headed by a Tangrowth entered into the square in a wide-eyed hurry. Sicula raised a brow at the Tangrowth's distress as the Company grunt stopped to catch his breath and spoke up with a panting cry.
"There's been a jailbreak at the Guardhouse!" the Tangrowth cried. "The old Captain of the Guards managed to slip away in the confusion!"
The Tangrowth's report drew uneasy murmurs from Sicula's underlings. The Roserade paused to try and make sense of how to respond, when she noticed that some of the gathered villagers' expressions had noticeably brightened, and turned back with a sharp scowl.
"He won't last long on his own," Sicula growled. "Let's just focus on getting our task at hand wrapped up. We don't need this breakout to give the townsfolk any ideas."
From behind their cover, Nida and her companions grimaced as Sicula continued pushing along. Mildrew, who'd left his apple orchard to heed Mosca's call for aid, looked at the square in wide-eyed alarm, before turning over to the Hawlucha with a dismayed cry.
"Gah! They're not changing up their plans!" the Tropius exclaimed.
"We need to make our move now," Nida insisted. "Before they get away!"
"Have you lost it?" a Staryu hissed. "There's at least 20 Pokémon out there and only a dozen of us!"
"That didn't seem to stop you earlier, did it?"
The gathered Pokémon looked down as Kline hopped forward and turned his head up before raising his voice to speak.
"We all knew that we were facing uphill odds going into this, and yet we were sure we could pull through and win," Kline reminded. "Nothing has changed here as long as we seize the opportunities we've been given."
The villagers paused, small smiles breaking over their faces as the lot took comfort from the Zygarde's reassurance. The Hawlucha among them nodded back, before pawing at the feathers on her arms.
"… Claro, Protector," Mosca said. "Calino, do we have those Luminous Orbs ready?"
Everyone's attention turned towards the back of the group, where a visibly cagey Kecleon in a Merchantry scarf looked around before pulling out and handing over three Luminous Orbs to the Pokémon ahead of him.
"I still don't understand how you talked me into this," Calino complained. "My superiors would have my scales if they knew that I was putting my claws on the scale against a local Company outpost."
Nida took one of the glassy spheres, tossing it up and down slightly in her paw as she curled her muzzle up into a teasing smile back at the Kecleon.
"So… no real changes for you then, right?"
Calino shot back an unimpressed huff as Mosca motioned for silence and began to creep along, the villagers gathering around and readying their orbs as Sicula and her underlings began to set off.
"Now!"
One after the other, Mosca and the others threw their orbs, the spheres sailing up, before crashing to the ground with the sound of shattering glass. Nida looked away as a blinding flash came from the square followed by startled yelps. The lot charged ahead, Nida seeing her mother and father among the tottering Pokémon as Mosca sprang up before diving down at a Scrafty with a Company scarf with a spread-eagle body press.
"Help separate those grunts from the others!" the Hawlucha cried. "They won't stay stunned forever!"
Nida dashed in as Mosca's group set upon the guards who were trying to regain their bearings, a few blindly lashing out at perceived foes. After ducking an errant jet of water, Nida weaved and bobbed her way over to her parents and siblings, giving a tug at her mother's shoulder that was met by Marley reflexively jerking back and fanning out her barbs in confusion.
"Get off of me!"
"Mami, calm down!" Nida insisted. "It's me!"
Marley and Teja blinked, shaking their heads as they recovered from the effects of the Luminous Orbs, when they recoiled with startled surprise to see Nida at their sides.
"Nida?!" Teja asked. "What are you-?"
The Nidorino was cut off by an errant bolt of electricity flying in and sending the three diving to the ground. After seeing a Farfetch'd among the villagers felled by a watery burst and a Zubat by a Forretress' Heavy Slam, Nida turned and saw that the Company grunts had recovered and regrouped along the bridge, advancing under a cover of fire towards them with Sicula at their fore.
"Pin them down and wipe them out!" the Roserade shouted.
Sicula and her underlings cast out a large volley of attacks, forcing the villagers to fall back. The Company Pokémon began to advance when they saw bright, green lights zip in and settle behind the ridge of a nearby roof with a blinding flash. A Forretress at the head of the group looked up, watching as the form of a green-and-black hound sprang up and vaulted down in front of Sicula's party, crouching against the ground with a low snarl.
"What the-"
Kline stomped the earth with his forepaws, cracking the earth underfoot as green lights flashed from the fissures. The Forretress' eyes widened as the Bug-Type saw the cracks in the earth spreading towards him and attempted to move out of the way when the earth abruptly erupted in a plume of dust and dirt. The Forretress let out a pained scream as other cries rang out, the dust settling to reveal the guards frozen out of shock and Sicula staring ahead blankly as the Forretress lay flung aside unconscious along with five of her other underlings. After a moment to regain her bearings, the Roserade turned and barked impatiently at her stunned underlings.
"Snap out of it!" she yelled. "Focus your fire on that strange dog!"
A pink Oricorio darted forward and threw a cutting gust of air at her Zygarde foe. Kline jumped aside as the Air Slash barreled in, too late to avoid a graze to his shoulder, before landing on the ground and calling up a hail of rocks at the approaching grunts. The Rock Slide found its mark on the Oricorio alongside a few nearby underlings, knocking her aside with a pained squawk, while a Cinccino continued forward undeterred readying a Giga Impact. The Normal-Type dashed ahead towards Kline, only to get abruptly swatted aside with a Brick Break from one of Kline's forepaws. Sicula stared ahead blankly as the Oricorio limped back to her group, letting her mouth hang open in shock before finally collecting herself enough to exasperatedly shout back at the Zygarde.
"What kind of Pokémon are you?!"
"Don't worry, there will be plenty of time for us to explain after we've knocked you flat on your backs," Mosca shot back. "Everyone, attack!"
Mosca and the rest of her party resumed their offensive, colliding with the front line of Sicula's group in a whirling frenzy of traded blows. In the midst of it, Marley kicked aside a Greedent, turning to see Nida running up behind her. A shrill cry rang out as the pair turned to see Mildrew slumping over unconscious at Sicula's feet, the sight prompting Marley to narrow her eyes and grit her teeth.
"Mija, lend me a paw with this weed!" she cried.
"Right!"
Mother and daughter charged ahead, Marley leading by thrusting a poison-wreathed paw aimed square at Sicula's head. Marley threw her Poison Jab forward, only for Sicula to jump out of the way with a sharp hiss.
"Is that really the best you can do?!"
The Roserade formed a shadowy ball at the tips of her blooms, casting it at Marley and sending her falling to the ground with a yelp. The Grass-Type leapt ahead to try and press her advantage, when she was cut off by an angry swipe from Nida that struck her in the chest, and another, and another, before she wrenched away and stepped back with an angry huff.
"Enough!"
Nida looked up at the sound of Sicula's shout, when she was abruptly struck in the face by rings of golden light. The Nidorina pinwheeled and flopped onto the ground in a daze from the Extrasensory, struggling up as the Roserade levelled her blooms with a growing shadowy sphere forming between them. Before Sicula could throw her attack forward, it was cut short by Marley charging in, biting at the Grass-Type and forcing her to jump away and leave her Shadow Ball to dissipate harmlessly. The mother Nidorina stooped down to help her daughter up, who panted and shot an exasperated glance over at Sicula.
"Gah! She just keeps slipping away every time we hit her!" Nida fumed.
The younger Nidorina's grumbles prompted Marley to look back at the Roserade and narrow her eyes, before turning over to her daughter.
"Let's fix that, then."
The pair braced themselves as Sicula approached, the Bouquet Pokémon's eyes glowing yellow as she prepared another psychic assault. As the Grass-Type was about to cast her Extrasensory at them, Marley opened her mouth and spewed an icy ray at Sicula's feet that froze her fast to the ground.
"Ack!"
The Roserade's progress came to a screeching halt, her efforts accomplishing little other than a fruitless struggle against her icy bindings. Sensing her chance, Nida dashed up and hopped into the air, pulling her arm back as poison began to build along her paw before she threw it forward at Sicula's chest. The Nidorina felt her paw dig into the Roserade, before hearing a loud crack and seeing the ice at her feet give way, the Grass-Type tumbling back along the ground from her blow.
Sicula staggered up and lifted her head, when her eyes shot wide at the sight of Marley running in with her forepaw dripping venom. The Nidorina jumped up and lunged forward with a Poison Jab of her own, swinging it forward as Sicula hastily threw up a Protect, the force of Marley's blow sending her stumbling back. The Roserade fought to keep her Protect intact as Marley struck at it again and again, the Grass-Type turning and calling out to a few of her nearby underlings in an audibly agitated tone.
"Hey! Come and give me some aid, you useless louts!"
Sicula quickly stepped aside as a Tangrowth, Appletun, and Lopunny rushed forward. The Tangrowth barged in and called up a large stone from the ground before flinging it at Marley, knocking her back while a ray of dragonfire from the Appletun did much the same to Nida. The Lopunny ran up readying a forceful kick, only to hastily stumble back as an icy ray shot out scarcely a paw's length from her nose, sailing on and striking the Tangrowth in his stomach. The Appletun and Lopunny watched stunned as the Tangrowth toppled backwards and crashed limply to the ground, looking back expecting assistance only to see much to their horror that Sicula had backed away to the bridge leading out of the square and started to hurry off.
"Officer Sicula?!" the Appletun exclaimed. "Wh-What are you-?!"
The Appletun fell to the ground after Nida struck the side of his neck with a Poison Jab, sprawling out in a groaning daze. After seeing the rest of her still-able counterparts flee after Sicula, the Lopunny turned and bolted after them, desperately hopping across the bridge when an orange scaled seed sailed in from behind.
BOOM!
The middle of the bridge lit up with a fiery burst as the Lopunny was flung off and into the river below with an audible splash. Marley and a few villagers went over to the riverbank and braced themselves, only to see the Lopunny wash up on the other end in a groaning heap. The Nidorina flared her ears, letting out a scornful huff at the entire episode.
"What on earth is the Company teaching its Second-Ranks these days?" she grumbled.
"Hmph, well I've certainly met ones more impressive than that," Kline scoffed.
Teja folded an ear back quizzically, as he turned to Mosca and the other villagers, along with the Zygarde in their midst.
"I suppose we ought to thank you once this all settles down," the Nidorino said. "Though what exactly are you planning to do now?"
Nida hesitated a moment and closed her eyes, before cracking them open and giving a determined look back at her father.
"We've come this far, haven't we?" she replied. "Let's keep going after them. Until the last of these Company goons get off our island and back to the holes they crawled out from!"
The Nidorina was answered with a rousing cheer from the gathered villagers, as one after the other, they marched across the bridge, heading off towards the harbor with the wind at their backs.
Around the same time, Pleo, Orino, and Osmund ran along the path that made its way from the Guardhouse to Bluewhorl's center. All the while, the three cast glances off in the distance at ships' masts in the town's harbor as the faint din of battle in the distance reached their ears.
"Are you sure we're supposed to go towards the harbor already?" Osmund asked.
"Sí," Orino insisted. "Nida and the others were supposed to try and push the guards towards Bunsen's ships. We're be better off joining them there than trying to find where they-"
"Hold it right there!"
Orino jumped aside as an icy ray shot in and brushed Osmund's arm. The Sceptile winced from the strike, looking up to see a Vanillish, Crabominable, and Pignite in Company scarves rounding the corner. A gout of fire zipped forward and the Crabominable charged ahead winding up an ice-slicked punch, forcing Pleo and his teammates to dartt down a nearby alleyway for cover. The Lugia ran along, craning his head back to see the guards reaching the mouth of the alley when a scythe-like arc of pinkish light suddenly zipped in and struck the Crabominable from the side. The guards whirled about just as a flying bone flew in, followed by hail of other attacks and flung items that left the lot of them sprawled out on the ground much to Pleo's astonishment.
"H-Huh?! What was-?!"
The Lugia and his teammates emerged cautiously, when they were greeted by the sight of Alice stepping forward with her claws still trailing flecks of dissipating pinkish light along with Crom, Elty, and Guardia at the head of a larger group of Pokémon. A Gabite, a Trapinch… why these were the Pokémon that were left behind from the pirate raid! Pleo blinked in confusion, only for Guardia to give a stern prod at his wing.
"Try to be a bit more careful!" she piped. "You won't always have us to help you out!"
"Er… right," Pleo replied. Before he could continue, the Lugia was interrupted by the sound of clapping, as Alice batted her claws together and turned back to the former pirates with a smug grin.
"And here you all were worried you couldn't take these dweebs!" the Sneasel said. "I told you that if you stuck together, you could beat these guys with some help!"
Pyry and Pekka walked up to the felled guards and cast dismissive glances down, the Gabite giving an unimpressed scoff at the Vanillish.
"Tch, that's all it takes to throw those square-necks off their game?" he asked.
"Well, they're certainly not top percentage, that's for sure," Pekka added.
Osmund and Orino raised a brow at Elty's group, noting their scruffier companions. After a moment of blinking disbelief, Orino turned towards Elty with a wary tilt of his head.
"Are those… the former pirates?" he asked. "Though I don't think I've seen you before, Sneasel."
"She's new, but otherwise that's right," Elty replied. "We needed all the help we could get, so I thought I'd ask my old kumple."
Crom and his teammates reciprocated Osmund and Orino's curious glances, the Druddigon among them blinking as he realized that Pleo had returned with two fewer Pokémon than he'd expected.
"Where are Nida and Kline?" Crom asked. "Weren't they with you, Pleo?"
"They went ahead to rescue Nida's mom and some of the others!" Pleo exclaimed. "We were gonna meet them at the main square!"
"Well, sounds like we shouldn't waste any more time then," Alice said. "Those goons aren't going to leave the harbor on their own!"
Pleo and the others nodded back and carried on towards the town's square, when the booming and shouts of raging battle reached their ears. All of a sudden, a green flash erupted from the square's direction and the ground violently jolted, making the lot come to a stop as Orino, Osmund, and the former pirates looked ahead wide-eyed.
"What on earth was that?" Osmund asked.
"Well, let's just say that Pleo wasn't the only big gun we were able to bring for this fight," Alice replied.
The group ran ahead in time to see a number of Company grunts sprawled out groaning as others fell back in a haphazard rush for cover. Pleo and his companions turned their heads to see Kline in his dog-like form advancing at the head of a large mob of villagers, whose eyes lit up at the sight of Pleo's silvery plumes.
"Ah! He's here!" a Meowth cried out.
"That's him!" a Kingler chimed in. "That's our Protector!"
Bunsen's underlings looked on in stunned shock, before the townsfolk cast forward a hail of attacks and thrown missiles. The Company Pokémon withdrew as the lot hastily fell back from the square, leaving Mosca to hop up onto a crate and look back at the villagers.
"Now!" the Hawlucha shouted. "Keep pushing while they're off-balance!"
The villagers roared in approval and charged ahead, as others who had been sheltering in shops and abodes along the lanes came out to support their returned Protector. All the while, Nida darted to and fro among the proceeding crowd, when she caught a glimpse of Elty, Pyry, and Pekka, and hastily bounded over to them with an impatient harrumph.
"Took you all long enough!" Nida piped. "Though how'd you manage to talk your old friends into helping?"
"What can I say?" Elty chuckled. "We had someone with a way with words on the team."
"Yeah, yeah, save the chit-chat for later, Eltenios," Pekka grumbled. "We're not in the clear yet, you know!"
Nida and her companions ran along the street up to the waterfront, where Bunsen's underlings had dug in along the piers behind a set of hastily-constructed barricades. Behind it, the Company Pokémon threw attacks back at the villagers, and Bunsen's third ship had recently docked and begun fielding reinforcements into his ranks. As the lot bore down on the lavender-scarved grunts, Mosca called out to the townsfolk with her, their spirits high with a much-yearned victory in sight.
"Hah! We've got 'em backed against the sea!" she cried. "Come on, we can push 'em-!"
The Hawlucha was cut off mid-sentence by a shadowy orb striking her in her chest, sending her tumbling back against the ground. Mosca dug her claws in, hastily righting herself when a Blast Seed sailed in and detonated in front of her, flinging her back unconscious to the shock of the nearby villagers. An orb filled with greenish clouds abruptly shattered at the front of the group, spewing green smoke everywhere that spread among their numbers.
Nida watched as the eyes of the Pokémon who inhaled the smoke suddenly shrank to pins, the villagers turning and bolting in a blind panic from their foes. The front line collided with the Pokémon behind them, as Bunsen's underlings opened up a salvo of attacks and flung items that threw the townsfolk into disarray. One by one, the villagers fell back under the hail of attacks, Nida, Elty, Pyry, and Pekka doing much the same as a Gravelerock flew past them. The four saw other villagers nearby fall from incoming attacks and Kline get mobbed by a party of underlings as they tried to make their way to a nearby corner for cover, only for a hail of large stones to sail out in front of their path and the four to see a Carkol and a Politoed approaching them.
"Where are you all off to in such a hurry?" the Carkol snarled.
"Yeah, we were just getting started giving you hicks a piece of our mind!" the Politoed snapped.
The Carkoal threw himself forward with a Flame Charge as the Politoed covered him with a Hydro Pump, Elty and Pekka hastily skidding out of the way of the Carkol while Nida and Pyry focused on the Politoed. Nida and Pyry ran ahead, throwing forward Poison Jab and Dragon Claw that knocked the Politoed down. Before either could press their advantage, the Politoed spat up a watery orb, which fanned out into a Surf that swept up the pair and sent them tumbling back gagging and coughing up water. As Pyry struggled to find his footing, he looked up and froze at the sight of the Politoed readying an icy burst from his mouth. The Gabite flinched, watching as the Politoed formed the beginnings of an Ice Beam when the frog's eyes shot wide and he abruptly jerked up in pain, the budding Ice Beam fading away as a pained cry left his mouth.
"Argh! Something bit me!"
The Politoed whirled around, and saw Pekka clamped down tightly on his left leg, leaving him to snarl in frustration.
"Get off of me, you stupid bug!"
The frog jumped around and spat water at Pekka to try and free his leg from the Trapinch's grasp, striking the antlion in the head with a Water Gun that made him lose his grip. With a swift thrust of his leg, the Politoed sent his Trapinch assailant flying headfirst into the wall of a nearby shop where he struck it with a sharp yelp and crumpled to the ground, leaving Pyry to look on in alarm.
"Veikka!"
Pekka groaned and struggled back to his feet in a daze, when his body suddenly became shrouded in light and began to transform much to Pyry's slack-jawed astonishment.
"That's-"
"Oh no you don't!" the Carkol shouted. "Stay down, you-"
The Carkol was cut off by Nida storming ahead wreathed in the fading blue aura of a Helping Hand with a pair of spinning kicks. The first caught the Carkol in his side and kicked the Rock-Type over, the second kick landing in his chest that drew a pained cry before the Company grunt lapsed out of consciousness. After seeing Nida's success against the Carkol, Pyry turned his attention to the Politoed to come to his partner's defense. The Gabite ran ahead and let out a bellowing roar before spitting up an orb of blue dragonfire at the frog's chest. The Water-Type staggered and fought to keep his balance, when a humming drone of wingbeats zipped by, the Politoed looking up just in time to see a Vibrava dive at him and spit up the fiery stream of a Dragon Breath that struck the Water-Type and left him groaning on the ground. Pekka shot a dirty glare over the fainted Politoed, and turned with a sharp buzz when Pyry approached him, his eyes filled with an incredulous awe as he gave a careful poke at the chitinous plates of Pekka's new body.
"I was starting to think this day would never come," Pyry murmured.
"Heh, well it took long enough!" Pekka retorted.
"Aguanten! The cavalry's coming!"
Pyry, Pekka, and the others looked up as Kiran flew over the Company grunts' front line and a jet of water zipped past him, promptly felling a Solrock in Company colors, with an unfortunate Delcatty and Mismagius meeting much the same fate from an incoming Rock Slide shortly afterwards. Nida and her companions looked up, where they saw Percy, Calidus, and Trizano diving from the air and leading a charging group of Pokémon from the local guild, the sight making the Nidorina's eyes light up in realization.
"Ah! Kiran and the others are here!" she cried.
"About time that feather duster and those guild 'mons showed up!" Pekka harrumphed.
"That's as far as you go!"
A sharp bleat cut through the air followed by a loud crackle and the sound of pained cries as Hatteras felled a pair of Bunsen's underlings with a Discharge. Taking advantage of his opening, a team of guild members charged ahead casting covering attacks forward, Nida spotting a few faces from the Siglo Swellow mixed in among their ranks. Further away in the air, Percy and Calidus dove towards Pleo, Crom, and Alice as a Swoobat and a Carnivine attempted to ambush them, the Gliscor and Talonflame summarily cutting the pair down with a Night Slash and Flare Blitz as they came in for a landing.
"Is everyone alright?" Percy asked. "It looks like everything's coming together nicely, at least."
"We had a little trouble for a moment, but I think we're getting the hang of things," Crom replied. "These Company 'mons got pushed back to the water faster than I expected!"
"Well, Kline giving everyone a tailwind at their backs certainly didn't hurt," Alice chuckled.
As soon as the Sneasel finished speaking, a pained shout rang out as Kline leapt back from a Seismitoad slumping over unconscious. The dog-like Legendary looked at his defeated opponent before turning his attention back to his teammates with a low grunt.
"Just don't get too confident," Kline insisted. "A lot more Pokémon can fit on those ships than we've been fighting so far and we have yet to see any sign of Buns-"
GRAAAAWRRR!
A dark shadow zipped over the square just before a column of fire flew in from the sky and struck a few of the villagers at the front of the mob. The crowd broke back, the unfortunate victims of the Flamethrower bowling over writhing and screaming in pain as the flames clung to their bodies. A quick glance up revealed Bunsen circling overhead as fresh reinforcements joined in his wake and sent forth an overpowering hail of attacks that cut down Pokémon left and right, throwing the gathering into a panic that was encapsulated by a Loudred's stammering cry to the others.
"A-Ack! Fall back! Fall back!"
Pleo and Crom watched as the villagers began to flee while Kline and the rest of Team Zephyr attempted to hold the line for other villagers to slip away. The crash of shattering glass rang out, making Pleo flinch as a wave of sparks overcame him, Crom, and Team Zephyr that made their limbs lock in place from what he quickly realized to be the effects of a Petrify Orb.
"A-Agh!"
Pleo struggled in vain against the Petrify Orb's effects as the square quickly emptied, with Pokémon scurrying for cover. The sound of loud wingbeats rang out in front of him as Bunsen landed on the ground leading up to the docks and sized up his opposition with a fierce glare.
"Am I some sort of joke to you?" the Charizard snapped. "Did you really think that you were going to get the better of a Company Commissioner and three fully-crewed ships by just walking up and throwing a tantrum like a bunch of unruly children?!"
Bunsen bared his fangs and turned his attention over to Kline with a sharp growl, the Fire-Type's words coming out with a fiery, indignant roar.
"And you," he snarled. "I don't know how you managed to give my subordinates such trouble, you mangy mutt, but there are consequences for such-"
The Charizard trailed off as he noticed the silvery, long-necked form of Pleo beside the strange hound. At once, Bunsen's eyes shrank to pins and the color drained from his face as he recoiled with a sharp yelp.
"A-Aah!"
"Commissioner Bunsen? What's going on?" Sicula asked, taken back by her superior's visible panic.
As Bunsen stared ahead in shock, Pleo struggled against the effects of the petrification and craned his head up with a determined glare.
"I- I'm the Protector of this island," the Lugia said. "I won't just step aside and let you bully it!"
"And this 'mangy mutt' here is Zygarde, the Protector of Conntow," Kline hissed. "I'll fight with every ounce of my strength to aid my peer, you impudent lizard!"
A palpable sense of panic settled over the Charizard, as Pleo and Kline's replies and their superior's sudden loss of confidence set the other Company Pokémon visibly on edge.
"W-Wait," a Bronzong began. "So those two 'mons are really-"
The Bronzong was cut off by a spray of black orbs that knocked him to the ground. Pleo watched as the villagers let out a rousing cry and took the opportunity to charge Bunsen's still-stunned underlings. The Lugia got shoved from behind and felt his joints unfreeze and turned to see Calidus looking back at him.
"Come on, this is our chance!" the Talonflame shouted.
The battle raged back to a fever pitch as attacks and blows flew back and forth, villagers and grunts alike falling to the salvos of attacks. Up in the air, Bunsen wheeled about, wildly throwing gouts of fire at his attackers below. The Charizard's eyes widened as he saw a silvery figure flutter underneath him and rolled out of the way as a crackling Thunderbolt zipped past his belly, the Fire-Type's nerves quickly failing him as he realized the blow to be from none other than dread demon of this horrid rock.
"A-AAH!"
Back on the ground, Pleo watched as Bunsen desperately fled from his Thunderbolts, making the Lugia chirp excitedly with newfound confidence.
"We're winning!" Pleo cried. "We're-!"
"That's enough from you, you overgrown gull!"
Sicula shot a poisonous glob that caught Pleo in his shoulder, sending the Lugia stumbling back with a pained squawk as he tried to shake the sludge off. Up in the air, Bunsen slowed and looked down at the flailing Protector, his features easing in dawning realization.
"He's still weak right now…"
Bunsen thought back to how Darzin strong-armed him into setting sail for Tromba, and why he'd sent him of all 'mons after this demon. Clearly the Administrator realized that if Tromba's Pokémon had begun actively turning to piracy and this fiend were allowed to remain in their care, that they would have the power to turn all of the Company's waters into a lawless maelstrom.
With how his own underlings had wavered, clearly Darzin didn't trust a 'mon without the Mark to not fall under the demon's spell. That said, the demon's powers had not fully developed, and even Zygarde seemed to struggle earlier from a simple Petrify Orb. Then… the best way, the only way to keep things from spiraling out of control was to send a message and snatch the demons while they were still weak, and to seal them away from the world they would prey on.
"Th-That's it!" Bunsen snapped. "Your little revolt is over!"
The Charizard dove down at Pleo and spat out a billowing stream of fire, striking the young Protector and sprawling him out stunned. The Lugia struggled up in a daze when he felt a scaly arm wrap around his neck and pull him upwards. Pleo let out a frightened yelp and beat his wings wildly, flapping and struggling as Bunsen carried the Lugia off towards his ship in full view of the horrified townsfolk as Crom cried out after him.
"A-Ah! Pleo!"
"You peasants want this little freak so badly?" the Fire-Type snarled. "Come and get him!"
The villagers tried to press on when a large volley of attacks from Bunsen's underlings sailed in and struck the townsfolk's front line. Pained cries rang out as villagers fell to the ground unconscious and stricken, others falling back in a blind panic as the hail of attacks intensified. Kline charged ahead to try and engage the attackers, only for a Eldegoss and a Noctowl to slip behind him, the Eldegoss spraying green dust into the air before the Noctowl blew it from behind at the Zygarde's head with a beat of her wings.
"Lights out, mutt!" the Noctowl jeered.
Kline coughed and darted away as he tried to brush away the Sleep Powder, his efforts failing to dispel it as his eyes flickered and his legs gave out.
"Nrgh…"
The Zygarde slumped over asleep, leaving his teammates to quickly close ranks about him as Alice ran up and tugged at Kline to try and rouse him.
"Gah! Come on!" the Sneasel cried. "This is no time to be sleeping through a fight!"
Bunsen flew over to dock in front of his flagship's gangplank where he pinned Pleo down with a startled squawk and quickly tied him down. The Lugia thrashed and squirmed against his bindings as Bunsen dragged him back up, and pushed him towards a waiting Pangoro.
"Get him below deck," the Commissioner barked. "Once we take care of that other one, these hicks shouldn't last long."
The Pangoro latched onto Pleo, before dragging him along the gangplank as the young Protector kicked and flailed to resist in vain.
"No! Let go of me!"
The Company grunt continued to move Pleo towards the deck, when a Sludge Bomb zipped in and struck the Pangoro in the back of his head. The bear stumbled and fell off the gangplank into the water as Pleo tumbled back to the docks, making Bunsen wheel around with his fangs bared.
"Hey! What th- Agh!"
The Charizard was cut off by a Rock Slide sailing in and hitting him in his belly, bowling him over coughing. Bunsen raised his head when he saw the form of a Kabutops surfacing at the head of a group of sea Pokémon wearing blue-and-red bands about their bodies.
"Hang in there, Pleo!" Dimitri shouted. "We've got reinforcements!"
"And powerful friends to tip the scales."
Bunsen shifted his eyes towards the center of Dimitri's group and froze at the sight of a Manaphy leaping from the water and perching on Dimitri's head with a sharp glare.
"As the Protector of Vollezee, I, Manaphy, will not let you go forward a single stroke!" Nerea exclaimed. "Send that ship to the bottom of the harbor!"
Nerea spat up a scalding jet of water as the rest of the clan's members joined in with various attacks of their own. Bunsen hastily flew over the salvo, as a few unfortunate Company grunts on the docks were swept up in the torrent with pained shouts. The Charizard attempted to rally his underlings when a hail of attacks came in from land, the Commissioner looking over and seeing that the villagers were once again regaining their momentum against his ranks, with the sight of Nerea charging ahead from the water to the side making him yelp and cry out to his subordinates.
"F-Forget this stupid hamlet!" he cried. "We've gotten enough of what we needed to done! Let's move out!"
Bunsen cast a fierce, fiery wind at the crowd in a panic that threw the frontline of the villagers into an uproar before he dove for the deck. As the townsfolk attempted to regain their bearings, they saw Bunsen's underlings hurrying off and attempting to carry away any fallen members that they could, all while the Charizard Commissioner drug Pleo aboard onto this ship.
"A-Ack! They're trying to take the Protector again!" Minia cried.
"Rápido!" a Shiftry from the Guild shouted. "Don't let them get away!"
The villagers charged forward one after the other as Bunsen's support ships hastily started to unmoor. An orange Florges attempted to raise the gangplank to the flagship, only for a Rhyhorn to throw the Fairy-Type aside and a large mob to storm up the gangplank. Crom watched as the deck devolved into a melee as shouts and pained cries rang out, before he turned worriedly to Team Zephyr's members.
"C-Come on!" the Druddigon insisted. "We need to go and help!"
Alice braced herself as a Company Bibarel charged in bellowing for Kline with water wreathing his tail, the Sneasel cutting the beaver off with a shadowy slash at his chest before uppercutting him with a sharp yelp. She watched as the Bibarel toppled over, before turning her attention back to Crom.
"Not that we don't wanna help, but we can't leave Kline behind like this either!" Alice insisted.
Crom blanched and looked around indecisively as the din of battle raged around him when Percy turned his head and let out a sharp cry.
"Go!" the Gliscor said. "We'll try and cover you!"
Crom gave a 'Right' in reply and bolted ahead, hastily stepping around attacks zipping about him as Percy and Alice gave cover with a Stone Edge and Ice Shard from behind. The young Druddigon made it up to the pier, when a pink Shellos was thrown from the ship and limply crashed to the dock, forcing the Dragon-Type to hastily skid around the fainted villager when a Corvisquire swooped down from above readying a sharp jab with her beak. Crom's eyes shot wide as he jumped back from the Corvisquire's attack, the Druddigon letting out a startled yelp as he almost lost his balance.
"I'm gonna enjoy putting you down, you little runt!" the Corvisquire sneered.
"Over my dead body you will!"
A blue and red form came charging in, swatting the Corisquire out of the air with a pained squawk and into the water with a loud splash. Crom panted and looked up to see his rescuer, when he spotted the wings and ruddy crest of none other than…
"M-Mom?!"
"You didn't think I was just going to sit back and let you and your father do all the hard work, did you?" Gwenith asked. "Come on, we're almost there!"
Crom nodded back and ran along, darting up the gangplank with another party of villagers behind him who attempted to come to the aid of the prior boarding group. At the top, a Piloswine blocked the way, prompting Gwenith to growl and knock the Ground-Type away with a running tackle.
"And stay out of my way!"
Crom looked around the deck as the villagers filed out, when the Druddigon's attention was snapped to attention by a charging Watchog. The Dragon-Type hastily threw a Power-Up Punch at the Normal-Type, stunning the Company peon before he hurriedly darted away and saw Ander tied up and slumped over by the ship's center mast.
"Ah! Ander!"
The young Druddigon ran over, stooping down and shaking the unresponsive Scyther with a worried gaze.
"Ander, come on!" Crom pleaded. "You need to get up!"
Ander shifted and began to stir, the mantis opening his eyes and looking up with a confused groan.
"Whuh? Crom?"
"You… don't look so good," the Dragon-Type said. "Here."
Crom wedged his claws in between the turns of the knots binding Ander's scythes to his thorax, tugged the ropes away, and moved an Oran Berry by the Scyther's mouth. Ander bit down and slowly ate the berry, before ducking with a startled buzz as a bolt of electricity zipped by, the Bug-Type looking around incredulously to see the deck in a general state of chaos from Company Pokémon and villagers engaging with each other in pitched battle.
"What's going on?" he asked.
Ander turned and caught a glimpse of Bunsen further down the deck struggling to carry along a thrashing Pleo, the Charizard carrying on in fits and much as if the Protector were a large bundle of Blast Seeds. The Scyther rose to his feet, when Crom tugged at him, looking up with pleading eyes.
"We need to save Pleo!" Crom insisted. "We can't let Bunsen get away with him!"
"Right, let's hurry!"
The pair hurried over to cut off the Charizard captain, darting past errant attacks and missiles when Crom spat up a ball of blue dragonfire, which found its mark on Bunsen's shoulder and made him lose his grip on his Lugia captive.
"Gah!"
Pleo fell from the Charizard's claws and hit the deck with a squawk as Ander zipped up and hastily cut Pleo's bindings. The Lugia flinched a moment, before getting up and looking over at his unexpected rescuer.
"Ander?!"
"I'll explain things later!" the Scyther cried. "Just stick close and-!"
A loud stomp rang out as Ander's eyes shot wide and the Bug-Type quickly fluttered back. Crom turned and saw a gout of fire quickly approaching, dragging Pleo back to the ground as his nerves failed him at the sight of Bunsen taking wing and glaring down at him.
"A-AAH!"
The three desperately bolted from Charizard, only for them to be cut off by Bunsen veering left and spitting another gout of fire in their path. Pleo, Crom, and Ander wheeled around in the direction of the ship's stern, the lot running until they reached the railing where they grimaced and looked back as Bunsen landed before them with his fangs bared.
"Did you really think I'd be that easy to push around?! That all it'd take to keep me from locking up that demon would be a couple of peasants?!" the Charizard snarled. "If you're going to play with fire, don't come crying when you get burned!"
Crom froze out of fright, the Druddigon gulping and steeling his nerves as best as he could as he tensed his body and readied his claws for a pouncing slash.
"W-We're not playing with anything here!"
Crom pulled his claw back and threw it forward to swipe at the Charizard's chest, only for Bunsen to move back and spit back a billowing gout of flame that swallowed up the Druddigon's arm. The Dragon-Type howled in pain and jerked away, wincing as he pawed at a fresh burn on his arm. Pleo and Ander hastily darted forward, trying to pull their friend to cover when a bellowing roar sounded out ahead of them.
"And where are you rushing off to?!"
Bunsen lunged at the group, Ander cutting the Commissioner off with a slash of his scythes that forced the Charizard back to dodge, before the Scyther jumped up and darted about in the air to distract him. Bunsen readied a gout of fire to shoot the Bug-Type out of the sky, when from the corner of his eye, he noticed electric sparks crackling on Pleo just before a large bolt of electricity zipped up and struck him.
"Eyaaagh!"
Bunsen writhed and thrashed in pain from the Thunderbolt, Ander taking the opportunity to clip the Charizard with a spread-wing tackle, and Crom to bite down on his right wing. The Fire-Type hastily righted himself, throwing the Druddigon to the ground, prompting Pleo to focus as his eyes flashed yellow and he spat up a cone of golden rings. The rings of light found their mark on the Charizard, making him recoil with a sharp yelp as the young Lugia looked on, realizing that he'd finally mastered the 'Extrasensory' attack that he'd been struggling with.
"G-Get away from me!"
Pleo, Crom, and Ander were abruptly knocked down by an overpowering, fiery wind, sending the three falling to the deck from the assault. Ander writhed and screeched from the effects of the Heat Wave, struggling back onto his feet when his attention turned skyward from a loud snarl where he saw Bunsen sneering down at him.
"I warned you earlier," Bunsen snorted. "Let me make sure you don't forget it!"
Flames began to dance at the back of Bunsen's throat as Ander froze out of terror. The Bug-Type watched as the Charizard spat up a roaring Flamethrower, flinching as he saw a whitish figure move in the way and then heard a pained squawk. Ander's eyes shot wide in realization as he turned to see Pleo tottering with singed plumes and flopping over onto the deck weakly, Bunsen looking down at the scene with stunned disbelief.
"Th-That downed him?" the Charizard stammered. "I mean, of course it did! I'm not afraid of some fledgling demon here!"
"I- I am not a demon… I am a Protector…"
The young Lugia staggered up, breathing in laboredly before his feathers suddenly lit up in silvery light. Bunsen recoiled, backing away while his eyes shrunk to pins as the Protector seemed to be filled with newfound energy and scowled back defiantly.
"Ah… A-Aah…"
"And it's my job to protect this island from Pokémon like you!" Pleo cried.
He brought his wings together, making Crom and Ander dig their feet in to keep their footing from their friend's overpowering gale. The pair saw Bunsen's body zip by and the surrounding sails get torn to ribbons, the overpowering howl of Pleo's winds ebbing as the sound of Bunsen's screams rose above them.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-
Crom and Ander looked off past the stern to see Bunsen's body pinwheeling out to sea, his cries growing fainter and fainter as his body shrank in the distance until there was naught to be seen but a brief glint of his tail-fire, before vanishing over the horizon. The two paused and realized the din of battle on the ship had been silenced, before looking back at the main deck to see both villagers and Company grunts alike staring up stunned and at a loss of how to press further.
CRACK!
The sound of splintering wood rang out, making Sicula and a number of her underlings look over the railing towards the back of the ship where they saw a chunk of wood floating in the water as well as Dimitri surface and wave at her. The Roserade's jaw dropped when she realized the Kabutops to be the very same one she'd met back at Marley's burrow as the wooden piece that had been broken off the ship came into fuller view and made most of the Company Pokémon aboard flush pale…
"Th-That's our rudder!" a Carbink cried.
"Officer Sicula, what do we do?!" a Bronzong exclaimed.
"Abandon ship!" the Roserade shouted. "We're getting out of here!"
The deck quickly devolved into chaos as Bunsen's underlings haphazardly fled the stricken flagship. The fliers and swimmers bolted away as others leapt into the sea to hastily clamber aboard their more seaworthy compatriots and the grunts onshore did much the same, the lot beelining for the other ships as they hurriedly pushed off. Crom looked on as the villagers threw a hail of attacks and missiles after the fleeing underlings while the Khranitel Rod gave chase in the water, before he ran up to the railing and blew a taunting raspberry after the Company Pokémon.
"Yeah, you'd better run!" Crom jeered. "This is Tromba! We don't take getting pushed around-"
"Uh… Crom?"
Pleo motioned back towards the deck, where a handful of straggling Pokémon in Company scarves gathered around each other at the center as villagers ringed them with low growls. Among them, Osmund stepped forward, shooting a piercing glare at the trapped underlings.
"I believe that this is the part where you all surrender," the Sceptile harrumphed.
"Oh sod off, you stupid hicks!"
Pleo and Crom looked down towards the shoreline where another small crowd of Company Pokémon had been stranded and encircled by the townsfolk much as their counterparts on Bunsen's ship had. At the fore, a Zweilous could be seen encroaching on Marley, both his heads giving a bare-fanged snarl.
"Grr… if you think that we're just going to roll over for you just cause we're in a pinch, then you've got another thing coming!" the right head started, before the left chimed in.
"Yeah, that's right! I'd like to see you try and take us-"
The Zweilous was cut off by Marley striking him square in his chest with an Ice Beam, the Dragon-Type attempting to recover and charge ahead when poison began to visibly slick Marley's forepaws. The Zweilous desperately lunged ahead when Marley threw her paws forward with sharp jabs at both of his throats. Crom flinched as the Dragon-Type staggered and crumpled up in pain wheezing and gagging for air from the blows, the Company underlings aboard reacting much the same to the Zweilous' crushing defeat when Osmund directed their attention back to him with a sharp harrumph.
"Peacefully if you know what's good for you," the Sceptile added.
A few gulps went about the grunts aboard Bunsen's flagship as they cast glances over the railing at the felled Zweilous. One after the other, the lot raised limbs and motioned for surrender. Osmund and the others began to march their new captives off the ship, when Pleo noticed Dimitri and his clan members returning from sea. Crom looked off and saw the outlines of Bunsen's other two ships sailing off, prompting him to put a claw over his brow and squint where he could just make out the form of a livid Sicula clambering aboard and visibly fuming to her nearby underlings, prompting the Druddigon to shake his head with a beaming grin.
"Heh! Looks like Dimitri's clan chased them off real good!" Crom chuckled.
Pleo turned and watched as the Khranitel Rod drew closer to the docks and became more clearly visible as the crowd of Company Pokémon thinned. Among their number, he saw Nerea swimming towards the shoreline just as Kline walked up to it. The two locked eyes for a moment and Kline said something that eluded Pleo's ears, before Nerea frowned and spoke something back in reply he similarly couldn't hear. The Zygarde furrowed his brow into a displeased scowl as the two parted ways, the Manaphy swimming further along the shore as Kline turned his snout up and walked away much to Pleo's puzzlement.
"Is something wrong between those two?" he asked.
"Don't worry about it too much right now," Ander insisted.
"Yeah! You're free, and you're finally home!" Crom cheered. "Isn't that what counts?"
Pleo paused and titled his head back, before allowing a small, tired smile to spread over his face.
"Yeah, it is."
Author's Notes:
- Tendrá que servir - Spanish: "It'll have to do"
- No nos queda mucho tiempo - Spanish: "We don't have much time"
- (¡)Ya! - Spanish: "Right now!" / "Already!"
- Claro - Spanish: "Of course" / "For sure"
- Sí - Spanish: "Yes"
- kumple - Polish: "buddies" / "pals"
- (¡)Aguanten! - Spanish: "Hold it!" / "Keep it up!" (Plural)
- (¡)Rápido! - Spanish: "Quick!" / "Hurry!" (Imperative)