Intro:
Hey everyone sorry for this being late the file had some issues when I was uploading it and it cut the last half of the chapter so I had to rewrite it so that was fun, a quick reminder that I will be gone the week of May 10th so no new chapter. Using this as a little break from everything. Things have been pretty stressful but my finals are over so Summer is where I'm hoping to either A. finish this story or B. Plan the rest of the story out so it's a little easier for when I go back to school. I'll figure it out anyway. Let's hop back into Sinnoh!
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Pokemon in any way this is just a fanfiction. Please support the creators by buying and playing Pokemon Platinum Version wherever sold in your respective region.
AND. HERE. WE. GO.
Guide:
Regular Italics: Thoughts
Bolded Italics: Speaking to the Audience or Out of Time
COF: Character(s) or Focus
Pastoria City, Sinnoh
6:15 pm
Mike awoke to the smell of fire, his eyes were blurry from the smoke. He rubbed his eyes to see the corpse of the grunt on his body.
"Oh...OH FUCK!" Mike shouted as he shoved the body off of him.
He coughed as he got on his feet, leaning on the crumbling wall for support. Scared he reached around his body but remember he left his pokemon outside. On one hand, he was relieved they were okay but on the other, he knew he was all on his own. He walked out of the burning room to see a destroyed mess of the building. The fire was spreading all across the already destroyed rooms and the visual impact of the explosion was visible. Mike covered his mouth with his shirt to avoid breathing the remnants of the building. The sweat from his dirty forehead dripped into his eyes, blinding him even more.
"It's okay you're safe now," A person said from downstairs.
Who the hell is still in this building?
Mike didn't care; he just needed to find a way out of there.
To think this day started off pretty well...now I'm trapped in a burning building... thanks god but I ain't dying yet, I have too much shit I still gotta do this week!
Chapter 28: Established Threat
COF: Michael Rollins
Team Galactic HQ, Veilstone City
11 am
"No way, Red would beat your ass," Mike laughed.
"Oh come on he's not unbeatable no one is dude," Brendan said.
"Yeah but you're not the one to beat him, I'd say if anyone could beat him right now it's Cynthia," Mike said.
"That's because you like her," Brendan smirked.
"Shut up dude, it's not like that," Mike said, with a small blush.
"HAH, I SEE THE BLUSH YOU LIKE HER...OHHH YOU LOVE HER SO MUCH!" Brendan teased.
"I WILL FLY TO HOENN AND KICK YOUR ASS!" Mike shouted.
"Dude, just ask her out, you're a...reasonably... decent-looking guy," Brendan laughed.
"Very funny...okay maybe I do have a little interest in her but come on man she's so busy and so am I even if I tried it just wouldn't work," Mike said.
Mike did have a little thing for Cynthia, ever since he met her there was something about her he liked. Her strong presence, take no shit attitude, and strong desire to stay on top always was attractive to him. Business-wise she was so intimidating to people because of her reputation, but outside that she was one of the most laid back and enjoyable people to be around. But he knew that if they dated she would find out the truth and he couldn't let that happen. Besides, there was no way she liked him back.
"Are you making a move on me champion?"
"Only if you think so"
...right?
"Mike...Mike," Brendan said.
"Huh what, I'm here," Mike said.
"Do whatever you want but I think you should go for it," Brendan said.
"Don't go spouting this off to anyone you're lucky I even mentioned it to you," Mike said.
"Cause I'm your best fwenddddd," Brendan laughed.
"Do you two even talk?" Mike asked.
"Once a year they will have a champion's meeting for all present and former champions for a party in Hoenn, it's nice, she seems really sweet," Brendan said.
Brendan had been champion for about 5 years now, taking the position in 2003 from Steven. He would be the first to tell you how awesome it is but it's also very hard work. A lot of times he would contact Steven for advice.
The role of the champion is to serve as a representative of the region which means a lot of maintaining image and spotlights. Of course, Brendan still kept his personality but he needed to be careful about how he acted and what he said because they would reflect the whole region of Hoenn.
Along with being the most powerful trainer in Hoenn, Brendan had to be an example for the younger generation of trainers he felt the pressure of having everybody look up to him and looking to overthrow him. It gets a little much at first but most champions get over it, some champions like former champion Blue loved it.
"Alright I gotta go, man, got some challengers tonight," Brendan said.
"Anybody stand out to you?" Mike asked.
"Eh not really, May said that Alola is full of amazing trainers," Brendan said.
"How is she doing?" Mike asked.
"Doing good, she visits every once in a while but for the most part I think she lives in Alola now," Brendan said.
"Good for her, meanwhile I'm in the fucking cold," Mike laughed.
"Summer doesn't happen there?" Brendan laughed.
"Barely, even in summer the highest here is like in the '70s," Mike said.
"I could never, alright talk to you later," Brendan said.
"See ya," Mike said, ending the video call.
No one's taken that championship from him yet...being champion sounds cool.
Before Mike joined Team Galactic, he did have aspirations of becoming a trainer and while he technically is one, he felt he was more a member of Team Galactic with being a trainer on the side than the other way around.
Mike had been recently thinking about the future, his deal with Looker would ensure that after Galactic fell he would be okay but what would he do? He had been in Team Galactic for so long that he never really gave it much thought on what else he would do.
"Oi Mike," Cyrus said, knocking on the door.
"Yeah come in," Mike said, leaning back on his chair.
"Are you busy today?" Cyrus said.
"I wanted to see my family later," Mike said.
"Cancel that, I need you to head to Pastoria to oversee the bomb travel, the admins tell me Lucas and Barry could be approaching there soon and I don't need them messing with anything plus the IP has been giving us a lot more attention lately I want everything secure," Cyrus said.
"Alright boss, I'll take care of it," Mike said.
"Make sure those bombs arrive at the lakes by the end of the week, that's your big assignment. It's time we finish preparations," Cyrus said.
"After we capture the Lake Guardians what happens next?" Mike asked.
"Spear Pillar...then we change the world forever," Cyrus said with a grin.
"Everyone already sees us as crazy," Mike laughed.
"People don't understand us, Michael, once we achieve our goal everyone will see my way," Cyrus said.
"Again with the fortune cookie talk," Mike smirked.
"...just get to Pastoria," Cyrus said, leaving.
"Yeah yeah," Mike said.
Cyrus left and Mike was left alone in his thoughts again. While he did have a legitimate friendship with Cyrus he did worry that his plans were going too far. As the advisor it was Mike's job to ensure that all their plans were safe and benefit them, he couldn't do that if they were hiding the plans from him. It goes to show that sometimes even Mike isn't in the loop. Whatever Cyrus had plans for it definitely was kept top secret.
Route 213
2 pm
Mike was walking through the route, admiring the area. While Mike wasn't a big fan of the cold, the scenery in Sinnoh was amazingly superior to Hoenn. He found himself falling in love with the gray, cool, and deep nature of the forests. The snow was bright and gave the environment a crisp soothe feeling to it. Route 213 itself was nothing special but that was only because the rest of Sinnoh was so beautiful.
Route 213 was a nice beach where the sand was in the middle of cold and warm. The sounds of the tides were calming as people were playing in the water. Sinnoh people were naturally adjusted to the cold so the cold water didn't bother them as much. The smell of saltwater and the feel of cool air made Mike think he was in a resort. He decided that he wanted to make a stop here, he released Swampert to play in the water, he was always one to enjoy the beaches.
"Don't be too rough Mud, and be quick we aren't staying for long," Mike commented.
As Mike was relaxing in the sand he noticed some commotion over by the small cliff. He looked over to see a person, presumably a rock collector laughing at discouraged trainers.
"NO ONE CAN BEAT ME, YOU ALL SUCK!" The trainer laughed.
The people around the trainer seemed to be both discouraged and annoyed by his rant. Swampert went back to Mike with a look of confusion on his face.
Mike's battle style was something he was very proud of. He knew he was a good trainer and ever since becoming a more prominent figure in Team Galactic he didn't have much time for battling anymore.
"Should we?" Mike asked.
Swampert nodded with a grin.
Mike made his way over to the cocky trainer, he already knew how this battle would end.
"What's all the commotion here?" Mike asked.
"You're looking at the best trainer on this beach, the name is Leroy Tyson. No one has ever beaten me, this beach is my land," Leroy said with an annoying grin.
The best at being an annoying asshole maybe.
"Oh well, I dabble here and there in training, mind fighting me?" Mike asked.
"Give it your best shot, Rampardos beat this guy so we can get ice cream," Leroy shouted at Cranidos.
"Swampert, show our friend here what happens to annoyances," Mike said.
"Rampardos, get in with a Headbutt," Leroy said.
The crowd of people gathered around the two, the thought of seeing Leroy beat was enough for them to have their interests peaked.
"...dodge," Mike said calmly.
With one swift move, Swampert dodged the headbutt and with one attack, smashed Rampardos to the ground.
"...w-what," Leroy said, looking at the fallen Rampardos.
"Is that it?" Mike asked.
"N-no, Bastiodon, come on out," Leroy said, sending the massive Shield pokemon out.
"You know what to do," Mike said, petting Swampert.
Bastiodon ran headfirst and slammed his whole head into Swampert but to everyone's shock, Swampert stood his ground and almost looked like he didn't move one step.
"WHAT?!" Leroy shouted.
Swampert grabbed Bastiodon and used some water from the ocean to propel a suplex, slamming Bastiodon to the ground. Mike called this move the Ocean Slam
The crowd was both in shock and cheer. Finally, someone was shutting him up. The sheer power of the stater Mike possessed was enough to make anyone a little intimidated. While Mike was a Team Galactic member he had been told many times he was champion level in terms of trainer status. His pokemon team was carefully chosen to combat almost any situation and Mike was a master in sheer power training.
Moves like the Ocean Slam were so fun for Mike, he loved creating new combos with his team. Creating unique moves was something he thought every amazing trainer should do. Every one of his pokemon had at least one or two unique moves that he had perfected over the years.
"Anyone else?" Mike smirked.
"So quick...it's not possible," Leroy said.
"I mean I had the type advantage, plus my Swampert is severely more powerful than anyone on your team," Mike said.
"He..he didn't even use any moves, just one slam...," Leroy said in shock.
"Well, he used a move I created called Ocean Slam. It's where he lifts an opponent and uses water to give himself slamming momentum, he spent a lot of time working on it," Mike said.
"You sound so experienced," Leroy said.
"Well I do have some history," Mike said, revealing all 8 Sinnoh badges.
It's something Mike didn't tell a lot of people, over the years he did collect all 8 badges of Sinnoh. Some gym leaders had changed since he received them but the prestige of them was no less different.
"Oh my god, you're the real deal," Leroy said.
The crowd looked on in admiration as Mike showed them his badges, this must be the attention Brendan and Cynthia get. Having 8 badges in any region was a sign of an intense trainer and a show of hard work. Most trainers in their lifetime only collect an average of 4 badges.
Mike left the route with a group of people whispering behind him. Most people who had all the badges were somewhat known in the Sinnoh region but Mike had almost no presence in Sinnoh for obvious reasons.
"Don't think I didn't see you trying to show off," Mike smirked.
Swampert looked shocked and turned away, denying the allegation.
"Oh please if this was a serious battle you would have taken less time to ice that dude," Mike laughed.
Swampert was the flashy one on Mike's team, he was his starter pokemon or his star player and was always trying to show off to the rest of the team.
"Sal is gonna kill you, he hates that shit," Mike laughed more.
Sal or Mike's Salamence on the other hand was the opposite, with undying loyalty to Mike he preferred to be left alone despite his massive size. Salamence was easily the most intelligent of the group.
"Flare would be jealous, she would love all the attention," Mike smirked.
Flare or Mike's Flareon was like Swampert, she loved to show off but unlike Swampert that bold attitude sometimes went too far and she had a tendency to think less before acting, even as an Eevee she would try to battle larger foes. Mike gave her the name Flare even before she became a Flareon because of that fighting spirit.
Swampert grunted.
"Now you sound like Dusknoir," Mike said.
Dusknoir was the ghost type in Mike's arsenal, Mike always wanted a ghost type, he knew outside of battle they were extremely helpful because of their speed and intimidation. Dusknoir on the other hand was quite the friendly giant. He seemed scary and when it came to battles he was but outside he was very reserved and often played with the others. Dusknoir got along with everyone but was easily misunderstood because he would constantly grunt.
Mike and Swampert continued to walk the path as the sun was starting to set, one more thing about Sinnoh was that it would turn night very fast. Even at 6 pm, the sun was setting, and soon after it was dark.
After a while of walking, he arrived in Pastoria City. A much more remote city than Veilstone City, Pastoria City was on the smaller side of Sinnoh places. Team Galactic chose Pastoria City mainly because, nothing happens there the IP didn't have much presence there despite it having a major Sinnoh attraction, the Sinnoh Safari Zone or The Great Marsh, the large area of the ground made it easy for them to hide their activity.
Mike walked into the building and walked over to the secret area where it was all happening. The bombs were being loaded into trucks and being transferred in an underground road system made with the underground mines. Using all these explosives was both dangerous and frankly stupid to Mike. Having some of the most intelligent scientists in their hands you would think they would have a better way of blowing up a couple of lakes.
Great Marsh Entrance Building, Pastoria City
6 pm
Mike stopped by the Pokemon center and left his pokemon two hours earlier for them to relax. He figured he could handle this himself. He made his way to the Great Marsh Building and approached a grunt who looked to be patrolling the area.
"Can I help you?" A grunt asked, guarding the upstairs.
"Yeah move aside, I'm in charge here," Mike said.
"I have never seen you in my life, you have no business here move along," The grunt said.
"Oh really," Mike said, pulling out his ID card.
Team Galactic had special ID cards given to the admins and lead scientists. With so many members they had to create a system for grunts to recognize higher-ups. While Mike wasn't an official admin he received the Admin Card which granted him access to mostly everything in Team Galactic's possession. The only thing higher than the Admin Badge was the Master Badge which only Cyrus and Charon had.
"M-my apologizes," The grunt said.
"Eh whatever, so give me an update," Mike said, looking out through the cameras.
"So far, all of the bombs have been loaded onto trucks we are just waiting on getting them all out," The grunt said.
"Doing it all at once would be stupid, they are doing in shifts right?" Mike asked.
"Yes sir, only travel at night and in small groups," The grunt said.
"Good, how long until all the bombs are at the lakes?" Mike asked.
"In my opinion, I'd say we need at least a couple more days," The grunt said.
"Why are we using trucks and not Pokemon?" Mike asked.
"Too expensive, borrowing Pokemon from the black market is too much however renting these trucks was on the cheaper side, long process but it's none of my business," The grunt said.
"You know a lot for a grunt," Mike commented.
"More or less a higher grunt if you say, I am in charge of making sure this building is secure for our watching," The grunt said.
"Anyone give you trouble?" Mike asked.
"No, we blackmailed the owners of this building to ensure nobody is allowed upstairs, so far no one has even checked," The grunt said.
"That's because the IP has almost no presence here no random searches but we need to be quick, a couple of days should be fine, we have until the end of the week to get it done," Mike said.
"That should be more than enough time sir," The grunt said.
"Excellent," Mike said, sitting down and watching the cameras.
Mike was observing the travel from upstairs when he noticed that there were some explosives planted to the entrance building.
"Hey," Mike said to the grunt.
"Yes sir," A grunt responded.
"Why are some of our explosives in this entrance building, are you crazy?" Mike asked.
"Sir our orders were to blow this building up as soon as we finish moving all the explosives," The grunt said.
Mike observed the explosives and noticed they were poorly set as if on purpose.
"Someone fix this, it's gonna trip early and blow us all to hell," Mike commanded.
"Yes sir," The grunt said, kneeling down to fix it.
Mike was thankful that the Safari was closed today so no one was there but who on Earth would rig these explosives so poorly?
"Sir it's all snagged on something," The grunt said, tugging on it.
"WAIT DON'T MOVE I-" Mike shouted.
It was too late an explosion went off, sending Mike into the wall and knocking him out. Setting the building on fire and catching the attention of everyone in Pastoria City.
Present
Mike limped his way through the building, he noticed that the front entrance was blocked off. The back entrance was his only way out. He made his way through the second floor. He pushed a piece of wood off the ledge.
"OW FUCK!" Someone screamed.
I thought I was the only one in here, surely all the Team Galactic members would have been gone by now.
Mike knew he needed to get out of there. Once the fire was gone agents would storm the area. If he was caught not only was he screwed but the whole operation.
His only chance was to get to the back entrance and escape to the underground area and get escorted back to Veilstone from there. Mike made his way through the fire, coughing from the smoke even through his shirt. The heat was starting to get to him when he reached the downstairs. He was close to safety, with the motivation he busted down the door to the central area. Only to see something he didn't expect.
Outro:
Cliffhanger! I love doing these but yall are gonna have to wait two weeks for it cause I ain't posting next week HAHAHAHAHAH MAGGLE! I am going on a trip so gonna take a little break from the story but once I come back we will be back on the road. I hope you all enjoyed. Let me know what you guys think. Leave a comment telling me what you liked, dislike, etc. PM me with any questions or if you feel that I should drink bleach LMK! Thank you all for reading and as always I will see you in the next chapter!
-Don't forget to Smile!
Shocker
Question of the Chapter: What was your first legendary you caught? What was your favorite part of the chapter?
-For me, it was Articuno in FireRed, and man he was a bitch. My favorite part of the chapter was having Mike and Brendan talk, I always like doing those scenes!
Important Events/Ideas (Spoilers):
-Brendan finds out about Mike's interest in Cynthia
-Mike is sent to Pastoria City for oversight
-See more of Mike's pokemon team
-Revealed Mike has all 8 Sinnoh Badges
-Mike is trapped in an exploded building
The Character of Focus: Michael Rollins
Class: Trainer/Overseer of Team Galactic
Team:
Mud (Swampert):
Moves: Waterfall, Ocean Slam, Dive, Ice Beam, Absolute Zero Ice Beam, Hammer Arm, Surf
Flare (Flareon):
Moves: Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Bite, Quick Attack, Volcano Blast, Smoke Bite
Dusky (Dusknoir):
Moves: Psychic, Brick Break, Confuse Ray, Fire Punch, Shadow Ball, Control Touch
Sal (Salamence):
Moves: Dragon's Claw, Fly, Aerial Ace, Zen Headbutt, Strength, Dragon's Scream
Magnezone:
Moves: Thunder, Shock Wave, Thunder, Flash, Electroquake
Aggron:
Moves: Earthquake, Dig, Rock Slide, Cut, Rock Smash, Titanium Headbutt
Next Chapter: Barry Platinum
Barry does some rethinking about his destiny!