"Brock," Tory's voice came over the radio. "We've got a problem."
"You think?" Brock snapped as Onix smashed a nidoking into a building. Misty quickly followed up with a barrage of Water Guns from Starmie, driving the nidoking further into the rubble. Kayden's Lancer then swooped in, the beedrill jabbing its stingers into both sides of the nidoking's neck while it was down.
"Our scouts are reporting a major Rocket force at Seventh and Wabash," Tory told him. "We're fairly certain they're preparing a thrust at our defensive line further west. Most of our assets in that region are MIA. We're trying to rearrange our forces to drive them off, but we don't have anyone who can get there in time."
"Meaning that you need us to try and delay them," Brock finished for her. "Geodude, Rock Throw, I want that crossbowman down!"
"Will you be able to disengage and reposition in time to intercept them?" Tory asked.
"How long do we have?" Brock asked as Geodude bounced a chunk of brick off of a man's skull, knocking him down.
"Ten minutes at most," Tory replied.
"We'll be there," Brock said over the radio and then turned to Visquez. "We need to finish off this group as soon as possible."
"And exhaust my pokémon?" Visquez raised an eyebrow. "Something big's going down, isn't it?"
"Yes. Just give them ethers on the way," Brock said.
"We won't have many left if we keep this up," Visquez told him, taking some pokéballs from her belt.
"I know," Brock sighed as Amanda's jynx froze a tauros and then telekinetically threw the block of ice into a window. "But we're out of options."
"Alright," Visquez nodded.
"Misty, Kayden, Cindy, and Amanda, pull back and take a minute to treat your pokémon," Brock called out. "Visquez will cover you."
"What's going on?" Amanda asked as she and the others ran over, recalling their pokémon while electricity flashed and crackled behind them.
Brock gave them a quick rundown of the situation as they treated their pokémon, blazing yellow light giving them a backdrop, people and pokémon screaming amidst explosions.
"All done," Visquez said when she rejoined them. "But Scarbolt's tired."
"I know," Brock said, mounting Onix. "You can have my ethers if you need."
"With the way you've been running this magnificent beast ragged today?" Visquez slapped Onix's side for emphasis, "No thanks. Save your ethers, I grabbed a few from one of the Rocket supply depots we hit."
"Our pokémon are going to need a few days of rest after this," Cindy said as Visquez vaulted on and Brock urged Onix onward. "We should try to avoid giving them any more ethers after this unless it's an emergency."
"We're pushing them too hard," Misty said, her eyes downcast as she looked at Starmie and Staryu's pokéballs.
"Everyone's being pushed too hard," Brock said, gaze straight ahead on the route in front of them. "Let's just hope everyone endures."
"This must be where they're all coming from," Leaf said, peeking over the edge of the stone stairs.
"Yeah," Ash said, right next to her.
The two of them had crept through the city, avoiding Rocket forces by hiding in stairwells, under cars, in alleys and empty dumpsters. Ash had thanked the First Egg that every Rocket detachment had seemed to be in too much of a hurry to examine their surroundings, until Leaf pointed out that they were probably rushing to counter-attack the League.
Though good fortune may have come from an unfortunate source, it was enough to get the two of them to Ninth Street, where their luck ran out.
Instead of the cobbled together ramshackle barricades, there were actual concrete fortifications at every intersection that Ash and Leaf saw. Squads of Rocket trainers and their pokémon were sheltered behind them.
The buildings on either side of each intersection were fortified; Ash and Leaf could see more pokémon and armed humans looking out of the windows. The alleyway entrances were covered in barbed wire and during the several minutes that Ash and Leaf spent covertly observing, they saw patrols sweep through them.
"They've probably got people in the sewers too," Ash groaned.
"Subterranean sentries, yeah," Leaf agreed. Ash gave her a confused look and then she gave him a sheepish smile. "Underground watchers. Sorry, I couldn't resist."
"Resist what?"
"Never mind," Leaf shook her head. "Let's slip around and try to get into this building. I want to get a better vantage point."
"Sure," Ash nodded and then the two of them snuck around to the back of the building, away from the street full of fortifications. Leaf sent out Dugtrio to quietly burrow a hole into the structure and then the two children squeezed inside.
The ground floor was full of closed shops and restaurants. Above that were apartments. Ash and Leaf found a central staircase and took it up. At each floor they ran into a pile of furniture blocking the exit off the stairs.
"It looks like the residents are still here," Leaf said, examining one such pile through the door window. "I hope they have enough food. I wonder if we're going to have to help distribute supplies if we win."
"Maybe," Ash shrugged.
I hope they distribute supplies to us first, Pikachu muttered from Ash's shoulder. I don't know about you, but I'm getting hungry.
It wasn't until they got to the eleventh floor that they found an unbarricaded doorway. They hurried down the hallways until they found a window overlooking Ninth Street.
"Damn," Leaf swore under her breath. "They've got people on the roofs too."
"Uh, yeah?" Ash looked over, head tilted, brow furrowed. "Why wouldn't they? They don't want someone flying over."
"I…" Leaf fidgeted. "I was hoping that they'd forget about that," she admitted with a sigh. "Stupid, I know."
Yes, Pikachu nodded. It was.
"We've still gotta get over," Ash said, peering out again. "We can't go up, we can't go down, and we can't go in the middle-" Ash took another look at the Rocket defenses. "Wait… maybe…. "
"What are you- oh," Leaf looked at the building opposite them. "Yes. It all depends on what you define as the 'middle'".
There were sentries on the roofs, there were guards on the streets, and there were pickets in the buildings on either side of the intersection, but as far as Ash could see, there was nobody from Team Rocket occupying the other buildings.
"Are we missing something?" Leaf asked, turning away from the window and sitting on the floor with her back to the wall. "Do you think it's a trap?"
Ash peeked out again to study Team Rocket's setup one more time and then joined Leaf on the floor.
"No, uh…" he tried to think of a way to put his thoughts into human words. "I think…. I think that they just didn't want people to get into the buildings by them 'cause- 'cause then they could be attacked from there. They might not havegot enough people to guard the other buildings."
"Yeah," Leaf nodded. "They're moving their forces for the offensive to the west, so they've only fortified key locations. They can't afford to protect everything. If we can sneak into those buildings in the middle of the block then we can get past them. But how do we get in them?"
"They'll catch us if we go underground or across the street," Ash said, trying to picture the situation outside. "We can't fly there because they're watching the sky-"
"But what if we flew low?" Leaf asked. "You've got a pidgeot, right? What if we went from a window like this to a window on the building across the road? The guards on the roof are probably looking up and the guards on the street are probably, you know, looking at the street."
"I don't know, people's, uh… what do you call it?" Ash asked. "You know, seeing things on the edge of your eye?"
"Peripheral vision?"
"Yes, that thing," Ash nodded. "It's pretty good. Even if they don't get a good look, they might notice us."
"You're right…." Leaf licked her lips. "What if we had a distraction? Maybe we could set something on fire…. No, they won't care about that with everything that's going on, especially since it's raining."
"And if we use a distraction then we might make them look at us," Ash said. "If we do something to the roof then people on the street will look up and if we do something on the street people on the roof will look down."
"And if we do something to the side and middle, we'll just get people looking up and down," Leaf sighed. "Too bad we can't make anything happen behind them, that would be just what we need. You… you don't happen to have anything like that, do you?"
"No," Ash sighed. "None of my pokémon would be able to sneak past."
"We'll just have to rely on timing," Leaf declared. "We'll try to get across when everyone's looking away."
Ash peeked out again.
"How are we getting through the window?" he asked as he sat back against the wall. "If we just crash then they'll hear us."
"Right," Leaf nodded. "How is your butterfree's telekinesis?"
"He's… uh, good for not being a psychic type?" Ash shrugged.
"Can he open a lock from here?" Leaf asked. "It's hard to tell, but I think those windows just have latches. If he can undo it from here, then we might be able to open it from here."
"Let's ask him," Ash said, grabbing Butterfree's pokéball. Butterfree materialized before them.
I don't know, but I'll try! Butterfree trilled, remembering to nod for Leaf's benefit.
"He thinks he can do it?" Leaf asked.
"He's going to try," Ash said with another shrug.
Butterfree folded his wings back and antenna back before peeking under the curtain. He then drew back and turned to Ash.
I can't see it, Butterfree said, pointing to his eyes with his antenna. I don't know where to reach or what I'm doing.
"He can't see it?" Leaf asked.
"Maybe Pidgeot can help?" Ash said, sending out the flying-type as well.
I can see the latch, Pidgeot said, after sticking her head under the curtain. Let's do it.
Never thought I'd be happy about a pidgeot's vision, Pikachu muttered, glaring. It's usually only good for finding pichus…
Not now, Ash whispered.
Butterfree and Pidgeot stuck their heads under the curtain and got to work. Buttefree would reach out with his psychic powers and Pidgeot would tell him what his telekinesis had grabbed. Eventually Pidgeot was able to guide Butterfree to the window latch and unlock it.
After that Butterfree was able to slowly raise the window on the other side of the street. Ash and Leaf occasionally peeked under the curtains while the pokémon worked, just to see if anyone from Team Rocket had noticed them. But there was no one looking up or down at them, no squads or troops moving over to their location.
Once the window on the other side of the street was open, Ash, Pikachu, and Leaf slowly opened the window by them. Ash then recalled Butterfree and then he and Leaf climbed on Pidgeot's back.
This is going to be tricky, Pidgeot warned. I don't have room to use my wings indoors.
Do your best, Ash whispered to her. "Leaf, hold on." He said to the other passenger. "It's going to be hard since we don't have a harness."
"I figured," Leaf said, her eyes squeezed shut, her fingers buried in Pidgeot's feathers. "Let's get this over with."
Let's go then, Ash said and Pidgeot launched herself forward. Wind and water washed over him and before Ash could even process what was happening, the window screen tore on the other side of the street and they were inside the other apartment building.
Leaf jumped off Pidgeot, staggered into a wall, and then rushed over to close the window.
"Can't have them tracing us," she said when Ash looked over.
"Good job Pidgeot, return," Ash said, the flying type vanishing in a burst of red light. "Do you think anyone saw us?"
"Only way we'll find out is if they raise the alarm or catch us," Leaf said, leaning against a wall. "Give me a minute and then let's keep going."
"I am about seventy-five percent sure that I saw something," the Rocket commander said, scanning the apartments opposite them. "But I'll be damned if I can find it again."
"We don't have time to waste on wild farfetch'd chases," a black-haired Rocket grunt said.
"We also can't afford to let anyone get by," said a woman with short brown hair, Hanna, who had been involved in a battle in the Viridian Forest. "Where'd you see it?"
"Over there, I think?" The Rocket commander said, pointing at a building. "But whatever it was, it's gone."
"Hmm…" Hanna studied the building, scanning the windows row by row until something caught her eye. "There," she said, pointing. "That window's open. Hand me some binoculars. Thanks.
"It's a hallway window," Hanna said, examining the opening with the binoculars. "Not an apartment window. The screen's gone too. Something went out that window, or I'm a mankey."
"Any idea where it got off to?" The commander asked.
"Contact the squads in the building and have them put on alert," Hanna said, stepping out into the street. "And contact our patrols in the alleys, tell them to keep an eye on the skies." She began to peer through the binoculars at the buildings on their side of the street, moving into the middle of the road.
While she was doing that the Rocket commander radioed the personnel she had suggested. When he was done, Hanna was back.
"Think they'll find the interloper?" the commander asked.
"Not anymore, but have them keep at it," Hanna said. "Does anyone have a pokémon with tracking capabilities I can borrow?"
"Alice has a growlithe that knows Odor Sleuth, but it's absolutely useless when it comes to fighting" the commander said as Hanna handed back the binoculars. "Why?"
"I found a closed window with a broken screen in that building," Hanna said, pointing at the building in question. "I'm pretty sure whatever it was blitzed over the street and through that window. They must have somehow opened it too or we'd have heard it break. Then they closed it behind themselves so that we wouldn't notice anything out of the ordinary."
"But they left the window on the other side open," the commander pointed out. "You think they overlooked that?"
"Or they didn't think that we would find it strange," Hanna shrugged. "Right now, it's just a hypothesis, but one we have to pursue. Permission to track them down, sir?"
"Granted," the commander said. "Just be careful. If you suspect that they'll be too much for you, radio back. We'll send reinforcements."
"We can't afford to leave this post any more undermanned," Hanna said.
"It's better than losing you and letting hostiles harass our rear lines," the commander replied.
"Understood, sir," Hanna nodded. "But you'll find that I won't go down so easily. I've gotten stronger since my last big mission and I can't wait to test out some of my new pokémon…"
Once again Onix burst out of the ground, shedding people and pokémon from his back as he charged towards an assembled group of Rockets, nearly one hundred trainers. He dove back into the ground before he reached them, just as they started to react to his presence.
"Rain Hail!" Misty shouted, Staryu and Starmie racing out in front of her. Starime fired off quick beams of blue-white light into the air, with Staryu following up with blasts of water. Ice shattered in the air and spikes fell among the enemy, the sharp icicles stabbing into trainers and their pokémon.
"Broadcast Confusion, Abra!" Amanda shouted, sending out her abra. The diminutive pokémon floated before her, glowing with a bright purple light. Rocket trainers and their pokémon clutched at their heads as a telepathic assault drove them to their knees.
"Let's go!" Kayden shouted, releasing Muk.
"We're on it!" Cindy replied, throwing a pokéball. "Empress, Sand Tomb!"
A stomp of the freshly materialized nidoqueen's foot and the street became a sand pit that fell into the sewer below. The front quarter of the assembling Rocket force tumbled down into the hole.
"Poison Gas!" Kayden ordered and before they could escape and his muk sent a cloud of purple gas into the pit.
But Team Rocket shouted orders and pokémon fired back. Wind blew and the gas billowed backwards, threatening to send the entire cloud back at Kayden and Cindy… Until Onix reappeared in the pit, dissipating the flying-type attacks. Once again, the gas billowed into the pit, catching Onix as he dove back underground.
"Discharge Bolt!" Visquez shouted, Luxio by her feet. Another bolt of electricity sailed through the air and burst over the assembled heads of Team Rocket.
But even as they came under assault, the force was scattering and returning fire. That was why Brock and his squad hadn't attacked a force that large before; there were too many to shut down, no way to stop or mitigate all of their counter-attacks.
Without prompting Onix, his cheeks tinged purple from the effects of the gas, threw his serpentine body into the path of the attacks, bellowing in pain as they picked away at him, small chunks of his stony hide flying off.
"Scatter!" Brock shouted, running to Onix, antidote and super-potion already in hand. He jumped over a burst of flame that had found its way under the rock-type and then grabbed onto his pokémon's side.
"Dig!" Brock shouted, climbing towards Onix's head. His pokémon obeyed and dove again into the pavement and then lower into the dirt and rocket beneath.
While they had a moment's respite, Brock climbed to Onix's head. The pokémon opened his mouth for Brock, and then Brock administered the medicines. The purple vanished from Onix's face as the antidote worked its swift healing, but the burns and chips on Onix's side remained. Brock knew that it would take far longer for the potion's regenerative effects to take hold, especially when applied orally instead of directly on the wound.
"Alright, let's get back up there," Brock said. "There should be an alleyway near when you came up the first time, someone should've taken cover there."
Onix let out a small bellow in acknowledgement then ascended. He broke the surface of the city in the alleyway. Brock hopped off as he took in the situation.
Visquez and her pokémon had taken shelter nearby, Luxio, Scarbolt, and her magnemite throwing bolts of electricity around the corner. She looked back at Brock and then returned her attention to her pokémon.
"Did I miss anything?" Brock asked as he crouched down next to her.
"No," Visquez shook her head. "Everyone's just taking cover and trying to make the Rockets keep their heads down. Amanda's in the building across the street and the others ran into the sewer. I think Misty blocked it off with ice."
"They make any moves?" Brock asked peering at a window on the other side of the street, trying to see what the enemy was up to.
"None that I've seen," Visquez replied, her voice hard to hear over the buzz and crackle of electricity. "I think they're just tending to their wounded first."
"And we can't do anything about that," Brock growled. White light flared from down the street, glaring off the city windows, the Rocket trainers sending out their pokémon.
"We're leaving," Brock said over the radio. "Let's hope we've done enough damage to buy the time we need. If you can get out, we'll meet up a block northwest from here."
"I might need a pick up," Amanda radioed back. "I don't know if this building has a back entrance."
"Just make an ice slide," Misty told her over the channel.
"Jynx isn't a water-type that knows some ice moves, she's a psychic/ice type. She has a more difficult time creating the volume of ice necessary for such constructions than your pokémon do."
"Save type technicality arguments for after the battle," Brock half-heartedly snapped over the radio. "Amanda, we'll come in through the basement. Be ready for us."
"Roger that."
"We're moving out," Cindy said. "We'll meet you there."
"Coming?" Brock asked Visquez.
"One second," she held up a finger. "Everyone, let's give them something to think about! Conjoined Thunder Wave Bomb!"
The three pokémon scrunched up, glowing with yellow light as they gathered their power. Each one letting out a shout, they unleashed a writhing bolt into the middle of the street, a ball of electricity grew, crackling and humming.
"What's that going to do?" Brock asked, looking at it nervously.
"Exactly what the name says," Visquez said, swiftly recalling her pokémon. "And we don't want to be nearby when it goes off!"
The two hopped on Onix and dove back underground.
"How long until it goes off?" Brock asked as they tunneled over to the next building.
"Don't know," Visquez replied, grinning with her eyes closed. "It's still a work in progress. But trust me, if they try poking it, we'll probably know."
Onix burst through the basement of the building Amanda was in, the gym trainer already waiting there, the exits and entrances sealed by ice.
"You alright?" Brock asked.
Amanda nodded and hopped on.
Another short trip underground and then they popped out at the rendezvous point. Misty, Cindy, and Kayden were waiting there, sheltered in another alleyway.
"Everyone good?" Brock asked as they rushed over.
"We're fine," Cindy said, climbing on Onix as Kayden vaulted onboard.
"Let's go!" Misty said.
"You heard her," Brock said to Onix. The stone serpent reared back and dove back towards the ground-
And bounced off the street as it suddenly glowed with a purple light.
Jarred by the impact, the rest of the squad lost their grip and jumped off Onix. Only Brock stayed on. The rock-type quickly righted himself, shaking his head.
"No," Brock heard Amanda whisper as he looked around for the source of the glow. He paled, his heart dropping into his stomach when he caught sight of the source.
Hovering over buildings on either side of the street was a collection of psychic pokémon and blank faced people wearing the uniform of the Saffron City Gym. And right above Brock and his squad was a woman. She wore shiny grey armor and had dark green hair flowing out from under a helmet with a black visor. She stared impassively down at them.
They had finally encountered Sabrina.
AN: I'd like to thank Amationary for beta reading.
Well, it's that time again when I take a week off of releasing so I can work on my buffer. The next chapter of Symbiotic will be released on 4/28/2021.
Don't forget to review! Concrit is welcome!