The name was so dumb, so, so, so fucking dumb. A Krookodile!? And here I thought Pokémon names couldn't get any more uninspired. One problem was that we were up against one, and looked like a final evolution of sorts too.
This got out of control very quickly.
Its eyes were piercing my very being, looking through me, even though it resembled sunglasses. It adorned a deadly smirk which was mimicked by his trainer too.
"Hahahahah! You really thought we were done!? Far from it! I'll show you what it truly means getting in Team Plasma's way!" The leader said, cackling all the while. I and Hilda clumped together with our Pokémon, trying to find reassurance in each other, but that menacing crocodile was not helping.
"I see I've drained all of your spirits already. And here I thought we would perform the final act, yet it seems you forgot the script and are tongue-tied!" He boasted with raised hands, as if ready to offer a blessing to the gods, laughing in the process.
"Alright, he is getting on my nerves very quickly," Hilda growled in his direction but was quiet enough not to be heard by our opponent.
"Yes, shutting him up is going to be our main priority," I said before eyeing the still staring Krookodile, "But that thing in our way isn't going to move unless we make it."
"I get that, but how do we beat it!?" She loudly whispered, "It's that final evolution of Sandile, a good one at that, and we're tired from fighting all the little Pokémon they had!"
I looked at our team also growling in the Krookodile's direction who only reveled in the attention, standing tall and proud without a single drop of fear.
"There has to be a way to beat this thing," I said impatiently, "What are its types?"
"Ground and dark, which means we have little to nothing against it," Hilda said, making me click my tongue.
"Damn," Was all I said before turning back to the cage filled with all the bug types from this forest.
Wait…
"Hilda, are bug types effective against dark?" I asked to make sure I was remembering type advantages well. She on the other hand stared at me dumbfoundedly.
"Why is this important now!?" She demanded.
"Just answer the question," I pressed, and once she grumbled a few words, a small but still audible "Yes." was my answer, making me adorn a shaky smirk.
"Then I might have something in my—" I was interrupted by the loud leader again babbling for attention.
"But all good things must come to an end eventually. Krookodile, time to show these mongrels how we deal with uncooperative people," He finished his monologue that we completely ignored while the Krookodile agreed, readying its menacing claws.
"Finish this quickly, Krookodile, the Pokémon in the cage are getting rather impatient," Weren't you a flamboyant lying little bastard, "Attack!"
With a loud "Krookodile!", he charged forward with incredible speed, making us flinch before Hilda jumped the gun.
"Tusky, block!" She shouted, but there was no way for him to black such a beast.
"Diana, you too!" I commanded her, stepping next to Tusky and they gave themselves a curt nod, before Tusky planted his feet to the ground, bracing himself for the impact. The impact Krookodile crashed with a loud bang, as it vibrated through my entire body.
The duo pushed against each other in a deadlock, arms intertwined. Tusky was grimacing from the force of the Krookodile who still had his smirk, ready to push harder if Diana wasn't there to stop him.
After Tusky let go of the deadlock and backed off, a stream of purple fire emerged from her mouth, coating the Krookodile for a fraction of a second before he brushed it off with one of his hands. He tried to claw at Diana who only stood in place with a deadly smile before Bunni tackled the hand away with a Quick Attack.
The Krookodile backed off with a long jump, landing on the ground with a dull thud before inspecting the trio. Diana's mouth was full of fiery wisps, Tusky had his glowing claws out and Bunni was already enveloped in pale white light.
The staredown gave us enough time to regroup and formed the plan I had in mind. Hilda's worried expression turned into a similar shaky smirk I had a few moments ago.
"We might actually have a chance here," She said, looking at the trio of our Pokémon, making me adorn a smile as well.
"Yes, and we don't have to win this fight either," I said, making Hilda turn to me.
"What do you mean by that?" She asked impatiently.
"Just give me enough time to open that cage, and the Pokémon inside should help us," I said, but Hilda shook her head.
"But how? I don't think you're stronger than Tusky and he wasn't able to even bend the beams," She pointed out.
"Don't worry, I'm going to think of something. This analytical brain of mine needs to be used somehow," I reassured, making Hilda breathe a sigh.
"Fine, but be quick. I don't know how long I can order three Pokémon at the same time," She looked at the trio again, "Especially when it's someone like Diana."
A chuckle escaped my lips.
"Don't worry, she'll pull her weight," I said before giving her a determined expression, "Good luck."
She mimicked my gesture, before turning to the trio.
"Alright! Tusky, to the front lines! Diana, back him up! Bunni, Work Up!" She shouted and three of them barked their names at the same time before following Hilda's commands.
"Fraxure! / Deino! / Herdier!"
It was honestly impossible not to feel proud when looking at how well they worked together. The sight made me inwardly laugh.
Truly, a band of misfits we were.
"Hah! An actual resistance! Truly marvelous! You might be able to pull off a performance after all!" The leader yelled, uncomfortably ecstatic from all of this, "Krookodile! Show them their place!"
As the charging Pokémon clashed yet again, I turned my gaze at the two bug types we had in our party. I gained their attention with a low whistle, making them turn to me.
"Come, quickly," I urged and both nodded before tailing me to the metal confine. I kneeled down to the cage, inspecting the beams while experimentally tugging at them. They were completely still, and no amount of effort I put in made a difference.
I stared at the cage while contemplating how to bend them. Even if all of the Pokémon inside would try to force themselves out, they probably wouldn't have enough strength to do so. Tusky was powerful enough to stop that Krookodile after all.
While I was inside my head, brewing with my thoughts, I was interrupted by a small cannonball hitting me directly to the stomach. It knocked the hair out of my lungs while tumbling to the ground face down.
My two partners shouted in worry, quickly closing the distance between us while I looked up to see another squeaky-looking little rat that was a Patrat with a Purloin in the back.
"Don't think we'll let you open that cage! Those Pokémon will be on our side soon enough!" One grunt shouted in the back with the second one behind him nodding as well.
I groaned in pain before pulling myself up, wobbly gaining footing before gazing at the duo with a contempt scowl.
"I had enough," I forced out, my voice a little rasp because of the Patrat, "Tell me where do you have the key. Now."
Somehow, the two grunts backed off by a single step, before adorning a defying stance.
"As if we would tell you!" He yelled, making me tilt my head lazily to the side, tired of this exchange.
"Fine. Venipede," I called out, the Venipede perking up immediately, "Curl up. Let's show what we can do together."
He was slightly confused at first before doing as I told him, making a tight ball out of himself. It wobbled a little before settling down, making me turn to the Sewaddle.
"Get a tight grip on the Venipede with your webs, Sewaddle. It's time to roll out, quite literally," I said and the little critter nodded with a "Sewaddle!", forming a ring of webs around the Venipede.
"Don't just stand there! Attack them!" The grunt in the back-ordered, and the two Pokémon nodded before charging forward, ready to attack the two bug types. I gave them a piercing stare, daring them to continue, and once they spotted me, the Patrat and Purloin flinched, stopping them in their tracks.
While I had no idea why it was working, I went with it anyway.
We gazed at each other for an unknown amount of time, buying said time for the Sewaddle to wrap his webs, until the same fireflies entered my vision around the two Pokémon. It was hard to ignore them, but I kept my stare to make sure they didn't move.
"Why did you stop!? The enemy is right in front of you!" The grunt shouted in annoyance, but the two Pokémon didn't listen. They weren't scared, tantalized would be a better way of putting instead.
I broke our staredown for a fraction of a second to see if the Sewaddle was done, and he was.
"Swing the Venipede around, Sewaddle!" I ordered him, and it took the little critter all of his might to pull the centipede. He began with baby steps before gaining more and more momentum. It looked like the Sewaddle was about to throw the giant metal ball on a chain, it was just a Pokémon instead.
"Alright! Let go!" I shouted, and the Sewaddle snapped the string at the right time, sending a rolling Venipede the Pokémon's and the grunts way at impressive speeds, far too quick to be dodged. It collided with the Patrat and the Purloin, sending them flying inside the forest, and the Venipede didn't stop.
In fact, it somehow was able to turn and chase the now fearful grunts.
The Venipede impacted on the grunts with a loud bang, making me well up with the sweet scent of small revenge before the centipede landed on top of the two grunts that were on the ground.
"Bind them," I commanded.
The Venipede shot out a string and constricted the two criminals. I closed the distance before hoisting them up to a sitting position, and one was already asleep while the other was barely awake after the attack.
"Now, the key," I demanded.
"N… No, I'll… tell you nothing," He slurred while I groaned in frustration. I had already wasted enough time. With still quite the amount of pent-up anger, I decked the grunt in the face. The blow vibrated through my entire bandaged arm, probably loosening the wraps while knocking him out cold before I rubbed my fist.
It hurt, but damn did it feel good.
I turned back to the main fight, the Krookodile being able to fend off all three of our Pokémon with surprising ease. Hilda kept shouting orders to pre-occupy the large lizard while the leader had a creepy grin on his face.
Deciding that I was wasting time, I immediately dug inside the pockets of the two unconscious grunts. The suits had surprisingly few pockets, making the search quick, but unsurprisingly, fruitless.
"Shit," I exclaimed. So, the grunts didn't have the key, and the chance of the last grunt having it was pretty much zero. Which meant…
"Venipede, Sewaddle, with me. We need to take that Krookodile down," I stated before regrouping with Hilda, the two bug types following me all the while.
"Tusky! Tank that Crunch!" Hilda commanded with a pointed hand, Tusky crossing his arms in response. The Krookodile bit into his arms, making him let out a shout of pain before grimacing.
The lizard was stuck however, unable to back off, giving Hilda the opportunity to strike.
"Diana! Another Dragon Breath!" She shouted, and another stream of fire washed over the crocodile. He however looked almost unaffected, brushing it off like it was nothing before lifting Tusky up with his jaw. I was about to intervene, but Hilda was faster than me.
"Bunni! Knock him out, quickly!" Her voice became a little desperate while the Herdier barked in affirmation, tackling the croc with all her might. He got pushed back and yelped in slight pain, letting go of Tusky in the process.
The three regrouped again, all panting for breath and filled with bruises and cuts. Seeing it on Diana made my heart drop before sending the Krookodile a contempt stare.
"What took you so long!?" Hilda shouted at me while sweating a river, bringing me out of my quick glare, "And where's the backup!?"
"No backup, sadly," I said, and Hilda was about to snap at me by the looks of her, "The key is with the leader. Once we defeat that Krookodile, we will treat ourselves to a long and drawn-out bath. God knows we have earned it."
"Don't talk about a bath when there might not even be one!" She snapped at me, "Now start fighting! They need all the help they can get!"
"Got it. Venipede! Sewaddle!" I called the two out, "Time to join the fray!"
"Sewaddle! / Venipede!" They both shouted out at the same time, making the fight a five on one. Five smaller soldiers in the forms of an angry dog, a dinosaur with huge tusks, a not-so-golden retriever, a giant centipede, and a larva wrapped in a leaf against a single bipedal sunglass-wearing crocodile general.
Have I mentioned how out of control my life had become in the past few weeks? Yeah, I stopped questioning it at this point. I was just waiting for the last nail to hit the coffin for me to take this as a regular Friday afternoon.
Throwing that thought aside, I glanced at the leader who had an impressive scowl on his face.
"This fight got annoying and dull rather quickly, and now my Krookodile has to fight against such numbers?" He asked himself before adorning a wicked smile, "Maybe a change of scenery is in order! Krookodile, Earthquake!"
"Krookodile!" He shouted in response, his foot glowing an earthy brown color before readying it for a stomp.
"Oh crap! Everyone, all fours on the ground!" Hilda suddenly commanded, taking me back.
"What do you—!?"
"I said get down!" She forced me to kneel right before the crocodile crashed its foot against the ground. Fissures started to web from its position, picking up in size very quickly before creeping its way to us while the ground shrieked in protest.
And to the name of the move the leader shouted, the ground began to shake from side to side, forcing me to lean one hand against a tree while still gazing at the croc. Slabs of dirt and stone rose from the ground, creating a rocky formation that split our parties apart.
It was soon when another fissure forked around me, Sewaddle, and Venipede, and putting the two and two together, I immediately turned to the duo.
"Move, quickly!" I shouted at them, running in a direction where no risen rocks blocked our path. The two followed suit while the fissures ran between our steps before slowly stopping, reaching a place where it was safe.
I looked back at the ruptured forest where plates of dirt were lifted slightly off the ground, hanging by the tips and roots of trees. I stared at it in mouth slightly agape, awed by the display of a single Pokémon while fear reached my thoughts.
"Hilda!" I shouted into the new form of the forest, "Are you ok!?"
Instead of getting an answer from her, I heard the cries and blasts of battle on the side. Damn it, he planned to separate us, and the three partners Hilda had were tired, making them an easy target for the Krookodile.
"We have to reach them quickly!" I urged, bolting back inside the uneven forest. I only hoped that the two were following as well.
The grounds were difficult to traverse after their abrupt transformation. Cracks that crept through the ground left holes for small beings to fall into and making sure the two bugs were following me, I kept a keen eye on them. Losing them because they fell inside a fissure would be a bad scenario to get out of.
With quite the amount of effort, and eventually letting the two bugs sit on my shoulders because we would waste time otherwise, I reached an elevated stone slab that gave me a bird's eye view of the fight.
And it didn't look pretty at all.
"Well now, finally running on fumes?" The leader asked smugly, his lackey still somehow standing behind him, "I do have to say though, my Krookodile hasn't had such a workout in a long time."
"Krook," The crocodile nodded, eager to continue the scrap. Hilda hissed in his direction, clutching her wounded arm where a stream of red flowed down to her fingertips. I could only see Diana and Tusky out, Bunni was already gone, out of commission.
"I'm… not done yet," She forced out in a contemptuous tone, stepping forward once before kneeling in pain.
"Dear, I wouldn't move much if I were you. You earned a nasty splinter after all," The more the guy talked, the more I had the urge to knock him out, "But I see potential in you, little girl. Come with us, and we'll teach you why this world must see the truth."
Hilda hoisted herself up with her good arm before defiantly standing tall, "Over my dead body."
The leader's expression changed from a wicked smile to a neutral frown, "Suit yourself then. Krookodile, finish her."
He gave his trainer a curt nod before bolting towards Hilda, ready to knock her out. I was about to step into the fray, but Tusky and Diana beat me to it. He held another cross-guard, while she stomped the ground, ready to charge at the lizard when even the slightest opening appeared.
The Krookodile clawed at Tusky yet again, but this time, he couldn't keep his guard up for long. The single strike broke him, and Krookodile was ready to press his advantage, but Diana charged with all of the speed she could muster at the moment and crashed against the Krookodile with a loud bang.
But the lizard barely even flinched.
"Diana! Get out of there, now!" I roared in my mind, still trying to find the right place to strike, but I just couldn't! As if Diana heard my thoughts, she tilted her head towards my position and a small apologetic smile crept on her features.
"NO!" I shouted while coming down to the brawl, but I was way too late. The Krookodile swept with its tail at insane speeds, and like a whip against bare skin, it lashed against Diana. It sent her flying against a raised stone slab, landing with a loud crash.
"Frax!" Tusky shouted with worry and fear etched into his voice.
I stared at the formed dust cloud where Diana landed, before snapping my gaze at the Krookodile, anger seeping through like a broken faucet. I wanted to snap at the lizard so much, but… I needed to get my priorities straight.
I turned to Hilda who was only stunned at the brutal display, unable to form words on top of the wound she had as well.
That meant it was my turn to bring the pain.
"Sewaddle, Venipede!" I called out, bringing their attention to me, "Latch on that Krookodile once Tusky gives you the support you need."
I brought them down before turning to Tusky who was still in a power struggle with the Krookodile. He gave me a quick glance, and the anger I was still feeling was mirrored by him as well.
There was nothing else for me to say other than, "Let it out, Tusky. For Hilda, and Diana."
He closed his eyes for a moment before snapping them back at Krookodile with a faint red glow. I was scared for a fraction of a second from what command I actually gave him, but I soon got my answer.
A torrent of black mist covered them both before slowly diminishing, leaving behind the lizard unscathed, but Tusky had a faint glowy red aura about him. I had no idea what happened until Tusky suddenly was pushing the Krookodile back, much to its and mine surprise.
"Alright, now is not the time to slack off Krookodile. Finish them!" He shouted, but the Krookodile tried pushing against Tusky, their hands almost buried inside one another.
Now was the time!
"Sewaddle, Venipede! Now!" I yelled, and the two immediately snapped into action, shooting out another string of webs that latched on the Krookodile who was too busy dealing with Tusky's second wind.
And like a spider, they pulled themselves towards the crocodile, landing on top of each of its shoulders. The dumbfounded lizard tried to see what was happening, but even the slightest distraction was used by Tusky, pressing his already quite big advantage.
"Now, bite him!" I shouted, and the two bug types began to nibble at the Krookodile. He groaned in pain, flailing around to shake them all off, but whenever one of them relented, another one was there to follow up.
"Keep him occupied! I need to check on Hilda and Diana!" I said, earning the sounds of confirmation from the other side before bolting to Hilda. She was grimacing in pain, the streak of red on her arm reminded me of me when I got the wound on Route 1.
"Are you alright?" I asked her, and she looked up before giving me a determined scowl while trying to hide the wound with her other arm.
"I'll… manage, I have a potion or two stocked up. Check on Diana, she needs you more than I do right now," She urged, and I gave her a curt nod before reaching the now visible form of Diana sprawled on the ground, whimpering in pain.
I began to tear up, my face scrunching up before I slowly brought my hand under her head and lifting her slightly up. She coughed a few times before eyeing me with a pained smile, making my lips curve slightly upward as well, and bringing her to a hug.
"You goddamn idiot," Was all I said while a sob or two escaped from my lips, "Don't ever do that again, alright? You'll give me a heart attack with your recklessness."
"...Deeeei," She said pleadingly, making me break from our hug and adorn a stricken thin line with my lips.
"No, young lady, I will ground you from fighting if this happens again," I said sternly, making her huff. I broke my serious expression soon anyway before bringing a potion and healed that big red gash on her body. I scowled at the sight while Diana yelped in slight pain because of the medicine taking effect.
"Now, rest inside the pokéball. We will handle the rest," I said before shooting a familiar red beam and soon Diana disappeared inside the confines of her purple ball. Bringing my attention back to the fight, I saw the Krookodile struggling against the combination of Pokémon it was fighting, and everything was going smoothly.
The only problem was Tusky's stamina, he was at his wit's end.
The red aura around him flickered before disappearing completely while his attacks came to a sluggish halt. The Krookodile, while weathered as well, still had the energy to spare, and once Tusky's assault stopped, he finally was able to pry off both the Sewaddle and Venipede, each arm holding a bug type of its own.
He threw them dead set on Tusky, and being too tired to dodge, he got hit by both bugs, knocking all of them over. I quickly came to check on them and found out that Sewaddle and Venipede were surprisingly fine, it was Tusky who looked worse for the wea.
"Kroooookodile!" The croc shouted in victory, but I gave him a pointed stare.
"Don't think this is over! Tusky, fall back and help Hilda. Venipede and Sewaddle got this," I commanded, much to the tired Fraxure's bafflement. He had a defiant gaze, wanting to fight more but I shut him down.
"This is not a suggestion, but an order, Tusky! Your trainer needs your help and you're way too tired to continue!" I shouted at him, before turning back to the Krookodile, "You already have done your part."
Reluctant to leave the battlefield, he gave me a mumbled "Frax." before leaving to help Hilda out.
"Don't think I didn't hear you! Get going already!" I warned the dragon, making him as stiff as a brick, before vigorously nodding and bolting towards Hilda. Well, if you could call his slight limp and jog a run.
I turned to the leader whose snarl was so deep he might had it permanently plastered on his face.
"Interference after interference, you kids still find a way to block our path and get back up," He snarled before taking on a more admiring tone, "It's commendable to some extent, but foolish nonetheless. Krookodile, we've wasted enough time here. Finish this."
"Krook," The lizard agreed.
"You there, get that girl's Pokémon. You saw how reckless her behavior was with the way she commanded them," He said before the grunt behind him gave him a salute before bolting to Hilda's position.
As if I would let him do that.
"String Shot," Was all I said, my gaze squarely at the grunt, and both of my companions encased the criminal in webs, but the leader wasn't even fazed by it.
"You really aren't the thinking type, are you?" I boasted, trying to rile up my opponent. He on the other hand looked at the gagged grunt before breathing a sigh.
"No, he was just in the way. I wanted to make sure this is just between us," He said in a cold tone, then sized me up and down with a sudden critical eye, "Blue coat and long blond hair, recently tied his hair into a ponytail…"
Instead of waiting for him to finish a monologue that would take another eternity, I seized my opportunity.
"Sewaddle, Venipede, just like back then. The rollout," I whispered to them, and they immediately obeyed my command, already used to it while I kept my gaze at the leader who was mumbling words.
"Might as well force something out of him," I thought.
"My partner already asked this once and I'll try again, what are you doing here?" I demanded, making the leader snap his gaze at me with the same scowl.
"And why do you think I would say anything to you, a kid?" He said, making me cross my arms.
"This 'kid' you're referring to has, with his partner, dismantled your entire squad of grunts and Pokémon," I pointed out, "And you are not far from the chopping block yourself."
A dry mirthless chuckle escaped his lips. "And confident to boot. Our king sure has a complex taste in choosing his acquaintances."
"Your… king?" I parroted, but the leader dismissed me with the wave of his hand.
"That is none of your business. So far, you've proven yourself nothing but a thorn on our side and too many have appeared recently. Time to enact a more forceful approach," He said before his calm persona switched back into the previous ecstatic performer, "Now time for the final FINAL act! Prepare yourself, Radko!"
Wait, how did he—!? No, there was no time for that. I turned back to the Sewaddle and Venipede, ready to perform the same trick we pulled off a few moments ago.
"Krookodile! Sand Tomb!" The leader shouted, and with a loud "Krook.", the lizard created a windstorm of sand out of nowhere, washing over us entirely. It soon dissipated, but once I looked around, the attack cut off all of our escape options. A visible sand veil hovered over us like a cloud, encasing us inside like a weird inflatable stadium.
"The stage is set, the curtains have opened, and it's time for the last duet!"
AN: Another cliffhanger? Yes, another one. I need to close out the first Arc of AAP in a bang with chapter 15 officially being the end and the start of a new Arc. You just have to wait until then.
Shoutout to the awesome people at the Fanfiction Treehouse for being an awesome company and good teachers on how to write fanfiction.
If you want to join the discord server, the link is right here? gg/9XG3U7a
God's speed,