This is not going according to plan.
Rogers Craig ran through the dense woods as he tried his best to escape the mass of SPFs hot on his trail. It was supposed to be simple. Anger the wild water type pokemon around Sunyshore, direct their rage to the city, hide themselves, and then pillage the destroyed city thereafter. It was supposed to be simple.
And then somehow, as if the entire of Sinnoh had somehow got wind of their plans, the entire SPF was mobilised to stop them even faster than they could blink. The speed at which they were deployed and how they moved as if they knew where they would be makes him suspect that someone had ratted out the entirety of their plans. Who?! And how?!
Rogers and his team had only just managed to succeed in riling up the water types around Sunyshore before moving themselves to the outskirts of the city where they are supposed to hide and wait for the right opportunity. He had been in his hidey hole for only less than ten minutes when the SPF came knocking on their doors.
Naturally, he ditched his fellow poachers and ran. It's not like they are true comrades, they just happen to be working in the same profession and have the same temporary employer, the organisation that called themselves Team Galactic. A stupid name if you ask him, but they pay good money so he isn't going to question their naming sense just yet.
He will definitely be demanding a pay rise if he manages to escape out of here. Getting teams of SPF after his ass is definitely not part of the agreement.
Rogers and his floatzel ran side by side as they weaved through the hidden paths in the forest, one of their many escape routes just in case things ever go wrong like right now. He had always been a very meticulous person and his preparedness is the only thing right now saving him from a lifetime of imprisonment.
He took a breather in a secluded area in the woods and checked his back. It seems that he had lost his pursuers at the cost of his entire team of poachers. It will take some time before he can gather another group of poachers to take on another job as large as this, but at least he is not caught yet.
The sounds of shuffling leaves immediately got him and floatzel on high alert. He turned to the source of the noise and spotted an infernape emerging from the trees as it swung itself through the branches and stopped when it spotted him. The infernape gave him and floatzel a grin, one that got his instincts as a poacher blaring at full blast.
An unexpected Flamethrower got him and floatzel dodging to a side as the infernape redirected the cone of flames and swept it in his direction. Floatzel responded with a Hydro Pump of its own, but even his trusty partner's attack was evaporated by the intense heat of the flames, shocking them.
How?!
The short amount of time where floatzel was stunned by the sight is enough time for infernape to evaporate the entirety of its Hydro Pump. The fire type's Flamethrower found its mark on floatzel and the force of the attack sent it crashing into a huge tree. Floatzel never got back up.
"Floatzel!"
The infernape jumped down and rushed at him. Rogers reached for another of his pokeball but the infernape is faster. The infernape knocked him down onto the ground and restrained him, preventing him from calling out more of his pokemon.
A moving mass of fire caught Rogers' attention as a man riding a rapidash appeared. The pokemon is dragging a small pile of unconscious bodies using ropes tied around its body.
Flint. The guy riding on the rapidash is Flint.
"This guy is the last one, eh? Good job, Might."
This is Flint's infernape? Now that explains why it is so strong. Still, Rogers is not entirely helpless even in his current predicament. If only he can-
"Might, knock him out before he can do anything."
That was the end of his resistance, and also the start of his punishment.
When was the last time she was forced to let any of her pokemon undergo Mega Evolution? It has been so long since she was last pushed to this extent, her spars with Volkner notwithstanding.
"Hyper Beams incoming!"
"Steely will block it! You concentrate on taking them down!"
Steely, now a Mega Steelix, moved forward in a surge of speed, something brought about by a combination of Rock Polish and Autotomize. Steely stood in the way of the rays of Hyper Beams fired by the enraged pack of wild gyarados, unafraid of what is to come.
"Wide Guard!"
Steely successfully blocked the mass of Hyper Beam that could have wiped out an entire city if they had found their target. On top of Steely's head, Molly stood in front of Jasmine and used a Protect to prevent her trainer from getting herself injured from the mass of condensed energy.
"Hurricane! And Thunder!"
The rain clouds summoned by Puddle previously started to pour fiercer than any raging storms Jasmine had ever experienced. Puddle, now a Mega Gyarados, unleashed a burst of raging wind that wrapped around a small group of gyarados before throwing them up into the sky. A column of lightning crashed down and struck Puddle's targets, taking them out for the count.
"Everyone! Thunder!"
Each of Volkner's electric types followed Puddle's example and Jasmine cannot help but look on in awe. Volkner and his team had effectively controlled the very weather itself. Puddle's control over the weather had heightened considerably after undergoing Mega Evolution, allowing him to change the weather to their advantage with a simple Rain Dance. Jasmine cannot help but marvel at the sight and at Volkner's capability as a trainer. Seeing how the skies darken and thunderclouds shooting streaks of lightning down at his foes repeatedly in quick succession is not a sight one can see every day. She doesn't even know if there are any other Electric Specialists in the world that can match him when it comes to summoning storms as easy as snapping fingers.
This is Volkner, the strongest Electric Specialist of Sinnoh.
Some of the wild gyarados decided to imitate Puddle and used their own Hurricane as well. Some of the smarter ones are aiming to disperse the thunderclouds with the attack. No way will she allow his hard work to come undone.
"Steely, stop them!"
Another Flash Cannon from Steely dispersed the winds the wild gyarados had summoned as Mety dove in and knocked them out with a Zen Headbutt. Emy used a Blizzard and froze more of these sea serpents, locking them in place for Volkner's team to strike them down with their electric type attacks.
A particularly powerful Hydro Pump crashed into Steely from an unexpected angle and knocked Jasmine off her steelix's head from the impact. Molly tried to reach out to her, but a Whirlpool engulfed her pokemon and prevented them from coming close. Jasmine let out a scream as she plummeted, closing her eyes in fear.
She reopened her eyes when she felt a strong arm wrapping around her waist before pulling her to safety. Volkner held her around her waist with an arm and pulled her closer to him with her head buried in his chest.
"Don't worry, I will protect you."
Jasmine blushed up a storm as furious as the one Puddle had summoned at Volkner's words. Does he even know what he is saying?!
Still, there are more important things to do right now.
"Twister!"
Upon her command, Steely used a Twister that spun in the opposite direction of the Whirlpool that trapped them, aiming to free themselves of their watery prison. Molly used this chance to fire a few Shadow Balls on a gyarados that had gotten too close for comfort before smashing it back to the ocean with a Play Rough.
Jasmine's pokemon emerged from the dying Whirlpool. Seeing that her trainer is alright, Steely shot Dragon Pulses at a few more gyarados and decided to charge to the front, continuing to use its unbreakable defence and her large size to shield the rest of her allies from harm. Volkner and his team picked up the pace as the skies flashed ominously and even more lightning was summoned from the heavens, wiping out more of the uncontrollable wild pokemon.
"Puddle, Hyper Beam!"
A ball of condensed energy gathered at the front of Puddle's opened jaw before he shot them at a new group of gyarados that was about to join its brethren, taking them out. The heat of the beam had also evaporated a large volume of water as they turned into steam.
"Steely, Gyro Ball!"
Steely curled up into a large ball of steel before spinning at high speed, knocking away everything in her way and forcefully scattering the hordes of wild pokemon. Volkner's electric types took advantage of the opening and fired beams of electrical attacks, systematically downing more and more of the endless swarms.
"Jas, Puddle and I are going in. It's going to be rough, so hold on tight. Puddle, Dragon Dance and Outrage! End this in one strike!"
Knowing that he is not kidding about things getting rough, Jasmine hugged Volkner tightly when Puddle flew up higher and started a Dragon Dance. Sensing the threat, a large pack of sharpedos emerged and fired a Brine in unison. Steely stood in the way of the attack and dispersed it with a swipe of her tail, buying just enough time for Puddle to dive back in. The sensation of diving down had Jasmine closing her eyes and tightening her hold over Volkner. Usually, she would have freaked out at experiencing a falling sensation as rough as this, but he is here with her.
With him around, she knows everything is going to be alright.
She can feel Volkner's hold on her tightening as well when the enraged Mega Gyarados thrashed about violently and took out the entire pack of wild sharpedos in seconds. The rest of Volkner's team pressed on and pushed the remainder of the wild gyarados population back into the deep sea, who are now starting to flee. Volkner's hand covering her eyes was her only warning to quickly close them as he barked out his next command to his team.
"Franky, Electric Terrain! Everyone else, Thunder!"
The sea in front of them exploded in a violent light that nearly blinded Jasmine. She is sure that even Sunyshore can see the light despite the distance between their current location and the city. When the light finally died down, the sea had returned to its calm state and the thunderclouds are starting to disperse.
"Guess it's over for now." Volkner commented as Puddle reverted back into a normal gyarados with a bright glow. The same goes for Steely as the effect of Mega Evolution receded. Steely floated back right next to Puddle and Jasmine gave her a reassuring smile, silently telling her loyal friend that she is fine.
"I hope so." Jasmine contributed her own opinion as she wringed out the water from her hair. The rain from the storm clouds and that Whirlpool earlier had gotten her drenched.
"Let's just go back and-" Volkner turned to face her before quickly turning back the other way, much to her confusion.
"Volk?"
"Here." Volkner took off his blue jacket without looking back and passed it in her direction, which she took on reflex. "Use this to cover yourself."
Jasmine looked down at her white sundress, which is now drenched in water. What she is wearing underneath can now be clearly seen.
She is wearing a white sundress, and she is drenched.
She can feel herself blushing up another storm as she quickly wore the jacket she was given over her sundress, zipping it all the way up to prevent herself from exposing what she doesn't want others to see. The jacket is huge for her and covers all the way down to just below her hips. Her fingers are barely poking through the sleeves of his jacket.
"Um… I'm done." Jasmine stuttered out an embarrassed reply. "Thanks for the jacket."
Volkner turned back to her.
"You aren't injured, are you?"
"No. How about you?" Jasmine returned the question back to him as their pokemon slowly made their way back to them. The other water types that the rest of her team were facing had also scattered back into the sea after witnessing the last attack by Volkner's team. "And what happened? Why are there so many wild pokemon gathered in this manner?"
"Some poachers thought it would be a good idea to anger the wild pokemon around Sunyshore and use them to stage an attack on the city." Volkner grumbled as Jasmine stood closer by his side, holding his hand to steady herself on Puddle's head. She doesn't want to fall another time, once is enough. "I can already imagine the amount of work I have to do when I get back."
Jasmine giggled into her hand at Volkner's words. She knows just how much he loathes to do the work of a Gym Leader, even if he had never handled them as tardy as he appeared to be. Despite the fact that this heavy responsibility was forced on him, Volkner had actually taken his job seriously. It's just that he always appears to be slacking off due to how he carries himself. She knows that he does it on purpose because he found the reactions of the people around him to his lazy behaviour to be extremely amusing. Like he told her, annoying people is his daily dose of entertainment. He had confided to her once that his favourite people to troll is his head gym trainer, Kayla. Cynthia is a close second.
Jasmine let out an uncontrollable sneeze when the breeze got a little cold from where she is standing on Puddle's head.
"You alright?"
"I'm fine- achoo!"
Even Molly who was floating beside her gave her a reproachful stare and gently nudged Jasmine closer to Volkner. Giving an exasperated sigh at her pokemon's action, Jasmine gently patted Molly on the head to show her appreciation for the concern.
Only to slip on her feet, again.
"AHH!"
Jasmine let out a high-pitched yelp and closed her eyes, expecting herself to fall into the sea. The same sensation of an arm wrapping around her waist and pulling her up got her to slowly open her eyes once again, only to see Volkner's blue eyes staring at hers in concern.
"Um…" Jasmine can feel the onset of another blush setting in again as she realised the close proximity that the two of them are in. Volkner didn't seem to notice it and pulled her closer to him instead, using his own body to block the cold wind that is blowing at them.
"Feeling better now?"
"Y-Yeah." Jasmine replied lamely. Her brain doesn't seem to be in working order right now. Case in point, she only realised she was staring at his face in a daze after he had waved his hand in front of her eyes for a few seconds.
"Jas? You alright?"
"I-I'm fine!" She squeaked out an embarrassed reply a little too loud than what was necessary. She needs to stop acting like an airhead in front of him! This is too embarrassing!
She tried to wriggle her way out of his arms discretely but his grip on her doesn't allow it. She looked up at him again, trying to convey the silent message to him to let her out of this awkward position and hopefully he gets the message. To her exasperation, he simply asked her a question when he caught her stare.
"Yes? Is there something on my face?"
Nope, he doesn't get the message.
Just when she decided to just muster the courage to pry his hands away from her, he decided to throw her the biggest curveball in her life thus far.
"Hey, I've been wanting to ask you this question for a while now. You like me, right? Like, like me."
It was at that moment that every cell in her brain sputtered and died. Having her most secretive inner thoughts about him pointed out like that was not what she was expecting. No matter what she tried to do to get her brain to work again, it just won't start up. Every time she tried to force out a reply an incomprehensible stutter is all she can manage.
"I-I-I… I mean… We…"
Volkner simply continues to stare at her expectantly, which further increases the heat she can feel spreading on her face. In the end, she can only convey her feelings to him by burying her face into his chest, trying to hide it since it is getting extremely red from the embarrassment due to his sudden question. A small nod is all she can muster as confirmation to his question.
She pinched Volkner hard when he burst out laughing at her display, although she still keeps her face hidden from view.
"D-D-Don't l-laugh!"
"I can't help it. You are too cute." He said to her when she finally managed to calm herself enough to peer up at him hesitantly. Her eyes caught sight of those mesmerising blue eyes of his. She was so absorbed in it that she didn't protest when he slowly lifted her chin up with a single finger.
"May I?"
Jasmine can feel her face heating up again, but simply smiled, close her eyes, and shut the entire world out. Right now, it is just the two of them and she wants it to remain this way. Anything else can wait.
And they kissed.
Pokemon and trainer list:
Volkner Tide: Gym Leader of Sunyshore, Electric Specialist
Titles, Accolades and Achievements: Tie for First Place with Flint in the 521st Lily of the Valley Conference, Sinnoh's strongest Electric Specialist, Thirteen Pillar of Sinnoh, The Sun of Sunyshore, The Yellow Flash
Main team:
1) Electivire (Franky), male
2) Luxray (Simba), male
3) Jolteon (Jo), female
4) Magnezone (ISpy), genderless
5) Gallade (Myst), male
6) Rhyperior (Tec), male
7) Probopass (North), female
8) Gyarados (Puddle), male
Pokemon used for Gym challenges
9) Raichu (Squeaky), female
10) Pachirisu (Scrat), male
11) Heliolisk (Bask), male
12) Ampharos (Fluffy), female
13) Vikavolt (Vik), female
14) Eelektross (Whirr), male
15) Lanturn (Glowy), female
Pokemon used for Sunyshore's security
16) Rotom (Prime), genderless
17) Porygon-Z (Jarvis), genderless
Jasmine Terbium: The Gym Leader of Olivine, Steel Specialist
Titles, Accolades and Achievement: Johto's Strongest Steel Specialist, Thirteen Pillar of Johto, The Iron Wall of Olivine
Pokemon Team:
1) Ampharos (Amphy), male
2) Steelix (Steely), female
3) Magnezone (Magny), genderless
4) Skarmory (Skia), female
5) Forretress (Forest), male
6) Metagross (Mety), genderless
7) Empoleon (Emy), male
8) Bronzong (Bronzy), genderless
9) Mawile (Molly), female
10) Lucario (Lucy), female
11) Excadrill (Drilly), male
12) Ferrothorn (Thorny), male
13) Klinklang (Clang), genderless
14) Bastiodon (Bobby), male
Flint Cinders: Sinnoh Elite Four, Fire Specialist
Titles, Accolades and Achievement: Tie for First Place with Volkner in the 521st Lily of the Valley Conference, Sinnoh's strongest Fire Specialist, Thirteen Pillar of Sinnoh, Sinnoh's Raging Inferno
Pokemon team:
1) Magmortar (Burner), male
2) Infernape (Might), male
3) Houndoom (Bel), female
4) Flareon (Flare), male
5) Rapidash (Flamel), male
6) Talonflame (Soar), female
7) Volcarona (Buzz), male
8) Chandelure (Wick), female
9) Turtonator (Fuse), female
Cynthia Shirona: Sinnoh Champion, Generalist
Titles, Accolades and Achievement: Champion of Sinnoh, Pokemon Master, Sinnoh's strongest Generalist, Thirteen Pillar of Sinnoh, Sinnoh's Undefeatable Queen
Pokemon team:
1) Garchomp
2) Roserade
3) Spiritomb
4) Lucario
5) Milotic
6) Gastrodon
7) Togekiss
8) Glaceon
9) Braviary
10) Eelektross
Kayla: Sunyshore Head Gym Trainer, Electric Specialist
Titles, Accolades and Achievement: Elite Trainer
Pokemon Team:
1) Manectric (Woofy)
2) Zebstrika (Zap)
3) Galvantula (Spinner)
4) Luxray (Star)
5) Stunfisk (Fin)
6) Alolan Golem (Gronk)