Chapter 6: Valley Windworks Woes
Dawn knocked again, knuckles pounding painfully on the unrelenting steel. Her knuckles were raw and red from all the banging, but the faint sounds of footsteps and the occasional voice echoing from behind the doors meant she still had a chance.
"They can't be that hard of hearing, right?" Looking down, Crest appeared as confused as she was. He tapped the side of his head with one flipper and nodded to the door.
"You can hear them, I can hear them, I'm sure they can hear me banging on the door. I checked their hours, they should still be open. What the heck is going on?" Fishing in her pocket, Dawn took out the Master key she'd found after the two "Team Galactic Grunts" fled.
"Would it be wrong to just open the door and go on in? It is kind of important, I'm pretty sure they'd want to know about someone running around with a master key and one of their employees potentially being a thief." On the other hand, that could possibly get her arrested.
Then she heard a muffled scream, and all thoughts of legality became the least important things in the world.
Sharing a panicked look with Crest, Dawn stuffed the key in the lock and turned, pushing hard to make the heavy steel door move. It moved forward more easily than expected, oiled hinges allowing the door to swing open. Dawn stumbled forward, stuffing the key back in her pocket as she ran to find whoever it was screaming.
Dawn pulled up short, freezing in place when she saw who was standing a few feet away: a pair of people in the same uniforms as the Jubilife City and flower field criminals. Team Galactic Grunts?
"What the hell is a kid doing here?"
"I don't know, we had the door locked tight and Anthony is on guard duty. She shouldn't be able to get in."
"Doesn't matter anyway. Hey girlie, you picked the wrong place to bust into."
The grunt's arrogant tone shocked Dawn out of her stupor. "And why is that," Dawn retorted, Crest already in front of her, ready to leap into action.
"Because we're almost done here and we can't have some do-gooder nobody interfering with out plans. Get ready for a world of pain!" The man had three Pokéballs, which opened in sequence to reveal a Stunky, Drifloon, and Bidoof. The woman beside him was just reaching for her Pokéballs when Crest struck.
A thick wall of bubbles obscured their enemies from view for a second, just long enough for Dawn to grab a Pokéball off her belt and throw it. Ion appeared in a flash of light, looking utterly confused at his new surroundings. It didn't help that at that moment all the Bubbles popped, showing that an Ekans, Houndour and Zubat had joined the fight.
"Crest, keep up the Bubble Wall! Ion, zap it!" Her Pokémon did what they were told, Crest reforming the Bubble wall seconds before Ion crashed into it, his fur glowing with the power of Spark. The wall exploded in a shower of light and sparks, electrocuting all Pokémon touching it when the Spark hit. Once the light and steam cleared Dawn could see the Drifloon and Zubat down on the floor, twitching madly.
"Don't just stand there, attack!" The command didn't help their Pokémon much against Crest and Ion. The two well-trained Pokémon wove through the pack like dancers through a crowd of drunks, ducking and dodging and attacking at just the right moment. The grunt's Pokémon were clearly untrained. Their timing and aim were off by miles, hitting each other more often than they hit her Pokémon. Worst of all, they constantly got in each other's way- an accidental Acid from Stunky that landed right in front of Houndour saved Ion from a vicious Ember.
Before long all their Pokémon were out cold on the floor and both grunts were shaking in their boots as Dawn checked their belts for more Pokéballs and her surroundings for a sneak attack.
"Now talk," Dawn demanded, striding forward with Crest and Ion flanking her. "Who are you people and what are you doing here? Why do your grunts keep attacking people? What do you want with the Valley Windworks?"
"We aren't telling you anything brat! What gives you the right to bust in here and mess with Team Galactic?"
"Maybe the fact that it's clear you guys aren't meant to be here either? Or the fact that every time I run into you people you're trying to hurt someone else? I just stopped two of your men from beating up a guy for his honey!" Dawn's fists clenched at her side as she remembered the man's expression of pure panic. She stepped forward, getting up in their faces, but both grunts remained silent.
"Crest, show them what happens if they don't answer." His glowing blue beak descended, punching a hole in the thick tile floor at his feet. She wouldn't ask Crest to actually hurt them, but they didn't know that.
Both grunts paled. "Alright alright! Team Galactic is here to collect power. The Windworks is the easiest place to get it, it's understaffed and doesn't have great security, plus it makes more than enough juice."
"But we brought an Admin with us! You won't stand a chance brat!" The other piped up, glaring at Dawn and her partners.
"That so? Then I'll have to call in some backup." Dawn had just begun to type in the emergency number on her Pokétch when she heard a shout. Instead of coming from the grunts in front of her, it came from behind.
"Intruder! Blast the brat Houndour!" Dawn immediately sprinted forward, pushing past her erstwhile captives and moving further into the hall to avoid the blast of heat she could feel at her back. That must have been their outside guard, on the other side of the building or moving between buildings when she arrived and started knocking. A hurried glance over her shoulder showed him releasing several other Pokémon from a full belt even as the defeated grunts moved to join him.
Ion tried to shock them, but his work on Spark meant he was better at condensing the electricity near his body rather than shooting it. The bolts went wide, hitting parts of the floor and nearby walls instead of the approaching horde, but making them hesitate a step. Crest's shrieks of fury added to their hesitation, buying Dawn an extra second in which to act.
"Crest, Ion, Electric Net!" Understanding her implicitly, they performed the same Bubble Net and Spark combo as before. Dawn used the distraction to call to them both, sprinting down the hallway and taking a few blind turns to gain some space to call the police. Her hands were shaking madly from running and adrenaline but two hallways later the phone was ringing.
"Hello, this is Floaroma Town Police Station, how can I help you?"
"Send officers to the Valley Windworks immediately, it's been taken over by power thieves calling themselves 'Team Galactic' and I heard a scream earlier. I'm trapped in the building, please send help!"
"What are you talking about? Team Galactic? This better not be some kind of joke-"
"Just hurry and send people!" Dawn left the call running in case it helped them track her down, releasing Zephyr just as a pack of six Pokémon rounded the corner. With a wordless cry her Pokémon spun and leapt forward to face them. Dawn didn't have time to think as she commanded her Pokémon, shouting suggestions and pointing out attacks they couldn't see coming.
"Zephyr, look out for the Acid!"
"Ion, duck! Hit it with Bite!"
"Crest, help Zephyr! Pound Wooper!"
It was so different than normal battles where she was anticipating moves, trying to plan every step in advance. She had to dance backwards to avoid moves more than once, and every time it was a close call.
Thankfully these Pokémon weren't used to working together either. Zubat's Supersonic addled half of them in one go, allowing Crest and Ion to take out their ground forces before they could recover. Zephyr snatched Zubat right out of the air with his talons, the poison type too occupied by the yells of its trainer to pay attention to the only other flying opponent on the field.
The hallway was wrecked and Dawn's Pokémon were breathing hard but when the dust cleared all the enemy Pokémon were out and Dawn's Pokémon still standing. The Galactic trainer didn't bother to recall his Pokémon, instead taking off down the hallway yelling for help. She could hear more shouts further in the facility.
"Come on, we have to get out of here or at least find a place to hide!" Dawn ran for it, Zephyr flying ahead but finding it hard to maneuver his bulk in the small corridors. Ion ran a few feet in front of Dawn, guarding the front while Crest hung back a step or two behind Dawn, struggling to keep up. They ran through the maze of corridors, trying to replicate the path Dawn had taken in their first wild flight. After the third turn Dawn gave up trying to make sense of the endless white hallways, taking whatever turn felt right. By the fifth turn she could hear the pounding of many feet in the distance, getting closer every second. By the Original One, I hope the police get here soon!
A glance back showed her Crest steps behind them, panting heavily and rushing to catch up. They had to hide, wait for the police to arrive. Running wouldn't help them anymore. She had to act on the decision a second later when she heard a yell down the hall.
"Come on, they said the intruder went this way!" The first door Dawn tried was locked, as was the second, but the third near the end of the hallway opened when she pulled the handle. Gesturing frantically to her Pokémon, Dawn threw open the door and rushed through it, followed by Zephyr and Ion, with Crest waddling in two seconds later. She closed the door and ducked to the side, one ear pressed against the door, her Pokémon tucked in close against her sides.
"Damn, how'd a kid get in here anyway? I thought those idiots were keeping track of the trainers in town and we had a guard!" This grunt sounded female, her footsteps stopping a few feet away from the door. A male voice spoke from right in front of the door. Dawn almost forget how to breathe, pressing herself into the wall like she could melt into it.
"Dunno, but Commander Mars'll be pissed if they interfere with the op. We're almost done anyway, can't screw it up now, so shut up and search. This place is big but it isn't that big…"
Steps indicated the two grunts walking past the door and down the hall. Dawn didn't release her breath until she couldn't hear footsteps anymore. She slid down the wall, collapsing in a mess of shaking limbs and harsh breathing on the cold tile floor. Her palms pressed into her forehead, her splayed fingers twisting into her hair, eyes shut tight in a futile attempt to shut out the world for a moment.
Crest's head thrust into her side, a cool counterweight to her panic. His cool comfort combined with Ion's attempts to burrow into her lap made her breathing begin to slow. Even Zephyr tugged on a stray strand of hair escaping from her hat, attempting to calm her down even if he was too big to get too close.
Once her body stopped shaking, she allowed her hands to drop to her lap and started looking around the room they'd found themselves in. It was dark, a bit of meager light filtering in through the door's shaded window outlining the shadowy shapes of boxes stacked on shelves. A storage room then. Strange shadows made by complex machines made the room look ominous in the dim light.
"I'm alright," Dawn told her Pokémon, looking back at their concerned faces. "What about you guys? It was chaos out there, trying to fight six at once in such confined space. I'm proud of you all for doing so well!"
Zephyr's quiet chirp didn't carry far, but it was still more sound than Dawn wanted. A finger to her lips made him fall silent.
"We need to get out of here, but it's probably best to wait for the police. They'll cause enough of a ruckus to either let us escape or arrest Team Galactic and allow us to walk right out the door. The call should still be running…" A quick glance at her Pokétch made her heart drop straight out of her body. The screen said "DISCONNECTED" in big red letters.
"Shadow's spikes! I hope the call stayed going long enough for them to get the idea." An ear pressed up against the door and a few moments of silence told her there were no grunts currently nearby, but it probably wouldn't stay that way much longer. "Okay, I don't know if they believed me or not, so we'll wait and gather our strength until the police arrive or until too many search teams…" Dawn stilled, words trailing off into oblivion. That sound in the corner of the room hadn't come from her team.
Her Pokémon heard it too, each tensing and turning to face the source of the sound. Ion looked ready to pounce on anything that moved; his ears twitched madly, and his claws were fully extended. Only now did Dawn start wondering why this door had been unlocked while all the others remained locked.
Slowly, hardly daring to breathe, Dawn stood up, one hand on the wall keeping her steady as she moved forward into the darkness, her Pokémon in formation in front of her. Now that she was paying attention, she could hear tiny sounds in the darkness: quick breathing, something occasionally shifting. Turning a corner around a shelf let her see the source of the sound: a small human form, curled up in a ball on the lowest shelf, tucked into the furthest corner from the door. Ion's growl and the sparks jumping off his body made the child squeak, pushing themselves further back into the corner.
"Back off Ion! She's scared, can't you see?" The sparks stopped dancing, leaving them further in shadow but the light had been enough to see the girl's terrified face. Dawn approached with slow, measured steps, gesturing to her Pokémon to stay back. Ion in particular looked mutinous but they stayed where they were as Dawn knelt in front of the girl.
"Hello there, I'm Dawn. I'm sorry we scared you. I promise we're not going to hurt you. Can you come out?"
"Y-y-you.. Aren't with the bad people?" The girl's voice was hesitant and halting but she was slowly uncurling, tear-stained face turning towards Dawn again.
"No, I'm not, I'm hiding from them too. Can you tell me what happened?" Dawn sat and gestured for the girl to join her. A moment later she was almost knocked over by the force of the sobbing little girl as she rushed forward to hug her.
"I was so s-s-scared! Daddy and I were in the b-big room with all the computers. Then the mean people dressed like spacemen came in and g-g-grabbed me and grabbed Daddy. Th-they said if Daddy didn't help them, they would h-h-hurt me! The scary lady with the red hair yelled at him and said he had to do something with the w-w-windmills." Dawn hugged the sobbing girl tightly, rubbing one hand on her back in soothing circles. Crest and Ion, now satisfied the girl wasn't a threat, pushed themselves into either side of the girl, Ion's tiny pink tongue licking any open skin it could find on either of them.
"How did you get away?"
"Th-the scary lady sent someone to lock the doors and the mean people went all over the place. Then Loony got out of his P-Pokéball and tried to help Daddy. The lady's Pokémon attacked Loony. The scary lady and spacemen weren't paying attention to me, so I ran and hid. I was playing with Daddy's Pokégear earlier and his key was attached to the back, so I could unlock the door, but the mean people were at the door, so I ran and hid in here." She was calming down some now, able to speak more coherently.
"Do you know why the spacemen came? And who's this lady?"
"Th-they said something about the windmills, the one Daddy works on. A bunch of them went into the big room where Daddy works, the one I'm not allowed to go into. There are a lot of big machines there. They took Daddy with them while the scary lady with the red hair worked on the computers in the main room. Her P-Pokémon are really big and really mean! They hurt Loony!" The girl buried her head in Dawn's shoulder again.
Nightmares, this was getting complicated fast. Now she had a decision to make. Wait here for help, try to escape with the girl, or try to find where they held her father. He must be the one in charge of the facility if they wanted his help with whatever they were doing. Stealing power? The grunts had mentioned something along those lines. It must have been him screaming earlier, when she was at the door. That meant the room where he was had to be near the door, or at least closer than they were right now. If the girl had heard her father's screams, she would have been even more terrified than she was already. Dawn didn't know how deep into the facility they were now, but she had made quite a few turns in her mad flight from the grunts.
"Miss?" Dawn broke from her reverie to find the girl staring at her again. "Can you save Daddy? Your Pokémon are super cool! I bet you could save Daddy!" Those big eyes, full of hope and desperation, were as effective as a Thunderbolt to the heart. Dawn knew what she had to do. Now to find a way to actually do it.
"I can try, but you'll have to stay here okay? Stay here and be as quiet as you can. Once I've found your Daddy, I'll come find you again. Can you do that?"
The girl shrunk back a little, her bottom lip quivering, but nodded anyway. Dawn hugged her one more time before lifting her off her lap and climbing to her feet. The girl curled up in her hiding place again and Dawn turned to face her Pokémon. A second of thought had her plucking the last Pokéball off her belt and releasing Aries; she would need all the firepower she could get.
The Skiddo looked confused at being released in such a small, dark place. He tried to make a sound, but Dawn put a finger to her lips just in time to stop him. She explained the situation to him, keeping one ear out as she listened for any grunts coming their way. She had to stop in the middle of her explanation once as she heard footsteps approaching, but they walked past their door without any incident.
She finished up her explanation with what she intended their next move to be: "We have to save her father. He's hurt, judging by the screams, and he's being forced to help these criminals. We can't just leave him here! Will you all help me free him?"
Her Pokémon looked at her, then at each other. Aries was fidgety, raising and lowering his front left hoof, head swiveling constantly as he looked from the girl huddled in the racks behind them, to the glowing outline of the door, to Dawn, and back again. Ion's tail and ears twitched, his claws extending and retracting every other second. Zephyr ruffled his feathers, puffing himself up so that he appeared bigger than he was.
Crest stepped forward, no hesitation in his stride. He walked right in front of Dawn, his deep blue eyes never leaving hers, stopping a foot away and extending a single flipper to her. A smile broke out on her face and she extended her own fist, bumping it into Crest's flipper. Just the knowledge that her starter was with her made everything seem so much more feasible.
Crest turned to face his teammates, extending the other flipper and squawking once, quietly so as to avoid anyone hearing. Ion and Zephyr walked forward to join him, Ion's tail brushing against Dawn and Crest, Zephyr's outstretched wing cuffing them all as he waved it around.
Aries remained where he was, facing them all. His black eyes kept darting to the door, his body shrinking back a bit when he heard footsteps down a distant hall. At one point his gaze strayed to the point on his back where the Poison Fang had landed not two hours before.
"It's your choice Aries," she whispered softly. He fixed his eyes on her, restless body stilling. Crest warbled a low note, his beak lowering a tad. Aries lowered his head; all was still and silent for a long moment. Then he walked forward until his horns bumped against her chest. When he looked up at her, she could see nothing but determination in his eyes, evident even in the meager light.
Her team gathered around her, ready to hear the plan.
"We'll have to be smart about this," she whispered to them. "We don't have the firepower to take out all the grunts and I don't like the sound of this 'scary lady' leading the grunts. She's probably someone higher up in their organization, likely with better trained Pokémon than the grunts. But I also can't leave an innocent, probably hurt man in here."
"We'll find a hiding spot and wait for a distraction- hopefully the police coming in, but I'll take what I can get. Once there aren't too many grunts in the room, or they're distracted we can rush in, beat the grunts holding the man hostage and make a run for it. The room has to be near the door, so hopefully we can get out quickly. Once we're out, we're home free. They won't bother looking for the girl when we're around to make a racket." Dawn fixed her Pokémon with a hard stare.
"Everyone has to work together to make this work. I'm proud of all the hard work we've put in over the past weeks and how far we've come but there are a lot of them and only a few of us. No one goes alone, stick together and help each other out. The more we work together and keep them from doing so, the better chance we have. Got it?" They didn't make noise, too aware of their situation, but the determined eyes and nods she received were more than enough.
"Then let's do this."
#
Every sound was as loud as Exploud's Boomburst to Dawn's ears, every word echoing in the halls made her heart beat a little faster. The slight clopping sounds of Aries' hooves, the swish of Ion's tail swinging through the air, the scuff of her own shoes on smooth tile floors, any of it could bring them to ruin in an instant. But they met no one as they moved through the halls, following the little girl's instructions on how to reach the main control room. She could hear the voices of grunts, but their voices were becoming rarer and rarer instead of more common as they closed in on the room. Were they not searching for her anymore?
Zephyr didn't share her appreciation for the lack of opponents. He beat his wings and shot forward, ignoring her frantic gestures to come back, banking around a corner-
"Huh?" The voice echoed down the corridor at the same time Zephyr's surprised squawk reached Dawn's ears. She sprinted around the corner, just in time to see the grunt open his mouth to shout, his hand moving towards the Pokéballs on his belt-
Green vines lashed out, one wrapping his arms tightly to his sides and the other stuffing itself in his open mouth, stifling his cry. Aries stepped forward, drawing his capture in close. Zephyr did the rest, launching himself forward with a gentle (by his standards) Quick Attack that knocked the man out. Dawn smiled at Aries, ruffling his grassy coat before turning to Zephyr, kneeling to rifle through the grunt's pockets while she tore into Zephyr.
"Zephyr, you can't shoot ahead of us! You almost got us caught!" He didn't look fazed in the slightest; he'd been looking for a fight, so why would he be mad at finding one? She had to change tactics. "We can't fight until we find that girl's father buddy. He'll be protected by the best they have, right? So we'll have to be smart and stealthy to get him and beat the strongest opponents. Sometimes you have to sneak by the weak enemies so you have the energy to fight the strong ones; we have to wait for the right moment to strike instead of rushing in." That made Zephyr straighten up a little, puffing up his chest and making his crest bob. She had to hope that logic would get through his thick skull.
Her search of the man's pockets yielded a Valley Windworks keycard, a photo of a different man on it. Stolen from one of the employees no doubt. She gestured to Aries to keep their captive bound and stood, turning left at the next intersection.
Ahead she saw a set of large double doors and a line of closed doors on the wall to the left. Moving as silently as possible she used the looted keycard to open the one nearest to the double doors, slipping inside with the rest of her team. The room was all offices but the wall it shared with the control room was thin, so even with the door closed she could hear the sounds coming from the control room. Aries dumped his sleeping prisoner in a corner while Crest and Zephyr took up guard positions on either side of Dawn. Ion waited by the door, his ears twitching madly as he listened for anyone approaching their hiding place.
"How close are we?" A sharp, cold voice asked, muffled by the wall but distinct. Dawn could hear the click of boots on the floor, as well as something heavy moving around in the room. A Pokémon probably, and it sounded large. The voice was female. The scary woman the girl talked about?
"Only fifteen minutes and we'll be at full capacity and can withdraw." The other voice was tight and sharp-edged with tension.
"Go. Faster. I want us out of here within ten minutes. We don't know if that brat got ahold of one of our plants or not, and I don't want to find out. This is a covert operation and this energy is vital to our plans. So. Ten minutes. I don't have to explain what happens if you're even a second over, do I? " The sharp edge in her voice could have sliced through stone.
"No Commander! We'll get it done Commander!"
"Good. Now get to work." A burst of clacking keys and soft voices that Dawn didn't catch through the wall. A couple minutes passed in silence, Dawn counting each second that went by. A burst of static interrupted the clacking of keys before the woman's voice echoed through the wall again.
"What is it?"
"Commander Mars, this is Ghost One. Someone tipped off the police about our attack."
"I know idiot, I've had to split up our forces to search for the brat and secure the perimeter. Your job is to make sure that brat's call didn't get through. If you're breaking protocol to contact, I'm assuming not all went to plan?" If the woman's voice had been cold before, it was pure ice now.
"W-We weren't able to stop the call coming through, we didn't catch it in time. We didn't expect a Pokétch signal-"
"I don't want excuses, I want results! How long do we have before the police arrive?"
"Five minutes, we tried to delay them, but the chief insisted on sending a squad. We're already en-route, a team of fifteen. Ghost Two and I will delay them long enough to allow you to escape."
"Ghost, once we've finished here we're going to have a long talk about how you did such a piss-poor job as to let a trainer, all of which you were supposed to track, get in here and mess up our plans so badly." Her voice was honey sweet now, but it sent a shiver up Dawn's spine much worse than the icy tone did.
"Mars out." A burst of static then the Commander was barking out orders. "Team One, we have incoming, arriving in approximately five minutes. Prepare for battle at the main entrance. Team Two, break off search and join them. Team Three, contact HQ and prepare our exit. Teams Four and Five, get us what we came here for! Team Galactic does not leave jobs unfinished!"
A storm of boots, doors opening and closing, the renewed clacking of keys, overlapping shouts. At least ten, probably more, people ran past the door to their room, Zephyr and Ion dropping into battle stances as they waited for someone to open their door. No one did.
This might be their best opportunity to free the prisoner with most of the forces gone from the main room, but she still didn't know where he was. Thankfully, that problem was solved a moment later.
"Commander? What about the director?"
"Keep him working till we have what we need then dispose of him. He's seen and heard too much." Her tone was dismissive.
"Understood. We'll be done in three minutes." It was now or never then. A quick wave to her Pokémon had them in formation around her as she stood up, ready to head out.
"We've only got one shot at this. We go in fast, knock out as many as we can as quickly as we can. Our first priority is the director- we don't have to beat everyone in there if we can get in, get him and get out. I don't know how strong their commander is but I don't want to take chances." She turned to Zephyr first. "Zephyr, you're flying in with a Quick Attack. Aim for any Pokémon blocking the door or holding the director- he'll be the only one not in one of their silly suits. Once you're done run interference- you can move the fastest. Don't get bogged down in any one battle, keep moving and keep everyone on their toes."
"Aries, I want you using Vine Whip and Leech Seed- trip them up with Vine Whip and trap them with Leech Seed. A trapped enemy is as good as downed one if we can get in and out fast. Crest, you're on defense; Bubble Net is our only good blocking move at the moment. Always try to have a shield up for us. Ion, you're going with me- we'll free the director and you'll defend against anything that gets past the others since you don't have any long range moves yet. Everyone clear?"
They nodded as one but didn't make a sound, turning towards the door ready to go. Dawn took a deep breath. I hope you're watching Dad.
She threw open the door to the offices and sprinted to the double doors, letting Zephyr and Aries rush ahead. Crest and Ion flanked her, keeping up as best they could on short legs. Aries lowered his head and slammed his horns into the door, throwing them wide open with a tremendous bang.
A huge mass of gray, purple and white fur stood in front of the opened doors, hissing and spitting with claws extended. A Purugly, the biggest one Dawn had ever seen. To the right stood a woman in a stylized black and white jumpsuit, her bright red hair making her stand out even against the huge mass of the Purugly. The radio in her hand marked her as the Commander they'd heard. Computers lined the walls of the room, with a couple of floor-to-ceiling machines that looked like an engineer's nightmare lining the back walls. Team Galactic grunts sat at a few of the computer terminals, all with the identical blue-green hair, spacemen outfit and dumbfounded expression. Out of the corner of her eye Dawn could see a trio of three more grunts near the back wall, gathered around a man wearing a white lab coat stained with blood.
"Zephyr, Aries, distract Purugly!" Dawn dashed right, Ion at her heels and Crest just behind them, Bubbles leaking from his beak like water from a faucet. Zephyr and Aries were surging forward to meet the giant normal type head on, but their momentary surprise wasn't enough.
"Faint Attack! Kill the brat!" The red-haired woman shrieked. Purugly leapt forward, body cloaked in darkness. Zephyr used Quick Attack to dodge but Aries took a hard hit, knocking his hooves out from under him and sending him skidding back towards the wall.
Dawn tore her eyes away from the battle, focusing on the grunts surrounding the director. They were slowly getting their bearings, hands moving to the Pokéballs around their waists. She couldn't let that happen. "Ion, Flash!"
Blinding light flared from the tip of Ion's tail, so bright even Dawn's hand in front of her eyes couldn't stop it entirely. Blinking away the spots she saw the grunts all had their hands over their eyes, but a Koffing, Bidoof and Glameow stood ready for battle, blocking their way to the director.
"Ion, Spark on the Glameow! Crest, Bubble the Koffing and Bidoof!" Ion's body surged with electricity and he sprinted forward. Crest turned to face his new foes, Bubbles moving faster as he directed the move towards the poison and normal types.
"Poison Gas them Koffing!"
"Bidoof, Tackle!"
"Glameow, Scratch!"
The Bubbles absorbed the Poison Gas before exploding in Koffing's face; the water type move hurt it more than the absorbed poisons did. Bidoof's Tackle interrupted Crest's follow up, forcing the water type to dance backwards. Ion and Glameow's impromptu wrestling match rolled close to the grunts, making all three back away from the errant sparks and claw swipes. Dawn darted to the side, avoiding the battling Pokémon as she moved towards the director.
The man was slumped against the wall, watching the various battles around the room with a slack jaw and wide eyes when Dawn reached him. She grabbed one arm and yanked him up, catching him when one of his legs gave out. "Come on, we have to get out of here!" she yelled above the clamor.
"Who are you? What's going on?! Have you seen my daughter?!"
"No time, just run!" She dragged him forward, wrapping one of his arms around her neck and keeping Ion and Glameow's battle between them and the grunts.
Crest scored a clean peck on Bidoof, knocking it out, but Koffing swooped down to blast Crest with Poison Gas. Crest breathed it in and began to make the squeaking cry that was his version of a cough. She could see a tint of purple in his face; he'd been poisoned. He wouldn't last long, they had to get out fast!
"Ion, help Crest!" Ion snarled and zapped the Glameow one last time, allowing it to slump to the floor as he raced to help his teammate. Another Flash detonated on his tail, stunning Koffing for a precious moment. Crest stumbled back as Ion leapt forward, dark energy flickering around his teeth as he landed a vicious bite on Koffing. Instead of letting go, Ion threw his whole body to the side, sending Koffing soaring back towards its trainer like a wrecking ball. The round Pokémon crashed into the trio of grunts, sending them all sprawling.
Their momentary distraction with the grunt's Pokémon had cost them. Dawn and the director were halfway to the door when a blast of energy hit the computer terminal in front of them, blowing it up in a blast of heat and noise. Dawn's warding arm was pelted with bits of hot metal and scrap, leaving burning pockmarks where her sleeves didn't protect her. The director backed up quickly, pulling Dawn along with him.
When the dust cleared Dawn saw the red-haired woman facing them, the Purugly at her side. Zephyr and Aries were in the center of the room, still conscious but both heavily injured and breathing hard. Zephyr was missing patches of feathers from both wings and a long cut down his front stained his breast feathers red. Aries' grass was burnt away in spots, a trio of scratches marred his hip and he was limping slightly, left front leg injured somehow. The grunts manning the computer terminals were arrayed behind their Commander. Some rushed about trying to finish whatever they were doing, but most had their hands on their Pokéballs, ready to back the Commander up.
"So this is the brat," the Commander said, her voice lazy and assured. "I thought we'd seen the last of you after you called the police; I was so sure you'd managed to escape somehow. But lucky me, turn out you're more of an idiot than I thought. Did you honestly expect you could take the director and run? Beat Mars, one of Team Galactic's Commanders? Truly, your idiocy is beyond measurement."
"Haven't beaten us yet," Dawn retorted, heartbeat thundering in her ears and sweat beading on her brow despite the brave words. This was their worst-case scenario, the one she'd done her best to avoid. Zephyr and Aries weren't in any condition to fight on. Crest was poisoned; he couldn't battle at full strength and if they didn't get out of here soon, she would have to recall him before the poison did real damage. She would have done so already but they couldn't risk losing their only defensive move in his Bubble Net. That left only Ion as somewhat fresh and he couldn't take on Purugly alone. That left two options: stalling or a distraction.
"Oh? Allow me to correct that statement. Painfully. Let's make a wager, shall we bold brat? You face Purugly. If you beat him, you go free. You can waltz out that door pretty as you please. When you lose… well, you've caused me a lot of trouble today. I'm sure I can come up with many, many ways to make you repay me for all that trouble."
"Deal." She didn't have a choice.
"Purugly, get them. Make it slow and painful." Purugly leapt forward, its huge fangs framing a yowl as vicious as the smile on its trainer's face.
"Dodge!" Aries and Zephyr leapt to the side, Ion running forward to join the battle. Dawn dragged the director back against the wall with the machines, leaving plenty of space for the Pokémon to duke it out.
"Aries, trap it! Zephyr, Wing Attack!" Aries stomped his hoof and vines broke through the tile floor, seeking Purugly's wide feet. Purugly tore through them effortlessly, rushing forward to slam into Aries. Aries was tough, the largest of her Pokémon, but even his bulk didn't help as he was thrown off his feet and into the nearest computer terminal. Sparks flew and Aries collapsed, unable to go on. Dawn recalled him a moment later, whispering thanks and congratulations to the Pokéball as she replaced it on her belt, eyes still fixed on the battle.
Zephyr flew at Purugly, wings glowing with power as they slammed into Purugly. The attack made it snarl but had little other effect. Zephyr had to back up as fast to avoid the retaliatory slash of Purugly's claws, losing a few more feathers when he wasn't quite fast enough.
Ion ran to save his teammate, his body glowing with the electrical power of Spark. Purugly turned to meet his charge, a swirling mass of shadows appearing in front of its open maw. Shadow Ball, and a huge one at that; even as Ion approached it grew to be bigger than Purugly's head. If that hit the battle would be all but over.
"Crest, now! Ion, to the side!" Crest hadn't been sitting idle while the others closed in. A whispered word from Dawn at the beginning of the battle had him hanging back, but now he rushed forward to join the team, Mist spilling from his beak like water from an open dam. The Mist flowed forward to cover the middle of the room; in the span of a blink Dawn couldn't see anything but swirls of moving mist in the cloud. She heard a huge BOOM echo from the other side of the room, the impact of the Shadow Ball making the whole room shake for a moment, drowning out the shouts of the grunts.
Zephyr's screeching cries and Purugly's snarls dominated Dawn's hearing; once she heard Ion's distinctive electric zap as he landed a hit. The Mist didn't die away so she had to assume Crest was still in there, pumping it out. She needed to see him, needed to make sure he was okay, that the poison wasn't overwhelming him. She needed to see, to help all of them! What had she been thinking? The feeling of helplessness crawled up her throat as she strained to make out any details from the sounds of battle.
The Mist burst apart, Zephyr's Whirlwind pushing it away in a tornado of white. She saw the reason for the move the second it was gone. Her heart jumped into her throat. "Ion!"
Ion was trapped beneath one of Purugly's huge paws, trying in vain to summon enough electricity to zap the bigger Pokémon off himself. Zephyr was on the ground nearby, struggling to his feet and throwing Whirlwinds at Purugly in a fruitless attempt to throw the normal type off his smaller teammate. Crest was unmoving in a heap on the floor, bruises marring his body and feathers all out of place. Purugly looked triumphant, fangs bared and claws scratching gouges into the tile floor, unmoved by the winds Zephyr sent blasting into it.
Mars' eyes moved from the battle to fixate on Dawn's face, her mouth turned up into a slight, close-lipped smile and eyebrows raised. "I told you little girl, you don't stand a chance. You never did. Now, you face the consequences. Purugly, get rid of her."
Dawn was frozen, unable to take her eyes off of Ion, whose struggles were growing slower, less frequent. The sparks on his body were dying even as the light in his eyes faded. He was suffocating. Crest was unmoving, overcome by poison. Aries was unconscious, new to the team but still having given his all for them, for her. Even brave Zephyr, who would never give up, never surrender, couldn't find his feet, could only throw weak gusts of wind at his opponent. She had failed them even as they gave their all for her, as she could see the consequences of her failure in the ball of shining light growing in front of Purugly as it charged a Hyper Beam.
It would all be over soon. Dawn closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable.
Light burned through her eyelids. An explosion to her left rattled the wall behind her, causing shrapnel to pelt her left side. The deafening sound of the explosion unable to overwhelm the familiar sound of bubbles popping. A pair of high-pitched shrieks, so loud and furious she imagined it could shake the earth. Nothing hit, tore through her in a flash of burning heat and power. Against the call to hide, to run, to fall, to wait for the inevitable, Dawn opened her eyes.
A wall of Bubbles had appeared between her and Purugly, so thick she could barely see through it, all the bubbles glowing a deep blue. And on the other side of the wall, Purugly had been thrown back three feet from where it stood before, a small form interposed between the wall of Bubbles and their opponents.
Her starter stood tall and proud, body bruised and battered, some feathers tinged purple by the poison in his veins, but he stood, immovable as a mountain. He rocked his head back and from his open beak burst a stream of fast-moving Bubbles, moving in a straight line heading right for Purugly.
Purugly was still struggling to its feet, the bulk that normally protected it from attacks hindering its ability to stand quickly. The Bubblebeam hit it square in the face, sending it skidding back on the smooth tile floor. Purugly yowled in pain, the hit allowing it to roll onto its feet. It began charging another huge Shadow Ball, but Crest wasn't going to allow it the luxury of time. He charged.
Dawn's heart was racing and shaky laugher burst from her lips as she saw Crest land a powerful Peck on Purugly's flank, dancing around its retaliatory Slash. Looking past the thinning cloud of Bubbles she saw Ion's unconscious form lying where Purugly had left him. She recalled him in a flash of light and looked around for Zephyr, who was nowhere to be seen. Where could he have gone?
Purugly might have taken some hard hits, but it was slowly regaining the upper hand. Crest was faster now that Purugly was wounded, but his hits weren't doing enough damage and the poison would wear him down. Before too long Purugly caught him, landing a vicious Bite to one wing when the Piplup tried to use Pound. His wail of pain made Dawn step forward unconsciously, hands clenching into fists, but she couldn't do anything. What could she do against such a monster, except cower in fear?
What she'd always done. Trust in her Pokémon. "Zephyr, now!" She didn't know where he was, what he was doing, but if she knew him even a little, Zephyr was planning to win this battle somehow.
Her trust was rewarded. A dozen Staravia, each glowing with a blinding white aura, dove down from the high ceiling where the remnants of Crest's Mist had gathered. They shrieked a battle cry in tandem and dove, heading straight for Purugly.
Purugly let go of Crest and yowled its own battle cry, a mass of orange light gathering in front of it. With only a moment to spare it shot, the Hyper Beam carving through each of the clones in turn. Debris rained down from the ceiling where the beam passed. Two of the final clones were blow to nothingness as they made the final approach, but one doppelgänger tucked one wing close in a beautiful dodge, spiraling around the beam and slamming into Purugly with all the force a Take Down enhanced by Zephyr's Reckless could impart. Crest, not about to be shown up, shot a Bubblebeam into Purugly's side at the same moment.
It was too much for the normal type. Thrown across the room, burnt, battered, soaking wet and exhausted, it finally collapsed into a heap at its trainer's feet. Mars' eyes were wide, mouth hanging open as she tried to comprehend what had just happened. Crest and Zephyr stood together in the center of the ruined room, ignoring the wounds on their worn bodies as they shrieked their victory for all to hear. Dawn shouted congratulations, voice nearly breaking and smile bright as the sun, the unshed tears in her eyes making everything just a little bit blurry.
Mars went from shock to rage in a second, face reddening and fingers clenching into fists. "This can't be! You uppity brat!" Mars withdrew another Pokéball from her belt, face flushed red and teeth bared in a snarl. "You'll regret the day you were born you-"
"Freeze!" An avalanche of stomping feet interrupted her tirade. The double doors flung open wide once again and a flood of people in blue police uniforms rushed through the doors, all holding Pokéballs and stun batons. Growlithe and Roselia ran at their feet, fresh and ready for battle.
An Officer Jenny stomped up to the front, blue hair spilling out from beneath her police cap, stun baton crackling fiercely. An Arcanine shouldered through the crowd to stand by her side, dwarfing her with its bulk. "Surrender now, we've got the building surrounded, several of your people have already been taken into custody, you're outnumbered, and we have dark types ready to stop any attempt at teleportation. It's over."
Mars was incoherent, dark mutterings spilling out of her mouth and hand trembling as it clutched the Pokéball. Her head was lowered so no one could see her eyes. The Grunts had backed up against the damaged wall, all watching their leader nervously. The police still stood firm, their Pokémon shifting on their feet, eyes darting between the downed Purugly, Mars and where Zephyr and Crest still stood, too injured or tired to move.
After a long moment Mars threw back her head and laughed. "I can't believe it! You actually think you have us caught? What a bunch of idiots! We've accomplished our goals; we drained this place dry and got all the energy we need. Team Galactic will accomplish our goals, and nothing will get in our way. I will personally see to it!" She leveled a dark glare at Dawn where she stood against the back wall with the director. "You hear that brat? I'll be back for you!" She turned to face the police again. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we must be going."
"Not on my watch!" Officer Jenny brandished her baton, taking a step forward. The moment she did, pandemonium broke out at the back of the officer's ranks. Two officers standing in the middle of the police ranks pulled out Pokéballs and released the Pokémon inside, a Croagunk and a Magneton. The Pokémon immediately attacked all those close to them, knocking out the Mightyena that was the only Dark type Dawn could see before moving on to the Growlithe and Roserade. The turncoat officers themselves leapt at their fellows, stunning as many as they could reach with harsh thwacks of their batons. The room turned into a chaotic battlefield in a matter of seconds.
Mars took full advantage of the distraction, recalling Purugly and releasing the Pokémon in her other Pokéball before Arcanine lunged at her. A flash of light made Dawn throw an arm in front of her eyes. When she lowered the guarding arm, blinking to clear the spots from her vision, Officer Jenny and Arcanine stood where Mars had been only a second before, Officer Jenny swearing like a sailor. It wasn't hard to see why; the whole corner had been cleared of Team Galactic. Where the two turncoat officers and their Pokémon had been fighting was now just a horde of confused officers and Pokémon.
Team Galactic was gone, escaped. It was finally over.
#
The conference room was empty and dull, just a table and a few worn chairs pushed in under it. Dawn's head rested on her crossed arms, leaning on the table as she tried not to fall asleep. She felt empty, worn, devoid of any emotions other than exhaustion and worry. Her belt felt empty, too light without her Pokéballs, taken to Nurse Joy over two hours ago. She'd told her story multiple times to multiple officers. She'd watched the director reunite with his daughter and be taken away for medical treatment. She didn't know what else they could want from her but didn't have the energy to get up and ask. All she could do was hope they would hurry it up so she could check on her friends and get some sleep.
She was almost asleep when the door opened. The creak of worn hinges made her shoot upright, turning to face whoever had come it. The man was tall, with ruffled black hair in need of a comb, a long, worn face, tired black eyes and a large brown coat with many pockets that hung to his knees. He carried a notebook under one arm, had a pen stuck behind his ear and held a massive container of coffee, judging by the smell. He took a long drink from his mug before settling down in the chair across from Dawn.
"Thank you for waiting. As I imagine you're aware, this incident has led to quite a bit of work needing to get done and there aren't nearly enough people to do it." The man spoke with a slight accent; he wasn't from Sinnoh, but Dawn couldn't place it. He didn't look like a police officer either. A detective of some sort? Someone brought in to figure out what Team Galactic wanted?
"Call me Looker. I'm an agent with the International Police. I've been looking into this 'Team Galactic' for the past few months, but this is the first major incident we've seen from them. Frankly, we thought they were small potatoes until now, a group doing nothing more than some small Pokémon theft and trafficking." Well the answered her question, and several more besides.
"A while back in Jubilife City, they tried to attack Professor Rowan and a friend of mine."
Looker leaned forward at that, right hand snatching the pen from behind his ear and beginning to scribble on his notepad. "We never had any report of the kind. Please, describe the incident for me as best you can."
Dawn did so, describing how the two grunts had attacked Professor Rowan and Lucas in the alley, as well as what they'd been after.
Looker let out a long sigh when she finished her tale. "Professor Rowan should have known better than to leave it unreported. If it was just petty theft, I would understand, but research material? That means he was targeted, and a professor's research notes are a valuable target. He should have reported it right away." He scribbled another note on his pad, flipping pages before looking up and fixing her with a no-nonsense stare. "Now, on to the Windworks. Why did you go after the director? Why didn't you stay hidden? You might have avoided them until we came if you stayed with the director's daughter."
"I couldn't just stay there and let them keep hurting the director!" Dawn's fervor was muted by the exhaustion but not extinguished. "I came into the building because I heard someone scream; when his daughter told me about the takeover, I finally had a direction to go to help!" The little girl's tearstained face. A man at the door of their house, a belt clutched in one hand. Her mother, crying late into the night. "And no little girl should have to live without her father in her life because of some greedy idiots."
Looker studied her for a moment, dark eyes taking in every aspect of her. Dawn felt a little bit like she was being judged. After a moment of silence, he smiled, a genuine smile that reached his eyes, not the polite ones she'd been getting from the police officers for the past two hours. "You're young, still growing, but you're a Trainer through and through. You should be proud to have that instinct. Still, I have to advise you to be more cautious; you might not have come out of that encounter so well if we hadn't come when we did."
"I tried my best to be careful, but a man's life was on the line. I won't apologize for taking risks in that scenario." Dawn stared him down, trying not to betray the guilt simmering beneath the surface. It was hypocritical to say such a thing when she was sitting here with only a few minor scratches while her Pokémon were badly hurt. She would have to do better; be more prepared, make a better plan, become so much stronger, both her and her Pokémon. She could do better, so she would do better.
"I understand, but try to be more cautious. Team Galactic is more formidable than we anticipated; that Commander appeared to have Pokémon on par with a Gym Leader's true team. So heed my advice: steer clear of them in the future." He asked her some more questions, digging into everything she had heard them say and all the names she could remember.
After a final, intense round of questions on everything from their uniforms to the Pokémon they used, Looker stood up, gathering his scattered notes, sticking the pen behind his ear and taking another long sip from his coffee. Dawn stood up as well, ready to go. Before she could get to the door, Looker caught her shoulder with a free hand.
"Wait." He juggled his papers and coffee for a moment, scribbling a number down on a scrap of paper and pushing it into her hand. "My number, set to reach me wherever I am," he explained at her questioning look. "If you remember anything else important to the case or run across Team Galactic again, give me a call. If you need help, don't be afraid to call too." A large hand landed on her shoulder. "No one here will admit it, but you've done us a great service today by revealing Team Galactic and the threat they pose. Be proud Dawn; you saved lives today. The International Police and the Lily of the Valley League are grateful, and don't forget it."
Dawn found that that sentence, small as it might have been, let her shoulders become a little less hunched, her back a little straighter, her chin rise. She had saved lives; that was all she needed to know their toil had been worth it.
#
"How are my Pokémon?"
Nurse Joy sighed, a hand rising to rub at her tired eyes. "They're getting better, but it will take a few days before they're fully recovered. Skiddo is mostly fine, just banged up and bruised. Skiddo are sturdy and better built to hard hits, so he should heal up the fastest, just a few more hours. Your Shinx has some rather deep cuts and a broken rib; he'll need at least a full day here in the Center to heal and he shouldn't train or battle for at least two more days after that."
"Your Staravia has similar injuries. He's missing some primary feathers and his wings are badly bruised; he shouldn't fly for three days. One of his talons was torn, he's got a deep cut on his chest and his entire body is covered with bruises, probably due to the effects of using Take Down in combination with his ability. To be honest I'm surprised it wasn't worse; most members of the Starly line with Reckless end up hurting themselves badly when they use a recoil move for the first time. But they're a hardy species, so I'm of the opinion he'll heal fine. He should be ready to go again by the time Shinx finishes healing, but only light training and no battling for three days after."
Nurse Joy fixed Dawn with a hard stare. "I'm most worried about your Piplup, even though he had the fewest immediate injuries. He was badly poisoned and left untreated for far too long, as well as forced to fight with the poison in his system. I've examined him thoroughly and haven't found anything other than exhaustion, a few bruises, some cuts and the poison, which I treated immediately. I want to keep him here for three days, same as the others except for Skiddo, so that I can monitor him in case something comes up that I missed. Poison left untreated for so long can have unexpected side effects."
"I understand. Can I see him, them?"
"For a few minutes. It should help them stress less, especially if they all see you at the same time. Is that all right?"
"Perfect." Dawn watched Nurse Joy walk back through the double doors leading to the hospital section of the Pokémon Center, one hand pulling at her hair incessantly while the other fiddled with the straps of her backpack. She had to see them, had to apologize, had to make sure they were okay with her own eyes. Her gaze bounced around the room, never settling on one thing for very long before snapping back to look at the double doors ahead.
It felt like an eternity before Nurse Joy came back, opening one door and gesturing for Dawn to follow her. She followed the nurse through large rooms with tables and medical equipment into a blank white hall that reminded her far too much of the Valley Windworks. Nurse Joy stopped at an unremarkable door and pushed it open, gesturing for Dawn to go inside.
Inside were her Pokémon, huddled together as she'd never seen before. There was Aries, lying on the floor with his hooves tucked under him, deep in conversation with the Piplup standing beside him. Zephyr perched on his back, talons kneading the thick layer of grass on Aries' back, shuffling around every few seconds, the bare patches on his wings all too visible. Ion was lying right in front of Aries, ears twitching and tail swaying back and forth as he monitored Crest and Aries' conversation.
All movement stilled when they turned to look at the open door. Dawn couldn't control her body and she shot forward, sliding on her knees to be at their level as she got close. Only a moment from grabbing them all in her arms, she hesitated, looking at the wounds, the stitches, the bruises still plain to see behind Crest's feathers and Ion's fur, at how Aries seemed reluctant to move.
Before she could go for the hug Crest did it for her. A pair of small blue wings wrapped around her and the comforting feeling of his slick feathers against her skin embraced her. Ion's head rubbed against her side, a deep purring sound emanating from his chest. Aries leaned his head against her legs and Zephyr hopped off his grassy perch to shuffle around to her back and lean his body into hers. They stood like that for a while, enjoying the physical support and comfort without the need for words or movement. Dawn didn't even notice the sound of Nurse Joy closing the door.
An eternity contained in a moment passed before Dawn spoke. "Thank you. You were all amazing, more that I could ever ask for or expect from you. You held them off long enough for help to come against insurmountable odds. You saved my life and the lives of others. Thank you."
She lifted her head to look into Crest's deep blue eyes, which held less pride and more love than they had even this morning. "You all saved me. I will never be able to repay you, but I'll keep trying for the rest of my life." She turned to look at all her Pokémon in turn, locking eyes with each for a moment before moving on. "We're going to get stronger, smarter, faster, until no one can challenge us. Until we can crush those who stand in our way, who hurt others just because they can. We're going to be the strongest, the protectors of Sinnoh, and we'll crush Team Galactic wherever they show their ugly faces!"
A combined battle cry echoed off the stark white walls as her Pokémon roared their conviction for all to hear. Dawn snuggled in closer, enjoying the warmth and love for as long as she could. Soon they would have to rise, to train, to battle, to travel and grow as much as they could. But for now, in the wake of a battle that had nearly knocked them down for good, they could just rest.
#
I live! Sorry for the long wait, as it turns out pandemics and graduation are not great for my writing schedule. When I realized the one-year mark for this fic was coming up I pushed to make sure I could get this chapter out in celebration. Thank you all for coming so far with me, I'm excited to show you what happens next!
I'm starting a new job in September and the next chapter is shaping up to be longer than usual so it might be a while before the next chapter comes out, but I promise it won't be such a long wait this time! Thanks for reading, see you next time!
