Chapter 11: The Rocket Clan
"No, please, I'm fine. I don't need it!" Clemont pleaded as Ash locked his arms around his.
"Clemont quit being such a baby!" Bonnie cried before smirking at Ash. With two swift movements, Clemont yelped when his back cracked spectacularly.
"Aidez-Moi!" Ash shook his head and set the squire down as he lay motionlessly on the sand with a look of bliss on his face. Ash adjusted his own back and savored the feeling of relief after a long morning of training, sparring, and swimming.
"Bien, you ready to try some more flying?"
"No!"
"Oui!" Bonnie tried to race after Ash before he shook his head.
"Non, Bonnie, you're still too young."
"Awww." Bonnie pouted.
"Pikachu, I'm sure Dedenne would like a playmate if you don't mind sitting out on the flying."
"Pika." Pikachu sounded a little too eager and leaped before Bonnie's feet as Dedenne rushed out.
"Don't feel like crashing then?" Ash chuckled with Lucario, Fletchling, and Charizard as Pikachu sweatdropped.
"Pika."
"C'est bon, have fun." Ash rinsed himself off in the ocean to clean off the last of his sweat before drying himself and placing the wing-suit on. From there, he, Fletchling, and Charizard went up to the cliffside where Red and Serena's non-flying pokemon rested together, clearly exhausted from a long morning of training.
"Bonjour, where's my lovely wife and dear brother?" Ash asked as a half-snoozing Fennekin, Sceptile, and Kirlia pointed to the air.
"Merveilleuse!" Serena cried. The Princess flew overhead with Charla beside her, wings outstretched. The odd Charmander looked extremely nervous but better than when Serena caught her two days earlier.
"What took you so long!?" Red laughed as he flew in with Charizard and Noibat before landing beside Ash.
"You almost dislocated his back this morning during sparring, and I had to fix it."
Red shrugged.
"Il ne peut pas être aidé. He needs to be able to protect himself." Ash agreed but also wondered if they could do what monsieur Pierre couldn't.
Ash was about to lower his goggles when he thought he saw shadows moving in the rocks above them.
"Did you see that?" Ash asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Oui." Red similarly tightened his fist while agreeing.
"Someone's been following us for two days now. Routiers, Lysandre's forces?"
Red shook his head.
"J'en doute, if it was, they'd have attacked by now. This is something else, but what?"
Ash took a deep breath.
"I suppose all we can do is stay on our guard."
Finally, the young knight brought his goggles down and leaped off the cliff, arms outstretched and his pokemon beside him. Charizard glanced up at Charla, who began to struggle and quickly flew up underneath her.
"Grauu." He growled, assuring her that he'd catch her if she fell, making Charla blush. Ash smiled slightly before losing control and crashing into the ocean.
"Fletch." Fletchling sighed, disappointed that his trainer still couldn't fly very well. Unlike Serena and Red, who took to it like naturals and improved every day.
After another half-hour or so, they joined Clemont and Bonnie for breakfast.
"And here's a reward for all your hard work." Serena said, beaming as she handed Charla a dragon macaroon before giving one out to the other pokemon.
"Char!" Charla got a little too excited and ended up dropping hers, only for Ash's Charizard to catch the sweet and offer it back to her. Charla trembled slightly as she took it, making Ash and Serena smile as the Princess groomed Fennekin and Pancham.
"Are we going to get to Ambrette town today?" Bonnie asked somewhat impatiently.
"Oui, by this afternoon." Red answered.
"Are we sure there's no Galar there?" Clemont nervously muttered.
"Oui, all of the Galar forces in the area are apparently regrouping at Cyllage City. Count Grant is clearly going to make a move on them." Ash said.
"What does that mean for us?" Serena asked cautiously before Ash put a comforting hand on her shoulder
"Let's not worry about that now. Ambrette town is ahead of us, and your next performance there." Serena beamed again.
"Can Charla perform yet!?" Bonnie eagerly asked.
"Char." Charla nervously looked away before Pancham gave her a reassuring pat on the back.
"Her flying's definitely improving."
"Not just her's. Can we expect to see some flying in your routine?" Ash asked, but Serena shook her head.
"Not yet. I'm still getting used to it."
"Absurdité, you're ages better than Ash. You should probably instruct him." Red chuckled.
"Why can't you teach me?" Ash retorted.
"I'm too busy helping Clemont learn swordsmanship."
"Ehhh!" Clemont muttered.
"Bien!" Bonnie added gleefully.
After breakfast, the group packed up and continued the journey towards Ambrette, passing a few merchants and other travelers along the way, who confirmed that the town remained free of Galar forces.
As they neared their destination, Clemont groaned, his legs wobbling and arms dangling in front of the squire as he panted.
"S'il vous plaît, s'il vous plaît, can we take a five-minute rest!" Clemont pleaded.
"Sheez, brother, you need to stop complaining so much!" Bonnie shouted, earning a fierce look from him.
"Easy for you to say!" Clemont retorted as he watched his sister ride on Red's shoulders. Serena similarly rested in Ash's arms, bridal style, while Charla eagerly rode on Charizard's back.
"You didn't need to carry me." Serena giggled, blushing slightly.
"You need some rest before your performance tomorrow. Don't tell me you aren't tired." Serena couldn't deny that her intense practice and new flying training with Charla left her exhausted. Nor would she ever say no to letting Ash carry her.
"Ahh, finalement." Red exhaled in relief as they reached the hilltop and looked down at a coastal town before them surrounded by rocky cliffs on both sides and small forests of vegetation around the stone.
Ambrette town appeared vibrant from a distance, with sturdy walls, fine buildings of rich brown wood, flowing marketplaces, and extensive docks. However, Ash, Red, and Serena noticed that the rocks remained packed with ships, none departing or arriving.
"So pretty!" Bonnie cried.
"At last, we can rest." Clemont muttered before collapsing onto his side. Sceptile shook his head while Kirlia giggled. Luxray, Bunnelby, and Chespin all helped lift their trainer onto Sceptile's back.
"Why are all the ships in port?" Serena asked.
Ash and Red gritted their teeth as they looked out at the horizon with suspicion.
"I have a suspicion."
Upon reaching the front gate, they saw only a single guard adorned in brigandine and half helm with a Sliggoo beside him manning town's entrance.
"Bonjour, ma dame, monsieurs." He said, easily identifying them as nobles/knights.
"Bonjour, is there a gate fee?" Red asked.
"Do you intend to sell anything here?"
"No."
"Aucun alors, bienvenue." The soldier and his Sliggoo moved aside and allowed the party to enter. However, as they moved into Ambrette, its distant beauty showed early signs of decay upon a closer look.
While not quite in the same state as Camphrier town, Ambrette Town's roads began to collect litter, once vibrant shops now struggled to stock inventory, and ruff-looking men/pokemon packed the streets.
These men spoke in Kalos and didn't look like Galar routiers but were muscular and very salty in appearance, undoubtedly sailors, which wasn't surprising given it was a port town. However, the fact that so many crowded Ambrette started to confirm Ash and Red's suspicions.
"Why are they all here?" Serena asked after noticing a few sailors and their pokemon pushing past a few frightened townsfolk. Ash and Red almost gripped their swords when two armored soldiers and an armored knight raced over, two Fletchinder and an Aegislash close behind.
"Assez!" The knight roared before he and his men broke up the sailors. However, another scuffle broke out within moments, forcing the same knight to rush over.
Despite the town's size, Ash and the others saw what amounted to a skeleton garrison of soldiers trying desperately to maintain order between the locals, traveling merchants, and excess of sailors.
The knight removed his helmet to reveal an exhausted middle-aged man with short greenish-brown hair and teel eyes. His Aegislash placed a hand on his shoulder as the knight tried to catch his breath.
"Forgive me, monsieur, but there's still the matter of the baker's guild-" A more petite bald man in a green tunic, clearly a cleric, muttered as he approached the knight with parchment in hand and an Inkay close behind.
"Give us a moment, Jehan, s'il te plaît!" The knight groaned. His soldiers similarly sighed, sweat trickling down their brows. Just then, another squabble broke out as a few sailors, and their Corphish tried to take some fruit forcefully from a vendor.
"This is nothing short of robbery, petit homme gourmand." One of the sailors growled as he grabbed the terrified merchant by the collar of his tunic and lifted him up, fist raised.
"You're calling him a robber?" The sailor grunted slightly upon feeling a strong hand seize his raised fist and pull it back against the joint. He and his companions turned to see both brothers and their pokemon standing behind them with fierce gazes.
Ash and Red's demeanors, gilded spurs, and sheathed swords easily identified them as knights even without their armor on.
"S'il vous plait, Monsieurs! They're going to rob and abuse me!" The merchant and his Pansage pleaded.
"This greedy bâtard is charging four livre for one oran berry!"
"Quoi!" Serena, Bonnie, and Serena all yelped in disbelief. Even the knight brothers now turned to the merchant with stern looks, making him sweatdrop.
"I have no choice, monsieurs! These sailors are gobbling up all the food in town, prices have gone up everywhere, and I need to eat too!"
"My corphish won't go hungry because of you, homme gourmand!" one of the sailors growled before Serena approached them.
"Est-ce assez?" She asked while taking out a handful of livre. After stopping at the Parfum Palace, the group replenished their money supply and thus had more than enough.
"Oui!" The merchant eagerly took Serena's money before handing each sailor a small sack. Upon inspecting the contents, the sailors nodded before departing with their pokemon.
"Merci." Each muttered quietly to Serena. The knight and his two soldiers arrived with immensely relieved expressions by then.
"Ahh, merci ma dame, monsieurs." The knight sighed.
"It was nothing, monsieur?"
"Eddy, monsieur Eddy."
"Ahh, bonjour monsieur Eddy. I'm monsieur Ash, this is my brother monsieur Red, my wife, ma dame-" Ash started before Red gave him a stern expression.
"Yvonne." Ash continued.
"Yvonne? Her name's Ser-" Bonnie started before Clemont quickly covered her mouth.
"This is our squire Clemont, and his sister Bonnie."
"Bonjour." Clemont said, making Eddy raise an eyebrow in surprise upon seeing Clemont's age and hearing he was still a squire.
"Monsieur, what's happening here?" Serena asked while looking around at the town.
"The Galar, that's what's happening."
"Galar? Are they raiding the countryside!?" Clemont muttered while whipping out a hand cannon.
"Brother, put that away before you hurt someone." Bonnie muttered.
"No, there are pirates, aren't there." Red said, and Eddy's reaction gave them their answer before he even grinned.
"Oui. Since our defeat in the north, they started raiding shipping to and from Kalos, including many ships from far away regions. It's taken a toll on the local economy. Count Grant sent me here to keep the peace, but with his planned assault on Cyllage city, he could only spare a small force of men to keep the peace."
Ash and Red grit their teeth while Serena looked back at the sailors.
"But why don't the sailors go out and fight off the pirates?" Serena asked, noticing most of them carried weapons. Eddy and his soldiers narrowed their eyes at the various sailors with clear annoyance and subtle resentment.
"Because they're a bunch of lâches crétins! They refuse to do anything until after the Count retakes Cyllage City and knows it's safe. But until they deal with those pirates and Galar supply ships, it's unlikely the Count will be able to retake his city."
Charla growled before Serena eased her with a few head strokes. Bonnie, however, couldn't contain herself. The little girl turned red in the face and sprinted over to the nearest group of sailors.
"Hé toi! Why are you all sitting around when there are bad Galar pirates out there!? Are you men or little girls like me! Get out there and do something!" She screamed.
"Bonnie!" Clemont muttered as many sailors turned to them with unsavory expressions.
"She's not wrong." A soldier growled as he stepped up behind her. The sailors moved aside, allowing Clemont to rush over and pull Bonnie back.
"Ahh, pardonne-moi!" Eddy groaned upon seeing another scuffle break out.
"What should we do now?" Clemont asked.
"I'd say these sailors need a little inspiration." Serena smiled confidently while Ash, Red, Bonnie, and their pokemon agreed.
"Oui, we just need to find the right place to do it." Ash felt Red nudge his shoulder and quickly emphasized what appeared to be subtle movement around them from unseen figures.
"Pika." Pikachu growled.
"Clemont, arm us first." Red said, surprising him.
"Eh, why?"
"I think someone's following us. We need to be prepared." Ash added. Serena and Clemont looked around at the very few guards and nodded. Clemont quickly put the brothers' armor on and squirmed when they made him get in his own.
"Gaah! I-"
"Clemont, an assailant won't care if your not a natural fighter." Ash spoke sternly, and Clemont reluctantly nodded as they handed him a sword.
"Let's stay close together." Ash said as he took Serena by the hand and walked through the narrow streets. The group tried to remain in plain view of passerbys which wasn't difficult given the sheer number of sailors there. Thankfully the ruff men didn't bother them upon seeing three armed and armored men among them.
After almost two hours, their search took them to a pair of taverns, the beach, harbor, and town square.
"What do you think?" Ash asked Serena, who considered each option.
"I liked the town square!" Bonnie eagerly contributed.
"Oui, but it's the sailors she needs to inspire, and more of them will be in the taverns." Red added.
"Perhaps, but don't forget, it's not just the sailors I want to inspire." Serena smiled before trying to emphasize the other townsfolk. However, it was only then that the group realized they'd taken a narrow passageway with no one else there.
"Eh?" Serena muttered.
"Merde!" Ash lowered his visor and got in front of Serena while Pikachu leaped down and sparked his cheeks. The pokemon heard hushed footsteps moving around them from humans and pokemon alike.
"Quoi?" Clemont muttered while Bonnie and Dedenne nervously got behind him and Red.
"Who's there!?" Red snarled, similarly drawing his sword and lowering his helmet's visor. No response came, but Pikachu heard the subtle movement and frantically pointed towards Serena.
"Iron tail!" Ash threw himself in front of his wife just as two star-shaped metal objects with sharp ends bounced off his armor.
"Pika chu!" Pikachu leaped up and knocked away the other shurikens with his iron tail.
"Char!" Charla yelped in pure terror when she saw the weapons.
"Charla, what's wrong?" Serena asked before her dragon-Charmander buried herself in the Princess's embrace and trembled as if in a blizzard.
Red's eyes went wide when he finally saw them, three figures dressed entirely in black outfits, including face coverings that only revealed their eyes. Serena and the others occasionally saw similar outfits from Kanto merchants in Laverre city, shōzoku, she thought they were called.
However, these variants made the men look like shadows, and each possessed what looked like a red 'R' in the chest with a sheathed sword on their backs.
Six Zubat flew behind them and unleashed supersonic, making the humans and pokemon alike, all of them seizing their ears in agony.
"Ahhh! It's too loud!" Bonnie cried. All three assailants drew their swords, which looked radically different from broadswords. These were shorter, thinner, very slightly curved, and lacked triangular tips at the end, instead coming in at an angle.
"Kirlia, use hypnosis!"
"Kirl!" Sceptile endured the supersonic and covered Kirlia's ears, allowing her to unleash the psychic attack on two Zubat, putting them to sleep.
While this didn't end the supersonic attack, it lessened it enough for Noibat and Red's Charizard to counter, both knocking out two Zubats with their attacks.
All three assailants came from different directions and moved with incredible agility, two running across the walls. Red, however, caught them off-guard by attacking first, lashing out with his broadsword at the center one, and forcing him back. The other two completely ignored their companion and went straight for Serena.
"Char!" Charla became frantic and desperately tried to get herself and Serena away from the assailants. However, this proved unnecessary, for Ash intervened and drove both men back with two sword strikes. After forcing their swords aside, Ash managed to virtually hurl one back with a punch that sent him sprawling.
Despite this, the assailant performed a backflip and recovered.
"Brother, do something!" Gulping hard, Clemont threw himself at this assailant and exchanged a few sword-blows with him. Red and Ash were far more successful, for, despite the assailants' speed and agility, the brothers' strength and power proved far more decisive.
Red almost sent his opponent's sword flying with one strike and the man leaped back to hurl a few shurikens towards Red's visor, clearly hoping to strike his eyes. However, the knight easily stopped this by merely raising his arm and feeling the throwing weapons bounce harmlessly off the plate armor.
When he came back in, Red easily pushed the man's sword away and came down, slicing clean through his arm and torso in one blow. Nearby, Ash similarly grabbed his sword by the tip and thrust upward, throwing the second assailant's weapon towards the sky and allowing him to deliver a crushing kick to the man's stomach.
Once sprawled on the ground, he was helpless to stop the knight from coming down and stabbing his stomach.
Meanwhile, Clemont felt sweat fog his visor and struggled to keep up with the third assailant. His swordsmanship showed much improvement since Ash and Red's remedial training, but he was still far from where a knight should be.
Even so, Clemont almost yelped in excitement when he landed a lucky blow and sent the man's sword flying. However, he merely flipped himself backward and pulled out a new weapon, which looked like a curved digging tool with a chain attached to the end.
"Eh?" The assailant flung the chains around Clemont's legs and pulled him off his feet. He hit the ground with a clang but soon grinned.
"Now I've got you right where I want you!" The squire whipped out one of his hand cannons which made the assailant raise an eyebrow.
"Eat this!" After a thunderous bang, the assailant almost crashed into a wall. Yet before any of them could celebrate, eight more of the same assailants raced in, surrounding them.
"Ahhhh!" Bonnie cried in pure terror. Just like before, these new assailants came in with Zubat, but also Rattata, which the group's pokemon quickly began battling, all except for Charla who continued to shake in Serena's arms.
"Charla, it's going to be ok." Serena tried to assure her.
"Serena, get Bonnie and get out of here!" Ash roared while fighting off three assailants at once. Serena certainly didn't want to leave them but also knew she and Bonnie couldn't directly help either. The best thing they could do was get away and find help.
Bonnie ran over to the Princess and looked around with her for a way to escape.
"Là!" Serena pointed to a somewhat low cliffside and raced over before lifting Bonnie up and onto it. She then did the same for Fennekin and Pancham, but Charla refused to let go of her.
"Charla, please, I need to-"
"Serena look out!" Bonnie cried, pointing to pair of Zubat who flew right for her and Charla.
"Dragon Pulse!" A dragon pulse came from above the Princess and easily knocked out both Zubat. Just then, another hand reached down from the ridge and seized Serena's arm before pulling her and Charla up.
"Soko ni imasu!" Bonnie, Serena, and her pokemon almost jumped when they saw who'd just rescued the princess. A young woman with tan skin, brown eyes, and short flat black hair knelt before them with an Altaria above her.
She wore a black tank top with two red crescents on the chest. She wore dark grey short shorts with a red rope belt and grey leggings that went just past her knees. Lastly, she wore a slightly torn-up cloak coming over just her back and shoulders with fake black scales on the neck and shoulders.
"Ahh, merci, ma dame, I-"
"Char!" Bonnie, Serena, and her pokemon saw the surprise in Charla's eyes when she looked upon the young woman who placed both hands on the odd Charmander's face with an eager smile.
"Anata o mitsukemashita!" She shouted.
Back in the streets, Red continued to fight off several assailants at once when he and Charizard noticed several Zubat and Rattata go flying.
"Quoi?"
"Ska!"
"Aggro!"
"Scizor!"
"Bisharp!"
A Skarmy, Aggron, Scizor, and Bisharp furiously drove through the attacking pokemon, and didn't do so alone. Another armored warrior revealed himself beside the pokemon. However, he was no knight.
His metal armor was of a completely different design from that of knight's armor, and Red soon recognized it from a display on a trip to Laverre city.
"Samurai!" Red almost muttered. His blue and black armor (think Orochi from For Honor but with metal armor instead of wood, samurai didn't wear wooden armor) contrasted the streets but matched bits of long hair that extended from his helmet. The warrior looked around Red's height at six-three with a similar athletic build and wielded a katana sword.
The samurai drew two assailants off Red and engaged them, fighting with a very analytical and precise style, reading his opponents' movements for a minute or so before striking back and killing them both with two swift blows.
At the other end of the alleyway, Ash and Lucario's eyes widened when they saw another Lucario race past them and knock out five pokemon with five successive blows. Soon after, another slightly taller samurai charged in with a larger version of the other samurai's sword in his hands.
However, unlike his companion, this samurai kept his face covered by a faced mask (think kensei from for honor). This samurai wasn't analytical like his companion but proved no less deadly, dealing with two assailants even faster.
The samurais' intervention allowed Ash and Red to strike down the last few while Clemont freed himself from the chains. Both samurai immediately sheathed their swords and exhaled.
"Kanojo wa koko ni imasu!" The young woman shouted to her companions, though only the first samurai nodded, removing his helmet to reveal a handsome face and long blue hair. He said something to her in a tone and with an expression that clearly indicated their relationship was more than just friendship, particularly when the young woman blushed slightly and giggled.
However, he then saw Ash, Red, and Clemont staring at him and adjusted himself.
"Ahhh, bonjour, uh monsieurs?" He muttered while sweatdropping, clearly struggling with the Kalos language.
"Kantō kara tōidesu." Red said in perfect Kanto, surprising the samurai.
"You speak Kanto like a native!" Though they'd spoken Kalos primarily since their adoption, Ash and Red still remembered Kanto.
"Hai." Ash answered as he and Red raised their visors, revealing their Kanto heritage, nearly making the samurai double-take.
"Well, I wasn't expecting that!" He laughed with his pokemon.
"The name's Rokusho, Rokusho Tekken. I'm actually from Hoenn originally, but we did travel here from Kanto. That's my wife Zinnia-"
"Kon'nichiwa!" Zinnia shouted while waving down at them.
"And our companion, Felix." The second samurai didn't speak or even turn to face them, but merely stared at his sword and the dead assailants beneath them, causing Rokusho to sweatdrop.
"He's not really a talker." Though Ash and Lucario couldn't see Felix's face, they understood there was something more to him, particularly when his Lucario placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Who were these people, and why did they attack us?" Red asked, instantly ending Rokusho's smile as he looked back at the bodies like Felix.
"These are shinobi, warriors of the Rocket Clan."
"Rocket Clan?" Both brothers asked.
"Hai, and they attacked you because of her." Rokusho pointed towards Serena, nearly making Ash and his pokemon yelp.
"Ehhh! Serena!"
"What!? What did they say!?" Serena frantically shouted, unable to understand their conversation.
"No, not her, the Charmander."
"Charla?" Red, Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie muttered in confusion while Serena held her pokemon tighter.
"Serena?" All eyes turned to none other than monsieur Eddy, who'd just arrived with six guards only to see the melee over.
"Uhhh!?" Ash said while sweatdropping with Red and Pikachu.
"Attendez." Eddy peered closer at Serena and Fennekin before it hit him.
"Ahhhh! Princess Serena!"
"Merde."
That evening, Ash and the others sat around a large table in a dinning chamber within a manor.
"Everything's to your liking, your majesty!?" A woman roughly Eddy's age muttered with a terrified expression on her face.
"Oui! You're a wonderful host, lady Lindsey." Serena answered, making the noblewomen's trembling worsen. Lady Lindsey had shoulder-length velvetish brown hair and slightly purple eyes. Two boys, roughly eight and ten, sat beside her and monsieur Eddy, their sons, Andri and Heu.
"Why did you hide your identity from us, your majesty?" Eddy asked, his fatigue from earlier that day catching up.
"Pardonnez-nous, please understand, we're not trying to draw attention to Serena with the Galar King after her." Ash explained.
"Well, you were almost killed by those, uh, what did you call them?" Eddy asked Rokusho and Zinnia, who eagerly feasted on their dinner.
"Wow, this is better than I expected, nice and spicy! Huh? Oh, yes, those were shinobi. They're assassins and mercenaries who work for various daimyos and these in particular work for the Rocket Clan."
"Why are they after Charla?" Bonnie asked.
"Because she's a very special Charmander." Zinnia beamed at the dragon Charmander, who tried to eat, despite her tense nerves after the attack earlier.
"That is a rather unique Charmander? Where did she come from?" Lindsey asked.
"Here." Zinnia answered.
"Eh?" The others, save Rokusho asked in confusion.
"Kalos. You see, I'm from the Draconid clan back in Hoenn, and we've dedicated ourselves to protecting dragon pokemon around the world. Earlier this year, we heard rumors that the Rocket Clan was interested in trying to create the first pokemon hybrid by forcing a mega evolved Charizard X to breed."
Ash and the others looked back at Charla with understanding.
"So that explains it, your mother or father was a Charizard mega evolved into Charizard X."
Charla gave a very sad look and appeared on the verge of tears.
"Shhh, c'est d'accord." Serena spoke gently as she cradled Charla.
"So that's why you came to Kalos, to stop them." Red said, but Zinnia shrugged.
"I came here for that noble cause. This guy had his own selfish reasons." Zinnia teased Rokusho, who narrowed his eyes at her.
"Don't give me that, babe. I haven't even mentioned that since we got here. I've put all our effort into finding and rescuing her, which we did until some of those Galar pirates attacked the ship we put her own."
"That explains why she was in the ocean!" Clemont cried.
"She's a one of a kind pokemon, and the Rocket Clan won't stop until they have her."
"I won't let them!" Serena vehemently declared.
"No, we won't!" Ash added.
"Pika!"
"Grauu!"
Zinnia took a deep breath and stared back longingly at Charla.
"So why did you want to come here, Rokusho?" Red asked.
"Well aside from supporting my wife, I'm trying to become a master Steel-type trainer." He said, emphasizing his team of steel-type pokemon who feasted with the other pokemon.
"I understand that Duke Wikstrom is among the greatest of the world's Steel-type trainers and hoped to have a proper battle with him. But alas, I didn't know I was coming into a Kingdom under invasion."
The table went quiet for a moment as the others tried to further the horrors of war from their minds.
"Where is he? Do you know?"
"The last we heard, his in the northwest, supporting the Dauphin." Eddy answered.
"I see, well. I won't give up, even if I have to fight my way through an army of these damn Galar."
"I'm sorry their unprovoked attack on our home is an inconvenience to you." Red growled, not appreciating Rokusho's rather lax attitude towards the situation.
"I'm not here to cause you all trouble." Rokusho countered.
"Well, Kalos could certainly use some more fierce warriors fighting for her as of late." The knight growled.
"Red." Ash gave his brother a stern look, but Red only slightly eased.
"How long do you plan on staying, Princess?" Lindsey asked.
"Well, tomorrow, I hope to inspire the town with a performance that will hopefully convince the sailors to take up the fight against the Galar."
Eddy and his family looked very enticed.
"Would this be the same kind of performance that inspired Captain Arnaud and his company to take up arms?" The knight asked with clear eagerness.
"I hope so." Serena admitted sheepishly.
"Really, a performance that inspires men and women out of dread. I wouldn't mind seeing that." Zinnia said, turning to Serena and Charla with interest.
"Merveilleux! I can see that the whole town is assembled in the square tomorrow, your highness, including the entire guard in case these shinobi, appear again!"
Rokusho nodded.
"I did promise to keep that Charmander-"
"Charla." Serena corrected.
"Charla, safe. We'll be there too."
That evening, Serena and Ash sat together in a furnished bed-chamber with a window view overlooking the town. Ash kept his sword close and a watchful eye on the window with his pokemon.
"Ash, détendez-vous. We're safe in here." Serena assured her husband while brushing Fennekin's tail. Ash might've agreed earlier that day, but now he wasn't sure.
"Serena, Red, and I had a long talk with Rokusho on these shinobi. They're masters of stealth, infiltration, and assassination. If they find out who you are." Ash trembled at the idea that they might join up with the Galar and hand Serena over to King Victor.
"Char." Charla wrapped her arms around Serena so tightly she almost cut off circulation.
"Ash, you're scaring Charla!" She scolded him.
Charizard came over and eased Charla off Serena, and the dragon-Charmander eased a bit upon seeing him. The knight took a deep breath and eased himself slightly.
"What kind of performance are you planning for tomorrow?" Serena eagerly smiled again with a beaming expression as she pointed to her wing-suit. Ash and his pokemon saw she completely redecorated it pink instead of white with other aesthetic features to make it more visually appealing without sacrificing its functionality.
"You're going to fly!" Ash finally sounded excited again, making Serena blush harder.
"Oui, and Charla's going to fly with me."
"Char!" Charla yelped.
"Charla, it's only natural to be nervous before your first performance, but don't worry about messing up. I have faith in you, well all do."
"Fen!"
"Cham!" Fennkin and Pancham reassured her.
"Grauu."
"Pika."
"Fletch." Ash's pokemon similarly encouraged Charla, who blushed intensely upon hearing it from Charizard.
"Don't forget, you'll have Serena and the others right beside you." Ash added. At this, the Charmander eased slightly. Despite Serena's earlier assurance, Ash found it too difficult to sleep and continued to stare out the window with Lucario even after the others all went to bed.
Ash looked over at Serena, who slept soundly with Charla, Pancham, and Fennekin cuddled up beside her. Taking a deep breath, he tightened the grip on his sword as he got up and peered out at the battlements more intensely.
"Gaaah!" Ash and Lucario almost jumped when they heard the blood-curdling scream. Just then, they saw a trio of Kalos soldiers sprint towards the sound and looked down at three dead shinobi who lay in pieces on the streets below.
Ash and Lucario then saw none other than Felix and his Lucario resting just over the battlements, blood dripping from sword and paws as the samurai sheathed the massive blade and returned silently to his guard duty.
Ash and Lucario couldn't see Felix's face but imagined it mirrored his Lucario's, who carried a cold and single-minded focus on one thing and one thing only, their task. Something about the pair intrigued Ash and his Lucario. Perhaps in some way, they reminded them of Monsieur Pierre and his dedication to duty, though he wasn't so cold.
Taking a deep breath, Ash realized that nothing would happen with such a man watching over them and set his sword down before climbing into bed beside Serena and drifting off to sleep.
The following evening, Eddy gathered most of Ambrette town's residents, including most of the sailors, around the town square. Murmurs filled the audience as they wondered what was going on, particularly when they saw the entire garrison, monsieur Eddy, two more knights, and two samurai circled around Serena.
"Bonsoir! Merci for gathering as instructed, for we have an extraordinary guest in our midst tonight!" Eddy cried while emphasizing Serena. All eyes turned to her, including the merchant and three sailors they'd dealt with the day before.
"I give you, our princess, Serena de Capet!" A collective gasp overcame the entire crowd when they realized just who stood before them.
"La princesse!"
"I think it is her!"
"Reduka soit bon!"
"I know everyone here is scared. I understand how frightening the Galar are. I was there when they sacked Lumiose, monsieur Ash and Red saw our King, my Father-" Serena cut herself off before the powerful emotions could strike. However, she'd gotten the desired effect, as most of the audience took in what she said, especially the sailors, who did their best to conceal collective guilt.
"Écoute moi! We can't live in fear of them forever! Running, hiding, and hoping they might leave us alone if we submit ourselves is not living! This is our Kingdom, our people, and our homes! Right now, my cousin, our high nobles, and countless brave chevaliers and soldiers are giving their all to win back our freedom! We owe it to them to have hope and help in any way we can!"
Ash, Clemont, and Red all saw the shame on the sailors' faces only get worse, especially when Bonnie stood before them with the same stern expression she usually gave Clemont.
"Standing up for one's self always comes with risk, but is freedom not worth fighting for, and what are we giving up should we not!" Serena turned to her pokemon, and Charla still shook a little.
"But we can't give up! Not while we still have hope!" With a cue from Lindsey, a small band began playing the traditional Kalos song "Coeur de chevalier". It was a fast-paced and enthusiastic tune made during the reign of King Charles III in celebration of the King and his knights soundly defeating a far larger rebel army that had been ruthlessly plundering the countryside.
"Allons-y!" Serena cried. Fennekin and Pancham both masterfully unleashed psybeam and dark pulse into each other, sending a repulse of pink and black energy into the air.
The crowd quickly lost themselves what looked like dazzling pokemon taken shape from the energy.
"Charla!" Charla leaped up and used her wings as well as dragon rage to send violet energy into the mixed attacks, transforming it into what looked like a vibrant dragon.
"Awww!" Many in the audience became entranced, at least until Charla came back down, having lost her coordination and faceplanted onto the ground before Serena.
"Ehh!?" Bonnie yelped in terror.
Many shared her reaction, including Charla herself, who looked up at all the peering eyes and nearly went to tears. However, Charla soon realized Serena hadn't reacted to this and instead merely smiled before offering her a hand.
"Char?" Charla muttered, utterly confused at why Serena was so calm despite her mistake.
"C'est d'accord." She said warmly before helping Charla up. Fennekin and Pancham provided similar encouragement, filling the Charmander with burning enthusiasm.
Zinnia took notice of this and smiled with Rokusho. Ash and the others did the same and soon noticed Charla's effect on the sailors.
"Char!" Serena brought her arms up and revealed the wings, much to the audience's surprise.
"Stone edge!" Pancham and Fennekin leaped onto Serena's shoulders just before Pancham used stone edge to propel her up. The audience, including Rokusho and Zinnia, couldn't believe their eyes as they watched Serena glide over them with Charla close beside her. Together, they seemed to dance in the air, holding hands while Fennekin and Pancham did the same on Serena's back.
"Incroyable!"
"Pika!"
"Grauu!"
Charla made a few more slip-ups here and there but quickly recovered each time. Despite this, seeing Charla come back after each mistake proved far more inspiring to the townsfolk and sailors than if she'd done it right the first time.
Ash beamed up at his wife with a look of pride and joy, particularly when they came down and showered the audience with a veil of blue irises. The audience lost themselves to the finale and let out thunderous applause. Hearing them cheer for her finally brought Charla to tears, and she tried to wipe them from her eye when something glistened in the distance.
"Char?"
Pikachu, Fletchling, Charizard, and Lucario all saw it too and nearly yelped. Charizard flew up into the air, claws bright-green, and shattered the incoming shurikens with dragon claw.
"Qu'est-ce que le!?" Someone cried.
Ash's heart raced like a rapidash when he saw more shurikens tear through Serena's wings.
"Serena! Charizard!" The mighty fire-lizard turned sharply and quickly caught Serena, Fennekin, and Pancham in his arms before she could fall from the sky.
"The Rocket Clan!" Rokusho snarled, drawing his katana. Within moments, dozens of black-clad shinobi backed up by just as many Zubat, Rattata, and, Raticate leaped off building tops and tried to rush in, swords drawn.
"En garde!" Eddy lowered his visor and furiously threw himself at the nearest Shinobi while Aegislash flew over to protect Lindsey. Ash and Red quickly did the same, joining the soldiers as they tried to form a protective barrier between the shinobi and townsfolk, who began to flee in panic.
However, things took a dramatic turn when Ash saw a Shinobi in front of him collapse to the ground unexpectedly.
"Eh?" Ash and Pikachu then realized a sailor wielding a boarding ax stood there, the same determined expression on his face that the various soldiers wore beneath their half-helms.
"Pour la princesse! Pour Kalos!" He cried, and within moments, the others joined in quickly, overwhelming many of the assailants.
Charizard landed beside Charla but kept himself in front of his trainer's wife, easily keeping back the shinobi and their pokemon. Unfortunately, the black-clad assassins didn't come in alone.
As Ash and Red cut down a few, both brothers noticed four new opponents join the fray, not shinobi, but samurai. Each wore black armor similar to Rokusho's with red R's on the chest and carried naginata spears.
Additionally, each samurai brought either a Nidoking or Queen with them.
"Hmp, finally, a real challenge!" Rokusho eagerly came for the first and exchanged a few blows while his Aggron took on the Nidoqueen.
The other samurai each attempted to reach Serena/Charla but found their paths blocked by Ash, Red, and Eddy.
"Watashi wa sō wa omoimasen!" Ash snarled in Kanto.
"Pika!" The knight's buckler and sword met the samurai's curved spear while Pikachu battled his Nidoking. Ash felt a bit frustrated at his inability to close the distance, for the naginata proved too fast and gave its wielder a reach advantage.
Ash now cursed himself for not bringing a polearm that certainly could've remedied the situation but also knew ways to overcome such problems even with just a sword.
The knight observed his opponent's movements carefully and waited for the right moment. Just then, he saw it! Upon parrying another blow, Ash used the momentum to push the naginata's blade aside and smash his buckler into the wooden pole so hard it snapped in half.
Without wasting any motion, Ash came back with his sword and bashed the pommel into his foe's face. Blood and bits of metal from the samurai's helmet flew in every direction, and he staggard backward.
Ash furiously tried to keep up the pressure, but the Kanto warrior managed to draw his katana and quickly block the knight's sword. Ash quickly noted how radically his sword fighting style differed from Kanto and Galar knights.
While it proved no less dangerous, Ash now had the advantage when he quickly realized how poor the katana and its style proved against effective armor. Kalos, style fighting, by contrast, developed specifically to fight against opponents in armor, and thus, Ash soon gained the edge, furiously beating back the man's sword and stabbing through his exposed face.
Nearby, Red and Eddy found similar success against their opponents but couldn't stop a shinobi from getting through and making a dead sprint for Serena and Charla.
"Char!" Charla tried to blast the shinobi with dragon rage, but he missed and sent two Zubat for her.
"Dragon pulse!" Zinnia's Altaria swooped in and easily blasted them both back. Serena, meanwhile, was trying to get herself and her pokemon to safety when the shinobi made another mad dash their way.
"Come on!" Zinnia shouted, pushing her way through the ground and grabbing Serena's arm.
"Look out!" Serena screamed when she saw the Shinobi lung forward and slash. Zinnia yelped in agony when the blade sliced through part of her shoulder, sending blood flying.
"Char!"
"Pan!"
"Fen!" Serena almost went pale when she saw Zinnia wobble.
"Zinnia!" Rokusho's earlier calculating demeanor erupted into a berzerker rage that would've put an angry Gyrados to shame. The samurai's face turned steaming red, and with two crushing blows, he brought his opposing samurai to his knees and decapitated him.
From there, he and his Bisharp/Skarmoy charged through the melee, cutting down every shinobi in their path. Serena had grabbed the shinobi's arms and desperately tried to keep him from attacking Zinnia again when suddenly she felt the man convulse.
He looked down briefly, then toppled over into two pieces, nearly making the Princess and her pokemon gag. Rokusho panted heavily as he loomed over the dead assailant, then quickly knelt down beside his injured wife.
"Zinnia!"
"Attendez!" A local physician and his Wigglytuff raced over and began administering first aid.
"What were you thinking!?" Rokusho sighed while Zinnia grinned despite her injury.
"I was protecting a dragon." Serena, Rokusho, and her pokemon all sweatdropped.
Ash nearly went to Serena's aid, but Rokusho arrived first, making it unnecessary, much to his relief.
"Nante meiwakuna nda." A harsh and almost disinterested voice said. Ash raised his sword to a fifth samurai whose armor seemed to resemble Felix's more than Rokusho's.
He was tall with green hair poking out of his helmet and green eyes hiding behind the mask.
"I'd hoped this conflict would make our job here easier. But alas, I haven't failed just yet. Proton doesn't fail his daimyo."
"Get back!" Ash roared in Kanto, much to the samurai's surprise.
"Pika!"
"Grouu!" Pikachu and Lucario quickly backed their trainer up, but somehow Ash knew Proton was grinning with terrible satisfaction behind his helmet.
"Make me." Before either pokemon could move, a Crobat flew up from behind Proton and blasted them both with Confuse ray.
"Pika!"
"Grouuu!" Pikachu and Lucario staggered around, unable to stay upright. Before Ash could do anything, Proton revealed a nodachi just like Felix's and struck with incredible strength/precision.
Ash managed to block the mighty sword but stumbled upon feeling the impact reverberate through his suit of armor and skeleton.
"Merde!" Proton quickly kept up his assault and pushed Ash further and further into the crowd, nearly taking him off his feet several times. It took everything the knight had just to endure the ferocious onslaught, for Proton fought on a different level from the other samurai.
The knight's upper body cried out in horrible pain with each blow, even if it only hit his sword and buckler. Proton narrowed his eyes like a Fearow closing in on its prey.
"Ash!" Red cried out. He desperately tried to reach him, but three shinobi got in the way. Proton threw Ash onto his back with a fast leg sweep, putting him at the samurai's mercy.
"Ash!" Serena wailed.
"Sayōnara."
Ash readied himself to roll aside and cover up, hoping his armor would hold. However, it all proved unnecessary, for Proton's sword hit another.
Ash looked back up through his visor and saw none other than Felix standing before him.
"You!" Proton yelped as his eyes met Felix's. The second samurai didn't speak a word but sent his foe into a fumble with a thunderous strike.
Felix's Lucario swiftly leaped up and slammed Crobat into Proton using Bone Rush. Proton just managed to stabilize himself when he saw Felix approaching.
"Hmp, next time." With a sharp whistle, Proton and the remaining shinobi all threw smoke balls into the ground and vanished.
Felix didn't visibly react, but Ash could tell from subtle cues that rage boiled over inside him.
"Ash!" Red, Clemont, and Serena all raced beside him.
"Are you ok!?"
"Oui." Ash grunted slightly while getting up.
Eddy similarly panted as he looked around at the aftermath.
"Lindsey!?"
"Je vais bien!" She said with Aegislash beside her.
"Victoire pour Kalos!" The sailors began chanting.
Later that evening, Ash and the others watched as the sailors boarded their ships while chanting "Victoire pour Kalos!" enthusiastically.
"Count Grant will be pleased to hear he's got naval reinforcements heading his way!" Eddy beamed.
"It's all because of you, Princess." Lindsey said, making Serena blush slightly.
"I only did what I could."
"Well, it's going to pay dividents!" Eddy laughed.
"Pan!"
"Fenn!"
"Char!" Serena's pokemon eagerly leaped into her arms while Rokusho and Zinnia watched.
Zinnia held her now bandaged shoulder and watched Charla with a warm smile.
"I think she'll be safe with you, Princess."
"Merci, both of you." Ash said with a similar look of gratitude from Red.
"It was nothing. I'm just glad we could help. Now then, since Charla is safe, what say we try and find Duke Wikstrom." Rokusho said while turning to his wife, who shrugged.
"Why not?"
Ash turned to Felix, who silently stared out at the horizon.
"Arigatōgozaimasu." Ash said while bowing his head slightly. Felix didn't respond.
"It's best if you leave him be." Rokusho said as he pulled Ash away.
However, the knight and his pokemon looked back at Felix with continued interest.
"Why doesn't he speak?"
Rokusho sweatdropped.
"Well, the truth is, we only met Felix just before we traveled here. What we found out about him came from others. You see, sixteen years ago, Felix took a vow of silence and won't speak ever again until the Rocket Clan is no more."
"Why?"
"They killed his family." Ash and the others went silent and gazed back at Felix, who continued to stare out at the horizon, his fist tightened.
"I see."
Author's note
Yep, Team Rocket is here, and with them come ninja/samurai
I hope you guys enjoyed the presentation of them, but they won't appear as often as the Galar
We also have a few more characters introduced, rest assured, you haven't seen the last of them, especially Felix.
So until next time,
Please review, comment, suggest, or ask (VIA PM)