It was the most massive airship Bronze could even believed could exist. Solid orange and black, bristling with weaponry and protective durasteel plates, with great engines roaring with a hidden fire, it continued to glide over to the western side of the city. Bronze could get a glimpse of the upper hull, and on the looming command bridge was the sigil of Team Eclipse, more massive than anyone had seen it before, or ever again.
This was the attack Yellow had warned them about! Now it was here, in a way no one could have anticipated. But couldn't they have? How in the world had a gunship this huge get to the city without any warning whatsoever? Wouldn't the Association scramble jets to blast the ship to debris?
Suddenly, all the televisions, holo-communicators, and screens of every kind changed to a livestream of a man in robes and a pitch black hood, his face invisible. On the ground, several telecommunicators would be found to have been hijacked by the usage of a Beeheyem, strangely enough.
"Greetings, citizens of Anthien City." he began, in oily and mellifluous tones. "My true name is not of importance, but rest assured that I am the leader of the organization called Team Eclipse. I am not here to needlessly torment the inhabitants of this great city, but rather judge them for following the outdated and corrupt ideals held by the established institutions of this world. It is as the last days of Logaria, now repeating themselves once more in the impersonal annals of history."
"You have heard our message again and again through the servants that I have sent out to deliver the nations from their perdition. But you, in your comfort and complacency, have wholly rejected it. Anyone who remains in Anthien at this time has been implicated in humanity's crimes against our fellow creatures, the first Children of Arceus, Pokémon. I intend to totally desecrate this city without a modicum of even the least bit of mercy, although any spilling of blood will not be unnecessary. No one shall live here that is not a servant of the new world's cause!"
"I advise you, if you are watching this broadcast in a building or place of residence, that you flee to the streets at once. The devastation will be lesser there, and I do not wish to kill wantonly. Perhaps some of you may repent for a season, and will be delivered-"
The Hood paused, and Bronze could swear he heard him mutter something under his breath.
"Are you sure? Really, now?"
As he paused, Bronze noticed the gunship glide to the side of the market district, the best place for its towering guns to have a full vantage of the city.
The Eclipse Lord addressed the city again, although his composure was a bit more hesitant. "Citizens, I implore you to gather into the streets. If you stay in a building, I am sure you will be sorely missed by your loved ones." The message cut off, leaving the city dumbfounded. The twin defense turrets activated, swiveling on the Eclipse command vessel.
Then, the first blast came from the gunship.
The white pulse of energy blasted off the pinnacle of a skyscraper, to the screams of the people below. Then more, more, and more blasts came. Colliding with buildings, blasting maintenance devices, destroying businesses. The Battle of Anthien City had begun.
Bronze grabbed Jake and Tess and huddled them together, realizing that his adrenaline would soon become too high to react to anything but instinct.
"Listen. We must leave. Team Eclipse will completely destroy this city, and everyone on it. They are killing indiscriminately, and there exists no other way off the city but Tess's Garchomp."
Tess shook her head. "No! Waffle won't fly! Even if he would let us, if he accelerated to a speed fast enough to get away from the city before those precision turrets kill us, we would faint from asphyxiation! Even a oxygen mask can't combat that kind of cold!"
The gunship had lowed a wide ramp onto the brink of the Market Sector, sending out legions of grunts into the city. The melee increased in the Market Sector, with grunts clashing with the Anthein Police Force. Although the law enforcement officers fought valiantly, the Eclipse troops were of limitless and rapidly increasing number. Soon, the entire city was in rout, with individual trainers fighting to turn back the tide, and hidden International Police officers revealing themselves.
As the twin defense turrets were disabled by rioting grunts, Stephan came running out of the Repair Shop, horror written every inch of his features. "What are you doing?! Get out of this city! Quick, come with me!"
In the distance, Pokémon where transporting people away from the city, their trainers flying themselves away, along with extra civilians. Transports were flying out to the underbelly of the city, out of sight from the roving turrets of the gunship. A full-scale evacuation was in place, with an announcement that the National Rorian Military was inbound broadcasting over the cities comm system.
Several returning Pokémon attacks hit the gunship, sent by brave souls intent on defending the city, but they were absorbed by some sort of ray shield. Wisps of iridescent smoke rose off the hull of the behemoth craft, mnestic filters dispersing the waste heat from the exotic shielding process into the surrounding air.
Stephan ushered Bronze and company back into the Repair Shop, while many more inhabitants of Anthien City boarded evacuation transports. "There is a way to escape this island, you know. With me, or through the undertunnels of the city to the old transport docks. Luckily, you are safe now-"
A shard of dislodged flowmetal hit Stephan on the head, knocking him out cold. His Poke Balls locked as his brainwave activity ceased, preventing their unlawful theft. A mob of workers dragged Stephan's body onto the transport, and it flew away in a instant.
The three looked at each other, processing the horror, the terror, and the awe. They had to escape the doomed city
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Oak and the Chairman gaped in horror as they saw the devastation taking place in Anthien City. This attack could not have been predicted by any rational observer. The size and scope of Team Eclipse's resources was so large that they could build such a massive gunship, and that could never have been foreseen with the information available to the Assosiation. The attack was strategically useless in all means, and thus could not be predicted.
"If this is Giovanni's doing, I will kill him myself!" The Chairman yelled. "I'll gouge his brains out through his eyes and then throw him into Mt. Chimney! I mean, I would arrest him!"
Oak remembered a report he had gotten just two days ago. "I don't think it is. A few Team Rocket members were captured near Cragrock Mountain, and after interrogation, they said that Giovanni is still trying to reform Team Rocket. In case you haven't already noticed, the symbol on that gunship is Team Eclipse's, not Team Rockets."
The Chairman was baffled. "But...if The Hood isn't Giovanni, who is he?"
Getting the other Professors on his private communication line, Oak ordered a head count. As before, everyone turned up except Cypress.
"Where is Cypress? I've been trying to contact him for the last day! He isn't anywhere that I've heard of."
No one had seen him. "Maybe the coward ran off," Kukui said. "Once his precious region was put under attack, he realized that there would be a shortage of hair gel."
"Put out a outstanding warrant on his head! I need him here now! And get those jets scrambled, we are going to blast that gunship out of the sky!"
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As the trio rushed through the streets, the attack continued. Burning debris fell and crushed more buildings and people as total choas broke loose. The Eclipse frigate was firing wildly, without any real tactical aim. The largest cannon on the gunship was firing thick beams of ice, freezing crowds and blocking off roads as it collided with the city. More and more Eclipse grunts marched out of the gunship hold, and the defenders had been pushed back to the central square.
Bronze saw Yellow and another man in a cap and wearing fingerless gloves running for Central Square in the panicked crowd, and before he could catch up to them, a beam of ice created a massive barrier in front of the three. Not thinking, Bronze and Tess ran left, but Jake ran right. Before Bronze could notice that Jake wasn't with them, at least a hundred Eclipse grunts marched into the street behind them, cutting it off.
"Jake!" Tess screamed. Bronze pulled her away from the advancing legion, wrestling her to a ruined wall.
"Tess! Tess! He'll be fine!" Bronze pleaded. "We'll meet him in the sewers! Just follow me, please! Now is the time to take orders! Try to be rational!"
As he ran down an alley with Tess, Bronze noticed that the crowd was hardly present anymore. They had already fled the city on transports or flying Pokémon, the small population of the city having been adequately served by the evacuation procedures. Some had even teleported with their Pokémon off the city onto cargo ships thousands of feet below. Or they were...no, he couldn't think about that. There were too many variables, too much chaos for him to use his wits.
Dodging a falling girder, the two refugees finally made it to Central Square. The sewer network should be accessible from behind the Anthien Affordable hotel, if Bronze's estimations were correct. From there, the two would hopefully find Jake again, and enter the emergency escape pods.
Bronze was going to make a run for it, when it was Tess's turn to pull him back. In his hyper-focused adrenaline rush, he had not noticed the hundreds of Eclipse soldiers coming from all sides to surround a group of about thirty or so trainers, who assumed defensive stances, sending out their Pokémon.
The attack abruptly ceased, the gunship commander deeming that he had taught the city a lesson. More soldiers arrived on modular orange speeders, and a group of grunts came out of the ruined Anthien museum holding some sort of package, which they whisked away with in the direction of the direction of the gunship.
Several Eclipse members came out of the ranks to address the trainers in the square, some of whom Bronze recognized as Henry, Eric, and the snakelike Emrett. The latter came forward, looking Red in the eyes.
"Is there any one of you in this rabble who has the authority to entreat with me?" Emrett scoffed. "Come forth, and banter worlds with me in the spirit of two commanders negotiating the terms of battle."
Sapphire spat at Emrett, who deflected the glob of saliva with a swift uppercut. "I'll tear yer stinkin' body over the corals o' the sea! Foul piece of rat dung that ye are! I'll gut you dead!"
"As I thought!" Emrett cackled, stepping backwards. "You have nothing to say! Of course, we did take the initiative of the first attack. Now, I must give you the final ultimatum, as I have been bidden to say. Surrender, or be slain in the name of the Eclipse Alliance! For the Jihad!"
Instead of waiting for a response, the armies of the Eclipse Alliance charged.
It was the most incredible battle Bronze could have imagined. The Pokedex Holders, and the few police officers with them, absolutely flattened the grunts to a degree that defied accurate description. Bronze saw Black and Ruby dueling with Henry, who was trying to use his Aegislash's psychic powers on the enemy, but Black's Munna was literally eating the mental influence of the enemy Pokémon. Bronze and Tess had to duck to not be hit by a stray attack, or even a flying grunt or Pokémon.
Yellow and Blue floored Eric, Diamond and Pearl toppled Kett, and X destroyed Mabel. Blake and Green crushed Emrett, (who Bronze could swear was attempting to cast some kind of spell on them) while Faba simply ran away in terror, Sun's giant Stackatacka chasing after him. All the while, grunts and their Pokémon were destroyed by the most devastating attacks Bronze and Tess had ever seen, lights and Pokémon flying hither and thither in a mad dance of battle.
There was no tension, no risk of death. It could almost be described as objectively boring, lacking substance, and completely one-sided. Soon, hundreds of grunts lied injured, unconscious, or having no Pokémon. The defeated admins backed away in terror as the Pokedex Holders glared in defiance, with nothing but a few scratchs on them.
As another hundred grunts stepped in from the north road, ready to continue fighting, even after seeing the devastation before them. As the battle was about to resume, the few undestroyed electronic billboards flared to life, displaying the Hood once again.
"Pokedex Holders..." The Hood began. "You have fought valiantly against my men, and it is likely you will defeat my remaining ground forces. However, I am inclined to stop this conflict from continuing, as it may put a sizable dent in my plans. Admins, to me. Commanders, to me. Soldiers, to me. In the interest of the remaining population of this city, you are to go the the boarding dock for the gunship at the park near the merchant district. You are not to harm any more of my grunts. You are to put all your Pokémon back in their Poke Balls. Also, Pokedex Holder Bronze, I know you are in this city. If you do not also come to the aforementioned location, the citizens of the city will indeed face my continued wrath, just as if the others do not obey my command You have thirty minutes.."
The message cut suddenly, leaving the dreadful ultimatum hanging in the air.
The group of Pokedex Holders reluctantly put their Pokémon back into their balls, and ran through the heaps of writhing grunts to the merchant district, as the admins and a collection of remaining soldiers did the same.
Bronze looked at Tess, realizing that he had no other option. The Hood knew that he was on the city, and would count him tardy if he delayed any furthur. "I have to go, Tess. Please, get off the city, it isn't you that the Eclipse leader is looking for. Jake should be-"
"No!" She defiantly responded, although Bronze could see that she was only barely concealing her fear. "I'm coming too! It isn't like anything bad would really happen, with the others there! I need to see what is going on, if just from a distance. I don't need to get involved..."
Bronze tried to reason with her that if he had a ounce of manhood, he would not let her walk into a death trap, but he assumed the deadline was running short. Arguing with her would be unproductive, as she had offered a reasonable compromise. So, he had Tess follow him as he travelled into the merchant park in the opposite direction of the Pokedex Holders, trying to avoid being seen by the patrolling grunts and loop around the ruined buildings to where the Hood expected him.
After travelling for some time through the blasted wasteland that was once a lively metropolis, Bronze and Tess finally reached the Merchant sector. Seeing the massive gunship in front of them, with a collection of figures at the grassy patch in front of the boarding platform whom Bronze assumed to be the Pokedex Holders and the Eclipse members, the two snaked their way through rubble and ruin.
Surprising everyone by coming out from behind a concrete flower holder, Bronze stood to the side of the main collection of Pokedex Holders, while Tess remained hidden under a veil of piecemeal debris. Yellow glanced with pity at him, before her attention was turned to the figure coming down the boarding ramp, dressed in jet black robes, sauntering like he had become the most wealthy man
It was the Hood. Bronze had never been more angry at one man in his life as he did now. It was a epiphany where Bronze realized exactly what hatred was for: to be used to channel into fighting against evil men, never giving a inch, never quitting, even when you had nothing left but sheer Willpower to hold on.
He was debating trying to rush the Hood and throw him of the side of the island, while also attacking him on the way down, ensuring his demise. Before he could try, the Hood spoke.
"I am glad that we could have this wholesome gathering together," The Hood said, definitely grinning under the veil of holographic darkness that covered his face. "Really, it is so freeing to walk about without fear of discovery..."
Bronze though he had heard the precise, clear, studious accent before, although he couldn't put his finger on who this man was. A very skilled trainer, surrounded by a army of grunts...but was that it? Was he just another villainous leader of a criminal organization?
"Considering that all of you have demonstrated your skill at defeating my soldiers, I thought you would all be entitled to a small treat, a trifle of little importance. I have made my message heard here, and received what I came for, but I think I feel a...calling to show my true face now. Really, I no longer have any reason to conceal myself."
Gold stepped forward, hands on his Poke Balls. "We know who you are, Giovanni! Silver was wrong to think he could change you. Why don't you come out and fight us yourself? Or are you afraid that we'll beat you just like we crushed everyone else in your gang?"
The Hood chuckled, and the turrets of the gunship swiveled ominously. "My boy, I do appreciate your enthusiasm. What it is like to be young! But it is, unfortunately, misplaced. You see, I am not Giovanni."
The Hood ripped his cloak off.