Hi all,
Sorry for the late update. Thank you all for your reviews and taking the time to read this.
Chapter 25
The sunwas shining brightly in the clear blue sky. It was reflected in the deep oceans below it was a group of Wailmer surfaced briefly as a flock of Wingull let out cries of their own. Nearby, in the middle of the ocean, sat a desolate island. It had a few palm trees with various pokémon inhabiting them as they lazily watched the ocean nearby. Soaring around one tree was a Swellow, its dark wings sticking out against the bright water's surface. Flying low, it narrowly dodged a human wearing a white hat, who growled at the unintentional attack.
Down below, a group of Krabby scurried across the beach, their red bodies standing out against the pearly white beach. Wherever their flying type pokémon had brought them, it was definitely a tranquil place of beauty and relaxation. Brendan could almost make himself relax if he wasn't so nervous for the trio who'd rushed into the ocean without so much as a plan. How May expected him to stay cool under these conditions was beyond him. He was going crazy trying to keep it together.
'Why do I always have to be the one who's left out?' Brendan sulked as Latios and Latias grimaced at his clear dejection. The man was breaking apart brittle pieces of seaweed, not even bothering to glance at the Flygon and Aerodactyl who were resting nearby. They weren't his pokémon and he didn't know how to appease them. After all, how did you appease a stranger?
'I mean, what's she thinking? I'm her best friend, so it's ok to always leave me in the dark? Gary Oak, the philanthropist, pokémon researcher extraordinaire, gets to go with Drew from LaRousse, Top Coordinator and long lost love. She doesn't even know Gary is her cousin, and she can't even tell that Drew's head over heels for her,' he continued, crushing the remainder of the weed in his hands. He honestly could not remember ever being quite so annoyed at the brunette, though he wouldn't ever admit it to her.
He glowered upon noticing the two siblings weren't paying any attention to him, much like May had done before she'd left. Just what he needed, Latios and Latias to ignore him when he was talking to them. Did anyone actually listen to him?
'Fine, you two go off and pay no attention to me, just like May. So her crush and long lost cousin want to be there for her, can't I be there too? I've always been there for her, since she was a baby! Argh, why didn't I put my foot down? I never see any action, I'm just stuck on this island with you two!' he continued, not noticing a figure clambering out of the submarine nearby.
The figure landed softly on the dry sand behind the Hoenn native, giving him a once over as the pokémon let out shocked cries upon noticing him.
'Well, well, well, what do we have here?' A gruff voice scoffed from behind the aspiring Researcher as he heard the sound of something heavy landing on the soft sand.
Freezing slightly, the ruby eyed man gulped once before turning his attention behind him to see a man in a blue shirt, his greenish yellow hair pulled back by a blue bandana.
'Team Aqua?' Brendan questioned as he jumped to his feet. He'd thought May had disbanded them, but clearly this figure was proof she'd failed.
'Are you kidding me? I'm not Team Aqua, those losers are beyond pathetic. They call themselves a team? They were disbanded by a mere girl, how pitiable is that? No, I'm part of the Phantom's Crew! We're renowned pirates who'll take over the known world, just you watch!' The man snapped back, shaking a fist at the bemused Researcher.
'Hey, she wasn't an ordinary girl, what's wrong with you? Do you think you can take on Kyogre and Groudon and survive? Besides, that's my diaper buddy you're talking about!' Brendan glared at the man, not appreciating the way he was dissing one of his closest friends.
'I think I'd know a bit more about it than you, you brat! Who do you think you are to defy me without proof? I'll make you feel my wrath, Mightyena, use take down!' The man scowled as he released a red pokéball into the air.
'Blaziken, sky uppercut!' Brendan yelped as he released his starter pokémon, barely registering the two other Crew Members who threw their pokéballs to face off against the four flying types.
'Oh no you don't! Blaziken, use overheat on that Mightyena! Swampert I need you to use ice beam on the Houndoom! Rhyperior you use hammer arm on that Sharpedo!' Brendan growled before throwing three pokéballs into the air.
'Sharpedo, use aqua jet!' A female voice scowled as another glared, 'Mightyena, use crunch!'
'Houndoom, fire fang!' Another voice called as Brendan saw the grey and black wolf pokémon rush towards his Blaziken.
Watching the water type rush towards ground and rock type, Brendan grimaced as he watched his ground and rock type fling a hollowed arm whose structure was similar to that of a cannon.
Further down the line, Houndoom, the quadruped canine pokémon rushed forward, fire emanating from its mouth. Nearby Sharpedo sent a tirade of water to Rhyperior, who barely dodged it in time.
'Guys, we're not going to lose this fight. We've got too much at stake here,' Brendan glared as he watched his opponents grapple with his pokémon, the Houndoom ensnaring Swampert in a bite which drew blood.
'We've been through far too many tournaments to fail now. Get in there!' Brendan snarled as he glared at his opponents, noticing the Mightyena who ran at Blaziken, roaring his name in anger as he avoided the fire attack with ease.
'Latios, Latias, Flygon and Aerodactyl, get out of here!' Brendan growled as his pokémon unleashed another barrel of attacks, flinging sand everywhere.
'I can't see a damn thing!' The first man growled as Brendan took his beanie off to cover his mouth.
'Swampert, get in that water and use surf! Rhyperior, get Blaziken and yourself out of the line of fire!' Brendan roared through the white hat, not seeing how Latios flew down from the air and gathered Blaziken in his wings. He didn't see the other three flying types as they did their best to lift his heavy ground and rock type.
'No, Houndoom get out of there!' One of the men gasped whilst the woman chuckled.
'Sharpedo, use crunch,' the woman smirked as Brendan's eyes focused on his Swampert standing formidably over its two defeated opponents.
'Swampert, dodge!' Brendan cried, though watched as his partner was attacked by the dark attack.
'Blaziken, make him toast!' The Researcher snarled as he stumbled to his feet, lifting an arm to retun his Rhyperior and Swampert.
His fire and fighting type called out his name before aiming a sky uppercut attack at the water type and sending another wave of fire at his opponent.
With a strangled cry, the Sharpedo fell back into the sea, incapacitated.
'Ah, Sharpedo!' The woman yelped as she held out a perfectly manicured hand to her pokémon.
'This isn't over yet,' one of the men snarled as Brendan's opponents recalled their partners.
'What makes you so sure?' The younger man retorted with more bravado than he actually felt. Sometimes it paid to associate with Gary Oak. The man's arrogance was clearly rubbing off on the younger Researcher, not that it bothered him.
'Your friends are still underwater, aren't they?' The woman called, her pitch fervent as her eyes flickered between the black haired man and the sea.
'That much is obvious,' Brendan scoffed, though a hint of his concern still entered his voice as he glared at the woman.
Upon realising she was not going to continue without a prompt, he all but snapped, 'get to the point, will you?'
'If you insist. How long will their air last for? They definitely won't be making it out of there alive, I mean come on! Think about how elusive Samiya is! Your friends are goners,' the third man laughed, increasing Brendan's concerns exponentially.
It took the researcher a moment to register the legitimacy of her stranger's speech. Once he realised the implications, he almost felt sick. Drew, Gary and May were down there alone and without any guide. Yeah sure, he didn't know Drew, but the bloke seemed all right to the Hoenn native. Then there was Gary, cocky, arrogant, intelligent, capable and smug Gary. He was the professor's pride and joy, constantly striving for perfection not just for himself, but the rest of his family. And last, but certainly not least, May.
If May was gone, how could he face her parents, or his own? She was his diaper buddy, his best friend. She'd been there for him for his whole life, always as cheerful as the sun, a flower in the first hues of spring, and as beautiful as any model. Sure, they weren't rivals since their chosen fields had always been so different, but they'd kept each other going over time. He'd encouraged her through her hardships with her father—all of them—as well as the Gym. Likewise, she'd encouraged him with battling and his research, asking him to teach her particular aspects of it. She was smarter than she let on, and nowhere near as precious as others thought of her. She had proven as much with Steven's constant tests back when she was Gym Leader.
Blinking back tears he hadn't realised were trying to come forward, Brendan let out a loud, hearty laugh.
'What're you laughing at? Don't you care that your friends are going to die?' The woman scowled, her voice coming out as a rather unflattering shriek.
Trying, and failing, to regain his self-composure, the youngest of the group chuckled, 'that was the funniest joke I've heard in a while. You almost had me for a minute.'
'What are you talking about?' The first man growled as he took a step forward in a poor attempt at intimidation.
'If you think a drop of water is going to stop May from finding her family and friends, you have another thing coming. That one defies all the odds and has the most amazing luck I've ever seen first-hand,' Brendan continued to chuckle as he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. He was honesty more amused just by seeing the dumbfounded expressions on his opponents' faces.
'How can you be so sure?' The second man glared, though he seemed the most aware of the researcher's genuine relief.
'Because I know May would do anything for Max. If she had to break LaRousse apart with the electricity alone, she'd find a way of ensuring no one got electrocuted. Trust me, May is a miracle worker in itself, blessed by both Groudon and Kyogre, as well as Rayquaza, probably. She's insane, determined and a little kid, but she's an Oak. I'm just amazed it took me so long to see it,' Brendan continued to chuckle as Latios and Latias flew closer to him.
With a frown, he murmured, 'I can't believe I was so blind. She spots problems with my research all the time. Man, Gary would have a field day if he heard just how promising she was.'
'This guy is insane,' the woman scowled as the second man pushed them back into their submarine.
Turning back to Brendan, he glared, 'don't you dare try to even follow us out of here.'
'I have no intention of seeing your faces again, don't you worry about that!' Brendan glowered before watching the man shut the top and sheer the contraption back out to sea.
Narrowly avoiding a string of water pulse attacks, Dawn let out a strangled squeal as Harley's Cacturne responded by shooting out a powerful bullet seed in a bid to protect the shaken bluenette. She was holding her Flabébé in her arms, the small pokémon having fainted in battle. They'd been fighting for hours, and she was straight out of pokémon. Not only had all of her friends fought hard for her, but they'd done everything they could to protect her and the wild pokémon from the cave. She was only disappointed that she'd thought bringing three pokémon to Almia would suffice.
'Slowbro, psychic!' Solidad called as her pokémon lifted a group of small Squirtle out of the cave and to safety behind them.
'Head to the beach, you'll be safe there!' She called to them as an enemy's Buizel charged at her, hitting her with a powerful aqua jet.
Watching the pink haired woman lurch forward, Dawn let out a scream as her chin hit the uneven rocky floor, her blue eyes looking unfocused.
Stumbling forward, Dawn was stopped by a stray horde of Geodude as they rushed past her and away from the water type that had attacked the older woman, their cries filled with fear.
'Solidad!' Harley cried before releasing his Banette and Wigglytuff into the air. With a snarl, he commanded. 'Right, boys, someone's hurt Sol and we're not going to let that slide. Banette, will-o-wisp every one of that scum who'd dare to attack her while I'm here! Wigglytuff, you get her to Nurse Joy, hon. No one hurts Solidad while I'm around and gets away with it!'
The ghost type did not need to be told twice before it started shooting the eerie blue flames at all of the enemies it could, appearing to be unperturbed by any of the attacks they flung back at him. Dawn couldn't help but stare at it, appearing and disappearing out of nowhere as he pleased.
Shaking her head out of the trance that the pokémon had her in, Dawn's eyes flickered around the cave ground. They'd encountered a whole group of people from some strange group called Bright Moon, and they were sprouting stories about utilising pokémon for the goodness of the world. It all sounded too familiar to the young woman.
Seeing a shadow float above her, Dawn whimpered as she saw a Weezing loom ominously over her head, its two heads leering down at her in a hungry manner.
Shaking her head, Dawn hid the fairy type behind her back as she yelled, 'don't you dare think of hurting my pokémon!'
The poisonous gas pokémon responded by opening its mouth and emitting a large purple sludge, aiming it straight at Dawn.
'Electivire, protect!' A cold voice snapped as a blur of yellow and black flickered before her, creating an eerie green glow.
'Paul!' Dawn whispered as she saw the Trainer snap, 'brick break.'
The yellow electric type with fuzzy fur grinned once before landing a sturdy arm on the poison type, causing it to fall to the ground in one shot.
'Wow, that was powerful,' Dawn grimaced before shaking her head and getting back to the task at hand. Returning her pokémon, she grimaced. When she'd come to Almia she hadn't planned to be fight quite so strenuously, and now she was all out of pokémon.
'Torterra, stand by for battle!' Paul scowled as he released his grass starter pokémon.
'You're out of pokémon. Don't bother lying, I know you are. Otherwise you would have protected yourself with them. Torterra will defend you, just get the wild pokémon to safety,' Paul scowled before turning his attention to the Ranger who'd led them there. She seemed unfazed, despite being surrounded by three Skuntank.
'Right,' Dawn grimaced as she sent the grass type a small smile. Glancing around the area, she saw a Gastrodon, its pink shell upper shining as it moved slowly through the battlefield, appearing injured.
Paul was right, now wasn't the time to worry about the others. She just hoped they were all succeeding with whatever they were struggling with.
'Torterra, cover for me,' Dawn whispered as she returned her fairy type and began to crouch forward, inching towards the injured pokémon ahead of her.
Seeing Roserade slam into one of the jewels of the crown, Drew let out a strangled cry. He hadn't thought of bringing all of his pokémon on this journey, not realising the danger he could find himself in. He hadn't factored in how dramatic travelling with May was.
Roserade was his last pokémon, and, for once, he'd let the chartreuse haired man down. Drew was gutted as his eyes flickered to Jackie and Max who Roserade had released from their bounds with a well-aimed magical leaf attack. What use was their fight if he'd end up bound beside them?
'Well, that's quite a battle you gave us,' a man with khaki coloured hair sneered as he came out from behind the crown, his black eyes flickering to the two captives Drew had tried, and failed, to release.
'W-who are you?' Drew grimaced as he recalled his friend, trying to keep the man from tying the others up again.
'I go by Franklin, though you'd be lucky to call me that. You'll also find that this crown now belongs to the Phantom, and I'm in charge of taking it. Pinsir, Parasect, you know what to do,' the man chuckled before the two pokémon released a stun spore attack.
His eyes flickered with regret as Drew let out a strangled cry, his eyes flickering around the room as he sought a means of defending himself from the attack.
Covering his mouth with his arm, Drew called, 'Max, Jackie, this way!'
The older man helped May's brother to his feet and hurriedly limped out of the room, following their emerald eyed ally as their foe brought a spiralled, cone shaped shell to his lips, his eyes intent upon the two Rangers with an intense regret neither of them could see.
Thank you all again for taking the time to read this.