"How are things proceeding, Thalia?" Giovanni said as he put on a business suit, his Persian on his couch while his secretary checked through her tablet, her Furfrou sleeping beside her. "The project is still going slowly but it should be back on track in a few days after Archer and the rest of the admins have completed their mission."
"Good. How about Red? Have you found the boy's whereabouts?"
"Not yet, sir. Our surveillance team has been observing his tracks since the Lavender incident but no results. The town's documents did not show his name or anything. It's almost as if he vanished completely. It also seems that he discarded his father's cap and jacket." Giovanni's fists tightened after hearing that news, his mind in deep thought while he put on his watch. "It's possible that he could be killed in the Lavender town incident."
"That is impossible! Word has not come out about that information and it has been a week since that attack. Plus, I know that boy better than anyone. When he puts his mind to it, nothing takes him down." Giovanni finished brushing his hair before he walked to the windows, looking down at the civilization of Saffron City with a frown.
"If you don't mind me asking, why the fixation on this Red boy? If it's just his powers, there are others like him. Some more powerful."
"He's a means to an end, Thalia. A trump card if you will." The man smiled, putting his hands in his pockets before he turned to the clock on the wall. "How long it will take to find him does not matter. In due time, he will follow my cause and understand the power of Team Rocket."
'…even if I have to go to drastic measures.'
There was silence in the room as Thalia took her time to understand what she heard until her tablet made a beep. Checking on her notifications, she tapped her screen several times. "Sir. There is a challenger that is trying to get into your gym for a challenge. Should I get Ditto 01997?"
"Please proceed. Oh! And let it use the sand team." Thalia nodded at his request before she heard another ring, getting up and straightened her clothing. "It's almost time for the meeting, sir. It's time to leave."
Giovanni hummed before he walked out of the room with a more serious expression on his face. 'Soon enough…everything will sort out according to plan.'
"I'm gonna train with Erika for a while."
That is the message Red read while getting himself ready before hearing another ring which made him smile as he checked it. "Also, thanks."
After he finished preparing for the day and eating his breakfast, he returned his Pokemon except for Luxio then dashes out of the center with his Pokegear in his hands, checking on the multiple attractions in the city and thinking over his options before he noticed something in the distance, his and Luxio's eyes widened in surprise.
"What the?"
'No way…'
In front of him is Pikachu who looked at them with a smile as it sniffed the air and slowly crept towards him.
"Pikachu..." Red muttered, rubbing his eyes before he sees that he's not hallucinating, tears forming from his eyes. "You're back but how?"
Before he could do anything, the Pokemon ran off which made both him and Luxio quickly give chase.
'Where were you all this time?'
His thoughts went awry while he sprints through the crowd, trying his best to avoid the citizens as he followed the yellow rodent.
'I'm so happy that you're ok but...why are you running from me? Did I do something wrong?'
Dashing throughout the city, he is barely able to keep up with Pikachu before stopping, realizing that he is within an alleyway. Looking around the area and seeing no sign of the electric mouse which made him steadily observe the area, his hairs sticking on end. He then stops Luxio whose eyes starts glowing as it looks around the alleyway but it is rewarded with nothing. 'Something's not right?'
"You got that right. It's quiet. Too quiet." Red stated before noticing Pikachu running down the alley. As he made his first step, an intense ache suddenly coursing through his head which made him start wobbling and trying not to vomit. Before he could do anything, Luxio immediately retreated to its Pokeball, much to his confusion as he tried to press on his capsules to open, the devices unable to do so.
"What the-ahhhhh!" He yelled, gripping his head and falling to his knees as he heard an intense ringing sound in his head. Enduring the pain, his eyes started glowing intensely while he tried to push himself off the ground. 'I need to get up. My brain feels like it's on fire.'
Trying to regain his balance and wobbling step by step, he bumped into the air, feeling the place to notice that it felt rocky. "What's this…a brick wall…? Ughhhhh…"
Feeling the pain intensify, he slid to the ground, groaning in discomfort until he tapped his shadow with his feet quickly, barely able to sprout a word. "Dis...a...ble."
Hearing his command, the shadow intensified and grew larger until the world around him began changing until he noticed that he is back in the alleyway. Red let out a sigh of relief until he heard footsteps behind him, turning around before he got struck in the face by a baton which knocked him out.
"Down…for the…cooount…"..
Red opened his eyes only to see fog covering the area before he noticed that his body is freezing and his head aching. "I-I-I-It's...s-so c-cold."
Trying to move, he soon realizes that he is stuck with chains bounding his hands to the wall. Seeing that the fog slowly starting to dissipate, he noticed Pikachu in front of him with a devilish grin on her face which made the teen's face contort to worry.
"Finally decided to wake up?" He heard a familiar voice which made his heart drop and anger grip his conscience. Before him was someone who he never expected to see. The last person who he would like to meet at the moment, Red's face changed to anger when his eyes laid on the man.
Before him was V.
"I knew it was a good idea to get the rat to sniff you out." The man smirked gleefully as Red struggles helplessly before he starts approaching him. "Remember me, you little shit?"
His footsteps echo through the room which gave Red a huge headache as he tries to move again and get to his Pokemon only to fail as his body started shivering. 'My body feels numb…'
"Hmmm, you're cold?" V asked, crouching in front of Red with a wicked smile on his face. "How about some hospitality?"
Before Red could look up, he received a kick to the face which knocked his head to the wall. "Nothing heats up the body more than physical contact, right?"
Another kick connected to his face before a swift punch connected to his mouth, causing him to spit blood. "How's that? Still cold? Let me help you more with that."
After physically torturing the boy, the man takes out his knife and slashes part of Red's face, letting blood trickle down his cheek. The teen tried his best to move but failed, recognizing that the chains are made of ice. 'Oh…so that's why...my arms feel numb...'
Receiving another punch from V, Red barely noticed the man getting up then walking around the room, playing with the knife in his hand. "You know..."
He threw the weapon to the wall beside Red, opening another wound on his cheek. "I'm gonna be honest. I never expected you to be breathing so clearly after our last encounter. Thought you'd kick the bucket but, lo and behold, here you are."
His gaze turned to Pikachu who glared at him with its cheeks glowing. He watched it as it jumped onto V's shoulder while snickering.
"Oh! You love how I took care of the rat. Little bitch gave me a hard time but after a while, we saw…eye to eye." He said with folded arms which made a huge pang surge in Red's heart before he noticed something else on the man's attire.
'Wait, that insignia?' His eyes widened as he noticed the red 'R' on V's shirt which did not go unnoticed.
"Oh. Like the new suit? Thanks to that little trip we had in Viridian, we got a spot in the group." He said with a smile, dusting off his uniform which is a short sleeved version of the regular Team Rocket grunt outfit. He then walked towards the kid and took out his knife from the wall. "Well, greetings aside. You sure gave us the slip, kid."
Red was surprised by this which V noticed. "C'mon! You became quite the celebrity in our little group after what happened at Lavender. Plus, you changing your look made things a bit difficult but I don't know what the hell happened after Lavender or what Pokemon you had with you but it was almost like you were invisible in plain sight, kid. Especially since the admins put a bounty on your head. Not like it'd matter anyway, thanks to the rat. And now…you're going to die."
The teen glared at him, V frowning before he holds the teen up by his collar then slamming him into the wall. "Well, I have my duties. One of them including giving a fisherman a Pokemon that you owed him."
Upon hearing that, Red was confused until his eyes widened upon remembering a certain fisherman that wanted his Milotic. 'Klaus?'
"Looks like you know him. But seriously, a shiny Milotic? Most people would kill for one." V said before he threw the boy to the ground then rested his foot on his stomach. "Now, where is the Milotic? In fact, you know what."
With a smirk on his face and a snap of his fingers, his Alakazam telekinetically lifted Red in midair then removed his Pokeballs from his belt, the teen struggling against the Pokemon's grasp while V inspected the capsules with a device.
"Oh! Weird team, kid? A Clefairy, seriously? Well, can't say much. You did gave the bosses a run for their money so these could be sold at a good price." Red's blood ran cold when he heard that before he starts thrashing harder against his bindings. 'I can't let him. Never again.'
As the man reached for his Pokemon, goosebumps appear on the teen's skin before he glared at the Psychic type which frightened it, making it lose its focus and the Pokeballs and the teen to fall.
'Not again. C'mon, move!'
Surprised, V turned to his Pokemon with a raised brow. "What gives, Alakazam? You had one job."
Noticing the frightened look on its face, he spun around to see Red crawling towards his Pokemon. The man approached the boy with a wicked smile before he stomps on the teen's head, noticing the crazed look on the boy's face which unnerved him until he recognized a hand coming out of his shadow that pushed him off balance. "What the fuck?"
'Never again!'
Before he could do anything, V was introduced to a headbutt to the chin which made him bite his tongue and fall on his back. Cursing loudly, he rubbed his mouth, seeing a small amount of blood on his hand which made him got angry until he saw the glint from Red's crimson eyes which frightened the man. "Those eyes. Those damn fucking eyes!"
A kick connected to Red's face, causing his head to hit the ground before another came, slamming across his cheek as the man continued pummeling his face. Meanwhile, Red's eyes was on his Pokeballs, his gaze not breaking from them despite the beatdown he is receiving until he spat in V's face.
"Fuck! What the hell?"
The man yell loudly as he rubbed it off his face, Red taking this opportunity to try and slide out of his binding until he realized something moving in his bag, a smile coming to his face when he saw a red tail pop out. 'Nice!'
"Vulpix! I need your help. Can you burn off these cuffs?" The fox Pokemon sleepily looked around before burning the chains, much to Red's relief. The teen took more time to heat up his body before rushing forward to reach for his capsule only to be stopped when his hand was frozen solid instantly which made him withdraw quickly, looking at the ice cased limb. "Damn it! Vulpix! Flame Burst!"
Vulpix used the move, defrosting Red's hand before shooting another which clashed with an icy blast, Red taking time to go back for his capsules which was futile when he got hit by an invisible attack that sent him to the other side of the room. Before he could get up, Vulpix used Extrasensory to push him off the wall which was hit by a powerful bolt of lightning struck. "I could've been a goner…again, Vulpix!"
The Fire type then shot another Flame Burst which connected with another Thunderbolt, the two attacks clashing with each other and causing a shockwave that knocked back Red further only to see Pikachu slowly moving towards him. 'I'll kill you…'
'Pikachu...what happened to you?' He thought, tears welling up in his eyes as he saw the electricity crackling from its cheeks getting stronger, the Pokemon who was his first friend looking at him like an enemy. Red felt pain upon meeting its hateful gaze. The Pokemon who he promised to help, who wanted to go on a journey with him, had only one emotion surging out of its eyes.
Hatred.
Red surveyed the room for his scattered Pokeballs before taking a deep breath and pulling out his slingshot with his focus on the yellow rodent in front of him with a pained expression. 'First things first, I need to get my friends. I swear I will save all of you.'
Shooting a smoke ball and dashing forward, he was able to retrieve of his capsules on the floor before a chain came out of the smoke and smacked him across his face which he was able to quickly recover from with a roll. Wiping the blood of his cheek, he immediately started to feel lightheaded, wondering the reason until he noticed a purple point at the end of the icy chains. 'Poison?'
'Kill him now!' Cryogonal said before releasing a cloud of mist and several chains released from its body, Red barely able to dodge them before he made his command. "Flame Burst now!"
Vulpix breathed out a huge fireball, the move able to heat up most of the room and melt the icy chains and spikes created by Cryogaonal. Dashing behind a box and grabbing another one of his Pokeballs, Red was barely able to avoid a Thunderbolt. He then heard V's loud curses before readying his slingshot and looking at his Pokeball. "Alright, I need to plan this out wisely. I only have Meowth, Clef and Beedrill's Pokeballs. I need to get the rest and then afterwards, I can go for Pikachu."
His vision then started getting blurry as he felt lightheaded, looking down to notice that his wrists are bloodied up and purple, much to his dismay. Hearing V's Pokemon destroying the place and searching around for him, Red quickly took out a Pecha berry and eat it before plastering some of it along his wrists. 'It's not much but it should help slow the poison.'
"Come out here, you fucking bastard! Unless you want your precious little Pokemon dying." V cursed loudly, throwing up a Great Ball which the teen recognizes to be Poli's. 'Damn, I thought I had it! Oh no...'
He then went to release Beedrill but the Pokeball did not respond which concerned until he heard the man again as he threw the capsule to the ground and stepped on it. "Don't even bother trying to use your Pokeball, it's a no Pokeball zone."
Scrambling for ideas, Red thought over his options before he looked at Vulpix and his shadow along with searching up descriptions on V's Pokemon until he made a smile, coming up with a plan.
"Alright, here's the plan."
"Where the hell did he go?" V said angrily, looking around until he smirked, lifting his foot. "Well, it's his loss."
A wall of flames suddenly sprout forth which caused V and his Pokemon to step back, about to retaliate until a stone came through the fire and almost hit Cryogonal.
"The hell was that?" He could say anything else when his Pokemon got hit into the wall by a fiery bullet. "Damn it! Alakazam!"
"Bullseye! Now..." Red was about to continue until he felt a presence above him, spinning out of the way of a Focus Blast then shooting an Iron Ball at Alakazam which hit it but it quickly recovered.
"Hex."
The Psi Pokemon started feeling weak as an immense purple energy surrounded it which made it feel weak before it was sent to the wall. During this, Red speedily retrieve more of his team while fending off against Pikachu and Cryogonal. Trying to get a pattern out of the teen's movements, V could not get the chance to counterattack when a stone connected to his eye, causing him to yell in pain as he fell back to the ground. "Damn it, kid! Fuck you!"
Rushing forward, Red noticed Alakazam getting up then shooting two blasts which hit him in the stomach and the leg, sending him spinning into an ice chain that connected to his arms and flung him into the air before slamming him onto the ground. Despite this, Red quickly gets up and fought against the hold as the ice crystal tried to bring him towards it, freezing his arms in the process. This tug of war resumed until Vulpix came out of his bag and ran along the chains with flames surging from its mouth, V could only run away as the fox got close enough to Cryogonal.
"Full Power Flame Burst!" A huge blast of fire hit the Ice type and engulfing it in flames which Red watched with a smile as an intense heat burst from the fox throughout the room. 'Now if the Pokedex is right, then it should...'
Almost on cue, Cryogonal starts melting quickly, turning into vapor which dissolved the chains around Red's hands and heated up the room. Taking this opportunity and feeling the poison again, Red dashed behind one of the boxes to eat another Pecha Berry as he checked his surroundings.
'Darn, the fog is gone but I still don't know where I am. Need a better view.' Looking up, he quickly climb up a stack of boxes, getting a bird's eye view of the room. "So we're in a storage room, huh? And the door is right there…"
'There you are.' He readies his slingshot, fiddling with an Iron Ball while watching V tend to his Pokemon before taking aim until he heard the man complaints as he had Poli's capsule in his hand.
"Damn! The kid got me. I made the necessary changes to deal with his team but that damn Vulpix caught me off guard. That was not in the database. I need another Pokemon." After saying that, he took out a machine and pressed a button on it which caused Red's Pokeballs to vibrate, one of them open to release Beedrill who hugged him while looking around the place in confusion. 'Where are we?'
'So that's it.' A smile came on his face as he shot the machine which knocked it out of the man's grasp, another one slamming him into his eye that caused him to drop Poli's capsule. As the Pokeball fell, Red made Beedrill shot a string towards the ball but it was stopped by Alakazam who telekinetically pulled him off the box and slammed him into the floor, Dusclops barely stopped his fall. Recovering from the fall, he ran towards his capsule without a second thought. 'Never again.'
Rubbing his aching eye, V's anger burst as he rushes towards Red with a baton along and a Pokeball.
"You damn bastard!"
"V!"
As both dashed towards the Pokeball, the machine on the ground gave sparks which caused their respective Pokemon team to appear. Before they both could get closer, Red noticed sparks in the air, seeing Pikachu glowing brightly.
"Uh oh. Everyone! Back away!"
"Thunder!"
As soon as it released the blast, Beedrill acted quickly and pulled Red out of the way of the attack along with retrieving the Pokeball, the electrical burst reaching towards them until Luxio redirected the move with Discharge. Seeing his trainer at a safe distance, the lynx retreated which made it evade V's Excadrill's move only to switch with Vulpix who sent the mole back with Flame Burst. Meanwhile, Beedrill traded blows with Scizor, the Steel type surprised by its opponent's strength before being struck by an Assurance that sent it flying into Mightyena before the two got hit by a combination of Bubble Beam and Air Slash.
"Damn it! Hyper Voice, Mightyena! Scizor, knock them back with Bullet Punch!" V ordered, his Mightyena letting out a huge soundwave that hit Red and his Pokemon and trapped them within the blast, about to get hit by Cryogonal, who was revived, and Pikachu until Meowth blindsided the Dark type with an Aerial Ace. Before the teen could make his counterattack, his Pokemon got hit by the yellow rodent's Thunder which caused some of them to be paralyzed.
'Pikachu's a problem. That Thunder hits like a truck!' Meowth groaned, the others reeling back from their pain as Beedrill was able to lighten another attack with String Shot. They could not get the chance to get up when chains came towards them, snapping around each Pokemon's neck before Red makes his move, most of his Pokemon able to shatter the icy chain before he made Dusclops land an uppercut on the Ice type followed by a Flame Burst from Vulpix.
"Alright, nice! Now let's-" Red noticed something behind him, a string pulling him out of the way before he called Clefairy who knock away Excadrill who then spun in the air. Not missing a beat, he acted quickly and made Poli and Vulpix attack it with Bubble Beam and Flame Burst respectively that sent the Pokemon back to V's side.
"Damn it! Cryo-" Before V could make his move, his Cryogonal was knocked into the Steel type, much to the man's anger before he holds out a disk in a machine and giving it to his Mightyena who made a loud roar which caused every Pokemon return to their capsule, much to Red's concern while V laughed. "Hope you're ready, you damn bastard! I'll beat you black and blue!"
"But my name is Red though." Red rebutted with a smile as he shot a stone which hit the Alakazam, making it unable to focus.
"Y-you little… You're gonna be red when I'm done with you! Scizor, Pikachu, kill him!"
Once Scizor and Pikachu were released, they immediately attacked Red who released his Pokemon, resulting in Beedrill clashing with Scizor and Luxio redirecting Pikachu's attack. The battle went on, Red being on the defensive as he had to observe and defend against his opponents' speedy assault until he was caught off guard when Scizor pummeled both his Pokemon followed by a Thunder. V smiled as he had the upper hand, his Pokemon giving Red a problem before the teen noticed a pattern and check the rest of the items he had left.
"I'm gonna hate doing this." He shot a Smoke Ball, taking some time to recuperate and give his partners some rest as he took a deep breath after hearing Pikachu. 'I will never forgive you. I will kill you.'
'Deep breaths, Red. It's not the first time but it won't be the last.' He calmed himself down, feeling something unordinary from Pikachu before he was able to think of a plan.
"Alright, Beedrill. Take this Dark Gem. I need you to deal with Scizor. It's a problem with that speed. Luxio…hold off Pikachu. If you can defeat her…do it." Red said, a feeling of guilt choking him but he shook it away. 'It's gonna hurt but I have to do it.'
As the smoke cleared, he rushed forward, making Beedrill shoot a String Shot that attached onto Scizor's pincers before it pulled forward then letting out an assault of strikes while Luxio was able to defend against Pikachu's electrical blasts before it struck it with its claws. Seeing that his opponent is slowly putting up a fight, V gritted his teeth as his attack failed, both of his Pokemon were knocked into each other before Beedrill jabbed them, sending them on the ground before him. Scizor then lunged forward, appearing in front of Beedrill before landing a heavy blow to the bee, the man smiling until he noticed an immense aura surrounding the Poison type as it moved away Scizor's pincer.
"What the?"
"Assurance." Red said, the yellow bee sending a devasting blow to Scizor which made the Pokemon fall to the ground, V noticed that it is unconscious and returned it.
'Damn it! This kid's much more of a headache now. He's much different than how he was in Viridian. But-' He thought, before he made a command. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
Once the command was said, Beedrill and Luxio braced only to be caught by surprise when the lightning bolt went around them and hit Red, electrocuting him which elicited a cry of pain. "Orders are orders! And you being dead is one of them!"
Luxio and Beedrill were about to protect the teen but they were stopped when Mightyena and Excadrill intercepted them, V watching in glee as Pikachu came closer to Red, increasing the amount of electricity it is producing.
'I'll kill you for betraying me! For leaving me!' Pikachu yelled as its cheeks starts glowing more brightly, Red's screams getting louder as his skin felt like it's on fire. Red tried enduring the pain and aim his slingshot but it was futile as the electricity made the weapon catch aflame, much to his surprise and horror. "D-d-d-damn it."
He tried to get a Pokemon from his belt which ended in failure when Pikachu tackled him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. Barely able to get up, the teen was hit by a baton, seeing V's vicious grin as the man towered over him. "Good riddance."
Not willing to stay down, the teen quickly kick the man's shin which earned a pained yell before his Pokeball open, Meowth landing a Feint Attack on Pikachu, sending the rodent away while Red slowly moved away from the man. 'This isn't…good. I need…to finish this quick.'
"You damn turd! Just croak already!" V attacked again, Red dodging his baton before spinning and hitting the man at the side of his head with his bag, disorientating the man as he decided to make some distance. The man made a swipe for the kid only to feel pain when Meowth slashed his hand, making him clutch it as he yelled in pain.
"Fuck!" The man yelled only to be quickly blinded when a Smoke Ball hit him in the face, the teen taking the opportunity as he shuffled through his bag, seeing his Pokemon struggle before taking out his fishing rod along along with his bronze-plated Rocket knuckleduster. "I can't…back down now…"
He then noticed V coming towards him, sidestepping before throwing the fishing hook to the man's shirt, reeling him closer until he punched the man in his face. Continuing his assault with another two punches to the stomach, Red was smacked to the face by Pikachu before it moved around and attacked his Pokemon until he tapped his shadow. "Disable."
The yellow rodent slowed down which made it get hit by an Assurance, Red able to catch it before he looked into its eyes, deciding to speak to it. "Pikachu! It's me, Red! We promised to travel around the world! I'm sorry for everything that happened but please…get back to your senses!"
'Die! You left me!'
"Pikachu! I didn't! I'm sorry I was not strong enough but I can still save you!"
'Shut up! SHUT UP!' The Pokemon exploded with electricity, electrocuting Red who tried pleading with it, V laughing at his pain. "Your little friendship is gone. That mouse belongs to me now! But please! Kill yourself! It'll save me the effort!"
Red felt like he was being hit by a train, his body shaking violently as his muscles feel like they're slowly tearing apart as he yelled in pain, ignoring the immense pain and speaking to the Pokemon. "P-p-pikachu, p-p-please rememb-b-ber! I d-d-don't want to fight you! I want to save you!"
"I guess he's gonna die trying to save that mouse." V said, until he witnessed Beedrill immediately attacking the Electric mouse with a strong Poison Jab while Luxio takes Red back, using Discharge to protect him from Mightyena which paralyzed it. Meanwhile, the yellow bee noticed Pikachu glowing again, quickly using String Shot around the mouse before looking around.
'I got an idea. Hope you like surprise packages because this one is gonna be a shocker!' She said, throwing it towards Mightyena, much to the Dark type's surprise before the move was released, taking it out. Seeing the mouse trying to get up, Beedrill immediately landed an Assurance which sent it towards V, slamming him into the wall. Seeing the bee above him about to attack, the man smiled which Red noticed before he sensed Alakazam.
"No!" As struck Beedrill, Red's eyes start to glow which made his shadow grow bigger as it went forward until a fist forming from it which collided into Alakazam's face. Seeing this, V immediately commanded Excadrill to attack the bee, the Steel type being able to easily overpower the Bug type, much to his glee. "Nice job, Excadrill! Now Earthquake!"
The Pokemon stomp unto the ground which destroyed the room, Red seeing the debris about to fall before he recalling his Pokemon near to him, his body slowly becoming numb as they went near him. 'Shit! I need to think quickly.'
"Death by debris. Not the best but I'm alright with killing you in any fashion." V said with a gleeful smile, Red gritted his teeth before he had to stop the falling rocks with Clef's Brick Break.
"Discharge, Luxio! Let out everything on the rocks." Luxio did as told, letting out all the lightning in its body which destroyed the incoming rocks but another wave fell. 'What else can I do? I'm too used to Milotic creating a quatic shield. Wait! A shield! That's it.'
Releasing Vulpix, he made the fox use Extrasensory which emitted a large psychic veil, calling his Pokemon inside it and using Luxio's electricity to power up the shield. "Alright, I just need to hold out."
During this, V revived his Pikachu then commanded it to attack before it rushed forward with its body glowing, surprising the teen before the man turned to his Excadrill, a sinister smile on his face.
"Giga Impact!"
Red watched as both Pokemon ran towards him, starting to sweat as he thought over his options, his thoughts going awry. "Volt Tackle and Giga Impact…that's a terrifying combo…but…"
He immediately told Vulpix to use Flame Burst on the falling debris, covering them with fire then making Luxio use Discharge to launch them towards V. As the flaming rocks came towards V's Pokemon, he could not get the chance to stop them when the barrier that Alakazam created suddenly stopped, much to its trainer's horror.
"C'mon…" Red said, his vision slowly blurring as he watched his opponents having to avoid the falling debris until one of them hit Pikachu, stopping it from using its attack. Letting out a sigh of relief, he looked up at Excadrill who broke through their attack, gesturing Vulpix forward and pointing it towards the Steel type.
"Vulpix…combine…Flame Burst and Extrasensory. And charge the move." He commanded, going to eat another Pecha Berry while watching the mole, taking slight glances at V to make sure the man can stay still. The flames in the fox's mouth got stronger and brighter as Red made Beedrill shot a barrage of silk which slowed the Subterrene Pokemon, much to the teen's delight.
"Keep it steady, Vulpix."
The Steel type managed to rip through the silk strings and falling debris as it got within centimeters near Red as he noticed the flames within Vulpix starts getting brighter before a small blue sparks out of the body.
"Now! Dusclops, Disable!"
Upon saying that, a red eye glowed in his shadow before Excadrill glowed, its body coming out of its drill position. Red was about to attack until he felt an immense headache, clutching his head in pain as he tossed and turn on the ground. Vulpix started panicking before she noticed Alakazam in the air, glowing as it aimed its spoons at her trainer which made the fox angry as tears welled in her eyes.
'Leave. Him. ALONE!'
V could only watch as his Pokemon flew straight into a powerful Flame Burst which shot like a beam, the strength of the attack surprising him as he quickly commanded his Pokemon to protect him.
"Damn it! What's with that Vulpix? No Pokemon should be that powerful!"
The man could feel his body getting hot as his Pokemon try to shield him from the blast, using their attacks to stop the Fire-type move. Red did not fair better as he had to make Poli cool him down with Bubble Beam and Ice Beam befre he noticing that Vulpix is in pain. "Stop, Vulpix! It's ok!"
The fox glowed as the attack became stronger, causing some of the items in the room to become aflame and the walls started to crack and melt. "It's ok Vulpix! Calm down! I'm alright!"
Vulpix continued, Red having to opt to putting it back into its Pokeball to stop it before he turned to V which made his jaw drop. "Woah…"
Everything in front of him was burned to a crisp, all that remained were charred remains of the boxes and items in the room. Where V was is covered in flames, the wall behind melting and breaking apart as the teen could only watch in awe as he tried to get up. He then checked on his Pokeballs, seeing most of his Pokemon exhausted, some of them fainted from their injuries.
"Woah…at least it's over…" Red panted, barely able to rise to his feet thanks to Luxio and Beedrill. As he starts to leave, he turns towards the wreckage, unable to see nothing through the smoke emitted from the fire and about to fill the room.
'I hope Pikachu is alright. I can't find her anywhere.'
Suddenly a huge gust of wind sent Red flying, his Pokemon saving him as he looked at the burned area before he noticed something that made his eyes widened in shock. He witnesses the flames being blown out, showing V who had a sadistic smile on his face with his Alakazam creating a veil to protect them. "Surprise surprise…I'm not dead."
V got up, coughing harshly as he limped towards the wall, his coughs turning to laughs as he returned his fainted Pokemon, much to Red's confusion.
"I want…to thank you, kid. You being here made everything easier. Now we know where you are. And now…we know where your friends are too. Like a certain commissioner's daughter…" Upon V saying that, Red got angry, trying to rush towards him but he barely had any energy left as his Pokemon held him still. "You leave her out of this! This is between me and you!"
"Hahahahahahahahaha! Dog's got his bark! Never knew you could speak so loudly. But this is not for me to decide…" He started chuckling, lifting a walkie talkie which made Red's eyes widen in shock. He then started to laugh, hearing the static sound before he finished. "...that's for my superiors' job."
Red tried to get up until he saw Luxio looking around in alert with its ears twitching, much to his confusion. "What's wrong, Lux?"
'I hear something...but I don't know where it's coming from.'
"Wait, is the ground shaking?"
"Sometimes you kids have no idea how easy you make things for me! Now die!" V said, Red then felt the ground shake violently, searching the place for the source to find nothing before turning to Luxio. "Luxio, Discharge!"
The Pokemon did not object as it uses the move, sending a powerful surge of lightning but still no results.
"No reaction?! Either it's outside or…oh no…" He started limping towards his exit, returning Luxio as he turns to Beedrill.
"Beedrill, wrap me around with String Shot and carry me out. We need to leave now!" He commanded, hearing the sound got louder and the entire building started to vibrate. V watched with a wicked smile, seeing the ground cracking apart, an immense light bursting from them blinding the two. Beedrill got her strings around her trainer before flying only to be taking down by Alakazam's Psychic. "Oh! Where you're going? The party is all for you and you're going to leave? C'mon! You are gonna enjoy this presence."
Before Red could do anything, the floor broke apart, the entire room turning white as Red can only brace himself as he tried to crawl away, V watching the boy in pure delight until his final Pokemon, an Abra started glowing along with him and Alakazam as he looked at the panicking teen.
"Good riddance."
"Wow. He wasn't playing. Bro pulled out the heavy Octillery! Ow!" A male Rocket grunt said before another, a female, smacked him across the head. "That pun sucks-oh my gosh! Just shut up!"
While the two bicker, a silver haired grunt looked at a building before he snapped his fingers. Suddenly, a white beam erupted from a building in the distance, demolishing an entire top half of the infrastructure. As they watch the building fall apart, someone appeared behind them, cackling as it floated beside the white haired grunt. 'Haha! Did you love that? Aren't my attacks badass?!'
"Gothitelle, did you have to go that extreme? A simple portal to the Seafoam oceans or the volcanoes of Mt. Ember would have been enough." The psychic goth said, folding her arms as she looked towards the explosion. 'Why? I hardly get to loosen my muscles plus he deserved it. Especially with how he somehow sensed me in the midst of my attack.'
"What? But you're almost undetectable, even to the Kanto Police Force Chief's Pokemon. How?"
'I told you he's dangerous. You should have made me kill him back in Vermilion. But this is ok.'
"So, what to do from here, Hun?" The female grunt turn to the silver haired man, who is known as Hun, as he folds his arms in deep thought. "Erika may have heard that explosion and is going to the building as we speak.
"Erika is of no concern to me. Our main priority is the capture or disposal of Leaf Green. Do with Erika as you must."
'Where do you think she's gonna be?'
"Since Red Fire was in this city. I have a hunch that she should be at the Celadon Gym." Hun speculated, his Gothitelle levitating and flew towards the gym. He then gestured the two grunts with him to come closer, one of them taking out a strange device.
"We need to make this into an accident. Send them out." Upon him saying this, the two grunts gasped in shock as the female of the two made a step back. The male cleared his throat and looked down at the demolished building before turning to Hun with furrowed brows. "A-are you sure, Hun?"
"Yes. The scientists did want a test run after all. So what better than having them go against a gym leader."
An explosion echoed through the city, Leaf and the others watching in shock as they saw a beam shooting to the sky. They then heard a massive tremor that caused everyone to panic and scream in horror.
"What's going on?"
"An explosions?"
"Why is it happening now?"
"A terrorist attack?"
Erika looked up in shock as she noticed a trail of smoke on the distance, taking up a bag at the entrance of the greenhouse before dashing outside, Leaf and Kim following after her. As they went outside, they saw the woman already several meters from them, whistling as she does so before something passed the two girls, galloping beside the gym leader.
"Gogoat! I need your help right now!" She said, her Gogoat nodding before she hops on its back and they both started dashing off, a worried expression on her face. 'I don't like this.'
As they watch the woman leave, Kim sighed as she looked at Leaf who was getting herself ready. "Lemme guess. We're going after them, right?"
"Hell yeah! C'mon!" The brunette nodded before she sprints forward, about to leave the front garden of the gym until he noticed something odd. Looking around, she saw everyone was frozen stiff as if time stopped, the girl looking around in confusion before her eyes widened in shock. "Wait. What's happening?"
Suddenly, her Wartortle popped out of its ball, quickly using Protect as a bolt of lightning crashed where they were, the veil able to stop the attack.
'Never thought I would see you again.' A voice said which made Leaf starting to sweat, turning towards the direction of the voice, seeing Gothitelle floating in front of her with a sadistic smile on her face.
"Oh no…please no…" Leaf stepped back in fear, the Psychic type smile growing wider as its hands to glow, electricity bursting from them. Wartortle went in front of her, visibly shaking as it stared down their opponent. Leaf could only watch in disbelief, her heart racing as one thought pop in her head.
'Why is she here?'
Quickly reaching the North side of Celadon City, the gym leader looked around until she touched her Gogoat's horns, the Pokemon immediately making a right down an alleyway, reaching the location of the explosion only to be introduced to a disgusting stench which made her have to hold her nose. When she ventured further, she watched in shock at the scene happening in front of her.
"What on earth?" Erika's eyes widened as she saw an army of Muk running amok, attacking people and buildings as some of the residents tried to protect themselves or escape. She quickly got over her shock when she sent out her Exeggutor, letting it stop the projectile attacks the poisonous slimes threw at the people before making her Gogoat use Earthquake to trap the Muk. "Ok, good. Now…"
With Gogoat's blistering speed, she appeared in front of the scared residents, sending out Tangrowth. "Anyone who is hurt, help them please."
The Pokemon nodded before it got to work, using its vines to pick up various debris and helping people. She then turned to the group of Muk who were close to getting out and continuing to destroy the area until she snapped her fingers, Exeggutor hitting them with Psyshock while Gogoat hit the rest with Rock Slide. She was about to continue her attack before she tapped the goat's horn, making it move to the side as they barely dodged a Sludge Bomb, seeing another group of Muk, this time she realized that they are different.
'Aren't these the Alolan variant of Muk?' She said, seeing that part of her kimono is burnt, ripping the clothing as she unzipped her bag to take out a bow and quiver, getting herself ready before giving Gogoat a berry which made its fur start to spike up as she said one move. "Bulk Up."
An intense aura covered the Pokemon, the girl finished as she got an arrow ready, her expression hardened as she tapped Gogoat's horn, the Pokemon running towards the army of slimes, none of them realizing Hun looking down at the battle from one of the tall buildings with a huge wicked smile on his face.
Finally! This took much longer than usual but I'm happy with how it turned out. V's here and he's still an asshole as always. It took a lot of proofreading to make sure this and the last couple chapters but that's neither here nor there. It's sad to see Pikachu like this but the story must go on. The battle scene between these two was all written on the go so my imagination decided to say hi and take over. Anyways, it's a first to have Red as the focus after the few chapters being Leaf centric. Welp, I have nothing else to say. I hope you all had an awesome year and keep safe. Thanks for reading my story and for taking the time to comment and like it. I gotta go, Enigma out!
