Ch.62
Join the Fight
Pokemon is the property of its respective owners, Ocs belong to me
"(Alright, we're here,)" Dmitri heard Espeon say from behind as he, Tomoe, and the sun pokemon exited the rift which closed behind them with a loud, short burst that catapulted the trio forward.
Gasping, Dmitri suddenly found himself flung onto all fours where he was dazed at the worst while Tomoe widened her eyes before unsheathing her blade and twisting herself in midair so she was facing forward and stabbed the blade into the dirt just as she landed with a forceful crash. Espeon, however, calmly encased herself in crimson energy that slowed down her forward momentum and gently floated to the ground in between Dmitri and Tomoe.
"(Uh...heh heh, sorry about that. It's like I said, I can make rifts like Oni, but there's still some...kinks I need to work out,)" Espeon bashfully explained while lifting the battle ace and his bodyguard to their feet with her telekinesis where Dmitri groaned while Tomoe dusted herself off and shot the feline a fierce glare.
"It's-"
"(Young master, don't you dare say it's okay. She could have gotten us hurt with the stunt she pulled,)" Tomoe sharply interrupted Dmitri causing him to sigh softly and rub the back of his head while Espeon raised a brow and tilted her head.
"(Relax, it was a relatively small rift so one could have gotten hurt anyway, but next time I'll be sure everyone gets clear before I close it. Now if I made a rift big enough so Oni could fit through it that's when you should be worried,)" Espeon replied in a tone that tried to make the situation sound like no big deal causing the otter to narrow her eyes at the feline who gave the warrior a bashful grin in response which made Dmitri put a hand on Tomoe's shoulder.
"Tomoe, it's fine. I'm not hurt and neither are you so let's just find the clone pokemon," Dmitri calmly stated causing the otter to huff irritably before folding her arms and glancing at her master with her eyes narrowed.
"(Fine, but I've got my eye on her,)" Tomoe retorted while suspiciously glancing at Espeon who still had a shit eating grin on her face as Alice suddenly stepped forward causing the otter to move in order to place herself in front of Dmitri, but the battle ace held his hand up causing her to grumble, but reluctantly remain where she was.
"Here's how this is going to work; Espeon is going to lead us to them and you do your thing to recruit the clone you want to come with you and you won't interfere with the methods I use to attempt to convince a clone to come with me," Alice gruffly stated which sounded more like an order to the battle ace as the indentured servant stared down at Dmitri who unflinchingly glared back at her and put his hands on his hips.
"So long as you don't abuse the clone like you did with Sparkplug, I won't butt in," Dmitri tersely retorted causing the servant's brow to twitch before she snorted and glanced at Espeon who was balancing herself on her head.
"Espeon, let's go," Alice stated in a blunt, but soft tone of voice causing the feline to get back onto all fours and stretch her body before the jewel on her forehead and her eyes started glowing a bright, bloody crimson like candles in the dark.
"(Alrighty then, follow me to glory kiddos,)" Espeon proclaimed causing Alice to roll her eyes, but Dmitri saw the barest hint of a grin tugging at her lips causing him to grumble as the group began following the pink cat with Alice and Poliwrath in front while Dmitri and Tomoe brought up the rear.
For a long while, the odd traveling group walked in complete, tense silence with the light emanating from Espeon slowly getting brighter causing Dmitri to inwardly hope that they would get to wherever they were going to already as he took in his surroundings to pass the time. When gazing at the thousands upon thousands of trees grew dull, Dmitri sucked in a breathe and softly let it it out before staring at the pink feline leading the group.
"Espeon, where exactly is here?" Dmitri inquired which finally broke the long standing silence causing Espeon to rub the tip of her tail against the crown of her skull before looking back at the battle ace and shrugging.
"(That's a good question that I don't know the answer to. My best guess is that we're either in the Viridian Forest, Mt. Moon, or Mt. Silver which makes sense considering you'd want your new home to be easily defensible and near a lot of natural resources,)" Espeon theorized causing Dmitri to gratefully nod at the pink feline who nodded back and suddenly led the group left causing the group to follow her while Alice scoffed.
"Nice to know we're in your capable paws, Espeon," the ex-heiress remarked while folding her arms causing the pink feline to chuckle softly and suddenly stared at her master with a far too wide grin.
"(Thank you stupid master. When I lead you in the wrong direction and you smack face first into a tree, I'll be sure to remember you thought so highly of me while you're unconscious,)" Espeon happily retorted while swishing her tail back and forth causing Alice to grunt while Dmitri chuckled under his breathe causing the thrall to shoot the boy an irritated stare.
Holding his hands up, Dmitri quieted his laughter causing Alice to scowl as Espeon suddenly stopped in her tracks with her eyes and the jewel on her forehead shining brilliantly like the sun causing the ex-heiress to raise a brow.
"The clones are nearby?" Alice said as more of a statement rather than a question causing the pink feline to nod and suddenly turn toward her allies while Tomoe looked around the area and suddenly got the compulsion to grip her sword just in case.
"(They are, along with two new brainwave patterns I can't identify. It could be the two agents you guys fought on the boat,)" Espeon responded while directly addressing Dmitri and Tomoe causing the battle ace to clench his fists tightly while Tomoe readied herself and was ready to unsheathe her blade at a moment's notice.
"You're sure?" Alice inquired while putting a hand on her hip causing her partner to immediately nod making the ex-heiress scowl, but remained focused and glanced at Poliwrath who nodded and maintained a vigilant watch over the area.
"(I'm sure,)" Espeon calmly replied causing Dmitri and Tomoe to approach the trio while Poliwrath continued to scan the area for threats and suddenly whipped her head to the side, but soon after went back to looking around for enemies.
"Well, looks like throwing them off the boat instead of killing them when you had the chance turned out to be a bad decision after all," Alice remarked while narrowing her eyes at Dmitri and Tomoe causing the battle ace to glare back at her while Tomoe snorted and folded her arms.
"(I guess talking with the clones is out of the picture?)" Poliwrath inquired as she suddenly snapped her head to the side again when she thought she heard something, but dismissed this as paranoia and continued to scan the area as per usual.
"Not exactly. Espeon, could you sense if they're spread out?" Dmitri politely requested causing the pink cat to raise a brow before closing her eyes and not a moment afterwards, opened them.
"(Hmm...that's interesting. The majority of the clones in this area are with the unfamiliar brainwave patterns, but some of them have broken off and formed their own group not too far from here,)" Espeon informed him causing Dmitri to cheer silently which made Tomoe to raise a brow as Alice narrowed her eyes the pink cat.
"Alright, so we talk to the other group of clones then. Espeon, lead us there," Alice commanded causing the pink feline to let out a loud yawn before lazily nodding, but just as she was about to move out, Poliwrath shot a small, but focused jet of water into one of the trees.
Before anyone could question what the tadpole was doing, they all heard a surprised yelp and saw a dark skinned woman who looked to be in her early thirties wearing rugged, durable clothing blown out of the tree by the blast of water and crash to the ground with a harsh thud.
"Oh lovely, a Ranger. Just what we need right now," Alice quipped as she folded her arms and regarded the woman blankly as the Ranger got back onto her feet and gripped a pokeball on her belt before sending out a powerful looking Dragonite.
"(Is that bad, young master?)" Tomoe inquired causing Dmitri to slowly nod as the Ranger and her Dragonite warily approached the group causing Alice to roll her eyes, Espeon to munch on the grass, and Poliwrath to fold her arms.
"If it looks we're causing trouble, then yes. Rangers are skilled law enforcement officers specializing in matters related to pokemon and by the looks of things, she's a cut above the rest," Dmitri softly responded causing his bodyguard to nod and remove her paw from her hilt and relax her body in order to look as non-threatening as possible.
"I need to see your pokedexes please," the Ranger politely demanded while extending her hand causing Espeon to glance at Alice who shrugged while Dmitri sighed heavily and hesitantly placed the device into the Ranger's hand.
"(You know, I could just knock her and her Dragonite out by overloading their senses. There wouldn't be any long term damage and we would be on our merry way,)" Espeon suggested causing Dmitri to ground his teeth and shoot Espeon a brief, disapproving glance to which the feline continued to chew on a strand of grass in her mouth.
"No, if we do that, then our charges will be upgraded from trespassing to assaulting an officer of the law!" Dmitri mentally exclaimed causing the pink feline to shrug as the Ranger handed Dmitri's pokedex back to him which made the battle ace put it back into his pocket.
"I hate to break this to you, but Poliwrath already took care of the latter," Espeon reminded Dmitri causing the boy to resist the urge to groan and simply did his best to remain calm as the officer typed something into her Pokegear before glaring at Dmitri and Alice.
"Well Dmitri, there's a missing person's report for you so I'm obligated to bring you back to the station and as for mystery girl here, you're going to have to come with me so we can get your identification sorted out. On top of that, I heard your conversation so I'm going to need the specifics," the Ranger demanded causing Dmitri to rub the back of his head while Alice huffed and rolled her eyes as the battle ace felt a presence in his head once more.
"(Overloading their senses~)" Espeon hummed causing Dmitri to glance at the pink feline with the stink eye which made Espeon innocently smile and swish her tail to and fro before Alice suddenly took charge of the conversation.
"Fine, you want to know who I am? I'm Alice Wayne, not that it matters anymore, and our business here and what we were discussing is none of your concern," Alice stated bluntly causing the Ranger and her Dragonite to narrow their eyes at the indentured servant who was more than happy to return the glower all while Dmitri resisted the urge to face palm.
"When I find a missing person and a woman who's wanted for multiple accounts of battery assault and murder in my jurisdiction, it is my concern so I suggest you keep your mouth shut. The clone pokemon are causing enough trouble so we don't need you two running around and making things worse," the Ranger retorted as she took out her handcuffs causing Alice to smirk and extend her hands where she let the shackles be placed onto her.
"And I suggest you don't involve yourself in things you don't understand," Alice shot back while easily freeing herself from the metallic restraints where the pieces of metal clattered to the ground causing the Ranger to widen her eyes while her Dragonite readied itself.
"What do you mean the clone pokemon are causing trouble?" Dmitri inquired causing Alice to groan and stop in her tracks when she was already walking away while the Ranger narrowed her eyes at the boy who calmly looked back at her.
"Just a few hours ago they suddenly forced a large portion of the local pokemon out of their territory and began fortifying the area. It doesn't make sense; they've gotten along with them for years now so why the sudden aggression?" the Ranger explained causing Dmitri to nod and put a hand on his chin while Tomoe folded her arms and glanced at Dmitri.
"(It sounds like the agents are establishing a beachhead so their allies can rendezvous with them there,)" Tomoe whispered causing Dmitri to nod and look down at the ground with his eyes narrowed while Alice impatiently tapped her foot on the ground.
"(If they plan to attack with not only their allies, but with their op clone friends...well, best not to think about that,)" Espeon chimed in causing Tomoe to blankly gaze at the pink feline before staring straight ahead as Alice rolled her eyes, but suddenly stepped forward causing the Ranger to warily stare at the servant.
"Long story short; we came here to recruit some of the cloned pokemon to come with us because I've been tasked to fight the invading pokemon and we just now figured out two of the invaders convinced the clone pokemon to join their side. So, would you rather take us both into the station and deprive yourself of two powerful allies or do you want to help us take them out?" Alice tersely explained causing the Ranger's eyes to widen and glanced at Dragonite who raised a brow before they both looked back at the ex-heiress.
"Firstly, I don't care what contract your obligated to fulfill, leave the fighting to people who are actually qualified. Secondly, I can contact Lance right now and get his help so I hardly think I need the help of two-"
The Ranger's eyes went wide when a bloody crimson aura suddenly flared around Espeon like an out of control wild fire and the ground underneath the group along with giant boulders the size of small buildings were lifted high into the air like a rocket. Gasping, Dmitri fell onto his knees while Tomoe and Poliwrath maintained their footing while Alice yelped and fell onto her back as Espeon continued to lift them higher and higher into the air. Though Dmitri was amazed at Espeon's power and that he was so close to the stars that he thought he could touch them, he did find it harder to breathe. Luckily, Espeon gently set the large patch of ground along with the giant boulders back onto the surface in their previous positions after a few seconds had passed. Humming, Espeon cheerfully glanced at the Ranger with a sickenley sweet smile who gripped her head as if she was in the midst of a hangover while her Dragonite glowered at the pink feline who happily waved at him with her tail.
"Fine, you two can help, but I want straight answers from you two once we set up camp," the Ranger hesitantly conceded causing Dmitri, Tomoe, and Poliwrath to nod while Alice scoffed and Espeon scratched the back of her ear with her hindleg before nibbling on said foot absentmindedly.
"That's fine Ranger..." Dmitri trailed off causing the officer to blankly gaze at the boy which made Dmitri want to sink into a puddle, but kept his gaze on the Ranger as she brushed back some of her hair.
"Kelly, now let's go. I know a good place we can set up camp," Kelly answered while already sauntering off causing Espeon and Poliwrath to shrug before following the Ranger with Dmitri and Tomoe in tow while Alice scowled, but nevertheless followed her allies.
"(What made you tell her the purpose of our visit, Alice?)" Espeon inquired curiously while scratching her back with her tail while Alice grumbled and shoved her hands into her pocket before glancing at her partner.
"I saw no harm to it and we're not in a position to turn down help," Alice responded causing the pink feline to release a puff of air from her nostrils and pick her ear with the tip of her tail.
"You might reconsider that when Officer Do Gooder here tries to throw you into some prison," Espeon pointed out while wiping the tip of her tail on the grass while the ex-heiress scoffed causing Kelly's Dragonite to raise a brow, but said nothing as his partner turned in the other direction causing him and their new found allies to follow them.
"(I hope this Lance is as strong as this Ranger says he is,)" Tomoe whispered to Dmitri causing him to purse his lips and stare down at the ground with his fists clenched before relaxing his hand.
"He should be; you don't earn that position without being able to hold your ground against all sorts of opponents...at least that's what my mom says," Dmitri replied while thinking back to that faithful day and closing his eyes before he jolted when he felt Tomoe's paw on his shoulder.
"(If he does come, are you going to be okay?)" Tomoe concernedly inquired causing the battle ace to nod as he looked up at the sky before balling his hand into a fist.
"I will, but I do want some answers from him once we take care of the agents," Dmitri replied causing Tomoe to nod and gently pat her charge's shoulder before returning to watching the area for threats.
After what seemed like an eternity, the odd group arrived at a ridge covered with dense, thick trees and surrounded by big rocks that Dmitri surmised could be useful for cover should they be ambushed as the Ranger set her belongings down on the ground and gestured at two rocks across from her. Reluctantly, Dmitri glanced at Alice who snorted, but sat down on the rock with a scowl on her face while the battle ace slowly sat down as well and put his hands on his legs while Poliwrath and Espeon kept watch over the area.
"What do you want to know?" Alice asked while folding her arms causing the Ranger to glare at the ex-heiress who snorted in response as Espeon's eyes suddenly glowed crimson and looked to the side as if in a trance.
"I want to know why Alice Wayne, a wanted, dangerous criminal, is doing here at Mt. Silver after being missing for over 7 months and why Dmitri Long is with you after there had been a missing person's report for him," Kelly replied while crossing her arms over her chest causing the ex-heiress to roll her eyes and think about what she was going to say while Dmitri rubbed the back of his head before they all suddenly felt an intense, overwhelming pressure.
"(I can answer that, Ranger Alex. Before you ask, I am Lugia or as I go by now, Oni, and Alice here is my indentured servant after I brought her before Arceus for judgment after leading the first attack on Hearthome. She is here because I have tasked her to help combat these invading pokemon and Dmitri is traveling with her because of his decision to separate himself from his friends in an attempt to save his captured mother alone. Furthermore, the invading pokemon are coming to Kanto and Johto in the first place because Dmitri's mother killed a legendary team because they were threatening both of our species, but their lieutenants took up leadership in their stead,)" Oni explained as clearly and concise as possible causing Kelly and her Dragonite to widen their eyes at the sudden voice that cut into their interrogation.
"But why-"
"(In addition, the invaders sent two agents in one last attempt to turn the tide of the war by capturing Dmitri and they encountered him on a cruise ship, but his bodyguard, Tomoe, managed to defeat them. She didn't kill them, however, which gave them the chance to make contact with the clones and sway them to their side hence the sudden hostilities with the local pokemon. As to why Dmitri is not back with his friends, I have deemed it safer that he stay with Alice rather than back with his friends for the time being because...well, if you heard what happened in Sinnoh, you'd understand why,)" Oni finished causing Alex and her Dragonite to share skeptical glances with each other before the Ranger focused on the presence of the titan while Oni patiently waited for anything the lawwoman was going to say.
"Okay, so Alice is your slave because you think that's a proper punishment?" Kelly skeptically stated while staring at the presence with her brow raised causing Oni to take a deep breathe in before letting it back out.
"(Is it not a punishment that suits her? Along with experiencing every bit of pain and suffering she inflicted on others, she is now a servant to the beings she considered to be mere tools for her to use. Yet...I've decided that after eighteen years have passed, the same amount of time she has been a pokemon trainer, I will give Alice the means to start a new life if she so wishes,)" Oni responded calmly causing Alice to widen her eyes and for a brief moment, Dmitri saw a grateful, relieved smile on her face before it disappeared behind a blank gaze.
"Okay, so if you can contact me from wherever you are, why didn't you try to contact Lance, the Elite Four, or even Red? We sure could use their help right about now," Kelly inquired causing the presence to grunt as Espeon raised a brow and ducked into the foliage while Poliwrath remained where she was.
"(Do you honestly think that Lance and the Elite Four could smoothly work with Unova's Champion and their Elite Four?)" Oni bluntly questioned the Ranger who opened her mouth to protest, but quickly closed it when nothing came to mind causing her to grumble and cross her arms over her chest.
"(The silence is your answer; I'll leave you guys to take care of this beachhead. I have to get back to coordinating my allies maintaining the blockade,)" Oni tersely stated causing Alice to respectfully bow her head while Poliwrath saluted as they all felt the pressure around the area cease causing Kelly to take out her pokegear.
"Look, bad relations or not, Lance deserves to know where these invading pokemon are coming from and why the Unova champion-"
"Alder," Dmitri softly interrupted the Ranger who rolled her eyes as she typed something into her pokegear and held the device up to her ears as Espeon returned from the foliage levitating a copious amount of berries with her.
"I don't care what the name of champion from the "we're so much better than everyone" region is called, what I do care about is why he and his Elite Four aren't properly dealing with this situation," Kelly snarled causing Dmitri to sigh softly and hold his hands up as the Ranger sat up from her rock and walked away causing Tomoe to fold her arms before glancing at her master.
"(I do not think letting this Ranger help us is the best decision, young master,)" Tomoe admitted causing Dmitri to shrug and roll his shoulder as Espeon set the berries down and helped Alice set up their tent.
"Well, we can't exactly send her off without getting into more trouble than we already are and she is a Ranger who's stationed here so she should know the terrain better than any of us," Dmitri countered causing Tomoe to snort and say nothing as Espeon went about covering the tent with leaves and other foliage so as not arouse suspicion.
"(Maybe so, but so far her attitude makes me think the consequences of this alliance outweight any possible benefits,)" Tomoe responded as she and Dmitri decided to set up their tent as well with Espeon even helping putting on leaves and other things that wouldn't be out of place onto the tent so it could remain hidden.
"Are you saying that about Kelly, or are you saying that about Alice?" Dmitri inquired causing Tomoe to roughly plant the last peg in the ground and firmly tie it down before putting her paw on the hilt of her blade.
"Feh," Tomoe grunted as she walked to the edge of the ridge and looked out over the horizon causing Dmitri to rub the back of his head as Espeon put the finishing touches on the disguised tent before staring at the battle ace.
"(While the ronin broods, I want to show you something,)" Espeon stated causing Dmitri to raise a brow as the pink feline began walking into the foliage causing the battle ace to hesitantly follow her into the brush before she suddenly stopped in her tracks.
"(Alrighty, now kneel down and pull the bush apart a little bit, and only a little bit,)" Espeon ordered causing Dmitri to tilt his head, but nevertheless followed through with the what the pink feline said.
He widened his eyes when he saw out in the distance the two battered agents Tomoe fought, a plethora of the local pokemon, and oddly colored pokemon with strange looking growths and cracked skin fortifying the beach down below.
"(Heh...so long as we remain hidden, we have the perfect view,)" Espeon remarked as she glanced down at the pokemon down below who looked like ants at this height while Dmitri noticed Tomoe kneeling down and nodding while pursing her lips.
"(Well...I guess the ranger has proven her worth. From the looks of things, only a school of Basculin have managed to rendezvous at the beachheard; the others must be held up by the blockade,)" Tomoe surmised causing Dmitri to nod as he removed his hand from the bush and walked back to camp with his friends in tow.
"That's good for us, but we'll need to leave someone here when Alice and I try to talk to the other group of clone pokemon so we'll know what they're doing," Dmitri pointed out causing Tomoe to nod while Espeon sneezed as they reentered their camp and saw Kelly finish up her conversation on her pokegear.
"Lance is coming and he sounds like he wants answers," Kelly informed the group causing Alice to roll her eyes and sling her backpack over her shoulder while Dmitri followed suit causing the Ranger to raise a brow.
"That's fine, but we really should be getting to talking to the other group of clone pokemon. The sooner we can get some of them on our side, the sooner we can take action against the beachhead," Dmitri responded as Espeon's eyes and jewel began to glow faintly and walked toward the right causing Dmitri, Tomoe, Alice, and Poliwrath to follow her.
"You can see the beachhead the invaders have set up if you go inside the brush and pull apart the bushes and if Lance comes, tell him what we're doing," Alice offhandedly stated while giving a backwards wave to the Ranger only for her Dragonite to zip in front of the group with a disapproving glare.
"You two are going to stay here until Lance arrives and you're going to tell him everything you know," Kelly refuted causing Tomoe to tightly grip the hilt of her blade and subtly drew part of the sword out of its scabbard while Espeon glared at the dragon and tensed her muscles before Dmitri put a hand on his bodyguard's shoulder.
"We can't fight without drawing attention from the agents," Dmitri reminded Tomoe who snarled viciously before stomping back to camp while Espeon disappointingly sighed and proceeded to roll herself like a ball back to the camp while Alice and Poliwrath followed her.
"(Looks like the fake champion is right on time,)" Espeon muttered while dragging her hind legs against the ground upon reaching the camp which caused Tomoe to look up at the sky and did indeed feel a strong, overwhelming draconic energy coming towards them.
"The interrogation better not take long," the indentured servant barked at the Ranger who narrowed her eyes at the young adult and leaned against a boulder with her hands in her pockets as Dmitri and Tomoe sat down on the grass while looking up at the sky.
"I'll be sure to cut it short if it drags on for a prolonged amount of time," Kelly hesitantly conceded causing Alice to snort, but nevertheless nod as Dmitri narrowed his eyes when he saw a crimson haired, cloak wearing man riding a Dragonite come into view.
"(Time to see what impressed Sir Darris and the Headmaster so much,)" Tomoe thought to herself as the champion of Kanto and Johto landed in front of the camp causing Dmitri and Tomoe to warily gaze at the dragon tamer.