In this chapter, our main characters make their daring escape from the ship's brig! Will they be able to escape safely?
As for the Best Girl nominations, still going strong. Anyone else to add?
Currently Nominated: Sango, Cynthia, Elaina, Kate, Dakota, Ayame, Marion
Just a Bad Writer for Fun: I wonder why she seems familiar? This is the first time we've met her, I promise.
TREBOR.E: School always seems like it takes a long time. It doesn't help we've been jumping to a lot of big events.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 181
Ryoko's positivity had really helped liven Sango up. She was reinvigorated, with a new resolve to find some way to get out of this brig and off of this ship. With Silver in tow. And all the Wooloo. She wasn't sure exactly how she could do it… there were a lot of Wooloo to move, after all. But there was no way she'd just let things stop here. Ryoko's words… to do what she wanted… and what she wanted right now was to bring a smile to Lucy's face.
"These bars are pretty solid," Sango grumbled, shaking the bars of their cell as hard as she could. There was hardly a rattle. "And I don't think we can get through the door."
"So it is pointless then?" Ryoko asked.
"Looks that way, yeah," Sango said, frowning. "I don't suppose any of those magic powers you have up your sleeve would be of any use?"
"Unfortunately not," Ryoko said, shaking her head. "The ability of Celebi to interact with the real world is fairly limited. And besides, I have full faith in your abilities, Sango."
Sango rolled her eyes. So much for Ryoko being helpful, then. She turned and walked over to Guinevere.
"What about you, Guinevere? Do you have any ideas?"
"Any ideas about what?"
"Can you think of a way for us to get out of here?" Sango asked.
Guinevere blinked.
"I don't understand."
"Well, we're in here, and we would like to get out," Sango said, a little more frustrated.
"Why do we need to get out?" Guinevere asked. "They will let us out when we arrive at our destination, won't they?"
"…What makes you say that?" Sango asked, frowning.
"Well this boat is going to the Galar Region," Guinevere explained. "So when we arrive, they will let off all the passengers."
"…This is not a pleasure cruise," Sango dryly replied.
"What is-"
"Nevermind," Sango pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Guinevere… when you got here, onto this ship, weren't you taken from somewhere else?"
Guinever tilted her head to the side, looking at the wall behind Sango.
"I don't understand," Guinevere said again.
"How about this, Guinevere?" Ryoko stepped up to the two, because it was quite apparent Sango's attempts were not working. "Could you please tell us how you came aboard this ship?"
"I can," Guinevere said. "I was coming to Galar from Vermillion City in order to go get lunch with an acquaintance. So they told me to catch a boat to Galar. After I wasted all my pokeballs, they explained that they had meant I just needed to get a ride there with one of the boats leading to Galar. So I went to each ship in the harbor and asked them where they were going. This was the first one that said they were going to Galar, and so I got onboard. Then they escorted me here, to my room. So when we get to Galar, they will come and let us out of the room."
Sango and Ryoko blinked, and then stared at each other. There was no way she was serious, right? She had walked onto a ship run by criminals without a care in the world and got taken prisoner, and she assumed that this was just a pleasure cruise taking her on a slow trip to the Galar Region?
"If this is just a normal trip, didn't you stop to ask why they took away all your belongings?" Sango demanded. "Like, don't you have any pokemon, or anything like that? Don't you think it's odd that they would take away your pokemon if you were just a passenger?"
"I have never taken a boat before. Isn't it like checking your luggage on an airplane?" Guinevere asked. "Besides, I am in contact with my pokemon at all times."
"Wait, whatever do you mean?" Ryoko asked, surprised.
"Mean by what?"
"What do you mean 'you're in contact with your pokemon'?" Sango asked.
"My pokemon are all of the psychic type," Guinevere explained. "I prefer psychic pokemon to other kinds, after all. I have… difficulty communicating with other people. But pokemon? My psychic pokemon and I share a bond. They can read my thoughts and my feelings…"
A small smile crossed Guinevere's face and she looked down toward the ground.
"I do not have to worry about psychic pokemon abandoning me for not being able to understand me. They are… unbelievably precious and understanding."
Sango nodded her head. She understood what Guinevere was saying. But even so… there were some things she needed to correct her on.
"I don't think you understand, Guinevere. This boat already arrived in Galar. Right now, we're traveling back to Kanto."
Guinevere blinked.
"I don't understand. This boat is going to Galar. So why would they not let me off when they got to Galar?"
"Because you aren't a guest!" Sango explained. "We're prisoners! Guinevere, you're a prisoner of Team Rocket, just like the rest of us. Team Rocket is not going to let you, or me, or Ryoko out of this cell. So we need to break out ourselves."
Guinevere's eyes widened with panic, and she began to shake.
"Prisoner…?" Guinevere whispered. "No, no! Not again! Not AGAIN! Don't…. can't go back there! Can't be… imprisoned!"
Guinevere leapt to her feet and pushed Sango out of the way, running to the bars of their jail. She shook on them with strength that Sango didn't believe she had, but even so, she couldn't move the door in the slightest. To say she was displeased by this revelation… would be an understatement.
"NO! Let me out of here! Don't lock me up again! Please, father, don't! I'm sorry! Let me out! Help me, help me… Lancelot!"
Guinevere cried, and a bright white light appeared in the center of the room. Sango and Ryoko had to shield their eyes. The light faded, and kneeling before Guinevere was a pokemon.
The Gallade's body was lean and powerful, and littered with multiple scars that were clearly from old battles. A curved scar went down his left eye, and his crimson eyes were blazing as he looked up at the girl.
"Lancelot, you came," Guinevere smiled, her cheeks flushing red.
"Gallade," The Gallade rose to his feet and embraced the shorter girl. The pokemon turned his head to see Sango and Ryoko, glaring at them. He moved Guinevere behind him and raised his arms, the blades on his elbows extending protectively.
"W-wait, we weren't going to-!" Sango exclaimed, waving her hands frantically.
"Lancelot, do not pay them mind," Guinevere said, smiling, hugging her Gallade. "Thank you for coming to my rescue as always."
"Gal." Lancelot nodded, lowering his arms. He turned back to Guinevere and scooped her up into a princess carry, tucking on arm under her knees and cradling her back with the other.
"Guinevere, how is your pokemon here?" Sango asked. "That isn't possible… right?"
"Lancelot always comes when I call him" Guinevere smiled, placing her hand on the Gallade's chest. "I had his pokeball modified so he can come out when he likes."
Sango blinked. She'd never heard of something like that.
"Shall we be off, dear Lancelot?" Guinevere smiled. Lancelot nodded, shifting Guinevere so that her weight was on one of his arms. He stepped forward and swung the blade on his other arm, slicing through the bars in one swift blow, then another.
The bars clattered to the ground, and Lancelot swept his arm up under Guinevere's legs again. He stepped over the remains of the cell wall, cradling his trainer in his arms.
Ryoko and Sango glanced at each other for a second, and decided that now was as good a time to escape as any. They chased after the girl and her Gallade frantically.
"Guinevere!" Sango shouted. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to get my bag," Guinevere shouted back. "I can feel my pokemon nearby. Then, when I've taken them back, I'll have the boat return to Galar."
Sango was a pretty decent runner, but as a pokemon, the Gallade was easily outpacing her. Ryoko was surprisingly nimble as well, considering she was running in such a billowy skirt. Although Sango mused that she was probably used to running, given what she knew about the girl and her powers.
Sango was vaguely aware of an alarm going off in her ears. While there were no guards posted, it seemed that the cell at least had some measure of security system. People were coming to try and stop the three girls, but they were all coming from the front. Which was not very fortunate for them, as the head of the party was a Gallade who would cut first and not ask any questions at all.
So I guess I was completely wrong about needing to save her… Sango noted. A part of her wondered if Guinevere really could take over the whole ship by herself. Compared to her, I'm…
"Sango." Sango turned to see Ryoko running by her side, her golden eyes flashing seriously.
"Wh-"
"Do not feel useless right now," Ryoko chastised her. "Now is not the time. The success of others speaks nothing about your own skills."
"…Right," Sango said, nodding.
Lancelot stopped in front of a reinforced door. This one was guarded, but a few strikes from the Gallade were enough to incapacitate them. Lancelot set Guinevere down on the floor, raising his arms, and slicing in an "X" pattern, carving through the reinforced metal like butter. The pieces of the door fell and Lancelot pushed past them, turning back to Guinevere and extending his hand, helping her over the rubble.
Sango and Ryoko followed the duo into the room. Sango held her hand over mouth. What a horrific sight… There were dozens and dozens of pokemon, trapped in cages far too small to be comfortable. They all looked miserable, and the room was filled with the hellish chorus of their whines and crying blended together into something that made Sango want to throw up. It was a look at the darkness of pokemon smuggling that Sango absolutely did not want to see.
If the conditions of the pokemon around them affected Guinevere, she didn't let it show. She walked into the room with Lancelot at her side, scanning the walls.
"Why would they not just use pokeballs?" Ryoko wondered. "It is far more efficient."
"The cages are so prospective buyers can inspect them," Sango muttered. "With a pokeball, you can't monitor the condition of the pokemon. And to check them, you have to let them out, which can be… hazardous. This way, anyone looking can see exactly what state the pokemon they are buying are."
It was the first time Sango had used her notes for the ranger test on smuggling in a practical manner, and it made her sick.
"Hello, my dears…" Guinevere finally found her bag, hanging on a hook in the back of the storage room. A quick check inside confirmed it contained Lancelot's pokeball, along with four others. She slung the purse over her shoulder and gestured for Lancelot to accompany her.
"Guinevere, where do we go…" Sango started asking her, but Lancelot put an arm around his trainer's waist and began shimmering, the two teleporting away from the others. "…Next."
"Great, what do we do now?!" Sango muttered, slapping her forehead with her palm. They were in real bad shape now, Guinevere and her Gallade were a powerhouse duo, and now it was just her and Ryoko. The alarm was still ringing in the distance, and she could hear the rustle of voices and the pound of approaching footsteps.
"It is apparent that we are in quite the predicament," Ryoko unhelpfully observed.
"Right, no shit," Sango growled. "We need to leave, right-"
"…Cast…"
Sango's ear caught a faint sound, and she whirled around, running into the dark labyrinth of boxes and cages.
"Sango?!" Ryoko's voice echoed out after her.
Sango's eyes scanned the shelves filled with pokemon cages, before she spotted who she was looking for.
"Silver!" Sango cried, overjoyed at the sight of her partner, even though he was clearly worn down.
"Castform…" Silver smiled up at Sango, floating up as far as he could in his prison. Silver's cage was unusual, not much like the other pokemon. It was a sphere, made entirely out of some sort of plexiglass. Sango assumed it must have been weather-resistant… that must be why he was locked in there. Unfortunately for her, she couldn't find a way to get him out. There was no door she could really see in the thing. And the Team Rocket crew was getting closer.
"They will be here soon," Ryoko informed her from the front of the room.
"I don't have the time to get you out of there," Sango said, lifting the glass ball up and cradling it in her arms. "So you'll just have to come with us like this, for now."
"Cast," Silver said, nodding. Sango carried Silver in her arms as she ran back toward Ryoko.
"What is our plan now?" Ryoko asked.
"The Wooloo aren't here," Sango said. "They must be in one of the storage containers on the deck."
"So do we leave?" Ryoko asked. Sango shook her head.
"Not until we get those Wooloo back," Sango replied. They ran out into the hall, and looked both ways. Both directions looked clear, so they headed away from the route they came. "Right now… Guinevere is causing a lot of havoc on this ship. If we lay low… we might be able to make it through this thing intact."
"There! The escaped prisoners!"
Sango and Ryoko had turned the corner, and unfortunately they ran into a group of Team Rocket grunts carrying large guns running in the other direction. Sango's blood ran cold as they raised their weapons and opened fire, holding Silver tightly as she waited for the end to come.
But Sango didn't feel any burning pain, she didn't experience the horror of her body being ripped to pieces by concentrated automatic fire.
"Are you going to kneel there all day?" Ryoko's voice from overhead caught Sango's ear. She blinked and rose to her feet, relaxing slightly. She looked in front of her in shock. Less than an inch from her cheek was the sharp tip of a bullet, hung suspended in the air in front of her, like countless other bullets that filled the hallway, completely frozen in place. This… Sango didn't even know what this was. It was unrel.
"Ryoko?" Sango asked, looking at the only person who she thought could provide her with some measure of an explanation.
"Hm?" Ryoko asked, turning to Sango and smiling.
"What… how…?"
"Oh, my, well it simply would not do if the two of us were to meet our end here," Ryoko laughed. "So Celebi decided to lend me a hand by freezing time in front of us. Now, we really must be off. There is no telling just how long this spot is going to remain frozen, and we should probably be out of the way before that happens."
Sango blinked, utterly stunned. She followed Ryoko with her eyes as the other girl walked down the hallway in the other direction, the storm of bullets to her back. Before following after her, Sango took one last look behind her to see the four men, frozen in time with their hands on their guns, the flashes and discharges actually visible to the girl.
In what way is that pokemon's ability to interact with the real world "fairly limited" huh?! Sango wanted to shout, but there was really no point. She followed after Ryoko, hoping the young time traveler would be able to keep her and Silver safe. She felt a twinge of regret. Once again, she hadn't been able to do anything to help.
No, no, don't think about that, Sango. Ryoko is special. I shouldn't feel bad about myself… just because she can do something I can't. Sango reassured herself with Ryoko's words, and nodded her head in agreement with herself.
Meanwhile, the crew of the ship was feeling rather… panicked.
"What the hell?!" The well-dressed captain of the ship shouted. He was standing on the bridge. There were several members of the crew at their stations, taking reports and observing details, along with a detachment continuing to keep the ship on course.
The captain placed his hands on the railing, staring out onto the deck from his window. What the hell was going on? This was all some simple delivery assignment… but then they found the blonde stowaway… and then that other girl, with the lavender hair. And finally a ranger, as well! And now, they were all on the loose, and things had gone straight to hell.
"Captain, report from the first deck, a blonde girl and a Gallade took out three more men!"
"Another report, captain! Blonde and Gallade, in the engineering room!"
There were reports coming from all over the ship of a blonde girl and a Gallade popping up, taking out some men that were in the area when they appeared, and then disappearing in a flash as soon as they'd come. They were just a human and a pokemon… how could they have caused this much damage?!
"How are they escaping?!" The captain demanded, wiping the sweat from his brow. His slick black hair was a little frazzled now, and his face was twisted in irritation. "Where are they coming from?! It's only two of them! And you're telling me they're popping up all across the ship?! Tell me how you can get from the deck to the crew's quarters in under a minute, huh? Tell me!"
"Sir, we don't know, but the number of casualties are-"
"I don't want to hear that! Just tell me how we can stop them, damn it! Use your guns, use your pokemon, I don't care! Just stop those girls before they-"
A flash of light interrupted his rant, and everyone present shielded their eyes.
Guinevere appeared, standing in the center of the bridge. She looked around. There were people sitting in front of computers, and other people standing on a raised balcony above them. Still another person was standing in front of a panel with levers on it.
"Damn girl!" Someone was shouting, but Guinevere was more concerned with finding the steering wheel. What finally got her attention, though, were the large blasts echoing in her ears. They were far louder than pokemon attacks.
"…What the hell…?" The captain dropped his gun in shock. The girl had not said or done anything, but even so, a large barrier of light had appeared between her and the bullets of the gun. Hovering in the air in front of the girl was a small blue pokemon in the shape of a hexagonal disk, its golden eyes shining.
"Gallade!" Lancelot shouted, Guinevere turning to him.
"He attacked me?" Guinevere asked, surprised. "Thank you, Lancelot. And thank you, Relic."
"Bronz!" The Bronzor said, bobbing up in agreement.
"You! Blonde girl!" Guinevere was the only blonde girl in the room, so he must have been talking to her.
"Yes?"
"What is that you want, huh?! Why are you doing this?!"
Guinevere was very confused. She wanted a great many things, which one was she supposed to say first? And what were these things she was doing? None of it made sense.
"I want peace in our world," Guinevere replied, still not sure if that was the right answer. "I don't understand, is that correct?"
"What do you want with my ship?!" The man shouted, before calming himself down. He couldn't afford to make her mad. They were on the bridge. If her pokemon went on a rampage… The whole ship could be crippled.
"Oh, I see," Guinevere said, nodding. "This ship is going to Galar."
"Return to Galar?" The man was dumbstruck.
"I was searching for the bridge. So I could take the ship to Galar. I have an appointment in Galar. Need to go to Galar."
"All this… just to go to Galar?" The man was stunned. He regained some measure of composure. "Listen, we have a very important schedule-"
"This ship is going to Galar," Guinevere repeated. "Come, come, my dear."
Another one of her pokeballs burst open, and from within a tall brown-tan pokemon floated up into the air. The tall-headed pokemon looked at the large man with its deep, sickly green eyes. It raised one of its hands, which contained fingers made of three lights, red, yellow, and green. The lights began shimmering, and the captain felt himself slowly slipping away. Suddenly, going to Galar felt like a great idea. It just made perfect sense.
"This ship," Guinevere said one final time, her tone allowing no room for negotiation, "is going to Galar."
"You heard her," the captain shouted. "Turn to port! We're heading back to Galar!"
"Aye, captain!"
Every word the girl said only made sense. It was natural for them to go to Galar, after all. The rest of the crew nodded in agreement, readjusting the course of the ship.
"I am captain now." Guinevere gave a small smile, satisfied with herself and her awkward reference. But it was something she'd wanted to say for some time. She'd be in Galar soon.
Yay for Guinevere! We're on the way back to Galar! I'm sure this can only be good. Now that Guinevere has seized control of the ship, hopefully that will keep Sango and Ryoko a little more safe! We're wrapping down this arc soon, no need to worry!
