~ Chapter 59 ~
Explosion at the Great Marsh!
"Just when we thought that Team Galactic had gone underground and decided to keep a low profile…they decided to test out their newest technology on innocent people and Pokémon. What they did in Pastoria City and the Great Marsh was only ever trumped by their final operation at Mount Coronet. They tested their newest weapons on innocent people and Pokémon in the Great Marsh…countless lives lost, untold damage to the natural ecosystem. It took six months to get the Great Marsh stabilized, and even longer for it to return to its previous health. And it was but a taste of what Team Galactic could and would do…"
The group mounted their Rapidash and had taken off down the street from the Pokémon Centre at a light canter.
Sam couldn't help but smile as he and Grey Flame walked through the streets. There was something about riding atop the back of a Rapidash that was freeing and wonderful.
It was a sense of freedom that no one could take from him.
If it weren't for his friends, Sam would've been galloping out of town at full speed, tearing up clouds of dust as he went.
Grey Flame loved it too.
There was nothing better than racing back to the farm house after a day of work or charging around the ranch at top speed to let off steam when they had down time.
But nothing was peaceful about the sound that follow.
A massive explosion.
Dirt and clouds of rocks, water and debris raining from the sky.
A shockwave that knocked people and Pokémon over.
People screaming and panicking.
The ground rattled, and everyone was thrown from their Rapidash as the Pokémon panicked.
Only Grey Flame maintained any sense of decorum, but that didn't stop the Pokémon from nickering in panic.
Sam eased the Pokémon, his ears ringing, his head pounding.
What the fuck was going on?
"Are you all okay?" screamed Sam, unable to hear his own voice over the sound of chaos around him.
Even with all their training, these Rapidash couldn't help but panic in the face of an explosion like that.
Grey Flame only maintained his composure because of the bond between him and Sam.
Sam wheeled his Pokémon around, looking down at his friends.
Niya had hit her head and was unconscious, Alyssandra was dazed but was making sure Niya was okay.
Jeremy and Pikachu were helping her.
"What the fuck was that?" cried Jeremy, his ears ringing too.
Sam shrugged, and looked in the direction of the explosion. A few blocks away…past a mass of trees and greenery.
The Great Marsh?
Why?
How?
Then, they came wheeling around the corner.
A big black van raced by.
Sam couldn't see who was driving, but…if he wasn't mistaken…big, red headed, and bearded.
It couldn't be…
Sam then heard the sounds of sirens and tires screeching.
Three cop cars, Officer Jenny on a motorcycle, and leading them all, a big black car driven by Looker.
"Stop! This is Looker of the International Police! Pull your vehicle over and turn yourselves in!" he cried over the speakers mounted atop his car.
Sam watched as the back door of the van flew open, and there stood a Team Galactic grunt…with a rocket launcher.
Sam watched in horror as the rocket fired from the gun and flew towards the street where Team Galactic's pursuers were driving.
Another explosion, people screaming and running.
The street exploded, and the cars screeched out of the way. Crashing into each other, spilling over, and tumbling onto their sides.,
Officer Jenny was able to run her motorcycle aground on the sidewalk, out of the way of the car pileup, and the citizens running in terror.
Sam growled in anger.
Team Galactic…they were unforgiveable.
All those people and Pokémon in the Great Marsh…and the people in the streets here.
They were worse than Professor Rowan had ever warned.
With a snarl, Sam turned to Jeremy. "Leave Niya to Lyss…go check on Looker and the officers, they might need our help."
Jeremy nodded without question, mounting his Rapidash and taking Pikachu with him.
"Here!" cried Sam, "Take my Pokémon in case you need some extra muscle!"
Sam tossed his Poké Ball belt at Jeremy, who caught it as he charged off towards the car pileup.
Sam reached into a saddlebag and grabbed a rope. He left his bag by Lyss, leaving it in her hands before he began fiddling with the rope, tying knots, flipping ends over ends.
When he was done, he clicked his tongue twice against his cheek, and Grey Flame charged off down the street at full speed.
Sam readied his lasso, just like he had back when he was on the ranch.
It was just like wrangling a Tauros…maybe…kind of.
It didn't take Sam and Grey Flame long to catch up to the van. Sam could see the doors swinging open in the back, and the man with the rocket launcher returned.
Sam gritted his teeth, and Grey Flame snorted, ready to challenge the man and his rocket propelled explosives.
The man aimed and fired another rocket. Sam dug his heels into Grey Flame's sides, and the Pokémon jumped high into the air, soaring over the roaring flames, and raging explosions below.
The Pokémon snorted again as it landed.
Sam didn't stop though and spurred the Pokémon on faster and further.
The driver of the van weaved the car in and around other people, other cars, and obstacles, even pulling up on to the sidewalk at one point.
But Sam refused to let them go and only got faster, gaining on the truck at every attempt of theirs to lose him.
The Galactic Grunt aimed the rocket launcher at him again, but this time Sam was close enough.
He tossed his lasso, swinging it wildly above his head, and hooked it around the Galactic Grunt.
With a roar, Sam yanked on the ropes and tightened the lasso. With a second yank, he pulled the Galactic Grunt straight from the back of the truck, his rocket launcher clattering to the ground harmlessly.
Sam stopped his Rapidash as the grunt fell to the ground, restrained, and bruised.
Sam wasn't done with him.
"Where did you learn to do that?" smirked Aurelio, once more, as usual, coming out of nowhere.
"The ranches, in the summer," replied Sam, "Wrangling Tauros."
Aurelio nodded. "I seem to have picked the wrong profession, then. Too late now it seems."
Sam looked down at the Galactic Grunt, once more ignoring his suddenly disappearing grandfather.
He couldn't go after the rest of the truck, but with one of the grunts in captivity, and given over to the proper authorities, Sam could help Looker get to the bottom of the explosion, and who was behind it.
He would be one step closer to stopping Team Galactic.
Rage filling him for what happened to not only Niya, but those people and Pokémon in the Great Marsh.
Sam turned Grey Flame around and spurred him forward at the fastest gallop the Pokémon could muster.
He hung tight to the lasso still attached to the Galactic Grunt, and proceeded to gallop back towards the last place he had left his friends and the authorities.
It wasn't a long ride, but Sam ignored the cries of pain and protest from the Galactic Grunt he had dragged behind him.
Once he returned to the massive pile up and the scene of the first rocket explosion, Sam had returned to his friends, including Niya, as well as Looker and the local police charging up to him, demanding to know what happened.
"The van escaped," replied Sam, silencing everyone with a raised hand.
He dismounted Grey Flame and walked over to the bruised and bleeding Galactic Grunt.
"I've brought a souvenir, though," smirked Sam, handing the end of the lasso to Looker, "He was the one that fired the rocket at you guys. He's not their leader but…the information he has might be useful."
Looker assessed the damage grunt. He didn't say anything about the method Sam had used to return him to the police, but his approval wasn't needed now. "Thank you. We'll get him bandaged up a bit and have him interrogated."
"Let us know what you find. I'm curious to know what Team Galactic is planning," replied Sam.
Looker nodded. "You would be. You and your friends…perhaps your fate is tied with that of Team Galactic's."
"More like wrong place, wrong time," shrugged Sam, "Now it's just doing our civic duty. Team Galactic's actions affect everyone. How goes your investigation?"
Sam was deliberately vague with his descriptions around the Galactic Grunt. He didn't need to escape and warn his teammates of a pending sting operation on their headquarters.
Looker smirked. "Fruitful," he answered, "But, suspicious activity in Pastoria City had me temporarily relocated…now I know why."
Sam looked over to his friends, and grandfather's ghost standing beside them. Niya was better, with her head bandaged, and an ice bag on her head.
He and Grey Flame ran over to them to check on Niya. "Are you okay?"
Niya nodded, giving a small grunt. "Better than I should be really."
"Is it bad?" asked Sam.
Jeremy shook his head. "Like she said, could be worse. We're lucky it wasn't."
"I'm sorry the Rapidash— "
Niya cut Sam off. "What, were you supposed to train them to prepare for massive explosions?"
Sam sighed, smirking in response to Niya sarcasm. "Do you want to take some time to rest up?"
"She might have a concussion," warned Alyssandra.
"Well, there goes any choice you had in the matter," laughed Aurelio as Sam immediately demanded the group take a few days to recover and to allow Niya to rest.
"Besides," added Sam, forcing back any more of Niya's protests, "I want to hear what Looker gets out of that Galactic Grunt."
Jeremy and Alyssandra looked at each other with concern.
"Don't you think you're getting a little…irrational here?" asked Jeremy, his concerns made very clear with just a few words.
"Yeah I mean…dragging that guy all the way across the city? That's kind of harsh," added Alyssandra.
Sam grunted. "Asshole deserved it. All of Team Galactic does. The entire Great Marsh…all those people and Pokémon—and then that fucking rocket launcher," added Sam as he returned Grey Flame to his Poké Ball, "Niya's hurt too because of them."
Niya looked at her friends, concern on her face as well. Then she remembered something. "You saw something, didn't you? You know something that pissed you off, and now you're going to go on this ridiculous rampage until you confirm your suspicions or defeat something or someone."
"What do you mean?" asked Sam, ignoring Niya's advances into his psyche, "I think the concussion is getting to your head."
"I'm going to give you a concussion if you don't answer us honestly," hissed Niya, standing up, waving her finger in Sam's face, "Now spill."
Sam glared at her. He didn't like being backed into a corner like that. But she was right, and he was cornered. Nothing to do but give in—fighting would only make her bite down harder. Probably literally.
"I thought I saw Alexios driving the van," admitted Sam.
"At the speed they were driving I'm surprised you could see the van, let alone the driver," added Jeremy sarcastically.
"What makes you so sure?" asked Niya, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. She didn't doubt Sam, but she wanted proof.
"The driver was male," explained Sam, "Big, with a big read beard and hair. Like fire. I don't know much more than that. It was hard enough following the van while the grunt was shooting at me let alone trying to see the driver."
"You're hoping that bringing the grunt back alive—you know, mostly alive—would give you the confirmation you're looking for—" started Niya.
"—As well as giving us deeper insight into Team Galactic's plans," added Sam, justifying his reasons.
Alyssandra sighed. "You remember when we promised Professor Rowan not to get involved with Team Galactic all those months ago?" she asked rhetorically, "What ever happened to that? That was nice. We should do that."
"We can't."
This time it was Niya who refused to back down, ironically.
"No…I heard Looker and he might be right," she continued, "Our fate seems to be tied with Team Galactic's now. I don't know why…I just know, we keep ending up involved in their plans somehow. We're always there, at the right place at the right time. Whether it's to disrupt or dismantle their operations…this isn't a coincidence anymore."
"Girl's got a point," nodded Aurelio, "You do seem to be get entangled with them far too often for it to be anything natural."
"So, we're seeing this through then?" asked Jeremy, "Bringing down Team Galactic? Because I'm only fifteen and there's a lot I'd like to do with my life still—death, surprisingly, isn't one of them."
"I don't think we really have a choice anymore," sighed Sam, "No matter what we try to do we keep getting sucked in to their schemes."
"What happens if it is Alexios?" asked Alyssandra, asking the question that was on everyone's mind.
"I will see the end of Team Galactic regardless," replied Sam.
"Of course, you," sighed Niya, "Put that aside. Are you going to go chasing after Alexios looking to kill him or defeat him or bring him to justice or something stupid like that?"
"You should knock the lying bastard's face in!'' chimed in Aurelio.
As usual, Sam ignored his grandfather—though part of him wanted to agree.
"No," replied Sam curtly, "I won't. If I bring down Team Galactic, that's enough. Knowing whether or not it's Alexios just gives me the answers I need."
"I'm holding you to that," responded Niya, "Now, come on. I need rest. I'm feeling tired—don't you dare!"
Sam held back his comment with a sigh. "Come on," he simply responded, "Let's go."
With that, the group walked the few blocks to the Pokémon Centre—mostly because Niya's pride refused her to accept any form of ride or being carried. Most of the night was spent with Niya getting examined and told that while the fall was cause for her to rest, it was not severe enough to cause a concussion or any permanent damage.
Niya's greatest victory that day was that after everything, she would get a full night's rest without being woken every few hours because of a condition.
Sleep was Niya's friend that night—and everyone's.
