A/N: Hello again my friends, DrPhill26 back once again with another chapter of Evolution for you to enjoy. So since we're still in the middle of this rather chaotic moment of the story, we'll drop the shenanigans once again and dive right back into things. Relevant team summaries are at the bottom once again for those who need it. Have fun :)
Chapter 45: An Egg-splosive Rescue
No longer in view of the fire that had already claimed the barn, Tyler, Wendy and Yuki drove through the forest trail, with Pulse leading the way deeper into the woods. It mattered not whether there were branches or a muddy path in their way, every obstacle in their way only made them want to press on faster. The ATV's headlights tore through the darkness, showing a fork in the path appear. But Pulse took the left trail without hesitation and so did his followers, all of them knowing that with each step they took, they were one step closer to being reunited with their child.
"Are we getting closer any closer Pulse?" Wendy yelled over the motor's rumbling.
"I believe so master." Pulse replied, effortlessly vaulting over a large mud puddle without breaking stride. "The egg's aura is getting easier to track the deeper we travel this route."
"Any idea how soon we'll catch them?" Tyler asked this time.
"I believe it should be soon. Just a minute or two more and we should catch them."
"Glaceon." Tyler looked down at Yuki, who had positioned herself so her head was peering over Wendy's right shoulder. She wore a look of determination, despite the floppiness of her diamond extensions cutely flailing about in the wind, betraying her serious expression. He simply smiled at her and hugged her more closely to his body. She looked back at him, briefly licking his cheek before returning to peering over Wendy's shoulder.
"Master!" Pulse announced, gathering everyone's attention again. "I am sensing two additional auras up ahead of us."
"Two huh? Perfect." Tyler's grin warped into an angry smile. "That means there's one each for us to beat into the dirt Wendy."
"Um, you mean two for me to pound on." Her smile mirrored Tyler's own. "Nobody steals an Eevee on my watch and gets away with it."
"They know we're coming," Pulse added on as he started to run even faster down the trail. Wendy revved the motor of the ATV herself to keep pace. "They are trying to flee."
"The only place they'll be headed after tonight is a jail cell, right Yuki?"
"Glae – Glaceon!"
"Damn right!" Together, all four family members focused their attention as they climbed up and over a short hill in front of them. As they reached the peak, they saw them, two men running further down the trail in their suits of white body armor. Why they had decided to wear armor in a color that stood out like the sorest of thumbs for a night raid, Tyler didn't understand. Nor did he want to question the apparent stupidity of these criminals. The only thing that mattered was stopping them and getting their egg back.
Pulse's reddish-purple aura manifested around his body again as he charged ahead of the vehicle, quickly closing the gap between himself and the white thieves. Soon the gap closed to about fifty meters, then thirty and twenty and ten. At that time, Pulse sprang forward, high into the air and leaped over the thugs with an impressive acrobatic display. The men in white abruptly stopped as the Lucario landed, clapping his paws together and molding his aura into a knobbed staff of purple energy and twirling it around his body in a show of force.
"Stop right there!" Wendy announced herself as the ATV skidded to a halt behind the two thugs, blocking them in on both sides of the route.
"Rangers? Dafuq? How the hell'd these broads catch us so fast?" The first grunt on the left asked in disbelief, an east coast accent thickly coating his words.
"Dumbass, they're riding an ATV." The second grunt criticized his partner with his higher pitched voice. Tyler quickly took a look at the two now that he dismounted from the ATV. Both of them were nearly covered head to toe in their white armor, or was it a very light gray? He could make out a black morph suit beneath all their armor, which must have provided some flexibility. But beyond the few specks of black at the joints, their molded armor appeared to cover every inch of their bodies. Even their helmets almost completely covered their face, including a thick black visor that wrapped around their eyes from ear to ear. Only their lips and chins were left exposed, the second grunt having a thin goatee compared to his clean-shaven partner.
"Wait a sec, I don't think these two are Rangers." The grunt with a goatee continued. "Yeah, they just look like a couple dumb kids out past their bedtime."
"Then we ain't got nothing to worry about. And hey, the girl's not too shabby to look at neither." The first grunt added on, making Wendy click her tongue in annoyance.
"Hate to break it to you bub, but I'd never be caught dead with a couple degenerate scumbags like the two of you."
"Aw don't be like that girlie." The east-coast grunt replied, pretending to sound offended. "We could shows you a much better time than whatever noodle-dick you's happens to be seein.' That is if you's seein' someone. And if you ain't… then if you don't mind me askin'… how you doin'?"
"Yeah babe. Besides, you don't need to see our faces for us to all have a good time together." Goatee grunt continued. "Some people find that kind of stuff kinky."
"Do not patronize my master with your perverted pipe dreams!" Pulse's voice snarled ominously, the two grunts flinching at the Lucario's outburst.
"You hear that?" Goatee grunt asked sounding slightly spooked. "Sounded like a ghost."
"Don't be stupid stupid." The other grunt replied with a scoff. "There ain't no Ghost-types out here."
"I can assure you, I am no ghost." Pulse snarled again and both grunts looked at the Lucario, watching him swing his staff down threateningly towards them. "Though I will haunt you like one should you not return what you have stolen from my master!"
"You heard the Lucario," Tyler growled through clenched teeth, also punching his fist into his hand. "So unless you want his staff shoved up both your asses at the same time, I'd suggest you do as he says."
"Glacie – G-lae-ceeon!" Yuki barked at the two thugs, stepping in front of Tyler and Wendy with a scowl of her own.
"Ha! Get a load of these two." The first grunt pointed and laughed at everyone's threats against them. "That's funny. You's should do standup man. I'm in stitches over here. Bwahahaha!"
"Listen up kiddos." Goatee grunt picked up for his partner. "These Pokémon all belong to the boss now. And once he decides he owns a Pokémon, he doesn't let it go."
"Those Pokémon don't belong to your boss, they belong to my family's daycare!" Wendy stepped forward, pointing angrily at the two grunts. "And specifically, that egg you creeps stole belongs to the four of us! So give him back and maybe you'll get off with a light beating."
"Well tough tits toots 'cause that ain't gonna happen." The two grunts both grabbed a Poké ball and enlarged it. "Let's go Seviper!"
"Back him up Skuntank!" The grunts threw a pair of Poké balls that burst open in a flash of white light. Standing beside the first grunt was a midnight blue colored snake with yellow markings on its face and a pair of red fangs that matched the color of a blade-like appendage on the tip of its tail. Its forked tongue hissed intimidatingly at the humans before them. On the side of the other grunt stood another dark furred Pokémon, this one standing on four legs with white stripes of fur on its side and the tuft of fur on its head, all of which contrasted with its mostly purple body.
"Fine, you asked for it. Pulse, use Bone Rush!" The Lucario threw his staff behind him and charged the two Pokémon in front of him with an angry glare.
"Okay Magnus, let's light them u-"
"Glaceon!" Before Tyler could throw the Poké ball in his hand, Yuki mirrored Pulse and charged the two Pokémon in front of her with an arctic air freezing around her mouth. Tyler looked taken aback for a moment, but then a proud smile overcame his face. This was Yuki's fight more than it was his. So he put Magnus' ball back on his belt, ready to assist his Glaceon however he could.
"Use Flamethrower!" Both grunts shouted together as their Pokémon's mouths both lit up with red-orange flames. Seviper coiled its neck around to aim for Pulse while the Skuntank's attack went straight ahead towards Yuki.
"Cut through the attack Pulse!"
"Dodge it with Double Team Yuki!" With his anger feeding into his aura, Pulse sidestepped the oncoming pillar of flames and dragged his staff through it like a knife. Yuki meanwhile didn't flinch as she made a group of clones, two of which took the attack for her as three more approached the Skuntank with her frozen fangs ready to latch onto him. All of her clones leaped towards the Skunk Pokémon and bit into its spine, making the Pokémon cry out in pain as ice formed across its back. Pulse meanwhile threw his staff into the Seviper's throat, knocking it back and unleashed a brutal flurry that lifted the Fang Snake Pokémon off the ground before being whipped into a nearby tree with a jarring slam.
"Shake it off Seviper, use Dragon Tail!" The Seviper shook itself back to alertness and then whipped itself forward, the red blade on its tail glowing with a light blue energy.
"Block it with your staff Pulse!" The Lucario took a defensive stance and caught the Seviper's tail with the middle of his staff. The Seviper whipped its body around again, only to the same result on Pulse's left side as the two began dueling with each other, trading blocks and parrying attacks to try and score an advantage.
"Throw her off Skuntank and use Sludge Bomb!" The Skuntank started shaking its body, throwing Yuki and both her clones free, causing one of them to fade away in the process. He then opened his mouth and spat a venomous ball of blackish sludge towards both the remaining Glaceons.
"Counter him with Swift!" Both Glaceons opened their mouths and spat out a volley of shooting stars, deflecting the attack into the ground as it burst open in a wave of toxicity that washed over both Pokémon. Yuki's clone faded on contact with the muck, while Yuki herself shook most of it off her fur looking relatively unharmed.
"Okay, now Dark Pulse!" The Skuntank's mouth opened again, a small ball of dark energy forming inside of it before being spat in a spiraling helix-shaped beam of energy.
"Use Quick Attack to dodge him!" Again, Yuki charged towards her opponent, a white trail of energy flowing behind her as she weaved around Skuntank's attempts to hit her before slamming into his side.
"Shadow Claw!" But the Skuntank endured the hit as a sinister aura enveloped his claw. He raised it and slashed at Yuki's body, knocking her back as she rolled on the ground briefly. But not finished with his attack, Skuntank leaped into the air again, lunging forward with a second attack.
"Bite his claw with Ice Fang!" Yuki stood up as more frosted energy enveloped her fangs. She jumped towards the Skunk Pokémon and bit into his claw, causing an explosion of clashing energy that knocked both fighters back from each other.
"Use Swords Dance Seviper!" Meanwhile, the Seviper upped the pace of his attacks. A reddish hue began glowing around his blue tail as he continued to whip it towards Pulse, who was back on the defensive and being pressed towards a tree.
"Keep up it up Pulse, use Detect!" But a purple sheen overcame Pulse's eyes as he observed the Seviper's movements carefully. Now he was able to hold his own again, blocking and dodging every single thrust and whip-like slash. Fed up with his inability to hit his foe, the Seviper aimed for Pulse's legs, only for the Lucario to leap up into the air above him.
"Dodge this! Flamethrower!" For the second time, the Seviper arched its neck and spat out a blast of flames towards the now airborne and defenseless Lucario.
"Defend with Aura Sphere Pulse!" The Lucario's staff dissipated from his paws and he quickly molded a ball of blue energy in between his paws. Pulse just managed to get his shield up in time, the flames thinly spiraling around him in all directions as he grit his teeth to keep the Aura Sphere between his hands. Eventually, both Pokémon's attacks faded away, allowing Pulse to kick himself off the tree and flip back towards everyone. He landed next to Yuki as the two of them both glared at their foes together.
"We're getting nowhere with this." Grunt one grumbled his frustrations. "Let's mix it up! Seviper, use Poison Tail on Glaceon!"
"Skuntank you use Shadow Ball on the Lucario!" This time the grunt's attacks shifted targets, Seviper lunging towards Yuki with a malevolent purple glow to its tail as it whipped around towards her. Skuntank meanwhile charged another ball in its mouth of various purple hues and spat it towards Pulse.
"Dig underground Yuki!" Yuki hopped once and then furiously began digging a hole to hide underground, just narrowly missing the Seviper's whip-like tail as it slashed the space where she was.
"Smack it right back at him with Force Palm!" Pulse meanwhile manifested a golden energy into his paws, watching the attack come towards him. He thrust his paw towards the attack, a ripple of golden energy shooting through it before the ball doubled back towards its shocked owner, crashing and exploding into his face.
"You ain't runnin' away from me! Chase after her Seviper, Poison Fang!" The east-coast grunt barked and his Pokémon responded in kind, slithering towards the hole Yuki had just dug and followed her. Though as he did, Tyler and Wendy exchanged a nod and a grin with each other.
"Yuki, spring up and use Return on Skuntank!" At Tyler's command, Yuki burst up from underground, her fur already sparkling like snowdust as she charged towards the still stunned Skuntank. The Seviper that was chasing her poked its head out of the ground as well.
"Pulse, use Bone Rush!" Only for Pulse to be standing overhead with another formed aura staff in his paws. The Poison type looked at Pulse, flinching at the Lucario's smirk as he slammed the top of his staff onto its head like a game of Whack-a-Drilbur. Much to the same result, the Seviper looked dazed, wobbling its head back and forth only for Pulse to whack him a second time, and a third time before the Pokémon's head fell over and lay on the ground with its tongue dangling from its mouth.
"Glaceon!" The Skuntank meanwhile had recovered enough to at least shake the stars from its eyes. But Yuki was already a step away from him, and she slammed into his side with all the force she could muster. Her collision sent the Skuntank flying back into its trainer, knocking him over where the Pokémon lay unconscious across the grunt's stomach.
"Not bad Wendy." Tyler held his hand up and got a hi-five in response. "I told you you'd figure out double battling."
"I had a really good teacher." Wendy smiled at him before all four members of their family turned their anger back to the two white-armored grunts. "So, you two ready to hand over the Eevee egg you stole from us?"
"Or should we have Pulse play more Whack-a-Drilbur with you two instead of your Pokémon?" Tyler finished Wendy's threat.
"I am fine with using your skulls to set a high score should you choose to play." Pulse added onto their threat as he twirled his staff in an aggressive flourish.
"Glaceon Glae – Glacie – Ceeon!" Even Yuki offered her own threat, barking at the two grunts with anger in her voice. The two grunts however simply returned their two Pokémon in a beam of red energy.
"Aight, you's two ain't half bad." The first grunt conceded a point as he retreated his Seviper. "But we ain't surrenderin' just 'cause you's said so. Not when the boss is offering us a fat bonus for each Pokémon we snag."
"And that Eevee egg was the pick of the litter." Goatee grunt added on, finally standing up after returning the Skuntank from off his chest. "Boss will probably pay triple for it at least, maybe even five or ten times the bonus if we hand it over."
"I don't care who your boss is or how much he's paying you!" Wendy roared with rage, her face turning a violent shade of red. "It's pocket change compared to the hospital bill you're getting once I'm through beating the everloving fuck out of you two spineless shit stains!"
"Jesus, the mouth on dis broad eh?" Grunt one continued to seem unfazed in the face of Wendy's increasing vulgarity. "Shame she can't put it to good use if you know what I mean."
"Go ahead and try, I'll bite it off if you even so much as unzip your pants." East-coast grunt sighed again at Wendy's remark.
"Then I'll just have to rough you up the old-fashioned way." He grabbed another Poké ball and enlarged it. "Toxicroak, let's go!"
"Heatmor, it's your turn!" The two grunts stood firm again with their newest Pokémon bursting out from amidst a pulse of sparkling white energy. The first, a menacing looking bipedal frog with blue scales and black markings over its body. The Pokémon sinister beady yellow eyes stared at everyone like it was looking down on them all as it started rubbing the two elongated spikes atop its hands together like it was sharpening a knife. The second stood just as tall as his partner, just below the two grunt's elbows in height with a mostly red body with vertical yellow stripes the same color as its claws. Its head was brown like burnt ash, and a flame-shaped tongue forked out of its mouth as smoke drifted up from its tail.
"Playtime's over you two." Goatee grunt sneered nastily at Tyler and Wendy, throwing them a thumbs-down gesture as well. "We're getting serious now, and you two are gonna be burnt to a blackened crisp.
"That's right! Ya boys here are the ace-level arsonists, the fearsome flamethrowers, the most sadistic scorchers in all of Sinnoh, ya dig?" Both the east-coast grunt and his Toxicroak struck a more flamboyant pose together, cackling together. "Toxicroak venom is highly flammable, and there ain't nobody who puts it to better use than the two of us."
"Glaceon…" Yuki looked up at Tyler with a nervous frown, though her trainer smiled back at her confidently.
"I've already braved one fire tonight for you Yuki. I'll do it again if I have to." Feeling reassured, Yuki turned back to her opponents and stood more confidently.
"Are you two sure you really want to risk starting another fire and attracting the Rangers?" Wendy questioned the two grunts. "I know for a fact that they'll be a lot less forgiving than us if they find you two burning the forest in addition to stealing Pokémon."
"What's one more fire?" The goatee grunt balked at Wendy's Ranger threat. "We already set one fire at the barn tonight. And that was pretty fun until you two members of the fun police showed up."
"That barn… was my family's livelihood." Wendy shook with rage beside Tyler, her blood boiling a violent red in her face. "It was our everything and… AND YOU'RE TELLING ME IT WAS FUN BURNING IT DOWN?! DESTROYING OUR HOPES AND OUR DREAMS IS FUN TO YOU YOU… you… YOU SADISTIC FUCK!"
"What can I say? I love to create art." Goatee grunt cackled, his body trembling with excitement as his Heatmor spat a small plume of flames.
"Bastard!" Tyler growled himself, his fists tightening together. "You're no artist. You're insane! You belong in an asylum!"
"Everyone's a critic…" The Goatee grunt continued, twitching as the last word left his lips. "And I don't take kindly, to all of you critics, who refuse, TO APPRECIATE MY ART!"
"Morrr." The Heatmor's eyes grew a bit wider, crazier and more intense as he looked at Yuki.
"Melt that Glaceon with Flamethrower Heatmor!"
"Use Brick Break on the Lucario Toxicroak!" The battle resumed with Toxicroak lunging at Pulse with both the stingers on its arms glowing a vibrant white. Meanwhile, the Heatmor's body twitched like his trainer's before spitting out a ferocious blast of flames towards Yuki.
"Dig underground Yuki, hurry!" With a panicked hop back, Yuki dove underground once again, just barely avoiding the flames as they shot over where she was now hiding.
"Block him with Metal Claw Pulse!" Pulse meanwhile molded a silvery aura of his own around his paws, forming a pair of gauntlets with claws extending from on top of them. He raised his paw up, catching the stinger between his gauntlet's claws.
"Use the other one Toxicroak!"
"Block it again!" This time the Toxicroak threw his left stinger, only for Pulse to catch that one with his right gauntlet just like the first.
"Take out his legs, Low Sweep!" With a grin, the Poison Dart Pokémon threw both of its arms wide, taking Pulse's arms with him and opening his guard. He then crouched low and swung his leg in a low arc, taking Pulse's feet out from under him. "Now Cross Chop!"
"Bone Rush, hurry!" As Pulse landed on the ground, the Toxicroak jumped up into the air with his stingers both glowing an orange-tinted white and crossing them into an x-shape. Pulse quickly formed another of his staffs, catching the attack with it the latent energy from the collision kicked up a dust cloud away from them. But despite catching the attack, a crack formed in Pulse's staff that started to spread between his paws.
"Use Force Palm!" Taking a risk, Pulse moved one of his paws and thrust a golden blast of energy into the Toxicroak's face. Though he appeared to shrug off the damage, sniggering at Pulse as he raised his stingers again and thrust downward, shattering the staff and striking Pulse directly, making him cry out in agony at the critical hit. "PULSE!"
"Hehehe, what'd I tell you?" The cockier grunt boasted immediately. "We're not messing around anymore. And if you's ain't careful, we'll end up taking all your Pokémon with us to the boss, not just that precious egg you want to save so badly."
"That is if this one wasn't hiding underground!" The pyromaniac grunt yelled at Tyler.
"Just keep digging Yuki. Make your hole bigger!" Tyler tried to ignore the grunt, though his brow furrowed looking at the Heatmor. Honestly, Tyler had no immediate answers for this opponent. It may have been Yuki's fight given who and why they were battling together. But his head was telling him that she wouldn't be able to win this battle.
"Fine, I'll make you attack me! Heatmor use Stockpile!" Tyler cursed under his breath as the Heatmor sucked in a large amount of air into its body and its body flashed with a yellow-green pulse of energy and its body appeared to become bulkier. He was already at an offensive disadvantage against this Pokémon, and now it had just raised its defenses too? Maybe he should retreat Yuki and try someone else.
"No… do not do it Sir Tyler." Pulse's pained voice sounded in Tyler's head as he unconsciously realized he'd raised Yuki's ball in his hand. He looked at the Lucario, who was trying to prop himself up with his paws and the Pokémon shook his head at him. "This is our fight."
"Well well, look who's still got fight left in him." The cockier grunt gave a confident half-smile as Pulse managed to get to a knee. "I coulda sworn you's was down for the count blue pup."
"I assure you… It will take more than that to defeat me." Pulse barred his teeth in a growl as he stood up completely, the Toxicroak turning its attention back to its wounded opponent.
"You ain't wrong; one more punch is still more damage than you've taken so far. Now finish him Toxicroak, Cross Chop!" Once more the Toxicroak's arm stingers glowed a white-orange and he lunged towards Pulse.
"Pulse please dodge it!" Wendy watched in fear as Pulse dropped back to a knee with the Poison Dart Pokémon continuing his attack. His sinister smile curled even more as he thrust them forward… only to pierce the air where Pulse had just been. A reddish-purple wisp of energy floated around the surprised Pokémon's stingers as Pulse appeared to his left side.
"D-Don't just stare at him! Knock him flat on his ass Toxicroak!" The Pokémon pivoted on its foot and tried again, only to strike nothing but air a second time as Pulse appeared behind. "Behind you!" A third attempt met the same result, this time with Pulse standing beside Wendy with his aura fiercely radiating off his body like an enraged flame.
"What the fuck is this shit?!" The grunt exploded at Wendy and her Lucario. "You think you can toy with me bitch?!"
"I say we burn him." The pyromaniac grunt cackled as his Heatmor turned towards Pulse. "Let's burn everything!"
"Yeah, I agree. Get ready Toxicroak!"
"Heatmor!"
"Use!" But before both grunts could issue their commands, the ground suddenly collapsed around the Heatmor as it fell into a newly formed crater. Chunks of Earth buried the Anteater Pokémon, who lay prone on its back with a dazed look in its eyes.
"Wha – what?! WHAT?! HOW!" Pyro-grunt soon got his answer as Yuki climbed out of the ground by Tyler, shaking the dirt and dust off her fur with a proud smile.
"Glaceon!"
"Atta girl Yuki! That was beautiful!" Tyler cheered his princess' success. "Now let's bury him again with a round of Swift!" Yuki ran up to the edge of the crater she'd made and spat a powerful blast of shooting stars at the still dazed Heatmor, kicking up another dust cloud around the Fire type.
"Fuck you fuck you FUCK YOU, FUCK – YOU!" Pyro-grunt's body heatedly shook again. "Get up Heatmor!"
"Morr…" But his partner's struggle continued as he tried to throw the larger chunks of Earth off him, only for another to replace itself just as quickly.
"More stars Yuki, use Double Team!" One Glaceon quickly became three, becoming seven, until a ring of Yuki's clones completely surrounded the crater, with each one spitting more stars into the hole.
"Fine, use Swallow, then get up!" As the dust settled from Yuki and her clone's attacks, a faint green glow surrounded the Heatmor's body. The Pokémon's frame became smaller as the energy faded from its body, but now it was able to throw off the remaining rubble and stand up. "There, now use Fire Lash!"
"Dodge it Yuki!" A small flame burned around the Heatmor's right claw before throwing it aside and creating a thin rope of flames. With another flick of its claw, the rope extended and shot out towards the ring of Glaceon. The real Yuki hopped back and ducked beneath the extended reach of the rope. Her clones, however, each took a swift snap from the agile attack and disappeared in a flash of light.
"ENOUGH!" Pyro-grunt shrieked, his voice cracking into a high-pitched hatred. "We're gonna burn you, melt the skin right off your bones and create my most beautiful piece of art yet!"
"Let's go again Toxicroak." East-coast grunt grinned as the Toxicroak jumped over towards the Heatmor in the crater. "Use Sludge Bomb!"
"USE OVERHEAT!" The two Pokémon moved in tandem with each other, the red sac under the Toxicroak's mouth bulging in size as the Heatmor's entire body took on an intense red-orange glow.
"Everyone get down!" Pulse's voice yelled out just as the Toxicroak spat out a large ball of venom towards the group. Tyler felt himself being knocked to the ground while the Fire type spat out a white-hot blast of flames towards the Toxicroak's attack. As he hit the ground, Tyler saw the ball of venom catch fire, and an unstable whitish glow quickly spreading outward from the center of it.
"Nyxx, Rock Tomb now!"
"Kaiser, Hydro Cannon!" Tyler's vision became blocked out as the sound of Earth moving around him and everyone else became shielded inside a black barricade. But the blackness didn't last as there was soon a massive and deafening explosion of energy that lit up the inside of their earthly tomb. The ground shook around them violently, and Tyler could feel an enormous heat seep through the cracks of their barrier. Beams of light seeped in, showing Pulse lying on top of him and Wendy with Yuki between all three of them. Tyler closed his eyes again until the rumbling around him ceased. Once it stopped completely, the weight of the ground that had been shielding him fell on top of them. A muffled voice crept through the cracks and the weight became substantially lighter afterward, allowing Tyler and everyone underneath the rubble to brush it off of them.
A superheated steam and a thick fog of grayish-white filled the air as Tyler crawled free and dusted himself off. It felt like the desert back home, only muggier and much much more humid. He hated the feeling, but put up with it for the time being as he surveyed the damage hidden beneath the fog. Though wherever he looked, it seemed there was nothing but damage. He could make out splintered trees all around him, looking like a field of broken matchsticks. The crater Yuki had made was now a pond full of muddy water with both of the grunt's two Pokémon lying prone in the middle of it. Behind them, the two grunts themselves were sprawled out nearby. The more boisterous east-coast grunt was lying on his face next to one of the broken trees. His pyromaniac partner lay on top of a pile of what used to be another one.
"Holy shit…" Tyler said breathlessly on looking at the carnage.
"Tyler, Wendy!" A voice behind him called out.
"Are you two okay." An older voice called out from the same direction and Tyler turned towards them, seeing a pair of familiar faces.
"Will!"
"Papa Tom!" Wendy finally stood up and rushed over towards the two of them, throwing her arms around the older man.
"It's okay my dear." Mr. Weiland dropped to a knee, holding Wendy in his arms with a reassuring embrace. "You're safe now."
"Are you two hurt?" Will asked as he ran up to Tyler's side with Nyxx by his side.
"No." Tyler shook his head. "You saved our asses just now. Thanks dude."
"I didn't do anything. You should be thanking Nyxx; she's the one who made that barrier to save you guys." Tyler looked at the silver furred Pokémon beside him, looking smugly up at him with a confident glimmer in her ruby-colored eyes.
"Well, thank you Nyxx." Tyler reached out and lightly pet her forehead around where the black scythe-like horn was on her head. Nyxx's smile grew a bit larger and she purred a bit to his touch but kept that confident look in her stance.
"Maybe, but I'd say Kaiser did a greater number than them." Will chuckled a tad nervously as both of them surveyed the damage a second time. "Dad can go a little overboard sometimes."
"Yeah remind me not to get on his bad side." Tyler shared the same nervous laughter as the Pokémon responsible for this destruction now could be seen through the thinning fog behind his trainer. Despite the lack of moving threats, the appropriately named Emperor Pokémon surveyed the land like a conquering king. A pained grunt from behind Will and Tyler made them turn around again, seeing the two grunts beginning to stir. Kaiser kept his eyes glued to the two of them as he stepped around his trainer and walked towards the two white-clad men.
"Fuck… What even was that?" Pyro-grunt groaned, trying to and failing to stand up.
"Fuck if I know…" East-coast grunt slowly rolled over. "I feel like I got run over by a truck… and then he backed up over me again."
"You got what you deserve." Pulse's pained voice hobbled over towards Tyler and Will. He placed a paw on Will's leg to prop himself upright. At the same time, Tyler felt a soft chill brush against his leg, seeing Yuki nuzzle against it. He offered a quick smile to her which was returned just as quickly.
"Fucking hell… You got more friends." East-coast grunt shook his head with apparent annoyance. "But that don't mean shit. We's can still take ya."
"None of you understand my vision." Pyro-grunt's body trembled as he stood up, allowing Tyler to see a crack in his visor with a maddened gold eye staring at him. "You say I destroy things? Well, you've just destroyed what would have been my best creation yet!"
"Who are these guys Tyler?" Will asked him while taking a guarded pose.
"These fuckers are the ones who burnt down Wendy's barn, and they stole our egg too." Tyler answered with a snarl. Will's brow furrowed almost instantly, glaring at both of them.
"Is that so?" Mr. Weiland approached the growing group with Wendy behind him, a firm scowl on his face as well. "You two are responsible for what happened tonight?"
"So what if we is old man?" East-coast grunt countered the approaching man. "What are you gonna do about it? Break a hip at me?"
"Now why would I do something so unnecessary when I can have my Luxray chew on yours for a bit instead?" Mr. Weiland answered coldly, as the Pokémon in question bust out of the ball in his hand, his bark echoing like a thunderclap through the route and freezing the grunt in place. The commander's eyes narrowed as he stepped in front of the group with his Empoleon and Luxray on either side of him.
"You attacked my family tonight boy. If it were any other place in all of Sinnoh, I would have shown you some mercy. But you will receive none from me tonight."
"Yeah, 'cause you gonna 'ave a heart attack any second right old man?" East-coast grunt continued with his demeaning bravado, only for his partner to smack him upside the back of his helmet. "Ow. The fuck you do that for asswipe?"
"We gotta bail dude, like right now!" Pyro-grunt spoke with the fear of god in his voice.
"Why? This geezer's–" His partner smacked him a second time.
"Idiot! Do you not know who that is? That's the head ranger in all of Sinnoh. Commander Thomas Weiland!"
"Am I supposed to be impressed?"
"Back during the Red Chain Saga, this guy was responsible for leading multiple raids against some of Galactic's most secure facilities!"
"So."
"He's had a hand in arresting over a hundred members of their ranks back in the day!"
"So?"
"He was even there on Spear Pillar with the champion when Cyrus tried to summon the Creation Trio! That means the Champion herself has acknowledged his strength!"
"What's your fucking point man?!" East-coast grunt finally snapped.
"My point is that we're fucked if we stick around any longer! I don't care how many Pokémon we have, he's can wipe them all out in one blow with any one of his! We need to bail!"
"Fine be a pussy. I'll stay and fight." East-coast grunt shook his head, grabbing another ball.
"Fine, enjoy your shitty prison food. I'm gone!" The panicked grunt started to run, but only made it two steps before his body froze in mid-stride. "Wha – What? I can't move! What's going on?"
"Hey, I can't move neither!" East-coast grunt panicked himself as he tried to move.
"Geh-heheheheenennnnn-gar." A bone-chilling cackle made everyone freeze except for Mr. Riding. Tyler's heart rate skyrocketed as the air started to freeze around him. He could see both his and the panicked breaths of everyone around him as they all tried to find the source of the laughter. That was when a shadowy bulge began to grow out of the ground in front of both grunts, a pair of red eyes and a sinister toothy grin smiling devilishly at them.
"JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!" Tyler shrieked as the shadow grew larger, rising out of the depths of hell before the two equally petrified grunts. He could feel himself going pale in the face and severely lightheaded in a near instant. Both grunts looked to be doing the same as the creatures before them morphed into being, a mostly purple body with short spiky hands, legs and across its back.
"Yeah, you two aren't going anywhere." Another more human voice spoke as another shadowy figure appeared off to everyone's right. Cutting through the fog and the moonlight was appeared a man with a red combat vest over his chest with a pair of boots and a hat the same color on top of black pants and a black shirt. "Nice work Gengar."
"Gengarrrrr." The literal Shadow Pokémon cackled another laugh as its two bodies combined into one whole body.
"You certainly have an unnecessary flair for the dramatic Ranger Ivy." Mr. Weiland let out a sigh.
"Just doing my job to make sure they can't run away sir." Jason smirked as now he too joined the group.
"Well, I won't argue with your results." Mr. Weiland sighed again.
"I can think of someone who would though." Will added.
"I'mgonnadie I'mgonnadie I'mgonnadie. I'mgonnadie." Tyler whimpered repeatedly, his eyes clenched shut as he lay on the ground trembling in fear.
"Oh, right, well maybe this will snap him out of it." Jason walked over to Tyler, crouching to his level and poking his shoulder. "Hey, snap out of it already you pansy."
"Fuck you!" Tyler glared at his tournament partner.
"Welp, I tried." Jason shrugged his shoulders again.
"You're an asshole." Tyler grumbled again.
"An asshole who found something that belongs to you." Jason smirked again and extended something warm into Tyler's arms.
"Glaceon! Glaceon!" Yuki joyfully cried out as she too jumped towards Tyler's arms. Still in a state of shock, it took Tyler a moment to recognize what he was holding. But the more he looked at it, he finally recognized the color of milk chocolate. His eyes focused on the color, then widened from shock a second time as he saw a cream-colored zigzag around the center of the object.
"Oh my God!" Wendy's voice cracked as she dropped beside Tyler and the elated Glaceon.
"Glaceon – onn! Glae-cee-on!" She finally stood still, tears brimming up in her eyes a moment before she stepped forward and nuzzled her cheek against the object.
"You… you found her egg." Tyler choked out a sob as he looked at Jason.
"So am I still an asshole?" Jason asked with a light laugh.
"Yes." Tyler smiled at him. "But seriously dude, thank you."
"Save the mushy shit for later. I still got a job to do." Jason stood up and took a step forward towards the two grunts, only for Mr. Weiland to hold him back.
"Ranger Ivy. I request that you stand down and let me handle this personally." He said as he cracked the knuckles of his hands.
"You sure commander?"
"Consider it a direct order ranger." Mr. Weiland insisted.
"Understood sir. What should I do in the meantime?"
"You may escort everyone back to the daycare." Mr. Weiland this time cracked a joint in his neck. "As for me, I would like to have a friendly chat with these two boys about what happens when they harm my family."
"Rodger that." Jason snapped a quick salute. "You all heard the commander, we're leaving."
"You sure you don't need a hand with these guys dad?" Will asked as the commander cracked the other side of his neck.
"I think I can handle these two by myself, William." He smirked at his son. "I'm not as old as these two think I am."
"Oh yeah? You wanna throw hands? Huh old man?" East-coast grunt spoke up yet again. "Fine, we'll throw hands. Come on, you and me, right now. I'll put you in the ground fo' sho – GHHHAAAAAKK" In a blink of reddish-purple energy, Pulse had suddenly appeared beside the grunt with his paw firmly pressed into the grunt's stomach, driving the air from his lungs before he hobbled over in pain.
"Fucking asshole." Wendy spat towards the two grunts.
"So that just leaves you." Mr. Weiland stepped towards the pyro-grunt. Though the unhinged and fiery attitude he'd shown earlier was clearly extinguished as he fearfully tried to back away from him.
"No no no no! Please no! I don't – It was an accident! I didn't mean it! I'm sorry!"
"Come on guys, let's give the commander some privacy for his friendly chat." Jason marched away with Will and his Pokémon following him. Wendy and Tyler both got up together, still holding their egg as Yuki and Pulse both stood in stride with their trainers.
"Hey, do you two mind if I take your ATV?" Will asked Wendy and Tyler. "I left some of my guys at the barn to try and help with the fire and I want to check on them."
"Then how are we supposed to get back?" Tyler asked.
"Same way we got here." Jason pulled a widget from his jacket pocket and pressed a button. A flash of white light briefly lit up before becoming a steadier orange and showing a jeep with the emblem of the Sinnoh rangers on the side of it. "We got plenty of space in the jeep for you guys, your Pokémon, and your egg."
"What about Papa Tom?" Wendy asked.
"Don't worry about me, sweetie. I'll be fine by myself for a bit." He called out to them.
"Wait! Please don't. NO! Don't leave me with– *PWAHHH* The grunt's panicked voice was silenced to a much quieter whimper that was drowned out by the ignition of both vehicles. The jeep rumbled quietly as Tyler and Wendy climbed aboard, their Pokémon in tow as Jason set the car in motion, following behind Will in the nimbler ATV.
Another screaming wail from the grunt was the last Tyler heard of him as the jeep began to pull away from the forested path they were on. With the egg nestled gently in his lap, Tyler gingerly rubbed his hand on it and smiled. Yet something in the back of his mind still felt off, a shadow of doubt in his head that they weren't quite out of the woods just yet. Perhaps it was nothing, that nagging what-if scenario playing out in his head now that the danger had passed. Or was it something more? He couldn't be certain, but the one thing that was certain was that he and Wendy had managed to find their egg and were returning home together as a completely united family amidst this shadowy night.
A/N: And that's 45 in the books. So, apologies for the slight delay in this chapter. To be honest I had wanted to end this chapter in a certain way but if I'd gone ahead and done that, it would have pushed the chapter to a stupid length again and I'm not hitting 10k anymore unless I absolutely need to. And the more I got into this chapter and compared it with my roadmap of what's to come in the future, we didn't need to get that long. So there you have it. I'm learning to contain myself bit by bit lol, even if it means going back and revamping chapters to find a more suitable endpoint like this one. I'll be back again, hopefully soon with another instalment for you guys, so until then this is DrPhill26 signing out and I'll see you again next time.
Tyler's team: Magnus (Quilava, Male), Caelum(Staraptor, Male), Yuki (Glaceon, Female), Felix (Gligar, Male)
Wendy's team: Pulse (Lucario, Male), Tess (Ampharos, Female), Yuri (Lilligant, Female), Flynt (Aron, Male)