Pokemon Heart Soul Adventures
Welcome back, everyone! As usual, I hope I'm not too late for our usual appointment with Pokemon Heart Soul Adventures! I've tried to update as soon as possible, taking as much time as I could from my everyday schedule in order to make my personal timetable work... and I hope you're satisfied with the results!
Anyway, enough about me, and let's get to the interesting part, right? Our team of bold heroes has just been to Boon Island, the second of the Sevii Islands... and while Ash and Gary managed to have their Pokemon learn some new and interesting moves, and Brock tried unsuccessfully to get to know more about his Gible's special move, Misty and Dawn were interrupted in the middle of a training session by a small Mantyke in search for help for her brethren, trapped in a cave by a bunch of hungry Sharpedos. Thanks to their teamwork, the girls managed to save the trapped Pokemon, and better yet, Mantyke asked to join Misty's team, and was accepted! After Brock's new Rhyhorn and James' Slugma, another one of our heroes gets an upgrade for her team!
This chapter will mostly follow two side characters who will later have a very important part in my story... namely, Ursula and May. We know that Ursula is trying to go to Kanto in order to train her Pokemon for the next championship, and May is accompanying her brother in the beginning part of his journey... but let's not forget that there are people who might be interested in them, and not in a good way!
What do I mean by that? Well, you'll find out soon enough, in this brand new chapter!
For now, I have to thank all those who left a review to my previous chapter, and especially to Codename Bolt, who pointed out a few flaws in my writing. I have to admit, some of my plot points admittedly could have been elaborated on a little more. I know that the Pokemon anime is known for pulling things out of a metaphorical hat from time to time (the "Thunder Armor" fiasco, or Tobias, just to name a couple), but this doesn't really excuse me. I'll try to be more careful and avoid that later on.
That's about it for now! Again, let us immerse ourselves in the magical world of dreams and adventures that the world of Pokemon is! See you soon!
oooooooooo
Chapter 25 - Kidnapped
"Well... after all the trouble I went through to get a ticket for this ship, it is only fair that I get to enjoy the commodities of a luxury cruise, after all!" Ursula commented haughtily to herself as she leaned on the railing of the main bridge, closing her eyes and enjoying the fresh, soothing breeze of the open sea. The large luxury ship that was taking her to Kanto, the S.S. Catherine, was pretty much a small floating city, complete with all the facilities one would expect of such a classy ship: a restaurant, a theater, an arcade, a cinema, a casino (which was off limits for the underage Ursula, but that certainly did not stop her from sneaking in and watching the adults play...), spas and gyms... and, of course, an area that trainers and coordinators could use to have their Pokemon get some practice. In fact, Ursula had noticed, there were quite a few people onboard the S.S. Catherine that dealt with Pokemon, and were now on their way from Sinnoh to Kanto for some reason. She never imagined to find so many... but she didn't really care about it. What mattered to her was, that finally she would get her chance to do some serious training once she arrived in Kanto... and her next battle with Dawn would turn out very differently!
"Just you wait, Dee-Dee... my Pokemon and I will surprise you with our skill!" she murmured to herself, her smile tinted with some resentment towards her rival. While she had to recognize that Dawn did have skill, that didn't make the rich Coordinator any less eager to get back at her! "Meh, let's not think about it now, and let's see if I can take a stroll to the practice area. I wouldn't want my Pokemon to get rusty, after all... well, it's about four o'clock in the afternoon. Plenty of time. I'll see if the practice area still has a few free places... so get ready, guys, we're getting another training session!"
That said, Ursula detached from the railing and gave a wink to the Pokeballs she held on her belt, not really minding the people around her as she made her way back to the inside of the ship. In fact, none of them had given her any particular reason for her to be interested in... especially not a guy in an Hawaiian flower-decorated shirt and loose pants that was standing on the bridge near the peach-haired girl, seemingly staring at the horizon. In reality, though, his keen eyes were following Ursula as she walked back inside... and with a sinister half-grin, the man walked in the opposite direction, made his way to an isolated place in the back of the ship... and activated a small, almost invisible comm. device on his ear, speaking though it in a rather disquieting way...
"HQ, this is Agent 013. The situation is under control. I am currently onboard the S.S. Catherine, and we're nearing Kanto. I can confirm the presence of several trainers and coordinators, our primary target among which, among the ship's passengers. We await for further orders."
"Excellent." a scrambled voice, belonging to a man in his thirties, spoke back to him. "The time to spring our plan in action will be soon, so be ready for everything. Are our agents standind ready and in position?"
"Affirmative, Leader Archer." the agent said. "We will strike and take over this ship as soon as you give us the signal."
"Very well... I am pleased to see such efficiency coming from my subordinates!" the man called Archer answered. "In that case, I have nothing more to add. Get ready to take over the ship as soon as the signal comes. I look forward to good news."
"Of course, sir. All for the glory of the new Team Rocket!" the agent finished, waiting for static to fill his ears before interrupting the call. With a slight smirk, he detached from the railing and got ready for the task that lay in front of him. If everything went well, that would surely be a glorious day for Team Rocket...
oooooooooo
As Ursula entered the training room, she was greeted with the sight of several Pokemon trainers and coordinators of all ages that seemed to have had the same idea she had just had, and were currently trying to teach their Pokemon a few new tricks, having mock battles, or any of the sort of things one would normally expect of a Pokemon trainer. Ursula looked around, and smiled when she saw an arena that was currently free - there couldn't be a better place to have her Pokemon go through a practice session, and she even had a few tricks to try out...
"Okay, then... suppose letting my Flareon and Vaporeon get some of the spotlight wouldn't be a bad idea!" she mused to herself, as she took a pair of Pokeballs out of her belt and opened them, causing the two Eevee evolutions to pop out and land on the arena in front of her. "Alright, you two, we need to get some training, unless we want to lose our edge! And I really hope we can work out some new tricks for our next competition! Do you feel up to it?"
"EON! EON!" the Fire-type and Water-type evolutions exclaimed in unison, causing the spiral-haired coordinator to smirk proudly.
"Just what I always expected from you two! Let's begin!" Ursula stated. "I have a feeling that combining your powers to form something unique will earn us a lot of points with the audience, in our next... Huh? Hey, you two, what's going on?"
Flareon and Vaporeon, who had seemed quite eager to start training just a few seconds before, had suddenly stopped, sniffing the air around them as if they had caught some weird smell. And Ursula saw that they weren't the only ones: several Pokemon with a notoriously keen sense of smell, especially canine and snake-like Pokemon, had stopped whatever they were doing and were busy examining the air with their noses, sporting some rather worried expressions. The elegant coordinator girl frowned noticeably, as she began to get worried herself...
"What's the meaning of this...?" she murmured to herself, as she looked around, an hand in front of her mouth. "Flareon, Vaporeon... do you smell something strange?"
"Eon..." Flareon whimpered, before her eyes started glazing over, and the Fire-typed Eevee evolution began swaying from side to side as if she was drunk. Vaporeon followed suit, and soon after, much to Ursula's dismay, all the other Pokemon and trainers were feeling the same symptoms!
"What... what's going on here...?" Ursula thought out loud. Her movement were getting sluggish already, and she was having trouble standing... "Ugh... is this some kinda... joke? This... can't... ugh..."
Her head spinning, Ursula was forced to drop to her knees as her Pokemon collapsed and fell asleep under the effect of some kind of chemical... and the drill-haired preteen could not stay awake much longer before she dropped to the ground as well, trainers and Pokemon alike falling asleep all around her.
"Can't... stay... awake..." she muttered, after a last attempt to drag herself out of the room. "Can't... what..."
Then, she succumbed to sleep...
oooooooooo
Smirking in satisfaction from the main deck of the ship, in front of the bound and gagged captain and vice-captain, several Team Rocket grunts smiled in satisfaction as screens all around them featured the ship's crew and passengers falling victim to the sleep-inducing chemical they had introduced in the ship's air conditioning system. Pretty much all the ship was under their control now... all that was left to do was subdue any remaining straggler that had remained outside and get the ship to its final destination...
"Well, seems the S.S. Catherine is now a property of Team Rocket!" a grunt said with a nod. "It was a great idea to target this ship... that's an hefty number of trainers that are now in the hands of Team Rocket!"
"Yeah, and Mr. Archer is definitely going to be happy with our catch!" another grunt stated. "And now, let's not waste anymore time... change the ship's route to the Team Rocket HQ in Floe Island, and gather all the crew and passengers in the cargo hold. This will be a glorious day in Team Rocket's history!"
"Right away!" the others grunts answered readily, some of them getting at the ship's controls while the remaining ones exited the control room to meet with the other agents and gather the prisoners...
oooooooooo
On a country road in the continent of Hoenn, on the other hand, a rather more subdued fight was going on at the moment...
"Pooch, pooch!"
"Wingull!"
A couple of battle cries, coming from the Pokemon that were facing each other, signalled the start of an intense fight, as Max's Poochyena began tangling with a particularly skilled and combative Wingull, belonging to a young boy a few years older than the glasses-wearing trainer, dressed in a rather informal way with a red shirt, blue shorts and a turned-backwards baseball cap. The small hyena had just managed to hit Wingull with a Bite attack, but the seagull Pokemon was not going to go down that easily, and it quickly went back on the offensive.
"Alright, Wingull... attack that Poochyena with Supersound!" the trainer said. The Water / Flying Pokemon screeched in assent, then opened his beak, pointed at Poochyena and let out a small burst of sonic waves that the hyena cub could only dodge at the last second. Max sighed in relief, knowing all too well that confusion would have been very dangerous for his Pokemon... then, he gave his next command while his opponent was busy getting back on guard.
"Great job, Poochyena! Now, follow up with Howl and increase your attack power!" he ordered. Poochyena squatted low on the ground, threw his head back and howled fiercely, his soft fur standing up on his small body. Wingull had just managed to stand on guard again, and his trainer was already cooking up a way to attack in safety...
"Don't worry about that, Wingull... he can't beat us if he can't hit us! Use a Double Team attack!" the unknown trainer said, deciding it was time to rely on a defensive srategy. The seagull rapidly beat his wings, and soon he split into two after-images of himself in front of Max, May and Poochyena's eyes. Of course, only one of those was the real Wingull... the problem was, understanding which was which!
Or at least, that seemed to be the problem: Max, in fact, was hardly worried about that and, smiling in satisfaction, he pushed his glasses up on his nose, a determined light shining upon the lenses.
"I'm afraid you underestimated my Poochyena, my friend... now, Poochyena, use Odor Sleuth!" the younger boy exclaimed. The hyena cub raised his ears and started sniffing the air, catching the scent of the actual Wingull... then, he turned to the seagull Pokemon and growled in preparation for a new attack!
"Water Gun!" Wingull's trainer anticipated the attack, and the seagull Pokemon opened his beak once again and shot a powerful stream of water, hitting Poochyena straight in the face! The grey hyena roared in surprise and went backwards a few steps, threatening to lose his balance, and Wingull lowered his altitude... which Max took as the right moment to attack!
"Now! Tackle him, Poochyena!"
The Dark -type had no hesitation and leapt to attack, hitting his opponent with a powerful slam, and Wingull screeched again before crashing on the dusty earth, his wings flapping noisily as he did so. A few seconds later, Wingul was laying on the ground, stunned, while Poochyena was standing, battered but proud of his victory, his tail raised high!
"Wingull is unable to continue fighting!" May said, as designated referee for that battle. "The first match goes to Max and Poochyena!"
"Yay! Nice job, Poochyena!" Max complimented his Pokemon, who turned to his trainer and grinned in victory, one of his small fangs shining through his maw.
"Pooch!" Poochyena howled. He looked like he was saying that it was only natural that he had won...
However, the battle was still not over. The opponent recalled his exhausted Wingull and took out another Pokeball. "Well... never mind that, Wingull, you still did a good job! Okay, let's see how you handle this, kid... come out, Gulpin!"
A strange Pokemon appeared before Poochyena, looking like nothing more than a moving bag with eyes, a mouth, and two ridiculous-looking arms on the sides of the body: it was rotund and a green color all over, with a black rhomboid pattern on its back and a yellow feather on its neckless head. His face was nothing more than a pair of puckered lips and a couple of ever-shut eyes, and it was using its absurdly short arms to proper itself on the ground at a greater speed than one might have thought possible.
The two siblings made an alarmed face when they recognized a Gulpin, a strange Poison-type Pokemon known for being able to eat pretty much everything. During their journey with Ash and Brock, Max and May had been in a town that had been infested by those strange Pokemon... a problem that had been solved when Ash's Treecko had beaten a gigantic Gulpin that was threatening everyone. Therefore, both siblings had first-hand knowledge of how dangerous and stubborn those Pokemon could be...
"Hmmm..." Max reflected a little, and decided it was a good idea to let Poochyena rest. "Alright, Poochyena, you can come back! You already did a great job... thank you very much!"
"Pooch! Yena!" the grey cub protested a little, still wanting to show off to his trainer, but he resigned to his trainer's decision and went back in his Pokeball. Then, much to Max and May's surprise, one of the young boy's Pokeballs snapped open, and Zigzagoon, Max's raccoon-like Pokemon, popped out and stood in front of Gulpin. Apparently, he had been waiting for his rival to lose or be recalled so that he could get in the field and prove himself.
"Zigzag!" he exclaimed, fur standing on end like an angered cat. Gulpin did not change his blank expression, and he seemed to be asking himself if he was supposed to be impressed with Zigzagoon's appearence.
"Er... hold on a sec, Zigzagoon, I couldn't even... oh, well, doesn't matter!" Max said, thinking that it didn't really matter, and that Zigzagoon was more than able to hold off Gulpin. "Alright then... start off with a Tail Whip!"
"Gulpin, strike back with Pound!" the opponent ordered. Zigzagoon charged recklessly towards the Poison-type and, before it could strike, spun on himself and swung his ruffled tail in its face, obscuring its visual. Gulpin slithered backwards and stretched its arms as if they were made of rubber, punching Zigzagoon in the side. The raccoon Pokemon whimpered in pain and jumped back, but quickly shrugged off the hit.
"And now... Growl!" Max ordered, in an attempt to further weaken his opponent before the battle started in earnest. May nodded, approving of her younger brother's careful approach, but she secretly hoped he was not going to prolong the battle too much. He seemed to be over that tendency of his, but one could never know...
Zigzagoon obeyed and showed his teeth to the opponent, causing it to hesitate for a second... or at least, for the amount of time it took for its trainer to decide on a possible counter.
"Well, four-eyes, if that's the way you want it, I guess I'll have to take off the kiddie gloves." Max's opponent replied. "Playtime's over, Gulpin! Use your Sludge attack!"
The Poison Pokemon opened its mouth, revealing some kind of bottomless hole that brought to its ever-hungry stomach and pretty much covered the Pokemon's entire face... then, with disconcerting quickness, it shot a large glob of toxic mud that splattered upon Zigzagoon, making him whimper in pain, and leaving him in the middle of a dense, smelly puddle. However, the raccoon Pokemon quickly recovered and began dashing around Gulpin, in an attempt to blindside it and land a worthwhile attack. In spite of its clumsy appearence, however, Gulpin was able to follow his opponent's movement without too much trouble, trailing him with its perpetually-closed eyes, while Max was trying to think of a way to let his Zigzagoon attack without him taking another of those poisonous attacks.
"Do it again, Gulpin! Do not let him escape!" the older trainer went on. Gulpin repeated its latest attack, showering the terrain around Zigzagoon with pellets of toxic mud that the raccoon Pokemon was forced to frantically dodge, in the end finding himself surrounded by puddles of slippery poisonous sludge, keeping him from dashing around. He looked around himself for a way to escape, but it seemed impossible to get close to Gulpin without stepping on the mud. The only chance for Max seemed to be, to either withdraw his Pokemon, or to go for broke and try to jump over the toxic puddles, which was obviously a risky proposition.
"Hmm, guess you're in a bit of a bind, aren't you?" the opponent affirmed, not resisting the chance to gloat a little. "Now your Zigzagoon is going nowhere without risking poisoning... which doesn't apply to my Gulpin! What are you going to do about it?"
"Sorry to say that, bro... but he's right about that." May commented, hoping Max was similarly aware of how much he was being cornered. Still, Max was keeping his cool, though it was hard to tell if he had an actual plan, or if he was just holding it together.
"Once again, Gulpin... attack with Sludge!" the opponent ordered, convinced that it was going to be the deciding blow. The all-devouring Pokemon seemed to gulp down saliva for a couple times, then it opened its mouth as much as it could and shot another blot of toxic mud, which Zigzagoon seemed to have no other choice but to take head-on.
However, Max managed to catch a glimpse of a chance at the last moment, by simply observing the arc that the Sludge attack was tracing in the air...
"Alright, let's do this..." the glasses-wearing boy murmured to himself. "Zigzagoon! Leap over the mud puddles and hit Gulpin with Headbutt! Now!"
Both opponents seemed to frown in indecision, while Zigzagoon dashed forward and jumped towards Gulpin, narrowly avoiding the Sludge attack bearing down on him! May smiled as she watched Zigzagoon leap over the poisonous mud Gulpin had smudged all over the ground, and then bear down on the Poison Pokemon, hitting it with a powerful headbutt! Max had managed to catch the exact moment where Gulpin was off-guard, and had his Pokemon leap to attack, hoping he could get past the sludge...
Max's strategy proved itself to be the winning one: Zigzagoon, seemingly gliding above the toxic material, descended upon Gulpin and struck it with a powerful headbutt in the forehead! The Poison-type's eyes turned into a comical cross that pretty much occupied the whole upper half of its face, and Gulpin was thrown away several feet, clumsily landing in the dust and rolling at its trainer's feet, while Zigzagoon somersaulted through the air and landed on all fours on the solid ground. Gulpin's trained remained flabbergasted for a while... but then, accepting of his defeat, recalled Gulpin in its Pokeball.
"Well... I guess there's not much point in denying it, is there?" the older boy said as he placed the Pokeball back in his belt. "Still, Gulpin, you did a great job, and you deserve to rest now! As for you, my friend... congratulations! I can see that your Pokemon are well-trained. They managed to defeat two of my best fighters, and it has been a great experience to fight with you! I hope you'll allow me a rematch, one day."
"Thanks, you were pretty good yourself!" Max answered, happy that his opponent was a good sport. "And I and my Pokemon had our fun in this battle... right, Zigzagoon?"
"Zigzag!" Zigzagoon answered, keeping his tail raised high in a show of pride. For his part, the raccoon Pokemon was glad to have given proof of himself to his trainer.
"Yeah, we did good... but not good enough!" the older boy answered as he straightened his baseball cap. "Anyway... well, I wish you good luck for the rest of your journey, and I'll be waiting for the day we'll meet again!"
"Of course! I'll be glad to give you a rematch whenever you want..." Max started to say, before remembering that they had neglected a rather important thing... "By the way, I didn't even ask for your name..."
"What? Oh, dear, you're right... me and my manners..." the older boy exclaimed, playfully bopping himself upside the head to chastitize himself. "Anyway, my name is Stefan... and what's your name? I seem to recall that your sister called you Max..."
"Exactly! My name's Max, and my sister's name is May!" Max answered, introducing his older sister as well. May approached and waved with her hand. "We're travelling together for now... I want to become a great trainer..."
"And I'm travelling to better my technique as a Pokemon coordinator!" May said with a wink. "Anyway, I was very pleased to meet you as well, Stefan, and I hope we get to meet again soon! Good luck!"
"Likewise! See you soon!" Stefan answered, before placing his backpack on his shoulders and step into the woods May and Max had just come out of. The two siblings waved him goodbye until he was out of sight, then Max bent down to scratch his Zigzagoon behind an ear, congratulating him over his victory.
"Thanks for your effort, Zigzagoon! I think you've earned your rest!" the glasses-wearing boy said, as he recalled his Normal-type in the Pokeball and turned to his older sister. "Well, what do you say, sis? Guess we can be on our way now, huh?"
"Of course... but I would advise you to be careful of how Zigzagoon and Poochyena behave. They seem to be always trying to one-up each other." the coordinator said. "Not that there is anything wrong with being competitive, but it'd be better to make sure they don't end up causing trouble with their way of doing things."
Max nodded, though he wasn't really giving the matter too much weight. "Alright, sis... but I don't think there will be problems about that!" he answered. "At least, they've always behaved up until now..."
oooooooooo
Stefan cast a worried glance behind him, as if he wanted to make sure nobody had followed him, as he stepped out of the road and into the thivk vegetation, taking out a small comm. device from a pocket in his shorts. He walked some more and, after making sure he was completely alone, he composed a number on the small device's keypad and stood waiting. Which he didn't have to do for long.
"Hello? Am I talking to HQ? This is Stefan... and I'm here to report." Stefan began, sounding somewhat insecure, as if he was afraid of talking with the person on the other side of the line.
A young-sounding voice, belonging to a boy in his mid-teens but already laced with a rather chilling tone of cruelty, answered his call. "Oh, there you are, you good for nothing! So, how did it go? Did you see for yourself how that little brat is? And what do you think of that?"
Stefan gulped, in order to moist his throat before answering. "I... I think I can safely say that Max is an interesting subject!" he answered. "We already knew his sister would make for a great pawn for our organization, and she'd become one of our most powerful weapon, given a little convincing... but Max really surprised me. It was no fluke if he defeated Roxanne at his first try."
"Nicely done. Team Vicious won't accept mediocre trainers for their army... for once, Stefan, you actually did a good job!" the other speaker said. "If that is the case, we'll immediately start getting ready to capture Max and May. They'll make fine additions to our organization. As for you, return to base and stand by for new orders."
"Of course, Demitri... brother..." Stefan murmured. "I will be back... as soon as I can."
A clicking sound signalled the end of the conversation, and Stefan switch his comm. device off and put it back in his pocket, sighing to herself. Such a pity it had to be like this... May and Max were good people, and they deserved better than wat Team Vicious had in store for them. Still, there was nothing he could really do, with the exception of feeling bad for them. Whatever Team Vicious wanted, Team Vicious got. And he couldn't really disobey an order coming from his superior officer... and his older brother of all things.
"More's the pity..." Stefan murmured to himself. "Max, May... If only we had met under different circumstances, we would have become great friends... Sadly, my brother's will has precedence over my personal feelings on the matter. I can only hope my regret is a small measure of comfort to you..."
oooooooooo
Snowpoint City's port was once again active and vital, after Zoey and her friends had managed to chase Team Vicious away from Mt. Coronet, and the worst of the damage from the avalanche had been repaired. While that incident had left the city deeply damaged and shaken, Snowpoint City would soon be back on its feet... and now that it all seemed to be over, Candice and Maylene had managed to convince Zoey that there was no need for her to stay there, and that she could get back to her travelling and training. At the moment, the red-haired coordinator was about to board the ship to Canalave City, and her Gym Leader friends had come to greet her for one last time and wish her a good journey.
"Well... so, it seems that things are more or less under control for now. I'm sorry their boss escaped us, but at least they won't be able to do any more damage around here... I hope so, at least." Zoey said, giving a glance to the massive shape of Mt. Coronet in the distace. "I need to thank you again, my friends... without your help, I don't think I would have come out of that place alive."
"I am the one who should be thanking you, Zoey." Candice told her younger friend. "I was feeling completely lost, after what happeed to my city, and the fact that you supported me in this moment, well... it sure helped a lot. I don't know if I would have been able to hold it together, if not for you two."
"No prob, it was really no biggie for us to help you!" Maylene answered with a wink. "We solved the problem, sent the bad guys running, and I even got a chance to train a little! In the end, it was no problem for any of us."
"I see..." Candice stated. "Anyway, Maylene, I'd like to remind you not to be too hasty, and not to suppose everything is over just like that. I know how these criminal organizations are, and they won't give up until they get what they want, or they're completely disbanded. Furthermore, if what that Jakov guy said is true, then this... Team Vicious... is a lot stronger and more widespread than we thought. And if they're targetting Legendary Pokemon, well..."
Maylene rubbed her chin, having to admit, much to her displeasure, that Candice had a good point. "Well... I guess you're right, Candice, as Gym Leaders, we'll have to look into it. We know nothing of this... er... Team Vicious, and having at least half an idea of how they are organized would help." she admitted. "Still, we managed to chase them away, that has to count for something."
"Alright... as for me, I will try to look into this business on my own. I will try to contact you should I find something worthwhile." Zoey went on. "As for you... please try not to overdo it, and be careful. These guys play for keeps, from what we've seen."
"We know, Zoey... but thanks for the heads-up all the same!" Candice answered. She then turned her glance to the ship, whose passengers were almost all on board. "By the way, Zoey... I think you should get on the boat, else you're missing today's only cruise."
"You're right..." the redhead stated. After adjusting her backpack, Zoey cleared her voice and looked around for a moment, as if she wanted to burn the sight of Snowpoint City in her mind before departing. "Then, Candice... Maylene... hope to see you soon! I'm gonna miss you!"
"Thanks, Zoey! Same to you, and thanks again for helping us out!" the black-haired Gym Leader answered, looking at Zoey with her eyes sparkling in gratitude. Zoey waved at her friends one last time before checking her baggage and getting on board... and ten minutes later, the ship set sail and began its journey towards Canalave Town. Candice and Maylene stood on the pier, waving at Zoey who was waving back from the ship, remaining there until the snow-clad town was no longer visible. Then, the redhead sighed and went back inside, while still looking pensively at the sky.
"Well, all's well that ends well, I guess... but I'm afraid it won't last long, Candice was right about this." she told herself. "I must do my part, if I want the truth about this Team Vicious to come out. For now, I'll start my journey to Hoenn, and I'll see if I can get some more info on the way."
oooooooooo
"So, Proton? What's the situation?" a female voice asked, and the man the question had been asked to - a man dressed in the black uniform of an high-ranked Team Rocket executive - raised his head from the reports he was going through. A few metres from him stood a beautiful, tall and elegant woman in her late thirties, with long red hair, wearing a white Team Rocket uniform with a long skirt, a silken black belt, and the trademark letter R emblazoned on the shirt, on her left side. Her eyes were a similar crimson color, and were looking at her companion with fierce acumen, as if she was trying to read the answer right from Proton's mind. Somehow, her golden earrings didn't make her any less unsettling, despite her beauty. On the contrary, they made her look more aristocratic and detached.
The man named Proton looked up, revealing aquamarine-green hair neatly combed on both sides of his head, half-hidden by a black cap. "All as planned, Ariana. We have kept Team Vicious' moves under scrutiny, and we've seen that they're trying to forcefully recruit highly skilled trainers. In a way, you could say they've had our same idea. Sometimes, they just kidnap them, sometimes they persuade them by offering them strong Pokemon to use... but still, they seem to be having quite a bit of success, as their number swelled up quite a bit recently."
"I see." Ariana answered. "And what of the Team Vicious leaders' identities? Have we discovered anything?"
Proton gave a good look at another sheet, reading it attentively before answering. "Hmm... we do seem to know something more. The avalanche that recently struck Snowpoint City in the Sinnoh region, causing several vctims and large property damage, has been caused by the intervention of one of Team Vicious' executives, a man who goes by the name of Jakov. Though we are still unclear on the means they used, or if the avalanche was even intentional. Furthermore, the organization's leader has hired the infamous Pokemon Hunter J to do a few jobs for him. But that was something we already knew. Leader Giovanni has recently sent Domino, our top spy and infiltrate, to investigate them, so I'm sure we'll have more information soon."
A computer screen beside Proton beeped twice, and the Team Rocket executives turned to it and stood on attention by reflex as Giovanni's hard face appeared upon it on a comm. window. The leader of Team Rocket still sported his trademark hard grin, but this time, there seemed to be something more to it... Ariana felt as if their boss was somehow more enthusiastic and energetic.
"Oh... Greetings, sir! We... were not expecting you to contact us so soon!" Ariana said politely. "Please, tell us... what can we do for you?"
"At ease, Executives Proton and Ariana." Giovanni stated with an indifferent wave of his free hand, while the other petted his Persian. "There have been some interesting developments, from what I came to learn. Domino has discovered something very important about Team Vicious... informations that should prompt us to do something about it, as quickly as possible."
Proton and Ariana looked at each other for a moment. "Well... we're listening, sir. What seems to be the problem? Has the identity of Team Vicious' leader been discovered?" the green-haired young man asked.
Giovanni nodded. "Domino has picked up some very useful informations that allowed us to deduce his identity. The man in question is a former subordinate of mine that now goes under the alias of Iron Masked Marauder, and has previously tried to usurp my position and take over the world using the power of a Legendary Pokemon. It seems that now he's attracted a group of people enticed by the rewards he promised, and has seriously begun researching as many Legendary Pokemon as possible, in order to capture them. He is serious obstacle to our plan, so his removal has absolute priority."
"Do not trouble yourself about that, sir. Now that we know, we'll make it a point to keep a close eye on him, and we'll take him out as soon as we get a chance to." Ariana said unhesitatingly. "Team Rocket's glorious future will not be denied by a two-bit thug."
"Glad to know that." Giovanni stated. "Still, you'd do well to be on your guard. Underestimating the Iron Masked Marauder could be a vital mistake. I am not exactly sure how he does it, but it seems that his Pokemon, and those belonging to his subordinates, are gifted with unusual power and stamina. One can never be too careful with them."
"Of course, sir. Thank you for the heads-up." Proton said calmly. "As for the rest, we're glad to say that the... recruiting operations are proceeding smoothly. Our trainer might not be, on average, at the same level of the ones Team Vicious is recruiting, but they more than make up for that in numbers. Soon enough, we will be able to overwhelm Team Vicious and their leader, and estabilish ourselves as the most powerful syndacate in this world."
"Excellent!" Giovanni stated, a cruel shine in his dark eyes. "While our rivals and us had the same idea, it seems that our methods will prove superior. Keep up the good work. I'll be looking forward to good news."
Ariana and Proton saluted, as the Team Rocket leader slowly disappeared from the screen...
oooooooooo
Meanwhile, in another room in Team Rocket's Sevii HQ...
Several people had been left standing in a large, empty room looking more like an hangar than anything else: at least three dozens of them, all passengers from the recently catured S.S. Catherine, who had only a few hours before been brought to the secret base and secured, along with their Pokemon. Now with no Pokeballs to rely on, their hands tied behind their backs, and under the scrutinizing gaze of several Team Rocket grunts ready to intervene, they were waiting anxiously for someone to come and say anything to take them away from their state of fearful uncertainty. Several whispered phrases expressed concern over Team Rocket's motives for bringing them all the way there, and more than one of the prisoners was concerned about his or her own safety.
Time seemed to have slowed to a crawl, and several hostages were beginning to feel restless... until finally, the double doors at the opposite side of the huge room opened up with a sinister creaking sound, letting in a couple of individuals wearing the trademark Team Rocket uniforms. One of them was rather tall and skinny, with bright purple hair combed in a huge fringe in front of him, and a matching goatee that gave him a rather unkempt air, along with his large, droopy eyes and his somewhat floppy ears. It was rather hard to believe that a guy who looked so much like a slacker was really an high-ranking member of one of the world's most feared criminal syndacates.
The other looked quite a bit more formidable, though: a tall, elegant fellow in a spotlessly clean white suit with matching shoes, and the symbol of Team Rocket emblazoned on his chest, he had neat green-azure hair, and a sharp expression that went from hostage to hostage as he scrutinized all the gathered prisoners, as if trying to evaluate them. He was holding a Pokeball in one hand, implicity threatening anyone who might have gotten ideas of playing hero, and all the hostages had no choice but to keep silent, fearful of annoying their jailers...
"Hmm... looking good." the sharply-dressed man finally commented, his hand stroking his shaven chin. "We seem to have quite a few volunteers, from what I can see. In that case, my esteemed guests, allow me to make the necessary introductions. My name is Archer, and I am the director of the Sevii Islands branch of Team Rocket. You are now in our underground HQ in Floe Island, where the ship that was taking you to Kanto is now moored. We apologize for the disturbance we might cause you, but I am sure you will appreciate the offer we'll be extending you right now. You have been brought here, of all the numerous trainers onboard the S.S. Catherine, because you were the best of them all. The others did not have much value beside their worth as bargaining chips, and were therefore transferred to our base in the distant Quest Island. You, on the other hand, will have the honor of working for Team Rocket, and employing your Pokemon for our benefit and that of our leader Giovanni."
"Not a chance!"
A young girl's voice broke the silence, and several hostages turned their surprised glances in that direction as a spunky preteen, wearing an elegant white-on-light-blue dress, and pinkish hair done in a pair of spiralling pigtails at both sides of her head, got away from the rest of the hostages and, in a furious but ill-thought-out attempt to show Team Rocket who they were dealing with, rushed towards Archer and his henchman, trying to take them by surprise. However, she couldn't even tread three steps before the Team Rocket grunts were upon her... and no matter how much Ursula thrashed and kicked, she was quickly subdued and forced on her knees. "Ugh... unhand me, you brute! Don't you dare touch me... ugh! Just wait and see what happens when my parents hear about this! You won't get away with it! You'll soon have both Sinnoh and Kanto's police hot on your heels!"
"My, my... we seem to have a spunky one, here!" the purple-haired man commented with a smug smile, stroking his goatee. As Archer smirked in agreement, his underling approached Ursula, who was still being held facedown on the ground, and knelt to look at her straight in the eyes, receiving an hostile glare in return. "Yes, you've got some fire in you, kiddo! Several bigger and stronger trainers are quaking in fear now, and you aren't. You'd make a terrific Team Rocket agent, I'll tell you!"
"You can forget about that..." Ursula hissed through grit teeth. "And be thankful that I'm far too polite to tell you where I'd like you to go!"
"Yeah, yeah... they always put up the tough girl act, at first..." the bearded guy commented sarcastically. "It just needs time, and they'll get scared like everyone else. Now, to more pressing matters... my name is Petrel, and I'm the right-hand-man to the man you see here with me, Mr. Archer. I will personally see that you... enjoy your stay in our HQ and make sure you become good grunts for Team Rocket. It is admittedly a rather critical moment for us, so we need you to give it all you've got, okay? And, sorry, but we're not exactly taking no for an answer. Now, with your permission, our men will escort you to your rooms. I hope you will enjoy them, for wat they're worth."
Two grunts forced Ursula to stand up, as the other escorted the prisoners to their cells, under Petrel and Archer's satisfied eyes. "Well, three dozen new trainers... plus all the hostages in our Quest Island base. And as luck would have it, one of our prisoners was a quarter finalist at the Sinnoh Grand Festival... things are turning out great for us, aren't they, Mr. Archer?" the purple-haired man asked his boss.
"It is surely a good sign, but we cannot take any risks." Archer answered. "As of now, we're simply trying to counter Team Vicious' technical superiority with numbers - after all, quantity is a quality on its own, and war is a matter of numbers as well. But we need some more advanced fighting techniques if we are to stay one step ahead of our opponents. Speaking of which, Petrel... are you ready for the next step of our plan? I have a feeling we'll have to hasten things along."
"No problem about that, Mr. Archer." Petrel answered with a goofy smile. "Everything is ready, and should some busybody trainer come and try to throw a wrench in our works, we'll deal with him. Our Pokemon teams are in top form as usual! And about the gems, we trust we'll be able to recover them shortly!"
Archer smirked. "That is good. I trust your Koffings will do a good job as well. By the way, Petrel, there is another thing you should take care of. We know for sure that those two idiots and their talking Meowth are still trailing the winner of the Sinnoh conference and his friends. While those three are completely incompetent, they might have their uses as well. Make sure you take care of that, Petrel."
"Of course, sir! You can count on me!" Petrel said, standing on attention.
oooooooooo
The Team Rocket grunts who were dragging Ursula with them accompanied the young coordinator through a large corridor lined with several small cells that looked like they had been taken straight out of a prison, and as soon as they found an empty one, the criminals walked up to it, opened it and uncerimoniously tossed Ursula inside of it, causing her to slam on the ground with a pained yelp. Griting her teeth because of a skinned knee, Ursula quickly stood up as the ropes that binded her wrists came undone, and she ran towards the door, but her jailers did not allow her any chance, and slammed the door shut before she could even tread one step, before locking the girl in.
"You scoundrels!" Ursula yelled, grabbing the bars in a rather unelegant way and kicking them furiously. "What are your plans, huh? What do you need me for? Surely you don't think you will get away with this, do you? And where have you brought my Pokemon? Tell me, now, or you'll regret it!"
The Rocket grunts dismissed her threats, especially since she had no way to make good on them. One of them just glared harshly at the rich heiress, and pointed a key at her. "Play your cards well, little girl... and perhaps one day, you will be able to tell this to your children." he said, in no uncertain terms, before turning away from Ursula and going to help his colleague put the prisoners in their cells. Ursula yelled at him one more time, but in the end, seeing that she was just wasting her efforts, she gave up with an angry sigh.
"Darn..." Ursula muttered, hoping that nothing bad had happened to her Pokemon. The cell she was in was a very desolate place, as it could probably be expected. Just a bed, a table and a chair, with a door on the opposing wall, probably going to a toilet. Ursula tried sitting on the bed and found that it was uncomfortably hard, just as she expected. "Tch... not accounting for taste here, huh? Am I in hot water or what? Me and my stupid idea of going to Kanto... what on Earth is going on here? It seems like the world is being turned upside down."
Of course, Ursula had no way of knowing howclose to the truth that statement was...
oooooooooo
Meanwhile, back in Hoenn...
Max and May had stopped for lunch break, and were now sitting on a blanket that had been spread on the ground, looking at their Pokemon who were themselves enjoying their meals, under the watchful eye of May's Blaziken. The gigantic fire bird had recently returned to May's team, and while there weren't many chances for a fight, he still wanted to be as useful as he could. For the moment, there was an obvious benefit in that Poochyena and Zigzagoon weren't quarreling...
"Thanks for the help, Blaziken!" May thanked her starter, who replied with a gracious nod. The bandanna-wearing girl took a deep breath and began preparing setting the lunch on the blanket. "Alright... now, let's get something in our stomachs as well! Since, as someone here says, I fail at cooking, I thought it would be a good idea too buy a few packed lunches at the last Pokemon Market we went to. So... please, little bro, help yourself! But leave a cheese sandwich for me, as I put my eyes upon it before you did!"
May saw that her younger brother was trying to snatch one of her favorite kind of sandwiches, and she was quick to stop him, starting a funny game of tug-of-war before their Pokemon, some of which even took their attention away from their meal in order to enjoy the show. Glaceon, the latest addition in May's team, seemed to even have a certain air of superiority as he watched the quarreling siblings...
May and Max seemed to have reached an agreement on who would eat which sandwich, when a fine golden mist suddenly fell upon them and their Pokemon, and the two siblings immediately dropped the lunch to look around themselves in alarm. There was something all too familiar about that sight...
"Huh? What's this?" Max asked out loud, as he tried to see where the strange golden dust came from. However, his movement had already gotten awkward and sluggish, as if that strange dust was sapping his strength. "ANd... why am I feeling so faint? S... Sis, don't you feel like... th lights are going... out..."
"Wh... What?" May exclaimed, beginning to feel tired herself. It was just then that the truth hit them - they were right in the middle of a massive Sleep Powder attack! "M-Max... this is a... Our Pokemon... what are they...?"
As quickly as they could in their stunned state, the siblings turned to their Pokemon... and, much to their horror, they saw that most of them were already asleep, and those that weren't were on the verge of succumbing to the sleeping powder. All of Max's Pokemon were already in slumberland, whereas May's were managing to put up more of a struggle, thanks to their greater power and experience. However, it didn't seem to avail them much: Skitty and Munchlax were already sleeping, while Beautifly, Venusaur and Glaceon were slowly laying down and closing their eyes, and Blaziken was holding to a nearby tree, trying to stay awake with all of his might. However, it all proved futile a little later, and Max himself fell asleep a moment later, with May still trying her best to hold on to consciousness.
"Ugh... what's... this... Max..." May managed to murmur, before she too gave up and closed her eyes...
oooooooooo
The first thing May felt when she started to wake up, after an unspecified amount of time, was a cold breeze blowing in her face, like some sort of icy winter wind... and a strange scraping sensation on her wrists, causing her to wince at every move she tried to make. All she knew was, she was sitting on an hard surface, clearly a chair...
Every thought was brutally interrupted by a slap in her face that forced her to wake up all of a sudden! With a pained yelp, May opened her eyes, almost losing her balance on the chair, and tried to nurse her hurting cheek... only to discover that her wrists were tied behind her back with robust ropes, and she was sitting on an hard wood chair in the middle of a darkened room, inside of a damp, cold underground shelter of sorts...
"So, sleeping beauty? I don't have all day to wait for you, you know!" a young yet harsh voice, belonging to a teenaged boy that May saw almost literally appear in front of her eyes as she woke up: blond spiky hair combed in a flame-like hairstyle, with cold blue eyes that almost seemed to hypnotize her, he was wearing a black uniform with rounded shoulder pads, decorated with a mirrored R on the chest, in addition to a pair of silver knee-high boots and fingeress black gloves... and, most unsettling of all, he was holding a small whiplash in his right hand, which he was sinisterly playing with. Coupled with the smug, self-assured smile dancing on his freckled face, it gave May a great reason to fear... until she saw that there was someone else in the room, a younger man who wore a uniform similar to the blond's, but seemed rather more familiar...
"Ugh... who... who are you? What do you want from me? And... what is this place? What about my Pokemon?" May frantically asked.
"You haven't been brought here to slack off, miss!" the blond shouted as he sent the other boy away with an uncaring wave of his hand. The younger boy nodded and gave May a sorrowful stare... and that was when May almost jumped in surprise as she recognized Stefan, the trainer Max had defeated in their earlier encounter! "Especially since you've been brought before me, Demitri, one of the top executives of Team Vicious, the group that will soon become the lead organization in the world! You're being offered a great honor, my dear... from now on, you'll work for us, helping us in our way to world conquest! With the skill you've got, our group will surely become a lot more powerful. And don't worry about your Pokemon, they're under our custody, but we'll hand them back to you soon enough! Of course, provided you work for us."
"W-what?" an incredulous and frightened May answered. "You can forget about it! I will not aid people like you! Let me go, now!"
Demitri smirked sadistically. He knew May would not go along with his proposal... "Heh, I see you've quite unsupportive of us. I saw that coming, therefore... I decided to take some guarantees, just in case..." he calmly stated, before snapping his fingers. Another door at the far end of the room slid upon, with a dull sound of working machinery, and May was horrified to see her brother Max appearing from behind it, bound to a chair just like she was, and gagged for good measure!
"Max!" May exclaimed, her eyes wide. Max futilely thrashed about in an attempt to loosen the knots holding him, and tried to call for his sister with inarticulate sounds. "You... you... lowlife! What did you do to my brother?"
"Nothing yet... but I'd enjoy the opportunity!" Demitri smirked, his whip tracing some disturbing patterns in the air. As the glasses-wearing boy desperately tried to wriggle away from the Team Vicious executive, Demitri approached him and held his whip in a noose-like fashion, placing it dangerously close to Max's throat. "Listen to reason, girl... should you accept to work with us, I can vouch from your little brother's safety, though the reason why you should care about this runt is beyond me. Of course, should you refuse..."
Demitri pushed the improvised noose towards Max's throat, and the young boy gave a muffled moan as he tried to get away from it... but he was so scared that simply seeing the weapon seemed to have completely disheartened him. "So, little May, what about it? Will you accept, or have your little brother suffer for your stubborness? Ten years is an awfully short time to live, isn't it?" he asked with manic pleasure.
As Max tried to somehow get away, looking at his sister as if she could actualy do something, May grit her teeth and froze in terror... and without further reasoning, with Max's safety being the only thing that mattered in her mind, she took her decision.
"Wait! Hold on! Don't harm Max!" May tearfully exclaimed. Never losing that atrocious grin of his, Demitri turned to her, and she hanged her head low as she announced her decision. "I... I... You win! I... will do whatever you want! I accept your deal, just... don't do anything to my little brother, please!"
"Ooooh, now that's more like it!" Demitri chuckled evilly, turning his back to the still scared bespectacled boy, and walking to May, who was still keeping her head low. He reached down to her and tilted her chin upwards so as to force her to look at him straight in the eyes. Despite her surrender, May maintained a fierce, determined glare that was calling out her jailer for his cruelty... but instead of feeling threatened, Demitri seemed intrigued by her assertiveness.
"A wise decision, May. You won't regret it. I already have some... special missions just for you!" he said arrogantly...
oooooooooo
TO BE CONTINUED...
Author's Note: Oh man... this is getting tough!
Ursula and May have been captured by Team Rocket and Team Vicious respectively, and it seems they will be forced to fight for the respective sides. This could be a huge problem, and will definitely cause a fair bit of mayhem in the future! For now, Zoey leaves the spotlight, but she will return later on, in a manner that many probably won't see coming... and the same goes for Kenny as well, since the poor guy has gotten kinda neglected in this story, at least as of now. Don't worry, though... he will get his time to shine as well!
Next chapter will see Ash and his friends arriving in Kin Island, the third of the Sevii Islands... what will happen there? And... can May find a way to save both herself and Max from whatever Team Vicious has in store? These answers (possibly) and more in the next chapters! See you soon!