POKEMON HEART SOUL ADVENTURES

Hello, everyone! As you can see, I'm back from my vacation and ready to continue my stories, stating from this one! It's abouttime I cncentrated again on the Hoenn crew, who will take the spotlight for a few chapters or so... last time, we left Drew facing a mysterious figure (by now, we all know who it is...), and in this chapter, our favourite debonair coordinator will have to try and find some answers to his questions! It's not going to be a long chapter, but it will surely be important for future developments!

Therefore, get ready to immerse yourselves again in the world of Pokemon! My Super Robot Taisen story should be next up for updating!

Thanks to you all for your reviews, and enjoy the read!

oooooooooo

Chapter 39 - Vicious Blackmail

The cell Max had been in for quite a few days now looked more and more restraining as time went by to the young novice trainer, who was now sitting thoughtfully on the worn-out bed he had to use, his eyes affixed to the ceiling as if trying to find a way to get himself out of that fix. Sadly, the more he thought about it, the more it seemed obvious that Team Vicious had barred every possible escape route to them. There was no way to get out of that cage... and even if there was, he and Hilde wouldn't even have made three steps before being found and recaptured. If only they still had their Pokemon, they might have had a chance, but of course the guards had been careful to take them away...

"It's been way too long since we've been locked in this awful place!" Hilde lamented from the nearby cell, pacing back and forth like a captive tigress. She seemed to be in the process of somehow venting her anger, and if she hadn't found that way to do it, she would have dropped the aloof act and begun freaking out. "One would think that, since we've been locked up here, they'd also make use of us, huh, Max?"

The bespectacled boy sighed and wiped some sweat off his forehead. "I really have no idea, Hilde, criminal organizations aren't exactly part of the topics I studied before starting on this journey..." he said, allowing himself a bit of sarcasm. Hilde wrinkled her nose, but understood that her question hadn't really been all that well thought-out, and waved a hand in front of herself as if saying 'never mind'.

"Alright, alright... but still, if they want to make us into Team Vicious grunts, why do they keep us in this stinking cell instead of training us? That's what I'd like to know..."

"And that's what I will explain now to you, little brat!" a shrieky voice, belonging to someone Max knew all too well by now, answered the question. It was Demitri, the young Team Vicious executive commanding that small Hoenn division... and he was now joined by a reluctant Stefan, who seemed to be there only because Demitri had ordered him to be. Max and Hilde immediately glared at him in alarm and antipathy, as the young Team Vicious lieutenant got closer to the bars that withheld his newest recruit's little brother, smirking in superiority.

"Don't worry, we haven't forgotten about you... we were simply taking a good look at your Pokemon teams, so that we could work out what might be your righteous place in the new and improved Team Vicious. I have to say, to be complete newbies, it's kinda hard to figure you out. Anyway, now that I think I've gotten it, we can finally begin your training proper! Does that not make you honored?" he asked.

"I could just cry in joy." Hilde deadpanned, as Stefan took some rusty keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door to Max's cell. Another of the evil organization's henchmen opened Hilde's door and roughly pulled the young girl out, earning himself a scornful glare from her.

With a demented laugh, Demitri ordered for the hostages to be taken away. "Hehehee... you are really funny, little brat, but you'll soon change your tone after you're through with the special training we have gotten ready for you! Oh, but don't worry your pretty little head off... as soon as you're done, you'll be little more than an obedient Team Vicious puppet! And you too, four-eyes... not only you'll make a promising grunt, but we can also use you as leverage against your beloved big sister, just in case she gets ideas! That's what I call catching two Spearows with one Pokeball! And now... get a move on! We don't have all day, you know!"

As Stefan opened the door, Demitri got inside and roughly dragged Max out, causing him to briefly moan in pain and struggle against the hold... but Demitri held tight and pushed him out, where Hilde was already standing. "Out of here, kid! Now we'll really begin playing for keeps with you... and don't you dare disappoint us!"

oooooooooo

Drew had to admit, he just couldn't stop thinking about that article he had just read: Harley's disappearance and that mysterious figure with a Glaceon... there was something unsettling about both these things, though at the moment, as he made his way towards his next destination, Lavaridge Town, there was something else bugging him. Still, there wasn't much he could do about it for now, and he had to concentrate on training his own Pokemon. The new coordinating season was about to begin, and he'll be darned if he was going to flunk out at the Grand Festival.

He had almost gotten to the intersection of two roads, when something caught his attention: a small figure wearing a black uniform with a mirrored red R drawn on her chest, and an helmet that reminded him of a gas mask, which prevented him from seeing the girl's face. She had just walked out of a thick bush, and had now placed herself right in front of him, clearly intending to stop him from going any further. Wordlessly, the mysterious figure - who seemed to be about Drew's age - stopped a few meters in front of the green-haired boy, who kept staring at her with suspicion, and took out a Pokeball in a clearly threatening gesture.

"Who are you?" Drew asked, his hand already inching towards one of his own Pokeballs. "What do you want from me?"

The masked girl decided facts spoke louder than words and threw her Pokeball, letting out a threatening, lethal-looking Pokemon: a Blaziken, a Fire / Fighting type that looked like a bird-man with firey red feathers, with yellow, beige or grey spots on his lower legs and on the hair-like extensions on the feathers on his head. He had a cruelly curved beak, and his three-fingered arms ended in sharp claws, a V-shaped crest on the front part of his face, and three spiky extensions on both sides of the face, giving him an even more threatening countenance. Red flames blazed on his feathery hide, showing that the Pokemon was ready and willing to fight... but Drew did not feel intimidated at all: he had already seen a Blaziken before, and he knew what to expect from him.

However, there was something about Blaziken that had reawakened in him those annoying suspicions he had had earlier: there was only one person he knew who had a Blaziken, and the coincidences he had noticed were beginning not to look like coincidences any more... however, he was not distracted by this, and called on the field one of his strongest Pokemon.

"Talk is cheap, I guess. Fine by me." the green-haired boy answered. "If that's the case... come out, Flygon!"

Drew's Pokeball flew and let out a strange-looking Pokemon that resembled some kind of cross between a lizard and a dragonfly. It was about a meter and a half long, covered in fine green scales that became darker on the head, the rear paws and on a few rings on his long whiplike tail, which ended in a series of colorful rhomboidal feathers. His red eyes were quite large, compared with the rest of his body, and they were compound and multifaceted like those of a dragonfly or an adult antlion. A pair of long antennae whipped about on his head, and his wings were large, rhomboidal and rimmed with red. It was a Flygon, a Dragon / Ground type that had always been an important part of Drew's team.

Blaziken did not waste time and attacked as soon as his masked trained gave him permission to, leaping towards the dragon-bug in order to hit him with his trademark Blaze Kick, a kick with a leg engulfed in red flames! Unfortunately for him, though, Drew's Flygon was not going to be surprised by such a straightforward move!

"Dodge that, Flygon! Use Fly!" he ordered. Just in time, the dragonfly-reptile cross soared upwards and managed to dodge the fiery kick, whose intense heat scalded his tail feathers slightly. With an annoyed keening sound, Flygon took flight and began circling his opponent, before swooping down with the greatest of ease and the grace and power of a diving hawk! But Blaziken reacted with unexpected skill, and after bending his knees and crouching low for an instant, leapt up and punched upwards, in a perfect rendition of a Dragon Punch! Flygon's compound eyes widened a little as he broke his run in midair and managed to barely dodge Blaziken's Sky Uppercut attack, which still managed to bruise his wing and bring him to the ground in a rather undignified manner. Drew grit his teeth, seeing his worst fears coming more and more true every moment... that mysterious girl's technique really looked like that of someone he knew very well...

"Don't get intimidated, Flygon! Respond with Aerial Ace!" Drew ordered. The Dragon / Ground type quickly took flight against and struck Blaziken with the edge of his wings just as the Fire / Fighting type was descending from his uppercut, sending him tumbling to the ground. But the firey-feathered Pokemon quickly stood up again and struck back with a lethally accurate Slash attack, hitting Flygon on the back with his front claws and causing him to falter for a short while. Luckily, Flygon managed to keep his altitude, just in time for DRew to issue a new command.

"And now, Flygon... use Dragon Claw!" the boy ordered. A multicolored aura surrounded Flygon's small, seemingly harmless forearms, and the dragonfly-like Pokemon dived down and slashed at Blaziken, who was forced to fall back on the defensive! The dragon-insect did not let up, and slashed more and more times, causing the mighty Fire / Fighting type to reel... And when the right time came, Blaziken managed to dodge a Dragon Claw from Flygon and somersaulted right under him, then dashed towards Drew and tried to catch him! But the green-haired boy stood calm, stoically waiting for Blaziken to come close...

And just when it seemed Drew would have been captured, his Flygon suddenly reemerged from the ground right in front of him and headbutted Blaziken in the stomach as he soared upwards, kicking up a huge mound of earth that struck the Fire / Fighting type like a miniature geyser! Blaziken squaeked in rage and surprise, before actually ending up sprawled on the ground, even though he managed to climb back to his feet in short order. He quickly resumed his fighting stance in front of Flygon, who had just now regained height and was waiting for a new attack!

"Surprised? We were just trying to confuse your Blaziken, so that my Flygon could use a Dig attack when you two least expected it. And it seems to have worked. As I thought, you are trying to capture me... my question is, why is that? I'd like to know what you and your group have got against me." Drew said, trying to get a better look at his mysterious opponent. Unfortunately, the glass plating of the mask prevented him from seeing his opponent's face, though it was pretty clear that it was a girl.

Once again, no answer was given. The mysterious opponent limited herself to motioning to her Blaziken with an arm, and the Fire / Fighting type shrieked once again and got in a fighting stance. He then flexed his pectoral muscles for a few seconds as he used his Bulk Up move to improve his physical offense and defense power, while Flygon flew lower and spread his magnificent wings. Each Pokemon was just waiting for the other to make the next move...

Nobody moved for a few seconds, only waiting for the other part to show even the slightest sign of hesitation or faltering in order to get in a decisive blow. Finally, the unknown girl motioned to her Pokemon once again, and Blaziken leapt up, using a Bounce attack in the hope of leaving Flygon confused and disoriented. The antlion dodged, keeping an eye on his opponent and getting ready to dodge when the time was right, but Blaziken caught both him and Drew off guard by cancelling the move in midair and then sweeping down with a fire kick! For a moment, Drew's calm and collected expression left place to one of shock as he realized his Pokemon was now in for another Blaze Kick!

"Take care, Flygon!" Drew exclaimed... but it was too late for dodging! Blaziken's Blaze Kick found its mark, hitting Flygon straight in the chest and bringing him down, dragging him in the dust for several metres before Blaziken halted and jumped backwards, backflipping to his trainer's side with his leg still shooting flames! This time, Flygon took a little more time to stand up, and it was clear that the latest hit had left a mark, as Flygon was a little clumsy in his flight, and had a burn mark in the place where he had been hit. Blaziken, instead, seemed to be still up and about, despite having taken a few hits himself. "Don't get intimidated, Flygon! It's still not over!"

But Blaziken and the unknown trainer decided to push their advantage: the Fire / Fighting typeattacked again, this time with a Fire Spin, shooting a small flame from his beak and hitting the ground right in front of Flygon. The flames soon spread to form a circle around the Dragon / Ground type, and a veritable wall of fire rose around him a split second later... but Flygon easily defended himself by wrapping himself with his wings, warding off the flames.

"That's good, Flygon! Now, use Fly torise above the flames, and Gust to disperse them!" The gren-haired boy exclaimed, quickly thinking of a viable strategy to avoid that attack. Flygon nodded, spreading his graceful wings, and soared above the spinning flames, then started frantically beating his wings... and releasing a powerful gust of wind that blew away the wall of fire and shot some of the burning flames back at Blaziken! The chicken-like Pokemon squeaked in annoyance, shielding his eyes with his arms, and both Drew and Flygon capitalized from this mistake! "Good. And now... Earthquake!"

The dragon-garner Pokemon dropped to the ground, shaking it with his considerable weight and unleashing his most powerful and reliable Ground-type move! The mysterious girl actually seemed to flinch as the earth literally rose in front of Blaziken and slammed him with a powerful shockwave that sent him tumbling down! The seismic movement ceased quickly, but it had been more than enough to seriously weaken the Fire / Fighting type, who was now having more trouble standing up. Both Pokemon seemed to be about to score a decisive blow, and both Drew and his opponent knew they had to give the right orders, in order to get their victory!

"Fine, then... let's make things a little harder on him." Drew thought out loud... just before giving his Pokemon a new order. "Now, Flygon... use Sandstorm and confuse him a little!"

The draconic bug nodded and dropped down, starting to thrash about like a playful kitten... only, because of his sheer size and strength, he was kicking up massive amounts of dust and dirt which he was hurling at Blaziken! The Fire / Fighting type squawked and covered his eyes with his arms as countless fine projectile bombarded him from all sides... and then furiously started to inch forward again, trying to once again hit with a Sky Uppercut... but he was forced to hold back as the flurry of dust and rocks grew too intense for him to walk through! Not only that, but his opponent now seemed to have become faster and more agile, as if the sandstorm enhanced his movements instead of obstructing them!

"That's good, Flygon! And now... use Dragon Claw again!" Drew ordered. Indifferent to the sandstorm, Flygon swept down and slashed Blaziken with rainbow-hued claws, causing him to flinch and forcing him to put an hand on the ground to keep himself from falling. Flygon flew back up and attacked again, this time with a swift and accurate Faint Attack... but Blaziken took the hit without many problems and struck back with a powerful Double Kick that staggered Flygon! Both Pokemon separated and then closed in on each other once again, using a Wing Attack and a Blaze Kick, and hitting each other at the exact same time! There was a deafening clash all around that forced Drew and his opponent to stand back... and soon, the sandstorm died down, revealing that Blaziken and Flygon were still in contact with each other, the dragon-bug's left wing pressed upon Blaziken's chest, and the fighting chicken's right leg pounding into Flygon's side!

Several seconds went by without anything happening... then, both Pokemon groaned and fell to the ground in exhaustion, ending the first confrontation in a draw for both their trainers. Drew frowned... and recalled Flygon into his Pokeball. "It's okay, Flygon. You did all you could, and you should rest now. Let's see what this... strange person here... has got to send against me!" he said, pausing a little in order to make itclear that, to him, this girl wasn't actually that mysterious.

What the girl did a moment later both confirmed to Drew that he was right, and made him wish he was wrong instead. She took out another Pokeball and sent out her next Pokemon - a beautiful giant butterfly with black wings dotted in yellow, red and blue, grey face, belly and paws, and long black antennae jutting out of her forehead. Her mouth was a long, thin proboscis that she was keeping folded like a spiral, and her shining blue eyes aggressively glared at Drew. It was a beautifly, a Bug / Flying Pokemon known for its deceptively cute appearence, which belied a vicious personality. And it was a Pokemon that was really familiar to Drew.

"Well then. This is all the confirmation I needed." the green-haired boy said as he took out his next Pokeball. "However, there's something I need to know now... and I think you owe me an explanation, May."

The one in front of him, who had had no visible reaction until then, suddenly seemed to freeze in fear, and even if she was wearing a visor, Drew could feel her eyes going wide beneath it! She took a step backwards, as her Beautifly fluttered protectively in front of her...

"Then I got it right..." Drew commented. "Exactly, what is it that you're doing? Why are you attacking me? And... it was you that attacked Harley a few days ago, right? What just happened to you? The May I know would never act like this!"

Too stunned to answer on the double, May gulped and tried to hide the truth, knowing all too well that Max's life was at stake. "This... this is nothing that concerns you, Drew! Looks like you didn't know me as well as you thought! And now... stop saying such stupid things, and let's fight! Go, Beautifly!"

The giant butterfly let out a shrill, melodious call and took flight, before launching herself at Drew, who acted quickly and dodged before letting his own Pokemon out: a beautiful white-furred animal with several black body parts leapt out of the Pokeball and struck Beautifly with the crescent moon-shaped blade jutting out of his head, causing the giant bug to falter and drop to the ground - Drew's Absol had intervened quickly and dealt a nasty blow to Beautifly, who recovered fairly quickly and proceeded to beat her wings frantically, unleashing a storm of sonic waves at the Dark-type! However, Drew was once again quick to save his Pokemon from a super-effective attack...

"Absol, disperse that attack with Swords Dance!" the green-haired boy exclaimed. Just in time, the Dark-type started spinning on himself, elegantly using his blade to ward off the sonic waves threatening to overwhelm him, and boosting his own attacking power at the same time. Beautifly flew up, and tried to attack with a status-changing move... but Drew had already counted on that, and managed to anticipate the move!

"Now, Absol... use Aerial Ace!" Drew exclaimed. The white-furred Absol leapt up and slashed with his blade again, hitting Beautifly and causing her to flinch... but this time, the ferocious butterfly reacted by unrolling her proboscis and using it to stab his opponent's shoulder, in her own rendition of a Bug Bite attack! With a furious shake, Absol managed to get the stinger out of his fur and to shake off the aggressive Bug-type, then executed a spectacular Psycho Cut that sent a semi-transparent blade of energy against his opponent, who barely managed to dodge that. Then, using her Giga Drain attack, Beautifly began drawing a bunch of strange green energy spheres from Absol's body and absorbing them into her colorful wings. The giant butterfly felt reinvigorated all of a sudden, as Absol lost his footing for a second: that move had absorbed part of his own energies and transferred them to Beautifly, causing Drew to frown noticeably: if this was going to keep up, the battle would have been long indeed...

"I don't know what's up with you, May..." the young coordinator murmured to himself. "But it's clear that something is eating at you. And I'm going to find out what it is, no matter what!"

oooooooooo

A small underground arena, littered with obstacles similar to those one might find on a military track field, the ground covered in fine red sand, and surmounted by a dome-shaped roof upon which several lamps had been installed, bathing the field in an eerie light - this was the place Max and Hilde were using for their ''training'', under the constant scrutinizing of several gas mask wearing grunts. Although Max did find it odd that he and Hilde were going to be physically trained themselves, instead of doing practice matches with their Pokemon...

Using all of his strength, Max managed to lift himself up the unstable-looking wall that the instructor had placed on the training field... then, using extreme care, he dropped down and landed upright on the ground before stopping to catch his breath. He was aware he was not going to get any special treatment, but it was a whole other can of worms to be almost exhausted after only ten minutes of training!

"Phew... wow... you sure... don't believe in doing things by halves, huh?" Max wheezed. "I think I'll lose every meal I'm going to have, after this!"

"Shut up, brat, and get to work!" Demitri shut him up from the side of the arena, threateningly toying with a whip he did not look like he was going to be hesitant to use on Max and Hilde. "Our grunt have to be the best ever to be seen in every continent! We will not put up with slacking off!"

"Yeah, this coming from the guy who's standing right there watching..." Hilde snarked as she picked herself up. She was just as exhausted as Max was, but her stoic and aloof expression had not waned. "If you're really as much of a tough guy as you claim to be, why don't you show that to us, huh?"

A rage-filled glare lit up in Demitri's eyes, and he slashed at her with his whip, making it crack a few centimeters away from her right ear! The girl winced and shifted her head a little, but she had no other reaction - she wanted that scoundrel to know that she was not afraid of him. Max shivered in horror as he saw his friend and rival almost get hit, but there was nothing he could do about it...

"SHUT UP, LITTLE BRAT!" the young Team Vicious executive roared, losing control for a moment. "I have no need to demonstrate anything, you little worm! I am a Team Vicious executive, and I will not debase myself to give demonstrations to trash like you! And now, get a move on! As soon as you show passable improvement, we'll give you your Pokemon back. Provided, of course, they have enough potential."

"What do you mean? Huff... phew... " Max panted as he began running again, while Hilde was being forced to crawl through a plastic tube barely wide enough to accomodate her. "You mean that... the Pokemon you find unsatisfactory... will be discarded?"

"Why not?" Demitri answered serenely, retrieving his sadistic sense of humour. "Team Vicious ha no need for weak and useless Pokemon, and if I can speak my mind, your Poochyena and Zigzagoon don't look like anything to write home about! But... I'll have to take a good look before deciding, so you don't need to worry just yet! Heheheee... anyway, back to your training!"

Despite being anxious for his Pokemons' fate, Max had no choice but to swallow any protest and keep running...

oooooooooo

"So, Cezar... no need for me to repeat myself, is there?" the Iron-Masked Marauder asked in a falsely affable voice, his half-hidden face glaring from the screen he had appeared on, right in front of one of his executives. "Paul is one of the best trainers in his age group in all Sinnoh, and he's a talent we cannot let go. Should he once again refuse to join us, dispose of him. That should be a no-brainer, right?"

"Of course, my master..." the Team Vicious executive answered, smiling through serrated lips. "A skilled trainer such as Paul could become really dangerous if left to his own devices. If we are to make our project come true, we haveto make sure Paul is either on our side, or on nobody's."

"You hit the nail on the head, so to speak." the Team Vicious leader answered, stroking his spiny beard. "Since you already have some experience with our man, you are the best person to deal with him and present him this choice. Of course, since he's so strong as a trainer, we'd better not take any chances, therefore... I'll see about getting Jakov to join you, as soon as he's back from Sinnoh. Empty-handed, sadly."

Cezar tilted his head on one side, his arrogant smile fading just a little. "Why Jakov? You should have seen by now that his attachment towards his Pokemon..." he grimaced, as if the thought of a trainer being kind to his own Pokemon was repugnant to him. "...will be his downfall. You have seen what he did in Sinnoh, right? He was beaten by those three girls..."

The Marauder shrugged. "Maybe, but apart from that, he never disapppointed me. And as long as my men do what I ask of them, I hardly care about the rest." he said, eschewing elegant turns of words. "That, this is the bottom line: you will rendezvous with Jakov shortly, and you'll resume pursuing Paul. I expect much of you... especially since my other executives would gladly take care of you, should you fail in your mission..."

Cezar shivered slightly at the mention of the other executives... and nodded, knwing what he had to do...

oooooooooo

The battle between Drew's Absol and May's Beautifly had been going on for quite a while now, without any of them gaining any noticeable advantage over the other. Night Slash dispersed Signal Beam. Faint Attack bounced harmlessly over Iron Defense. Both combatants were giving it their all, fighting with all of their might to gain even a cursory advantage. And both trainers were getting nervous - they weren't willing to waste any more time with that boring string of useless attacks, andwanted to seal the deal as soon as possible.

But while May was still tring to think of a way to get the upper hand, Drew had already thought of something to convince his friend and rival to spill the beans. "Very ell then... Absol, use a Future Sight attack, then concentrate on defense! I'll tell you when to counterattack!"

The Dark-type nodded and yelped in assent before concentrating just or a second, creating an azure aura around him that soon coalesced into an energy ball that soared up to the sky and disappeared among the clouds. A second later, May's Beautifly attacked again, her trainer encouraging her to end the battle as soon as she could, before the Future Sight attack could hit.

"Don't let up, Beautifly!" she exclaimed, her voice still muffled by the gas mask she wore. "Use a Gust attack, now!"

Again, the giant butterfly unleashed a rapid gust of wind by beating her wings, and managed to slap Absol in the face... but the white-furred Pokemon managed to mostly shrug off the blow and answered with Double Team, leaving after-images of himself that managed to confuse Beautifly, who futilely tried to spray them with a Stun Spore attack. Absol hopped from one side to the other, making himself hard to hit, and the giant butterfly was forced to dash here and there on the battlefield in order to aim well. Alarmed, Beautifly looked up, noticing that the Future Sight attack was getting nearer and nearer, and was about to hit her! It looked like sme sort of miniature blue comet, and Beautifly knew she had to wrap the whole thing up before it was too late... so, she interrupted her attempts to attack Absol and got ready to dodge the Future Sight as it got nearer...

"Absol, use Psycho Cut! Now!"

Just as Beautifly was beginning to move out of the way of the Future Sight, Absol fired a crescent-moon shaped projectile from his head blade and struck the giant butterfly head on, just as the delayed attack ht the ground and exploded, leaving a smoking crater behind! Beautifly shrieked as shewas flung backwards, right in her trainer's arms, and May yelped in surprise before falling to the ground and landing in a none-too-elegant manner, her helmet falling off her head from the sheer force of the low, to reveal a graceful face framed by two bangs of chestnut-colored hair!

"Ugh... you okay, Beautifly?" May asked, worried about her Pokemon, who simply shook the dizziness out of herself and nodded. May sighed in relief before glancing up to Drew, who was now standing a few meters away from her, his Absol by his side, and was just waiting for the girl to give an explanation for what she was doing...

oooooooooo

TO BE CONTINUED...

Author's Note: Hehee... cliffhanger! What will happen next? Whatever it is, you can be sure that things will get hectic again pretty soon! That's it for now... leave a review if you wish, and hope to see you again soon!