POKEMON HEART SOUL ADVENTURES
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Chapter 41 - End Of The Line
Team Vicious' situation had turned sour in a few seconds. Max, Hilde, Drew, Solidad and even Stefan had quickly grabbed their Pokeballs as soon as the two children had reached the room where their Pokeballs were being kept. In a moment, Max had let Mudkip, Ledyba, Zigzagoon and Poochyena out, with Hilde standing right beside him. In spite of their lack of experience, the youngest of May's team were ready to give her all of her support...
"Now, Treecko... use Quick Attack!" the girl exclaimed. The lizard-like Grass-type and struck the closest opponent, a fierce-looking Spearow, in the face. The birdlike Pokemon fell with a keen shriek, and Treecko allowed himself a small victorious grin bwefore his trainer's voice recalled him to reality. "Don't falter now! We're right in the bowels of a criminal team's hideout, and we're at risk every moment we stay! Keep fighting, we have to get out of here!"
"Treecko!" the Grass-type exclaimed as he stood on guard once again. Even Stefan was doing his best to help his new friends and show himself to be worth their trust, and his Gulpin and Wingull, despite not being that strong when compared to other Team Vicious Pokemon, were still holding their own pretty well!
"Wingull, use Double Team!" the young man exclaimed, and the seagull-like Pokemon seemed to literally split in two identical copies as he swept down towards a Kadabra, barely dodging the Psybeam fired against him. A well placed Wing Attack knocked the opponent down, and the Team Vicious grunt who was facing Stefan had no choice but to recall Kadabra, gritting his teeth in anger.
"Ugh... you damn traitor!" the grunt exclaimed. "You're our commander's brother! How dare you turn against him? You owe him everything you have! Without Demitri, you're absolutely nothing!"
"Sorry, but I will not keep serving my brother like some sort of mindless servant!" Stefan bravely answered, as he motioned for his Gulpin to retreat before an Aron. "Demitri only thinks I'm an expendable pawn, and he'll throw me away the moment I won't be useful to him any more! And besides which, I'm sick of being a criminal! I decided that, from now on, I will be a trainer just like Max and Hilde, and I will make a name for myself in an honest way!"
Max smiled to himself as his Poochyena downed a Team Vicious Furret, and his Ledyba assaulted a Stantler with her small fists. At least, Stefan seemed to have become aware that he was walking a bad road, and was now trying to atone for that.
However, it was May, Drew and Soledad who were giving the most grief to Team Vicious: their Pokemon were so far above the level of those of a typical grunt, that there was no chance Team Vicious could put up more than token resistance. May seemed to be the most determined of all. Now that she knew Max was safe, she was absolutely determined to pay Demitri back for what he had put her through!
May's Blaziken unleashed a powerful Blaze Kick while spinning around, and blowing away several Pokemon who were trying to surround him. Sharing his trainer's anger and indignation, the Fire / Fighting type was wiping away everything around him in a manner reminescent of a martial arts movie, while Drew and soledad picked off any remaining stragglers. There was no way to stop them, as they fought their way deeper and deeper into Team Vicious' hideout!
"Out of the way!" May exclaimed, while several Team Vicious Mankeys were taken down by her starters' fire-wreathed legs. "I have business to attend with your boss, and I have nothing against you... let me pass, and I won't do anything against you!"
Three masked grunts recalled their defeated Pokemon and started running away in front of May's determination. "Man... guys, I think we'd better listen to this girl! She's playing for keeps now!" one of the three exclaimed. The criminals backed away before turning their backs on May and making a break for it, trying to put as much distance as possible between them and their opponents...
"I think they're not in a fighting mood anymore." Drew commented with a small smirk, observing Team Vicious' hasty retreat. "I think our good friend Demitri is up there somewhere, and wants to pay us back for the fast one we pulled on him! What do you say, May? It wouldn't be nice to keep him waiting, would it?"
"Of course not. I wouldn't be that rude anyway." May answered with a nod, impatient o give that guy the what-for. "Drew, Soledad... could you stay here and help Max, Stefan and Hilde? Also, please, try to find Harley, I think he's down here somewhere. I'll go upstairs and take down their boss!"
"Of course, May! Leave it to us, and we'll leave you to settle your score with that Demitri guy! But be careful, and don't underrate him!" Soledad answered as her Lapras froze an enemy Kricketune solid with her Ice Beam.
"Don't worry, Soledad, I'll be careful." May answered, taking some time thanks to the fact that the Team Vicious grunts had seen things were taking a turn for the worse, and were retreating before the assaults of those they had mistaken for their prisoners. Vera got close to her younger brother and knelt down just a little, just enough to look at him straight in the eyes. "Please, Max, listen... I need to go upstairs and settle my score with the Team Vicious boss! I won't let him escape scot free... so I'll go up there, kick his butt and get back here! Please, stay here with Hilde and the others, and try not to get in trouble again, okay?"
"Of course, sis!" Max answered, not hiding his worry over his older sister. "But still... be careful, I have no idea what kind of Pokemon that guy has, and he might be more dangerous than he looks."
"I know... but this is something I have to do myself." the undaunted May answered. "Stay here, and help out as much as you can... you too, Hilde! And, by the way, Stefan?"
As the boy checked on his Wingull and Gulpin, he jumped up in surprise as he heard the girl call out to him. "Oh? Y-yes, what is it, May?" Demitri's sibing asked, still fearful that the girl wanted to get payback for him having sent them right into the Team Vicious lieutenant's trap. Instead, much tohis surprise and relief, May smiled and gave a thumbs-up, speakking in a calmer, more relaxed voice.
"Thanks for helping us! Me, Max, Hilde... and everyone else! And I apologize for being a jerk to you earlier, I was too angry to think straight!" she went on. "I have to take back what I said back then, you're not like your brother... and your place is not among these criminals!"
"Thank you, May... I'm glad you think that of me!" the boy answered, managing a smile. "Best of luck to you, May. It won't be easy to defeat my brother!"
"I wasn't expecting it to be easy anyway." May answered. "Alright, Blaziken, that's it! Let's go up there and give Demitri what's coming to him!"
"BLAZ!" Blaziken opened his mouth and raised his fists, before letting out a warlike yell than echoed sinisterly in the whole HQ, scaring away the grunts who still were to take part in the battle. Even Hilde, who still kept her somewhat aloof expression, nodded in awe of Blaziken's fighting spirit.
"I'm glad May is on our side now. She's even scarier than me, when she gets angry." she said to herself.
Stefan nodded, before calling out to Max. "Don't worry, May, we'll take care of things here... and as for you, Max, there's someone who's been waiting for you for quite a while now! Follow me, I'll take you there!"
"Of course!" Max answered, his heart beating faster. Maybe, he was thinking to himself as he recalled his earlier feeling, this was the time to meet Ralts again, after so long...
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Even in his office, Demitri heard Blaziken's war cry... but unlike his men, he wasn't shaken by it. On the contrary, his face scrunched into an angry grimace, and his hand convulsively grabbed one of his Pokeballs, containing one of his strongest fighters. May was surely going to get there, in his office, to challenge him to a Pokemon match... it took no huge stretch of the imagination to realize that. But it was not going to go as she was probably hoping... sure, his organization had lost a great chance to become stronger and capture some of Hoenn's finest trainers and coordinators... but at least, he was going to get his revenge on May! Even if this was the last thing he'd do, he'd see to it that May paid for her betrayal!
"C'mon, May, show your pretty little face..." he growled. "You know I won't let you go that easily, now that you have messed up my plans and kept me from currying a little favour with the boss! I guess my place in Team Vicious is in jeopardy... but at least, I can make sure you won't bother me anymore! And that goes for my traitorus brother, and your own useless one! Everyone who opposes me... I'll wipe them out, every last one!"
"Where's Demitri? Take me to your boss!" May's voice was heard from far away...
As May and Blaziken came closer and closer, Demitri grinned madly at the prospect of taking revenge, and kept smiling as Blaziken reached the door to his office and began kicking it down with all of his strength! The sound of Blaziken's legs crashing against the holdings was really disquieting, and even Demitri couldn't help but be a little worried about the power lying behind each and every one of those blows... but he was too furious to even consider giving up, and kept waiting with apparent calm as the door began giving way...
"Demitri! Come and face me!" May yelled, now closer than ever.
Finally, her Blaziken gave one last push, and the door broke down, splitting in two halves and scattering wooden splints everywhere! Shivering in anger and worry, the young criminal saw May, her pretty chestnut-haired face slightly contorted in anger, and Blaziken advancing towards him, with the Fire / Fighting Pokemon dangerously cracking his knuckles. The young coordinator and her starter entered the room and stood on guard, with Demitri regarding them with cold detachment before bursting into a bout of insane laughter!
"Hahahahaaa! Will you look at that! What do we have here? A grunt thinking she's a general, huh? You think you're so smart, don't you, May?" Demitri asked rhetorically, pacing up and down while still staring at his opponent. May had no idewhat to expect from him, but she sure didn't like the way he was going about it... "You... you think you've gotten the better of me, and you can just waltz away after ruining my plans? Well... I'll be happy to prove you wrong! You'll pay for betraying me!"
"Betray you? I was never on your side!" the chestnut-haired girl answered as she and Blaziken advanced. "You forced us to work for you by taking Max as an hostage... did you really think I would go along with your plans without that? Now... prepare to have a nice lesson taught to you! I'm taking you down here and now!"
Demitri grinned, a demented smile that sent chills down May's spine. "Heheheheee... is that so? Tough words for a fly... you think you know better than I do, brat? Huh? You thk're tough? Now you'll realize your mistake, though you won't be able to learn anything from it! Come out annd fight, Hariyama!"
The young Team Vicious commander threw his first Pokeball and sent out a Pokemon that looked very much like a sumo wrestler: large, powerful and mostly grey in colour, his hands were disproportionately huge with respect to the body, and had three clumsy fingers each. A triangular helmet of sorts protected the Pokemon's head, forming a V-shape over his eyes, and he had an orange pattern on his belly that resembled a rising sun. Yellow skirt-like extensions protruded from the Pokemon's abdomen, and his legs were large and squat, with two-toed feet. While his body looked obese, it was clear that it was also incredibly strong and hardy... it was a Pokemon May knew quite well, having already seen Ash fight (and defeat) one in his battle against Greta, during his challenge to the Battle Frontier...
"Destroy that Blaziken!" Demitri wrathfully exclaimed. "Use Brine!"
"Resist, Blaziken! Use Bulk Up!" May incited her Fire / Fighting type, who flexed his pecs and slightly curled up on himself, so that he was only exposing his bigger muscle masses to Hariyama's attack. The sumo wrestling Pokemon swept outwards with one of his powerful arms, shooting a gout of salt water that struck Blaziken's feather-covered body, causing a small puff of white vapor to come out of his body. Blaziken grunted in pain as the salt water burned his skin and staggered back, but qickly recovered, just in time to withstand Hariyama's next attack!
"Hahahahaaaa! Keep it up, Hariyama! Strike him with Arm Thrust!" Demitri laughed. Hariyama dashed forward with unsuspectable speed, and started attacking Blaziken with a series of blows from the stretched palms of his huge hands, in a series of powerful and lethal thrusts. The scarlet-feathered Pokemon managed to block the first and the second blow, but the others were too fast for him to keep up, and Blaziken ended up getting hit and thrown backwards with a grunt. But much to May's relief, Blaziken managed to roll to his feet a moment later, shrugging off the worst of the hits. Still, she needed to step up her game. Stefan was right, Demitri was a lot more dangerous than he looked... but she wasn't about to let him win!
"Alright then, looks like we'll have to pull out all the stops!" May exclaimed. "Quick, Blaziken! Use a Fire Spin attack!"
"BLAZIKEN!" the bird-like Fire / Fighting type answered. A red gout of flame burst out of his plumage and began spinning around him, soon changing into a pungent-smelling blazing tornado! With a mighty yell, Blaziken shot the spinning flame at Hariyama, who stood in place and tried blocking it with his powerful arms...
Demitri shook his head, amused at May and Blaziken trying to oppose him. "Hehehee... do you really think that little flame can actually give pause to my mighty Hariyama? How ridiculous... it's nothing but a candlelight to him!" he exclaimed, as his Fighting-type blocked the hurricane of scarlet flames, seemingly without suffering damage. He was about to push the blaze away and was about to retaliate with another powerful attack, but this time it was May and Blaziken who stopped him in his tracks, with a move Hariyama could not see!
"Blaziken! Use Blaze Kick to punch through the vortex!"
Demitri managed to hear May's voice over the roaring flames, and the smile died on his face as Blaziken leapt through the wall of flame he had shot, raising a leg and keeping it high! The Fire / Fighting type took a gigantic leap and executed a flawless roundabout kick, hitting the reddish flames and setting the limb literally on firem before keeping going and hitting Hariyama's prominent belly like some sort of shooting star! The sumo Pokemon was thrown back several feet, and landed on his back, shaking the ground with his corpulent mass under Demitri's incredulous, furious glare, while Blaziken quickly backflipped and landed close to his trainer, who clapped her hands in congratulations!
"Nicely done, Blaziken! I knew that confounding them with Fire Spin, and then using Fire Spin itself to power up Blaze Kick would have been a nice idea!" May exclaimed. Demitri stood his ground, grinding his teeth in frustration... but the evil smile soon returned, and the Team Vicious commander chuckled again when Hariyama stood up, a little bruised but none the worse for wear. "Er... Though I'm afraid we just managed to make him mad..."
"Hehehee.. sorry, May, looks like you forgot about Hariyama's Thick Fat ability protecting him from Fire and Ice type attacks." Demitri explained smugly. May mentally kicked herself for forgetting such an important thing. "Now... attack again, Hariyama, and use Vital Throw!"
"Yamaa!" the sumo wrestling Pokemon exclaimed. Once again, he tried to dash in and catch May and Blaziken offguard with his speed. Remembering that Vital Throw's weakness is that the user always loses initiative, May was about to give a new order to Blaziken, but soon stopped herself. Demitri would probabl have predicted that already, so maybe it was better to use another strategy... Blaziken allowed Hariyama to grab him and spin him around, trying to brace himself for the moment where his opponent would have let him go and crash ruinously on the walls and floor...
"Get ready, Blaziken..." May murmured to herself, worriedly watching her starter as Hariyama lifted him and swung him around like a ragdoll. As soon as Hariyama let go, sending Blaziken flying towards the ceiling at high speed, May stepped up and yelled her order. "Now's the time! Brace yourself and use Sky Uppercut!"
Blaziken was swift to react, somersaulting through the air and using the momentum she had gained to execute a spectacular acrobatic maneuver in midair. He planted his feet on the ceiling, with enough power to cause some cracks to appear on the surface of it, and bent his knees in order to gain more power. He then dashed down at his opponent, readying his fist at his side and managed to reach the unprepared and flabbergasted Hariyama when the latter was still getting back on guard... and then, Blaziken punched Hariyama will all of his might, sending him flying as if the huge sumo wrestler weighed nothing! Demitri could only gape in bewilderment as his Pokemon, having received the first serious blow in that battle, was lifted off his feet and crashed on the ground, causing the whole room to shake and a picture to fall off the wall! Hariyama mamaged to climb back to his feet, but he was slower to do so. Blaziken's Sky Uppercut had left a mark.
"You little... how dare you?" Demitri growled. "You will not humiliate me, am I clear, you presumptuous little girl? You made a really bad mistake in opposing me! You could have become a Team Vicious executive! You'd become one of the strongest trainers in the world! And I... I would have gotten my boss' praise, and perhaps even get promoted! You're going to pay for this! Nobody can pull my leg like that! Get up, Hariyama! Use your Belly Drum and show her what you're really made of!"
Hariyama picked himself up, lifted a leg in perfect sumo style and then dropped it on the ground before starting to beat his own stomach with his hands, as if he was playing a drum upon his own belly. Both May and Blaziken could almost feel that the sumo wrestling Pokemon was getting larger, and hi muscles seemed to almost be expanding... needless to say, this caused them to get alarmed! They both knew that Belly Drum maxed out a Pokemon's offensive abilities, at the cost of much of its stamina. Sure, that meant that now, a single well-placed hit could easily take down Hariyama, but landing that hit seemed like a much more difficult endeavor!
"Now we have to keep concentrated, Blaziken..." May said, seeing her Fire / Fighting type sliding once again into a comfortable guarding stance. "Be prepared to dodge, he will come at you with all of his power now!"
"Blaz!" Blaziken answered with a nod.
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With a keening screech, Soledad's Pidgeot swept down on a Team Vicious Kangaskahn, knocking her down with a spectacular Fly attack. Another Pokemon, a Bibarel, tried to blindside the Flying type as it landed to catch his breath, but the speed of both Pokemon and coordinator took him off guard. With a simple nod, Soledad ordered her Pidgeot to use its trademark Featherdance, and the giant pigeon quickly shook his wings and sent a small cloud of floating feathers against the beaver-like Pokemon, which began to tickle him everywhere and stealing a surprised squeal from him! The enemy Bibarel ended up rolling on the floor in laughter, leaving Drew and his friends free to reach the cells where the Pokemon were being kept.
"Okay, we got here at least." Stefan reaching for an electronic panel close to the prison block's entrance and punching in a combination. "I modified some of the settings so I could sneak in and free the Pokemon when the time was right, but I did not think I'd get the chance to do it so soon! Well, that's all the better for us, I guess. Max, the Pokemon you're looking for is here! I'll disable the protections... and the rest is up to you!""
"Thanks, Stefan..." the bespectacled boy murmured, impatient to see whether the Pokemon he had longed to see for so long was among those they were about to free. The door opened with a light metallic squeak, letting the team enter a darkened, ominous-looking room filled with small cages, a small Psychic-type Pokemon placed inside of each in an apparent state of suspended animation. Stefan inserted a new command, and Max saw a few lights over the cages changing color, turning from red to green. Drew, Soledad, Hilde and Stefan immediately started freeing the Pokemon, who thanked them with small nods as they regained consciousness and teleported away, back to the places they had been kidnapped from. In the meantime, Max had begun looking around the room, tensely looking at al the cages that were still to be opened. He was sure his Ralts friend was among them, but where? To look for a Pokemon among all those was like looking for a needle in an hayfield...
A weird feeling, like a small electrical discharge running briefly through his body, came to his aid. The young boy stood frozen in place, surprised by the sudden feeling... and slowly turned to his right, where a still unopened cage was holding a Ralts which indeed seemed to be somewhat familiar to him! Max warily approached the cage as the light right above it turned green, almost afraid he would be disappointed... but a strange feeling inside of him told him that the long-awaited for reunion had finally come, and when Ralts was finally free, a gleaming smile appeared on his face, as his eyes sparkled behind the lenses of his glasses!
"Ralts...?" the young boy asked. "Ralts... that's you, right? It's me, Max... you remember me, don't you? When... when we met each other, about two years ago... I told you that I would have met you again someday, and you could have become a member of my Pokemon team! Now... I'm here, Ralts... I'm back!"
His hands shaking in emotion, Max lifted the dome keeping the small Psychic-type prisoner, who raised his glance and crossed his young friend's eyes, while Hilde and her Treecko approached in curiosity. Even though Ralts couldn't speak, he seemed to be able to transmit to Max's mind what he was thinking... especially the fact that he was overjoyed at meeting once again his longtime friend! Two years had gone by since that fateful day... but the memory was fresh and immutable in the minds of both Pokemon and human!
"That's... that's the Ralts you spoke to me about?" Hilde asked. In the background, the humming noise of the other Pokemon teleporting away to safety created a strange effect. In the emotion of the moment, Max almost didn't hear his friend-rival talking to him.
"Ralllts..." the small creature exclaimed, floating towards Max a little before throwing himself in his arms and joyfully hugging him! This was all the confirmation Max needed... that was actually his friend Ralts, the Pokemon he had grown so fond of, and to whom he had promised they would meet again in the future! Finally, the time had come... and even though they were hardly in a good place now, they were so happy that they didn't care about being in the bowels of an enemy hideout!
"Ralts... it's really you! I could feel it... I knew we would meet again someday!" Max exclaimed, hugging his small friend for all he was worth. "Ive been thinking a lot about you, you know? I've been hoping this day would come! I... I just don't know what to say, my friend! I'm so happy... I could cry!"
"Ralts.." Ralts answered, hugging Max back as well as he could. Hilde wisely chose to step back some. It was a very important moment for her friend, and she was not about to risk ruining it... after all, though she wasn't as expressive as he was, she would have reacted pretty much the same way had she retrieved a Pokemon she cared a lot about.
Max and his little friend stood in place for some time, hugging each other as the rest of the team freed the other Pokemon... until Max's rational part reminded him that there was still a battle to fight, and that his sister needed help against Demitri. He detached himself just a little from Ralts and looked at him straight in the eys. "Okay... Ralts, please, listen to me, we need your hellp if we want to get out of here! Those criminals who captured you are coming from everywhere, and we need everybody's help to take them on! Can you lend us a hand? My sister is up there somewhere, and she's facing these people's boss as we speak..."
The young Ralts needed to hear nothing more and nodded decisively as his body gave off a light blue aura, as a means to say he could always count on his aid. Max thanked with a smile and a thumbs-up, then turned to the other members of his team, whose Pokemon had formed a divisory wall that was keeping the Team Vicious grunts out. "kay, everyone... sorry for wasting your time, Ralts and I are ready now!"
"No prob, Max... you were greeting your friend, after all, and it was only fair that you'd get your time to do it." Soledad answered. "Speaking of which, guys, I'm going to look for Harley. He must be in the next cell block, since I didn't see him in the place where Max was being kept... can you manage without me for a while?"
"It's okay, Soledad!" Drew answered as his Roserade pointed to a group of grunts that was coming. "You go free Harley, we'll take care of the rest! Good luck!"
"Thanks, same to you!" Soledad answered. "Come with me, Pidgeot, we still have something to take care of while our friends wreck this place!"
The giant pigeon nodded in assent and followed his trainer, while Drew's Roserade unleashed a Petal Dance on a bunch of Team Vicious Pokemon, including a Tentacruel, an Onix and a Nuzleaf that were struck by the squall of petals. However, more enemies were coming, and the elegant Grass / Poison type couldn't hold them forever...
"WE have to stand together if we are to stop these Pokemon... my former organization is pulling out all the stops!" Stefan exclaimed. "And my Wingull and Gulpin are tired... okay, I'm counting on you, Mawile!"
Stefan sent out a Pokemon that, for some reason, he had not used for facing Max - a Mawile, a small yellow-and-black Pokemon of humanoid form, wearing some sort of yellow skirt, black hands and feet... and, the most unusual thing of all, two strange tooth-filled horns sticking out of the back of her head, made so that they resembled a pair of half-opened jaws. The Pokemon, one of the few pure Steel-types, stood on guard, her head-jaws snapping shut threateningly as the first enemy reinforcements began coming, and Max sent out his Mudkip and his Poochyena, while Hilde already had her Treecko and Dustox out.
"Stop! Stay where you are!" one of the gas mask wearing grunts exclaiming, an Hitmontop by his side. "Do not force us to go all out on you! And you, Stefan... come back to us, and we'll put a good word for you with your brother! We'll tell you that these peasants forced you to jump ship on us!"
"You sure have some troubles in the family, you know that?" Hilde said almost tiredly. Stefan shrugged, and looked up to give his answer.
"Sorry, but I'll never accept that offer! Demitri has taken advantage of me long enough... it's time for me to show him what I really think of him!" he fired back. "Mawile, show what you're made of! Use Iron Defense!"
The strange Steel-type Pokemon screeched, a keening noise that sounds like a buzzsaw cutting through tempered iron as its defense abilities skyrocketed... and when the Team Vicious grunts began their next assault, the team was ready to take care of them!
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The battle had definitely gotten more violent and frantic, as both May and Demitri's Pokemon tried to one-up their opponent in that pitched battle! No quarter was being asked for nor given, and even if both fighters were tiring themselves out, they were not giving up, and were keeping exchanging their best blows. Blaziken was using his superior speed and agility to avoid Hariyama's Belly Drum powered blows, as May kept a close eye on the sumo Pokemon so she could see a weak point in his defense and allow Blaziken to score a decisive attack.
"Keep it up, Hariyama! Make him wish his egg had never hatched!" a crazed Demitri yelled in an annoying falsetto. "Use Vital Throw to crush him and that little fool! Now!"
Hariyama opened up his mighty arms and ran towards Blaziken, in an attempt to grab him in a deadly embrace... but the agile Fire / Fighting type was not about to let himself get grabbed, and his trainer was quick enough to counterattack! "Hurry, Blaziken! Use Agility to dodge it!" the chestnut-haired girl exclaimed. The birdlike Pokemon dodged with a sudden burst of speed and avoided Hariyama's grasp, rendering his Vital Throw useless... then, using his powerful legs, he leapt away, over Hariyama and finally off the wall, in the perfect position to attack! Demitri yelped in anger and surprise when he realized, too late to do anything, that Hariyama was wide open!
And May already knew what to do to even the score!
"Alright, Blaziken! Let's settle this with Brave Bird!" the Hoenn prodigy exclaimed. Blaziken let out a fierce cry and spread his powerful clawed arms, before dashing towards the surprised Hariyama with all of his power, his body surrounded by a glowing lilac aura. There was nothing the sumo Pokemon could do to soften the blow... and in fact, Blaziken managed to hit his opponent like a shooting star, causing himto widen his eyes in pain, and then to collapse to the ground in a daze, while Blaziken landed on one knee and spent a few seconds recovering his breath.
"No! Curses, this was not part of the plan!" a furious Demitri ranted. "How is that possible? How could I let this happen? Ugh... it can't be helped. Return, Hariyama!"
The young Team Vicious executive recalled his defeated Fighting-type, and glared hatefully at May as he took another Pokeball... one that had something sinisterly different from a normal one. It was black with purple streaks all over, and it looked strange and dangerous. May's expression of joy and pride quickly vanished, replaced by one of doubt as the girl recalled her worn-out Blaziken.
"Thanks for your help, Blaziken. You can take a good rest for now..." she said, never detaching her eyes from that ominous-looking black-and-purple Pokeball. "And what would that be? I've never seen a Pokeball like that..."
The girl almost shivered in fear when that insane triumphant look gleamed again in Demitri's eyes. "Heheheee... what you're about to see right now, my dear May... is Team Vicious' ultimate weapon! The Dark Pokemon, creatures whose fighting abilities have been taken to the next level! Thabks to them, we will soon become the most powerful organization in the world... but I guess I'd better give you a practical demonstration, so... come out, Dark Magneton! Show this silly little girl what you Dark Pokemon can really do!"
The black ball snapped open, and May saw a strange Pokemon, apparently composed of three large Magnemites joined to each other by their own magnetic fields, appearing right in front of her. It was a Magneton, obviously, and a Pokemon May had already seen before... but there was something strange and disquieting about this particular Magneton, something May couldn't quite put her finger on but that made her feel very uneasy. And it wasn't just those three inexpressive eyes glaring blankly in front of the strange Electric / Steel type... a strange aura was floating around the inorganic creature, some sort of dark cloud that made it hard to look directly at it. Something was definitely off about that Pokemon, no two ways about it... but May had no time to think about that. Now, she had to grit her teeth and choose a Pokemon that could actually oppose the metallic menace! Of course, Wartortle was out of the question... she was counting more on her Glaceon or her Venusaur to defeat Demitri's Magneton.
After quickly weighing the pros and cons, May decided to send out her Grass-type. "Alright... I have no idea what thatMagneton can do, but I'm not going to make this easy on you! Venusaur, spotlight!" she exclaimed. Another Pokeball flew, and the mighty Grass / Poison type came out, the flower on its back in full bloom! With a grunt similar to that of a crocodile, Venusaur got ready to fight.
"SAUR!"
"Hehehee... interesting!" Demitri commented, undaunted by the Grass type's resistance to Electric attacks. "So, I can see you decided to play it safe for now, huh? Well, not that it will avail you much, when my Dark Magneton will destroy your precious Venusaur! Dark Magnet, use Flash Cannon!"
May frowned in worry when a shiny energy ball erupted out of Dark Magneton's body and struck Venusaur head-on, causing him to grunt in pain as a brilliant light lit up the whole room! The plant-lizard responded by shaking the huge flower on its back, and by taking advantage of the blinding light, he shot several green seeds at Dark Magneton. Most of them missed their mark and landed harmlessly on the floor, but two of them struck true, and clung to Dark Magneton's body without it or Demitri noticing.
"Venusaur!" May exclaimed, shielding her eyes from the blinding light. "Are you alright? Try to resist and use Amnesia!"
The Grass / Poison type Pokemon managed to get at a safe distance away from Dark Magneton, who was now using its Magnet Rise attack to lift itself off the ground and out of Venusaur's range. May's Pokemon concentrated, trying to empty his mind of all unnecessary thoughts. As soon as he calmed down enough, Venusaur glared at Dark Magneton again, noticing that the Dark Pokemon's eyes were dangerously narrowed, as if it was taking aim. It was probably using its Lock-On attack, which meant that it was more than likely preparing to fire a devastating Zap Cannon.
Demitri confirmed May's fears a second later. "Hehehee... and now, Magneton... finish it with Zap Cannon!" he said with childish glee, as the girl crossed her fingers behind her back, hoping her gambit would pay off...
The young Team Vicious executive grinned nastily as a huge, crackling ball of electrical energy formed right in the middle of his Pokemon's magnetized bodies... but a split second later, the room was filled with a screeching noise of metal upon metal, and Dark Magneton convulsed in surprise when a bunch of leaf-covered vines burst out of the Leech Seed Venusaur had earlier placed upon it, taking advantage of the temporary blindness caused by Flash Cannon! The vines quickly grew and wrapped Dark Magneton in a tight embrace, both draining its energy and pulling it downwards, so as to contrast its Magnet Rise! No matter how much the magnetic Pokemon struggled, Venusaur's Leech Seed was pulling it down with phenomenal strength, forcing the Dark Pokemon on the floor, where it was more vulnerable to Venusaur's deciding blow!
"Ugh... you little brat, I really didn't see that coming!" Demitri exclaimed in irritation. "Your Venusaur had hit my Daark Magneton with a Leech Seed, and I didn't even notice!"
"I have no idea what makes your Magneton different... but brute strength is never a good substitute for strategy!" the girl stated, as the vines dragged Dark Magneton down to the ground and forced it to stay down. "Even more than the type matchings, the number of known moves and the rest... a trainer needs to both trust his or her Pokemon and know how to use their skills. And now... let's wrap this up, Venusaur! Use Earthquake!"
Demitri widened his eyes in horror... he had no idea May's Venusaur had such a powerful move, and one that could be so damaging for his Electric / Steel type, and he had no way to counter as, one second later, Venusaur jumped and dropped to the ground with all of his weight, causing the ground to be shaken and Dark Magneton to be violently struck by the seismic waves! The magnetic Pokemon screeched in powerless rage as a second seismic wave hit it head-on and sent it to crash on the wall behind it with a deafening noise! The Electric / Steel Pokemon slumped to the floor, which May almost took as a sign that it was defeated... until the same smoky black aura she had seen before flared up around Dark Magneton's body, and the dark Pokemon, while still wrapped by the earlier Leech Seed , managed to levitate back in an upright position! Both May and her Venusaur were struck dumb at this, as they were unable to believe that Pokemon had actuallly picked himself up after received a doubly super-effective hit!
"Heheheheee..." Demitri giggled maliciously, even though it was clear that he was relieved at the fact that his Pokemon could still fight. "So, what about it? My Dark Pokemon are much tougher than a standard Pokemon... as you can see, a simple blow like that one simply won't be enough to get them down for the count!"
"But... what...?" May stammered, pointing at the still-floating Dark Magneton. "I can't believe it... after a Ground-type attack that powerful, no Magneton should be left standing! How... how does it do this?"
"You'd like to know, don't you? This is just a taste of the power you foolishly gave up!" Demitri gloated triumphantly. "Now... Dark Magneton, unleash your fury on that girl and her Venusaur! Show what Team Vicious is all about!"
May and her Venusaur braced themselves for the coming assault, as golden sparkles began crackling around Dark Magneton's body...
oooooooooo
"Not here... Not here... darn, how can this be?" Soledad murmured to herself as she looked through all the cells, searching for her kidnapped friend. She was sure he was there, somewhere... there was no other place he could be in!
Fed up with looking around, Soledad decided that, at that point, it was worth it to make herself heard. The hideout was in chaos already anyway... "Harley! Harley, can you hear me?" the young Pewter City champion called out, hoping tobe heard over the ruckus. "It's me, Soledad! We've come to get you out of this hole! Me, Drew... May, too! Where are you?"
"Soledad! Can you hear me?"
A relieved sigh escaped the young coordinator's lips as Harley's voice answered to her, coming from a close block of cells. With a quick run, Soledad and her Pidgeot turned a couple corners and reached a cell where the violet-haired coordinator was being kept, his Cacturne costume still on even though he seemed to have no Pokeballs with him... "Soledad! Is it a surprise to meet you here!" he exclaimed with a relieved smile. Soledad was one of the few people Harley genuinely respected, after all. "How did you get here, anyway? May suckered you in this trap as well, I'm willing to bet!"
Soledad shook her head gently as she sent out her Slowbro, her Pidgeot standing guard. "No, May has got nothing to do with it..." she answered, still wondering why was it that Harley was so hostile towards the younger coordinator. "Those Team Vicious lowlives forced her to work for them by keeping her brother Max hostage... but now, Drew and I freed Max, and May is lending us a hand! She's fighting their boss as we speak... we have to get out of here and lend her a hand! Slowbro, use Confusion to pick the lock!"
The dopey-eyed Water / Psychic type smiled vacantly as he used his telekinetic powers on the lock on Harley's cell, and just one second later, with a loud clicking sound, the door opened and Harley was able to step out, letting out a somewhat annoyed sigh. Helping out May was not exactly high on his list of favourite things to do... but since there were bigger fish to fry now, he could swallow his pride, at least for now. Furthermore, if Soledad was the one asking, he couldn't just say no to a good friend.
"Fine..." he eventually relented. "Okay, if you can come with me as I fetch my Pokeballs, I'm going to help you catch their boss! I still have a score to settle with the guy!"
Soledad smiled and winked. "THanks, Harley! I knew I could count on you!"
oooooooooo
Venusaur growled angrily and sent out his vines to grab Dark Magneton, inan attempt to stop the Dark Pokemon from attacking again... but it was faster than May could predict, and it quickly dodged the Vine Whip attack. There was a red flash as the earlier Leech Seed sapped away some more of Dark Magneton's energy... but it was too little to make a difference! And now, the powerful Grass / Poison type was forced into a mad zigzag to dodge his opponent's attacks, with May still waitin for an opening to have Venusaur deal a decisive blow. It wasn't easy to pick the right moment, thanks to the speed with which Dark Magneton was attacking, and Venusaur surely couldn't hold out forever...
"Darn..." the girl murmured. "I need to find a way to take it down quickly, or Venusaur will be done for... and I'm afraid my other Pokemon won't be able to take on that metallic menace..."
"Heheheee... are you surprised at the Dark Pokemon's power?" a triumphant Demitri exclaimed, his Dark Magneton's Thunderbolt barely missing its opponent. "Thanks to them... Team Vicious will soon take over this world! Did you really think you could oppose us, you deluded fools? I'll be happy to show otherwise! Dark Magneton, use Thunder Wave!"
The magnetic Pokemon screeched and unleashed a low-voltage discharge that travelled through the floor and struck Venusaur's left forepaw, and the Grass / Poison type grunted as the static current froze him in place, making his movements sluggish. His trainer grit her teeth in alarm - now that her Pokemon was paralzed, the odds were stacked pretty heavily against her... but there must surely have been a way to stop Dark Magneton, right? The problem was to find a way in time...
Still affected by Magnet Rise, Dark Magneton, floated towards Venusaur in order to put an end to the battle once and for all... but befre the electric / Steel type could make another move, a strange whistle was heard, and an order rang out!
"Absol! Attack that thing with Superpower!"
A black and white blur dropped on Dark Magneton, striking with claws and a crescent moon shaped blade... and as Demitri jumped up and yelped in surprise, Drew's Absol, surrounded in a white-azure aura, began relentlessly striking at the Electric / Steel type, forcing it against the wall and denting the magnetized iron it was made of! After a few seconds of Dark Magneton vainly trying to defend himself, Absol leapt back just in time to avoid a Thunderbolt... and two more attacks, coming from different directions, struck Dark Magneton out of nowhere!
"Mudkip, use Mud Slap!"
"Treecko... Razor Leaf!"
Max and Hilde's starters struck out with a small wave of mud and a fusillade of razor-sharp leaves. Neither attack did much damage, but they did manage to confuse Dark Magneton and throw it off its game, just buying enough time for another competitor to use an attack!
"Slowbro... stop that Magneton with Psychic!" Soledad's voice exclaimed. As soon as May turned to her back, she was glad to see that Drew, Max, Hilde and Soledad were all there, each one of them flanked by one of their Pokemon... and the greatest surprise of all was seeing that Harley was there as well, joined by his evil-looking Wigglytuff! "Hey, May! You weren't think of keeping all the fun to yourself only, were you?"
"Solledad! Hehehee... I'll admit, I had half a mind to do just that!" the younger girl joked. "And I can see you're all doing well!"
"Yeah, we are. No thanks to you, I might add!" Harley added nastily. "But since we've got a common enemy right now... I guess I might actually deign lending you a hand!"
Hilde sighed. "Is he always this annoying, or only when he just got his butt taken out of the frying pan?"
"You'll get used to him. Eventually." Max said with a shrug. His Ralts was close by, him and Ralts looking at each other in puzzlement... while Demitri could do nothing but glare angrily at his Dark Magneton getting slammed against the wall by Soledad's Slowbro... an unusual choice, considering how elegant her Pokemon used to be.
But what really angered Demitri was seeing a person in particular among his enemies... "Stefan! You accursed betrayer... you backstabbed me and joined my enemies! How dare you show your face to me now? You... are a disgrace for our family! I always knew you were a good for nothing!"
"And even so, you were expecting me to help you?" Stefan bluntly answered, his Mawile standing close by. "You always treated me like a slave or a fool! I never got a compliment or a kind word out of you, ever since we joined Team Vicious... in the end, I understood I couldn't just put up with this, and I needed to wake up, and wake you up!"
Demitri grit his teeth. "What? What are you trying to say?" he shouted. "Dark Magneton, that's enough! Destroy them all with Zap Cannon!"
"Venusaur!" May ordered just in time. "Strike back with Energy Ball!"
The mighty Grass / Poison type made good on the time he had, and fired a glowing sphere of green energy at Dark Magneton, hitting it head-on while it was still stunned from Slowbro's Psychic! This time, the combined power of all those attacks was too much for the Dark Pokemon to take, and it slumped to the floor with a loud clatter of metal against metal... while Harley's Wigglytuff grinned devilishly and, after giving his companions just enough time to plug their ears, started a sing attack that made the room echo with a soft, melodic, relaxing song...
Demitri couldn't cover his ears in time, and could only gape in anger as numbness quickly overcame him, and his eyelids began feeling like lead. In spite of all his efforts, the young Team Vicious executive was soon overcome by the urge to sleep and lied helplessly on the floor, close to his defeated Dark Magneton.
The battle was over... and May sighed in relief as she uncovered her ears and went to check on her Venusaur. Luckily, aside from being a little groggy from paralysis, the Grass / Poison type hadn't taken a great dea of damage from the battle with Dark Magneton, probably also thanks to his Leech Seed restoring some of his energies.
"You alright, Venusaur?" the girl asked. As Venusaur, even though a bit uneasily, nodded, May turned to her friends in order to properly thank them. "Guys... thanks for helping me out! I don't know what I would have done without you! I must thank you too, Harley, you cane through in the end as well. And I need to apologize for what I did to you..."
"Of course you do! I've still got cramps in my joints from all that cold!" Harley muttered, scratching his Wigglytuff behind an ear. The evolved form of Jigglypuff displayed an even larger grin as he nodded in May's direction, agreeing with his trainer.
Something else, however, had caught May's attention now. "Hey, Max... is it just me, or... that is actually the Ralts you had befriended so long ago? It's him, right?" she asked hopefully.
Judging from her younger brother's beaming smile, May understood she had guessed right. "Yep, sis... that's Ralts alright!" he answered. "I couldn't believe it myself for a moment... but then, he showed me that it was true! My friend Ralts... was here, in this secret base, and I knew nothing about it! How ironic..."
"Well, you found each other again. I'm glad for you." Hilde cut to the chase. "But now, we need to get our butts out of here."
Drew nodded. "She's right, you know. The police and a few Officer Jennies will soon be here to put Demitri and his men on the Party Van. Let them handle the rest, we've already done our share!" he said, as the team headed towards the exit...
oooooooooo
Just as Drew thought, the police had been quick to come, and was now arresting all the Team Vicious grunts that had failed to get away in time, along with a still-sleeping Demitri. The young executive's Dark Magneton had been captured, in order for it to be thoroughly researched on, so that its condition could be better understood. May and Max, along with the young boy's Ralts and Mudkip, were answering the questions that an Officer Jenny was asking them. The young coordinator had had enough time to get her own clothes back from the Team Vicious hideout, and she was more than happy to put her shirt, her bike shorts, her trainers, and her trdemark bandanna on!
"So... when the other guys managed to free me and cause some ruckus among those guys, May went to their boss and chalenged him to a Pokemon battle! It wasn't easy to defeat him, but she managed it!" Max said. Close to them, Drew, Hilde, Soledad, Harley and Stefan were busy answering the questions asked to them by other policemen, who wanted to know as much as possible about the organization they had sabotaged.
"Hmm, I see... long story short, these people kidnaps expert trainers or coordinators and forces them to work under them. Which explains quite a lot of things..." the blue-haired policewoman said, writing everything down in her notebook. "We'll have to investigate the matter more thoroughly... but we are still grateful for aiding us. Without your contribution, we'd still be stuck."
"No problem at all. In fact, I'm relieved that everything turned up okay, and Max and his friends are safe." May answered. Just then, the chestnut-haired girl turned to the other officers... and her smile faded when she saw that a policeman was taking Stefan into custody as well, and the latter wasn't doing anything to oppose that. Even Drew, Soledad and Hilde were just standing there and not saying anything, even though they were clearly not happy about that. "What? Hold... hold on a second, Officer Jenny, why are you arresting Stefan as well? He... he helped us take down this Team Vicious cell, and he was only working for them because he was being exploited."
"It's true! We would never have done it without him!" Max added.
Jenny sighed. That was exactly what she expected to hear... "I understand your way of thinking, kids... but the law doesn't work that way, I'm afraid." she explained. "The fact that he jumped ship on those guys doesn't take away the fact that he was still working for Team Vicious in several illegal operations, which is something we cannot just ignore. And it's not just that... I'm afraid to say, May, that by kidnapping Harley, you've been an accomplice as well. Therefore, we'll have to question you as well."
May widened her eyes for a moment, but then accepted the idea and smiled in resignation... only for Max to start opposing that! "WHAT? Hold... hold on a second, Officer Jenny! My sister is innocent here!" he exclaimed. He wasn't about to find a friend again, only to lose a sister! "She was being forced into it! Team Vicious was holding me hostage, and..."
Gently but firmly, May told his brother not to fret over that. "Max... Officer Jenny is right, I did work for those evil people." she said gloomily. "It is only right that I get punished for it, and the fact that I was doing it to protect you doesn't mean I'm innocent."
"But... sis..." Max tried to protest, only for Hilde to put an hand on his shoulders in order to tell him not to fret over that. The glasses-wearing boy turned to his rival and friend, who closed her eyes and wordlessly shook her head.
Luckily, Jenny herself tried to lift everybody's spirits. "Still, May and Stefan have some extenuating circumstances working for them." she stated. "And since you're their friends, your word will surely help."
"Hey! Hold on a second!" Harley exclaimed. "Who ever said I'm a friend of theirs?"
"Their testimony will be invaluable is letting you guys off the hook!" Jenny concluded, with Drew, Hilde, Soledad and Harley gathering around. Though Harley was not exactly happy about helping May, he once again found himself unable to say no to Soledad, who had asked him to put a good word for the young coordinator. "So, if you would kindly come with me... the faster we get rid of the formalities, the better."
"Thanks, Officer Jenny. We really appreciate it." Drew answered, his demeanor as calm as ever. Then, the green-haired lad turned to May and winked at her. "Don't worry, I'm sure it will all work out for the better! They won't be able to deny that you did a good share of the work in taking down Team Vicious, and I can testify for you anyway!"
May smiled, blushing a little as she turned to Drew. "Thanks, Drew! I really appreciate what you've done for me... and I'm sorry about putting you in trouble!"
"No problem at all..." the green-haired boy answered as he gently took May's hand while they walked after Agent Jenny! The girl felt her heart stop for a split second and tried to look elsewhere, but she did squeeze back some...
"Well, Ralts... there is not much we can do at this point." Max said to his Pokemon friend. "My sister will have to answer some questions, and I'd better go with her. We'll celebrate our reunion later though!"
The small Psychic type seemed to understand and nodded slowly, while at the same time hugging Max with his short arms. Smiling, Max hugged him back, happy about having found his friend again...
"Well, I guess all's well that ends well." Hilde stated, giving Max one of her rare smiles. "We are safe for now... but I'm sure we haven't heard the last of Team Vicious."
oooooooooo
TO BE CONTINUED...