Chapter 2-4

Boiling Point

"Here's all the info I got out of our friendly captive!" Wigglytuff announced, handing over his report as Swampert walked in to talk with the human turned pokemon.

As the pokemon gathered to defend the town read the report, Magnezone spoke everyone thoughts. "WELL, THIS IS DISCONCERNING."

"Our invaders are most likely all formerly human, but with odd abilities. Our prisoner claims that VVulf has died and come back several times. Whether or not it is simply hyping of his escaping abilities or not is unclear, though we should treat him like he does have this ability. Capture only if possible to do so without serious harm.

Also, our prisoner has told us about what pokemon VVulf is. A Rhyperior, so I would suggest those strong to rock types and ground types but with resistance to steel types go against him if encountered. All others should flee on site.

All the other former humans will and have killed lives, human and most likely pokemon as well. Their most recent 'exploit' was to kill a rebellion of common humans by a corrupted royal or noble. Given that they did not spare anyone, it is recommended that no one holds back against them.

However, if they are like Konstantin, they may not know the first thing when it comes to fighting like us. But, thanks to Konstantin, we have more ideas on how they fight. Attached to this report is what I know so far, though we should bring in Konstantin himself to get his side as well.

So ends my report. -Wigglytuff~3"

"Whelp." A mightyena in the room spoke up, having heard rumors about the charmander. "This is going to suck."

The rest of the pokemon were silent, thinking about how best to approach Kon.

…

"Hey buddy." Swampert settled in opposite the human bandit turned ground type pokemon. "You wanna work with me some on how we're gonna get you outta here?"

"You, get me out?" The Fusilier cackled mockingly. "I'll be out of here soon, anyway. VVulf's coming, I know it. He won't let the deaths of his men go without making you pay, eh? He'll burn this little town of yours to the ground, and your heads will be left on pikes to serve as warnings to anyone, not to fuck with the Brigand Brigade!" He howls, laughing.

"You know, I actually know a lot about Humans." Swampert placed down a knife on the floor. "We know how they work and given what VVulf and the other humans have done, we are giving you a chance. Not just freedom but a better life." The water type sighed, playing with the knife. "Of course, I'll just come back later after we save everyone from your boss and then we can have this talk again."

"Heh, I'm sure." The krokorok muttered, turning to stare at the wall of his cell.

Swampert grabbed the knife and walked out. "Oh yes!" THe water/ground type walked back in, taking out a sketch of a Time Gear. "Have you or any of your fellow humans taken one of these?"

The fusilier looked off and scoffed.

…

Luke was face palming at Kon's antics with both paws. Machamp had told them that they just didn't have enough to buy a plot of land and build a church. He had offered a program where they could pay it off over time with interest but Luke gently declined.

Which lead to Kon stealing a bucket.

"Hear ye, hear ye!" Konstantin boomed, standing on top of a crate and ringing a small bell. "In the name of the Saints, of the goodness of your hearts, spare a coin or two, to see that a safe place of holy worship may be constructed!"

"Why did you have a bell on your belt bags?" Luke had to ask, ignoring the weird looks that were coming their way.

Konstantin paused, and slowly turned his head to face Luke, several very audible cracking noises coming from him as he did so, and only silently glared malevolently at the pikachu.

"Right. Just a human thing." Luke muttered looking away from the creepy charmander. "Anyways, do you have any idea when the humans are coming to attack?"

The charmander thought for a moment, before replying: "Forty weeks."

"That…" Luke was quiet as he thought of how long that was. "That's a pretty long time to wait. Like, almost a year. Why would they wait so long. "

Konstantin only shrugged, before going back to ringing his bell.

Luke sat down next to the crate, holding up the bucket and trying his best to seem sad. That at least got them a coin in the bucket from a oddly jovial looking dusknoir. "Great. Now we just need like nineteen thousand more."

Then Luke did a double take, dropping the bucket. "T-that was Dusknoir!" He was shaking in excitement.

"Literally who?" Konstantin droned.

"He's, like, one of the greatest up-and-coming Explorers! He's really strong, about half as strong as my mom, and he's made tons of discoveries that no one else could have dreamed of! And he only works alone!"

The armored charmander looks to the single coin, then at Dusknoir's retreating form.

"Cheapskate." He hisses, barely suppressed rage in his tone.

"Well, he probably doesn't have a lot to begin with." Luke explained, grabbing the coin and looking all giddy. "He doesn't take payment for the missions he does! 'All for the greater good!" As he has said!"

Konstantin was just seething at Dusknoir's back, his malevolence could be felt. If it were given form, the town would be leveled.

"Kon, we can get more money later after the bandits are taken care of." Luke tried to console his human partner. "There'll probably be a lot of missions to rebuild the town after Mom and Swampert take em all down a peg!"

With his back turned to the two pokemon, Dusknior suppressed a smirk as he kept moving. 'It seems, dear Stanley really can't remember anything right now. I'll have to thank Rita for telling me about Stanley's amnesia before I return with him and her son.'

Konstantin suddenly felt a wave of pure, undiluted rage wash over him, murderous intent filled him, and he fell off of the box, convulsing from the effort of trying not to scream, murder someone, and have a stroke at the same time. Even Luke trying to hold him down didn't stop the rage.

Something that did stop it was the sound of a large amount of coins being dumped into the bucket. Looking over, the two would see, surprisingly, Team Skull.

Konstantin slowly looks toward the three poison types, before saying; "Your patronage is appreciated, in the name of the Saints, and the Light, go with it's blessing, and may it protect you in your darkest hour."

"We-we were actually just giving you half of the money we got." Skuntank responded, looking a little nervous. "We didn't really care about donating to your church to the light of the Original One or whatever. Besides, the cops told us to stick around."

"Best to be ready for an attack." Konstantin says, pushing himself to his feet. "If the Brigands catch you off guard when they come, they will not hesitate to butcher you."

"Actually-" Zubat spoke up. "They just wanted to know how the brigands we-" He shuddered, "-killed fought."

"That so?" The charmander mumbled, turning to look at the sky. "I trust you relayed all you could?"

"We did." Koffing confirmed. "And they're probably want you guys soon."

Konstantin gave a small nod. "Noted. And again, your contribution to the Holy Church will not go unforgotten. Remember that."

"W-we will!" The three moved on, trying not to show their relief that they had gotten on the charmander's good side.

Luke sighed. "Well, at least that seemed to stop you from biting off your own tongue." He grinned ever so slightly. "And we can probably go ahead down to the station and see what else they want from you…"

"First, we start training." Konstantin says, pocketing the coins and forcefully dragging Luke over towards a field.

"But we got to return the bucket!" Luke uselessly cried, not wanting to train with the pistol that Kon… 'liberated'. It was a bit too loud for his ears.

…

Swampert was setting up targets in a field just a bit out of town. The sun was low in the sky and they had just got a report in from some flying pokemon.

The brigands were heading that way, expected to arrive sooner or later. The calculations were unsure, due to the large metal thing they seemed to be pushing along.

That was why Swampert was setting up the targets. They need to learn quickly how they would fight and given what he had been told about the former human, he may have run with the group at one point before getting amnesia.

While it didn't make him completely innocent, it did at least make him a better human than those with purely destruction on their mind.

The water type heard pokemon approaching, seeing Rita. Wigglytuff, and Magnezone coming over to inspect the wooden targets.

"Good job, dude!" Rita grinned, having only given them a cursory glance. She trusted her partner after all.

"THEY ARE OKAY."

"Absolutely perfect!"

Swampert grinned. "Thanks, guys." Then he glanced over and saw Kon for really the first time, along with Luke. And he had a whole lot of other pokemon there too, including a terrified looking meowth and a grimer.

Konstantin had ended up rounding up several other bipedal Pokemon as well, he shoved a pistol or a blunderbuss in their appendages, and lead them to the field alongside Luke, who he had improvised for a sash to hold his pistol.

Luke was just mentally wondering where Kon had gotten all these weapons since the three bandits they fought had far less weapons than the charmander had passed out. That chain of questioning the physics of the weird human turned pokemon was discarded when he saw Swampert.

"Uncle!" Luke rushed over on all fours and tackle hugged his mom's partner.

"Hey there squirt!" Swampert hugged the electric type he had known since he was just an egg. "I see your getting along with your partner!"

"Well, yeah..." Luke muttered. "He's a little… complicated though."

"Luke!" Konstantin booms. "Get over here, don't you dare try to weasel out of training!"

"Yeah…" Luke squeaked as Swampert rubbed his head.

"Don't worry about it, let me talk to him." The water type put Luke down and walked over to Kon. "Actually, you'll have to hold off on the training for a moment. We have gotten more information and need more info from you."

A huff came from behind his metal mask. "What information do you require? And make it quick, these new-bloods need training." He gestures to the gaggle of Poke-militia behind him.

"Mostly on how they fight, and what kind of damage the big metal thing they have does. We'd also like to see you fight, mainly to get some experience for how they'll fight."

"Hmph." He turns to the militia. "Alright! Watch and learn, soldiers! Maybe you'll pick up something!"

With that, he steps over to the targets, and unholsters his blunderbuss.

He pauses, and turns to Swampert.

"Big metal thing? What did it look like?"

"Like a giant jar on it's side on a scaffolding of wood." Swampert explained simply.

The charmander clutches his head for a moment, before shaking it off.

"A marvel of technology. An engine of destruction. Ngh. It probably turn you all into a thin red paste." He says at Rita, Wigglytuff, and Magnezone.

"It is a warmachine of terrible implication."

"Hm, well, that's not very good at all." Swampert had a hand to his chin. "Guess I gotta smash it when they arrive then."

Konstantin only shrugs. "Then I wish you luck."

He then turns to the targets, before attacking.

He first blasts a hole in one of them with perfect accuracy, before splitting another clean in half with a vicious uppercut from his dagger.

Then he fires again, blasting bits off of several targets at once with a single pull off the trigger.

Gun smoking, he holsters his blunderbuss and turns to the militia.

"When we're done here, you'll all be able to do that and better!" He booms, voice commanding.

Saladin proceed to faint, falling on Mana. Luke facepalmed.

"Actually-" Rita spoke up, floating over to Kon. "We'd like your help after you show off more. It's to ensure the safety of the civilians in town. After all, they'll be here late tonight at the earliest."

"I cannot put off their training." He grumbles. "Besides, you're a Hero, aren't you? Or was I wrong?"

Rita's slight grimace was unseen by everyone but Swampert and Wigglytuff.

"The militia will be the line that separates the civilians and the brigands. I will not leave things to chance."

"After this." He says, turning to the militia. "They will be Heroes, every one of them."

"Well, we can probably combine our plans then~!" Rita chirped, floating over and whispering exactly what they were going to do, and how to incorporate the militia.

A/N: WE'RE BACK! OVERHEATING COMPUTERS AND INTERNET TROUBLES COULDN'T KEEP THIS MUSE DOWN!

Speaking of muse, made a tumblr for the fic, a mostly RP one. It's PMD-innocent-sinner. Go check it out, send questions.

Zara? Your thoughts?

zaravan: I am glad to be back and working on this.