Flinky: Hello. It's Flinky. Now, I have a couple things to say, so I'm leaving out Red's commentary till the end.
Flinky: First, in response to U.N. Owen's reviews, I know Red is overpowered. I'm working on toning him down a bit, but it's difficult because if he loses, he's almost guaranteed to be killed. Also, Silver being Giovanni's son was first mentioned in Attack on Pewter (ch. 8), and made a major appearance in Cerulean City through The Tournament (ch. 11-12). There are a couple reasons why Michael is in the story. First, I wanted Red to have a guy friend, and he fit the bill. Second, There aren't many other gen 3 characters I can use, and it pretty much came down to Michael or Wes. Third, shadow Pokémon will be important in later chapters, and there needs to be someone with experience on the subject. I also consider Coliseum and XD cannon because they don't contradict the main series game like MD or other side games.
Flinky: Second, I think every Fanfiction author is saying this. Finals are coming. It will take me a bit longer to update for the next two to three weeks, but I will still try my best.
Flinky: Finally, I am also working on a Mystery Dungeon story, so stay tuned for that (Still will be a while though).
Red: That was a lot.
Flinky: I know.
Red's Pokémon:
Ignite (Charmeleon)
Moves: Flamethrower, Metal Claw, Smokescreen, Fire Fang
Blacklight (Umbreon)
Moves: Bite, Assurance, Shadow Ball, Quick Attack
Omni (Mew)
Moves: Every one except Judgement
Glow (Butterfree)
Moves: Sleep Powder, String Shot, Tackle, Gust
Spark (Pikachu)
Moves: Thunderbolt, Discharge, Quick Attack, Nuzzle
Storm (Pidgeotto)
Moves: Wing Attack, Gust, Quick Attack, Steel Wing (I finally decided)
"Meet my newest Pokémon, Manaphy."
"Mana."
I didn't know what Pokémon that was, so I scanned it with my Pokédex.
The robotic voice said "Manaphy, the seafaring Pokémon. It is born with a wondrous power that lets it bond with any kind of Pokémon. This Pokémon is a water-type legendary and belongs to Blue Oak."
I was shocked. Blue has a legendary?
"Blue, how did you get a legendary?" I asked.
"Manaphy's a legendary?"
Blue is an IDIOT.
"Yes, Manaphy is a legendary," I said.
"Oh. I just thought it was really strong."
"When both sides are ready, the battle will continue."
I did want to finish the battle, so I said "Whatever. Let's keep going."
"Manaphy and I are ready too."
"Battle, resume!"
"Manaphy, use Bubble Beam!"
"Dodge it Spark!"
Spark successfully dodged the attack.
"Thunderbolt!"
"Manaphy, take it, then Supersonic!"
Manaphy took the Thunderbolt like it was nothing, then hit Spark with Supersonic, making him confused.
"How did you shake off a super-effective high-power attack from Spark, who can hit harder than most of my Pokémon?"
"I told you, Manaphy is strong. Now, it's time to finish this. Use-"
"Spark, return!" I called out.
That really ticked Blue off. "WHAT? You can't just call your Pokémon back when we're about to attack. Ref!"
"Actually, it's legal," Michael said helpfully. "Red, please send out your next Pokémon."
"Blue, I think it's time for an all out battle. Go, Omni!"
Omni, in her regular Mew form, appeared on the field.
"Battle, resume!"
"Omni, use Solar Beam!"
"Manaphy, Bubble Beam."
While Omni was charging her attack, she was hit by the attack, but it didn't seem to do much damage.
"Omni, fire the attack!"
She unleashed the attack on Manaphy, knocking her out immediately.
"Manaphy is unable to battle, making Mew the winner, which means the victory goes to Red."
"W...w...what? Manaphy has never been defeated before." It's kinda fun to see Blue like this.
I explained, "Blue, you've never faced Omni in her true form."
"But their both legendaries."
"If Arceus battled a Moltres, who would likely win?"
"But Mew isn't like Arceus."
"Not so true. I'm the second oldest being in the universe."
Blue then resorted to his usual method of recovering from a loss.
"Red, you must have cheated!"
"How?"
"I don't know...but you did!"
Blue went on some rant while I was deciding which Pokémon I should use to shut him up.
"He has an X Attack in the Pokéball."
I think Blacklight is a good call.
"Ref, did you see this?"
Nah, Blacklight's moves can only hurt him.
"He has a heal ball!"
Spark could paralyse him… no but he's tired.
"And I know that he put poison on his Pokemon!"
Omni doesn't know when to stop...
"Because the wind direction was just right..."
Storm is a possibility…
"And the blade of grass was at an angle which was 0.3 degrees off."
Glow. That's it. Sleep Powder would work pretty well.
"I know this because the clouds were making a 'C' shape."
I sent out Glow and had her use Sleep Powder to knock Blue out.
Michael looked at me.
"Red, was that necessary?" he asked.
"You got another way to silence him?"
"Fair point."
Leaf said "Now who has to carry him…"
I looked at Omni.
"Can you use Psychic to get him to Bill's place?"
"Sure!"
Blue was lifted off the ground and into the air.
"Well, let's go."
The walk was much easier when we had Omni out rather than Blue. It only took a half-hour to get there, but then we had to hide. There were Rocket grunts surrounding the place, and it would help to have Blue up.
While we were waiting on him, I checked in with May. After clearing up the confusion on how we were captured, she said that they liberated their first city.
"Nice work," I said. "Which one was it?"
"Oh, Rustboro City."
"Well, nice talking with you. I gotta check up on Ethan and Silver."
"Okay, see you."
"You too."
I disconnected the call. Before I dialed Silver's number, Leaf stopped me.
"Hey Red, do you want me to treat your Pokémon? There probably still hurt from the battle with Blue."
"Sure." I gave her Ignite, Spark, and Blacklight's Pokéball, since they were the only ones injured.
While she was working her magic, I called Silver. After a couple seconds, he picked up.
"Hey Silver," I said, somewhat awkwardly.
"What happened to you?"
I told him about how we were captured by and escaped Team Rocket. After running a check on me, he told us how Ethan was doing.
"He's not that bad. Really enthusiastic about what we're doing. He does idolize you though."
"I get that a lot," I said. "How close do you think you are to whatever city you're targeting first?"
"I'd say four more days."
"Well, keep me informed. We're about to break into someone's home which is surrounded by Team Rocket."
"Have fun with that."
"Don't worry, I will."
On that note, I ended the call and focussed on Leaf. She had some items in her bag and was using them on my Pokemon.
"Hey Leaf, how are they doing?" I asked.
"They're fine. Twenty more minutes and they'll be good as new."
"Really? Good as new? Never use that expression while I am in a 25 foot radius."
"Alright, how about they'll be healed."
"Good enough for me."
After waiting around, and looking out for the occasional grunt, Blue and the Pokémon were ready.
"So Red, what's the plan?" Michael asked.
"Hmm.."
There were grunts everywhere. On top of that, there were watch towers, which was ironic given that they were guarding a lighthouse. That did prove though that whatever is in there is important.
"Alright guys, I got an idea," I began. "We'll wait till dark so we can get past the grunts. Once we enter, we'll split. Blue gets lookout, Michael will take down the watchtowers to avoid them spotting us, Leaf and I are going in and finding the Pokemon and Bill. Agreed?"
"I don't want to do-"
"Shut up Blue," we said simultaneously.
After clearing up some confusion, and adding on several parts to the plan, we found a more permanent hiding spot and waited there for nightfall.
When it came, the epic-secret-agent attack began. Blue went with Michael, since he could get a good view from the tower.
Leaf and I were hiding behind a trench, waiting for the right moment. When the lights were far away, we ran to a nearby tree for cover.
"So, how are the kids?"
I froze. I know Leaf didn't say that, so there are some grunts nearby.
"Pretty good. Andrew is growing up fast."
I grabbed a rock on the ground and threw it a distance to the right. The grunts immediately stopped their conversation and said: "Okay, whoever's there, you've been watching too many movies. We're not stupid enough to go after the rock just because it made noise."
Apparently they were stupid enough to let the targets escape, because we were able to run away before they found us.
"Ehh, probably just a Pidgey."
They walked away and didn't raise any alarms. Does Giovanni have any standards when choosing his grunts?
"Let's go," I whispered to Leaf, who was crouched down beside me. The next part was what I like to call "The Gauntlet." There is no cover for the 50 yards that we have to run, and if anyone sees us, we can't hide. We already discussed this though, as it was supposed to be Michael's first target. We waited where we were until I saw the tower light go off for a while, then back on. That was the signal.
We ran through with no issues as of yet, and made it to the outer perimeter (I really feel like I'm in some spy movie). Out here was a barbed wire fence, and once inside, the number of grunts tripled. Thankfully, it's only 10 yards to the inner perimeter, which is just a fancy way of saying the building.
I sent out Ignite.
"Ignite, can you use Metal Claw to make a hole in the fence?" I asked.
"Char," he said, nodding.
He made the hole and we were able to climb through. Now, we had to make it through a wall of grunts. This is where we drop the stealth act and run straight into the fire. Leaf has her Ditto out so it can turn into a key or whatever is needed to unlock the door.
"On three," I said. "One, two… three!"
We charged across the lawn. It took a little while for the grunts to realize what was happening, but when they did, they attacked hard. Not before long, we were chased by several Zubat, Golbat, Koffing, Weezing, Ekans, Arbok, and several other Pokemon.
"Duck!" yelled Leaf.
As I did so, a stream of Poison Sting spikes flew over my head.
Unfortunately, that gave the grunts time to catch up. We were surrounded by Pokémon, with no way out.
I looked at Leaf in horror as she put her hands up. She just gave up! Well, that's not how I do things. I will go out in a blaze! No matter how much they try, I won't stop kicking until the bitter end.
A grunt who wore a slightly different uniform said "Hey, your girlfriend gave up. Why don't you?"
Leaf turned to me and said "Come on. We can't win here."
This… it can't be happening. The Leaf I know would never give up, unless… I didn't save her in time. She is with Team Rocket!
Well, I'm screwed. They knew we were coming way ahead of time, and have a new soldier. I needed a miracle. And a miracle I got.
"Pachirisu, use Discharge!"
I looked and saw a girl with a white beanie and red scarf. She also had a black and pink dress. Her Pachirisu shocked the grunts and gave me an opening, which I gladly took. I sprinted to the lighthouse, and used a rock to force the door open. I noticed the girl who saved me run after me. I let her in and shut the door.
I sent out all of my Pokemon except Omni and told them to keep the door closed. I had Omni (disguised as a Machoke) help me with moving a cabinet in front of the entrance so they couldn't get in. Once we were safe, I talked to the girl who saved me.
"So, who are you?" I asked, awkwardly.
"I'm Dawn. You are?"
"Red."
There was an awkward silence.
"Well thanks for saving me," I said. "I still want to finish what I came here for."
"Which is?"
"There's supposed to be a large amount of Pokémon here who were stolen from trainers before Team Rocket took over. I'm here to get them back."
"Hmm… mind if I help?"
"I don't see why not."
We looked around, and I eventually saw a stairwell leading up. After walking up it, I noticed two grunts guarding a door. I had Glow use Sleep Powder to knock them out, and slowly opened the door.
Inside were two people: a scientist who seemed scared, and a figure I know all too well: Giovanni.
They both looked at us for a while. Giovanni seemed shocked, then went back to his previous self.
He said "Well, I was wondering what all the commotion was out there. Red, how have you been?"
"Skip the stereotypical bad-guy stuff. Release Leaf and the guy you have right here."
"I'm sorry, but I can't do that for you."
Dawn said "Can someone explain what's going on? A boy I just met is having a heated discussion with the dictator of Kanto."
I said "Me and Giovanni have somewhat of a history."
"Come now Red. No need for hatred… yet. Have a seat."
He pointed towards a stool on the wall.
"I think I'll stand."
"Very well. Drink?"
He poured a glass of Coke and offered it to me. I took it and threw it out the window. Moments later, I heard someone yell "Ouch!"
"My my, you seem more irritated than normal."
"Well, given that You're controlling my friend, have the building surrounded with grunts, and I still have to free the Pokemon you stole, I'd say I have a good reason to be."
"Fair point. I assume you wish to challenge me?"
"Actually, no. My ego isn't that big." I paused. "Did Lance ever tell you how I got away from him?"
"Yes, he did. He said you flew away on a Latios and Latias."
"I did, but did he tell you how they got there?"
"I do not believe so."
"It's the magic of stalling."
"What can you be stalling for?"
"Reinforcements."
"Who could you hope would come and help you out? Half of your team is under my control."
"Well, you see, we have an ally in another large criminal group. Their name is Team Aqua."
Giovanni, for the first time since I've known him, looked scared.
As if on cue, a ton of people working for Team Aqua rushed the lawn outside with their own Pokemon.
"Come on Dawn, we wouldn't want to miss the battle. Oh, and frail computer nerd, you can come too."
The scientist started to get up, before Giovanni looked at him, causing him to go right back down.
Seeing the issue, I ran over to him, picked him up, and carried him over my shoulder. He was very light, so it was somewhat easy to do. By the time Giovanni realized what happened, I was out of the room. I used a nearby broom to jam the door shut, after setting the man down.
"That was… strange. Anyways, I'm Bill."
"Team Rocket forced you to do something for them?" I asked.
"Yep."
"Immune to brainwashing?"
"Well, sorta. I have a device that can nullify the effects. It can also liberate someone who's been brainwashed without battling them."
I instantly thought of Leaf.
"Can I borrow it? My friend is currently being controlled by Team Rocket."
"Uhh, sure. Least I could do for saving me."
He handed me a small device, which was as big as a pen.
"Touch whoever it is with it and they'll be freed."
"Thanks," I said. If this works, then we could get not only Leaf but Red, Gold, Kris, and Lyra back on our side.
I noticed the door start to move.
"We better go before Giovanni gets out," I said.
We ran back down, and entered a battlefield. There were Pokemon and trainers battling it out. Blue and Michael were also fighting. It was nice to know they weren't in trouble yet. I scanned the field for Archie. I saw him with a megaphone, yelling orders at his followers.
We ran over to him, avoiding the occasional Shadow Ball or Poison Sting that flew by.
"Archie, it's Red."
He looked at me. "Ahh, Red."
"Thanks for helping us out here."
"Pleasure's all mine. I love to destroy Team Rocket just as much as Team Magma."
"Well, I better go find Leaf. How are your men doing?"
"Good, good. These Rocket grunts are nothing compared to the challenges of the sea."
"Well, tell me when you take it down."
"Will do."
I had Michael escort Bill and Dawn away while I searched for Leaf. I found her fighting an Aqua Admin.
I slowly crept up behind her. When the time was right, I charged in and poked her with the metal stick. She turned around right as I done so, and was frozen for a while. The Aqua person she was fighting looked confused, so I offered to handle her if she attacked again.
When leaf recovered, she started crying into my arms. I'm not one for the touchy-feely stuff, so I didn't really know what to do but say how it wasn't her fault, or the other things I've said to people who were brainwashed.
"I'm so sorry Red. I couldn't stop myself...and I just…"
"It's okay," I said. "Just let it out."
She continued crying for the next five minutes before recovering.
"Thanks Red. You're always there to save the day."
"Day's not over yet. Wanna take down some grunts together?"
"Gladly," she said with a grin.
We went around the perimeter looking for anyone was having a tough time, or Giovanni. I have a feeling that he escaped the room, but I have no clue if he ran away or is assisting in the fight. I would think the former though because of his arrogance, which says a lot coming from me.
After taking down some tougher grunts, the battlefield was starting to clear up, with Team Rocket on the losing end. After a half-hour, all the Rockets were out cold or retreated. I gave my thanks to Archie and met up with Dawn, Bill, Blue, and Michael.
I spoke first.
"So, that was… something."
Blue was kinda irritated.
"How did you just let that happen? We could've been killed."
"No plan is perfect. And last I checked, we're alive."
"Grr…"
I looked at Dawn.
"So, can you give us some more info about yourself?"
"Sure. I'm Dawn Berlitz. I also have a friend named Lucas who is coming here right now."
"Well okay then. Why did you help me?"
I saw the look on Dawn's face harden.
"I really hate Team Rocket. They considered my dad a threat so they… 'disposed' of him."
"Wow. That's sad."
Dawn's expression lightened up a bit.
"It's okay. I've moved on. Anyways, when I saw, you, I noticed how you were surrounded. I couldn't just stand by, so I had to help."
"Well, I'm glad you did. Now, these are my friends. Leaf, Blue, and Michael."
Dawn said "Speaking of friends, here comes Lucas."
A boy of Dawn's age with a weird hat thingy walked over to us.
"Hey Dawn," he said. "Who are these guys?"
"Red, Blue, Leaf, Michael, and Bill."
"Wait, those guys!" He looked at us like he's seen a celebrity. "You guys are Poke Underground!"
Great. Another fanboy.
"Yep." I tipped my hat. "Nice to meet you."
After some more formal introductions, I decided to offer them a spot in Poké Underground. I can't really say why, but I felt something say that these guys are good. Lucas forced Dawn to accept (not that she wasn't going to anyways).
"So where are you two from?"
"Sinnoh," they said simultaneously.
"What are you doing out here?"
"Do you know how bad Sinnoh is in the winter?" asked Dawn.
"Alright. You got me there. But that works out. That's the only Japan region we don't have a branch in."
"You have people in Johto? I saw Hoenn, but who's in Johto?" Lucas asked.
"A boy named Ethan and a teen named Silver."
"Cool."
"So, do you two mind going through Sinnoh and taking out the towers?"
They looked at each other and said "Sure!"
"That's the spirit. I'll have Wally-"
"The green-haired kid with the Gardevoir?"
"Yea, I'll have him teleport you guys to Sinnoh when he's available."
After I called Wally, he said that he would be here tomorrow, but it it would be another day before Gardevoir can teleport long-distance again. Bill said he would get onto restarting the pc system, and it should be ready by the time we make it back to Cerulean, but we were in no rush. After today, I think a small break would be helpful.
