"All right…so what's the next play?" Mermista asked as they all sat and ate at a sandwich shop.
"Considering the massive terrain and the blockades…the Dark Crew led by Giacomo should be next." Double D said.
"According to Cassiopiea, he's the one who makes all that music they play." Mayumi said.
"He's also the second in command of Team Star itself." Mark said. "Taking him down will definitely be a major event."
"Well if it's a party, best not to be late then." Simon said.
"Sounds like you guys need some Fighting Types to bust it down nice and good." Rutega would say as she arrived on Koraidon.
"Glad you're here, Rutega. You're right, we'll definitely crush this base. Dark types are really bad against Fighting, Fairy and Bug types." Glimmer said.
"Good thing I have one that fits for two of them." Simon said.
"What do you say, Araquanid? Ready for Round 2?" Mayumi asked. The spider Pokémon nodded in approval.
"Let's go crash a party." Mermista said.
The group ventured off from their rest stop and soon arrived after a bit of a trek to where their next target was located: Area Two of the West Province. The territory of the base was marked by black flags with star patterns.
"That's gotta be it." Eddy said as they scooped it out. "Looks like they're preparing for us."
"Guess we should go say hi." Mark said before the group made their way to the gates, seeing two guards outside.
"Hold it right there!" the female declared as they stooped. "This here is the base of the Segin Squad and…wait a second, I recognize you all!"
"Huh?" Mark asked before he remembered. "Oh yeah! You're that grunt Rinkah confronted a few days ago!"
"That's right, I'm stationed here at the Segin Squad base. We heard a couple of trouble makers took out the Schedar Squad a while ago. Are they you guys?" the grund asked.
"Okay, yes, we are, but…talk about the pot calling the kettle black." Mark said. "If we remember right, you were pressuring some kid to join your group."
"Look, we know you guys aren't bad or anything. Just misunderstood." Rutega said. "I got a team full of Fighting types and I'm not afraid to use them. I don't want to use them though."
"You… You don't know what it was like for us before we joined." the grunt said.
"Please don't make this hard for us." Rutega said. "I really will decimate you with typing advantage otherwise. Can we not have that?"
"..." the grunt was silent before she shook her head and growled. "You don't scare me, with your pity! I've been training for a rematch against that girl from before…and I'll use what I've learned to take you down!"
"My ears are absolutely burning! Someone mention me?" A gruff voice called out as Rinkah walked into view before seeing the grunt. "Oooh, long time no see."
"Ah, Rinkah. She was just talking about you." Mayumi said. "Shouldn't you be watching Shun'ei right now?"
"I'm on my way back from grabbing some stuff to help my Charcadet. I was gonna wait until I got all the way back to use him but…" Rinkah said as she turned to the grunt. "You're perfect target practice."
"Well, Shun'ei's next stop is Cascaraffa, which this squad is blocking off. Wanna help us take 'em down so you can wait for him?" Glimmer asked.
"Yeah, because I would so much prefer normal terrain opposed to the rough terrain I wouldve had to go through to get over there!" Rinkah exclaimed. "And if you guys are the source, then I got plenty of choice words me and my Pokémon both need to say to you for disrupting travel!" Rinkah said very sternly.
"Th-then it's payback time, hothead! Go, Murkrow!" the grunt said, sending out the Darkness Pokémon.
"Heh. Seriously?" Rinkah scoffed. "LET'S TURN UP THE HEAT, LITTLE GUY!" Rinkah yelled as she tossed out Charcadet's Pokéball… only to reveal he was no longer a Charcadet.
He was evolved, being much bigger, the size of a full grown human. He still had his knightly appearance, only he had taken on a red and black color scheme. his upper body was decked out in yellow armor with large shoulder pads and red eyes burning with vigor.
"Whoa…let's see…Ah! Armarouge! The Fire Warrior Pokémon! A Fire and Psychic Type! Armarouge evolved through the use of a set of armor that belonged to a distinguished warrior. This Pokémon is incredibly loyal." Double D read.
"Big deal! My Murkrow can still lay the hurt on this thing! Wing Attack!" the grunt exclaimed.
"As if, time to floor this bird." Rinkah smirked widely. "AURA SPHERE!"
Armarouge's eye flashed as he charged up energy like a Hadouken, firing the never missing ball of energy right into Murkrow before it reached, dealing a large amount of damage.
"Oh man, that hurt...wait, I just remembered!" the grunt said. "Murkrow, Astonish!"
The crow-like Pokémon performed the attack, dealing some damage.
"Yeah, Ghost type attacks work better against Psychic types! I remember that!" the grunt said.
"Wow, do you want a gold star for your stellar performance on landing the weakest Ghost type move on my Pokémon?" Rinkah asked as Armarouge only looked angrier. "Look, you made him mad. You won't like him when he's mad. MYSTICAL FIRE!"
Channeling his rage into flames, Armarouge shot Mystical Fire right into a Critical Hit on Murkrow for the KO.
"Oh man, after all the training I did…" the grunt said sadly. "Y-you may have beaten me, but you won't last against the whole crew!" they said. "Hasta la vistar!" she said as she headed inside.
The other grunt watching sighed. "Sorry about her. She's still relatively green. She's determined, but…she's got a lot to learn." they admitted. "Anyway, I'd better go let the crew know you're coming. We'll come at you full force once you step inside."
With that, the grunt headed inside the warn the base. At that point, Cassiopeia called in at the perfect time as everybody answered.
"You people sure work fast." Cassiopeia said. "I see you've decided to attack the Dark Crew of Team Star, the Segin Squad."
"It was a no brainer. They're kinda blocking the way for our friend's group doing the Gym Challenge, so…" Mermista said. "...Yeah."
"I see. No harm in doing things this way then." Cassiopeia said. "Anyway, you guys probably know all about the Segin Squad, right?"
"Their leader makes music and is the second in command of the whole team." Mark said.
"Yup, that sounds like Giacomo all right." Cassiopeia confirmed.
"Anything else we should know about this guy?" Eddy said.
"Well… He was the former student council president before Nemona took over." Cassiopeia said. "He's a planner, and he likes to keep things organized…for better or worse."
"Ah, I know the feeling." Double D nodded.
"I'm sure your previous attack or our declaration of war won't affect him in the slightest. His plan is to probably use the Starfall Barrage to wear you down before he comes out to finish you guys off himself." Cassiopeia said.
"Well, one thing's for sure, they're right, Armarouge isn't a good choice for this area." Rinkah mused as she retracted Armarouge.
"But all my Pokémon are~" Rutega chuckled.
"Not to mention ours. Araquanid seems raring to go." Mayumi said.
"I hope you both don't mind Serenity joining in for this dance." Simon said as he brought out Serenity the Pheromosa.
"No, not at all." Mark said with a smile as he cracked his knuckles. "Let's light this place up, gang!"
"Alrighty guys…" Rutega said, grabbing all her Pokéballs except for Zana's. "HAVE AT IT!" She exclaimed, her Fighting Pokémon and one Tinkatuff all coming out and looking ready to go.
"Ring the bell, Ed!" Glimmer said.
Ed then slammed his head into the bell, letting it ring. "Knock-knock! Hehehe, we are in!"
"So, you force Mela to give up the fight, and you think you can do the same to us, huh?" a voice over the intercom said as the gates opened. "Segin Squad, go on and remix these gate-crasher's bad attitudes!"
With that, the grunts sent out dozens of Pokémon. And of course, all of them were Dark types. Pawniard, Maschiff, Sneasel and Zorua to name the main ones.
So, of course, with all of them being Dark Types, Rutega's Pokémon had a heyday. Her Lokix's Dark typing helped resist their attacks while he used Fighting Type Kicks of various kinds, Tinkatuff went around using Fairy Type moves to take out some, and her Fighting types of Lucario and Pawmot just straight up bodied Dark Types left and right with Fighting Type STAB moves, Sneasels especially with the 4x effectiveness.
"Wow, Rutega's team is cleaning house!" Glimmer said.
"Well, we shouldn't fall behind! Let's go!" Mark called as the rest of the group moved in to engage.
"Right-o. Araquanid, give the Pawniard squad a show, will you?" Mayumi asked as Araquanid laid into the Steel and Dark types with Bug Bite and Lunge.
Breloom even got into the mix by knocking out several Maschiffs with back to back Focus Punches.
"That Breloom's throwing out Focus Punches over and over! Is that even legal?!" one of the grunts cried out.
"Say the grunts sending out Pokémon after Pokémon with no regards to the rules themselves." Mermista said.
"Serenity, offer these naughty schoolchildren a Bug Buzz would you?" Simon asked as Serenity generated a damaging sound wave by vibration.
"Don't let up yet!" a grunt said as they charged back in with all they had.
Watching the fighting, a lone Pawniard stood looking at its falling brethren as a scar was seen on its helmet before it jumped into the fray.
"Careful, guys. This one looks like trouble." Mayumi said. "Wait… What is that scar?"
Pawniard ran into the fray as it started taking out Pokémon from both sides.
"Careful, this one doesn't seem to be fighting on anyone's side. It's on its own." Mayumi said.
"(H-hey, what do you think you are doing?!)" one of the Pawniard asked in Pokémon speak. "(Wait, stop! We're your allies!)"
"(I have no allies. I am an army of one!)" the scarred Pawniard replied as it took down the other Pawniard.
"Aw crap! Heads up, guys! We got a rouge Pawniard crashing the party!" one of the guards said.
"Wait, look at its head! Is that…?" a second asked.
"Yeah…looks like it was expunged from its platoon recently and gone rogue. It's a wild one!" another grunt said.
"Araquanid, don't worry about the scarred one for now. Just focus on the other squads!" Mayumi said.
"Hoh boy, watch out for that one! Don't engage it!" Rutega exclaimed.
Hapi looked at the ongoing fight unaware of something sneaking up behind her.
"Hapi! Maschiff, behind you!" Glimmer called to her.
"Huh?" Hapi asked as she turned to see the small brown dog.
"I've got it!" Rinkah said as she brought out another Charcadet, as she widened her eyes. "Wuh-oh! My bad, I caught that one too and didn't mean for him to see battle yet." Rinkah exclaimed.
"When did you get another Charcadet?" Rutega asked.
"Well, uh, discuss that later." Rinkah said as she retracted it and sent out her intended Pokémon, a Black maned Tauros with its three tails twisted up and red dots in its coat. Its horns were glowing red with flame.
"Don't worry about it, Rin. I don't think this ones gonna attack me." Hapi said as Maschiff kept scowling at her. "What's it doing?"
"Here. Maschiff, the Rascal Pokémon! A Dark Type! It always scowls in an attempt to make opponents take it seriously, but even crying children will burst into laughter when they see Maschiff's face." Double D read.
"It's very funny indeed. But it's still hostile, unfortunately." Rinkah said. "You know what to do, Tauros! Headbutt!"
Hapi thought fast, grabbing the Maschiff as she jumped out of the way of the Tauros's charge.
"Hey! What are you doing!?" Rinkah exclaimed.
"Rinkah, it's wild! The grunts are over here!" Rutega called.
"Oh." Rinkah said. "Uhm… Sorry."
"No worries, Rin." Hapi said.
"Gah… It's pure chaos going on right now." one of the grunts said.
"You're telling us!" Rinkah exclaimed to the grunt as that Pawniard rogue smacked down her Tinkatuff. "Yikes! Not Tinkatuff!" Rutega exclaimed as she recalled it.
"This is all way above our level! We've gotta get the boss!" another grunt called.
One of the grunts broke from the fight and ran to the back of the camp.
"Well, Giacomo's on his way!" Mark said as he saw Fuecoco being targeted by the rouge Pawniard with a Metal Claw. "Oh no!" he said as he got in the way of the attack, the attack clawing into his flesh, letting blood trickle down his arm. "Gah! Dang…that stings a bit."
"Damnit, Mark, you dummy!" Rinkah exclaimed, as her Tauros got between them in hopes it would deter the Pawniard using the Intimidate Ability.
"Crap… Mark, I'll deal with the Pawniard. You focus on Giacomo!" Mayumi said.
"Better yet, let me deal with Giacomo while you guys find a way to calm that Pawniard down!" Rutega offered.
"Too late, here he comes!" Glimmer said as the big tent in the back opened up, a black paint jobbed car in the same design as the last one rolled out. Sitting on it was a young man in a DJ look holding a laptop turntable set as he looked at the group with a smirk.
Boss of Team Star's Dark Crew
Giacomo
"This is one heck of a party you've started!" Giacomo observed the chaos happening. "Hope I'm not crashing it! I'm Giacomo, the boss of these guys. But at the deck, I go by DJ Vice. Call me whatever, it's a vibe either way. But how about we skip right to your outro. And don't worry. I'll get a nice requiem going when you all crash and burn."
"Heh, not a chance buddy. Let's dance it out, DJ!" Rutega smirked as she recalled most of her Pokémon except Pawmot. "Let's show him, Pawmot!"
(Cue- VS Team Star Boss- Pokemon Scarlet/Violet)
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Giacomo said in excitement, setting up his turntable laptop and kicking some music. "The real party starts now. Let's make some noise…Cacturne!" he said, sending out the Grass and Dark type.
"As long as there's music, we'll keep on dancing." Simon said. "Let's Dance Boys!"
"Heh, don't think I won't show my dancing skills through this!" Rutega smirked. "Pawmot, let's set the light show with a nice Thunder Wave!"
Pawmot sparked with electricity as it coursed towards Cacturne, looking for Paralysis.
"Let's remix that attack with a Thunder Punch beat!" Giacomo called out, Cacturne using the startup of the attack to absorb the Thunder Wave and use it to hit Pawmot back.
"Even trade! Thunder Punch!" Rutega said as Pawmot did a small breakdance move to the music before uppercutting Cacturne in the chin with a lightning fist that placed the fight back even in momentum.
"Not bad, not bad!" Giacomo said. "But let's kick it up a notch! Sucker Punch!"
Cacturne attacked before Pawmot could react, hitting them in the face with a punch that sent Pawmot spinning.
"Match the tempo, keep the beat! Let's get back in it with Slam!" Rutega said as she danced to the beat as Pawmot did as well, before launching itself upward and slamming down on Cacturne, on time with the beat in a crowd popping Critical Hit!
Cacturne went down as Giacomo returned it.
"Time to up the tempo! This show ain't over yet! Segin Starmobile, it's your stage now!" Giacomo declared as the Starmobile roared to life.
"Just like with Mela. Take out the Revavroom powering the Starmobile, and this raid's won!" Glimmer said.
"Let's change the tune a bit!" Rutega said as she kept dancing while recalling Pawmot, keeping it stylish a la Dante as she grabbed her next Pokéball. "Center Stage, Lucario! A main event needs both the main stars!"
Lucario was brought to the field, keeping to the beat as it took its stance for battle.
"Hahaha! What a blast!" Giacomo laughed. "This is the most fun I've had since Operation Star! Speakin' of which…Swift!"
Revavroom launched homing stars that hit Lucario dead on.
"You know the beat, show your percussion skills, Lucario! Bone Rush!" Rutega said while still dancing.
Lucario recovered on beat and brought out bones made of aura, before keeping the beat perfectly as he hit a perfect 5 times with the move.
"Metal Sound!" Giacomo called as Revavroom let out the ear piercing cry as it affected Lucario, lowering his special defense harshly. "Now slam 'em! Wicked Torque!"
The Segin Starmobile raced towards Lucario, prepared to crash into the Steel/Fighting type head on.
"Evasion!" Rutega said as the duo did a synchronized leap right over Giacomo's head, as if the spotlight was on them in the moment they passed each other, as Rutega landed and stylishly posed. "The final note is upon us! Now! AURA SPHERE!"
Lucario roared as he fired his signature move right into Revavroom from behind to finish the performance, as the Segin Starmobile broke down with the Multi-Cyl Pokémon fainting, as Rutega took a bow afterwards.
"And that's a wrap!" She said with a smile.
At the same time this battle was going on, Fuecoco was fighting the Rouge Pawniard, the Steel/Dark type having the advantage.
"(Yet another one who stands between me and my vengeance on these accused ronin…)" Pawniard said as its blade lit up with Dark type energy. "(You will share this grave with them!)"
"It's using Night Slash, watch out!" Glimmer called.
Pawniard charged, looking for the coup de grace to finish Fuecoco off, but just as he connected…. Fuecoco bit down on Pawniard's arm to stop its momentum. In that moment, Fuecoco glowed before starting to transform.
Ed gasped. "It is time! Evolution takes place, as Darwin once said!"
"How would you possibly know about…nevermind, I'm just glad you know." Double D said as they watched the transformation cease and beheld their new appearance:
Fuecoco was now larger, roughly the same size as Quaxwell was, as his snout was larger and his head held a nest made of flames with a fiery looking egg in it.
"Whoa…Hmm. Crocalor, the Fire Croc Pokémon and the evolved form of Fuecoco! A Fire Type! The combination of Crocalor's fire energy and overflowing vitality has caused an egg-shaped fireball to appear on the Pokémon's head." Double D read.
Glimmer then got an idea. "Hey, Mark! Why don't you catch this guy?"
"Hmm…he's definitely tough. He certainly gave Mayumi a run for her money…yeah…I think he'll fit the vibe well." Mark said. "You're in Luck, Pawniard! You've got the honor being my first official catch in Paldea!"
"(I will never-)" Pawniard started before they heard the sound of a attack call:
"Sableye, quick! Use Shadow Ball on that psycho Pawniard!"
A Shadow Ball came rocketing towards Pawniard's back…before Breloom got in between them and punched the attack with an uppercut, sending it flying into the air, letting it explode harmlessly.
"Uh…" the grunt with the Sableye trailed off. "...Parlay?"
"...Seriously?" Rinkah scoffed. "Last time I checked we didn't abide by a Pirate Code of Law."
"So, no." Mermista said as Cramorant flew at the interrupter and took it out with a Drill Peck.
Mark said nothing, seeing the look of surprise in the Sharp Blade Pokémon's eyes before he walked over. "Whatever you want, buddy, I promise you…we can offer something better."
Pawniard looked at Mark for a moment before they nodded. With a smile, Mark took out a Pokéball and used it to catch them. "Welcome home."
Both battles finished at the exact same time, Giacomo having nothing left to fight with.
"Guess that's that…" he said in defeat as his mind flashed back to a year and a Half ago….
"Guess that's that…"
"What's up, Giacomo? Did something happen?"
"The Big boss wanted my take on some stuff… so we had a chat and settled on a few plans."
"'A few plans'? Like, for what?"
"Operation Star, first of all. And also… a new code of conduct for the team. You know how tons of new members have joined up recently? Well, we figure we gotta make some team rules - like a code - so we'll all be on the same page."
"Nice! You'll come up with a great code for us, wont you, Giacomo?"
"Hah, no thanks. Waaay too much pressure. I mean, yeah, I used to be president of the Student Council. But you know everyone ended up hating me after that, right?"
"Course we know. You forced a ton of stuffy rules on everyone, and they wouldn't take it. We got some other nerd to replace you after like, five minutes."
"I cannot help but concur… 'Male students' hair must stray no further than 1.8 inches below the nape' and so forth… Your rules were vexation made manifest!"
"My point exactly! So you'll all agree that I shouldn't be let anywhere near this new code."
"But you always know what's best for the team, Giacomo! You look out for us!"
"You've earned our trust many times over. Without you, Team Star just wouldn't work."
"That stuck-up student council prez isn't who you are anymore, man. A code written by the Giacomo I'm lookin' at now… I'd follow that any day."
"As would I!"
"OK, OK, thanks for the ego boost, everyone. I'll do it… I'll write up the darn code."
"I did the best I could… I wrote up the code myself, and now theres no goin' back on it. My days as a boss are over." Giacomo said before looking to Mark. "Hey, guy with the punch-happy Breloom! You're the leader of this raid party, right?"
"That's me, yes." Mark nodded. "Name's Mark."
"Well Mark, I gotta follow my own rules, so…take my Star Badge, would ya?" Giacomo said as he handed a Dark type symboled badge to Mark, as the two shook hands. "So this is where the party ends…. But let's talk about those Pokémon you guys got, they're crazy strong. You guys earned your trainer chops at Naranja or Uva?"
"Neither. We travel around with six Champions." Mark said casually.
"Oh, that right?" Giacomo said before he thought it over for a moment. "Hey…I guess I can't ask you how they are these days, but…from the outside, what do you all make of it?"
"From the outside looking in…I don't see why anyone wouldn't want to get pointers on how to Pokémon Battle. But…nah, I know the reason: there was a bullying problem. Still is."
"'Cept…we're the ones they're talking about right?" Giacomo asked, getting a nod in return. "Haaa…after everything, we're the bad guys now. No wonder our pal hasn't shown up yet…"
"Your…pal?" Glimmer asked.
"The one who got all of us together." Giacomo said.
"Oh, is that right?" a voice asked as Clive appeared.
"Whoa, who're you? Wasn't expecting a giant pompadour to make a guest appearance today. Get a Quaxwell to style that for ya?" Giacomo asked.
"Clive? What're you doing here?" Glimmer asked.
"Sorry to interrupt. I needed to ask some questions to Giacomo here." Clive said. "And I've already gotten one answered: the reason you've kept Team Star going, even under the threat of expulsion from the academies…it's because you're waiting for your 'pal' to come back?"
"Yeah. We haven't heard from them in…gosh, it's been a year and a half by now." Giacomo said. "Maybe they ditched us. They were talkin' about disbanding the team before they left…"
"I don't think that's true." Mark spoke up, getting Giacomo's attention. "Maybe they're just waiting for you. Waiting for the day you all decide to come back to the academy."
"...You think so?" Giacomo said. "...Well, it wouldn't hurt to put a foot forward. I'll go visit the academy…at least until I know for sure if the big boss really is there or not."
"You really have a lot of care for this big boss of yours, huh?" Glimmer asked.
"Heh. Is the sky blue?" Giacomo smiled, giving a thumbs up. "They're my greatest treasure."
With the siege over, the group left the Segin Squad base as Cassiopeia called in.
"Perfect timing, Casseopiea. Segin Squad's dismantled." Glimmer said.
"I'm starting to get suspicious about this…" Rutega mumbled to Rinkah.
"Hm?" Rinkah hummed at Rutega's statement.
"It's too convenient… usually someone calls in to report the situation to someone on the outside…" Rutega mumbled.
"You think Cassiopeia is…?" Rinkah mumbled.
"I wouldn't go that far but… it's possible." Rutega mumbled back.
"Great work, all. You can expect more TMs to be available for everyone to create and use at any time." Cassiopeia said. "My suppliers are on their way to give you some materials for them as well. Till next we speak."
Cassiopia hung up, and after a little while, Penny walked up to the group.
"H-hello! It's me again, from the supply unit…" Penny started to say.
That was when Koraidon picked the perfect time to just pop out and say hi.
"Oh- You sneaky guy, I thought you were next to me!" Rutega exclaimed.
"WAH! What is that thing?!" Penny called out, spooked by Koraidons appearance.
"Heyyy, watch it! He's not a thing. He's a he. Isn't that right, Koraidon?" Rutega smiled as she pet Koraidon as he made happy dragon noises.
"Don't worry, he's harmless. Koraidon's a Pokémon, like everything else in Paldea." Glimmer said. "We still don't know much about him and his buddy Miraidon, but… were taking good care of them."
"Mhm!" Rutega smiled sweetly.
"I see… well he really is something." Penny said before handing over their reward. "Good luck with the rest of the Bases." she said before heading off.
"Two down, three to go." Mermista said.
"I'd say this raid was pretty successful." Glimmer said. "Especially for you, Mark. You got yourself a pretty tough Pawniard, and your Fuecoco evolved into Crocalor."
"It was a success to be sure." Mark nodded. "(Even though what I really want to know is how the heck is Breloom tapping into Ki?...) Well, guess this means we have some down time before we have to hit the next base. So…let's go do some training!"
The group began their trek into the wilderness…unaware of the eyes on them from above the ridge.
"(So that's the group after Team Star.)" they thought as their eyes narrowed. "(Don't worry, big bro…I'll make sure they won't be able to take you down!)"