Chapter Five: Pursuit
Its not far from Bill's cottage to the Pokémon Center in Cerulean City no matter how you go about it. Even on foot and with no particular hurry, if you avoid delays like Pokémon battles you'll get there in twenty minutes or so. With a bike, you can cut the travel time in half. Soaring through the air astride a Staraptor? Around a minute, tops.
I urged Big Bird into a wide circle of the town, keeping the Center in sight as we flew while I scanned for movement. Thankfully, Cerulean is neither huge nor a one Rapidash town. The streets were well lit, but few people were out and about. Thus, I was able to get a good view of the three or four folks who were ambling about. Of course, from high up in the air I couldn't even hope to identify them, so it occurred to me that it might be wise to urge Big Bird lower and nearer the Pokémon Center on the assumption that our quarry would not be in any great hurry. After all, he wouldn't know we were up here would he?
I didn't get the chance. I might not have been able to make out any features from so high up, but a Staraptor could count the hairs on Jolson's head from a mile up... if they could count that high. With a sudden enraged shriek, Big Bird folded her wings over my legs and dove at full speed toward the figure closest to the Center. I just had time for a cry of "Oh shit!" before we leveled out and landed in front of the shocked rogue guard.
"Forgot, you remember the guy huh big girl?" I drunkenly said to the bird of prey currently glaring at the foe. When I'd picked up Jolson during his poaching days... or rather, the first time I'd picked him up for poaching, he'd knocked Big Bird out with his Magnemite. Staraptor are aggressive beasts, and mine can hold a grudge for years.
"Holy hell, what's the idea scaring a man like that?" Points to Jolson, he'd recovered from our sudden appearance quite quickly. "I'm already stressed enough with... y'know, work. I'm gonna need another personal day if you keep pulling shit like that!" I sized Jolson up as his outrage took over the shock of our arrival. He'd been working out since he took the guard job, I pegged him at a neat 215 lbs, all muscle. He wasn't a tall man, only 5' 6" or so, and looked blocky and square from having that mass on that frame. He had a military crew-cut that would've been dark black if not for all the scalp showing through, and was still wearing his uniform, deep blue with icy accents.
"You're not on a personal day," I glared at him. I'd only had seconds to decide how to handle this, but I remembered Jolson pretty well. Scum he might be proving himself to be, but he had balls and bravado enough for three men. No sense trying to intimidate him into surrender, he'd laugh in my face. So, might as well start the music and get it over with. "Get ready, I know you're gonna fight so let's do it."
"Fine, you wanna get your bird fried again, we can do that," the suddenly grinning asshole plucked a ball from a bandolier of sorts that crossed his chest and chucked a Great Ball in a high arc, releasing his first Pokémon.
"Magnezone, eh? Must've take a vacation to Sinnoh since last time I handed you your ass." I shook my head.
"Not gonna switch? Shocker here took that bird of yours down in one go two evolutions ago. No? " I grimaced, what he said was true. And from a type-perspective I should indeed have switched out for Spitpyre or Iron Maiden and nailed the thing with a hard hitting Fire, Fighting, or Ground attack. But really, switching out can get to be a bad habit. I've seen many a skilled trainer lose Pokémon second guessing themselves, especially when they know what else the foe has. They start asking themselves things like "My Raichu could Thunderbolt that Gyarados in one shot, but he has a Sandslash and he knows all that so he'll switch so I should put in my Octillery? But he knows that so he won't switch and my Octillery will eat a Charge Beam so I shouldn't switch..." and on and on. Its no good trying to battle like that, when you do things my way you really need to go by instinct. And instinct told me B.B. was going to get some payback today.
"We gonna do this or are you gonna stand around looking stupid all day?" I needled Jolson. I hadn't expected him to try and spook me into switching out, and idly wondered if he knew what was about to happen.
"Fine, Shocker give 'em a Volt Switch." I winced, that was a good choice. Not the strongest attack, but like most Staraptor my Big Bird isn't half as good at taking hits as she is at dishing them out. Even if this didn't end her, she'd be weakened enough for the next Pokémon in line to finish right out of the gate.
"Bird, Close Combat and don't hold back!" I was betting on my Pokémon's speed on that one, if she couldn't land the hit first the Magnezone would fry her and withdraw all in one go, taking no damage. But then, it wasn't much of a gamble. Made of heavy steel, Magnezone isn't very fast for an Electric-type.
Big Bird surged back into the air even as electricity began to gather around the Magnezone's whirling magnets and flow up to the antennae atop its head. She shrieked at her opponent, who had once defeated her in battle, and as she streaked towards it her talons closed into passing imitations of fists. Before the Steel/Electric-dual type could react, she had crashed into it in a whirling dervish of hammering blows from wings, beak and "fists," all aimed at the thinnest bits of its armor, at the places where plates joined or appendages attached.
It might have been a gamble on speed, but certainly not on attack. Big Bird swooped back to hover silently between Jolson and myself just as her opponent hit the ground as a tangled, dented wreck that discharged harmlessly into the ground. Shocker's trainer stood slack-jawed briefly from the relentless assault, shocked at the violence I'd just commanded against his Pokémon.
"I was trying to take you all alive last time, Jolson," I explained. "You'd never have taken my girl there out if she hadn't held back. And this time? We don't care."
"Fine, let's see what you can do against this then!" the now enraged for snarled at me, tossing a plain Poké Ball which expelled a Golem. Rock/Ground, not good for my Bird. Oh, she could likely as not ruin this one with Close Combat as well, but her already crappy defenses were further compromised by using it just once. If she missed, she'd be in trouble.
"See, now I'll switch," I recalled Big Bird and found my next ball by touch. Spitpyre was a good bet, but I didn't want to expose him to Ground attacks, especially since Golem almost universally know Earthquake. Lucky was completely out of this round for the same reason. One good Rock Slide or Stone Edge would wreck 'Scicle's day pretty quick, and Golem can learn Flamethrower via TM if the trainer has one. Iron Maiden could probably smash it with a good Iron Tail, but being half Steel made her just as vulnerable to Earthquake as anyone. That left just one choice.
Bruce blinked at the streetlights, red eyes rolling over white briefly as his lids flickered, then noticed the foe and growled through his gills. The Sharpedo bounced forward on his ventral fin, hungry to close in and wreak havoc on the Golem... or just hungry. I've literally seen that shark gulp down any number of things he shouldn't, from sharp edged Steel-types like Scizor to a Plusle or Minun.
"Fine then, bring on the Dark-type," Jolson was still livid at the damage done to his Magnezone, but now he was grinning around the anger. "Moss, show this punk a Steamroller." I arched an eyebrow, confused. I'd never actually seen a move by that name.
I was calling out to Bruce to hit back with Waterfall when the Golem struck, leaping above my shark and performing a sort of rolling back-flip that crushed Bruce down against the pavement. Blood spurted from his gills and from between his teeth, and it took me only a moment to realize that had been a super-effective hit. Considering his weaknesses and Jolson's comment, that must have been a Bug-type move. The Golem winced as it came to rest, rubbing at a strip of its rocky hide that had been worn smooth from contact with Bruce's Rough Skin.
"You're not down yet buddy, throw a Waterfall at this thing," I growled to my Sharpedo, who immediately launched himself from his prone position into the attack with a blast of water from his jet. Water coated him, washing away the blood as it poured out of his gills and gaping mouth, and then he made contact with a crunch and a splash.
"Moss, finish it off with a heavy slam! You're a damn fool Devil, my Golem is Sturdy..." he was cackling with triumph for a moment, but then trailed off as the Golem slumped to the side and passed out, bits of stone flaking off and a puddle of muddy water forming around its now prone form.
"And Sturdy only works for uninjured Pokémon. Mine has Rough Skin, so that ain't happening if you touch him, pal." I recalled Bruce, wincing as more blood trickled out of his mouth. He'd come close to going down there, I'd be paying the Pokémon Center a visit myself at this rate. "That's two down, last I knew you had four. Care to just hand 'em over and come answer some questions?"
"You wish. Let me introduce my buddy Pork Chop." The next ball out was a Luxury Ball, which opened to expel a Piloswine. This time I didn't stop to worry about the types, I just threw out a scuffed old Poké Ball and told Spitpyre to Blaze Kick the thing in the head.
The mighty Blaziken let out a triumphant snarl and emerged from the ball already on one foot, the other scything through the air surrounded by bright hot flames emerging from the vents on his ankle. He didn't bother to aim, contemptuously staring at Jolson as his fire converged on the Piloswine's face. Maybe that's why he missed.
Pork Chop flinched back and away from the burning attack, but no contact was made. 'Pyre stumbled slightly, off balance from the complete lack of resistance he'd met. He was totally unprepared for the Mud Slap his enemy's trainer commanded the Piloswine respond with, and let out a howl of pain as the pig manipulated the street at its feet to spray mud into his face. Even a low power Ground-move is painful for a Fire-type, even one with no naked fire on its body will still find combustion more difficult if its vents or face are coated in soil. Spitpyre shook his head, trying to clear his eyes at least, but no such luck. He took a swipe with his talons, trying to Slash the porcine Ice/Ground-type, but missed wildly.
"Now that its accuracy is FUBAR, nail that fucking chicken with Earthquake and be done with it!" Jolson called out, and I had to fight an edge of panic. I held on, grimly determined that my most powerful partner would not lose to an Ice-type.
"Spitpyre, Double Kick that thing and do not miss," I snarled, and the fighting bird responded immediately. Spinning in place, he flung out his left foot in a high arc, and would have missed again had the pig not been rearing up to perform its attack. Icy tusks shattered as the blow landed, and Spitpyre crowed in delight as he used that initial contact to find his target with the second kick. His right foot rose up like he was punting a football and caught the beast on the chin so hard it flipped onto its back and lay thrashing. From the force of the seizure, I'd have guessed a broken skull from the twin kicks. "Stop messing around Jolson, you can't win. This is over and you know it."
"Fuck that! Skarm! Fly!" His fourth ball, a Heavy Ball no doubt made in Azalea Town, flipped into the air and, as the name had given away, I saw a Skarmory streaking into the sky. "Don't worry about his Pokémon, hit the trainer on the way down!" I heard him call, and the Skarmory turned to orient on me, giving me a lovely view of its shining metallic feathers as it aimed its dive.
I was going to have to gamble again, there was no time to switch in someone who wasn't half blind from Mud-Slap. Jolson was leering expectantly, fully trusting that his Skarmory would slice me right in two. But I knew something he apparently didn't. Anyone who has trained a Blaziken or battled one knows how much leg strength they possess. They routinely grind stone into dust under their feet, kick holes in solid steel, and send Dark-types flying into a bloody heap with a single kick. What people don't always remember is that all that leg strength can do something besides just kick.
"Spitpyre," I got his attention as the Skarmory began its descent, folding up like a missile. "Sky Uppercut, if you'd please." Blaziken can't smile very well, the immobile beak sort of prevents much expression. But if he'd had lips and teeth, he'd have grinned. Even half-blinded, he managed to pick out the shining metal bird above and leap, driving himself upward with force enough to clear a ten story building with his fists tucked securely at his waist. And just as he drew level with the foe, one fist pistoned out and up to intersect neatly with the center of the Flying-type's throat.
It hit the ground before he did, bleeding heavily. Spitpyre's blow had dented its steel covering back into its body, essentially stabbing it with its own body. That one probably wasn't going to be flying again anytime soon. My Blaziken landed in a graceful crouch beside the bird and threw back his head to snarl in triumph, and I applauded him.
"Nice hit buddy," I congratulated my partner, then suddenly lunged past him and drew my sword in a blur to rest against Jolson's throat as he clutched one more ball, a Dive Ball I hadn't noticed at the very bottom of the bandolier. "That one," I said, snatching the ball out of his hands, "isn't yours. And unless you're the one who stole Gerty, it isn't strong enough to do anything but die fighting my team. So no. We won't be doing that." I glared full into his eyes until he dropped his gaze, staring at my blade rather than my eyes. "Now," I reached for my handcuffs and dangled them in front of him, "let's get these on you quick. Just might save some of your team if we return them to their balls now." I wrenched his arms up behind his back and closed the cuffs tightly on each wrist, then returned every Pokémon on the field except the Magnezone. That one was very dead. Then I shoved a black bag over his head and started dragging him back the way he'd come, towards the Pokémon Center.
"Now, we're gonna heal the wounded, and get someone out here to scrape your Shocker off the street. And then? You're gonna answer some questions buddy."
Author's Note: This one is a little on the short side, and its pretty much all battle. But after the wait for the last chapter, and considering that this is the first real battle of the story? I figured that wouldn't be such a bad thing.