Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, all that wonderful stuff. I won't bother you here, so stick around until the end of the chapter! Thanks everybody!
Gary pulled back his sword arm, ripping his blade out of the Rocket's stomach. The man fell to the ground, disembowelled. Another Rocket replaced him, surging into Gary before he could react. Gary was knocked onto his ass, creating a hole in the Cerulean line. The Rockets exploited it, pushing as many men into the gap as they could. The line collapsed, Rockets pushing through and slaughtering the untrained militiamen.
Gary felt the Rocket's fist smash into his nose, and the spurt of blood splatter across his face. He fumbled at his belt for a moment, then found the pair of balls latched to it. He wildly scrabbled at them, releasing his pokemon before the Rocket on top of him finished him off. He vaguely heard the hallway groan, and a massive roar from above.
Sawyer materialized first, squawking uncomfortably in the enclosed space. The bird hopped onto the Rocket's back and dug his talons in. The man reared up, grabbing at the bird. Sawyer dug his talons in deeper and lunged with his beak. The Rocket's exposed neck made an easy target for the pidgeotto. It ripped into the flesh, bringing screams from the man.
Sergei appeared next and immediately tackled the Rocket, knocking Sawyer off him. The Rocket slammed into the ground, grabbing at his shredded neck. The wartortle brought its head back and slammed it into the Rocket's head. The man collapsed completely, ceasing all movement. Sergei turned back to Gary, and immediately leapt over the prone trainer. The crowd of Rockets cleared away from the pokemon, giving Gary a clear space to stand up.
He hauled himself to his feet as the ceiling groaned again. He raised his sword, gripping it with both hands. He smiled grimly, then charged the Rockets with a savage war cry. Then the ceiling fell in, showering them all with bodies, debris, and a very angry ryhorn. A heavy wooden beam crashed down in front of him, crushing Sawyer underneath. Gary stumbled and grabbed at the beam, desperate to save his pokemon. Something heavy smashed into the side of Gary's head and he fell to his side, knocked out cold.
Jay sat up abruptly, and instantly regretted the movement. "My fucking head…" He started.
"Shut up, it's your own damn fault." Misty spat. "What made you think that resisting the alakazam would be a good idea?" She was pacing back and forth at the foot of his bed with an angry look on her face. "What are you hiding? I know the alakazam said he saw ghosts or some shit, but I don't think that was the whole truth." She sat down in a chair opposite the bed and stared at him. "I think I want the whole truth."
Jay opened his mouth to say something, then stopped himself. He swallowed the lump forming in his throat, then massaged his temples. "Fuck, I don't even know. It sounds crazy when I say it to myself. Misty…" She nodded, forcing him to continue. "I think I died. Twice."
"What?" She said. "No, you didn't. You're right here in front of me."
He sighed. "I know. That's the part that's confusing." He massaged his temples again. "Look, I don't want to sound crazy. I know I'm going to if I tell you everything."
Misty nodded solemnly. "You sound crazy enough normally. This takes the cake though." She smirked at her own joke then shook her head. "Just tell me. I'll hear you out."
Jay shifted, sitting up straighter on the bed. "I think I died under Pewter. Or right after we got there. I saw some kind of spirit. It showed me what I thought was my own death. It showed me the rhydon under Mt Moon." He looked at her nervously. "Then, after we fell, I was in some giant space and I was just floating. The spirit from before thanked me and left me there. I didn't know what to do, so I just kinda floated there for a while. I don't know how long it took, but some old lady in a rocking chair said she was sending me back." He shuddered at the memory. "She said she could still use me."
Misty listened to it all with the same mask of concern. "It all sounds so ridiculous. You know that, right?" He nodded in answer, a grim look on his face. She sighed heavily. "I don't know what the hell is going on with you, but I know where we can find answers."
"Where?"
"Lavender Town."
Ash unearthed Sawyer first. The pidgeotto was crushed almost beyond recognition. It was a mangled mess of feathers and shattered bones, laying in a pool of blood. Sergei pushed himself out of wreckage, taking Ash by surprise. The wartortle immediately started digging at the wall of debris that completely blocked off the hallway. Ash swore, then threw himself at the debris, desperately digging.
The sounds of men shouting and swords clashing returned, the survivors of the building's collapse returning to their battle as if nothing had happened. Pikachu stood guard for Ash, shocking any Rocket that got too close to his trainer.
Ash and Sergei lifted a beam of wood off the pile, shifting the balance of wood and stone. The pile shifted, and an arm appeared from the pile of debris. Ash shrieked and redoubled his efforts, tearing at the pile with barely concealed fury. He cleared off the rest of the arm, then a chest, then the head. Gary's head lolled to its side, blood dripping from the blow that knocked him out. Sergei threw himself at the pile, clearing off his trainer faster than Ash was capable of.
Ash hauled the unconscious boy off the pile of debris. He lifted him and tested his weight across his shoulders. He took two wobbly steps then looked down to the pokemon. Sergei nodded grimly, as did pikachu. Ash returned the nod, then started off into the raging battle. The pokemon rushed after him, clearing him a path with vicious elemental attacks.
"Hold them back!" Lord Galbert roared. "Loose the acid!" He ordered. The pair of boiling cauldrons above the gates tipped, pouring a wave of boiling tentacruel acid onto the wall of Rockets that pressed themselves against the city gates. The boiling acid melted through the Rockets, leaving them writhing on the ground in pain. One of the defenders tossed a torch over the battlements, igniting the flammable liquid. A cheer erupted from the defenders of the gates at the sight of the burning rockets.
Lord Galbert watched the wall of Rockets retreat, a satisfied smirk on his face. He turned to one of the lieutenants at his side. "Bring up two more cauldrons of acid. I want to be ready for their next assault." The lieutenant ran off to relay his orders. "Give me a report." Lord Galbert said. "Before we don't have the time."
"Daisy has found herself under heavy attack. The gym is surrounded by the Rockets who were still in the city." One of the lieutenants said. "Her own reinforcements can't break through their lines. I suggest we send a force to aid them."
Lord Galbert nodded. "Find my son. Tell him to take two-hundred of my men and help liberate the gym." Another lieutenant dashed off to find Lord Galbert's son. " If the gym falls, all this is pointless." He said, motioning to the burning bridge. "Speak of the devil…" Lord Galbert whispered. "The Rockets are stirring, prepare yourselves." He turned to the direction his first lieutenant had run off in. "Where are those cauldrons?!" He bellowed.
"Knew this was a shit idea from the start." Martyn spat. "Take the job Cap'n, it's good money Cap'n, you can retire after this job Cap'n." He mocked. "Now we're up to our asses in tauros shit with no guaranteed money. I'm getting too old for this shit."
The mercenaries around him laughed, bringing a smile to Martyn's face. "Least you've got us Cap'n."
Martyn's face morphed into a mask of disgust. "Lucky me." He said, voice dripping with sarcasm. He sighed and pulled one of the balls off his belt. "Mount up boys, we've got asses to kick!" He turned to the river behind him and released a gyarados that immediately bellowed a challenge to the world.
All forty-two members of the Broken Banners released their mounts in a storm of light and sound. A pair of onix, several ryhorn, countless rapidash, over a dozen tauros, a trio of pidgeot and a single charizard appeared amongst the mercenaries. The charizard returned the gyarados' roar with one of its own.
Martyn's gyarados bent it's head down to the bank of the river, allowing the veteran soldier to clamber into place on its neck. "Alright girl, keep me safe."
A presence burrowed into Martyn's mind, causing him to wince. "Captain Ulysses?" A voice asked.
"Who are you?" He asked, not bothering to answer.
Martyn could feel amusement resonate in the presence, then a soft chuckle. "I am the alakazam that probed your mind earlier today. I have been tasked with coordinating your men in tandem with our own."
Martyn grunted a response, then hooked a radio headset over his ear. "Alright maggots, check in." He ordered. His gyarados reared up, giving him as close to an aerial view as possible.
"Cav One, good to go."
"Foot One, ready when you are"
"Air Cav, waiting for your go."
Captain Ulysses smiled grimly. Not much could stand up to a force of trained and hardened pokemon trainers, much less a force with as much experience as his men. "We're ready." Said Martyn. "Just tell us what to kill."
Martyn could feel the alakazam's bloodthirst resonate with his own. "With pleasure, Captain."
"Lee!" Ethan said in a cheerful tone. "Get up! We're leaving today!" He rapped on the door with his free hand. Lyra rolled over, intent to ignore him. "Bugsy, just give me the damn key. I wanted to get an early start, and we're already running late."
"No. The fuck makes you think you can barge into a woman's room while she's sleeping?" She heard a scuffle, then Bugsy swear. "Fuck, just send in Eon or something. At least that'd be less creepy."
"You know, I managed to get the key off you with my good arm in a sling." Ethan said.
Bugsy snorted. "That's the only reason you got the damn key off me in the first place. I'd feel bad." Bugsy said with a chuckle. "What with you being a cripple and all."
Ethan sighed, then Lyra heard the telltale sound of a pokemon being released. She pulled herself out of her bed, hastily pulling on her clothes from the night before. She grabbed her oversized coat, her pack, then clipped her belt around her waist. She ripped the door open as she heard a faint pop behind her. "What?" She asked.
Ethan's grin somehow got even wider. "Ready to go?" He asked
Lyra sighed and nodded wearily. "Yeah, I guess. Only if we can have breakfast before we leave."
Ethan smiled knowingly. "Biscuits and jerky?" He asked jokingly. Lyra's look of disgust brought a booming laugh from Ethan. "Don't worry, we won't be eating jerky until tomorrow. Bugsy was generous enough to donate today's meals."
Lyra sighed in relief. "When do we leave?" She asked.
"As soon as possible." Ethan replied. "That's actually why Bugsy's here."
"Don't go soft on me old man. I'm just here to send you off." Bugsy said, voice tinged with annoyance. "It's the least I could do to thank you."
Lyra closed her eyes and shook her head softly. "So? Are we going then?"
Ethan started off down the hallway, giving Lyra her answer. Lyra and Bugsy started after him, albeit at a slower pace.
"You know…" Bugsy started. "It'll be boring without you two here. You really livened up the place."
"Thanks." Lyra said. "I think most of that was Ethan though."
"What?" Bugsy asked. "You think I didn't notice you training in my courtyard every night? It certainly kept things interesting." He smiled at her softly. "Your efforts were… Admirable."
Lyra cocked her head to the side and raised an eyebrow. "So you were admiring me?" She asked. "Or is that just a different way of saying you were spying?"
"What?" Bugsy spluttered, taken aback. "I didn't… That's not… But…"
"Don't worry, I'd have probably done the same." She said with a devilish grin. "The chance to watch me get all hot and sweaty, while handling that heavy sword…" She trailed off, then gave Bugsy a wink. "I'd have leapt at the chance."
They rounded the final corner, nearly walking directly into Ethan. He turned and smiled at them, oblivious to Bugsy's growing discomfort. "Have a good talk, did we?" He asked. Lyra gave a short nod, followed quickly by Bugsy. "Then let's get moving! I've got a feeling that you'll like my grandmother, and I'm sure she'll like you."
Bugsy held out a hand for Ethan to shake. "You're always welcome in Azalea. My apologies that it wasn't more peaceful during your time here."
Ethan took Bugsy's hand, bringing a smile to both their faces. "It's been great. I'll see you next time Bugsy!" Ethan stepped out the door after Lyra, leaving Bugsy behind. He easily caught up to Lyra, drawing even to her with a massive grin. "So?" He started. "Would you have anything to do with the massive hard-on Bugsy was sporting back there?"
She grinned sheepishly. "I just jogged his memory." She said with a laugh. "The little creep didn't need any help, he practically had his tongue wagging at the thought of me."
Well, this is exciting! New fic launching this week, so check my profile every day because I'm determined to get this up. Reminder that I've still got that poll up, and it'll likely be up for a few more chapters. Merry Christmas everyone, Squarecircles out!
