Hello everybody! Well, this week is basically my last week of this quarter. As such, it means I should be having more time to be making new chapters during my winter vacation. However, I've also recently taken on the job of reviewing and correcting a fellow writer's story on here. I'm sure you know who that is since I've made mention of them in the past couple of chapters, but it is from BannanGodis whose writing is good but dependent on Google Translate as he doesn't know English or at least much to write in proper English. So I've taken on the task of helping him with his work and making it suitable for those who know English.
But yeah, I'll be busy helping another fellow writer for the time being. Still, it's not going to be as demanding as college as BannanGodis thankfully doesn't belt out chapters every single week like my professors do with the homework. That means I will have more time to write during my vacation both on this story and my other Zelda story that I had put on temporary hiatus. For those of you interested, I had been writing a Zelda story before going to this, although this was a result of stress from school and the need to write something new.
With all that out of the way, I hope that you enjoy this new chapter. It does have some action in it, not like the first chapter where it was more on the television and not really happening to the group. Please don't forget to leave a review telling me how you thought the chapter was and how you think the story is going so far. Review from you as the reader is important as it helps me gauge what you feel is good or bad with what I've put down so far. I've noticed that nobody's really wanting to review, and it's actually kind of dejecting to see how nobody seems all that interested in the work I've put into making this story for you all to read.
And just as a pet peeve, I've noticed that stories that are good in plot but not great in grammar and sentence structure tend to get more reviews than other stories that are just as good in plot but better in grammatical and sentence structure. I'm just wondering, but is it because of the fact that such stories tend to move extremely fast and don't necessarily have a well-developed plot that actually requires a bit of reader attention and participation? Is that what appeals more to you readers on here? If so, then it hardly seems fair that those who are very serious about writing and post on here for practice are being ignored while those who are just for fun and not so much about the betterment of their writing skills are getting all the attention. Again, it's just a pet peeve of mine that I had to voice for both myself and other fellow writers on here who are clearly very serious about practicing their craft. And before anyone says that fanfiction isn't really meant for story writing and reviews, stories are stories regardless if the idea is original or partially borrowed from. All deserve to be read seriously.
Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I'll leave you all to read the new story. I hope you all enjoy it as it will have action and be rather fast paced from the cliffhanger we left off in the last chapter.
Chapter 4: Caught in the Middle
"Of all the times for them to show up!" Surge growled as he continued to watch the two Charizards' actions. "We're still recovering from our last skirmish."
"I thought Pokémopolis was supposed to be a myth," Ash said as another rumble shook the building. "Professor Oak never found anything like that during his research."
"I already told you he's been in Luminose City for the past three years. But that's not the point now; we need to see what the enemy's doing before making our move."
"You're not going to do anything?" Tracy asked. He tried to stare at the man in hopes it would change his mind. "We're already lucky they haven't started using their fire attacks yet. Even without it, they're going to destroy the entire forest at this rate!"
"And you'd rather I send my men on a suicide attempt to stop them? We don't know if the enemy's already there waiting for us. The first rule of war is to keep a cool head and try to assess the situation. I'm sure some of my scouts have already taken the initiative and went to search the area. We just need to wait for their report and work from there."
"Surge!" Gary shouted just as the door slammed open. "Soldiers from Viridian City are starting to occupy the town. Your men need you out there now!"
"You're kidding me!" Surge looked lost in thought for a moment before running out of the room. "Gary, I need you on standby in case we need to use the Pokémon. You three stay in here and don't cause any trouble!" Both guys then ran outside with Gary slamming the door shut and leaving behind a trio of teens confused alongside their Pokémon.
"…I still don't know what's going on, but I think whatever war is happening just came to us," Brock said as yet another rumble shook the earth. "But I don't understand why the enemy would waste their time and resources looking for some mythical place. I'd be more concerned with taking over cities than chasing myths."
"I guess it just shows how power-hungry they are," the Pokémon watcher suggested. "I only heard rumors about strong Pokémon that've been resting there, but nobody's ever found any proof that it's true. So it's either they're taking a gamble on it, or all this is just a ruse to get the town off their guard."
"I'm more willing to bet on the latter. It's too much of a coincidence that two Charizards usually meant for excavation purposes show up just before a group of people start taking over the town. And if what we heard Surge say earlier is true, then this town is nowhere near ready to get rid of the invaders."
"And the only way to escape by foot is through the Viridian Forest. If the enemy's smart, then they'll be coming from there since the ocean is on the other side of town. Flying out of here is out of the question what with those two Charizards going at it. We could probably try getting out through the ocean if there's a Pokémon strong enough to ferry us, but… What're you doing, Ash?" Tracy asked when he saw the younger teen suddenly get up. "You're not thinking about going out there, are you?"
"I'm not just going to sit around while everyone outside is being attacked," Ash replied as he motioned for Pikachu to follow along. Said Pokémon quickly took his usual perch on his trainer's shoulder. "I don't care if this isn't the Pallet Town I remember; I'm not going to just let everyone be pushed around by the bad guys!"
"And how is you being out there going to make a difference?" Brock questioned while trying to sound reasonable. "If anything, it's just going to make things worse. I know you want to help, but I doubt you know anything about fighting in a war. And even if you did, think about how many people you'll be going up against. Do you have any Pokémon besides Pikachu that can help you?"
"Don't worry, Brock; I can ask the lab to lend me a couple."
"I somehow doubt they're just going to hand over what they have to you."
"And what about you guys?" Ash continued as though Brock said nothing. "Are you just going to sit in here waiting for the enemy to knock down that door?"
"To be honest, I'm more comfortable with that idea," the Pokémon watcher hesitantly admitted. "I have other Pokémon, but Marill's the only one with me right now. That and I hardly ever use her for fighting. She's more like my research aide than anything else." His Marill let out a nervous squeak as an explosion could be heard in the distance. "I know what moves she can use, but she hasn't had a lot of battle experience."
"Don't even try to convince me," the gym leader immediately cut in when Ash looked at him. "Vulpix is all I have right now. I may be a good trainer, but there's only so much I can do with one Pokémon. That and I'm not about to put her in unnecessary danger. If you really care about everyone outside, then do them a favor and don't make yourself become a hapless victim. Let the soldiers who know about war handle things."
"So you're willing to just sit here? Don't you remember what Surge said? He said that they're still recovering from their last fight. I don't know about you, but that doesn't exactly fill me with confidence." Pikachu gave Ash a reassuring pat to his head which was returned with a cheek rub. "I don't care if I'm not on the same level as those soldiers; I'm going out there to do what I can to help them!"
"Marill?" the round blue Pokémon curiously chimed as its ears suddenly began twitching. Tracy noticed this and quickly got the others to quiet down.
"What is it, girl? What're you hearing?"
"Mar? …Marill, marill mar!"
Suddenly, the door slammed open once again. However, it was not Gary or another member of the lab on the other side. This time, it was a Blaziken with its foot stuck out after having clearly kicked open the door. Behind it were two men, both completely dressed in black protective gear, who stormed the room with their guns at the ready.
"Everybody stay still and there won't be any injuries!" one of them commanded. "Keep your hands where I can see them and don't say a word unless I'm talking to you. If I catch any of the Pokémon moving, I'm shooting them dead. Any questions? Good, now against the wall!" Without warning, the man let out a single warning shot that had everyone scampering over to the indicated wall.
"Still liking this idea, Tracy?" Ash whispered while their backs were on the gunmen.
"Not anymore!" Tracy whimpered with a visible shudder.
"I said quiet!"
Another shot rang out. Ash suddenly felt a slight burning sensation on his left arm. He instinctively brought a hand over it out of reflex before looking at the fresh hole in the wall.
"I missed," the gunman irritably clicked his tongue. "I guarantee you won't be that lucky next time. Now shut up and put your backs against the wall!"
"Why don't we just off them now, sir?" the other man asked. His free hand signaled the Blaziken to keep watch over the imprisoned group. "It'll save us the trouble of moving them to the prison camp."
"The commander wants to see who is worth more alive. I promise you that he'll see us better dead if we jump the gun. Now quit griping and search the place for more people. I can handle things here with Blaziken."
"Yes, sir!" With that, the second man left the room.
"Now that we're alone, how about we have a little chat to pass the time?" the gunman suggested as he closed the door. "Arceus only knows how long this is going to take. Tell me what you're doing here!" he commanded while threateningly brandishing his gun.
"I-I'm just a Pokémon watcher," Tracy stuttered. "I'm nothing more than a professor's assistant. I'm just here because I don't know where else to go!"
"H-He means that he's just passing through," Brock quickly corrected. "I ran into him during my travels and thought it'd be best to rest here for a couple days."
"Travelers? Such an occupation is quite rare these days. Even though you're currently my prisoners, I must admit I admire your courage." The gunman had a smile almost akin to admiration. He then turned his attention towards Ash. "And what about you and that puny excuse of a rodent?"
"I-I-I live here with Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed as he took the insulted Pikachu into his arms. "I'm just waiting until I'm ready to go on a Pokémon journey."
"Is that so? How about telling me what rock you've been living under? Travelers are already rare enough as it is; nobody in their right mind would go on a Pokémon journey these days. You wanna know why?"
"You'd probably tell me even if I said no."
"Well, aren't you a cheeky kid? The reason your wonderful Kumbaya trip is impossible is because our organization has nearly enslaved the entire Pokémon population. What good is a Pokémon journey if there aren't any wild Pokémon for you to selflessly take?" the man laughed obnoxiously. "You should consider yourselves lucky to be having those puny little weaklings at your side right now!"
"Are you saying you capture Pokémon and force them to do what you tell them to do?" the gym leader asked, disgust clear in his voice. "How can you do such a thing? You can't treat them like slaves. They're as much a living being as you and I! They deserve to be treated just the same as any other person!"
"Talk out of turn again and it'll be the last time you speak!" The Blaziken stepped up in a threatening manner. "I've already let you slide once when you mentioned you were travelers. After all, who better to tell us about the ways of the world than an aimless nomad? We always find good use with your findings.
"And don't try to pull that philosophical crap on me," the man added with a threatening wave of his gun. "Humans and Pokémon are far from being similar. They're nothing more than tools meant to be used by us as the ones superior to them. Whatever you claim to say they feel is just a bunch of crap. I'm sure I could-"
A loud crashing sound came from outside the room. Everyone, the gunman and fighter Pokémon excluded, turned their attention towards the door.
"Check it out, Blaziken!" The Pokémon immediately complied and left the room without a glance back. "I don't suppose the three of you know what that noise was?"
The teens kept quiet. None of them knew about anything that was going on. Whatever was happening out in the lab's main foyer was the least of their concerns. Only Marill had any chance of knowing what was happening, but her twitching ears were the only signs she was paying any attention.
"It doesn't matter; I doubt anyone could overpower both my good man and my Blaziken combined. Whatever kind of rebellion those left uncaptured in this place are planning will be short-lived at best. Mark my words; our leader's plans will come to fruition. All this resistance is merely delaying the inevitable."
"But what are you-"
Tracy did not get a chance to finish as an orange red streak suddenly came flying into the room. It missed hitting the gunman by inches, and the teens and their Pokémon barely moved out of the way before the object crashed into the wall. They all soon recognized the object to be the Blaziken from a few moments ago.
"Sir, we have a bit of a problem!" the other man ran back inside in a panic. "One of the prisoners is-"
"Tackle him, Arcanine!"
The second gunman that had left earlier also came flying in with a flame furred canine following close behind. The Blaziken had quickly recovered and caught its ally with ease before moving away to a safe corner.
"Is that it? You guys are hardly worth the effort!"
Gary appeared at the doorway. His arms were crossed as he sported a very cocky smile. His clothes looked a bit ragged, parts of it torn and slightly singed from whatever scuffle he was in. The Arcanine walked over next to him and affectionately rubbed its head on his arm. All the while, a much larger pink Pokémon could be seen in the background terrorizing the other enemy soldiers who were in the building.
"Well, aren't you a little upstart!" the gunman growled as he retreated to where his allies were. "You think you can get away with attacking us?"
"That's the plan, dumbass! And I'm gonna be taking those guys with me," Gary added as his Pokémon took an offensive stance.
"Ah, but are you able to do that before I kill them?" the man threatened as he cocked the hammer on his gun. "I doubt your mangy mutt is faster than a bullet."
"Thunder Shock, Pikachu!"
A flash of lightning enveloped the room before the sounds of electrocution reached their ears. The man that had been sent flying into the room was the recipient of the shock. Both the other man and his Blaziken ducked behind a nearby desk for cover. Everyone else was left alone as Pikachu made sure to aim his attack.
"Pin them down with your Flamethrower!"
Arcanine let out a steady stream of flames at the desk where the enemy was still hiding. Intense heat quickly enveloped the room while the flames melted the metal, but the concentrated heat made contact with nothing else.
"Get over here now!" Gary commanded. The three teens and their Pokémon quickly ran towards the door.
"Low Kick!" the command rang out as the sound of something striking metal echoed. The table was then sent flying against the fire flow and caused the Arcanine to stop its attack and dodge. "Now Thunder Punch that mutt!"
"Protect him, Vulpix!"
Brock's Vulpix immediately jumped in front of Gary's Arcanine and brought up a barely visible aqua green shield. It was only large enough to surround its small body, but it was able to deflect the Blaziken's punch. The small vulpine was pushed back a bit by the force of the hit but was caught by the large dog.
"Marill, stall them with your Bubble attack!"
The small blue Pokémon filled the room with a large amount of bubbles. Most were out of the way from the main group, but a couple were still around. One of them touched Ash as he was the last to leave the room, and it painfully popped on his arm.
"How's a bubble supposed to hurt?" he exclaimed just as Gary slammed the door shut and used a nearby chair to block it. "It's just a small blob of floating water!"
"It's the air that's in those bubbles," Brock explained while checking his Vulpix for any injuries. "It's filled with a kind of gas that explodes with a lot of force on contact. It'll probably take them a bit to get through it before they reach the door." A loud slam against said door was heard moments later. "…Or they can try breaking it down now."
"Come on, you guys; we gotta get to the ranch!" Gary shouted as he picked up a broken pipe and swung it at a Zubat that was about to Tackle them. It fell straight to the floor and was struggling to take flight again. "You can come with me or stay and die. It's your choice! I'm not going to have you slowing me down. Cover my back, Nidoking!"
The large pink Pokémon suddenly stopped chasing after a couple of poor enemy soldiers and came to Gary's side. Its skin was heavily dented with a couple of bullets sticking out from the tough hide. Despite all that, nothing had managed to pierce through the resilient scales. Still, it was clear he was getting tired yet showed no signs of backing down.
"Shouldn't you call him back into his pokéball?" the eldest teen suggested as he picked Vulpix up into his arms. "I don't think he's going to last much longer."
"I would, but one of the guys shot it right after Nidoking came out. It's broken, so I can only pray to Arceus he can hold out through this." For the first time since the trio met Gary, he sounded scared. Gone was the rudely abrupt and caustic attitude replaced with genuine fear at the prospect of losing his Pokémon. He then asked in a forced level tone, "You are going to make it, are you?"
Nidoking merely grunted as he nodded his head. Feeling comfortable with the answer, Gary gripped his pipe tightly and made a run towards the back of the lab. The trio and their Pokémon quickly followed just as the door they had barricaded was smashed opened courtesy of an angry Blaziken.
"Flamethrower their ass!" one of the men commanded as he ran out of the room with his gun at the ready. The fiery fighting Pokémon quickly complied and blew a stream of flames at the surprised group.
"Counter with Ice Beam, Nidoking!"
Nidoking turned around and summoned a concentrated ball of chilled air from its mouth. It then fired an intensely frozen beam at the oncoming Flamethrower and successfully cancelled out the attack. However, the cancellation caused an explosion that lightly shook the building and enveloped the room in a warm steam.
"Hurry up, guys!" Gary shouted as he continued his run towards a door at the back of the lab. The steam was quickly starting to surround them and impede their visibility. "Let's move while their blinded."
Sounds of panic from both the enemy and innocent dragged into this mess filled the lab. A few shots were fired, although it was hard to tell who exactly was being attacked. Another Flamethrower was let loose, this one clearly aimed at the group, and nearly struck Tracy as he was trailing behind everyone. Thankfully, they managed to avoid the chaotic mess thanks in part to the cover of the steam.
When they reached the back door, Gary unnecessarily threw his weight against it due to the high adrenaline. They were too panicked and tried to squeeze their way through all at once; Nidoking and Arcanine merely watched in amusement. Poor Pikachu was being squished and jostled around despite being on Ash's shoulder and let out a shock out of both irritation and fear. It proved successful in clearing everybody's heads enough for them to finally get outside.
"God, that was way too close," Ash sighed as he leaned against the wall. Pikachu was cradled protectively in his arms. Everyone else was also trying to catch their breath while both of Gary's Pokémon knocked a nearby heavy scaffold against the door. Some nearby Pokémon looked curiously at the group before going back to their own business.
"Okay, what's the big idea with your Pikachu?" Gary growled as he stomped towards the two. "Did he think it was funny to be shocking us earlier? We could've been killed if that shock ended up paralyzing us!"
"He knows how to control his electricity to prevent from causing paralysis!" Ash quickly defended as he hugged Pikachu tighter. "And besides, he was only trying to help us. He only shocks me when I'm not thinking clearly. How do you think we were able to calm down enough to get out of there?"
"That was because my Nidoking pushed us out. Didn't you, buddy?" Said Pokémon was lying on the ground next to Gary and gave him a confused look. "Your little electrical pipsqueak did nothing to help."
"Oh yeah? Who do you think gave you the chance to have Arcanine pin down those two guys? None of the other Pokémon know how to use electric moves."
"That was nothing but recklessness and dumb luck. You're lucky you got out that attack before that guy shot you."
"Can we please stop arguing?" Brock cut in. His Vulpix jumped out of his arms and was with Marill who seemed pretty shaken up over the past scene. "Now's not the time nor place for this. We have other things to worry about." He then shifted his attention towards Gary. "What was the reason you brought us here?"
"This ranch is probably the safest place we can be right now. This land is just one huge reservation for the Pokémon my grandpa studies, but the borders are protected by an electrically generated barrier. It was originally meant to keep poachers out and wandering Pokémon in, but Surge managed to rig it to shock anything that tries to enter from the outside. It's basically like creating an artificial electrical Pokémon to keep guard."
"How effective would that be against something like a Charizard?" Tracy asked. He had been paying attention to the two flying fire breathers ever since they came out.
"They're part flying type, so the shock should do more than just keep them away." Gary hesitated a bit as he saw the two flyers still at work. "I'm not too sure about it, though."
"Well, that's reassuring," Ash sarcastically replied. However, he was cut off when a mighty roar pierced the air. They all looked at the pair of Charizards and noticed them coming their way. "Oh great, now they're coming here!"
"Are you sure that electrical barrier can keep them out?" the gym leader asked, his doubt clear in his tone.
Gary did not have to answer. The Charizards quickly arrived at the reservation's borders and received what definitely looked like a Thunderbolt attack from the barrier. The electricity did its job well and froze the fire breathers in their place.
"What'd I tell you guys? I told you it'll work!"
"I don't think it is. Look at them!" the Pokémon watcher exclaimed.
It had only been a couple of seconds when the shock occurred, but the two Charizards seemed to have quickly recovered from it. While still being shocked, one of them began to charge up energy in its mouth. It aimed its mouth towards the ground and released an orange beam a second later. The land shook powerfully when the attack made contact, and the electricity that had been shocking them abruptly stopped.
"Th-They destroyed the fence! I didn't think they'd be that strong to withstand such an electrical shock, especially for being flying types," Gary exclaimed through gritted teeth. "Now there's nothing stopping them from coming into the ranch!"
"We're so screwed!" Ash and Tracy said in unison. Brock tried to keep a straight face, but his stance betrayed the fear he was trying to hide. Even Gary was nervous at this turn of events. If the Charizards were strong enough to withstand the electrical barrier and take it out at the same time, its power in battle could only be guessed at. That was something the group was no doubt going to figure out sooner than they liked.
Well, that's pretty much for this chapter. And as you can see at the ending, everything is at another cliffhanger with the next one definitely going to be a big battle. And I also don't really have much to say at this ending. So with that, I'll say thanks again for taking the time to read my new chapter. Please don't forget to leave a review before moving onto the next story you want to read. It really does help me see how you as the reader believe the story is progressing and if you are confused about something. Thanks again, and until the next update to this or any of my other stories on here everybody!