Hello everybody! Here's a new chapter for you all to read. I'm not going to be saying much for this particular beginning author's note because I'm extremely busy at the moment. College homework's being a complete demon over my life. Oh well, at least I found some time to post this. I'll take some time to write the ending note since there's a lot I want to cover there, but I won't come back to retouch this one. So don't be thrown when you see this portion so short but the ending note so long; that one's going to be made once I've got more free time. So with that said, let me go ahead and answer some of the new reviewers from the last chapter before leaving you all alone to read this new chapter.

kirstysedgwicj: Thanks for taking the time to review my story. It's greatly appreciated, and I'm glad to hear that I've given you a good impression for your first reading of a piece of fan fiction. And of course you as a reader would like to have Professor Oak's question answered. Still, me answering it at that moment would then put an end to the entire story. The reason being is because his answer, or his attempt at coming to the true answer, will pretty much propel the story all the way to the end. For obvious reasons, I'm not anywhere near the end of this story yet, so such plot-breaking questions will have to stay unanswered.

Now that I've got that out of the way, let me address something else regarding the number of reviews you made. I'm sorry, but your review of chapter seven looks a lot like your try at boosting my review ratings for this story. While I do appreciate the thought, I don't like that there are practically four reviews by the same person with the same exact wording on the same chapter. At that point, the three extra ones feel more like spam than a genuine review. That and it might give potential readers the wrong message, having them see sixteen reviews when it's actually just thirteen. People look at the number of reviews a lot in order to see if they think a story is worth reading, and I'd rather have them based their opinions on a true review count. Just something I had to say, but I do appreciate the thought. Just try to keep from posting the same review repeatedly in the future.

Okay, that was the only reviewer from the last chapter. I'll leave you all alone to read and get back to my wonderful bits of homework. Until the next update to this or any of my other stories on here! And yes, sorry if the chapter title sounds bad; I couldn't think of a better one that gives a hint of what this chapter was going to cover.

Chapter 9: Hijacking Revolt

"Who's damned Pokémon is that?" the male thief shouted. His right hand was rubbing at his chest where he was hit while the other was pointed at the Corsola. His partner had a hand on his shoulder in support in case he doubled over in pain. Both their Seadra and Pelipper went into a battle stance, ready to defend and waiting for the command to attack. "Once I find out who did that, I'll kill them!"

"So says the thief who seems to be having trouble recovering!" a woman's voice cut through the sudden panic. She then commanded as the two opposing Pokémon started moving, "Dodge their attacks and use Spike Cannon!"

The small pink Pokémon quickly jumped away from an incoming Tackle by the Seadra. It then landed on one of the Pelipper's outstretched wings before quickly hopping off, forcing the bird's Wing Attack to instead slice through the ship's railing. It then began tossing a barrage of sharpened coral down at both the Pokémon and thieves, forcing them to retreat in order to avoid injury.

At the same time, the passengers that were previously held hostage used the distraction as their chance to escape. The deck was once again set into a panicked frenzy of people running for safety. The thieves were trying to command their Pokémon to control the frenzy, but they were still busy avoiding the Corsola's Spike Cannon. Ash and Brock managed to find themselves a spot next to the railing where the panic was less chaotic, their respective Pokémon held in their arms as they watched the battle unfold.

"What's going on?" Ash shouted over the noise. "I thought these crooks said they took total control of this ship!"

"They probably underestimated some of the people here!" Brock surmised, his gaze stuck on the Corsola expertly dodging and executing attacks. "I'm not surprised since there's always gonna be some kind of trouble when trying to hijack a ship. But if that Pokémon belongs to who I think it does, then I think I know who's putting up a fight."

"What're you talking about?"

"Hey, what're you two still doing here?" the same voice coming from behind them asked. "Get somewhere safe while you have the chance!"

Turning around, the teens saw a redheaded girl standing before them. She was dressed in a simple yellow beige short-sleeved shirt and knee-high jean shorts. Her hair was set in an odd one-sided ponytail, and her figure was slim yet similar to that of a swimmer. She was looking at them both while keeping an eye on the fighting pink Pokémon.

"I figured you were the one behind it, Misty," Brock calmly replied. His Vulpix mewled in recognition of the familiar face. "You're the only one I know who has a Corsola that can fight with such experience."

"Br-Brock?" the girl stammered, daring to do a double-take as she tried to keep her focus on the battle. "What're you doing here? You're supposed to be under medical guard back at the hospital!"

"What're you talking about? I haven't been in a hospital since the fever epidemic last year." He then added after thinking for a moment, "Why did you say that? I met Professor Oak a while ago, and he seemed convinced I was keeping watch over things in Pewter City."

"The professor was here? Why would he say that? I told him about that when he called me in an attempt to reach you." Misty was clearly confused at having heard what she believed to be two different accounts. "Oh, I'll worry about that later. You really don't remember what happened, Brock? Well, I guess it kind of makes sense. Your siblings told me that they found you already–"

"That's it; I'm done playing the nice guy!" the male thief suddenly shouted. The three turned their attention to him and saw the Seadra preparing for an attack. "You wanna act like a hero, little girl? Then you better learn to deal with the consequences of your actions. Dragon Pulse that pitiful piece of coral!"

"What? You can't do that here!" Misty's look of anger quickly turned to fear once she noticed the Seadra readying its attack at an alarmingly fast pace. She then instructed her Corsola with extreme urgency, "Get your Protect up quickly and shield whoever you can! You two, get back now!"

Before the teens could react, a large wave of energy shot out of the blue Pokémon's mouth towards the Corsola. Just the kinetic force behind the attack was enough to send shockwaves strong enough to knock them off their feet. Just like it was back at Professor Oak's Laboratory, a dull green shell enveloped the pink Pokémon just as the energy wave struck it. However, it was cutting a lot closer this time as the shield formed at literally the second before it made contact with the coral Pokémon.

Unfortunately, everything that was around the Corsola was not as lucky. The resulting explosion, while not affecting anything within the green barrier, effectively destroyed most everything within the vicinity. The railings were severely warped by the energy, and the floors were ripped apart along with some of the metal walls. Some who were caught in the blast were lucky enough to simply be thrown overboard like a tossed pebble. Others much more unfortunate were left severely injured and barely alive, their bodies completely mangled and causing haunting screams of pain to fill the air. Among this chaos were also people who were unnaturally still.

Thankfully, there were a select few who miraculously managed to escape with barely a scratch. Among this very lucky group were Brock and Ash and their Pokémon, all of whom were clearly shaken and merely tossed to the floor as though they were trash. Others who were so lucky either stared at the warlike carnage in shock or ignored it and picked themselves up while continuing with their escape.

"God, what was that?" Ash groaned as he slowly picked himself up. The attack left him a bit shaken and banged up, but he was otherwise alright. "Felt like a Pidgey knocked me over with a Gust attack!"

"That was a Dragon-type attack!" Brock groaned as he carefully got to his feet and assessed the damage. He was clearly shocked at what he saw but managed to keep a relatively calm head. "They're notorious for being one of the strongest attack types! To use a move like that while knowing people are gonna be caught in the blast…! Despicable doesn't even begin to describe what that guy just did!"

"Wh-What're you…? Huh?" Ash could hardly contain his surprise once the smoke had settled enough for him to see the chaos. Even Pikachu, who had since been knocked out of his arms due to the blast, was stunned to the point that he forgot to check on his trainer's wellbeing. He managed after a couple of attempts to find his voice and asked, "Th-That Seadra didn't do all this, did it?"

"That's the result of using Pokémon moves without restraint," Brock replied after letting out a deep sigh. "Especially with Dragon-type attacks, even a weak Pokémon is capable of causing major damage. There's an unspoken rule between seasoned trainers that such moves shouldn't be used apart from Pokémon battles within sanctioned arenas barring extreme circumstances! The trainer license test even has a section specifically made to remind those taking it the responsibilities of owning Pokémon who know those kinds of moves!"

"Well, it sounds like someone's brushed up on their homework," the male thief spoke, his voice penetrating through the chaos. The Pelipper's cry could be heard just before a strong Gust appeared to blow away the remaining smoke. Both members of Team Aqua were standing next to the Seadra, the Pokémon panting a bit from the power it exerted but still standing strong. "If you know that much, then it should be clear that those who added it in were afraid of its power. Why else would they try to mitigate usage of Dragon moves?"

"So they could prevent incidents like this from happening!" Misty exclaimed. She was kneeling beside her Corsola tending to a wounded child; her Pokémon was unscathed and ready to continue fighting. There were also a few frightened people around them, but that number was overshadowed by those who were gravely wounded or worse. "Those who created that test might've been afraid, but they also knew that educating everyone who takes it will teach them the importance of responsibility. The trainers who pass are given what amounts to be a deadly weapon! It's only logical that they be warned of such powers that're stronger than they could imagine, quite possibly even out of their league!"

"So you say, but are you sure you're not just masking your fear behind what you believe to be a rational explanation?" the female thief countered. She had one of her arms outstretched for the Pelipper to rest on. "Explanations that claim to be based on rationale are often born from an initial fear."

"And what you're saying is exactly what would come out of a criminal's mouth! You try to deflect attention away from the wrongs you've committed by pointing out what you consider to be flaws in hopes of confusing everyone!"

"Well, it sounds like someone's taken a class in psychology before," the man said, his amusement clearly resonating in his words. "Then I suppose there's no need for us to continue wasting our breath with you. Since you're intent on being a thorn on our side, I think it's time we washed you out of the picture! Use Hydro Pump, Pelipper and Seadra!"

"Dodge it and use Tackle!" Misty commanded as the two water attacks gushed out of the opposing Pokémon's mouths. Corsola easily dodged the one from Seadra and moved in with the instructed attack.

"For someone who claims they can see through our words, you're willfully ignoring what our second Pokémon is really aiming at!" the woman cackled.

At this comment, Misty looked at the Pelipper and saw that its Hydro Pump was directed at her! It was already too late for her to have her Corsola move to intercept it, and she was in no position to move being that she was still keeping watch over the ones that were covered under Corsola's Protect. All she could do now was brace herself for the attack and hope she would be enough to shield the others from harm.

"Flamethrower now!"

In an almost theatrical fashion, Brock reacted at the last second to issue that command to his Vulpix. In turn, she quickly prepared herself and let loose a stream of flames that was set to intercept the Hydro Pump. It cut through the remaining space between Misty and the powerful jet to create an impromptu wall of fire. When the opposing elements collided, both attacks were cancelled out and replaced by a large cloud of steam.

"Thanks, Brock! I can't believe I got that careless!"

"You weren't; you just didn't think they'd be so low as to attack you," he responded. He then walked up to Vulpix, who landed next to Misty and Corsola after conducting the attack, and readied himself for a battle. "What do you say about us going together against them? If they're gonna continue playing like that, then you'll need someone to watch your back."

"Sounds like a good idea!" Misty agreed with a stout nod. "I have a feeling I can use all the help I can get!"

"Good. And Ash," Brock added as he turned his head a bit towards the other's direction, "go find a way off this ship. This Team Aqua group clearly has it almost completely under their control. Find a way off before that happens!"

"What? But what about you?" Ash exclaimed. He had been silently staring in awe at everything that was happening but was now jolted back to reality. "Are you gonna take them on your own? Let me help!"

"Stop wasting time and use your Gust to clear this mess, you stupid bird!" the male thief angrily barked out.

"Just worry about yourself!" the gym leader commanded, his concern showing through his harsh words. A strong wind was being whipped up and started to clear away the wall of steam. "You don't have the experience to handle something like this. Now go before you become a liability!"

"B-But–!"

"Pika pi!" Pikachu suddenly jumped onto Ash's shoulders and tugged at his hair. "Pika-Chu pi Pikachu. Pikachu pika!"

"…You're right, Pikachu. We're just gonna be in the way." He then took a second to make sure the yellow mouse was well situated before turning to run the other way. "I just hope that we can find a way out of here."

"And where do you think you're going?" the female thief shouted. "Stop him, Seadra!" A second later, Ash felt his back being soaked by an extremely hot liquid. He immediately fell to his knees in pain, the barrage continuing for a couple more seconds before stopping. Pikachu was also hit by the attack but was better off due to not being the main target, his concern more at his trainer than himself. The woman then asked in a maliciously sarcastic tone, "What's the matter boy? Was a little Scald too much for you to handle?"

"Ash! You okay?" Brock quickly came to his aid, making sure to instruct Vulpix to both dodge attacks and deliver them when necessary. The younger teen could only groan in response as the pain slowly became more intense. Steam was still rising from his soaked back, and the Pewter City gym leader flinched at the heat when he bent down to place a hand on him. "Damn, they burned you bad. Misty, I need some cold water now!"

"I'll do what I can!" Misty shouted back as she quickly shuffled people away from the battle. The last thing she wanted was for more people to be hurt. "Use Rain Dance, Corsola! Brock, get his shirt off so he'll cool off faster."

"Well, aren't you a chivalrous little girl," the female thief observed with a huff as a cool rain started to fall thanks to Corsola's interpretation of a Rain Dance. "Helping others while you yourself are in dire straits. However, your righteousness just might be your undoing. I'm sure you realize the risks involved for doing this, right?"

"You're talking about the fact that you have two Water Pokémon strengthened by this as opposed to my one and a teammate with a now weakened Fire type? Believe me; I realized long before we even started," the young girl sarcastically replied. "I've also realized that trying to put myself before others isn't how a gym leader is supposed to act!"

"Sh-She's a gym leader?" Ash asked, his vision a blur from the pain as he managed to sit up. His torso was now exposed to the cold rain, thanks in part to Brock having ripped his shirt off. He no longer felt as though he was on fire, but the burning sensation still lingered. Pikachu sat on his lap as a way to provide Ash distraction from the pain.

"One of four in her city's jurisdiction," Brock emphasized as he made sure the younger teen was comfortable. He then got up and redirected his attention to the battle, the field now drenched in rain. Vulpix was clearly having a hard time, seeming less energetic and weighed down by her water-logged fur. "Just don't think about it right now. Try not to move around too much. Vulpix, pay that Seadra back with a Feint Attack!"

"Pay attention to the fox's movements and dodge when it strikes!" the male thief quickly instructed as the Fire Pokémon started moving in an erratic pattern. Even though she was putting in a bit more effort, her speed was hardly effected by her wet fur. "Damn, that thing's faster than I figured. Pelipper, slow it down with a Supersonic!"

"Not so fast! Hit it with a Bubble Beam, Corsola!"

Thanks to the effects of the Rain Dance, the coral Pokémon's move was delivered with an extra punch. The bubbles were larger than normal and made a more audible pop. Most failed to hit the bird, but it managed to serve as a distraction to prevent it from enacting its Supersonic. The best it was able to do was let out short bursts of high-pitched squawks that amounted to only bearable annoyances. It soon gave up trying to complete its move and instead began attacking its annoyance with Wing Attacks that failed to connect.

At the same time, Vulpix managed to complete its preparations and finally went through with its attack. The poor Seadra was thoroughly confused after seeing so many fake attacks and was unable to dodge the true strike. The surprise hit sent it flying backwards a few feet, leaving it unable to do much except land on its side in a sorry heap. However, it quickly got back up and retreated back to the man.

"I never thought you kids would be this much trouble to subdue!" the man growled as he assessed his Pokémon's injuries. Despite the forceful hit, the damage done seemed to be just a bit beyond negligible. Satisfied with the examination, he commanded, "Put an end to this idiocy with another Dragon Pulse, Seadra!"

"Are you trying to kill both yourself and everyone else by destroying this ship? Stop him with Confuse Ray!" Brock quickly instructed. Vulpix complied by staring at the Seadra with its piercing black eyes. She looked as though she was doing nothing, but there were extremely faint waves coming from her eyes. It was like watching wisps of heat rise up from the street during an extremely hot summer afternoon. Once they became a more tangible shape, they moved towards the intended target.

"Stop that fox, Pelipper!" the woman ordered. "Let's see how well it can handle a rain-powered Hydro Pump!"

"Get in front of Vulpix and use Protect!" Misty shouted.

The pink coral Pokémon quickly stood between the fiery fox and the oncoming Hydro Pump. It was preparing to absorb the blow, but the whole process was a second too late. Just as the Protect was about to activate, the powerful blast of water connected and pushed Corsola back towards Vulpix. Because the pink Pokémon was taking the brunt of the attack, the fox took a bit less damage from the consequential knockback. Still, it was strong enough to leave them both in pain and disoriented.

"Are you two alright?!" Brock exclaimed as he went over alongside Misty to check on them. Vulpix was conscious but mewling in pain, the red in her fur dulled by the onslaught of water and clearly having an effect against her strength. Misty's Corsola, on the other hand, was faring much worse. Even with the influence of Rain Dance in consideration, the Hydro Pump was stronger than Misty realized. It was enough to leave the coral Pokémon barely conscious and unable to continue fighting.

Thankfully, the water having struck her Pokémon first provided just enough time for Vulpix's Confuse Ray to hit its mark. The Seadra, while still charging up for the Dragon Pulse, was now swaying around as though it were drunk. It meandered aimlessly for a few moments before resting its sights on the two Team Aqua members.

"What are you doing, you idiot? Stop acting like that!" the man shouted, his voice filled with fear at having the draconic power pointed towards him. The Seadra did not register the command and, much to the woman's audible horror, continued to charge its attack. "Oh god; Pelipper, blow Seadra away with Gust! NOW!!!"

"Let's get going while we still can!" the Pewter City gym leader exclaimed. He quickly scooped Vulpix into his arms and rushed towards Ash while the two thieves were preoccupied; Misty followed suit and helped the other bring Ash to his feet.

"Why didn't the Confuse Ray stop it?" the younger teen asked through gritted teeth as the familiar breeze whipped into a fierce wind. His arms being draped over the others' shoulders irritated his burned back. Pikachu kept changing his attention between his trainer and the tension caused by the confused Seadra.

"It's like gambling; it'll either cancel their attack or make them change targets," Misty explained as the trio began their escape. "I'm sure Brock was hoping for the cancelling effect, but that didn't happen!"

Suddenly, the familiar feel of the Dragon Pulse's shockwave knocked them to the ground just as the explosion sounded. Both Vulpix and Corsola flew out of their trainers' arms and had landed a few feet away in a heap. Pikachu, having been in the rear of the group, was pushed into Brock's back and thus had something to break his fall. Still, he was left in shock and had a hard time collecting himself.

However, Ash was the unluckiest of the entire group. When his body fell to the ground, the resulting shock causing his already injured back to hurt even more. He let out a cry of pain that morphed into whimpers as it continued to escalate. It was then suddenly cut short when something hit him on the back of his head as he struggled to get up, thus effectively knocking him back down with a renewed sense of pain.

"Ash!" Brock exclaimed, having clearly seen the incident and immediately by the other's side. He carefully dragged Ash to the nearest undestroyed wall, being careful not to aggravate the head wound, and propped him against it. Pikachu was immediately by Ash's side, concern written all over his face. "Are you alright?"

While the young teen heard the other, his mind was in too much pain to comprehend the words. It was all just a jumble of noise mixed together with the sounds of the ship's foundation suffering from intensive damage. Even his vision was starting to become a blur, the chaos from the latest Dragon Pulse having blown a hole deep enough to reach the water level. He was soon overwhelmed by the pain and lost consciousness. The last thing he heard was another explosion that rocked the ship and his Pikachu trying to keep him awake.

Well, that's it for this chapter. Boy, it took a while for me to get this one completed. Between my time at work and the homework I have to get done, the action was proving a headache to make right. When I thought of this, I knew I wanted only Brock and Misty to be fighting. Both are Gym leaders, so they have the experience in both Pokemon fighting and in dealing with these kinds of situations. Okay, they don't exactly have that kind of experience to deal with people hikacking ships, but I meant that as gym leaders, they have been taught how to take care of certain scenarios. I mean, gym leaders, in my opinion, are the protectors of their jurisdiction. As such, they must have had some kind of training with how to handle both usual and unusual situations.

And yes, that means Ash did not see any kind of battle this time around. For one, he is in too much shock over what happened from the first Dragon Pulse. Considering the Pallet Town scenario from last time, this action on the ship is a lot stronger than he could mentally handle. All he knows is that there was a lot of damage to both people and his surroundings. That and his experience in Pokemon fighting is practically non-existent. His first true taste of battle was during the Pallet Town scenario, so his reaction to all this as a non-trainer is very normal. And remember, this Ash that I'm making is not like from the anime, so don't be bashing me that he's acting out-of-character. I promise that what I'm doing has a good reason behind it.

And yes, I'm going to be making Dragon-type moves be pretty strong and devastating. I always had this image in my head that dragon moves have the potential to be extremely dangerous if used in the wrong way, much more so than other kinds of Pokemon moves. In short, I'm saying that this story is going to show dragon-type moves be hereditary stronger than other moves.

And if you noticed, almost all the Pokemon in this chapter used only up to four different moves per chapter battle scene, not counting the ones that are being repeated like the Dragon Pulse. I know that some of you voiced concerns about my decision to have them only use four moves and that it might prove limiting. However, I would hope that this chapter will allow you to see that four moves per pokemon per chapter battle scene is more than enough. There were almost sixteen different moves being thrown about this chapter, and me putting in more would have served to make a chaotic scene to write. That and my personal interpretations of how some moves work would make the battle very clunky if I used more than four per pokemon.

I mean, Corsola's Rain Dance was used as an impromptu form of first aid for Ash when he was burned badly. The game would never do that; it just goes by the textbook explanation that it only raises water-type moves' strength and weaken fire-type moves. If I were going for the textbook explanation, then I'd be using more than four moves per Pokemon. But since I'm not, the limit I placed is more than enough to satisfy chapter actions. And if you think about it, the anime never really had the Pokemon use an overbearing amount of moves in any given episode. Minus the improvised moves that Ash had his Pokemon do, I don't think there were many occasions where they used more than four per battle scene. Yes, the anime is working on a thirty-minute time constraint, but it still makes sense. Too many moves will bog down the action and needlessly stretch out the battle. It's the same thing with my story; I don't want it being bogged down by too many details that it slows down the pace.

And that's pretty much it for my ending author's note. If there's something you think I didn't cover here or are just confused about, feel free to leave a review or or private message. I'd be more than happy to answer those questions but only to the point where the plot isn't going to be given away. Thanks for taking the time to read this new chapter, and I hope to see you all again soon. Until the next update to this or any of my other stories on here! Later!