AN: Check out chapter 1 for a new Table of Contents and chapter titles
"Well, I think I finally got it" Shoten said as he successfully executed desired technique.
Two months have passed since the Battle of Mt. Chimney and the expulsion of Shoteneko from their ranks due to his use of forbidden techniques. Little do they know that Shoten survived the fall from the cliff and retreated to the deep recesses of Meteor Falls in order to rebuild his strength and perfect the other techniques he had planned on learning prior to his expulsion.
"Finally after two months of hard work I'm right where I want to be." Shoten said to no one in particular. "I've regained the strength I lost during the Battle of Verdanturf and added to it. That in addition to the other techniques I've learned since I started my forced hermitage will make me a force to be reckoned with."
"It's time to leave Meteor Falls and go back to the front lines to end this war once and for all." Shoten declared.
Meanwhile, outside the mountain range….
"Nate, report your status!" a Servine yelled into her communicator.
"I'm flying your way, Momo, but the Amplifier has taken some hits. There's only so much an AK can take you know?"
"I have Grunt moving toward your position in his Knight with reinforcements in tow to keep some of the Pokemon off of your tail. If that isn't enough, I'll be there in a couple of minutes once I've formed a battle plan."
The past two months have not gone as the Pokemon had originally planned. Instead of choking off supplies to the North and claiming an easy victory, exerting their influence was met with fierce battling at every step of the way. Many disillusioned with the war abandoned their posts and formed splinter cells, many of which including both Pokemon and humans fighting together.
One of these groups is led by a scheming Servine named Momo who wants to carve out a small neutral state, safe from both sides of the war.
After a quick analysis of the battlefield an idea formed in Momo's head.
"Nate, head due west. Grunt, head northwest and we'll rendezvous there. There is lots of vegetation I can use to our advantage. Can the Amplifier last that long Nate?"
"Don't worry, this thing has been in worse situations and gotten me out just fine. I'll just activate my soundproof shield right quick and hopefully that'll be enough to last me until the rendezvous."
"Don't worry Nate, me and the Giovanni can already see you up there, we'll get you out of this." Grunt broke in.
"You better, you still owe me from the last time we tried to take Fallarbor Town." Nate shot back.
"Guys focus. If we don't take Fallarbor Town this time, our dream for a neutral state will die right here." Momo stated, trying to stress the severity of the situation to her top two lieutenants.
When she had first started the resistance cell a little over a month ago, they had lots of members and support but membership and supplies had been falling steadily from the start. They tried to take Fallarbor countless times over the last month and had failed each time, leading to huge losses in moral each time. Members had been leaving in hordes. Momo finally decided on one final last ditch effort to take Fallarbor Town before they lost the necessary manpower. If they lost, it would be the end of their resistance.
"Here we go, FOR THE GLORY OF TEAM ROCKET!" Grunt yelled as he launched a rocket at the bird Pokemon swarming around Nate and his AK, the Amplifier.
"OK. Let me help you out there buddy, Claws on a chalk board!" the Amplifier then released a horrible screeching sound, immobilizing those nearby, allowing Grunt's rocket to hit for maximum damage.
The resulting explosion marked the beginning of the last stand for the small resistance cell.
Shoteneko POV
I have my goal but how do I go about achieving it? Shoten wondered to himself as he exited the caves that had been his home for the past two months. I can't take on either side alone so I guess the first step would be to find some allies.
"What in the world is all that noise?" Shoten said to himself as he heard rumbles from off in the distance. "Might as well go investigate."
As he drew closer, the noise turned out to be the result of an ongoing battle at the foot of the mountain.
"Hmm, a resistance cell fighting Pokemon forces, they could prove to be useful to me."
Rather than intervening right away, Shoten decided to observe the fighting capabilities of the resistance to see if they would make strong allies and whether or not the battle could be won.
After careful observation, Shoten was able to identify three members who seemed to be, more or less, in charge. The first leader Shoten identified was rather unusual, a male AK pilot who the others were referring to as Nate. While not entirely unheard of, male AK pilots were rare, as women had a higher compatibility with the machines. The uniqueness of the pilot was mirrored by his machine, which seemed to be based on utilizing sound rather than the standard weapons of other AK pilots(swords and blasters). Speakers were set at the shoulders and hips of the machine to maximize the power of his sound based attacks. Acoustic paneling was placed on the arms of the machine to shield the pilot from attacks and for close quarters combat, Nate wielded a simple wooded sword that his machine could vibrate at tremendous frequencies, making a once harmless practice weapon deadly in the heat of battle.
The next leader IDed was the pilot of a Knight who was referred to as Grunt. The Knight, at first glance, looked didn't seem like much, but pilot had modified it to suit his battling style perfectly. Besides the standard weapons carried by Knights, Grunt's carried a rocket launcher, which he was quite fond of using, capable of knocking out entire squads of highly trained Pokemon with a single well paced hit. Once the rocket was fired, Grunt would either charge forward guns blazing or retreat into the legion of Knights that he led in order to hide from the enemy and prepare another rocket strike. The only thing that differentiated his Knight from the others and allowed Shoten to track him through the battle was the presence of a bright R on both arms of his Knight.
Final leader identified arrived slightly later to the fight and seemed to be in charge of tactics for the cell. She was a female Servine who people were calling Momo. Her knowledge of battlefield tactics was above average to be sure, they were even better than Reuniclus's, but what really caught Shoten's eye was the technique she was using to battle: Energy Manipulation.
Energy Manipulation is a variant of the Absorb/Mega Drain/Giga Drain line made famous by the Slash's apprentice Treecko, AKA Night Shade. Rather than simply absorbing power from your enemy and using it to strengthen yourself, the user uses herself was a conduit for any nearby energy, battle related or not, and redistributes it as she sees fit. By absorbing energy from the blaster shots coming toward her and from nearby plants, Momo channeled the energy into specific plants near the enemy, causing them to grow and become deadly.
This resistance cell is quite strong. They're just what I need in order to start ending the war between Pokemon and humans. Shoten thought to himself. Before I enter the battle, I need a disguise though. Shoteneko is dead and that is how it should stay. Shoten then executed one of the techniques he perfected over the last two months: Dark Pulse armor. Through intense concentration, the user can form a black layer of armor over the entirety of their bodies.
After adding some color to the armor using Thunderbolts controlled in the same manner, Shoten set off to join the battle.
Momo POV
The battle isn't going to break in our favor. Momo thought. Although they had fought valiantly and taken down a good number of the enemy's forces, they just kept coming. Her troops were already showing signs of exhaustion and would soon be overwhelmed unless a miracle happened.
"Momo what's the plan?" Nate asked. "The battle sure doesn't look good from where I'm standing."
"Yeah boss lady what's the plan?" Grunt chimed in. "Tell me how I can beat the ever lovin' crap out of more of these jokers."
"I don't know guys." Momo admitted. "We've thrown everything we have against the enemy and it still hasn't been enough. If we can't take Fallarbor Town here then I want to give another resistance cell the best opportunity to do what we couldn't. Nate, send one of your fastest AK pilots to the base of another nearby resistance cell. Tell her to tell the leaders of the cell that Momo's resistance cell has fallen but Fallarbor Town is weak and can be easily taken."
"OK Momo. Are you sure you want to make this our last stand? We could still retreat and rebuild." Nate suggested.
"No, this is the right decision. We've fought too long without any success to recruit new members and many of our old members will most likely leave after this failure. It would be best to take as many as we can with us and leave the door open for another cell."
"As you wish, Commander." Nate replied.
"You heard the boss lady. " Grunt yelled. "No retreat maggots. Take as many of them down as you can. Fight onward FOR THE GLORY OF TEAM ROCKET!"
Before any of the troops could begin their suicidal assault, a slew of lightning bolts descended from the sky, wiping out a large portion of the attacking Pokemon. After the smoke cleared, a Meowth-shaped figure could be seen floating down from the sky almost as if sent by the heavens themselves, unfazed by the massive display of power performed moments before.
"Thank you for your help but who are you?" Momo asked, suspicious of the new arrival to the battlefield.
"It doesn't matter who I am at this point." He responded in an authoritative voice. "Let me ask you a question now. Do you want to win?"
"Wh-What!?" Momo stuttered, caught off guard by the stranger's question.
"Do you want to win this battle?" The black clad stranger repeated.
"Of course but how-"
"Then follow my commands and I will lead your group to victory."
"At least tell us your name," Nate interjected. "We have to call you something over the radio and mysterious dude seems like it would be a huge waste of breath."
"Fine, I am the hope that will lead this resistance cell to victories beyond your wildest dream. I am one of the last shining lights in the world so that is what you may call me."
"Light?"
"Yes, I am the light that will lead this world out of its current darkness and into a bright new age! Now come, we have a battle to win." Light said.
"Yes sir." Everyone responded.
Shoteneko POV
This Dark Pulse armor is really helping me establish my image with the resistance cell here.
In order to prevent anyone from recognizing him as Shoteneko, he used a technique known as Dark Pulse armor to disguise his identity. To others, Shoteneko now looks like a completely black Meowth with waves of yellow lights, created using Thunderbolts, extending all across his body from their origin at his heart.
"All right, at this point we have a limited window to surprise the enemy. At their last report I'm sure they were reporting that the battle was well in hand but now the tables have turned."
"What's the target Light?" Momo asked.
"The target? You think too small. Now is the time to stir confusion and fear in the enemy ranks. One of their squads, with battle well in hand, has disappeared. They're now dealing with an unknown quantity" Light stated. "Start to surround the town. If you encounter the enemy, take them out but as quickly and silently as possible."
"I get it you're trying to make them think we had reinforcements they didn't know about."
"Very perceptive Nate." Light replied. "Once they are tricked into believing this fact, they will make mistakes that we can capitalize on and take the city. Momo, Grunt, Nate with me. We'll position ourselves at the Northern end of town."
"Isn't that where the heaviest security is, to guard the mining operation?" Grunt asked.
"Yes, but those who lead must sometimes take the toughest matters into their own hands. Since you are all leading members of the cell, you must show your men you have what it takes to beat the best of them." Light responded.
About 10 meters away a small group of fighting type Pokemon were standing guard.
"Let's take these guys out." Light ordered and used Shadow Ball. While the Shadow Ball didn't have any effect on the enemy fighting types, it was enough to startle them and make for an easy takedown by Nate, Grunt and Momo.
"OK so that one group down and probably about 19 left to go." Nate commented after they took out the first group of enemies.
"Don't let your guard down. Any of those 19 could still take us out. Never underestimate the enemy." Momo chastised.
"Keep fighting. Soon it will be time to start our direct assault on the city." Light said.
Pokemon Command POV
In the headquarters of the Pokemon's forces in Fallarbor Town a Linoone can be seen racing down the halls to report some urgent news to the Head of Command.
"Commander, Lord Genma sir!" Linoone said, referring to the large Pangoro sitting menacingly in the center of the dimly lit room.
"What is it?!" Genma snapped. "I'm in the middle of eating here!"
"I'm sorry to interrupt sir but the forces we set to fight the resistance cell from earlier have just sent word that they were defeated."
"How is that possible? They don't have that type of manpower."
"Others report seeing a large flash of light before being rendered unconscious. Maybe they were able to recruit a powerful electric type to their cause."
"Leave the speculating to me!"Genma snapped again. "If they were able to take out those forces they'll probably come back to us. They seemed pretty desperate to capture the city. Send word to put all troops on standby. "
"Yes sir." Linoone stammered before leaving the room.
To defeat some of my best soldiers, who are these guys? Genma thought before returning to his feast.
AN: And so begins the second arc of Pokemon New Age. Lots of new characters introduced, next time the conclusion of the Battle for Fallarbor Town.
For the inspiration for Nate and Grunt check out youtube and search for Natewantstobattle and Dookieshed respectively.
10 points to anyone who can figure out where the inspirations for Genma or Momo came from.