Vacation over, time to do some seriously heated writing. Let the war commence.
With a group wide inhale, the Water types all began to conjure a storm with a Rain Dance. Within moments, the sleeping forms of Team Origins camp stirred in surprise, staring at the cloud and the freak weather. A few of the Masters, who had chosen the evening stars as their roof, swore, and dashed into their team mates tents. After a brief rearrangement of fur and feathers, the Enslaved masses returned to their rest, unable to move and find their own shelter without their careless Master's command. Me and my army waited quietly, allowing the enemy to fall back asleep. When I was certain that the majority was unconscious, I turned behind me.
"Storm, Floodgate, Mar," I called quietly. From the shadows, the Vaporeon siblings slinked forward, appraising the growing moistness of the battlefield. "Will this amount of water suffice?" Mar, the youngest of the three, stared for a few more moments, before smirking confidently at me.
"This will be too easy," she purred. Nodding at her younger brothers, the three dashed out from the cover of the trees and into the rainfall. At the first puddle they encountered, the three of them dove in; the water accepted them without ripple as their bodies' cells melting in to match the liquid. Slowly, the three of them weaved into the camp, sneaking between the growing water ponds. As they dashed from cover to cover, taking shelter in the rain, not even my eyes could separate their bodies from the puddles' water as they submerged themselves. They worked their way slowly into the camp, their molecules splitting and mixing with even the smallest puddle whenever a sentry's eyes tried to search through the rain. Finally, after what felt like ages, they reached the inner, human cell. They peered into each of the tents silently, and finally, Floodgate, the dominant of the group, slipped into the smallest tent. I waited with bated breath, my heart pounding in my ears. Finally, he sprung forward, and quicker than they had entered the enemy's camp, they fled it, diving into puddles and ponds quietly. They reentered the tree line, panting, and Floodgate's jaws opened, dropping a single Wristband at his feet.
"There are nine humans in the camp in total. Each one has a device," Floodgate said mournfully, as Mar playfully shook the water from her slick body. Max bent down and appraised the device, and as his hand came in contact with it, the wide screen began to glow.
"The water, did it damage it?" Storm asked worriedly, his fins twitching with apprehension. After a round of translation, Max shook his head.
"This thing can only be destroyed by a human," Max mumbled inattentively, his focus completely on the Wristband. He began pressing the touch screen and turning the various tiny knobs, causing the device to beep quietly.
"How much time do you reckon we have before they notice something's wrong?" Mar yawned with a flirtatious twirl of her tail. Just then, shouting from Team Origins human cell grew loud enough to reach my ears.
"Where did you last leave it, you thick idiot?" Came a male voice.
"I told you, I never take the damn thing off! It should be here, I don't know where it…" I shook my head with a nervous tingle in my stomach; Max didn't have enough time.
"Not much." Sergio grunted, stepping towards the tree line boldly. As the Water types slid back further into the forest, the Electric types took their place, all bristling with tension, waiting for the command. "Max," Sergio called back. "Focus all your energy on the Wristbands. We will send them to you as we get them for you to destroy." Max nodded with a harsh gulp, his heart beginning to race faster with fear. Max pressed the buttons on all his Pokeballs, before his slim fingers returned deftly to the device in his hands. Glowing, Rizio, Dailyn, and Yulta were released, along with his Hitmonchan named Ebiwan.
"Keep close to your Trainer," Ember told Max's entourage. "Should the Master's discover where we are taking their Wristbands, they will most likely send everything they have this way."
"I won't let anyone touch him!" Yulta nodded, her small, young face determined. I nodded to her, then turned to look at Max, who was staring intently at me. We stared at each other, in a silent goodbye, afraid of where the sunrise would find us.
"Good luck," he whimpered, his youth showing through his attempt at staying calm. I stepped closer to him, and stroked his cheek maternally; never would I have chosen to bring children to battle, had it been under any other circumstances.
"Good luck," I said quietly. Rizio translated as I turned and looked at my mate; we shared but a moment of an intimate stare, our emotions and fears being to expansive for words to truly communicate. Then, his duty took over, and he turned coldly from me back to the plains, where the human's shouts were growing frantically loud.
"Now!" Sergio shouted. At once, the plains were filled with the heated crackle of electricity and the bright light of the communities Thunder attack. Screams of pain filled the air, drowning out the sizzling that filled Max's ears; he shook his head, trying to clear out the agony, but found that no amount of wishing would end this battle any sooner. The Electric types held the attack for as long as possible, but as some of the weaker Pokémon's attacks began to fall out, as they could not sustain it, Sergio called off the attack.
Many of the Flying and Water types that belonged to the Master's had already fainted; but as I watched, those who had fainted, their minds telling them to end the battle, rose to their feet at their Master's commands. Many bruised and burned, they rose recklessly, and I cringed; we would have to beat down those who were past the point of fainting; this night would end in blood, and for once in a long time in Pokémon battle history, death.
As the humans began to regain their senses, I rushed past Sergio rapidly, leading the charge into the plains, not wanting to waste our advantage of surprise. The sound of hundreds of hooves, paws, feet, and claws following me was the tuneless beat of my war drum.
I crashed head first into a stunned Sneasel in a Quick Attack, and but a second later, I felt the concussion of my army slamming into the flesh of the enemy around me. I pinned him to the ground, bathing him in a searing Flamethrower as he screamed in pain beneath me. Just then, a Force Palm in my chest threw me backwards onto my back. As I rose quickly, I saw the Sneasel clamor to its feet weakly as a Breloom stood beside it. I growled menacingly, but found myself suddenly distraught with sadness; in their eyes, there was no anger, or hate, or thrill of battle. Only desperation and tears of frustration and confusion as their Master's finally commanded them to destroy their liberators.
The Breloom hurled an Energy Ball at me as the Sneasel charged forward with a Payback. A Sludge Bomb collided with his face, sending him again to the ground, as a Vileplume rushed to my aim. With the Sneasel's aggression turned to my ally, I focused on the Breloom; I stood my ground and tanked the Energy Ball, knowing I had a type advantage, and then slammed into him with a Flame Charge that sent him sprawling. Just in time, I ducked under a Thunder Punch from an Electabuzz, and knocked him back with a Feint Attack. My paws were swept out from behind me by a Vine Whip, and I rounded and punished the Tangrowth with a Fire Fang, causing it to recoil in pain.
Everything was wrong; this wasn't a Pokémon battle. This wasn't a clear, spacious battle for fun or dominance; this was a claustrophobic slaughter for survival. Every moment I turned, someone was attacking my flank, and I was switching opponents every other move. As the assaults came from behind, from above, I could barely recognize what Pokémon it was I was attacking; I didn't have time to even appraise my friend, turned foe.
A small Frost Breath hit my side, and with a vengeful howl, I shot a powerful Inferno, swamping my enemy in live flames. Once my attack's fire was finished licking at my assailant's skin, I found my fiery blood turn cold. Laying, burnt nearly black, laid my attacker; a Smoochum, not even a foot tall, was sprawled, crippled on the soaked grass. The world around me slowed, the roar of war dulled, and I stumbled over to my victim.
She rolled over, and her young eyes were flowing freely with tears. As she saw me, she cried and mewled as she rose to her feet unsteadily, and I nearly vomited with disgust as her left foot rotated a complete 360 degrees around brokenly beneath her, as her Master commanded her to continue to fight. Another Frost Breath slammed into my face, but I continued to come towards her, numb to my pain. All I wanted to do was comfort this baby; she couldn't have been over a year in age, maybe she had been born into Enslavement. She jumped up, and an extraordinarily weak Pound slapped my face. As she landed back on the ground, her contorted and shattered foot gave way, and she fell once again. Finally close enough to her, I wrapped her gently in my tails, hiccupping as my sobs took over. I couldn't breathe.
She Licked my face over and Over again as she cried helplessly, wanting to stop fighting but being force against her will. I took the damage willingly, my tears coming harder and harder as I rocked her. Blood poured from her destroyed ankle, and ever so slowly, her attacks began to become less frequent. Her eyes glazed over as the life began to seep from the infant's body.
"I'm so sorry," I whispered, kissing her forehead as her Ice Punch smacked my jaw. As I pulled back, and looked at her one last time, I saw her absolute desperation and frustration; her Master was making sure that her heart stopped beating before her attacks. Quietly, hoping to give her at least a brief respite from the pain of our world, I sent a Hypnosis out, and she fell asleep immediately in my grasp. After only a few seconds, she stopped breathing. And a few moments after that, my sensitive tails felt her pulse stop.
I let her down gently, and began to stroke her beautiful, young face, disgusted with myself for taking her young life, and Team Origin for forcing her to the suicide of war. A ferocious Hydro Pump drove me away from my charge, and I felt instantly weakened. I rose to my feet shakily, and began wobbling over to the babe's body again, blind to all but her corpse. A second Hydro Pump knocked me back several yards. Too weak to rise, I laid there, too weak to even lift my muzzle from the mud as the rain poured onto me from above. I rested there, welcoming death now, defeated in spirit and body. A sudden Thunderbolt slammed into the Golduck who was attacking me, throwing him several yard into the air before it crashed a few meters away. Sergio rushed into my fading vision, and his words, dulled by my growing unconsciousness, were barely registered. Suddenly, I found my eyes snapping awake and I glanced around in confusion. Beside my mate, a small Gothita's Healing Pulse was reviving me. Once she had done her work, she jumped back into the fray with a Façade.
"Get up," Sergio commanded coldly. I rose quickly, my gaze staying on the mangled body of my kill. Sergio glanced at it, and then looked back at me, his eyes softening only in the slightest. "We haven't time for mourning." I nodded, and together, we launched back into battle. I fought passionlessly at first, numb to my purpose, but as I fought beside him, my rage grew. These monsters, these humans, were more like demons. I would make them pay. I reared about in fury, lashing out with a newfound fire to fight, pouring my hate and fury and sorrow into my attacks. Around me, Pokémon fell quickly as we made our way to the human's camp, where very few of our soldiers had fought their way into yet. Together, we unstoppably entered the dilapidated circle where the humans cowered.
Several of our Flying types made dive bomb attempts to rip off the Wristbands, but the humans either swatted them away themselves, our used their Slaves to beat them back. Suddenly, a decent portion of the Enslaved Pokémon battling on the field stopped attacking. Once they realized they weren't under Team Origin's control, they dashed to the tree line, fleeing their captors.
"What the hell? What's going on?" A small Team Origin member shrieked, watching a portion of her army escape.
"My Wristband! It must've been destroyed!" wailed the man, shaking in terror.
"Their after our Wristbands!" Called another, suddenly, tucking his arm in, and shielding his device. The others followed suit, and Sergio and I charged the nearest man. A burly Bouffalant suddenly blocked our way. Sergio sent out a Thunder Wave, immobilizing it, as I darted around it. With a savage snarl, I knocked the man to the ground, my muzzle dripping threateningly with my foaming saliva as my growl ripped louder from my mouth. With a surprised cry, he punched my face. Ignoring his attempt to defend himself, I sank my teeth deep into the flesh of his wrist. His screams of pain didn't sate my need for revenge as I twisted and yanked, my fangs tearing his Wristband from him, along with the majority of the flesh around it. As I leapt backwards off of him and he scrambled away, nursing his destroyed wrist, I barked an order at Ledian above. With a toss of my muzzle, I threw the technology into the air, and my soldier caught it deftly, before zooming to the forest. Satisfied that another Wristband was about to be destroyed, I turned my bloody muzzle to the other humans who were eyeing me in horror. My chest heaved angrily, my red eyes glowed in the pouring rain, and my thirst for their blood and pain was far from satisfied.
"Dear Arceus, the hell is that? A hell hound from down under?" The man whose Wristband was already destroyed enlarged a Pokeball in his palm, and out of it came a large Mandibuzz. I grinned savagely as I sensed Sergio standing beside me, the Bouffalant now fighting one of our other soldiers as more worked their way to the center of the battle. I never wanted this war. I never chose to be the aggressor, only the defender. But tonight, I was defending everything of importance; the lives of my forest's inhabitants, their freedom, their lives, their happiness. The scum before me was happy to steal that from us…from babies. Oh, no, this night, and their punishment, had just begun.