Chapter 5
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"Are you sure they went in here?" Misty asked after scouring the entirety of the cave with them. Kaiba was surprised at how quickly she tore through the rock-like pokemon in the cave. It was as if they never stood a chance. Maybe they didn't.
"We asked the people at the pokemon center just outside the cave if they had entered and they said they saw them for sure. They were chasing some people from team...shuttle?" Serenity tried, not quite remembering the name of the organization.
"Team Rocket." Kaiba corrected, glancing around the now empty cavern.
"Wait, Team rocket was headed to my home town? Why didn't you say something about that!" She yelled, rushing back towards the city they hadn't entered yet. "I'm supposed to protect my town from them, not just let them waltz in!" She cried as they attempted to keep up with her.
"Are they really that bad?" Tristan asked, trying to catch his breath, but slowing.
" Are you kidding? They're the most rotten thieves, kidnappers and dealers there ever were." Kaiba stopped dead in his tracks. Kidnappers? If they got Mokuba...He rushed forward, easily covering the ground he lost from when he stopped. He had to get them. He had to make sure his little brother was safe, and if that meant taking down all of Team Rocket, then so be it.
Once outside of the cave, they could already see there was trouble taking place in the town. Misty let out a small yelp and moved on towards it and the others followed.
"Where did they go?" She called, asking one of the townspeople who was just standing back up.
"To the west." He managed to get out before she moved on. Tristan stayed back to help the man while Serenity and Kaiba continued on with Misty. She followed the wreckage to a small house to the northwest of town and entered. There were two people inside, a man and a woman, who were talking to what seemed to be a female police officer. The back wall had a large hole in it that they were sure was recent as of today.
"So they just ran through here? Did they take anything?" She cop asked, ready to move if she should need to.
"Yes, but it wasn't much. Just a TM." The man said, shaken. The officer nodded and climbed through the hole in the wall, in obvious pursuit of the criminals. Misty followed, determined to right her wrong and Serenity and Kaiba did as well.
Just outside, they caught a glimpse of a man dressed in black running away. The officer was already hot on him, but they ran to catch up as well.
"Go, Growlith!" The officer shouted, releasing her pokemon. A small orange and white striped dog lunged forth and took off after the man. It wasn't long before the pokemon jumped him, sending him crashing to the ground. He cried out and struggled against the dog, but it was no use. He had only one option left. He reached down and clicked the buttons on his pokeballs, sending out his own pokemon. Another of those giant bats, Golbat, and one of the sludge creatures appeared. The sludge creature was smaller than the last they encountered and was just off on coloring.
Along with those, a large purple snake and a floating creature that looked somewhat like an old water mine appeared.
"Coffing, Smokescreen!" The man called, and the floating mine buzzed around them, spewing nauseating gasses out and making everyone in the area choke. They couldn't see inside the smoke but they could hear the dog pokemon yelp in pain.
"Pidgy, blow away the smoke!" Serenity called, letting out the little bird. It began flapping it's wings furiously and drawing up a strong gust of wind to sweep away the obstructing vapors. As the air around them cleared the snake launched itself from the smokescreen, latching itself onto the closest person, Kaiba. He fell prone as the snake tangled itself with him, immobilizing him. Tristan ran to remove the creature from him, but it snapped at him, scaring him off.
"Pinsir, get it off of him." He instructed, letting his pokemon go. Serenity recalled her Pidgy now that the smoke was clear. It was still too weak from fighting in the caves earlier to do much more. She called on her Charmander, and Tristan let out his Mankey as well. Misty called another star like pokemon forth. This one was purple with twice as many points as the other.
"Starmie, make sure they cant get away!" She cried and the creature launched into the air and spun frisbee style until it made it to the Team Rocket member, smashing into his back as he tried to flee. Serenity's Charmander began clawing at the snake on Kaiba as she pried at it's tail, trying to free his arms. Once he got one of them free, he called on his own pokemon. His Spearow darted about in the air, attacking the Golbat in aerial combat while both his Charmander and the dog from the officer struggled with the slime pokemon.
Tristan's Mankey jumped trying to hit the flying smoke pokemon out of the air while his Pinsir helped finish prying off the snake. Overall, the Rocket member was failing, and he was beginning to realize it. Suddenly, before they could do anything else, More of the snake like pokemon and slime covered pokemon circled them. There were at least a dozen of them. The man from Team Rocket rose, smirking.
"I was wondering when you all would show up." He said, fixing his gaze on the officer as he addressed the new arrivals. Before long five more people wearing the same black outfit as him surrounded them.
"We were waiting on the bridge, but I guess you forgot that." One of them replied.
"This isn't good..." Tristan said, turning to watch the snakes and slime creatures circling them and backing towards the center with everyone else.
"Hah, Misty, you cant even handle a few lumps like these. There really is no hope for you." A female voice called. All people and pokemon turned their attention to the roof of a nearby building. The gym. "I mean, we have you watch one entrance and you still manage to screw that up." A woman said, flipping her hair back.
"We always have to clean up after you. Oh well, what are big sisters for?" Two more girls moved up from behind the first and readied their pokeballs.
"Dewgong, I think you'll be enough for a bunch of weaklings like these." The third said, tossing out a pokeball. "Icebeam." She commanded and a ray of frost protruded from the pokeball before the pokemon could even form. The frost ray swept over all of the offending pokemon, freezing them in place before anyone could even bat an eye. These girls... they were powerful. Finally, with the threats neutralized, they could all get a good view of the girl's pokemon. It was a large white seal with a single horn atop it's head.
"It's beautiful..." Serenity said, admiring the thing. The girls gave a confidant smirk and hopped down from the building with grace. They moved next to a deflated Misty and put their arms around her.
"See sis? That's how Gym leaders take care of problems. Maybe you should go fish yourself out a new stronger pokemon... not that it'd listen to you." They laughed, making her turn red and shrug them off.
"Why do you all have to be such jerks?" She said, storming away. Serenity paused for a moment, but ran to catch up with her, leaving the boys with Misty's sisters.
"Hey, are you alright?" She asked, now a good distance away from the others.
"No. Did you see me out there? I was pretty much useless. How am I ever going to make it to Gym leader if I keep fighting like that?" She said, looking down and shuffling her feet.
"You're a lot closer than you think. You're so young and already strong. I kinda wish I was more like you." Misty looked up at Serenity, but scrunched her nose.
"You're just teasing me like they are." She seemed to be trying to convince herself more than Serenity, and she could tell Misty wasn't used to hearing things like that.
"No, I'm not. But maybe it's a good thing they tease you." Now Misty was giving her a look that questioned her very sanity. "Hear me out, I have a big brother. He's always supporting me and telling me I can do anything, but when it comes down to actually doing things, he always does them for me. He hasn't taught me how to live. How to deal with things. He thinks I'm small and weak and that I constantly need to be protected. But if I'm always protected, how can I ever learn to fight my own battles? Your sisters may be a bit mean and stand off ish, but at least you're able to learn and grow." She finished. Misty looked up at her with bright eyes full of understanding.
"I guess so... I just wish they weren't so mean about it." Her tone was a happy one, despite the subject.
"Can I tell you a secret?" Serenity giggled, and Misty nodded, leaning in. " I'm almost happy that My brother and I got separated. I feel like I've learned so much more in the last day than I have in the month before. Is that awful?" Misty shook her head.
"I guess independence is important. Maybe I'm kind of lucky to have it... though... I wish there was some middle ground." The girls laughed and made their way back to the group.
"Where are they?" They heard Kaiba ask as they watched him stand intimidatingly over the Team Rocket members.
"Gone. They messed up a big operation of ours and they're paying for it now." One of the grunts said, smiling. Kaiba gripped the collar of the mans shirt, yanking him up and breaking off some ice from his clothes.
"You're going to tell me where they went while you still can, because when I'm done with you, I can guarantee you wont have any fingers, toes ears tongue or nose left to do anything with." He threatened, making the man turn four shades of pale lighter.
"Th-That's nothing compared to what the b-boss will do." He said, trying not to panic.
"Really? Then I guess I'll have to bump it up a notch." The man almost passed out in his hands right there when Serenity moved in. She put a hand on Kaiba's arm and he glared at it, then her.
"Kaiba, if he passes out, we wont get anything from him." She said, offering a sweet, yet submissive smile. He released the man, for reasons unknown to even himself and moved aside. "Can I get you anything? Water? Maybe a coat?" She asked sweetly, kneeling before them man. Everyone stood in shock, unable to form words. The man gulped back and shook his head, unsure of how to respond. She turned her head to the others and addressed them. "Hey, Can I get some privacy? Misty, maybe you could help me." She offered a wink to Misty and suddenly it dawned on her.
"Alright, Give them some space. You guys are too scary." She said, pushing Kaiba and Tristan out, while also glaring at Misty's sisters. They moved from the area, content with watching from a window inside the gym and Misty went back out with Serenity. She offered a glass of water to the man who took it but didn't drink from it.
"Now, we just want to find our friends. I'm sure we can settle any disputes we have with your boss, but this kind of thing is a little over your heads. I don't see why your boss even has to know you were a part of it. Any of you, really. I don't want anyone to get hurt. I don't like it when people suffer. And I really don't know if I can get Kaiba to stop... he kind of doesn't like me and he doesn't listen to anyone really. If you'd just tell us where they are... I'm sure we can work something out so you don't get in trouble with your boss and we can find our friends. Besides, it's only the three of us looking... if those gym leaders didn't come and bail us out, we would have never defeated you." She said in the kindest voice she could muster. Most of what she said was true.
"They... They're being kept...At the power plant up north." She finally got out of them. She smiled and turned to the window, giving the thumbs up.
"I'll see what I can do for you guys." Both her and Misty moved into the gym to meet up with the rest of them and left the group to wait anxiously. Finally they re-emerged and the gym leaders approached the group.
"You're going to give back everything you stole. You''re going to help up repair the house you broke through, and then you're never going to come back again. Understand?" The group of villains nodded and rose, led off by Misty's sisters.
"So, you're going to the old power plant right? I can help you get there. The road's kind of been worn away by the ocean, so you'd need water pokemon to surf you down to it. I've got plenty of water pokemon in here," She pointed back at the gym, "so you guys wont have to worry about it."
"That's great!" Tristan said, eager to reunite with the rest of them. Kaiba nodded and Serenity smiled widely. It took her a few minutes but she was able to disappear into the gym and reappear ready to go.
"I was able to borrow my sister's Seaking. It can hold one person. Staryu only let's me ride her and Starmie can hold up to two people. So two of you will be riding together." Serenity paled. She knew there was no way Kaiba would ever ride with Tristan, and she wasn't exactly comfortable riding with either one of them. Kaiba was mean and Tristan was... Tristan. It was going to be quite the decision.
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Ok, so, I'm thinking about completely giving up on this fic. I've had like, no viewers and this chapters been up for the entire day and hasn't gotten one hit. I'm seriously just thinking of calling it a flop. It depends on the next few days, so let me know if I should even bother.
Read, Review, Enjoy~Love ya!