Barn and Co. are fighting Mara and her Murkrow henchmen in the cavern with the treasure, and the Darkfeather gang has arrived on Fire Isle in search of Gaby's Shard! Can things get any worse, and will our respective parties be able to escape the Darkfeathers' greedy talons?
Read on to find out!
Victory fire: Please don't be impatient. I already got your character requests, and you certainly do not need to send them a second time. They will appear eventually, I just haven't found a place to put them in yet.
-.-.-.-.-.
The village, the peaceful village that sat upon the grassy plains of Fire Isle, was subjected to the gentle glow of the setting sun as night began to fall. It was also a place of complete chaos.
Darkfeathers were everywhere, swooping down here, there, and everywhere. They ripped apart baskets and crates, tore through houses and shops, and made a mess of the entire village as they searched for the Shard they wanted. Villagers were also all over the place, either fleeing from the attacks of the Darkfeathers or fighting back to save their home.
Team Bloodsucker was at the center of the feathery maelstrom. Tesla fought valiantly against Herra the Skarmory. The huge Conductula was bigger than the bird herself, much more agile, and possessed a clear type advantage. On the downside, she couldn't fly, and didn't have steel-hard skin.
Drain sparred with Iron Talon, using his flexible centipede body to his advantage. Pulling his tail away from the Pidgeot's metal claws, he would instantaneously strike with his mandibles and then retreat again. He was incredibly fast and could flexible enough to perform two actions at the same time, but didn't possess any type advantages or disadvantages. He didn't have weapons or wings, either.
Burner seemed to be on even ground with Clawface. Both could fly, both of their types were neutral to each other, and they were fast and ferocious when it came to sparring in the air. They circled each other above the heat of the chaos that had befallen Fire Isle, occasionally striking out at each other but doing no real damage.
"Tell me, Clawface," Burner said casually as he lashed out with an Air Slash, "what do you want these Shards for, hmm? You seem awfully desperate if you are attacking villages and slaughtering innocents to get to it."
The Fearow laughed and attacked with a half-hearted Aerial Ace. "Are you kidding? I'd do that for an Oran Berry!" Then he did a spiraling loop to try and outflank Burner, ending the maneuver with a Drill Peck attack.
The Moskeeteor met him head on with his own Drill Peck. The two beaks met with a loud *clang* and bounced harmlessly off of each other. "Please, let us stop this bloodshed and talk this out like civilized Pokemon," Burner said calmly. "If indeed, there is still a shred of civility left in that pathetic heart of yours, Scarface."
That nickname was what pushed Clawface over the edge. He screamed in rage and unleashed a Hyper Beam. Any normal Pokemon would have been powerless to stop its progress, and would be forced to either try and flee or take it full force.
But Burner wasn't any normal Pokemon. He easily dodged, as nimble as even the smallest Bug Pokemon. "I thought not," he sighed, before increasing the vibration of his wings. "Bug Buzz!" he cried, as the speed and sound of his wings reached an ultrasonic pitch.
Clawface was knocked back by the sound wave, and then was unable to stop Burner from barraging him with multiple Air Slashes. He hit the ground, stunned, and Burner buzzed down to follow.
-.-.-.-.-.
On the other side of the village, Gaby, Cobalt, and Miranda of Team Eevui found themselves cornered by ten bird Pokemon in an alley between two buildings. There was the occasional crate full of Berries to be found in there as well, and such things proved troublesome when trying to dodge in an already tight space.
"Counter!" Cobalt yelled as a Pidgey zoomed in for a Wing Attack. A red aura blazed around him, providing him with sufficient protection to send the Pidgey bouncing off and into the pavement.
"T-Tackle!" Miranda quavered as she slammed into an incoming Starly. As the bird fell, she found herself under attack from a Spearow. The Eevee dodged its Peck attack, only to crash into a crate full of Chesto Berries and stumble. Instantly, the Spearow came around for another Peck attack.
"Miranda, watch out! Magical Leaf!" Gaby cried, conjuring several glowing leaves out of nowhere. The leaves flew at the Spearow, battering it enough for it to retreat away from Miranda. "Th-thanks!" she stammered, getting to her feet painfully. She then proceeded to Tackle the Spearow, sending it into a wall.
The bird Pokemon advanced, pushing against them and giving them less and less room to maneuver. A Swellow dove down at Cobalt with Aerial Ace, going for a super-effective hit. "Quick Attack!" the Riolu cried as he dodged it. "And now Sky Uppercut!" He jumped into the air and slammed his tiny fist into the Swellow's beak, prompting a squawk of pain from it as it soared up into the air, this time without the aid of its wings.
Gaby tossed a volley of Magical Leaves at the wall of sharp beaks and flapping wings, trying to give them cover. As the birds cringed, occupied with the flying leaves, the trio allowed themselves a brief moment to recover. "Double Team," Gaby whispered.
When the Flying-types recovered, they found themselves faced with an extra fifteen foes. Their heads turned every which way as they tried to deduce which was the real Kirlia hiding amongst the duplicates.
Miranda found a rare moment of bravery as she Tackled one distracted Natu, causing it to plummet into the crate of Chesto Berries with a *splat*. But her constant Tackling was wearing her down visibly, and sweat dripped from her face as she tried to keep her energy from fading.
"This… is… exhausting…" she panted, causing Cobalt to glance over at her after giving the Pidgey from before a Sky Uppercut. "Then use a different move!" he shouted over to her as the surprisingly resilient Normal-and-Flying-type came around for another attack. "Tackle's the only attack I know!" she cried back.
Cobalt facepalmed. "Oh, for the love of Arceus… throw fruit at them or something then!" He smashed into the Pidgey with Quick Attack, finally knocking it out of the fight.
The Eevee frantically dug her paw into the Chesto Berry crate and chucked a few at the birds. The Swellow that was hanging back in the fight after recklessly attacking Cobalt was busy trying to discern which Gaby was which, and thus got several Berries in the face. Trying to see through the Berry juice stinging its eyes, it didn't see Gaby taking a chance and firing a Focus Blast, a movement that was copied by the other Gabys.
The other birds hastened to get out of the way of the flurry of energy blasts. The Swellow was struck dead-on and fell to the ground, unconscious in an instant.
Three down, thought Cobalt as he briefly engaged in a Quick Attack battle with a Tranquill. Unexpectedly, the big pigeon went into a Gust attack next, throwing the Riolu off. While he was dealing with the wind, the Tranquill swooped in and caught him with an Air Cutter. Cobalt cried out as the wind slammed into him and threw him into a stack of crates.
Instantly, the Tranquill dove to finish him off. But halfway there, it was splattered with a Chesto Berry to the beak, courtesy of Miranda. It changed its mind and went for the insolent Eevee, who quaked with fear as she groped around for another Berry. Instead, she found the skinny leg of the Natu from earlier.
"Here goes nothing! Natu, I choose you!" she cried, throwing the unconscious bird at the other bird. The Natu suddenly woke up and squealed in fear as it was hurled at the Tranquill, who squawked and tried to pull up. Too late – they collided with each other and fell to the ground, out of the fight.
Six birds were still well enough to fight. Gaby had dispelled her illusions and now hurled Focus Blasts at any Flying-type that approached. Right now, though, her focus (ha ha) was on an Altaria that had just joined the fight. However, it wasn't going well – every Focus Blast was blocked by a Cotton Guard attack, and the Altaria would strike back with Dragonbreath. Gaby was quick enough not to get hit, but she couldn't stay lucky forever.
Meanwhile, Miranda kept herself busy by throwing Berries at the birds, which usually surprised them long enough for Cobalt to strike them hard. Noticing Gaby's danger, she hurled a Chesto at the Altaria, hoping to distract it long enough for the Kirlia to hit it. However, it splatted harmlessly against the Dragon-and-Flying-type's pure white wings.
Needless to say, the big blue stain on the puffy, cloud-like appendage was enough to drive the vain Humming Pokemon berserk.
With a screech, the Altaria shot past Gaby and headed right for Miranda. Once again, the Eevee rummaged desperately in the crate for another Berry – which probably wouldn't do anything anyway. But hey, at least she was willing to go down with a fruitless fight (pun intended).
But, as the Altaria bore down on her, Miranda's paw clasped around something that was definitely not a Chesto Berry. It felt cool and hard like ice, and carried an inner energy that Miranda could instinctively feel within her.
In the span of a split second, the Eevee's unstable genetic structure began to mutate and change drastically. The enraged Altaria stopped, wide-eyed, as a full-grown Vaporeon glared back at it defiantly.
"Joke's on you, Beaky," smirked Miranda, charging her newfound energy in her mouth. "Aurora Beam!"
The rainbow-like blast smashed into the Altaria's face and sent it spinning off into two of its comrades, dragging them down with it.
Meanwhile, Cobalt had succeeded in wrangling a Dodrio and securing its three heads with rope. "Hop on, guys!" he called from the flightless bird's back. "We're going to find Luke and the others and then get off this island while we can!"
Gaby and Miranda both nodded and jumped onto the Dodrio's back with Cobalt. They each grabbed a rope and snapped them like reins. "Yah! Giddyap!" said Cobalt, and the Dodrio sprinted off across the chaotic village.
-.-.-.-.-.
Elsewhere in the village, Luke was stuck against a building by four Flying-types – a Drifloon, Farfetch'd, and two Pidgeotto. Aiding him were two members of Team Eevui, Okami and Amanita. They were busy defending two other Eevee that had made the mistake of wandering out into the midst of the chaos.
The larger Eevee, the male, was guarding his sister from the attacking birds, Tackling aside any Flying-type that came too close to her. Occasionally he would use Sand-Attack instead, throwing them off long enough for Okami or Luke to beat them back.
"Fire Blast!" Luke cried, sending a blazing, star-shaped blast of fire forth. One of the Pidgeotto wasn't quick enough to dodge and burst into flames. It screeched and hit the ground, where it remained motionless and the fire was left to eat away at its feathers.
Okami noticed the Farfetch'd going in for a strike at the other two Eevee. She lunged forward with a Bite attack, catching its outstretched leek in her mouth and flinging the Wild Duck Pokemon a fair distance away.
"Hey… Okami…" said the exhausted male Eevee. "If… we survive… and drive these… birds away…" He paused momentarily to catch his breath and use a Sand-Attack to drive the other Pidgeotto away. He continued wearily, "Can… my sister and I… join Team Eevui…?"
The Sylveon spared him a glance as she used Bite to fling the Pidgeotto away as well. The young male had spirit, and was desperately trying to protect his little sister from the oppressing Darkfeathers. If spirit and heart weren't enough to make a rescue team, Okami didn't know what was. She nodded and replied breathlessly, "Yes… if we survive… you can join us."
The young Eevee grinned at her and Tackled the Farfetch'd, which had been preparing to strike Okami. "Thanks," he said, coughing from all the sand he had kicked up during the battle. "Name's Jowl, by the way."
Okami nodded and used another Bite, this time on the Drifloon. Its Aftermath ability activated, and it exploded in her face. Stunned and badly hurt, she saw the Balloon Pokemon drift over to attack Luke, who was now facing an additional Pidgeotto that had arrived.
How long can we keep this up? the Sylveon wondered. If we don't get help soon, we'll be demolished!
-.-.-.-.-.
Far away from the battles that raged on Fire Isle, a similar fight was taking place deep underground. In the small treasure chamber, it seemed filled with nothing but the uncontrolled fury of battle.
Alphonse fearlessly faced five Murkrow that swarmed around him, incessantly striking at his head and annoying him to no end. Evelyn fought against the other five, effortlessly sliding away from their attacks and striking back fiercely. And then there was Adrianna, Barn, and Elf, all battling Mara the Honchkrow while little Topaz hid nearby.
"Dark Pulse!" their adversary cried, firing a shadowy blast from her beak. Barn shot between Adrianna and the incoming projectile and set up a Light Screen. The Dark Pulse bounced harmlessly off and exploded in midair, showering them with smoke and dust.
"Thunderbolt!" cried Adrianna, jumping out from behind Barn and blasting Mara with a bolt of electricity. There was a loud buzzing as it struck the Honchkrow, and she landed on the ground as the lightning sizzled across her body. "Take Down!" Barn yelled, streaking down to attack their now helpless foe. Even as the electricity died down, he collided and threw her against a stalagmite with a horrible crashing sound.
Meanwhile, Alphonse was busy enduring the repeated Peck and Wing Attacks he was receiving from the five Murkrow. Finally, his temper wore down and he struck the flock with a powerful Ice Beam. The quintet was frozen in mid-air, and the newly created block of ice fell to the ground with a thud.
Evelyn had a similarly easy success against her foes – when they grouped together to perform a singular assault on her, she sprang into action. "Thunder Wave!" she called, firing a bolt of blue lightning from her tail. The electricity jumped from Murkrow to Murkrow when it struck the head of the flock, and thus they were all instantly paralyzed.
One Murkrow fell toward Evelyn, and she snatched it out of the air with her tail and flung it over her shoulder. The Dark-and-Flying-type landed in a pile of treasure, and it collapsed over him in a huge tumble of gold and colorful jewels. The strange metallic blue thing that Barn and Elf had found disappeared into the pile as well.
"That was easy," Alphonse remarked as he and Evelyn went to stand beside the others. Topaz crawled gingerly out from his hiding place only to fall to the ground. Adrianna bent down to pick him up, but a dark blur shot in front of her before she could. She fell back with a startled cry, and Topaz disappeared.
Mara laughed nastily as she soared through the tunnel and out of the cavern, with the wailing Ralts clutched tightly in her talons.
-.-.-.-.-.
Sadly, there are no Klondike bars in the world of Pokemon. So, Clawface could not say that he'd kill Burner for one of those. That makes me sad.
Also, I got the idea of the three of them riding Dodrio from the movie "Rango", where they ride roadrunners. Beep beep!
Now, I just want to say that although I've been cranking these chapters out at a phenomenal rate, they're going to come more slowly from now on. I need to start studying for driving lessons, and I also have other fanfics that I need to focus on. Not to mention that my parents are going to force me to get some exercise this summer (ugh, physical activity… *shudder*).
I'll still try to publish chapters as frequently as I can, but you just need to hold on a little longer for each one, alright?
Part two will be published as quickly as possible, so review in the meantime and wait patiently!
Chapter Question #4: So far we've seen the Darkfeathers, three Life Stealers, and a smidgen of the Abyssal Raiders – Flying, Dark, and Water-types. What's your idea for a criminal gang and what type would they be? (Please be original and don't use Ghost…)