It's been a while since we saw our favorite aquatic villains – the Spanish Gyarados, the stoic Sharpedo, and that just-plain-awesome Frillish. So, I'm dedicating an entire chapter to them and their evil plans.
Hold your breaths, readers, and take a plunge into the wide and watery world of the Abyssal Raiders gang!
-.-.-.-.-.
Lady Sapphire sang quietly to herself as she floated down one of the many halls of El Nino's fortress. The fortress took the form of a vast network of tunnels built into the side of an intimidating underwater trench. Packs of Carvanha, Basculin, Tentacool, and Eelektrik roamed the area, preventing any foreign Pokemon from getting near – unless that Pokemon was a captured prisoner.
The Frillish herself was returning from one of her many duties around the fort. Chiefly, she served as El Nino's executioner, and how she loved her job. Her eyes glinted with insanity as she recalled the terror in the poor Nincada's eyes, his shrill scream as she brought her scythe down, the sight of the blood pouring onto the cold rock as his head rolled off the platform… Sapphire remembered it all wistfully as she turned a corner, holding her still-bloody scythe over her shoulder.
The dungeons, execution room, and every other area where non-water-breathers were permitted were located in a series of underground caves with air pockets. That was fine with Sapphire, as she could breathe air as well as any land Pokemon. But right now, she was blissfully swimming through one of the expansive underwater tunnels, a faint trail of blood drifting off of her scythe and into the water behind her.
At last, she arrived at her rather large cave. It was partially in and partially out of the water, thanks to an air pocket, allowing her the luxury of switching between stale air and salty seawater. Sapphire drifted up out of the water and hung her weapon on the cave wall – there would be plenty of time to clean it later. Now, though, she floated away from the surface and over the cavern floor, coming to rest in her favorite armchair and plucking a book from her bookshelf.
Despite her love of death, blood, and murder in general, the demented Frillish's real passion (no pun intended) was in romance. She loved the concept, and often dreamed of her and her husband together, alone on some moonlit beach or coral reef. Sapphire was strange that way, and other Pokemon were put off between the stark contrast between her hobby – killing – and her affinity for romance.
The only one that wasn't was her husband, Neptune, and that was one of the many things that Sapphire loved about him. No one could deny that the two Frillish were deeply devoted to each other, and El Nino was even generous enough to let the two spend a lot of time together. Sapphire was very grateful to the Gyarados for that – and, of course, for giving her the opportunity to stain her scythe with the blood of countless innocents.
Sapphire looked up in response to a quiet splash. She put her book down in time to see Neptune himself gliding gently toward her, a smile on his face and his tentacles outstretched. She instantly leapt out of her chair and into the other Frillish's arms, embracing him tightly as he smoothly wrapped them around her waist.
"My lady," Neptune whispered in her ear. "My lord," Sapphire responded, eyes shining not with madness, but with pure love as she leaned forward and kissed him. They remained in their passionate embrace for a few seconds more before they broke apart, still holding onto each other lovingly.
"Anything particularly eventful happen today?" Neptune inquired, sliding a tentacle away from his wife's waist and brushing it against her cheek. Sapphire giggled and blushed as she responded, "Nothing much. Only a few pathetic Bug-types from the Insect Faction to slaughter. I wish things would change once in a while, I've been getting nothing but insects to squash these past few weeks."
She sighed dramatically and hung her head in disappointment, only to have Neptune tilt her head back up. "Not to worry, my love," he said quietly, taking a few seconds to kiss her again. "There were those new prisoners you were telling me about, right? The rescue team, and the one with the Shard?"
Sapphire brightened again. "That's right, I completely forgot!" she said joyfully. "They will be fun. Maybe they'll even go to their deaths bravely. That would be nice for a change… but I so enjoy watching Pokemon die with fear." She frowned, indecisive for the moment.
Neptune chuckled and squeezed her gently. "Whatever strikes your fancy, but you don't have to decide now. I just came back from bringing the prisoners' meals, and I think they'll be there for a while longer." He laughed again and at last let go of Sapphire, floating over to where she had hung her scythe.
Sighing, the blue Frillish took the edge of his cloak and began to wipe the drying blood on the blade off. "Honestly, don't you ever clean up after yourself?" he asked with mock exasperation, hiding a grin. Sapphire hugged him from behind and said mischievously, "You know you love me for it."
He reached back and brushed her cheek again with a tentacle. "We both know it," he responded quietly, tilting his head back towards hers and kissing her again.
There was a sudden splash, and the couple broke apart and turned toward the water's surface, startled. A nervous-looking Carvanha was floating there awkwardly.
Sapphire narrowed her eyes. How she hated being interrupted when she was with Neptune. "Yes?" she hissed, with a small Shadow Ball forming at the end of her tentacle.
The Carvanha gulped and took a deep breath in order to calm himself. "M-Master Nino and the G-General want you in the Master's q-quarters immediately, L-Lady Sapphire." Closing his jaws with a *snap*, he nervously awaited the pink Frillish's response.
But knowing Lady Sapphire, that response could be a fatal injury on his part.
Several, long, tense seconds passed. After the fifth second crawled by, Sapphire lowered her tentacle and dispelled the Shadow Ball. "Go," she told him, without losing the fearsome expression. "Tell them that I'm coming."
A sigh of utter relief escaped from the Carvanha's jaws too early. Sapphire lashed out with her tentacle and pulled him out of the water by his tail. "But if you ever interrupt my husband and me a second time, you won't be telling anyone anything, ever again." Her voice dropped to a barely audible whisper, one that would send shudders of fear down even a Spiritomb's nonexistent spine.
The Carvanha nodded frantically, and Sapphire threw him back into the water. With a very unprofessional squeak of fear – made even more amusing due to the fact this Carvanha was a soldier – the fish dove underneath the surface as fast as his tail would propel him.
Back to her old self in an instant, Sapphire sighed and turned back to Neptune. "I guess I have to go," she said grudgingly, and kissed him farewell. "I'll be back for dinner."
Neptune nodded and smiled. "I'll see you soon, my lady." Giggling, Lady Sapphire dove into the water with barely a ripple, and floated out of her cavern, singing to herself once more.
-.-.-.-.-.
The sound of Sapphire's giggles faded away, and Neptune sighed wistfully to himself, an endearing look in his eyes. Oh, she's such a gem, he thought, then chuckled. No pun intended.
The male Frillish turned away from the water and frowned. Now what needed to be done? Their cavern was a spacious one, with room for plenty of furniture. But as he looked around, Neptune couldn't for the life of him find anything that needed to be taken care of.
Shrugging, Neptune floated over to his wife's armchair and put away the book that she had dropped. As he did so, a portrait hanging on the cave wall caught his eye. It was his favorite – a painting of his and Sapphire's wedding day. He sighed again as he reached out and straightened the framed piece of art.
In his eyes, Sapphire could do no wrong. Where others saw cruelty, he saw kindness. Where some would find her sadistic, Neptune found her "uniquely charming". Was that insanity twinkling in those gorgeous eyes of hers? No, not at all, it was spirit. Once again, he sighed wistfully and shivered at the intense fluttering sensation in his chest.
Neptune glanced once more at the painting. He and Sapphire were at the front, holding each others' tentacles and looking as happy as can be. The priest was there in the background, an old Relicanth. Then there were Sapphire's parents – the two magnificent Jellicent, Khan and Pearl, monarchs of the Jellicent Kingdom far beneath the eastern ocean.
The day he and Sapphire had met was still a dream to him. He had been a simple citizen in the Kingdom, and she had been the heir to it. Imagine how shocked he had been when the two of them had bumped into each other as he had been tending the coral reef that made up the castle gardens. It had been love at first sight for both of them – so much so, in fact, that their first kiss had preceded their first conversation.
The young princess had rapidly introduced him to her parents, and Neptune could still remember the extreme nervousness he had been feeling when the king and queen had first smiled and greeted him. The two Jellicent had been immensely kind to him, even telling him that he didn't have to bow when addressing them. The entire ordeal had been mind-blowing.
But now, here he was – happy and married to the loveliest princess ever to grace the four oceans. Neptune stared fondly at the painting, remembering every moment they had spent together. His life, he felt, was perfect.
Just then, another memory snapped him out of his love-struck stupor. He and Sapphire would have to meet the king and queen again in just a few days. Neptune gulped nervously, and he hoped that the information they had gathered at the Abyssal Raiders' lair would be satisfactory.
Neptune took a deep breath. They would be fine. …As long as El Nino or General Fang didn't catch them.
-.-.-.-.-.
El Nino sighed heavily for the third time in a row. As leader of the Abyssal Raiders, whose territory was steadily growing every day, it was important for him to receive potentially useful information regarding the expansion of his realm. With the Guardians on the loose and natural disasters ravaging the oceans, any bit of information was valuable, no matter how small.
However, it was very frustrating when one wouldn't divulge said information.
The Lucario that General Fang's Carvanha Squad had captured was a well known explorer named Ruby. Apparently, the Guardians had stationed her permanently as a guard for supply carriages travelling between the Dunedust Desert and the Bughaven Forest.
The Gyarados had figured that knowing the trade routes between the two Factions would help them in their eventual conquest of the two regions. If they could disrupt the trade routes, then they could weaken the Factions. Then again, first they had to actually get the information…
"My dear Ruby…" El Nino began again, but was rapidly cut off. "I told you no!" the Lucario yelled defiantly. "I will not give you any of the Factions' secrets! You will only use them for evil!"
General Fang growled audibly from his position next to El Nino's chair – although it looked more like a throne. The huge seat was seated, so to speak, at the top of a small staircase, allowing the Gyarados to glare down at the stubborn Fighting-and-Steel-type.
"Evil is all of relativo, O Famous Explorer Ruby," he said with a grin, but General Fang knew that inwardly he was seething. No one defied the leader of the Abyssal Raiders, especially over and over again. It was insulting.
El Nino gestured with his tail to two Tentacool. They wrapped their tentacles around Ruby's arms and legs and dragged her over to the far wall, where they stuck her by using their sticky poisons. The Lucario winced as the poison burned her limbs, but didn't say a word.
"I almost hate having to call Lady Sapphire here," General Fang growled – his usual voice. "She'll only leave a mess behind, and we'll be no farther from getting that information."
Smiling, El Nino gave him a dismissive wave of his tail. "Do not worry, General," he replied. "I trust Sapphire knows when she's gone too far. We'll get the informacion we need about those supply carriages, and then we can begin our eventual toma de posesion of the Desert and Insect Factions. Slow and steady is the way to go, you know."
The Sharpedo silently rolled his eyes. As much as he liked the Gyarados' tactics, he moved a little too slowly for the General's tastes. Still, he had no choice but to suck it up and let El Nino do what he pleased.
Soon, the faint sound of singing could be heard coming from down the hall. El Nino grinned even wider than before and looked down smugly at the bound Ruby. "You've had your chance," he warned. "Now my ejecutor is going to make chum out of you."
Ruby snarled in response and said courageously, "Bring it on." At this, El Nino's grin only grew wider.
Only seconds went by before Lady Sapphire floated into the chamber. "Hello again, Master Nino~!" she sang, curtsying. "Whatever can I help you with?"
El Nino chuckled, a low rumbling sound. "I admire your cortesia as always, my lady," he replied. "As for what I called you here for… Well, we have a prisoner that is a tougher nut to crack than normal." He waved his tail at the trapped Lucario, who glared daggers at the Frillish.
But even the fearless explorer's courage wavered at the look Sapphire gave her – the same look that stole into a Persian's eyes as it noticed a fat Rattata.
Fresh prey.
"Oh, really?" Sapphire said innocently, gliding slowly closer. She sighed and continued, "What a shame. A brave Guardian, who has stood up to countless foes… a good, kind Pokemon with many friends, and family to look after back home…"
In seconds, the Frillish had floated right up to Ruby and gave her a predatory, sharp-toothed smile. "Who knows… maybe if I'm feeling eager, I'll go after them when I'm finished with you."
To her credit, Ruby was not about to back down from this girly, ditzy nutcase. "Do your worst," she spat contemptuously, giving the Frillish a murderous look.
Sapphire replied with an even more murderous one, accompanied by the most terrifying grin the Lucario had ever seen in her life. "You said it… not me," she hissed, and her eyes began to glow a sickly purple. "Night Shade."
Waves of power shot forth from Sapphire's forehead, washing over Ruby's helpless form. With each wave came intense pain – not physical pain, but a sharp jab to the mind, like a splitting headache. The pain faded as quickly as it struck, only to come again and again in a constant rhythm. But Ruby bit her lip and endured it.
"Oh, she's a tough one!" the Frillish giggled, seeing that her Night Shade wasn't having an effect. "But lucky you, I can still do worse!" With that, she increased the power and speed of her Night Shade. Now, the next wave struck before the previous could fade, adding up to an almost constant migraine that seemed to get worse with each energy wave. The Lucario squeezed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth, so hard that she swore that she felt one break.
Sapphire was enjoying herself. "It's been a while since I've had to use my full power," she said. "I love challenges, you know~!" Her eyes began to glow more intensely as she upped the power one more time.
Ruby let a gasp escape her clenched teeth as the Night Shade struck with even more strength than before. It felt as if her head was about to split open, and it was as if her mind was being ripped to pieces and then put back together again. She growled audibly as she tried to fight the pain. Sapphire, however, knew from experience that she was finally starting to do damage.
As the Lucario began to physically struggle while Lady Sapphire looked on with amusement, El Nino turned to General Fang and ordered, "General, go fetch Rosaline, Vizeli, and Madeleine. When this is over, I want to speak with them." The Sharpedo nodded and hopped out of the chamber. A distant splash indicated that he had entered the water and was on his way.
Finally, Ruby broke. Sapphire whistled an idle tune as her incessant Night Shade grew painful enough to provoke a scream from her victim. Sensing weakness, she pushed her power to its limit, making Ruby scream again, longer and louder.
"Suficiente," El Nino told her, slithering down the steps to her side. The Frillish pouted, but did as he said, shutting down the Night Shade. Ruby gasped and hung her head limply as the pain mercifully stopped.
"Now," the Gyarados said casually, "will you be willing to give us the informacion we need now? Or will Lady Sapphire have another name to add to the lista of dead fools?" The Frillish shot her an evil grin, eyes flickering with madness.
Reluctantly, Ruby conceded. "Fine," she spat. "The Desert Faction and Insect Faction share a trade route that goes directly north between their Kingdoms. It passes through the Life Stealers' territory, so is heavily guarded in case of a raid. The supplies go through twice a week."
El Nino beamed at her. "See, was that so dificil?" he asked. He turned to one of the Tentacool floating off to the side and asked, "Did you get all that?" The Tentacool held up a notepad which had been scribbled on and saluted.
The Gyarados nodded at the Water-and-Poison-type, the rings adorning his whiskers jingling. Then suddenly, a splash and then footsteps could be heard. "Ah, right on schedule," he said with satisfaction. General Fang entered first with his usual look of stoic indifference, but he wasn't alone. Three Pokemon entered – a Masquerain, Floatzel, and Absol.
The three of them were… honorary members of the Abyssal Raiders, to put it bluntly. Rosaline, the Masquerain, was a double agent for the Raiders who was stationed in the Bughaven Forest. Leading a small contingent of Surskit, she had assimilated herself into the Kingdom and was waiting for the right moment to strike.
Vizeli, the Floatzel, had only joined the Abyssal Raiders for the opportunity to increase her own wealth. She was arrogant and smug, but also quite powerful when it came to combat. However, she didn't usually fight, claiming that she didn't like to "get her paws dirty". She was a bit of an annoyance, as she usually turned her nose up at whatever job was given to her around the fortress.
Madeleine the Absol was originally a Life Stealer, having joined after running away from the Yin-Yang Islands. However, she defected to the Abyssal Raiders after they had kidnapped her parents, hoping to work to free them one day. So far she hadn't, and the Raiders usually kept close tabs on her in case she betrayed them.
"Master Nino, I brought the three you requested," rasped General Fang, hopping over to stand beside the Gyarados. "Excellente!" he replied, giving his aide a nod before turning to the three before him.
"How are ya, Nino darlin'?" Vizeli drawled. "Whatcha need m – us – for? I ain't cleanin' nothin' this time, darlin'. I'm putting my foot down on this one."
Sapphire floated out from behind El Nino and scowled at the Floatzel. They didn't get along very well, partially because of Vizeli's jealousy towards the Frillish's high birth, position under El Nino, and of course, beauty. Sapphire herself returned her hatred for reasons unknown.
"Please be restraining yourself, Madame Sapphire," Rosaline said with a heavy accent, fluttering forward. "Zis is not ze time for fighting." El Nino nodded at the Masquerain and quickly gave Madeleine a precautionary glance. The Absol stayed silent and didn't move.
"Now then," El Nino began, "thanks to the information Lady Sapphire… extracted… from our latest prisoner, I now have the necesario instructions for you if our plan is to succeed.
"Rosaline, I am sending you back to the Bughaven Forest. Rally your Surskit and infiltrate the Kingdom – when the time comes, destroy the familia real, every possible heir. With the royals gone, you can take the throne and thus assimilate the Faccion de los Insectos with the Abyssal Raiders' growing empire." The Masquerain gave a flowery nod.
"Madeleine," the Gyarados continued, "you must return to los Ladrones de Vida, the Life Stealers, and give them the information I shall be giving you shortly. Twice a week, you will raid and destroy the supply carriages that come through, which will weaken the Desert and Insect Factions." Still without speaking, the Absol nodded twice in acknowledgement.
Before El Nino opened his mouth again, General Fang's cutting voice broke in. "Permission to speak, Master Nino," he rasped, and the Gyarados gestured for him to go on. The Sharpedo continued, "The raids you are planning would be an excellent opportunity to weaken the Life Stealers as well."
El Nino grinned and gave a short, booming laugh. "Indeed, General!" he exclaimed. "I was in fact planning to give that asignacion to Vizeli!" General Fang looked surprised at this, and Vizeli looked suspicious.
"What assignment, Nino darlin'?" she asked. He replied with a laugh, "Why, to ambush Madeleine's Life Stealers once they take the supplies, of course! With less guerreros, the Life Stealers will become weaker. After a few weeks, we will be ready to swoop in and demolish them!"
Vizeli looked horrified – but not at the fact that they'd be betraying their allies. "Fighting?" she said with disgust. "You know how I feel about such uncouth brawlin'."
El Nino sighed, and his whiskers quivered. "I know, I know… you hate to dirty your paws." Then he picked himself up and glared at her with authority. "But if you don't do it, then I will give Lady Sapphire permiso to do what I am sure she has wanted to for mucho tiempo."
The Floatzel shot a nervous glance at Sapphire. She giggled and winked, showing her sharp little teeth in an evil grin. "Fine, ya got me, darlin'," Vizeli finally sighed.
"Excellente!" El Nino beamed. "Now, you and Madeleine must know this – the ruta in which the carros de suministros travel is deep in Life Stealer territory. Vizeli, I shall give you a squad of Whiscash to back you up. Madeleine, you will help Vizeli when the time comes, comprende?"
Madeleine nodded, still silent as the grave. But then, she raised a claw and pointed at the still-bound Ruby. "What about the prisoner?" she asked quietly. Everyone turned around to look at the Lucario without concern.
"What about her?" snorted Rosaline, angrily raising her antennae. "Ze prisoner is 'elpless without any allies, no?"
A look of amusement flitted across El Nino's face, and he nudged Sapphire with his tail. Understanding immediately, she grinned until it looked like her pretty face was split in two. She floated over to the helpless Ruby and glowered down at her.
"Lights out, dearie," she whispered, then struck her with a single, powerful Night Shade. Ruby immediately slumped, and as the sticky poison lost its grip, flopped to the ground, dead in seconds.
"That takes care of that," El Nino said with satisfaction. "Now, the three of you go, and do not disappoint me!"
With those words, Madeleine, Vizeli, and Rosaline all exited El Nino's chamber, ready to carry out the Abyssal Raiders' evil plans.
-.-.-.-.-.
Ruby belongs to . Vizeli belongs to ColaVixen Inc. Madeleine belongs to FinalPower. Neptune and Rosaline belong to moi.
Yeah, Frillish have fangs. It isn't canon, of course, but they have to tear into their victims somehow! I've always pictured Frillish to be like Sirens – unassumingly deadly.
Hey, Batwings, you've got cousins! XD
Anyway – the Abyssal Raiders are planning to strike down the Bughaven Kingdom's royal family as well as their own allies, the Life Stealers! Will this cunning and powerful group of villains eventually get what they want? Do they really not care about the Shards?
Lady Sapphire: "Review please, my dears!" *giggles girlishly*
Chapter Question #9: Give me your thoughts on the Abyssal Raiders gang. Is it a good group of villains? Who's your favorite of the bunch?