Hey everybody, I'm finally back with an update for Rise to the Challenge. If you've been wondering why it's taken my over two months to update, it's because I wanted to take a break. I felt as though pumping out chapters quickly made people say less and less in reviews so I felt that everyone could use a break. Now I'm back with a long chapter for an update that introduces a new OC and I hope you all enjoy it. Stay tuned for the author's note for story shoutouts and the usual.
Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I do NOT own Pokemon. I own the OCs (Tom, Sparks, Sully, Eric, Roy, Alice, Langdon, Pierce, Clint), this story, and the idea of the story.
Chapter Summary: The gang prepares to face Lenora for their second badge to the Unova League gym run but an unexpected turn of events put a hold on their goal.
Bold- Message Bulletins/PA System/Plaques/Books
Italics- Thoughts/Letters/Flashbacks
Bold Italics- TV/Radio/Pokedex (AKA Dexter) Descriptions/Xtransreceiver Messages/ Xtransreceiver Conversations
Tom, Elliott, Corey, Vanessa and Kenta had all gotten up early to get an early breakfast and warm up for their gym battle against Lenora who would be back at the gym later in the day. All five of them were pumped up and eager to get the next badge that was their stepping stone to the Unova League entry. They were sitting in the dining hall of the hotel and munching away at whatever was on their plate. Sparks had taken the liberty of stealing the bacon platter and devouring all of the strips that were on it, much to everyone's dislike.
"Sparks, quit being a turd and stop eating all the food," Tom said flicking him on the head.
"Rai!" Sparks whined back.
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to do a full sweep against Lenora," Corey said with a cocky smirk.
"You seem pretty confident," Vanessa noted as she sipped her juice.
"Well, I'm the strongest one of our group here, so it's the only logical answer."
Surprisingly, Tom didn't counter back to Corey's statement as he heard it. Shrugging to himself, Corey took another bite of his scrambled eggs.
"Hey Elliott, are you okay?" Kenta asked as he looked at her.
"I'm fine," Elliott replied glancing at him, "why?"'
"You just seemed a little out of it."
"I'm fine, Kenta. I was just thinking who I should use against Lenora. I know all of my Pokémon have a type advantage over her so I'm just trying to think about who to start with."
"Ah, I see. Well, you know what? I really don't think it'll matter because all of your Pokémon are strong. You can do this, Elliott."
Elliott looked at Kenta when he told her about his opinion on how she should approach her battle against Lenora. She already felt confident before telling Kenta about her thoughts, but now with his encouraging words', she felt as though she could not lose. Kenta had displayed his confidence in her abilities which is what all of her friends have done, but for some reason it made her feel better when it came from him. Her face reddened a little bit and she looked down so he wouldn't see the blush.
"Thank you, Kenta," Elliott said with a smile.
"What was that, honey?" Kenta asked leaning on his arm and beaming broadly at her.
"We're having a moment you idiot. Don't ruin it."
Kenta chuckled and shook his head at Elliott's response. The group was joined a few minutes later by Eric who sat down beside Tom and pulled out the contact roster that they made the night before. Tom swallowed the food in his mouth and pulled out a pencil and paper to copy down everyone's information.
"Why don't you guys go on ahead?" Tom suggested looking at Corey. "I'll catch up after I'm done with this."
"Sounds good," Corey replied as he got up, "alright guys, let's go!"
Corey led the group out of the dining hall and did a quick headcount to be sure that everyone was currently with him. Once he confirmed that the group was present he led them out the front doors and to the gym.
The Pokémon Center was bustling with trainers even though it was early in the morning. Some of them were packing up preparing to leave to their next destination now that the battle tournament was done with. A lot of trainers decided to have their Pokémon at full recovery before leaving. Unknowing to most of the trainers and the staff of the Pokémon Center, a lone criminal was getting ready to conduct the heist on the Pokémon Center. Tessa Hyslop was standing just outside the front doors and was mentally going down the checklist she had set up to pull off her devious scheme. Once she confirmed she had, a smirk spread across her face as she looked down at the Ekans around her leg.
"Let's get to work, Ekans," Tessa cackled as she walked towards the front entrance.
Ekans gave a hiss as a response as he slithered behind her. She was drawing the attention of some people, mainly boys because of her beautiful looks. Those that didn't notice her because of her looks were mainly looking at her outfit which consisted of a black trench coat, black skirt, shirt and boots. Tessa made a mental note that they may be suspicious of her because of the outfit and already had her contingency plan ready to go if her plan should falter. She entered the Pokémon Center and made her way to the center of the room. She knew that there was a room that contained the Poké Balls of other trainers down the hall behind the reception area and that's where she planned to go. If she could steal more Pokémon, the better off Team Rocket would be once they started to reform.
Tessa's fingers grazed the small smoke bomb that was in her pocket and she gave a quick look around. She glanced down at Ekans and saw that he was ready to start the plan. She activated the smoke bomb and dropped it inside a flower pot before continuing her stride to the desk. Just as she reached the desk a loud bang echoed around the lobby and smoke began to fill it up quickly. Panicked screams filled the building and the sprinkler system was activated, making everyone in the premises run to the door.
"Please make your way to the doors in a calm and organized manner!" A nurse yelled over the screams.
Tessa smirked as she managed to slip into the hallway unnoticed and she made her way down each room searching for the Poké Balls. She came to the last door at the end of the hall and checked her surroundings for any people. When finding no one, Tessa opened the door and entered the room, turning on the light in the process. The light illuminated the room and revealed multiple shelves of Poké Balls, waiting to be snatched. She clapped her hands together and pulled out a large garbage bag from her pocket and opened it up.
"Come to mommy, my pretties," Tessa said in a melodic tone.
Tessa was so preoccupied with stuffing the bag with Poké Balls that she failed to detect the presence behind her. Not everyone had bailed out of the Pokémon Center when she detonated the smoke bomb and it would prove to be a little tricky for her to escape. Eri entered the Pokémon Center the minute the smoke bomb went off in the lobby and she noticed the one person that looked calm about the whole situation and followed her to the back.
"What kind of scumbag is she?" Eri thought as she stepped in the doorway.
Eri's entrance garnered the attention of the girl's Ekans and it turned around and hissed at her menacingly. Tessa heard the hiss and turned around to see Eri glaring at her with her arms crossed. She cursed under her breath at being caught and now had to escape as quick as she could before any authorities showed up. She tied the garbage bag shut and slung it over her shoulder before returning Eri's stare.
"What do you want?" Tessa asked looking at her.
"What do you think you're doing stealing all of those Pokémon?" Eri demanded.
"I'm stealing them to help rebuild my team."
"Not if I have anything to say about it!"
Tessa's eyes narrowed at the girl before her and she knew that she would have to fight her way out. She looked down at Ekans and gave a nod to inform him of the upcoming fight. She thumbed a smoke bomb that was in her pocket and prepared to initiate her plan. Eri threw a Poke Ball and summoned Pino in front of her. The small Oshawott adapted an aggressive look on his face as he glared at Ekans and Tessa.
"Oh goody! You brought me another Pokémon to steal!" Tessa said with a large grin.
"Not a chance!" Eri replied.
"Ekans, be a dear and use Wrap."
Ekans gave a hiss and slithered over to Pino with surprising speed. Eri and Pino watched as Ekans got closer and closer until he got within striking distance. Finally, Eri made her move. She decided to implement some of Kenta's and Tom's tactics with her in this battle.
"Pino, dodge and use Tackle!" Eri ordered.
Pino sidestepped Ekans and jumped at him with his head bent down. His body collided hard with Ekans and earned an annoyed hiss in response. As Pino tried to jump away, Ekans lunged at him and managed to wrap his body around Pino. Pino's teeth clenched with discomfort as his body was being constricted by Wrap. He tried to struggle free but to no avail.
"Now use Leer and follow up with Poison Sting!" Tessa yelled.
Ekans' eyes glowed an ominous red and Pino froze in fear as he looked into them. While Pino was frozen in fear, Ekans continued his attack by having the tip of his tail glow purple. In one swift move, it struck Pino in the back and he went rigid as the toxins flowed into his system. Now Eri knew she was in trouble with Pino being incapacitated from the damage and the continuous constriction.
"Pino, snap out of it! Get out of there!" Eri hollered.
"This has been fun, but it's time for me to get out of here," Tessa said as she plucked another smoke bomb out.
Tessa activated the smoke bomb and tossed it to Eri and it exploded in a large bang. Smoke began to fill the room and the blast of bomb replaced Eri's hearing with a ringing sensation. She covered her ears and fell to the floor as she lost her balance and writhed in pain. The thick smoke made her cough but she fought through it as she searched for Tessa and Pino.
"Coward!" Eri yelled.
Another boom filled the area and Eri felt a blast of air hit her. Tessa had used a small explosive on the wall and blew a hole in the wall to break out. The sprinklers activated and began to spray water into the room, soaking Eri to the core. Eri stood up gingerly and managed to get a glimpse of the light through the smoke and ran towards it.
"I won't let you get away!" Eri hissed, "hang on, Pino. I'm coming!"
Eri burst from the hole in the wall and her eyes darted around wildly for the thief that stole Pino from her. She could see the girl's seafoam green hair running down the street and gave chase to her. Eri never remembered running so fast in her life, but her determination to catch the perpetrator was more than enough fuel to keep up her pursuit.
Meanwhile with Tom, Corey, Elliott, Vanessa and Corey, they were currently standing outside the museum that was also the gym of Nacrene City. After checking to make sure they were ready to go, Tom began to lead them inside after giving them a smile.
"Let's make it happen, guys!" Tom said as he looked back at them.
"Hey, wait up!" Hayley yelled as she came running up to them.
Hayley stopped and panted as she tried to catch her breath from the run. She beamed up at her friends and spun a Poké Ball on her fingertip. The grin on her face grew as she saw her friends mimic her movement.
"I still have to battle Lenora yet. So I think I'll watch and see how you all do," Hayley said.
"The more the merrier!" Kenta replied with a smile.
The six of them started to walk inside but stopped when a teenager with long green hair exited the museum. He bumped into Tom and looked up in surprise. His surprised look turned into a friendly one as he looked at Tom.
"Well, it's certainly been a while, Tom," N greeted as he looked at him. "You're looking well yourself, Hayley."
"What's up, N?" Tom greeted with a nod.
"Hello, N," Hayley greeted with a smile as she looked at him.
Not wanting to be excluded from the conversation, Corey cleared his throat to gain their attention. Tom, Hayley and N turned to him and the rest of the group.
"Bro, are you going to introduce us?" Corey asked with a smirk.
"Oh, sorry," Tom replied looking back to N. "N, I would like you to meet my friends, Corey, Elliott, Kenta and Vanessa."
N looked at the four teens that Tom addressed and gave them a friendly smile and wave. Corey and Kenta smirked and nodded at him. Elliott crossed her arms and gave a grunt as a greeting as she looked him up and down. Vanessa extended her hand and shook his with a friendly smile.
"It's a pleasure to meet all of you," N said. "So what are you all doing?"
"We're all about to compete for our next badge to enter the Unova League," Kenta said with excitement.
N's happy look was replaced with one of curiosity as he folded his arms. His eyes scanned each of the trainers once again and he saw the Poké Balls dangling from their waists. N's thoughtful expression caught the attention of Vanessa and she called him out on it.
"Is something wrong, N?" Vanessa asked.
"I wouldn't say anything's wrong, but I am curious about something," N replied as he looked at her.
"What would that be?"
"Are all of you Pokémon trainers?"
"Yeah, we are."
"I see. I must ask you though. Do you think Pokémon are happy that way?"
"What are you talking about?" Elliott asked.
"I'm asking if you believe that Pokémon are happy after they are confined in those Poké Balls on your hips," N said as he pointed to the capsules.
"Why wouldn't they be?"
N was about to reply but was stopped when Tom and Hayley took a step towards him.
"Look, N, as nice as it is to see you again, can't this wait until later?" Hayley interrupted.
"Why must this wait? Are you in a hurry?" N asked.
"We want to battle Lenora to earn our badges, dude," Tom said as he scratched Sparks' head.
"Very well, I'll let you go if you honor my request. I want to hear the voices of your Pokémon again," N said as he pulled out a Poké Ball. "Surely they may have changed since our last encounter?"
"Fine," Tom said back as he looked at Sparks.
"Count me in!" Corey smirked as he walked up.
"I'm sorry, but I don't wish to battle with you. I want to battle with Tom and Hayley," N replied looking at Corey.
Corey looked affronted at N's response and he crossed his arms as he looked back at him. He wanted a chance to battle the new trainer and was not too thrilled at being denied.
"Why won't you give any of us a chance?" Corey asked.
"I only have a limited amount of Pokémon and I want to battle Tom and Hayley," N said with his tone adapting a more irritated tone. "Their Pokémon interest me and I wish to hear their voices again."
"Well at least give us a chance…"
"Corey, take Kenta, Elliott and Vanessa and go battle Lenora," Tom said with a stare.
"But…"
"Just do it. This battle is between me, Hayley and N. We'll be in to face Lenora shortly."
Corey closed his mouth and sent a glare at Tom who stared back at him. He gave a frustrated sigh and motioned for Kenta, Elliott and Vanessa to follow him into the museum. N, Hayley and Tom watched as they vanished into the building and out of sight before returning their focus to the battle about to take place. Hayley sent a friendly smile at Tom who returned it as she pulled out a Poké Ball.
"I wish to battle both of you, so switch out after one of the Pokémon are taken out of the fight," N said.
"Sounds fair to me," Hayley said as she tossed her ball into the air. "Come on out, Pignite!"
Pignite materialized in front of Hayley and a flare shot out of his nose as he looked at N. N looked excited to see that Pignite evolved from Tepig since his last battle with Hayley.
"Interesting," N said with a nod as he released his Poke Ball. "Let's hear your Pokémon's voices again, Hayley!"
Eri had chased the culprit to the corner of town and was starting to gain on her to take Pino back and help the Pokémon that were stolen. The girl rounded another corner and Eri hurried after her, desperate to catch her from escaping. When Eri turned the corner, she crashed into a solid mass and was knocked back. She winced and looked up at the thing that she crashed into and was surprised to see Eric looking down at her. He looked a little surprised to see her as well and helped her up.
"Are you okay, Eri? I didn't hurt you did I?" Eric asked.
"I'm fine, but I need you to move!" Eri said hurriedly as she tried to get around him.
Eric stopped her in her tracks.
"Whoa, whoa, you're going a mile a minute. What happened?" Eric said.
"That girl with green hair stole a bunch of Pokémon including my Oshawott!" Eri snapped.
"Well why didn't you say something? Let's go!"
Eric let go of Eri's shoulder and sprinted in the direction of the girl that he saw earlier. Eri clutched her chest as she suppressed a stitch and tried to talk to Eric.
"I don't need your help, Eric," Eri gasped out, "I can take care of her without a problem!"
"Then how did she get your Oshawott?"
Eri flinched at Eric's tone and glanced at the ground. Eric felt a little guilty with the way he responded to Eri, but he had a point. If Eri couldn't stop the girl from taking her Oshawott then she would need some help.
"Look, let me help you," Eric said as he slowed down a little bit. "I can probably take her down easily and get your Oshawott back."
"Fine, I'll let you help me, but I want to battle her to take Pino back!" Eri replied.
Eric didn't reply back but she figured that he would follow through with her request. She hated asking for help as it made her feel weak and hopeless and that was something she despised with a passion. The two trainers were now standing in the field where they chased the thief and started to look around for her. Eri saw a head bob up in the tall grass and could see long green hair which made her take off in that direction. Eric chased after Eri to give her back up which he was sure she would need.
Bursting through the grass and into the clearing, Eri's face became one of anger and she glared at the girl who stole Pino from her. She pointed a shaking finger at the girl and tried to calmly give her warning.
"You'd better give back my Oshawott or you'll be sorry," Eri said shakily.
"Yeah? What'll happen if I don't?" Tessa challenged.
"I'll take him back from you myself."
"Look pixie, you couldn't even touch me back at the Pokémon Center, so I suggest you back off and let me be on my merry way."
"Give him back!"
Eri was about to take a stop forward but was stopped when Eric placed a firm hand on her shoulder. She glared back at him but saw a serious look on his face that told her not to talk back.
"Eri, let me take care of her. Your anger is getting the better of you and it'll do more harm than good," Eric said as he stared down at her.
"I am more than capable than getting Pino back!" Eri snapped.
"Not in the emotional state you're in. Sit back and let me take care of this clown."
"But…"
Another firm squeeze on her shoulder made her stop speaking. She knew that Eric's decision was final and there was no way he would back down with stopping her. A frustrated sigh escaped Eri's lips and she put her hands on her hips in an attempt to calm down. Once Eric felt that Eri was calm enough, he took his hand off her shoulder and got in front of Eri and lightly touched the Poké Ball on his hip to prepare for the coming battle. He leveled the girl with a glare and could see that she a somewhat serious look in her eye.
"Listen, I think it would be in the best interest for you to return the Pokémon you stole," Eric began as he grabbed the Poké Ball on his waist, "this will only end with a humiliating defeat for you."
"Man, both of you are just arrogant," Tessa said with a haughty laugh, "if you're so eager to stop me, then try and do so."
"You've just made a big mistake."
Eric enlarged his Poké Ball from its miniature state and tossed it high in the air. Tessa looked at the ball that was thrown and was getting prepared to steal the Pokémon that it released. Before the ball opened, Eric gave his summoning command.
"Let's make them holler!" Eric said as his eyes peeked at Tessa from under his hat.
The ball opened and a large Pokémon began to materialize in front of him. When the shape stopped forming, the glow vanished and in its place stood a Garchomp. The pseudo-legendary looked down at Tessa and gave a vicious snarl as he sensed the intent she had. Garchomp's appearance made Tessa's smirk falter to one of nervousness. Eric saw this and decided to rile her up some more.
"What's the matter? You're not scared are you?" Eric taunted as he glared at her.
"No, don't be stupid!" Tessa shot back.
"Now you're getting defensive. So this tells me that I'm right with the fact you're scared."
"Shut-up!"
"Make me."
"Ekans, attack with Poison Sting!"
Ekans hissed and slithered towards Garchomp with his mouth open. Sharp purple darts began shooting out of Ekans mouth and soared at Garchomp with impressive speed. Eric stayed calm and made his next move.
"Garchomp, use Flamethrower to counter!"
Garchomp's mouth opened and a continuous stream of blistering flames went shooting from his mouth and engulfed the toxic darts, destroying them. The fire continued towards Ekans who needed to move in order to avoid taking damage.
"Ekans, dodge it!" Tessa yelled.
Ekans swerved away and crouched low in the grass to creep up on Garchomp. Eric saw the grass move as Ekans slithered through it towards Garchomp to get the jump on him. He came up with his strategy to win the fight right then and got ready to execute it.
"Garchomp, let's take these clowns down," Eric said as he turned his hat backwards, "start by using Sandstorm!"
Garchomp gave a loud roar and a massive dust cloud rose from the ground and started to swirl around violently. The dust storm concealed everything on the battle field but Eric knew Garchomp would pull the attack off perfectly with the skill that he had. Ekans came to a grinding halt as he searched around for the large dragon. He also waited for Tessa's next order but she had yet to say anything.
"Garchomp, use Dig!" Eric barked.
The ground gave a light tremor as Garchomp dove into the ground and tunneled his way deep down. Tessa clenched her fists and was contemplating abandoning the fight and escaping with using another smoke bomb but had the feeling she wouldn't get far.
"This guy is out of my league. I need to find a way out of this!" Tessa thought.
Garchomp burst through the ground from under Ekans and sent him high above the dust cloud. Ekans' face was scrunched up in severe pain from the type disadvantage he had again Garchomp as he plummeted back to the ground. He hit the ground with a loud thump and struggled to sit upright. Garchomp got ready to end the fight by attack once again but stopped when Eric held up a hand. He nodded back at his master and sunk back in a fixed stance as he prepared to fight back.
"I'll give you one last chance to save yourself problems and let you go if you surrender and give back the Pokémon you stole," Eric said as he tried to bargain with Tessa.
"What happens if I don't?" Tessa challenged.
"Well, I'm being a fair man right now. If you wish to try fleeing or attack, I'll have Garchomp here do whatever he wants to you as an act of judgment."
"You're bluffing."
"I see that you've made your choice, so now I've made mine. Garchomp, use Dragon Claw on Ekans!"
Garchomp lunged at Ekans with both of his claws glowing a dark green. He gave two quick and ferocious slashes, each one raking across Ekans and earning a loud hiss of pain from the snake Pokémon. Ekans gave another hiss and fell to the ground defeated. Tessa was silent and recalled Ekans back to his Poké Ball with a scowl.
"You should have taken my offer to surrender," Eric said as he crossed his arms.
"Shut-up," Tessa hissed as she glared at him.
Tessa glanced at Eri and saw a triumphant grin on her face. She looked at the Oshawott she stole from her earlier that was bound by rope and picked him up. She gave a toss and Pino went high into the air to be caught by Eri who quickly untied him. While Eri was busy comforting Pino and checking on his poisoned state, Eric walked forward with Garchomp beside him. Tessa stepped back and touched the last smoke bomb on her belt while she held the bag of Pokémon she stole with her other hand.
"Now don't do anything stupid," Eric said as he glared at Tessa, "if you try running, you won't get anywhere."
"Oh yeah? What makes you think that?" Tessa asked.
"Look, I know you've got something in your pocket that you will try to use to escape."
"Nice to see you've got street smarts."
"Just let the Pokémon go and I'll let you go freely. If you try running with them, I'll use force to take you down. It's your call."
Tessa looked into Eric's eyes and could see that he spoke with confidence and knew right then and there that he would back up his statement. She didn't want to risk injury or getting captured by the police so she did the only logical thing to escape. She dropped the bag of Poké Balls and dropped the smoke bomb at the same time. A loud bang echoed around the clearing and a thick cloud of smoke filled the area. Garchomp was about to pursue Tessa but Eric stopped him by resting his hand on his back.
"Let her go, buddy. Scum like her aren't worth it," Eric said with a smile.
Garchomp gave a grunt and Eric returned him to his ball after thanking him for the assistance. Eric walked over to the bag of Poké Balls and picked them up before walking back over to Eri and Pino. He smiled down at Eri when he saw that all the anger had left her system and she was relieved to see that Pino was okay.
"Let's get back to the city, Eri," Eric said as he slung the bag over his shoulder.
"Yeah," Eri said with a nod.
Eri stood up and walked over to Eric and got ready to head back to the city with Eric but they were stopped when three police cars came to a stop in front of them and officers got out.
"Drop the bag and both of you put your hands on your head!" An officer yelled.
"Whoa, whoa, hold on man. You've got the wrong dude," Eric said as he held his hands up.
"Uh huh, like I haven't heard that one before."
The officer began patting Eric down as he searched him for any other things that may have been stolen. When finding nothing, he placed the cuffs on Eric's wrists and began walking him back to the car.
"Wait, he's innocent!" Eri protested.
"How do you know?" The officer asked.
"Because he helped me get my Oshawott back and he defeated the thief who stole the Pokémon to take them back."
"Alright, if he confronted the thief and beat them, then where is the thief?"
Eri closed her mouth and inwardly cursed. Eric let the thief go and that would probably count as assisting a fugitive. Not finding an answer, Eri bit her lip and looked down.
"That's what I thought," the officer said with a nod. "You're going downtown, kid."
"Sweet, I can cross get arrested and thrown in prison off my bucket list," Eric said with a smirk.
"You've got a sharp tongue, don't you?"
"That's what the ladies tell me."
"Alright, shut-up."
Eric was shoved into the car and had an amused grin on his face. Eri watched in disbelief as the cars drove off with Eric in the back seat and the Poke Balls retrieved. She looked down at Pino and began running back to the city. She had to get Pino taken care of and she had to tell Tom about Eric being arrested.
"Not good, not good, not good!" Eri thought as she continued running to the city.
Pierce, Melanie, and Liam were standing inside the Nacrene City museum with a large amount of grunts surrounding a statue. They were prepared to take the skull of the dragon that was on the display. All of them were being glared at by four trainers and the gym leader, Lenora, who were on the opposite side of the display.
"Who are all of you and what are you doing here?" Corey asked.
"We, Team Plasma, claim this museum's dragon skull in the name of Pokémon liberation!" A grunt replied.
"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Elliott retorted as she pulled out a Poké Ball.
"Well, I guess this is the part where we fight our way out," Pierce thought as he touched the smoke bomb on his belt.
/Flashback/
Pierce, Melanie and Liam had been standing in a formation of Team Plasma grunts in front of Langdon and Ghetsis. They were waiting to receive a brief for an operation they were to carry out in Nacrene City to help them towards their goal of freeing enslaved Pokémon. Each of them had different thoughts coursing through their heads. Pierce was concentrating and keeping his ears open for any pertinent information to send to Clint when he got the chance. Melanie looked nervous about the whole operation as she knew it would involve battling if they were confronted by anybody. Liam had a lackadaisical look as he kept his gaze on Langdon and Ghetsis. All he wanted to do was get the mission done to go and relax.
"What do you think we'll be doing?" Melanie asked.
"Well it's probably something dangerous if it's involving this many grunts," Liam said with a smirk as he looked at Melanie, "no doubt we will face some strong trainers if they try and stop us from doing whatever it is we are doing."
"Pierce, what do you think?" Melanie asked with a worried tone.
"I think you need to pay attention and be quiet so you know what your job is for the mission," Pierce replied as he glared back at her.
Melanie was about to ask Pierce what his deal was with his tone of voice but stopped when Ghetsis and Langdon walked up to the front of the formation. All the grunts immediately quieted and stood at attention when their superiors stopped in front of them.
"I want to get this plan underway, so I will let Executive Langdon explain our mission and the course of action we will take," Ghetsis said before turning to Langdon and nodding at him.
"Sir," Langdon nodded before turning his attention to the group, "alright, now pay close attention because I'm only going to say this once."
All the grunts nodded and Langdon took that as his signal to start the brief.
"We will be going to Nacrene City to enter the museum to obtain a peculiar fossil that will help us achieve our goal of Pokémon liberation," Langdon began as he paced up and down the formation. "We will be taking the skull of Dragon-type Pokémon that we plan to revive to help aid us in reaching our goal.
"How will it help us?" Pierce asked.
"You'll see in due time," Langdon said as he stared at Pierce, making him squirm.
"Yes sir."
"Now, as much as I didn't want to do this, we will end up exposing our aggression to the public which will cause the authorities to be keeping a keen eye on us. So I will tell you what you can expect to face on this mission so you can prepare yourselves for it. We will swarm the museum by using numbers and then one of you will grab the skull. We will make our escape by using smoke screen and meet at our rendezvous point in the Pinwheel Forest. This is a quick snatch and grab mission. If you encounter any resistance, use your smoke grenades and your Pokémon as tools to bound back to the forest. If you get caught by the cops, we will not come and break you because we will not compromise ourselves to get one grunt."
"Where will you be during all of this?" Another grunt asked.
"I will be waiting at the rendezvous point and supervising the operation. The chain of command for the operation will be myself, Pierce and Liam. You will all take your orders from Pierce until he is either caught or not able to lead, in which case you will then take orders from Liam."
"I didn't agree to this, Langdon. I told you I had office hours from noon till four on weekdays if you needed to schedule something with me," Liam said with a smirk.
The smart mouthed comment garnered a few chuckles from the grunts in formation to which Pierce and Melanie shook their heads at Liam's cheeky attitude. Langdon looked straight at Liam and beckoned him over with one finger. Liam rolled his eyes and stood in front of Langdon.
"I will tell you how this is going to work, Liam. You either lead on the mission or I will personally incapacitate you and leave you for the authorities to do with you as they please," Langdon whispered in his ear.
Langdon smirked when he saw the uneasy look on Liam's face and knew he had his attention.
"What would your parents think if they saw their sweet little boy on the news being shown after committing a crime with a criminal organization?" Langdon asked.
"Fine, I'll do it," Liam muttered in defeat.
"Good, now get back in line!"
Langdon gave Liam a hard shove and he stumbled back into his position. Once Liam was back in line, Langdon continued his speech.
"Remember, this is a quick snatch and grab. Get that skull and bring it to me once you have it," Langdon said as he folded his arms behind him.
"Yes sir!" The grunts chorused.
The grunts disbanded from the formation and departed the room to make their preparations for the mission. Liam continued his trek to the upper floor to grab his Pokémon for the mission but stopped when he saw N walking towards him. He knew about N's dream and planned on using it against him to get some form of entertainment.
"Good morning, sir!" Liam greeted with a friendly wave.
"Ah, good morning to you as well," N said with a slight bow.
"So what are you doing right now, sir? Are you coming with us on this mission?"
"No, I'm not. I am returning to my study to continue reading a book I borrowed from the library about the legendary dragons."
"The legendary dragons, eh? Well, as it so happens, we are heading to the Nacrene City museum to retrieve the skull of a peculiar dragon Pokémon to help us with our goals. Perhaps you should tag along and take a look?"
"I don't know. Although it sounds interesting, I don't think I would have much use for a fossil as it really isn't what I'm searching for."
"Come now, sir. I insist. It will be worth your while and I'm sure that you may find something beneficial towards your search there."
"Maybe I might, but if you don't mind me asking, why are you trying to help me? My father has told me of your attitude and I must say I find your current demeanor suspicious."
"I'm just a simple grunt trying to aid his king. Whether you choose to trust me or not is completely up to you."
"I see."
N cupped his chin in thought as he tried to come to a decision. In the end, he decided to follow through with Liam's offer and nodded with a sincere smile.
"I shall take you up on your offer, Liam. Let me go and get my Pokémon and we can head to the city," N said as he turned on his heel.
N walked away and failed to notice Liam's smirk.
"Let's see how well you can carry yourself in a battle, sir," Liam thought as he walked down the hall and to the main entrance.
/Flashback End/
Pierce had plucked the smoke grenade from his belt but managed to keep it out of sight from the others as he prepared to set it off.
"To show you we're serious, we'll steal it right before your eyes!" A grunt declared as he turned around.
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Lenora objected as she stepped forward with Corey, Vanessa, Elliott and Kenta.
All of the grunts in front of the display released a Pokémon to take a defensive position in front of them.
"Popping smoke!" Pierce said as he pulled the pin of the grenade.
He rolled the grenade in front of the five trainers and it gave a snap and a loud hiss as thick grey smoke began to billow out of it. Lenora, Corey, Vanessa, Kenta and Elliott all started to cough as the smoke entered their noses and their mouths. The five of them dropped to the ground and could hear bustling footsteps as the grunts started to carry out their heist.
"Alright, we have the skull! Fall back to the rendezvous point!" Pierce hollered as he ushered the squads out of the doors.
The smoke cleared up moments later and the five of them stood up and looked around for the thieves. They were long gone and the skull of the dragon on the display in front of them was absent. Lenora's fists clenched in anger as she glared in the direction the thieves left in.
"What on earth is going on?" Lenora asked as she hurried down the hall.
"We have to go after them!" Kenta said as he dashed after Lenora in pursuit of Team Plasma.
"Kenta, wait up!" Corey yelled as he, too, ran after them.
"Come on Elliott, let's go!" Vanessa said as they began chasing after the others.
"I'm right behind you, sister!" Elliott replied.
Alright, that's the chapter everybody. I hope it was a good welcome back chapter and that it has left you waiting to see what happens next. Let me know what you thought via review guys, I appreciate feedback after writing chapters for all of you to enjoy. That's all I have for you really, so until next time. Later. -CaptainPrice
OC introduced: Tessa Hyslop (Fizzy Starburst)
Announcements:
1.) I have a new Pokemon story up called Becoming the Master that revolves around Ash and it takes place just a month after the Sinnoh League. Basically I'm writing how I believe the story should go if I wrote the anime. Stop in and give it a read. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
Story Shoutous:
"Red Steel Travels" by An Anon Fellow
A new Trainers sets out to do what they all dream. Become the best Trainer there is. But is all as it seems?
"Unova Chronicles" by DoTheBartMan
In a region home to many Pokémon a young trainer named Kyle sets on his journey from Aspertia City with the goal of entering the Unova League. ACCEPTING OC'S. (Give this story a read and some constructive feedback. This guy has guts for posting a story despite his dyslexia.)
"White Beginnings" by Azonic George
Ash starts his travel with the knowledge, and a new starter. A white rare pseudo-legendary. Along the way he met a blond girl who will accompany him on his journey, AshXCynthia RayShipping. (If you like Rayshipping like me, this story is for you. Very interesting and I always have to read the newest chapter when it comes out)
"Humilau High" by Your Broski
Welcome to Humilau High! Follows the battling team of the high school in and out of the stadium. Hilarity, antics, and Pokémon ensue. Barely, if any time in the classroom. (A high school story filled with comedy that you can find in those old movies like American Pie, Ferris Beuller's Day off, etc.)
"One Soul Two Visages" by Tendou Souji
Assigned a task by the goddess of death, Reaper saw fit to exploit a loophole during a bout of nonchalance. His opportunistic mind beckoning him, he broke down the barriers between dimensions and plucked out random soul to carry out the task in his place. A discover that everything is preordained shall be reached, for the soul's identity all but shatters the thought of chance.
"The Pokemon World League" by The Fan Fiction Writer
The elite echelon of the world's trainers gather to determine the very first World Champion. Rated T for safety, expect political undertones and themes. OC's readily accepted.