Matt looked up from his work at putting his cooking utensils in order to check out the time before glancing at Kappa. "So... I guess we should go check to see if Masky is actually behaving in Aogiri's room, or if he's trying to blow up the island."
Kappa snorted through his nose as he sat by the doorway, and gave a small nod.
Despite his words, Matt took another moment to scrub an already immaculately shiny ladle. "Yup. Just me and you and the rest of my Pokémon. Babysitting Masky. Alone."
As the seconds ticked on, Matt set the ladle down on the dish towel with a groan. "Damn it." Sighing, he forced himself to leave his kitchen. "I just got this place the way I like it too."
Kappa rumbled in response, tilting his head to the side, before he lumbered after his trainer.
"Of all times to lose out on rock-paper-scissors," Matt muttered under his breath.
Kappa reached over to pat Matt on the head, surprisingly gentle despite his thick, muscular hand.
Matt sighed and allowed his Pokémon to offer him some comfort. "If this blows up in my face, I swear I am giving Aogiri the biggest I told you so in the history of Hoenn."
The Blastoise nodded his head in agreement as he grumbled. He turned his attention back down the hallway and stopped short, his eyes widening as they focused on two figures sprawled out across the floor – the grunts who had been guarding Aogiri's door.
Matt stared at the grunts, who groaned in pain and nursed their wounds, then let out a loud curse. "I knew it!" The admin immediately started jogging to the security room, his Pokémon right on his heels. "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!"
Matsubusa was equal parts relieved and disgusted at how poorly defended Team Aqua's base was. Aside from the two grunts guarding his room, he didn't see hide nor hair of another sentry. Instead, everyone was goofing off, either in their quarters or in the cafeteria. It made sneaking through the hallways far easier than they had any business being. If any of the grunts had worked for Matsubusa, the lot would have undergone severe retraining and disciplinary actions.
And yet, it almost felt par for the course when it came to Team Aqua.
"I can't tell if they're severely underestimating me or if they just don't care." Matsubusa grumbled as he ventured down the hallway, deeper in to the base.
Dante let out a quiet, but distinctly derisive snort.
As Matsubusa continued onward, Team Aqua's presence continued to decrease until the redhead no longer felt like he had to be discreet. While it was possible that there were no exits beyond the dock, feeling so secure in their possession of him would prove to be their downfall. Even an immediate escape didn't mean he couldn't escape – it just meant it would take time.
And soon enough, he found the method of his escape – Team Aqua's communication center.
The room was large and reminded him of Courtney's own technology center, though the gear wasn't nearly so sophisticated. He imagined most was pillaged off of boats that Team Aqua had hijacked, and certainly functioned well enough for their purposes. And as such, he was fairly confident it would function for his purposes as well.
Matsubusa approached the main console, and the monitors burst to life, displaying a wide variety of screens with everything from maps and radar to the latest news channels. "...They don't even have it password protected. What a bunch of amateurs."
"-number of days and still no sign of Matsubusa Kazan or Team Aqua," a news reporter droned on.
Matsubusa jerked and looked up sharply, his eyes darting across the monitor until they focused on the source of the report. He didn't recognize the woman on the screen, which told him the broadcast must have come from outside Hoenn – more than likely Kanto. The idea that people outside of Hoenn were talking about him made him bristle, especially when his name was said at the same time as 'Team Aqua'.
"-I'm honestly surprised that the idiot hasn't been gutted and left on a dock for everyone to see, or tied to their mast and paraded around, or keelhauled, or whatever it is that pirates do," a snide voice came from another monitor, drawing Matsubusa's eyes to it. It looked like some sort of talk show, with a group of individuals known for their opinions and for loudly sharing said opinions. The woman in question was dressed quite provocatively, in bright colors and her hair striped in orange and pink. "At the very least, they can take pictures and upload it so everyone else can have a good laugh."
A co-host in green laughed politely, showing too many teeth. "I doubt murder is something for a fun loving terrorist group to laugh over. But I know I certainly found that group of poachers drenched in Pokémon manure and strung out over the docks to be a riot!"
"Maybe they'll do something equally 'creative' to Mr. Kazan," another co-host, a male decked out in purple, said with a smirk. "Something equally fitting for someone who taunted a criminal organization on live television. Hashtag piratebait."
The man in green let out another round of carefully measured laughter. "Hashtag piratebait has become quite popular recently. I heard there are some posters dressing up as members of Team Aqua and Kazan."
Matsubusa stared at the monitor in disbelief. The fact that the hosts were making light of his situation and even wishing harm on him was downright horrifying, but the idea of people impersonating him to make fun of him was downright infuriating. "...Courtney had better be nuking those sites!"
Dante nudged his nose firmly against Matsubusa's wrist to get his trainer's attention before he fixed his gaze resolutely on the computer terminal.
Matsubusa paused and glanced at his Pokémon before he focused his attention at the terminal. It was a reminder that he had other things to focus on – such as contacting his admins for help. Thankfully, he knew their numbers by heart, so he didn't need his Pokédex to access their contact information. Quickly, he typed in Homura's phone number, initiating the call that he intended to lead to his rescue. He just hoped Homura wouldn't block it, as the call was undoubtedly from a number he wouldn't recognize.
Tabitha loved to fly his helicopter. It made him feel free, like there was nothing but him and infinity surrounding him. At times it did get a bit lonely as well, and he loved having his friends fly with him. However, the presence of Homura in the co-pilot's seat made the trip go to the opposite extreme, making him feel as though he was trapped in a tiny metal box, as the other man practically radiated rage and misery. Countless times he tried to broach the topic of some safe conversation, but words failed him each time, so they made the journey from Kanto to Hoenn tense.
Ever since talking to the police, Homura's mood had been sour. In hindsight, they probably shouldn't have expected much of anything from the police – Team Magma existed for this very reason. And yet that knowledge did little to ease the personal assistant's rage, allowing it to smolder inside of him.
It made the trip back that much more uncomfortable, as Homura glared at the horizon as if it were somehow involved. In the end, Tabitha was left to pilot the helicopter in awkward silence.
Thankfully, the atmosphere didn't last the entire trip. As if in answer to Tabitha's prayers, Homura's Pokédex began to ring. It was an unknown ringtone, certainly not one that either recognized as belonging to their coworkers. Homura hesitated as he listened before he glared balefully down at the Pokédex.
"Thank Arceus," Tabitha muttered under his breath. He didn't care who was calling – it would be a welcome change from the unbearable silence.
Homura flipped open his Pokédex to look at the number, his scowl still firmly planted on his face. "...If it's that damn cop, it's too little, too late."
"Maybe they have news?" Tabitha suggested, trying to sound more hopeful than he felt.
Homura silently glared at the Pokédex, watching the number dance across his screen as the call continued to ring.
Tabitha felt uncomfortable as the ring tone repeated endlessly. "Um... You gonna pick that up?"
"...Tch." Homura's lips curled up in to a snarl as he flicked his thumb across the screen, swiping the call to accept it. "Who is this."
"Homura!" Matsubusa's voice came out loud and clear as his face appeared on the screen, causing Homura to jerk and stare at the sight of his leader. "You need to answer the phone when I call you, damn it!"
"M-Matsubusa!?" Homura nearly stood up, though the seatbelt jerked his body so that he couldn't complete the motion.
Tabitha jolted upright in his seat, nearly knocking the controls aside in his surprise. "Matsubusa! Are you okay?!"
"I'm doing well enough for the moment, no thanks to that bastard," Matsubusa growled, crossing his arms. "He ran off for the moment. Apparently he thought I'd sit on my ass like a good prisoner while he was off chasing whalers."
Homura furrowed his brow, his eyes darting around Matsubusa's surroundings. He didn't recognize the room at all, though he could at least tell that it was some sort of communications center. "Where are you?"
"Damned if I know!" Matsubusa spat out. "It's some run-down 'base' they're calling a 'headquarters'. It's barely guarded at all. They don't even have sentries. All I know is that they brought me here by boat." The redhead whirled to glare at Homura, his jaw clenching. "By boat, Homura!"
"See if you can patch over the coordinates," Tabitha said as he prepared to change course. "We'll head to your location right away!"
"I'm already tracing it," Homura muttered as he fiddled with his Pokédex, using the built-in GPS system to find out the origin of the call. "...It's Team Aqua. All they have are boats."
"That's no excuse!" Matsubusa snapped as he slammed his hands on the computer terminal.
Homura ignored Matsubusa for a moment, his eyes focused on the GPS tracker as it slowly made its way across Kanto, through the ocean, before finally coming to a stop in the waters between Kanto and Hoenn. He swiftly plugged his Pokédex in to the helicopter, transferring the coordinates to the helicopter's navigation system. "Tabitha, how quickly can you get us there?"
Tabitha's hands flew over the controls. "I can get us there in less than 20 minutes."
Matsubusa couldn't help but grin victoriously. "There's no way a boat or water Pokémon can get back that fast."
"Seriously?!"
Matt stood panting in the doorway, his face faintly glistening with perspiration. "Was beating... those grunts up... really necessary?"
Matsubusa jumped and whipped around to stare at Matt, his eyes widening. "...Ah."
Matt wiped his brow with the back of his hand. "Would it have killed you... to wait until Aogiri was back to make your big dramatic exit?"
"I, ah," Matsubusa hesitated as he fidgeted, feeling self-conscious.
"Stay away from him!" Homura barked, his voice booming.
Tabitha scowled at Matt. "If you attack Matsubusa..."
Matt put his hand over his face and groaned. "Look, I really, really don't want to get involved with your kinky cat and mouse chase games with Aogiri, so how about I just call Aogiri so you two can do your thing, and I can just not deal with being a third wheel?"
Matsubusa quivered, his face turning solid red, before he clenched his fists and stomped his foot. "I-I... I'm not a fuck toy!"
Homura jerked at that, his eyes widening. "...What!?"
Matt took on the expression of a person who had suddenly been slapped in the face with a large trout. "What?"
Tabitha practically quaked in rage. "He did what?!"
"I-I heard! I heard!" Matsubusa snapped as he pointed at Matt, his face red. "I heard, I heard, I heard, I heard! I heard everything!"
Dante growled as he glared murder into Matt.
Matt shook his head to clear it. "You heard it from where? That's, like, the exact opposite of everything I told you!"
Kappa positioned himself in front of Matt, crouching down like a sumo-wrestler as he met Dante's hostility with some of his own.
"Didn't you ever teach your grunts that loose lips sink ships!?" Matsubusa practically shrieked as he continued to point at Matt, jabbing his finger in the admin's direction. "After everything you said, I actually believed you... until your stupid grunts started running their mouths! Who's so stupid as to gossip in front of an open door, anyway!?"
Matt blinked slowly. "Wait, so... those two were imagining weird crap between you and Aogiri... and you believed them?"
Matsubusa hesitated at that, in mid-point. "...And?"
Matt rubbed his temples, muttering under his breath. "This is why dating is a pain in the ass." He let out a sigh then raised his voice back to normal. "I've been best friends with Aogiri since we were sixteen. We barely started recruiting new members within the past couple years. Do you really think two random people you probably don't even know the name of actually know Aogiri better than me? Hell, you've known him longer than either of them!"
Matsubusa hesitated at that, his anger faltering. "...Ah. I... that's..."
Matt's expression deadpanned. "Do you even remember seeing their faces before today?"
Matsubusa fidgeted in place, growing increasingly uncomfortable. "I-I... y-y-you keep going on about how you're all one big family, s-so-!"
Matt slowly raised an eyebrow. "And your family doesn't have the occasional dumbass hanging out?"
Matsubusa grimaced before he clenched his fists. "S-s-s-s-sex in a closet! They were talking about having sex with him in a closet!"
Matt groaned, his eyes rolling towards the ceiling. "Man, don't get me started on the sex talk bullshit. I swear, I don't know how people get stuff done thinking about diddling with what's in their pants with what's in someone else's pants all the time."
Matsubusa reached up to grab at his collar, tugging on it. "I..."
"Trust me," Matt said, "Aogiri won't force you to-"
"Matsubusa!" Homura barked, startling the redhead. "Don't let him trick you! They kidnapped you, for Arceus' sake! Run for it!"
"He's just stalling for reinforcements!" Tabitha snapped.
Matt shot a glare at the screen. "You two aren't helping!"
Tabitha scowled back at Matt. "Why should we help any of you?"
Matsubusa whirled to stare at Homura and Tabitha, then back to Matt. He glanced between the two as confusion flooded his body, before his eyes fell on Dante. Meeting the Houndoom's gaze, he felt his courage return and, sparing Matt a parting glance, he quickly rushed past the admin and his Blastoise towards the door.
Matt tried to call after Matsubusa, but the redhead and Houndoom were gone before he could say anything. He sighed and shook his head before shooting an exasperated look at the screen. "You two are such hypocrites."
Matsubusa raced down the hall as quickly as he could. He was relieved to see that Matt wasn't following him. It wasn't just because of his escape attempt, but also because he just didn't know what to say to the admin or his comments. He preferred to hold on to his anger, rather than question it.
The further away Matsubusa went from the communication's room, the more confident he became in his choice. He didn't even bother to conceal his actions, running past groups of grunts who only stopped and turned to stare at him in confusion. It spoke volumes of their capability to stop him, and his chances of escaping the wretched team and their deplorable captain. He just needed to figure out how.
At the very least, he would check out the dock to see if it lead out to dry land. Surely the base wasn't entirely surrounded by water – he might even find a helicopter pad and a helicopter to commandeer.
Matsubusa maneuvered his way down the halls, attempting to remember the path Shelly had taken him before. Thankfully, the headquarters wasn't too difficult to maneuver and soon enough he found himself on the docks.
As Matsubusa rushed through the doorway in to the dock area, he skidded to a stop, nearly stumbling forward as Dante had to swerve to avoid hitting the back of his legs.
The ship had returned to the port, and Aogiri had just stepped off the gangplank onto the dock in time to notice Matsubusa. His eyes lit up as a crooked smile came to his face. "Yo! Come rushing out to greet me, Masky?"
Matsubusa paused as he opened his mouth, then promptly clamped it shut. He swiftly turned on his heels and rushed back inside the headquarters.
Unfortunately, Matsubusa didn't make it far before he saw Matt running towards him from down the hallway with Kappa and a number of grunts.
Matsubusa jerked back with a yelp and turned sharply on his heels. However, he had no sooner finished the turn before he rammed face first in to a wall of muscle. The redhead let out a startled yelp as he bounced off the perfect pectorals and fell backwards from the force.
Aogiri reacted instantly, snagging Matsubusa by the waist before the redhead could hit the floor. "Careful!"
While Matsubusa was relieved to not hit the floor, the relief was short-lived at the sight of Aogiri's grinning face. "Y-you...!"
Aogiri didn't give Matsubusa a chance to finish speaking, as he foisted the redhead over his shoulder and headed back towards the docks. "Come on, gang! Everyone move out!"
Matsubusa yelped as he grasped at the back of Aogiri's wetsuit, finding his stomach crushed against the powerful shoulder muscles. "W-w-what-!?"
Dante growled at Aogiri and lunged, only to be snatched out of the air by Leviathan.
Aogiri took the Pokéball off Matsubusa's belt and used it to recall Dante. "We're switching locations, of course!"
Matsubusa jerked as he saw his Pokémon disappear in to his Pokéball, and his face twisted with anger. "What are you doing!?"
Aogiri stuffed the purloined Pokéball into a hidden pocket in his wetsuit. "You lost your Pokémon privileges until we get to the next base, Masky."
"W-what!?" Matsubusa's eyes widened. "N-next base!?"
"Of course!" Aogiri said. "You don't expect us to stick around and wait for your boys to crash the party, do you?"
"Y-you-!" Matsubusa began before he noticed the direction Aogiri was carrying him – towards the dock. The redhead paused as the dock came in to view, in particular the boat tethered to the dock and all the grunts that were quickly boarding the vessel. "Wait. Wait! Wait wait wait wait! Where are you going!?"
"Back to the boat of course," Aogiri said cheerfully. "We're traveling in style!"
"Boat!?" Matsubusa all but shrieked as he grasped at the back of Aogiri's wetsuit, using it to push himself upwards. "No! Absolutely not! I forbid it!"
"Too late to change your mind now, Masky," Aogiri said as he sauntered up the boat. "You were the one that made us have to relocate ASAP."
"No-no-no-no!" Matsubusa beat his fists against Aogiri's back as he kicked his feet. "No! I said no, damn it!"
"Throw a fuss all you like," Aogiri said, "but you brought this on yourself and the rest of us."
"You bastard, I said-!" Matsubusa began before he let out a startled squeak as Aogiri proceeded up the gangplank, giving the redhead a good view of the water to either side of the boat. Matsubusa jerked as his entirely body went tense, his legs curling up tight as his arms locked against the pirate's muscles. A stream of strangled noises came out of his mouth as his face went pale, his protests becoming incoherent.
Aogiri chuckled at the gibberish gushing out of Matsubusa's mouth as they boarded the boat. "Now, now, don't be too upset that we thwarted you so quickly, Masky. We were already almost back when Matt sent me the heads up on what you did."
Matsubusa trembled as he felt his stomach churn against the pirate's shoulder, threatening to force the redhead to empty the contents of his stomach. He could only respond with more strangled noises, though the protest was very obvious in his tone.
Aogiri hummed a jaunty tune as he carried Matsubusa to his cabin, where he deposited his captive onto a familiar bed covered in pillows. "There you go, just like you left it."
Matsubusa's breathing hitched as he gripped at the bed and whirled to stare at Aogiri with wide eyes. "D-Dante!"
Aogiri wagged a finger before lightly poking Matsubusa's nose. "Nope, not until we've cast off and put some distance between us and the island."
Matsubusa flinched at the poke before he shook his head, his fingers digging in to the sheets. The thought of so much water around him made his blood go cold. "You... you can't do this!"
"Think of this as a little punishment for trying to spoil our fun so soon," Aogiri said as he backed out the door. "But don't worry, I love ya too much to make you suffer long. You'll get Dante back in an hour tops."
"N-no, you-! Wait!" Matsubusa gasped out, even as it was clear that the pirate had no intention of obeying him. "Stop! Aogiri!"
"Sorry," Aogiri said, "I'd love to stay and flirt longer, really I would, but I've got captain duties to perform." He blew Matsubusa a kiss before pulling the door closed. "But don't worry, I'll be back as soon."
A damning series of clicks echoed in the cabin and even before Matsubusa flew to the door, he knew that it would be locked. No matter how hard he worked the knob, it refused to budge an inch. The door itself was made of metal, likely reinforced, so kicking it down wasn't an option.
The redhead struggled with the door for several moments before he proceeded to bang on it, the sound echoing violently in both the cabin and the hallway leading to it. "Aogiri! Aogiri!"
After several more knocks, a loud bang issued as Matsubusa kicked the door, his voice ringing out loudly. "You bastard!"
There was no time to waste. Aogiri dashed around on deck, barking out orders to every grunt he could see to empty out their base of essentials and evacuate.
Moving like a well-oiled machine, Team Aqua had the ship loaded in record time and out of port within minutes. As the massive ship moved out of the base and in to the open water, Aogiri found his way back on deck. At the center, he saw his admins assembled in a group with their Pokémon out, most noticeably with Izumi sitting on Ryuko's back as Shelly stood beside Goliath.
"What's up?" Aogiri asked as he approached the ladies.
"We're staying behind," Shelly said as she placed her hand on Goliath's arm.
"We're going to wait for Masky's 'rescuers' to arrive," Izumi said with a sly grin. "Get some real face time of our own."
Aogiri nearly asked why when understanding lit his eyes. "Oh, right, it's those two guys who're coming, isn't it?" He chuckled. "No better opportunity to corner them alone, right?"
"Masky did us a favor, really," Izumi said with a wiggle of her brow. "Even if he messed with my systems."
Shelly reached into her pocket and pulled out a bottle of pills, which she held out to Aogiri. "Here, these are for Matsubusa."
Aogiri frowned as he examined the bottle. "Wait a sec, aren't these tranqs?" He opened up his palms to refuse the pills. "No way. I ain't about to force Masky like that."
Shelly let out a frustrated breath and pushed the bottle into Aogiri's hand. "It's not for you to use on him. It's for him to choose to use if he needs them. This is an official as-needed prescription from a doctor, idiot."
Hesitantly, Aogiri accepted the bottle, brow furrowed. "I take it you're not planning on telling me why he needs them."
"Doctor-patient confidentiality," Shelly said, her gaze hard. "It's also why, as a doctor, I order you to fly Matsubusa to the next base. Not keep him sailing on a ship."
"On what?" Aogiri asked. "A Pokémon?"
"You have Smaug, so it'd be easy enough," Izumi said as she leaned forward on Ryuko and patted the Gyarados' back. "Plenty of room."
"Exactly," Shelly said before she climbed onto Goliath's back. "He's fast enough to take you there and bring you back to the ship to take charge of the crew."
Aogiri tried to ignore the maddening itch of curiosity and put the bottle in a pocket. He knew he couldn't resist prodding Matsubusa for details about this secret hidden between the leader of Team Magma and Shelly. "Anything else, doc?"
Shelly considered the question for a moment. "Be gentle."
Aogiri grinned and gave a two-finger salute. "Of course. That's priority number one."
"You sure you don't want one of us to stay, too?" Ushio asked as he rubbed the back of his head. "Y'know, Bird Boy does use a gun an' all..."
Izumi arched an eyebrow. "Yeah, I think we'll be fine enough without a fifth wheel."
Shelly flashed her teeth in a wide, predatory grin. "Oh, believe me, we're not going to need anything but our natural talents to take on Homura and Tabitha."
Ushio blinked before he nodded sagely, and turned his head to Matt. "She means boobs."
Matt slapped his hand over his face. "Thank you, Ushio. I would never have guessed that."
Aogiri and the remaining crew saw Shelly and Izumi off, the two female admins flying off the ship and back to the base. As they disappeared in to the hidden dock, Aogiri was once again left to his boat, his crew, and Matsubusa.
With a bark of orders and the mechanisms of an experienced crew, Team Aqua was out and away from the base in record speed. They didn't have time to waste and made certain that not a single second passed without being used to its fullest potential. All too quickly, the boat was once again within the open waters, with nothing but sea around them.
Aogiri surveyed the deck before he patted the hidden pills in his pocket. With an approving nod, he swiftly heading back to the cabin. The pirate had kept Matsubusa waiting long enough.
It didn't take him long to get back to the cabin, and his prize within. Once there, Aogiri rapped on the door before unlatching the lock. "Hope you're decent, Masky, 'cause here I come!"
A rattle of bottles caught Aogiri's attention as he opened the door, the only warning he got before the scene unfolded in front of him. Matsubusa was sitting on the floor, huddled in a corner as he nursed a bottle of Aogiri's alcohol in his hands. The captain immediately recognized it, and the other noticeably empty bottles scattered across the floor, as his own private stash. Judging by the looks of it, Matsubusa had not only scoured the room to find it, but had helped himself to half the contents.
Aogiri could only stare at Matsubusa in disbelief. "Seriously?"
Matsubusa paused at that before he blurrily glanced over to Aogiri, his face flushed and his cheeks tinted a bright shade of red. "Back already, bastard? You bastard."
Aogiri shook his head. "Doubt the pills should be taken with alcohol," he muttered under his breath before entering the room. "Yo, what's with all the booze?"
"Ask yourself, it's your booze!" Matsubusa snapped, before he smirked, as if he was proud of his retort, finding it rather witty.
Aogiri snatched up the half-empty bottle before Matsubusa could take another swig. "Why the hell would you chug so much of it in such a short amount of time? This is my high quality stash here!"
Matsubusa yelped as the bottle was snatched, and he stumbled to his feet, using the wall for support. "H-hey! No! Bad!"
Aogiri blinked and stared at the wobbly wagging finger Matsubusa waved in his general direction. "Okay, see, this is the time to cut you off and get you some water."
"No!" Matsubusa shrieked as he clenched his fists. "No more water!"
Aogiri set about gathering up the bottles that still contained some traces of alcohol. "Okay, juice then. How's that sound?"
"No!" Matsubusa moved to try and grab at the empty bottles, without much success. "First you kidnap me, then you put me on a boat, then you take my Pokémon, then put me on a boat again, and now you're taking my booze!?"
"Your booze?" Aogiri asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"I found it, that makes it mine!" Matsubusa declared, with absolute authority.
Aogiri waved the bottles around in front of him. "Oh look, they're in my hands, which means they're mine."
Matsubusa paused at that before he looked positively aghast. "B-but that's not fair!"
"Why's that?" Aogiri asked with false innocence.
"B-because you took them from me!" Matsubusa said as he reached for the bottles again, only for Aogiri to move them out of reach. "And you won't give them back!"
"You took them from me first," Aogiri said reasonably, trying hard not to smile.
"You weren't here, so you couldn't stop me!" Matsubusa snapped as he clenched his fists.
"I'm here now," Aogiri said as he backed to the door. "And I'll be right back as soon as I hide these."
"W-wait! No!" Matsubusa tried to intercept Aogiri, but his legs wobbled before he fell to the ground, landing roughly on his rump. He blinked, then slammed his hands on the floor. "Aogiriiiii!"
Aogiri winked as he backed out of the room. "Don't worry, I'll be back in just a few minutes."
"Nooooooooooooooooooo!" Matsubusa wailed after the retreating captain, from his position on the floor. "Aogiriiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"
Aogiri felt a pang of guilt from the way Matsubusa called his name so plaintively and hesitated to leave. "Aw, Masky, do you want me to stick around because you want a hug, or are you just after more booze?"
"Booze!" Matsubusa said, firmly.
"That's what I thought," Aogiri snickered before closing the door on Matsubusa.
Matsubusa huffed as he glared at the door, before he fumbled to his feet. It took him several moments to find his balance, but both his anger and the alcohol within him drove him ever forward. Once he arrived at the door, he was surprised to see that it wasn't locked – merely closed.
The redhead paused before he frowned. As he stared at the door, a thought filtered in to his head. Chances were, Aogiri didn't see the need to lock the door, thinking the redhead simply too drunk to operate a door. And even if he could, he was far too drunk to cause much trouble.
The pirate was dead wrong.
His frown turning to a scowl, Matsubusa threw the door open before he leaned forward precariously to look down the hallway for any sight of the pirate. Seeing Aogiri nowhere in sight, Matsubusa's irritation grew ever stronger. He disliked being underestimated about as much as he liked being on a boat, and he absolutely despised being on a boat.
"That bastard... he thinks he can punish me? He thinks he can control me?" Matsubusa growled as he gripped the door frame. "He thinks he can steal my Pokémon and my booze, and put me on a boat!? I'll show him! I'm... I'm going home!"
Matt was surprised to see Aogiri enter the galley with arms loaded down with alcohol. "What's up?"
Aogiri sighed as he set the bottles down onto an empty counter. "Masky decided to get plastered, probably out of spite for stopping his escape attempt, so I cut him off."
Matt frowned. "Uh... I hope that medicine doesn't react badly with alcohol..."
Leviathan looked up from where she sat by the door, some meat in her hands from where she was eating. She blinked, then looked at the bottles. She gave a small sniff before she stuck her tongue out.
"I'm sure it does," Aogiri said before patting the small lump the pill bottle formed. "That's why I'm not handing it over. Flying is out too until he gets sober. Flying drunk on a Pokémon is just begging to fall off and crack open your head like a melon."
Leviathan tossed the rest of her food in her mouth and chewed it a bit before swallowing, replenishing her energy after the fight with the whalers. After she gave a mighty gulp, the Feraligatr then paused. She blinked slowly before she furrowed her brow, tilting her head as if listening.
Aogiri glanced at Leviathan. "Surfing is out too for the same reason."
Leviathan met Aogiri's gaze before she turned her head and trotted towards the closest port window, peering outside.
Aogiri could sense something amiss with Leviathan's body language, so he hurried to his partner's side to search for whatever had disturbed her.
As Aogiri got to the window, he immediately heard the faint sound of a motor revving. He had very little opportunity to register the meaning behind the sound before suddenly one of speedboats typically tethered to the boat suddenly skid past the window, shooting across the water.
The vibrant red of the rider immediately identified him to Aogiri. "Damn it, Masky!"
Matsubusa clutched the steering wheel to the boat with trembling hands, his entire body quaking. His mind was equal parts screaming at him to go faster as it was screaming that he was on a smaller boat, much closer to the water than he had been moments before. It was only due to the alcohol in his bloodstream that he wasn't curled up in to a fetal position in the seat, puking out the butterflies in his stomach. The alcohol was the reason that he even had the courage to swipe the speedboat in the first place.
The leader of Team Magma had rather quickly found that his avenues of escape were severely limited, if not impossible, on a boat. Without a flying or swimming Pokémon, he was essentially trapped – which was no doubt Aogiri's intentions. And since he didn't possess a flying or swimming Pokémon, or any Pokémon at all given Aogiri confiscating Dante, he was left with nothing but what he could find. And what he found was a speedboat tethered to the side of the vessel, like a life raft.
Under normal circumstances, he would never even consider getting on a speedboat. But when his choices were captivity on a boat and possible freedom on a smaller boat, logic dictated that the later was the better option. And with alcohol agreeing with logic, it just seemed like the best decision he could make.
The fact that he was now deeply regretting it, terrified for his life, in no way invalidated his logic.
"Just got to... go fast. Faster I go, faster it's over," Matsubusa murmured, through clenched teeth. "And follow the beacons. Beacons keep Pokémon away... beacons keep me safe... beacons lead to civilization."
"Yo, Masky!"
Matsubusa jerked at the sound of Aogiri's voice and quickly glanced over his shoulder, eyes wide as they scanned the area for their source.
To his horror, he quickly spotted the pirate on the back of Leviathan, who was cutting through the water like a knife and steadily gaining on the speedboat.
Aogiri held a bullhorn to his mouth so that he could be heard despite the violent choppiness of the water and the distance between him and his quarry. "You know, I'm starting to get the feeling that you've got a crazy side to you."
Matsubusa felt his insides clench and he quickly grabbed the clutch, throwing it down as far as it could go. The motor revved to life, the front of the boat lifting upwards slightly as it gained top speed. "B-bastard! Bastard bastard bastard!"
Aogiri barely caught Matsubusa's shouts over the sound of churning water and the roar of the speedboat's engine. "Don't worry, baby, I like to get crazy too sometimes!" A wicked smile curved at his lips. "Let's race!"
Matsubusa grit his teeth as he whipped his head about, holding the clutch down with one hand while the other held the steering wheel. There were so many things he wanted to scream at Aogiri, but he needed to focus. He needed to get off the water and to land as quickly as possible, and leave all the bad things, the uncomfortable things behind him. He had to move quickly, especially with Tabitha and Homura already on their way by helicopter.
The leader of Team Magma did his best to keep his eyes on the horizon and not the water as it stretched all around him, rushing past him on both sides and under the boat as he continued onwards. The boat floor was firmly beneath him, providing a barrier between him and the lethal liquid it was flying across. While he wasn't particularly familiar with driving a boat, it was similar enough to driving a stick shift that he was able to manage. Considering he was even on a boat surrounded by water, it was the least of his concerns. It was amazing what someone could tolerate when it came to their own skin, especially with a hearty dose of alcohol saturating said skin.
Matsubusa didn't even need to glance back to know that Leviathan was hot on his trail. Pokémon were notoriously good swimmers, and Aogiri's behemoth of a Feraligatr was no exception. She was certainly faster than the rest of their boats and was almost a match for the speedboat itself. He could only imagine that was why Aogiri opted to ride her rather than anything else. Every moment that passed, Leviathan was no doubt gaining on him. He needed to get to shore before the Feraligatr could catch up to him.
With the bright sun high in the sky, Matsubusa was easily able to see a beach in the distance, rapidly coming in to focus. White sands stretched along the coastline, littered with colorful parasols and beach chairs as tourists gathered to enjoy the pristine water before the hot sun began its mid-day assault.
Matsubusa didn't recognize the beach, but he wasn't familiar with any beaches. Despite Hoenn being a large tourist attraction full of lush beaches, Matsubusa made it a point to stay as far inland as he could. All beaches looked like death traps, and he couldn't tell a difference between them if his life depended on it – which it currently did. In this case, he didn't need to know the difference – he just needed to get to land.
The redhead chewed on his lower lip. He didn't have time to actually dock, not with Aogiri after him. He didn't really know how to dock it in the first place, anyway. The redhead really only had one option. Bracing himself, Matsubusa aimed the boat towards the beach with one hand while he slammed his hand down on the horn with the other.
Tourists stopped to stare. Some had already begun to watch the boat with passing interest, but the horn succeeded in getting everyone's attention, and drawing them to the fact that the speedboat was going straight for them. People screamed as they scrambled out of the way, scattering across the sand to make room for the approaching vehicle.
Matsubusa gripped the steering wheel tightly and braced himself. Within seconds, the speedboat hit shallow water just outside the shoreline, causing the water vehicle to shudder. He could hear and feel the wooden bottom shattering upon impact, but the boat continued onward towards the beach, making it safely past the shallows. As the water turned in to sand and the motor suddenly found itself in the air, the boat finally began to slow before coming to a stop directly on the beach.
Matsubusa trembled before he jumped off the boat, feeling a wave of relief as his feet touched land. He didn't even care that it was sand, soft and slippery underneath him. It wasn't water, and that's what mattered. He ignored the gawks and glares from the tourists around him.
The redhead stumbled forward through the sand a few steps before he turned about to survey the situation – in particular, that he was free. He was on land, the water and Aogiri's boat far away from him. He had escaped, back in civilization. With so many people, there was no way Aogiri would follow him any further. He felt a swelling of victory at that thought and threw up his trembling hands triumphantly. "It's over-"
The words couldn't even leave Matsubusa's mouth before the boat shattered in front of him, spraying bits of wood about the beach. He had the perfect view of Leviathan ramming in to the boat from behind, using her head as a battering ram. As the ruined boat collapsed around her, Leviathan emerged from the wreckage, Aogiri safely on her back. She dig her claws in to the ruined wood below her and bellowed, her gaping maw displaying her razor sharp teeth.
Even from so far away, Aogiri's wide grin was obvious as he sat atop Leviathan. "Don't stop now, baby. I'm not done yet!"
Matsubusa yelped and stepped back before he whirled on his heels and scrambled along the beach, shoving people out of his way as he raced for sturdier land. Behind him, Leviathan leapt down from the wreckage of the boat before she charged after the fleeing redhead on all fours, lifting herself up and moving far more quickly than a beast her size had any right to.
"You've gotta do better than that!" Aogiri said. "My Levi is the fastest Pokémon in the ocean!"
"She's not on the ocean anymore, you bastard!" Matsubusa snapped as he scrambled over a fence acting as the boundary between the beach and the parking lot. "Go away!"
Aogiri's laughter rang through the air as he and Leviathan steadily narrowed the gap between them and Matsubusa. Leviathan didn't even hesitate for the fence as she plowed through it, splintering it in to little more than matchsticks. "If you think I'm giving up now, you don't know me at all!"
Matsubusa cursed as he ran down the road, not entirely certain where he was going save that it was away from the man hot on his heels. Around them, people began gathering turned to watch, having been drawn to the area by the commotion. They kept their distance, which was both a blessing and a curse. No one was obstructing his path anymore, but no one was going out of their way to assist him either. "T-there are witnesses, you... imbecile! Y-you can't just kidnap people in broad daylight-!"
"Hold it right there!"
Matsubusa instinctively jerked about, startled by the command. He stumbled forward before coming to a stop, just in time for two police officers to burst out of a nearby restaurant, brandishing their guns at Aogiri, or more particularly at the massive Feraligatr he rode down the street.
"You're under arrest! Recall your Pokémon and-" one of the officers began.
A loud bellow was all the warning the officers got before Leviathan lunged between them and Matsubusa, swinging her head about to knock the two officers backwards, off their feet. They landed roughly with a cry, though it wasn't nearly as hard as the blow could have been, which the Feraligatr demonstrated as she swung her head back around to crush the backside of a parked car nearby.
Matsubusa scrambled back with a cry, his face pale as he increased his distance from the Feraligatr and the police officers on the ground. While he had initially been glad to see the police getting involved, the way Leviathan had easily disarmed them was more than a little discouraging. The police officers were sprawled about the sidewalk, their guns no longer firmly in their hands as the fall had jarred them loose.
One of the officers managed to grab a Pokéball from off his belt, quickly summoning a Pokémon. A tan and black Herdier appeared with a bark, glancing about to assess the situation before its eyes widened, locking on to the monstrous face of the enemy in front of it.
Leviathan slowly stood up, forcing the Herdier's eyes to follow her upwards as she stood her full height and towered high above the dog, ten feet meeting just under three. Leviathan bared her teeth as she let out a low growl, which prompted the Herdier to let out a shriek and bolt down the street in the opposite direction. The dog Pokémon fled just enough until it was certain that Leviathan wasn't chasing, then whipped about and barked furiously at the reptile Pokémon.
"...My hero." Matsubusa muttered, his expression deadpanning.
"You rang?" Without further warning, Aogiri suddenly leapt of Leviathan's back and landed in front of Matsubusa. He easily snatched up the much more lithe redhead in his muscular arms, grinning as he looked Matsubusa in the eye.
Matsubusa yelped as he was startled not only by the sudden appearance of Aogiri directly in front of him but also suddenly being swept off his feet. "Yah-!?"
"This was fun," Aogiri said as he carried Matsubusa off.
"P-put me down!" Matsubusa demanded as he squirmed in Aogiri's grip. His face turned a deep shade of red, both at the staring but primarily the way Aogiri carried him like a prize in front of so many gawkers. "Right now! Immediately! Instantly!"
"Oh come on now," Aogiri laughed. "You didn't really think I was about to let you get away after all the trouble you put me and my team through, did you?"
"I don't care! Y-y-you... do you have any idea how much trouble I went through!?" Matsubusa demanded as he flailed helplessly, his arms and legs hitting nothing but air. "You can't do this!"
"Someone hasn't been paying attention," Aogiri said before he returned to his Pokémon's side. "Finished disarming the police, Levi?" He grinned as his Feraligatr showed him warped chunks of metal that used to be guns sitting in her mouth. "Good girl. Let's go home."
Leviathan spat out the guns before she turned her whole body about, her tail lashing and knocking the mangled car over as she righted herself. She dropped back down to all fours, cracking the pavement with a rumble, before she glanced to Aogiri and grinned.
"No!" Matsubusa protested as he beat on Aogiri's chest with his fists. "Unhand me! I said... I said unhand me!"
Aogiri hopped back onto Leviathan's back, holding the squirming Matsubusa firmly against him. "Let's ride, Levi!"
Leviathan hoisted herself up and proceeded to take off, back towards the beach. She didn't move nearly as quickly as she had when chasing after Matsubusa, as if she were strutting proudly back to the water.
Matsubusa didn't appreciate it, not in the slightest. He squirmed against Aogiri, face red. More and more people had gathered to stare, watching his humiliating defeat. "S-someone do something!" he demanded, furiously. He paused when he noticed that a good number of the audience had aimed their Pokédexes at them, obviously recording the scene before them. His face turned an even darker shade of red as he waved his finger accusingly about. "Other than that!"
Aogiri chuckled. "I doubt anyone here is dumb enough to start something with the King of the Sea after Levi made short work of the police."
"Y-you... argh!" Matsubusa snarled with frustration as he beat on Aogiri's chest with his fists. "Y-you bastard!"
"Careful," Aogiri said slyly. "Don't hurt yourself now."
Matsubusa let out a strangled cry of anger before he grabbed Aogiri's shoulder and bit inside the pirate's collar, unable to properly express the torrent of feelings inside him any other way than by sinking his fangs into the other man's dark skin.
Aogiri flinched in pain, but chuckled all the same. "Hey now, I didn't know you were into the kinky stuff, Masky."
Matsubusa sputtered, immediately releasing Aogiri and jerking back as if he had been burned. It hadn't meant to be sexual, but calling attention to the act suddenly made the whole thing seem indecent. It made him acutely aware of Aogiri's taste that was now in his mouth, and his mind helpfully pointed out how it was almost like an indirect kiss. "S-s-shut up, shut up, shut up!"
Aogiri laughed all the more as he rode Leviathan back towards the beach. "I should've known you were a biter with those fangs of yours."
Matsubusa growled as he quivered with rage, then stopped when he noticed that they had reached the sandy beach. The ruined boat came in to view, but he was more interested in the water that stretched behind it. He didn't see another boat, no sign of the Team Aqua admins come to pick them up. And yet, Leviathan was trotting straight towards the water with single-minded purpose. "W-wait, what..."
Aogiri smirked at Matsubusa just before Leviathan dove back into the ocean with a mighty splash.
Matsubusa let out a shriek as the reptile Pokémon dove in to the water, which was cut off by a rush of cold, salty water surged at him from all around. Leviathan was moving quickly and he was only under water for several seconds before the Pokémon emerged once more above the surface, but it was more than enough for Matsubusa. He sputtered and choked, clinging to Aogiri as his soaking clothes clung to him, hugging the contours of his body. "N-no! No-no-no-no-no-!"
Aogiri leered at Matsubusa and made a rumbling noise as though he had taken a bite of something sweet and tasty. "Oh yeah, Masky... The wet look works real good on you."
Matsubusa's eyes darted around, panic increasing across his face with every passing second. He began to pant as he found himself unable to breathe, his lungs clenching as each gasp felt painful and suffocating. The color drained from his face as he quivered, Aogiri's words lost on him as he felt as though he was drowning in a torrent of fear no different than the water all around him.
At least with the ferry and the speed boat, there was something between him and the ocean. There was solid, or questionably solid, ground between him and the water – something he could focus on. But in Aogiri's arms, there was nothing between him and the water, there was nothing solid. Water was everywhere, moving quickly around him as Leviathan sliced through it easily as she swam away from the beach. The water was everywhere.
The amusement slowly drained out of Aogiri's face as he registered the sheer terror in Matsubusa's expression. "Hey, you okay?"
The world around Matsubusa disappeared, replaced with endless blue. He was a child again, no older than six with his wild red hair and wide, bright eyes. His tiny changshan soaked with water, he was back in the slowly flooding room of the capsized ferry, water rushing in as the vessel sank deeper and deeper beneath the ocean. As the pocket of air grew smaller, Matsubusa clung to the windowsill and stared outward past the glass in to the depths of the water. He could see the surface far above, glistening in the sun as the water rippled tranquilly.
And between himself and the surface, there were nothing but bodies – corpses.
People he didn't know, people he would never know, were scattered about the water. Some struggled before going still while others had long since lost, their eyes glassy and lifeless as they drifted by like flotsam. And the whole time, Matsubusa was trapped within the room as the ferry sunk ever deeper, bringing him in to the depths.
Matsubusa brought up one of his hands to press it against the glass, letting out a scream. "Momma!"
In that instant, the faces of the people in the water turned towards, every drifting body replaced with that of his mother. He couldn't remember what she looked like, he couldn't remember the features of her face, what kind of nose she had, or even the curve of her mouth. All he could remember was the cherry red hair that flowed out from behind her head, like a trail of blood in the water.
It was then that he saw the Sharpedos.
Appearing from the dark water, their red eyes glowing, the hungry Pokémon circled the smorgasbord before them. Matsubusa could barely let out a scream before the shark Pokémon attacked. They targeted the individuals still moving first, tearing them apart as a cloud of blood appeared. Limbs floated about, streaks of red tainting blue as the Pokémon attacked in a horrific haze of chaos.
Matsubusa shrieked as he banged his hands on the window, no longer a child. Still trapped in the room, he pounded on the glass until it shattered. And with it, the ferry itself disappeared and Matsubusa found himself drifting among the corpses.
The redhead's lungs seized as they insisted that he shouldn't be able to breathe under the water, his air gone. As he gasped and choked, the Sharpedo turned their attention to him as the corpses disappeared in to the darkness. Matsubusa flailed, attempting to swim to the surface even as the crowd of predators descended upon him, their teeth still red with blood.
A growl, familiar and welcome pierced through the silence of the water. Matsubusa wasn't sure how, but Dante was there by his side, the Houndoom's distinctly warm body pressed up against him.
Matsubusa immediately felt alarmed, the thought drifting through his head that the water would harm the Houndoom, not to mention the Sharpedo about to attack. And yet he couldn't get the words out, the growl sending a ripple through his body and through the water itself. The attacking Pokémon trembled before they seemingly disappeared like mist, along with the rest of his surroundings. Matsubusa felt numb, his body unresponsive as the rumbling moved through his muscles and dulled his senses. The water turned gray, before seemingly disappearing entirely as Matsubusa felt Dante spoon against his side.
Dante nuzzled Matsubusa, his warm wet nose pressing against his trainer's neck as he continued his soothing growl.
Matsubusa slowly became aware that his body ached, particularly his lungs and throat. He was wet, his body slick with salt water, and his changshan clung uncomfortably to him like a second skin. Dante's warmth was against his side, bleeding through the fabric to his cold and clammy flesh. As his vision returned, he found himself staring through half-lidded eyes up at the sky, bright blue with wisps of white fluffy clouds drifting by. Disoriented, the redhead furrowed his brow and focused on the only thing he could recognize – his Pokémon. "...Dante...?"
Dante licked Matsubusa's cheek and let out a tiny, worried whine before snuggling up to his trainer again.
Matsubusa tilted his head, unthinkingly pressing it up against the Houndoom's cheek. It was then that he noticed a deck of some kind beneath him, and a second source of body heat against his opposite side. The redhead furrowed his brow before he tilted his head back, looking up to find himself face to face with Aogiri.
"Hey," Aogiri said, his voice soft and demeanor subdued. "You back with us now?"
Matsubusa blinked slowly as he realized he was being cradled by Aogiri, held in his strong arms as Dante spooned his side. The redhead frowned, his eyes noting the pirate's face. "Where...?"
"You're safe," Aogiri said gently. "Don't worry. We're not going to let you drown, or let anything attack you."
The redhead furrowed his brow and out of his peripheral vision, he could see Leviathan hovering closely, her concern quite clear on her face. Behind her, he could see Ushio and Matt looking at him with their own faces mirroring the Feraligatr's. It was clear to Matsubusa that he had missed something, but his brain wasn't currently functioning well enough to figure out what.
It was then that Matsubusa noticed the smell, and the stickiness along the front of his changshan. Glancing down, the redhead saw himself staring at vomit, his morning breakfast mingled with alcohol as the disgusting substance clung to his skin and clothes – and Aogiri's wetsuit. "...Oh. I threw up."
Aogiri tried to force out a laugh, but all that came out was a breath. "Yeah. That... yeah. I don't have anything witty to say to that. As soon as you're ready to move, let's go get cleaned up, okay?"
"I drank too much," Matsubusa murmured, his voice weak. "Homura's going to yell at me."
"Don't worry about that right now," Aogiri said as he rubbed Matsubusa's back in slow circles.
Slowly, the numbness left Matsubusa's body, and he began to tremble. The redhead's teeth began to chatter as his hands moved to grip Aogiri's arm. "G-gross... I feel gross... and cold..."
Aogiri adjusted his hold so that he could stand with Matsubusa cradled carefully in his arms. "Sounds like as good a time as any to go get cleaned up."
Dante let out an annoyed rumble as Matsubusa was pulled away from him, but he didn't do anything more than follow Aogiri, his eyes never leaving his trainer.
As Dante's warmth disappeared before being replaced by Aogiri's own, Matsubusa found his mind drifting in and out. He was still aware of the condition of his own body, but it was as if his mind was only barely attached to his body and would slip away before returning, like a balloon in a breeze, struggling against the string that tethered it. He offered no resistance as Aogiri carried him away, leaving the deck and the concerned crew behind.