I am really starting to get fed up with Vermillion. But it is vital to the plot so I'm going to have to stick with it. Anyway, this pretty much finishes just before 'Truth or Fiction' starts. So the next Episode is actually going to be set after that and will finally continue advancing what is left of the plot.
Comments please, as usual, or Squirtle will never relinquish his role as narrator.
Episode Eighty-Eight: Messenger
Unfortunatly, accuracy means nothing when your opponent gets out of the way. The Bulbasaur managed to leap clear and I ended up hitting a wall instead, my shell only just absorbing the blow.
"I need to get seatbelts installed in this thing," I muttered as I poked my head out and had to roll to me right as a large seed smashed into the wall beside me.
The Bulbasaur shot another Leech Seed at me, which I blasted out of the air with another Water Gun. The Vine Whip that followed, I didn't dodge. But it only managed to strike my shell, doing zero damage in the proccess. A second vine shot towards me and time seemed to slow again, but this time in my favour.
I grabbed hold of the vine as it moved to swipe at my face, pulling it taut.
"Naughty naughty," I yelled over to the astonished Bulbasaur, "didn't your mother ever teach you not to swing this around? You could hurt someone."
I noticed a lamppost standing just to my left and trotted over as the Bulbasaur tried to pull back with its vine. I quickly ran around the lamppost and started knotting the vine. The harder the Bulbasaur pulled, the tighter the knot became.
"Yar har matey," I laughed, "who knew that those ol' pirate movies would come in handy?"
However, while being a prat, I had made a basic mistake. I had forgotten that the Bulbasaur wasn't harmless. The first vine appeared out of no where and lashed me across the face, leaving a nasty red mark and making tears form at the sudden pain.
"Youch. You'll pay for that, ye pesky landlubber," I muttered, still using my pirate accent.
Dispite my threat, I stayed where I was. Raichu had come up with a plan and was standing begind the Bulbasaur, making rude gestures at the Geodude. I ducked under another attack from the Vine Whip and the Geodude started another Rollout, strait at Raichu.
The Bulbasaur was too busy trying to free itself from the lamppost and take me down that it didn't notice Raichu or the Geodude, untill Raichu lept over it and the Geodude slammed into its back. I couldn't help but wince and the Bulbasaur was flattened.
Yet the Geodude kept coming and was gaining on Raichu, who skidded to a halt and clenched his fists. I knew the look in his eyes, I had seen it when Flame fought him during that Gym battle. His pointed ears twitched slightly as the Geodude approached, completely unaware of the glow that had formed around Raichu's paw.
Raichu spun round and slugged the Geodude, the force of the blow knocking both of them flying. Raichu landed beside me and flipped back onto his feet, cracking his knuckles on his hand.
"That bugger has got a hard head," he said wincing a little as he clutched his paw.
The Geodude had landed too, rolling to a halt. It had decided to try a different tactic and had started lobbing bits of rubble at us. Most of them missed and the rest we dodged without a trouble or I used my Water Gun to shoot them down.
"How the hell do we take that thing down?" Raichu asked me, too which I replied, "I dunno. We keep hitting it with stuff, that usually works."
Raichu ducked under a flying rock, sending a bolt towards the Geodude which had little effect.
"I can't hurt him!"
"I can see that," I replied, before having anothing of my bright ideas.
I dived clear of another rock, the Geodude was starting to run out of things to throw. I inhaled as much air as I could, building up the pressure inside me. When I couldn't hold any more, I released everything in one great blast of water. While it was no Hydro Pump, it still shot all the way towards the Geodude and knocked it backwards.
When I had finished, the Geodude's rocky armour had been worn away. Raichu saw his chance and by Mew he took it, the resulting bolt caused the Geodude to scream and even catch fire. The Rocket returned his two Pokémon and turned too flee, when Scyther appeared and took him out with a kick to the head.
"Nice job Squirtle," he said as he walked back towards the house, stepping past Alpha's crew before vanishing inside.
Officer Jenny slammed cuffs on the Rocket, like they do on movies. I felt like I had to say something so I decided to read the Rocket his rights, "You have the right to remain unconsious. Anything you think or dream will be used against you in a court of law."
Joanne was pretty much choking Moron in a bear hug, while Raichu plopped down on the floor and wiped his face with the back of his paw.
"That's enough excitment for one night," he said, untill I spotted Pika appearing out of her Pokéball and interrupted.
"I dunno about that, the Pikachu over there looks pissed."
She spotted us and ran up, which was a change from the usual greeting that I got. Which involved a few hundred volts being shot at me.
"Get up you idiots!" She yelled at us.
"Hello to you too," Raichu sighed, and got a smack upside his head for the comment.
"Flame's in trouble, he's taking on two other Rockets!"
"Well why didn't you say so?" I replied, "lets get over there and help out."
It was not to be. Pika led me and Alpha's gang, Raichu and Scyther had stayed back at HQ, to where Flame had saved her and Joanne from the ambush. When we got to the correct street, after getting lost twice, there was no sign of Flame.
"Are you sure this is the right place?" Cubone asked Pika, who was practicaly in tears by now.
"It is," Alpha sighed, "I can pick up Flame's scent, it is faint but it had to have been him."
"They must have took him!" Cubone said, with a few curses, "now what are we supposed to do?"
I turned to him and glared him into silence, "we follow. I doubt that Flame was killed, there is no sign of blood. There is no way I am letting Team Rocket win. Alpha, follow that damn scent. We'll go past the gates of hell if we have too!"
No one argued and Alpha began the slow process of following the scent. We stuck close to him, not talking. All of our senses tuned for any sign of a Rocket patrol. The whole town was silent, every shadow seemed to hide an attack.
Five minutes later, Alpha cried out suddenly. We all turned to look at him, puzzled.
"The scent just vanished. All I can smell is smoke," he muttered, looking up at us.
"They must have loaded him into a vehicle," Cubone said, more curses.
"And we are near the industrial area of the city. Everything will smell of smoke. We cannot track them through this," Porygon added, "our best course of action would be to head back to base. We can send out search parties tomorrow and comb the area by hand."
As they all turned to head back, all lost in their own thoughts, me and Pika stood there for a few seconds.
"Why did I listen when Flame told me to run?" Pika asked, letting out a choked sob.
"Because if you hadn't, then you would have been killed. They wanted Flame alive, no one else," I replied, almost crying myself, "And they will keep him alive. We'll find him, no matter how many of them stand in our way."
Pika looked up to me and managed to smile, at which I grinned myself and added a comment, "thats better. You're not allowed to cry, that's my job. Your job is to get angry at everything and start trying to kill people."
"Thanks Squirt," she muttered as she followed the others, leaving me to stand alone.
"Would people stop calling me that?" I asked the air around me and a strange breeze whistled around me, seemingly saying yes to my question. I turned away from the dank unknown and ran to catch up with the others, a strange thought echoing around my head.
'Flame will find you, Squirt.'