Chapter 24! REVIEW and hope you all enjoy!
I'M STILL ACCEPTING CHARACTER OC's!
Harley was awoken suddenly by his phone ringing loudly. Quickly, he sat up from his bed, grabbing his cellphone. Before answering it, he read the time. Did the boss really have to talk to him when it's 3AM. Knowing it was urgent, Harley pressed the answer button and put the phone to his ear.
"Boss." Harley said emotionlessly
"Harley, the time will be nearing soon. I saw your report for Cynthia planning to intercept the transport of the necklace. Unfortunately, it will be difficult to transport it without being spotted soon, due to the location of the main base. We can't afford to risk exposing the location of it so we can't transport the vehicle and necklace directly to it. Instead, there will be a small airstrip where the transport will arrive soon. There, the necklace will go airborne." The older man stated firmly over the line.
"What do I have to do with this Sir?"
"Your services as a spy are no longer needed once they attempt to intercept the second necklace. We won't allow them to stop us this time. I need you to get the necklace out of there. I don't care how you do it. Just get it done." The boss ordered over the line. Harley smirked, knowing that this was the opportunity he was waiting for.
"You got it Boss."
"Infernape, Flamethrower"
"Porygon, counter with Shadow Ball"
Infernape's stream of flames intercepted the black ball, creating a small explosion on the middle of the field. Infernape and Porygon were both panting in exhaustion, having been battling for a few minutes now. Currently, Silas and Harley were in a friendly 1v1 battle for training. In the bleachers were Sarah, Kai, Hilda, Hilbert, and Leaf. Seiya and May were working together in a different training field, with Cynthia wanting the two of them to test out their battling skills. Cynthia was standing next to the bleachers, observing the battle. Earlier, she had been training May individually like she had promised. Now, however, she wanted to see who would come out victorious in this battle. The battle had been even for the majority, but Silas was starting to take the upper hand.
"Close Combat!" Silas ordered his Infernape
Infernape sprinted quickly towards Porygon, who was levitating several feet in the air. Harley didn't order Porygon yet, waiting for a few moments. Once Infernape was less than twenty feet away, Harley yelled.
"Hit him with Ice Beam!"
Porygon fired off streams of ice, missing Infernape. Infernape was throwing himself out of the way, now slowly advancing closer to Porygon. However, Infernape was hit on his leg by an Ice Beam, stopping him. Infernape yelled in pain, now clutching his frozen ankle.
"Zap Cannon!"
"Use Flamethrower on your ankle to get out!"
Porygon's electric attack headed straight towards the stuck Infernape. Infernape listened to Silas's orders, using his attack on his ankle. He was too late, however, as Porygon's attack struck him as soon as he freed him. Infernape took heavy damage from this, now being in the same condition as Porygon. Both Pokemon were on their last legs.
"Popcorn?" Kai asked Sarah with his mouth stuffed with food. Sarah laughed at the trainer, before taking a handful from the bag. The aura user was about to grab another handful of the snack before a hand snuck its way in the bag, grabbing a bunch. Kai looked to where the attacker came from, seeing Hilbert stuffing his face with the food. Seeing him steal his snack, Kai smacked the back of his head, maybe a little too hard.
"Ow? Was that really necessary?" Hilbert asked, rubbing the back of his head to relieve the pain.
"Absolutely. You could have just asked." Kai nonchalantly stated.
"Hey handsome, can I have some?" Leaf asked, winking at the black-haired trainer.
"Anytime." Kai replied, handing the brunette the popcorn bag. Hilda smirked at the two while speaking.
"Oh my god. Get a room you two!" Hilda teased, grabbing some popcorn herself.
"I can't help that I'm surrounded by a bunch of beautiful women." Kai stated, complimenting the group of females around him.
"Yeah, well as cute as you are Kai, it's gonna take a lot more than a compliment to have me in bed with you like Sarah." Hilda responded, her hands on her hips while looking at the trainer. The whole group besides Kai opened their mouths at the statement, with May, Sarah, and Kai not knowing how Hilda knew, and Hilbert and Leaf shocked that the two of them slept together.
Kai coughed loudly, caught off guard by the statement before recomposing himself. "Um I say let's watch the battle everybody!" Kai said awkwardly. Sarah quickly agreed, with the rest of the group shaking their heads while watching the battle.
"Porygon, use Tri Attack."
"Overpower him with Flare Blitz"
The two Pokemon collided harshly, attempting to push each other back. Their attacks and power were even, leaving the two in a stalemate. Eventually, the clash of attacks created a small explosion, making both Pokemon slide back several feet.
"Flamethrower!"
"Dodge and use Iron Tail." Harley ordered back.
Infernape let out the Flamethrower through his mouth. Porygon barely managed to dodge the attack, before gaining distance. Once close enough, Porygon used Iron Tail, hitting the Pokemon on its head. Infernape fell onto the ground as a result, heavily injured.
"Again Porygon!" Harley yelled, knowing that Infernape was unable to defend itself.
"Catch it!" Silas commanded, hoping that Infernape would be able to recover fast enough.
Porygon swung its tail downwards once again. However, this time, it was caught in the hand of the larger ape Pokemon. Infernape grinned, knowing that Porygon was right where he wanted him.
"Get out of there!" Harley ordered, knowing Porygon was in a dangerous position. Not wanting Porygon to escape, Silas planned to finish the battle.
"Close Combat!"
Infernape let go of Porygon before letting a series of punches and kicks hit Harley's Pokemon. Porygon cried out in pain, being hit by the super effective move. Finally, Infernape kicked the Pokemon in the air, sending him falling down into the ground a few seconds later.
"Porygon is unable to battle. The winner is Silas!" The referee yelled, raising his flag in the direction of the blue haired trainer.
"Great job Infernape." Silas told his Pokemon while patting his head in approval.
"Well done my friend." Harley praised Porygon, picking him up into his arms.
Both trainers returned their Pokemon, before shaking hands and returning back to the group. The group complimented both Harley and Silas, while also making their own comments about the battle they just witnessed. Surprisingly, Kai approached Harley as the group was praising the two.
"Well done, Harley. I was actually impressed with your strategies throughout the battle. Your Porygon is definitely not to be trifled with." Kai complimented Harley, who smiled at the praise.
"Thank you, Kai, I appreciate it." Harley stated, nodding after he finished. Before the group could continue with their conversation, Cynthia spoke once again. May and Harley joined the group, since the duo had just finished their own Pokemon battle.
"I have a new mission for you all that needs attention at this moment. There is a group of Chaos vehicles transporting what we believe to be weapons and Pokemon to a hideout. I need you all to follow the vehicle to one of their hideouts and secure their operations there. DO NOT stop the transport. We need to follow it so we can discover the location of their hideout, as well as shut it down for good. Am I clear?" Cynthia stated, surprising the group with a mission that would be completed at the moment.
Kai smiled, pumping his fist excitedly since it had been a while since Operation Snowpoint took place. Hilbert and Hilda smiled as well, excited at their first official mission with the group. It hadn't been their first for Project Giratina, but it was their first time working alongside their new team members.
Leaf and May appeared nervous, twiddling their hands behind their backs while looking at Cynthia. However, the two were up for the challenge. No matter how nervous Leaf was, she was one of, if not the most, capable trainer in the room. She had taken part in dangerous missions such as this one. This would not be the first. Although May was nervous, she was determined to prove her spot in Project Giratina. She has worked extremely hard since their first mission, due to creating doubt in Cynthia's mind because of her actions. She would make a positive impression this time. She was ready.
Silas, Seiya, and Harley stared at Cynthia seriously but also with a determined face. Silas and Seiya trained harder each day to improve their skills as not only a Pokemon trainer but as a soldier for Project Giratina. They were prepared for this challenge.
Harley knew there would be a time such as this one. While there were parts of his job working for Project Giratina that required him to help aid them in taking down Chaos, Harley definitely hurt the organization more than he helped it. However, this would be the first time where he directly harmed Chaos's operations, since he had never taken part in an on-field mission. The young man knew, though, that it was necessary to maintain his cover as a member of Project Giratina. Besides, it would also help him clear any doubt from Silas or the others that he was the mole. If this didn't clear Silas's suspicion, nothing would. Out of the corner of his eye, Harley noticed Silas staring at him, most likely looking for a reaction. Harley wouldn't give him one, maintaining his attention to the Champion in front of him.
"Loud and clear, Cynthia. Should we hit the dressing rooms quickly or go straight to the debriefing room?" Kai asked confidently, crossing his arms across his chest. Cynthia tightened her lips at this for some unknow reason, before shocking the rest of the group.
"You will not be in the mission, Kai. You will stay back alongside me in the communications room." Cynthia stated, making the other members of the group gasp in surprise. Why was Cynthia benching the young trainer? The team couldn't recall Kai doing anything that would warrant the aura user to be punished. Kai looked very upset at hearing this.
"You're benching me? What the hell did I do, Cynthia?" Kai said, unbelieving of what was occurring.
"Cynthia, we need Kai. Isn't he the leader of our team?" Sarah asked, with the rest of the group nodding at Sarah's words.
"I will serve as leader, guiding you all from inside our headquarters here. Leaf will be the one in command on the ground. However, anything I say goes, overruling any objections from you all and Leaf. Make your way over to the debriefing room while I speak with Kai privately. At the debriefing room, I will explain how exactly we will go about this mission. Move, everyone." Cynthia commanded. The group was reluctant to stay, wanting to argue about Cynthia's decision to bench Kai. However, they knew that this effort would be futile. After a few seconds, the group began to make their way to the debriefing room, leaving Kai and Cynthia alone on the training field. Kai turned to Cynthia, ready to object to her decision.
Kai took in a deep breath with his eyes closed, attempting to compose himself and be civil, rather than explode on his boss. A moment later, Kai opened his eyes and spoke.
"With all due respect Cynthia, I deserve to be out there with them. I didn't do anything wrong! You can't bench me for no reason." Kai complained, pleading with the Champion as he pulled his hair since he was so frustrated. Cyntha listened to his words closely before nodding in an understanding gesture. Kai was relieved to see this, until he heard her speak.
"You're not being benched for no reason, Kai. You are right about not doing anything wrong. However, I'm not benching you because of your actions. I need the group to believe that they can accomplish any mission without your help or involvement. They know that you're the strongest person there, which can lower their confidence in themselves. I need them to see how capable they are. I'm sorry but this is the only way that they can truly believe in this." Cynthia reasoned, touching the teenager's arm, hoping to comfort him. Kai's anger died down after hearing her logical explanation.
The aura user didn't like her decision, but he understood that it was a logical and reasonable decision. The group needed to see this. Besides, he knew how capable they were. There was no doubt in his mind that the team would successfully accomplish their goal.
"I understand. I'm sorry if I came off as arrogant or rude." Kai replied honestly, bowing his head respectfully. Cynthia smiled at this before speaking.
"It's alright, Kai. Meet me at the debriefing room. I still want you involved in communicating with them and being helpful."
Together, the duo walked to the debriefing room. They made it after a few minutes, seeing the group already sat in front of the holographic screen. Kai sat down alongside them, wearing a serious but attentive expression. Cynthia analyzed and read the room, before beginning.
"Welcome to Operation Enlightenment, everybody. In the next hour, I will be going over the basics and steps of the mission you will complete today. Nevertheless, I wanted to make something official." Cynthia smiled, pacing across the room.
"I realized a few days ago that you all didn't have a name. A name to unite you all by and make your missions official. That changes today. I've heard the name of "Ghosts" through chatter across the organization, ever since Operation Eterna. I think it's time we made it official." Cynthia stated, pausing for a few seconds before finishing off her speech.
"Are you ready, Ghosts?"
Chapter 24 everybody! REVIEW as it helps me out a lot! I'm still accepting character OC's! See you all soon!