The fighting had spilled into the city proper. League trainers clashed with Team Rocket in the streets with pokémon tearing up the roads as they struggled. They clashed at barricades constructed out of cars and chunks of concrete. They clashed in the middle of the narrow avenues and wide streets while pokémon with long range attacks and Rocket grunts armed with crossbows rained death from windows above. They clashed inside buildings making structures rattle and windows shatter as the League forces cleared out the structures with blazing attacks and sharp fangs.
Most of the time the League forces would start by throwing ranged attacks at the defenders, sometimes assisted by crossbows or rare firearms, while pokémon trained for close quarters combat charged the enemy. Team Rocket would respond with a similar approach.
When trainers had pokémon who could dig or navigate the sewers below, they would do so to catch the other side off guard; much of the time they ran into adversaries who'd had the same idea, resulting in subterrain battles that shook the streets above. Or the trainers would attempt to attack from the air using flying pokémon, trying to evade attacks from hidden firing points as they flew. Whatever method, the end result was always bloody, humans and pokémon shredded and destroyed as the battle raged.
Most civilians cowered in their homes as frightful attacks flashed and roared outside their windows accompanied by screams from those below. The few who had been outdoors despite Team Rocket's occupation quickly took shelter.
A few civilians from the parts of the city where the pokémon hadn't yet been taken attacked Team Rocket themselves, adding more confusion to the battle. Many were quickly dispatched but a few managed to throw Rocket squads into disarray, making them easy pickings for the League forces.
Throughout it all, Brock led his squad on a rampage through the city, attacking one strongpoint after another.
"Misty!" Brock shouted, pointing at an office building occupied by Team Rocket, their forces raining bolts and attacks down on them. "Deal with that!"
"Starmie, Ice Bullets and Water Slash!" Misty shouted pointing just under the enemy. "Kayden, if you would finish them off?"
"Muk, gas the street!" Kayden shouted, throwing a pokéball and releasing the purple blob pokémon.
Nuggets of pale ice flew through the air, smashing the windows in a glittering bloom sharp glass shards. A high-pressure stream of water followed, cutting through floor underneath the Rocket squad. The structure groaned as a slice of building slid out, the Rocket trainers and their pokémon screaming as they lost their balance and flailed about as they fell.
At the same time Kayden's muk oozed onto the street below and with a hiss purple gas started billowing up. People and pokémon from Team Rocket fell from the office building and into the poison cloud below. Between the fall and the gas, none of them got back up.
While that was going on another Rocket squad came down the street. Without needing prompting, Amanda and her jynx moved to intercept. At Amanda's signal a purple-tinged Ice Beam shot out, erecting a glowing sloping glacial wall in front of the attackers just as they blasted away with fire, water, electricity, and psychic power. Ice shook and the attacks washed upwards over the heads of Brock's squad.
"And retaliate!" Amanda commanded. Her jynx raised her hands, shining with the same faint purple light as the ice, and the glowing wall morphed, straightening up while spikes extended from its surface. Then she made a pushing gesture and the spikes shot out, whistling through the air as they skewered the enemy squad.
"Empress!" Cindy shouted to her nidoqueen. "Sand Tomb!"
"Onix, follow up with Rock Tomb!" Brock shouted.
Empress, stomped a glowing blue foot and beyond the ice wall the street became sand. The survivors from Team Rocket were sucked down screaming and the entire mess fell into the sewers below.
Onix slammed his tail into the ground and cracks spread through the sewer walls. Chunks of concrete tumbled down, crushing and burying the enemy squad.
"Didn't leave anything for me?" Visquez huffed, turning her head away from them in an exaggerated fashion. "How very rude."
"If you and Scarbolt want something to do then you should take care of the barricade two blocks over," Brock said, pointing down the street with his thumb, to where a group of Rocket grunts were commanding two arboks and a tentacruel to hose down a street with Poison Sting attacks.
"Nah, that's not Scarbolt's thing," Visquez said, taking a step forward and grabbing a pokéball. "Luxio, Discharge Bolt!" She shouted as she threw the pokéball.
White light blazed, followed by a bolt of buzzing yellow power that sped down the street and then burst into multiple streams stabbing down right in the center of the Rocket squad. Disoriented or paralyzed by the attack, the squad was easy prey for the League forces and the barricade was taken.
Luxio rubbed up against Visquez's leg and she knelt to pet the pokémon while cooing about what a good job Luxio had done.
"Street's clear," Brock said. "Form up and let's keep moving people, I don't want someone getting in a lucky shot."
All the gym brats jumped onto Onix's back, recalling the pokémon that wouldn't fit, while the rest joined them. Onix reared up and dove down, burrowing deep into the ground.
"Stop," Brock said once they had gained some depth. "Onix, keep an ear out for any other burrowers. Zubat, come out and help!"
While Zubat and Onix kept watch, Brock tapped the comm he was wearing in his ear.
"We've taken Fourth and Verdant Avenue," Brock said. "Where else are we needed?"
"We're figuring that out now," Tory's voice came back through the device. "But it looks like we've managed to secure the very west edge of the city."
"Have the second wave start fortifying the bridgehead then," Brock commanded. "And send in the irregulars. Let's get as many people out of here as we can."
"We've got the word to move!" Jared announced. His six-man squad had been sheltering in the woods outside of Saffron City as the battle had raged. Ash had been able to hear the sounds of battle from there, the crackling of fire and electricity, the barking of guns and the screaming of dying things, all while waiting under the shadows of a tree beneath the dreary sky.
Finally, Pikachu said, sitting by Ash's feet. The electric type jumped onto his trainer's shoulder as Ash, Leaf, and the rest of the squad came out from under the boughs of the multi-trunked beech tree. Every member of the squad except Jared was wearing body armor and helmets from Misty's delivery, drab black and grey. Jared had insisted that rest of the squad have first pick, stating that the armor would only slow him down.
"Alright, I hope you all know the drill by now," Jared said, his voice and face grim. He had been clutching the tree hard enough to dig into the bark and there were spots of blood on his hands. "Keep an ear on the announcements from HQ if I'm not around. Stick together unless you've been given an independent assignment. Do not engage any Rocket forces; run and radio for help if you encounter any. Everyone understand?"
The squad nodded or answered in the affirmative.
"Good." Jared closed his eyes and Ash noticed just how pale his face was. "Cresselia grant us your mercy. Darkai turn away your gaze. Mew protect your children that are in our care, and may the Wings in the South grant us speed."
"Oh, Tree of Life, shelter us in your boughs," Leaf prayed next to Ash.
"May Ho-oh visit us after this ordeal," another trainer intoned. "May the Sacred Fire wash away our suffering and our sin."
"Rayquaza please bless our skies," a third said. "Protect us as you once did when you calmed the waters of the ocean and the fires of the earth."
"Xerneas, I pray that you grant the same strength that you share with your forests," one prayed in a kalosian accent.
Shell of the First Egg protect Gary, please, please, Ash whispered.
And by the First Spark that set all events in motion, may we emerge victorious, Pikachu muttered.
Jared took in a depth breath and then said, "Let's go!" He turned and began running towards the city.
When they emerged from the forest Ash saw that another wave preceded them, the general body of irregulars. A few trainers in League uniforms were dotted among the crowd carrying megaphones or radio equipment. They were giving general announcements about the evacuation as the crowd moved to their assigned positions.
"Go, Gale!" Jared shouted, sending out his pidgeot, already wearing a riding harness. Without breaking stride, he climbed on his mount and then Gale took off, staying low and circling just over the heads of the rest of the quad.
"There's a block that's taken severe damage at Second and Gennai," Jared announced to the squad. "We're going to start searching there!"
The squad ran through the battle-scarred streets as civilians began to file out of apartments and townhomes. Bodies of people in League and Rocket uniforms and the bodies of their fallen pokémon cluttered the roadways at intersections. Ash avoided looking at them, but he couldn't avoid the smell of smoke and viscera, or the screams and roars coming from the east where the battle was raging.
It brought back memories of his night fight in the forest. Ash closed his eyes, took a breath, and forced himself to focus on the moment, to control his thoughts as he had been taught by Poison Lance and Pocket Watch as part of the psychic defense training. More and more Ash was thankful that he had undergone that training.
They arrived at their destination, a block of older looking buildings constructed of stone and brick. Small fires burned inside crumbling holes that had been punched into the structures, several of which had undergone partial collapses. Human bodies in Team Rocket uniforms lay strewn about, next to their pokémon.
"Hey!" A raspy, coughing voice called out. A bloodied brown-haired man in a League uniform lay against a pile of rubble on the sidewalk. "You SAR?"
"Yes," Jared said, crouching down next to the man. "How bad is it?"
"I thought I could walk it off initially," the man said with a lopsided grin. "Turns out that wasn't the case. Didn't hurt right away. Now it's hard to stay awake."
"Right," Jared nodded, examining the man. "Squad, stay low and search for other survivors in the block. I'll fly him back to camp and then rejoin you."
Ash and Leaf both nodded and then ran to the nearest building while the rest of the squad spread out over the street, headed for other buildings. Ash and Leaf pulled up at the stairs to the entryway and came to a stop. The old-fashioned brick doorway was blocked by rubble.
Ash remembered what the leaflet said he was supposed to do. First try and check to see if there was anyone in the building.
"Butterfree!"
"Golbat!"
Butterfree and a golbat were released from their pokéballs and the two pokémon hovered before Leaf and Ash.
"Check to see if you can sense any minds in the building!" Ash ordered.
"Scan the building to see if anyone's trapped!" Leaf commanded.
Buttefree glowed with a faint purple glow as he extended his senses into the building. Golbat opened its mouth as it probed the wreckage with sonar.
There are some people in there! Butterfree said, remembering to nod. On the third and fourth floors, I think.
"Golbat, is anyone trapped there?" Leaf asked her pokémon and it nodded without saying anything.
"First floor?" Leaf asked and Golbat shook its head. "Near the top?" She asked and this time it nodded.
Next, obviously, they needed to get inside the building.
"Should we try flying up?" Ash asked, looking at the upper floors.
"Some people might be able to make it out on their own if we clear the doorway," Leaf pointed out. "And if someone's in critical condition, we might not be able to transport them out on our flying pokémon, or at least we're not supposed to without a license or whatever Jared's got."
"Okay, then let's get this door open. Go, Primeape!" Ash shouted as he threw a pokéball.
"Impact!" Leaf cried out, throwing her own pokéball.
White light blazed and then Primeape and a hitmonchan stood before the two trainers.
"Clear the rubble!" Leaf shouted. "But be careful!"
"You too!" Ash told Primeape.
The two fighting types began removing chunks of debris, pulling them out and throwing them aside. Leaf kept an eye on the structure around the doorway. Ash kept looking up at the upper stories where the people would probably be.
"This is too slow," Ash muttered and grabbed another pokéball. "Go Bulbasaur! Help Primeape and that hitmonchan!"
"Good idea," Leaf said, grabbing another pokéball of her own. "Vines! Assist everyone!"
Bulbasaur and an ivysaur joined the fighting types in clearing away the rubble. The four pokémon were able to clear away much of the debris, but then the structure began to creak as they tried to remove some of the bigger, tighter wedged pieces.
"They're probably load bearing," Leaf muttered, looking at the debris in question. "We need some way to keep the door frame or wall up without them."
"Bulbasaur, can you hold up the frame?" Ash asked. "And Butterfree, can you cover it in String Shot?"
"Wait, do you have a fire type?" Leaf asked. "If you do, there's something we should do first. Go, Dugtrio!" The three headed pokémon blazed into being before them, quickly burrowing into the street before turning around to look at its trainer.
"I do," Ash said. "Go Charmander!" More light blazed as the fire-type came out.
"Get your bulbasaur to help Vines hold up the door frame while the fighting types clear it out and then I'll have Dugtrio coat it in mud," Leaf explained. "Have your charmander heat it up to harden it."
"And then Butterfree can use String Shot to help more," Ash nodded. "Everyone, do what she said."
The two grass-types held up the door frame while the fighting types finished getting rid of the debris. Ash could hear the wall creak as the supporting chunks were removed and Bulbasaur and Vines seemed to struggle under the weight.
Mud was applied by Dugtrio and then hardened by Charmander. Butterfree applied String Shot over that and the burden on Bulbasaur and Vines seemed to be reduced, but still present.
"We'll have to leave them here," Ash said with a grimace.
"Impact, make sure they stay safe," Leaf ordered her hitmonchan. "Dugtrio, return. Everyone else, let's go!"
The two twelve-year-olds rushed into the building. What was once a dingy greenish old apartment building was now covered in plaster dust and its walls were riddled with cracks. Ash coughed, the dust irritating his lungs. The smell of smoke, no doubt from the small fires higher up, filled his nostrils.
"Lead the way!" Ash said to Butterfree.
"You too, Golbat!" Leaf ordered.
You said they're on the third and fourth floor? Golbat asked Butterfree.
I think so, Butterfree replied.
I scanned human bodies on the second floor too. You didn't sense them?
I was looking for minds, not bodies, Butterfree said.
Then they're probably dead humans, Golbat replied, frowning, and Ash forced himself not to react. Do you know where the stairs are?
No, you?
Yeah, my sonar showed me the way. I'll lead then, Golbat said and then fluttered ahead. Leaf and Ash followed.
"Wonder what they were talking about," Leaf said idly as she followed the pokémon.
"Probably about where we need to go," Ash lied. "Come on, we need to hurry!"
They rushed through the apartment and up the stairs, the smell of smoke growing stronger. Thankfully the stairs were clear of haze, fire, or debris and were still steady as Ash and Leaf hurried up them, followed by their ground bound pokémon. Golbat and Butterfree led them past the second story and Ash kept his eyes on the stairs.
Someone was wailing on the third floor and the two flying pokémon led their trainers right to the sound. A closed door blocked their way, one easily smashed by Primeape. Beyond that lay the source of the sound.
Ash froze up at the sight, his veins filling with ice and his feet rooted to the floor. Leaf went pale, hands moving to cover her mouth and eyes widening.
A man was clutching two small bodies in the middle of the room, his eyes screwed shut as he sobbed and wailed. The woman stared blankly at the two heads lolling over the man's arm, their eyes closed. Even with her chest rising and falling as she breathed she seemed more like a corpse than a person.
After a few seconds Leaf closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and stepped into the apartment.
"Come on, the way's clear," she said in a voice that projected a confidence belied by her trembling hands. "You two need to leave while you still can."
The man just continued to sob, burying his face in the shoulder of one of the, his, dead children. The woman looked at Leaf with a blank face.
"We can't leave now," she said slowly. "Jamie and Carrie aren't awake yet."
"You can carry them downstairs," Leaf said hesitantly, slowly, cautiously approaching the couple.
"We don't want to wake them up," the woman said her eyes empty. "They'll be grumpy if we wake them up. We just need to wait for them to wake up on their own. Then we can leave. It'll all be fine once they wake up."
"Uh… we can be very quiet…" Leaf said, edging closer to her. She reached out to touch the woman's shoulder. "Ma'am, if you would just come with us…"
"No!" The woman screamed, her face no longer blank as terrible light shone in her eyes, shooting up and grabbing at Leaf. The twelve-year-old girl fell on her back and then scrambled back as the woman advanced, snarling, shouting, and growling.
"Sleep Powder!" Ash said breaking out of his paralysis. Butterfree flew over the man and woman, dropping glittering powder over the two of them. Their eyes closed and they slumped to the floor, the woman falling forward so that her hair fell over Leaf's feet.
"T-thanks," Leaf managed to stutter out. "We should get them out of here and then check the other floors."
"Y-yeah," Ash replied. "Primeape, can you take them? We'll get their kids."
Ya, Primeape said, voice solemn. Least I can do.
Ash helped Leaf to her feet while Primeape took the couple in his arms. Swallowing around the lump in his throat, Ash then knelt down next to one of the deceased children. It was a black-haired boy, maybe a year or two younger than himself. Ash found himself petrified again, breathing faster as he looked at the boy.
Vague memories of a fire and screaming returned to him and Ash started to shake. He closed his eyes. Once again, he forced himself to focus on his breathing, to acknowledge his thoughts without pursuing them, and to focus on other matters.
Opening his eyes, Ash hoisted the fallen child into his arms and stood up. Beside him, Leaf struggled to her feet, clutching the sibling. Silently the two trainers carried the bodies down the stairs and back out to the still deserted street. Primeape had laid the slumbering parents on the sidewalk by the entryway. Ash and Leaf placed their children next to them.
Ash noticed that his hands were wet. He looked down and they were covered with dirty, red, sticky, blood. Biting his lip, he closed his eyes again and crouched down to wipe his palms off on the street.
"Squirtle," Ash managed to say, grabbing the pokéball and tossing it. "I need some water."
Ash held out his hands as he heard the sound of a pokémon being released and then a stream of liquid washed over his hands. He opened his eyes again and washed his hands in Squirtle's water.
"Can I?" He heard Leaf ask from right next to him. He looked over and her hands were dirty too, with blood also on her sleeves and a crimson streak on her face. Ash nodded and she also began to wash.
After they were done Leaf stood up and turned away from Ash and the bodies.
"I'll radio Jared and tell him to take them next," Leaf said, her voice barely steady. "The parents and children."
"Yeah," Ash swallowed. "Okay."
There was another group of people to retrieve from the building, a group of roommates on the fifth floor. Three people were trapped under the rubble, hurt but alive, and two more people who were trying to free them. With Primeape and Butterfree's help, Ash and Leaf were able to achieve that and escorted all five of the residents outside. The pair had gotten strange looks from the young adults they were helping, no doubt due to their age, but Ash just ignored them. He wanted to help and was able. Ash didn't see why his age should matter and he didn't get why everyone else was so hung up on that.
Ash was also just happy that they were all still alive. He wasn't ready to go through another situation like he had on the third floor.
Talking with the newly rescued residents on the way down, it turned out that the building had been mostly empty when Team Rocket had occupied Saffron City. It was due to be fumigated in a few days and most of the other residents had found places to stay while that was happening. Only the stragglers were left when the city was occupied.
Jared had retrieved the sleeping couple and their children while Ash and Leaf were inside and had left again. Ash and Leaf gave directions on how to reach the League camp to the other residents and then moved on.
Time passed in slow seconds and rapid minutes. Ash and Leaf helped the rest of their squad deal with the remainder of the block. The other members had them help with the heavy lifting, escorting people out of damaged buildings, and carrying people who weren't in critical condition but couldn't move under their own power.
They finished one building and then moved onto the next. And the next building. And the building after that. And the block after that…
Something was going on outside. Gary could work that out at least, even if he couldn't tell what exactly was happening. There had been shouting, the sounds of people running in all different directions, and general commotion outside the door.
Now it was quiet, save for the occasional noise from what Gary thought was the one remaining guard.
It was probably the best chance he was going to get.
Hands tied behind his back, Gary squirmed over to one of the shelving units in the room, one with a small tear in the metal that he had cut himself on when he was exploring the room during previous days. Carefully he lowered his head to the sharp metal and rubbed the fabric of the blindfold on it until it caught.
Slowly, deliberately, Gary inched back, pulling the blinding cloth off of face. The total darkness gave way to a watery dim grey. Blinking the tears from his eyes, Gary studied the room he was in.
Nothing but empty shelves. Gary sighed. He should have expected that, he told himself. Team Rocket wouldn't just leave him in a closet with the supplies he'd need to arrange an escape.
He looked at the bonds around his feet. The hard plastic ties lacked an obvious latch or mechanism to undo them. Gary bet that his hands were similarly restrained.
Gary gulped.
With his blindfold off, Team Rocket would know that he had tried to escape. He might as well continue and hope that whatever event was distracting them would continue for several more hours. He maneuvered his hands towards the tear in the metal shelving unit and began to rub the restraints against the metal.
The more time passed the more desperate Gary got and he began to work faster and faster. He grew careless and jostled the shelving unit, causing it to rock and slam into other units.
"What's going on in there?" Gary heard the guard growl from outside the door and his heart skipped a beat. He began to crawl away from the shelves, hoping that the guard wouldn't investigate the sharp tear.
Keys jingled, the lock turned, and light flooded into the room as the guard opened the door. Gary watched, his eyes wide with panic, as the man stomped into the room, hands reaching down to grab him.
A pokémon let out a cry from outside the room and something small and brown shot through the door. It slammed into the man, sending him flying over Gary and into the shelving units. They all crashed to the ground in a calamitous sound that made Gary wince.
He looked at the brown thing and his heart skipped another beat. It was Eevee! And, when Gary looked into the hallway, he saw Squirtle too, standing watch.
"I thought I told you two to escape," Gary tried to scold them, but he couldn't stop smiling.
Eevee chirped something as she jumped on his chest and nuzzled him under the chin, while Squirtle just rolled his eyes and smiled.
"It's good to see you too," Gary said, rubbing his chin on the small pokémon's head. "Both you and Squirtle."
His pokémon chirped their response.
"Now, Eevee, I'm going to need you to get my hands and feet free," Gary said, grimacing as he forced himself to sit up without using his hands. "Start with my feet please."
Eevee murmured something and then leapt to between Gary's ankles. She started slowly chewing on the plastic restraints, taking care to ensure that her sharp teeth avoided Gary's soft flesh.
"Squirtle, get in here and close the door behind you," Gary instructed, mentally chiding himself for not thinking of it sooner. "In case anyone comes by."
Squirtle nodded and complied. The room went dark again and Gary regretted the decision. But he felt Eevee's fur against his ankles and it didn't seem so bad anymore.
After a few minutes the restraints around his legs fell away and Gary was able to stand up. His legs trembled, weak after spending so much time hobbled, and Gary leaned against a wall to steady himself. His ankles throbbed slightly, like he had taken off a pair of shoes that were too tight.
"Hands next," Gary said, placing his bound wrists on an empty shelf. Eevee hopped up and began to work on his wrists as well.
Plastic clinked on metal as the restraints fell from his wrists onto the shelf and Gary held his hands out in front of him. He ran his fingers over one of his wrists, feeling the imprint the bonds had left in his flesh.
Gary felt a sob coming on and clamped a hand over his mouth.
"I'm free," he whispered into his hand, tears running down his cheeks. "I'm actually free."
He had to keep quiet, Gary thought to himself, trying not to cry. He couldn't get captured again.
"We need to get out of here," Gary said to Eevee and Squirtle, taking his hand off of his mouth. "It's probably a long shot, but do either of you two know where I can hide?"
They nodded and then went back over to the door. Gary and his pokémon listened at the door to make sure the hallway was clear and then exited the room. They locked the door behind them, hopefully trapping the guard inside.
Squirtle and Eevee led the way down the hall to an area that was having work done. Plastic sheets had been laid over the floor and furniture and there were boxes of tools and ladders lying about.
Squirtle pointed to a hole in the ceiling and Gary studied it and frowned.
"Are you sure I can fit in there?" He asked his pokémon. They both nodded. "And you're sure that wherever we'll go will support my weight?"
Again, they nodded.
"Alright, if you're sure," Gary said, hesitantly climbing one of the ladders. His pokémon skipped and hopped up the ladder ahead of him, vanishing into the hole in the ceiling. Gary gulped and followed.
Above the city the grey sky grew darker. Lost amidst the din of battle the quiet pitter patter of a drizzle sounded on the windows of the city.
AN: I'd like to thank Amationary for beta reading.
I don't think I need to make it clearer, but Amanda's jynx is mixing psychic attacks with ice attacks to basically be a waterbender.
I've been wary about my writing lately because I've had to add words when editing, instead of removing them. Generally I feel if I'm trimming chapters down that means I'm in a good place, I've gotten enough into the chapter and just need to make sure that the mix is properly balanced. When I have to add things during the editing phase I get nervous, because it means I missed things the first time around and will have less time to make sure everything fits. But I think I can stick to my normal release schedule for the next few weeks.
Don't forget to leave a review! Concrit is welcome!