Author's Note: Considering my inactivity, it's no surprise that my college spring semester was tougher than I expected. Nevertheless, here's another chapter for all to enjoy. Even if I'm not uploading, I'm still checking and reading any comments I receive, and here's my response to them:
WyldClaw: I'm glad that you're enjoying my story. Stay tuned for more to come :D
If you want to be featured in my next chapter, then leave any comments below (except toxic ones) and I'll be sure to reply to them in the next chapter. Thanks for your patience and for reading my stories.
Ch.5 Independence Day
Vineguard's POV:
Today is, for lack of better terms, unusual. This morning, I received my instructions from Jamie to gather a group to investigate Driftveil City on our own and find that alleged safe house where N is presumingly hiding in. Jamie said that he needed to " properly introduce" the newest members in the meantime. Although hesitant initially, I eventually agreed and developed a plan with the constraining circumstances in mind. I chose to bring along Sparkbomb for its speed and agility, Tanker for his suppressive firepower should a fight ensue, and begrudgingly, Blaze for her psychic reconnaissance. Hopefully, these three will cooperate better this time, or Whirl Islands 2.0 will occur, which I'm not looking forward to.
In Driftveil City:
"Vine, testing," Jamie speaks into his radio.
"Clear on my side," I respond to the radio.
"Okay then. That should conclude the radio test. I also prepared meds, berries, and my laptop in my backpack for your investigation," Jamie lists, "And if anything goes wrong, give us a call, and we'll be right there."
"You worryin' bout us that much?" Tanker boasts, "We're the OG team! We can handle ourselves!"
"Don't get your head up your ass!" Blaze retorts, "We don't even know what we're up against."
"Same could be said about you…." I counter, which leads to a huff from her.
"We'll do whatever it takes, Boss," Sparky says.
"Alright then, good luck, you four. Report back at 7:00 pm." Jamie replies as he walks into route six west of Driftveil City.
I grab Jamie's backpack, and as the clock strikes 10:00 am, we begin looking around to search for any possible intel. I have several places of interest in mind, including but not limited to Driftveil Market, Pokemon World Tournament (PWT for short), Driftveil Gym, and any street conversations we find. Firstly, the market appears busy as usual. I've heard plenty of chatter and even some curious eyes peering in our direction to see wandering pokemon without a trainer. Still, nothing regarding Team Plasma or N. What I did find odd is that there's talk about the city's gym being closed for several days. Once I'm confident nothing useful is present, I bring everyone to the Pokemon World Tournament, with far fewer people than the market. I presume that no significant events are taking place at the moment.
"Come on, Vine… This is a waste of time! There's nothing here!" Blaze groans.
With a roll of my eyes, I retort, "Maybe, but we need to search everywhere to be sure."
"So Vine… what do we do now?" Sparky asks.
"I want to see what the PWT knows," I answer before heading into the building. Usually, there would be lights and decorations everywhere during a tournament, but it would look primarily plain during regular hours. What did catch my eye is that the employees are taking down streamers and two flat-screen monitors indicating the pokemon battling officials are postponing the "Unova Leaders" tournament. After thinking about the chatter about the gym closing, I feel something is suspicious. I hop toward one of the counters and ask the male worker, "Excuse me. May I ask about the postponed tournament?"
"A talking pokemon?" the worker says, surprised and apathetic, "So the rumors are true…."
"...Yes… Now, what do you know about the tournament?" I continue.
"Why should I tell you?" the worker squints his eyes defiantly, "You're just some stray pokemon. What are you gonna do about it?"
"I advise you to keep this conversation civil…." I warn him. "I don't play nice with aggressors…."
"Oh wow~ I'm so scared~" the worker sarcastically mocks, "You know what I think of you talking poke-"
"Harold! What on Arceus's plane of existence are you doing?" another male voice shouts. Suddenly, the owner of the voice, the manager, shows up and faces me, saying, "I'm terribly sorry about my fellow coworker. In this pokemon battling establishment, we all believe that pokemon and humans are friends, and battling is the best way to display friendship!"
"No worries!" Tanker barges in unannounced, "We just need some help with… uhh… Vine?"
"Investigation," I complete Tanker's statement with a sigh, "Do you or anyone know anything behind the cancelation of the Unova Leaders Tournament?"
"Ahh… It's such a tragedy," the manager answers with sorrow, "Ever since Team Plasma rose out of its ashes, everyone's been paranoid of their advances throughout the region. All the gym leaders are hard at work pitching a helping hand should it be needed. Except for one, of course."
"And who would that be?" I ask curiously.
"Clay! Of course," the manager casually answers, abruptly reversing his previous emotion. He then continues, "Every gym leader has already contacted us that they're busy, but Clay is nowhere to be found. No one has been able to reach him. As such, the gym essentially closed down."
Ignoring the manager's mood swings, I suspect something from the intel provided. All the gym leaders are at work trying to slow the advances of Team Plasma, which explains canceling the tournament, but why is Clay not present and involved? Why did he not communicate with the others? Why him and not another leader? I now know where we must go at once. "Guys, we're going to the gym," I announce.
"For what exactly?!" Blaze protests, "He just said that the gym leader isn't there!"
"There must be clues as to where Clay is located in the gym," I reply, no longer caring about Blaze's attitude.
"I don't know about that… That gym has been locked down tight ever since Clay's disappearance," the manager expresses with a concerned look.
"We'll be fine. We've performed similar operations before," I quickly reply as I hop towards the exit, "Thank you for your cooperation."
The manager then casually replies, "My pleasure doing business with you… WAIT! What oper…" We quickly slam the door behind the PWT manager and carry on our way.
A few minutes later:
"Holy Arceus Vine! I'm hungry!" Blaze blares at a nearly unbearable volume," Can we eat already?!"
"Uuuuugh! Fine…" I groan from her annoyance, "We'll rest outside the pokemon center, but afterward, we gotta keep going to the gym."
"Whatever…" Blaze huffs.
We take a seat outside the pokemon center at around 2:00 pm. I open the backpack to reveal oran berries. "There aren't any batteries here, Sparky. Can you eat berries for a change?" I announce before pondering.
"Ehh… I think it's fine…." Sparky replies, "My few organic body parts could use some vitamins."
"Really? I thought you have no brains?" Blaze sasses.
"Heh. And you have no chill…." Sparky counters.
"I'm a fire type. What did you expect?" Blaze boasts again, much to my annoyance. Considering Blaze's statement, I admit that an electrode's anatomy still perplexes me. Not even all the books I consulted have an agreeable conclusion on an electrode's biological and nonbiological parts.
As we continue eating our berries, I notice two individuals on our side of the street clad in white robes staring at us. As they move closer, my internal alarms begin blaring as the Team Plasma logo on their outfits becomes more apparent in my sight.
"Team! Hostiles at my twelve o'clock! Stand by to engage!" I order before turning to the grunts, "You two! Hands up, or we'll open fire!"!.
"Roger that Vine, ready to go," Sparky replies as everyone drops their berries and prepares their attacks.
The grunts widen their eyes in terror and thrust their hands up. "W- Wait! Don't shoot! Please!" the male grunt shouts.
"We're not with them! We swear!" the female grunt also shouts.
"Hey Vine, if I remember correctly, Team Plasma has black uniforms and not white," Sparky whispers into my "ear" while raising an eyebrow.
"Tanker, keep your guns pointed at them. I don't want any surprises," I order in response.
"Um, okay then," Tanker says, slightly hesitant, but obliges.
"Both of you better answer my questions, or you'll learn a fate worse than prison," I coldly threaten with narrowing eyes and clenching one of my vines into a fist-like shape. The two nod in dread, prompting me to begin interrogating. "Firstly, what trouble are you two planning?" I question the two.
"We're not causing trouble! We just want to help stray pokemon! That's it!" the male grunt answers terrified.
"It's our way to 'atone for our misdeeds,' as our boss would say," the female grunt adds, looking down in regret.
"Who is your superior, and where is he?" I continue without missing a beat.
"We can lead you to him if you like…" the male grunt offers nervously.
"Do you really trust them, Vine? What if they lead us to an ambush?" Blaze glowers.
"Well, their uniforms are different. Maybe they are also different," Sparky deduces.
After considering all possible outcomes, I declare, "Lead the way, you two. Team, prepare yourselves. Even if we're dealing with deserters, the current Team Plasma may not be fond of traitors." The team nods in agreement.
The grunts lead us north of Driftveil City and up a hill where an old abandoned house lay without much disturbance. One of the grunts knocks on the door, and both stand at attention as the door opens to reveal an elderly man wearing a ceremonial brown robe with a matching cap. At the chest is a patch featuring Team Plasma's emblem. "Sir, I hate to burden you, but we got ourselves some… unusual guests…" the female grunt reports to the man at the door.
"Are they of any harm to anyone?" the elder asks worriedly.
"They threatened us and demanded answers from us," the male grunt sputters, still terrified.
"What should we do with them?" the female grunt asks with a concerned look.
After a few more minutes of chatter, the elder decides, "Let them in; our four new friends deserve to know the truth." The man waves a hand for us to enter.
"...Be careful, team," I warn the others as I cautiously enter the house with the rest following me, albeit more carefree, which heavily concerns me.
Once inside, I see several grunts taking care of various pokemon in different conditions ranging from simple feeding to severe injuries. I see two women staring at us curiously in the corner of the house. As I hear the doors gently close, the elder clears his throat and speaks, "Let me introduce myself; my name is Rood. We are former members of Team Plasma. Because of the incident two years ago, we started taking care of pokemon who were separated from their trainers as a way to atone for our misdeeds. And you are?"
I still was hesitant to identify myself as I surveyed the area despite everyone staring at me. "Jeez, Vine… Would it kill you to be polite for once?" Blaze groans.
"You're one to talk, considering your obnoxious attitude!" I snap back, which she huffs in response.
Sparky then chuckles, saying, "Hey Vine, let's 'leaf' it as it is… We don't want our girl to get too 'fired' up."
"C'mon! Are we gonna introduce ourselves or what? So far, the dude's been nice enough," Tanker states before turning to Rood, "Oh, by the way, the name's Tanker,"
"Sup, it's Sparkbomb, but my friends call me Sparky," Sparky introduces itself.
"...I'm Blaze. Full of beauty, little patience," Blaze proudly adds and poses.
With a sigh, I finally reveal, "I go by Vineguard or Vine for short. We already had several run-ins with the other Team Plasma, who's turning Unova into a frozen wasteland as we speak. We need you to spill the beans on Team Plasma's plans unless you want all people and pokemon to freeze to death resisting their terrorism." I quickly pull out the laptop inside the backpack and begin taking notes.
"Is that so… My sincerest apologies…" Rood replies with significant regret and sorrow, "As much as I want to help, I don't know anything about Team Plasma's plans other than their end goal being to freeze the region into submission."
"Is that so?" I question with skepticism, "Then, as a former member, does the name 'Zinzolin' ring any bells?"
"Unfortunately, yes…" Rood nods with regret, "He and I once were part of The Seven Sages of Team Plasma, advisors to Lord N, the king of Team Plasma."
"As 'king,' is N responsible for freezing all of Unova?" I question immediately, raising an eyebrow.
"No! my lord, N would never harm anyone or pokemon!" Rood frantically shouts.
"Then who is this 'N' then?" I continue questioning.
"Two years ago, Lord N was supposed to be the one who would liberate all pokemon from imprisonment by their trainers, but that was a phony excuse made up by Ghetsis to remove all opposition to his power!" Rood confesses, slightly frustrated.
"Who exactly is 'Ghetsis,' and how does he tie into the plan to freeze Unova?" I question once again, feeling intrigued.
"Ghetsis was also a sage just like us, but he was the one who's pulling all the strings and making N the king of Team Plasma all so he can control Lord N like a puppet and become the unchallenged ruler of Unova." Rood reveals, "However, a trainer told the truth to N that pokemon train with humans as friends rather than slaves and reveals Ghetsis's manipulative plans to control N, foiling his plans. We thought it would end there, but we were so wrong.
"What happened next?" I quietly ask while processing the intel.
"The Shadow Triad, three bodyguard ninjas loyal to Ghetsis, broke him out of prison, and now he's back to resume taking over the Unova region with a more… 'direct' method, that you know already…." Rood resumes, "About a month ago, another trainer also tried to confront Ghetsis, and my lord, N led us to the Giant Chasm where he was hiding out, and our grunts battled against Ghetsis's grunts. However, what happened next was horrific…."
"Whatever it is, we need to know!" I adamantly declare, "Based on your testimony, Ghetsis is our primary target, and we must know everything if we're going to stand a chance against him and Team Plasma as a whole."
"If you insist…." Rood winces before continuing, "Ghetsis defeated and froze that trainer solid with his legendary ice dragon: Kyreum." The three behind me gasp in surprise while every grunt within hearing distance only nods in agreement. "With our only hope gone, my lord N called for a retreat, and we ran for our lives, avoiding blast after blast of ice beams. Most were not fortunate enough to escape with their lives, and I was left with about a dozen grunts left, and we never dared to stand up to Ghetsis ever since."
"Interesting…" I comment before questioning, "And where can we find N?"
"Unfortunately, Lord N is away at the moment. Two years ago, my king, N, met a powerful legendary dragon and is now on a quest to better understand the dragon's feelings. In fact, Lord N grew up with pokemon and developed the ability to understand pokemon before the whole talking pokemon incident…." Rood answers, "Fortunately, my grunts do see Lord N arrive in Nimbasa City occasionally on Fridays. If that helps…."
"That piece of info will be helpful," I reply, satisfied with what I learned. Today is Monday, so we're going to have to wait four more days until N possibly arrives in Nimbasa City. Before I thought about heading out, I remembered one more question and asked, "Do you also know anything about Driftveil City's gym and why it closed down?"
"I'm sorry, but I don't really know…." Rood answers cluelessly, "All I know was that Unova's gym leaders proved themselves formidable two years ago when they stormed Lord N's Castle. I wouldn't be surprised if Ghetsis wants to stop them from interfering."
"Very well then, I'll take my leave them. Team, time to go now," I order to the other three.
"Oh, come on, Vine! I was just getting a good rest now…." Blaze whines.
"Would it really hurt to rest now, Vine? We have the information we need already," Tanker chimes in.
"If Rood is correct, Clay is in serious danger as we speak, and we need to find him before Team Plasma does anything to him!" I sharply remind everyone.
"Fair point, Vine. I'm ready to roll," Sparky agrees, which I find slightly relieving.
"Jeez, Vine, have you ever realized how tryhard you even are?" Blaze groans.
"How else did you think Jamie appointed me to lead this mission?" I retort without missing a beat.
"Alrighty then, I'm ready to go. Thanks for everything, Rood! We owe you one, big time!" Tanker shouts as he walks out the door with us following along.
"I bid you all safe travels on your quest to stop Ghetsis and save Unova," Rood replies while waving goodbye.
Our new objective is to investigate the gym and figure out what happened to Clay, the gym leader of Driftveil city. Outside, we see the gym east of our position on the hill and head off. I have everyone scan the gym's perimeter to check for any disturbances at the gym. I hear banging near the entrance a minute in, only to see a trainer smashing his fists against the locked door.
"What the absolute hell!" the trainer yells at the top of his voice, "Why is this gym also fucking closed? Are all of the gyms fucking closed or something?" I shrug and roll my eyes from his attitude, somehow being more obnoxious than Blaze, and turn around.
"Not this Andrew kid again…" I mentally groan.
Suddenly, I hear quick footsteps behind me, and something tackles me from behind. "AHA! I've got you this time!" Andrew yells as he pins me to the ground, "Now, where's your trainer so I can make him pay?!"
With some quick thinking, I extend one of my vines to rip him off of me and extend the other three to hold his four limbs in place. I coldly glare at the trainer struggling against my vines and fuming bright red. Exhausted from his attitude, I retort, "Firstly, my trainer isn't here at the moment… Secondly, you're in deep trouble for assaulting a pokemon. It won't be long till I turn you over to the authorities, and we are acquainted."
Before I could, I heard Sparky shout, "Yo guys! Get a load of this!" Figuring that finding Clay is a higher priority than arresting a delinquent, I relent and release him by hurling his body several meters away from the gym entrance. I quickly move to Sparky's position and notice a grate cover dislodged from the ventilation shaft.
"Damn, I can't fit in there with you guys…" Tanker sigh.
"No worries, we'll enter from here and open the doors from the inside," I state before entering and leading everyone into the vent. Aside from Blaze complaining about the stench and gunk in the vents, the ventilation was simple to navigate through, and we found ourselves inside the gym with its lights out. I look around the dark room to see a front desk closest to us, a table with seats further away, and two pillars next to what appears to be an elevator. Eventually, I found the entrance doors. I unlock the doors from the inside with my vines and let Tanker into the gym. "Okay, team, spread out and identify any traces of the gym leader," I command.
"Roger that," Sparky replies.
"Got it," Tanker also replies.
"If you insist…"Blaze replies as well.
My first idea is to investigate the elevator, which I hop towards. Once I'm there, I stare at the lift controls, figuring out which lowers the elevator. Suddenly, I heard a "Hey, check this out!" whisper behind me. I turn around to see everyone gathering at the front desk. I move toward the trio and see an open drawer filled with several documents.
"Well, what now?" Blaze asks.
"Surely there's somethin'," Tanker comments.
I skim through each document discussing topics ranging from Clay's mining business profits, harbor shipping dates, and more. First, I found the gym's mineshaft elevator maintenance guide, then stumbled on a suspicious document. Said document presents an offer for Clay to buy a section of the harbor for 9,000,000 poke dollars from Team Plasma. "How strange," I thought to myself, "Why would Team Plasma want a harbor?" One more glance reveals a "rejected" stamp in bright red, presumingly Clay declining the offer.
"Found anything, Vine?" Sparky questions.
"We now know that Team Plasma reached out to Clay with a business deal, and Clay rejected their offer." I state, "If Team Plasma pulled something against Clay, this must be the catalyst."
"What's the plan now, Vine?" Sparky wonders.
"I found an elevator to a mineshaft within the gym," I announce to the group, "There must be more intel under the gym." I lead everyone to the elevator and flip the switch on the control panel. The platform revs to life as it descends underground into the mineshaft. A dark industrial room greets us with more darkness looming ahead. "We must approach any threat within the caverns with caution," I announce to the team.
"Roger that," Sparky nods.
"We'll be ready!" Tanker adamantly replies.
"Just let me at 'em!" Blaze boasts.
"In that case, Blaze, can you detect any hostile presence and light the way?" I request, "These types of situations are where you shine."
"Eyyyy! Your first pun ever, Vine! Heh heh heh!" Sparky cheers, much to my annoyance.
"Hee Hee Hee! Leave it all to me!" Blaze boasts again and steps forward with an aura of confidence and a slight ego. "You can all thank me later!"
We move forward into the dark cave with Blaze illuminating the area with her fire breath. The first thing I notice is the inactive conveyor belt leading farther into the mine. I glace up to see one dark lightbulb. When traveling along the conveyor belt, we rely on Blaze's fire breath to light the way and reach more platforms, leading to more conveyor belts deeper into the mine. Blaze scans the area with her extrasensory powers to detect any hostile forces at every platform while we cover her position.
After around an hour of sneaking around the mine, Blaze detects several entities other than us. "I'm sensing someone else in here… Four of them," Blaze reports, unsure of the individuals' identities.
"Slowly push forward, Blaze, and dim your fire breath," I command, "Don't let them detect us until we know who they are,"
"If you say so…" Blaze aimlessly replies. Her fire breath dies down, lowering our visibility, yet her extrasensory perception allows Blaze to track her finding down. With fifteen minutes passing and a stroke of luck, her senses point towards a faint light source in the center of a cluster of emerald green gems. I order everyone to spread out in an arch while quietly approaching the light source.
After getting closer to the light source, I finally realize where Clay has been the whole time. In the center of the light, I spot Clay, covered in bruises, bound to a chair with three interrogators clad in black, shadowy outfits and three pokemon standing guard. I quietly pull out my radio and quietly report, "Team, the current situation escalates our recon mission into a hostage rescue. Our new objectives are to rescue and secure Clay and identify the interrogators."
"Say, those metallic pokemon kinda look mean and tough," Sparky reports.
"If I recall correctly, those are bisharps. Dark and steel types." I state.
"So that's why I couldn't sense them. Those dark types are immune to my psychic moves," Blaze replies with a hint of worry, " I ought to burn them up good."
"Alright, Vine, you're the boss. What's the plan?" Tanker questions, ready for action.
I take several glances around my gem at the unknown enemy's formation. While the three interrogators surround and force something out of Clay, the three bisharps form a triangular perimeter around the interrogation. "Tanker, line yourself up with two of the bisharps. Sparky, guide me to the remaining pokemon. And Blaze, you're with me. My attacks are at a type disadvantage," I command.
"Got it," everyone replies. After a minute of adjustments, Sparky rolls up to me and directs me to the only bisharp out of Tanker's firing lane, and Blaze prepares herself for our ambush. "Sparky, protect Tanker with mirror coat at all costs," I command Sparky.
"Roger that," Sparky replies as he rolls up in front of Tanker.
With everything set up, I radio, "Okay Tanker, open fire on 1… 2… 3!"
Immediately, Tanker blasts a powerful hydro pump into the two bisharps, knocking them over. "Get some, punks!" he yells. I then grab the remaining bisharp and pull it into my position, where Blaze scorches it with a powered-up flamethrower.
"Shit! They found Clay!" One interrogator yells, "Grab him, and let's move out."
"Let's give these bastards something else to worry about!" Another says. All three then throw out three pokeballs revealing three more bisharps.
"Team, engage the hostiles!" I swiftly order, "I'll free Clay!" Tanker continues gunning down the enemy pokemon as they dive behind the crystals. Sparkbomb then fires his thunder attack into the air and bombards the enemy's cover. Blaze then covers my back as I advance to the interrogators' retreating position with Clay in their possession. "Blaze, distract the hostiles with will o wisp!" I order.
"Hope you know what you're doing!" Blaze quickly shouts as she launches supernatural purple fireballs into the human hostiles, blinding them for a moment as I wrap my vine around the chair Clay was bound. I then yank with all my strength and pull Clay into my position. Suddenly, the ground starts rumbling, and I perk my face in the direction of Tanker, who's triggering an earthquake. The attack is super effective against the steel types, and they are falling back towards our position.
"Damn it all! We've lost the HVT!" one exclaims.
"We gotta leave before we're caught!" another says.
"All bisharps! Return to our positions!" the last one orders, and as we advance, the human hostiles unleash smoke bombs, blinding us while I hear another smoke bomb go off.
After a minute, the smoke cloud dissipates. However, the hostiles disappeared. "Tanker, Sparky! Did you see the hostiles?" I question over the radio.
"Nuthin' Man… One poof and they're gone before we know it," Tanker replies.
"Huh… Jamie was right. These guys are way tougher than Team Rocket…" Sparky comments. I heave a loud groan and facepalm myself with my radio in hand in disappointment and defeat.
"That's the Shadow Triad for ya," a grouchy voice rings towards me. I turn in the direction the voice came from to see an injured Clay from his previous torture sessions, still struggling to free himself from his rope binds.
"You know who they are?" I question with wide eyes.
"I sure as hell do," Clay grumbles, "Now, will ya hurry up and untie me?!" I quickly do as instructed and slice the ropes open with my sharpened poison jab.
Once Clay is free, Tanker walks over, rests his claws on his hips, and says, "Well, Vine… Looks like our job is done…"
"Job?! Who the hell sent ya to meddle with me place?!" Clay questions in shock.
"We are investigating Team Plasma's activities and gathering any valuable intel to stop their plan of freezing Unova." I urgently explain, "We know that Team Plasma tried to purchase a section of your harbor, and we need to know what else you know about Team Plasma."
"Hmph! I'll admit that y'all sent the most elite members of Team Plasma skedaddling like cowards, but what makes y'all think ya have a chance against Team Plasma?" Clay questions while narrowing his eyes.
"We are collaborating with law enforcement to stop Team Plasma. Also, we already have some leads on the operation leaders," I immediately answer, "More importantly, we conducted similar operations back in Johto."
"Well, I'll be…" Clay relents, "I don't suppose yer that same victreebel plaster on every newspaper, are ya?"
"I am," I reply, not knowing what else to say.
"Aw, fine! Just makin' sure you ain't some stinkin' posers. I suppose we can work together an' come up with somethin'," Clay relents again, "Come with me. I've got somethin' y'all wanna see,"
6:30 pm:
Jamie's POV:
Although I'm anxious about Vine and the others since they didn't report back, I'm also satisfied with how today's training went on Route 6. Ivy and Hydra are eager to unleash their attacks on anything that moves. As a result of her determination, Ivy is gaining several levels, reaching level 35. Her moveset to leaf tornado, leech seed, slam, and leaf blade. Hydra easily one-shots several pokemon, getting to level 68, and I had to intervene on several occasions to prevent a sadistic torture session. He did try to learn hyper voice but wasn't interested in the attack. Galvin is my biggest concern since he seems directionless and going with the motions. He at least tried to learn a new move called 'agility' but wasn't interested in a new move either. I checked my backpack for my TM case and pondered on purchasing any more. Lastly, if wild pokemon overrun the three, I have Sky and Chomper stand guard, ready to engage the enemy. Other than that, the training session went smoothly. "Alright, team, report back to my position," I radio everyone. Everyone shows up, and I begin to test my theory. I announce, "Chomper and Sky, you both have free time. As for you three, please stay here. I wanna have a word with you all."
"Um… Are you sure, Jamie?" Sky asks curiously.
"Yeah," I reply, "This is private,"
My only two veterans leave us be, and I turn towards Ivy, Galvin, and Hydra and motion them to have a seat. "Oh, what the fuck is it now?!" Hydra groans, "I thought circle time is for fuckin' preschoolers."
"Yes… But this private meeting worked well last time, so I figure I should host another one." I reply before asking, "Anyways, how are you three holding up?"
"I'm fucking unstoppable as usual!" Hydra casually boasts.
"I'm getting much stronger now," Ivy notes.
"I'm… okay, I guess," Galvin replies, unsure of himself.
"You sure, man? you've only reached level 40," I ask, "Half of the time, your mind is drifting off to who knows where."
Galvin's POV:
What scares me the most is that Jamie is right. My mind is wandering and not focusing on the training. First, I got scolded by Vineguard for the incident with Hydra, then Ivy said Jamie has no use for me, and now he calls me out in front of everyone… Can I do anything right… "I don't know… I was tired of being cooped up in my cave and being told, 'you're not strong enough for the outside world' over and over. I just want to get out and see the world for myself…" I shrug, "You guys seem like the best chance I'll ever get, and now… It feels like I've blown it…"
"What! What makes you say such a thing?" Jamie asks in shock.
"Don't you see? I joined your team with the promise of hard work from me, but I only mess things up…" I regretfully confess, "I'm honestly surprised Hydra, of all pokemon, hasn't belittled me yet."
"That's because there's nothing interesting to roast the fuck out of you, dumbass," Hydra taunts.
"Do you ever get tired of being an asshole…" Ivy groans.
"It's always been my fuckin' pleasure!" Hydra sneers.
"Guys, that's enough," Jamie defiantly announces, "Hold back on the insults until I take care of Galvin, will ya, Hydra,"
He then retorts, "And why the fuck should I-"
"Hunting trip. Anywhere you like if you cool it for once." Jamie cuts off Hydra with his offer.
"Hmph! Deal then…" he relents.
"Now… Back to you, Galvin," Jamie transitions, "Why discredit yourself? You're far from being the worst."
"When I left you and Sky at Victory Road, I thought I was doing something good," I explain regretfully, "Only did I learn from Vine that you two could've died… He did not take the news well and reprimanded me."
"That's true… But… In the end, we're both alright. The worst has passed," Jamie replies.
"I guess…" I half-heartily reply, still unsure of myself, "Ivy also brought something up about you not caring about me. Is this true? Am I really not strong enough for your team?"
After a sigh from Jamie, I brace myself to hear the unbearable truth. "I'm sorry for everything…" I mentally apologize.
"If I didn't care about you… Then why would I organize this private meeting for each of you to express yourselves?" Jamie suggests. My hair jolts up in surprise. He then continues, "This brings me to my next point. When I learned about Ivy's family issues, I realized that I haven't treated you guys like a true friend would. I added you guys to the team, and that's that. I didn't engage with you guys as much as I should and left you all to do whatever. If I have to be blunt… I was treating you guys like… things rather than friends. While you guys were training and practicing your attacks, I reflected on how I did as a trainer, and I concluded that I could've done better. I am better than this. I must change so you all can become the best you can be. None of you guys deserve a trainer who cares little for their pokemon. I'll start my new goal by apologizing for neglecting your needs and wants, and I plan to help you all become stronger and grow from now on."
"Ugh! I don't see the fuckin' problem, but fine…" Hydra scoffs and rolls his six eyes.
"I like this new change. Stick to it," Ivy comments with an approving smile.
"W- Well… If you're not giving up… T- Then neither am I," I boldly declare. "I chose to leave my cave because I know I'm more than just a cave spider. I know I'm better than that. I know I can reach my potential if I keep trying! I'll show everyone back at home what the world can offer, and I can protect myself and you guys as well!"
"Sounds amazing Galvin," Jamie praises, "Now, I'm wondering what your abilities are."
"Levitate," Hydra states, "Ground types can't do shit against me,"
"Not sure," Ivy wonders, "I didn't notice anything while battling."
"Compound eyes for me," I declare, "I've been an electro ball bowling champ in my family. You could say that I'm one of the top players in my cave!"
"Interesting, compound eyes raise the accuracy of all moves the pokemon uses." Jamie deduces, "How about becoming the team's marksman."
"Oh my Arceus! For real?!" I scream in surprise.
"Yup. And you'll be using this thunder TM," Jamie replies while pulling out some disk.
"Count me in! I'll work hard. Just you wait!" I declare once again.
"Very nice-" Jamie says before his radio cuts him off.
"Jamie, come in. This is Vine." the radio blares.
"Yes, this is Jamie, report in," he says into the radio.
Vineguard then reports to Jamie, "My task squad discovered a major crisis that's about to unfold. I need you and the rest to rendezvous at Driftveil's pokemon center for more info."
"Understood, we'll be on our way. Jamie out," he replies. Then, Jamie announces, "Sorry, team, but I'll have to cut this meeting short. I promise we'll talk more once we address whatever's coming up. However, I'll leave you with this: remember your purpose for joining this team and strive for it."
"I'll show I can grow from my past and better myself with you all on my side," Ivy states.
"I'll slice, dice, and fucking slaughter all those Plasma shitheads! Mwa ha ha HA!" Hydra cackles.
"I'll seize every opportunity this open world presents and become the best!" I boldly and hopefully declare.
Jamie then triumphantly announces, "Alrighty then, team. Like Hydra mentioned, Team Plasma is still at large, and it's our job to put an end to their icy operation. Right now, Vine and the others found some valuable intel and possibly Plasma activity for us to target. Ready to move out, team?"
"Yes, we are!" we all confidently answer.
"Excellent, let's move out then!" Jamie concludes.
Jamie's POV:
Again, I learned something about my team member in this meeting. I recalled Galvin's dreams of leaving his cave and venturing out into the world. I wished that I was more aware of my new pokemon to understand their motivations and goals. I can rest well knowing I took full responsibility for my negligence and promised better treatment for the trio. However, I'm most concerned about Hydra since he hasn't mentioned much about his incentive to join other than intensely hating Team Plasma. I still have the image of several mangled-up Plasma grunt bodies covered in blood, gashes, and organs while missing limbs and halves. If Hydra will learn draco meteor, I'll need to get to know him better than this. Anyways, I'll find out one da-
"Jamie! Are you coming?!" Galvin hollers, which interrupts my thoughts.
"Yeah, I'm coming!" I holler back. There's one more thing I want to tell Galvin. Hopefully, this will keep him motivated throughout our new journey. "Galvin, wanna hop onto Chomper with me?"
"Wow! Really?" Galvin says wide-eyed.
I nod in response, and we both ride on Chomper's back with everyone else in their pokeballs. "Hey, Galvin?" I call him over.
"Yeah?" Galvin says.
"Ever since the day you became independent from your family, I had faith that you will do amazing things as long as you keep up the hard work and never give up," I state.
"I will, Jamie. I'll do everything it takes to make you proud." Galvin adamantly says as we ride off to our next mission and destination in our journey.