Author's Note: Thank you to everyone waiting patiently for me to upload the next chapter. I hope you enjoy reading this chapter I put my greatest effort on. However, I must warn you that this chapter will have considerable swearing and minor gore. If either of the two bothers you, please skip this chapter, but thanks for reading to this point. On that note, feel free to let me know what you think. Stay tuned for the final chapter coming up next week, and Happy Holidays.
Ch.7 Pirates of the Unovians
I won't lie. I slept well for the first time in a while. I'm glad that I understand my new team members better. Of course, I now need to work on stopping Team Plasma. Even better, I woke up without getting screamed at or whipped at. I did my standard morning routine of brushing up and getting into my street clothes. Now that I have mentioned it, I should have explained how I ensure my privacy when changing. In pokemon centers, the answer is to simply change in the bathroom, but outdoors… you can thank my genderless 'mon: Sparkbomb. It actually goes more than just changing. Anytime I need some time alone, I can always count on my electrode to give me some space.
"Alright, good to go now," I state to Sparky.
"Roger that, Boss," Sparky replies, "Also, you may wanna find Galvin. He's got some words for you."
"Alrighty then," I note before looking around for my electric spider. For about five minutes, I've seen everyone doing their own thing. Vineguard is reclusive as always on my laptop, Blaze and Sky are conversing among themselves, Tanker is training as always, rarely out of energy, and Chomper is meeting up with Sparky for something I'm unsure about. I then wonder where the other three went. I could've sworn that I let them sleep out of their pokeballs like everyone else.
As I was in deep thought, Galvin bumps into me, saying, "Hey, Jamie! You gotta see this!"
"Is there a problem?" I ask, concerned.
"Just come," the energized spider replies, leading me back to the part of the forest where I held that private meeting where I saw Ivy and Hydra discussing among themselves. I was shocked to see how calm Hydra is acting, considering how ruthless he behaves most of the time. "Let's get closer to hear their conversation," Galvin suggests.
"In that case, allow me to show you some tricks I learned about stealth," I offer, which he nods to. We get low to the ground and check for branches, leaves, and other obstacles that would give away our position. Then, we crawl to another bush that's closer to the duo. Fortunately, we only need to move to one brush close by, and we can hear the conversation more clearly.
"Even after Arceus knows how long, you still feel like shit just thinking about them?" Hydra asks.
"Yea… I just can't forget about them… It's like they are still haunting me to this day…" Ivy confesses.
Hydra's central head heaves a sigh and demands, "Well, your good-for-nothing parents can go fuck themselves and shove their royalty up their loose asses! Your shit parents want you to feel bad, so don't! Don't give those fuckers what they want! Just get better so you can kick their shit-stained asses the second they show their faces again!"
"Y- yeah… Good point…" Ivy replies, feeling slightly better. "You're surprisingly nice when you're not trying to kill anyone."
"I don't need flattery. Just need you to pull your damn weight. Now, onto more important matters: How the fuck did you start kicking ass a minute before and then start dying a minute later?" Hydra ponders.
"I don't know!" Ivy responds defensively, "I just tried using the move coil, and it weakened me."
Galvin and I look at each other in confusion, "That's strange… Coil is a move that buffs a 'mon, not cripple one." I comment.
"I'm worried. What if something is wrong with Ivy?" Galvin worriedly suggests.
Suddenly, a patrat scurries over to the bush we are at and starts picking out the berries, rattling the brush loudly, which gets the duo's attention. "What da fu… WHO GOES THERE?!" Hydra snarls as he fires a dragon pulse at our bush, obliterating its foliage, knocking out the patrat, and leaving us exposed.
"Um… RUN!" Galvin screams, but to no avail, as Hydra swiftly grabs him by the abdomen and me by the collar of my shirt with his left and right head, respectively.
"Well, well, well… What do we have here…?" Hydra snickers as if he caught two defenseless prey, "Trying to snoop around, shitbrains?"
"Oh fuck…" I mutter in slight fear.
My three-headed dragon only cackles and threatens, "'Oh fuck' is right, dumbass… And I know the perfect way to fuck you up right now… Unless you help me out with something…"
"C- chill man… W- what do want?" I fearfully stutter.
"Your TMs. I wanna see what you got." Hydra demands, calmer than before.
"Alright, alright… Just let me go…" I nervously beg. He obliges by hurling me a good meter or two away.
"And what about me?" Galvin asks while wiggling like a trapped bug. Hydra only responds by hurling him in a random direction.
"Who gives a fuck about you, bug brain?! I wanna see those fucking TMs, damnit!" Hydra yells in both excitement and impatience as he flies right behind me.
Once I found my backpack, I open up the zipper and reveal the TM case containing all my TMs so far. However, before I could pull out one, Vine hops over to me and orders, "Jamie, Hydra, I'll need you to halt your activity. I've got some serious news to share."
"You fucking killjoy…" Hydra quietly snarls, "GODDAMNIT!"
"Sorry, Hydra, can you get to the meeting area? I'll go find the rest," I suggest. He growls in protest but relents eventually.
Three minutes later:
Everyone is gathered in a semicircle, talking among themselves, with Vineguard and me in the center. "Everyone, may I have your attention?!" Vine shouts, which silences the crowd, prompting the pitcher plant 'mon to continue, "Excellent. Right now, police undercover within Team Plasma's ranks suggest that Nimbasa City is the most likely target for the Plasma Frigate. As for when the attack will occur, we may have only a day or two to prepare. In the meantime, I need all of you to do whatever's necessary to bring out your 'A' game when the attack does occur. Jamie, can you explain the TMs?"
"Of course, Vine," I reply, taking over Vineguard's speech, "If you need to learn a new move, come see me. I've got plenty of TMs here, and I heard that Driftveil Market is still selling a couple of TMs despite the damages from that raid a day ago. Unova is also planning on establishing trade with Paldea so we may get new, never-before-seen TMs."
"Any questions?" Vine asks.
Hydra raises his right head and asks, "How the fuck do you plan on taking down that big-ass ship? Don't forget that thing can freeze you to death!"
"I'm with Hydra. That's pretty scary to take on…" Sky mutters.
"I wouldn't worry!" Tanker boasts, "Vine 'n Jamie are the biggest brains this team's got!"
"...Yes… As I was going to say…" Vine catches everyone's attention again, "We'll take it down the same way we take down flying pokemon: clip off its wings. Destroy their means of generating lift, and they'll crash into the ground. Back when I was a little bellsprout, a fearow attacked my forest, decimating the population. While it was feasting on another pokemon, I used growth to power up my vine whip and severely damaged the hostile bird pokemon until it was no longer a threat. Any more questions?"
"You know, Vine, this is the first time you opened up to us. Anything else in your past you wanna share?" Sparky asks.
I see Vine's sharp eyes narrow further and avoid the question, answering, "That question is not relevant at the moment! Any more questions?" This time, no one says a word. "Very well then… Dismissed," Vine concludes.
I search through my TM case for any potentially helpful TMs. "Hurry the fuck up, man. I wanna see some good moves already!" Hydra rushes me, much to my annoyance.
"Alright then, let's see what we got here…" I mutter as I look through my TMs. "Hmm, how about surf?" I offer.
"DO I LOOK LIKE A FUCKING FISH TO YOU?!" Hydra furiously snarls, "Pick something else, damnit!"
"Okay then… Jeez…" I brush off before offering, "How about roost?"
"Healing is for bitch ass pussies who can't take a fucking hit!" Hydra grumbles, "Next!"
"How about toxic, then?" I recommend.
"I can beat my opponents the fuck up just fine. Thank you very much!" Hydra sarcastically remarks, "I don't need to use status conditions like a fucking newbie scrub! Now, what's next, bitch?"
"Steel wing…?" I nervously bring up.
"Too weak!" Hydra apathetically snaps, "I need something stronger than that!"
I start browsing through my strongest TMs until I landed on one and advise, "Well, hyper beam is the strongest move I've got."
"Really?" Hydra angrily doubts, "I don't wanna wait around to recharge! I just wanna keep killing and killing, damnit! Find something better!"
"Ugh… How about fire blast then…" I tiredly present, slowly losing my patience.
"Not bad… But I don't wanna copy Sky's fucking attack! When I kill my pitiful victim, I want it to be done by MY attack, NOT some pathetic dipshit's attack!" I don't think this is an excellent time to tell him that Chomper also knows the move crunch.
I take a deep breath before scrolling through my options until I suggest, "There's also focus blast. I doubt anyone else has fighting-type coverage, so how does that sound-"
"Yo, Jamie!" Tanker interrupts, "I'm lookin' for a sweet new move, and I think focus blast sounds good on me, don't cha think?"
"Well FUCK! I don't even want that damn move anymore!" Hydra snarls while pounding his side heads into the ground, "Besides, it's too inaccurate. I don't wanna miss… I wanna KILL!"
"Ngahhhhh! Just what kind of move could you possibly want to learn?!" I shout in frustration.
"Something good and original… I ain't asking for much damnit…" Hydra mutters.
"'Ain't asking for much' my ass…" I grumble, "Look, Hydra, if this move doesn't satisfy you, I don't even know what you want anymore…"
"Well?!" Hydra impatiently demands.
"It's flash cannon. Good damage and accuracy, not to mention it can counter ice and fairy types, which you really need as an offensive juggernaut." I propose.
"Ah yes… Just what I was thinking of… Took your dumbass brain long enough to figure it out…" Hydra nonchalantly replies in approval.
"Thinking of? You mean you knew what you wanted from the start?" I question, dumbfoundedly, "Why didn't you say something then?!"
"Just want to mentally fuck with you," Hydra smugly sneers, "Pretty amusing if you ask me…"
"Are you goddamn serious right now?!" I nearly scream in frustration before giving up, "All this… For your sick pleasure…? …Fuck me…"
"I'll pass. Besides, who on earth would want to fuck someone as ugly as you?" Hydra smugly remarks, resulting in laughter from my dark dragon and water tortoise.
"...Fucking asshole…" I weakly mutter, just accepting the mockery.
Three minutes later:
"And that's the gist of the move, flash cannon. Got everything down, dickhead?" I conclude after showing Hydra a video of a magnezone launching a beam of silver light into its opponent via my flash cannon TM.
"Yeah, yeah, I got it, bitch fag," Hydra nonchalantly replies as he charges up a bright light from his left head and fires it in an equally bright beam into a bush, "Finally, a decent move. I fucking hate body slam, and now I can finally replace it with a real move."
"In that case, I'll work with Tanker on focus blast then," I state while gathering up my TMs and laptop.
"Stay right fucking there!" Hydra demands out of the blue.
"Huh?" I murmur.
"We're kicking Draydon's ass today. You hear me?!" Hydra continues demanding.
"U- um… I mean… Are you sure you're ready…" I stumble, nervous about my last battle with the dragon gym leader.
"I'll be ready before you fucking know it. Then, you'll see my true power!" Hydra proudly asserts.
"Are you even hearing yourself?! Don't you remember what Drayden wants from us?!" I raise my voice in shock and worry.
"Yeah, yeah… He wants to see our friendship and other bullshit, but we can work together… I'm the brawn, and you're the brains. As long as my trainer is genius enough to lure Zinzolin into a fucking death trap, we can wipe the floor with that motherfucker!" Hydra boasts. At least he kinda respects me as a trainer… But will that be enough?
A bond between trainer and pokemon requires trust, after all. "Alright, Hydra, as my deadliest pokemon, I'll let you take care of your brute strength then," I accept, putting my trust in him, "After you learn draco meteor, we will find your brother!"
Without realizing it, I raised a fist towards Hydra, and he narrows his eyes at my balled-up hand. I suddenly redden, hoping he isn't taking the gesture as a sign of aggression. In response, Hydra closes his right head's jaw and thrusts it into my fist with a determined smile, "For my brother…" Hydra echos my goal with a determined smile.
Everyone else is off doing whatever they like until about 2:30 pm. Some, like Hydra, Tanker, and Vine, are working their butts off to prepare for the upcoming battle at Nimbasa City. Others like Sparky, Chomper, and Ivy are trying to improve their technique, but nothing too serious. The rest, Blaze, Galvin, and Sky, are relaxing, which worries me a bit, but I trust they can handle themselves. After some discussion, we decided to visit a restaurant serving people and pokemon. My, does this bring back memories of Johto, where it was just six members on the team. Now, I have nine members, but I have to pretend that three of them aren't mine, and I'm "watching a friend's 'mon" to avoid the suspicion that I have more than six pokemon on me. It ain't easy, but it's the only way all nine of them and me can eat at the same table. The bill is roughly 10,000 poke dollars. If I didn't have Professor Oak paying me to run errands and take down criminal teams, I would quickly become broke from food prices. After eating, I recall everyone except for Hydra, and as promised, we head off to find Drayden.
After an hour of searching, we finally found Drayden back at the same park as we found him before, who was accepting a trainer's gym challenge. Now, for some good news and bad news. The good news is that my friendship with Hydra might be enough for Drayden to teach draco meteor. The bad news is that our business must be done by 6:00 pm since Vine told me before lunch that the city issued an evacuation protocol. Only authorized personnel can step foot in the city after 6:00. Even gym leaders are not exempt. My phone's clock hovers around 4:00 pm. I don't have much time.
We step in line with a few challengers and wait for our turn with Drayden. "Alright, Hydra, this is it. From here on, we'll fight as one… We'll take back everything Team Plasma took from you…" I whisper, yet pumped up.
"Yes, we're not gonna let those fuckers keep breathing that fresh air… We'll rip, tear, and slay any goddamn assholes that get in our way…" Hydra quietly growls, matching my volume.
Eventually, we make our way to the front of the line and while it's sad to see the trainer in front of us fail the gym battle, it's time for us to confront Drayden. "Ah, welcome back, Jamie," Drayden warmly greets me, "I presume you worked with your hydreigon lately?"
"Indeed," I confirm, "I learned that Team Plasma messed with Hydra in the past, and I'm here to help him get some payback against them. Hydra, would you like to introduce yourself? Kinda forgot to do so last time…"
Hydra nods, and with significant volume and power in his voice, he introduces, "Name's Hydra… Those Team Plasma shitheads took my brother, my parents, and everything I've once cared for… And now… I'll take EVERY…. SINGLE… FUCKER… DOWN!" My triple-headed and triple-determined dragon look around and spot me before grabbing my collar and adding, "And this motherfucker… will help me steamroll those Team Plasma assholes down."
"Hmm…" Drayden ponders, "Although your hearts are as different as black and white, they are most accepting of each other's differences and move as one, like yin and yang." Drayden then pulls out a pokeball. "Please, show me how your hearts battle… as one," Drayden challenges as he releases his haxorus.
"Give 'em hell, Hydra," I reply as I send Hydra to the battlefield. Several people slowly approach to watch the battle. I even hear some gossip about Hydra "being the same hydreigon that wrecked a building in Driftveil city." "Start off with dragon pulse," I order, not wanting Haxorus to buff its speed. The attack execution was much faster than before due to our training.
"Impressive power already," Drayden complements, "Dragon dance, Haxorus!"
"Don't relent, Hydra. Keep blasting that thing to pieces," I direct.
"Got it! That fucker won't get out unscathed," Hydra replies as he unleashes barrages of draconic lasers in Haxorus's direction. It took most of the hits but started dodging half of the hits as soon as its speed increased.
"Impressive. I hope you can keep up with the increased speed," Drayden comments before ordering an x-scissor.
"Charge up flash cannon and use work up! Wait for my signal!" I quickly command. Hydra starts glowing bright silver and red as he powers up his attacks. Regardless, I keep my eyes peeled for when the axe dragon charges toward my multi-headed dragon. Once Haxorus begins attacking, I yell in my loudest voice, "FIRE!" Hydra got my signal as he blasts Haxorus square in the face with a powered-up flash cannon from both of his side heads, neutralizing the bug-type attack and forcing the axe dragon to stumble.
"Quickly, buff up your attacks, Hydra!" I order, somehow pumped with energy and sweat. It's as if I'm in the battle in place of Hydra. I can feel the power surging from the dark type as he glows a bright sinister red aura.
"Now that's an excellent counter from your hydreigon!" Drayden complements, also full of energy, "Now… Use shadow claw!"
"It's dark versus ghost!" I shout to signify the type advantage, "Use crunch!" Hydra quickly stops the ghostly claws with his side head jaws and begins biting into Haxorus's body with his central head.
"Get back!" Drayden commands with a hint of worry, "Stay away and use dragon dance!"
"Now's our chance, Hydra! Maximize your attacks with work up!" I direct my dark dragon. I have never seen a pokemon glow such a bright aura emanating such great power. "No one stands in our way, Hydra," I pump up my dark dragon.
"FUCK YEAH! No asshole will stop us!" Hydra replies, full of power behind his voice.
"In that case," Drayden defiantly states, "Show me your resolve! Use x-scissor Haxorus!"
"TRI-PULSE, HYDRA!" I shout, holding nothing back as I want Hydra to hold nothing back. Three purple draconic beams rocket out of Hydra's three heads, enveloping Haxorus in its light. The light green aura from the axe dragon's axe jaws glows as bright as its will to push past the attack to land a hit. Still, the triple-headed dragon refuses to back down a millimeter and continues unleashing more draconic energy into his target. A crowd bigger than earlier watches in awe as the two powerhouse dragons clash with their strongest attacks. As seconds start to feel like hours, an explosion of dust spreads across the battlefield, enveloping the two combatants, leaving only the bright purple draconic beam visible until the dragon pulse attack eventually dies out.
All that's left is a massive cloud of dust obscuring who will be the victor of the battle. As the dust settles, two dark figures remain. One lying down and one still standing. I clench my fists in anxiety as I worry about who is left standing. Eventually, the field becomes more visible, and I see…
That…
The one…
Left standing…
Taking the win…
Is…
Unbelievably…
The…
All-powerful…
Dragon…
"WHAT'S UP MOTHERFUCKERS! HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT!" Hydra shouts victoriously as he flies right up in the air and blasts dragon pulses all around him into the sky.
In tears, I joyfully whisper, "You did it. You crazy son of a bitch, you did it."
Suddenly, two pokeballs on my hip shake and open to reveal Sky and Ivy. "I heard an explosion. What happened?" Sky worriedly asks.
"What happened?" Hydra mirrors, "I FUCKING WON!" My dark dragon glances at me and yanks me closer, "Actually, we fucking won!"
Sky's eyes quickly sparkle in joy. "You did it, Hydra and Jamie!" Sky shouts excitedly, "I knew you both had it in you. I'm so proud of you two."
Ivy subtly taps me with her vine and quietly adds, "You've done well, Jamie. I can see why your other pokemon respect you. And you have mine as well." This is the first time I've seen Ivy smile. Either way, I warmly and proudly smile back.
"Ahem… May I interrupt your celebration?" Drayden politely cuts in. Everyone silences, including the crowd watching, prompting Drayden to continue, "I must thank you for such an intense battle. After years of holding back for challengers, it was thrilling to hold nothing back and bring out the full power of Haxorus. As promised before, I'll teach your hydreigon draco meteor once your friendship is high, and I can easily see that it's high enough to learn such a move. Congratulations."
While I'm more than excited to see Hydra learn draco meteor, I can't help but notice that Ivy looks worried. "Hey, Ivy, are you good there?" I ask, concerned.
"I'm not sure… I want to learn a dragon-type move, but I'm too nervous to ask," Ivy worriedly replies, "Not to mention that I'm not even sure if I'm capable of learning dragon-type moves."
"I guess there's only one way to find out then," I determine before turning towards Drayden, "Say, Drayden? I was wondering if my serperior can learn any dragon-type moves."
Drayden simply answers, "Of course. Very few people know that all people and pokemon share a common ancestry with dragons. Thus many have a faint draconic aura within ourselves."
"Is that so?" I ask in surprise. Ivy also is wide-eyed at the news.
"Indeed, the pokemon that can tap into their draconic aura the best then become one with their aura and gain the dragon type, and humans, either born or trained, can also tap into their draconic aura to become proficient dragon trainers. All your serperior needs to do is to learn to focus and harness her draconic aura, which I can help her learn."
"Excellent. Looks like you can learn dragon-type moves after all." I relay to Ivy, "But… Which move do you want to learn?"
"You want a good move, Ivy? Then I've got a good one!" Sky enthusiastically suggests, "Outrage! It's powerful, and I think you will like it."
"Fuck that! Do you want Ivy to knock herself out?!" Hydra aggressively rebuts, "Start off with dragon pulse. It's strong but won't give you any bad side effects."
After some thought, Ivy finally decides, "Sorry, Sky, but Hydra is right this time. I'll learn dragon pulse then."
"Very well then. I shall teach your hydreigon draco meteor and your serperior dragon pulse. Is that alright with you?" Drayden asks.
"That sounds good," I confirm, "Is there anything else you need from me?"
"Well, yes. I need you to stay while I teach your pokemon. I'll explain shortly," Drayden answers while leading me over to a different area of the park.
At 5:50 pm:
"Alright, that's all I can teach you. Your serperior is ready, but I strongly recommend you and your hydreigon to go over what I showed you and practice." Drayden advises.
"Understood," I reply, nearly out of breath.
"Yeah… Those fuckers won't see what's coming once I give them a taste of hell on earth," Hydra mutters, slightly exhausted from the training.
Ivy pants for a while before adding, "Thanks… For everything."
Drayden nods and replies, "It was my greatest pleasure working with you all. Your dangerous yet selfless goal of defeating Team Plasma is very noble. However, before I dismiss you, I must warn you and your hydreigon of a serious matter."
"W- What would that be," I freeze out of slight fear, "Is draco meteor dangerous to the user?"
"While the move can strain the user, I was talking about you and your hydreigon's motive," Drayden clarifies, "You can't undo every tragedy that occurs in life. In such cases, there's no shame in feeling vulnerable as long as you move on from your losses. Living a life of endless hate and vengeance will only suppress the joy and tranquility of living a burden-free life."
I was left speechless by Drayden's words. What if Hydra's brother is dead, and there's nothing we can do… "No…" I try to erase such a thought from my head, "What will become of Hydra and me if our efforts lead to a mere corpse… He'll be devastated… Heartbroken… Even felt betrayed…" I want to believe that Hydra's brother is still alive and he's somewhere in Unova, but I can't deny what will happen if our search leads to nothing. I peek at Hydra, who turns his central head away, looking down… maybe imagining what I was thinking. "Hey… Hydra…" I somberly call out.
"It's nothing…" Hydra brushes off, feeling as down as me, "Fuck it… Let's just go." In that case, I reach for Chomper's pokeball when Hydra's left head chomps my right hand in place. "Hey… Give your birdbrained pal a break, will ya…? I'll carry you," Hydra quietly offers, "Just… Fucking talk to me while we fly…"
"I'm cool with that…" I agree, "Wanna stay in Castelia's pokemon center tonight? You deserve it after such a hard-fought battle."
"Yea, whatever…" Hydra mutters. On a low note, I recall Ivy back into her pokeball, and I ride on Hydra's back to Castelia City. I'll admit, flying on a dragon feels much more different than on Chomper. Instead of one flap, I hear three flaps at a time. The oddest part of the flight is Hydra continuously muttering that "He's out there… My brother has to be out there" and "Those fuckers will pay…" I try to console him throughout the flight, but it did little to stop Hydra's mumbles. I genuinely feel concerned that Hydra took Drayden's words too much at heart.
After about 10 minutes of flight, we arrive at Castelia City. I book a room in the pokemon center for all nine team members and me to squeeze into, along with healing some of my team members. Then, we look around for somewhere to eat but remain indecisive. Since Hydra put in so much work today, I let Hydra choose where to eat, leading me to go to a steakhouse several blocks away. Why am I going alone? Because Hydra and Ivy were much more exhausted than I thought. Before leaving to order, I did request that Vineguard follow me in case muggers dare to steal the shit ton of food I ordered. While picking up, Vine's radio goes off, and he answers the radio. The police chief informs Vine that the attack on Nimbasa City will likely occur tomorrow, but the time is still unconfirmed. Aside from that news, picking up and delivering the food was no biggie, other than my legs wanting to fall off, and I got some tasty steak, and everyone was satisfied with their slab. I'm most intrigued by pokemon like Vine and Sky just swallowing the beef in one go and letting their bellies digest. Unfortunately, Sparky still can't enjoy the flavor of the warm, juicy steak and instead opt for its typical battery diet.
Before we go to bed, Vine shares recent news regarding the attack on Nimbasa City. "We need to get there by 6:00 am," Vine sharply orders, "While I understand that this ETA is fairly early, Nimbasa City is a critical city that branches off to Castelia City and Driftveil City. We must set up our defenses before Team Plasma begins its attack! Do I make myself clear?"
"What's an ETA?" Chomper asks.
"Estimated time of arrival," Vine swiftly answers.
"Typical Vine… Always bossing us around…" Blaze sighs while laxly drooping her head.
"This looks serious… I'm with you, Vine!" Tanker proudly declares, "We'll wake up at five in the morning and get ready to kick some Plasma butt!"
"Though, I do have a question…" Sparky ponders, "What is our defense plan?"
"Good question…" Vine also ponders, "I'm still drafting our defense plan, but I'll be sure to reveal them before we leave. Also… I don't know how to express myself now, but… I appreciate that you are taking the situation seriously, Sparky…"
"Really?" my electrode questions while raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah… Practicing your attacks with Chomper a- and listening attentively… without cracking a bad joke… I'm grateful…" the pitcher plant 'mon quietly adds.
"Heh, guess you could say I just turned a new 'leaf'?" Sparky quips, "Quite the 'shocker,' might I add?"
"...Nevermind… Just prepare yourselves and then try to sleep before midnight," Vine tiredly huffs.
Before going to bed, I quickly tell Vine that something is up with Ivy getting weaker when using the move 'coil' and ask if he knows anything. The flycatcher pokemon tiredly brushes away my question as "there are more important matters like the fate of a major city." He also suggests checking my Pokedex for anything extraordinary about Ivy. Feeling tired, I'll check Ivy tomorrow, and I brush up, get into my sleeping clothes, and pass out on the bed.
Before I could even drift off to dream world, I feel a scaly body slide past me, and I open my eyes to see Sky, who is wearing a worried expression. "I'm scared, Jamie… C- Can I sleep with you-" she asks before stopping herself and blushing. Feeling tired, I couldn't reasonably determine why she stopped, but I take Sky's question at face value and tiredly nod my head, making her face brighter red, and she quickly turns her head away in embarrassment.
At 5:00 am:
"WAKE THE FUCK UP, EVERYONE! GET YOUR ASSES UP THIS INSTANT! NGRAAAHHHHH!" Hydra roars uncontrollably. My head suddenly feels like mashed potatoes as I turn my face to see everyone getting up, leaving Sky and me still struggling to wake up. Now I know what it feels like to wake up early to arrive at the airport early.
While half of my conscience is still in dream land, I feel something grab me off the warm, soft bed and slam me into the opposite cold, hard wall. I try to get back up until I vaguely see a blue serpent fly straight into my face. "Oww…" I moan in slight pain, "What the hell was that for…?"
"For waking your sleepy ass up!" Hydra shouts into my admittedly sleepy face.
"I knew for a while that you are a heavy sleeper, and I can't risk having you oversleep when Nimbasa is at risk, so I had Hydra wake everyone up," Vine explains.
"Right, right…" I tiredly mutter, "So, let's have breakfast and discuss our defense strategy."
"Fortunately, we have just enough berries for a quality breakfast, and I have a strategy ready to go," Vine replies.
As we all eat whatever berries remain in my cooler, Vineguard lays out the plan to defend Nimbasa City. In short, the defense plan is similar to the one in Driftveil, except for a few changes.
Firstly, we need a separate group to attack and destroy the Plasma Frigate directly. That job will go to Chomper and Sparkbomb, where Chomper will destroy the thrusters and solar panels, disabling the ship, and Sparky will destroy the primary weapon, sparing the city from its frozen fate.
Next, there's a high chance that there's a captain in charge of the ship, so another group will have to infiltrate the ship and capture the high-value target, or HVT for short. Hydra's sheer firepower will keep the grunts on board at bay while Vineguard and I can weave our way to the helm to capture the captain.
Lastly, everyone else will stay on the ground, defending the city from the invading Plasma grunts. In short, Tanker's massive guns will mow down crowds like a lawnmower through a field. Galvin's compound eyes will get him a lock on his target before zapping the enemy with a precise thunder attack. Lastly, Blaze's will o wisp will cripple even the most potent attacker to an easy target.
"Alright, Team, got everything down? Once we leave this pokemon center, we must get to our positions ASAP," I announce.
"Yeah… I think we're ready," Ivy quietly replies.
"O- Okay…" Sky nervously adds. Everyone else nods in agreement.
"Let's move out," I conclude as I recall most of my members into their pokeballs, except for Chomper and Vine, and we ride off to Nimbasa City.
About 15 minutes later:
We finally arrive at Nimbasa City. There are police everywhere in the city, ranging from simple officers patrolling in peacetime to SWAT officers clad in riot gear. There's a range of pokemon also around the city, ranging from simple canine pokemon to even some pseudo legendaries like dragonite and garchomp. All I can say for sure is that all hell will break loose when Team Plasma arrives. Once we touch down, I report to the police chief on the radio that my team has come. She replies and gives me the green light to continue.
I have to release my pokemon in such a way as to avoid giving away the fact that I have more than six on hand, so I start by releasing Tanker, Galvin, Blaze, Sky, and Ivy near the center of Nimbasa City. Next, I direct Galvin to the top of the Nimbasa Gym, Tanker next to the gym for cover, Blaze near the start of Route 16 to catch and cripple potent threats, and Sky and Ivy are free to move and flank with their decent agility. After that's done, I leave Tanker in charge of the ground defense team, designated as "delta squad," while I move close to Route 4 to prepare my aerial assault team, or "alpha squad," as I would've called it. Vineguard and Sparkbomb will ride on Chomper's back, where he will strafe the upper deck with sharpened stones to force the grunts to take cover, giving Vine and Sparky enough time to board and clear the deck of Plasma grunts. In the meantime, Hydra will also bombard the upper deck with flash cannons and happily slaughter the enemy up close once Vine and Sparky are on. Once the deck is clear of all grunts, Vine, Hydra, and I will find the captain, Sparky will find the freeze ray's power source and blow it up, and Chomper will hammer away at all the thrusters and side solar panels. If we time ourselves correctly, Sparky can disable the freeze ray before it fires, buying us enough time to find the HVT before Chomper brings the ship down.
"Alright, Alpha Squad, everyone ready?" I ask, feeling slightly anxious.
"And what the fuck will you be doing?" Hydra questions, almost in a teasing manner.
"Me? Just like you, I'll rip, tear, and slay any assholes that get in our way," I calmly reply while patting my blade in my holster.
"Respect, man… Better see that fucking blade spill those Plasma assholes' blood like a rainstorm." Hydra grimly complements.
Before I can say anything, the sound of an explosion rings out, and my radio goes off. I answer and hear the police chief announcing the attack beginning. "Let's go!" I shout, "Their chilling conquest ends now!"
I hop on Hydra's back, and the other two hop on Chomper's back, and we all fly toward the giant, flying superweapon that's about to freeze the entire city if we can't stop it. Of course, the grunts on board will defend the ship with their flying pokemon. In the distance, I see a swarm of golbats flying towards up. "Enemy contact! Destroy those bats!" I command.
"Time to die, motherfuckers!" Hydra growls as he fires a barrage of flash cannons into the crowd, with Chomper helping out with a stone edge. While most are falling out of the sky, a few are still advancing, allowing Sparky to zap them all with discharge at the cost of us getting hit. Nothing that a few potions can't fix.
"I think that's it," Chomper guesses.
"I agree. Let's begin boarding procedures," I order, "Chomper, use stone edge, and Hydra, use work up. You'll get your turn soon enough."
"Fine… Just save some assholes for me to fucking kill," Hydra huffs as I feel his body glow a crimson red and his body heat warming up. At the ship's bow, Chomper continues raining down jagged stones into the deck, pelting grunts and pokemon alike. Anyone not behind cover received nasty puncture wounds, as if knives were flying into them. "Ready. How should I fuck 'em up?" Hydra states.
"Now it's your turn to suppress the enemy with powered-up flash cannons. Blast through their cover!" I direct, "Sparky, Vine, board now!" Without wasting a second, Hydra unleashes three powerful silver beams that severely damage the ship's deck, wiping out any stragglers and forcing some to retreat into the lower deck.
"Ball's in your court, Team Plasma!" Sparkbomb taunts as it and Vineguard use this opportunity to hop onto the damaged upper decks of the Plasma Frigate.
"Good shooting, Hydra. Let's get into that ship now," I complement my dark dragon before turning to my rock and flying pokemon, "Need some healing, Chomper?"
"A bit… yeah," he replies, slightly exhausted. Suddenly, another wave of grunts and pokemon advance on our position.
"Fuck… Everyone, cover me while I heal Chomper!" I order. While I spray a hyper potion on Chomper, Sparky puts up a mirror coat shield to block special attacks. Vine wraps his vines on nearby opponents and chucks them off the ship to their lethal fall. Hydra continues blasting the enemy into oblivion and rips several grunts and pokemon into bloody pieces. After a minute, Chomper says, "I think I'm good now."
"Excellent. Prioritize the rear and side thrusters first, then the side solar panels, and then destroy the bottom thrusters when I say the word." I specify. He nods and flies off, leaving me with my other three members and a deck full of holes and dead bodies. "Sparky, now we split off. Good luck, my bombastic buddy," I send it off before turning to Vine and Hydra, "Vine, you're with me. Hydra, stay behind us. Shoot any asshole that moves."
"You fucking got it!" Hydra eagerly replies.
"Understood," Vine nods.
As we head down into the ship, I hear screams from grunts getting electrocuted by my electrode and rapid footsteps, unsure if it's retreats or advances. As we turn a corner, we bump into Plasma grunts, which Vine and I quickly dispatch with poison jab and my survival knife, respectively. As we finish gutting our enemies, I hear more footsteps behind us before an explosion rings out. I see Hydra blasting more Plasma grunts into the ground and tearing their flesh off. I look around but have little idea where the captain of this ship might be. "Shit… I have little clue who or where the captain is…" I mutter.
"Find and interrogate a grunt. We don't have time to check all the doors," Vine declares.
As I listen, I catch a glimpse of a liepard blasting a dark pulse in my direction. "Liepard! Three o clock from me. Get 'em, Hydra!" My triple-headed dragon easily overpowers the dark leopard with ease as I rapidly advance on the enemy's position and catch its grunt. "Vine! Found a grunt! Pin him down!" I order, "Hydra, watch our six!"
"Got it! Don't fucking hold back till he tells us everything!" Hydra replies.
Once Vine binds his arms and legs to his body, I raise my blade to the grunt's throat and warn, "Only one way to save yourself… Spill the beans, or I'll spill your blood!"
The Plasma grunt fearfully stutters, "Y- Y- You! I- I'm n- not scared- HOLY SHIT! NOT GERALD!"
I glance back to see Hydra ripping open a grunt's body and eating the bloody intestines like rice noodles. "Mwahahahahaha! This shit's tasty… I wonder how yours taste…" Hydra psychotically taunts. For once, I support his unhinged ways.
"Please… Not even Ghetsis's hydreigon is as deranged as yours! I'll talk if it means getting that thing away from me!" The grunt screams in pure horror.
"Start talking then…" Vine demands.
?'s POV:
I sit in my chair at the helm, staring at the ship's cameras with great concern. The Plasma Frigate is severely damaged, not that it matters since repair costs are easily affordable due to Team Plasma's increased income in… "less than legal" ways. No…
This trainer is my biggest concern… With his talking victreebel and hydreigon, he is surprisingly gifted. When I heard the news of talking pokemon in Johto and their capabilities, I wanted to learn more about this phenomenon. However, before I could make any meaningful progress, Ghetsis approached me and offered me a position in Team Plasma. In exchange, I use my studies to bring out the true strength of pokemon. The prospect of working with a legendary is more than exciting for me to handle.
Using my research, studies, and experiments, I've discovered the true strength of the legendary pokemon, Kyurem, by developing a powerful weapon known as the Kyurem Cannon. This giant freeze ray can freeze entire cities, and I've seen great success in several cities. I don't want all my work and dedication to get undone by a measly trainer, but I understand his motives. Such experiments are admittedly unethical, but I disagree with setting moral limits. Science is all about experiments and sacrifices. I must sacrifice some key cities to experiment with Kyurem's true power. As much as I don't want to face the criminal justice system… I know this trainer is giving me little choice, and I could say that my sins are returning to haunt me now. All I wish is if I am free from prison, I would love to study how this trainer's pokemon are so strong.
Suddenly, I hear the green teleporter go off, and out comes that same trainer and his two talking pokemon to finally enter. "Show us your fucking hands! NOW!" the trainer demands as all three direct their weapons at me.
I calmly comply by slowly and visibly raising my hands. I also calmly ask, "I suppose you need me to know how to disable the Kyurem Cannon. Is that right?"
"Tell us how if you want to leave in one piece… Colress!" the victreebel demands, also agitated as his trainer. I have no reason to resist.
Sparkbomb's POV:
Still, I'm looking for the freeze ray's power source. I've checked what looks like the living quarters and other random rooms, but I need more concrete info. "Sparky, do you read?" Jamie's voice blares out of my radio.
"Loud and clear," I reply, "Did you find the captain?"
"We sure did," Jamie answers, "Did you find the power source?"
"Not quite, but I did catch a glimpse of it on the bottom first floor," I casually respond, "Seems like a powerful ice pokemon is powering it."
"Well, you better hurry!" Jamie frantically explains, "The captain reveals that the freeze ray will automatically go off in one minute! Go to the second bottom floor and find a room filled with pipes. The room opposite the pipe room should lead you to the containment cell."
"Right! On my way!" I quickly reply and roll to the stern of the ship, where I recall the teleporter to the lower deck is. I then find the pipe room, look for the room opposite it, and rapidly roll into it. Then, I finally found the containment cell.
"Sparky! HURRY THE FUCK UP!" Hydra desperately screams, prompting me to do what I came here for. I race towards the containment cell as fast as I can, and as the time ticks down, I feel an intense pressure grow within me. To the displeasure of some, this power within me is the pride of my kind. A power that few can learn and fewer can master…
Jamie's POV:
A massive explosion takes place somewhere in the Plasma Frigate. Suddenly, another explosion goes off, sounding just as loud and strong. I cross my fingers, hoping Sparky's explosion is enough to free Kyurem from its prison. Suddenly, Hydra returns to the helm from the green teleporter holding Sparky's fainted body. "Mission successful, motherfuckers!" Hydra proudly declares.
On that note, I quickly radio Chomper to destroy the lower thrusters, sending the Plasma Frigate falling back into the ground. "Grab onto something, guys. This will be a rough landing," I shout as the Plasma Frigate slowly falls back onto earth. After about a minute of freefall in the ship, a loud smash indicates that we have landed. Fortunately, the ship didn't land directly on any buildings, but the street it did land on is now effectively out of business for a while.
Hydra then blasts a hole through the glass in the helm, I heal Sparky with a revive, and Vine securely binds our newly caught HVT: Professor Colress, the second in command of Team Plasma and head scientist of the organization. We head out when Chomper flies toward us. "Oh, my Arceus! You guys are okay!" Chomper shouts in relief, "I'm so glad you guys are okay!"
"Never better…" Sparky nonchalantly replies, "I really had a 'ball' of a time there,"
"Save the puns for later," Vine groans.
"C'mon Vine… We just saved the city from being frozen to bits. It wouldn't hurt to 'chill' for a bit," Sparky jokes, which further infuriates Vine.
"Tell the rest to meet us at the Nimbasa Pokemon Center. We must make a detour to deliver our new 'pal' to the authorities," I direct.
"You got it," Chomper replies as he flies off. I check my phone for the time, and it shows around 1:00 pm. We should still be early enough for lunch.
Several hours later:
Once everything was cleared out, my team and I were cleared to leave for lunch in Castelia City. Our lunch was the opposite of our morning, possibly the most uneventful lunch ever. I didn't feel like going anywhere extravagant, and all my team members looked like they were willing to eat anything literally, so I chose the first place that came to my mind, Burger Kingdra. After our late lunch, I simply felt too tired to do anything, so I returned to the pokemon center.
It's here that I finally found the thing I crave more than food: rest. I climb onto my bed and carelessly place my pokeball belt onto my nightstand. Suddenly, the sound of the pokeballs opening up, waking me up slightly to see all nine of my hardworking team members staring at me with various expressions. "Will you get the fuck up?!" Hydra demands, "You didn't give your goddamn victory speech yet!"
I groan, but I can't deny that I didn't correctly thank my team for their efforts. I sit up and scan my eyes over everyone who helped save Nimbasa City. "Nice work, everyone," I praise, "Delta Squad, you all were like an impenetrable wall out there. You didn't let Team Plasma have a single part of Nimbasa for long. Solid work out there, just as solid as your defenses. Major shoutout to Tanker for being an effective third in command." The defending team cheers in response, especially Tanker. I then continue, "As for Alpha Squad, you all were complete badasses out there. Clearing room after room of Plasma grunts and keeping each other alive effectively in enemy territory takes some great combat skills, and you all simply got it. You all swashbuckled like true Unovian pirates out there, nice one. Feel free to do whatever you want today… Y'all earned it."
Two days later, at midnight:
?'s POV:
Hmph, this kid is better than I thought. That must be why Lord Ghetsis is interested in him and his pokemon. Regardless, I found the room where this trainer is staying in. I take out an envelope my Lord requested me to deliver and slide it underneath the door. Once the task is done, I silently make my way out of the pokemon center, where two of my buddies are waiting.
"Is the task done?" the first asks. I nod in response.
"Good. Now we head back and wait…" the second states as the three of us disappear into the shadows of night.