Justice is usually in the eyes of the beholder. As such, a worthy beholder can be something truly terrifying to the wicked.
00 and 01 pushed their way out of the eastern wall of the target area, beginning their infiltration. The glade was beautiful, even in their eyes: massive trees with vines hanging from them, their canopies overhead leaving dappled sunlight on the forest floor. That floor was laced with ponds, puddles, and the occasional brook. Tall grass grew near the bodies of water, but aside from that, there was little underbrush; a sign of a very mature, ancient forest.
However, that majesty was being torn apart. Farther away, they could see the results of their comrades' efforts: a massive dust cloud lay several hundred meters ahead, with frenzied wild Pokemon running around everywhere. Closer to them, a radar pin was visible. They now had the information advantage. 00 pulled out his tablet to get a read on the situation, and connected to the voice communication channel along with 01. Just then…
"02 here. Visual confirmation of the target. It's Virizion. Target is closing fast, less than 100 meters. Shall I proceed?"
"00 here. Proceed according to the plan. We'll work on delaying the belligerents while circling over to back you up. Focus on the battle, you can disconnect from comms."
"Roger. Over and out." 02 disconnected, and 01 took the moment to speak up.
"01 here. 03 and 04, what's your situation?"
"03 here. 04 doubled back to retrieve Aegislash and Sandaconda. I'm currently moving to the center to delay the girl. I have Tyranitar with me; it should be simple." 00 sighed at that.
"You should have left the Pokemon there. There's no need to risk a one on one engagement when you could have secured a two on one. At any rate, this might work in our favor. The boy is the real threat, anyway. If Gyarados doesn't go to support Dragonite, I wouldn't be surprised if he beat it on his own."
"04 here. Roger that, I'll work with 05."
"05 here. Heard. He's currently dodging Draco Meteor. I can use it again, but it won't be nearly as powerful; I'm going to engage in close quarters soon. Get here ASAP."
"Got it. Over and out." 03 and 04 disconnected. 00 continued analyzing the radar readings.
"Hmm…we're too spread out. 06 and 07, your role now is to secure our escape. Exit the glade, and wrap around back to our base and pack everything up. I don't think we'll have too much time here."
"06 here. Heard. We'll begin moving right away. Will Kingambit be necessary? It could be a failsafe if everything goes wrong."
"01 here. If we are able to rotate properly, I'll take custody of Kingambit for the time being. You'll need to focus on being the rearguard."
"Roger that. 07 and I are leaving. Best of luck."
"07 here. We should be ready in about 30 minutes. Should we be watching the air?"
"...00 here. Yes, that would seem prudent. Our radar doesn't extend to the air, however, so we'll need the drones to keep a direct visual."
"05 here. Roger that. I'll let you know if anything changes." 05, 06, and 07 disconnected from the voice communications. In the distance, the dust and the wild Pokemon began to settle. 01 then asked 00 something that seemed to be on his mind.
"So, who's this trainer with the Garchomp, really? You must know who he is by now, even if you didn't know his name before." 00 closed the radar in his tablet, and pulled up something else: a dossier. He began scrolling through it.
"After we got the facial visual last night from Zoroark's raid, I was able to narrow it down. As I said before, he's an undergraduate student at Castelia University, under the tutelage of one Miranda Foxglove. His name is Kibe Uehara." 01's eyes glinted at that name.
"Uehara? That Uehara?" 00 nodded in response.
"Indeed. He's the son of one of the world's foremost experts in Pokemon conservation." Kibe's father was famous worldwide for his research on Pokemon ecology, and his efforts against Pokemon poaching rings. He had close ties to the Association's higher echelons.
"His father is infamous in my circles…I've never tangled with him myself, but I've heard that he's faced down even greater Legendary Pokemon, and lived to tell the tale. In that case, I'm not really surprised his son's that skilled. What can you tell me about Kibe specifically?" 01 scratched his beard; it seemed like they had a troublesome opponent.
"Well, he placed in the Top 8 of the Sinnoh League. He lost to the winner of the tournament. There are also rumors that he battled the Champion of the region at some point after that, and lost. Garchomp was his ace during those events, but it doesn't seem like he brought his other Pokemon with him. We shouldn't have to worry about unknown variables. The Garchomp's attacks are Swords Dance, Dragon Claw, Earthquake, and Thunder Fang."
"In that case, we should try to avoid letting him increase his Attack. But he could just do it prior to engaging…He has that girl's Audino with him, right? What attacks does it know?"
"It knows Protect, Heal Pulse, Hyper Voice, and Mega Kick. Despite it not being trained for battling, its attacks are mainly support-oriented, and don't necessarily need precise movements. Heal Pulse also allows Garchomp to fight multiple times in succession without rest."
"In that case, we need to overwhelm them all at once. Is the girl going to be troublesome?"
"That girl's name is Arienne Walters. She's the daughter of some rich fashion company CEO. All she has with her is a single Vibrava, which Gyarados was able to defeat with ease. I don't think she'll be that much of an issue, despite what I told 03 earlier." 01 nodded at that.
"Well, I don't think we have all that much to worry about, then. Aside from…further intruders."
"Yes. It's highly likely that the Association will hear about what's happening here shortly. We need to expedite the mission and evacuate while we still can." 00 put away his tablet.
With that, 00 and 01 were ready to begin circling over to the northern end of the glade, where 02 was engaging Virizion. They began preparations.
"Metagross." "Go, Zoroark!" They sent out the two Pokemon that they would be using for the operation. Metagross had a strange brace on one of its arms.
"Will this really be enough? Virizion and Garchomp will have an advantage against nearly all of our Pokemon."
"It'll have to be. Besides, I have insurance. Let's get this show on the road, Metagross." 00 glanced towards his chest pocket as he mentioned his "insurance". Then, Metagross used Psychic to lift itself, Zoroark, 00, and 01 into the air.
"Do it, Zoroark. Illusory Parade." 00, 01, and their Pokemon vanished into thin air.
—
The forest swayed, and a honed blade of justice slashed.
"Houndooms, use Fire Fang and Flamethrower at will!" Virizion landed among the group of 5 Houndooms, a glowing blue blade of light erected from its forehead. Sacred Sword. It began to lay into the Houndooms; two of them were immediately flung from the formation. One of the three Houndooms leaped back and began to use Flamethrower, while the other two engaged in close quarters with Fire Fang. Thanks to data 00 was able to procure from the Association by his above-board work, 02 knew that Virizion was a Grass/Fighting type. He would have to use the Fire and Ice moves in his arsenal to deal real damage to the Legendary Pokemon.
Sweat rolled down 02's head; it had barely been fifteen seconds since the encounter began, and two Pokemon were already down. He had to pray that the Houndooms could whittle Virizion down enough. Luckily, Sacred Sword could on be used on one target at once: the Houndooms were able to force Virizion in a poor position, and managed to land a Flamethrower even as it knocked out a third Houndoom. Virizion emerged on the far side of the ensuing explosion. 02 knew that the time was now.
"Houndooms, pull back! Let's go, Blastoise! Unleash your potential! MEGA EVOLVE!" 02 tapped a Keystone on his glove, which responded with the Blastoisinite embedded in a forehead strap Blastoise wore. A rainbow light encased Blastoise, leading to a temporary evolution that granted incredible attack power. Blastoise emerged from the light as a new Pokemon, and roared. Virizion's blade retracted, and it squinted at the new foe.
"SHELL SMASH! Houndooms, use Flamethrower!" Blastoise's eyes flashed red, and a tremendous airburst emanated from it. The two remaining Houndooms launched Flamethrowers to cover Blastoise. Virizion strafed away from them, running up a nearby tree and diving down at Blastoise, who was standing next to 02. It created a new blade, this one being green: Leaf Blade. This would be bad if it hit; but luckily, Blastoise was ready to respond.
"Pulverize it! Skull Bash! Follow up with Fire Fang!" Blastoise launched straight at Virizion, and met it in midair. Mega Evolution against the power of a Legendary Pokemon. An earsplitting smash occurred, and the pond directly below them exploded from the pressure. Wild Pokemon began fleeing, the cacophony of their cries adding a din to the already-chaotic battlefield. The two combatants were flung in opposite directions, but Virizion wasn't given a moment to rest. The two Houndooms broke from in front of 02 and charged at Virizion. 02 knew that 00 didn't actually expect him to win, but he was determined to prove him wrong.
—
Kibe fumbled with his satellite phone (not his cell phone, there was obviously no service in a place like this) while running through the Draco Meteor with Audino. Purple boulders landed all around him, smashing the remnants of his previous battle with Aegislash and Sandaconda. A nearby tree began to fall over. The pristine ponds around them began to be sullied with mud. Garchomp hurtled at Dragonite above, trying to interrupt the attack.
"GARCHOMP! USE DRAGON CLAW! Damnit, this fucking thing has so many buttons…" Kibe shouted his orders to Garchomp, trusting that he would hear them. He continued to dial Dr. Foxglove's number, praying she was in the lab. Above, Garchomp finally reached Dragonite. The Draco Meteor stopped…as the Dragonite shifted into what appeared to be ExtremeSpeed, shining like a meteor as it caught Garchomp unawares. Garchomp chased it into the skies as it rocketed away.
"KEEP IT OCCUPIED, GARCHOMP! Now's our chance, Audino. Let's follow Arienne!" Audino nodded firmly. Kibe had a lot of respect for Audino: despite her lack of experience, she had shown an admirable amount of grit over the past two days. Just then, however, a massive shockwave erupted in front of them, tearing through the glade from the southern side. W-what the hell is going on?! Hands shaking, he put the satellite phone in his pocket for now, and pulled out the walkie talkie that matched the one he gave Arienne.
"Are you okay, Arienne?!"
"Kibe? Yeah, I'm fine! Vibrava was able to protect us with Screech! I don't see any of the poachers, but I did see a drone fly by! It dropped some sort of package onto the ground!"
"Wait, did you say a drone? If so, that might be a radar device, like the ones we used at camp. We should assume that we're being tracked now, as well as Virizion!" Kibe and Audino dashed towards the dust cloud that was resulting from the shockwave.
"I saw those meteors back where you were earlier. Are you ok? I would rather double back and leave than y…either of us getting injured, or worse!" Kibe heard her verbal gaffe, but decided to ignore it.
"I appreciate your concern, but we're fine. Audino and I are tailing you. That shockwave was going from south to north; if I had to guess, Virizion is in the north. Start heading there now. We have a severe lack of information compared to them. They'll know where you are, but they'll also underestimate you because of it. You might…be able…to set up a one on one battle. We'll be…right behind you." Kibe, fit as he was, was starting to get winded from giving a full-on lecture while running full tilt through a forest. Audino was keeping pace, but wheezing. Kibe really wished that Arienne had given him her Poke Ball. He hadn't thought to ask. Garchomp and Dragonite were still trading blows above.
"I got it. I'll do my best to get a visual on Virizion. Try to back me up as soon as possible, Kibe. I don't know how long I'll be able to hold out with just Vibrava here. No pressure, though!" Arienne's microphone clicked off. Kibe sighed, staring at the walkie talkie, and then looked at Audino. As he did so, they entered the dust cloud, which was clearing.
"Let's slow down while we go through here. Now that we know that they're converging in the north, we can change directions." Audino nodded, and Kibe pulled out his satellite phone again, finishing the dial. Blessedly, Dr. Foxglove picked up almost immediately.
"Kibe? What's up?" Kibe almost laughed at how innocuous the question was.
"Hey, Dr. Foxglove. We have just a bit of a problem…"
—
Arienne jogged through the forest, heading north. It certainly wasn't a dash; her endurance wasn't nearly good enough for that, especially after that long hike in the morning. She didn't creep, however; she felt that Kibe's deduction was correct. If the enemies knew where she was at all times, then there was no need to sneak around. Vibrava buzzed while flying beside her.
"I played it tough in my conversation with Kibe, but…I think I'm actually rather terrified, Vibrava." She had no idea what she was going to do if she actually found one of the poachers.
Time passed. All she could hear was the cries of wild Pokemon, and the sound of her boots tromping through the mud. Around her, the trunks of several smaller trees, and hundreds of branches, were scattered on the ground. Some injured Pokemon were strewn about as well. The shockwave from earlier had done an immense amount of damage. Arienne's heart was breaking; she wanted to do something to help them, but Audino wasn't with her, and there were more pressing matters at the moment. I have to make sure those people don't get Virizion. She had already failed someone once. Never again. Just as she resolved herself…CRASH! A set of glowing blue rock spires erupted from the ground, attacking her and Vibrava. Stone Edge. She screamed, and ducked behind a tree.
"Vibrava, clear the path with DragonBreath!" Vibrava unleashed its attack, destroying some of the spires and unveiling the perpetrator: a Tyranitar. Arienne ducked behind the tree and whipped her head around, looking for its Trainer; but they were nowhere to be found. She cautiously peeked back around the tree. On closer inspection, Tyranitar had a similar device around its neck to what Gyarados had. So this IS one of their Pokemon! They're trying to stall me! In response, she pulled out her walkie talkie.
"Kibe?! KIBE!" Kibe clicked into the communication channel and…was that Audino? It was; Arienne could hear Audinos voice talking in the microphone. In the background, she could hear Kibe talking with someone:
"...you need to call the Association. I don't give a DAMN about Twist Moun-wait, what is it, Audino?" She heard Audino's cry again, sounding more insistent this time.
"Okay, give me a second Dr. Foxglove; no, damnit, I'm not going to call you Miranda. Get Lewis to the lab. I'll give him instructions. Please give me that, Audino. Thank you. What's the situation, Arienne?" Was he cussing at the professor? Just who did he think he was?
"I, uh, found one of their Pokemon! Or rather, it found me!"
"Crap…we're not there yet. GARCHOMP, USE THUNDER FANG!" Arienne could hear crashing noises.
"Are you still fighting that thing?!"
"Not just Dragonite now. We're fighting the Gyarados you encountered last night too. We're kind of stuck here-Audino, use Hyper Voice!"
"Audino?! She's fighting too?! Don't you dare get her hurt!"
Tyranitar noticed her shouting into the walkie talkie, roared, and charged at her and Vibrava, its fist encased in what appeared to be Ice energy.
"I-Ice Punch?! Talk to you later, Kibe! Vibrava, use Dig!" Vibrava dived into the mud, and Tyranitar stopped in the middle of the clearing. Arienne took this opportunity to hide behind the tree, and creep around Tyranitar. She pocketed her walkie talkie. She definitely had no chance of winning against an opponent like that, and so decided to work her way around it instead. She nonchalantly began to crawl through the mud, and then jolted with shock. M-my hair! SHIT! She had made a mess of herself, and didn't even realize what she'd done at first.
Strangely, however, she kept crawling. She would never have done something like this before going on this expedition…Vibrava seemed to have caught on to what she was up to, and was occasionally surfacing to keep Tyranitar focused on it. However, just as she had gotten around the adversary, it seemed to have had enough. It stomped the ground in a very familiar manner: it was just like the incredible attack Kibe and his partner had mastered. Vibrava is still down there!
"VIBRAVA! GET OUT OF THERE!" She screamed as Tyranitar attacked with the Earthquake. Its attack power seemed to have been lessened due to the high water table of the ground, but it was still a potent attack. Vibrava was flung out of the ground high into the air. Fortunately, it was still conscious: it settled into a hover into the air. This wasn't going to work.
"Vibrava, return!" Arienne returned Vibrava to its Poke Ball, and ran away. Tyranitar is a slow Pokemon, I should be able to get away- Her thoughts were cut off as Tyranitar roared behind her, and a glowing light filled her peripheral vision. She whipped her head around even as she ran, and saw Tyranitar preparing what seemed to be a Hyper Beam. She ran for as long as she could, then plunged to the ground as it fired directly at her. Those bastards…were they trying to kill her?! The Hyper Beam roared past her as she laid on the ground. After it subsided, she staggered to her feet and ran through the forest, boots splashing through a pond. She had to reach Virizion before it was too late.
00, 01 and their partners were traveling in what 01 called "Illusory Parade": Zoroark used an extremely widespread and thin illusion to trick the world into thinking that the people and objects it chose weren't there. It wasn't as much of an order to the world as much as a suggestion; but that made it all the more effective. It was very easy to break; any Psychic type could see through it, and the slightest disturbance could break Zoroark's concentration. To counteract this, Metagross lifted all of them into the air using Psychic. This lessened the amount of focus Zoroark had to spend on moving, and also left no tracks for adversaries to notice. 00 pulled out his tablet to check on the rapidly evolving situation.
"We're about halfway to 02 and Virizion. Judging by the radar signatures, all of 02's Houndooms have been defeated. His ace has Mega Evolved, and it's currently battling the target. He seems to be losing." What 00 didn't mention, however, was that it seemed that 02 had managed to deal a decent amount of damage; Virizion's energy signature had diminished significantly. 01 responded to 00's less-than-favorable review of his subordinate's performance.
"Well, I'll just hope he can finish the job. It would be pretty embarrassing if we had to rely on you to do the job you hired us for." 00 was quiet for a while, staring at his tablet. 01 smirked; the man looked rather silly hovering in the air like that, still trying to pull off a strong-willed impression. Eventually, 00 replied.
"No. I hired you guys for support. I always intended to catch the Pokemon myself. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to requisition a Master Ball from my employer for this; it's not necessarily one of the Types we're focusing on. I was interested in Grass as a potential alternative, anyways. That's why…I need your men to keep those two away from the target. And it doesn't seem like you're doing that great of a job in that, either." 01 bristled at that, but then realization hit him.
"Wait, what do you mean by that?" 00 scoffed.
"The boy has managed to defeat both Dragonite and Gyarados. Fortunately, it seems that the Audino has exhausted itself between the battles, running, and healing Garchomp and the Trainer himself. But…the girl got past 03 and Tyranitar. She managed to completely fool him, and is closer to Virizion than we are. She'll see it in a couple of minutes. The boy isn't much farther behind her, and he's closing fast. The lack of opposing combatants let him and Audino get carried by Garchomp."
"WHAT?!" At that, 01 yelled and connected to the voice channel in his earpiece.
"03, what the HELL are you guys doing?!" He shouted so hard that 00 visibly winced even behind his mask, and Pokemon overhead left the trees.
"Sorry, I just couldn't hold her here by myself!" 03 sounded panicked.
"It's one girl! WITH A VIBRAVA!"
"Tyranitar is too slow to hold them there by himself! And I couldn't show myself in person either. I saw a body camera on her chest!" 00 took this chance to interject.
"This is exactly why I told you not to split up, nitwit. Forget about it. 03 and 04, evacuate to the base. We don't have any time left. 05, have you caught anything on direct visuals?
"05 here. Nothing so far. 04 retrieved Dragonite, and 06's group arrived. 07 is helping me load everything into the hovercraft. 06 is doubling back to 02 to support him." 01 calmed down for a moment and got out a message.
"Right. I'll take Kingambit off his hands. Get everything ready; we're collapsing the net. 02 is still fighting Virizion, and we had damn well make sure we get it. Over and out." 00 and 01 disconnected from the voice channel.
"Damnit…sorry."
"I'm a bit surprised at your incompetence, but overall the plan is still going forward. Let's focus; we'll be arriving shortly." In the distance, they could hear a tremendous racket.
—
Garchomp flew through the forest, with Kibe on his back, and Audino in his arms. Kibe was still speaking on the phone.
"Listen, Lewis. You've notified the Association already, and they've already dispatched a secondary group, right? Do you know who it is?" Kibe had made the correct choice in asking for Lewis' help; he was a lot more proactive and decisive in tense situations, unlike their bookworm professor.
"It seems like a team from the Gearframe Corporation; they're the Association's primary partner in the Unova region. I sent them your and Arienne's information, so they'll know you're not enemy combatants. They'll be arriving at your coordinates in less than half an hour. I'm heading out as well to pick you guys up."
"...I don't think that'll be necessary. I know who they'll be sending. They'll take us home."
"Huh? How do you know people in that position?" Lewis was naturally confused, but Kibe had no intention of elaborating. He could hear Dr. Foxglove talking in the background.
"...Forget it, Lewis. I get what he's saying. They'll be fine." She was the one person who knew who Kibe's father was, by the simple nature of her position, as well as knowing Kibe's personal information as his supervisor. Lewis paused, and decided to just accept it.
"Alright then. I would tell you to avoid the poachers at all costs, but you need to get in there and stall for time. Prevent them from capturing Virizion and escaping for 20 minutes or so, and Gearframe will be able to step in and apprehend them." With regards to issues involving Pokemon, the Association and any related parties were recognized as a sort of extralegal organization, and had the ability to perform arrests and other actions against suspected criminals.
"Got it. Well, thanks for your help. I'll see you tomorrow." With that confident reply, Kibe hung up. He refocused on the ground in front of him; compared to their disoriented trek earlier, they were making much better time now. They would be on the scene in a few minutes, likely arriving at the same time as Arienne. He had passed the area where she had met the Tyranitar just now; the ground was upended by what seemed to be an Earthquake. Arienne had called him again to let him know that she had gotten past it. She must be close now. He hunched over Garchomp; Audino was completely unresponsive in his arms. Arienne was probably going to punch him.
"Let's speed up, Garchomp. There's not much time left." Garchomp growled in agreement, then accelerated.
—
Arienne stumbled into a burning clearing. Ahead of her, several black Pokemon were lying on the ground. Through the ever-increasing smoke, she could see lights glinting in the distance. She hastened her pace. Then, the lights collided, and the smoke blew apart from the shockwave. Exhausted as she was, Arienne fell to her knees. In front of her….
"BLASTOISE! SHELL SMASH!" A masked man in tactical gear was commanding what he called a Blastoise…but it looked different. Instead of two cannons on the shell, it had one larger one, and two small cannons on its wrists. Her eyes widened as she realized the truth. These scumbags can use Mega Evolution?! The Blastoise's eyes flashed as it roared, unleashing yet another shockwave. It was so powerful that it blew the mud off of Arienne's head. Another Pokemon cried in response. Arienne had been so distracted by the physical presence of her elusive opponents that she hadn't seen the Pokemon they had been fighting. She took a sharp breath.
Virizion was beautiful. Despite clearly being battered from battling six Pokemon at once, it stood tall, with a piercing look in its eye. A green blade emanated from its forehead. With a single flash, the low flames around it were snuffed out. It dashed towards Blastoise, seemingly intent on finishing the battle while it couldn't move. However…
"NOW! USE ICE BEAM!" Blastoise fired a ridiculously powerful Ice Beam; it froze the very ground it traveled across, flames included. Did the man use Shell Smash multiple times?! Judging from his decisions and the urgency in his tone, Arienne surmised he was in a bad spot. While she was slumping there, speechless at the spectacle before her, Virizion was forced to divert its attack. It leaped into the air, blade retracting. Blastoise stopped the attack.
"DON'T LET UP! KEEP USING ICE BEAM!" Blastoise swiveled its cannons to aim at Virizion. Arienne stood up; she had to act now.
"Go, Vibrava!" She threw out her only Pokemon, and Vibrava rushed at Blastoise. She couldn't believe the level of coordination they had; the disruptive, unruly Vibrava seemed like a ghost of the past. The man turned, and stared in disbelief.
"Are you serious?! How the hell did you get-" His distraction gave Virizion an opportunity: it fired a flurry of leaves at Blastoise. It was using Leaf Storm! This is our chance!
"USE DRAGON-" Right as she was about to command Vibrava to attack Blastoise and save Virizion, something invisible slammed into Vibrava, absolutely battering it. Vibrava was flung to the ground, and didn't get up.
"VIBRAVA?!" She screamed in terror, having no idea what just happened. Unable to interrupt Blastoise, she could only watch as it repelled Virizion's Leaf Storm. Virizion landed back onto the ground, and stared at something next to Vibrava. The air shimmered, and four figures stepped out of it.
"I guess there's no fooling you, huh? It would've been convenient if you had just allowed us to dispatch you from stealth…" Two more masked men were standing there, with a Metagross and Zoroark. One of them was who spoke to Virizion: he wore a blue armband. The other man, bearded and sporting a red armband, walked over to Vibrava, and planted a foot on it.
"See? It was that simple. Just hit the damn thing once, and it collapses like putty. Why did 03 have so much trouble?"
"G-Get away from my Pokemon right now!" Arienne shouted out in a quavering voice, and returned Vibrava to its Poke Ball from under the man's foot. The bearded man snorted, and his Zoroark stood menacingly in front of her, stopping her from getting any closer to the scene. Meanwhile, the man in the blue armband walked over to the Blastoise's Trainer, skirting the few remaining patches of fire. Another man emerged from the trees to the north.
"It seems like you've been able to hold out so far, despite the type disadvantage. Well done. Give me the Balls for the Houndooms; I'll retrieve them for you. Continue fighting, and try to go for a capture." He handed the Trainer an Ultra Ball, and returned the five Houndooms-yes, those WERE Houndooms on the ground-to their Poke Balls. The man from the trees walked over to the bearded man and handed him a Poke Ball.
"Here's your insurance, 01 sir. Use it well."
"Got it. Help prepare our evac route." The man walked back towards the trees. Virizion had been taking the opportunity to catch its breath, and again rushed at Blastoise. Arienne could now tell that Virizion was employing Leaf Blade. The Blastoise's Trainer hastily called out an attack.
"Use Skull Bash!" Blastoise flung itself at Virizion, and they met in the middle of the clearing. The man in the blue armband slowly worked his way back over to the bearded man they called 01. 01 called out to him.
"See, 00? 02 can hold his own. So, what do I do with this chick?"
"I wouldn't be so sure, but…Hey. Disconnect your body camera and hand it over to me. Your wristpad and any other communication devices as well." The man in the blue armband, 00, barked out a command to Arienne. She quivered, and set her jaw. The shockwaves from Blastoise and Virizion's battle rustled her hair.
"I refuse! I'm not going to listen to anything demands you scumbags have of me! How dare you attack this forest and attempt to steal away Virizion?!" 00 chuckled at that.
"We're just trying to catch a Pokemon, like any other Trainer would. Is that really so bad?"
"This is a PROTECTED AREA, you asshole!" 01 laughed out loud at that.
"Protected? By who? That shithole Association who's allowing it to be destroyed to begin with? We had better not waste any time. Zoroark, knock her out. We'll frisk her after that. Foul Play." Arienne seized up in fear as Zoroark encased its arms in Dark energy and leaped at her. 00 looked up sharply at something behind her.
"EARTHQUAKE!" "COMET PUNCH!" Two commands were shouted out at the same time. An earthen wall erupted in front of Arienne, protecting her from the Foul Play. Above her, Metagross encased itself in a blue light and flew over the wall. She whirled around in time to see Garchomp, laden with Kibe and Audino, somehow dodge the attack and land next to her.
"Kibe!" Kibe jumped off Garchomp, who dropped Audino from his arms.
"Recall Audino, she's injured! Garchomp, use Dragon Claw!" "NIGHT DAZE!" Kibe shouted at her as Garchomp smashed down the Earthquake wall and leaped at Zoroark. Zoroark defended by slamming its arms into the ground, sending a veritable explosion at Garchomp. Garchomp emerged from the attack and landed a hit. Arienne stared at Audino's unresponsive body, and trembled. She could not lose someone again. Praying that she was okay, Arienne fumbled for Audino's Poke Ball.
"Audino, return!" Arienne managed to recall Audino. Just then, the battle to their left shifted. Virizion, despite the stat boosts Blastoise had, managed to deftly slip past its guard, landing a direct Leaf Blade and throwing it back. Blastoise struggled to get up, but Virizion relentlessly fired a Leaf Storm at it. Right after that…
"Shit! Go, Ultra Ball!" While Blastoise was fading into unconsciousness, Blastoise's Trainer, 02, threw the Ultra Ball 00 had given him. As Virizion had just used an attack, the Ball managed to encapsulate it.
—
Kibe was facing off against two extremely skilled Trainers at once. To his left, Virizion had just defeated the Mega Blastoise, but had gotten encased in an Ultra Ball. Next to him, Arienne screamed.
"NO! Kibe, do something!"
"Shit! I'm trying!" Kibe grimaced at the situation. The men in front of him had no intention of letting him intervene.
"Hyper Beam!" "Flamethrower!" Metagross and Zoroark unleashed long distance attacks at Garchomp, who was caught in between them. The Ultra Ball Virizion was in had already shaken twice. It must have been pretty severely injured in its battle. Damnit! Here goes nothing!
"EARTHQUAKE! INTERFERE WITH THE ULTRA BALL!" Garchomp roared, and wrought one of the greatest attacks Kibe had ever seen it use: the Earthquake encased Garchomp in two dirt domes, protecting it from the attacks, retaliated against Zoroark, and even disrupted and crushed the Ultra Ball. Virizion emerged, looking incensed. The masked man in the red armband was seemingly aghast.
"How did you do that with just one attack?! Grr…Zoroark, Night Daze! Shatter those domes!"
"01, look out! I can't move right now!" The man in the blue armband shouted at his comrade as he noticed Virizion racing across the courtyard towards them. It swapped Leaf Blade for a blue blade of light: Sacred Sword.
"Shit! Go, Kingambit! Zen Headbutt!" "Use Swords Dance, Garchomp!" Metagross was stunned, unable to move due to just using Hyper Beam. The man referred to as 01 sent out another Pokemon, Kingambit, whose head glowed with a purple light as it attempted to engage Virizion. Zoroark attacked Garchomp's barrier yet again, managing to break through. However, Garchomp was unharmed, and even managed to boost its attack. 02 recalled Blastoise, and retreated to the north. Kibe frowned. He knew that Kingambit had an ability that raised its Attack depending on how many of its allies were knocked out. That Blastoise…
"Arienne! How many Pokemon did these guys use?!"
"Why? They had five Houndooms-" She was cut off as Virizion was flung back from Kingambit, sent rolling across the ground in a dust cloud. Kingambit's Zen Headbutt faded. 01 grinned.
"That's why, woman. Kingambit's Attack has been raised to the maximum. It's quadruple what it would usually be. That's not all, however…00!" 00 nodded, and pulled out something from a chest pocket. It was a pendant.
"Metagross! Divine the world's mysteries! Mega Evolve!" Metagross, too, Mega Evolved. This was the worst possible scenario. Metagross emerged floating above all of them, releasing an incredible Psychic energy. Kibe's heart sank. Just how am I supposed to fight these guys off?
"Metagross, use Agility! Zoroark, use Flamethrower on Garchomp! Kingambit, use Zen Headbutt again!" "Garchomp, dodge it and use Swords Dance again!" Garchomp took to the skies, and managed to pull off an uncontested Swords Dance. The Flamethrower missed, flying towards Kibe and Arienne again. In contrast to the first time this had happened to the pair, Kibe pulled Arienne close and plunged to the ground. The Flamethrower flew over him. Arienne lay in his arms, befuddled. Was she seriously thinking of that sort of stuff now, of all times? He hissed at her.
"Do you have any Poke Balls?!" She nodded.
"Good. Try to land one on Virizion on my signal. My dad is going to come with a force of veteran Trainers. He should be here any moment now. We need to hold out until then. We have to." Kingambit attacked Virizion again as it was struggling to get up. It got flung behind Kibe and Arienne, hitting the trunk of a nearby tree. It slumped to the floor.
"Good work, 01. We should be ready to capture the target now. Metagross, engage Garchomp! Comet Punch!"
"Now! Garchomp, use Earthquake!" He pulled himself and Arienne to their feet as Garchomp dived towards the ground, Metagross tailing close behind. Arienne dashed towards Virizion; Kibe did the same towards Garchomp.
"OI! Zoroark, stop her! Foul Play!" Zoroark rushed after Arienne, but it was too late. Garchomp smashed into the ground, forcefully initiating Earthquake. With the Attack increase from Swords Dance, the move was even more spectacular than last time. Walls rose in front of 00 and 01, obscuring their view. Earthen spears attacked Zoroark and Kingambit. Metagross' Comet Punch landed after, but Garchomp was able to entrap both of them in Earthquake, burying the pair. Arienne reached Virizion's side. 00 shouted into an earpiece.
"05, we need a visual inside that Earthquake, now!...WHAT?!" He looked up. Kibe could hear the faint rotor of a helicopter, and knew what it meant. It was time for the first meeting with his father in a year and a half. Strangely, he wasn't dreading the mere idea of it anymore.
—
Arienne knelt next to the Legendary Pokemon, Virizion. The majestic Pokemon she had heard so much about was now burned, bruised, and battered. How could we have let this happen…She caressed Virizion's face; its eyes fluttered open. The brown irises of the Pokemon focused on her, and flashed with rage. It tried to pull away from her, but flopped on the ground uselessly.
"Calm down! I'm trying to help you. You saw us fight for you earlier, right? We just want to save you from those people. I swear, I will not let you get captured by them. But…you can't move…" Virizion looked downcast, and stared at her. Behind Arienne, she heard an explosion. Metagross emerged from the trap Kibe had set for it. Garchomp followed it, Kibe now on his back. Arienne heard a…helicopter overhead? Kibe's dad!
"01, we're out of time! We have to finish this now! Metagross, use Comet Punch on the girl!" "Right! Kingambit, if you can hear me, use Guillotine on Garchomp!" Arienne screamed as Metagross dived at her. Virizion's eyes flared, and it shakily got to its feet, despite not being able to before. It once again unleashed its signature attack, Sacred Sword.
"NO! YOU CAN'T!" Virizion looked back at her, and smiled. It similed. This Pokemon, said to be distrustful of humans, smiled at her. Tears blurred Arienne's face.
"But…we're…I'm…supposed to protect you…" Kibe shouted something at her. Kingambit leaped from the rubble at him and Garchomp. The Comet Punch and Sacred Sword clashed right in front of her. The resulting explosion knocked her out.
—
Sato Uehara and his entourage flew over the smoking Inner Forest. They passed over a large lake and entered the classified area only known to the Association and its…associates: the Verdant Glade. One of his subordinates, Whittaker, muttered something.
"Good grief, just how much damage did these idiots do…?" Sato clapped his hands and gave a rundown to the 11 other Trainers in the executive-class helicopter. The entire group were still dressed in business suits and other formal wear; they didn't exactly have time to change before rushing out here.
"All right, ladies gentlemen. We have reason to believe that an organized group of individuals have launched a coordinated attack on the Verdant Glade in an attempt to secure the Legendary Pokemon that lives there, Virizion. Virizion should be able to fight any number of regular poachers off, but our own intelligence suggests that these people are anything but ordinary. It's highly likely that these people are related to the Twist Mountain incident the other day. Exercise maximum caution." The Continental Pokemon, Regigigas, who lived in the depths of the mountain had been briefly awakened by a group of Trainers. The resulting chaos had resulted in 18 hospitalizations and 2 deaths.
"You say that, but you're planning on just diving in there headfirst, aren't you?" Some of the Trainers chuckled at the wisecrack. But Sato was entirely serious.
"Of course. My son is personally holding them off as we speak." The laughter quickly silenced, and people straightened in their seats.
"I have every confidence in him; I trained him myself, after all, and he's achieved numerous things on his own. But I think even he might be a bit out of his depth. We'll be arriving in 30 seconds. I'll start the engagement. Follow my lead." Sato heard an explosion in the distance. He threw the helicopter side door open as the vehicle drew closer to the ground. Whittaker threw down a rope. Sato stepped to the edge, wind blasting his suit coat and tie. Visible on the ground were the remnants of an incredible battle: fallen trees, shattered ponds, upturned ground, and a massive smoke cloud towards the edge of the clearing. On the ground…was a familiar Garchomp. A body was just barely visible next to it: Kibe, unconscious. Two figures were approaching the smoke cloud. Sato's anger flared.
"WE GO NOW! RHYPERIOR, ROCK WRECKER!" Sato sent out his ace, and rappelled to the ground. These criminals were going to pay.