Chapter 73: Backed Into a Corner
On the Mistral Marauder, Hess and his underlings had warily ventured back onto the deck, cautiously watching over the railings out at Pioppo. The crew's wait for Valatos and his companions had gone without incident, as the forests remained peculiarly quiet and the sun moved further and further west. By the time the sky began to lose its blue daytime color, the mood on the deck had turned restless, as impatient grumbles and thumps rang out around the Aggron captain as he peered inland with his scope.
"It's been hours," a Miltank complained. "Shouldn't we have heard something back from them by now?"
"Captain, how long are we going to keep waiting for them to return?" a Vileplume demanded.
Hess let out a sigh of relief that he likely managed to get rid of his Marowak underling, pocketing his looking glass before turning back towards the gathering with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Well, we tried. It's been long enough," Hess said. "I guess we have no choice but to turn off and…"
"Oi! We're back!"
A loud buzz and woosh of air passed Hess' head, prompting him to turn and see Valatos fly by and settle on the railing. The Aggron blinked bewilderedly, before looking down to see Alvise and Nori clinging to the back of a blue Gastrodon with Alfred's missing party. Hess stared as the lot made their way up some netting back up to the deck, where his expression fell into a disappointed grimace.
"… Wait for them to tell us exactly what happened," he groaned.
"Wait, Alfred?" a Drednaw asked. "Is that you?"
"No, it's the King of Conntow," the Charmeleon snorted. "Of course it's me!"
"But how'd you get back from those ghosts?"
The crew continued trading incredulous remarks as they began to drift for the arriving pirates. Alfred and the rest of his group stayed to chatter with their peers who gave disbelieving pokes and prods, while Alvise and Nori hurried to rejoin Valatos at the head of a crowd of curious pirates. Along the way, Alvise chanced to see the Pawniard who singled him out to go scout and pushed him out of the way as a weak jolt came out his fur that sent the Pawniard falling backwards paralyzed. As Nori and Alvise approached, Hess screwed his eyes shut out of annoyance, leaving Rodion to cast a skeptical glance over at Alfred and his companions before turning back to the scouting party.
"Aren't those the deckclaws that went missing?" the Floatzel questioned. "What happened and where'd you find them?"
"Hrmph, those 'ghosts' from earlier were all fakes, that's what!" Alvise spat.
The Manectric's answer drew gasps and threw the gathered pirates into a confused din of questions. After stomping the deck for silence, Hess peered down letting out an impatient growl from the back of his throat.
"What do you mean 'fakes'? Everyone was screaming bloody murder over those ghosts earlier!"
The three shifted a bit at their captain's impatience, before they started telling him about how they came across Elty and some of his teammates shortly after finding the water the crew sent them out for. From there, it was a simple matter of tailing the whelps to a hidden village, where they discovered that some local Ghost-Types had been responsible for the 'ghosts' they'd been running into. All the while, as the trio rounded out their tale by recounting their daring escape in which they freed Alfred's party and effortlessly overpowered the guards and sighted Pleo during their escape, the mood of the crew got more and more surly. At the end of the trio's tale, Hess' maw curled into a bared-fang snarl as he began to realize that he'd been hiding on his ship all day for nothing at all!
"So all this time, we've been had by a bunch of hicks holed up in a glorified cave?!" Hess growled.
"Uh… well yeah," Nori murmured. "But where are you-?"
"That tears it!" the Aggron roared. "Nobody makes the Iron Fleet look like a fool and gets away with it!"
Hess' cry prompted a few skeptical glances from his audience, as a Wimpod from the group blinked and began to speak up.
"But what about our last trip to Andaku when we got- ARGH!"
The Wimpod was summarily cut off by a stomp on his back from Hess, leaving the hapless Bug-Type laying against the deck groaning out of pain. As nearby pirates cast wary glances at their stricken comrade, Hess cleared his throat before turning back to the rest of his crew to speak.
"As I was saying, nobody makes us look like a fool without us doing something about it!" the Aggron insisted.
"Well what are we supposed to do then?" a Cherrim demanded.
"Yeah! They've got a town and everything in there!" a Litten cried.
"We do what we do with any other town. We raid it," Hess said. "We know where it is now and last I checked, that bird we were after was there and we needed supplies anyways! We'll take him along with a bit extra!"
A few scattered ayes broke out in the gathering, while the bulk of the pirates traded dubious looks with one another. Sensing that there remained work to be done to raise his underlings' spirits, Hess stomped the deck, before letting out a bravado-filled roar.
"Tonight, we celebrate our victory on this deck! With their rum!"
The pirates' trepidation quickly vanished as the gathering broke out into ecstatic cheers at Hess' exclamation, leaving Kichiro to shake his head and bury his face in an opened fist.
"… They're just in it for the rum, aren't they?" he sighed.
"Well, sometimes Hess needs to play to his audience," Rodion offered. "No problem in using rum to help with that."
"Let's get going!" Hess bellowed. "That village isn't going to loot itself!"
"Hey, hold up a minute! Those 'mons are incredibly dug in in that dungeon!" Nori protested. "How do you expect us to charge in without them picking us off!"
Hess flinched as he spotted Nori still on the deck ahead of him. The Steel-Type paused and realized the the bone lizard did raise a fair point. Someone would need to go ahead of the rest of the crew to provide a distraction, and he already had the perfect candidates in mind…
"When we get to the Mystery Dungeon, you and your buddies are going to go ahead and cause a distraction for us in town," Hess ordered. "The rest of us will raid 'em while their guard is down."
Valatos, Alvise, and Nori jolted up in shock, stammering out protests as they tried to make sense of Hess' sudden demand.
"B-But there's only three of us and that's an entire village!" Nori complained. "How are we supposed to do anything?!"
"So start a fire or something!" the Aggron huffed. "All that matters is that you're in charge of buying us time, and if we can't make it into town, we're leaving without you!"
The three grimaced and shrank back, Hess ignoring their obvious discomfort to pace up to the edge of the railing and motion for his crew to follow.
"Come on, let's move out!"
A rousing cheer went up as Hess poked into a chest near the tiller for items and clambered down into the water, his underlings getting their own supplies as they began to prepare for battle and make their way for the beach. All the while, Alvise and his companions lingered behind, looking off at Pioppo in the distance as Alvise let out an audible gulp.
"What did we get ourselves into?"
Deep within Pioppo's Mystery Dungeon, Darkwood Square had descended into a state of general disorder after Valatos and his companions' escape. Here and there, Pokémon darted in a frantic rush, some gathering into small groups to prepare to head off into the island's wilderness and face the pirates head on, while others piled up stones and clutter to form barriers in the lanes, and a few who were once from among Valter's guards as a noble dug out old and worn-down sets of cloth and mail. All the while, Valter floated to and fro, shouting out orders as he tried his hardest to move his eye around to keep up with the whirlwind of activity.
"Get those barricades together!" the Dusknoir barked. "I wanted the main entrance blocked five minutes ago!"
As the villagers hurried about under Valter's direction, Team Traveller looked on from beside the wall of a nearby hut. The lot shifted uneasily, as they racked their minds glumly as to how they were to manage Hess' crew invading the town in search of them on top of their troubles of just making it back to the ship.
"It always seems like trouble's right on our tail…" Elty muttered.
"W-Well we can't just stand here!" Crom cried. "We need to do something!"
"Like what?" Guardia asked. "Valter didn't even want to hear from us earlier!"
Kiran looked off at the Dusknoir leader as he finished giving instructions to another group of villagers, hesitating for a moment before shaking his head and digging his feet in determinedly.
"… Maybe we should try again," the Swellow murmured. "Perhaps he'll be more willing to hear us out in a time like this."
The Flying-Type set off, followed one by one by his teammates with Elty trailing half-heartedly at the rear. If he'd only kept his yap shut back on Orleigh, none of this would be happening! He'd never have fought Pieter, and Valatos and his cronies would have never found the village…
He- He needed to get the captain to back off somehow, but how was he to do that when that blasted dragonfly would just blab about everything?!
"Gardie!"
"H-Huh?!"
Elty jolted upright with a yelp, looking ahead to see Guardia glaring back at him and stomping her feet impatiently.
"Are you coming or what?!" the Cubone snapped. "We're trying to convince Valter here!"
The Growlithe shook his head and hurried along, catching up with his teammates as Nida neared Valter, raising a forepaw as she tried to draw the Ghost-Type's attention.
"Um… Valter," Nida began. "We were just wondering if…"
"Can you not see I'm busy right now?!" the Dusknoir insisted. "I don't want to hear your protests right now!"
"But we didn't even get to-!" Crom started, only to be cut off by a sharp huff.
"Enough!" Valter fumed. "As if it's not bad enough that I need to repulse an inva-!"
Before the Ghost-Type could finish, a spinning, white projectile sailed in, clipping the Dusknoir in the face. Valter recoiled with a sharp shout, as an impatient and raspy cry piped out from Team Traveller's midst.
"Will you just let us speak for a moment?!"
Valter rubbed at his face fuming as he looked back at Team Traveller. At the fore was Guardia catching her bone in her claws and scowling at him, with the rest of her teammates staring in wide-eyed shock. The Dusknoir seethed and billowed out black, shadowy wisps about his knuckles, hardening his red eye back in a fierce glare at the bone lizard.
"What is your problem?!" Valter shouted. "You just hit me in the face!"
"That's because we're trying to help you and your colony, you stupid jerk!" Guardia piped.
One after the other, the Cubone's teammates buried their faces into open wings, paws, and the flats of scythes with audible groans. Sensing that she was alone in her willingness to fight, the Cubone blinked, before sheepishly moving her free claw behind her helmet.
"Er… ahehe… perhaps we could start over?" she offered.
Valter glared back in wordless fury and balled up his fists readying for a swing, only for the sound of hoofbeats to approach. The Dusknoir calmed a moment, looking over to see Cernun coming up from behind curiously shifting his attention between the Duke and his audience.
"Valter, what's going on between you all?" Cernun asked.
"We wanted to say that we could help fight off those pirates if you'd just give our badges back and let us call for our friends to assist you!" Nida insisted.
"That's not necessary," Valter harrumphed. "And you're quite presumptuous to think that I'd have a mind to entertain your suggestions after that little episode at the shrine earlier!"
"B-But you're turning the town upside down trying to prepare for Hess!" Pleo cried.
The gathered Pokémon paused and turned their attention to the young Lugia, who faltered a moment before pulling his wings in tight and looking up pleadingly at Cernun and Valter.
"Look, I know that maybe you're not ready to leave here… but we've dealt with Hess before and so have our friends," the Lugia said. "If they knew that you were in trouble, they'd be more than willing to help if you didn't try to keep them here forever afterwards!"
The Dusknoir scowled back sternly at Pleo's plea, only to notice from the corner of his eye that Cernun was glancing over at him with palpable unease.
"Valter, if we're really in that much danger, shouldn't we take their help?" the Xerneas asked. "They haven't tried to boss us around like Kline did, so maybe we can trust them."
Valter paused and remained silent for a moment, his scowl wavering before it dissolved into a sighing shake of his head.
"… Fine, but you'll fight on our terms, and I'm not exactly ready to give you your badges back yet" he replied. "Send a few of your friends out to pass word along with a scouting party. It would only be a short journey back to the beach to notify your companions,
"Understood," Dimitri answered. "I'm one of the best 'mons suited to cut through the brush back to camp. So I can head out and-"
"I'll come too!" Ander offered.
The gathered Pokémon stared as Ander stepped forward, visibly straying to the right to give Cernun a berth. The Scyther tapped the flats of his blades together uneasily, before continuing on in a wary tone.
"You're… going to need some way to convince them we're all okay, right?" Ander murmured. "I was one of the first 'mons taken, so if they see me okay they'll know it's safe to help."
"… Just hurry it up," Valter ordered.
Ander and Dimitri set off to a Hypno gathering with a small party of Ghost-Type Pokémon nearby. The pair made their way over as the group interlocked limbs with each other and the Hypno closed her eyes in focus, before vanishing in a blip of light. Valter stared off after the now-empty space for a moment, before turning his attention back to the remaining members of Team Traveller.
"As for the rest of you, help us prepare for the arrival of these pirates," the Duke said. "If they get away, the secrets we've fought so hard to keep hidden will be all for naught. If you know anything about what we can expect from them… well, the fate of this village could hinge on if we have a way to counter them."
"Right, show us the way, then," Kiran said.
Guardia watched as Kiran and his companions set off, beginning to walk after them when she noticed that Elty wasn't among them. The Cubone blinked and looked behind where she discovered that there was neither hide nor hair of her Growlithe teammate to be seen.
"Nani? Where'd Gardie go?" Guardia asked. "He was right here just a minute ago!"
Shhk-Shhk-Shhk
The sound of rustling bushes and crunching twigs rang out at the fog-wreathed entrance of Pioppo's Mystery Dungeon, as Hess led a small train of pirates with Rodion following close behind. The lot stopped in front of the last row of trees before they stopped growing entirely in the fog, Hess watching the mist shift with the wind before noticing a rough corridor forming ahead and turning towards Valatos and his teammates.
"This must be it. That's your cue, Valatos," Hess said. "The rest of us will be getting ready-"
"You… shall… join… us…"
The pirates turned towards the treeline to their right, watching as a purplish haze billowed out and piled up into three wispy wraiths with glowing golden eyes and disembodied hands. The gathering shrank back reflexively, as Kichiro frowned, flitting forward with an unamused stare.
"… Really?" the Ledian grumbled. "You can't even think of something original to say?"
The ghosts turned to each other for a fleeting moment, before the wraiths floated forward, their hands stretched out with open claws as they approached the pirates.
"Join us… in the Spiri-"
The figures were promptly hit with a hail of rocks, followed by a watery jet, and a barrage of beams and projectiles from the rest of the pirates that kicked up a cloud of dust. As the cloud churned, sounds of weak groans filtered through the air, leaving behind the forms of a Gengar, a Litwick, and a Shedinja sprawled out on the ground. Hess looked over the fainted Ghost-Types, before stepping forward and stomping the ground with a sharp growl.
"Jig's up, gasbags!" he snarled. "Have a small taste of what's coming to your stupid village!"
Rodion paced up, looking over the groaning Ghost-Types with a sharp frown before he turned his head up to his Aggron superior.
"What should we do with them anyways?" the Floatzel asked.
"Hrmph, tie 'em up and keep a few 'mons on watch over them while we fill up the barrels we brought along," Hess ordered. "They've got something to make up for and we could use some more deckclaws anyways."
Rodion quickly hurried ahead with a Croagunk and a Miltank, setting to work binding the Ghost-Types up with belled ropes. In the background, a group of pirates began to roll barrels down to the stream and fill them with water, leaving Hess to turn his attention over to Valatos and his teammates before shoving them off towards the fog of the Mystery Dungeon's entrance.
"As for you, it's time for you to do your part for this gig," the Aggron snapped.
"Th-This is crazy!" Nori cried. "We're three 'mons and they're an entire town!"
"Yeah, just what are we supposed to do when they already know we're coming?" Alvise demanded, only to get answered by the thump of a worn bag being thrown at his feet.
"That's for you to figure out," Hess spat. "Now get moving!"
The Aggron stomped against the ground, calling up a hail of rocks from the earth that he launched at Valatos and his companions. Nori hastily grabbed the bag on the ground before the three bolted off with frightened yelps and barely avoided the rocks, running into the mouth of the Mystery Dungeon's entrance as the fog thickened around them. The three slowed their pace after it was evident Hess wasn't following up his attack and the fog began to thin and the other side of the Mystery Dungeon started coming into view. After a few uneasy steps forward into the dungeon, the lot stopped to pant and gasp for air, Nori shaking his head and stomping his feet in frustration.
"How are we even supposed to start fires like he asked us to?" the Marowak complained. "Alvise here's the only one of us who knows any Fire attacks!"
Nori shifted the bag on his shoulder uncomfortably after he felt a poking sensation through the cloth, prompting Valatos to fly up and pull the cover back to see its mouth full of Blast Seeds and oily rags. The dragonfly and his companions traded looks with one another, before Valatos' mandibles settled into a devious smile.
"… I think we can work with this," he said. "Kom op."
At the Siglo Swellow's encampment at the beach, Pat had freshly returned from Tromba with mail and the sailors had begun to stock freshly cleared fire pits with wood as the sun began to pass towards the horizon. All the while, Beatrix and Vicente turned expectantly from the scene to look off at the forest, only to see time and time again that Kiran and his charges had failed to come back. The wait had left the Illumise and her first mate tense and worried, her feelings leaking out to her subordinates as anxious murmurs and rumors floated around in the background.
"… It's been six hours now since they left," Vicente sighed. "Captain, what do you think we should do?"
"We did say we'd wait until nightfall," Beatrix said. "And that hasn't happened yet…"
The Illumise trailed off, looking off at the setting sun as the orange sky seemed to turn a darker, cooler hue by the moment. The Moon Caller's Traveller could already be seen rising from the east, meaning that the nightfall she waited on would be upon them before it finished its westerly course across the sky. The Bug-Type paused, before shaking her head with a sigh.
"Though… perhaps it'd make sense to start putting together a rescue party-" she mused, only for a sharp shout to reach her ears.
"C-Captain Beatrix!"
Beatrix and Vicente grimaced as the sound of a Fraxure's hoarse shout reached their ears from behind, prompting them to whirl around and see Pladur hobbling up clutching at the bandages around his stomach, his red eyes wide and spooked with visible panic. The Illumise fumbled with her words, before finally managing to splutter back with a start at the surprise arrival.
"Pladur?!"
"What are you doing here?!" Vicente cried. "You're supposed to be resting!"
"Wh-What's going on?! Beatrix's been gone from the ship for hours and the Pokémon back on board were saying some of our crew was taken!" the Fraxure exclaimed. "Is Crom okay? He's still here, isn't he?"
Beatrix set her mandibles on edge, letting out a hemming and hawing buzz as she struggled how to answer the Fraxure without sending him off into a panic.
"Uh…" the firefly began. "Well, we were in the process of looking for him and-"
"You…" a ghostly voice rasped.
Pladur looked off in the distance as startled cries rang out from the encampment, his jaw flopping open and his face flushing pale as he pointed off with a frightened whine. Beatrix and Vicente turned around, just in time to spot a massive, violet, ghost exit the treeline as a pair of glowing yellow eyes and disembodied claws sprouted, drifting through the encampment and past Natrix and Philips as the pair looked up frozen in stupified terror and the Servine of the two flushed pale.
"Ah- Aaaah…."
"E-Eyaaaaah! Ghost! Ghost!" Philips shouted. "Everybody run!"
"Calm down a moment!" Dimitri's voice insisted. "It's not real!"
The large ghost abruptly dissipated, revealing the forms of a Gourgeist, a Palossand, and a Shuppet, along with Dimitri and Ander exiting the treeline. The gathered sailors gawked with shocked murmurs, as Vicente and Beatrix hurried up to the pair with stunned stares.
"Dimitri? Ander?" Vicente asked. "What on earth is going on here?"
"It's a long story but there's not any time to explain right now!" Ander buzzed. "The kids are in trouble and the Iron Fleet's going right for them!"
"H-Huh?! What do you mean?!" Pladur demanded. "What's happening right now?!"
Back in Darkwood Square, the village remained in an uproar, as barricades were hastily thrown together and groups of villagers were sent off into small squads. In the midst of the hubbub, Kiran and Guardia hurried into a small intersection, looking around at passing Pokémon when they saw Nida, Crom, and Pleo darting up from the other end and hurried up to hail them.
"You three couldn't find Elty either?" Kiran asked.
"We haven't seen so much as a hair of him!" Guardia cried. "I don't really know where else we can try."
Pleo and Crom traded worried looks as Nida shuffled her feet uncomfortably and grudgingly cast her eyes towards the ground.
"We might have a clue where he went to…" she murmured.
"One of the guards at the entrance said she spotted him sneaking off and when she followed him he ran off talking about 'fixing a mistake'!" Pleo exclaimed. "He must've tried to go out of the dungeon and leave here!"
An uneasy silence fell over Team Traveller's other members at Nida and Pleo's explanation. Elty had already snuck off once to rejoin his crew before… could he be doing the same again after everything that they'd gone through together? The scenario weighed upon the five, as Trizano hurried past in the background, pausing at the sight of the group and stepping up with a curious bat of his left wing.
"C'è qualcosa che non va?" the Skarmory asked. "Why do you all look troubled?"
"Our Growlithe friend went outside of the village," Crom said. "We were trying to think of how we could even find him without getting ambushed."
"Eh?! Well why didn't you say so earlier?!" Trizano squawked. "If it's a matter of a missing 'mon, Trizano the Valiant Knight Skarmory would be glad to help!"
"But aren't you needed here at your village?" Kiran asked. "We don't want to be weighing you down-"
"Nonsense, I've carried 'mons the size of that Growlithe and then some before," Trizano insisted. "Besides, a single 'mon wouldn't attract as much attention as a whole party."
"Then let me come with you!"
Pleo and his companions turned out of surprise to see Guardia stepping forward before Trizano, waving her club for emphasis before she pawed at the back of her helmet, realizing that perhaps she was being a touch brash.
"It's just… I think it might help if someone Gardie is more familiar with is there with him," she explained. "Since we don't really know what's gotten into him."
"Fair enough," Trizano replied. "Good luck holding down the fort, everyone."
Guardia hopped onto Trizano's back and the two hurried off for the haze in the distance. All the while, Pleo watched after the pair, before turning his head over to Kiran uneasily.
"… Did we make the right choice?" he asked.
"I mean, Trizano's argument sounded sensible," Kiran reassured. "And we'd genuinely be able to help more here-"
"Oi! Stop standing around and help us keep watch over this entrance!"
The four turned at the sound of a rumbling voice and saw Roteck scowling down at them. After a moment of awkward hemming and hawing, the group followed along to a barricade, where they took up spots overlooking the main entrance into the stable zone. Crom breathed in and tensed his body, looking down warily at his Nidoran companion as his breaths came out tense and worried.
"Do you really think that we're ready?" the Druddigon asked.
"… As ready as we can hope to be," Nida sighed. "Let's just watch each other's back and do what we can. It'll be like a big monster house!"
Crom blinked and let a small smile settle over his maw, his spirits being lifted by Nida's cheer. No sooner than he'd dispelled his worries, the air crackled with a sharp pop, making him grimace and pause.
"… What was that?"
The villagers around them turned and began running off deeper into the stable zone, conflicting orders being barked in confusion. Team Traveller watched as their barricade emptied out, before looking off to see thick, black smoke trailing up from the other end of the village, leaving the four to blanch as a sinking realization came upon them.
"A-Ack!" Kiran squawked. "They're already here!"
In the eastern outskirts of Darkwood Square, the forms of a sneering Yanmega, Marowak, and Manectric carried under thick black columns of smoke curling up from straw and wood huts being consumed by spreading flames. Every now and then, Valatos or Nori would throw a Blast Seed, causing a loud burst followed by a fresh column of smoke, while other columns started off slower from Alvise throwing burning fragments of cloth through doors and windows. The trio made their way to the end of their narrow street, looking back at the fiery results of their handiwork.
"Hah! This dump burns easier than a Parasect!" Valatos sneered.
"Hrmph, shame there's nothing of actual value to take here," Nori said. "Here I was expecting some resistance!"
"H-Huh?!"
The three's attention turned to the coughing, wide-eyed form of a Gastly floating out of nearby house, darting clear in front of the three pirates. The cross-pupiled Ghost-Type recoiled with a squeak, prompting Alvise to bare his fangs and approach with a predatory smirk.
"Well, well, well… look what we have here…" Alvise snickered.
"E-Eek!"
"So what about it, champ?" the Manectric sneered. "Feel tough enough to take on this big bad wolf?"
The Gastly backed away stammering, before bumping into a post and falling towards the ground, his nerves quickly failing at the sight of the sparking Manectric drawing near.
"A-AAAAAAAAH!"
The Gastly desperately zipped back up and fled down the road loudly bawling out of fright, leaving Alvise and his companions behind to trade malicious laughter among themselves.
"Pfft! What a joke!" Valatos sneered. "These dorks are even more pathetic than the dweebs back on the crew!"
The three carried on, Valatos blowing a few embers from one of the burning huts onto its neighbors to spread the flames. All the while, Alvise and Nori followed after when the Marowak of the pair abruptly paused and looked off to his right with a puzzled furrow of his brow.
"Hey… Alvise?" Nori began.
"Huh?"
"Doesn't this hut look like that one Haunter with those dweebs who tricked us back at the ruins?" Nori asked. "You suppose this is their base?"
Alvise frowned before going up to the window of the Haunter-shaped hut and peering in, discovering some clumps of straw set out as bedding. The Manectric bared his fangs, fetching an oily rag from Nori's satchel that he bit down on with a fiery bite and throwing it alight through the window. The sound of crackling fire started up as orange flames began spreading outside and pouring smoke out the windows, prompting Alvise to turn back smugly to his teammates.
"You mean it was their base," he retorted.
Valatos and Nori snickered at their friend's reply, watching with glee as the fire spread within the doomed hut when the sound of a startled, ghostly shout from behind cut through the crackling flames.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"
The three turned to see the forms of a Haunter, Misdreavus, and Drifloon floating up in wide-eyed shock, before their mood took an angrier turn and the Ghost-Types shot back livid glares at the arsonists before them.
"That's our base you just set on fire!" Vince seethed.
"Oh put a lid on it!" Alvise scoffed.
The Manectric began to spark, prompting to Vince grit his maw and dig through a satchel on his body, fishing out a glassy orb filled with yellowish orbs of light. Before the Haunter could raise his orb, he was struck by blue bolts of electricity that made him lose his grip and fall to the ground along with his teammates. Vince and Lisa struggled back up as Cantone remained on the ground unconscious, only for Valatos to swiftly lunge in with a shadowy slash at the Haunter's face, Nori joining in with a strike from his club between Lisa's eyes. The pair listed, drifting to the ground unconscious while Alvise kicked the Totter Orb into Team Phantom's burning base and Valatos let out a triumphant buzz, sneering down at the fallen Ghost-Types.
"Hrmph, not so tough when you're in a straight fight, are you?" he spat. "Consider that payback for earlier!"
"Huh?! How did you three get back in here?!"
The Yanmega's moment of triumph was quickly cut short by a Nidoran's shout and the sound of approaching footsteps and wingbeats, looking over to see Nida, Pleo, Kiran, and Crom having arrived and staring them down with much the same mix of incredulity and indignance that Vince had. Valatos and his companions gave a sharp huff back, shooting taunting sneers at the other Pokémon.
"Tch, there's more than one entrance to this stable zone, prinses," Valatos replied.
"Yeah, we threw a Slumber Orb at the guards at a little back entrance and then we could just walk right in like nobody was home!" Nori snickered.
"You- You won't get away with this!" Pleo squawked. "We're gonna stop you and keep your buddies from making it into town!"
The three pirates dug their feet in and braced themselves at Pleo's outburst in anticipation of a sudden attack when Alvise noticed that Guardia was conspicuously missing from the party. The Manectric's tension promptly melted away, as a malicious grin started to spread over his muzzle.
"Hah, I'd like to see you brats try!" the wolf shot back. "Things will be different this time! You don't have any flour to throw in my face, no ship to throw me off of, and no helmeted ankle-biter to stop me from doing this!"
The Manectric shot out a wide, arcing spread of electricity, which swept up the four and sent them falling to the ground heaving and panting. Nida struggled against numb, wobbly limbs to stand back up, as the sound of Alvise's mocking laughs rang out in her ears.
"Ha ha ha! You really are just a bunch of dweebs without that Cubone to hide behind!" he sneered.
"N-Nrgh… C-Come on, we need to put him down for the count!" Nida said. "Crom! Help me deal with him!"
The Nidoran bounded ahead as her Druddigon partner stumbled back onto his feet with a loud roar, the pair darting from left and right to try thwart Alvise's aim as they charged him when a Marowak's shout cut through the air.
"Hold it right there, you little brat!" Nori cried.
Nida looked to her left just in time to see Nori swinging his club, which struck her in the gut and knocked her into Crom with a yelp. The two tumbled back, prompting Nori to reach through his bag for an orb to use against the pair, only to pull out an oily rag. The Ground-Type blanched, hastily poking his head in where much to his surprise he found that there was precious little in his satchel other than the fire-starting materials he'd seen earlier.
"That useless debutcho only gave us that one orb and stuff to burn things- Ow!"
The Marowak was cut off by a sharp punch trailing orange flecks that caught him in his chin, knocking him back into a wobbling stumble as Crom stormed back into battle. Further in the background, Kiran and Pleo desperately weaved away as Valatos hurled stones from the ground at them, which brushed Pleo from his underside and left him reeling in the air.
"O-Ow!"
"Gah! He closed that gap faster than I thought!" Kiran shouted. "Just hang in there, Pleo! We'll think of something!"
Pleo looked back at Valatos and tried to keep pace with the Yanmega's bobbing and weaving. He needed something to stun the Bug-Type or else he'd just fly away before he and Kiran could do any real damage to him, but the attacks they'd used had just minorly inconvenienced him!
The Lugia weaved around Valatos as the Yanmega charged in, when he remembered Alvise's earlier Discharge… and the Thunderbolt tee-yem he'd learned on Buyeom. With how painful it had been, surely a bolt of his own would hold Valatos at bay! At once, he tensed his limbs, straining with all his might to throw an arc of lightning at the Yanmega, only for it to fail to produce anything other than a few weak sparks in his plumage, much to Valatos' sneering delight.
"Hah! Leave learning moves that don't come naturally to the adults, you overgrown gull!"
The Yanmega lunged ahead with a claw trailing a shadowy haze, prompting Pleo to turn and flee with a squawk and flinch as Valatos bore down on him. Before the Bug-Type's Night Slash could hit its mark, the dragonfly was cut off by a slashing gust of air, sending him back screeching and hissing angrily as Pleo steadied out to see Kiran in front of him wide-eyed.
"Pleo, are you alright?" the Swellow panted.
"Uh- Uh huh…" Pleo gasped.
"Look, just try and stay alert," the Swellow insisted. "Every moment here counts, and if you freeze up like that-"
"Lights out, runts!" Alvise's voice snarled.
Kiran whirled and saw Alvise sparking behind him readying another Discharge. The Swellow at once dove in and flung a whirling wind at the Manectric to interrupt him, sending him tumbling back as the Swellow carried off.
"Mind your head a bit more next time!" Kiran jeered.
On the ground, Alvise got back up onto his feet, watching as Kiran circled around him and grit his teeth with a low growl.
"Pah, lousy feather duster!" he snarled. "Here, have a little parting gift just for yourself!"
A loud, electrical crackle split the air as Alvise let out a bolt of electricity, followed by a pained squawk as Kiran plummeted to the ground with a limp thud. The Swellow's teammates froze and stared with jaws agape, Pleo stammering before letting out a horrified cry.
"K-Kiran!"
A set of jeering laughs rang out, making Pleo recoil as he saw Alvise, Valatos, and Nori drawing near with predatory smirks and their bodies coiled to strike.
"Still feeling lucky, brats?" Alvise sneered. "You all oughta know when you're beat!"
"Yeah, we're really quaking in fear here. What are you lousy runts going to do that your mentor couldn't?" Valatos taunted. "Cry on us?"
"Maybe we'll go easy on ya if you hurry up and surrender!" Nori added.
Pleo backpedaled, shrinking back wide-eyed until he bumped into Nida and Crom standing firm behind him. Their eyes were wide and faces etched with fear, and yet in spite of it all, the Lugia could see that they were still unmoving. The young Protector dug his feet in, summoning all the courage he could muster to stand firm and stammer back defiantly.
"N-No! I'm their Protector!" he cried. "And I'm going to keep fighting for them for as long as I can!"
"Well, you don't need to worry about that," Alvise growled. "This little battle won't be lasting for much longer!"
The Manectric sprang forward with bared fangs, prompting Pleo to jump up and hastily take to the air. Alvise landed on the ground, his paws just barely missing Pleo's tail as he began to spark and ready a bolt of electricity, when Crom spat a Dragon Rage at him.
"Grah!"
Alvise's Thunderbolt sailed off as he reeled, managing little more than to blacken a patch of dirt. Nida watched as Alvise tried to steady himself, running in as toxic droplets began to collect on her right paw. The Nidoran jumped up, swinging her arm down for a Poison Jab, only to feel the air suddenly get knocked out of her lungs as a whirling, white object sailed in.
"A-Agh!"
Nida flopped to the ground, the poison on her arm smearing inertly against the ground as the projectile returned and clipped the back of her head, leaving her stunned in the dirt. The world around spun in Nida's eyes, friend and foe alike running muddy when a piercing scream reached her ears. She forced herself to her feet, looking over to see Pleo's wing being pinned down by a rock torn from the earth and Valatos looming over him with a cruel smile.
"Look at you, trapped by a little rock when you're supposed to be some Protector!" the Yanmega sneered.
Pleo tugged desperately at his wing, freeing it little by little with frightened pants as the Yanmega approached, his tarsal extended and starting to flash flecks of a black, shadowy aura.
"Well that's fine by me," Valatos said. "Let's see your hick friends get you out of this one!"
Pleo closed his eyes as Valatos swung at him, desperately straining his muscles as he gave one last shot at calling forth the Thunderbolt that Alcon tutored him. The Lugia felt warm sparks shoot out and heard a loud crackle along with an ear-splitting screech. Pleo opened his eyes, seeing Valatos lurch away singed with static crackling on his body, before he stalled and fell to the ground much to Nori's wide-eyed shock.
"G-Gih! Alvise! He just took out Valatos!" the Marowak complained.
"Do you think I'm blind?!" Alvise snapped. "Just get it together already!"
Nida, Pleo, and Crom hastily darted away, regrouping at the other end of the lane where they looked back at the still-bickering Marowak and Manectric. Nida glanced at Valatos, realizing that merely catching him off guard had proven enough to defeat him, before shaking her head and casting a determined glance to her teammates.
"Come on!" Nida piped. "We got one of them down! We can take the others!"
"Yeah, but for how much longer?!" Crom asked. "Alvise is still up and can hit us all at once!"
Nida looked back as Alvise and Nori drew near, bracing herself as they approached snarling and ready for battle. Between the two, Alvise was by far the bigger threat as long as he could throw around Discharge as he pleased. On the other paw, overpowering him meant little if Nori was free to just bludgeon them!
… Unless, they could do something to keep Alvise occupied while stripping him of backup.
"Then let's make Alvise think that he's the one we're gunning for!" Nida exclaimed. "Pleo! Give us some cover!"
"Right!" Pleo cried.
The Lugia opened his beak as a glowing orb formed in it, which he spat up at Alvise's chest. Nori watched as his Manectric teammate stumbled back, seeing Nida and Crom beelining for him as he darted over and called out sharply.
"Alvise!" Nori said. "Watch your- H-Huh?!"
Before the Marowak could react, Nida abruptly changed course and ran at him, leaping into the air giving a spinning kick at his belly. The Nidoran landed on the ground, preparing to give a second blow when she was cut off by a Bone Club sprawling her out, knocking her to the ground as Nori glared back with livid red eyes.
"Lousy little spike ball!" he seethed. "I'll beat you into a pulp!"
Nori leapt forward, bringing his club up and swinging it down with an overhead smash for Nida's head. As his bone barreled for the Nidoran's head, it suddenly found its mark against a bluish arm, the Marowak turning to see Crom having rushed in. The Ground-Type snarled, pulling his arm back to swing at his attacker when the Druddigon suddenly lunged forward open-jawed and bit down into the side of his neck. Nori screeched in pain, thrashing and desperately striking at the Druddigon's head as his strength ebbed and he fell forward unconscious, dragging Crom to the ground. The young dragon let go after hitting the earth with a yelp, spitting up scales and stumbling in a light-headed daze as Alvise looked over from chasing Pleo with an incredulous stare, before gritting his teeth and sparking with a disgusted growl.
"Seriously?!" the Manectric snapped. "Do I have to do everything here?!"
Sparks began to build up on Alvise's fur as he let loose a Discharge that fanned out around him, striking Crom and Nida and sending them crumpling to the ground. The pair got up woozily, struggling back to their feet when Crom turned and much to his horror, saw the form of a young Lugia slumped over unconscious further away.
"A-Ack! Pleo!"
"Hah! He'll be easy pickings!" Alvise sneered. "All I've gotta do is get you two out of the way first! And then it's just an easy Escape Orb out of here!"
The Manectric let sparks dance on his fur once again as Nida ran up to try and strike him with another Poison Jab. Alvise quickly sidestepped, prompting Crom to run in with a roaring bellow with his claws drawn for a Scratch, only to feel a warm current flow through his body and freeze up.
"Nrk!"
The Druddigon struggled, fighting unsuccessfully against his newly-paralyzed body as Alvise stepped back out of his reach. Nida instinctively reached for her bag, only to realize that she'd handed it off to Elty earlier in their exploration of the island. The only other bag for the team was with Kiran, who was sprawled out on the ground, with Alvise standing square in the way. Nida's face fell with a grimace, her reaction drawing a malicious smile from her Manectric foe, as he quickly surmised the Nidoran's predicament.
"What's the matter? Don't have a berry to heal your boyfriend?" Alvise jeered. "Well that's a shame for you, because I was just getting started!"
Alvise lunged forward, bounding towards Nida as she remained fixed and wide-eyed. After freeing Pleo from Giotto and escaping from Team Sentinel, they were gonna lose him to these three jerks?! Everything they'd done, all the fighting they'd endured… it was all going to be for naught like this?
No! It wouldn't! She wouldn't let it! Nida dug her paws in, her muscles tensing and her breaths suddenly growing short. All the while, Alvise began to spark, when suddenly, Nida's body became awash with an ethereal white light.
"Huh?!"
The light grew brighter and brighter, Nida seemingly going into a trance as the features of her body melted and reshaped themselves into a growing form with thicker legs, a longer body, and larger ears, dissipating to reveal the form of a Nidorina. Alvise stood stunned at the sudden transformation, only to be jolted back into battle by Nida narrowing her eyes, and lunge forward with a Poison Jab.
"Eat sparks!" Alvise spat.
The Manectric shot forward a coursing bolt of electricity, which flowed through Nida's body and made her screech in pain. The Nidorina's vision grew fuzzy and faint from the electricity wracking her body, the rabbit summoning all her will and newfound strength to force her body in a final lunge where she drove her poison-slicked paw into Alvise's throat. The wolf let out a sharp yelp, tumbling back before he tried to struggle back to his feet, only for his legs to give way from under his body and leave him limply slumped over.
Nida fell to her knees, panting as she weakly looked around the lane of charred cottages. The air was still thick from the smoke of Team Phantom's burning base, its owners sprawled out unconscious in the lane with Kiran and Pleo not far away. Amidst the throbbing of her head, the Nidorina heard the shouts of Pokémon belatedly arriving to fight the fires, and the tired crunch of approaching footsteps, prompting her to look up and see Crom inching forward with a wary, wide-eyed stare.
"N-Nida," he began "You-"
"We- We shouldn't just sit around right now," Nida said.
"H-Huh?"
"The rest of those pirates are still out there. We need to get Kiran, Pleo, and Team Phantom back up and tie those three up before they get back onto their feet!" the Nidorina insisted. "If their buddies walk in on us like this, we're finished!"
"Right!" Crom replied.
Nida hastily darted over to Kiran and opened his bag, letting Crom stick his claws in to fish out a Reviver Seed before making his way over to Pleo. The Druddigon craned down, moving the seed into Lugia's mouth as he looked back at Nida. Moments ago, she was the same Nidoran he'd always known, but here she was standing before him as a Nidorina… and a spitting image of her mother. The Druddigon tried to turn his attention back to Pleo as he began to stir, only to find his mind beset by worry after worry as to whether it was still his friend in the Nidorina's body, or a stranger alike in name only… and how he'd explain everything to the others when they got back…
If they got back…
"I just hope everyone else is doing fine without us…"
Back at the entrance of the Mystery Dungeon, the Iron Fleet's ranks had broken into smaller teams which left the air thick with impatient tension as some of the pirates wondered aloud as to what to expect. At the head of the group Hess peered off into the fog with Kichiro and Rodion, before looking back at his gathered underlings and giving a determined snort.
"Alright everyone, you know the drill," Hess barked. "We move in teams of three and when we make it to the town, we regroup and push through. We don't know how much the Distortion's going to separate us inside, so everyone's in charge of looking out for their own teammates. Are we clear?"
"Aye!"
Hess watched as the gathered pirates roared back enthusiastically, their spirits raised by the prospect of plunder and drink. The Aggron let a grin creep over his maw, before turning back confidently for the dungeon's entrance.
"Heh heh heh… Then let's go pay those runts a little visit-!"
"Captain!"
Hess blinked and whirled around in surprise at the sound of a familiar yipping voice. There, bounding from the bushes to the right of the group was a somewhat rounded Growlithe running out short on breath, a cursory glance revealing to all the gathered Pokémon that it was none other than…
"Eltenios?!" a Litten cried.
"What's he doing here?!" a Wimpod asked.
The shock of the Puppy Pokémon's return drew murmurs and exclamations from the crowd, only for them to be drowned out by a loud growl as Pieter stormed up to the front, flopping and fuming before the Growlithe.
"Grr! You've got some nerve showing your mug around us again!" the Sealeo spat. "Don't think I forgot about how you turned traitor earlier!"
"Oi! Enough already!" Hess bellowed.
The Sealeo abruptly bit his tongue and backed away, leaving the other pirates to cast puzzled glances over at the Aggron captain. Hess plodded forward, giving a wave of his claw as he attempted to soothe the unsettled crowd.
"Look, we've got one of our own here! Eltenios has obviously been through a lot, but I'm sure we can get to the bottom of everything over some rum and loot," he reassured. "For now, let's hear out what he's found out from those hicks, and-"
"Um… actually, about that…" Elty began. "I… I… kinda wanted to take a break from the crew."
Audible gasps followed the Growlithe's words, prompting surprised and confused whispers to filter about the group as the gathered pirates tried to figure out what had caused Elty's sudden change of heart.
"… Did he get hit in the head?" the Litten wondered. "Because that doesn't sound like Eltenios to me."
"Yeah, what sort of nonsense is this?!" the Wimpod demanded.
Others had taken a darker turn following Elty's declaration, their faces hardening into sharp scowls and glares. Among them was Kichiro, who flitted up to Elty batting his fists together with a sharp hiss.
"Sounds like Pieter and his buddies were onto something earlier," he growled. "Knock him out so we can deal with him lat-"
"Enough, Kichiro," Hess snapped, before turning a stern glare down at the Growlithe before him. "Eltenios, explain yourself, now."
Elty looked up at the Aggron's scowling face, before turning and seeing that it was being replicated by all of the other pirates who were present. The Growlithe hemmed and hawed, shifting uncomfortably as he tried to explain himself before his peers.
"Look… I know you all came here because of what I said on Orleigh about the spike ball and her friends needing to go to here-" he began, only to be interrupted by a staticky voice piping up.
"Eh? You did?" a Voltorb pressed. "We weren't thinking about anything like that when we came here."
"Yeah!" a Sandile chimed in. "We got caught up in a storm! We just needed a place where we wouldn't get sunk!"
"H-Huh?"
Elty blanched out of surprise as other pirates chimed in and nodded along with the pair's rebuttal, while a few others vaguely recalled his story but otherwise didn't think much of it. The Growlithe grimaced and pinned his ears and tail close to his body as he realized that his crewmates had come to Pioppo via complete coincidence, and for reasons he was completely unprepared to argue against. The Fire-Type backpedaled uneasily, wondering to himself whether or not he had made a mistake in seeking out his crew when a Floatzel's sharp huff snapped him back to attention.
"Eltenios, we've got a town to raid here!" Rodion grumbled. "Stop stalling and spit it out already!"
The Growlithe stared blankly, frozen with indecision before he shook his head and steeled himself before continuing to plea his case.
"Well… when I initially got caught and stuck with that spike ball's team, I really hated things. They weren't happy to have me around and I wasn't happy to be with them," Elty began. "Maybe it was us saving each others' necks a few times, but.., they eventually started treating me like I was one of them. And, it's not as if they've got anything really valuable to take, so… I was thinking maybe we don't need to pick fights with them?"
"Eltenios, we're still understaffed because of those stupid hicks," Hess growled. "What are you going on about?"
"It's just that bird with them really means a lot to them and their village, and the Company and Empire are both breathing down their neck to get at him as a weapon," the Growlithe explained. "Maybe it's a bit much to actually help them, but considering how we'd be in trouble too if either of those two got their way… maybe it'd make sense to give them a break for a while?"
"Tch, you think I don't know that? That's why we're trying to get him," the Aggron retorted, prompting Elty grimace uneasily.
"… To try and get those captured deckclaws back?" he asked.
"No, we're thinking bigger than that," Hess replied. "Perhaps it's time to stop waiting on the Company or Empire to get a Protector and get one of our own, to look out for pirates like us!"
"Wait," a Pawniard interjected. "But I thought that we were going after the bird because you wanted to get the Council off your ba-ow!"
The Pawniard was cut off by a passing backhand from Hess, before he turned back to Elty. The Growlithe went wide-eyed and began to stammer, wracking his mind desperately for a way to try and talk the Aggron down…
"B-But you can't do that!" Elty cried. "You can't take Pleo like that!"
"And why not? I'm here, so's my crew, and you know where to find him and what he's weak to," Hess snarled. "Sounds like a pretty good reason to me!"
"B-Because… the Empire! And the Company!" Elty protested. "If you got him, what good would it do if they just stole him from us afterwards?! Or another crew! Or-!"
"Eltenios, stop beating around the bush already!" the pirate captain snapped. "You know where that overgrown Wingull is, so give me something to work with already!"
The Growlithe froze and stared for a long, silent moment before he hung his head and closed his eyes with a glum shake.
"… I can't, Captain. They're my friends."
The ground suddenly lurched as Hess stomped his foot and let out a loud, irritated growl, glaring back furiously down at the pup before him.
"Eltenios, me and my crew have been giving you food and drink since you crawled aboard empty-bellied on Nagrobek!" the Aggron fumed. "We're your friends here, not some band of merry munchkins!"
"But they're friends too! Look, I know that there's obviously some bad blood, b-but that can be worked out!" Elty insisted. "I don't know when I'll be able to come back and pull my weight on the crew again, but I just wanted to make sure that they could go back to their home safely first. There's no reason why we need to get in the way of that!"
"Save it! You don't have to worry about your 'friends' fighting each other!" Hess seethed. "You've clearly made up your mind as to who your friends really are!"
The Aggron called up a few stray stones from the earth that he flung over to Elty and landed right in front of him, making the Growlithe jump back with a sharp yip. A chorus of growls filled the air, making Elty fold his ears back and whine as he spotted the other pirates closing in with glares and bared fangs, before looking back to Hess in time to see him lower his head with a fierce scowl.
"If you're really going to pick a bunch of hicks over the 'mons who've looked out for you all these years, then you clearly need a reminder of what you're choosing beaten into you!"
Hess pawed at the ground, and then charged forward, prompting Elty to flinch and screw his eyes shut in anticipation of his captain's crushing tackle when a sharp cry pierced the air.
"That's enough!"
A shout rang out followed by the ground shaking, making Elty open his eyes and jump away out of reflex as he saw Hess tumble past him. The Growlithe backed away, watching as the pirate captain got up sporting a fresh, ruddy streak on his shin when a silvery form flitted in and settled on the ground near Elty, revealing Trizano with Guardia clutching to him who warily looked around before sliding off.
"Pushing around a 'mon a fraction of your size is hardly a fair fight," Trizano said. "Isn't it, Captain Hess?"
Guardia quickly sidled up beside Elty, only to notice stunned gasps going about the gathered pirates. The Cubone tilted her head puzzledly, glancing between Trizano and the brigands as murmurs and agitated growls reached her ears.
"Wait, it's that Skarmory!" a Noibat cried.
"Again?" Kichiro hissed. "Why doesn't that stupid bird buzz off already?"
Guardia paused and blinked at the pirates' reaction, turning her head to and from Trizano and the surrounding Pokémon.
"You all know each other?" she asked, before curling her mouth into a sharp frown and turning over to Elty with a sharp scowl.
"And you didn't tell me?"
"I didn't know him that well!" Elty protested. "And is that seriously what you're most worried about right now?!"
"Grr! You're a thorn in my side as always, Trizano," Hess snarled. "Don't you ever know when to butt out of a 'mon's affairs?!"
"You didn't honestly think that I'd just sit back when your affairs involved my home island, did you?" Trizano scoffed. "I'll just thwart you here like every other time we've crossed paths!"
The pirates began to crowd around, forming a blocking ring around Elty, Guardia, and Trizano. The three braced themselves as Hess dusted himself off, balling one of his claws into a fist as he let out a bellowing roar.
"No. This time it's gonna be different!" the Aggron shouted. "I'll stomp you three into the ground myself!"
Hess stormed ahead for Trizano, pulling his fist back as flames broke out along his claw. The Aggron threw his Fire Punch forward when Trizano abruptly weaved to the side, leaving the pirate captain to swing at empty air and skid to a stop.
"Now!" Trizano cried. "While he's open!"
Trizano shot back with a spread-wing tackle, a glint of light spreading across his wings as he closed on Hess. The Aggron clumsily side-stepped the incoming Steel Wing, digging his feet in as Trizano sailed past him. Hess growled and readied himself for a retaliating lunge, when a Cubone's cry suddenly rang out from his side.
"Take this, metal face!"
The Aggron turned and recoiled at the sensation of a heavy blow breaking across his gut, prompting him to look back at the sight of Guardia pulling her club back. The Steel-Type squeaked and recoiled, flailing with a start as he jumped away wide-eyed from the bone lizard.
"A-Aaaah!"
Guardia raised a brow at the Hess' startled reaction, as Elty charged on ahead, cinders dancing in his mouth as he readied an Ember to spit up…
"Here! Have something to drink!"
… only to be abruptly knocked to the ground by a jet of briny water. The Growlithe gagged and coughed on the ground, prompting Guardia to look and see Pieter sneering as the gathered pirates traded laughs and jeers.
"Hey what the-?!" Guardia cried. "I thought we were fighting against just- Agh!"
The Cubone was cut off by a slash from behind, knocking her forward as she saw a Pawniard draw his blades back to the mocking laughter of the surrounding pirates.
"Well think again, dweeb!" the Pawniard sneered. "You pick a fight with the Iron Fleet, and you deal with all of us!"
Elty staggered back up to his feet panting and shook his head to regain his bearings. Undeterred, the Growlithe ran ahead as Hess swatted at Trizano, dashing up to spit up a spray of cinders into the pirate captain's face.
"Grah!"
Up in the air, Trizano banked hard as he circled about Hess, diving for the Aggron with his wings spread for another Steel Wing.
"You'll never keep up with me swatting at the air like that!" he chided.
"Oh shut it, you overgrown niwatori!"
Trizano turned towards Kichiro's voice, only to be abruptly enveloped by the rings of a Supersonic, making him squawk and lurch in a daze. As the Skarmory reeled, Hess whirled around, sending a well-aimed stone at the confused bird that sent him crashing to earth with a heavy thud.
"Agh!"
"Alright, that's enough fun and games," Hess snarled. "It's time to put you all down for the count!"
The Aggron stomped the ground and crouched as the earth lurched, while stones started to pry out of the ground for a Rock Slide. Elty, Trizano, and Guardia froze as the surrounding pirates jeered at their plight, when a Vileplume at the edge of the gathering turned her head and abruptly jumped back with a startled cry.
"Ack! There's someone in the-!"
Minhwa was summarily cut off by an Illumise zipping in and ramming her with a Zen Headbutt that flung her back with a yelp. Most of the pirates turned in surprise while a Drednaw and a Staravia dashing forward, only to be bogged down by Natrix and Philips bursting from the forest, while the form of an Unfezant in the air carrying Pladur followed. The Fraxure wildly threw out a Sleep Seed, which struck Pieter and left the gathering to descend into a startled uproar. Hess' eyes widened and his jaw flopped open as one after the other, more and more Pokémon in white scarves poured out of the brush and began to battle his underlings, the pirate captain struggling to make sense of the sudden reversal of fortune.
"Hey what the-?!" Hess exclaimed. "How did those Trombans-?!"
"Coming through!"
The Aggron was abruptly hit by a watery tackle that knocked him off his feet and onto his back with a heavy thud. Elty and Guardia blinked incredulously, as it became apparent that the still-dripping figure was none other than Dimitri, with Ander flitting in closely behind him and easing into a fighting stance.
"What are you all doing here?!" Ander cried. "We thought you were in the village!"
"Blame Gardie here," Guardia piped. "He decided to sneak out and blundered into this fight."
"It's… complicated," Elty muttered, before shaking his head. "But first things first, how on earth did you get everyone here?"
Hess rose back up to his feet as Kichiro and Rodion approached from his left and his right, tensing their bodies as they sized up their new foes.
"Hrmph, I see you called the cavalry," Rodion growled.
"Tch, don't you all know when to give up?" Kichiro hissed.
"Grr… reinforcements or not, it doesn't matter!" Hess snarled.
The Aggron bared his teeth, easing into a fighting stance as he let out a bellowing roar that reverberated in the air and made Elty and Guardia recoil with a start.
"We handled the Scyther and his friends on their own ship once, we can do the same here on land!"
"Let's see you back that up!" Ander shouted.
Ander whipped his scythes forward, flinging out a whitish shockwave towards Hess. The Aggron yelped out of alarm, hastily shielding his face with his arms as the Vacuum Wave struck them. The blow made him grunt in pain and sent him stumbling back as Dimitri noticed the Steel-Type was disoriented from his blow.
"Come on!" Dimitri cried. "This is our chance!"
One after the other, Elty, Guardia, Dimitri, and Trizano dashed in, readying their blows for the pirate captain when a Ledian's sharp hiss suddenly sounded out.
"I don't think so, chump!"
Kichiro spread his arms as a faint bluish aura spread over his body and settled on him, similar lights forming and spreading over Hess and Rodion in much the same manner. The light faded away as the three braced themselves, the only sign of any change being a bluish flicker that appeared when Kichiro threw one of his fists into an open palm and glared down at Elty and his companions.
"We're not going to just sit back and make this easy for you!" the Ledian snapped.
Trizano dove for Hess, flying low against the ground only for Rodion to come running up with water pooling about his paws. The Skarmory turned, only for the water to coalesce into a pair of blades. Before he could react, Rodion lunged forward with a cross-slash that sent Trizano tumbling back, forcing a hasty retreat as the Floatzel turned back to Hess.
"Captain!" Rodion exclaimed. "We've got a clear shot to put them on the ropes!"
"Way ahead of you!" the Aggron replied.
Hess stomped the ground and called out a hail of rocks, before flinging them out at chest height at Team Traveller's members. Elty and Guardia dove as the stones caught Dimitri and knocked him to the ground with a yelp, brushing Ander and Trizano as they reeled from the blow. The Growlithe poked his head up, seeing Hess trying to peer through the clouds of dust he kicked up and fail to notice them entirely.
"Come on, bonehead!" Elty cried. "This is as clear of a shot as we're going to get!"
Elty leapt ahead, breathing in sharply before spitting up a spray of cinders at Hess' face. The pirate captain recoiled, prompting Guardia to dash up and leap with her club drawn, smashing it with all her might against Hess' gut only to feel it abruptly glance off with a blue light flickering along where her bone struck, the Aggron reacting little differently than if he'd been struck with a Venipede's sting.
"A-Ah!" the Cubone yelped. "He barely felt my club because of that light thi-!"
"Get off of me!"
Hess swung around, whipping his tail into Guardia and Elty and swatting them away. The pair tumbled to a stop, groaning in a daze as they heard a dismissive snort and saw Hess approaching with his head lowered for a charge.
"It's like you two runts never dealt with Reflect before!" he sneered. "That barely did anything to me!"
Elty and Guardia hastily stumbled up and ran, Hess starting to run after them when he abruptly stopped at the sound of rushing footsteps and saw Dimitri running up with his left scythe pulled aside for a chopping strike.
"Oh no you don't!" Kichiro hissed.
Dimitri looked to his left just in time to be struck by a high-pitched pulse that distorted the air in rings, leaving him to lurch and swing at empty air. The Ledian gave a taunting jeer from the side when a loud buzz prompted him to hastily flit aside just as a Scyther's blade zipped past him, forcing him to hurry out of Ander's reach. Further away, Elty and Guardia watched Dimitri continue to struggle in his confusion, their attention turning to Rodion as he forced Trizano off with a jet of water. Hess gave a knowing glance over to the Floatzel, and lowered his body into a crouch with a low growl.
"Rodion!" the Aggron shouted. "Stay on your toes a moment!"
"Right!" the Floatzel nodded back.
Rodion cast his arms out as Trizano dove at him, forming a barrier of light that the Skarmory crashed into and glanced off with a surprised squawk. Elty looked over at Hess as he saw him brace his body and plant his feet into the ground, making him go wide-eyed as he recognized the pirate captain to be preparing nothing less than an Earthquake.
"G-Gah! Not so fast!"
The Growlithe darted up and spat up a cone of bluish-white flames that settled on the hide of Hess' right leg. Hess grimaced as he brushed the flames off of a now-reddened and burnt patch of his leg, before glaring and letting out a sharp bellow.
"Let's see you all handle this!"
Hess jumped up and slammed his legs into the ground with a violent tremor that churned the earth. Elty watched as Ander hastily flitted up with a yelp, and turned to run with Guardia when the ground lurched up and sent them flying into the air before falling down facefirst. Elty let out a sharp yelp as he crashed onto the ground, panting haggardly as he heard Dimitri screech in pain and saw the world around him grow muddy and indistinct. The Growlithe tried to struggle to his feet, only for them to give way and leave him slouched on the ground, barely able to lift his head as he heard the din of battle in the background.
A dull thud pricked Elty's ears, followed by another with the sound of wingbeats. The Fire-Type looked ahead, where suddenly he noticed the forms of two Oran Berries, Guardia dragging herself over before looking up at the sky.
"H-Huh?" Elty stammered.
The Growlithe weakly followed Guadia's gaze, spotting the form of an Unfezant flying overhead with a tusked figure clinging to its back. Elty strained his eyesight and saw that it was none other than Pat and Pladur, the Fraxure calling out to him from the Unfezant's back.
"H-Hang in there!" Pladur cried. "Don't give in just yet!"
"R-Right!" the Growlithe answered.
Elty and Guardia stumbled forward and ate their berries as Pat returned to engage the other pirates, rising back onto their feet as the fruits filled their bodies with newfound vigor. The Cubone of the pair looked back to see Trizano being swatted away by Hess, the Skarmory's blows having left little other than brief bluish flickers along the Aggron's hide.
"Gah! How are we supposed to hit through that thing?!" Guardia exclaimed.
Elty tilted his head before giving a sighing shake of his head back.
"As long as it's still around, you'd need to hit it with something that's not a physical blow," the Growlithe said. "Not that I'm exactly great with those."
The two looked over to see Hess pulling a claw out of his bag, before looking around with an embarrassed grimace. The sound of buzzing cries turned the pirate captain's attention upwards, noticing Kichiro weaving around slashes by Ander in the air, prompting him to call out with a flustered mumble.
"Uhh… Kichiro? You wouldn't happen to have something for this burn would you?"
"Oh for crying out loud!" the Ledian hissed. "How on earth do you not have anything to treat that?!"
Kichiro's scolding was cut short by a loud screech as his Scyther opponent lunged at him, prompting him to pull his arm back and drive a punch crackling with electricity square into the mantis' face that sent him falling to the ground stunned. As Ander struggled to regain his bearings, Kichiro turned away, throwing a Rawst Berry with an annoyed huff towards his Aggron teammate.
Elty blanched, watching Hess bit down on the berry's tip and begin to smear it across his burn. Whatever they could do to turn the tide of battle, it would have to happen soon. It wouldn't be long before Hess healed himself back to his former strength, while still hiding behind the protection of Kichiro's Reflect. And if Dimitri broke it, that blasted Ledian would just put up another!
… Unless Kichiro wasn't there to maintain it!
"We need to get Kichiro down for the count somehow!" Elty piped. "As long as he's up, he can just use Reflect again once this one dissipates!"
"How are we supposed to do that when Ander can't keep up with him?!" Guardia cried.
Elty turned his mind to Kichiro and grimaced. Even with his weakness to fire, he was still the third-strongest member of the Iron Fleet, hard to hit in the air, and capable of throwing a mean punch. If he saw them coming, there'd be no way they could overpower him before he put up another Reflect! They'd somehow have to keep him from putting Reflect up…
"Is that all you've got? You hit like a little grub!"
Elty turned his head at the sound of a sharp hiss and saw Ander and Kichiro staring each other down, the Ledian letting out a seething hiss as he cocked his fists back and glared daggers back at the Scyther.
"Tell me the last time a 'little grub' did something like this to you!"
The Growlithe watched as Kichiro dove after Ander, swinging wildly as a spark of inspiration came over his eyes. Kichiro had always had a short fuse when he was on the Iron Fleet, and with his temper as hot as it was, they didn't need to keep Kichiro from using Reflect. Why, with a little prodding, he'd do it just as well himself!
"I think I might have something," Elty murmured. "Come on, let's get Dimitri back on his feet!
Elty and Guardia hurried along, running for Dimitri just in time to see him strike himself with the flat of one of his blades in his confused state. Guardia held out her club and gave him a bat across his head, making him jump and shake his head with a start with newfound lucidity.
"Gah! I'm here! I'm here!"
"Great, we'll need it," Elty snapped. "Look, we're sunk as long as Hess and the others can just keep hiding behind that Reflect. I'll do my part to distract Kichiro, but you need to smash that thing to bring Hess and Rodion back down to normal!"
"But we're already having trouble fighting them normally!" Guardia protested. "How are we supposed to deal with them when they're hurting us faster than we can hurt them back?!"
"So put some more oomph in it!" Elty cried. "You learned Swords Dance from that tutor, didn't you? So use it here!"
The pair looked over to see Hess gobbling down the pulp of his Rawst Berry, turning and lowering his head with a low growl. Dimitri braced himself and raised his scythes, digging his feet into the ground as he called down to Elty.
"Here goes nothing! You two just make sure that this works!"
Dimitri lunged forward, running ahead as Hess charged with a roaring bellow as he brought a scythe back and shot it forward with a stiff chop. The scythe hit through the bluish light and hit Hess' hide, the Aggron getting sent stumbling back as the Reflect around his body abruptly dissipated, the same happening to Rodion and Kichiro as they looked down at their limbs with a start.
Guardia watched as Elty took off running after Dimitri, while the sound of cries overhead alerted her to Trizano and Ander passing overhead to engage Rodion and Kichiro to her right. The Cubone inhaled sharply, closing her eyes as she tightened her grip on her club.
"Alright… deep breaths."
The bone lizard swung her club out, spinning and jumping with a frenetic dance that made her blood pulse. She dutifully tightened her grasp on her bone, keen to keep control of its movements unlike her past attempts with her technique before she came to a stop with a stamp of her foot. Guardia paused a moment, feeling her breaths come out heavy, her eyes brightening in realization that at long last she'd finally mastered Swords Dance!
"Gah! Get off of me, you overgrown crab!"
Guardia's moment of triumph was quickly cut short by a sharp cry from Hess followed by the sight of Dimitri being struck by a steely swipe from Hess' tail, sending him sprawled out onto the ground much to Guardia's alarm.
"Dimitri!"
As the Kabutops reeled, Ander was knocked back by Kichiro striking him with a Thunderpunch, his attention quickly turning to Dimitri as he lolled and groaned struggling in a daze to get back to his feet.
"Rodion! Keep these two busy a moment!" the Ledian shouted. "I'm going to put our little Brick Breaker down for the count!"
Kichiro wheeled and dove for the Kabutops, drawing his arms back for a crackling punch when a taunting yip reached his ears.
"Oi! Kichiro! You're not seriously running away and letting Rodion carry you, are you?"
The Bug-Type whirled, stopping to see Elty bouncing back and forth before shooting a sharp glare back at the taunting Fire-Type.
"It's Keiichiro, you useless mutt!" the Ledian spat.
"Yeah? Well what are you going to do about it, Kichiro?" Elty retorted.
The Growlithe stuck his tongue out and blew a raspberry, making Kichiro turn with a loud hiss, his attention now fully diverted from Dimitri and onto a single, overriding priority:
"I'll knock you into next week, Elty!" he snarled.
The beetle lunged for Elty, pulling back his fists ready to throw the opening volley of a Comet Punch. The Bug-Type threw his upper left arm forward, sailing for the Growlithe's face only for him to jump back and leave the Ledian swinging at air.
"Hah! Your aim's as bad as your banter!" Elty jeered.
The dog vaulted forward with a fiery somersault, striking Kichiro with a pained screech. Satisfied with his blow, the Puppy Pokémon tried to turn to fall back, only for a blow to hit the back of his head and knock him forward, followed by another that struck him in his gut.
"Agh!"
Elty pitched forward face-first into the ground, gasping for air as he looked up and saw a seething Kichiro hovering over him before diving with his upper right fist drawn back.
"Let's see you banter this-"
Elty flinched as a hail of stones suddenly sailed by, sweeping up Kichiro and sending him plummeting to the ground unconscious. The Growlithe looked over to see that the stones had come from Dimitri having used a Rock Slide, which similarly drew the attention of a now-livid Hess and Rodion.
"Oh, you're gonna pay for that, chump!" Hess bellowed.
Elty felt himself get pulled up by Guardia as the pair turned and watched in horror as Hess jumped up for an Earthquake. The pair froze, watching as the Aggron fell back to earth when they abruptly felt themselves get yanked up into the air as the earth jolted up in cracked shards and clods of dirt flew up from below.
"A-AAAGH!"
Elty dangled precariously as he heard a loud scream and looked down to see Dimitri toppling over amid the cracked and torn ground, when the force carrying him suddenly threw him up. The Growlithe yelped and he heard Guardia similarly cry out, the two landing on something metallic and hard to the touch. Elty cracked his eyes open and saw Guardia next to him, with Trizano's head craned back smiling at him.
"I could use some help from up here!" the Skarmory exclaimed. "We've got the vantage point, but it won't mean much if we can't do anything with it!"
A steaming jet of water suddenly flew in, prompting Trizano to pull up abruptly and Elty and Guardia to latch onto his body for dear life. In the process Guardia's eyes drifted down, which made her eyes to shrink to pins as she spotted the ground far below her.
"A-AAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
The Cubone dug her claws tighter into Trizano's back, clinging tight and whimpering as Trizano evened out, giving a grimacing shake of his head.
"I should have anticipated as much bringing a Ground-Type this far up," the Skarmory murmured. "But you must fight through this fear of yours!"
"E-Easy for you to say!" Guardia snapped. "You're not the one that'll get smashed if you fall from here!"
"No, but my village will be!"
The Cubone looked up, staring with a startled gasp at Trizano's head. All this time, amidst her fright of the height she was at, it hadn't occurred to her that Trizano too would be frightened at this moment. Trizano shook his head, before banking hard as a hail of rocks zipped past his wings.
"Just think of everyone that's counting on you!" the Skarmory insisted. "Use that strength to charge through those fears!"
Back on the ground, Ander pulled Rodion aside from his shots at Trizano, the Scyther swinging a blade that nicked the Floatzel's arm and made him jerk it back with a sharp yelp. The Water-Type's cry drew Hess' attention, prompting him to turn and charge ahead at his ally's attacker.
"Oh no you don't, you lousy bug-! Agh!"
Hess' attack was abruptly cut short by a Stun Seed zipping in, cracking against the back of his head as small sparks danced along his hide and his limbs froze in place. From above, Pladur and Pat flew by, calling out to Trizano and his passengers as they passed one another.
"Now!" Pladur shouted. "While he's bogged down!"
"We're gonna need to work together for this!" Trizano cried.
"I've got you covered!" Elty exclaimed.
Blue sparks began to dance on Elty's paws, as he swiftly tagged Trizano and then Guardia, wreathing their bodies with a bluish aura that settled and subsided. The lot drew in sharp breaths as the Helping Hand faded away, filling them with newfound vigor as Trizano beat his wings and pulled his body up.
"Alright, hang on!"
The Skarmory dove forward as Pat and Pladur hastily harried Hess with a thrown Gravelerock, spreading his steely wings as a whitish glint formed along their edges and he flattened out low against the ground. Trizano rammed Hess before pulling up, prompting Guardia to whirl around and throw her club in a spinning arc. The Bonemerang carried on, striking Hess in his arm before coming around and striking him again in his face, sending him reeling back with a wide-eyed yelp.
"R-Rodion?!" Hess whined. "How is she hitting this hard?!"
Further away, the Floatzel bit down on Ander's wings with ice-coated fangs that froze them over, slashing him away with a Liquidation before turning back to Hess and crying out back to the startled captain.
"Uspokoysya! Just focus on keeping your attackers in one place!" Rodion insisted. "They can't do much if they can't move around!"
Hess looked up, watching as Trizano and Pat circled around and began to make their way back. The Aggron snarled and narrowed his eyes into a determined glare, still smarting from wounded pride from his earlier attack cut short.
"In that case, I've got the perfect thing to take out a couple of birds at once!" he cried.
The Steel-Type stomped the ground, calling up stones from the earth that he hurled up into the air. Pat squawked and wheeled back, only to be struck from below and get launched with Pladur into a nearby treetop. Trizano hastily pulled up, feeling a spray of stones strike his underbelly and knock him back, pitching Elty off who looked down and saw his feet dangling in the air and the ground fast approaching.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
The Growlithe curled up his body and screwed his eyes shut when he felt claws latch onto his shoulders, pulling him up abruptly as he looked and saw Trizano grabbing onto him with his talons.
"I've got you! I've got you!" the Skarmory insisted. "That makes two passen- Huh?!"
Trizano looked back in alarm to see that Guardia was no longer on his back, seeing her lurching and falling towards the ground right above Hess.
"Guardia!"
Much to Trizano and Elty's surprise, while Cubone clutched onto her club for dear life, she did not cry out as she fell. With a glimpse of determination in her eyes, the pair watched as the Cubone maneuvered her body to place its full weight behind her club, swinging it for Hess' fast approaching head between his eyes.
"AAAARGH!"
The Cubone bounced off of the Aggron's snout, tumbling onto the ground gasping as Hess toppled back with a bellowing roar. Guardia tried to rise to her feet, only to feel her limbs ache and wobble, leaving her to tumble dazedly as Hess righted himself clumsily and started to plod ahead.
"Hang in there!" a Skarmory's voice cried
Guardia looked up, seeing Trizano swooping in with a whitish glint on his wings and Elty clinging to his back, readying embers in his muzzle. The pair shot forward, when a jeering shout broke through the air from below.
"Here! Stick around a bit while you fight!"
Elty looked down just in time to see Rodion spit up a jet of water that broke against Trizano with a cloud of steam. The pair flinched as droplets of scalding water nipped at their hides and Trizano lurched with a pained squawk, the steam clearing to reveal a fresh burn poking between the feathers of his right wing. Elty latched on as his Skarmory companion flew lower to the ground and struggled to stay airborne, only for a hail of rocks to rip out of the earth and strike Trizano's breast. The Immortal shot up and pinwheeled, throwing Elty off to the ground tumbling away from the Skarmory with a yelp.
On the ground, Elty laid limply on his side and watched his surroundings ebb in a blur as the shouts and cries of battle came indistinctly. He rolled onto his feet, staggering up as he looked over, seeing Trizano grounded and slashing desperately with his good wing at Hess as he harried him with tired but heavy swings. Further away, Rodion was drawing near, Ander trying to stop him only to be thwarted by his frozen wings weighing him down. Elty grimaced, folding his ears and pulling his tail in tight as he struggled to see how the battle could be going any worse when he noticed that from his position, there was a clear line of sight to attack Hess. The Growlithe stared for a moment when the sound of coughing and gasps reached his ears, turning his attention to Guardia as she approached limping along against her bony club for support.
"N-Ngh… that Trizano really gives terrible advice," she wheezed. "I can barely see straight from everything spinning."
"Can you still throw?" Elty asked.
"Uh- Uh-huh."
"Then throw that bone of yours at Hess!" the Growlithe insisted. "We've got one shot at this!"
Guardia nodded back weakly, struggling back onto her feet while leaning against Elty for support before she threw her club into a spinning Bonemerang, which carried on until it found its mark square on Hess' flank.
"AUGH!"
The Aggron flinched, instinctively covering his side as Guardia let go and fell to the ground, throwing an arm up to retrieve her bone on its returning arc while Elty dashed forward faster and faster as fire began to wreath his fur. The Growlithe leapt up, somersaulting forward into a Flame Wheel as Hess shook his head and turned back for battle.
"Hey what the-?"
The Steel-Type was cut off by Elty barrelling into his face. The Growlithe felt his feet brush up against Hess' metallic head, prompting him to vault back and jump towards the ground. The Growlithe looked up, watching as Hess tottered before stumbling and falling forward face-first, prompting the Puppy Pokémon to hastily dart out of the way with a yip as Hess' body hit the ground. Elty panted, instinctively turning to flee from the Aggron when he heard an incoherent groan come from the metal lizard's throat.
"Huh?"
The din of battle settled down as the gathered Pokémon, both the pirates and the sailors stopped and gaped at the fallen captain. The members of the Iron Fleet blanched and grew wide-eyed, as startled cries went out among their number.
"C-Captain Hess!" a Hoppip cried.
"Th-This wasn't supposed to happen!" a Litten whimpered.
"Now!" Beatrix shouted. "Press your advantage while their leader's down!"
The Siglo Swellow's crew broke into a rousing cry as they threw themselves back into battle, Elty and his companions running ahead to join them as Rodion swatted aside a Timburr and beelined to Hess. The Floatzel rifled through a satching, fishing out a Tiny Reviver Seed that he slipped into the Aggron's throat, leaving him to stir weakly and raise his body clutching at his head.
"Ow… feels like I just got hit by a ship…" Hess groaned. "We at least put those dorks on the run?"
"Uh… about that…" Rodion said.
Hess looked back to see his underlings still fighting with the Siglo Swellow's crew, having been penned back along the path back to the beach, a few of their members turning and fleeing back for the ship entirely. The Aggron wobbled back up to his feet, stomping out to the head of the remaining pirates and letting out a bellowing roar as he stomped the ground and braced his stance for an Earthquake.
"Nrgh.. I'm not going to stand for this! We've got some unfinished business to settle!" he shouted, only to be answered by Dusknoir's voice.
"Hold it right there!"
Hess looked off at the treeline and saw the sight of shadowy figures approaching through the brush, revealing the glaring forms of a Dusknoir, at the head of a large crowd of Pokémon with cross-shaped pupils.
"As the leader of Darkwood Square, this is as far as you go!" Valter hissed.
Anxious gapes and stammers went about the gathered pirates, Hess and Rodion grimacing as they sized up the new group and realized they were both outnumbered and hemmed in in an inferior position. Rodion pawed at Hess' shoulder, leaning in and giving a tense whisper up to his earholes.
"I think this is the cue to turn tails, Captain," the Floatzel advised.
Hess dug his feet in blanching, feeling his limbs ache as he watched the gathered defenders advance. Seeing the path clear behind him, he wavered a moment, before reluctantly calling out to his underlings.
"Ngah… C-Come on everyone! We're getting out of here!"
The golden-scarved pirates turned and fled, tearing down the path in hasty retreat. Valter billowed out shadow, rushing ahead as he called out to his fellow villagers.
"Penso di no!" the Dusknoir cried. "Everyone, pick off whoever you-!"
"Oh just can it already!" Hess shouted.
Hess spat up a great orb of water onto the ground, swiping the top of it with his tail and sending it forward cresting into a wave. As the Surf crashed down, the Aggron hastily ran off, allowing the wave to carry on in his absence into the crowd of defenders with a chorus of shouts and yelps. Among them, Elty and Guardia were caught up in the deluge, getting knocked to the ground gagging and coughing up water as the pair stumbled back up to their feet.
"A-Agh… That Bossgodora packs quite a punch…" Guardia wheezed.
"Wh-Where's he now-?" Elty began, only to abruptly trail off. "Huh?"
The Growlithe looked up to see a few last stragglers from the Iron Fleet retreating with fainted comrades, including Hess running off with one of his earlier water barrels held over his shoulder. The pirates carried on, hastily abandoning the bound Ghost-Types from earlier as the gathered villagers threw attacks after the fleeing pirates, only for them to slip away into the bushes. A few of their number hurried along, beginning to give chase when Cernun's voice suddenly pierced the air.
"Stop!"
Sailor and Immortal alike turned at the sound of nearing hoofbeats to see Cernun approaching from the rear. The Xerneas looked off at the treeline anxiously, before lowering his head and looking away.
"Too many of them have already seen us and gotten away," Cernun said. "We're better off taking care of our wounded than dragging out a pointless fight."
The villagers shuffled and drifted off from their positions uneasily, turning their attention to the unconscious and wounded among their midst, including Trizano making his way for Dimitri on the ground. Through the shuffling masses, Pladur hobbled along with Pat, making their way over to Elty and Guardia where the Fraxure stared them down with wide, frightened eyes.
"Y-You're Crom's teammates aren't you?" he stammered. "Where is he? Is he alright?"
"He's fine," Cernun reassured, pacing up with a nod of his head. "He's back in the village with his other friends."
"O-Oh Travellers above, he's okay!" Pladur exclaimed.
The Dragon-Type's voice hitched as he started to cry, Elty and Guardia patting him to try and calm him as Ander watched uneasily. As the Fraxure sniffled and dribbled relieved tears, the Scyther noticed Cernun's head had drifted towards the ground with his ears folded back glumly. Ander hesitated a moment, before he breathed in and after summoning his courage, inched forth and warily spoke up.
"Is… Is everything alright? You seem troubled," he said. "Isn't this something you should be happy about?"
Cernun looked up at the Marked warily, pausing for a moment before he gave a sighing shake of his head.
"It's just… this is so much more of a mess for us to deal with than I thought it'd be…" the Xerneas muttered.
"What do you mean?" Guardia asked.
"It'll take a while to explain, but for now let's get back to the village," Cernun insisted. "There's still some loose ends to take care of."
Author's Notes:
- Kom op - Dutch: "Come on"
- C'è qualcosa che non va? - Italian: "(Is) Something wrong?"
- niwatori (鶏 / ニワトリ / にわとり) - Japanese: "chicken" (Hepburn Romanization)
- Uspokoysya! (Успокойся!) - Russian: "Calm down!" (BGN/PCGN Romanization.)
- Penso di no! - Italian: "I don't think so!"
