"And he claims to be a hero of some sort?"
"The hero of the Battle of Western Grandeport. I never thought it'd get to this point, but here we are…"
Felicia sat at Andrew's desk. The Marshtomp's eyes failed to maintain contact with her, drifting to books, the window, and even the walls. He let out a condescending, only half-present response to each of her statements.
"And he wants to have a meeting with me? A one-on-one?"
"I think it's the least we could do for him. You were a part of the police, I thought you'd understand, Andrew." The Lucario crossed her arms.
"Well…" he paused. "I am quite busy these days. Meetings, meetings, meetings! God, it'd drive anyone but me crazy."
Felicia rolled her eyes, scoffing. "Let's not forget who attends even more meetings, and who is actually running the day-to-day affairs of this country."
"Yes, I am quite the hard worker," he sighed.
Felicia narrowed her brow. "This is a man who put his life on the line for you. You care about the people of Grandeport, correct?"
He clasped his flippers together. "Of course I do!" he shouted happily. "I suppose if that is the case, I can make some time to meet with this so-called hero; I will make sure of it."
"In that case," she rose from her chair. "I have actual important matters to attend to. Good day, Andrew. May Arceus bless Grandeport."
Andrew tilted his head, confusion in his eyes. "I didn't sneeze."
"Oh Arceus…"
The hours ticked by quickly, not that he had a clock to tell him that. The sun hardly budged. His office remained in a state of silence, not even broken by Andrew himself, except for the occasional scratch of a pencil, or groan of his chair.
It was as if time itself had frozen. A stasis. Andrew could feel his heart beating, pounding, pulsing without rhythm. The words: 'Western Grandeport,' seemed to appear when he closed his eyes, burnt into his rectennas.
His breathing—he gasped for whatever air he could. The world spun and spun Andrew grabbed at his gills, only causing a wave of pain to shoot through his head. He could feel the tears beginning to well in his eyes, just one push away from flowing into a river.
When suddenly…
Knock knock!
Everything went still.
Well, not really. His head still rang, but Andrew managed to push the unpleasant sensations to the back of his mind. His feet were a bit shaky. Still, he managed to climb down from his seat and make his way over to the door.
Knock knock!
"Coming!" Andrew yelled as he scampered over.
With a deep breath, he clasped the handle and pulled open the door.
Standing in the hallway was a rather large Pokemon. He was tall, and not tall in the way that Felicia or Freya was tall. No, this Pokemon was massive. At over seven feet tall it appeared impossible that he would have any chance of fitting through the door frame.
His body was coated in light orange scales, except for the region spanning the bottom of his chin to the bottom of his tail, which was covered in an orange-cream color of scale. Upon the Pokemon's back sat two wings. They were rather small looking for the Pokemon's size, despite the wings being just as big as Andrew's entire body.
He was a Dragonite.
"Uh… hello," he spoke in a deep, yet soft voice.
Andrew chuckled nervously. "H-Hi. You wanna come in or—?"
"Yes! I'll do that!" the Dragonite said frantically.
He bent down and folded in his wings. Turning to his side, the Pokemon began to shuffle through the door. Andrew had barely enough time to get out of the way. After a slow, and humorous moment of the Dragonite squeezing through, he successfully entered the room.
"Nice place you got here."
Andrew tugged at his bowtie. "Oh, thanks. It's nothing much, just a cool place where I relax and get work done."
"Y-Yeah. The best offices are like that," the Dragonite twiddled his thumb, looking away from Andrew.
The Marshtomp motioned over to the chair. "Do you want to like, sit down or…?"
The Dragonite poked his head up, studying the seats at Andrew's desk for a moment. "I don't think that would be a good idea."
"Right," Andrew sighed. "How about you just sit on the ground? I know it's a bit rough, but it's probably more comfortable than standing."
He nodded, sauntering over to the base of Andrew's desk and sitting down. The whole room shook. Andrew's head fin vibrated a little from the impact as well; it was an unpleasant sensation. He too went over to his chair, sitting at his desk. Even with the chair's elevation, the Dragonite towered far greater than Andrew.
"Nice place," the Dragonite said.
Andrew leaned back in his seat. "You—You just said that."
"Oh, did I?"
"Yeah."
So much for the memory of the so-called hero of Western Grandeport. Goddamnit.
The Marshtomp placed his flippers on his desk, putting on a crude, artificial smile. "Now that we've settled in, I suppose we should introduce ourselves. I'm Andrew. Andrew Marshtomp. I'm the President of Grandeport, and my favorite ice cream flavor is Oreo. Unfortunately, they have no Oreos in Grandeport, so I have to settle for more basic flavors."
The Dragonite took a deep breath in. He locked his large eyes on Andrew before speaking fast as a Raichu. "HimynameisMagnanimousHaroldsonBattenfordDragonitetheThirdandIlikecoffeeeicecream!"
Andrew deadpanned him. "What?"
"S-Sorry," he stammered out. "I talk fast when I get nervous. My name is Magnanimous Haroldson Battenford Dragonite the Third. I like coffee ice cream."
Andrew nodded his head. "Coffee. Never tried it myself."
"It's quite good. I really like the—" Magnanimous said, only to be interrupted by Andrew.
He cleared his throat. "I don't mean to interrupt. But, we have limited time here, and I think we both know, Magnomeus—"
"Magnanimous," the Dragonite interrupted back.
"That's what I said. Anyway, one of my more canine inferiors has told me that you did something very heroic and wanted to meet with me. Having probably put your life on the line for the nation, I thought this was the least we could do for you. You wouldn't imagine how hard it was to convince everyone to let you meet with me."
Magnanimous smiled. "Thank you for taking the time to convince them. I appreciate it."
"Oh, don't worry about it!" Andrew laughed and waved his flipper. "But we should make this quick. Tell me, Magnanimous, what is your story?"
He chuckled. "It's a long one. I guess it all started one day in…"
Twenty-four years ago, in a small village not far from Grandeport, stood a quaint house. It was a small brick building. Ivy vines grew across the front wall, snaking over the doors and two windows that stood beside it—those windows being the only ones in the front of the house.
On the front porch sat a soon-to-be mother Dragonite holding a green-spotted egg. She nursed it in her arms, hugging, kissing, and coddling the future child. When suddenly…
Crack!
At the top of the egg, a web of cracks began to form.
The mother Dragonite gasped. "Oh, my Arceus! I'm going to be a mother!"
"Is this really necessary?" asked Andrew.
And from where the cracks had formed, a small, blue tail burst through. The mother laughed, holding the egg up to her chest and enthusiastically calling out: "You can do it Magnanimous!"
"Magnanimous!"
"Yeah?" he asked. "I'm telling you my story. I told you it was a long one."
The Marshtomp grumbled. "I meant the one regarding Western Grandeport."
His tendrils perked up, he turned away in embarrassment. "Right. That makes more sense, it's not too long. It all started when…"
It was a normal day. Magnanimous walked down the quaint, narrow streets of Grandeport. With a bandana around his tail and a muffin in his mouth, the Dragonite was ready to start another day.
"Heya Mister Dragonite!" called out a passing Pachirisu.
Magnanimous waved a wide smile on his face. "Good morning Miss Pachirisu. Lovely day, isn't it?" he said with his mouth half full.
"That it is!" she laughed. "Have a good rest of yours!"
He continued to smile. "You too!"
Magnanimous continued his walk to the station. Well, it wasn't actually a station, according to his boss. Technically, it was a precinct office, whatever that meant. But that didn't hurt his mood even a bit. He smiled at more passing Pokemon, before arriving at a nondescript wooden door.
He reached out a claw to the handle. However, right as he clasped at it—BOOM! A gigantic bang thundered in the distance. Quite odd!. Grandeport was quite a lovely city. Quiet and tame, rarely did anything of note happen, especially loud booming noises! Regardless, Magnanimous went inside without a second thought.
Inside was Officer Empoleon. He was the head of the precinct, a tall—
"I don't care what he looked like! Can we get to the whole heroic part?" Andrew butted in.
Magnanimous laughed sheepishly. "Sorry, I guess we can skip some parts."
Anyways, Magnanimous learned about the fighting in Western Grandeport and more about the Resistance. "Uh, am I forgetting something? Wait! I remember." He was part of a task force dedicated to taking back the police station in Western Grandeport.
The task force was made up of a Rhydon, Sceptile, Banette, Emboar, Poliwrath, and himself. And a Gardevoir? No, she came in later. The seven of them trekked into the city with a simple task: take back the police station by any means necessary.
…
Andrew yawned.
Magnanimous crossed his arms. "Am I boring you?
"Yes."
Magnanimous had been to Western Grandeport a few times in the past, though he hardly frequented the place. It was not a part of the city anyone in their right mind would consider nice. Run-down buildings, dirt streets, messy and out-of-control vegetation, not to mention the homeless Pokemon and beggars who roamed the few shops and plentiful alleys. Western Grandeport was hardly pleasant.
Yet, it had its charms. What Western Grandeport lacked in looks, it made up for in character. Something about the cramped streets—the scuttling Pokemon—the hustle and bustle despite the state of the neighborhood was something that Magnanimous found appealing.
That was all gone.
It was anarchy in its purest form; A group of green bandana-wearing police were exchanging blows with a small group of unmarked Pokemon. A Scizor officer drove his claw into a Bibarel, the poor creature's eyes rolling back as blood spewed out from his chest. As the Scizor yanked out his bloodied claws, the Bibarel collapsed to the ground, unmoving.
Aside from the immediate fighting, the already poor state of buildings in the neighborhood continued to deteriorate. Houses were set ablaze, large plumes of smoke and ash rising from the old, brittle wood.
A house in front of the task force on fire simply collapsed. Its roof caved and walls groaned, embers and flaming debris flying out. The walls fell in on themselves, and with an awkward thump, the house was reduced to nothing more than a pile of burning wood.
Magnanimous could only pray nobody had been inside.
Other structures met similar fates via different means. The task force passed a house with water gushing out of every window, a home surrounded by a noxious purple gas—which Magnanimous suspected was some sort of poison, and a home emitting a strange vibration sounding like the cackling of electricity despite its wooden construction.
The Banette, who levitated in front of the group, leading them, decided to speak.
"Here's the deal. This road leads to the station we got to take back. There might be some other guys there to help us out, but no promises from the higher-ups. We're on our own."
"That's insane!" bellowed the Poliwrath. "How are we supposed to secure the police station with just the…" he paused to count the Pokemon. "Seven of us!"
The Sceptile marched ahead, not bothering to look any other member in the eye. "We have a job. We're going to do that job, or die trying."
"I've got a family to feed. I better not die tryin' to get this shit done or you're all on the hook for feedin' my littluns," the Emboard humphed, shooting a dirty look at the Sceptile, which she promptly ignored.
"Yeah, I've got mouths to feed, too," the Sceptile spat back. "Arceus, dude, get a grip. We're not going to die."
The Emboar snorted but gave no further response.
Magnanimous stood in the back. Despite his size, hardly anyone seemed to notice him. The other members continued to go back and forth about their lives, families, and reasons why they didn't want to die. Occasionally a Pokemon would poke its head out a window. Sometimes, a group of fighters would even take the time to gaze at him. Still, not a single one made eye contact with Magnanimous. It was as if he was invisible.
"You know, man, I'm really enjoying this whole story," Andrew said sarcastically. "But I'd like to get to the," he made chopping motions with his flippers, throwing a few air punches. "You know."
The Dragonite rolled his eyes. "We're getting there. This stuff is important!"
The group continued walking down the street, getting closer and closer to the station. Their surroundings only became more dilapidated and war-torn. Smog was everywhere. Magnanimous could hardly see more than a few feet in front of the Banette. Vibrant colors flashed in the smog. Red, blue, green, and yellow, all cloaked by the thick layer of smoke.
The cries of Pokemon only grew louder. Even obscured, he shuddered every time he heard the shrill cries and pained bellows of fighters. Thumps and cracking, the ground shook every time one of them fell to the ground—likely never to get up again.
"Okay, that seems a bit dramatic."
"Dramatic?" Magnanimous questioned, irritation in his voice. "Pokemon were dying! I'm sorry if that's a bit too dramatic for your tastes!"
The Marshtomp pouted. "Just saying."
As the group continued to follow the dirt road, a voice would call out from the smog.
"Halt! Who goes there?" shouted a high-pitched voice.
From the smog emerged a Luxio, followed by a Pikachu and Wartortle. The Banette would hold out an arm, signaling the other Pokemon in the task force to stop. The Luxio narrowed her eyes, circling the Banette, despite him levitating several feet off the ground.
"If it isn't the Greenscarves! Here in the flesh, boy, in the middle of our town! What do you think about that?" the Luxio jeered as she eyed the Wartortle.
He snorted, speaking in a breathy voice. "Can't believe my eyes! Didn't realize we got foreigners 'round these parts!"
The Sceptile stepped forward. "You aren't our concern, and we aren't yours. This war isn't between us. Let us pass and we can just pretend we never saw you. Nobody has to get hurt."
"Ooh, you drive a hard bargain!" the Luxio laughed. "But, no can do. No sireeeeee! You see, this isn't Grandeport. You're foreigners, invaders on our turf. And what do we do to invaders?"
The Pikachu palmed his fist into his hand, his cheeks lighting up with electricity.
"Yeah, that's about right." the Luxio cracked her neck, before brandishing a sly grin. As her fur crackled with electricity, she he got into a lunging position.
The Wartortle held up his fists.
Andrew chuckled. "That's it? A giant battle's about to go down and he doesn't even have a cool fighting pose? I do pity the Resistance."
"I pity them too after what we did." Magnanimous sighed. "But, I think you'll at least get a kick out of this."
The Luxio pounced forward, leaping up at the Banette. She let out the shrill battle cry of a fierce warrior. She rose higher and higher from the ground, claws bared and ready to slash the Banette… who proceeded to levitate just out of her reach.
"Gah!" she yelled, jumping and clawing at him to no avail.
As she remained fixated on the impossible to hit Banette, the Wartortle would reel back his head, before fixating on the Emboar. He wouldn't notice, not even as the Wartortle released a powerful jet of water. Unfortunately, for the assailant, the Sceptile leaped to block its path. She was pushed back a few feet but was not injured by the attack.
The Pikachu shot his arms up into the sky. His whole body became surrounded by lightning, small streams and bits of it striking the ground. There was a flash of blinding light. Magnanimous was forced to cover his eyes, being able to see nothing but a pure, neon blue. A BANG would explode through his eardrums louder than any of the other explosions he had heard.
When he opened his eyes, Magnanimous was met by the unconscious Poliwrath. A ringing had started in his ears. The Luxio was still desperately swiping at the Banette, who was in return letting down a rain of shadow balls which she dodged with ease.
The Sceptile dashed toward the Wartortle. He froze—with wide, unmoving eyes that refused to flinch even as the Sceptile slashed his arm.
"AHH!" he yelled out, clutching his bleeding arm. His eyes darted back and forth, the Sceptile looming over him.
She narrowed her eyes. "I will give you one opportunity to—" but before she could finish, the Wartortle bolted off into the smog.
"Sounds like a real coward to me," Andrew snorted. "I'd have fought that Sceptile to my dying breath."
Magnanimous smiled. "Then I guess you'd be dead right now!"
"Yeah, I would—wait. Just continue the story."
The Pikachu raised his arms again, electricity beginning to surround his body.
"No!" yelled Magnanimous, eyeing the electric rat. Without a second thought, he flapped his wings, leaping over the Pokemon in front of him and diving straight into the Pikachu. Vibrations erupted across his body. They weren't painful, only a bit odd—even a bit ticklish. He let out a deep, childish laugh as he raised his fist and swung it straight into the Pikachu.
His eyes widened as Magnanimous's fist connected with his face. The Pikachu let out a low grunt. A Pokemon from behind had called out something, but Magnanimous paid no attention, punching the Pikachu again. Miraculously, he remained conscious.
"Tough one, aren't you?" Magnanimous laughed, raising his fist again.
The Pikachu let out a devilish grin, quietly hissing. "Tougher than you think."
Magnanimous reciprocated the expression. He reeled back his fist as far as it would go, and with all the strength he had, shot it straight into the Pikachu's forehead.
His head fell back.
Magnanimous let him fall to the ground.
"Holy shit! Did you kill that guy?!" Andrew asked in an all too excited manner.
Fortunately, his chest still rose and fell.
"Goddamnit!"
Last, and to be honest… the least, was the Luxio. She was looking battered at this point, with bruises around her upper torso from the shadow balls that were still raining down on her.
"I gotta keep my strength!" the Banette panted. "Can someone else deal with this crazy lady?"
The Banette levitated to the back of the group where Magnanimous had stood previously.
"Ooh, looks like the Greenscarves really are as cowardly as they say! Who would've thought?" taunted the Luxio, getting back into a lunging position.
The Sceptile groaned and leaped at the Luxio, determined to remove the cocky grin on her face. However, the Sceptile was quite literally beaten to the punch. Magnanimous propelled himself upward: leaping a total of ten feet in the air before smashing back to the ground right beside the Luxio.
She was propelled upward several feet, landing with a disgruntled: "Hey!"
"Now little Luxio," he said softly. "I don't want any trouble, but you might have seen what I did to your friend. He got a real good beating."
She bore her fangs. "And I ought to avenge him, shouldn't I?"
"He's not dead—"
The Luxio pounced on him, slashing at the highest point she could… his thigh.
She cut him, even managing to draw out a bit of blood from underneath his thick scales. Magnanimous felt little pain.
"Last chance," he warned in a sing-song voice, stomping the leg she had slashed beside her.
The Luxio growled. "As if I'd ever surrender to a Greenscarf! Long live the Resistance!" she cried out.
Magnanimous shrugged letting out a quiet hum. He reeled back his leg, and in one swift motion, drove it straight under the Luxio's stomach, punting her into the air like nothing more than a rubber ball. In barely an instant, she had disappeared into the smog.
"That was anticlimactic," Andrew humphed, crossing his arms.
Magnanimous bit his lip. "We're not even at the cool part yet. I promise you we're getting there."
"You better," Andrew quietly said, before muttering incomprehensibly.
Magnanimous turned around to see the entire group staring at him. The Emboar and Sceptile's mouths were agape, the Banette also looked surprised despite his unchanging facial expression.
"Damn," the Grovyle said, nodding.
The Banette levitated back to his position in the front of the group. "Not half bad, Dragonite, happy to have you on the team."
Magnanimous smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "No problem! All in an honest day's work."
"So what are we going to do about him?" questioned the Grovyle, pointing at the unconscious Poliwrath.
Magnanimous stomped over to the Pokemon, easily picking him up and swinging the Poliwrath over his back. "I can carry him until he wakes up."
"If he wakes up," chimed the Rhydon, speaking for the first time since they had embarked.
The Sceptile shot her a dirty look. "He's still breathing. Poliwraths are tough, I'm sure he'll be fine in a few hours."
"He better," the Rhydon humphed, kicking up some dirt with her claw. "Now let's move."
Nobody objected. With the Poliwrath safely secured with Magnanimous, the group continued walking down the desolate street in search of the police station. The smog would only continue to grow thicker. Their line of sight hardly changed, already being so limited. However, the very nature of the substance felt heavier and reeked of a repulsive stench—which Magnanimous had no desire to imagine the cause.
It had gone oddly quiet, with the only sounds being the task force's footsteps. All the fighting, crying, and screaming was gone. They were alone.
Andrew pointed at Magnanimous as if to accuse him of a crime. "There is no way you guys were actually alone. I've seen enough horror movies—media to know that you're never alone when it's stuff like this."
After another fifteen minutes of walking, a large building began to form out of the fog. It was a large brick structure, the biggest and most intact building that they had come across. Tall stone steps led up to its large, heavy doors. Above the entrance read the engraving: "WESTERN GRANDEPORT POLICE HEADQUARTERS"'
It was still dead silent.
The Banette pointed at the entrance. "Here's the place, officers. Everyone ready?"
They all nodded, Magnanimous curling his claws into a fist.
"Suppose we're gonna learn if a dead Pokemon can die then," he laughed. "Follow my lead."
The Banette opened the door, prompting the Pokemon to follow. Inside the building was… warmly lit. Brightly burning lamps and candles lined the walls of the main foyer. It was a large room, with a high vaulted ceiling at least twenty feet tall. Despite this, the room had a cozy feeling, like a light at the end of a dark, smoggy tunnel.
In the center of the room sat a large, wooden desk with several cushioned chairs. Only one of them was occupied, by a female Meowstic writing something beside a stack of papers. She was unmarked, bearing no green bandana.
"May I help you?" she asked without looking up, her voice echoing through the room.
The Banette floated higher. "I think you know why we're here."
"Actually, I don't."
The Sceptile brought her claws forward, eyes narrowed. "Do you work here? It's quite unprofessional to be on the job without a uniform."
"I'm the one sitting here, no?" she looked up at them with unblinking eyes. "So I'll ask you again, may I help you?"
The Emboar growled. "Yeah. Get outta here and don't look back."
The Meowstic sighed, looking back down at her papers. "You know, I was really hoping that they wouldn't send another group of Greenscarves. They're such a… pest. Wouldn't you agree?"
"Guess we are," the Banette lowered himself, diving through the air until his head was pushed up against the Meowstic's. "You gonna do something about it?"
"I sensed some of my comrades were injured, was that your bunch's doing?" she asked all too innocently.
The Banette's unwavering smile widened, his voice low. "I sense you're 'bout to get fucked up. Get out of our way."
"I think the last group said some sort of quip like that," the Meowstic groaned, raising a pencil to tap the Banette. "Do you know what happened to them?"
He chuckled. "Suppose we're about to find out."
"I suppose so, too."
Suddenly, two doors on the back wall behind the desk flew open. In poured an array of angry, and somewhat odd-looking Pokemon.
The first was a Scorbunny. Its fur was a bit off-color, Magnanimous realizing it to be a shiny variant Pokemon. Unlike the average Scorbunny, this one had striking blue eyes, as well as a red neck scarf. They struck a fighting position, though failed in looking too… ferocious.
Next, a pair of Pokemon ran through the door. Well—maybe not ran in the case of the first Pokemon, who was a Brionne. He sort of flopped, aligning himself next to the Scorbunny. Two bandages were wrapped around his flippers, each carrying a golden sword. A Stufful, letting out a primal growl, joined the line next to the Brionne.
A Cubone and Squirtle with matching blue and yellow striped scarves would be the next to join in the line. They looked oddly… normal, considering the strange colorations and weaponry of the other Pokemon in the battle line. The Cubone would point his bone forward, yelling: "Dirty Greenscarves!"
A Pawmot and the first Magnanimous had ever seen—
Andrew threw his head back. "Why is that important?"
"It's not, just a part of the story."
"I didn't tell you to stop talking," Andrew scowled.
The Pawmot was followed by a Miccino. The Pawmot wore a black leather jacket, and the Minccino a blue button-down jacket with a red neck scarf. The two of them had oddly thick and pricy getup for a battle. Neither of them did any battle cries. They simply walked into the line, the Miccinno even taking a moment to brush herself off.
Finally, a strangely colored, blue-furred Floragato would make herself known, being the last to arrange herself in the line. She wielded a sword and wore a blue cape bearing a snowflake symbol in its center. She pointed her sword out like the Cubone had; a glare in her eyes.
The Meowstic leaped past the Banette, positioning herself in front of the line of battle-ready Pokemon.
"We outnumber you," she proclaimed with a smirk. "Surrender is always an option. We might even release you once this whole ordeal is over."
The Banette floated back over to the police force. "Let's just get this over with. I've got better places to be."
And with those words, the two groups of Pokemon raced toward each other—with the whole building trembling under their weight. Ferocious yells and cries of battle filled the air. The Meowstic jumped to punch the Banette, the ghost Pokemon reeling back his fist in return. An explosion formed between the pair, knocking them back.
The Dragonite leaned back on the ground. "All this talking is making me thirsty. Can I have a water break?"
The Marshtomp shot up from his chair, yelling. "NO! YOU CAN'T JUST STOP THERE!"
AN: That was something, wasn't it? The word police will probably take me in for calling this another experimental chapter, but alas, what else can I say about it? Well… I originally planned for the big police station fight to be included in this chapter. However, this chapter's already about the length I want DIM chapters to be, and the fight scene will be 1.5k words at a minimum—likely more. It's a cheesy cliffhanger, but if you've come this far in DIM, I'm sure you've come to expect and love the cheesiness.
Regardless, I had a lot of fun with the fight scene actually in this chapter. Any feedback on that is of course appreciated, as I really want to get the giant police station fight right. But for now, that is all. Big thanks to Zee102, DaGamestar, DoomHuntley, and Sonic Ramon.
See you next time!