Chapter 18: Hot Mess

Dawn broke with new expectations for the gang as they sought to continue forward in their journey. The route ended and folded into a cave that if they could pass through would lead all the way back to route 115 and then Rustboro. As Mitsuhide had suggested the party was in need to go and deal with Brenden's father, and so Rustboro was a current target for the team. The team found their way up the rocky steps and found themselves jumped by a fledging trainer who wanted his crack at the Brenden bounty.

Motonari stepped up due to a typing advantage and decimated the trainer's slugma's in quick effort with his water gun attack. "Easy work!" He said as Kicho did her normal thing and ran the ran's pockets while the others scared the trainer off with his pokemon gasping for life.

"Moto! You're turning white!" Gozen mentioned.

"I am already white." Moto replied.

"No, she means clear white like your evolving." The light enveloped the pokemon and then shattered as the bird was now a Pelipper.

"Dammit!" Motonari said as he realized he was now fully evolved.

"What is the issue Moto? You're stronger. You should be happy." Nagamasa was curious as to why the bird was upset.

"Yeah but now I can't ride on Masamune's back." Masamune and the others laughed and laughed but they stopped for a moment and made the pull cart a little bit bigger and put stronger wheels on it from a couple bikes that Masamune stole from around the cave entrance.

"Maybe this will make up for it Moto, as I know flying can be exhausting."

"It will help. Thanks Masamune." The dog and the bird were okay with the situation even though it did mean a new dynamic in their friendship, one they were not quick ready for.

The party newly sorted with a better system for moving the supplies and slower moving gang members, progressed on to the cave. They got to the very entrance of the cave which read, "Meteor Falls, Rustboro through here." Mitsu joked this must have been a common thing for trainers and people of the region. Thus the entered without fear as the party had not met a real challenge in quite some time.

As they entered the cave they readied up for their encounter opportunity seeking which pokemon they would be able to recruit to the team. Tadakatsu found a zubat. "Come on buddy you can join our gang we have great benefits and fruit punch." The zubat panicked and tried to flee. "Hey come back here." Tada called and then threw a rock at the zubat. The attack bonked it clean on the bat's head and dropped it square dead on the ground.

"Whoops." Tada said as the others came up to the bat.

"Yeah….maybe you should just not try and initiate the future recruitments." Nagamasa said trying to comfort the geodude. Mitsuhide went up the zubat and proceeded to poke it with a stick. This made the original 5 of the party laugh and break character in the moment, which confused the others.

"Sorry guys its more of an inside thing from the early days of our gang." The others were still puzzled as Mitsu stopped and he led Tadakatsu know that it wasn't the end of the world.

"I'll let you guys handled that stuff from now on." He sulked as the team moved deeper in the caves. But the peace was shot lived as up ahead the team halted as Masamune signaled that he saw Magma grunts.

"I see two, but there may be more." He whispered as Nagamasa and Mitsuhide joined him at the front. The leader signaled for them to slowly go down from their perch and attack these men, just in case there were more hidden throughout the cave. Mitsu quickly gave the signal without fear they got into positon.

"Charge!" He called out as his men rallied from their positions to swallow and beat down the Magma members.

"NOT SO FAST MAGMAS!" Several guys in blue instantly came out only seconds before Masamune was in positon to bite down on the Magma grunts leg. The sight of the men in blue sent fear in the red dressed goons.

"Oh no Charlie it's the Aquas!" The blue sent the red fleeing in terror as Masamune and Mitsuhide and the other leaders all missed their attacks and looked perplexed as to the situation at hand.

"After them Aquas we can't let them go back to Mt. Chimney!" The men in blue chased after their enemies paying zero attention to the Brendenites. They ran as fast as they could after the Magma grunts confusing everyone in the process.

"WHAT THE SHIT JUST HAPPENED?" Moto was furious as were everyone in the party especially the pokemon who had the most severe rivalry with the Magma gang. Mitsu tried to steal his anger but sent a bullet seed barrage off into the corner in rage.

"So wait now we have a group of people in blue to kill also?" Nagamasa said.

"Wait they were wearing different colors?" Masa asked.

"You're colorblind?" Kicho asked Masa. Masamune was confused and asked in return what color was. Everyone was floored by the comment. However, it did help lighten the mood as the team became aware of his situation.

"Damn, I really wanted to kill some Magmas." Mitsu was still pounding the ground.

"You guys heard they were all going toward Mt. Chimney." Hisahide mentioned.

"You mean the top of the fire mountain where Sanjo and I are from?" Kaihime responded. The group thought about it for a second and while they were not thrilled about having to go back there they knew it was probably going to be a destination soon as Mitsu and the original 5 had a strong desire to end the lives of all the Magma members.

"Well look we're near the end of the cave system and close to Rustboro. So lets just go back to Petalburg and take out Brenden's dad and get this next gym badge then we'll go and slaughter the Magma peeps." Nagamasa called out.

"Are we strong enough for this gym battle?" Osana asked.

"Well…you probably aren't but we'll do some scouting before entering and figure out who will be the best possible 6 to be the battle registry team for the duels. Since the gym format requires a formal battle." Nagamasa explained.

"I better go and get the clothes fully cleaned so I look as much like Brenden as possible surely his father Norman will notice I am not his son." Katsuie spoke with trepidation in his voice.

"I doubt he does, I hear he is a real absentee father." Mitsu replied. This lead to a betting pool in the gang with members placing bets on whether Norman would recognize that Katsuie was in fact not his or would but totally fooled like almost every adult in the world has been.

The team returned down the route and made their way to Rustboro City once more. The memories were fresh from their last encounter here. As they approached around and made plans to head south and go to Petalburg the party were stopped by Nagamasa who suggested it was in the gang's best survival interest to simple go to Mt. Chimney and pass on the gym battle at the moment.

"Why so we're so close to Petalburg?" Katsuie asked. "I literally cleaned these clothes."

"Thank Arceus you were smelling aweful." Kihco laughed.

"Norman is a well-known bruiser and has 2 slaking. Which though lazy are super crazy powerful. That pokemon may be lazy though but they hit incredibly hard. I am scared that if we charge in right now we might suffer causalties. That word rang true in the air. Not so much for the newer members of the party who had not known the loss of a friend but for those that had seen the fall of Kenshin and Okuni, and Brenden, they understood.

"Saddle up boys we are going Mountain climbing for Magmas!" Mitsu gave the order much to the delight of the team that wanted blood.

….

"You made the right call back there bub." Mitsu was told by Naga.

"I just don't want any of the others to die." Mitsu replied.

"That is just a part of life and adventure. It will happen again but we can be as prepared to fight against it as possible." Naga said with a sour eyes on his face. The team had traveled hard and made it back to the base of the Mt Chimney cable cars to the top.

"Seem the lift is repaired from our last visit." Masamune called out. The team entered the cable room and hoped aboard the trolley, ready for whatever awaited them at the top.

"Masa, remember we are for now only killing the ones in red." Everyone laughed at the comment, as spirits were high with the car's assent to the top of its run. The doors soon opened as the car stopped and out emerged the gang of Brenden with claws out and fangs ready for battle.

"Fan out and slay the red's." Mistu gave the order. Masamune immediately saw two enemies fighting directly near the car exit and leapt into battle landing on one of the men, and bit their face clean off after tackling him into the dirt. The others laughed a little while Mitsu and Koji took down the actual team Magma member and snapped his neck while he was in panic and confused by the situation.

"Wow Masa you really are colorblind." Gozen said. "Nohime sit on his back and help him know who to attack in this fight." Nohime nodded and in spite of her naturally shy nature she was warm enough with the team to aide their best fighter to the right targets.

"Damn did I really kill the wrong person?" Masamune asked.

"Don't let it get you down. It happens in war." Moto explained as he flew high overhead to survey the forefront ahead. "Up ahead Mistu, on the next bluff we have 5 Magmas fighting 3 blues."

"Koji, you lead the backlines to aid the blues while we go past them onto the true peak." Koji gave a thumbs up and ordered the backlines onward. Nohime hopped off Masa's back and wished him well in the remainder of the conflict. She was nervous as her group engaged in the enemy but soon found her footing slinging poison attacks and supporting Koji from the rear. Koji was not messing around as sucked the soul clean from a Magma grunt until the man was nothing but a husk absent liquid. Kahime and Osana double teamed another, ending his life with a barrage of peck and ember attacks coking and removing flesh from the man. The blue team were excited at the sight of the pokemon rallying to fight and aid them. They cheered as the Brendenites tore through the blockades. Hisahide tackled onto a grunt immobilizing him as Rikei aided him and slashed until she caught an artery on the man's neck marking the final moments of his life. Gozen and Kicho took down another with a scream and a sludge attack breaking the grunt's eardrums and then having him ingest poison making him panic and then run off the cliff to his death. At this moment in the backline the Magma team only had one more grunt remaining who in seeing the tide turn against him panicked and fell to his knee, begging for his life seeing that all his compatriots had fallen ad he was alone on the bluff versus enemies. As he begged the blue team rallied and set to put handcuffs on the man. Yet, this was not the way. Katsuie pulled out the boombox and started playing "Lucky You" at full blast. The team knew what to do. They all donned the black shades and stomped that man to death in full view of the blue team who were stunned by the sight.

"Are we just going to watch this?" One aqua asked another.

"Damn straight, as long as they aren't hitting me." He then pulled out a lawn chair and sat down. "Popcorn?" He offered some popcorn to his team member as they watched the endless barrage of rap music and beating that was in their sight. The other aqua member took some popcorn as the head aqua approached and was also fully engaged in watching the beating unfold.

"What did that guy do to them?" He asked.

"Something that is for sure boss."

"Hey is that popcorn?" The grunt then offered some buttery kernels to his leader. "Wow that was a good kick." He said while chewing.

Masamune lead the charge up to the top of the lava pit in the center. The team had dismantled several Magma grunts on the way with Mitsu snapping a few necks and Masamune simply biting with extreme anger in his mouth. "It just gets better with every bite!"

"Keep going Masamune! I think the leader is up ahead!" Naga called to the wolf. Naga was correct at the very top was Maxie the leader standing over some kind of technology. None of the team cared, they simply wanted to kill him, they wanted to kill all that were members of the Magma.

"Damn they broke the lines too quickly. I must hold them back so I can escape." the leader called as he threw down three pokeballs. The fighters that emerged were a Mightyena, a golbat and a Camerupt which seemed to be their leader.

"You got a problem with our master?" The camerupt called.

"Yeah he murdered our master." Mistuhide called. The camerupt sent out a fire blast, which shot Mitsuhide back into a wall of mountain behind them. Tadakatsu threw rocks at the golbat sending him from the sky into the fire pits out of sight below as if it were another slaughter of weak zubats. Masamune easily outmatched the other Mightyena with his superior speed and power. Leaving only the Camerupt.

"Mitsu you okay?" Naga asked as he couldn't take his focus off the deadly pokemon before him. Mitsu gave a thumbs up and an injured vocal answer signaling that while the shot hurt him he was not done for. "Careful guys this one is proving to be a real handful. Then team spread around the giant fire camel and then proceeded to launch their barrage. Tada sent out a strong magnitude shaking the ground and hurting the enemy but was called off from repeating his attack due to them being on an active volcano. Masamune bit down on the enemy but found his attack less useful than on most enemies. However, Moto saw his opportunity to shine and called Masa to hold the enemy steady. He then reeled back and fired a strong water gun straight into the face of the Camerupt, knocking him into the abyss below. Maxie's pokemon had been defeated and bested by the lead party. However, they could hear laughing and saw the effects of recalling the monsters to their ball cages from the distance as Maxie had caught a hot air balloon that was shooting off quickly into the distance. Far too quick for Mot who being a pelipper was now a heavier bird, could not catch.

"So long Brenden you Bastard and your evil gang of fiends. And die you team Aqua punks!" He spit over the side of the balloon but the force of the wind launched the spit back into his own eye forcing him to knock his balloon far off course and cause him to panic as he disappeared into the abyss.

"Archie the Magma leader escaped!" and Aqua grunt called out. The news angered the supposed leader of the team Aqua, the men in blue.

"After them!" he called to the blues, who then fled down the mountain as if they were fireman sliding down a pole to action. Once again the gang were left standing around completely confused as to what in the world was happening around them. Men lay dead around the volcano top. Katsuie and the others below were finishing up cleaning their black shades of all the blood that doused them during the assault on the last grunt, and the party were now just atop volcano by themselves.

"So now what?" Kicho called out realizing the fight was over in a sort of anti-climactic fashion. Most shrugged their shoulders as they looked to Nagamasa who was already pouring over the pokedex and pokenav for ideas.

"Well there is a town near here called Lavaridge, and it has a gym." He said.

"Is there any actual way to get there?" Mitsuhide asked his friend. Nagamasa shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "Well it beats standing here lets go find this place guys." The party was thrilled to get off the mountain top as the lava scared some more than others, like Koji who tried to act tough but was terrified of the lava.

The team found a decent route down the mountain that they had not been around before called "Jagged Pass." The team was put on high alert as this place would technically yield a new recruitment option if the pass had a pokemon appear. This excited many of the team.

"Remember Tada, no killing." Motonari joked as he remembered his own bluster way back in the journey. The team found an ashen bluff of grass along the lower ridges and explored it for a pokemon. They soon found a Machop in the field. The pokemon was aggressive but was easily pinned by Masamune and Nagamasa for Mitsuhide to throw a ball at the fighter. After a few clicks the seal was made and then the new member was released.

"What the hell I was trying to get breakfast and then you guys jump me. Do you know how hard it is to properly eat on a mountain pass?" He was angry.

"Regardless we captured you and now you are a member of our gang." Mitsuhide told the machop.

"Are we actually that ruthless?" Kicho asked Katsuie.

"No he is just being difficult." The slakoth replied. The machop was upset but bowed his head to his better the Grovyle as he could not argue with the superior power they exhibited. Mitsuhide then dubbed him with the name, "Toshie."

"Can I at least get some food?" Katsuie and gozen brought the newest member over some water as the team settled for a moment before making the final drop down the jagged path.

As the team finally reached the bottom of the path to the secluded town of Lavaridge they quickly noticed the town was overrun with ancient people. "What is this Fort Lauderdale?" Masamune joked as the party weary from the travels visited the pokemon center to restore their health before they sought to charge headfirst into the gym ahead.

Mistuhide was upset as they exited the center and moved toward the gym. "Why the long face?" Naga asked his friend.

"This gym is fire based. And after my close call at the peak with the Camerupt I now realize that I am not helpful in this gym encounter." Mitsuhide hanged his head low.

"Moto had the same experience going to Wattson. Just relax and trust us to get it done okay." Mitsu remembered Moto's frustration back at that gym in Mauville and how he responded to the trial at hand and the words of his trusted ally rallied him onward.

"Thx Naga. You guys go kick some ass." They slapped hands as they reordered the group for the assault. The party was concerned in the moment however, as with Mitsu out of the registered six there left a large power gap.

"We need to think this through here. As there aren't any fields just right next door for us to go train for a day without really altering our plans here. For our six registered in this gym contest. Masamune, Motonari, and myself are givens. With I think Tadakatsu being a good choice also." All agreed without question at this proposal as even though Tada was a tad wild he did have a great typing to challenge a fire type gym even if he was a tad underpowered at the moment. "We just need two more." Nagamasa now was looking through the roster of his friends. "Gozen and Kicho you both don't have any edge here and are not anywhere near the lead group in power so let's still have you sit out at the back. Koji and Mitsu can't take fire shots so they are out. Katsuie is the trainer, Toshie and Osana I just don't think we have a strategy ready for either of you yet. So that leaves, Nohime, Sanjo, Kaihime, Rikei, and Hisahide." Nagamasa knew Nohime was shy and not trained for frontline combat so she was out already, and Rikei was a tad too passive in her nature for the battles ahead.

"Put me in coach." Hisahide called to the linoone.

"Really?" He asked.

"I can feel it. I am close to evolving." He told his ally. Nagamasa was skeptical but also knew that Hisa had a typing advantage in the upcoming battle so he was okay with the addition over someone like Mitsu.

"Sanjo you're better trained out of you and Kai, can you be our 6th." She agreed, and thus the party had their roster ready to enter the fire gym of lavaridge. The gang that wasn't to fight all were excited and scared for their friends as they all entered the gym which was covered in a humid mist.

The air of the gym was thick and they floors of the room seemed very strange, as if they had hidden traps in the circles of the floor. The team pulled forward and quickly found a trainer hidden under one of the dark circles in the room. "We heard Brenden the Bastard may come, I will take you down!" The trainer called. His pokemon were nothing special and were felled easy with teamwork from both Hisahide and Moto whom felt once more a pull to be the lead of the party on a gym run.

"I guess this will make 3 gyms where your skillset has been very useful Moto." Masamune spoke with his friend as Kicho ran the trainer's pockets.

"AHHHHH! YEAHH!" Over in the corner, it was Hisahide. His body was covered in white light, it was time. He was ready to emerge a Gyarados. "I have done it!" He called to the others. The team all cheered as their friend whom they never thought much of was now a powerhouse to be feared.

"Nice now we have two who know the ability Intimidate." Nagamasa called as he celebrated his friend's change.

"I know I am still not fully ready to be a leader among the team but I hope this helps. I want to pull my own weight." Hisa said. Mitsu and the others gave him a thumbs up and a pat of the body letting him know he had done well. And even Moto was happy as he would ride on Hisa's back now, as Hisa was more than strong enough for the constant weight of the bird.

All were in high spirits as they made their way through the chamber thru the maze of geysers, searching for trainers to defeat along the way and punishing any whom got in the way. With the power of Hisa and Masa's double intimidate the party was only exposed to special attack damage but Moto made quick work of the gym's fire pokemon with his water gun attacks, as he cleansed the enemy wiping the floor with all challengers.

The team hit the final geyser and emerged in the room with what looked like the gym leader, a feisty looking woman who seemed to embrace the humidity and used it as a training boon. Whereas others seemed knowledgeable of Brenden she seemed to be oblivious as she stayed in that steamy room of the gym all her life as if it were some sort of religious experience for her. She signaled the team to come forward as all were settled. "You have entered my room and interrupted my sweating, have you brought food or are you here to fail at a battle with me?" The team were intrigued by the woman and yet they kept silent as she called for a battle and sent forth her first pokemon. "My name is Flannery and I will remove you from this room of mine."

She sent out first a slugma whom even though she put up a light screen was of no ability to stop Moto, then she sent another Slugma, and then however the real challenge emerged. A torkoal with the sunny day ability. The sunny dried out the power of the water gun used by Moto and proved to be quite the fight as in order to stay afloat, Masa, Hisa and even Naga popped in for moments to tank shots for the bird. Yet ultimately the battle came down to the continued hitting of the water gun attack over and over, which did ultimately prove victorious, but the team was drained from the fight as Masa, Hisa, Naga, and even Moto all lay on the ground damaged and hurt from the sheer power of the Torkoal's attacks.

"Wow you actually overcame my torkoal. Your pokemon are beaten down hard. Look take the badge and my signature TM and please go heal up." She said as the team loaded up the more hurt teammates who boasted injuries and paralysis effects. The wear of the fight was deep on them. They were shocked that unlike other gym leaders who seemed ready to kill Brenden or send him to prison, Flannery just seemed genuinely concerned. She even helped the pokemon to the exit with the rest of the team.

As they exited however, the worst possible thing was awaiting them outside. It was May. "Brenden the bastard!" She called out to Katsuie. "I am here to get you. You have shaken me for the last time."

"Knock it off you Brat!" Flannery called as she put down the tired linoone from her arms as the whole gang and her were now no longer in the steaming rooms of the gym.

"But he killed my dad!" May hollered back at the gym leader.

"Did you see this? Do you have proof? Or are you just chasing a boy around the world telling stories?" Flannery seeing the character and the friendship of the team of pokemon in her gym seemed to awake a defensive passion about her. As she saw how the team truly cared for each other and how they refused to store each other in the pokeballs most trainers confined their friends to often.

"But I… I mean he…."

"That's what I thought, you stupid little girl." Flannery then landed a hi jump kick of her own onto May slamming her into the outer wall of the gym as she then grabbed her by the hair and pulled her across the town to the viewing pleasure of the townsfolk. Flannery then punted the girl which pulled some of her hair out as she then ran across the route screaming and crying and hollering that one day she would get Brenden.

"Huh I must have pulled her hair too hard, I pulled out these googles. Here Brenden take them." She showed them to Katsuie who was told they contain a magic spell that would make the sandstorm of route 111 not harm the gang. The gang was amazed with the woman. With several whispering that if they could be in love with a human they would pick her. She then smiled to the pokemon as the gang moved the ones who needed it to the pokemon center for a quick healing. The gym leader ran off back to her sweat pit leaving the team to their healing for the night.

"Maybe not all people are bad." Mitsu though out loud.

"Brenden was people he wasn't bad. Naga spoke. The mood in spite of the injuries of many of the lead party being severe was very relaxed as the team decided to rest for the evening and regroup before moving on. Originally the plan was to march straight back to Petalburg but with the goggles they had had the team wanted to explore the sandstorm regions and beyond.