Disclaimer: I do not own any of the material appearing in this story. The OC's belong to their respective owners.


BGM: Wild Battle ~ Southern Province (Pokemon Scarlet/Violet)

"E-Ee… vai…" The Eevee winced as it was a bit beaten up during a battle between it and Sherry.

"Razor Leaf!"

"Boooounsweee!"

"Eevee vai!" Eevee jumped back to avoid the Razor Leaf and unleashed Swift on the Bounsweet.

"Boun!"

"Hang in there!" Alessandra said as Sherry brushed it off. "Alright, Sweet Scent!"

"Sweeeeeet!" Sherry shook the leaves on her head to unleash Sweet Scent on the Eevee.

"Vai Vee…" Eevee smiled with a soft sigh.

"Rapid Spin!"

"Boun Boun Boun Bouuun!" Bounsweet spun toward the Eevee and struck it as it was having a hard time evading.

"Veeeeee!"

Alessandra pulled out a Pokeball. "Got you now!" She threw the ball toward the Eevee, where he was pulled inside of the Pokeball.

One shake.

Two shakes.

Three shakes.

Click!

End BGM

"Booyah!" Alessandra fist pumped as she picked up the Pokeball and headed over to the Poke Center.

BGM: Los Platos/Cortondo (Pokemon Scarlet/Violet)

"So she's got an Eevee now." Marnie said.

"I wonder what it'll evolve into?" Hop wondered.

"Hmm…" Gloria folded her arms. "Let's see here. Nora's got a Glaceon, Peach has an Espeon, Blake's got an Umbreon…"

"Akari had a Sylveon in the past." Victor said.

"Yeah, but in the present, Umber has a Sylveon too." Gloria pointed out.

"So that boils down to…" Hop started counting on his fingers. "Flareon, Jolteon, Vaporeon and Leafeon-"

"I have a Jolteon." Victor said.

"Wait, you do? Oh yeah, I think I remember seeing it… okay, so that makes Flareon, Vaporeon and Leafeon then!"

Gloria chuckled. "Right. Though perhaps the lass has something in mind."

"Knowing her love for fashion, I wouldn't put it past her if her Eevee evolved into Sylveon." Bede said.

"Ya never know." Sonia shrugged.

Back with Alessandra, she retrieved her Pokemon and called out her Eevee, who turned around and looked at her affectionately. "How about if I name you Raffia?"

"Vai~!" Raffia jumped into her arms and nuzzled against her.

"Hehe~ Affectionate, are ya?" Alessandra giggled, kissing his head as her Eevee jumped up and perched on her shoulder. She then looked toward the shop to see if anything caught her eye. "Oooh, Super Potions and Great Balls are available to me now? Nice!" She smiled, taking a few of each.

Nearby, Nemona had jawdropped at what she had just witnessed as her Tauros collapsed with her Machamp flexing.

"How the heck are you not the champion of Paldea, chica?"

"I'm comfortable with my position." Bea said, returning her Machamp. "I will say, you're quite the adversary. I hadn't felt adrenaline rush through me like that since I fought Gloria."

Nemona smiled, recalling her Tauros. "Well, glad I made your heart beat wildly!"

"Perhaps we should fight again but on my turf. Then perhaps you'll see how exciting it'll really get."

"Oooh, I've heard about your Gigantamax Machamp. I look forward to that!"

Nemona then giggled. "Well, I'll mosey on over to Artazon! See ya!" She took off running… but not before healing up at a Pokecenter.

Bea shook her head. "That girl's something else." She said as she looked at her Dynamax band. "Huh… was it always active and I didn't notice?" She wondered as she turned toward Gloria who was busy chatting with Alessandra. "Ah, I see… you brought Eternatus with you. I should've known."

With a chuckle, she turned around. "Now, to figure out where my wife, my bro and his friend are at."

Back at Katy's bakery, she walked in and discovered Kokoro and her Pokemon busily helping customers. "Oh wow." She said in awe as the last customer walked away.

"See you around!" Kokoro waved and then spotted Katy. "Oh! You done with the battle?"

"I am. I assume you watched it too?"

"Well, I tried… and then a wave of people showed up." Kokoro sweatdropped.

Katy laughed. "It happens. So, how was it?"

"Oh, I've had experience working in a bakery before, so it was no sweat. Although, it was more of a bread bakery."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, back when I was living with Ms. Foccacia, I sometimes helped out… although there was one time she was sick so I had to hold the fort for a while. It was… nerve wracking for someone who had crippling anxiety, but with some encouragement from her and my Pokemon, I pulled through."

Katy smiled. "How wonderful. Tell you what, as a reward for working hard, I'll let you buy two things from the patisserie on the house. One for your friends and one for your Ms. Foccacia friend."

Kokoro's ocelot ears perked up. "Okay!" She smiled as she browsed the shelves until she found what she was looking for.

Two boxes with ten buttercream frosted sprinkled sugar cookies, to be precise. One for her friends and one for Foccacia as a late "Thank you" gift for taking care of her when she arrived in Toad Town.

"Thanks!" Kokoro waved.

"You're welcome! Hasta luego!" Katy waved as she let out a soft sigh. "Now, back to work."

"Hey, you got something?" Kotoko asked.

"Sure did." Kokoro smiled.

"Ye want me to save 'em for ye?" Gloria asked once she saw what she was holding.

"Sure." Kokoro nodded as she handed them to Gloria where she proceeded to stuff them in her bag.

"There we go."

At that moment, Alessandra's Rotom Phone went off. "Hello?"

"Hey Aless, it's me! What ya up to?" Arven asked.

"Oh, nothing much, just hanging around in Cortondo. We're about to head off to the next gym."

"Oh cool! So uh… I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"No, why?"

"I'm currently out at Area One of the Western Province and… I could use some help here! I'm trying to head into the Titan's den and I'm pinned down by a never ending supply of boulders rolling down the mountain!"

"What?!"

"Yeah, I'm a bit in a tight spot. Could you come help a bud out? I'll shoot up a flare from your phone."

"We'll be right there!" Alessandra hung up as she turned to her friends. "We need to make a slight detour. Arven's in trouble."

Gloria nodded. "Alright. We'll help him out."

"Where at?" Mabel asked as Alessandra looked through her map on her phone, seeing Arven's location.

"He's right there!"

"That doesn't look too far. Let's go!" Hop said as they took off running.

End BGM


Meanwhile, with Ruby's Team…

BGM: West Province - Riding (Pokemon Scarlet/Violet)

"Hey, what the heck is that thing?" Ruby wondered as they had walked through a canyon after taking a left turn while Aless and Co went straight for Cortondo.

"Looks like a… sugar cube…?" Pit tilted his head.

Ruby pulled out her Rotom Scroll. "Let's see here…"

"Nacli, the Rock Salt Pokemon-"

"...Oh." Pit sheepishly rubbed his head.

"-It was born in a layer of rock salt deep under the earth. This species was particularly treasured in the old days, as they would share precious salt. The ground scrapes its body as it travels, causing it to leave salt behind. Salt is constantly being created and replenished inside Nacli's body."

"Oh, poor guy…" Ruby frowned.

"I don't think the lil' guy seems to mind." Blake said.

"Nac…?" Nacli turned its body to see them. "Nac Nac!" It hopped as if it was waving before turning around and moving along.

"I wonder if Gloria would have one of those?" Neptune wondered.

"Hmm, I could definitely see the chefs at Gareg Mach using a few." Claude said.

"Or Umber." Yang added.

"Jataro probably could." Masaru said.

"Probably so." Jataro nodded as they wandered forward, looking around to see the natural beauty of Paldea while walking alongside a river, where they saw some Psyduck bathing in the river as Basculin swam through it with some Mankey drinking the water while a few Phanpy playfully sprayed one another with water.

"Okay, that's adorable." Meryl giggled.

"Yeah." Weiss nodded.

They would also see a Mankey sparring against a Makuhita with a few Sableye cheering them on as they kept going, watching a few Skiddo jump over the river, though one fell short and landed in the water. A Rockruff took a running start and jumped over, then turned around and helped the Skiddo out of the water, with the Skiddo's friends helping the Rockruff.

"Hmm?" Claude turned his head to see a sparkling Buizel wandering around. "Why's that little guy sparkling over there?"

"Could be a special one." Dipper said as they got closer to the Buizel.

"Bui…?" The Buizel turned around and immediately started to get in a fighting position. "BUI BUI!" It yelled while also starting to Terastalize, wearing an Ice Tera snowflake on its head.

"Oooooh, that's why…" Sun said.

"I got it!" Masaru pulled out two Pokeballs and called out his Torchic and Charcadet.

"You sure that's a good idea?" Nagisa asked, having a feeling the Buizel might know a Water move.

"I'll be fine! Besides, it's two against one." Masaru pointed out.

"Okay."

Pause BGM

BGM: Wild Battle ~ West Province (Pokemon Scarlet/Violet)

"Alright! Touya, Flame Charge! Takibi, Flamethrower!"

"Charcaaaa!" Touya wrapped itself in fire and launched himself toward the Buizel while the Torchic unleashed Flamethrower. The Buizel swiftly dodged both of them and used Icy Wind, where by Masaru's command, they both avoided the attack as Buizel locked on to the Charcadet and unleashed Water Pulse on it.

"Takibi, tank it!"

Takibi jumped in and took the Water Pulse like a champ. The Buizel smirked before it's eyes widened in disbelief when the Torchic was absolutely fine… and while it was stunned in disbelief, the Charcadet flanked it and used Incinerate.

"Buiiii!" Buizel cried as the Torchic used Flamethrower again, knocking the Buizel away as the Ice Tera crown shattered as the Buizel went back to normal. "Bui Bui… BUIZEEEEL!" Buizel unleashed Swift, hitting the two Pokemon. It then used Water Pulse again, but Takibi tanked it again, which this time simply annoyed the Buizel… unaware that the Charcadet flanked it and used Night Shade.

"Charca!"

"Zel Bui…" Buizel looked like it was about to faint.

"Aerial Ace!"

"Tooooorchic chiiiic!" Takibi slammed into the Buizel, knocking it out for the count.

"Buiiii…" Buizel softly groaned as it weakly got up before quickly diving into the river.

End BGM

Resume West Province - Riding BGM

"You think it'll be fine?" Neptune asked.

"Eh, they're Water Types, they can breathe underwater." Sun waved it off. "...At least, I think they can."

"Well, I don't think it's an underwater creature." Blake said.

Sun shrugged. "Well… what can ya do?"

The group continued on where a river blocked their path. However, Weiss got them across via glyphs as they hopped over with some curious Basculin, Chewtle and Arrokuda watching on. After they crossed, they walked through the grass until they found a pathway, then they continued on, where they saw some Swablu pecking on some Nacli.

"Should we… intervene?" Ruby wondered.

"Well, for some, salt is a way of life so I think the Swablu will be fine." Sun said, and then one Nacli used Smack Down on a Swablu, where said projectile was a ball of salt that managed to get into the Swablu's eyes.

"Swaaaab!" Swablu cried as it flew away with stinging pain.

"...I think I'll prefer my salt not being thrown in the face." Pit sweatdropped.

"Yeeeah, same." Sun grimaced.

"It was kinda asking for it." Weiss said.

They continued onward, watching a few Swablu fly overhead while Mudbray grazed the area and some Flittle hovered around, while a Capsakid wandered around and got in the group's path.

"Oh, that's a cute little one!" Meryl smiled as Ruby scanned it.

"Capsakid, the Spicy Pepper Pokemon. The more sunlight this Pokémon bathes in, the more spicy chemicals are produced by its body, and thus the spicier its moves become. Traditional Paldean dishes can be extremely spicy because they include the shed front teeth of Capsakid among their ingredients."

"So it's a Fire type? Looks… Grass-y to me." Pit said.

"Maybe it turns into a Fire/Grass type?" Dipper wondered.

"Fire/Grass… I don't think that's possible." Neptune said.

"Or could it?" Claude wondered aloud… when suddenly the Capsakid was wrapped around in heavenly light.

"Capsa…?"

"This gives me an idea for a dish in the near future!" Palutena said with a giggle.

Pit immediately started to sweat. "Oh goodness, I'm starting to sweat just by imagining the dish she's planning on…"

"Maybe it'll be good?" Ruby guessed.

"And not "burn your taste buds off"? Here's hoping!"

"Hey guys? What's with the flags over there?" Jataro pointed off into the distance.

"If I had to guess, we could be entering some Team Star territory." Ruby said.

"Looks like we're getting close." Yang said as they walked further along, then they turned their heads to the right to see the entrance to the base.

"There it is." Blake said as they walked a few feet, and then Ruby's Rotom Scroll rang.

End BGM

BGM: Cassiopeia (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)

"I see you're near one of those bases. You made record time, I'm impressed."

"You sure about that, Cassiopeia? It felt like we were just wandering around since we've never been to Paldea and doing some sight seeing." Ruby said.

"Fair enough. But anyway-"

"Hey! You kids got room for one more?" A voice asked as they turned to see a man approaching.

"Um… who are you?" Cassiopeia asked.

Pause BGM

"Me? I'm Clive… I'm all… shall we say, young with the crowd." He said. "A pleasure to meet you all."

BGM: Clive's Theme (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)

"Uh… Clive…?" Yang tilted her head as everyone looked at him with deadpan expressions.

"Yes, that is my name."

"...You wouldn't happen to be Director Clavell, would you?" Blake asked.

"Hmm? What poppycock! What makes you think I'm Clavell?"

"Well, for starters, the colors on your goatee and your pompadour don't match." Claude said.

"Hmph! I just happened to… bleach my goatee. All the kids do it."

"Okay, but no "young person" says "poppycock" just all naturally." Weiss said.

"That's because… I'm a new generation and we're bringing back old phrases."

"Oh yeah? What's your generation?" Pit asked.

"Um, it's… Millenzee-Alpha Baby Ex-er. Yeah."

Everyone else sweatdropped while they heard Cassiopeia facepalming in the Rotom Scroll.

"Ugh! Who the hell cares about generations anymore? It's very young, young, middle aged, old, very old and ancient!" Cassiopeia said.

"Clive" cleared his throat. "You have a good point." I thought for sure kids still cared about what generation they're in…

End BGM

Resume Cassiopeia BGM

"So, "Clive", what exactly are you doing here?" Weiss asked.

"Oh, I was just in the neighborhood when I was confronted by those Team Star punks. I heard you guys were talking about storming into the base perhaps?"

"...How did you…? Never mind. Yes, Operation Starfall has to do with raiding their bases and deal with their bosses."

"My question was still not answered about if I could join, Cassiopeia." Clive said. "After all, this group can handle themselves, why not one more?"

"Well, I'm in no position to decline help so… welcome aboard, I suppose."

"Thank you. And one more question. What exactly is your… beef with Team Star?"

"Team Star and I… share some history."

"That's all you're going to say?" Nagisa asked.

"For the moment."

"So, tell us what we need to do." Masaru said.

"Okay, you see the front gate in front of you?"

"Yeah?"

"Ah yes, I think I see it…" Clive mused.

"On the other side is the base proper. Somewhere within that base lies one of your targets: A squad boss."

"Alright, so we go in swinging and knock 'em out. Got it!" Yang cracked her knuckles.

"Hold on there, hot head. That's just the outline."

"There's more?" Pit wondered.

"Yes. The key to this operation is the code that the team has to follow. If someone challenges one of the squad bosses to a battle, they have no choice but to accept. And what's more, if they just so happen to lose that battle… they must forfeit the role as boss altogether!"

"Just like that?" Silver asked in surprise.

"Just like that. I also went ahead and issues challenges to each base under your names. They're basically declarations of war."

"Wait, what?!" Ruby said in surprise.

"Now all of Team Star now knows that we're looking for a fight. Honestly though, this war might be more lowkey than those wars involving Phazon and Eggman. Give yourselves a break, ya know?"

"Phazon… so that's what that blue sludge was…" Clive mumbled under his breath. "Anyway, so let's say we defeat these bosses and they all step down. What happens next?"

"The rest of the team crumbles with no one left to lead them. That's what happens."

"I think there's more to it." Silver said.

"You're right about that. There's a few… wrinkles in this solid plan. Each base has a bunch of Pokemon inside to fend off intruders, and the bases themselves are… a considerable size. Your garden variety trainer would be overrun long before they'd get anywhere near the boss. That's why Team RWBY and their friend's skills are essential to this operation. Defeat the Pokemon inside and drag the boss out. Oh, and first things first, you're gonna have to deal with the guards at the gate."

"And what will you be doing?" Clive asked.

"Like I said, I have a history with Team Star. I'll be operating on the sidelines."

"And what will my role be?"

"Sorry, but I can't really trust you right now… for now, I'd like you to monitor the bases and act as support."

"You're a cautious one… respectable. Very well then."

"I'll be in touch again when the plan advances to the next stage. Good hunting out there."

End BGM

Weiss sighed. "Why must we always get dragged in some war?"

"Hold up there, sis. This one might actually be a little fun." Meryl said.

"Yeah, I'm with Meryl. This doesn't sound so bad compared to the others we've been in!" Yang smiled.

"Yeah!" Ruby nodded.

"Oh… alright…" Weiss nodded as they walked toward the gate, although Claude started to climb up a rock wall.

"Honey? Where are you going?" Yang asked.

"Going to do some recon. I don't have any Pokemon on me, so I might as well see what's going on from a bird's eye view!"

"Oh! Let me go with you." Pit said. "Lady Palutena!"

"On it!"

Pit's wings activated as he grabbed Claude's arm and flew up the cliff.

"Yeah, I think we'll do the same." Silver said, taking Dipper's arm and teleporting away.

"Hey, some recon wouldn't hurt." Nagisa nodded as they approached the gate.

"Hey!" One of the guards yelled out.

BGM: Team Star Encounter (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)

"What do you punks do you think you're doing? You think a little squad like you can just mosey on in here?" The second guard asked.

"Wait a second, hold the phone… you wouldn't happen to be those Team RWBY punks, would you?"

"Yeah, so what?" Yang asked.

"Hmph! Well, just so you know, you're got some real guts to declare war on us… so we're gonna make sure we squash this little game of yours." The first guard said, pulling out a Pokeball and did the Team Star hand gesture.

End BGM

BGM: Battle! Team Star (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)

"Go Murkrow!" She called out.

"Krow! Murkrow!"

"I got it." Yang said, pulling out a ball of her own and tossed it up in the air, which was none other than her Solgaleo, which let out a loud roar.

The Murkrow stared at the mighty Legendary and quickly flew away, hiding behind its trainer.

End BGM

"Krow Murk Murkrow Krow!" It whimpered.

"Uh…" The Grunt returned the Murkrow and backed away slowly. "Ahehehe~ Nice… Skitty… hasta la vistar!" She took off running.

"W-wait, hold on…!" The other guard exclaimed before slowly turning to the Solgaleo. He nervously gulped before quickly running into the base screaming.

"Man, I didn't even have to lay a finger on 'em." Yang said, and then her Scroll rang as she pulled it out.

BGM: Cassiopeia

"Well… that's one way to get past the guards. Anyway, holed up in this base is the Segin Squad, as you already know." Cassiopeia said as they nodded. "Their boss, Giacomo, pretty much runs the whole of Team Star, and he also produced that wild soundtrack of theirs himself."

"Oh, so that explains why I saw one of them pull out their phones to play a song…" Blake said.

"Giacomo is a sharp guy. Even our declaration of war wouldn't have ruffled him in the slightest. If I were to wager a guess, his plan to wear you down with the grunts and then finish you off himself. Though, considering you have a Solgaleo, he's in for a rough hill to climb. Basically, don't worry about outstrategizing him, just hit him head on when he reveals himself and you should be fine. Just keep on defeating their Pokemon until he shows up. Ring the bell on the gates to kickstart this operation. Let's wipe Segin off the map!"

End BGM

"Ring the bell? Alright then." Nagisa said as he rang the bell… and once he rang it, Yang immeidately kicked the doors open.

"Alright! Rock and roll, Apollo!"

Apollo let out a roar and leapt into action as she ran in.

BGM: Team Star Base (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)

"Hey! You can't have all the fun, sis!" Ruby called out as they went in.

"You don't have any Pokemon, why aren't you up there with the guys?" Weiss asked.

Meryl smiled, whistling as her Phoenix came flying in. "I'm pretty sure a lot of folks will think this is a Pokemon." She winked and charged ahead.

Weiss chuckled. "Oh you…" She ran in.

Up above, the four of them scouted the area and watched their friends tear through the base. Pit aimed his Palutena Bow and fired a shot, nearly striking a Team Star grunt that was about to sneak up on his girlfriend.

"Yagh!"

"Hmm?" Ruby turned her head. "Oh hi~!" She smiled as her Zoroark swiped at the Grunt's Pokemon.

Back above, Claude was scanning the area until something caught his attention on another cliff side. "Hmm?" He wondered as he pulled out some binoculars to see Penny watching the fight unfold. "Now why's that little lady watching the fight?"

He rubbed his chin, remembering how Cassiopeia called them and mentioning they were at the base. He pulled out his scroll and looked through his contacts.

Yang

Edelgard

Shez

Dimitri

Bernadetta

Ruby

"Aha, there you are." Claude said, finding Cassiopeia's contact that she had inserted herself and called her up. He watched as Penny answered it. Oh ho!

"You need something, Claude?"

"Yeah, you wouldn't happen to have blue and red hair with an Eevee backpack and glasses, would you?"

"What? Don't be ridiculous!"

"Oh yeah? Look up."

On the other side, Penny raised an eyebrow and looked up, where she saw Claude waving at her.

"Nice to meet ya… Cassiopeia!"

Penny's eyes widened in horror, letting out a shriek that startled some Falinks and Tinkatink. She immediately clapped her hands and closed her eyes, bowing her head. "Please please please please please please PLEASE don't rat me out to the others! I want-"

"Oh, don't worry about a thing… "Cassie". Your secret is safe with me."

"Ooooh thank Arceus…" Penny sighed in relief.

"By the way, you might want to hide yourself more. You're standing in the tall grass standing out like a sore thumb."

"Um… r-right…"

"Take care!"

Claude hung up.

"Thanks for the heart attack…" Penny groaned as she was pale as a ghost.

"If he didn't say anything, I definitely would've~" Palutena giggled.

"EEEK!" Penny shrieked before fainting. "Uuunngh, can you people stop scaring the hell out of me!"

End BGM


"What's all the ruckus!" A voice called out.

BGM: Team Star Boss Intro (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)

They all turned to see Giacomo riding on the Starmobile.

"Uuuh… is that a tricked out… Revavroom…?" Blake wondered.

Ruby's eyes sparkled. "Oh cool! Pyrrha can trick out her own Revavroom!" She said, earning a slight smack upside the head from Weiss. "Ooof!"

"Looks like a couple of runts made their way inside the base." Giacomo said. "I am Giacomo! At the deck, I am DJ Vice! Call me whichever… it's a vibe either way. Nice to meet you and all… but how 'bout we skip straight to your outro? Don't worry, I'll play you a sick requiem as you crash and burn. Let's get this party starteeeeed!"

Nagisa clenched his fists. "Penny told me that she recommends we have a Fighting, Bug or Fairy type available for this guy!"

"Well, I know just the one for this!" Ruby smirked.

"As do I!" Weiss nodded.

"Count me in!" Yang smiled.

"Whoa, one at a time, ladies!" Giacomo said. "You can have your fun." He pointed his finger at Weiss. "You! You look like fresh meat to me."

"If you insist, but you'll regret it." Weiss said.

Giacomo smirked. "We shall see! Let's break it down!"

End BGM

BGM: Team Star Boss Battle (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)

DJ Vice - Giacomo

"Ladies first!" Giacomo said.

"Okay, let's go Mari!" Weiss threw her Pokeball in the air, calling out her Primarina.

"Rinaaaa!"

Giacomo grimaced. Well… crap. Wait! I know how to counter this one! He thought, calling out his Pokemon with a Timer Ball. "Cacturne, let's mess 'er up!"

"Cactuuuurne!"

"Ooooh, this might get ugly…" Nagisa grimaced.

"Hit that Pokemon with a Thunder Punch!"

"Use Sing!" Weiss called out.

Giacomo's eyes widened. "Wait, shoot! Abort! Cover your ears!"

"Riiiina~~~! Prima riiiiii~!"

"Cac…!" Cacturne tried to cover his ears while Giacomo put his headphones on with a smug grin. Unfortunately, Cacturne didn't cover his ears in time and fell asleep.

"Reva…" Revavroom yawned before falling asleep itself… not that Giacomo noticed right away.

"Aw… crap…" Giacomo winced. "Cacturne!" He put up the music up to full blast. "Awaken by the sheer awesome might of the DJ!"

"Gah! That's way too loud!" Ruby winced.


Meanwhile…

"Huh?" Marnie turned her head.

"What's wrong?" Gloria wondered.

"Sounds like someone's having a concert over there."

"Yeah… that's way too loud." Zinnia said as everyone but Alessandra looked at each other.

"Ibuki." They all said, though Neo simply used sign language.

The twins looked at each other in confusion and looked at their friends.

"...Who's Ibuki?" The twins asked.


Back with the others…

Weiss put her headphones on while also giving her Primarina some headphones as well. "You good?"

"Rina!"

"Alright, Icy Wind!"

"Come oooon! Wake up!" Giacomo called out as the Cacturne got hit with Icy Wind, and then hit with a Moonblast for good measure, knocking down the Cacturne. Giacomo recalled the Cacturne and then called out a Bisharp.

"Shaaaar-... Sharp Sharp!" The Bisharp turned around and covered his ears.

"Ah, sorry!" Giacomo turned it down as the Bisharp turned around. "Swords Dance!"

"Moonblast again!"

"Mmmph…" Giacomo grimaced as the Bisharp got hit by a Moonblast as soon as the Swords Dance was complete. He slid a few feet but got back up. "Iron Head!"

"Dodge it!" Weiss called out as Bisharp charged ahead, his head turning iron but Mari avoided the attack and then unleashed Hydro Pump on the Bisharp, sending it flying into a rock wall and knocking it down.

"Oooooh!" The Team Star grunts winced.

"Nnngh… this is bad…" Giacomo grunted, recalling his Bisharp. "I still have my trump card! Revavroom, use Wicked Torque!"

"Reva-zzzzzz…"

"Huh?! Why are you aslee-" His eyes widened, realizing that Primarina's singing had the Starmobile get caught in the crossfire. "...Oh no."

"Looks like it's a win for us!" Weiss said. "Moonblast!"

Mari raised her arms up high. "Rinaaaaaaaa!" She cried, unleashing moonlight energy into the sleeping Revavroom.

"Revaaaaa…zzzzz…"

The Starmobile ended up smoking as a result, causing the Starmobile to fall apart as Giacomo fell on his knees.

End BGM

"I guess… that's that…" Giacomo said.

BGM: Team Star Flashback (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)


About a year and a half ago…

"Guess that's that." Giacomo said.

"What's up, Giacomo? Something happen?" Ortega asked as the other Star bosses approached.

"The big boss just wanted my take on some stuff… so we had a chat and settled on a few plans."

"'A few plans'? Like, for what?" Mela wondered.

"Operation Star, first of all. And also… a new code of conduct for the team. You know tons of new members have joined up recently? Well, we figure we gotta make some team rules, like a code, so we'll all be on the same page."

"Nice!" Eri beamed. "You'll come up with a great code for us, won't you, Giacomo?"

"Hah! No thanks. Waaaay too much pressure. I mean, yeah, I used to be president of the student council. But you know everyone ended up hating me after that, right?"

"'Course we know! You forced a ton of stuffy rules on everyone, and they wouldn't take it. We got some other nerd to replace you after, like, five minutes." Mela said.

"I cannot help but concur." Atticus agreed. "Male students' hair must stray no further that one point eight inches below the nape' and so forth… your rules were vexation made manifest!"

"My point exactly!" Giacomo said. "So you'll all agree that I shouldn't be let near anywhere near this new code."

"But you always know what's best for the team, Giacomo! You look out for us!" Ortega said.

"You've earned our trust many times over. Without you, Team Star just wouldn't work." Eri said.

"That stuck up council prez isn't who you are anymore, man." Mela said. "A code written by the Giacomo I'm lookin' at now… I'd follow that any day."

"As would I!" Atticus agreed.

"Okay, okay, thanks for the ego boost, everyone. I'll do it… I'll write up the darn code."

End BGM


Back in the present…

Giacomo sighed. "I did the best I could… I wrote the code myself and there was no going back on it now. My days as a boss are over. So here… just take my Star Badge okay?"

"Uh… sure." Weiss nodded as she took it and held it up high for everyone to see as Silver teleported the others back with them.

"I have to say, your Pokemon is quite strong… and I don't mean just by type advantage. Did you learn all that from the academy?"

"Well, we're not from the academy. We're just here on vacation and we kinda… got caught up in this." Weiss explained.

"Really? Ah man… that sounds rough. Whoever signed you up on your vacation must be a real sourpuss." Giacomo rubbed his head. "Sorry about that, uh…"

"Weiss."

"Weiss." Giacomo smiled. "By the way, have this on me." He tossed a TM to her as she caught it. "Foul Play. Think it could give your Pokemon a boost."

"Thanks, but I don't think this would apply to my Pokemon…" Weiss tossed it behind her as Ruby reached up and caught it.

"I think I could have some fun with this~!" She giggled.

"By the way, you said you were the DJ Vice, right?"

"Yeah, I compose all the music themes. Why do you ask?"

"Can I listen to one of your works?" Weiss asked. "I'm a music enthusiast myself."

"Oh, I want to listen to it too!" Masaru said.

Giacomo looked baffled. "What…? You… want to listen to my bangers? Huh! I didn't realize there were folks outside of Team Star who enjoyed the song."

"Despite how loud it was, it actually sounded pretty fun." Weiss said.

Giacomo smiled, pulling out two headphones. "Well, what the heck!" He said, handing them the headphones. "Listen to this medley. It's for Team Star's head honcho themselves!"

He pressed play as both Weiss and Masaru's eyes widened to the song.

"You like that?" Giacomo asked as Weiss and Masaru nodded their heads to the beat. "Yeah, of course you do. I have like three versions of the song. One original, two remixes. It was so good, I got carried away and remixed it twice. Hahaha!"

"Oh. OH! Drop the bass with this chorus!" Masaru nodded, making "rock on" hand gestures with both hands.

"This is for the head honcho? This is amazing!"

Everyone else awkwardly stood there, looking at each other and shrugging.

"So what's the remix?" Weiss called out.

"Eh, one's pretty light and the other I decided to add some heavy metal guitar to it. I improve upon perfection." He said, turning off the song.

"Wow. THAT was a rollercoaster." Masaru said.

"Yeah, I guess…" Pit mumbled. "Would've been nice to hear it…"

"We have a couple of friends who are also passionate about music." Weiss explained. "Kokoro and Ludwig. They might get along with you and they'd more than likely be interested in listening to your works."

"Heh, sounds interesting. I look forward to meeting with them." He said as he then rubbed his chin. "Kokoro… where have I heard that name before…"

"Excuse me a moment." Clive approached. "Giacomo, correct?"

"Yeah, that'd be me. What's with the hair… you got a Quaxwell to style it up for you?"

"I'm just after a quick word. Do you mind?"

"Well… considering my schedule's cleared up, sure."

"Thanks. I'll get straight to it. It seems all of you in Team Star are headed for expulsion if you keep up with your current activities. So why don't you break up the team and start attending class at the academy again?"

"That's what you wanna know? As it happens, we're waitin' on a pal… though we're not sure if they'll ever come back."

"A pal…? A close friend of yours, are they?"

"They're only the strongest boss in all of Team Star! Like how there's a Top Champion who's the absolute number one trainer, y'know? They're the ones who invited us other bosses to form the team. We call 'em the "big boss"."

"And where is this big boss of yours now?"

"Wouldn't we like to know. We haven't heard from 'em in, I dunno… must be a year and a half now. We thought if we kept Team Star going, then they'd get back in touch one day. But the teachers keep pressin' us and then we get party crashers like you guys…"

He let out a sigh. "Maybe the big boss did ditch us… they were talking about breakin' up the team before and all."

"So, Team Star and this big boss of yours… they're really that important to you?"

"Heh, is the sky blue?" Giacomo grinned. "Let me put it in words you eggheads at the academy might understand… they're my greatest treasure!"

Weiss's eyes widened. "Your… greatest treasure…" She whispered, as she suddenly felt warmth inside of her chest. She slowly clutched it, feeling a bit misty eyed before she wiped her eyes.

"Whoa. you alright there? Didn't mean to turn on the water works." Giacomo said.

"I'm… I'm fine." Weiss said. What was that feeling just now? I swear, it felt… like something I haven't felt in a while… no. It couldn't be… don't get your hopes up, Weiss.

The group started to walk out but Weiss stayed behind.

"Hey, Giacomo."

"Hmm?" Giacomo wondered as Weiss handed him a Sunset Entertainment business card. "What's this?"

"Not only am I a musician, I'm also a talent scout as a side job. If you ever want to find a supportive place where you can hone your skills and further develop your musical talents outside of Paldea, you know where to go."

"Oh! Okay…" He nodded as Weiss walked off as he looked at the card. "Hmm… Sunset Entertainment?"


I was originally gonna have the Bombirdier Titan fight happen in this chapter too, but I felt like I oughta have it just be the Team Star fight this chapter.

Ibuki: Man, Ibuki thinks she could get along well with Giacomo!

Deadpool: You definitely would!