You can find more of this on by Subscribe/Star (dot adult slash KajaWilder), it's posted past Ch. 120 there. You can find the same on my new (via Discord per their ToS), under /WildErotica. The DISCORD is at h-t_t-p_s-:_/-/_discord-._g-g_/-N9yDASt6Cw (taking out hyphens and underscores, 'cause FFnet). If you prefer direct links, go to my Discord and follow the 'links in general' section to find the ones you want. All of my fics are well ahead of what I post here, often 10-30 chapters ahead.

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Enjoy!

Chap. 87: (Dis)Unity

"I don't see a key anywhere," Robin grumbled as she stomped, uncharacteristically angry, through the now well-trodden mixed-forest loam. "There's some basic supplies, a couple other old tents that looked like the same kind, that've had holes and the like chewed in them, or torn in the wind, or whatever, but no keys."

"I did find those Pokéballs that note mentioned," Elle said, holding up a small cluster of them, "And they're registered to someone. At least she seemed honest about that. No idea if it's a trap, though. They could be Rank 100 killers who were told to stomp us if we released them, or something."

"Yeah, probably best to be cautious, then," Robin muttered, "even if I don't wanna. Any luck with the fire or acid?"

"Haven't tried," Alex shrugged. He was standing right where they had left him as they split up, Robin to search the camp, and Elle to look for the stump the note had mentioned across the creek. "I don't dare use fire, and acid's only a little more aim-able. I might trust Sappy to do it in the far corner, but she's…"

"Inconsolable, upset, sad?"

Alex nodded at Elle, "Yeah. Anyway, with that chain on her ankle being as short as it is, I wouldn't trust it to anything else. Maybe Gobbler, but her aim's been a bit more iffy now that she's bigger, too. And without Growth, I don't know if it'll be potent enough to melt steel, which means it's gonna be even less accurate, and a wider spread. You saw what it did on the bridge."

Elle shuddered, "Yeah… that poor girl. Hope she's okay."

Robin shook her head, "Not worth us worrying about. It's a Pokémon acid-burn. People get them. I'm sure this world's medical tech- which, remember, is something GF really wants- is up to the task. And if not, Pokémon healing probably is. What're we gonna do? Leave her while we go get help? Split up? Two guard her while someone goes back to town for a cutting tool or something?"

"No," Alex shook his head, "I've… got an idea. I'm not sure it'll work, though. I'm gonna need your help, probably both of you and some of your Pokémon."

"Okay," Elle frowned, "What do you mean?"

As Alex laid out his plan, Robin grinned, and it grew the more he spoke. "I think it'll work," she said, "And if so, you're sicking me down tonight as a reward. I'm kinda jelly I didn't get mine before we fought the Rockets."

"I still made you cum," Elle laughed, "greedy girl."

Robin only grinned wider, "You know it. You eat good pussy, by the way."

"Thanks… was the first time I'd done it," Elle blushed, "but I didn't mind. I'll do it again whenever."

"Sweet. OK, so you need her Weedle and Caterpie, and yours," Robin put the subject back on track, "but what do you need Nibbler and Queenie for?"

"I'm not sure this is gonna work," Elle muttered nervously.

On his other side, Robin shrugged, "If it doesn't, then we've lost nothing but some time and energy."

"And maybe hurt our Pokémon, or that lady," the blonde pointed out. "Or ourselves."

"It'll work," Alex interrupted the budding argument, "and like Robin said, we can just try again if it doesn't. But it will."

"I hope you're right… well, ready?"

"Yeah," Alex nodded, as Elle and Robin moved a couple dozen feet away on either side, to help direct their Pokémon. It would have to be precise, he'd emphasized that repeatedly. Doing just one side first would probably just move the cage. But if both happened at once…

"Ready here," Robin told them. Nibbler had already cut through half of a tree near her, one of the largest and heaviest pines in the area. Hopefully it would fall in the right direction. If not, well… they might have to move in a hurry, and pray it didn't hit the woman's cage, and crush her.

Alex looked over to Elle, who gave a thumbs-up. "Ready."

He exhaled slowly, sharp eyes moving over the almost ridiculously-complicated latticework of webs, vines, and even one real nylon rope they'd found. That pulls there, goes around to change the angle there. That tree is a pulley for that angle shift… Other side's the same, just with three shifts 'cause that oak is in the way… fuck, this had better work. If not, it could kill her.

"Do it."

Nibbler pounced onto the already-gnawed portion of the tree with a Bite attack, taking one quick gouge with his large teeth. Queenie, Lingus, and Cock all hit the tree in their own way. The Nidoran line with full-body moves from one side, and Lingus with her massive tongue, pulling on the other t help guide Robin's side, as they were more nervous about that one going in the wrong direction.

Forty-two feet away as Alex's feet had counted them, a six-stage Growth Weepinbell's twin leaf-tipped vines lashed out in a paired thirty-foot whip, mirroring the Lickitung's movement, whirling in a green blur around the tree in a half-dozen loops as Spike, Surtr, and Kole hit it from the other side.

Both of the huge trees had been cut half-way through, then blasted with fire and acid both. If this were a combat, Alex estimated half their teams would have been exhausted from just setting this up.

Trees cracked, and his body tensed, ready to move, to jump out of the way if the huge pillars of wood jumped, or fell the wrong way, or…

Pop, crack!

A groan, a moan… the already-taut webs and vines and rope stretched further, a cacophony of creaking, pulling in a dozen different directions down on the cage. Six of the eight twisted, braided lines they'd spent the last two hours making and setting up were simply holding it in place, equidistant and holding the base to the ground. The other two were pulling at the base of two bars next to the one that held the woman's ankle-shackle.

"Pull!" he called, and the little Weedle and Caterpies, and their two evolved counterparts, Kakuna and Metapod, threw out more webbing even though they were tired and, really, not big enough to make much difference compared to the larger, stronger Pokémon.

Elle and Robin added their strength, too, and Alex wished he could help. He was, after all, the biggest of them even if he knew Robin's Combinant body was objectively stronger.

Strain, pull, pull damn it…

Ping-snap!

The cage lurched. Movement out of both corners of Alex's eye drew his attention, but he remained focused on the cage, some twenty feet from him. Hopefully, if it flew in his direction, he'd have time to get out of the way. "Lost some webbing," Elle called, "It's not gonna hold!"

He quickly glanced left, then right. Both trees were leaning precariously. "Get out of there, Elle, Robin! They might fly off, bounce, or something! Get at least thirty feet further back! Hitters- line up, and give them one more go on my mark!"

He wasn't done, though. Alex had worried this might happen as they set up his 'ingenious' plan, and prepared a backup just in case. It was risky, but… a Pokémon appeared in a flash of gray-brown light.

"Fistina, sweetie," Alex told her quietly, pointing, "I need you to go to that side, and hit that tree right when the other Pokémon there do. In the same place, as close as you can manage, okay?"

"Man! Man-key," his fierce, crazy ball of furious fluff with the monkey-like limbs nodded, glad to be out of her ball. She walked, or bounded on all fours really, over to Elle's side.

One more thing. The riskiest thing.

Four unknown Pokéballs, registered to someone else. Alex held all four in his hands a moment later. "Alex?" Robin called, "What are you-"

He clicked the four buttons and tossed the set to the ground before him, hoping for a miracle. Or, at the very least, not a catastrophic trap.

He got four Pokémon he recognized almost at once. The iconic cute Fire-fox that many closet Poképhiliacs in the real-world fandom had lusted after since GenWun. A Fighting-type that had been iconic for the type since the same Generation of games. A Dark-Fire dog he couldn't recall the name of from Gen Two. And a giant rock with two arms, two eyes, and a mouth. Geodude. Fucking perfect.

"Alright, I know I'm a stranger," Alex told them, as the fox, dog, and humanoid Pokémon hissed and spat at him, "But I'm trying to help your Trainer. That's her in the cage there, see? I want to set her free. I'm not with Team Rocket, none of us are. Can you help? We need some strong Pokémon like you to help us out."

Each of the three who were already glaring risked a glance where he pointed.

The Geodude lifted itself into a single-arm handstand and shrugged with the other, then turned and started walking toward Robin's side. "Dude, dude. Geo."

He exhaled in relief. Even just that one would add a lot of weight to the tree, it would almost certainly give way. If the ropes held, that would make a difference, a big one.

"Please," Alex said quietly, then dropped to a knee, "We're all working to get her out. If you think I'm gonna hurt her, you're wrong. We just fought off Team Rocket to get her out of there, okay? If you can hit hard, go to the other tree. We just need a bit more to make them fall, and I think that'll pop the cage open."

"Chop- Ma-Machop-chop!"

He didn't understand, of course, what the woman's Machop was saying, but the meaning was clear. Hurt her, and I break you, Human!

The Houndour barked twice, too, "Dour, dour," no doubt to add emphasis.

But the Vulpix had apparently believed him, for the smallest of the four sauntered in the direction of Elle's side. After a few moments, the Houndour went with the Geodude, and the Superpower Pokémon joined the blonde's.

Alex waited a few while the girls gave him incredulous looks which he tried to ignore, "Remember, your strongest Tackle moves, Double Kicks, or whatever you've got, as close to the marked area as you can. On five. Four. Three. Two…"

More than a dozen Pokémon jumped, started running, or otherwise leaped into action. "One!"

Most just pulled, either assisting the Weepinbell, Lickitung, or web-spinners by pulling on whatever section they could find.

A half-dozen-plus, though, hit the trees in a not-quite-synchronized attack that left both columns of wood shaking and shivering.

Alex groaned. It hadn't worked, they were too uncoordinated.

POP!

The right tree gave way, two lines snapped, and Robin sprinted toward him, "Get clear, get clear!"

Fuck. Not only hadn't it worked, they cage was moving to the left, now, unsecured, and-

CRASH!

It hit another tree and rolled, spun through the air twice, the woman inside tossed about by her ankle, unconscious and unable to defend herself. "Fuck!"

Elle's tree fell too, but he couldn't notice, couldn't care, except to make sure that she was out of the way with a momentary glance that barely saw the blur of golden hair as she ran from the falling timber.

He ran toward the cage, hoping to see anything but a mangled wreck of a human being.

There was blood. Fuck, there's blood, fuck, fuck…

Alex skidded to a halt on his knees, which tore and bloodied on the forest floor. He didn't have time to regret his usual shorts, though. The cage was bent, twisted… and two bars now fully separated, twisted even further apart. The woman's shackled right leg was still attached, in the air on the corner closest to where he'd been as she now lay on her back rather than slumped against the side.

She was breathing, though. The blood came from what looked like a gash on her left arm, and as far as he could see, nowhere else. The tree, maybe, when she'd hit it and started spinning?

Alex didn't dare move her, though, and in fact, "Stay still," he ordered brusquely, "You might've broken your neck or spine. Don't move."

"Hurts," she groaned, voice gravely and rough. "Everthin' hurts… what… what happen?'

"Just hold still. I'm- we're trying to help. You were captured by Team Rocket, they had you in a cage."

"I know that," the dark-skinned woman said, her voice a little more clear as her brain started to wake up, no doubt fighting the drugs more actively now. "Gave m'self up to save… the others. Why hurt…?"

"Arceus, she looks so familiar all of a sudden," Robin whispered, "I don't know why… but I feel like I've seen her before."

"I haven't, except maybe in the Beta Meetings," Elle added as she came up behind Alex. "Can we… do anything for her?"

"Yeah, we definitely can," Robin nodded, "Bliss, give her a Softboiled Egg. That'll help… we can try some Potions, but if she really is paralyzed, best to get real medical care."

"Not," the woman muttered, and wiggled her extremities to prove it, "Hurts too much for that."

"You might still have spine damage," Alex protested, and laid a hand on her forehead, "which might still paralyze you. Just… don't do that. I know it hurts. Just, eat- wow, that's actually warm, weird- eat this egg."

One dark, swollen eye opened. "Pokémon… Egg?"

"Not that kind," Robin told her as she knelt next to the woman's head, "It's Softboiled- a healing and recovery move. It'll help you feel better, we've already tested them on humans, it works just fine on us. More on me since I'm more Pokémon than you guys are, but it still works. Elle, check my bag. I had a couple Human-type Potions in there, in one of the side pockets."

"On it," the blonde nodded.

Alex got the distinct impression she was glad to have something to do aside from stare at the bruised, battered woman they had now mostly-freed. "Do any of your Pokémon know a move that can break this bar? Or the shackle? Or the chain, even?"

The woman's eyes moved, but she kept her head still… at least until she shook it, "No. It looks strong… I don't… remember being put in here. I fought the guy that… won. Beat him half to death… then a dart. Neck. I told them before… I passed… that I'd surrender if… they left the kids… left them alone. They said OK- okay, then… now."

"From the look of it, that was maybe a day or two ago," Alex told her grimly, "You must've been given water, but I don't think they fed you much."

"No. Hungry… hurts too much to focus on that, though," the woman groaned again. "I'm Adisa Chuke."

"Alex Ward, Robin DeVerl's the pinky by your head, and Elle Berkmans' the blonde. Pleasure to meet you… sorry it's in such shitty circumstances. I worried the cage would move, but even though we tied it down with six different lines, it still wasn't enough when the bars started moving."

"'S… 'S'kay," she murmured. "Tried. I'll… live. Probably. Gotta pee. Machop… Machop might be strong enough to… just snap it. He's my Starter."

"Okay," Alex nodded, then turned to look over his shoulder at the woman's Pokémon, which were standing in a cluster with his and his friend's grouping up loosely around them. Not enough to be threatening, but it didn't escape his notice that Cock, Lingus, and even Loki were visibly keeping an eye on the newcomers. "Hey, big guy. You look pretty strong- think you can break this lock?"

"Cho… Ma-op."

"It's okay," Adisa croaked, "Just try it, Machop. I can't break it on my own."

"Cho… op, chop." With that declaration, whatever the Pokémon had said, Elle giggled as the short, frog-faced humanoid flexed, revealing bulging muscles, then pattered to Alex. Machop hesitated, glaring up at Alex accusingly… before he reached out with one hand and almost casually pushed Alex onto his side with a single shove.

"Hey!"

By the time Alex had gotten back to his knees next to the dark-skinned woman, the Pokémon was standing more or less right where he was. She wasn't looking at the Fighting-type with any sort of judgment or accusation, unlike him. Robin and Elle were suddenly overcome with a fit of giggles despite the situation, so they were no help.

Alex sighed, then turned his attention to what the shackled woman was attending to: The Pokémon trying to free her. Four fingers and a thumb, times two, twisted around first the loop of chain fixing the shackle to the bar, which looked like it had been welded in place. This cage truly was, Alex suspected, meant for holding people. Perhaps large Pokémon, but it was too convenient to hold someone of Adisa's size.

However, twist, pry, and pull as he might, even the strong Pokémon couldn't make the chain bend even a little.

"Try the shackle," Adisa said softly, "Don't worry about hurting me. A broken ankle will heal."

"Chop!"

"Just do it… I'll live," Adisa repeated, glaring at her own Starter, now.

She hissed in pain as the elevated leg was moved, pushed against the side of the metal ring, and again when the Pokémon turned her whole leg to try and get better leverage. For ten full minutes, which must have been torture for the captive, the Machop strained, until even his mighty, if small, body beaded with sweat and exertion… but he had barely been able to make the shackle bend even a tiny bit.

"Remind me to buy some lock picks next time we're in a city," Elle muttered, "'Cause I'm not great, but I can pick locks."

"Good idea," Robin added quietly, "I'm gonna stock up on Break Heals, too. Worst-case, we could go all-out and just have her down a few of those to fix a broken ankle."

"That's a thing?" Alex asked, looking up, "I thought they did away with the Broken Bone mechanic in Gen Nineteen?"

"Bones break in real life," Robin shrugged, "This isn't a game, remember?"

"Yeah, but-"

Adisa sighed, "I already figured it out… you don't have to hide from me. Rocket… called me an Invader… too many times."

But the Machop refused, growling even at Adisa now, as he gestured at her ankle, which was already bruised and swollen, even bloody.

That was still the case when Alex came back with a pair of tent-poles, sturdy ones, from the ruins of the tents left behind. "Leverage," he said quietly, offering one to the Machop.

Who looked at him suspiciously… but as Alex's other hand inserted his own into the gap between shackle and bars, the Machop seemed to understand. Alex still had to help guide the Pokémon as it pushed its own into the opposite side, but Machop at least listened when Alex said, "Okay, I'm heavier, so I'll pull down- you push up. The bars of the cage should give it enough counter-leverage to snap the- wait, wait, better idea. Lock picks it is. Hold on, let's do this."

Alex took the rod back, prompting another wary hiss from the Machop, which he tried to ignore despite knowing a single Low Kick would probably break his knees- both of them. Instead, he focused on fixing the two together, then turned toward the four Bug Pokémon. "Hey, can you guys wrap like, fifty or so webs around this whole middle section? I want it to be as strong as you can make it. In fact, the whole thing except the end, here."

It took another few minutes, but with the four of them working together, Adisa had only grumbled once about really needing to take a piss when Alex shoved the end not into the shackle, but the chain, and started walking around the ruined cage. "See, since the chain is looped there around that piece, it can't pull on the shackle. This will just pull on itself, I think… now if we can just push hard enough…"

All-told, the improvised pry-bar was just over eight feet long, and only four inches or so of the reinforced end was through the loop of chain. But with Alex standing on the end, even as he pushed with all he could manage, his feet sliding in the dirt, it wasn't enough.

Robin, too, added her own not-inconsiderable strength… and it at least started to groan, with metal fatigue starting to cause faint pings in the chain.

Alex just hoped it was the chain, not the bar, or they'd both be eating dirt and metal from the cage for days.

Then the Machop appeared opposite him, facing him, looking up at him with still-wary, almost accusing eyes. Is he gonna headbutt my nuts…?

It turned out, no. No, Machop wasn't.

Because the Superpower Pokémon grabbed the rod, too, though it was slightly higher than his head, and pulled, heaving himself backward, adding about fifty pounds of weight and many hundreds of foot-pounds of strength.

The bar squealed, and bent…

With one last, high-pitched, almost squealing ting!, the chain snapped. Alex fell forward, Robin staggered, the angry Machop fell onto his back.

Somehow, two feet hit Alex's gut, and the Machop performed a perfect rolling throw in an instant, sending him a half-dozen feet through the air to crash shoulder- and head-first into the mud at the edge of the stream with a groan.

When he'd cleared the stars from his eyes and stood up, still a bit shaky, the woman was on her feet, the Machop hugging one leg desperately as she patted his head-ridges, her other Pokémon around her, even the surly-looking Geodude looked quite pleased that she was free.

"Another Softboiled, please, Bliss," Robin murmured, then looked at him, tired, but happy too. "Make that two, Alex will probably need more than just a blowjob as a pick-me-up."

Adisa chuckled, glanced at him, then ladies, then down at her team, "I guess we're all pervs, huh?"

Elle grinned, "Well, we did join an adult Beta… even if that's not really what's going on."

"Yeah, about that," Adisa muttered, "I don't trust you. Not one bit. So thanks for breaking me out, but I'm outta here. Come on, guys."

"Wait… what?"

"Mostly her," Adisa clarified, jabbing a finger at Robin. "Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the healing- both times. But you knowing my name before we ever met was creepy as hell… whoever's side you're on, it isn't mine. Just- do us all a favor, and stay out of my way. Taking down Rocket's gonna be hard enough without other players bugging me."

"Wait!" Elle cried, but the woman ignored her, even as Elle walked a good thirty feet after her, calling again and again.

Eventually, she turned and asked, "Do I need to sick my Pokémon on you to get you to leave me alone? Again, thanks for the rescue. I appreciate it. But I'm not willing to get myself killed keeping other people alive again. So, good bye."

Elle sighed, and slowed down, watching as the woman and her team walked away, back toward Cerulean City with just a faint limp on Adisa's end.

Alex, though, was more concerned with Robin.

Robin, who looked very confused, even stricken. "I knew she looked familiar, but… Alex… why can't I remember her? She knows me. She said she did. I didn't know her name until she said it, though. Have we… met, before? If we did, why can't I remember?"