Happy New Year! Sorry I didn't upload this yesterday, but I was very busy. I ended up spending the remainder of my 2024 playing Dungeons and Dragons with some friends. We ended up fighting a dinosaur in a museum, and one of us killed it right as the clock struck midnight. Anyway, this one should hopefully be somewhat planned out. I had another idea for this one, then as I sat down to write it, I came up with another one. Here's hoping it works out, and I get this out on New Year's Day. Anyway, enjoy.
Chapter 70:
Lilycove Litigation
Max is taking a big risk, and he knows it. He had another plan for the Lilycove contest, but he wasn't sure where to go with it. Now that he has Flygon, he has a much better idea for this contest. However, they're roughly two days away from Lilycove, and \max is coming up with a new idea from scratch. So, he begins to work hard on this, hoping to put together enough of a plan to win the contest and earn his 3rd ribbon. He is unsure about this decision, so he keeps his old plan as a backup, in case this one isn't read. If it comes down to that, he'll simply use his plan with Flygon in the next contest. That is, if he's able to win this one. There are only two possible contest he could win after this one, so if he fails this one, he's out of the running for the Ribbon Cup. Just thinking about Harley's smug grin, insulting him and his sister's abilities made his blood boil, and pushed him to keep going like nothing else.
A day before they're supposed to arrive in Lilycove, they stop at a Pokémon Centre for the night. As they enter, Max spots a familiar set of hair ringlets sitting at one of the booths. Smiling at this, Max points them out. Bonnie nods, understanding what he's talking about. Then, the two of them walk over and Max puts a hand on the girl with the ringlets' shoulder. The girl jumps a bit and spins around, spotting who tapped her. Shauna's face goes from "You have minus 3 seconds to get your hand off of my shoulder before I knock your lights out," to, "Oh, it's just you," so fast, it's like she swapped out a mask. "Oh, hi Max, hi Bonnie," she says cheerily. "When did you get here?" "Just now," Max replies. "I spotted your ringlets in the crowd." At that moment, Tierno comes up to them, carrying a tray with his recently healed pokémon on it. He's noticeably thinner than he was when Max first met him, but he's still on the heavier side. Tierno notices Max and Bonnie's surprise and grins. "I look good right?" he asks. "Shauna's regime has really helped. I've never felt better!" He sits down next to her and kisses her on the cheek, which makes Shauna blush. Max and Bonnie smile at this, then sit down on the other end of the table.
The four of them spend a bit of time catching each other up on the goings-on in their lives since they saw each other. Shauna watches Max and Bonnie for a bit, a smirk growing more and more on her face. Eventually she asks, "So, did you two finally start dating yet?" Like clockwork, both of them go bright red. But, before either of them can begin denying it and dodging accusations, Max's ears catch a familiar name coming from the TV. Looking over, he sees the news reporter is talking about a press conference that Ammon Donovan held a few days ago. "For those who missed it, we have a brief replay of it now," Then, the video changes, and Ammon's face appears on the TV screen. "As I'm sure you've probably heard," he's saying, "there was an attempt on my life a few days ago. A Skuntank was hypnotised, and sprayed Poison Powder into my tent as a means to poison me. Thanks to the help of my friends, I was able to stop the creature from doing any lasting damage! It is also thanks to some amazing sleuthing by an unknown source, calling herself The Blaziken Mask, that I know who attempted it. It was Team Terra!"
People in the audience of the conference gasp at this, and immediately begin whispering to each other about why they'd do something like that to someone who shares their ambitions. Several people in the Pokémon Centre do the same. "The reason for this is simple," Ammon goes on. "They were trying to frame an opponent of mine, Karl Abaddon, for the attempted murder. And I almost fell for it. As much as I hate him, I couldn't bear the thought of an innocent man going to prison. So, that is why I am addressing this now. Team Terra do not speak for all eco warriors! They are a selfish band of criminals, using our noble cause to commit acts of evil! And I cannot stand for it!" Ammon's declaration is met with rapturous applause, and the image cuts back to the newswoman.
"Wow, I never thought Team Terra would be so desperate that they'd pull something like that," Shauna comments. "Welcome to our world," Max says. Shauna's eyes widen at that. "Oh yeah," she remarks, "you're still being chased by those weirdos aren't you?" Both Max and Bonnie nod. "They've been driving us crazy!" Bonnie agrees. "I just wish they'd give up at this point!" The four of them continue to talk about Team Terra and some of the really dumb ways they tried to capture them. Unbeknownst to them, some of the patrons of the Pokémon Centre have been keeping an eye on them ever since they entered the building. One of them, a woman with fluffy pink hair, smirks at them. "We won't be giving up anytime soon. In fact, I'd say tomorrow, victory will be ours!"
The next morning, Maxx, Bonnie, Tierno, and Shauna leave the Pokémon Centre fairly early, so that Max and Tierno can take on the contest. The distance to Lilycove is about a two hour walk, which gives Max enough time to fine tune his plans before they arrive in the town. At least, that's what he's hoping. He and Flygon work on their movements, while also making sure that Tierno can't see them. He doesn't want to give his plans away to the competition, even if Tierno is his friend. In turn, Tierno also finalises his appeals round performance, making sure that Max can't see it. In fact, Max can't even see which pokémon he's using. He can only hope that it isn't Blastoise, or he can consider his time in the Contests over. While they do that, Shauna and Bonnie spend some time talking. Namely, Shauna is trying to figure out just why Bonnie, the self-proclaimed expert of romance, hasn't even tried asking Max out yet. But, Bonnie responds to all of her questions with, "We're still a bit young," and, "What if he doesn't feel the same?"
Eventually, they arrive in Lilycove. For some reason, the main street is empty. This immediately sets Max and Bonnie on edge. Remembering Fortree and the trap Team Terra laid for them there, the pair keep an eye out for any sign of the nefarious group. Tierno and Shauna notice their strange behaviour, and decide it's probably safer to follow suit. Max already has Flygon out thanks to his training, so the others move to pull out theirs. But before they get the chance to, Max takes a step forward. In an instant, several Team Terra agents appear out of nowhere, all pointing their guns at the group. The four of them all freeze. One agent steps out from the shadows, and Max recognises her as Sub-Admin S. "Put the pokémon away Maple," she tells him. "Or we will open fire." Max smirks at this. "You won't actually do that," he says, hoping to call her bluff. "You need me." S chuckles at this. "Now, what gave you the idea that we were aiming for you?" she asks.
At this, Max takes a closer look at where the guns are pointing. With a pang of horror, he realises that all of them are pointing at Bonnie. S clearly sees his horror on his face. "That's right Maple," she says gloatingly. "One false step, and we riddle your friend with holes. So, put the pokémon away, and come with us." Max looks worriedly around the street. There's no one there, no one who can help them. He looks at Bonnie, who subtly shakes her head. Max sighs, knowing what he has to do. "Flygon," she says, pulling out her ball, "Sandstorm!" Before anyone has any time to react, Flygon whips up a sandstorm, obscuring everyone's view. Max immediately pulls Bonnie to the ground, just as both Tierno and Shauna try to do the same for each other. What happens instead is the two of them crash into each other and fall to the floor. As soon as all of them hit the ground, gunfire can be heard over their heads.
Max can barely see in front of him, but he can just about make out the faces of his friends. He indicates to them to follow him, then begins to crawl into one of the nearby alleys. He rounds the corner and ducks behind a convenient bin. Bonnie, Tierno and Shauna sneak in after him. Just as the four of them manage to hide, the Sandstorm is blown away by one of Team Terra's pokémon. "Spread out and find them!" S orders. "They can't have gone far!" They hear the sounds of a large group of people fanning out in different directions, searching for them. Two such footsteps start walking down their alley, which causes Max to start panicking. He's about to suggest they run, When Tierno and Shauna look at each other. They nod, then ready themselves. Before either Max or Bonnie can ask what they're doing, the pair of them pounce. They tackle the two agents to the ground and manage to knock them out before either of them could even scream. But, they still made a bit of noise, because someone at the end of the alley says, "What was that?" The four of them panic and begin to try to think of a way out. But before anyone can do anything, another voice cries out, "Swampert, Hydro Pump!"
Risking a glance, Max peeks around the bin he's hiding behind. Out on the main street, he sees some agents being sprayed by a large jet of water. He runs out onto the main street to find Champion Brendan standing there, in front of a small crowd of angry residents. "So, you're the ones causing trouble in Lilycove," he says. "Well, as Champion, I cannot stand for this. So, you have two choices. 1, get out of this city right now, or 2, I arrest you all right now! Your choice!" Sub-Admin S makes a show of thinking about Brenden's offer. Then, she raises her gun. "I'll take the third option," she says. "Where you piss of and leave us to our business, or I blow your fucking head off." Brendan sighs and shrugs. "I tried to help you," he says. "But if you won't accept it, then I have no choice." He turns to the small crowd behind him. "Get them!"
Instantly, the large crowd charges at Team Terra, all pulling out strong pokémon. Team Terra try shooting them, but Brendan manages to stop all the bullets with his Steelix. Max, Bonnie, Tierno, and Shauna look at each other, then join the fray. Max uses Flygon to kick sand in various agents' eyes, While Bonnie has Dedenne running around their legs in his Mega form. stunning anyone of them that he touches. Tierno is getting into physical fights with some, while Shauna dances around them, knocking them on the backs of their heads with bricks, sticks, and anything else she can find. Sub-Admin S tries to regain control of the situation, but Brendan and his backup have completely overwhelmed Team Terra's forces. "Everyone retreat!" S calls. Her cronies that are still conscious follow this order and bid a hasty retreat. As she runs away, she spots Max in the crowd. "Mark my words Max Maple, we will have your knowledge on our side!" Then, she turns and runs away. Not that anyone is listening. They're all too busy celebrating their victory over Team Terra. Well, all except 1. As everyone else congratulates each other, Brendan stares after the Sub-Admin's retreating back. There's something about the way she said his "knowledge" that bothers him. But, he decides to leave it for now. He'll have The Blaziken Mask look into it later.
I should just stop jinxing myself in the opening notes. And yeah, that was an abrupt ending, but I ran out of ideas, and I needed something for the next chapter. But yeah, it's been a hot minute since Brendan was in this story, so I decided to throw him in here. These in between gym chapters are getting harder to write. But not as bad as they were in Kalos. I genuinely believe that this story would be a whole lot more popular if I'd written that one right. Anyway, enough of my self-deprecation, see you in the next one.