I did it again! No matter how hard I try, I just cannot write small all of a sudden. Hence the 10,000 word chapter. Then again, it did help that I had two weeks to write this instead of one - more on that at the bottom.
Copperajah stood at attention, watching as Chairman Rose scribbled his signature on a paper for what felt like the millionth time today. His trainer was a busy man, even more so with the Galar Gym Challenge mere weeks away. Normally, Rose's days were filled with signing of papers, public appearances, various calls, and the odd bit of leisure he could sneak in amidst all the work - as such, most of the time Copperajah, along with the rest of Rose's team, were free to do as they wished.
Copperajah. Bronzong. Perrserker. Klinklang. Escavalier. Ferrothorn. The first three had served Rose through his Galarian Gym Challenge, all the way up to his second-place finish in the Champion Cup. And despite being caught later, on Rose's soul-searching trip to Unova in the wake of his finals loss, the latter three had proven themselves equally valuable members of the team. When Rose had ascended to Chairman of the Galar region, a position which he knew would leave very little time for Pokemon training, he'd released his entire team and offered them a choice - leave or stay. Some had chosen to leave, but the six of them had chosen to stay.
The Unovan Pokemon preferred to roam during the day, and Perrserker did so as well, but Bronzong and Copperajah often remained by Rose's side. The former served as Rose's translator, the latter as Rose's primary protector, a duty both Copperajah and Bronzong took very seriously.
Now, Copperajah spotted Bronzong floating up to Rose. "You need not work yourself so hard, Rose," the Steel/Psychic-type urged. "There still remains over a week until the Gym Challenge begins."
"I know, Bronzong," said Rose tiredly. "But you know it's not just this that must be done."
"I am aware," said Bronzong. "But you have others to pick up the slack on other fronts, do you not? Oleana can handle the experiments, and your protege is perfectly capable of taking care of himself."
"Bede needs guidance," Rose protested. "The Wishing Stars aren't going to find themselves."
"You have enough Wishing Stars, Rose," Bronzong pointed out. "What Bede needs to focus on is training for the Gym Challenge. If he is to be the next Champion, then you need to let him stop searching for Wishing Stars and start concentrating on improving his strength. You need not micromanage everything. You know I do not generally insist on things, but I feel inclined to insist that you get some rest."
Rose sighed, placing his head in his hands. "How can I rest when I know Galar's future depends on everything going according to plan?" he asked. "If just one thing goes wrong, there will be chaos. And…"
"Bronzong." Copperajah cut in. "Footsteps, down the hall."
Bronzong quickly relayed Copperajah's information to Rose, who quickly looked towards the door in time to see Leon dashing in. Copperajah was at once taken aback by how scared the Champion looked. "Rose," he said, practically flinging his Pokedex onto Rose's desk. He said nothing more as Rose picked up the Pokedex; swiftly, Copperajah stepped over to look as well.
Instantly the Steel-type's eyes widened. The scene laid out before him looked like one of those Pokestar Studios disaster movies - the smoking ruins of a derailed passenger train. Numerous firemen and police officers were already on the scene, the former quenching the fires with the aid of their Cramorant, Drednaw, and Barraskewda, the latter searching the overturned train cars for survivors. A news crawl scrolled by quickly at the bottom of the Pokedex; Copperajah caught the words '50 dead, 27 wounded' and took a step back. Dear Arceus…
Rose squeezed his eyes shut as if trying to block the image from his view. "This is the last thing we needed…" he murmured.
Leon's hand slammed down on the desk; Rose and his two Pokemon jerked in response, quickly looking back up at the suddenly very angry-looking Champion. "My brother is on that train," he said, clearly trying to rein in his temper.
Rose understood immediately. "Go," he urged. "And I'll send a response team immediately."
"Thank you, Rose." Leon snatched his Pokedex off the desk and rushed out of the room as quickly as he'd come in.
Rose heaved another sigh. "So much for getting some rest," he murmured. "Bronzong, contact Oleana and tell her to dispatch a group of Macro Cosmos Rail Workers to the site of the crash."
"Yes, Rose." There was a distinct urgency in Bronzong's voice as he swiftly floated out of the room after Leon.
"And Copperajah?" Rose's countenance darkened. "Find Teller-Of-Tales and bring him here. It seems he and I need to have a talk about the current state of affairs…"
To put it bluntly, Teller-Of-Tales was furious.
He tried not to show it. He'd learned over many years of being a member of the Heralds that excessive emotion was pointless. That it made you look weak. But it was hard not to when staring down the Absol who, over the course of the past twelve hours, had quite possibly done more damage to Teller-Of-Tales' cause than Bringer-Of-Visions had done since the renegade movement had started. Especially since said Absol looked entirely unapologetic.
"What were you thinking?" Teller-Of-Tales snarled.
"I took a risk," said Arbiter-Of-Fates. "It did not pay off due to the unexpected arrival of one Pokemon Hunter J. Her ship was well-shielded, and I did not see it coming, but without her intervention you would now be rid of Marcus's potential threat."
"You caused a train crash," Teller-Of-Tales growled. "Rose has already approached me with the news. Preliminary casualty reports are coming up with at least fifty dead, and more are being found."
"So?" Arbiter-Of-Fates asked flippantly. "If Giratina rises, the whole world dies. Anything less than that is an acceptable trade."
"Let's pretend for a moment that I agree with that," Teller-Of-Tales growled. "Let's pretend that I'm like you, willing to cause any amount of casualties if it was for the sake of removing potential obstacles to our plan. Let me make something very clear - we are not working by ourselves. We are in an alliance with the Chairman of Galar. The same Chairman who is responsible for the lives and livelihoods of Galar's population. How do you think he feels about us murdering fifty - possibly more - of his people?"
"It's not like he knows it was us," Arbiter-Of-Fates pointed out.
"Considering that Rose has just informed me, in no uncertain terms, that he's calling off our alliance if we do anything like this again," said Teller-Of-Tales, "I have a feeling he does, in fact, know it was us."
Arbiter-Of-Fates frowned. "That is not knowledge he is meant to have. Curious…we'll have to investigate this further."
Teller-Of-Tales felt like tearing his own fur out. "Forget Rose's level of knowledge - I specifically said that you were not to attack Marcus on the train."
"I am aware of what you said," Arbiter-Of-Fates replied. "I did not agree with your decision. I believed you were being shortsighted, and I chose to take matters into my own paws."
"And your impulsiveness," Teller-Of-Tales growled, "has resulted in the chance of Marcus interfering with our plan going to 100%. Your impulsiveness has resulted in relations with our primary benefactor becoming significantly more strained. Your impulsiveness has resulted in the deaths of at least fifty innocent humans and Pokemon, and the loss of one of our own. I recruited you because I felt your power and experience would be useful to our cause. But no amount of strength is worth this. So I have no further need for your services. Get out of my sight."
Arbiter-Of-Fates chuckled unexpectedly. "Shortsighted as ever," she murmured. "You really think you can just kick me out? What makes you think I won't just go straight to Bringer-Of-Visions? I'm sure she'd greatly appreciate learning where you're hiding, who you're working with, and especially what your plans are. Not to mention that I have allies, as you have just seen. I was easily able to recruit three of your renegade Heralds to aid me in my assault on the train. Tell me, Teller-Of-Tales, how many of your own Absols can you trust now? How many are you certain won't follow me out?"
Teller-Of-Tales glared venomously at Arbiter-Of-Fates. Arbiter-Of-Fates chuckled again. "You're stuck with me, Teller-Of-Tales," she said. "Now don't mistake this for a betrayal. Your goal is a worthy one, and I will do everything in my power to ensure it comes to pass. And for what it's worth, you are right that drawing Rose's ire is not conducive to the success of your plan. But I refuse to merely serve as one of your tools. Rather, I would greatly appreciate it if we instead pursued a more equal partnership."
"And what does that mean?" Teller-Of-Tales asked.
"Simply that you run your plans by me first," said Arbiter-Of-Fates. "Rather than all this petty mid-meeting arguing and disobedience of orders, let's just agree on what plans we will follow. Is that acceptable to you?"
"It is," Teller-Of-Tales agreed reluctantly; knowing Arbiter-Of-Fates was right about being unable to get rid of her, he had to admit that this was likely the best deal he'd get. At least, with any luck, he wouldn't have to deal with this kind of disobedience again.
"Excellent," said Arbiter-Of-Fates. "Now, let us concentrate first on how Rose was able to obtain information that he shouldn't have been able to. Do I have your permission to begin efforts to spy on the Chairman?"
"Granted," said Teller-Of-Tales, a little bit of confidence seeping back into his mind. Nodding approvingly, Arbiter-Of-Fates finally turned and began to step down the hall. Teller-Of-Tales watched her go, a thin smile coming to his lips, for he knew her spying on Rose would likely turn up very little information.
It wasn't like Arbiter-Of-Fates' intentions had been subtle. After yesterday's meeting, Teller-Of-Tales had had a feeling that the older renegade would disobey his orders. And so it had been he who had tipped Rose off on the possible attack that would be taking place on the early morning train out of Wedgehurst today. Ensured that he would send his agent to shadow that train, giving Marcus a much higher chance of survival. No amount of spywork would be able to uncover that.
Hunter J, though…Teller-Of-Tales frowned at the name. Of course he knew who she was, and the fact that Rose had chosen her of all people to act as his agent was surprising to the renegade leader. She didn't exactly seem like the protective type. Though, to be fair, she was powerful - perhaps that had been Rose's main reason for hiring her.
I trust the Chairman knows what he's doing. With that thought, Teller-Of-Tales turned and departed the hallway as well, moving in the opposite direction that Arbiter-Of-Fates had gone.
Arbiter-Of-Fates would not admit it, especially not to Teller-Of-Tales, but she knew full well her plan had failed miserably.
Leaper-Of-Realities was far too valuable of an asset to waste so carelessly. Teller-Of-Tales was entirely correct that Rose needed to be kept happy, or else the plan would almost certainly fall apart. And her own conduct during the assault had been, to put it bluntly, less than exemplary.
She'd spent far too much time toying with both her foes. The Fearow should never have been able to stall her for as long as she had, and the only reason she'd been pushed to her limits against Medicham was because she'd let her guard down, gotten overconfident, and not actually started trying until she was already weakened from multiple attacks. And, Arbiter-Of-Fates knew, it had been downright stupid of her to gloat. She should never have let Medicham recover while she'd been hanging off the side of the train, and she should have just finished her off while she was paralyzed instead of explaining her point of view to a Pokemon who was about to die seconds later.
So many years of inactivity has made me far too soft. Arbiter-Of-Fates shook her head. I will not make the same mistakes next time. When we meet again, Medicham, there will be no pointless speechifying, no overconfidence.
When we meet again, I will kill you. That is a promise.
J had worked quickly. Within a minute she'd had a group of men teleport down from the airship (which, apparently, was owned by her) to aid in the search for Marcus, and five minutes after that, Marcus, Hop, Gloria, and their respective teams had been located and extracted in their entirety.
Marcus and all of Medicham's teammates had been understandably unconscious, as had Hop and Gloria; Medicham was pretty sure Hop and Gloria's Pokemon had been kept safe in their Pokeballs, but she hadn't seen any of them released before J had ordered them teleported onto her ship. She'd ordered Medicham to rest as well, pointing out that she was just as wounded as the rest of the team was, and so Medicham had allowed herself to be brought along with Marcus and the rest of his team to a secluded 'recovery room', as J put it. Medicham didn't know where Gloria and Hop had been taken - most likely to a different recovery room - and, come to think of it, hadn't seen anyone since, not even J.
The whole process had barely taken fifteen minutes; compared to that, waiting for Marcus and the rest of the team to wake up had felt like an eternity. But at last they all had, aided by a few Full Restores that J had been able to procure, and now they were all sitting in a sort of circle in the recovery room, conversing, Marcus on the edge of the bed he'd been given and the rest of the team on the nearby floor. As usual, Medicham was telepathically translating the entire conversation to Marcus.
"Well," said Kriesh, "we're all still alive, thank Arceus."
A general murmur of agreement came from all around. "What even happened?" Houndoom asked. "One moment it seemed like we were out of immediate danger, the next we were in the middle of a train crash."
"Arbiter-Of-Fates," Medicham explained. "I'd gotten her on the back foot…she took out the whole train when she realized she might not be able to beat me."
"So these Absols can do that," Liepard remarked. "Mon dieu…I thought the one blasting us with superpowered Dark Pulses was bad…"
"Not ta mention the one fast enough ta blitz across half a train car in under a second," Drapion growled.
"Or the one strong enough to come out on top in a melee clash against Pangoro's fists," Kamado added.
"Arceus…" Kriesh muttered. "What in Distortion have we gotten ourselves into this time?"
"Hey, we've fought worse," Cloyster said soothingly.
"Yeah, and we beat these guys, don't forget!" Trevenant pointed out cheerfully.
"We didn't," Medicham retorted. "Arbiter-Of-Fates won. She would've had free rein to kill Marcus if J hadn't rescued us."
"J?" The shocked utterance of the name from Liepard's mouth instantly set the entire rest of the team on edge, not helped by Marcus's clear expression of alarm at the sound of the name as well. "You can't mean Hunter J?"
"You've had experience with her?" Medicham asked.
Liepard muttered a quiet curse in native Kalosian. "I wasn't around for most of the Plasma War," she said, "but I know she worked with Team Plasma for a while."
Medicham grimaced. She knew exactly what Team Plasma was. Honestly, with the henchmen and the black airship, I had a feeling J wasn't the nicest person…but I'd hoped she'd at least be friendly. Now I'm not so sure if this is a rescue or a trap.
Trevenant raised a hand. "Uh…being two thousand years old and all, you'd think I would have heard of whoever this is…but I haven't. So could you please enlighten me?"
Medicham nodded, grateful that Trevenant had finally asked the question that everyone else in the room seemed to be dying to ask themselves.
Liepard sighed. "Hunter J is the single most notorious Pokemon poacher in the entire world," she said. At that virtually the entire team stiffened; Kriesh and Houndoom especially looked a lot more nervous than they already had. "Not just the UPW, the entire world. She's the International Police's #1 most wanted criminal - there have been entire operations designed specifically to bring her down, and she's escaped every last one. I've never seen her in person, but I've heard far too many stories on my wanderings. The fact that we are on her ship means that we're likely in just as much danger as we were on that train."
Medicham gulped. Definitely leaning more towards the 'trap' side of things…
"Why would someone like that help us?" Kamado asked, clearly puzzled.
"I don't know," growled Liepard, "but make no mistake, she is not on our side. We cannot trust her, no matter what."
"Then why don't we just take her down ourselves?" Pangoro pounded his fists together.
"That Mega Salamence of hers sent Arbiter-Of-Fates fleeing with her tail between her legs," said Medicham. "The same Arbiter-Of-Fates that I was only barely keeping up with. And she's probably got a full team of monsters just like him, plus this airship and its entire crew, and from what I can tell she's by no means powerless in a fight herself. And don't forget we're on her airship - she's probably got security systems that make the Kalos Pokemon League look like a pillow fort. Distortion, I bet we're being watched and listened in on right now."
That sobering thought set the rest of the team to uneasy glances around the room. At last the silence was broken by Marcus. "It's pretty likely she already has the Absol we captured. The Ultra Ball I used on him is gone."
This was something Medicham hadn't realized - she must have missed that during the evacuation - and it did not help her mood, nor did it help the mood of the rest of the team either. Medicham decided it was prudent to speak up. "What do we do now?" she asked Marcus.
"We play along."
The rest of the team turned to look at Marcus. "If she was going to steal you," he said, "she would've happily done so and left me stranded on that train. I know we can't trust her, Liepard…but she did save us. And there has to be a reason for that. So until something changes, I don't think we have a choice aside from going with whatever plan J has."
As if on cue, the door to the recovery room hissed open, revealing a brown-haired woman dressed in a dark gray vest and an only slightly lighter gray long-sleeved shirt. "Hello, Gym Leader Marcus Grayson," the woman said. "My name is Maya. I have been asked by my superior, Pokemon Hunter J, to escort you to the bridge."
Medicham watched nervously from the inside of her Luxury Ball as Marcus followed Maya through the hallways of J's airship. She'd been through these hallways and on the bridge before - they'd teleported onto the bridge before J's men had taken Marcus to the recovery room - but at that point Medicham had still been thinking of J as, if not a friend, at least a rescuer and an ally. Now she wasn't certain if the Pokemon poacher wasn't going to just try and steal all of Marcus's Pokemon, and so every step closer to the bridge brought a new shivering in Medicham's gut.
"Marcus," she said telepathically as the door to the bridge came into view, "if this comes to a fight, get the rest of the team out first."
"If this comes to a fight, we're all getting out," Marcus retorted as they reached the door.
It opened before them, revealing the full expanse of the bridge of J's airship.
Maya swiftly began making her way towards the front of the bridge, allowing Marcus and Medicham to take in the rest of the area. J herself was standing very close to the door, in the center of a large console that occupied much of the back half of the bridge; on the right and left sides of the same console were two near identical-looking men, both with shaved heads and wearing similar outfits to Maya. Another man, this one with bushy blonde hair, was standing towards the front of the bridge at another console; it was to this man's left that Maya sat down.
J turned to face Marcus, her expression unreadable. There was no question that the Pokemon Hunter was fully prepared for a fight, for six Pokemon that Medicham assumed to be her full team were arrayed in various positions near her. All seemed to be lounging, but looking around Medicham could see all six were clearly ready to surge into battle the instant they were called.
The Salamence was standing closest to J; he'd turned around practically the instant Marcus had entered and now had his left wing spread out protectively to cover J, clearly ready to harden it with some sort of defense should any attack be aimed at his Trainer. Next to the bridge's back wall, standing on one side of the door, was a burly Darmanitan, a disconcerting grin on its face as its eyes fixed themselves on Marcus; on the other side of the door was a Drapion, and the sight of that was clearly making Marcus's Drapion uneasy, for his Luxury Ball was noticeably trembling. A web of white string could be seen strung together on one corner of the cockpit's ceiling, and in the center of that crouched a spindly Ariados, its pincers clicking in a way that sent shivers down Medicham's spine, while in the other corner, down on the floor, a detritus-covered Dhelmise leaned against a wall in the midst of a small pile of chains, seeming practically inert if not for the spinning of its eye-like compass. And floating serenely next to J, slowly bobbing up and down as it gazed at Marcus with two round eyes, was a tiny Carbink, looking completely out of place next to its significantly more monstrous-looking teammates.
"You know who I am." J's voice was just as matter-of-fact as Medicham remembered. "And I know who you are, so let's get to the point. I have been offered a large sum by an interested party to capture a group of twenty Absols residing in this region. That same party offered a sizable bonus for your continued safety until such time as that job is complete. Judging by that, plus numerous factors at the site of the train crash I hauled your unconscious body out of, I believe that we have a common enemy."
Marcus gave a measured nod in response.
"So let's make a deal," said J. "You provide me with what information you have on these Absols, and ensure that my presence in Galar remains a secret so I don't have to deal with unnecessary complications. In return, I'll take you and your…entourage…as far as Motostoke, and I'll make sure you stay alive. Is that acceptable?"
"What about Hop and Gloria?" Marcus asked.
"I did mention your entourage," J pointed out. "They are both alive, albeit being kept under sedation along with their Pokemon - children are far more likely to leak information than adults, after all."
"Where?"
"I did not call you up here to be bombarded with questions, Gym Leader Marcus," said J. "I came to offer you a deal. Do you accept?"
Medicham narrowed her eyes. She'd seen J's own eyes glitter as she described Hop and Gloria, and knew exactly what kind of threat the poacher was making - Hop, Gloria, and their Pokemon were completely in her power. Power that she could quite easily flex should Marcus refuse her deal.
Which is probably one of the reasons she brought them up here in the first place. We've only been on the bridge a minute, and she's already made it perfectly clear that she's holding all the cards.
"I accept," said Marcus.
J nodded shortly. "First, introductions," she said. "Your team first."
Quickly, Marcus ran through all his Pokemon, giving Kamado and Kriesh's names along with identifying their species. J nodded. "Acceptable," she said, then gestured to her Pokemon.
The Salamence spoke. "I am called Aeris," he stated; at his voice, the Carbink's gem-studded body glowed, and judging by Marcus's reaction the Rock/Fairy-type had just telepathically translated for its teammate.
"Name's Kochius," the Drapion growled, staring at Drapion's trembling Luxury Ball as if he could see the Pokemon within.
"Myrma." The Ariados shifted in her web, moving so delicately that the strands barely seemed to bend under the touch of her claws.
"I'm Bodhi." The Darmanitan's voice boomed outwards, as expected, and yet its volume was surprisingly low and menacing despite the expected bombast his tone seemed to indicate.
"My name is Ancora," the Dhelmise said lethargically, barely moving as it spoke, though the chains around it clanked with every word.
"And I'm Adamas!" The Carbink spoke last, its voice a good deal more enthusiastic than the rest of the team; Medicham was fairly certain the voice was female, but it vibrated and echoed so oddly that she couldn't quite tell.
"Bridge crew," J called. Maya had already introduced herself, but the other three now swiftly did the same; the bushy-haired blonde man was Nathaniel, and the near-identical twins on either side of J were Thomas and Timothy.
"Now that those are out of the way," said J, "I want information on the Absols. Their overall strength level, their capabilities, how they think, what they want."
"You already have the Absol I captured," Marcus pointed out.
J nodded shortly. "I prefer information from multiple sources if possible."
"Marcus?" Medicham asked, swiftly opening a private telepathic connection between her mind and his.
"What?" Marcus asked irritably. "Sorry, I'm just…a little on edge."
"I know, so am I," said Medicham. "But listen - we need to be careful with what we reveal to her. We can't mention Seeker-Of-Endings, or Betrayer-Of-Kin-"
"Your hesitation either indicates you're considering your options," said J, "or you're speaking with your telepathy-capable Medicham. My Carbink can listen in on such things, so I'd refrain from that if I were you."
And there's another card she had up her sleeve, Medicham griped to herself. Liepard was right - we are in just as much danger up here as we were down here. It's just a lot more subtle…which, of course, makes it a lot more terrifying.
"Right," said Marcus. "I think my Medicham's got more information then I do, to be honest. Medicham, are you all right with doing the bulk of the talking here?"
"Yes," Medicham said reluctantly. She didn't like it, but she knew Marcus was right - and besides, if she was the one talking, she was free to omit the information she didn't want J to know. Like everything about the Heralds - while stray thoughts of siccing the Pokemon poacher on Bringer-Of-Visions danced through her mind, she forced them out. That would open up a whole can of worms Medicham definitely did not want opened, no matter how tempting that idea was.
Marcus sent her out, giving Medicham a full view of J, her team, and everyone else on the bridge as all their eyes swiveled towards her. "So," she began, addressing the entire bridge telepathically, "let's start with Arbiter-Of-Fates, the Absol I was fighting. Her abilities, from what I could tell, seemed mainly based around combining luck manipulation with a held Scope Lens…"
Scorbunny remembered the screaming. Screaming of humans, Pokemon, and metal alike as the train car crumpled around them, steel twisting and glass shattering, heat and flames erupting from everywhere, with only the spherical barrier of Marcus's Cloyster separating Marcus, Hop, and Gloria from-
Gloria.
Scorbunny sat bolt upright. The first thing he realized was that he was still in his Pokeball. The second thing he realized was that the seal was off. Swiftly, Scorbunny shifted, glancing out of the crack in his Pokeball; what lay before him was a very clean-looking room, much unlike the surroundings of the destroyed train.
How long was I out?
Wait…when did I get knocked out?
He hadn't been knocked out in the crash itself; he'd been protected by his Pokeball. Vaguely, Scorbunny remembered peering out of his Pokeball at the wreckage. The seal had been on then - why was it off?
He remembered shifting. He remembered men coming in, men dressed in dark clothing, men who had placed something against the seal of Scorbunny's Pokeball, some sort of bottle, and then Scorbunny had begun to feel sleepy-
Oh, Arceus.
It wasn't hard to get out of an unsealed Pokeball. Swiftly, Scorbunny forced his way out and onto the table the Pokeball had been placed on. Quickly he looked around; his heart leaped into his throat as he saw Hop and Gloria lying unconscious side by side, clear masks fitted to their faces from which tubes extended, connecting them to what looked like a large canister. Similar tubes were connected to Grookey, Wooloo, and Bunnelby's Pokeballs, and yet another was dangling loose near Scorbunny's Pokeball; Scorbunny caught a whiff of something and immediately felt himself growing sleepy again, and quickly ducked away from the open end of the tube.
They're all being gassed…kept unconscious. And that's likely what's supposed to be happening to me as well…
Abruptly Scorbunny heard the sound of footsteps coming closer. As fast as he could, he dove off the table, maneuvering his body behind the nearest table leg and scrunching himself up as much as he could. He heard the door open and someone walk in. A male voice grunted. "Looks like one of the tubes got loose…hope whoever was in that Pokeball's still out…"
Scorbunny felt himself quivering uncontrollably as the footsteps came closer; he realized with a jolt that the man was coming around the side of the table to replace the tube. He'd easily be able to see Scorbunny cowering behind the table leg. Desperately, Scorbunny looked around for something, anything that could serve as a better hiding spot.
There! Some kind of cylindrical structure…but the only hole is in the top. If I go for it, he'll see me for sure…unless he's not looking.
I've only got one shot at this.
Holding his breath, Scorbunny peeked around the opposite side of the table leg. He spotted the man's booted feet moving closer and closer - in a few more seconds the man would see Scorbunny. Forming an Ember in his left hand, Scorbunny tossed it as fast as he could. It sped across the room and struck the wall next to the door.
"Huh?" The man twisted. Scorbunny was off so fast a Ninjask would have been proud. Crouching, he leaped as high as he could, and by some miracle he managed to gain the hole in the top of the cylinder before the man turned around.
It was only as he was falling in that Scorbunny realized the bottom of the cylinder was a lot further down than he'd expected.
Scorbunny couldn't quite hold in a shocked cry as he fell; he wasn't sure whether the man had heard or not, and anyway at this point that was the last thing on his mind. He flailed madly, trying to grab onto something, but the walls of the cylinder were smooth with no protrusions. Abruptly Scorbunny felt his back hit metal, some sort of slope; pain surged up Scorbunny's spine, and Scorbunny cried out again, not just in agony but in disgust as well. For as he began to slide down the slope, he could feel that this slope was absolutely filthy, covered in grime and some sort of smelly liquid.
This is a garbage chute, Scorbunny realized as he continued to slide. And now I'm just along for the ride.
Despite the grime, the chute was smooth enough that Scorbunny again couldn't find anything to grab onto and stop his slide. As he continued to slide into the darkness, Scorbunny's eyes began to pick up a light, slowly growing brighter as Scorbunny slid further. For a wild few moments he wondered if the chute just ended outside, and then the chute opened up and Scorbunny barely had time to register that he was tumbling into a very large room before he fell fifteen feet straight into a pile of trash.
Sputtering, Scorbunny scrambled out of the trash pile as quickly as he could. His foot sunk into something squishy and he quickly yanked it out, his eyes scanning and his paws scrabbling for anything that looked remotely solid. Finally, one of his paws touched metal; Scorbunny swiftly leaped onto what he now saw was some kind of metal tray, probably for serving food. The tray sank under Scorbunny's weight, but thankfully it stayed upright, finally allowing Scorbunny a place to rest and think for the moment.
As he looked around, Scorbunny realized that this room was a lot bigger than he'd expected. It was larger than the inside of Magnolia's lab back in Wedgehurst - not as tall, but much larger in terms of width and length. And it was absolutely filled with trash, to the extent that Scorbunny had no idea where exactly the floor was - for all he knew, the room was as tall, or even taller, than Magnolia's lab as well. The stench was appalling, and Scorbunny wasted no time in shaking off any pieces of garbage he'd carried onto the tray with him.
He was lost, separated from his Trainer and all his friends, stuck in the garbage dump of wherever he was, and in all likelihood whoever had been keeping him unconscious was now looking for him. Scorbunny felt like curling up into a ball and just waiting to be rescued - someone would find him down here, someone had to find him eventually - but deep in the back of his mind he knew that was foolish. Straining his eyes, and continuing to maintain his position on the metal tray, Scorbunny began to look around the room, searching for some way out.
Drapion was unsurprised that J's airship had a battle arena. On a ship this size, he would have been surprised if there hadn't been a battle arena.
"Welcome to the battle arena," said Maya; after he and Medicham had finished giving information to J, she'd been ordered to begin escorting him again, first to the mess hall to get some lunch (bland and tasteless, but filling), and then to the battle arena when Marcus had asked about that, if only because Maya had made it clear the alternative was being escorted back to his recovery room. Already Drapion could tell J was controlling Marcus's movement around the ship, trying her best to ensure the Gym Leader saw as few areas as possible.
That was fine with Drapion. To be perfectly honest, he didn't really want to see more areas of this ship than he had to.
"Your Pokemon are welcome to train here," Maya continued. "I have been ordered to submit my Pokemon to act as opponents if you require such a need. Please let me know if you have any questions." She spoke almost like a robot, barely emoting even as she released three Pokemon - a Skarmory, a Carnivine, and a Qwilfish - who promptly stood or floated stiffly and equally robotically at attention beside her.
"Thanks," said Marcus. "I'll…um…let you know."
Turning away from Maya, he released his team onto the hard floor of the battle arena. "All right, everyone, let's try and get some practice in. We'll see about specific things to practice for once we're off this ship - for now, just pair up and focus on strength and speed training. If you struggled during your fights on the train, then figure out why you struggled and ask yourself what you're going to do next time…"
Drapion felt Marcus's voice grow fainter and fainter in his head, replacing itself with angry thoughts. I get Marcus is trying to make us forget the situation. But there's no denying we've gone out of the frying pan and into the fire.
Maya had answered a few questions from Marcus already over lunch, and none of the answers had been good. This ship was, quite simply, a prison ship of sorts, mainly used for capturing and transporting Pokemon. It was well-geared and well-armed for precisely that, although Maya had refused to divulge exactly what armaments the ship had. She had divulged that J's crew numbered around fifty in all, and that each of them were allowed three Pokemon of their own - J was the only member of the crew who had a full team of six. She'd also said that many of J's men were recruits from former evil teams - Rocket, Galactic, Plasma, and even a few former Team Aqua Grunts who had chosen to stick with piracy. Drapion hated the very thought of being surrounded by people like that.
And, as if all that wasn't bad enough, J also had a Drapion. It shouldn't have infuriated him so much, but the Swarmlord's machinations had ensured that Drapion would have been quite happy to never have to lay eyes on another Drapion again. They all reminded him far too much of the Swarmlord for his liking. And the fact that this one just so happened to belong to the most notorious Pokemon poacher in the world was the cherry on top, so to speak.
Drapion blinked; dimly he registered that he'd been moving, and as he looked around he realized that he'd walked halfway across the battle arena, far away from Marcus and the rest of the team. A couple of his teammates were shooting worried glances at Drapion as they paired up with one another. Drapion sighed frustratedly. Can't believe I got so lost in my own head…
"So you're one of those Battle Armor types?"
Drapion's head swiveled to the right to see the last Pokemon he wanted to see right now stepping into the arena beside him. His lip curled as he locked eyes with Hunter J's Drapion - Kochius, he recalled his name was. "Yeah," growled Drapion, nodding curtly.
Kochius nodded. "I figured. Chitin's too thick to be all-natural. I've got Sniper, myself, but that doesn't mean I don't know my way around Battle Armor too. I'm from Sinnoh, you know. Used to run with a Swarm myself, before J picked me up. Judging by the fact you're using Battle Armor techniques pioneered by Sinnoan Swarms…it's not too hard to guess we're cut from the same cloth."
Drapion bristled at the words, trying to control his temper. Thankfully, Kochius seemed to notice, or at least he hesitated before continuing on. "The old leader of my Swarm used Battle Armor," said Kochius. "He may have been wild, but it's clear he knew a technique that you don't seem to have picked up yet."
"So what, yer gonna train me?" Drapion scoffed.
"As my Trainer has said, we are on the same side at the moment," Kochius pointed out. "Don't think of it as training. Think of it more as patching up a glaring, obvious weakness."
Drapion seethed at the words, but bit back the retort he was dying to give - as much as he didn't want to talk to Kochius, there was no way a Drapion like him wasn't strong. "All right, spill it," he growled reluctantly.
"First," said Kochius, "activate your Battle Armor across your right shoulder."
Frowning, Drapion did so, forming a thick layer of chitin along the body part in question. "Done. Now wha-"
A sharp point - the tip of a Pin Missile - suddenly stabbed into that same shoulder, streaking straight through the Battle Armor and into Drapion's flesh. Drapion stumbled, more from the pain than from any kind of force. "Gah! What the-?"
"Any armor has cracks," Kochius explained. "Cracks that my Ability especially is capable of exploiting, but even a random shot can get lucky sometimes. That kind of Battle Armor you just put up is sufficient for blocking some attacks, but if you want a real defense, you're gonna have to learn how to layer your Battle Armor."
"What's that supposed ta mean?" Drapion asked.
"Think about it," Kochius replied. "What you do normally is create one thick layer of armor, but what if, instead, you split that into two thinner layers? Same protection, but you can shift one layer over the other in such a way that each one covers the other layer's cracks. It's more complicated, that's for sure, but it offers a lot more protection against attacks like the one I just hit you with."
Drapion nodded sullenly - he still didn't like Kochius, but he could see that such a technique would indeed be beneficial. Offhandedly, almost without thinking, he said, "Mah friend Kriesh has Sniper. She might be able ta learn a thing or two."
Kochius snorted. "I doubt someone with her past would be willing to take lessons from me."
"And how do ya know about that?" Drapion growled.
"My Trainer does her research," Kochius replied. "Besides, the techniques I'd teach her would be ones she'd likely prefer to shy away from. Aiming attacks through cracks in armor is the bare minimum of what I can do with Sniper - I can aim my attacks into whatever part of the body I wish. Up the nostril, into the eyes…I've even memorized the placement of nerve clusters on the bodies of both humans and most types of Pokemon, so that I know exactly where to aim attacks to cause maximum pain."
It was unnerving how casually he talked about such things, and Drapion found himself glancing over Kochius's shoulder at his teammates - the lesson was over, now he just wanted out of the conversation. Thankfully, he quickly locked eyes with Kriesh, and the Fearow clearly understood his plight, for she swiftly detached herself from the group and stepped over.
"Drapion," she said, "Marcus wants you."
A definite lie, but it served its purpose. Kochius nodded in understanding and stepped aside as Drapion moved over to Kriesh. As the two Pokemon began walking over to Marcus, Drapion let out a held breath with explosive force. "That bad?" Kriesh murmured.
"Ah can't believe ah even thought about lettin' him teach ya," Drapion growled.
Kriesh grimaced at the thought. "I think I caught 'maximum pain' as I was coming over, and to be honest I really don't want to know more."
Drapion cast a glance over his shoulder and saw Kochius staring after him, the other Drapion's eyes narrowed in amusement. Kochius winked, then turned on his heel and stepped away. Snarling under his breath, Drapion tore his gaze away from Kochius and back towards Marcus as he and Kriesh walked up to the Gym Leader.
Marcus smiled thinly as he saw Drapion approach. "Sorry," he said. "When you walked off, I figured you could use some alone time. Kriesh, you and Drapion can practice together…and who were you fighting? Houndoom?"
Kriesh nodded.
Marcus looked at Houndoom, who was standing on his own. The Trainer sighed, then glanced over to Maya. "So, about your offer…"
Leaper-Of-Realities slowly blinked open his eyes. The first thing he saw was darkness so all-encompassing that for a moment he thought his eyes were still closed. Then he saw the outline of walls and the dim shape of an air vent and realized that he was in some sort of room, small and lightless. Metal lay beneath him; Leaper-Of-Realities tried to turn his head to see exactly what he was lying on. Then he tried again. His head was stuck in place; experimentally, he tried to sit up and found the rest of his body was similarly unresponsive.
Paralysis of some sort…
His Choice Scarf was gone, but he still had access to his moves. Paralysis inhibited the conscious movement of his body, but Detect was usually sufficient to counter that to some extent since it forced the body to move unconsciously. But the energy of Detect failed to materialize. Leaper-Of-Realities tried Bounce, then Quick Attack, and finally, as an experiment, Night Slash. All three failed to materialize.
"Ah, are we done testing yet? Banette is growing impatient."
Leaper-Of-Realities swiveled his eyes - at least he could still move those - and swiftly spotted the Banette in question, fixing him with a zippered grin as it stood atop a nearby chair. Beside the Banette, in another chair, sat a human who had to be the Banette's Trainer. The human was short and fat with gray hair that looked as if it had once been dyed lavender, wearing a slightly tattered lab coat and a pair of orange-lensed glasses. "Who are you?" Leaper-Of-Realities growled, speaking so that the human could understand him. "What is this?"
"I am Charon," said the man. "Former scientist of Team Galactic, currently a member of the crew of Pokemon Hunter J. And as for your second question, a peculiar combination of Thunder Wave, Spite, Imprison, and the Cursed Body Ability. Banette has spent quite a bit of time honing it, but suffice it to say, you'll find yourself quite unable to move or draw upon any of your attacks for as long as Banette keeps it up."
Charon smiled. "Now, the reason I've gone to all this trouble is because you have information I want. So you have a choice. Either you can tell me what I want to know, or I'll have Porygon-Z get to work making you." A robotic whirring sounded in Leaper-Of-Realities' ears, and he spotted the head of a Porygon-Z shift into view, its blue rounded beak shifting into a small pointed drill.
"You think you can get what you want through torture?" Leaper-Of-Realities snarled, trying to keep fear out of his voice.
"Oh, perish the thought!" Charon cried. "I'm no torturer. I'm a scientist. And I'm certain I can get what I want through science. But, of course, things will be so much easier for all of us if you just tell me what I want to know."
Leaper-Of-Realities narrowed his eyes. He had spent fifteen years as a member of the Heralds. He had served for long enough to remember the times before the apocalypse had loomed over all. Before the current Bringer-Of-Visions had assumed her title, and began bringing ruin to the Heralds with her miserable failures that she called 'plans'. He'd signed on with Teller-Of-Tales in a heartbeat, simply because he could tell that his plan was much better thought out than anything Bringer-Of-Visions had ever come up with.
And he would not betray his new leader, no matter what so-called science Charon deigned to use on him. "Go to Distortion," he snarled.
Charon chuckled. "I've been," he said. "It's overrated. Porygon-Z? Flank nerve cluster, if you please."
The Normal-type bent down, its drill-beak beginning to spin as it neared Leaper-Of-Realities' flesh. The walls of the room were thankfully soundproofed; when the screaming started, no one else on the ship heard.
It was a bit of a shame, Houndoom reflected, that Marcus's team had an odd number of Pokemon. He'd heard Marcus speak of catching a tenth team member sometimes, if only to make training easier via being able to pair up all his Pokemon without need for outside help. But at the same time, Marcus had always admitted, catching a Pokemon merely as a training aid didn't sit right with him. If he caught a tenth Pokemon, it would be because he wanted to catch it.
Houndoom understood, and certainly agreed with, Marcus's decision. But at the same time, the fact that he was having to train against a random Qwilfish instead of one of his teammates wasn't exactly something he enjoyed.
"Puffer Press." Qwilfish's voice was just as unenthused and robotic as his Trainer's as he dashed in with Water energy encasing his body in a bluish shell. "Thunder Jaws," Houndoom snarled, meeting Qwilfish with a mouthful of Lightning. He'd spent quite a while over the past few years training until Thunder Jaws and Solar Surge could call upon Lightning and Overgrow, respectively. They were two of his core coverage techniques, giving him options against the multitude of Water-types that Trainers most commonly used against Fire-types. In Gym Battles, he stuck to Electric and Grass energy, but this was no Gym Battle, and Qwilfish let out a shuddering groan as he was sent reeling backwards by Houndoom's Lightning-infused Thunder Fang.
Houndoom sighed as he crouched, preparing for Qwilfish's next attack. He'd requested Qwilfish mostly use ranged attacks, only rarely mixing in melee attacks to force Houndoom to respond. He'd hoped it would better prepare him for the next time he fought someone like Bearer-Of-Darkness, whose ranged attacks had simply overwhelmed Houndoom's defense with sheer power. But Qwilfish's Hydro Pump was lethargic and weak in comparison; Houndoom easily dodged, retaliating with a practically instinctive Dark Pulse that forced Qwilfish into a dodge.
Houndoom had hoped training would help him get his mind off the current state of affairs. After all, Medicham had been entirely right - even after all their training and all their preparation, they still would have failed to protect Marcus from the Absols' assault if it hadn't been for J. Not to mention that being aboard the ship of a Pokemon poacher was stirring up all kinds of bad memories of Team Flare for Houndoom. And now here he was, trying to train against a Qwilfish who would have been little more than a speed bump in a real fight.
I know one of us had to train against Maya's Pokemon…but I really wish it didn't have to be me.
"So what's your story?" Houndoom asked. He wasn't sure why - maybe it was to try and further distract himself, or maybe it was some half-buried hope that he could convince this Qwilfish to abandon this criminal life.
"I was caught by Maya eight years ago," Qwilfish answered. "Since then, I have served as a member of her team on this ship. She follows J's orders, and I follow her orders. That is how it has been since the time of my capture."
Well, that was helpful, Houndoom thought sarcastically. He dodged another Hydro Pump from Qwilfish, this time retaliating with a Sludge Bomb he knew Qwilfish could counter. "What was life like before you were captured?" he asked. "Any friends? Family?"
"Once," said Qwilfish. "But no longer. I serve Maya now. She, Carnivine, and Skarmory are my family now. We all serve."
"Does it ever get difficult?" Houndoom asked, leaping out of the way of another Hydro Pump. This time, he didn't even bother firing back.
"The tasks we are given are sometimes hard to accomplish," said Qwilfish. "But we always manage. To fail to manage would be to disobey J."
"I mean difficult as in…mentally difficult," Houndom growled. "Stealing Pokemon…how do you feel about that?"
"The tasks we are given are sometimes hard to accomplish," Qwilfish repeated. "But we always manage. To fail to manage would be to disobey J."
Houndoom sighed exasperatedly as he met another Hydro Pump with a Solar Beam that easily overpowered it and blasted Qwilfish backwards again. "Forget it," he muttered. "Arceus, it's like they're all brainwashed or something…"
Abruptly, Houndoom stumbled as the entire room shuddered around them. He wasn't the only one, either - Pangoro, off-balance from a powerful punch against Cloyster's Protect barrier, outright overbalanced and fell to the ground. Houndoom couldn't help but stifle a chuckle at the Dark/Fighting-type's clear fury and embarrassment, even as he wondered what exactly had caused such a sudden shift.
Marcus clearly was wondering the same thing. "What's going on?" he asked, directing the question towards Maya.
"We appear to be descending," Maya answered.
Marcus frowned. "I didn't think we were that close to Motostoke…how long was I out?"
"We have not reached Motostoke," said Maya.
Marcus sighed. "Back in your balls, everyone," he ordered. "I'm heading back to the bridge."
"I would not advise that," Maya protested, her words just as robotic as usual. "But if that is your decision, I will escort you back to the bridge."
"It is my decision," said Marcus, already recalling everyone. "Escort away."
It wasn't that far from the training arena to the bridge, especially not when Marcus was moving so quickly that Maya was struggling to keep up. Medicham watched as the near-emotionless brown-haired woman tried to maintain a patient walk while simultaneously attempting to keep up with the fast-moving Marcus. In fact, Marcus was moving so fast that he nearly ran into the door to the bridge before it could hiss open; Maya scurried after him as he strode into the large room.
Hunter J was standing in the same place she had been previously, with Timothy and Thomas on either side and Nathaniel at the helm. Outside, Medicham could see the sun shining in through the front window; by now it was after midday. J's visor was clearly protecting her eyes from the sun, for she was staring practically directly into it without flinching away; Aeris, Adamas, and Ancora were all still in the room, and Myrma's web was still present in the upper corner of the room, but the Ariados, along with Bodhi and Kochius, had gone. Medicham recalled seeing Kochius in the training arena, but she had no idea where Bodhi or Myrma had gone.
Were J's Pokemon allowed to roam freely around the ship? That was quite interesting if it was true.
Marcus shot a glare at J. "We're descending."
"Indeed," said J, not looking at Marcus. "A group of my crewmates were dropped off here yesterday with the aim of capturing a group of Galarian Darumaka - the species is quite valuable and sells for a good amount of money. They recently radioed in with news of completion of their mission, so I decided to swing by and pick them up on my way to Motostoke."
Medicham felt sick at the words. Thoughts of those poor Pokemon, kidnapped from their homes and consigned to the twisted 'care' of a Trainer who only valued them for how much money they were worth…she imagined what the Galarian Darumaka must be feeling right now, and immediately wanted to shove those thoughts out of her head like she had done with so many others, but they refused to go away.
Marcus clearly felt similarly. "That wasn't part of our deal."
"This is my ship," J retorted frostily. "If you have a problem with my activities, then I suggest you get off my bridge."
"Five hundred feet," Nathaniel announced.
"Deactivate cloaking field," J ordered, instantly turning her attention away from Marcus. Medicham half-expected Marcus to obey J's instructions, but he remained where he was. Medicham wasn't entirely sure why - curiosity?
"Deactivating cloaking field." Thomas yanked several levers and then pressed a button; the entire ship rumbled slightly, and a rippling barrier of energy Medicham hadn't even known was there noticeably dematerialized from the ship's front window.
"Four hundred feet," said Nathaniel.
"Prepare for transport," J called.
Thomas and Timothy stood up and sent out a Venomoth and a Beheeyem, respectively. "Transport prepared," the twins chorused.
"Three hundred feet," Nathaniel stated. "Transport distance reached."
"Transport away." At J's words, the twins and their Pokemon dematerialized. It took only a few seconds for them to rematerialize, this time in the center of the bridge, along with five other people wearing the same uniforms.
"Transport complete," said Timothy - Medicham could tell it was Timothy because it was the twin with the Beeheeyem.
J nodded. "Reactivate cloaking field and resume course towards Motostoke."
"Yes, ma'am," said Nathaniel; as he moved to follow these new orders, Hunter J turned to the newly arrived group. "Report."
The leader of the group, a woman with dark hair, spoke in response, her voice calm and confident. Yet as she spoke, Medicham sat bolt upright in her Luxury Ball. "We obtained nine Galarian Darumaka," the woman said in response. "As well as a Galarian Darmanitan who tried to defend them. The mother, we think."
Medicham didn't hear J's response. She didn't hear any of what anyone was saying anymore. Her mind was filled with the dark-haired woman's voice, repeating over and over. As she gazed upon the woman's face, older and far more weathered than she remembered but still recognizable now that she knew what she was looking for, Medicham felt her eyes begin to grow wet. A single word left her mouth in a whisper so quiet she doubted anyone could possibly have heard it, not a question, but a statement, for even under those layers of age and grime and veiled emotion, Medicham knew exactly who this Trainer was before her name had even been spoken.
"Elle."
So, as to why you all had to wait two weeks for this chapter...as you may know, I recently began work on a third fic. Now, two fics, both on a one-week schedule, was already proving to be a little much. Now that I'm writing three fics, plus going into the final two months of my college semester (which always presents a deluge of assignments), I've decided that I'm going to be making a bit of a change.
Both Through Their Eyes and Warping The System (which still is only on Ao3) are now on two-week schedules. Every Sunday, I will release a chapter for one of the two, alternating (so, next Sunday, I'll release the next chapter of WTS, and the Sunday after that will be the next chapter of TTE). And Pokeswap...well, I'll make time for that when I can. I made the mistake of going for a hard schedule with both TTE and WTS - I'm not making the same mistake for Pokeswap. Hopefully this works, and I don't have to change it up again.
Hm?
Oh, right, the namedrop at the end. Yeah...next chapter is certainly going to be interesting for Medicham...