Chapter 100b: Breaking Through, Part 2
Starbreak Square's tunnels flew by in a blur for Pleo and his teammates. Some of them were being hastily blockaded by Pokémon in anticipation of arriving pirates, while others had their inhabitants hiding behind windows and doors or else running out towards the frontlines. A number of passages had been visibly scarred from battles that had already concluded, often with Pokémon still lying strewn about limply as the local Marked went about and tended to them.
The whole time, the distant roar and din of ongoing fighting grew louder and louder as their group started to splinter off into smaller teams that fanned out along different tunnels, especially after they received word of strange Pokémon being spotted entering the town from the west. Before they knew it, Team Traveller's group had whittled down to just them, Margi, and Bunsen. Pleo wasn't fully sure where they were going, but he'd promised to stay behind Margi and dutifully kept his word to the Hydreigon. Their odds of convincing the Elders could very well hinge on him doing so.
Suddenly, as they entered a tunnel leading into a large chamber, the Hydreigon came to an abrupt stop and left Pleo skidding just past her. The Lugia looked up, as his eyes widened at the sight ahead of him.
"Huh?!"
They were back at that broad tunnel from the day before that led up to the entrance of the Elders' Hall. All along the tunnel, there were teams of red-scarved Pokémon putting up Protects for cover as their comrades marched behind them. Pleo and his companions watched as an Arbok from the pirates slipped past the barriers and darted forward, only for the snake to start glowing blue and rise into the air from an unseen force. The Poison-Type had a moment of panicked realization and thrashed about desperately, when the force abruptly jerked the pirate up and slammed him into the ceiling of the tunnel. The glow abruptly faded, leaving Arbok to fall to the ground with a wince-worthy thud.
It was hard to tell where the Psychic had come from, but the other pirates' response made it easy enough to guess. Multiple beams and thrown objects sailed up to a spot on the balcony over the entrance, with the crunch of fracturing stone following as dust swirled in front of the Elders' Hall. Team Traveller and their allies watched as one of the other pirates quickly dragged the Arbok away to the back... while at least four others made it past the entrance without any sign of being stopped.
Ander just stared blankly at the unfolding chaos, when a stray Ice Beam quickly sent him and his teammates diving for cover as they all but tripped past the doorway of a ransacked shop off to the side. They hurried behind the walls and panted behind their cover as Bunsen tried to hide his tail flame's light behind a counter, while Ander went up to steal a look past the doorway. From the lack of further attacks, they probably hadn't been spotted, but that was cold comfort. Just from what they could see in front of the Elders' Hall, it was obvious that they weren't going to win this battle charging the pirates head-on.
"Boy do we have our work cut out for us right now," the Scyther gulped.
"Good thing I'm here to help too, huh?"
Ander and his companions whirled around at the sound of a young, familiar voice, as Margi's eyes shrank to pins. Everyone turned over to the doorway where much to their astonishment, there was Daraen, looking up at them from just outside the shop with his tail wagging much to his mother's spluttering exasperation.
"Daraen, what are you-?!"
The Deino jumped forward with a yelp when a bolt of electricity zipped in, prompting Margi to hurriedly spew back a spray of black orbs in retaliation before grabbing Daraen and pulling behind the wall of the shop. The Hydreigon breathed in and out slowly, before narrowing her eyes into a sharp scowl.
"You really should not have come here, ma petite," she fumed. "Just stay close to me and-!"
The lot flinched after hearing a loud crash coming from the Elders' Hall, followed by shouts and roars. A quick glance back towards the large chamber revealed that there were red-scarved Pokémon on the balcony now, while the pirates in front of the entrance to the Elders' Hall were charging ahead and freely making their way through its doorways. Crom's eyes widened, as a sinking realization came over him:
"Ah! Wait! We can't just let those pirates get in there like that!" Crom cried. "Nina said that they're keeping our part of the Ledger's inside a chest in there!"
Crom and his companions stared blankly, wondering how they would ever make it all the way to the Elder's Hall past a mob of pirates that outnumbered them at least five-to-one. Just then, the Druddigon felt a nudge at his shoulder, as he turned back and saw Margi pointing up the tunnel they'd come from.
"There's a service tunnel that provides entry to another part of the Elders' Hall just up the street," the Hydreigon insisted. " If we get in there and head right, the path should take us straight inside. We just need a bit of cover to get there!"
Bunsen nodded, before hurrying to the door of the shop and spewing a Smokescreen out leftwards. While the smoke still churned, Margi flew out of the shop as Pleo and his companions followed after. A few storefronts later, Margi pointed out a door to their right that had been forced open. The group hurried along, filing down the shaft until they got to a narrow, dimly lit stairwell that led into a featureless tunnel. Almost as soon as they got into the tunnel, they started hearing sounds of a scuffle echoing from up ahead. They wasted no time pressing forward, and soon enough they began to see Pokémon slumped over in the tunnel: some Marked, some Pokémon in pirate scarves.
The number of fallen Pokémon steadily grew along with signs of a struggle in the tunnel, and the seven of them soon reached a set of double doors that had been smashed open. Trizano reflexively stooped down to check on a slumped-over Marked Varoom and discovered the Pokémon was alive, but fainted, just as a sharp cry rang out from further inside.
"Eyaaaah!"
Margi and the others looked around the corner, where they saw a Marked Delibird tumbling over from a stream of scalding water in a hallway. The Ice-Type struggled to get up with the help of a Wartortle and a Dartrix, as a group of four red-scarved Pokémon led by a Simipour closed in, with steam curling up from her mouth.
"You blotch-heads just don't learn, do you?" the pirate sneered. "You'll regret getting in our way like this!"
Margi's jaws clenched as she suddenly shot forward down the hallway with strong wingbeats. A couple of the other pirates turned and cried out as bluish dragonfire formed in Margi's mouths. The Simipour had but brief moments to react, as her eyes visibly widened and the color drained from her face.
"Oh f-"
Rays of fiery blue light shot out from Margi's mouths and struck the Simipour in rapid succession, launching her down the hall into a limp heap. The other pirates attempted to dig in as Pleo and the others emerged, and one attack after the other fell on them: an X-Scissor, a Steel Wing, a Thunderbolt, a Dragon Breath, a Dragon Rage... by the time Bunsen's Air Slash flung the final pirate into the wall and left him crumpled on the floor, the hallway was silent save for the pirates' groans of pain.
Pleo breathed in and out slowly as his heart fluttered in his chest, when he looked up and saw Margi making her way over to the three Marked with a worried stare.
"Are you two all alright?" she asked.
The Marked guards panted and turned towards the Hydreigon to offer their thanks, only for their eyes to fall on the young Lugia in their midst. The Wartortle from their number grew particularly startled, as the unfortunate Water-Type reflexively pulled his head towards his shell and stumbled back with a start.
"A-Aah!"
Crom's face curled into an unamused frown, as he folded his arms with a low harrumph.
"Por todos los cielos," the Druddigon grumbled. "You're doing this now of all times?"
Trizano shook his head with a quiet sigh, before turning his attention to the Dartrix in the group.
"Did anyone make it past you here?" the Skarmory asked.
"I-I don't think so?" the Dartrix replied. "But don't worry about this place! The Elders are in trouble from-!"
A loud crash came from deeper inside the Elder's Hall, prompting Team Traveller and their companions to hurriedly continue on. Their surroundings flew by in a blur, until Pleo started noticing some of the walls around them looked familiar—why, this was one of the corridors near the lobby! As they made their way ahead, the sounds of battle grew louder and louder. Partway down the hall, Margi spotted a small door and pointed it out. They hurried up to it, as Daraen worriedly hesitated in front of it.
"Sounds like they're in trouble in there, maman," he said. "Is this really the best way in?"
"All of the other ways are just as risky," the Hydreigon replied. "Just try and remain out of sight when we go through the doors. We'll only have one chance at sneaking up on those pirates."
The Hydreigon went and tested the doors before finding they were unlocked. She pushed them open just enough for Pleo and the others to enter. One by one, they slipped into the lobby of the Elders' Hall as off towards their left were Marked Pokémon hiding behind a haphazard blockade of Protects while attacks rained down on them. Pleo and his teammates hurriedly snuck in along the wall and looked up and saw that there was a balcony that was similarly contested between the Marked and the pirates, with the Elders frantically trying to fend off various attackers. He noticed Nina just in time to see her spew fire to try and keep Dirk at bay, while Hess threw back a Marked Spidops with a hail of stones. All of a sudden, the Aggron paused and whirled his head around towards the young Lugia. Hess' mouth flopped open in shock, before he raised a claw and pointed down from the balcony.
"Ah! The bird's right there!"
Pleo's eyes widened as one by one, everyone's attention in the chamber fell on them, both Marked and pirate alike. From the balcony, Nina briefly stared at them before Dirk struck her in the stomach with a Brick Break. The Typhlosion tumbled away from him with a yelp, as the Bisharp pulled a badge on his scarf up to his mouth.
"Everyone! Lugia's down on the ground floor! He's by the hallway just left from the main entrance!"
Pleo looked up after hearing wingbeats as fliers from the balcony began to dive at them. A shot of silken webbing sailed out and just missed him as the next thing Pleo knew, Margi was dragging him off along with his teammates. They dove back out into the hall, and hurriedly pulled the door shut just as a loud thud came from the other side. The door jostled as Margi desperately held it shut with her side mouths, as Pleo and his companions traded grimaces with one another.
"Where are we supposed to go now?!" Pleo cried.
"There's a wing in the Elders' Hall set aside for storing relics just a little ways from here!" she replied. "It was designed to be a place for defenders to fall back to in times of trouble, and we'll last longer there than trying to hold out in this hallway!"
Margi yanked the door open and spewed out a blue ray of dragonfire at the pirates on the other side, with Bunsen similarly providing covering fire with a Flamethrower. Pleo and his companions hastily ran down the hall as Margi passed them and flew ahead to lead the way. All the while, the sounds of battle kept ringing out behind them, along with Dirk's voice sounding out above the fray.
"Keep those defenders busy!" the Bisharp's voice barked. "We're going after that bird!"
Pleo and his teammates tore along as Bunsen spat up a plume of smoke behind them that filled the hallway, hurriedly rounding a corner rightward after Margi as they came to a set of sturdy, wooden doors that had been left ajar. They quickly pushed past them and slammed them shut, before Margi grabbed a wooden plank propped up on the side and slid it into place as a brace. She did so not a moment too soon, as just afterwards, pounding and snarls rang out from the other end.
Pleo jumped back as the door lurched when it dawned on him that they were in a place filled with cool, blue light—the color of a room lit up by glowmoss. He looked off to his right to see another set of doors of similar construction that were already closed but not yet braced shut. Off to the left, there was a grate blocking off a hallway which headed further in towards a faintly visible wall, and a set of stairs on either side of it which went up to a second level that overlooked the entire chamber.
... This was really where they were supposed to hold out against the pirates?
Pleo and his teammates stared ahead blankly for a moment, when Bunsen's mouth flopped open and his tail flared to life as he turned to Margi with a startled stammer.
"Y-You said that this was a defensible position!" the Charizard cried. "This is a dead end!"
"This is a defensible position!" Margi insisted. "Just hurry and help barricade the other entrance! Once we get up these stairs, we can dig in from up the-!"
A loud crash rang out from behind them as Pleo and the others whirled around to see the doors they'd come through flying open. The wooden brace had been splintered into two, as Hess stumbled out with Kichiro and other Pokémon in pirate scarves storming in after him.
"Hess, when I told you to 'use your head', this is not what I meant by that," Kichiro grumbled.
The Aggron shook his head and brushed loose a few splinters and dust off his armored body, before answering the Ledian with a toothy grin.
"Well hey, it worked, didn't it?"
Pleo and his companions froze with frightened grimaces and backed away as the room began to fill with pirates. Daraen inched back towards his mother and even Margi and Bunsen seemed to be on-edge. This was bad. The pirates had already cornered them before they'd even had a chance to barricade themselves, so how on earth were they supposed to even begin holding out against them?
The crunch of footsteps against rubble snapped the young Lugia back to attention as a tall figure emerged through the dust. The shape revealed itself to be a Bisharp in a vivid red scarf, who took his place at Hess' side and brandished his blades with a cruel sneer.
"My, I hope we weren't interrupting anything important here," Dirk said.
For a fleeting moment, Hess seemed to warily eye Pleo. After briefly sizing him up, the Aggron visibly grew more confident, lowering his head with a stomp of the ground and a threatening snarl.
"... We'll cut to the chase," Hess said. "Hand over the bird, and nobody gets hurt."
Pleo's heart raced in his chest, as his teammates and Daraen braced themselves for battle. Beside them, Bunsen flared his wings out to try and make himself look bigger while Margi remained firm, baring her fangs as she tensed her heads to strike.
"Over my dead body."
Some of Hess' underlings briefly froze at the Hydreigon's threat, and even Hess himself seemed to waver a bit. Except, the entire time, Dirk and the Pokémon from his crew remained wholly unfazed. An unsettling smile settled over the Bisharp's face, one that made Pleo and his teammates' blood run cold with how malicious and predatory it looked.
"Oh really? Would you say the same about the dead bodies of Lugia's friends?"
Team Traveller blanched as their hearts collectively skipped a beat. Was this some sort of dirty trick? They studied the Bisharp's expression closely, as he brought a hand up to the glinting badge pinned to his scarf.
"Rian, put our special guests from Starpeak Square on the line."
Dirk took the badge off his scarf and held it out as the sounds of grunts and struggling came from the badge, followed by an uncomfortably familiar voice crying out.
"Hey! What are you-?!"
Team Traveller's eyes shrank to pins, as Pleo reflexively beat his wings out and Crom's mouth flopped open in shock. That was-!
"Nida!"
Pleo darted forward for the badge, only for Ander to hurriedly stop him by blocking his path with the flat of a scythe. A sharp shout came from Dirk's badge, as Nida's voice called out in frantic tones.
"Pleo! Whatever that pirate's telling you, don't-!"
Nida's voice abruptly cut off as Dirk pinned his badge back against his scarf and let go. Team Traveller, Daraen, and even Margi and Bunsen stared blankly as the pirates began pressing in tighter and tighter.
"Oh so that's that spike ball's name, huh? Don't worry, we've got that Growlithe and Fraxure, too," the Bisharp said. "They're all in one piece. For now."
"W-We won't let you get away with this!"
A low growl filled the air as Crom bared his teeth and flashed his claws, but in spite of it, his eyes were still visibly shrunken and his wings faintly trembled. Dirk noted Crom's expression briefly, before tightening his face into a dismissive sneer.
"You're a bit late for that, kiddo," the Bisharp said. "After all, it's a bit hard for you to rescue anyone from Starpeak Square at the moment."
The Bisharp flicked a blade out, allowing its edge to glint under the cool light of glowmoss in the chamber.
"And if you're planning on them still being alive by the time that I return there, you'll tell your bird friend to come along. Quietly."
Pleo's vision started to go wobbly as his breaths started to hitch and grow faster and faster. Th-These pirates were going to kill his friends? Would they do it the moment he told them he wouldn't come along? Would they make Nida and the others suffer? He began to hyperventilate as dark images crossed his mind, and he dropped his head with a stammering croak.
"I- I-"
In the crowd, some of the pirates gave dismissive scoffs at how soft the Lugia seemed to be, with a couple wondering aloud whether or not he was truly a Protector. Others, mostly golden-scarved ones, traded uncomfortable looks and murmurs, including Hess. The Aggron captain set his teeth on edge at the young Lugia's panic and quietly went over and pawed at Dirk's shoulder.
"Dirk, you really don't need to-"
"Shut up, Hess!"
Dirk raised a blade, making Hess recoil with a stifled yelp before he turned back to Pleo and his companions. The Bisharp scraped his blades against each other with a low, metallic grinding noise, as the end of his mouth curled up with a toothy smirk.
"So what's it going to be?" Dirk demanded. "Are you coming? Or am I going to need to make you hear your friends start getting taken apart-?"
"St-Stop!"
A sharp squawk filled the chamber as everyone's eyes fell on Pleo. His gaze remained firmly fixed towards the ground as the Lugia blinked slowly and deliberately. And then much to their astonishment, he stepped forward, before weakly raising his head as his voice came out in a low croak.
"I-I'll come-"
"And tell you to take a hike!"
Pleo barely had time to react as the other set of doors into the chamber suddenly flew open. A whirling noise turned Pleo's attention leftwards as a spinning white missile sailed in and struck Dirk in the face. The Bisharp reeled from the blow as Hess' mouth flopped open in shock, while many of the other pirates similarly grew visibly surprised as their attention turned towards the other door. Pleo followed after their gazes and saw Guardia and Dimitri were there... along with the Elders and a bunch of other Marked! Curiously, there were also Pokémon wearing indigo scarves with them, including a Krookodile who sauntered up to the fore...
"H-Huh?! Sheriff Robbie?!" Crom cried.
"Hah! You sure talk tough for a 'mon in for a world of hurt, Caesurio!" the Krookodile said, folding his arms over each other. "Give it up, pirate scum! Your crews have been cut off and surrounded!"
Pleo's breaths started to come in and out quicker as he started to feel lightheaded. Oh no no no, what were they doing?! He was happy that Guardia and Dimitri were alright, but if they went ahead and fought these pirates, then-!
"Guardia, wait!" Pleo pleaded. "He-!"
"You're bluffing," Dirk spat, narrowing his eyes at the newcomers. "I didn't make it to where I am getting cowed by-"
"Agh! They've cut us off from behind! They must've had other Pokémon hiding elsewhere in the Mystery Dunge-!"
A pained scream rang out before the unseen voice abruptly went silent. Alarmed looks started appearing on the gathered pirates as Nina made her way forward holding a badge in her grasp. The Marked Typhlosion raised it and let it fall to the ground with an audible clink against the ground. She narrowed her eyes at Dirk and Hess as fierce fire began to pour out of her vents.
"Here's our terms," she growled. "You let Lugia's friends go and you slink off back to Starpeak Square, or nobody from your crews leaves this town alive."
A number of the pirates in the gathering visibly cringed hearing Nina's ultimatum, as even Hess himself seemed to have a flash of unease. And yet, for every one of their number, there were at least one or two others whose expressions only hardened as they began to dig in. Dirk was first and foremost among them, as the Bisharp brought his hands together with a slow clap and his expression took on an increasingly dark mood.
"Bold words, Typhlosion, let's see how well you back them up!"
Dirk scraped his arms' blades against each other as a harsh screeching noise came from them, creating a series of distorted rings in the air that swept up Nina. The Marked Typhlosion flinched, as Dirk charged forward and cried out to the pirates behind him.
"Get them!"
All of a sudden, the room came alive with attacks flying all around. Pleo frantically dove out of the way as a stray stone grazed his shoulder, when he felt a nip drag him up and saw Margi pulling him aside.
"Get to the top of the stairs!" she cried. "We can't let those pirates take over the high-!"
"Hah! Like we were going to ask you for permission!"
Margi turned back as a lumbering wall of stony and metallic grays barreled into her with a bellowing roar. The Hydreigon tumbled to the ground as Pleo looked up to see Hess in her place. He hurriedly jumped back and bolted for the stairs as the Aggron began to chase after him. Suddenly, the purple glimmer of a Light Screen formed in front of Hess and settled on his body, a brief glance back by the pirate captain revealing Kichiro flitting up from behind with a sharp buzz.
"Just try not to get blown away this time!"
Hess turned his attention back to Pleo and saw he was already at the stairs. The Aggron began to to call up stones to throw at the Lugia when a sharp blow across his side broke his focus and sent him staggering. Hess whirled and looked up, where there that Skarmory was circling overhead with a cawing taunt.
"I see that you're still as easy to fly circles around as ever, Hess!"
The Aggron's eyes narrowed in response. He bellowed and trained his stones upwards for Trizano. Meanwhile, Crom and Ander took advantage of Trizano's distraction to slip past Hess, and made their way up the stairs to try and help their teammates take over the vantage point at its top. They reached it just in time to see a golden-scarved Wimpod get pitched from the railing with a yelp and hit the floor with a loud thud. The hard work seemed to have already been done, since there were Pokémon in Imperial scarves putting up Protects to cut off the opposite stairwell and trying to hold off Pokémon who were snarling and growling from the other end.
Another bellowing roar rang out, as the pair briefly glimpsed Bunsen charging Dirk with a Flamethrower back on the ground floor. Their attempts to get a better view of what was happening were abruptly cut short by another large plume of fire suddenly flying up from below that sent them diving for cover.
"A-Ack! What was-?!"
Crom looked down, where he saw the grate at the bottom scattered across the floor in pieces as a pirate Emboar went in. Much to his horror, there were Pokémon in pirate colors carrying off chests from further inside towards the direction of the door Hess smashed through.
"A-Ah!" the Druddigon yelped. "They're stealing all the relics!"
Ander's mind turned back briefly to how Margi said that this place was normally used to store relics... and how Nina had mentioned that their Ledger would be kept with them. The pair set their teeth on edge as Ander looked over at a Marked Crocalor and Dunsparce dug in nearby. He hurried over with a sharp buzz and drew the pair's attention, before he frantically motioned off to the grated tunnel with a scythe.
"Over there, quick!" the Marked Scyther insisted. "We can't let those pirates steal the relics from that tunnel!"
The pair looked at each other briefly, before nodding and leaving their positions as Crom and Ander followed the guards to join the fight. Crom and Ander ducked attacks along the way back down to the ground floor amid a chaotic melee in which they lost track of Pleo and the others. The guards in front of them abruptly shouted when much to Crom's alarm, the Crocalor suddenly flopped over after being struck by a pressurized orb of water, while a Liepard leaped in and pounced on the Dunsparce. Crom hurriedly spat up a Dragon Rage to intervene when a sharp cry turned his head rightward, just in time to see Guardia tumble back just ahead of them. He hurriedly ran towards the Cubone to try and help her up, when a beam of purple light sailed in and struck him in his chest.
"Agh!"
Crom toppled over, a pained buzz revealing Ander had been similarly stopped in his tracks by a set of snapping jaws. The young Druddigon quickly scrambled onto his feet, where Guardia was holding her bone tensely. He turned his head up, and saw a black and purple flash bounce in, along with a tan and figure darting up alongside it. A Grumpig and a Krokorok wearing Iron Fleet scarves, both approaching glaring and readying themselves for attack.
"Crom! Guardia! Get behind me!"
Ander hurriedly stepped out in front of Crom and Guardia as their attackers neared. Crom didn't remember seeing the two before on Hess' crew, but at the same time something about them seemed familiar...
It then dawned on him as to why he'd felt that way: he'd seen the two on an entirely different ship's crew!
"Ah! You two!" the Druddigon cried. "You're from Lyn's crew!"
The Grumpig and Krokorok briefly stiffened up after Crom's exclamation. A flash of realization suddenly came over them, as their eyes narrowed into piercing glares.
"Wait a minute, you're that brat that I threw off our ship!" the Grumpig exclaimed.
"Grrr, and that Cubone was with those other brats with the bird who got our gear stuck in that Kangaskhan Rock," the Krokorok growled, baring his fangs. "Come on, Hooke! They won't get the drop on us a second time!"
The Krokorok shot forward at Ander and Guardia with his jaws bared, snapping them shut as the pair hastily dove out of the way. From the side, Crom ran at the Krokorok and pulled his arm back to ready a Power-Up Punch, when a violet flash suddenly filled his vision from the left. The next thing he knew, a heavy force struck the side of his head, along with a piercing pain that shot through it.
"A-Agh!"
Crom lost his footing and fell forward onto his belly in a daze. He laid there and struggled to get up when he felt a foot pinning him down on his back. He yelped and looked up, where there was the Grumpig standing over him and sneering down with a malicious smile.
"Should've stayed on your hick island, little runt-"
"Crom! Roll aside!"
Crom felt the Grumpig's weight let go and hurriedly rolled out of the way as Ander rushed in with a cross-shaped slash. His blades landed with an audible thwack, followed shortly afterwards by a pained squeal. Crom got up and looked over just in time to see the Grumpig skidding back and panting when Ander lunged forward, readying another slash of his blades.
Except, there was light gathering in front of the pearls on the Grumpig's head. Crom wasn't sure what to make of it, until he saw the light start to arrange into hexagonal shapes.
His eyes suddenly widened in realization.
"Ah! Ander!" he cried. "Wait! He's-!"
It was too late. The Power Gem sailed forward and caught Ander square in his chest, sending him crumpling to the ground in a wheezing daze. Hooke looked on briefly and shook his head, giving a low, fuming snort back at the struggling Bug-Type on the ground.
"Oh, so you wanna get down in the mud, Scyther?" the Grumpig snarled. "Well lemme show you how that'll end for you!"
Another Power Gem began to form in front of the Grumpig's head as Crom hurriedly ran forward. He opened his jaws by reflex as much to his surprise, dark wisps began to form around his jaws. His fangs sank deep into Hooke's right shoulder, the Gumpig's Power Gem abruptly dissipating as the Psychic-Type's eyes shrank to pins.
A bloodcurdling squeal filled the air, as the Grumpig thrashed against Crom's jaws. Hooke's eyes flashed blue as he frantically readied a Psychic, only for Crom to clamp down even harder. The Grumpig suddenly went limp and slumped forward, pulling Crom with him to the ground as the pair rolled to a stop. After the Grumpig stopped moving, Crom let go and got up, seeing the Psychic-Type breathing weakly with ruddy marks left behind where he'd bitten down.
"OW!"
Crom whirled around just in time to see Ken hopping and wincing from Guardia smashing his toes. The Druddigon hurriedly spat up a gout of dragonfire that made the Krokorok bellow in pain and sent the sailor flopping to the ground on his back.
For a second, Crom thought that was the end of things, except, much to his alarm, Ken suddenly rolled over and hurriedly scooted back. The Krokorok started to get up onto his feet as Ander rushed in and caught him with a scythe. Ken cried out in pain when another slash raked him, followed by one in the Krokorok's stomach that made his eyes shoot wide with a labored croak.
"N-Nrk!"
Ander pulled his blade back and let Ken slump forward, the Krokorok landing on his belly with a dull thud. Ander jumped back, keeping his blades at the ready as the sound of battle rang out around them, the lack of incoming attacks probably being a sign that their fighting had taken them away from the front lines. His teammates darted up to him, as Guardia gave a poke at the felled Krokorok with her bone.
"Tch, I remembered these two putting up more of a fight last time," she scoffed.
"I guess that means we must've gotten a bit stronger-"
"Agh! Get your filthy paws off that chest!"
Crom trailed off as a crackling buzz turned his attention back towards the mouth of the grated hallway and saw Roderic frantically zipping forward. Much to his alarm, the defenders on the ground floor were scattered in a state of confusion, some behind Protects or whatever cover they'd managed to whip up, while others lay limply on the ground. The pirates on the other hand were still holding their ground, with a few of their comrades already carrying off things from the tunnel behind them, including a red-scarved Emboar who was visibly lugging along a heavy chest.
Blue sparks danced around Roderic as he readied a Discharge, when a stream of fire caught him and sent him plummeting to the ground. Crom, Guardia, and Ander hurriedly ran over and helped him get to cover behind a small pile of upturned stones left behind from an earlier Rock Slide, as they looked down at the stricken elder.
"R-Roderic! Are you okay?!" the Druddigon cried.
"I'm fine, but we need to get that chest back!" the Rotom buzzed. "We put that Ledger you brought to us in it!"
The three turned their eyes to the Emboar up ahead. After a brief moment of stunned shock, Ander let out a sharp buzz and motioned for the others to follow.
"Then there's not a moment to lose! Come on!"
The three vaulted out from behind their cover as Ander strafed the Emboar and slashed one of his paws with his right scythe. Guardia rushed in with a swat with her club at the Emboar's leg, while Crom spat up a Dragon Rage, his blow landing just by the Emboar's feet and making the pirate stumble and drop the chest. The Emboar reared up with a growl and readied a punch, when blue bolts of electricity came in and made him freeze up with a pained bellow. The Fire-Type reeled before turning and falling back towards nearby comrades, a couple of them stepping forward as one tightened his grip around a Slow Wand.
Off towards the center of the room, Dirk was sent skidding back crouched along the ground from a fiery tackle. A loud roar followed afterwards, as a Marked Charizard rose up into the air and bared his fangs with a defiant snarl.
"Is that really the best you can do, Bisharp?!" Bunsen snapped. "I was a Company Commissioner! It'll take more than some cheap shots to get the better of me!"
Bunsen followed up his blow with a brilliant gout of fire, spewing his Flamethrower out at the Bisharp in a wide arc. The fire swept over Dirk's body as the purple flash of Kichiro's Light Screen came over it, all while the pirate braved the flames and lunged through them. Bunsen's eyes widened briefly as he attempted to crane his head down to adjust his target, only for Dirk to run a blade trailing shadowy flecks across the Charizard's belly.
"A-AUGH!"
Bunsen shot backwards and plummeted to the ground with a loud crash, leaving him wheezing on his back as smoke came from his throat. Bunsen started to get up when a sharp kick at his side knocked him onto his belly. A stomping pain shot through his wing and back, and soon he felt something hard and cold press against his throat from underneath. The Charizard's eyes drifted down, as saw Dirk holding one of his blades at his neck with a sharp sneer.
"Sounds like I picked the wrong island to raid if this is all it takes to throw a Company Commissioner off balance these days," the Bisharp taunted."I'm sure that I'll have stories to tell either way after this. After all, it's not every day that I get to take a Commissioner's head."
Bunsen let out a low whimper and screwed his eyes shut as Dirk drew his free blade back. A sharp cry rang out as Dirk's free blade reached its apex, the Bisharp turning his head just as a silvery-white blur wreathed in blue dragonfire struck him in his side.
"Ack!"
Dirk tumbled back, digging his bladed arms to the ground to steady himself, as Bunsen breathed in and out shakily. The Charizard hastily got up and pawed at his throat, where there, much to his astonishment, he saw Pleo standing in front of him, blue flecks of light still trailing off his feathers.
"H-Huh?! B-But you-!"
"Were in trouble!" Pleo squawked. "I couldn't just let that mean Bisharp hurt you like that! We're on the same side here!"
The Charizard stared dumbfounded for a moment, when a sharp hiss over the din of battle turned his and Pleo's attention off towards the pirates' end of the chamber. There, Dirk got back onto his feet and swung his bladed arms wide, Bunsen briefly faltering from his nerves before he cast a sidelong glance at his unexpected defender.
"R-Right, just be careful!" the Charizard insisted. "These pirate captains are tougher than they look!"
"And also not the types to just sit around while you run your mouths off!"
Dirk lunged forward at Pleo with a Night Slash, when he was hit by a brilliant wave-like light, and then a blazing tackle that left him struggling to keep his balance. Dirk briefly saw that Nina and Siana had joined at the pair's side as Nina breathed out a gout of fire that grazed him and made him lose his footing. Other attacks zipped by as Dirk quickly realized that he couldn't see underlings standing and fighting near him—he was completely out in the open.
The Bisharp captain clicked his tongue, before quickly falling back towards the light of Protects coming from the pirates' doorway, not bothering to look down at the Pokémon he stepped over. Once he made it behind the cover of the pirates' Protect formation, he took stock of his surroundings. Around him, the space behind the Protects was crammed with pirates tensely massed behind hastily formed cover and lobbing attacks and items deeper into the chamber while others tended to fainted comrades.
Dirk did a sweep of the chamber with his eyes and quietly set his teeth on edge. He hadn't realized just how far he'd fallen back, or how many Pokémon there were lying slumped over, with a worryingly large number of them being his own Crimson Corsairs. They were still keeping the defenders on the second level on their toes and holding the closer of the two stairways leading up to it, but the situation on the ground floor was another story. They were clearly losing ground as the Marked and their allies kept pushing deeper into the middle of the chamber. The sound of running footsteps behind him prompted him to look back, as he saw a few pirates deeper down the hallway turning and running off with their tails quite literally between their legs.
"Hey! Get back here!" Dirk snarled. "Nobody said you could-!"
"Gah!"
Dirk turned to see a Ledian sail back over the top of a nearby line of Protects, before hurriedly braking his fall in the air with his wings. The pirates just beside him cried out and hastily dispelled their Protects. Dirk raised a brow as they scattered, when the reason came crashing in not even a second later.
"Aaaah!"
It was Hess, who came to a tumbling stop in front of him. Because of course that useless oaf would literally get pushed around. Dirk pinched his brow briefly as the pirates hastily tried to reform the defensive line, the Bisharp scowling down at Hess while the Aggron wobbily got up from the ground.
"Seriously, Hess?"
"You better believe it!" a Kabutops' voice snapped.
Hess and Dirk looked up as Dimitri ran at them through the gap in the defensive line, with Margi and Trizano following just behind while other defenders skirmished with the nearby pirates. Hess hurriedly attempted to call up rocks, only for the Kabutops to break the Aggron's stance with a Brick Break at his belly, dashing the Light Screen about the Steel-Type. From the side, Dirk lowered his head and headbutted Dimitri onto his back with an Iron Head. The Bisharp raised a blade to strike again, when fire erupted along the side of his body. Dirk staggered back, as he caught a glimpse of Margi rising into the air with embers smoldering around her mouths.
"Now! Hit them while their Light Screen is down!" she cried.
Pleo and Bunsen caught up just as Margi called out to them. The Lugia struck first, throwing a bolt of electricity forward as the Charizard followed suit by spewing out a stream of fire. Their other teammates joined in, throwing attacks of their own at Hess and Dirk that quickly forced the pirate captains to fall back. Their assistance seemed to lift the spirits of the guards who fought alongside them as they let out sharp battlecries, with Margi and Daraen's dragonfire taking on new vigor, and Bunsen's flames burning brighter. All about the chamber, the pirates hastily abandoned the center of the chamber as their numbers were progressively chased back to their entrance. The pirates' positions kept shrinking behind an ever-tightening array of Protects in front of the breached doors, where they attempted to hold out against a hail of blows and Seeds sailing in. At the same time, some of the stronger pirates tried to regain ground by lunging forward in an attempt to catch their opponents off guard, including Dirk himself:
"AGH!"
A sharp cry rang out as Elder Siana's attempt to intervene with a Psybeam was abruptly snuffed out by a Night Slash from Dirk. The Espeon fell limply to the ground as Dirk kicked her aside and ducked back behind cover where Hess and Kichiro were waiting. The Aggron panted wide-eyed, looking out at the hail of attacks coming from deeper within the chamber, before turning to Dirk with an audible gulp.
"S-See?! This is why I wanted to wait until Rodion could catch up with us!"
Dirk shot a piercing glare back that made Hess stiffen up with a yelp, as the Bisharp's words came out with a venomous snarl.
"Just shut up and keep it together, Hess!" Dirk snapped. "We're not finished here yet!"
A loud yowl suddenly came from the top of the stairs up to the second level. The pirate captains turned their attention up, just in time to see a Perrserker in Dirk's colors get flung from the top of the balcony, hitting the ground in a crumpled heap not even twenty paces away.
The situation on the staircase was little better, as the pirates who were still standing on it broke rank and mounted a disorderly retreat back for the doorway. A few other pirates from deeper within the hallway rushed out to try and buy their comrades time to escape, but with how many were being overwhelmed, they were clearly fighting a losing battle. Hess and Kichiro traded grimacing stares at the sight, before the Ledian of the pair turned to Dirk with an irritated buzz.
"I'm sorry, but have you bothered to look around you?!" Kichiro yelled, throwing up his fists in exasperation. "We're going to get overrun if we try to stand our ground here!"
Dirk clenched his teeth and flashed his blades at the Ledian in response, only for the Bug-Type to remain unfazed. ... Was this the right place to dig in if their escape route out of Starbreak Square had been cut off? He ran a hand up to his badge and pressed down, before speaking into it.
"Whoever's listening on the other end, give me a status report. Now."
The badge suddenly crackled to life as a panting voice filled the surrounding air.
"Captain! We've opened up a path out of town, but we can't hold it for long! A bunch of us have already gotten chased here, so this is as good a chance as we're going to get to pull out!"
It took all of a couple seconds for it to become evident that it wasn't just the three of them who'd heard the message, as a growing number of their underlings turned and began to flee.
The Bisharp's mind went blank as he looked vacantly down at the floor. It was growing harder and harder not to conclude that there was nothing to be gained from staying here aside from mounting a last stand. But at the same time, he couldn't bring the Crimson Corsairs back to Starpeak Square defeated like this. Not with nothing to show for their efforts or how much of their ranks they'd have to leave behind.
"Ah! Just drop the chest already!"
Dirk looked out from behind his cover and noticed Crom, Guardia, and Ander breaking away from a line of Protects towards an Emboar attempting to carry off a chest. The Bisharp quirked a brow as the three set upon the Fire-Type: a gout of blue dragonfire, a bone whirling and arcing through the air, and finally a spread-wing tackle from Ander that knocked the Emboar flat. A Vanilluxe floated in and blew out an Icy Wind that swept up the trio, prompting the Emboar to get up and try to retreat to cover as he left the chest behind. Dirk stared at the chest briefly and narrowed his eyes with a puzzled tilt of his head. Why on earth were those three worried about a little bit of loot? It wasn't as if this was even their town anyways.
... Unless whatever was in there was something they were absolutely desperate not to lose.
Dirk slunk back behind cover and turned to Kichiro as a smirk came over his face.
"Actually, you're right, Ledian. We're better off forcing the bird and his friend to fight us on more favorable turf," the Bisharp captain said. "So let's grab whatever's in that chest there and get out of here. They wouldn't be fighting this hard over it if it weren't important to them."
Kichiro shot back a confused look as Dirk grabbed for his scarf and once again pressed down on his badge. He brought it up to his mouth, before speaking into it just loud enough for his voice to cut through the sounds of battle around them.
"Everyone, change of plans! Take whatever loot you've grabbed so far along with anyone you can carry and pull back by any means necessary," the Bisharp ordered. "Captain Hess and I will buy you time to retreat, but don't fall behind. We're not miracle workers here."
Hess' eyes shrank to pins, the Aggron whirling over to the Bisharp with a slack-jawed stammer.
"W-Wait, we are-?"
Hess yelped as he was cut off by a sharp jab at his stomach. The Aggron turned to Dirk as the Bisharp captain looked up at him with a sharp scowl.
"Look, lunkhead. I'm not losing a quarter of my crew to a rout and I doubt you want to either," the Bisharp growled. "So just do your job, tell your second mate to stop whining, and do whatever it takes to get that chest so we can get out of this Mystery Dungeon!"
A pained bellow came from the direction of the chest as Hess glanced over and saw the Emboar slump over next to the Vanilluxe lying toppled on the floor. Crom, Ander, and Guardia were there panting from battle, while the chest they were fighting over was left completely unguarded. The Aggron sized up the distance between the chest and his present cover, before nodding his head with a determined grunt.
"Right, I can do that!"
The Aggron jumped up, before driving his feet into the ground and sending out a heavy tremor that tore up the ground. In the blink of an eye, Hess' Earthquake overtook everyone in its path. Crom and Guardia were the first to be knocked down by the tremor while Ander hastily flew up to avoid the churning earth. The frontlines were the next to fall as the quake hit both the remaining pirates and the defenders, leaving dust and pained shouts swirling in the air. From above, Trizano weaved around stones and dust falling from the ceiling as the chamber devolved into chaos and he tried to make sense of his compatriots below them.
It took Trizano a moment to see past the clearing dust, where he discovered most of the Pokémon who'd been closest to Hess were lying strewn about fainted among rubble, while the exceptions like Crom and Guardia were visibly struggling to stay on their feet. Further away from Hess' position, their allies stumbled up, their ranks noticeably thinned as a number of the Marked and guards from Starpeak Square remained on the ground letting out weak groans of pain.
A low grunt rang out back from where the chest had been, and much to Trizano and his teammates' horror, Dirk was still standing behind a Protect while Hess was in the process of hefting the chest onto his shoulders. Margi noticed it too as she wheeled in the air, diving in as fiery blue light built in the back of her throat.
"Oh no you don't!"
"Oi, buzz off, Sazandora!"
Kichiro cut in as a series of rings in the air that swept Margi up, too late for her to pull away. The Hydreigon's eyes glazed over as her Dragon Pulse sailed off errantly into the walls, leaving her lurching about in a daze and fighting to stay airborne. Trizano grimaced, only for his eyes to shrink as Hess began to run for the doors he stormed through earlier. The Skarmory fanned his wings out, crying out to his teammates with a shrill start.
"Everyone focus on Hess first!" Trizano exclaimed. "We can't let him get away with the Ledger!"
Trizano hurriedly shot forward with a glinting spread-wing tackle, his blow barely making Hess flinch. The rest of Team Traveller hurried in after him, throwing their attacks forward as best as they could, but the Aggron seemed to largely power through them. The primary exceptions were a strafing Brick Break at his side from Dimitri, and a Bonemerang from Guardia that made him stumble just long enough for a plume of fire to strike him in his back.
"Gack!"
Hess reeled, struggling to stay on his feet as he looked up to see Bunsen flying past. A sharp buzz rang out in his ear as purple light settled over his body, where there just to his left, Kichiro scowled at him with an impatient huff.
"Hess! Pay more attention to what's going on!" the Ledian snapped.
"I am!" the Aggron shot back, shaking his head and steadying his grip on his chest. "That's why I was gonna do this!"
Hess stomped the ground and called down several large stones from the rock ceiling overhead onto Team Traveller's positions. On the ground, everyone quickly tried to fall back as the stones fell upon them. Ander frantically dodged a stone that just missed his wings, as cries of pain ran out from all around him. A pained bellow came from overhead, as the Scyther hurriedly ducked out of the way of an orange blur crashing to earth. It was Bunsen, lying barely lucid and sprawled out on the ground whining in pain.
Ander felt heavy footsteps running past, when he looked over and saw his teammates trying to get back onto their feet... while Hess was already halfway over to Dirk as the Bisharp fended off a small party of Marked led by a Chatot. Ander grit his teeth as he realized that Dirk wouldn't have stayed behind for no reason while his underlings retreated. Not unless he had some way of making sure Hess would be able to get away with their chest.
"Everyone, don't let Hess get to that Bisharp!"
Ander darted forward and flung a whitish shockwave ahead at Hess with all the force he could muster. His teammates quickly descended on the Aggron, throwing one attack after the other before they were forced back by a second Rock Slide that sent them diving for cover. Pleo stumbled back with a sharp squawk as one of the rocks struck his shoulder, while Nina hurriedly rushed past him and spewed a Flamethrower at the fleeing pirate. The young Lugia panted and fought to stay on his feet when he looked up in the direction of the entrance. There, Dirk was throwing aside the Chatot, the last of the squad that had tried to stop him. Back towards the middle of the chamber, Hess staggered and wobbled along the last stretch towards Dirk with Kichiro frantically pushing at his back—the chest now being held uneasily in his grasp.
No, he couldn't just let Hess get away! Now while they were this close! Pleo sucked in his breath and fought against his aching joints as his senses dulled and his mind focused, before calling out with a sharp cry.
"Stop!"
The young Lugia cracked his beak open as a ray of golden rings shot out, sailing along until they struck Hess' back and the Aggron tripped with a pained, choking cry.
"Hnrk!"
Hess tottered and pitched forward, landing onto his belly with enough force to stir up dust from fallen rubble. He lay there with his claws still wrapped around the chest, his strength depleted to the point where he could do nothing but let out feeble groans as the few pirates still at the entrance briefly held their fire out of startled shock. From the Aggron's side, Kichiro gave a worried buzz and flitted down beside the Steel-Type, desperately tugging at his captain.
"N-No, get up you stupid idiot!" the Ledian stammered. "We're so close here!"
Dirk briefly looked down at the pair a few paces away as the Marked guards and indigo-scarved Pokémon started to encroach on him. The last of the pirates in the hallway turned and retreated as a few guards attempted to give chase, but all the while, Dirk stubbornly stood his ground. There was a moment of tense unease, when Nina stepped forward as she and the remaining Elders stared down the Bisharp with fierce glares.
"You should know when you're beat, pirate," the Typhlosion snarled. "You and the Ledian can surrender peacefully, or you two can wake up in a few hours tied to a bed seeing stars in the medic's hut."
There was a moment of silence, before Dirk lowered his head and drew his arms in, letting out a low, derisive chuckle. Nina tensed up and shifted into a battle stance as Dirk looked up with a devilish smirk.
"Thanks for the offer, Typhlosion but I'll pass," Dirk replied. "We weren't planning on staying that much longer in this glorified Durant nest."
Dirk rubbed his blades together as a harsh screech rang out, loud enough to distort the air and make everyone nearby flinch. The Bisharp captain lunged ahead, shoving a Heliolisk out of the way as he shot an arm forward and swiped it against Kichiro's upper right arm and then the back of Hess' head. Trizano dove at Dirk from the air above, when he noticed the Bisharp was raising a black sphere up in the air. His eyes abruptly widened, as he realized what Bisharp was holding:
An Escape Orb pulsing with light.
"No, stop!"
Trizano spread his wings to tackle Dirk, only for the Bisharp to dash the black orb against the ground. The Skarmory sailed forward just as a flash of light to enveloped the three pirates, leaving him sailing through empty air. The light dissipated, with no sign of Hess, Kichiro, Dirk, or the chest to be seen. All that remained were themselves and the fainted pirates and defenders who were still strewn about the chamber. There was a moment of collective, shocked silence, as Team Traveller's minds went blank with a crushing realization that sank in on them.
They'd not only lost their volume of the Ledger, but also failed their friends when they needed them most. From the side, Pleo stared blankly at the spot where Hess and Dirk had been. His eyes began to well up as his voice started to hitch and whine.
"No no no! H-He wasn't supposed to get away!" Pleo cried. "W-We were supposed to-!"
Margi came over and placed a side-head on his shoulder, and lowered her body to meet his eyes.
"Pleo, I understand, but we did everything we could. We need to regroup before we can think about trying anything else."
"B-But he's going to kill my-!"
"No, he won't."
Everyone's attention fell on Nina as the Marked Typhlosion went over to a Emboar lying sprawled out on the floor. She stooped down and tore a glinting bauble off the Emboar's scarf, before bringing it up to her mouth and pressing down on it with a low huff.
"Whoever's listening, put me through to whoever's in charge of passing messages to your captains."
A moment of silence hung in the chamber, as the badge suddenly crackled to life with a chittering voice filling the air.
"Wait, who the hell is this?"
"The Pokémon who holds the fate of a good chunk of your comrades in her paws, so listen closely," Nina growled. "I don't know just how many of your deckhands you left behind here in Starbreak Square, but I know it's a big enough number that most pirate crews who suffered a loss like that would be interested in a change of leadership if their comrades weren't recovered somehow."
Dead silence followed from the badge as Pleo and his teammates looked on in stunned silence. The Lugia started to waddle over and opened his beak in protest, only for Nina to motion for a silence and raise the badge back to her mouth.
"Tell that Bisharp and Aggron that we're open to being convinced to care about their underlings' welfare, but it's contingent on the well-being of those Pokémon you're holding prisoner right now," she said. "The moment anything happens to them, regardless of anything you may have to offer or threaten us with, we will send every last pirate we're presently holding prisoner to the Wastes. Are we clear?"
Pleo stared up at Nina with his beak hanging open. It... was honestly scary to hear her so casually threaten to send Pokémon to die like that, but he was just surprised to see her worry so much about his teammates. It didn't seem like she was pretending or forcing herself to say any of those things, either.
A long pause followed, before the voice on the other end of the badge gave a nervous stammer back.
"I'll- I'll get back to you on that. Just hold onto that badge you've got!"
The voice cut out as Nina let her grip on it go. Pleo wasn't fully sure what to make of what just happened, but at least it sounded like there was a chance that their friends back in Starpeak Square would still be alright. Or at least for now.
Nina pinned the badge on her own scarf for safekeeping, before motioning to the other Elders and calling them over. They approached, some a bit slower than others, either from battle fatigue or from needing to be roused by Reviver Seeds. The Marked Typhlosion briefly paused to scan her surroundings, before she walked up to Robbie as he lingered in front of a few of his still-standing guards.
She folded her arms over each other and sized up the Krookodile and his scarf's pattern, before narrowing her eyes.
"And I presume that you're the Sheriff from that devil-worshipping village by the sea."
Robbie briefly bared his fangs as some of his nearby underlings let out growls and grumbles of their own. The Krookodile stepped forward, raising a fist with a low snarl.
"Look Tornupto, if you are trying to make me regret coming to help you-"
"I was going to say that I wanted you to brief us on what's going on out there," Nina said. "We likely only have a limited window to free your village, especially if we intend to rescue Lugia's companions as well."
There was a moment of confused silence as Robbie let his fist hang in the air for a moment before bringing it down with a low grumble.
"Hrmph, well you sure have a funny way of getting your point across," the Krookodile replied. "Though don't think that this suddenly means we're going to forget all the headaches you've caused us in the past!"
"I wouldn't dream of it," Nina scoffed. "But we have some shared interests at the moment, so at least for now, let's do what we can to work towards them together."
The Typhlosion and her fellow Elders set off as Robbie hesitated, before shaking his head and motioning at his underlings to follow.
"Everybody who's still standing, come along," he said. "Looks like we got that lucky break that we needed."
One by one, the indigo-scarved Pokémon made their way off. A few lingering behind to pass their fainted comrades off to be cared for, before also taking their leave. From the side, Pleo looked on, and fought against the aches in his body as he started to follow after Robbie when a voice interrupted him from the side.
"Stop."
Pleo looked up and saw Margi and Daraen approaching him, the Hydreigon of the pair staring down with a stern expression. The Lugia sputtered in protest, and motioned off after the departing guards.
"Wait, but we-"
"Need to go and see the medics!" Daraen insisted.
"You're hurt from a harsh and grueling battle," Margi said. "Tend to your own wounds first, and then we'll talk about where we should go from here."
Pleo hesitated and looked down at a deep bruise on his shoulder. It was hard to argue the two's point and he supposed that they could wait a little longer. Amidst all the hardships they'd went through, they'd finally gotten what seemed so out of reach just this morning:
Help, and a hope of getting their friends back. All because of Pokémon like Margi and Daraen who had trusted him and fought alongside him even if they were wary of him originally.
Pleo looked up, and nudged his beak against the Hydreigon's chest.
"Thank you," he said. "And... I guess we can do that first."
Author's Notes:
- Caesurio - German: "Bisharp"
- Sazandora (サザンドラ) - Japanese: "Hydreigon" (Official Romanization)
- Tornupto - German: "Typhlosion"