*Ahem* For what's about to happen, I feel like I should make some advance apologies. So bear with me for a moment, then enjoy.
1- I apologize to anyone who doesn't like reading long things. This mission's about 17 pages.
2- I also apologize to people who hate cliffhangers. Length concerns prompted me to break it in two.
3- Apologies to those who don't like things bittersweet.
4- To those who wonder how I managed 17 pages overnight... I didn't. Sorry
sweatdrop 5- Special apology to Ike. Team Clone gets a new toy, and I blame Isaac.
Now without further ado, here we go!
MISSION- Down, but not Out!
Team MegaTsunami will stop at nothing to eliminate 100% of Team Aqua. Archie has sent his Admins out to destroy any family or friends you have. Go seek out your friends and family to protect them from harm. If there are none, fight along-side Team Rag-Tag. Your loved ones, after all, have no idea what's coming to them.
You will face two Tsunami grunts (each with 1 to 4 pokémon), one Legendary Brilliance Peon with 1 to 4 pokémon, your clone from Team Clone who will use 3 to 6 of your pokémon's clones, and either Tsunami Admin Shelly or Tsunami Admin Matt. (Refer to the team information sheet for the Admins' pokémon. They will use at least three pokémon from that list, and may have unlisted pokémon.)
Please note: The higher your rank, the more difficult this mission will be for you.
Pokémon:
1 Non-legendary Pokémon allowed at your rank.
Rewards:
Up to P$20,000, and a choice of a Destiny Knot, Rainbow Pokéblock, or an evolution-inducing held item (e.g. Dubious Disk or Metal Coat)
This was bad. Worse than bad, it was a disaster. Headquarters, our home, was gone. Thanks to Archie, there wasn’t a piece of HQ left larger than my fist. To make things even more miserable, he’d succeeded in twisting public opinion against us. Team Aqua was homeless and hunted, but I knew we’d survive. Even now, we had gathered together at the Whirl Islands to prepare our next move. And yet the atmosphere was not that of a War Room, but of a fire drill. Everyone was scrambling about, repacking their things, getting their pokémon ready. Some people had already departed. My gear and pokémon were ready so I stood aside and watched the chaos.
Archie had made it known that he wouldn’t rest until every trace of Team Aqua was obliterated. It wasn’t enough to demolish our home and try and kill
us. No, he was targeting our friends, families, and allies. We didn’t have time to plan a counterattack against Team Tsunami – sorry, Team MegaTsunami. Everyone was in a hurry to find and protect the ones they loved. So why wasn’t I in a hurry? The way I saw it, I didn’t have anyone special to protect. I’d been ordered to go help Team Rag-Tag fend off Archie’s strike force. There was no need to rush this one. With members already en route, word of the attack should soon reach Kurtis’ ears. Kurtis is strong, and he knows how to get his team out of harm’s way. I could wait for people to clear out, take a little time to think, and still arrive in time. I found an empty rock and sat down to watch the sunrise.
Once most of the team had left, I looked around and saw some other people who had the same idea I had. It was time to go. I reached for my Wing Pack to retrieve my Mini Kyogre Jet. (Wing Packs are handy little devices. They can store a vehicle in some sort of compressed space. I wasn’t exactly sure what technology they used, but they worked beautifully. A jet in a hangar is useless if the hangar is destroyed, while a jet stowed in your Wing Pack could be carried to safety.) Before decompressing my jet, I first opened a smaller pocket on the pack’s side and grabbed the keys. That’s when
it fell out.
As I pulled my hand from the bag I could tell that I’d accidentally knocked something else out. I turned and bent over to pick it up. It was a photo. A young lady smiled out of the paper to anyone who looked at it. The first thing someone would notice about her was her brilliant pink hair. In fact that was what first drew me to her all those years ago. Now though, it wasn’t her hair that I remembered most fondly, it was her eyes. Her gentle azure eyes sparkled with the light of spring. She had a beauty that went beyond skin deep; she was one of the best people I had ever met. And she was perhaps the only person on Earth in whom I would ever place my complete trust.
Memories came flooding back as soon as I picked up her picture. I remembered the time we spent traveling around. I remembered her laugh; her kindness; her skill with pokémon, both in battle and in life. Our lives may have taken separate paths, but she and I will always remain connected. My mind came back into focus. Could Team MegaTsunami actually have found her? It was a risk I simply could not take. I had to know for certain.
“Hey guys, change of plans! I’m heading out right away!” I called to the remaining members. The Mini Kyogre Jet was no good. Flying that around would be like holding up a neon “TEAM AQUA” sign. I couldn’t help her if my jet was shot down, and I had no intention of leading Archie to her doorstep. Instead, I grabbed Salamence’s pokéball. My dragon was glad of the chance for some exercise, and without another word we flew from Whirl Islands.
I didn’t know exactly where my pink-haired friend was living these days, but I knew
her. I knew where to start looking. Steering Salamence east, I spurred him on as fast as he could fly. My heart told me to make for Fuchsia City. We swung wide to the south of Goldenrod City and shot past Azalea Town in a flash. A lone hiker stopped to look as we flew above Union Cave. Salamence dropped in low over the water when we got near Cherrygrove. I pulled my cloak a little closer around my body. The salty sea air was especially chilly at these speeds. Checking my map, I realized we were still too far north. Salamence was starting to look worn out, but he sensed my urgency and kept on without complaint. Bearing still further south, I could just make out the top of Cinnabar Island’s volcano ahead and to the right. It wasn’t long before we were passing the Seafoam Islands and saw Fuchsia City’s coastline come into view. The trip had seemed to take an eternity, and yet only a heartbeat. It was already almost noon.
Drawing nearer to the coast, I slowed Salamence a bit and started scanning the area. Fuchsia City spread back away from the sea until it reached the vast plains of Kanto’s Safari Zone. Thick woodlands rolled away into the heart of the region. Several low hills, closer to the coast, sheltered the town from some of the sea’s wrath during stormy weather. My attention focused on the few houses dotting the hilltops. If the woman lived in Kanto, it would be up there. She oft confided to me her dreams of someday working with wild pokémon, and a Safari Zone represented the perfect place to realize those dreams. However it was always when we traveled near the ocean that she seemed most relaxed. These houses were the only place for miles that offered both Safari and seashore. (On a clear day, I suspected, a person could see from here all the way out to the Seafoam Islands)
My hunch and my fears were confirmed simultaneously when I spotted a small watercraft beached near the base of one of the hills. Four figures were marching up to the house on top. With little time to spare, I had Salamence fly in quickly but quietly. Even though I was in a hurry, I didn’t want to alert them to my presence too soon. Landing well below the crest of the hill, I recalled Salamence. “Good work old friend. You’ve earned a rest, but I have a feeling I’ll need your help again soon.” I raced to the top as quickly as I could.
As I got near the top, the house came into view. I could see two men standing guard outside. One was short, plump, and well-groomed. The other was taller, thin almost to the point of frailty, and rather unkempt. By their uniforms, I suspected they were from Team Tsunami.
“I don’ know why we’re ‘ere on this wild goose chase,” complained the shabby one, “‘Ow d’we even know the lady’s ‘ere?”
“Hmph,” grunted the other, “Chief said he was sure of it.”
“Yeah well, I still don’ like all this waitin’ around doin’ nothin’.”
“You heard the Chief. He said he wanted to take care of this one ‘personally.’”
“Oy, look!” The first one had seen me. “’Ere ‘e comes now!”
“You dimwit, that’s not the Chief!
That’s the real one!”
“Wot? You sure? Well, now it’s gone interestin’. Oy you!” he called to me. “You want to stop the chief, yer goin’ ta have to get past us first!”
The grunt stepped forward to bar my way and held out a pokéball. His partner simply stood back and let the first one take me on alone. Either he didn’t feel much loyalty to his comrade, or they’d been ordered to stall me as long as possible. That was an unpleasant thought. I stood my ground and whipped out a pokéball too.
I started things off with Minun, anticipating a Water-type from my foe. He didn’t disappoint, sending Psyduck out first. Minun waited for her opponent’s move by charging power. Psyduck fired off a powerful Water Pulse, but Charge dispersed some of the damage. “Remember to aim away from Psyduck’s head, Minun,” I cautioned, “Now let ‘em have a taste of Spark!” The potent current left Psyduck in a world of hurt, but it was still able to fight back with Fury Swipes. Minun was scratched up, but otherwise fine. My pokémon backed off and prepared her next attack, but Psyduck rushed in for a Fury Swipes follow-up… and tripped.
Psyduck, in its haste, tripped over a rock and landed smack on the top of its head. I had to fight myself to avoid laughing. Minun realized there was an opening and rushed in to try and end the battle with another Spark. She was too slow. The bruised Psyduck clutched its head, sat up, and caught Minun with a Psychic attack. Minun’s kinetic energy was refocused back to her with crushing force. Down but not out, Minun staggered back to her feet and rushed in again. This time, before Psyduck could lash out, she Double-Teamed and two Minun veered off, left and right. Psyduck turned on one of them and used Psychic, but it simply vanished into thin air. The real Minun stayed straight on course and took out its distracted foe with Spark.
We each recalled our pokémon and got ready for round two. My foe had Lombre at the ready. Even though I wished he could’ve rested a bit longer, I needed Salamence to end this quickly. Lombre cowered at the sight of my dragon, but I could tell he was still exhausted. Salamence struck hard with Wing Attack but was too tired to hit with full force. The Lombre pulled itself together and planted some Leech Seeds on my pokémon. This battle would go south quick if I didn’t hurry. Salamence may have overworked his wings, but maybe… maybe fangs would do the trick. He was more than happy to sink his teeth deep into the lily-headed one. Lombre was fading fast, but still managed a Zen Headbutt. A second Crunch dropped the curtain on Lombre.
I had to pull Salamence out before those Leech Seeds did any more harm. In his place, I sent in my Cradily, Sidious. She knew the routine well, and when Corphish appeared on the other side of the field, things looked just about set. Sidious began, as usual, by dropping some roots for nutrition. Corphish charged in with Crabhammer, but the damage was minimal against my veteran pokémon. Since Ingrain took care of Sidious’ health, I took advantage of Corphish’s position and ordered Wring Out. The stubborn crab took a huge hit and backed away. It instead went for a long-range Ice Beam and landed a decent hit of its own. I was tired of playing. With one Giga Drain, Sidious finished her foe and recovered most of her health. The ill-groomed man called back his fallen pokémon, shot me a dirty look, and silently stepped aside.
“One down and one to go,” I whispered to myself. Then more loudly, “C’mon, you’re next!”
“Impatient, eh? The gal who lives here must mean something to you. Too bad the Chief’s already found her. It won’t be much longer now. But orders are orders.” With that, the shorter grunt pulled out a pokéball. My stomach churned. I was right, they
are trying to stall me!
I started off with Sidious this time, while my opponent led off with Slowpoke. Rather than put down roots, Sidious lumbered over to her foe and put the squeeze on with Wring Out. Slowpoke just sat there, seemingly oblivious to the pain. While this could be expected, I noticed barely any damage being done at all. “Sidious, watch out! Slowpoke’s using Calm Mind!” I yelled. She understood the implications and immediately hopped back. Slowpoke fired off an intense Ice Beam and very nearly KOed my pokémon. But Sidious had dealt with Ice Beam before and was ready with Mirror Coat. The reflected damage overwhelmed Slowpoke’s defenses and took it out.
“Heh heh. That Cradily of yours could be a real pain,” he droned, “But I know a thing or two about pain myself.” The grunt returned his first pokémon and tossed Corsola into the fray. What was he thinking? This was going to be even easier than taking down Slowpoke! I hastily ordered Sidious to use Giga Drain, hoping the double weakness would make for a one-shot fight. As Corsola reeled from the blast, I caught a flash of some fabric that I hadn’t noticed before. Corsola was holding a Focus Sash! There was nothing I could do. The petit pink pokémon was barely hanging in there, but as it landed I knew what came next: Mirror Coat. The very same move I’d used on Slowpoke now reflected Giga Drain’s damage. Sidious was out. Before Corsola could come back and Recover, I called my fainted Cradily back and had Minun take the stage. One Quick Attack was enough to break Corsola’s thin hold on consciousness.
Minun was still hurt from her battle with Psyduck. While I was distracted by Minun’s condition, my foe seized the chance to switch his fallen Corsola for a Golbat. Its sharp cry snapped my attention back to the battle. Fangs dripping with poison, Golbat swooped down on Minun. I quickly called her back and switched in Metang. The glistening silver pokémon easily repelled Golbat’s attack. With one Mean Look, it was clear Golbat woudn’t allow another swap. Metang answered the challenge with Zen Headbutt, missing by a hair. Golbat next emitted an eerie glow that confused Metang. My pokémon fought through its confusion and slammed the bat with Meteor Mash. Its attack power rose, but in its confused state that presented a problem. Golbat flew in for a Bite and Metang accidentally hit itself. Another Bite flinched Metang, and a third gave me cause for concern. Luckily, Metang shook off its confusion and connected point-blank with Zen Headbutt. The flying pest was grounded.
“You did good, Golby. Now it’s time to bring on… KINGSLEY!” The grunt sent in his last pokémon, a Kingler. Metang was badly hurt from the last fight, so I switched him out. I was fast running out of options, but I decided Minun might stand a chance. She got off a Thunder Wave and paralyzed the giant crab, but it spat back a sticky Mud Shot for moderate damage. Minun stayed back and dropped a Thunderbolt on her foe, but it seemed to take less damage than it should have. When Kingler rushed in for Guillotine, I caught a whiff of something fruity. “Smell that?” he asked, “That’d be the Wacan Berry Kingsley ate.” The two pokémon, not distracted by the grunt’s commentary, continued their fight. Minun barely slipped through Kingler’s claws to avoid Guillotine. She let loose another Thunderbolt for major damage, but couldn’t get clear fast enough. Kingler brought a Crabhammer down on my pokémon and knocked her out.
Kingler was weakened and paralyzed, but I still had to be careful. I brought Minun back and sent Salamence out once more. He was looking a little ragged, but roared in anticipation of the battle. Unfazed, Kingler came out swinging with another Guillotine. Salamence made no effort to evade the attack, and intercepted it with Dragon Claw. As the two pokémon locked claws, Kingler’s legs locked up in paralysis. My pokémon’s move came crashing down on his foe’s head for another solid hit. With a final, mighty Crunch, Kingler was knocked out. “Looks like you’ve learned something new about pain today. Now
move!” I shouted.
Defeated, the second grunt called back his pokémon and stepped over by his companion. A wicked smirk crossed his face as I started forward again. I hadn’t gone two steps when the door to the house burst open. A burly, intimidating man with the Legendary Brilliance Gang’s tattoo stepped out, yelling loudly.
“What is all the commotion out here?” He scowled at the Tsunami grunts. “You know you’re supposed to be keeping watch, right? Not arguing and showing off your pokémon and drawing attention to us!”
I interrupted his tirade when he paused for breath. “Where is she?”
The peon finally noticed me. “You? So, you’re here for the girl,” his voice got quieter and seemed to take on a serpentine tone. “All right, I’ll tell you where to find her. That is,
if you can get past me.”
He made a quick move with his hand and tossed a pokéball into the air. I barely had time to reach for my own pokémon, and that was largely a reflex! Ninjask appeared across from my Flareon, Maul. Hoping to gain an early lead, I called on Maul to serve up an Overheat, but Ninjask repulsed the move with Protect. This was no garden-variety peon I was dealing with. My instincts told me to prepare for multiple switches. So, I made a switch of my own, sending Claydol to relieve Maul. Ninjask took advantage of the extra time and pulled off Swords Dance. The bug’s speed continued to rise as it Protected itself again. However, Claydol didn’t attack directly. Instead, it unleashed a shower of small Stealth Rocks to hover around its foe.
The Peon didn’t seem concerned about the sharp stones floating around Ninjask. He went ahead and used Baton Pass anyway and put Luxio out. Claydol drew on Cosmic Powers to raise its resistance. As the juiced-up electric-type dashed in, it jumped in the air and landed a vicious Crunch. My pokémon fought back with a dose of Earth Power. Luxio attacked again, nearly knocking Claydol out of the battle. A second Earth Power put the other pokémon in the same shape. Unfortunately, Luxio’s speed was too high and it scored the finishing hit.
“So, a battle of speed, is it?” I tried distracting the peon as I switched Maul back in. “Go! Do it!” She didn’t need to hear the attack. Seeing her opponent in that condition was enough. As Minun did to Corsola, Maul ended Luxio’s hopes with Quick Attack.
“A speed battle?” he laughed, “Far from it!”
“What?”
“The Chief ordered us to either defeat or delay any interlopers for as long as possible. Normally I wouldn’t bother with a job like this, but Lady Yura promised it would be worth my while.” He studied me for a moment before going on, “She was right, too. The loot is nothing compared to the look on your face. PRICELESS!”
Ninjask rejoined the fight and received numerous slashes from Stealth Rock. Predictably, he started things with Protect, allowing Speed Boost a chance to work. I let Maul continue, and as the bug passed its speed off again, my Flareon charged in for Overheat.
Absol didn’t see it coming. The dark-type hadn’t even fought through the pointed stones when the attack hit. Maul’s power weakened from the move though, and Absol still looked like it had a lot of fight left. I returned her to her pokéball and had Salamence step up to battle. His intimidating roar rattled Absol’s nerves, but it didn’t stop the dark-type from landing a brutal hit with a critical Night Slash. Salamence was angry, and after taking a second Night Slash, gave Absol a Scary Face that only a mother Blissey could love. Salamence was gaining the upper hand, but time was running out, both for me, and for the woman I was here to save. Absol tried to attack again, but my pokémon was now the swifter of the two. He slammed his foe with Dragon Claw, scoring his own critical hit for the knockout.
Ninjask came back again for another round of Stealth Rock. I pulled my wounded Salamence out in favor of my slightly less wounded Metang. Since attacking immediately was futile, Metang instead played our foe’s game and used Agility. With nothing to Protect against, the insect simply let Speed Boost take effect. As Metang ramped up its speed again, Ninjask took the chance to do a little Swords Dancing. On the third round, I took a chance on attacking with Meteor Mash, but Protect went up to buy some time. Ninjask finally passed off its speed and attack to the peon’s final pokémon, Seviper. The pointy rock shards bit into the snake’s skin, giving Metang one last chance for Agility.
I hoped my shiny steel-type was fast enough to outrun Seviper. As the super-charged serpent reared up, I had only a moment to guess its attack. “Magnet Rise now, Metang!” I cried. My guess was spot-on. Seviper came crashing down with Earthquake, but as my pokémon shot up into the air, the seismic ripple passed safely underneath. Metang concentrated its power and rammed its foe with Zen Headbutt, only to find itself between two powerful jaws. Neither pokémon would hold out much longer, but Metang had the edge. One more Zen Headbutt would do the trick. The attack landed square and true, but Seviper wasn’t out! It coiled up to withstand the hit, revealing a Focus Band on its tail. Seviper sprang back and KO’ed Metang with Crunch.
This creep was beyond annoying. He’d stalled me far too long already and I was down to my last two pokémon. I knew both of his remaining pokemon were almost down, so I sent Maul back for another round. A cruel grin crossed both the Peon’s and his Seviper’s faces as the snake drew back for Earthquake again. Maul never gave them the chance. She shot forward with Quick Attack, catching Seviper’s underbelly and launching it across the hilltop. The peon stared in awe at this turn of events before recalling his fallen serpent and putting Ninjask back for one final try.
My Stealth Rocks had taken a heavy toll on his pokémon, and Ninjask wouldn’t last much longer. He understood this too, so rather than Protect, he ordered his pokémon to Dig underground. Maul’s Iron Tail strike sailed overhead. She looked frustrated, so I tried to soothe her. “Calm down, Maul! Ninjask’s gonna surface soon. Focus and get ready. Time the attack and it won’t be able to dodge.” Maul glanced at me and gave an affirming yip. Ninjask burst from the ground just in front of my pokémon and landed a super-effective hit, but Maul rolled with it, got to her feet, and tackled Ninjask with Overheat. This was more than the bug could hope to withstand and it fell to the ground, unable to continue.
“Well done,” the LB Gang peon hissed, “Now for my end of the bargain. You’ll find the girl out back.” He made a jerking motion with his thumb, pointing towards the house. “She’s a pretty one, too. I’m sure the Chief is taking
good care of her.”
I turned and dashed along the path around the house. Behind me, I could hear the LB peon lay another verbal assault on his companions and order them back to their boat. Ignoring them, I pressed on around the home. Stepping into the back lawn, nothing could quite prepare me for the sight I saw. Halfway across the hilltop, I could plainly see
myself locked in a duel with a woman. As the initial shock passed, I realized I beheld my clone. This was the first time I’d ever seen me – him – and the effect was unnerving.
I forced myself to stop thinking about my clone and instead take a second look at the woman he was battling. Instead of the pink I expected, her hair flowed around her shoulders like a cascade of cinnamon. As my gaze moved to her face, I thought how similar her features were to the girl I once knew. Once I saw her eyes, all doubt was erased from my mind. No one I’d ever met in all my travels had eyes like hers. She was the one. A light gust of wind tossed her hair a little and I saw she still kept two small streaks of her hair colored pink.
Between the two people, a Scizor and a Venusaur were awaiting their trainer’s commands. Both of them looked nearly ready to drop.
“You’ve changed, Thard!” the woman protested, “You were never like this before!”
“The world is changing!” My clone retorted. “And it doesn’t need people like you.”
Hearing my voice say those words was almost unbearable.
“You’re not the man I used to love.” She sounded more distraught with each passing moment.
“I could care less,” replied my clone. “Scizor, one more should do it. X-SCISSOR!”
“Venusaur, Sleep Powder!”
Venusaur sprinkled a cloud of blue dust into the air, but Scizor ducked around it and delivered a powerful two-clawed strike, knocking out its foe. My friend recalled her final pokémon in silence. She knew what my clone was about to do.
“Make it quick, Scizor,” he ordered his pokémon, “She deserves at least that much.” The next few seconds passed as though in slow motion. Scizor unfolded his wings and the woman sank to her knees, the last glint of hope fading from her eyes. As Scizor flew menacingly across their battlefield, my body reacted without waiting for permission. I started to run towards the three figures across the field.
“Oh, Thard…. Why?” Her voice was trembling and barely audible. When Scizor raised a claw to strike, I drew out my swords. A part of my brain told me I must be crazy, trying to challenge Scizor hand-to-claw. The Steel-type thrust his pincer forward. His victim closed her eyes and shed a single tear. I made one last, desperate lunge to reach the scene in time.
To Be Continued....
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