14-15

Survival​

There is no greater service than to those you love. — Samson Oak​

The kangaskhan moved faster than should have been possible. A bolt of lightning from Red's pikachu sailed harmlessly past, splashing uselessly off the wall of the cavern. The kangaskhan pushed through a combined flamethrower from Blue's arcanine and Luna, hardly even breaking stride.

Giovanni just smirked smugly, as though he already knew the outcome of the battle and was just waiting for it to play out.

Acolyte stepped forward, Pride moving to support him as the kangaskhan closed with us.

"Intercept it," I ordered quickly. "Tag team."

Pride leapt up, leading with his horn as Acolyte came in swinging. The kangaskhan caught Pride by the throat, using my nidorino's momentum to catapult him across the room and through the bars of a primeape's cage. Acolyte swung for the kangaskhan's head, going straight for a knockout blow.

The kangaskhan caught Acolyte's club effortlessly as she turned. I saw the fear and surprise etched clearly into my marowak's face. Then a meaty fist slammed into his jaw, sending my pokemon sailing across the cavern. He slammed into the wall of the cavern and slumped heavily to the floor.

"Together!" Red shouted, raising a pair of pokeballs. His pikachu jumped off his shoulder as he released his poliwhirl and a butterfree that fluttered towards the cavern ceiling. His pikachu jumped off his shoulder, taking a place in front of Red's other pokemon. "We can't take it alone!"

My hand found Vector's ball as Blue raised a pair of his own. My heracross appeared alongside a sturdy blastoise and Blue's kadabra. Vector hissed, nervously flitting his wings and looking around for me.

I put my hand on Vector's back, calming my bug with the touch. He still would barely listen, but I didn't have a choice. I glanced down at Luna, finding the courage I needed in my starter's determined stare.

"Alright," I started, swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat. Acolyte was struggling to his feet, Pride extricating himself from the cage alongside the primeape. "Let's take it together."

We charged as one, ten pokemon attacking all at once. Lightning tore across the cavern from two directions, bathing the kangaskhan in crackling electricity. Dual flamethrowers washed over her, blackening the stone floor with their intensity. No pokemon could stand against this assault. Yet the kangaskhan stood firm, hardly even budging an inch as she withstood our greatest efforts.

The flamethrowers died and I saw the kangaskhan glance up as Acolyte and Vector hurtled towards her. Blue's arcanine bounded forwards, a ring of flame already surrounding her as she closed with our foe. I saw Red order his pikachu forward and the little pokemon wreath himself in blue lightning.

Acolyte got there first, bringing his club down in a hammer blow. The kangaskhan caught the blow with her forearm, directing the club past her and into my charging heracross. Vector hit the ground, crawling away from the fearsome kangaskhan as she slammed Acolyte headfirst into the floor.

She turned, meeting Blue's charging arcanine with a mega punch to the jaw. The shaggy fire type yelped in pain, her flaming charge cut short as she staggered on her feet. The kangaskhan followed up with a second hook to the jaw, spinning the arcanine to the side. She leaned back, delivering a powerful mega kick to the arcanine's side.

Red's pikachu leapt over the tumbling form of the arcanine, blue lightning enveloping the little yellow pokemon. The kangaskhan turned, already swinging a punch to intercept the volt tackle. She wasn't fast enough.

The little pikachu hit her on the inside of her shoulder. She spun as lightning erupted on her chest, knocked off balance as stray bolts carved smouldering furrows in her fur. Red's poliwhirl was there, pounding his meaty fists into her face and pushing her back with the intensity of his assault.

The kangaskhan caught a fist, but an iron tail to the jaw knocked her back off balance. Then the poliwhirl was back, pummeling the kangaskhan with a series of blows that would have flattened any of my pokemon. Every time she regained her composure enough to counter a blow, Red's pikachu was there. An iron tail to the joints or a bolt of lightning to the chest would knock the kangaskhan back onto the defensive.

Vector was back up, drawing close to Acolyte as my marowak struggled to his feet. We'd taken a beating, but Red had proved that the kangaskhan was not invincible. We could take him together.

Pride charged, finally having extricated himself from the cage. The primeape from the cage screamed bloody murder, bounding after my nidorino with a shriek of primal bloodlust.

"Together!" I roared as our pokemon charged.

Giovanni stamped his foot once, drawing a quick glance from his kangaskhan. "Enough games, Dauntless. End this."

I saw the look of pleasure cross the kangaskhan's face and I knew that we had misjudged our chances. Dauntless' back heel touched the wall of the cavern as she caught what should have been a devastating punch. She glanced up, tracking Red's pikachu as he sailed towards her.

Red's poliwhirl jerked his fist back, trying to free himself from Dauntless' crushing grip. The kangaskhan was stronger though by far and held strong. With a smooth, practiced movement, she spun and flung the struggling poliwhirl across the cavern. He collided with Pride, sending both pokemon tumbling over each other.

Red's pikachu missed by inches, carving a deep gash into the stone wall. The kangaskhan turned back, already swinging a powerful fist. Red's pikachu never stood a chance. Dauntless smashed her lead fist into the little pikachu, sending the little pokemon flying across the room.

It was too late to stop. We were in full charge. We only had one choice left to us; attack.

The primeape got there first, swinging wildly at Dauntless. I didn't doubt that the primeape was powerful, but it had none of the precision technique that a trained pokemon would have possessed. Dauntless deftly weathered the reckless barrage, batting aside blows with her own open palms. She caught a punch, seizing on the opportunity as she caught the primeape's other fist with ease. She lifted him off the ground and kicked him with all she could muster. The primeape hit the wall hard and slumped to the floor.

Acolyte came in swinging, missing Dauntless by inches as she sidestepped the attack. She swung for his elbow, but Blue's arcanine was there. The shaggy fire type clamped her jaws over Dauntless' forearm, flames roasting away at her tough hide. Acolyte recovered as the kangaskhan flailed wildly at the arcanine holding desperately to her forearm. Her free fist hammered into the arcanine's head over and over, but still she held strong.

Vector darted in, fist hammering the back of Dauntless' knee as Acolyte swung a vicious rising blow at her head. The kangaskhan's knee buckled and she dropped down to one knee, stunned for half a moment. Sensing the advantage, Blue's arcanine planted her hind legs and leaned into Dauntless as Acolyte pounded a follow up blow into the top of her other knee.

The kangaskhan toppled backwards, surprise clear on her face. She kept rolling, using the momentum to catapult Blue's arcanine away from her. The arcanine crashed headlong into the wall and lay deathly still. Acolyte jabbed down at Dauntless' head, but his club found only the stone floor.

Dauntless swept Acolyte's legs out from underneath him before he could react. My marowak hit the floor, the kangaskhan already rising to deliver a fatal blow.

Vector was there, leading with his horn. He took Dauntless in the chest, movement flowing smoothly into an all out attack. Fists, feet and horn all landed in a flurry of blows that I could barely track. For a long, precious moment, it looked as though Vector might stop the kangaskhan cold.

Then he slowed. It wasn't much, just a kick that moved a fraction of a second slower. But it was enough for Dauntless. She batted the kick aside, rearing back with her head. She delivered a powerful headbutt to the base of Vector's horn. My heracross bounced away limply, rolling to a stop against a ruined cage.

Acolyte retreated towards me as I returned Vector to his ball. Luna stood loyally at my side, waiting for an order. I didn't know what to do, what to say. We were utterly outclassed by this man, by only a single one of his pokemon.

Blue returned his arcanine, nervously eying the kangaskhan that had devastated our teams as he retreated towards me. "What do we do?" he asked bleakly. "That thing is just too strong."

I grimaced as Red moved towards me. Pride limped weakly behind his poliwhirl, favouring his left side as he trotted over to my side. Red glanced over at his friend. "We fight," he said firmly. "We don't have any other choice."

"I gave you a choice," Giovanni called.

His kangaskhan gingerly plodded over to his side, giving off the illusion of a gentle giant. A shudder went down my spine as I attempted to reconcile the things I had seen Dauntless do with the image she presented to us now.

"You chose to spit in the face of my offer. You could have had wealth beyond compare, power beyond your wildest dreams. You could have seen the rise of a resurgent human race. You could have been a part of something greater." He folded his arms across his chest and regarded us coldly. "I told you that I would end your little crusade if you persisted."

"Come and end it," Red spat. "Just like before, we'll stop you."

Giovanni furrowed his brow and deepened his scowl. "Like before?" he asked with a sneer. "You mean your triumphant battle beneath Mount Moon? Or your tragic, desperate victory aboard the S.S. Anne?"

Red turned a chilling shade of white. His pikachu leapt up onto his shoulder, sparking furiously.

"You accomplished nothing. You scrapped a fossil mine that had long since run dry and destroyed a prototype long after a successful test. The data we gleaned from that test was insightful indeed." He smirked knowingly. "I have five more prototypes in production and a new fossil mine to replace what you disposed of for me."

"Don't listen to him, Red." Blue elbowed past me, shouting at his friend. "He's just trying to get into your head!"

"Please," Giovanni interjected. "I've been in his head ever since that pidgeotto died at sea. Just like I've been in yours since your raticate was crushed to death." He smirked and spread his arms out wide. "I am Rocket. Everything that happens in Kanto happens because I allow it. Everything that you think you've done was only to give you the impression you were actually doing something. Did you really think a couple of plucky kids could take down my organization?"

"I don't care," Blue spat, finding his courage. "We will stop you."

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Giovanni asked simply. "My men are storming the gym now, rooting out the last remnants of Erika's pathetic resistance. Celadon is mine. Her people know nothing but generosity by my hand. Their golden age is now, made possible by my guidance."

"All the while, your boot hangs over their heads." I crossed my arms, joining the two boys. "That doesn't sound like a golden age to me."

His face morphed into an expression of pure disdain. "A shame you won't be around to see it." He turned to his kangaskhan. "Finish them, Dauntless."

The kangaskhan beat her chest as our pokemon roared in unison.

"We can't beat him," Blue said quietly. He looked over at me and Red. "He's just too strong."

Red stared defiantly at Giovanni, refusing to let himself be cowed. "There has to be something," he said. "Something to even the playing…" his voice trailed off as he glanced away from Giovanni.

"The cages," the boys said in unison.

I turned and looked over at the row of cages. There were dozens of pokemon still trapped, more than enough to turn the tide. I glanced at the chained charizard longingly, praying that the boys could get the fire drake free in time.

"Go," I said. "I'll hold him."

I turned back to Dauntless, my hands balling into fists. I looked past the kangaskhan at Giovanni and felt the rage in my chest. Red and Blue's pokemon were still with me. All I had to do was hold back the unstoppable.

I pointed forward, shouting orders as our teams charged as one. The boys dashed away and my attention turned to the battle at hand. Pride and Acolyte led the charge, Red's poliwhirl a half-step behind them both. Red's pikachu paced a path wide of the kangaskhan, keeping an eye open for any opening as Luna followed him.

Blue's blastoise let out a tremendous bellow, and levelled his shoulder cannons with the kangaskhan. I heard the distant rush of water and turned away to shield my face.

Dauntless took both blasts of water to the chest, skidding backwards but staying on her feet. The hydro pump ended as Acolyte leapt up into a diving blow. Dauntless was quick though. She reached up, catching Acolyte as he descended.

Pride buried his horn up to the base in Dauntless' thigh, drawing a grunt of pain from the beast. She roared, rearing back and pitching Acolyte across the cavern. He smashed into Red's poliwhirl, sending both pokemon tumbling.

Pride yanked his horn free, sensing danger as I shouted for him to get clear. Blood and viscous purple gunk leaked freely from the gaping wound, but Dauntless was truly unstoppable. Pride had only managed to turn away before the kangaskhan caught him.

She caught him by the horn, yanking him back towards her and smashing him bodily off of the cavern wall. My nidorino rolled limply to a halt, eyes looking at me desperately. I watched helplessly as the kangaskhan raised a foot to crush Pride.

A beam of psychic light tore across the cavern, smiting Dauntless on the back of her shoulder. She staggered slightly as a vicious gust of wind buffeted her from behind.

Red's butterfree dropped from the ceiling, picking the perfect moment to launch her surprise assault. She beat her wings again as her antennas flexed. A blade of howling wind formed beneath her, kept in place by the psychic power she commanded.

Luna leapt forwards, seeing an opening as Pride struggled to his feet. Dauntless was distracted, turning towards the butterfree.

"Flamethrower!" I shouted.

Luna loosed a torrent of flame that washed over Dauntless. I lost the kangaskhan in the fire for a moment, but knew that I didn't have long. Luna wouldn't do much more than draw her attention for a fraction of a second.

I turned to Blue's blastoise. We had to follow up while Dauntless was on the defensive. "Hydro pump as soon as the fire clears."

He levelled his cannons and I once again heard a distant roar of waves crashing against the shore. Luna's fire died and a pair of highly pressurized water blasts erupted from the titanic water type.

Dauntless was hit by the hydro pump just as Red's butterfree let her attack fly. A razor-blade of howling wind tore across the cavern, battering the kangaskhan and smashing her bodily into the wall behind her.

Dauntless hit the ground for the second time, slumping forwards as her chest heaved. She looked up at me and I knew she was pissed.

"Dauntless," Giovanni said calmly. "Rock slide."

My eyes widened in horrible realization. Giovanni was going to bury us. I opened my mouth to shout a warning, but I was already too late.

Dauntless slammed her fist into the cavern wall. I heard a great crack, and a low rumble as the earth around us protested violently. Dauntless tightened her fist and looked mercilessly at her opponents.

Red's butterfree disappeared under a torrent of falling rock. Pride ran desperately, Luna overtaking him as the falling ceiling gained on them both.

Dauntless shot off like a rocket, charging straight towards me and the blastoise beside me. Blue's blastoise levelled his cannons, already readying a desperate hydro pump.

Dauntless got there first, hammering her fist into the blastoise's jaw. Twin cannons blasted craters into the ceiling as Dauntless followed up with a hammer arm that smashed the blastoise into the ground.

I scrambled away, our organized defence smashed aside with a single blow. I caught a glimpse of Red's pikachu wreathed in blue lightning and Acolyte's sailing club.

Dauntless caught the club with ease, turning and swinging it deftly at the charging pikachu. The bone club absorbed the lightning on contact, knocking the little pokemon headlong into the cavern wall. She turned back to the prone blastoise, discarding Acolyte's club as if it were useless. She planted a foot on the blastoise's belly as he retreated into his shell, pressing down steadily on the softer underbelly of the impenetrable shell.

I heard a brittle cracking noise and realized that she meant to kill Blue's blastoise. I got to my feet, Acolyte and Red's poliwhirl charging as Luna and Pride joined them. We had barely moments.

Dauntless turned as I shouted my attack orders and I realized that they didn't matter. She swatted Pride's ineffective charge to the side, meeting the poliwhirl's fist with her own open palm. She spun with the same movement, slamming Red's poliwhirl into the wall and leaving the bruising water type limp on the ground.

I dove into my pack desperately, a crazy plan forming half-cocked. "Pride!" I roared as I raised the little moon rock Blue had given me in Lavender. I didn't know if he was strong enough, but we had no choice.

Acolyte grabbed up his club, jumping up with a leaping swing that Dauntless ducked under. The kangaskhan sidestepped my marowak, letting him slide past her. Acolyte came back swinging as Pride staggered back to his feet and dashed back towards me.

Dauntless intercepted Acolyte's club with one arm, twisting and pulling his arm outstretched. She drove her free palm into Acolyte's elbow, drawing a shriek of pain out of my stoic marowak. He dropped his club, clamping his good arm over his injured elbow and staggering back. Dauntless raised a fist and hammered it into the crest of Acolyte's skull cap. He hit the ground, looking up at the kangaskhan in dazed terror.

A blinding light erupted from my nidorino, forcing Dauntless to shield her eyes from the supernova. Pride's growl deepened into a deafening bellow as he rose to his hind legs. His limbs thickened immensely, his torso growing alongside them. The horn on his head lengthened and heavy plates of armour grew where leathery skin had been.

Acolyte squirmed free as Dauntless turned to face the new threat. He raised his club, taking advantage of the sudden opening as two titans challenged each other.

Pride charged, dropping to all fours and pounding towards the kangaskhan. Dauntless shrank back for a moment, bracing herself and absorbing the momentum as she was pushed backwards. She shifted to the side, steering Pride to the ground easily and turning to face Acolyte as he leapt with his club. She cocked a foot and kicked Acolyte solidly in the chest with all the power she could muster. He hit the far wall of the cavern and collapsed into a heap.

Luna was there before Dauntless could turn back to finish Pride, a spinning helix of flaming light gathering around her. She darted in, her eyes flaring purple as she put all her strength into a desperate mental attack.

Pride chose his moment well, driving his horn again deep into the kangaskhan's thigh. She dropped to one knee, grunting in pain as her hand clamped down on Pride's throat. His eyes widened in shock and I heard a wet gurgle as he desperately gasped for air. Dauntless lifted him effortlessly, crushing her fist tighter as she ripped his horn out of her leg.

"No!" I shouted, knowing that Pride had overextended himself dangerously in his newfound confidence. "Luna, help him!"

Dauntless clamped her other hand on the other side of Pride's head, caressing him ominously. She looked vengefully down at the stubborn nidoking that had dared to defy her, then over at me. I could have sworn that I saw her grin, knowing that there was nothing I could do to stop her.

Then she did it. One quick twist at the neck and it was done. Pride's body slumped to the ground, limp and lifeless as he fell. Dauntless turned and left my first capture behind, stalking towards me as I fell to my knees.

It was over. Luna stepped in front of me protectively, but there was nothing she could do. She growled, baring her teeth at the looming kangaskhan. Everyone else was down and out. I hadn't held out long enough.

A deafening roar echoed across the cavern. The charizard launched himself forward, wings flapping as he built up momentum. Dauntless turned, but Luna's eyes flashed and the kangaskhan was rooted to the spot. Blue's kadabra appeared suddenly, adding his strength to Luna's as she desperately held the kangaskhan in place.

They couldn't hold long, but it was enough. Dauntless broke free, turning to face the angry charizard as he sank his claws into her chest. The two pokemon lifted off the ground for a moment as the charizard heaved with all his considerable might.

Dauntless writhed madly, but the charizard had her. He built speed, sailing towards Giovanni with the leader's kangaskhan held tightly against him. The charizard released, flaring his wings and flinging Dauntless back at her master.

The kangaskhan disappeared in a flash of red light before she could land, leaving Giovanni standing alone against the furious fire drake. He tucked the ball back into a hidden pocket in his suit and scowled at the newest combatant.

Red and Blue appeared from behind me, a veritable army of prize pokemon alongside them. I saw a pair of dratini slither past me, a regal dragonair following a half-moment later. A clutch of young totodile stormed past me, growling eagerly as they charged the Viridian Gym Leader.

He smirked and stamped his foot on a strangely coloured patch of floor at his side. He disappeared without a word, leaving us alone in the cavern.

The charge of prize pokemon fizzled out as quickly as it had started. Most of the pokemon broke into species groups, leaving a wide berth around us.

"Did we win?" Blue asked cautiously. I could hear the hope in his voice, but I didn't answer. He turned towards Red, a wide smile on his face. "Damn, we just kicked his ass!"

I turned away as Red answered him with the same hopeful tone, my eyes picking through the rubble. I found Acolyte laying against the wall, his eyes closed and his chest terrifyingly still. His left arm was bent at a terrible angle and his skull cap had cracked near the base of one of his horns. I returned him to his ball, holding it close to my chest as I continued through the rubble.

Luna found my side instinctively, nuzzling against my leg as I looked down at Pride's body. Red and Blue were still excitedly recounting the battle, but I couldn't make out their words through the rush of blood in my ears. I couldn't hear anything but the beating of my own heart, couldn't do anything but stare in horror at my dead pokemon.

I dropped to my knees, gingerly leaning over Pride. His neck was bent wrong and his eyes were blankly staring straight ahead. I gently turned his head, taking great care to close his eyes for good. My hand lingered on his neck, at the base of a pair of spikes that had tripled in thickness with his evolution. He'd always loved when I scratched him there.

"I'm sorry," I said, choking on the words. I tasted blood and bile, nearly vomiting as I struggled with the sight before me. "Gods, I'm sorry Pride."

Luna nudged him with her nose, as if she was trying to wake him up. That was the breaking point. The tears fell freely and I buried my face into Luna's neck. Pride was dead. My first capture was dead.

"Marcus," Blue said. I was suddenly aware of his hand on my shoulder, and Red's on the other. "We gotta get out of here."

"She killed him," I said dumbly. "Without even a thought. Like she was swatting an insect."

I saw Red wince and felt instant regret. I'd seen his butterfree be crushed under a torrent of falling rock. "That's why we're going to stop them," Red continued. "Because that's what they do."

I tried to look up at him, but my gaze was transfixed on Pride. "How do we do that?" I asked. I tore my gaze away, rounding on the boys. "I didn't want this! I thought it was too risky! I knew I was being watched! But no, the two of you had to force my hand!" I stopped for a moment, breathing heavy.

The boys looked back at me with all the sympathy of people who knew the pain I was in. Red smiled softly. "Nobody wanted this," he said. He looked down at Pride mournfully. "This is the cost of doing what's right. This is the cost of fighting this war."

"War?" I asked derisively. "We aren't soldiers. You two are barely even kids, and I-"

"Need to stop," Blue said forcefully. "We don't have the teleport power to get all these pokemon to the surface." He scratched his neck. "And I don't know if you noticed, but it's getting harder to breathe down here." His eyes met mine, and I felt supreme calm radiate from him. "Mourn after. Right now, we figure out how to get out of here. Or else all of us die."

I took a moment. The omnipresent hum of machinery was gone, and the air was hot. Thick, acrid smoke was leaking from the elevator shaft and slowly spreading out towards us. "Giovanni shut down the fans that supply fresh air to this chamber. The elevator is a non-option." I looked over at the boys. "How did he disappear?"

Red turned, looking over at the spot Giovanni had been standing. "He literally just disappeared. Like he teleported out."

"I didn't see any psychics," Blue added. "Shadow travel? Maybe he used a dark pokemon?"

Red shook his head. "Not supposed to be possible," he replied. "It drives humans insane and he was sane."

I scanned the room again, looking for anything we'd missed. I pointed at the patch of strangely patterned floor. It was covered in grooves and had several small ridges around the edges. "What's that?" I asked.

Red knelt over it, studying the pattern of the strange panel. "Something suspicious," he started. He reached out, brushing the layer of dust and rubble off the floor panel.

He disappeared with a faint pop. Blue and I looked at each other in shock, moving closer to the panel. Luna growled, inching alongside with me.

Red reappeared on the panel, a wide grin on his face. "It leads to the surface. Some kind of teleport pad."

Blue frowned. "That's not possible. The technology doesn't exist."

Red stepped off the pad, shrugging. "Well it does now," he said. "We have our way out. The pad took me to some empty warehouse. No sign of Giovanni."

Blue looked over at me, then over at the pokemon surrounding us. "Then let's get to it."

We emerged from the warehouse into a city at war. Fires were burning on every corner and the sounds of battle were still echoing through the streets. Most of it seemed to be coming from the south, towards the gym. We returned most of the prize pokemon to the balls that had been on their cages, only keeping out the charizard and a few of the more compliant grass types.

I returned Luna to her ball, giving her a short rest as Blue returned his own pokemon. We'd been fighting for our lives and every one of our pokemon needed rest.

Red took to the sky on the back of the charizard, leading us closer and closer to the fighting in the horticultural quarter. More than once, Blue and I watched him dive towards the ground and disappear onto the next street over. We'd round the corner and Red would be leaning against the wall nonchalantly, a roadblock torn to pieces or a few Rocket pokemon laying in pieces around the charizard.

The horticultural quarter was a shattered ruin. Greenhouses that had awed me with their beauty were burnt out shells, fires having long ago chewed through the exotic flora. I cursed the Rockets again, my resolve hardening as we made our way through the destruction.

The gym itself was the only place that wasn't a burning ruin, but that wasn't for lack of trying. Parts of the gym were aflame, but we could see the gym trainers rushing back and forth as they desperately fought the flames. The gym's fire sprinklers were spraying valiantly, keeping the fires from overwhelming the defenders before they could douse them.

I hopped through a smashed greenhouse, taking cover against the wall facing the gym's front courtyard. There were more Rockets in the courtyard, still trying to force an entry to the gym. Even as I watched, a pair of gym trainers beat back a squad of Rockets. Another squad of Rockets filled the hole the retreating squad made, a pair of raticate overwhelming one of the gym trainers' gloom.

"Any ideas?" I asked, glancing over towards Blue. "I count eighteen men, at least twice that in pokemon."

"Surprise attack," he replied grimly. "It's all we can do."

I gripped Luna's ball tighter. "Only got my vulpix left."

He grimaced as he raised a pair of his own balls. "Then fight smart." He vaulted over the wall, releasing an electabuzz and his blastoise. They charged off, blasting through a squad of Rockets before they could even turn to face him. The squad melted under his assault, the men fleeing from the sudden ferocity of the attack.

Red dropped from the sky astride the charizard, his pikachu perched proudly on his shoulder. The fire drake flared his wings, slowing himself just enough to allow Red to safely leap away. The boy rolled with the landing, coming up with his pikachu already sparking as the charizard gutted a raticate from above.

I vaulted over the wall after Blue, joining the mad assault. Luna ran ahead of me, her eyes flashing with psychic light. The Rocket closest to me yelped as his koffing dropped like it was a puppet who's strings had been cut. Luna tore into the man's drowzee from the side, tearing at the Pokémon's calf muscle while it was still distracted.

A thunderous roar erupted from the gym as a group of gym trainers charged. A pair of gloom speared the Rocket formation with solar beams, carving smouldering furrows into the courtyard. A tangela charged ahead of them, vines whipping out and lashing at the retreating Rockets as a trio of ivysaur peppered them with a barrage of razor sharp leaves.

The Rocket I had attacked turned tail and ran, abandoning his pokemon on the field as Luna hamstrung the drowzee. One of his squad turned, ordering his raticate after me, but Luna torched it with a powerful jet of flame and burned off a large swath of fur. It fled along with its master.

The gym trainers swept out of the gym, more grass pokemon emerging along with them. They drove the Rockets from the courtyard, joining our sudden assault with their own.

"STAND AND FIGHT!" boomed a voice. It was cold and cruel, and yet I knew the voice intimately. It had haunted my nightmares ever since I'd met him. "Push them back!" roared Vicious.

He stepped out from one of the greenhouses across from the gym that Rocket had captured. His beard was flecked with blood and his helmet was covered in dents. His scizor stood beside him, the bug's metal claws dripping viscera.

"You," I said calmly, planting my feet. Luna stepped in front of me, growling and exhaling smoke.

Blue turned, his teeth gritting when he laid his eyes on Vicious. "You," he repeated.

Vicious grinned wildly. "Yes," he said. "Me." He raised a pair of strangely coloured pokeballs, his grin growing like he knew something. The balls crackled with purple electricity, ominously sparking in the Rocket agent's hands.

"We stopped your boss," Red said proudly. His pikachu leaned forward on his shoulder, sparking angrily at the cheeks. "We'll stop you too."

Vicious smirked, his eyes flitting between the boys and me. He settled his gaze on Red. The Rockets turned, stopping their mad flight as the Iron Masked Marauder set foot on the field.

"How should we take him?" Red asked. Vicious just stood there, waiting for us to make our move.

Blue looked mournfully at me, then back at his friend. He set his jaw and lifted his gaze to our foe. "Together," Blue replied.

I looked around. The fighting had grown still, the gym trainers and Rocket grunts turning to watch us face down the agent. My fists tightened unconsciously and I clenched my jaw. We'd broken the siege temporarily, but we had to end it. The roar of battle seemed to die for a moment, and then I heard it.

A bolt of thunderous lightning speared the scizor and broke the silent showdown. The chopper roared overhead, a trio of trainers diving out as the fighting resumed with desperate intensity.

I looked up at the chopper, making out the massive, hulking shape of Surge leaning out of the open door. I watched him shout another order and his raichu roast a raticate from above.

Vicious roared in anger, pointing up at the chopper. His scizor took off like a rocket. It was a rust-red metal blur, moving faster than any human eye could track.

Surge saw though, somehow seeing the blindingly fast attack coming. He and his raichu leapt free of the chopper as the scizor tore through the tail section. More trainers leapt out as the burning chopper spun away in pieces, crushing a flaming path through the battle as it slammed into the ground.

The battle erupted into chaos, Vermillion gym trainers and Celadon gym trainers clashed with the Rockets, bolts of electricity and whipping vines driving back the attackers. Rangers descended on the battle in squads, landing on any Rockets that dared to poke their heads out.

More trainers were teleporting in, dozens of psychic pokemon popping in alongside their masters. The Saffron gym trainers ripped into the Rocket formation, tearing apart squads and making the rest easy pickings for the Gym's beleaguered defenders.

I pushed forwards with Red and Blue at my sides, ignoring the battle around us. There was only one target I wanted. Luna ran along at my side, keeping her eyes firmly on Vicious.

The masked trainer smirked at us and tossed the pair of black pokeballs into the air. I gasped as the terrible form of Vicious' tyranitar took shape before us. A black beast, bone armour wrapping around it's torso, took shape beside the tyranitar. The houndoom growled menacingly, padding forward as the misshapen tyranitar bellowed a furious cry.

I couldn't see Surge, could hardly see the gym through all the smoke. All I could see was Vicious and his pokemon, backlit by the flames behind them. The roar of battling men and mon was terrifying, like the screams of the damned. It was hell on earth, a nightmare brought to life.

I saw Blue's fists tighten and reached over to him. "For Clothos. For Pride," I said. He met my eyes and I felt my resolve harden.

"For Sawyer, for Free," Red added. His pikachu sparked in agreement and the charizard growled in anticipation.

We looked at Vicious, standing as a group. He smirked and pointed forwards.

The tyranitar surged forward, roaring as it stomped forward on armoured legs. The charizard leapt off the ground, taking flight as Blue ordered his blastoise forward.

A powerful blast of water hammered the tyranitar in its lead knee. The titanic beast dropped, flailing wildly in an attempt to right itself. The charizard hit it from above, driving it into the earth with an explosion of fire.

The blastoise doused the flames, hitting the tyranitar with another hydro pump that knocked it back onto its back. The charizard descended again, clamping his jaws over the tyranitar's neck. Blue's blastoise plodded over, planting a foot on the fallen tyrant as the charizard attempted to tear its head off.

The houndoom leapt past the battling titans, charging towards us. I pointed forward, and the boys did the same. The houndoom dodged the first bolt of lightning, a thunderous spear that tore a smoking path in the courtyard. Red's pikachu aimed true though, shocking the houndoom with a smaller and more focused bolt.

Luna was there as the bolt ended, jaws snapping and growling ferociously as she tangled with the larger pokemon. The separated for a moment, before throwing themselves at each other with reckless abandon.

"Get Luna clear!" Red shouted.

I cupped my hands over my mouth. "Luna, get away!"

She heard me, and I saw my mistake manifest in horrid consequences. Luna separated from the houndoom, fangs snapping at the beast to keep it back. Then she turned, attempting to bound away in the same movement. The houndoom seized upon the opening, clamping its much more powerful jaws over Luna's hind leg. I saw the bone snap and Luna cry in terrified pain.

Blue's electabuzz was there, a lightning coated fist slamming into the houndoom's bone crest. The houndoom released Luna just as Red's pikachu arrived, blue electricity wrapping around his charge. An explosion of lightning threw the houndoom back at Vicious, leaving it smoking on the ground. The beast did not try to rise, laying deathly still in the dirt.

Luna limped weakly back to me, whining in pain and refusing to put any weight on her broken leg. I raised her ball, returning my starter to her ball. She had fought bravely, for far longer than I could have reasonably asked of her. She deserved to rest.

Vicious scowled, turning to his tyranitar. "Stone edge!"

A spear of stone thrust from the earth, slamming into the charizard's chest. I heard bones crack and the charizard shriek in pain. He released the tyranitar's head and flapped his wings once, faltering as he realized the depth of his injury.

The tyranitar shoved Blue's blastoise back, clambering back to her feet as the charizard retreated towards Red. Blue's blastoise reared its head back and smashed his skull into the tyranitar's chest.

The tyranitar blinked, as if it hadn't felt anything. Then it opened its maw. A beam of iridescent light erupted from the tyranitar's jaws, smiting Blue's blastoise dead in the chest. The water type sailed through the air, bouncing through the chaos of battle and coming to a halt against the Gym wall.

Vicious stepped forward, his face screwed up into a savage grin. "I'm going to enjoy this next bit. Very very much-"

A screaming beam of burning light tore through the courtyard from above, impaling the tyranitar through the chest. It stood there for a long moment, as if the hyper beam was the only thing holding the tyranitar up. Then the beam ended, leaving a gaping hole through the centre of the beast.

The dragonite landed atop the dead tyrant, her master dropping gracefully from her back. His cape blew in the smoky wind and his eyes were locked dead on Vicious. The champion had arrived.

Vicious stopped dead, unsure of what to do. He took a step back, glancing around as the fighting died out. All eyes turned to the dragon master, his cape blowing heroically in the wind behind him. "Hyper beam," he ordered calmly.

Vicious put his hands up as the dragonite opened her maw. He disappeared in a blaze of burning light, his body simply disintegrating under the direct blow from the hyper beam. Then the beam ended, leaving behind only a smoking crater where the Rocket agent had been standing.

Lance turned, looking out at the Rockets that had been battling until moments ago. He folded his arms across his chest, his eyes cold and disapproving. "Now," he started carefully. His voice was measured and slow, with an almost musical tone to it. "Surrender or die."

It had been two days. Two days since the Rockets had launched an all-out assault on the Celadon Gym. Two days since Pride had been killed and Lance had ended the battle with his arrival. Two days of waiting as the Gym Leaders and the Champion restored order.

The city was in uproar. The Game Corner was a smoking pile of rubble, the cave system beneath completely inaccessible with a collapsed building atop it. There were League Rangers on site to clear debris, but it was slow work. It'd be weeks until they managed to clear away enough debris to access the caves.

Martial law had been declared, and all known Rocket members were being arrested as the Indigo Aces combed the city. However, Rocket didn't keep public lists of all members. That, plus their habits of feeding and providing for the masses that could hardly get through the day, meant that arrests were few and far between.

I spent most of those two days worrying about Luna and Acolyte. Both of them had been seriously wounded in the battle and hadn't left the pokemon centre's surgery ward. Vector had been returned to me at the start of the second day. He'd taken a serious blow, but hadn't suffered any structural damage from the headbutt that had knocked him out.

Curie seemed to be able to sense my morose mood. However, she couldn't do anything about it. I had a Pride-sized hole in my heart, a gap where the first pokemon that I had captured should have been. Curie tried, but I was having none of it.

Finally, on the third day, a Celadon Gym trainer knocked on my door. I returned Curie to her ball and turned off the news reports blaring the same banned over and over.

The Gym trainer collected Red and Blue from their rooms, leading us deeper into the gym. We passed the hallway to the stadium, passed more shattered greenhouses and burnt out inner courtyards. The Gym trainer opened a door and ushered us into a conference room.

We took the three open seats. Champion Lance, Leader Erika, Leader Surge, and Leader Sabrina stood waiting on the other side of the table.

"Well," Surge started. He plopped his feet up on the table, reclining in his chair. "The boys with the balls of steel. You three have some nerves on you."

The champion stepped off the wall, cutting an imposing figure as he leaned over the table. "That they do. They'll make fine challengers, all three."

My heart fluttered at the praise. The champion considered me equal to Red and Blue, at least to praise us. I hid the embarrassment on my face behind a smile and stiffened my spine. "We just did what was right," I said.

"Which is why we're here today," Lance replied. "Something must be done about Leader Sakai. He has grown beyond his mandate and threatens the peace of Kanto."

"Might I suggest something, dear champion." Surge raised his arm as though he were a child in a classroom. "How about you nail his ass to the wall? Get your wild houndoom back on the damn chain!"

"Wait," I said in sudden confusion. "Giovanni was working for you?"

Lance sighed. "Yes, unfortunately." He shook his head, rubbing his temples. "I trusted him to run a special project. Research based, collaborating with Blaine Katsura. Perhaps I placed too much trust in him, but I'd been given no reason to doubt him." He leaned back. "Clearly, I should have paid closer attention." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Nevertheless, the League will take action now."

I saw Blue roll his eyes. "So, this is all because you weren't good enough at your job?" he asked. "He built a goddamn army right under your nose and we're just supposed to accept that you missed it?" He shook his head. "That's not good enough. You aren't telling us something."

The champion turned his head, scowling at Blue. He leaned over the table, his eyes boring into the boy. "The Indigo Champion carries the responsibility of two nations with him, child. You are right. I am keeping information from you. Information that would cause panic if it were to reach the public. I am keeping a great many things to myself. Pray that you do not find yourselves in my position one day."

Lance straightened his back and turned away from the table. He folded his arms behind his back and adjusted his cape. The room was silent, waiting for Lance to make his decision. "As I said, Giovanni must be dealt with." He turned to Surge. "I'm placing you in charge of this, Emmett," he said simply. "Enlist whoever you need. Bring him to justice, lieutenant."

Surge nodded, rising to his feet. He saluted saluted the champion, burning resolve etched into his face. "Yes, Champion."

The meeting was over as soon as it began. Lance disappeared from the room with a swish of his cape, storming down the hallway and out of sight. The woman who hadn't spoken nodded at Surge, disappearing with a faint pop.

"Well," Erika started. "I must thank you. It is not a stretch to say that I would be dead and Celadon in Rocket hands without the three of you."

I bowed my head, emotions churning in my chest. "We just did what anyone would have."

"No," Erika replied. "You all went above and beyond. In return, I have a special gift for you all." She smirked, knowing that she had our full attention. "As a League appointed Gym Leader, I have access to high-grade breeders. I am prepared to purchase one pokemon of your choice each, in return for saving my life."

I felt my jaw drop. "That's a fortune," I said dumbly. "More than I've even made during my journey so far."

She shrugged. "A small price to pay to repay the debt I am in. You did not have to do what you did, and yet still you did."

Red rose to his feet. "Thank you," he said quietly.

Blue did the same, rising and thanking Erika for her generous offer. I stood there, deep in thought as both of the boys professed their gratitude. They both promised to have their selection sent over by the end of the day, before filing out and leaving me alone with the two Gym Leaders.

Surge met my eyes, already seeming to know why I was still here. He raised an eyebrow. "It'll be dangerous, you know."

I shrugged. "He killed Pride. Someone has to stop them."

"And you think it should be you?" he asked. He shook his head. "You don't got what it takes yet. Giovanni will wipe the floor with you."

"He already did," I sighed. "I got lucky and only one of my pokemon was killed. He could have murdered us all if he'd have let out even a single more pokemon." I paused, my eyes meeting his. "You extended me an offer once. I'd like to know if the offer still stands."

Surge leaned back in his chair. "That was a limited time thing," he said gruffly.

"And you're going to act like you won't extend it again?" I leaned forward, putting both my hands on the table. "I want in, Surge. I want to bring that bastard down."

He watched me for a long moment, as if he was waiting for me to change his mind. I stayed silent, waiting for him to break and agree.

Erika broke the silence. "I am needed elsewhere," she said. She looked at me. "Have your selection sent to me and I will contact you when I have your pokemon."

I nodded as she waved to the door, a pair of Gym trainers helping her into a wheelchair and rolling her out of the room.

Surge grinned. "So," he started.

"So," I replied. "When do I start?"

The tall man stepped through the doors, his brow furrowed and the mood of their meeting already poisoned. "They've done it now," he started. "Saffron and Vermillion rendering aid! The Champion directly intervening? Celadon resists our influence and it is entirely their fault." He shot the shorter man an accusatory scowl. "I thought I was meant to test them, not bring Indigo's wrath down on our heads. Even the Champion is involved now as well. Was that yet more of your meddling?"

"Surge's, I would imagine." The shorter man rose to his feet. "He's been piecing a case together since the first test of Project Catalyst."

"And the third boy?" asked the tall man. "The one that fought alongside the boys? He was the one who saved the cubone colony. He has become a nuisance."

The short man waved him off. "Unimportant. I've looked into him. He is nobody. He will not interfere further."

"He joined the Rangers," the tall man replied. "Surge already snapped him up for Zapdos Squad. He's training the boy himself."

There was stunned silence between them for the first time in ages. "I did not know that," he said after a long pause. "Does he plan on molding the boy into a Champion?"

The tall man shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Our course of action remains the same. Surge has directly interfered with our plans. He has to be eliminated. No more games, no more threats. Just action."

"I'll make the arrangements," replied the short man. "Perhaps Silver, or maybe Karen?

"No need," replied the other. "I've already begun baiting the trap. Surge will never see it coming."

Pokédex Entry #115 – Kangaskhan

Kangaskhan are large mammalian pokemon with a pouch on their belly. Their young nest in this pouch after they hatch until the later juvenile stage of life.

Although these pokemon are exceedingly powerful, they are mostly peaceful. They typically only become enraged when their young are threatened.

There are numerous reports of kangaskhan raising orphaned human children after losing their own young. These humans have never successfully integrated back into society and invariably return to the wild.

Intermediate Trainer KT#07996101, Marcus Wright, current team

Luna, Vulpix

Acolyte, Marowak

Vector, Heracross

Curie, Chansey

15

Grief​

There's an empty hole where they once were. It never fills. You just get better at stepping over it. — Hearthome City Gym Leader Melissa Fantina​

"Hold," crackled the voice. "Wait for them to cross the ridge."

I gripped the rifle tighter, keeping the scope trained on the crest of the ridge opposite me. There was a deep gorge dividing the two ridges, starting further up the mountain where the rock formation split. I could see three heads bobbing along, moving further along the other side of the ridge. "They aren't crossing," I replied into my headset.

"Keep your pants on, rook. The Lieutenant Colonel is always on time. No way he'd pull a stunt like that on last qualifying test."

I chuckled. That was one thing that the last two months had taught me. My commanding officer had drilled the importance of punctuality into me every single day since I'd joined the outfit. He hadn't failed to cross the ridge for some light recon work at the same time and place each day since we'd begun the exercise.

"Right you are, Sergeant." I peered through the scope, watching Lieutenant Surge's closely cropped hairline bob out of sight. I scowled, peering closer and watching the other two helmets of Surge's squad disappear behind the ridge. "Hold on. They all just disappeared."

"I've got movement," my partner said. His voice was panicked, like he wasn't expecting company yet. A burst of static overtook the line and threatened to drown his next sentence. "Ke-p ~-tch o- th- r-~dg-."

I pulled away from my scope for half a moment. "Sarge? Sergeant McCulloch?"

An explosion of static was all the response I got. The magnemite line tended to have an adverse effect on communications and most of Surge's tactics abused that ability extensively. I glanced up, across to the ridge across from me. A flash of sunlight reflecting off something metallic on the opposite ridge instantly drew my gaze.

I hit the dirt. The bolt of lightning tore through the air above me, whizzing uncomfortably close to my head and spearing the dead tree I was sheltered under. I scrambled away as the tree burst into flame, stopping some twenty feet down the ridge. I grabbed Acolyte's ball off my belt, releasing my marowak beside me.

"Keep me covered," I ordered. "I need a better look at what Surge is doing."

He nodded, proudly stepping up onto the ridge as he hefted his bone club. His movement was smooth and practiced, like he'd never had his elbow snapped by a murderous kangaskhan. A bolt of lightning sailed across the gorge as if on cue, only to be harmlessly absorbed by Acolyte's club.

I crept back up the hill, peering through my rifle's scope. Surge was staring back at me, his shit-eating grin wide across his face. His raichu stood impassively beside him, like it hadn't just tried to surprise us with a thunderbolt. The magnezone that I had been expecting floated behind them both, supremely focused on its task of jamming our communications. He waved at me and pointed further up my side of the ridge. Both of his pokemon were wearing ill-fitting helmets and I realized that we'd been duped.

I turned, immediately spotting the smug smile of Corporal Reyes. He raised the flag at me and tipped his helmet in my direction, winking once. He released his ryhorn, preparing to slide down the gorge under Surge's cover. I swore, lowering my weapon as I turned back to look at my CO.

Luna's mind touched mine suddenly, panic nearly overwhelming me as the strange sensation of mixed thoughts and emotions overtook my mind. I felt fear and surprise as a memory of a jackbooted thug marching up the ridge behind me played out across the link between us. I spun around, bracing myself behind a boulder as I peered down the ridge.

Luna appeared from the brush below, making a mad dash up the hill towards me. I returned Acolyte, making a mad dash down the ridge towards Luna. I'd only tried this trick once, but I was desperate. No way I was letting Surge steal the flag on the very last exercise of my training. I didn't know where McCulloch was, but he'd join me if he hadn't been eliminated.

Private Wertz burst from the underbrush at the base of the ridge, shielding her eyes from the sun. She peered up the hill, spotting me sliding down the loosely packed dirt at a breakneck pace. Small rocks and chunks of dirt sprayed free as I half-ran, half-slid down towards her.

She threw up her arms, shielding her face as her Mr. Mime teleported in front of her.

I raised one ball in my left hand, returning Luna as I raised a second pokeball in my right hand. I released my newest pokemon, jumping off the ridge with everything I could muster. I only prayed that she would actually catch me this time. I'd missed the first time around, and nearly broken my leg on the fall.

She spread her massive wings, catching on the warm updraft rising off the earth. I hit her leathery, blue-grey back and held on for dear life as the wind was driven from my lungs by the impact. I hollered in fear and joy as my pokemon flapped her wings madly. She stretched and whipped her tail out behind her, nearly seven feet long from nose to tail. She'd be more than fourteen when she finished growing. She'd been too small for us to fly together until last week, but she'd taken to the new challenge admirably.

"No fair!" shouted Private Wertz. "I can't do that!"

I leaned back over my shoulder, laughing as we soared away on the warm updraft. I cupped my hands over my mouth, shouting down to the woman. "Get some wings, novice!"

My aerodactyl tossed back her head, roaring a deafening cry of agreement. I laughed, patting her on the side of her neck. "Now they know you're coming. Couldn't resist the roar just once, could you?"

My aerodactyl growled a happy noise as she flapped hard to gain altitude. She glanced back at me, one eye looking at me nervously.

"Just relax, Artemis," I said. "You know how to fly. It's exactly the same, just with me here too." I leaned in closer, holding tight to the spike jutting out from her neck. "Keep low, and be ready to change direction on my word. We're going ryhorn tipping today."

She growled in affirmation, pushing herself harder upwards with great effort. Aerodactyl are not naturally strong flyers. Artemis struggled with pure flying like we were doing now, preferring to make short maneuverable glides rather than longer airborne flights. It was a side effect of her wings being attached to her powerful forelimbs rather than protruding from somewhere along her back.

I held tight to her neck spike, watching the edge of the ridge rapidly rise up to meet us. "Up!" I shouted urgently. "Up!"

Artemis cleared the edge by maybe half a meter. She gripped the top of the ridge for a moment before launching herself downwards with a pump of her powerful wings. Rocks sprayed out from where she grabbed with her talons.

"There!" I shouted, reaching up and pointing down at the ryhorn. Corporal Reyes dismounted his ryhorn, leaping away as the walking tank turned to face us.

Artemis adjusted slightly, angling herself on a steep approach. Reyes' ryhorn charged back up the hill towards us, but my aerodactyl soared over it effortlessly. We had another target.

We were the defence for Red Team. McCulloch and I had one job. Hold the flag as long as possible, until the rest of the team could capture Surge's flag. Odds be damned, I would do that.

Artemis flared her wings as Surge's raichu began his bombardment. The first bolt cut into our path and killed our momentum. The second was aimed more carefully, to knock Artemis from the sky and ground me.

Unfortunately for Surge, that was exactly my plan. We had already reached my target. All I had to do was run interference. I slipped off my aerodactyl's back, returning Artemis to her ball with a single smooth movement. Luna was out in a flash of light.

Reyes turned, his hand dropping to his belt. He never got the chance. Luna's eyes flashed and a simple expression crossed his face as the confuse ray worked its magic. Acolyte was out half a moment later, intercepting another flying bolt of lightning.

I tore the flagpole from Reyes' hands, a savage grin on my face. "I'll take this back, buddy." I shoved him solidly, sending the older man down flailing.

He reached after me clumsily as he tried to rise, his response severely delayed by the confusion. "Gimme that back…" he mumbled, his words slow and garbled.

Acolyte barked a warning, another bolt of lightning absorbing smoothly into his club. He gestured over his shoulder, at the ryhorn barrelling down the gorge at me.

A ryhorn in motion is almost impossible to be stopped. They move like thunder and nothing can stand in the way of a charge. Fortunately, a walking tank like a ryhorn couldn't corner for shit.

I crouched slightly, waiting for the opportune moment. Too early and the ryhorn would correct his course. Too late and I'd be tossed overhead like a broken rag doll.

I threw myself to the side, Acolyte imitating me as Surge waited for an opening. The ryhorn thundered past, crushing a path through the underbrush and leaving a loose path of rubble and broken twigs behind. He skidded down the gorge as he attempted to stop, rumbling in frustration.

A bolt of lightning speared the earth not inches away from me. I felt the heat from the bolt and glanced up at Surge's shit eating grin as I lifted the my team's flag triumphantly.

"Come and get it, old man!"

I knew Surge was too smart for that. He'd never take the bait and give up such a strong position. However, that wasn't the idea. All I needed was his attention. I had it. All of it.

Acolyte stood tall, his club raised in preparation. I saw a spark erupt from the raichu's cheeks and took cover behind my marowak.

It was as if the sky had opened up and all the fury of a powerful storm focused solely on me. I ducked behind Acolyte, letting him tank the storm with his natural immunity. Stray bolts tore into the rocky gorge around me, but Acolyte kept me protected.

"McCulloch here," my sergeant's voice crackled out of my radio. "Need some help, rook?"

I peeked out from behind Acolyte as the barrage of lightning mercifully stopped. "Give him hell, sarge."

A winged shadow cut across the gorge, deftly spinning off trajectory as Surge's raichu attempted to knock it out of the sky. The skarmory corrected easily, coming in at Surge with a steep dive to close the distance.

I turned away as Reyes' ryhorn finally skidded to a halt. The corporal got to his feet, shaking his head and blinking rapidly. "Dirty trick, rook. Confusion is a coward's tool. Want to see what it gets you?"

I planted the flag in the rocks behind me. Corporal Reyes had been a gym challenger before he'd joined the Rangers. He'd never earned more than the three badges he had now, but almost a decade of training under Surge erased any doubt in his ability. He was a powerful trainer in his own right, even if he hadn't evolved most of his pokemon yet. Still, I was confident I could at least stalemate him. I was stronger than most intermediate trainers now.

"Nothing in the rules about confusing opposing trainers," I said calmly. Luna stepped in front of me, growling at our colleague. Acolyte stood at my side, keeping a wary eye on Surge and McCulloch's battle. "But I do take issue with trying to take the flag without a real fight."

He smirked and raised a ball. "Oh you're so on." He tossed the ball into the air as his ryhorn plodded over to him.

Reyes' ace took the field and I gritted my teeth. The flaming simian crouched in front of him, eyes locked on Luna. Flame roared off his tail and I could feel the heat off of him from nearly fifteen feet away. Reyes' monferno beat his chest and dropped into a fighting stance.

Another trio of winged shadows soared overhead, a pair of screeching pidgeot in hot pursuit of Captain Harding and her fearow. Harding's helmet was gone, her fiery red hair streaming in the wind. She urged her fearow into a steep dive, avoiding a blast of lightning from Surge as he turned. McCulloch's skarmory screeched in fury, pressing the opening that Surge had left and forcing the Lt Colonel back on the defensive.

The flag streamed out triumphantly behind Harding, blue fabric flapping in the wind as the fearow swooped overhead. The pidgeot tried desperately to catch up, but the Captain was home free.

I smirked as Reyes looked at me in utter frustration. "Guess you didn't see that coming."

I sat heavily at the mess table, dropping the tray of hardly edible food in front of me. "You'd think that we'd at least get a decent meal for the occasion," I grumbled.

The lieutenant colonel looked up at me from the end of the table. I could see the smirk already tugging at the edges of his mouth. "Come now, we can't be setting the expectations too high," he said jovially. "Then everyone would join the corps."

I chuckled. "And heaven forbid they do that." I picked up my fork, eying the thin gruel that the mess hall served. It was some kind of nutrient paste served over a scoop of boiled rice and a thin cut of boiled pidgey. "We might actually have the manpower to do our jobs."

Surge leaned forward, changing the subject. "So, we have a lead on Rocket."

The table went quiet, all of the side conversations grounding to a sudden halt. I stiffened my spine and sat just a little bit straighter.

"Sir?" Harding asked, leaning over the table. She brushed her hair back over her ear, exposing a trio of jagged scars running down her face and onto her neck. "Is it something a little more concrete than last time?"

Surge's scowl could have curdled milk. "Yes. It it does fit their profile. Poachers seem to have been a little bolder than in recent years." He leaned back, lifting his first bite leisurely. "However, Leader Koga has evidently had some trouble apprehending the poachers. They are very capable trainers and seem to be extremely coordinated compared to their usual culprits. He's forwarded the information to us as part of our operation."

A muffled groan spread across the room as the rest of the unit voiced their displeasure. Surge sighed heavily and sat up in his chair.

"Look, I don't like wild tauros chases either. But this one seems a little more solid than the last few."

Harding raised her hand. "Permission to speak freely, Sir?"

"Always, Captain."

"It's a wild tauros chase," she said plainly.

A few quiet chuckles echoed around the mess hall. Surge cracked a smile of his own. "That it is, Captain. However it is a well substantiated one, so we're deploying anyways." He picked up another bite and looked up nonchalantly. "We ship out first thing in the morning."

She got to her feet, offering a quick salute. "Anything further?"

"We will be actively surveying the Safari Zone, so pack for wilderness survival. Koga's report mentions disturbances in the deepest sections of the park, and Fuchsia Ranger Command corroborates some strange sightings in the last month. Something about half-evolved pokemon, which could connect it to Rocket." He lazily slipped his bite into his mouth, looking around the room slowly as if he was testing us all. "Something odd is going on. If it even has the slightest thing to do with Rocket, then it's the best lead we've had since we started hunting them. It's worth a look at least."

I looked down at the meal, my attention waning as Surge droned on. My mind was already far away, thoughts of avenging Pride drifting unconsciously to the forefront of my mind. I tried to push away the pain, but that was all I had.

Dinner went on the same as always. Reyes and McCulloch spent half the time trying to one-up each other's lewd jokes while most of the unit talked amongst themselves. I spent the meal in silent thought, my mind dominated by my fallen nidoking.

I glanced up at the clock as I scarfed down the last of my meal, gauging the time. I grinned to myself. I had enough time for some training before bed.

Vermillion's gym was a quiet place in the late evening. Everyone else was inside, packing their bags for the morning departure. It was just me in the training fields that sat behind the gym, watching the sun dip lower on the horizon. The entire ocean seemed to be cast in a soft gold glow and not a single cloud dared to mar the sky.

My hand dropped to my belt, finding the empty space that Pride's ball had sat. I'd left it empty, choosing instead to put Artemis in the last empty space on my belt. I couldn't bear to fill that space yet.

I picked up Luna's ball, releasing my starter beside me. She looked up at me, instinctively nuzzling into my waiting hand. I scratched her without hesitation, absentmindedly brushing my fingers through the tufts of rust coloured fur on her chin. I felt her mind brush against mine and felt the soft concern through the psychic link.

"I'm alright, girl. Just thinking about him a lot."

She pulled back and I caught an image of Pride happily sitting at my side. I felt a pang of longing and knew that she was hurting too.

"Yeah, I miss him too." I smiled as best as I could. "He was our first real teammate. He was a damn good pokemon."

Luna hung her head and I felt as though the hole inside me had doubled in size. Her eyes refused to meet mine and I knew that she blamed herself.

I forced her to meet my eyes. "It wasn't your fault," I said softly. "If it was anyone's fault it's mine. I should have trained you guys better, had a better plan, made better choices during the battle…" my voice trailed off. I'd been so up my own ass for the last two months that I had hardly spent a moment to consider how my pokemon felt about losing Pride. "Luna, you are the best damn pokemon I could have ever asked for. If anyone is the failure here, it's me."

She met my eyes and I knew that she was still in there. She was still as strong as ever. She just needed some proof.

"You could never fail me," I said. My hand went into my bag, finding the smooth, warm stone at the bottom. "I know that. You know that." I pulled out the stone. She stared at it as if entranced and I knew that the time had come.

My pokemon needed this, to move on from her perceived failures. I might have still needed to grieve, but Luna needed to move on. I needed her to move on, even if it was only so she could drag me kicking and screaming with her.

"Break it," I said calmly. I knew that she could do it. She'd made so much progress during her time training here. Her fire was hotter, she mentally stronger, and we'd made huge strides with her natural agility. She was ready to evolve, mastering her vulpix form so well that I worried that she would stagnate if she did not evolve soon. "You're strong enough. You've been strong enough for a long time. Probably since we left Celadon."

I put the stone in front of her and stepped back. She looked down at the stone as if I wasn't even there, completely entranced by the faintly glowing rock.

"Luna," I started calmly. I barely even needed to give the order. "Flamethrower."

She sucked in a breath, never breaking her stare with the stone. I felt the rest of the world fade away as her mind touched against mine. Everything else just dropped away and it was only the stone. I could see it through her eyes, feel its presence in every beat of her heart. It was filling my mind, blocking out everything else. Luna and I were as one, both of us completely focused on the fire stone.

She spat a jet of flame, engulfing the stone completely. I felt the stone react, reaching out to our souls as if it wanted this. Luna's stream of fire intensified, melting the sand beneath the stone. I heard it crack and felt a surge of power rush through Luna. The stone whined in protest, but the entrancing power reached out welcomingly. It wanted Luna to do this, wanted to help her reach her full potential.

I heard a louder crack and it was as though the sun ignited on earth. I felt the heat from Luna's fire, and felt her pour on the power where before she would have faltered. The stone fed the flame, urging Luna to break it open and claim the prize within.

And then it cracked. The outer shell crumbled away, leaving a small red rock no larger than one of her delicate paws. A corona of power engulfed Luna, drawing her in as the stone seemed to glow brighter.

She leaned in, her pride swelling as she mirrored my emotions. Her snout touched the stone and a blinding light engulfed my starter.

I stepped back, shielding my face as Luna grew larger. Her tails split one final time, her limbs lengthening and her body gaining cords of lithe muscle. She tossed back her head and howled as raw power like she had never felt before coursed through her changed body. Her eyes flashed purple and I felt her mind touching mine as she tested her newfound ability.

My ninetales stepped back from the molten puddle of glass, her mind embracing mine. She looked dead into my eyes, psychic fire glowing in hers as she strained to process her emotions. I felt her struggle with the foreign concept of words and realized that I knew her intent perfectly.

She looked into my eyes as she finally conquered the concept of language. I felt intense gratitude echo into my mind and knew what she was going to say before she did.

"Thank you, Master."

My hand went to my belt as I searched for my voice. "Let's show everyone what you just did," I said, choking up. I felt my eyes watering and knew that Luna knew I was proud. I lifted a pair of pokeballs and smiled through my tears. "Let's show everyone what you just did."

It was quiet, the barracks practically silent. I lay awake like always. Only the light of the pokegear screen illuminated my bunk.

Surge had set me up with an aftermarket gear that had been specially scrubbed by somebody Surge trusted. It couldn't be tracked back to me, unless I did something stupid and identified myself.

I groaned, swiping away from the open page. I'd been researching Giovanni Sakai almost every night, poring over every single scrap of information that was public record. Surge had even forwarded me a few classified documents that Lance had provided him.

To put it bluntly, there wasn't much. Giovanni was like a ghost, barely even appearing in public searches outside of League article mentions. None of his gym challenges were public record, same with his own League challenge nearly thirty years back. It was as if someone had carefully manicured every aspect of Giovanni's persona until all that was left was useless chaff.

I tabbed over to my messages. I skimmed through the mission briefing Surge had sent out for what felt like the hundredth time. There was nothing there, save for a hunch. I grimaced at the prospect of slogging through the Safari Zone in pursuit of nothing.

If nothing else, I could challenge Koga for the Marsh badge while I was in Fuchsia. Red and Blue had both earned their badges in the same week. The boys were probably halfway up the eastern coast of Kanto by now, closing in on Lavender if my estimates were accurate.

I exited Surge's messages and my eyes lingered on the one below it. The one that I hadn't had the courage to answer yet. I opened it for the thousandth time, emotions churning in my chest.

Marcus. I'm sorry. I don't know if this message will reach you, but it isn't going to work. It was nice to speak with you, but I can't be alone here anymore. I'm going back to Johto to be with my family. Thanks for being there. I'll be watching for you at the Indigo Conference. Maybe if you're ever in Johto, we can meet again.

I'm sorry,

Aya.

I closed the message again, pushing down the pain in my chest. She'd sent the message two days after Celadon. She'd been gone for two months and I still felt this way.

Whether it was losing Pride, or losing Aya, or both, I was lost. My mind raced and without Luna's calming presence, I couldn't stop it. I felt alone, more alone than I ever had before.

Maybe Aya and I had never really been a thing. Maybe it was all just a figment of my imagination, a misinterpretation of intent by my desperate mind. I didn't know. Now I never would. The screen shut off and I scowled at my morose reflection.

I reopened the pokegear, navigating my way back to the browser. I opened the article on training juvenile aerodactyl that Harding had forwarded me. If nothing else, I could bury myself in my training. I had my team. They were my family now. They were everything I had. I would be the best I could be for them.

The chopper swung low, circling over the small clearing in the trees that served as our landing zone. The second, slimmer chopper hovered overhead, waiting for the first squad to deploy. The fat, overloaded transport chopper slowly lowered to the ground as I watched a small herd of ryhorn stampede away from the roaring flying machine.

I felt us touch down with a light jolt and unbuckled my safety belt. Wertz and Reyes did the same beside me, with Captain Harding getting to her feet across from me.

"Squad two, get prepped." Surge's voice was interspersed with static and I had trouble making him out. "Second LZ is twenty-two minutes out. First squad, move out."

The bay door at the back of the chopper lowered as I slung my pack over my shoulder and lifted my rifle. The Captain was the first out, shielding her eyes from the late morning sun. Reyes was second, with me directly behind him. Wertz brought up the rear, a half-step behind me as we exited the chopper.

We'd made a morning departure, skimming across Rainbow bay in the pair of choppers. We were deploying at the northeast edge of the Safari Zone, with squads two and three deploying further along the north edge of the park. Surge was to go on ahead, making contact with Koga before he returned to update us with any additional information that Koga cared to provide.

We watched the transport chopper rise into the air, joining Surge's sleeker attack helicopter in the sky. They disappeared on the horizon, leaving our four person squad alone in deep wilderness. I felt the skin on the back of my neck crawl and the hairs raise as I shuddered unconsciously.

Wertz dropped to one knee as she opened her pack. She pulled out a ball and released her aipom. The little simian disappeared into the trees, surveying the immediate area for any obvious threats.

Captain Harding raised an eyebrow at me as she released her persian. The massive feline affectionately pressed her head into Harding's waiting hand and was rewarded with a scratch under her chin. "Something wrong?" she asked. Harding was good at reading people, even better than Surge was at times.

I shrugged, warily shifting my gaze off the trees. "I can just feel the eyes on me," I replied. "I don't like it."

The Captain turned, raking the tree line with a quick glance. "If it's any consolation, humans don't normally come this deep into the Safari Zone." She looked back at me with feigned concern. "They're probably just as nervous as you are."

"I'm with the rook," Reyes said nervously. His hand went to his belt, resting on the trio of balls waiting there. "It's creepy."

I released Luna beside me, reaching for her instinctively. I felt her mind touch mine as she nuzzled affectionately at my hand. Her creamy beige fur was warm to the touch and I felt some measure of calm cross my mind.

"When did that happen, Private Wright?"

I turned to look at Captain Harding. "Last night, ma'am. We decided that she was ready to try again." I looked back at my ninetales happily. "She was more than ready."

Reyes sidled up beside me. "Damn, Marcus. She's gorgeous."

"That she is," I replied. Luna held her head high and I felt some small measure of pride. "Don't let her hear you say that too often though. She's got a big enough ego as it is."

The Captain's persian sniffed cautiously at Luna, seeming to test Luna's boundaries. My ninetales puffed her tails up, growling slightly. I watched a puff of smoke curl from Luna's mouth as she curled back her lips and exposed her teeth.

"That's enough," I ordered. "Raxus is our friend."

Evolution has a different effect on every pokemon. When Acolyte had evolved, his stubbornness had practically doubled. Curie's evolution had sparked a newfound maturity in my baby. She was more motherly than childlike now. But Luna? She seemed outwardly the same. However I could tell that something was different. I could feel something new whenever she touched my mind, something angry, something almost vengeful.

I pushed the thought away. Luna and I would figure it out soon enough. Maybe I was still hurting, maybe Luna was a little harder than she used to be. But we'd be alright. We were still together, that was what mattered.

Wertz's aipom swung down from the tree he had climbed, chattering happily. "It's clear. Pommie didn't find anything worth alerting us over."

Captain Harding slung her pack over her shoulder. Raxus padded off, ostensibly to scout ahead. "Alright, children. We're burning daylight. We've got sixty or so miles to Fuchsia and I'm not accepting anything less than ten today."

Reyes let out a long, low groan. Wertz and I just smiled.

Captain Harding's initial estimate turned out to be wildly out of line with reality. She'd wanted us to cover ten miles before we had to make camp for the night. We barely made it six before the sun started to dip on the horizon. The terrain had been rough going, with thick jungle slowing our progress to a near crawl. We'd picked up the pace once we reached the river, but that still left us behind schedule.

Luna crept forward, low to the ground as she stalked the herd. The only clue to her presence were the cream coloured tufts of fur sticking out from the underbrush. I could see the slowpoke's pink skin through the trees, could hear the soft stream of water splashing and the quiet grunting of the slowpoke as they mindlessly fished for food along the banks.

I waited, watching for any surprises. None came. I whistled once and Luna rocketed forward. She clamped her jaws over the back of the closest slowpoke's neck and wrenched it to the side. The pokemon dropped, its neck broken. Not one of the other slowpoke reacted.

I crept out of the brush, trying not to be noticed. I hefted Luna's kill over my shoulders, grunting with the effort. Six months ago, the effort would have utterly exhausted me. I turned, disappearing back through the brush before the group of slowpoke even began to react.

I returned to the makeshift camp less than twenty minutes later, following the column of smoke rising into the sky. Reyes was tending to the fire, both of the women watching him struggle with the smouldering log.

I dropped the slowpoke into the dirt beside the fire, grinning ear to ear. "I went to get dinner and you couldn't even get a fire going?" I glanced over at Harding and Wertz. "You two enjoying the show?"

Reyes turned to face me as Harding chuckled to herself. "Hey, not everyone has a fire type. It rained yesterday. Every scrap of wood I could find was soaked through."

I pointed down at the smouldering log. "Luna, help him." I glanced back at him. "You do have a fire type," I said.

He shrugged. "He's tired," Reyes said. "Wouldn't sleep before the mission."

She sucked in a breath and bathed the log in pure flame. It whined before it finally split with a loud pop.

The kindling under the log ignited and the fire roared to life as Luna sat back on her haunches. She looked at me smugly, licking at her chops and gazing longingly at the slowpoke.

I turned towards my team. Artemis was curled against the trunk of a thick tree, warily glancing over at Reyes' and Harding's teams. Acolyte sat patiently in front of my aerodactyl, keeping the murderous avian calm with his presence. The two of them were practically inseparable, Acolyte doing more to tame Artemis' wilder side than I ever could.

Vector was perched in the tree, at home in the heavily wooded Safari Zone. He had spent the day as part of our team's scout group, mapping the way forward with Harding's scyther. I never could get a good sense where his mind was, but my heracross hadn't tried to leave yet. I figured that was a good sign.

I sat against the tree, smiling absently as Luna plodded over to my side. Curie leaned against me and I sat back to watch the sky darken as the sun set. For a brief moment, I felt peaceful.

All was calm with the world. All was good. For the first time since Celadon, I felt whole again. I should have known that it wouldn't last.

Artemis dove towards the earth, her wings tucked flat against her body. She'd spotted something. I saw Harding circling up above, peering down over the side of her fearow. They were on a much shallower descent than Artemis, but it was clear enough that they were heading towards the same place.

I leaned against a tree that had fallen into the river. Reyes and Wertz trailed behind me, both of them keeping a wary eye on the water since a golduck had gotten overly territorial with us.

"Captain," I started as I activated my comm piece. "We can see you coming down. Any trouble?"

"Got something suspicious on the ground." She replied brusquely. "Maybe a hundred to two hundred feet from the river bank. Heading down to investigate."

Reyes looked over at me. "Think it's something to do with Rocket?"

I shrugged. "Could be anything. The Safari Zone is-"

"Harding here," the Captain interrupted. "It's a massacre. Something violent happened here."

Reyes' hand went to his comm unit. "Any idea what happened?" he asked cautiously. "Can you identify the remains? Wild pokemon tend not to leave much behind. It could give us a clu-"

"It's a nido pack," she said solemnly. "At least what's left of one. I count three queens, one king, and at least a dozen juveniles." She paused for a long moment. "I've never seen anything like this. They've been torn to pieces. Literally."

I felt my hand shaking madly as I reached for my comm unit. "Repeat your last, Captain."

"Something tore this pack apart. Something big." She went silent for a moment. "Converge on my position," she ordered. "I am roughly two hundred feet off the river. You can't miss it. Follow the blood."

My hand dropped to my side. Pride's face was fresh back in my mind. His blank stare, the strange angle his neck was bent, hovered in front of my eyes. Luna's nose touched my hand and I nearly jumped out of my skin. I scratched the top of her head and nervously swallowed the lump in my throat.

I pushed the emotion away. We were on a mission. I had a job to do. I could grieve later.

I wiped away the barest trace of tears and looked down at my ninetales. "Lead us to the Captain," I ordered.

She met my eyes with her own. I felt her reassuring touch for half a heartbeat. I shut the thought of my dead nidoking out. I was a Ranger now. Duty came first.

Pokédex Entry #142 – Aerodactyl

Aerodactyl are a formerly extinct species of avian pokemon that resided in the Argent Mountains nearly 35 million years ago. It is unkown what caused these ferocious predators to go extinct, but it is suspected that an apocalyptic event in the wilds of northern Kan-Jo wiped out vast numbers of species.

Aerodactyl have been resurrected with the assistance of Blaine Katsura of Cinnabar, and a small colony has been established for study of these ancient creatures on Sawtooth Island.

A small number of juvenile aerodactyl have been sold off to trainers for further study of these prehistoric Pokémon's suitability for training. At this moment, the study remains inconclusive.

Intermediate Trainer KT#07996101

Indigo Ranger Corps, Special Task Group, "Zapdos" Squad,

Private First-Class SN# 109-512-6591, Marcus Wright , current team:

Luna, Ninetales

Acolyte, Marowak

Vector, Heracross

Curie, Chansey

Artemis, Aerodactyl