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[SOL]

By the time that Terry had arrived to the Eastern Gate to the city, he could see the rest of his squad had arrived and had begun to disperse the enemy lines. Schultz's Rhydon led the charge with several Tauros and Miltank by stampeding through the enemy lines, crushing through wave after wave of troops like some sort of wartime bowling game.

"Schultz! That isn't gonna work, you're gonna be surrounded!" Keslowski yelled close behind him. Keslowski's Spinarak followed closely behind him, wrapping up any stragglers with String Shot.

Terry let out a shrill whistle, which was the signal for his men to assemble on him. They called their Pokemon back and ran towards their leader.

"Yes sir?" Schultz said, out of breath. Apparently the charge had lasted longer than he anticipated. No one accused Schultz of thinking three to four steps ahead.

"Look men, if we're going to make a path for Morty to get the people out of the city, it's going to take a single concentrated effort."

"But what about the buildings?" Keslowski asked defiantly. The city had come to grow on him, as it did all of the soldiers. Terry could see that they wanted to evacuate the people without hurting the city. Terry smiled hesitantly.

"Listen men, cities can always be rebuilt, but we cannot rebuild the lives lost here. People is what makes a city, not the other way around."

Terry could tell that his words had stirred his men. They looked at him with renewed vigor. In the distance, Terry could see a thin dust cloud from the advancing forces. No matter how what his men did, it only seemed to make a small nick in the armor of Bugsy's army. The League didn't mess around.

"Now, we have to do something that's going to disorient them so much that they will be re-assembling their forces as we hold the line open. We're going to assemble our Fire Pokemon and blaze through their lines."

"Hoorah!" The soldiers said in unison. They understood what it was going to take to save their city.

Terry and his men slowly advanced towards the stampeding enemy forces, who were bogged down in the treeline that surrounded the city. It was a kind of natural defense against invaders.

"Sypus! We need you again my friend!"

Typhlosion bellowed as it bursted from it's Pokeball. Several other Pokemon released their various fire-type Pokemon- Charmelelons, Arcanines, Vulpixes and the like. The Pokemon assembled together.

"NOW!"

"USE OVERHEAT!" The trainers screamed in unison. The Pokemon reared back and unleashed a giant blaze that rivaled the Tin Tower in size. The inferno roared through the tree-line and scorched through the line of advancing Pokemon and dispersed the trainers nearby. The soliders began to flee from the destruction, obviously caught off guard from the sudden blast. After the smoke settled, Terry saw the charred remains of scorched forest that was left after the attack. There was a clean cut path towards Mount Mortar. If there was any time to leave, it'd be now.

"Scott!"

"Yes sir?"

"Tell the Pokemon Center staff to start evacuating the people from the city. We'll hold the lines open."
"Yes sir!" Scott said as he raced off towards the city.
~~~~~~
Terry was startled when the ground shook and a deafing thud rumbled from behind him. Terry wheeled around and saw a giant cloud of dust that had erupted from the city.

'Oh no, please tell me that wasn't Tin Tower."

Terry's fear was realized when the dust cleared and where Tin tower once stood was now clear sky. Terry's heart sank into his stomach. Tin Tower stood as a pact between Pokemon and humans for harmony. Now the symbol of peace now lay strewn across the city. Nothing more than a pile of rubble.

But now wasn't the time to dwell on that. Terry had to keep the evacuees safe as they fled towards Mount Mortar. Sypus and staved off any advancing forces with sweeping blasts from his Flamethrower, but Terry wondered how long he could keep this up.

"Morty, please be ok."

[RedJ]

“I keep telling you, it's EK-ANS!”

“And I keep telling you, you're completely wrong! It's pronounced E-CANS!”

“No. No, no, no, NO! It is Ek-ans. You know, like you're neck, which I'm about to wring if you don't stop acting like an idiot.”

“I'm the one acting like an idiot? You don't know proper grammar and here you are calling me an idiot?”

Haru sighed as the debate continued. He honestly didn't know why it mattered how Ekans was pronounced, but apparently these two gentlemen found the subject to be of the utmost importance. After all, it wasn't like there was a war going on or anything.

Venusaur was also slowly growing annoyed by the pair's constant bickering, and it showed. Haru was almost certain he saw a vein appearing on Venusaur's forehead, and occasionally he would let out small growls.

“Dammit, it's E-cans!”

“...you know what? I'm done with this. We're obviously getting nowhere here.”

“HA! I win. You know I'm right, so you're backing off!”

“No, I'm backing off because you're being an annoying bastard!”

“You mad?”

Venusaur growled yet again and picked up a nearby stone with one of it's vines. He started to raise it and was just about to chuck it at the two, but Haru quickly grabbed the vine to prevent him from doing so.

“Don't bother. Trust me, I want to wring their necks as much as you do, but we can't get into any trouble.”

“It's E-CANS AND YOU KNOW I'M RIGHT!”

“Have you seen the spelling? It's Ek-ans, just like it says.”

“You obviously can't read. It's E-cans- even a schoolboy could tell you that much.”

The other man rolled his eyes. “Okay, now you're just being annoying. I'm done.”

“You want to settle this right now? Alright then,” said the other. He then turned to Haru and Venusaur. “What do you think? Is it E-cans, or Ek-ans? I'm right aren't I?”

Venusaur made some sort of sound that seemed to be a combination of a sigh and a moan. Haru looked from Venusaur to the two men. “Well, I, uh...don't...really...”

“GUYS, BIG NEWS!”

All three men turned towards another who was running towards them. He looked panicked, his face pale and his eyes wide. He stumbled and nearly collapsed as he came to a stop, causing Venusaur to let out a quite audible laugh and provoking a quick smack on the head from Haru.

“Easy there, man!” said the E-cans man, “What's got your britches in a knot?”

The man inhaled deeply several times, attempting to catch his breath. After stammering a few times, he finally managed to stand up straight and talk clearly, though still panting.

“Ecruteak...it...it's under attack!”

The two men gasped, Haru's eyes widening. “Under attack? You mean, by the League?” asked the other man.

“No, by a breakdancing Snorlax. Who the hell else?!”

“Where did you hear this?” Haru asked.

“Claire sent a message,” the man replied, now breathing properly. “They're just trying to get the citizens safely evacuated, but the city is most likely lost.”

Haru was now highly concerned. Ecruteak was soon to be under the League's control, and at the cost of God knows how many lives. It also concerned him that it was so close to Goldenrod, the place he had been born and raised during his early childhood. It was now surrounded by the League, and although Goldenrod was currently neutral, he had a feeling that it wouldn't take the League long to seize it by force if they had to. He was concerned for his old acquaintances there and hoped they would be alright. Haru also got an urge to go to Goldenrod in order to help protect his former home, but knew his place was here.

At least, for the moment.

“What are you idiots doing?!” came a voice from deeper in the cave, making all four men jump in surprise, “Break ended five minutes ago! Get back to work!”

The man who had brought them the somber news instantly took off into the cave. The other men paused to gather their equipment.

“...I still say it's E-cans.”

“This again? I keep telling you-”

Venusaur growled and looked at Haru, his expression easily giving away his thoughts at that moment- Can I kill them yet?

Haru chuckled. “Come on, Venusaur. Let's go see how Graveler's doing- he most be tired after taking over for us this long.”

“Wait, we never got an answer from that kid. Hey, what's your opinion on this?”

“Run.” Haru said to his partner, and both instantly took off, the other two men quickly taking off after him.

[Allamorph]

With a heavy heart, Morty surveyed the fresh rubble, still partially obscured by the thick cloud of grit that now permeated most of the city. Azalea's smothering advance had been halted for a time, and the day might not end in a total rout. But at what terrible cost had survival come?

"This—this is sacrilege."

His second's pronouncement intruded on Morty's morose reflections and pulled him out of his trance.

"Yes," he said, sobering as he saw his people's morale on the verge of failure. "Yes it is. And we will make amends in full. But we have a town to protect still."

He cast one more glance at the tower's remains. The spirit of Ecruteak may have been destroyed, and it might have been his doing, but he was still its head, and he couldn't afford to stand still.

"Pack it up, boys. Let's move."

His crew pushed itself reluctantly to action, shouldering supplies and regrouping in small units, moving off in silence towards the point of retreat a unit or two at time. Morty lingered to satisfy his last few lingering concerns—mainly that his crew would pull through—and then, securing the pack on his shoulder with a short jerk, ducked his head and followed.

With military precision, the teams moved in total silence through the streets; stooped low, they crossed open stretches swiftly, pausing in each new cover to scan for enemies and potential ambushes. The dust from the tower's collapse choked the air and cast the city in an eerie, portentous light. Looking around, Morty could see the same grim mask on the face of each leader and trainer, and from the way the atmosphere hung thick and heavy on him, he knew his own countenance mirrored theirs.

Already plans for after the escape were filtering through his head. Once outside the city, where would they go? If Bugsy was acting on behalf of the league, heading south was out of the question; Falkner would crush the survivors in a heartbeat. West was Azalea's forces, and even if they managed to brave that slaughterhouse the sea would meet them soon enough. To the east was Blackthorn and Claire—but only if they could push through Mount Mortar and the Ice Path, and to the north....

The gym leader shook off the train of thought. He would worry about such things after they were at least partially safe. For now, the mountains east would provide shelter and protection.

A thrumming sound had been itching at the edge of his hearing for a while, and just as he realised it was there he heard a cry from the boys in front.

"Air raid! Beedrill at four-thirty! Get down! Get down!"

Morty cursed. His musings had let him lag behind, and he was at least forty yards from any reliable cover. Already he could hear detonating pineco off to his right; he hunkered down into a controlled sprint.

He had cleared half the distance when the beedrill reached them. Dozens of three-foot blue cones began crashing into the streets, exploding seconds after impact. In the distance he could hear screams, and the knowledge of their source chilled him to the bone. He saw a door to a shop burst open, and one of his leaders beckoned frantically from just inside the threshold. Morty redoubled his pace.

Three pineco struck down directly in his path; he had just enough time to veer down an alley before they exploded, throwing chunks of pavement dozens of feet back the way he had come. His heart racing, he leaned against the building and breathed, attempting to throw off the shakes of the new adrenaline coursing through his body. Had he been any less quick on his feet he would be dead right now, of that he had no doubt.

He snuck a look out of the alley's mouth, and immediately ducked back in as the sidewalk and street were riddled with thousands of deadly pins. The beedrill must have been ordered to run strafing sweeps, he realised, and had his suspicions confirmed as a swarm of the creatures buzzed by overhead. Aiming for that shelter was now out of the question; Morty turned and sped down the alley, looking for another way around to meet up with the rest of his team.

The next street appeared to be clean, and Morty risked the open space, hoping that the dust cloud would keep him well enough concealed to avoid attracting the attention of the beedrill patrols he suspected were now active. It seemed to be the correct choice; the detonations came close, but not dangerously so, and he heard no squadrons on wing towards him. He reached the first alley without incident, but it was blocked by rubble, so he moved to the next one.

This one was clean, but a movement at the other end caused him to draw back. It was a pair of heracross just nosing out of the opening; they appeared to be scouting the streets. For them to be across the tower this soon after its collapse meant Bugsy was serious and wasting no time at assessing and adapting to the situation. It also meant that he was probably already ordering his troops around the ruins to pincer the escaping civilians. Had their terrible sacrifice amounted to little more than a stall tactic?

A thump behind him made his heart stop. He didn't have to look behind him to know what it was, or how little time he had. He lunged desperately for the alley, but only managed a step before the concussion blast whirled him off his feet, slamming his head into the building's corner.

[Kei]

The northern winds had started to turn harsh as Falkner and his men made their preparations on the cliff side. Many had already put on their goggles reserved for high winds just to keep the drifting snow for stinging their eyes. Falkner looked as he saw some of his men huddle together, flashing signals between them about the turn in weather so they wouldn’t have to lower their shawls.

“Sir, it may not be wise to launch a full attack now,” signed one of Falkner’s lieutenants, a slender young woman with sharp-cut hair and narrow eyes. “I know this region. The storm will only get worse from here.”

“I realize that, Gloria,” Falkner signed back with a reproachful glance. “That’s why this isn’t a full attack.”

“Sir?”

“This is only a scare tactic. Pryce is old and stubborn, but striking a few key points may help him get the message. If not, we can always come back once the conditions are more calm.”

The woman stood still.

“Do you not trust my judgment, lieutenant?”

“I was only trying to present the facts, sir.”

“And while that’s appreciated, don’t forget who’s in command. I know what I’m doing.” The dangerous gleam in Falkner’s eye received a sharp salute.

“My apologies, sir.”

“Go ready your birds and tell the others to do the same.”

“Sir.”

Falkner looked up at the clouded sky. It was true that a storm was coming and a big one at that; the gray pallor of the clouds was steadily becoming black. They already didn’t have much time to make the strike and their window was getting smaller by the minute. If there was a time to send a message, this was it.

“Everyone, prepare to take off!” Falkner shouted, turning to his gathered force. “Strike near the Center and the homes, but leave the Gym to me!”

*

“We need more girders in here, unless you like having brain damage!” Val was monitoring the progress of the tunnel from inside the excavation, making sure the Graveler stayed on target and had a good pace going. Cecil stood beside the Machoke hefting girders into place along the sides of the tunnel, helping to weld the beams together.

“Cecil, double torch those beams,” Val said after moving her dust mask out of the way. “We need to make sure they’re going to hold for a good while.”

The Magmar puffed a shot of flame in response and waddled back to beginning of the tunnel to redo his work.

The work had only been doing on for a few hours, but the energy the workers presented had surprised Val. They were on a fast pace to break through the eastern wall of the mountain and while it wouldn’t shave too much time off her estimate, Val figured any extra time they gained off the project would probably benefit her client.

It was shaping up to be a fairly wide gateway. While the roof itself wasn’t very high, it was wide enough to fit four people shoulder-to-shoulder fairly easily. The floor was still a bit rough underfoot, but once the basic structure and supports were done, Machop would stomp the ground flat to make for easy trekking. The steel girders that were placed along the sides were connected along the top, with criss-crossing mesh setting on top of the frame to ensure any loose pieces of rubble wouldn’t knock someone unconscious.

Val had begun marking the progress of the tunnel on her plans when Evan kneeled beside her.

“You know, if I had a hammer in my hands, you would probably have a good-sized knot on the side of your head or worse,” Val said with a sideways glance.

“Then you’d be in the weeds without such a great assistant. But I’m not here to shoot the breeze. I’ve got some news.”

“Please tell me it’s good.”

“I wish,” Evan said as he sidled closer and lowered his voice. “Seems like there’s trouble over the mountains. I heard someone shouting over in the Gym that they needed to help over in Ecruteak.”

“…that’s not good at all.”

“No. I think we’re working on a smaller time frame than you thought, Chief.”

“It seems that way, doesn’t it.” Val sighed heavily and began to weigh her options. If her client was stressed, that was going to put stress on her. It was probable that a request to complete the project faster was forthcoming, which wasn’t too unreasonable. However, if they expected anything within half a day, they would be fooling themselves.

“So. What do we do, Val?”

“We’re not going to pre-empt the speed order until we have to. Once we get there, we’ll have to forego integrity for a little bit and just get the tunnel dug, then put in the supports as quick as we can.”

“Val, you’re frowning.”

“No, I’m not.”

“You kinda are.”

“Go get me more Graveler, Evan.”

“Okay, but if you don’t stop, your face is gonna get stuck that way,” Evan said as he stood.

“Do you want me to go find a hammer?”

“I’m going, I’m going…”

Val sighed as the turned over her plans and began making new calculations. This was going to be difficult.

[The Spectacular Professor]

Solo blocked another barb, then brought up a talon to pin the Beedrill assailant. A swift peck to the abdomen left the creature critically wounded.

"Screech!" commanded the mercenary. The Beedrill emitted a piercing buzzing noise, which caught Cam's Skarmory off-guard and reverberated painfully inside its metallic head.

Both combatants withdrew their Pok�mon.

The mercenary sent another, this time an Ursaring. Atlas would be its opponent.

Cam snapped his fingers once, and the Larvitar nodded in response. It charged at its adversary and fiercely headbutted its stomach.

"That's cute," laughed the rogue soldier, you taught it code! Did that help confuse all the kids at school?"

Silently, Cam urged Atlas to carry on. Atlas charged its adversary again, only to meet the Ursaring's paw. Hard. The Larvitar stumbled, clearly in pain.

"HA! That's what you get, kid! Plenty of Pok�mon can be disciplined to break rocks, and Larvitar's rocky skin is no exception!"

Atlas stood once more, its eyes burning with determination. It charged the Ursaring once more, making itself temporarily oblivious to its own pain. It flailed its limbs about, buffeting the Ursaring in a flurry of blows. The Ursaring collapsed, as did Atlas, exhausted by its own berserk assault.

"And plenty of Pok�mon can be disciplined to temporarily ignore their wounds," replied Cam, recalling Atlas to its ball, I was raised by breeders, I know a thing or two."

The Mercenary had stopped laughing. He angrily withdrew the Ursaring, then threw out two more Pok�balls, a Crobat and a Sandslash.

"You can't do that!" objected Cam angrily, "This isn't a double battle!"

"League rules be damned, kid," replied the mercenary, "This is a war, I'm here to win."

"In that case," called a theatrical voice, "allow me to even the odds!"

The owner of the voice stepped out of the surrounding forest. He was oddly well-dressed for a soldier and wore a white cape as an accessory to his violet ensemble. Cam thought it strange that this man of all people would be able to hold his own against this mercenary.

Cam thought wrong.

While the two combatants were distracted, the mercenary's Sandslash suddenly chattered fearfully. Cam turned to look, and it appeared that some kind of shadow was holding it in place. Two red eyes and a sinister grin appeared in the air in front of the Sandslash, and then a dark, rotund body materialized to hold the face. The Sandslash collapsed of a mixture of shock and sudden fatigue.

"Alright, boy, what else do you have?" demanded the newcomer. Cam, still shocked at the sudden display of competence, silently presented his Pok�balls.

"Hmm, not much here at all," muttered the mysterious stranger, "How well-trained is this Quilava?"

"I've had her for 8 years...."

"She'll have to do, then. Do you think you can have her distract that Crobat for me? I'm going to have to finish this battle in one shot."

Cam released Ruby, who instantly charged for the Crobat. She somersaulted in the air, ignited herself and attempted to tackle her enemy. The Crobat evaded, but its lower wing was badly singed. Infuriated, it flapped lopsidedly at the Quilava, fangs bared to strike.

Meanwhile, the newcomer's Gengar had disappeared once again. The mercenary, in shock, reached for his belt and called back the Sandslash. "Let's see how you like this," he muttered, pulling four more balls from his belt and preparing to release their contents.

The eyes returned.

The deep, sinister red eyes materialized once again before the mercenary. No matter how much he wanted to, the mercenary could not look away from those eyes. They drew him in and held him there, as if to tell him some deep, dark secret.

Sleep.

That actually didn't sound like such a bad idea.

Sleep.

He was feeling rather fatigued....

Sleep.

. . .

"Sorry for the lack of introduction," said the mysterious man as he patted his Gengar on the back for a job well done, "My name is Eusine, I'm a Legendary researcher and an old friend of Morty's. I rushed back to Ecruteak as soon as I could when I heard about the attack. So who are you?"

"I'm Cameron Roland, you can call me Cam," replied the boy. So you're a Legendary researcher? Does that mean you're famous?"

Eusine laughed. Not exactly, actually I'm a researcher of the Legendary Pok�mon of Johto. Specifically, I have an interest in Suicune."

"Suicune?"

"Yes, Suicune is one of the three Legendary Beasts of Johto. It's a somewhat dog-like creature, graceful and slender, yet majestic and noble as the pure blue of its fur. Legend says it can purify even the most polluted waters with ease. It is said to only appear before those of pure hearts or in times of great strife. I've always been fascinated with Suicune in particular. I guess you could call it an obsession, really. I really would like to meet it face to face someday."

"Well with all the great strife around here, it's almost bound to show up, quipped Cam.

Eusine sighed. "Indeed. I feel terrible admitting that I hope I may at least catch a glimpse of Suicune in all this devastation. Still, that's not why I've come here today. I am here to offer my aid to my old friend, Morty."

"You'd better get moving, then," cut in Colonel Finn, dragging along the now tightly bound mercenary. "Morty hasn't shown his face at Mt. Mortar and I hear Bugsy's boys are starting to run air raids on the city."

Eusine turned pale. "I must find Morty, then. Good luck with your efforts, Colonel, and you too, Cam. May Ho-Oh be with you!" With that, Eusine turned and ran in the direction of the city.

Finn's regiment continued to escort civilians to the shelter in Mt. Mortar. Cam looked toward a nearby cliff. He couldn't be sure, but he though he caught a glimpse of light blue fur retreating.

[Horendithas]

It wasn't over yet, no matter how much Kendra wished it was. There seemed to be some new arrivals who were helping the civilian groups escape. At least she assumed they were newly arrived since unlike the others, it was obvious that they weren't exhausted from fighting. She couldn't imagine Morty holding trainers back if they could have been keeping the city from being overrun in the first place. So they had to be reinforcements. It made sense, to her, that help would have been requested as soon as possible.


It was comforting to know that assistance had arrived, however, the urgent clamor of more air raids behind them made it clear that the invaders had no intention of letting them slip away, reinforcements or not. She didn't need to turn and look to know that more of the trainers were being taken down. Nor did she need a breeze to clear the smoke enough to show her that they were moving swiftly around the fallen tower to cut off their retreat.


It was only a matter of time before they did just that. Kendra was exhausted. She had been on her feet and running about all morning. Smoke was making her cough and getting into her eyes, making her even wearier, and with every step it seemed like the weight of the pokeballs she was carrying in the bags increased. If she was this tired then those who had been fighting all this time had to be worse off than she was.


She spared a brief glance behind her, but smoke made it impossible to see the store. She decided it was better that way; she didn't want to see what had become of it. Tears threatened to spill forth and she shoved them back. It wasn't easy, Kendra still didn't know if her parents were okay or not. She had looked when she could, but had seen nothing. She took a couple of deep breathes when they halted briefly, though it did little to ease her weariness.


When they started up again she spotted a familiar face among the trainers holding the escape path open for the evacuees. She didn't know him personally, but she had seen Terry many times at the store. He was always making sure the squad he worked with had everything they needed to take good care of their Pokemon. She felt oddly comforted to know they were doing their best to get them out of there, and at the same time it made her anxious for all of the trainers who were risking their lives so they could get clear.


Once again she pushed the feelings aside as best she could. Tired or not, she couldn't stop now. She held the straps to the bags she was carrying tightly and hurried as best she could.

[SOL]

Terry and his unit made their way through the forest on their way to Mount Mortar. The forest was almost a welcome escape from the nightmare they had just experienced earlier. The sun was setting on the route, and the warm glow on the tree line made the leaves shimmer with a white light. The air had become cool, almost chilling. Hoothoot were signaling the end of the day with their song. Terry could see their red eyes illuminating the shadows of the forest.

But, despite all the beauty of the surroundings, Terry was uneasy. Moving with such a large group of refugees was already dangerous, but it was even moreso with moving the injured. Terry saw a few of the Pokemon Center workers treating the critically wounded and could see a familiar face among them. She met his eyes with a strained look in her eyes. She smiled, as if to ease any worries that Terry had about being able to protect them.

"Don't worry, we'll get you out safely."

"Yeah, I know."

Terry returned her smile and then looked in the crowd of refugees. While tired and weathered, you couldn't tell that they just had their city destroyed. Some of them had been joking and the majority of them were smiling. Maybe it was the fact that they escaped alive, or perhaps it was the prospect of finding solace in the mountain range of Mt. Mortar.

But the safegaurded feeling didn't last long. Terry heard shuffling in the area around him.

"EVERYONE GET DOWN!"

As the group hit the forest foor, Poison Sting needles flew over their heads. Terry looked to see a fluttering group of Beedrill in the distance. Ambush was always the biggest obstacle to escape, but with the injured, the group's pace was at a crawl. It would be child's play to surround them and ambush them. But why was the League attacking injured and helpless civilians? This was it. The kid gloves had come off. Terry yelled out in anger as he charged head first into the stream of Poison Stings. A few grazed his shoulder. Terry picked a Pokeball from his belt and threw it.

"Scizor! Use quick Attack"

"HISSSSSS" Scizor bellowed as he burst from the ball. As Scizor launched his attack, he seemed to dissapear into thin air. Terry watched as swarms of Beedrill fell in droves. Scizor returned to his master as Terry fell to one knee. A few of the poison needles had found a home in Terry's arm and he had finally begun to feel the effects.

"SIR!" Terry's unit, in the confusion following the attack, had finally caught up with him.

"He don't look good, Keslowski."

"We have to get some help!"

"But there's League trainers crawling all over."

"You keep em busy while I get him outta here."

"OH YEAH! NOW YOU'RE SPEAKING MY LANGUAGE!" Schultz said with a smile. He released his Rhydon and made the ground tremble with an Earthquake.

Terry faded in and out of consciousness as Keslowski dragged him back towards the group.

"Don't worry, sir. We'll get ya patched up in no time."

"Why?" Terry muttered quietly.

"What?"

"Why do they have to do it?"

" I don't know sir, but we have to stop them."

"Yeah." Terry said as he passed out. It was a race against time. Beedrill stings could be dangerous to Pokemon, but to humans it was more dangerous. Left untreated, a sting from a Beedrill could kill an adult human in less than 2 hours. Keslowski rushed his leader back to the camp, where Terry was immediately lifted onto a gurney and checked over by Nurse Joy.

"He got hit by some Poison Sting needles."

"Oh dear. We're running low on anti-venom. It's a good thing you brought him in now."

Terry's surge had pushed back the ambush party, so the camp had been able to continue to move forward with the rest of Terry's unit. They slowly trekked towards Mt. Mortar as the ground shook underneath their feet.

"KEEP MOVIN! We'll make it there by midnight if we don't stop!" Keslowski yelled.

~~~
Terry awoke several hours later, feeling like he had got hit by a dynamicpunch from a Machamp. As he slowly opened his eyes, he saw the face of the girl from earlier.

"Oh good, you're ok. I was worried." she said with a smile

"Uhhnn. Is everyone ok?"

"Shouldn't you worry about yourself first, mister Hero? Not many people would charge into a stream of poison needles."

Terry mustered a smile.

"I've seen you around town before. Kendra, right?"

"Yeah. And you're Terry" she said with a laugh.

"I guess that someone has to worry about everyone," she continued. "That's what makes you a leader. I wish I was half as strong as you."

Terry looked away with a dissastified look on his face.

"I'm not that strong. The tower fell and they overran the city."

Kendra smiled and looked at a hole in the treeline. The moon had been shining brightly on the grove where the group was located at.

"There was nothing else you could do. I think that the fact that we saved so many lives is more important than Tin Tower. Ho-Oh will understand."
Terry staggered to get back on his feet and almost fell getting off of the gurney.

"Hey! You shouldn't get be walking around so soon."

"I've got to.... protect everyone..." Terry stuttered as he stumbled towards the front of the group.

Something had to be done about the League. They had attacked innocent, helpless people. This was beyond just trying to unite people under one order. The League wasn't making any distinction between civilians and soldiers. Everyone was a threat. And if left to their devices, no one would be safe.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

The teams prepared quickly and took off as soon as they were ready. Everyone was leaving most of their supplies behind, which made sense; why carry extra weight if you don't need to? Everyone was taking the standard field equipment, of course, but that was it.

"Okay," Brand said, "we don't have a lot of time here. We get in, do some damage, and get out. Our target is one of the outer residential areas."

"As long as we're not the ones hitting the Center," Tala said. "I do not want to be part of that."

"They're not actually going to damage the Center facilities, are they?" Aesera said.

"I don't know," Brand replied. "It really depends on which team is hitting it, and that's something I don't know. In a way, I wish it was us hitting the Center. At least then we'd know."

"I'd still rather not," Tala said.

"Well, we're in agreement on that. Okay, people, mount up. Let's go."



The team landed in the middle of the target area and dismounted their birds. "Okay," Brand said, "let's do some damage. Looks like there's a convinience store over there. Tala, take Jan and Cain, and go wreck it. Everyone else, we'll just make a mess for now. As for people, if they run, let them, but if they try to fight, they're fair game. Incapacitate them however you can, but let's try to minimize casualties. All right, go!"

Tala's team released Pokemon and headed off. The others also began releasing their Pokemon of choice. "I think we've got a couple trainers behind us," Aesera told Brand as she released a couple Pokemon of her own. "I spotted them on the way in. They may be coming at us."

"Good to know."

"Actually," Aesera said, "I plan to take care of them."

"You- wait, excuse me? You want to take them on solo?"

"Don't worry," Aesera said as she turned back to her Pokemon. "Okay, we're going to do a chase routine. Tyranitar, you're on pursuit duty."

"Hold on," Brand said. "You're going to just fake danger and hope they assume you're on their side? No, Aesera. They're not going to fall for that."

"Well, I certainly hope not. If they're really that stupid, I'll be quite dissapointed."



The two trainers were indeed heading towards the team's location, but they came to a halt as Aesera came running into view, Tyranitar chasing after her. A blast impacted the ground behind her, the 'Hyper Beam' as many called it, although Aesera never used the common 'move names' herself. She didn't like the implication of rigidity, that a pokemon could only use its abilities in certain, specific ways. That, and using the names told people what to expect.

Another blast hit, and Aesera knew what the two had to be thinking, that there was no way Tyranitar's blasts would be as far off as they were if it was actually trying to hit her. which would mean it was a trick.

One of the two started to move, but was stopped by the other. And Aesera knew exactly why. The one trainer had moved presumably to attack, but his companion had stopped him, and Aesera knew exactly why he'd done so: the trick was too obvious. What if she wanted them to move in and attack? And then the inevitable counter-thought, that what if she'd planned on them realizing that? What if the trick was obvious because she wanted them to think it was a fake-out?

As Aesera and Tyranitar closed in, one of the two stumbled and fell over, while the other dropped to his knees. Aesera and Tyranitar slowed to a walk as the pair collapsed.

"Well, that was dissapointing," Aesera said. "Rhydon, we're done!" Rhydon, who had dug his way underneath the street, emerged from the ground behind the two unconcious trainers. Espeon also showed herself, emerging from a narrow alley with Brand following her.

"What do you know," Brand said, "it worked."

"I told you it would. Actually, it was easier than I expected. they must not be very experienced. There's no way Espeon would've gotten them so easily if they knew what they were doing."

"What do you mean?"

"Start breaking things," Laresa told her Pokemon. She turned back to Brand. "It takes time and concentration to put someone to sleep."

"I've never seen it go anything but quickly."

"You probably haven't seen a Pokemonactually put someone to sleep. You've seen what I like to call 'battle sleep'. It's not really sleep at all, actually. More like a... well, I'm not really sure how to put it. Kind of a half-sleep, I guess. Anyways, the effect is to briefly render the target unconcious, but, as I'm sure you know, the effect is in fact quite brief. It's often enough to get a couple good hits in, though, although sometimes the target recovers almost immediately. Anyways, it's not real sleep. That takes a lot more time and focus. And even if you don't know what it feels like, it should be pretty easy to tell that something's happening. But these two didn't seem to react at all until the effect actually started to show, which is not what I expected."

"Wait, but wasn't the Tyranitar thing to distract them from Espeon?"

"No," Laresa said. "It was just to distract them. When they saw me coming at them, they knew I was up to something. I'd have thought it was to keep me looking one way while someoneone else ambushed me, but I don't know about them. Anyways, instead of let them reach some unknown conclusion, I gave them a riddle. They knew I was trying to trick them, and were occupied with trying to figure out if I wanted them to come at me or stay back. Of course, I didn't care what conclusion they reached; I just wanted them to focus on that problem. I did think they'd notice Espeon's attempt to put them to sleep, though. Then they'd have reacted. Rhydon's job was to handle the reaction and ensure that Espeon had enough time, although this turned out to be unnecessary."

"I... see," Brand said. "Anyways, let's get back to the others."

Aesera nodded. "Okay," she called out to her team, "we're moving! Rhydon, bring these two."

"Wait," Brand said as Rhydon picked up the two unconcious trainers, "you're taking them prisoner?"

they headed back towards the others. "Of course," Laresa said. "Why wouldn't I? After seeing them in action, I doubt they're anything but the bottom of the chain, but they may still have some useful information. And even if they don't tell us anything, will Pryce know that? No, they'll probably assume we'll get information from these two."

"Then they'll change things, won't they? Won't that defeat the purpose?"

"No. They can't just say to go to plan B, cause that would require that everyone know what plan B is, including our prisoners. They may have secret backup plans, but they'd have to be known only by a few. So most of them wouldn't be familiar with the backup."

"So either way, we come out ahead. Good thinking."


The team returned to the encampment and dismounted. They weren't the first team back, but there weren't too many others back yet. Which made sense; their target had been one of the outer areas, so they'd had less travel distance, although not very much less.

"Damn it, you're supposed to do what I say!"

Aesera turned towards the source of the voice, and was not surprised to see that it was Mathis. He was yelling at a Pokemon again; a Fearow this time. "That was your fault, you worthless *****. They almost had me because of you!" Fearow chittered in response. "Shut up!" Mathis shouted as he punched Fearow in the face. "Just shut up!"

"We'd probably be better off if they did get him," Brand remarked to Aesera. "The guy's as much of an incompetent as he is an asshole. Although you may have noticed that he doesn't ever think it's his fault."

"Stay here," Aesera said. "And have the others watch."

"You're going to confront him again? That's probably not the best idea."

"Don't worry. This time, there are witnesses." She left Brand and walked over to Mathis. "You know, that's really not a smart thing to be doing."

Mathis spun to face her. "You again? I though I told you to stay the hell out of my business."

"One person can drag a lot more down with him. It's the entire force's business."

"Bullshit. You're just upset 'cause I'm giving another useless piece of **** what she deserves. You got a problem with that?"

"Yeah, actually," Aesera said. "You're the one at risk, though. Or did you not realize it might be a bad idea to hit something that's perfectly capable of killing you?"

"Enough ****. You're just spewing out bullshit to justify the huge stick you have up your ass."

"Or maybe I'm thinking about something other than myself and my ego. Which, judging by what I've seen, is a foreign concept for you."

"Shut up. Just shut the hell up."

"You know, I'm not sure what I'm doing to deserve the anger. I'm just trying to give you some advice. I mean, what do you think would happen if one of your Pokemon decides it's had enough?"

"They know who the boss is."

"Oh? Haven't you been getting pissed off at them for ignoring you? That suggests to me that they don't know who the boss is?"

"Oh, yeah? And what, you think your way is better?"

"I've certainly never had obedience problems. Besides, just think about it. If someone who treats you like **** asks you to do something, you're not going to want to, now, are you? And if you do do it, you're not likely to put in as much effort as you would for someone who treated you better."

"And?"

"And Pokemon are the same way. The better you treat them, the harder they'll work for you."

"Whatever," Mathis said. "Just get out of my business."

"Sure," Aesera said. "I've said everything I had to say, anyways." She left him and returned to Brand and the others.

"That could have ended up a lot worse," Brand said. "For a while, I though he was going to hit you."

"He could've tried."

"Well, whatever. Just try not to pick any more fights, all right?"

"I'm not going to stop speaking up," Aesera said, "but yeah, I'll try not to start any fights."

"Just don't say I didn't warn you. Anyways, good job out there, everyone. Especially you, Aesera. You did good, especially considering you've never even practiced with us before. Nice bit of trickery, too. I didn't know what to expect from you, but now I do, and it's good to have you on the team."

"Thanks," Aesera said. "Okay, let's get the prisoners secured before they wake up. then we'll wait for everyone's return and see what Falkner wants to do with them."

[Kei]

The howl of the winds from the snowstorm; the flapping and screeching of birds all over the skies; the explosions from successful hits on the ground; the crumbling and crackling of buildings and homes as they either collapsed or were consumed by flames. All of these noises combined together in Mahogany Town to create a deafening din that no one could escape.

The fight that had erupted from the air raid Falkner had ordered was far more than either side had expected it would be. What was meant to be a simple air strike had become an all-out battle between the two forces, the squadron from Violet City using their mount's abilities and Delibird to bomb the ground below and the few citizens and trainers from Mahogany fighting back with their own Pokemon using Ice Beams and any other attacks that could possibly reach their high-flying opponents. The flying assaulters were fairing much better than the people on the ground, being able to dodge most of the attacks, but the noise and the violent winds from the storm were beginning to take their toll on the troops, as evidenced by more and more people being hit by attacks from the ground.

Faulkner kept to his small detachment and observed the mess below as they flew along the outskirts of the battle.

“I didn't expect them to put up this much of a fight,” he thought to himself. “I guess an old dog can still have some bite to it.”

Gloria flew her Fearow under the right wing of Faulkner's Pidgeot, flagging his attention.

“The winds are getting stronger,” she signed. “If we're going to strike, we should do it now and get everyone back on the ground, sir.”

“I agree,” he signed back. “Things are starting to get out of hand. Spread out in formation and drop when I give the signal.”

*

There was nothing but confusion on the ground. No one knew where to run for cover thanks to the unpredictable attack patterns of the troops in the skies. Women and children were running in the streets, too frightened to stay out of open areas, while the braver citizens with Pokemon were trying to help the trainers that were fighting back against the air raiders. But the results were nothing but a hodgepodge of sloppy attacks that were barely doing anything but scattering the attackers for a short time before they reconverged and struck back a lot harder, though they had scored hits here and there. Several civilians and trainers were being injured, and it only looked like things would be getting worse.

“Sir, we don't know where they're wanting to hit next. We can't pin 'em down,” shouted one of the trainers on the outside balcony of the Gym. “And they're moving too quick to hit. We can't do nothin' against 'em!”

The crack from Pryce's cane rapping on the floor made the entire group stationed on the floor look at him.

“Nothin' worse than losin' your head in the middle of a battle. Only helps your opponent. Calm down and wait for a crack at 'em.”

Pryce hobbled his way out on the balcony, pulling his muffler up a bit higher on his neck. He set a hand on the head of his Piloswine, idly giving it a scratch. The beast gave out a small snort and shuffled closer to the old man, trying to give him a comforting nudge. It had noticed the frown that had settled onto its master's face and knew a high-bad temper was on the horizon.

The old man gazed out over the western portion of the town, random attacks and skirmishes dotting the snow-packed streets. Nothing about the scene looked good and Pryce couldn't help but think that if things kept going the way they were, there were going to be more people dying than surviving the encounter. The people of Mahogany weren't used to battles and destruction on this scale. Mahogany was usually only a resort town at the most, a place for people to stop and stay for excursions to the Lake of Rage up north.

But now, they had to fight to keep what was already theirs. There were people getting hurt and worse just because they were in a convenient area for strategic attack. Pryce knew that no one in the city would be able to cope with the change and things would go straight to hell quicker than someone could spit. He knew he had to put a stop to it before things went any further.

“Sir, there's a flock of people flying straight at us!”

Pryce snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the troop coming rapidly toward them.

“Line up along the railing and get ready to back me up, then.”

*

Faulkner had just enough time to raise his arm to prepare to give the signal to send an attack wave toward the gym when his Pidgeot started bank to the right, trying to avoid the light blue beam of sheer ice cutting through the sky toward them. The rest of the detachment watched in shock as the left side of its breast and part of its wing, along with Faulkner's leg, got coated in a sheet of ice and the pair started falling from the sky, their speed and the howling winds carrying them toward the northern part of the town.

[Allamorph]

“This?”

Saul raised himself from beside the small lounger, stepping back beside the unimpressed Sayo. As if sensing the release of ownership, the modest-sized Persian stretched across the sunroom’s doorway uncurled and padded inquisitively to the other side, beginning a thorough olfactory examination of his own.

“Yeah,” Saul replied. “What do you make of it?”

“Make of it?” Sayo sighed in mild annoyance. “Make of what, Saul; it’s a half-dead pokemon, for Lugia’s sake!”

“It’s from Hoenn,” said Saul. “It’s not native to the continent.”

“So someone with a bit of money imported it. Happens all the time.”

“It has no registered trainer,” the journalist insisted.

“Then the owner was probably incompetent and abandoned their exotic pet.” Sayo refused to be taken in. “Saul–,”

“I found it in a Silph Company dumpster in Saffron.”

His former Viridian teammate drew up short.

“Well, I didn’t find it in the dumpster, to be honest,” Sail explained. “It fell out of a rust hole and rolled over to my feet. But I saw another dumpster being emptied into a processing truck, and there was almost a rain of red and white coming out of it, so I checked around and....” He shook his head. “Sayo, there had to be at least six hundred discarded balls in there.”

Sayo’s eyes narrowed. “Empty or full?”

“I only checked about fifteen or twenty on top, but I didn’t find any that weren’t occupied,” Saul answered. He grimaced and broke eye contact. “I actually released four of them, and this one was the only one alive,” he added.

Sayo whistled gravely through her teeth.

“Okay,” she allowed, “you might have found something serious here.”

“I’m a reporter,” Saul threw in. “It’s what I do.”

Sayo snorted, then frowned. “But it’s not going to do you any good sitting on it here. Come to Blackthorn with me and I’ll talk to Claire about it. We have the resources and the means, and I’m not certain how much longer a paper is going to do anything.”

Saul didn’t answer right away. She had a fair point, he knew, but she was also still trying to recruit him. It was a smooth pitch, he had to give her that, but it was still a recruitment pitch, and there was a small knot inside him that continued to protest the thought of combat. What had initially been simple battle-weariness had slowly become a love for just living with his creatures, and he wasn’t sure he was ready to give that up.

But he didn’t know what to make of this odd discovery in Saffron, and with Sabrina apparently turning it into a fortress and Claire obviously nervous, he wasn’t sure how much he could do if the entire continent started falling apart.

“Saul, look.” Sayo seemed to have run out of patience with him, but she addressed him with fatigue, not anger. “Don’t drag this out. Something’s happening up north. The rest of the recruitment team has all been recalled. The only reason I’m even here is because Claire is fixated on getting all of Blue’s team, and you’re the only one left.” She crossed her arms. “I know her; if you send me back alone, she’ll just send someone else, over and over until you give in, and the longer you wait the less likely she’ll be to listen to anything you might have to say.”

“Like this,” Saul offered, still staring at the lounger.

“Like this,” agreed Sayo.

Saul considered a moment longer, and then sighed.

“All right. I’ll join up.”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Morty came to slowly, his thoughts thick and slow as if he hadn’t slept in days. Groaning, he tried to raise his hands to his face to press the grogginess out of his eyes, but after several attempts and a too-long bit of confusion he realized they were bound at his sides.

Opening his eyes yielded him little information. Something white covered his face; from the smell of it, and from the weird grasping sensation on the backs of his hands, he gradually identified it as webbing, probably from a . . . spinarak. That’s what they were called. He couldn’t move his legs, either, so he guessed the webbing covered his entire body. Only his nose seemed to be free; Morty was suddenly very thankful that his sinus infection had cleared up a week ago.

Around him were the muffled sounds of people. It sounded moderately busy, but Morty couldn’t make out any distinct noises that might tell him what was going on, and even though he heard a shouted phrase now and again, the webbing obfuscated the words. From the feel of the ground he considered that he might be outdoors somewhere; was he at Bugsy’s camp? That answer made the most sense, just as it sent his spirit plummeting down a proverbial mineshaft.

Bugsy had already ordered his forces to attack and kill human trainers. Morty had assumed that such tactics would mean the youngster wouldn’t be taking prisoners, but apparently he had been wrong. And if the kid was willing to kill to accomplish his goals, what might he do with those he captured?

The stomp of approaching boots halted his thoughts, and he had just enough time to brace himself before a rough hand grabbed the webbing on his face and ripped it off of his head.

“Afternoon, pal,” said a swarthy-looking man. A nasty grin split his face. “Yer comin’ with me.”

Edited by Allamorph, 25 March 2012 - 11:13 AM.

[Horendithas]

Kendra could only shake her head as Terry shook off the hands of the medical personal who were trying to get him to lie back down. She watched as he stubbornly kept going, intent on doing what he could in spite of his injury. Once he was out of view the smile faded from her face and she clutched her arms tightly to her chest, shivering.

They’re not dead. Don’t think that! You’re not done looking yet. She thought frantically.

She closed her eyes briefly and kept those thoughts foremost in her mind as she turned to leave where the injured were being cared for. It was a good thing that her parents weren’t there, wasn’t it? All it meant was that they were probably somewhere else in the camp. She wasn’t done checking after all. They had to be there somewhere.

After the attack that had gotten Terry, the pursuit had broken off. They had finally been able to slow down and catch their breath. Then they had worked on assessing the damage while treating the injured. It wasn’t hard to guess why they had let them go. There was no point in pursuing what was obviously a group of civilians. She imagined they had returned to finish securing the city. It’s what she would have done.

So for now they were safe. Safe!? Kendra laughed; a touch of hysteria colored the sound. They hadn’t been safe in their own city! Morty’s forces had been unable to stop them and they had barely escaped with their lives. A shudder ran through her body as she remembered those who hadn’t been so lucky.

The poor people hit by Pinecos. The ones trapped in webbing or, she choked, crushed when the tower had fallen. It had given them time to escape but the cost had been terrible. Tears started to run down her face and this time she did nothing to stop them. She was so tired. How she was managing to stay on her feet she didn’t know. Kendra couldn’t recall the last time she had been this exhausted.

“Kendra!” A voice rang out, startling her. She looked about wildly till she spotted a young teenager coming towards her.

To her immense relief it was Sarah, one of the part time workers from the store. Her clothing was covered in ashes and dirt and she could see smear marks on her face where Sarah must have brushed tears away. She ran forward and grabbed Kendra’s hands.

“Thank goodness you’re alright! When we couldn’t find your parents we were worried you didn’t make it either.”

Kendra froze in shock. Couldn’t find her parents? A cold feeling of dread swept over her and she clutched Sarah’s hands tightly.

“What?” She said stupidly as she tried to focus on what she wanted to ask Sarah, but the world seemed to be spinning madly about her.

Sarah looked up at her. “We’ve been making a list to see who made it out.” She explained patiently. “Other than some of the people being treated, everyone in the camp has been checked.”

“No.” Kendra choked as the spinning intensified, sending her to her knees. “That can’t be.” She protested weakly as Sarah knelt in front of her, concern written across her face.

“Kendra?” She said softly, not wanting to voice what had to be going through both of their minds.

Kendra looked directly at her as tears started falling down her face. “They’re not with the injured.” She managed to whisper, taking in Sarah’s horrified expression before the spinning returned and dragged her into darkness.

[Hummy]

The aide who had shown him about the place had told Allan that they would send the rest of his stuff back to his home. However, the more he thought about that the more he realized it would be a bad idea. If a package arrived at his apartment or his parent’s home they would know where he was. It would be a simple matter for them to send someone after him. They did have contacts just about everywhere on account of the business.

His Dad may not approve but he hadn’t outright forbidden it. Mom on the other hand… Allan groaned. To say she’d create a fuss was an understatement. It would be better to simply toss his belongings and be done with it. He could always replace them later on. Decided he got directions to where the dumpsters for the mess hall would be.

Now that he was dressed in the brown and green fatigues he was pleased to notice that no one gave him more than a brief glance before going about their business. He slipped out the door leading to the alleyway behind the mess hall. Allan paused briefly before the open dumpster to check for anything he had missed. Then satisfied that he hadn’t he hefted it up into the air and tossed it over the side.

“Any reason why you’re throwing away a perfectly good bag?” A voice behind him asked.

Allan turned around to see another recruit in the same basic fatigues as him, carrying several trash bags. He offered Allan a lopsided grin before heading for the same dumpster he had just tossed the duffel bag into.

“You do know that they’ll send your stuff back home right?” The stranger continued. “They’ll even pay for it if you can’t.”

“Uh… yeah. I know.” Allan tried to think of a way to explain why he didn't want to but couldn’t. To his surprise the guy laughed when he didn’t elaborate.

“Let me guess, you don’t want your family or friends to know where you are.” He tossed the trash bags over the side and turned back to face Allan, a knowing grin on his face over his look of surprise. “You’re not the first person to do that.” He explained.

“Oh.” Allan just stood there, not sure what to say next. As if sensing his hesitation the stranger took the initiative, he stepped towards Allan.

“Anyway, I’m Tyler.” He reached over to shake Allan’s hand. “I got here a few weeks ago. At the moment I’m with the south regiment. Though now they have me helping out in the mess hall, what with sending that group off to Ecruteak City and all.”

Allan let go of his hand. “I'm Allan. I was assigned to the same regiment.”

“Nice!” Tyler exclaimed as he motioned for Allan to follow along. “They assign you a room yet?”

Allan nodded.

“Which one?” Tyler asked. Allan told him.

“Ha! That makes us roommates then.” He grinned for a second as he opened the door. “No need for the aide to know about your stuff. We’ll just let him think I helped you get it taken care of.”

“Is that okay?”

Tyler waved it off, “Of course it is. Like I said, you’re not the only one to cut ties and join up.” He stopped and gave him a mock serious look. “Unless you’re a murderer on the run...”

Allan laughed. “No. I... I just don’t want my parents showing up in an attempt to fetch me.” He sighed at the thought. “My Dad probably wouldn’t but Mom?” He grimaced.

“No worries then.” Tyler said with good humor. “Let’s go and get you introduced to the regiment leader. He’s a bit gruff but don’t let that put you off, he means well and does a good job.”

“Kind of like Claire?” Allan ventured, remembering the intimidating woman.

Tyler laughed. “Exactly!” He looked about sheepishly. “Don’t let anyone know I said that though. Even if she is quite the looker, she can rip you to shreds with a single look.”

Allan shifted uncomfortably, remembering the glare he had gotten for speaking out of turn. “I believe it.” He finally said, earning another chuckle out of Tyler.

Edited by SunfallE, 11 July 2010 - 11:00 PM.

[Kei]

"That'll do, Piloswine."

A cheer went up from the trainers at the Gym when they saw the troops overheard begin to break ranks and take off to the south. The hit Pryce had been able to land on the contingent that had started attacking the Gym had apparently made the rest of the troops' will to fight evaporate. The beat of retreating wings was almost audible over the harsh winds coming from the North, but not over the yells and shouts of the people of Mahogany celebrating their apparent victory. Several of the trainers on the Gym's balcony ordered their partners to fire off more shots into the sky to give their attackers more reason to flee, but a sharp rap from Pryce's cane almost completely sobered the atmosphere.

"Do you think we won here?" he asked, a cold fire flashing in his eyes. "Look around!"

And when they did, the trainers saw that they had indeed started to celebrate early. The town was littered with rubble and sputtering fires being whipped by the winds from the air strike. Injured civilians and battlers alike stumbled around in the street looking for help. The people of Mahogany hadn't really won anything: they had survived.

"All those folk down there need help and we're gonna give it to 'em," Pryce said as he started to hobble back inside the building. "Load up on bandages and whatever else we can use to start puttin' stuff back together." The old man looked back and saw that none of the people on the balcony had moved, being so captivated by what had happened to their beloved town. The old man frowned and rapped his cane on the floor again, eliciting some movement. "Get a move on, or it'll get worse!"

The trainers managed to take themselves away from the spectacle, but Pryce noticed the numbness in the way they moved. It was a complete shock to them, he knew. They had never seen a real fight, and in all honesty, it had been more than a few decades than the last time Pryce himself had seen anything like what had happened in Mahogany Town that night. He sighed as glanced back at the decimated town and shook his head.

"It'll get worse," he muttered as he hobbled back inside.

*

Gloria had waved the others to retreat as she began to follow the path her Leader had taken into the town as he'd crashed. She came upon his mount, splayed out on the ground a little ways past a small shrine, its right wing bent into an unnatural position and the left half of its body coated in ice, the wing completely gone. She didn't bother looking for the missing appendage, knowing the bird probably wouldn't survive its injury once it defrosted. She gave it a pitiful look as it lay there huffing and croaking in pain, but she had a more pressing duty.

She found Faulkner some 30 feet away, apparently thrown from the Pidgeot's back in the crash, lying very still. Fearing the worst, she knelt beside him and took off her gloves, checking his vitals. She found some relief in finding that he was still alive, but just from her gingerly check of his body, she could tell that he was severely injured. She needed to get them out before they were found and captured. She dragged Faulkner's unconscious body over to her Fearow, managing to get him onto the bird with a bit of struggle. Climbing on herself, she attempted to guide the bird into a run to take flight, but found it wouldn't move.

"What's wrong with you? We need to go!"

Still, the bird did not move. Already on edge from the situation, Gloria gave the Fearow a sharp kick in the side from exasperation, willing it to go. The creature gave a squawk and looked back at its trainer sharply.

"We need. To go."

The Fearow continued to look at Gloria hard for a moment, then suddenly broke into an agile run and took off into the winds. It only gave one glance back at the one-winged Pidgeot it had been studying so closely and wondered to itself if it might soon end up the same way.

[Allamorph]

They walked towards the center of the encampment. The Azalea thug had slashed the webbing on Morty’s legs, but whatever effect from which Morty had shaken his mind free had not yet relinquished his limbs, and so all of the gym leader’s focus was set on remaining upright and balanced, despite many a goad and jostle from behind. He would not stumble. The goon was already smug with what little power he possessed over the gym leader; Morty would not give him the satisfaction of possessing more than that.

There was a gathering of Azalea forces around an open area up ahead. Apparently that was his destination, for the man behind him began to herd him in that direction. A sickening sense of foreboding began gnawing at his gut; the scene was looking less and less like a civil meeting with his captors and more and more like a public spectacle with every passing step. Morty sent a silent, troubled prayer to Ho-Oh.

Upon reaching the center, Morty found that the soldiers had left a wide space in their midst. Near one side of the ring, a thick pole had been planted in the earth and flanked by spinarak. Morty was led to the pole and webbed secure, so that he faced the circle’s center. The wood beam forced him to stand erect, but it stopped just between his shoulder blades, making it difficult for his neck to feel at ease.

Bugsy stood opposite him, his scyther and a heracross beside him. The young Azalea leader viewed his captive in silence, and his expression troubled Morty deeply. He always remembered Bugsy as one of the more intense boys he’d met, but there was something else now—a hard edge to his gaze that Morty didn’t recall. And something else, something behind the hardness, but Morty couldn’t quite place it.

“I’ve missed you,” the young man said suddenly.

Morty frowned. “So I see.”

Silence fell again, and the two leaders contemplated one another for a long, hushed moment.

“I didn’t want this,” Bugsy began again. He stepped forward, lowering his eyes, his words coming with a thoughtful deliberance. “I’ve been thinking about it since we left home, and I can tell you honestly that this is one of the worst decisions I’ve ever had to make. I’ve hated every day I spent coming here. You were my friend, Morty. I liked you. I looked up to you, I wanted to be like you. I didn’t want to ruin you.”

The Ecruteak leader said nothing. Bugsy obviously had something he wanted to say, and Morty was worried about what it might be—and more worried still that he knew what it was.

Bugsy paused as if to think.

“But we had to,” he continued. There was a subtle change in his tone that Morty wished he hadn’t heard. “We had to bring you down because you wouldn’t listen to reason.”

“I won’t listen to insanity,” corrected Morty coldly.

“You would call progress ‘insanity’.”

“Progress?!” Morty scoffed. “You want to turn the country into a military state!”

“It’s for the greater good, Morty.”

“What greater good? It’s completely against our way of life! We don’t even have a military!”

Bugsy sighed. “You’re just proving my point. You refuse to see the good in what we are trying to accomplish. Instead you want to paint us as villains. All we want is to provide for our people; we only need the authority to be able to do it. Why is that as evil as you claim it is?”

“That’s not the truth,” Morty said flatly. “And you know it. And I wish I knew who suckered you into this—”

“No one suckered me into anything, Morty. I believe in what we are doing, and I believe it is the right thing to do.”

“And you’re ready to massacre an entire region to prove how right you are.”

“Because I have to!” cried Bugsy, impassioned. “Because you won’t listen!” The volume of his own words seemed to startle him, and he drew back into his former calm demeanor.

“We all wanted to do this peacefully,” he said. “But we can’t achieve our goal riddled with disunity. We have to be of one mind and purpose.” He sighed again. “I was going to ask you to change your mind; I thought maybe since we knew each other I might have a better chance of it. But I don’t think I need to ask anymore. So there’s only one choice left I can make.”

He turned away and began to walk out of the circle. As he passed the two insects, he patted the scyther on the shoulder.

“Goodbye, Morty,” he said, and left.

The heracross lowered itself and began to scree. All around the Azelea camp other insects added their voices to it, drowning the air with their stifling din. The noise climbed in intensity, with a swift crouch the scyther charged the captive, landing nimbly just behind him.

The head of Ecruteak’s leader struck the ground with a thunk.

Edited by Allamorph, 02 November 2010 - 11:19 PM.

[Kei]

Lyle still hadn't gotten past the shock, even though he had left the scene of the execution far to the west by now. Their leader, the man who had started everything, was dead. He'd watched from above as Morty had been paraded in front of the troops and mercilessly killed.

A quick scout for stragglers had let him witness the death of hope.

Maybe it was his own hope he was thinking of at that moment, he thought as the high, cold winds whipped around him and his dragon. He had joined with Morty because he believed what the League was implementing was wrong. He had believed that the Ecrutian man would have been the one that would set things back to the way they were. But with that one fatal stroke, the League had confirmed that things would never go back to the way they had been. The past was the past. Anyone who tried to hold on to that was a fool and would be dealt with swiftly.

As those thoughts ran through the young man's mind, he wondered why he was heading west toward Blackthorn. The leader of the resistance was dead. What point was there to try to keep going? He should just turn his Dragonair toward some safe place—maybe to the Orange Archipelago or the Sevii Islands—and figure a route to a safe place. There were probably a lot of people who would do exactly that once the word was out, and no one could blame them. What had just happened in Ecruteak was a clear, violent message. So why wasn't he listening to it?

Because part of him still wanted things to go back to how they were, he rationalized. Part of him wanted it so badly that he continued on to tell Claire what he'd seen, and that part wanted her to fully envelope Morty's ideals and finish what he couldn't. That's why he was flying back to the mountain city. That's why he wouldn't run away.

Of course, there was a quiet part of him that wanted revenge for the man he had looked to for guidance. And there was still another quieter part of him that wondered if running away would do anything at all.

Chapter 1 End

[SOL]

Chapter 2 begin

It had been a long trek through Mt. Mortar, and the refugees from Ecruteak were worn down, for lack of a better word. They had been on edge since the last ambush from the Azalea forces, constantly in fear that they would suffer the same grisly fate as those who fell victim to the cruelty of the League. Supplies were dangerously low. Meals had to be cut back to one per day, and the priority went towards the women and children. Water was almost gone and the medical supplies were getting that way as well. To be attacked right now would spell the death of the party. But Mahogany town was only a few hours away, and the group looked forward to a warm place to stay and a good meal.

"Why did they attack us?" One refugee finally spoke. There had been a long silence during the trip. Most of the refugees were still in shock from the attack that they hardly had time to think for themselves.

"I mean, there must have been a reason. No one just attacks just because. Maybe we are wrong and should have given in to the League. I mean, we wouldn't be like this if we had just listened." he continued.

"ARE YOU KIDDING?!" Another one snarled. "They attacked us because we didn't want to be enslaved to their 'ideal society'. We didn't do anything wrong by wanting to be free. What they're doing is wrong. Didn't you see what they're willing to do in order to get their way? They killed innocent people! They.....killed my brother."

The voice belonged to a little girl, no older than 12 years old. She had lived in the Kimono House and was studying to be a Kabuki dancer. She collapsed in her teal Kimono and began to cry, the tears smudging the makeup on her face. Two adults immediately swept her up and began to comfort her as she sobbed into their shoulders.

Mahogany Town couldn't be more of a welcome sight for the group. But as they neared what was supposed to be route 42, they were met by a chilling wind and a blanket of snow. While this was usually characteristic of Mahogany Town, it was about 2 months too early for this kind of wintery weather to be happening. As the party neared the opening to Mahogany Town, they were met with the sight of Ursaring guarding the edge of the town. They stood on their haunches and growled at the party as they approached the makeshift guard station that looked to be just recently erected.

Terry emerged from the group to speak with the soldiers. He had assumed leadership over the group, a decision that had been made without question after his headlong charge into the ambush party. His eyes had the icy stare that could freeze a Pokemon on first glance and his usually indifferent demeanor had since changed to give off a sense of hostility.

"Not one step further!" one of the men from the group shouted from the tower. "Who are you?"

"We're refugees from Ecruteak." Terry said, his voice devoid of emotion. "We were just attacked by Azalea and our city was overrun. We are just trying to find somewhere to stay and rest."

"Then you'll have to look somwhere else. Price's orders. We're not to allow anyone into the city."

"But we're running low on food and medical supplies. At least let us in for that." Terry said, his voice suddenly rising in ire.

"Sorry. We were just assaulted by the League ourselves and we can't afford to allow anyone in."

"Sir! Surely we can let them in! The Pokemon Center is already treating the wounded from the attack. We have more than enough supplies to at least allow them to go on their way." A voice clamored from behind the soldiers. The voice belonged to a pink haired woman who stood in her long winter coat and snow pants. A Chansey stood next to her, wrapped in a scarf and holding out a tray of warm drinks for the sentries. The woman was Nurse Joy, one of many physicians who worked all over Johto. While not the biggest proponent of the League or the resistance, Joy was steadfast in her mission to heal the sick and injured.

"The Gate guard sighed and motioned for the gate to be opened. The caravan entered the confines of Mahogany Town. Once known to be a haven for Ninja, the Town looked more like a Whirlwind had blown through the city. Windows were boarded up where glass had shattered and shingles had been blown off of rooftops. Debris lay scattered all over the ground, tossed about in every direction from the recent raid.

"So, where do you suggest we go from here?" Terry asked one of the guards back at the gate.

"Only two places, I reckon. You can head up to the Lake of Rage and fight with your backs to the Water or you can try risking going though the Ice Cave and get to Blackthorn. Either way, your group has it rough. I don't think anyone can really stand up to the League at this point. We're barely holding on here as it is."

Terry sighed and collected his things and went to rejoin the caravan. How can Pryce just turn a blind eye to what the League's done? Staying out of the conflict already got his town assaulted. So if anything, the only way to survive was to resist, not to simply defend.

Edited by AvalonAngel, 18 December 2010 - 07:37 PM.

[Kei]

"Boy, if this is some kind of joke, I'll make sure to have your carcass dragged out and used as a speed bump on a Golem's training course."

If the messenger recognized the validity of the threat from the Pewter Gym leader, he didn't show it. Instead, he lowered his gaze to idly look at the floor and intoned the news again.

"Commander Morty died on the field, sir. It's been confirmed."

"You can't be serious!" Both of the men turned slightly at the outburst, directing their gazes toward a trembling Misty. The young woman was ordinarily pretty, with her fiery red hair offsetting her blue eyes, but her fair features were marred by a mask of surprise, disbelief and naked fear. She violently pushed her chair back, sending it clattering, and began to pace, never taking her own wide-eyed gaze from the messenger. "You're wrong. Mistaken. He's not dead. He can't be."

"Simmer, Misty. Getting riled won't help anything." Even as the words left his mouth, they sounded hollow to Flint. Morty was dead? Nothing had even really been done yet and the man who had started it all was gone in a pre-emptive strike. What did that say about the league? What did it say about them? Hell, what did it say about the whole damn thing?

"Sir." Flint blinked and looked at the young man, who was staring at him and had obviously been trying to catch his attention. He nodded that he was back and the messenger said again there were survivors and they were en route to Mahogany at last check.

"Well, they should be able to make it there, at least. Feh. Small blessings, I guess."

"Commander Claire has requested a strategy meeting."

"She'd be a damn idiot if she didn't. ...though I admit that a request like that is a surprise coming from her, as hot-headed as she is."

"Are you sure it's been confirmed?"

Flint looked at the younger woman, who had finally stopped pacing in lieu of fervently worrying her bottom lip. She tapped a hand absently on her thigh as she looked at the messenger expectantly.

"Yes, it's been confirmed. By my own eyes, Commander."

Flint sighed and went to give the man--no, a boy, really--a hearty pat on the shoulder and an encouraging nod.

"Go on and tell her that we'll be there in a day's time. We have to make preparations here. Dismissed."

The young man gave a curt nod and removed himself from the room, though he cast a parting glance Misty's way. Flint stood silently by with his arms folded until he heard the footsteps fade and sent the woman a sharp look of his own.

"Get a hold of yourself!" The sharp command broke the woman out of rapid thought and she looked up at him in confusion. Flint gave a short sigh and rubbed a temple. "Did you not see the way that kid looked at you? You're standing there looking like a spooked stantler."

Misty stood dumbstruck, seemingly oblivious to anything Flint was saying to her, but her body quickly stiffened in anger after a moment, her blue eyes flashing.

"Do you realize what he just said?! It's over, Flint. They just crushed everything before it even started!"

Flint slammed a fist down on the table, making a mug close at hand jump from the motion. "They haven't crushed a damn thing! That's the last thing I want to hear from you right now!"

The violent outburst rocked Misty back on her heels for a heartbeat, but her brow furrowed and she clenched her fists at her side.

"They're saying Morty is dead, Flint. And Ecruteak is go--"

"I heard the report just as well as you did. Morty's gone. Ecruteak is gone. But we all knew the League had a chance of taking any one of us out when we started. We can't let this stop us now."

"They just killed him!"

"And you think just giving up is an appropriate response to that?"

"He was our leader!"

"And now we have to lead. That's just the way it is."

Misty stared at the man head, then slowly started to shake her head, a mixture of disgust and scorn on her face. "You... You don't even ca--"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," Flint said darkly, his own eyes glittering with anger. "There're a lot of things I can bring myself to do, but hitting a woman isn't one of them, and I don't want to change that now." Misty stood there tight-lipped and red, but held her tongue. The older man closed his eyes to steady himself and continued.

"Of course I'm sad he's gone. He was a good man and a good friend. But we started something that we're going to see through. We've got two countries counting on us. And stopping now would only mean he gave up his life for no reason. I'm not going to do that to his memory. So you can get a grip on yourself and keep going, or you can stand by and bury your head in the sand. Those are your choices. I've already made mine." As he made his way toward the door, Misty followed his progress with her eyes.

"Where are you going?"

"To put someone in charge while I'm gone. I told the kid we'd both be there, but apparently that was a little premature. Though I'm hoping you don't make a liar out of me."

The sound of the door closing behind him seemed to echo a little louder in Misty's ears.

*

Although he was straight-backed as he stood at attention, Bugsy seemed completely at ease as he stood in the antechamber of the Elite. Four of the six seats were filled at the high podium and their eyes looked down at the young commander, their visages varying from scrutiny to vague interest. The man at the center, age apparent in his salt-and-pepper hair and slightly rugose features, steepled his hands and bowed his head slightly as if pondering a response to some unasked question.

"Why did you strike against Ecruteak."

"It harbored a known enemy of the League, High Commander Koga. I eliminated the threat."

"You acted without orders."

"He was gathering allies."

"It was not your decision to make!"

The words echoed off the walls of the chamber and made the boy flinch. A soft chuckle a moment later managed to cut the sudden tensity in the air and drew many looks to the source.

"Come now, Koga. The boy showed initiative and acted in the best interest of the League. He can't be completely blamed for that, now, can he?"

The elder merely turned his head slightly toward the younger man, fixed him with an even gaze, and said "High Commander Will. I do not believe you understand the gravity of the situation."

Will heaved an exaggerated sigh and offered a half-apologetic shrug as he rested his head on a hand and looked to Bugsy. "I tried, little one."

"If it's true that Ecruteak was gathering allies, then he was right to kill the little worm," said Karen, as she idly flicked a wayward strand of hair back over her shoulder. "Better to get rid of the pests quickly than to let them breed, I say."

"You are short-sighted and foolish, girl." A scowl darkened the beauty's features as she looked at Agatha, the want to slap the wizened old crone apparent, but she merely pressed her lips together tightly and swallowed her venom for the time being. The oldest member of the Elite continued, "The boy has struck an enemy, true, but one that may have friends in far places."

"Precisely," said Koga. "Without knowledge of those enemies--who they are, the numbers behind them, what resources are at their disposal--he may have done no more than stir the beedrill's nest."

"...permission to speak, sir."

Koga looked down at the boy with a gaze that could pierce an aron's hide, but when the boy didn't flinch a second time, he curtly waved a hand for him to go ahead.

"I have reliable information stating Blackthorn City has begun securing all areas surrounding their region. There have also been reports of a skirmish in Mahogany that was not perpetrated by myself."

"Oh, another gung-ho. You should get together and form a brigade."

"Enough, High Commander Will," Koga said shortly. "Commander Bugsy, while this information may prove useful, it does not excuse your actions. You will wait for a squadron from the Plateau to take command from you at Ecruteak, then you and your men will return to Azalea to await due punishment."

"...understood, sir."

"Dismissed."

"Sir."

Once the boy had silently left the chamber, Will gave another sigh and leaned his chair back on two legs, crossing his legs at the ankle atop the podium desk.

"It's almost as if you wanted to scare the poor boy to death, Koga. He's young, yes, but he did a good job."

"He acted on his own. And while we gained a territory, it's now an idle one."

"Idle or ideal?" Will asked, wagging a finger. "Thanks to that little bit of destruction, a good majority of the Johto mainland is now completely under our influence. Despite your griping, my stance on the matter is unchanged."

"As is your casual demeanor, which has not gone unnoticed."

Will gave a disarming smile, but it fell to a serious hold when he saw it did nothing to change Koga's countenance. "Just how much power we hold may have changed, dear High Commander, but our personalities have not. I don't intend to let a switch in government govern who I am."

"Enough petty squabbling!" rasped Agatha, thumping her cane on the edge of the desk. "Just do as you're told, rake, and things will progress smoothly enough. Putting on airs is not nearly as important as producing results."

Both men eyed the other for a quiet moment before allowing themselves to shift into relaxed positions. Karen gave a none-too-subtle snort.

"So what now?" she asked as she examined her nails. "We got rid of one of the pests. What of the other? Or others, maybe."

"That is a matter that will require more observation," said Koga, to Karen's obvious displeasure. "If it's true that Blackthorn was allied with Ecruteak and others, we may have to sit back and see just what we're dealing with."

"You honestly intend to let them regroup? Do you really think that wise?"

"There is strategy in kicking the beedrill's nest."

"You see just how many are defending the hive, yes?" Will questioned idly.

Koga nodded and said "I suppose there was some value in Bugsy's outburst."

"Exactly what I was saying," the young man thought to himself.

"Still, with the strike, the citizens will start to wonder what's going on. Will, visit the Leaders in Kanto and take stock of the cities. Karen, you will see to Johto. Pass word that keeping peace and order is top priority as the transition continues."

"And what of the plans for the good lieutenant-turned-general?" asked Will.

"Hm, there is that." The old poison master pondered silently for a moment, then nodded. "Tell him to go ahead."

"As you wish," the flamboyant man responded, nimbly turning the chair about to get on his feet. Karen rolled her eyes as she did the same, following after at a measured saunter. The two elder members of the Elite glanced after the pair, the same thought on their mind.

Those two will be trouble.

[Hummy]

Allan groaned at the sound of the alarm in the shared barracks room going off. More than anything he wanted to just curl over and go back to sleep. It had only been a few days since he got there but he was already tired and sore from the constant drills, testing and training. Upon reflection it made sense that they were working everyone so hard. They were disagreeing with the League after all and it would be foolish to do so unprepared. Allan just wasn’t used to putting in such long busy days.

“Come on lazy, get up already.” Tyler’s cheerful voice rang out.

Sighing inwardly, Allan crawled out of the lower bunk bed and started getting dressed.

“How the hell can you be so awake at this ungodly hour?” He asked as he fetched the rest of the stuff he would need for the day and tucked things away in various pockets.

Tyler laughed. “I used to have to get up even earlier than this for my job before I signed up.” He grinned as Allan tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes. “I’m not a soft city boy like you are.” He quipped as he headed out the door.

“I never said I was from the city.” Allan frowned as he followed.

“You didn’t have to.” Tyler shrugged. “It’s kind of obvious.”

“What do you mean ‘kind of obvious’?” Allan hurried to catch up.

Tyler glanced at him briefly before answering. “Well you may know the basics of battling with pokemon well enough but you get tired too quickly. You’ve gotten blisters on your hands and feet from the drills and the clothing you kept isn’t cheap stuff.” He grinned again. “Put that all together and it equals ‘city boy’.”

He stopped and turned back to look at Allan who had come to a startled halt. “What’s the matter? No one cares about that here. I just think it’s funny.”

Allan folded his arms across his chest. “I’m not laughing.”

“No no no. That’s not what I mean.” Tyler exclaimed. “I’m not laughing at you. It’s just that I’m surprised you joined Claire’s group, that’s all.”

“Why would that be surprising?” Allan relaxed a bit and started for the mess hall again.

“Well it’s just that Claire is a slave driver.” He explained. “So I figured someone who wasn’t used to this kind of life would have picked someone else to join up with.”

“So you are laughing at me.”

Tyler looked apologetic. “Ehhh… maybe a little.”

Allan shook his head and sighed. “Well you’re right. I am from the city and I didn’t know what Claire was like. I just knew I had to do something instead of sitting at home and doing nothing.”

“Well we’d better get moving or we’ll be late. Trust me on this; you do not want to be late, ever.”

Allan glanced at Tyler, curious as to what he meant but the other recruit was already heading for the line to get some breakfast.