Two trainers and two Pokemon clustered around the fallen Psychic-type as Kaitlyn started to swiftly examine it for injuries with Cassie looking on nervously. Kaitlyn moved Orion back a bit with one hand to give her some space, the Fire-type obligingly backing off as the blond girl carefully looked over the Psychic-type. She was quite clearly unconscious for the moment, though her breathing was still steady and unlabored. Kaitlyn didn’t want to move the Pokemon too much in case she had any broken bones, but she knew she’d have to at least roll her onto her stomach or sit her up to check her back for other injuries. At first glance, she looked as if she’d simply pushed herself too far beyond her endurance in a battle and paid the price for it.
“Cassie, my bag - left side pocket. Grab the orange spray bottle and a roll of bandages,” Kaitlyn said without looking up, her voice crisp as she looked over the diminutive Pokemon. Cassie instantly sprang to her feet and sprinted back towards where they had dropped their bags and belongings, leaving Kaitlyn to her work. Hands brushed over the Pokemon’s chest lightly, feeling for injuries as she gently poked and prodded Kirlia's body before moving to the arms and legs. There didn’t seem to be any broken bones, she noticed after some examination, though the Psychic-type had taken some nasty gashes that looked like they’d been healed up partially somehow - Heal Pulse, maybe? She knew the Ralts line could learn the move but wasn’t sure if that was the case or not.
Cassie returned a few seconds later bearing the items she’d asked for, and she grabbed the Super Potion from her friend before starting to spray it liberally over the worst of the wounds she’d found. It wouldn’t be quite as effective as if the Pokemon could drink it, but it would serve to finish closing anything that hadn’t already fully closed by now. As gently as she could, she managed to shift the Pokemon into a sitting position, motioning for Cassie to keep her body steady while she checked Kirlia’s back more thoroughly. Another gash was there alongside a number of smaller cuts, the large wound still seeping blood - one she didn’t have a chance to heal, Kaitlyn assumed - and she sprayed more of the medicine on it before taking the bandages Cassie had retrieved and looping some around the Pokemon’s tiny body.
“Is she going to be okay?” Cassie asked, her voice quiet as Kaitlyn worked. Rumbling sounded from nearby as Ivan slithered his way over, accompanied closely by Astrid and Paulos with Skarmory trailing at the rear. All of the Pokemon seemed curious as to what was now happening, and all but Ivan moved closer to take a look while he watched on from above instead.
“She looks like she took a few good hits, but I think so,” the older blond replied after a few seconds, starting to tie off the bandage firmly at the Pokemon’s chest. She had just about finished when red eyes snapped open suddenly, and Cassie almost fell back in surprise as the Psychic-type jerked and almost pulled free of her grip.
“Easy, easy!” Kaitlyn said, putting a hand out to steady the tiny body before she fell over again. “You’ve still got some wounds that haven’t closed yet. Just stay still for me, okay?” The Psychic-type looked around slowly but obligingly kept herself still otherwise as Kaitlyn finished securing the bandage around her chest.
“You’re both...trainers?” Kirlia said hesitantly, eyes focusing more as the medicine started to ease her pains and give some strength back to her. Kaitlyn merely nodded in reply.
“Yes, we are,” she affirmed, reaching again for the bottle she’d set nearby. “You teleported in asking for help - is your trainer in trouble?”
“I don’t have a trainer,” Kirlia replied with a shake of her head. “It’s my friend, Drifloon...I came to get help for him...”
“Drink some of this if you can,” Kaitlyn said, offering the bottle to Kirlia. “It should help some with your injuries. Can you tell us what happened to your friend?”
For a moment, Kaitlyn could feel a featherlight touch on her senses, a whisper across her thoughts that was so brief and faint that she wondered if she imagined it. Kirlia hesitated as she looked at the bottle that Kaitlyn held out to her, studying it for several seconds before finally taking it in dainty hands and lifting it to her mouth. Cassie met eyes with her as Kirlia drank, and Kaitlyn instantly wondered if her companion had felt the same thing a moment ago that she had. The bottle drained slowly as Kirlia sipped at the liquid, and it was handed back to Kaitlyn with the same care that it had been taken with before.
“We were out in the forest near Valley Windworks,” Kirlia began, her mental voice seeming to pick up a bit of strength as the medicine did its work, “when we heard shouting near one of the clearings. He wanted to stay away, but I wanted to see what was happening...we went towards the edge of the trees, and the next thing I knew, we were being attacked by a Purrloin and Stunky. I tried to fight them off, but I couldn’t beat them both. They...”
Her voice shook with emotion, eyes closing as she let out a shuddering breath. “One of them took Drifloon, and I didn’t have enough strength to save him.”
Cassie resisted the urge to wince even as Kaitlyn kept the same calm expression on her face. On one hand, Drifloon sounded like he was just another wild Pokemon like Kirlia, which meant that it could simply be nothing more than a trainer capturing a Pokemon for their team. She felt a stabbing pain of sympathy for Kirlia, though; this was exactly the kind of thing she didn’t want to happen with any of her Pokemon. Wild Pokemon had friends and families too, after all, and it sounded like Kirlia had just lost one of her closest friends. Not only that, she probably felt terribly guilty for being the one who wanted to investigate in the first place.
On the other hand...something was nagging at her, something that was poking around the edge of her mind like she was this close to something important. Purrloin and Stunky...good choices to fight Psychic and Ghost-types with, she thought to herself. She couldn’t fault the logic, as painful as the outcome seemed to be.
“...a few days ago?”
Cassie caught the tail end of Kaitlyn’s question as she started paying attention again, listening once more to Kirlia’s telepathic voice as she answered.
“A small group came to the Windworks with a red-haired woman leading them, people I didn’t recognize. Most of the workers there are familiar to us, but all of these people were new. All of them have been there for a few days now, but I haven’t noticed anything different beyond that.”
New people...a red-haired woman...
Cassie’s eyebrows shot to the moon in an instant as she made the realization, and her head snapped towards Kirlia with frightening speed.
“Kirlia, did any of the people look a little strange? Odd hair, weird uniforms, something like that?”
Kirlia and Kaitlyn both looked caught off guard at Cassie’s sudden panic, and the Psychic-type thought hard for a few seconds before responding.
“They were all dressed normally, but I think that one of them had green-tinted hair. That isn’t normal for humans, I believe?”
That sent Cassie’s heart into her throat, and she looked towards Kaitlyn without hesitation.
“It’s Team Galactic - they’ve taken over Valley Windworks.”
“You’re sure?” Kaitlyn asked, even though she could tell the answer already just by looking at Cassie’s face. The younger girl’s face was clearly panicked despite her attempt at keeping her composure, and she nodded quickly.
“Positive. You’ve seen them on the news, right? The weird teal hair is a dead giveaway,” Cassie remarked.
“Shouldn’t we get the police involved? Those goons have been all over the place, and I’m not sure it’s a good idea to go there alone if they really have taken the place over.”
Cassie blinked as if she hadn’t even considered the possibility - which, really, she hadn’t - but quickly nodded. “Good idea, even if they might not take it seriously at first. I can send Gardenia a message, too,” she added after a moment, pulling out her phone. “She might be able to help somehow.” Her heart was pounding in her chest now from adrenaline at the idea of going to confront Team Galactic directly. They weren’t just a gang of thugs stealing Pokemon and causing trouble, they were bent on remaking the world - should she leave this to the police? To whoever took the role of the game protagonists in this world?
No, she realized after a moment’s thought. She didn’t want to take the risk. There was no guarantee that anyone would step in. Perhaps there was simply no analogue to Lucas or Dawn in this world that would solve the problem for them. Even barring that line of thought, she simply didn’t want to leave things alone, not when Kirlia had asked them to help save her friend. She’d fight Galactic over that without hesitation.
Her fingers flew over the tiny phone keyboard as she sent a text to the Eterna Gym Leader, shoving her phone unceremoniously back into a pocket without waiting to see if Gardenia responded or not. Kaitlyn was on the phone, doubtlessly talking with local authorities now if her words were any indication. Orion and Paulos stood by her, both Pokemon tense with nervous energy now despite how hard they tried not to show it.
“I can take you there,” Kirlia said softly, seeming to address only Cassie so as not to disturb Kaitlyn’s conversation. “I feel well enough for that, even if I don’t believe I could battle just yet.”
“Are you sure?” Cassie asked, kneeling down to the small Psychic. “I’m sure Kaitlyn could have Ivan take us there if we need it...”
“Yes,” came the simple reply from the Pokemon. “Your friend’s care gave me enough of my strength back that I can manage a teleport.”
“Jubilife PD said that they’re going to send someone to investigate, but they couldn’t give an estimate on when,” Kaitlyn said as she put her phone away, shaking her head. “It looks like we’re it, at least for the moment. Sure you want to do this?”
“Positive,” Cassie said, familiar determination flashing in her eyes. “Kirlia said that she could teleport us there, so...” She reached to her belt and grabbed Orion and Paulos’ Poke Balls, recalling both of her team members in flashes of light. “I’m ready whenever you are.”
Kaitlyn did the same with Astrid, Ivan, and Skarmory, recalling each of them in turn before affixing the balls back to her belt. “Kirlia, can you take us somewhere out of sight until we figure out what to do?”
“I’ll bring us to the forest near the main entrance,” she started, standing up from the ground with only a bit of struggle. “That’s where we were when those men took Drifloon.”
“We’ll find them,” Cassie said, putting a comforting hand on Kirlia’s shoulder that looked almost inordinately large against the Pokemon’s thin frame. “And we’ll get your friend back when we do.”
Cassie could see the hope in the Pokemon’s eyes, something that needed no psychic connection to discern. She was still the faintest bit unsure about the idea of taking on Galactic all by themselves, but it was pushed aside by the much stronger desire to help the small Kirlia in front of her. It was strange just how much being a trainer had changed her in even this short of a time, she mused. She would never have been this bold before, so willing to step into danger. Yet here she was, about to confront a group of criminals for a simple chance at helping someone’s friend.
“Are you ready?”
Two heads nodded nearly in sync, and Kirlia’s eyes closed as she reached inward to her psychic powers, a thin corona of pink light gathering around her before spreading out to envelop Cassie and Kaitlyn as well. It felt warm, Cassie noticed, like being smothered by a thick, comfortable blanket combined with just a hint of static electricity that left her skin prickling. One instant, they were standing in the battlegrounds of Jubilife, and in the next, space warped around them to whisk them away miles from where they had been before.
Gardenia wiped a thin sheen of sweat from her face as she stepped into the cafeteria of the gym, another match from her itinerary for the day done with. The stadium lighting was hotter than most people realized when you spent most of the day under it, and all the Fire attacks she saw as a Grass-type Gym Leader didn’t make the ambient heat any easier to deal with. She echoed a greeting to the man at the counter before asking for a bottle of water, listening idly to the faint buzz of conversation coming from the few employees on break at the moment. Challenges were picking up a bit more now, with more and stronger trainers coming through the city at an ever-increasing pace, and Gardenia was delighted to see it despite the stress it put on her job. She was still a relatively new Leader, but she couldn’t remember ever seeing so many trainers taking the conference challenge before. It was one thing to know the numbers, but quite another to feel the impact in the day-to-day.
“Here you go, Leader,” the man said as he handed Gardenia a bottle, and she grinned as she took it and twisted the cap from the chilled drink.
“Thanks, Mike!”
Her phone chimed as she started to walk towards a table to grab a seat for a minute, and she slipped the cap in her pocket with the same motion she grabbed the phone with as she sat down. She took another sip of the drink as she pulled up the message, and only barely managed to swallow it before the shock of what she saw there would’ve caused her to spit it out.
4322-10644-7070 -> Wednesday, April 21
Cassie [1:04 PM]: galactic at valley windworks, kaitlyn is calling the cops now. can you send any help?
“She’s not...” Gardenia breathed, staring at the phone in horror at the idea of Galactic being at the Windworks before Cynthia’s words from the other day came back to her.
Fallers have a tendency to find themselves embroiled in conflict regardless of their desire for it. I suspect that whatever Galactic is up to, their paths will cross at some point...
“She is...”
Gardenia stood up quickly enough to almost knock the chair down, spilling water from the bottle in her hand before she shoved the phone back in her pocket and ran for her office, trying to close the drink again even as she moved. She was suddenly glad that whoever designed the gym put the Gym Leader’s office close to the cafeteria as she threw herself around a corner, almost colliding with another employee and stammering out a quick apology as she ran. She shoved the door open as she dashed inside, already pulling Poke Balls from her belt and all but throwing them into a rack to one side before she moved to her desk, leaving a single Ultra Ball at her waist as she opened a large drawer to get at the contents. Her bag slipped over her shoulder, followed by five more Ultra Balls that joined the one on her belt as fast as she could manage before slamming the drawer shut again and speeding back out of the office.
If Galactic was causing trouble, she didn’t have any time to waste.
Her feet carried her hurriedly into the lobby, surprising a few of the people sitting there who weren’t expecting to see the Gym Leader looking quite so in a rush. “Annie, I have to leave for a bit - it’s urgent. Can you push back my matches for an hour or so? I’ll stay late to make sure I get them all,” she said quickly, the words spilling out in a flurry that her receptionist had only heard the likes of a few times in the past.
“Of course - is something wrong, Leader?” the brunette woman said, already starting to pull up appointments on the screen before her.
“Problem at the Windworks I was asked to help with,” she said as she headed for the door, already reaching towards her belt with one hand as she shoved it open with the other. One of the Ultra Balls slipped into her grip as she ran, and she hurled it in front of her to reveal a large brown Pokemon, sauropod-like in appearance with emerald green leaves surrounding its neck and extending out into four thick, leaf-like appendages jutting from its back like wings. It bore a harness that looked a bit like a riding saddle, thick leather clearly meant for use flying on Pokemon-back.
“Musa, I need to get to Valley Windworks on the double!” she yelled, leaping into the saddle atop her Tropius and starting to work her way through the riding straps that would keep her securely on its back. She moved as fast as she dared, trying not to sacrifice safety for speed, and she was sure she ran through her checks in record time as she grabbed her phone. A quick swipe and a few taps later, and she listened to the sound of ringing as she called the only other person she could think of at the moment to help.
“Roark, you better pick up...”
A small flash of light deposited two humans and a Pokemon on the grassy forest floor some distance outside Valley Windworks, and Cassie tried to sweep aside the sense of vertigo that the brief teleport had given her as she got her bearings again. Immediately, the young woman felt the soothing caress of the wind blowing through the trees, tall pines that loomed over them and shaded the area as well as obscuring some of the buildings far away. She could see the large bases of wind turbines far in the distance, stretching up towards the heavens and dwarfing the trees they were presently standing under, as well as the footprint of several large buildings and fencing that made up the main power generating station for the western part of Sinnoh. The sounds of industry carried faintly through the air and into the forest, whirring machinery and the dull thrumming of engines echoing in the distance.
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
“Wow...” Cassie breathed, shading her eyes against the sun peeking through the tree canopies as she tried to see the tops of the turbines through the thick branches. “I’ve never seen anything like this up close before,” she whispered, trying to keep her voice low to avoid being heard by anyone nearby.
“It’s quite the sight the first time around,” Kaitlyn whispered back, eyes drifting to Kirlia. “Where do we go from here?”
“The main entrance is just through these trees,” Kirlia replied telepathically. “Once we exit the forest, you will see it up ahead and to the right.”
“Maybe we can use Orion to find the man that took Drifloon,” Cassie said suddenly, reaching for her starter’s ball. The Growlithe’s nose was assuredly as sharp as any bloodhound’s, and if Kirlia and Drifloon spent as much time together as she assumed, it was likely that some of the latter’s scent might still be around the area or on Kirlia herself, she reasoned.
“Good idea,” Kaitlyn agreed as Cassie let Orion out, reaching for Astrid’s ball herself. The canine shook himself as he emerged, looking around at the new surroundings for a moment before turning to his trainer.
“Orion, think you can pick up Drifloon’s scent? We were hoping we could use it to find the men that took him,” Cassie explained, eyes still wandering around the area as she took in the sights and kept an eye out for anyone that might spot them. Orion chuffed softly in agreement, nose drifting upwards as he started to take in the smells around him. He trotted around the trees, examining them and searching around before turning his attention to Kirlia, taking a moment to discern the Psychic-type’s own scent before stepping back out in front of the group. A couple of seconds passed as he tried to catch a scent, but he finally whined and turned back to Cassie with a sad shake of his head.
“Maybe we need to be closer?” she suggested with a shrug. She hoped that the scent was just too weak to pick up from where they were, because she didn’t know what they would do if they had to try searching the entire grounds in broad daylight.
“Maybe. Let’s get to the edge of the woods first, figure out how to approach.”
The small group crept along through the trees as they stealthily made their way towards the Windworks, using the foliage as cover from any potential wandering eyes as they moved. There didn’t seem to be anyone around as best they could see from afar, and even the gate that slowly drifted into view as they approached seemed unattended. No workers moving around, no vehicles entering or leaving, little more than the ambient noise from the churning windmills and machinery deeper inside the facility grounds. Kaitlyn stopped just before they reached the edge of the treeline to take a better look, eyes scanning around for any sign of anyone.
“Where is everyone?” Cassie asked, still staying quiet but becoming more concerned at the lack of any signs of activity.
“Something’s up,” Kaitlyn said, voicing the thought clearly shared among them at the moment. “Astrid, stay close to us...I’ve got a bad feeling.” The Mawile beside her nodded, sticking beside her trainer as Kaitlyn finally stepped out into the open and headed towards the gate nearby. The thick chain-link fence bordering the Windworks did nothing to block the view, letting Kaitlyn see the lack of any workers whatsoever as she made for the entrance with Cassie and the rest on her heels.
It took them but seconds to pass through the gate and head inside, and Kaitlyn stopped to look around for a moment before pointing to a building on the far side of the area. “I think that’s the admin building,” she said, hoping that she was remembering correctly. Kayley had dragged her out here a few years ago for a big public event - something about brand-new turbines being erected, she thought - but she wasn’t sure if the buildings were the same as she remembered. “If anyone’s here, that’s probably where they’ll be.”
Cassie nodded, sticking to Kaitlyn’s side as they ran across the open concrete area outside the large warehouses around them. They had almost reached the building Kaitlyn had pointed out when Orion suddenly growled, fur rising on his back angrily as he stopped and glared at the corner of the building they were passing in front of before quickly barking something to Cassie.
“Orion smells Drifloon around that corner,” Kirlia translated, unconsciously tensing up as Astrid and Orion swiftly stepped to the front of the group, clearly expecting trouble. Barely seconds later, the two Pokemon were rewarded with the sight of two men stepping around the corner dressed in overalls and boots, one of whom had the distinctive teal bowl cut that Cassie knew well.
“That’s the man who took Drifloon!” Kirlia exclaimed, her mental voice tinged with anger like a beautiful glass vase with a jagged edge.
“What the - who the hell are you two?” the teal-haired man yelled, hand reflexively going to his waist to grab one of his Poke Balls, then thinking better of it and snatching two instead as he fully realized the extent of the group in front of him. The man beside him grabbed two as well as the Galactic member’s eyes scanned the trio of Pokemon, eyes narrowing as he spotted Kirlia. “Went and got help, did you? Trying to get that Drifloon back?” he sneered, tossing both balls out with a flick of the wrist. The light resolved into the floating, balloon-like form of Kirlia’s friend along with a short, stocky purple skunk Pokemon that hissed loudly as it emerged from the ball. Kaitlyn couldn’t help but notice the dull color and untamed state of the Pokemon’s fur; it didn’t seem to be malnourished or mistreated, but its trainer definitely didn’t seem to care much about appearance.
“Well, you’re free to join him as a part of my team!”
Beside him, the second man’s pair of Poke Balls also snapped open with twin popping sounds and flashes of light. A large blue bat Pokemon with widely-spread purple wings emerged first, its gaping maw featuring four glistening fangs split between top and bottom jaws and a thick tongue that dripped saliva, followed by a gaunt, gray-colored feline Pokemon that yowled loudly, fur spiking immediately as it caught sight of Orion opposite it.
“Golbat, Glameow, get ready!”
“Orion, Paulos, let’s go!”
Cassie quickly pressed the button on Paulos’ ball, letting the large Flying-type out in a flash of light to join her starter, while Kaitlyn calmly let Tera out from his ball in case Astrid needed any assistance, her partner already having taken up a battle position alongside Orion.
“The police are already on their way,” Kaitlyn stated, eyes narrowing. “If you don’t want to join more of your friends in jail, you’d better get out of the way.”
“Fat chance!” the teal-haired grunt scoffed, eyes darting between the four Pokemon now arrayed against him and his partner. “Stunky, Smog!”
“Whirlwind!”
Cassie instantly called to Paulos to counter the incoming Poison attack, and whatever other commands were called in the instant the battle began mixed into a jumble of overlapping noise as the fighting broke out. The purple gas had barely begun to flow from Stunky’s mouth when Paulos met it with a Whirlwind, a furious gust that sent the gas and the one spraying it sailing backwards and threatening to unbalance the opposing trainers as well. Astrid charged in alone against both Golbat and Glameow, completely unafraid of two Pokemon whose types she resisted well, and Orion stuck to long-range support at Cassie’s follow-up command, sending a spray of embers off at the Stunky that Paulos had blown away.
“Do something, you useless bag of wind!” the Stunky’s trainer yelled furiously, realizing that whatever command he’d given to the Drifloon hadn’t been followed in the heat of the moment. Drifloon hesitated for a second, balking at the thought of fighting someone that his dear friend had clearly enlisted to help, and found himself caught by an arc of electricity from Tera that sent spasms through his semi-tangible body. He listed slightly, the Thunder Wave’s paralysis doing its work, and that only seemed to enrage the grunt further.
Nearby, Glameow went sailing head over paws as Astrid hit it with a devastating Brick Break, the Fighting energy infused into the punch launching the poor feline backwards to land at its trainer’s feet. It lay crumpled on the ground, out of the fight in one blow, and the grunt’s mouth dropped open in surprise as he started to panic. “G-Golbat, Supersonic, quick!”
“Rock Tomb.”
Kaitlyn’s voice was cold and unforgiving, the complete antithesis of the startled man before her. Golbat’s mouth stretched far wider than it should have, an ear-splitting cacophony of screeching emitting from its maw in a harsh sonic wave, but Astrid did little more than wince in the face of the noise as she gathered Rock TE around herself. Rocks flew, crunching noises sounded loudly in the air, and the Golbat dropped to the ground in the midst of a shower of pebbles, just as unmoving and unconscious as the Glameow she’d brutalized moments before.
“Stunky, get up here! Acid Spray on the bird!” the teal-haired trainer called before his eyes snapped to his cohort. “That Mawile’s too strong - go get the boss!”
The defeated Galactic grunt seemed to finally snap out of his shock at the sound of his partner yelling at him, and he shot a fearful glance at Astrid as he quickly recalled both of his Pokemon before starting to flee back towards the administration building. Kaitlyn watched him go reluctantly, wanting to order Tera to paralyze him as well so that he couldn’t alert whoever the boss was that the grunt was speaking of but refraining from making the call. If she were alone, maybe, but Cassie wouldn’t know how to keep herself safe if the grunts - and whoever their boss was - stopped pulling punches. She’d just have to count on Astrid to be able to handle whatever the criminals threw at them if worse came to worse. It wouldn’t be the first time, she thought bitterly.
“Agility into Flame Wheel!”
Cassie’s voice brought her back to reality, and she realized that the grunt had called back the paralyzed Ghost-type in lieu of something that would obey him properly. A purple moth-like Pokemon with an egg-shaped body and green wings marked by red patterns was dropping powders around the area where Cassie’s Pokemon were fighting, the Dustox desperately trying to get whatever status ailment it was counting on to stick before Orion’s flames incinerated it all. All the while, Paulos and the Stunky were trading blows, the large Pidgey having decided to get up close and personal with the skunk Pokemon to hammer away at it with clumsy Steel Wings even as it fought back with teeth and claws.
The furry cannonball that was Orion sailed in Dustox’s direction, cloaked in crackling flames that incinerated the pollen cloud as he flew through it, but the moth nimbly evaded before launching a humming, purple Psybeam in his direction. It carved up the ground as Dustox traced the beam towards Orion, finally connecting with a dull boom as Orion slowed and came out of his Flame Wheel, and the puppy was sent rolling across the ground in pain with smoke trailing from the fur of his side. The Bug-type got scant moments to be pleased with its attack before Paulos hurtled into it, a flurry of angry feathers and talons that tore pieces out of the Dustox’s wings before he broke away again with his wings glowing sky blue. Dustox tried to conjure up another Psybeam only to be smacked squarely in the face by a Wing Attack that sent it tumbling end over end as Paulos looked to make sure Orion was okay.
“Paulos, look out!”
The Pidgey spun around in time to see Stunky lunging for him with sharp teeth bared and glistening with Dark energy, mid-leap and close enough that he knew he wouldn’t be able to fully dodge. He jerked to the side -
A flash of red and black crossed his vision, and the Stunky went flying away under forty-plus pounds of angry Fire-type as Orion intercepted the grunt’s Pokemon bodily and violently. Paulos chirped a note of thanks to his ally as he dove back into battle against the Dustox, letting Orion deal with the ground-bound target in his stead.
Scattered papers flew off the desk in front of Mars as she angrily snatched a sheaf of documents and shoved them into the briefcase Europa had brought, muttering curses under her breath that made the grunt who’d informed her keep a wide berth. “Pick up, Arceus damn it,” she hissed, phone in one hand as she tried to collect the rest of the things they’d brought so as to not leave any paper trails.
“Jupiter here,” the female voice said on the other end, already sounding annoyed. “What is it now, Mars?”
“We’ve been found out,” the Galactic admin said without preamble, bending down to retrieve the papers she’d dropped. “Two trainers showed up just now and started attacking, and the police apparently already know. We’re pulling out now - get your team out of there.”
“Still can’t finish a job properly,” Jupiter chided with a sigh. “Fine, we’ll pack up. We’re close enough to the quota that it shouldn’t matter much anyway.”
“I’m going to stall for time until everyone else can get out of here,” Mars said, ignoring the insult as she tossed the last of the documents into the case and shut it with a click. “I’ll teleport back to Eterna once we’re done here. What’s the latest with Charon?”
“Playing with his toys as usual. He should almost be ready to go, so long as the grunts in Veilstone and Hearthome actually grabbed the right stuff.”
“Let’s hope so. We had to spend a lot of time on this one, so it’d better be worth it,” Mars grumbled, hearing the door slide open behind her and spinning around to find Europa walking in. “Mars out.”
This time it was Mars who hung up without waiting for a reply, shoving the phone back into her pocket and the case at Europa in a pair of quick gestures. The admin quirked an eyebrow as she grabbed the case, watching as Mars started to type hurriedly on one of the consoles in the room.
“I take it we were discovered?” Europa asked, listening to the sounds of Mars’ furious motions at the desk.
“You - go get the rest of the grunts and head north through the forest, back to Eterna. Stay out of sight, and meet back up at the hideout as soon as it’s safe,” Mars ordered, looking at the grunt who’d brought her the information for an instant before returning her attention to the console. “And yes, we were,” she added, addressing Europa. “I’ve already let Jupiter know to pull her team out, and we’ve basically got all the power we need anyway. Once I finish wiping the records from the last few days, we just need to stall for time and then fall back to the hideout.”
“What are we up against? League forces?”
Mars shook her head. “Looks like just a pair of trainers, but they’ve already alerted the cops. Shouldn’t be too much trouble to deal with them for a few minutes and then bail once the rest are clear.” Europa pushed the glasses up on her face as she thought, finally nodding towards Mars.
“Very well, then. I will assist.”
“Good, ‘cause I was gonna make you anyway,” Mars snorted, hearing the console in front of her chime with a tone of completion as she finished deleting the access and operation logs for the past two weeks. She stood up from the desk and rolled her neck lazily on her shoulders, feeling stiff muscles start to loosen up as she headed towards the door.
“That’s out of the way, finally. Let’s go see what kind of runts we’re dealing with out there.”
“Nice work, Orion!”
Cassie’s shout accompanied the singed form of Dustox hitting the ground nearby its trainer, its body burned and wings flaking powdery, glistening scales onto the smoothly paved surface. Stunky had been taken down by Paulos right before, and now the Galactic grunt appeared to be well and truly out of options as he recalled the singed Bug-type, given that Drifloon didn’t appear to be listening to him anytime soon.
“Now then,” Kaitlyn said, folding her arms as Astrid leveled a menacing look at the man, “I think you should hand over that last Poke Ball of yours, and we’ll have a nice chat about what you were doing here while we wait on the police to get here.”
“L-Like hell I will,” the grunt stammered, backing away as his eyes darted around quickly, searching for an escape route. “I caught it fair and square, and -”
He was interrupted by the flash of a Poke Ball as Kaitlyn tossed another onto the field, and the massive form of Ivan emerged to wrap its stony body around where he was standing, effectively cutting off any means of escape as the Onix roared threateningly.
“Ball. Now. I won’t ask again.”
Cassie watched on nervously, unsure of exactly what Kaitlyn might do if the grunt didn’t comply. She hadn’t ever seen Kaitlyn acting like this, and she was honestly a little scared of the look on her friend’s face. Fortunately, the sight of the huge Rock-type seemed to push the grunt’s bravado aside, and he reached for his belt after a few tense seconds to pull the ball free and hurl it in Kaitlyn’s direction.
“Alright, fine, whatever! Take it - it’s useless anyway!” he yelled, finally conceding defeat in the face of Kaitlyn’s steely glare and the massive rock snake surrounding him. Kaitlyn caught the thrown ball easily, pressing the button on it to make sure the grunt wasn’t bluffing her, and was rewarded by a flash and the emergence of Kirlia’s friend from the Poke Ball. The Psychic-type was at her friend’s side in an instant, exchanging words with the Ghost that Kaitlyn couldn’t understand but didn’t need to.
“Now then, let’s have a little talk about what you were -”
Movement from afar suddenly caught her eye, and she stopped mid-sentence as she realized that two figures were approaching her from the direction of the administration building. Unlike the grunts they had battled, the two women she could see heading their direction looked much more composed...and much more dangerous.
“Are you two the ones messing up our plans here?” the one with red hair snapped, folding her arms across the front of her gray jacket. Neither Kaitlyn nor Cassie responded right away, instead simply keeping their eyes locked on the two new arrivals even as Cassie’s Pokemon moved closer to her side once more to protect their trainer. The woman sighed, eyes darkening as she looked between the pair of girls. “You’ve made a big mistake, picking a fight with one of Team Galactic’s Commanders.”
“Commander, huh?” Kaitlyn said, eyes narrowing. “Sounds like just the kind of person the police would love to have a word with.” Mars laughed, shaking her head as she reached for the Ultra Ball at her side and expanded the sphere into her hand.
“You’re assuming that you two brats are strong enough to keep us here,” she taunted, tossing the ball into the air and letting it open just in front of her before it snapped back to her hand. The Pokemon that emerged looked like a much larger version of the Glameow that the grunt had used before, so much so that it barely resembled the feline that it evolved from. It stood several feet tall on fat, stubby gray legs speckled with patches of white fur, its large body encircled with a thin tail that spiraled up around its belly. The crescent-shaped head sat above a thick patch of white fur at its neck, and purple-tipped ears flattened back angrily on either side of slitted cat eyes, a long scar running along the right side of its face from above the eye down towards its nose where the fur hadn’t regrown. Mars’ Purugly yowled loudly in challenge as it faced the trainers in front of it, and Astrid growled menacingly in return as she stood protectively in front of Kaitlyn.
“Europa, deal with the other brat. This one and the Mawile are mine.”
“Of course,” Europa said, reaching up to slide the glasses from her face and slip them into the front pocket of her polo shirt before reaching for a ball of her own. The mass of red light that flowed from the ball as it opened took the shape of a large canine Pokemon with short, gray fur covered by longer black fur on its back, legs, and tail. The red eyes of the Mightyena gleamed ominously in the sunlight, and it growled as it lowered its body into a threatening posture, ready to pounce at the first word from its trainer.
Orion and Paulos exchanged words with each other at the sight of the Dark-type, but it was Paulos who readied himself for battle as Orion stayed close to Cassie’s side, fur bristling and teeth clenched as he stared down the opposing canine from afar.
“Cassie.”
The younger blond looked over at her friend, trying to keep one eye on the Galactic member in front of her. “Huh?”
“These two are dangerous,” Kaitlyn said, not letting her gaze wander from Mars for even a moment even as she recalled Ivan. The grunt he had been keeping trapped immediately bolted in the opposite direction, not sticking around to see what was about to happen. Typical cowardly grunts, Kaitlyn thought to herself. She hated to let him go, but with both of his Pokemon down for the count, she knew he wouldn’t be causing any more trouble for the time being. There were more important things to focus on here anyway. “If I tell you to run, you run. Got it?”
“But what about you?”
“I can handle myself,” the Steel-type specialist replied. “Just make sure to get out of here if I say the word, okay?”
Kaitlyn felt her body tensing up despite her cool demeanor, adrenaline starting to lend its nervous touch to her muscles. This might wind up being an uphill fight, depending on how strong the two in front of her truly were, she knew. She could see three balls at each of their waists, six Pokemon in all, and while the rank-and-file Galactic members were likely just as weak as...other encounters, if these two were command-level members...
“Are you done with your little pep talk, blondie?” Mars cut in from afar, looking annoyed but also seeming unwilling to attack just yet. For all her bluster, she seemed to be taking this seriously, waiting to make her move until the time was right. “You and your friend are toast.”
“Shut up and get on with it,” Kaitlyn retorted, putting a hand on her hip in irritation. “You goons are nothing but talk.”
“Fine, then,” Mars seethed through gritted teeth. “Don’t cry when you’re bleeding in the dirt. Purugly, let’s go!”
Four voices split the air simultaneously, and the Valley Windworks erupted into noise and light once again as the battling began to rage anew.