Embrace The End: Repentance

[Konvict]

Some scenes and language may not be suitable for kids.

Prologue: Enlightenment

BOOM!

The wall of the Eterna Galactic Building exploded as a platinum-haired youth on a night-black bike rode like a demon out of it, chased by no less than three more motorcycles. Deftly the young rider evaded the blasts of lightning, fire, and ice that his pursuers blasted at him, but in the process allowing the city to sustain damage from their chase. As he neared Cycling Road, he took his left hand off the handlebar and pulled two Poke Balls out of his pocket.

"Buu, Tendou... go!"

And as he tossed the Balls into the air, a blue, humanoid jackal and a pink blob - a Lucario and a Ditto - emerged, the latter almost instantly becoming a copy of its fellow. The two Pokemon then proceeded to fly through the air on either side of the bike. At this, their master looked from one to the other, and they understood: the Lucario on the right transformed into a sidecar that attached itself to their master's vehicle, which the real one jumped into.

"Tendou, use Aura Storm on the road when we get past the middle!" instructed the trainer. At this, Tendou gathered a hunk of aura power into his hands and blasted their pursuers, who only managed to dodge it in time. He then turned the large pillar of light to the Cycling Road, cutting off the route for them; his master looked at him with an approving smile for securing their escape.

...or so he thought.

For though the bridge was blasted apart, the other riders jumped into the low road and decided to attack before their quarry reached Oreburgh. The young man noticed this as well and decided to prepare himself for the imminent confrontation up ahead. And sure enough, as he approached Oreburgh City, the three other riders were there waiting for him.

The one in the middle stepped forth and threw her helmet into the wind, revealing red, helmet-like hair: Mars of Team Galactic. And as the other two removed theirs as well, the youth realized that all three commanders - Mars, Jupiter and Saturn - were the ones who were sent to stop him. It was Mars who spoke first.

"Sirius, you dirty monkey! How could you betray us!? You were the Organization's top gun!" the angry commander screamed, her Poke Balls trembling in her hands. Her colleagues stepped forward on either side, calm yet also holding their Poke Balls ready.

The young teen called Sirius expressed no fear or apprehension at the sight; on the contrary, he merely snorted at Mars' words. "Poor girl... That psycho must've done his job well on you, by the looks of it. Me? Well..." he made eye contact with his former commander, "My Pokemon are growing weary of running errands for him, and frankly, so am I." He flicked his right hand after saying this.

"Guess there's only one thing left, then..." Mars muttered. She looked at Jupiter and Saturn on either side of her, both of whom nodded in agreement. The commanders then tossed one Poke Ball each: out came Mars' Purugly, Jupiter's Skuntank, and Saturn's Toxicroak.

"Buu, return." The sidecar attached to Sirius' bike detached itself, reverted to its normal form, and returned to its Poke Ball at this command. "I was afraid it would come to this, but then... it seems inevitable now." Tendou stepped in front of his trainer, facing their enemies.

Sirius tossed two more Poke Balls. "Alexa, Alyanna... dance well for me, ok?"

And from the Poke Balls emerged an Infernape and a Dragonite, which took their places on either side of Tendou. The time had come to defend his conviction...

tbc

 

[Obito.]

that was awsome, i like the dragonite part!

 

[Pokemon 101]

Wow, this is one heck of a story, keep up the good work.

 

[Konvict]

Chapter 1: Destined Duel

"Aya, let's keep this short," said Sirius to Alyanna, his Dragonite. "Dragon Rush 'em all."

Alyanna nodded and disappeared after letting out a scream; then, with speed implausible for something so big, she slammed Purugly into the air with its tail. Next, she pounded Jupiter's Skuntank into the ground and crushed it with her full body weight. Last was Toxicroak; she disappeared then reappeared in front of it, but...

"Swagger."

Toxicroak jumped away and stared at Alyanna, who went berserk in her rage. Tendou and Alexa both tried to calm her down, but to no success; the dragon thrashed around blindly. Sirius was so concerned of his Pokemon that he hadn't noticed that the two female commanders sent out their next Pokemon: Medicham and Weavile.

"Ice Punch!" the two shouted at the same time.

It happened in the blink of an eye. Before Alyanna could move to evade the joint attack, both punches hit her squarely in the chest; she cried out in agony before Sirius recalled her into his Poke Ball. Luckily, Sirius recovered from his shock just in time to extract another one from his belt and toss it. "Altair, you're next!"

Altair, his Scizor, now replaced Alyanna in battle. And, wasting no time, the three Pokemon went to work: Tendou and Medicham slugging it out, Altair and Weavile slashing away at each other. Alexa, on the other hand, quickly put away Saturn's Toxicroak with a Blaze Kick to the face. Saturn, unfazed, sent out his Gallade. Sirius called for a Flare Blitz on this new foe, but Psycho Cut found its mark first and knocked Alexa down for the count. And again, Sirius sent out another Poke Ball.

"Darla, now!"

His Raichu bounced onto the field next and stared down Gallade, who struck with Psycho Cut again. Unfortunately, it was merely an illusion; Darla took advantage of this distraction and Thunderpunched Gallade, sending it into the air. Sirius then ordered her to use Volt Tackle, which proved to be too much for Gallade and knocked it out.

Meanwhile, X-Scissor and Aura Storm took care of Medicham and Weavile. The commanders didn't look shocked at all; in fact, Mars in particular was grinning. She slowly and sarcastically began to applaud.

"But of course, you ARE - or were - the best in Team Galactic. But we've saved our best for last!" she cackled. Jupiter and Saturn remained silent for a while, before Saturn said, "Good luck... you'll need it." And the two gave over to a fit of laughter. Sirius was unimpressed.

"Alright, can you get on with it?" Sirius mocked. "The sooner I lay the smack down on your asses here, the sooner I can bring Galactic down..."

Brimful of confidence, Mars pulled out... a Master Ball from somewhere and tossed it into the field.

"Go......... Tyranitar!"

Sirius had seen this beast in action once before, when he and Mars were leaders of a local street gang in Veilstone. And was it strong: only Alyanna could match that kind of power, but she was down right now. What was Sirius supposed to do? The sandstorm that just erupted could hardly make things better, too.

...And after a moment, Darla stepped up to face the monster.

"Volt Tackle!" Sirius called to his electric mouse.

Darla charged at Tyranitar, her whole body electrified, but she was merely swatted into the air with its tail. Sirius then ordered her to use Dynamicpunch, but Tyranitar's Focus Punch hit first and knocked his Raichu's lights out. The monster then let loose another echoing roar, followed by its master's own scream of triumph.

"C'mon Sirius, you didn't really think a plush doll like that can take on this thing?" Mars taunted. Sirius said nothing, merely commanded Altair to continue the fight.

Tyranitar caused a violent Earthquake which winded Altair at first, but he was able to take off and avoid the worse of the attack. He was able to land two Fury Cutters, but Tyranitar was able to block the third. It then grabbed Altair and raised him in the air.

"Focus..."

Tyranitar drew back its fist -

"Punch!!"

Altair was thrown backwards by the impact, unconscious and unable to continue. All that was left now was Tendou - Buu wasn't a fighter. The Aura wielder stared down the Armor Pokemon as the final round was about to begin...

tbc

 

[Obito.]

this is really awsome!! great job :)

 

[Pokemon 101]

Wow man, you know how to work those battling moves lol. Keep it up man.

 

[Konvict]

Chapter 2: War Of Hearts And Minds

Both one-time best friends and lovers, both down to their last Pokemon. Sirius and Mars stared at each other even as their Pokemon did, each trying to defend the paths they chose for themselves. With the air acting as though electric, the moment was nearly at hand...

Without so much as a twitch, Tendou vanished from sight. Mars warned her fellow commanders to stay out of it before ordering her Tyranitar to use Blizzard. But Tendou merely rose above the snowstorm where he could get a clear shot at his opponent. And when the Blizzard attack ended, there Tyranitar was, in the middle of it.

"Aura Storm, now!" commanded Sirius.

As before, Tendou blasted Tyranitar with a gigantic pillar of aura power, but Mars ordered it to use Protect to deflect it. Undeterred, Sirius told Tendou to use Close Combat since special attacks didn't seem to work. And so the two Pokemon traded blows, the ground shaking with each one. Finally, after a few moments, the two jumped away from each other, both panting.

"Finish it, Tendou," Sirius said. The Pokemon looked at its trainer, who gave it a thumbs-up. Nodding, Tendou charged back into the fray, ready to end the lengthly brawl. Mars, meanwhile, ordered her Tyranitar to use another Focus Punch. If it hit, Sirius would lose.

Tendou advanced towards Tyranitar, who drew back his fist. It punched...

...But as the fist was an inch away from Tendou's face, he disappeared from view and kicked Tyranitar in the jaw, launching it into the air. Once it was a good distance up, Tendou jumped and seemingly attached himself to its shadow. He grabbed his opponent, preventing escape or retaliation. And as the two plummeted back to earth, he began to spin them both like a corkscrew.

Finally, a split-second before hitting the ground, Tendou jumped away, leaving Tyranitar to take the full brunt of the crash. Dust covered the area as it hit solid ground; both Sirius and Mars waited with bated breath.

...And as the dust cleared, Tyranitar remained standing, panting heavily. A few moments later, though, it fainted and fell flat on its face; Sirius had defeated all three commanders. Shortly after Mars recalled her Pokemon, Sirius gave Tendou a high-five. The latter then turned back to their defeated foes one last time.

"Tendou, Dark Void attack," Sirius said softly.

Once again Tendou gathered aura power into his hands, but this time let it loose in a pillar of condensed shadow that engulfed their enemies. When it was all over, they were on the ground, asleep.

And after giving his Pokemon another thumbs-up, Sirius recalled him into his Poke Ball, mounted the bike, and rode off.

tbc

 

[Konvict]

Chapter 3: Heaven-Sent

There was only one place Sirius knew he could go to... start over: his safe house in Hearthome, which he himself set up in case things went wrong - a description that suited his current situation quite well. With Tendou and Buu by his side, the latter once again taking the form of a sidecar, he sped toward their destination.

Besides, he had an emotional attachment to the place; it was where he started a new life after he and Mars disbanded their little gang. To be more specific, he lived together with his childhood friend - a nurse from the local Pokemon Center - in her apartment. And while there, he would help pay the rent through all means he knew how, from Pokemon battles to move tutoring.

It was inside Mt. Coronet that Sirius' body began to ache. It was such that, were he a lesser man, he would fall off his bike right there. This thankfully wasn't the case, but all the same, merely keeping his eyes on the road was difficult for Sirius right now. And apparently Tendou realized it too, because he tapped his trainer on the shoulder. Sensing that the Pokemon wanted something, Sirius hit the brakes and looked at him.

Tendou pointed to himself, then the bike. "You say you want to take over and drive?" Sirius asked.

Tendou nodded. He pointed at Sirius, then to the sidecar that was Buu. "And you want me to rest in the sidecar?" He nodded again. After a moment's pause, Sirius said:

"...Alright."

Of course Tendou knew how to drive the bike, Sirius taught him how - before he joined Team Galactic, and before Tendou received special 'surgery'. He was smarter than the average Lucario, and was even capable of telepathy at one point. But this ability was lost as a trade-off in exchange for augmented battle skills, the Dark Void he pulled off earlier being one of them. Still, the bond they had forged meant that Tendou and Sirius still understood each other as much as, if not even more than their pre-Galactic days.

When he came to, Sirius was lying on a bed. It was early morning, judging from the bright sunlight streaming through the windows. He could even smell something good... and rather familiar. He couldn't be -

"Sirius! You're awake!"

He looked round as a heavenly sight greeted his eyes. It was an ebony-haired, brown-eyed girl in a nurse's outfit; her smile was the most beautiful thing he'd ever and would ever see in his life. And as if to complete the portait of perfection, she was holding a plate of pancakes.

It was Stella, his childhood friend.

"Are you...?" Sirius asked, shocked. "How'd I end up here? The last thing I remember was lying down in the sidecar..." And as if on cue, Tendou walked into the room. "Tendou's really something else if he knows how to drive a bike. I met him on the way home from the center." She smiled as she patted the Pokemon on the head. Then she added, "Oh, and I took the liberty of letting your Pokemon out for a while, they'll be playing outside right about now."

And so Stella led him out into the backyard, where his Pokemon were. Darla and Buu, who right now was her doppelganger, were chasing each other's tails. Altair and Alexa were sparring. Alyanna, meanwhile, was busy burying her face into plate after plate of instant ramen.

"So, Sirius, what happened that made you end up in such a state?" Stella asked.

tbc

 

[Konvict]

Chapter 4: Just Like Before

Calm as Sirius was on the outside, he was panicking deep down. If he told Stella about his little 'incident', who knows what could happen. As it was, if Team Galactic found out about her, she'd be in danger. He didn't put it past them to kidnap Stella so as to put him in a tight spot; Mars in particular would likely be more than happy to do so.

Then again, he thought, Stella would be endangered whether or not he told her what was going on - probably more so if he didn't. To tell or not to tell? That's the question right now... he agonized over it for at least a minute before Stella noticed.

"Well? I'm waiting," she pouted, "It's rude to keep a girl waiting, y'know."

Finally, Sirius looked at her and grinned. "I'll tell you if you manage to beat me in battle." His Pokemon perked up as he said this. Darla and Buu's cheeks started sparking; Altair kept snapping his claws, and Alexa let out a few punches and kicks. Even Alyanna was distracted from her ramen binge. Stella laughed and said, "Oh, fine! But I'm warning you - I'm not the delicate little girl you knew!"

The two laughed at this one. The battle was just a ruse, just a way for Sirius to let off some steam. He had already decided to spill to Stella either way, deciding it was for her safety. A tap on the cheek recalled him to his surroundings as she said, "You're spacing out again. If you keep on doing that I'll thrash you for sure," and giggled.

Sirius and Stella then took their places on opposite sides of the field. "Three Pokemon each, alright?" he called. Stella nodded her assent. "Then let's do this. Mine are Tendou, Alyanna, and Alexa."

And with that, Stella sent out her Togekiss to face Alyanna. Both took flight as soon as the match began, trading Air Slashes and Fire Punches. Though Alyanna clearly held the advantage when it came to raw power, Togekiss was faster and more maneuverable, making it extremely difficult for the dragon to land an attack. She roared her frustration.

And after a few more Air Slashes and Aura Spheres, Stella commanded her Togekiss to go for Giga Impact. Sirius told Alyanna to take the hit, and as she did so, she slammed her opponent into the ground, bagging round one for Sirius. He recalled Alyanna and she Togekiss; the next round would be fought by Alexa and Blaziken.

Sirius ordered Alexa to start off with Blaze Kick, which Blaziken countered with its own; likewise, Flare Blitz met Flare Blitz. The two were obviously quite evenly matched as neither seemed to be able to get one over the other. Sirius ordered Alexa to get back after grappling briefly with Blaziken.

"Brave Bird!" cried Stella.

"Close Combat!" shouted Sirius.

And as Blaziken dive bombed Alexa, she tossed it into the ground then jumped into the air, flame wrapping her entire body. And after this last Flare Blitz, Stella's Blaziken was burned out. She thanked it for fighting so well as she recalled it into its Poke Ball. Finally it was her final Pokemon.

"Go, Gallade!"

Gallade again? thought Sirius. I just fought one last night... He then looked at his partner. "Tendou, it's you next. Just do like always," he said, and gave the Pokemon a thumbs-up which he returned.

It didn't take long for the final round to heat up. This Gallade was significantly more powerful than Saturn's, as it met Tendou's barrage with equal ferocity. It could fight up close with Close Combat and Brick Break, both of which Tendou was vulnerable against. Aura Sphere and Aura Storm (which was a more powerful variant but basically the same move) were nullified by Gallade's Psycho Cut. Desperate, Tendou looked to Sirius for that familiar gesture.

Sure enough, Sirius gave his thumbs-up.

As before, Tendou disappeared to kick Gallade under the jaw; he then jumped up after it and attached himself to its shadow. But just before the final attack, someone came running up to Stella: it was Nurse Joy.

"It's an emergency, Galactic members stealing Pokemon from the Center!"

Both Sirius and Stella recalled their Pokemon, the look of thrill on Stella's face replaced by one of fury.

tbc

 

[Konvict]

Chapter 5: Disillusion

Sirius, Tendou, and the two nurses wasted no time and quickly bolted out the door. They could hardly afford to dawdle - Team Galactic could have finished robbing the Pokemon Center by now. After taking his bike from outside the garage, Sirius released Buu once more, who, upon emerging, looked up at him for instructions. Meanwhile, Tendou stepped so that he was right beside his trainer as well.

Sirius pointed at his bike. "Buu, please transform into a copy of my bike." The pink blob of slime complied, and after the blinding light was gone, two identical motorbikes were side-by-side. Sirius and Stella got on the original one, while Tendou and Nurse Joy would take the one that Buu was masquerading as. "Tendou, just follow me," said Sirius to his partner, who nodded. "Good. Alright then..."

The partners shot off like lightning towards the scene, both women holding on tight. After avoiding passing cars, pedestrians and Pokemon (almost running over someone's Buneary at one point), they managed to arrive at the Pokemon Center... only to find a child sitting down outside, sobbing; Sirius drove his bike up to him. "What happened here?" he asked.

The child sniffed. "They t-took everyone's Pokemon... We couldn't do anything about it." He wiped his face on his sleeve. "Ch-Charmander..."

And broke into a fresh round of sobbing. Nurse Joy got off Buu and hugged the child as Stella took her turn to speak. "We'll get everyone back. That's a promise, right, Sirius?" He and Tendou nodded. They all got off and warily entered the building, where a horrible scene met there eyes.

Trainers sobbing, their Pokemon having just been stolen. Some of them were huddled against the wall, still in shock over what just transpired. And as though to complete this grim scene, the really unlucky were sprawled on the floor, bleeding or unconscious or both. Stella knelt down beside one of the trainers, an orange-haired woman with pigtails, nearest to the door. "They're... inside," she pointed with a shaking hand. "They're probably there to steal the sick Pokemon..."

"What did they look like?" Stella asked. "And what exactly happened here?"

"I dunno how..." the trainer replied. "Somehow... they were able to catch... everyone's... Pokemon. It... a red-haired woman... My Espeon... They Sn -"

She fell unconscious before she could finish; Nurse Joy attended to her as Stella got to her feet, her rage evident. Sirius felt a stab of horror. They were able to capture already captured Pokemon? And the mention of a red-haired woman... no, it couldn't be -

"How nice of you to drop by, Sirius."

Sirius felt a jolt of outrage; he'd recognize that voice even if he somehow went deaf. And as he looked up, he was proven correct. It was Mars, with a squad of three Grunts in tow. And on her arm... it was that device that moved him to ditch Team Galactic in the first place. The most diabolical invention a Pokemon trainer would ever encounter -

"Yes Sirius, it's a Snag Machine," an evil smile on Mars' lips as she said this. "Cyrus created this one for me himself, what do you think?"

Sirius was stunned and horrified. Their last mission together involved attacking the Sinnoh branch of Cipher - the Orre-based syndicate that made Snag Machines in the first place - and seizing all the Snag Machines they could find, presumably to be destroyed at headquarters. He destroyed them himself before he escaped, when he had learned the true purpose of that mission. But -

"Cyrus was able to reverse-engineer this little baby before you blew up the whole supply," Mars answered his question for him. "It's all for the greater good, for the wonderful new world we'll build. And the world we would've made together..." she added bitterly.

"Err... Sirius?" Stella said suddenly, making him jump. "Who's that? Is it true you joined Team Galactic?"

tbc

 

[Konvict]

Chapter 6: The Sacrifice

"What?" Mars spoke again, this time addressing Stella. "Is it true he's joined Galactic? Little girl, this idiot," she nodded at Sirius, "Was THE best agent we ever had… at least until he lost sight of our ideals. And who am I? No one of importance…" the commander laughed bitterly at this one. "I'm just his ex that he had his fun with and threw away like a used –"

"Bullshit," spat Sirius. "You know why I left, and it's because of that piece of crap on your arm. It's because of the lying, manipulating psychopath you call your boss. And as for throwing you away like a used… whatever," he growled, "I lost you the moment you sold out and forgot yourself."

Breathing hard as though fighting, it took several deep breaths for Sirius to calm himself. Stella, meanwhile, didn't know who to believe; she knew him to be a fundamentally good person. She couldn't imagine him using Mars and then dumping her, but as for the Team Galactic bit… Sirius himself admitted it. But just then -

"They're getting away!"

Sirius looked up. And with a stab of anger at himself, he saw that their conversation allowed the grunts to run off with all the stolen Pokemon. He looked at Stella, whose expression was still one of shock. "Listen to me – if you want to talk about what you just heard, we can do it later. But right now we gotta fight. I'll chase after them… you take care of her."

And with that, he stormed out the door, Tendou hurrying along in his wake. The roar of the engine told Stella that he'd already left. "So then," said Mars, a Poke Ball in her hand, "Let's see if you really deserve his attention, shall we? Or was Sirius making a big mistake when he ditched me for you?"

Only these words could recall Stella to her surroundings. Vigorously shaking her head, she said in a small voice, "No… it's… not like that…"

"Well whatever. You ain't ready for me!" Mars tossed her Poke Ball and released her Nidorina. Nurse Joy sent out her Chansey; Stella, meanwhile, extracted the Poke Ball necklace from under her uniform. She then held in gently in her fingers before a red beam shot out of it and revealed…

"Darlita, go!"

It was a Pikachu. Sirius's Raichu's daughter, apparently, thought Mars, snorting. If that's all she can muster, then Nidorina should be enough for this.

Despite the odds stacked against her, the Pikachu showed no sign of fear as her opponent leered at her. She got down on all fours, and began to charge electricity…

"Darlita, Volt Tackle!" shouted Stella.

The yellow rat charged, now little more than a blur of lightning, but to her's and her trainer's surprise, Nidorina defended against it, blocking with her front paws. "I've seen Sirius use that attack many times!" exclaimed Mars. "Can't you come up with anything more original?" Meanwhile, Nidorina was still holding back Darlita; suddenly, the electricity disappeared and the two Pokemon were wrestling on the floor.

"Nidorina, Body Slam!"

Nidorina jumped up off Darlita's belly, causing her to cry in pain; suddenly, she began to fall and was surely going to land on her. Stella screamed for her Pokemon to get out of it, but too late: Darlita cried out in pain as the Nidorina's full body weight crashed on her. She struggled to get to her feet as her opponent began to growl menacingly. Mars laughed at the sight. "She obviously hasn't seen much action. Her mother may be powerful, but that won't mean jack if you don't train her!"

Meanwhile, Sirius, Tendou and Buu sped off after the van in the distance. And as he approached it, he saw a large, stylized G painted on the back: that was it. He pulled a Poke Ball from his pocket and lobbed it.

Out came Stella's Togekiss.

Oh crap, our Pokemon must've gotten mixed up, thought Sirius. Togekiss flew beside the bike, waiting for orders. "Listen, Togekiss, can you use Air Slash?" The Jubilee Pokemon cried shrilly, presumably meaning yes. "Alright, use it on that van's tires!"

Togekiss flew off; a moment later, a blade of wind slashed open the van's rear wheels, causing its driver to lose control. It crashed into the Contest Hall; Sirius stopped his bike near the wreckage and got off with his and Stella's Pokemon. After a few moments, the three grunts crawled out of the wreck, injured but defiant. All three sent out their Pokemon: Golbat, Houndoom, and Seviper.

"Buu, transform into Togekiss!" instructed Sirius. "Tendou, ride Buu. Togekiss, take flight!"

The three obeyed. After Buu had transformed into a copy of Togekiss, Tendou got on its back and flew off, both raining down Aura Spheres at the two enemies on the ground. Togekiss, meanwhile, rammed into the Golbat again and again.

Back at the Pokemon Center, Stella and Darlita's situation didn't look too good. Mars was right; the Pikachu indeed lacked her mother's experience. And so Darlita was tossed around by Nidorina like a rag doll and it was all Stella could do to watch. And while this was going on, Mars took out a Poke Ball and held it in her left hand – the same arm the Snag Machine was wearing. Stella was horrified; the Poke Ball glowed faint purple. Finally, Mars tossed it at the Pikachu…

But just as it looked like Darlita would get Snagged, Nurse Joy's Chansey knocked her out of the way and got swallowed up by the Snag Ball instead…

tbc

 

[Obito.]

xD this really is really awsome!

 

[Konvict]

Chapter 7: Exodus Again

Stella and Joy both watched the Poke Ball trembling, praying hard that Chansey would escape. The former in particular was wracked with guilt; she shouldn't have let Darlita out during something this serious. As the nurses watched with tears in their eyes, the ball on the floor shook – once, twice, then thrice. Finally, when it was completely still, Mars walked over to pick it up. Nidorina growled impressively at her trainer's seeming triumph. Nurse Joy cried in Stella's arms as Darlita watched, completely numb.

But when Mars finally held the ball in her hand, a red beam of light shot out from the center button, releasing Chansey. The Pokemon nurse, letting out a scream, ran over to her trainer and hugged her. The two nurses let out a sigh of relief as Joy returned Chansey to her Poke Ball. "Even I was fooled by that one," Stella said, still shaken. "If it had hit Darlita…" she didn't complete this sentence but instead pulled out a Poke Ball from her pocket. As if trying to communicate with the creature inside, Stella held it to her chest for a moment.

She tossed it as Mars watched, still shocked at her failed Snag attempt. "Go!" Stella shouted. "Darla!"

The Poke Ball opened up as everyone gasped their surprise as to who it let loose. An orange mouse with yellow cheeks bounced out of the field, chirping happily. Her long, black tail waved around, its lightning bolt sparking a bit as she did so. She looked at the ebony-haired nurse behind her and beamed. Darlita, meanwhile, ran up to hug her mother; at the sight of her daughter's injuries at Nidorina's… hands, angry sparks flew from her cheeks.

The Pikachu returned to Stella as her mother prepared to take her place in battle. I don't know how this happened, but our Pokemon getting mixed up actually worked for us this time…, Stella thought as she watched the clearly angry Darla ready for the fight. And sure enough, without waiting for her command, Darla charged Nidorina with another Volt Tackle.

"No!" Mars laughed derisively as the larger rodent charged her Pokemon the same way her daughter did earlier. "I already told you, I've seen Sirius use that over and over! Nidorina, block it!"

Nidorina got up on her hind legs and prepared to block it again, and for a moment, she seemed successful. But after a moment, she was slowly being pushed backwards by the ball of blue light. It bounced off Nidorina's forehead and rammed into her full force, sending her sprawling into the computer in the corner. However, she got to her feet after some encouragement from Mars. Darla, meanwhile, returned to Stella.

"Am I even allowed to give you orders, Darla?" Stella asked the mouse, who nodded energetically. "Alright then, finish with Chain Lightning!"

The Raichu obeyed, letting loose a bolt of lightning at Nidorina that knocked her unconscious. Furthermore, it bounced off of her and headed straight for Mars. "Oh, ****."

That was all the Commander could say before the bolt of lightning hit her left arm, frying the Snag Machine and rendering it useless. With her now-useless arm hanging at her side, Mars lobbed a Master Ball. "Go, Tyranitar!"

Out came the monster once more; Darla shuddered, remembering her last encounter with that thing. Before she could react to its appearance, though, a brief, but violent sandstorm brewed that prevented any of them from seeing what was going on. And when it subsided, both Tyranitar and Mars had escaped.

However, she forgot one extremely vital piece of equipment…

And at the Contest Hall, Sirius was having a not-too-difficult time with the grunts. Togekiss already took care of one's entire team, while Buu and Tendou were merely toying around with the grunts' last Pokemon – a Murkrow and a Dustox, respectively. A blade of air was the final straw that took out the moth Pokemon; Tendou prepared to take out the raven with an Aura Sphere, but its owner recalled it at that moment.

"…Yes, Ma'am. Understood," Sirius heard him speaking into a radio. The grunt then threw a grenade at him which spewed thick, black smoke rather than exploding; all the same though, this gave them the necessary cover to run away. And sure enough, when the smoke cleared, all three were nowhere to be found. Seeing that the battle was over, Sirius recalled Togekiss and walked outside, ordering Buu to once again become his bike's sidecar.

…Later that day, after returning the stolen Pokemon and chowing down, Sirius and Stella said their goodbyes to Nurse Joy. It was decided that the two would be out of town for a while, their presence being a bit of a liability to the whole city in general. But before they got on the bike, Stella rummaged in her pockets for two Poke Balls. And with a push of the button, both released their respective Pokemon: her Blaziken and Gallade.

"I want both of you to take care of this place while I'm gone," Stella told them. "Alright? No one else but you could do this properly, guys." She patted both her Pokemon on the head before giving their Poke Balls to Nurse Joy. "Take care of them for me," Stella said. The two Pokemon looked as if they were going to disobey, but a wistful look from their trainer dissuaded them. "We don't want anyone else's Pokemon getting stolen, do we? You're the only ones I could trust to protect this place."

That seemed to have convinced her two comrades. As Sirius and Stella mounted the bike, Nurse Joy and the Pokemon waved at them before they finally hit the pedal and rode off into the sunset.

"Don't worry," she called, "I'm sure we'll all get along just fine!"

tbc

 

[Konvict]

Chapter 8: Aftermath

Stella woke up, sensing something outside their secret base. Grabbing the fanny pack containing her Pokemon, she exited the cave where they were staying as the moonlight greeted her. Up ahead, she could see the silhouette of what looked like a little girl standing on the keystone. Upon moving closer, though, Stella realized that it wasn't a little girl at all, but a Kirlia. She approached it carefully for fear of scaring it off. "It's a bit late to be out, isn't it?" she said in a warm voice to the green-and-white Pokemon.

Kirlia looked at her for a moment; then, letting out a scream, its body charged with streaks of electricity and sent a raging stream of lightning at Stella. Without a moment's hesitation, she leapt to her right, avoiding the large thunderbolt by mere inches. The ground exploded as the lightning hit it, clumps of dirt scattering into the air.

"So that's how it's gonna be..." muttered Stella angrily after recovering from her initial shock. She then detached and tossed the Poke Ball attached to her necklace. "Go, Darlita!"

The yellow mouse popped out of the ball and looked to her trainer for orders. "Zap Cannon!" ordered the nurse.

Darlita charged up a tremendous amount of electricity and launched it in a huge wave that headed toward the Emotion Pokemon. However, it merely began to dance and spin around, creating a barrier that dispersed the Pikachu's awesome attack. Unfazed, Darlita launched a Thunderbolt next, but the Kirlia canceled this out with her own. Panting slightly, the mouse somersaulted backwards right in front of her trainer.

"Double Team then rush," Stella directed. And as she finished this, her Pikachu summoned three clones that took their positions around her. The four then disappeared; three reappeared around Kirlia, poised to strike. All the while, Stella watched with bated breath.

Kirlia suddenly danced and spun around on the spot, launching beams of purple light at the Pikachu clones, who disappeared after being hit. As it finished dancing, though, Darlita was right in front of her…

"Thunderpunch it into the air."

As Darlita knocked Kirlia skyward with a vicious, electrified uppercut, Stella threw a Poke Ball which swallowed it whole. The Ball shook once, twice, and thrice as it fell through the air; finally, when it landed on the ground, it was completely still. The nurse then picked it up from the ground, as Darlita, pleased with herself, squeaked over and over. "Good work, Darlita," Stella told her Pokemon as she patted her on the head. At that moment, applause coming from the base entrance made them look round: it was Sirius, clad in his unzipped travelling cloak.

"I was watching that," he said, grinning. "But next time, you might wanna put on clothes before catching Pokemon?"

Stella looked down at herself and blushed; a tanktop and panties were all she was wearing. "…C'mon, let's get to sleep," she said after a while. After recalling Darlita, the two went back to the tent and got into bed together. Stella felt Sirius squeeze her chest, but she let it slide.

After waking up early the next day, the two were once again on the road, Tendou taking his usual spot on the sidecar. According to Sirius, the next destination for them was Jubilife – his high school friends (Sirius did in fact go to high school, before he got expelled for getting caught in an 'intimate' moment with Mars) owned a bar here which he helped start, so they would be safe there. Stella, still a bit drained from her encounter with Kirlia the night before, fell asleep as she contemplated these things.

"Hey, we're here!"

She woke up in Sirius's arms outside a large, black building; the neon sign on top read 'Aftermath Bar & Grill'. The skyscrapers and mingled voices of busy people told her this was indeed Jubilife – they were here. Sirius put her down before they entered the restaurant.

"We didn't expect you early, Sirius!" called a woman in a bunny outfit as she ran to hug him; Stella glared at her behind her back. "They'll be upstairs, should I take you to them?"

Sirius, still dazed over the 'greeting', nodded and followed her, Stella in tow. She led them up the stairs past the bar, whose bottled wine and beer called out tantalizingly to him. Finally, at the second floor, the waitress led them to the table at the back, where a group of six Negro men were sitting. "Look who it is, boys!" she said.

"Damn!"

"Sirius!"

"Welcome home, mate."

"It's been a while since we last seen your black ass, *****."

The four who spoke slapped him on the back in greeting, and pulled him onto a seat. One of the two who remained seated, a large, overweight fellow, offered him a half-finished bottle of beer. The other, a cornrow-sporting man with shades, offered Stella a seat beside Sirius. "It's been a while, hasn't it, guys?" he asked. "Why don't you all introduce yourself to my… friend here?" he added, gesturing to Stella. They laughed.

"Name's Kurt, miss," said the shirtless, muscular guy. "Nice to meet you."

"Shaun," offered the one beside Kurt. "His voice was like that since Mars's Tyranitar slugged him," Sirius explained Shaun's hoarse voice to Stella.

"Smoke," introduced the large one who offered Sirius his drink. "Aftermath's resident cook."

"Lloyd," quipped the one nearest Sirius.

"Aphro," said the one with shades. "B – I mean," he broke off after seeing the waitress glare at him, "Women think I'm hot." The rest of the group laughed at this.

"He's Jacklord," Sirius pointed at the one who was busy drinking. "It used to be J, but he didn't wanna share his name with a Pokemon thief, so… yeah."

"Sirius here helped us start the Tip Drill," Kurt explained. "Our band," after a puzzled look from Stella. "Anyway, this girl here's Via, she's Aphro's girl," nodding towards the waitress. "She handles the bar's stuff while we do… sidelines."

Sirius looked at Stella; she seemed not to have any… violent reactions to his friends. "Well guys, looks like we'll be rolling again, doesn't it?" They all laughed at this as they raised their bottles.

"These guys are all cuddly as teddy bears," Sirius assured Stella. "We'll all get along just fine."

tbc

 

[Konvict]

Chapter 9: Unexpected Surprises

It's been more than half a year since I updated last March. It's almost Christmas now and a lot's happened since then. For one thing, Aftermath's gone and branched out in different cities, and my fellow Drillers along with it; the only ones who stayed here in the Jubilife branch are myself, Stella, and Kurt. Besides that, they gave me a car for my birthday. :D Thanks, guys, but I prefer bikes to cars – on my bike, I can have Tendou return fire as necessary. On a car, I can't.

The Pokemon are doing fine as always. Darla's multiplied like a demented Buneary; she laid enough eggs for me to give away to the Drillers and Via. I could make millions selling her eggs, but… I don't roll like that, it's not my style. Alyanna still hasn't given up her gluttony; now it's my job to buy her food, Via's been wanting to stick it to me since it started cutting into the bar's food budget. Alexa and Altair are in top shape as always; the latter looks especially sharp (no pun intended). But Tendou…

Tendou's regaining his telepathic abilities; good, right? Yeah, but what he's telling me isn't. He's been having nightmares of fighting what he calls a 'Darkness' Pokemon, but what is 'Darkness' anyway? He can't possibly be scared of just Dark-types. He put away Mars's Tyranitar like it was nothing, and even wiped the floor with Giovanni's Mewtwo at one point. So what the hell could be wrong? Unless…

Maybe they went overboard when they gave Tendou the surgery? I don't know, but we'll fix things somehow. It kills me to see my partner in such a state.

Sirius reread his blog entry on his laptop; it seemed good enough for his tastes, but that was just him, probably. But he couldn't post it just yet – Mars and friends were just as modern and tech-savvy as he was - so he saved it instead. And as he pondered these things, Stella could be heard moaning softly in her sleep, but he ignored it and looked at the clock: it was midnight. Time to sleep, I guess…

But after a moment, he noticed the flashing envelope icon beside the digital clock: 1 unread message. Sirius clicked it and accessed his mailbox. The email read as follows:

From: Mars
Subject: [none]

Dear Sirius,

Meet me at the Jubilife TV Station tomorrow at midnight. Feel free to bring anyone except Stella along. Don't worry, I personally guarantee your safety – you won't be harmed, by me or by the rest of the Team.

~Mars

Sirius froze as he read this. It could be a trap, but he doubted it; if she knew he was hiding in Jubilife, wouldn't Team Galactic have attacked by now? Besides, he knew Mars, and one thing about her was that she disdained sneak attacks, favoring an old-fashioned beatdown. Plus, Galactic only wanted him – that Mars told him to bring someone made it highly unlikely that he would be attacked as well. The Stella part… Sirius didn't understand.

He put on a shirt and went to the bar directly below their bedroom. However, he saw that Kurt was there as well, drinking out of a now half-full bottle. Sirius went behind the bar, got another bottle of liquor, a mug with ice, and poured a copious amount for himself to drink as well. He then sat down his friend, draining half of his alcohol in one shot. Kurt turned slowly at him.

"What's wrong?" asked Kurt; he knew by experience that Sirius never drank unless he had a predicament. Sirius told him, and a few moments later, he was speechless.

"You're meeting Mars?" he repeated. "And you want me to accompany you?" Sirius nodded.

The following night, they rode towards the TV Station, the appointed meeting place. Sirius and Kurt rode together on the bike, while Tendou and Buu assumed their usual positions. They both brought their other Pokemon along, though; Sirius didn't want to get caught with his pants down, so to speak. Mars may have guaranteed their safety for tonight's meeting, but… he saw fit to take certain precautions anyway.

When they got there, they saw Mars leaning against her bike with a bundle wrapped in cloth, waiting for them. Sirius and company got off the bike together and walked so that he and Mars were only a few feet away.

Mars looked at Sirius for a moment and smiled sadly. "Sirius, do you remember that night you left…?" she asked, her voice a mix of sorrow, regret, and bitterness.

Sirius laughed at this and held up his arms in a gesture of surrender. "Do you mean the one where you guys made me blow up Cycling Road?" he asked, mockingly. "If so, yes I do." Kurt couldn't suppress a smirk at this. Trust Sirius to fool around at all the wrong times, he thought.

The Commander, on the other hand, gave a humorless laugh at Sirius's jab. "I was pregnant at the time, Sirius. This here is your child… ours." With that she carefully unwrapped the bundle, revealing a silver-haired baby, no more than two months old, with his or her mother's beetle-black eyes. Mars gave it to Sirius, whose eyes widened in shock.

"He's… my kid?" Sirius asked as he received the baby, stunned. But then it hit him: he couldn't have noticed Mars's pregnancy as her belly was still too small for her to be identified as pregnant. And the infant did have his father's striking platinum hair. Besides, on Mars's birthday, the week before he left, they had a little… celebration in her bedchamber.

"She," corrected Mars. "This is Sarah, your daughter. I wouldn't normally do this, but how the **** do you expect me to take care of a child in my state? Being hunted down by idiots and going on missions every other time?"

Sirius was silent, waiting for the revelation of his fatherhood to sink it. Kurt and Tendou were similarly shocked; the latter closed his eyes and shook his head. When about a minute passed, Mars continued:

"Call me an irresponsible mother if you like, but Sarah will be safer with you and Stella. Besides, a life constantly in battle and on the run isn't good for growing up, is it, Sirius?" she asked. "Do me one favor, though… when she grows older, tell her that her mother did her best to make a world she could live in happily."

No sooner had Mars finished speaking that a concentrated blast of wind shattered the ground a few feet from them. Kurt and Sirius jumped away instinctively, each taking a Poke Ball, but Mars showed more than just surprise; she was outraged.

Their attacker was the legendary Lugia. But something was amiss; Lugia was normally silver and bluish-black, but this one was purple with white markings around its red eyes. It lowered its head and screamed, revealing a trenchcoat-clad individual on its back, presumably its trainer. A clown mask hid his face from view.

"Why now…" Mars muttered before tossing her Master Ball. "Go, Tyranitar!"

The Armor Pokemon wasted no time, and immediately began to duel with its legendary foe. Meanwhile Mars turned to her former lover. "Get out of here! This is my business," she said. "You of all people should know how capable I am as a trainer." Sirius looked like he would refuse, but after a moment, he gave Sarah to Tendou and return with his party to the bike. "Take care then, Mars…" he muttered; she nodded. "I don't want my little girl to lose her mom…"

And with a slam on the pedal, the bike sped from the area, but through his rearview, Sirius could still see Tyranitar and Lugia duking it out…

tbc

 

[Konvict]

Chapter 10: Changes

To her horror, Tyranitar could barely hold its own against the Lugia. Whatever Mars threw at the twisted legendary bird, it either shrugged off or returned ten times over. It seemed that her adversary was even stronger than Sirius, and he was the first to put her Tyranitar down. Now I see why Cyrus made us attack Cipher here… she thought, awed at the power the corrupted Lugia had.

"Put it down already, Lugia… use Focus Blast," said its trainer as he jumped off the bird's back.

And as Lugia gathered energy into its mouth, Mars ordered her Pokemon to cancel out the attack with an Ice Beam. A wave of white light streamed out of Lugia's mouth just as Tyranitar blasted a beam of icy blue from its claws. They met in midair, struggling for a while, but unfortunately the legendary Pokemon's was the dominant power; the Focus Blast hit Tyranitar squarely in the chest, rendering it unable to continue. Mars was stunned.

"How the hell did Venus and friends get smacked by you guys?"

This hit Mars where it hurts. With a scream of rage, she took the Poke Ball she used as a keychain for her bike's keys. She then detached it from the chain and tossed it into the battlefield.

"Your turn… Renge!"

And from the Poke Ball emerged a gold-and-black humanoid jackal, the twin sister of Tendou. She looked at Mars and smiled faintly before turning to face her opponent. "Your command, mistress?" asked Renge, telepathically. Mars quickly decided on the Gravity attack.

Renge obeyed, letting loose an almighty scream; the Lugia tried desperately to stay airborne, but the suddenly intense gravity forced it to the ground, and at the mercy of Renge's attacks. Its trainer, however, was undaunted.

"Psycho Boost," directed the mysterious trainer. The legendary bird then raised its head and wings, which fired multiple beams of red light at Renge. However, the Aura Pokemon didn't move an inch, as if she knew what move her master would instruct her to perform next…

Heavenly Spin, thought Mars. And as she did so, Renge began to spin and dance, creating a dome of aura energy that repelled her opponent's powerful attack. And as she stopped spinning, she assumed a fighting stance. "Is it time, mistress?" Renge asked, to a nod from Mars.

Her aura power began to manifest itself around her as a blue light before she disappeared and reappeared before the corrupted Lugia. Renge struck twice, then four times, then eight, until finally she had hit her opponent sixty-four times in a heartbeat, knocking it out. The mystery man pulled out his next Poke Ball, but…

Saturn and Jupiter arrived on the scene, both on their bikes. Seeing the numerical disadvantage, the phantom simply said, "…Next time. I'll be watching you carefully, Mars." And with that, he disappeared in a flash of light.

"…Cipher…" Jupiter muttered. "C'mon, it's not safe here." The three commanders then mounted their bikes and departed.

The next morning, Sirius woke up to… loud cries and a horrible smell coming from the baby in his arms. Sarah was wailing; judging from the odor, she needed a diaper change. Only problem was… they didn't have any. "Stella, can I borrow Togekiss?" he asked.

With a press of the button, Stella released her bird Pokemon, which screamed in delight. Togekiss was clearly happy to be let out of its Poke Ball. "Togekiss, can you go to the grocery and get some diapers before we die of the stink?" asked Sirius. "And please get rid of this thing while you're out," this as he gave it the dirty diaper. Stella also got her purse, which the Pokemon gripped with its mouth.

After one last scream, Togekiss flew off. In the meantime, Sirius wrapped cloth around Sarah's lower body in the meantime, pacifying her momentarily. But then…

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!" she began to wail anew. Sirius tried to rock her and to sing a lullaby, but neither worked; the baby just kept on crying.

"Try giving her some milk," said Stella. This one, Sirius knew they had downstairs. So he went to the bar, poured cold milk into a bottle, then gave it to the baby to drink when he got back upstairs. And Sarah immediately took it, gurgling as she drank. Finally set free from the dilemma, Sirius grabbed the remote and turned on the TV.

"…witnesses claim to have seen a large, birdlike Pokemon around the TV Station, and that there was a battle in the area last night. We will be investigating this matter and vow to hit back once we get enough information. Until then, stay tuned…"

"Didn't you say that was where you met with Mars?" Stella asked. "What went down?"

"Just after she gave me Sarah, someone with a Lugia attacked. Mars took on him by herself and let us go," Sirius said. "What bothers me is that the Lugia was… different. It was purple instead of silver, and it looked downright evil to me," he finished, remembering the arresting gaze the legendary Pokemon gave him just before Mars prepared to retaliate.

When Stella remained silent, he continued. "I do remember seeing that thing on one of Cipher's computers when we attacked their base on our last mission. Maybe Cyrus saw their tampering with Pokemon as a threat, or didn't like the idea for some other reason. I really can't believe he made us attack just to jack their Snag Machine technology…" his voice trailed off. That final mission he and Mars would undertake as a pair was a year ago, and yet it seemed just yesterday. Mars…

Perhaps Stella knew what he was thinking, because she suddenly cleared her throat, pulling him back to the present. "Don't worry about it too much, Sirius," she said. "We'll bring an end to both Cipher and Galactic." She squeezed his shoulder as she said this.

At that moment, though, Togekiss returned, a plastic grocery bag in its mouth. As it gave the bag to Stella, she retrieved her now-empty purse and gave Sirius a diaper for Sarah. She then put the rest of them in the cabinet as Sirius put the one he had on his daughter, who laughed and smiled. And as Stella watched the father and daughter, she couldn't help but smile, too.

tbc

 

[RR☆Oresama]

Wish for an update. Chapter 11 much? Oh, and nice.

 

[Astinus]

I would say "Don't bump threads. Now I have to close this. Konvict, PM me if you want this to remain open."

But I also have to add that your response was spammy. Read the rules of this section before posting again. Warnings/Infractions will fly the next time I see you break the rules, RR.

But yes, Konvict, PM me if you want this opened again whenever you're ready to post your next chapter. Just following protocol.