- 6
- Posts
- 17
- Years
- Seen Sep 7, 2007
I posted this on SerebiiForums, but back then, I had a reputation for being a stubborn, horrible writer, so not many people bothered to read it. Hopefully, I can start anew here, considering that I have been taught by amazing writing teachers, and I hope that I can have more constructive critisism and advice to take into my forward chapters.
The story of "Band of Heroes" began when I found my old game, "Pokemon Colosseum." I began playing it again, starting over, considering that catching the shadow legendaries began getting harder with stronger pokemon. So, I restarted the game, and I soon got inspired to do two things: write a doujinshi based on the game, and a fanfic sequel to the two games, Colosseum and XD: Gale of Darkness.
So, I present to you, the first chapter of "Pokemon: Band of Heroes," Chapter One: Fate. Please read and review!
Chapter One: Fate
Location: S.S. Dreamer Luxury Cruise - Near Gateon Port
Time: 12:10pm - 8/06/2018
11-year-old Michael laughed with joy as he rushed out onto the balcony of the S.S. Dreamer. The summer sun shone brightly onto the ship, as the ocean winds whistled gently in Michael's ears.
Michael leaned over the metal balcony, and gazed out into the endless ocean, the city of Gateon Port only being a small dot in the distant to his left.
"Beautiful!" Michael breathed, as his little sister, Jovi, joined him, "Don't you think, Jovi?"
6-year-old Jovi grunted as she tried to pull herself onto the balcony without any luck. Finally, she gave up and wailed, "Jovi can't see!"
"Oh!" Michael exclaimed, and hoisted Jovi onto the wooden box between him and the edge of the ship.
Jovi leaned over on the balcony and gazed in awe at the wide sea, sparkling in the afternoon sun.
"Ooh..." Jovi cooed, blue hair rustling in the sea salt wind, "Pretty...."
"Yeah…" Michael breathed, moving to an open area beside his sister. He leaned over the balcony and sighed in content, as he watched the vast, sparkling ocean. "Wish everything was this pretty."
"Is Jovi pretty, too, big brother?" Jovi asked, looking at Michael and away from the sea.
"Yup," Michael replied with a nod and smile. He turned his head to face his little sister. "Just like the ocean."
Meanwhile, at the far side of the same balcony, a 22-year-old young teen named Wes stared out into the ocean, as the afternoon sun soon began to set slowly in the horizon. The waves of the ocean gently lapped at the side of the cruise, making the area a place of relaxation.
But as all of this was calming, Wes' mind was far from the beauty and comfort of the liner and ocean.
I can't shake off the feeling..... That something's wrong....
"Esp?"
Wes jumped slightly, as he was pulled out of his thoughts by the pokemon's cry. He looked down to see his Espeon and Umbreon at his feet, peering up at him with large eyes, full of worry.
"You feel it, too, huh?" Wes asked his pokemon.
The two nodded in agreement.
When Wes was a little boy, before being found by Team Snagem, his only companions were his Espeon and his Umbreon. His parents had been missing for a while, and no orphanage could hold him. It was a dark time in Orre then, and Wes was one of the unfortunate ones to be stuck out onto the streets. And even has he grew up, while being a snagger for Team Snagem, and to being a hero, they were still by his side, through the thick, and through the thin.
"Wipe that worried look off your face and start enjoying yourself!"
Wes turned to come face to face with a hyper college student wearing a blue coat with pink trimming, a purple tank-top, a white mini-skirt, black, knee-high socks, and pink boots that reached just below her knees. She was an old friend that Wes has been traveling with for the past six years. Her name was Rui, and she was - believe it or not - the same age as Wes.
Wes and Rui first met in Phenac, when Wes saved Rui from two thugs that worked for Miror B of Team Cipher. They soon later learned that the reason for Rui's abduction was because she had the ability to see the dark auras of the Shadow Pokemon that Cipher had been producing. Since then, the two have traveled and worked together in saving the Orre Region from Shadow Pokemon.
"You know how hard that is for me." Wes frowned, before facing the sea again.
"But, you could at least try." Rui said, leaning backwards against the balcony and facing Wes. "Look. Grandpa was real generous to let us come with him to the cruise, and we're going to give him thanks by enjoying the time here, okay?"
Wes only closed his eyes and huffed. He was beginning to miss his days fighting Cipher.
Rui sighed, and then looked down the balcony. "Wes, look at the kids down the deck."
Wes opened his golden eyes and followed Rui's gaze. There, he saw a brother and sister, both having a great time laughing, chasing, and just having fun in general. The boy had spiky, red hair, green eyes full of youth, and pale skin. He wore a blue headband, a black t-shirt, a yellow vest, and baggy black and red-striped track pants that drooped over the laces of his shoes. He had goggles hung around his neck, bouncing up and down as the boy did, glinting and flashing in the sunlight.
The girl had blue hair in two, round baos on the top of her head, almost like round pigtails. She wore a white dress and white, knee-high boots to match, and she had aquamarine blue eyes that sparkled with innocent youth.
"What are they doing?" Rui questioned Wes, almost exasperated.
Wes was - at first - dubious about Rui's question. Then he realized what she was trying to do with him. With a sigh, Wes simply answered, "Enjoying themselves."
"Exactly!" Rui exclaimed, "That's what we should be doing! Relaxing, having fun, getting rid of those uncanny intuitions-!"
Rui was interrupted when she saw Wes' eyebrow raised and his lips formed a frown. And the way that Wes was staring at her made Rui feel like a Cleffa from outer space that has landed in a group of grass-type pokemon.
Rui started getting irritated when Wes finally closed his eyes and smirked. The thing that made her break, though, was when he chuckled, and then said - with the smug smirk still on his pale face, "Uncanny intuitions? Honestly, Rui, I don't think anybody talks like that anymore, unless they're those elders who are stuck in the late 20th century."
Rui began to see red, and Wes could've sworn he saw steam pouring out of the young woman's ears. Her nose scrunched up, her lower lip stuck out into a pout, and her eyebrows narrowed. But the thing that made Wes feel like bursting out laughing right then and there was Rui's beet-red face.
Finally, like a steaming teapot that had gone too far without being uncapped, Rui exploded, "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!"
"Nothing," Wes replied simply, the smirk still stuck on his face, "Just that you talk weird."
"As in…?" Rui growled, a vein tight on her forehead, her fists clenched, her teeth gritting.
"'Uncanny intuitions'?" Wes raised an eyebrow, "Ha! You've gotta be kidding me, Rui! Only old people talk like that now! Except for those hippies...."
Rui felt like she was about to explode more than she had already. Finally, with a scream, Rui knocked Wes to the ground, as the two young adults soon found themselves getting into a riot. While Rui was trying to hit Wes' face, Wes was fighting to just repel Rui's offenses. Rui managed to slap Wes' face once. The hit left behind a red mark on the young man's pale face, and it stung like hell.
Michael and Jovi stopped playing when they saw the teens across the deck start to fight. The girl had auburn hair tied into two, short pigtails. She wore a purple, sleeve-less tube-top, a denim jacket with pink, faux fur trimmings at the seams, a white short skirt, and barrettes in her hair. She wore pink, ankle-high boots at her feet, and she had deep, blue eyes that currently sparked and fired with rage. Michael and Jovi winced when the girl managed to slap the boy on the face once.
The boy had short, spiky, pale blond hair, ghost-white skin, and golden-brown eyes that were contorted with pain and struggle from defending himself. He was wearing a strange blue, cloak-like outfit, with black pants and black boots. Underneath, he was wearing a black tank top. He had a pair of chrome goggles set on his head behind his bangs. He looked like he was trying to throw the girl off of him.
"Say you're sorry!" the girl snapped.
"Not until you get off of me!" the boy retorted.
"Not until you say sorry!"
"How long does this have to go on?"
"For as long as it has to!"
"Fine!" the boy said, the smirk he had on earlier coming back onto his face, "But I bet you can't last any longer than a minute!"
"What are you saying, that I'm weak?!" the girl snapped.
"No. I'm just saying that you're impatient sometimes. No, wait. Cross that. You're impatient all the time!"
"Grrr.... That's it!"
Michael winced as he watched the girl and boy started wrestling, trying to either defend or offend. Jovi hid behind Michael, whimpering slightly.
"Do all adults fight like that?" Jovi asked.
"Nah," Michael replied, a hand on his hip and another scratching his head, "Just those two, probably 'cause they're in love."
"Huh?" Jovi questioned dubiously, "How can a girl and a boy fighting mean they're in love?"
"It's just the way the world works with adults, I guess." Michael replied, "Unfortunately, since I'm only 11, I can't tell you anything else beyond that."
The Espeon and Umbreon sitting on top of the wooden crates looked down at the two young adults fighting, both of them sighing in annoyment simultaneously.
"Ow! Ow!" Wes cried, as Rui managed to slap Wes on the face several times.
"Say you're sorry!" Rui snapped, stopping her slapping fit for a second.
"Not until you get off of me!" Wes repeated irritation in his voice.
"What's going on here?!"
The 22-year-olds turned to face an elderly couple wearing silk robes. A Pikachu walked beside the old man.
"Grandma! Grandpa!" Rui exclaimed.
"Eagun, please get Rui off of me before I kick her off!" Wes growled.
"You wouldn't dare!" Rui snapped, turning her head to face Wes again.
Rui screamed when she was thrown off of Wes by a soft blow in the stomach. She fell with a small thud on the wooden deck, and sat up to rub her back.
Wes hoisted himself in a sitting position and smirked. "I just did."
Rui pouted. "You're no fun."
"If that's what you call fun, then you can forget me having any fun on this cruise." Wes replied, standing up and dusting off his sleeves.
"Eagun!"
All but Wes' attention - who was turned away from the group, gazing out into the ocean again - was turned to the little boy across the deck, who was waving his hand excitedly in the air while running to their group.
"Well, if it isn't young Michael!" Eagun exclaimed, as the boy named Michael arrived.
"You know him, grandpa?" Rui asked.
"Yes!" Eagun replied, "This is Michael, a trainer from the Pokemon Headquarters Lab, southwest from Agate Village. He is an exceptionally strong trainer, and the latest generation of Cipher's enemies. In other words, he took on your's and Wes' legacy."
"Hm?" Wes frowned, opening one eye and studying Michael from the corner. "You don't look strong..."
Michael puffed up his cheeks like a Bidoof, a vein of irritation on his forhead.
"Wes!" Rui snapped.
"Then again." Wes continued, facing the group again, particularly looking down at Michael.
Michael's face returned back to normal, a dubious expression plastered on his face.
Wes smirked, turning his back to the group and youth once more. "You can never judge a book by it's cover. I should know that."
* * *
Later that evening, during dinner, the two groups sat together and talked. Professor Krane started asking questions about the Relic Stone to Eagun. Lily - Michael and Jovi's mother - talked to Beluh about "woman things" (That was what she told Michael and Jovi when they asked what she and Beluh were talking about), and Rui was having fun with Michael and - particularly - Jovi. All three of them were laughing and having fun.
Michael then suddenly stopped laughing when he realized something. While Rui was sharing stories with Jovi, Michael turned to look out of the dining room window and at the deck outside. Out there, at the same spot of the balcony as earlier that day, was Wes, leaning over the balcony, staring out at the now dark sea, the pale rays of moonlight highlighting the dark waves like a black crystal in the path of a ray of light.
Michael thought about what to do for a second, then got a loaf of sweet bun from the bread basket, got his unfinished soup, and snuck outside.
Something's not right... I can feel it.
"I brought you some sweet bun."
Wes snapped out of his thoughts, and looked down to see Michael, holding his unfinished bowl of soup in one hand, and a fresh loaf of sweet bun in the other, holding it up to Wes. A broad, friendly smile was spread from cheek to cheek, making him look younger than he really was.
"Uh... thanks." Wes replied uneasily, accepting the loaf and sitting on the deck, his back against the liner's balcony wall.
Michael sat beside Wes and started eating his soup.
"So," Michael asked a moment later, "What's your story?"
Wes paused, and then swallowed a bite that he had been chewing. He then began his story:
"I was adopted by Team Snagem as a little boy, and I was trained to be a Snagger ever since. It wasn't until 6 years ago I started rebelling against their plans. The Shadow Plan, to be exact. They began to be brainwashed by Cipher, after they intruded into our hideout. I didn't mind at first, but they threatened to find my biological father and sister and use them for their dark purposes. The thought of seeing my biological father and sister again as my enemies drove me over the edge. So, I blew up the hideout, stole the portable version of the snag machine, and rode all the way from Eclo Canyon to Outskirt Stand. I didn't meet Rui until I reached Phenac, though."
"How did you guys meet?"
"Some of the Ciphers spotted her identifying a Shadow Pokemon in Pyrite, and they knew that she would interfere with their shadow plan. So, they kidnapped her, took her hostage. I first saw the sack that she was kept in at Outskirt, but I didn't actually rescue her until I got to Phenac. I defeated one of the two Ciphers that took her hostage, and they ran off, saying that the next time I see them; they'll trample me and my pokemon. They left their car and the sack behind. The lady at the front of Phenac asked me to help untie the sack open."
"Typical of Cipher." Michael grumbled, sipping a bit of soup.
Wes chuckled. "Anyway, when I opened the sack, I was surprised to see a girl in there. A typical, ordinary girl, who had absolutely no clue at where she was. One minute she's at the Duel Square in Pyrite, and the next, she's kidnapped by two thugs and brought to Phenac. And, after I met her, she started traveling with me. At first I told her I had no time, but she kept on begging me, saying that the thugs might be back for her. So, I couldn't help but say yes. And ever since I met her, she's been with me through the whole Shadow Incident, and beyond." - Wes smiled at a memory that surfaced while telling the story - "Even though she hits me sometimes, she just finds her way into different parts of my life. I guess you can say I've changed ever since. She found a way to open up myself, actually give me feelings."
Michael smiled smugly. "You like her, don't you?"
Wes glared at the 11-year-old with hard eyes. "If you're meaning by what I think you mean, then I have no idea whatever gave you the idea!"
"Jovi and I saw you guys fighting on the deck this afternoon." Michael teased through slitted eyes and a smug smile, "And I couldn't help but think you two seemed to be a couple."
Wes' glare hardened, getting more irritable by the second. This is exactly why I don't like kids...
"Okay, okay!" Michael laughed, sensing Wes' irritation. With his usual broad smile, Michael continued, "I'm sorry! I won't say anything more about it, I promise!"
Wes furrowed, and then his expression softened. It's a silly 11-year-old boy, for heaven's sake!
"Fine," Wes replied, "So, Mikey, what's your story?"
Michael's expression suddenly furrowed and a vein formed on his forehead. He gulped down his spoonful of soup, and then said, "Okay, first of all, don't call me Mikey! I never liked the name, and I never will! And, second of all...." - Michael's expression softened at his reason for chasing Cipher. The image of a tall man with pale skin, unruly red hair, and wearing a white t-shirt and jeans, a wide grin plastered onto his face, one emerald green eye winking in his memory came to Michael's mind, nearly bringing him to tears. He held back and replied, "...My father was killed by a Shadow Pokemon 6 years ago."
"Oh." Wes frowned, looking down at his sweet bun, almost like he was embarrassed by thinking that Michael was no different than any other kid in the world. "Sorry."
"It's okay." Michael replied, "It gave me a reason to fight when I was up against Cipher. One minute I'm a special trainer at HQ, and the next, I receive me first Snag Machine and Professor Krane is kidnapped by Cipher. I snagged Naps' Teddiursa, right before his band of Ciphers took off with Professor Krane in their hostage. That's how I end up at the old lab, and the whole incident starts there. When I managed to rescue Professor Krane, he told me about Eagun and the Relic Stone, and that's how I met Eagun and Beluh."
"Oh." Wes nodded, after swallowing the last of his sweet bun.
There was a short silence, before Michael exclaimed, "Well! I'm done my soup!"
Wes smiled, then furrowed when he heard the whirring wings of several choppers.
Michael's smile also disappeared when he heard the sound and saw Wes' expression, glaring up at the sky. "What's going on?"
"You wouldn't believe it." Wes replied.
Michael looked up at the sky and gasped when he saw multiple high-tech helicopters in the air, an ornate "C" painted on the side of each with red and purple paint.
"What?!" Michael cried, "But.... that's impossible!"
"Rui!" Wes cried, rushing to the dinning room.
"Wes, what about them?!" Michael called after, pointing at the oncoming, black choppers.
"You're a strong trainer!" Wes called back, "Keep them busy! I'll be out quick! And at the same time, keep yourself safe!"
Michael gulped, as the choppers sounded louder.
"Okay. This is it." Michael breathed. He turned to face the choppers and threw out two poke'balls into the air, crying, "Altaria! Dragonite! Let's go!"
The poke'balls opened in mid-air and released Altaria and Dragonite, both dragon-type pokemon.
"Use Dragonbreath on the chopper windows!" Michael demanded as a hand rose to the sky.
Both Pokemon flew into the air, and started breathing sparkling, gold powder and electric vapor at the windows of the choppers, cracking the window glass and blinding the pilots.
* * *
Meanwhile, Wes was rushing inside, looking for Rui and the other.
"Wes! Over here!"
Wes turned to spot the others at a table near the center, with Rui's hand waving the air.
Wes rushed to the table, and grabbed Rui by the arm.
"Hey!" Rui snapped, as she was hoisted out of her seat by the alarmed 22-year-old.
"Wes, what's gotten into you?!" Eagun snapped.
"Rui, I need you to identify some Pokemon." Wes explained.
"Can't you do that?" Rui retorted, "I gave a Poke'dex, didn't I?"
"I'm not talking about physical appearances here, Rui." Wes answered darkly.
Rui thought for a second, then gasped. "You don't mean..."
"I do mean it." Wes replied.
Professor Krane shot up from his seat. "Where's Michael?" he asked.
"He's distracting outside." Wes replied, only to be grabbed by the collar and yelled at by Professor Krane.
"ARE YOU INSANE?!" Professor Krane snapped, causing attention to be automatically spurred to the table's direction. "There are deadly criminals with deadly pokemon out there, and the best you could do is leave an eleven-year-old boy as distraction?!"
"Calm yourself, professor." Eagun said, placing a hand on Professor Krane's shoulder, "You're drawing attention to our group. And don't worry about Michael. We all know how strong he is. He'll survive, don't worry. He's also very small, so he can hide behind stacks of crates whenever necessary."
Professor Krane took a shallow intake of breath, before dropping Wes' collar. He tried to compose himself, but ended up rushing out of the dining room with a metal suitcase in hand instead.
"Follow him." Eagun said.
Wes and Rui turned towards the mythical trainer with shocked expressions.
"What?" Rui gasped.
"You heard me." Eagun replied, "Professor Krane is considered as one of the most respected professors in the world. A man like that in Cipher's hostage, and who knows how we'll survive."
"Well, you heard the man." Wes said, and then ran towards his and Rui's dorm.
* * *
"Michael!" Professor Krane cried, hiding from the enemy whenever necessary, "Michael!"
Michael heard someone calling his name.
"Is that...?" Michael whispered, and then cried; poking his head over a stack of crates he was hiding behind, "Professor Krane! Over here!"
Professor Krane looked at Michael's direction, then started running towards him.
As Professor Krane hid beside him, Michael hissed, "Professor, it's dangerous out here!"
"You need this back." Professor Krane replied, handing him the suitcase.
Michael stared at it dubiously, and then accepted the case. He opened it and got a wide-eyed response.
"This is...."
"I know." Professor Krane replied, "But since Cipher's back, we really have no choice. Remember how to use it."
"Okay." Michael nodded, as he closed the case. Just as he did, the boxes that the two were hiding behind shattered into a million pieces.
"Get down!" Professor Krane cried, shielding Michael from the impact and the wood splinters.
When the shattering stopped, Michael and Professor Krane gasped when they saw a Hypno, staring back at them with dark eyes.
"Something tells me that Hypno isn't normal...." Michael growled through gritted teeth.
* * *
"Wes, why are we here?!" Rui snapped, as the two charged into their dorm.
"They have Shadow Pokemon, I'm sure of it!" Wes replied, as he opened a black, narrow case that he got out from under his bed. "And the only way to heal them," - Wes took out the Snag Machine from the case and strapped it on - "Is to snag them."
"The Snag Machine," Rui exclaimed, "Does it still work?"
"Only one way to find out." Wes replied, as he rushed to the outside deck through their porthole window. Rui quickly followed.
Avoiding the eyes of Cipher, Wes and Rui rushed across the decks, until they heard a large CRASH!
The two stopped dead in their tracks.
"Isn't Michael and Professor Krane around that area?" Rui exclaimed.
"Let's go!" Wes cried, as he rushed to the scene. A Hypno had destroyed several crates to bits, leaving the professor and Michael caught in a dead corner.
Rui rushed after Wes, but gasped as a vision forced her to stop mid-way, almost knocking her over backwards.
The Hypno had a dark blue aura, sparking and bubbling with shadows. Its eyes were dark and lifeless.
"Wes!" Rui cried, causing the 22-year-old to stop in his tracks.
"What?!" Wes called back.
"The Hypno!" Rui cried, "It's a Shadow Pokemon!"
Wes grimaced, then turned back to the events nearby.
"It's going to use Shadow Rush!" Rui screamed, as the Hypno began to gather a dark aura.
"Not so fast!" Wes cried, throwing two poke'balls into the air. "Espeon! Umbreon! Use Psybeam and Secret Power!"
In flashes of white light, the two Eeveelutions appeared out of their poke'balls. As soon as they were released, Espeon used Psybeam, and Umbreon used Secret Power simultaneously, weakening the Hypno, and interrupting the Shadow Rush attack.
"Wes! Throw the snag ball! Now!" Rui called.
Let's hope this works!
Wes booted a poke'ball into the Snag Machine, and extended his arm with the Snag Machine, his palm wide open. The machine whirred as the poke'ball was being transformed into a snag ball in the machine.
Through the glove, the snag ball appeared, glowing brightly. Wes grabbed the ball in his hand, and cried as he threw the snag ball, "Snag Ball! Go!"
The glowing poke'ball hit the weak Hypno, and captured it in a flurry of white lights.
The ball shook, as the young man had his eyes locked onto it. He did not dare blink, in fear that it might escape through its metal confines.
The snag ball shook once, then stood still.
Rui held her breath, hands clamped together, as she prayed for the Hypno to be caught.
The snag ball shook twice, then stood still.
Michael's expression was furrowed, as he gritted his teeth in suspicion.
The snag ball shook three times, and then, with a final, hollow ping!, it stood still.
"Gotcha!" Wes smirked. That was a close one.
Wes was about to get the Hypno, until a Cipher Peon dressed in a silver outfit and a blue bandana around his neck beated him to it.
"Hey!" Michael snapped, jumping onto his feet, "Give that back!"
"What, we're peacemakers all of a sudden?" the peon laughed, taunting the others with the snag ball being tossed in his hand, "You honestly think we're gonna give this back?"
As Michael gritted his teeth in anger and told Professor Krane to go back inside, Wes closed his eyes, head down, deep in thought. Rui looked at Wes worriedly.
"Very well then." Wes finally said, as all looks on him were either shocked or dubious.
Wes took out a metal stick from his coat pocket, then flipped it open on both sides, extending it into a silver rod.
"We'll take it back by force."
The rod was steadied in front of Wes, as a weapon prepared to fight with.
"Wha-?" another Cipher wondered out loud.
"Whoa, hey!" the peon exclaimed, "You mean.... human combat?!"
"I don't want to bring the Pokemon into a matter of obtaining what I have already fairly caught." Wes explained, in his usual, cold tone, "And since you refuse to make a fair deal, or just hand it over, I have no choice but to do human combat."
As the two peons grimaced, Rui studied Wes' face. It was cold and still: his neutral face.
Rui gasped, nearly fainting from shock, when Wes turned his head to face her.
"Do I have to face these two imbeciles alone?" Wes asked.
Rui straightened herself, then furrowed. With a huff, Rui shook her head furiously.
"Then grab a pipe or something, and let's go." Wes smirked.
"Don't forget me!" Michael grunted, as he pulled on a rusted piece of bent metal until it broke.
"Then we're allowed to have back up!" the first peon smirked. As if on cue, three more Ciphers dropped from the upper balcony, and down onto the main balcony.
"Five against three?!" Michael snapped, "That's not fair!"
"Michael's right!" Rui cried, "You have more teammates than we do!"
"It's okay." Wes said.
"WHAT?!" Michael exclaimed.
"Wes, are you insane?!" Rui snapped angrily, as she found a broken piece of pipe.
"Trust me." Wes replied, "Just... trust me."
Rui furrowed in thought, then finally, after a pout, she gave in, saying, "Fine. I'll trust you. Now, Michael! You heard him! Give it your all!"
"Let's go!" Wes cried, as he and the first Cipher Peon charged into battle.
When the weapons clashed, the others quickly followed.
Turns out, the first Cipher was Skrub, from 6 years ago at the Relic Stone. What a nice choice.
"So, Wes." Skrub grunted, as he tried to break Wes' defense, "We meet again. After you snagged my Hitmontop, I've had a pretty harsh fall from my stand with Cipher. Now, I'm a walking humiliation of the organization! You ruined my career, Snagger!"
Wes grunted as he repelled Skrub's weapon and struck with his own, only to be met with Skrub's defense.
With a smirk, Wes said, "You're welcome." before continuing the battle.
With Michael, he was fighting Naps, the Cipher that he snagged the Teddiursa from. Metal and metal clashed together, as they both used metal-based weapons to go up against each other.
"Oh, great!" Naps growled, "You're back. I thought we got rid of you when we lost!"
Michael grunted as he fought back Naps' offense, then cried sarcastically, "Oh, well that's a nice 'welcome back!'"
Michael slashed with his weapon, and broke Naps' defense temporarily, before the metal clashing resumed.
Poor Rui was stuck with three Cipher Peons, each one ganging up on her every other minute.
"Stay back!" Rui grunted, hitting an oncoming peon each time.
Thank god, I know how to fight! Rui thought, while she was throwing every offense she had at the oncoming sea of Ciphers, I guess those Kumdo lessons from grandpa were useful!
Rui continued to block and repel her oncoming offensive blows, until her weapon was slapped out of her hands.
"Ow!" she yelped, clutching her hit hand. Rui gasped as she ducked to avoid the metal club in a peon's hands.
"Wes!" Rui cried, as she was beginning to get cornered on the deck.
"What?!" Wes snapped, throwing back Skrub far enough for a five-second conversation.
"I thought you said it'll be okay!" Rui screamed, as she ducked an oncoming blow. At that moment, while going down, she saw her pipe by her feet. She picked it up with no hesitation, and slammed it against the peon's ankles, causing them the scream in pain and bent over slightly. Rui took the moment to stand and knock the peon out called by a whack on the nerve.
"Finally!" Rui sighed, only to gasp when two peons assaulted on either side of her.
"A little closer, and..."
With a battle cry, Rui whacked one peon on the nerve, and as he collapsed, she automatically whacked the other Peon's nerve, knocking him out cold.
Wes was wide-eyed as he watched this, the others staring at Rui, horrified. Everything seemed to stop.
Finally, Wes said smoothly, "Like I said. Everything's gonna be okay."
"That's all you can say?!" Naps cried in disbelief, before being knocked out by Michael, after he hit him on his nerve with the piece of rusted metal.
After watching Naps collapse like a rag doll, Michael frowned. "That's gonna leave a mark."
"You idiot!" Skrub cried, as he backed away from the two snaggers.
"Game over, Skrub." Wes furrowed.
"Well, you may have won." Skrub replied, holding up the snag ball with Hypno inside, "But I still got the Hypno. So, none the less, I still-"
Skrub never finished his rant, because a second in, he gets hit by a broken pipe on the nerve, and drops the snag ball as he is knocked out. Rui caught the snag ball that was thrown in the air when Skrub blacked out, just before gravity could get a hold of it.
The two boys just stared at Rui, Wes' eyes wide and face pale, while Michael had the wide-eyes, dropped jaw, and loss of speech.
Rui shrugged, tossing Hypno's ball to Wes casually. "That was easy."
The story of "Band of Heroes" began when I found my old game, "Pokemon Colosseum." I began playing it again, starting over, considering that catching the shadow legendaries began getting harder with stronger pokemon. So, I restarted the game, and I soon got inspired to do two things: write a doujinshi based on the game, and a fanfic sequel to the two games, Colosseum and XD: Gale of Darkness.
So, I present to you, the first chapter of "Pokemon: Band of Heroes," Chapter One: Fate. Please read and review!
Chapter One: Fate
Location: S.S. Dreamer Luxury Cruise - Near Gateon Port
Time: 12:10pm - 8/06/2018
11-year-old Michael laughed with joy as he rushed out onto the balcony of the S.S. Dreamer. The summer sun shone brightly onto the ship, as the ocean winds whistled gently in Michael's ears.
Michael leaned over the metal balcony, and gazed out into the endless ocean, the city of Gateon Port only being a small dot in the distant to his left.
"Beautiful!" Michael breathed, as his little sister, Jovi, joined him, "Don't you think, Jovi?"
6-year-old Jovi grunted as she tried to pull herself onto the balcony without any luck. Finally, she gave up and wailed, "Jovi can't see!"
"Oh!" Michael exclaimed, and hoisted Jovi onto the wooden box between him and the edge of the ship.
Jovi leaned over on the balcony and gazed in awe at the wide sea, sparkling in the afternoon sun.
"Ooh..." Jovi cooed, blue hair rustling in the sea salt wind, "Pretty...."
"Yeah…" Michael breathed, moving to an open area beside his sister. He leaned over the balcony and sighed in content, as he watched the vast, sparkling ocean. "Wish everything was this pretty."
"Is Jovi pretty, too, big brother?" Jovi asked, looking at Michael and away from the sea.
"Yup," Michael replied with a nod and smile. He turned his head to face his little sister. "Just like the ocean."
Meanwhile, at the far side of the same balcony, a 22-year-old young teen named Wes stared out into the ocean, as the afternoon sun soon began to set slowly in the horizon. The waves of the ocean gently lapped at the side of the cruise, making the area a place of relaxation.
But as all of this was calming, Wes' mind was far from the beauty and comfort of the liner and ocean.
I can't shake off the feeling..... That something's wrong....
"Esp?"
Wes jumped slightly, as he was pulled out of his thoughts by the pokemon's cry. He looked down to see his Espeon and Umbreon at his feet, peering up at him with large eyes, full of worry.
"You feel it, too, huh?" Wes asked his pokemon.
The two nodded in agreement.
When Wes was a little boy, before being found by Team Snagem, his only companions were his Espeon and his Umbreon. His parents had been missing for a while, and no orphanage could hold him. It was a dark time in Orre then, and Wes was one of the unfortunate ones to be stuck out onto the streets. And even has he grew up, while being a snagger for Team Snagem, and to being a hero, they were still by his side, through the thick, and through the thin.
"Wipe that worried look off your face and start enjoying yourself!"
Wes turned to come face to face with a hyper college student wearing a blue coat with pink trimming, a purple tank-top, a white mini-skirt, black, knee-high socks, and pink boots that reached just below her knees. She was an old friend that Wes has been traveling with for the past six years. Her name was Rui, and she was - believe it or not - the same age as Wes.
Wes and Rui first met in Phenac, when Wes saved Rui from two thugs that worked for Miror B of Team Cipher. They soon later learned that the reason for Rui's abduction was because she had the ability to see the dark auras of the Shadow Pokemon that Cipher had been producing. Since then, the two have traveled and worked together in saving the Orre Region from Shadow Pokemon.
"You know how hard that is for me." Wes frowned, before facing the sea again.
"But, you could at least try." Rui said, leaning backwards against the balcony and facing Wes. "Look. Grandpa was real generous to let us come with him to the cruise, and we're going to give him thanks by enjoying the time here, okay?"
Wes only closed his eyes and huffed. He was beginning to miss his days fighting Cipher.
Rui sighed, and then looked down the balcony. "Wes, look at the kids down the deck."
Wes opened his golden eyes and followed Rui's gaze. There, he saw a brother and sister, both having a great time laughing, chasing, and just having fun in general. The boy had spiky, red hair, green eyes full of youth, and pale skin. He wore a blue headband, a black t-shirt, a yellow vest, and baggy black and red-striped track pants that drooped over the laces of his shoes. He had goggles hung around his neck, bouncing up and down as the boy did, glinting and flashing in the sunlight.
The girl had blue hair in two, round baos on the top of her head, almost like round pigtails. She wore a white dress and white, knee-high boots to match, and she had aquamarine blue eyes that sparkled with innocent youth.
"What are they doing?" Rui questioned Wes, almost exasperated.
Wes was - at first - dubious about Rui's question. Then he realized what she was trying to do with him. With a sigh, Wes simply answered, "Enjoying themselves."
"Exactly!" Rui exclaimed, "That's what we should be doing! Relaxing, having fun, getting rid of those uncanny intuitions-!"
Rui was interrupted when she saw Wes' eyebrow raised and his lips formed a frown. And the way that Wes was staring at her made Rui feel like a Cleffa from outer space that has landed in a group of grass-type pokemon.
Rui started getting irritated when Wes finally closed his eyes and smirked. The thing that made her break, though, was when he chuckled, and then said - with the smug smirk still on his pale face, "Uncanny intuitions? Honestly, Rui, I don't think anybody talks like that anymore, unless they're those elders who are stuck in the late 20th century."
Rui began to see red, and Wes could've sworn he saw steam pouring out of the young woman's ears. Her nose scrunched up, her lower lip stuck out into a pout, and her eyebrows narrowed. But the thing that made Wes feel like bursting out laughing right then and there was Rui's beet-red face.
Finally, like a steaming teapot that had gone too far without being uncapped, Rui exploded, "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!"
"Nothing," Wes replied simply, the smirk still stuck on his face, "Just that you talk weird."
"As in…?" Rui growled, a vein tight on her forehead, her fists clenched, her teeth gritting.
"'Uncanny intuitions'?" Wes raised an eyebrow, "Ha! You've gotta be kidding me, Rui! Only old people talk like that now! Except for those hippies...."
Rui felt like she was about to explode more than she had already. Finally, with a scream, Rui knocked Wes to the ground, as the two young adults soon found themselves getting into a riot. While Rui was trying to hit Wes' face, Wes was fighting to just repel Rui's offenses. Rui managed to slap Wes' face once. The hit left behind a red mark on the young man's pale face, and it stung like hell.
Michael and Jovi stopped playing when they saw the teens across the deck start to fight. The girl had auburn hair tied into two, short pigtails. She wore a purple, sleeve-less tube-top, a denim jacket with pink, faux fur trimmings at the seams, a white short skirt, and barrettes in her hair. She wore pink, ankle-high boots at her feet, and she had deep, blue eyes that currently sparked and fired with rage. Michael and Jovi winced when the girl managed to slap the boy on the face once.
The boy had short, spiky, pale blond hair, ghost-white skin, and golden-brown eyes that were contorted with pain and struggle from defending himself. He was wearing a strange blue, cloak-like outfit, with black pants and black boots. Underneath, he was wearing a black tank top. He had a pair of chrome goggles set on his head behind his bangs. He looked like he was trying to throw the girl off of him.
"Say you're sorry!" the girl snapped.
"Not until you get off of me!" the boy retorted.
"Not until you say sorry!"
"How long does this have to go on?"
"For as long as it has to!"
"Fine!" the boy said, the smirk he had on earlier coming back onto his face, "But I bet you can't last any longer than a minute!"
"What are you saying, that I'm weak?!" the girl snapped.
"No. I'm just saying that you're impatient sometimes. No, wait. Cross that. You're impatient all the time!"
"Grrr.... That's it!"
Michael winced as he watched the girl and boy started wrestling, trying to either defend or offend. Jovi hid behind Michael, whimpering slightly.
"Do all adults fight like that?" Jovi asked.
"Nah," Michael replied, a hand on his hip and another scratching his head, "Just those two, probably 'cause they're in love."
"Huh?" Jovi questioned dubiously, "How can a girl and a boy fighting mean they're in love?"
"It's just the way the world works with adults, I guess." Michael replied, "Unfortunately, since I'm only 11, I can't tell you anything else beyond that."
The Espeon and Umbreon sitting on top of the wooden crates looked down at the two young adults fighting, both of them sighing in annoyment simultaneously.
"Ow! Ow!" Wes cried, as Rui managed to slap Wes on the face several times.
"Say you're sorry!" Rui snapped, stopping her slapping fit for a second.
"Not until you get off of me!" Wes repeated irritation in his voice.
"What's going on here?!"
The 22-year-olds turned to face an elderly couple wearing silk robes. A Pikachu walked beside the old man.
"Grandma! Grandpa!" Rui exclaimed.
"Eagun, please get Rui off of me before I kick her off!" Wes growled.
"You wouldn't dare!" Rui snapped, turning her head to face Wes again.
Rui screamed when she was thrown off of Wes by a soft blow in the stomach. She fell with a small thud on the wooden deck, and sat up to rub her back.
Wes hoisted himself in a sitting position and smirked. "I just did."
Rui pouted. "You're no fun."
"If that's what you call fun, then you can forget me having any fun on this cruise." Wes replied, standing up and dusting off his sleeves.
"Eagun!"
All but Wes' attention - who was turned away from the group, gazing out into the ocean again - was turned to the little boy across the deck, who was waving his hand excitedly in the air while running to their group.
"Well, if it isn't young Michael!" Eagun exclaimed, as the boy named Michael arrived.
"You know him, grandpa?" Rui asked.
"Yes!" Eagun replied, "This is Michael, a trainer from the Pokemon Headquarters Lab, southwest from Agate Village. He is an exceptionally strong trainer, and the latest generation of Cipher's enemies. In other words, he took on your's and Wes' legacy."
"Hm?" Wes frowned, opening one eye and studying Michael from the corner. "You don't look strong..."
Michael puffed up his cheeks like a Bidoof, a vein of irritation on his forhead.
"Wes!" Rui snapped.
"Then again." Wes continued, facing the group again, particularly looking down at Michael.
Michael's face returned back to normal, a dubious expression plastered on his face.
Wes smirked, turning his back to the group and youth once more. "You can never judge a book by it's cover. I should know that."
* * *
Later that evening, during dinner, the two groups sat together and talked. Professor Krane started asking questions about the Relic Stone to Eagun. Lily - Michael and Jovi's mother - talked to Beluh about "woman things" (That was what she told Michael and Jovi when they asked what she and Beluh were talking about), and Rui was having fun with Michael and - particularly - Jovi. All three of them were laughing and having fun.
Michael then suddenly stopped laughing when he realized something. While Rui was sharing stories with Jovi, Michael turned to look out of the dining room window and at the deck outside. Out there, at the same spot of the balcony as earlier that day, was Wes, leaning over the balcony, staring out at the now dark sea, the pale rays of moonlight highlighting the dark waves like a black crystal in the path of a ray of light.
Michael thought about what to do for a second, then got a loaf of sweet bun from the bread basket, got his unfinished soup, and snuck outside.
Something's not right... I can feel it.
"I brought you some sweet bun."
Wes snapped out of his thoughts, and looked down to see Michael, holding his unfinished bowl of soup in one hand, and a fresh loaf of sweet bun in the other, holding it up to Wes. A broad, friendly smile was spread from cheek to cheek, making him look younger than he really was.
"Uh... thanks." Wes replied uneasily, accepting the loaf and sitting on the deck, his back against the liner's balcony wall.
Michael sat beside Wes and started eating his soup.
"So," Michael asked a moment later, "What's your story?"
Wes paused, and then swallowed a bite that he had been chewing. He then began his story:
"I was adopted by Team Snagem as a little boy, and I was trained to be a Snagger ever since. It wasn't until 6 years ago I started rebelling against their plans. The Shadow Plan, to be exact. They began to be brainwashed by Cipher, after they intruded into our hideout. I didn't mind at first, but they threatened to find my biological father and sister and use them for their dark purposes. The thought of seeing my biological father and sister again as my enemies drove me over the edge. So, I blew up the hideout, stole the portable version of the snag machine, and rode all the way from Eclo Canyon to Outskirt Stand. I didn't meet Rui until I reached Phenac, though."
"How did you guys meet?"
"Some of the Ciphers spotted her identifying a Shadow Pokemon in Pyrite, and they knew that she would interfere with their shadow plan. So, they kidnapped her, took her hostage. I first saw the sack that she was kept in at Outskirt, but I didn't actually rescue her until I got to Phenac. I defeated one of the two Ciphers that took her hostage, and they ran off, saying that the next time I see them; they'll trample me and my pokemon. They left their car and the sack behind. The lady at the front of Phenac asked me to help untie the sack open."
"Typical of Cipher." Michael grumbled, sipping a bit of soup.
Wes chuckled. "Anyway, when I opened the sack, I was surprised to see a girl in there. A typical, ordinary girl, who had absolutely no clue at where she was. One minute she's at the Duel Square in Pyrite, and the next, she's kidnapped by two thugs and brought to Phenac. And, after I met her, she started traveling with me. At first I told her I had no time, but she kept on begging me, saying that the thugs might be back for her. So, I couldn't help but say yes. And ever since I met her, she's been with me through the whole Shadow Incident, and beyond." - Wes smiled at a memory that surfaced while telling the story - "Even though she hits me sometimes, she just finds her way into different parts of my life. I guess you can say I've changed ever since. She found a way to open up myself, actually give me feelings."
Michael smiled smugly. "You like her, don't you?"
Wes glared at the 11-year-old with hard eyes. "If you're meaning by what I think you mean, then I have no idea whatever gave you the idea!"
"Jovi and I saw you guys fighting on the deck this afternoon." Michael teased through slitted eyes and a smug smile, "And I couldn't help but think you two seemed to be a couple."
Wes' glare hardened, getting more irritable by the second. This is exactly why I don't like kids...
"Okay, okay!" Michael laughed, sensing Wes' irritation. With his usual broad smile, Michael continued, "I'm sorry! I won't say anything more about it, I promise!"
Wes furrowed, and then his expression softened. It's a silly 11-year-old boy, for heaven's sake!
"Fine," Wes replied, "So, Mikey, what's your story?"
Michael's expression suddenly furrowed and a vein formed on his forehead. He gulped down his spoonful of soup, and then said, "Okay, first of all, don't call me Mikey! I never liked the name, and I never will! And, second of all...." - Michael's expression softened at his reason for chasing Cipher. The image of a tall man with pale skin, unruly red hair, and wearing a white t-shirt and jeans, a wide grin plastered onto his face, one emerald green eye winking in his memory came to Michael's mind, nearly bringing him to tears. He held back and replied, "...My father was killed by a Shadow Pokemon 6 years ago."
"Oh." Wes frowned, looking down at his sweet bun, almost like he was embarrassed by thinking that Michael was no different than any other kid in the world. "Sorry."
"It's okay." Michael replied, "It gave me a reason to fight when I was up against Cipher. One minute I'm a special trainer at HQ, and the next, I receive me first Snag Machine and Professor Krane is kidnapped by Cipher. I snagged Naps' Teddiursa, right before his band of Ciphers took off with Professor Krane in their hostage. That's how I end up at the old lab, and the whole incident starts there. When I managed to rescue Professor Krane, he told me about Eagun and the Relic Stone, and that's how I met Eagun and Beluh."
"Oh." Wes nodded, after swallowing the last of his sweet bun.
There was a short silence, before Michael exclaimed, "Well! I'm done my soup!"
Wes smiled, then furrowed when he heard the whirring wings of several choppers.
Michael's smile also disappeared when he heard the sound and saw Wes' expression, glaring up at the sky. "What's going on?"
"You wouldn't believe it." Wes replied.
Michael looked up at the sky and gasped when he saw multiple high-tech helicopters in the air, an ornate "C" painted on the side of each with red and purple paint.
"What?!" Michael cried, "But.... that's impossible!"
"Rui!" Wes cried, rushing to the dinning room.
"Wes, what about them?!" Michael called after, pointing at the oncoming, black choppers.
"You're a strong trainer!" Wes called back, "Keep them busy! I'll be out quick! And at the same time, keep yourself safe!"
Michael gulped, as the choppers sounded louder.
"Okay. This is it." Michael breathed. He turned to face the choppers and threw out two poke'balls into the air, crying, "Altaria! Dragonite! Let's go!"
The poke'balls opened in mid-air and released Altaria and Dragonite, both dragon-type pokemon.
"Use Dragonbreath on the chopper windows!" Michael demanded as a hand rose to the sky.
Both Pokemon flew into the air, and started breathing sparkling, gold powder and electric vapor at the windows of the choppers, cracking the window glass and blinding the pilots.
* * *
Meanwhile, Wes was rushing inside, looking for Rui and the other.
"Wes! Over here!"
Wes turned to spot the others at a table near the center, with Rui's hand waving the air.
Wes rushed to the table, and grabbed Rui by the arm.
"Hey!" Rui snapped, as she was hoisted out of her seat by the alarmed 22-year-old.
"Wes, what's gotten into you?!" Eagun snapped.
"Rui, I need you to identify some Pokemon." Wes explained.
"Can't you do that?" Rui retorted, "I gave a Poke'dex, didn't I?"
"I'm not talking about physical appearances here, Rui." Wes answered darkly.
Rui thought for a second, then gasped. "You don't mean..."
"I do mean it." Wes replied.
Professor Krane shot up from his seat. "Where's Michael?" he asked.
"He's distracting outside." Wes replied, only to be grabbed by the collar and yelled at by Professor Krane.
"ARE YOU INSANE?!" Professor Krane snapped, causing attention to be automatically spurred to the table's direction. "There are deadly criminals with deadly pokemon out there, and the best you could do is leave an eleven-year-old boy as distraction?!"
"Calm yourself, professor." Eagun said, placing a hand on Professor Krane's shoulder, "You're drawing attention to our group. And don't worry about Michael. We all know how strong he is. He'll survive, don't worry. He's also very small, so he can hide behind stacks of crates whenever necessary."
Professor Krane took a shallow intake of breath, before dropping Wes' collar. He tried to compose himself, but ended up rushing out of the dining room with a metal suitcase in hand instead.
"Follow him." Eagun said.
Wes and Rui turned towards the mythical trainer with shocked expressions.
"What?" Rui gasped.
"You heard me." Eagun replied, "Professor Krane is considered as one of the most respected professors in the world. A man like that in Cipher's hostage, and who knows how we'll survive."
"Well, you heard the man." Wes said, and then ran towards his and Rui's dorm.
* * *
"Michael!" Professor Krane cried, hiding from the enemy whenever necessary, "Michael!"
Michael heard someone calling his name.
"Is that...?" Michael whispered, and then cried; poking his head over a stack of crates he was hiding behind, "Professor Krane! Over here!"
Professor Krane looked at Michael's direction, then started running towards him.
As Professor Krane hid beside him, Michael hissed, "Professor, it's dangerous out here!"
"You need this back." Professor Krane replied, handing him the suitcase.
Michael stared at it dubiously, and then accepted the case. He opened it and got a wide-eyed response.
"This is...."
"I know." Professor Krane replied, "But since Cipher's back, we really have no choice. Remember how to use it."
"Okay." Michael nodded, as he closed the case. Just as he did, the boxes that the two were hiding behind shattered into a million pieces.
"Get down!" Professor Krane cried, shielding Michael from the impact and the wood splinters.
When the shattering stopped, Michael and Professor Krane gasped when they saw a Hypno, staring back at them with dark eyes.
"Something tells me that Hypno isn't normal...." Michael growled through gritted teeth.
* * *
"Wes, why are we here?!" Rui snapped, as the two charged into their dorm.
"They have Shadow Pokemon, I'm sure of it!" Wes replied, as he opened a black, narrow case that he got out from under his bed. "And the only way to heal them," - Wes took out the Snag Machine from the case and strapped it on - "Is to snag them."
"The Snag Machine," Rui exclaimed, "Does it still work?"
"Only one way to find out." Wes replied, as he rushed to the outside deck through their porthole window. Rui quickly followed.
Avoiding the eyes of Cipher, Wes and Rui rushed across the decks, until they heard a large CRASH!
The two stopped dead in their tracks.
"Isn't Michael and Professor Krane around that area?" Rui exclaimed.
"Let's go!" Wes cried, as he rushed to the scene. A Hypno had destroyed several crates to bits, leaving the professor and Michael caught in a dead corner.
Rui rushed after Wes, but gasped as a vision forced her to stop mid-way, almost knocking her over backwards.
The Hypno had a dark blue aura, sparking and bubbling with shadows. Its eyes were dark and lifeless.
"Wes!" Rui cried, causing the 22-year-old to stop in his tracks.
"What?!" Wes called back.
"The Hypno!" Rui cried, "It's a Shadow Pokemon!"
Wes grimaced, then turned back to the events nearby.
"It's going to use Shadow Rush!" Rui screamed, as the Hypno began to gather a dark aura.
"Not so fast!" Wes cried, throwing two poke'balls into the air. "Espeon! Umbreon! Use Psybeam and Secret Power!"
In flashes of white light, the two Eeveelutions appeared out of their poke'balls. As soon as they were released, Espeon used Psybeam, and Umbreon used Secret Power simultaneously, weakening the Hypno, and interrupting the Shadow Rush attack.
"Wes! Throw the snag ball! Now!" Rui called.
Let's hope this works!
Wes booted a poke'ball into the Snag Machine, and extended his arm with the Snag Machine, his palm wide open. The machine whirred as the poke'ball was being transformed into a snag ball in the machine.
Through the glove, the snag ball appeared, glowing brightly. Wes grabbed the ball in his hand, and cried as he threw the snag ball, "Snag Ball! Go!"
The glowing poke'ball hit the weak Hypno, and captured it in a flurry of white lights.
The ball shook, as the young man had his eyes locked onto it. He did not dare blink, in fear that it might escape through its metal confines.
The snag ball shook once, then stood still.
Rui held her breath, hands clamped together, as she prayed for the Hypno to be caught.
The snag ball shook twice, then stood still.
Michael's expression was furrowed, as he gritted his teeth in suspicion.
The snag ball shook three times, and then, with a final, hollow ping!, it stood still.
"Gotcha!" Wes smirked. That was a close one.
Wes was about to get the Hypno, until a Cipher Peon dressed in a silver outfit and a blue bandana around his neck beated him to it.
"Hey!" Michael snapped, jumping onto his feet, "Give that back!"
"What, we're peacemakers all of a sudden?" the peon laughed, taunting the others with the snag ball being tossed in his hand, "You honestly think we're gonna give this back?"
As Michael gritted his teeth in anger and told Professor Krane to go back inside, Wes closed his eyes, head down, deep in thought. Rui looked at Wes worriedly.
"Very well then." Wes finally said, as all looks on him were either shocked or dubious.
Wes took out a metal stick from his coat pocket, then flipped it open on both sides, extending it into a silver rod.
"We'll take it back by force."
The rod was steadied in front of Wes, as a weapon prepared to fight with.
"Wha-?" another Cipher wondered out loud.
"Whoa, hey!" the peon exclaimed, "You mean.... human combat?!"
"I don't want to bring the Pokemon into a matter of obtaining what I have already fairly caught." Wes explained, in his usual, cold tone, "And since you refuse to make a fair deal, or just hand it over, I have no choice but to do human combat."
As the two peons grimaced, Rui studied Wes' face. It was cold and still: his neutral face.
Rui gasped, nearly fainting from shock, when Wes turned his head to face her.
"Do I have to face these two imbeciles alone?" Wes asked.
Rui straightened herself, then furrowed. With a huff, Rui shook her head furiously.
"Then grab a pipe or something, and let's go." Wes smirked.
"Don't forget me!" Michael grunted, as he pulled on a rusted piece of bent metal until it broke.
"Then we're allowed to have back up!" the first peon smirked. As if on cue, three more Ciphers dropped from the upper balcony, and down onto the main balcony.
"Five against three?!" Michael snapped, "That's not fair!"
"Michael's right!" Rui cried, "You have more teammates than we do!"
"It's okay." Wes said.
"WHAT?!" Michael exclaimed.
"Wes, are you insane?!" Rui snapped angrily, as she found a broken piece of pipe.
"Trust me." Wes replied, "Just... trust me."
Rui furrowed in thought, then finally, after a pout, she gave in, saying, "Fine. I'll trust you. Now, Michael! You heard him! Give it your all!"
"Let's go!" Wes cried, as he and the first Cipher Peon charged into battle.
When the weapons clashed, the others quickly followed.
Turns out, the first Cipher was Skrub, from 6 years ago at the Relic Stone. What a nice choice.
"So, Wes." Skrub grunted, as he tried to break Wes' defense, "We meet again. After you snagged my Hitmontop, I've had a pretty harsh fall from my stand with Cipher. Now, I'm a walking humiliation of the organization! You ruined my career, Snagger!"
Wes grunted as he repelled Skrub's weapon and struck with his own, only to be met with Skrub's defense.
With a smirk, Wes said, "You're welcome." before continuing the battle.
With Michael, he was fighting Naps, the Cipher that he snagged the Teddiursa from. Metal and metal clashed together, as they both used metal-based weapons to go up against each other.
"Oh, great!" Naps growled, "You're back. I thought we got rid of you when we lost!"
Michael grunted as he fought back Naps' offense, then cried sarcastically, "Oh, well that's a nice 'welcome back!'"
Michael slashed with his weapon, and broke Naps' defense temporarily, before the metal clashing resumed.
Poor Rui was stuck with three Cipher Peons, each one ganging up on her every other minute.
"Stay back!" Rui grunted, hitting an oncoming peon each time.
Thank god, I know how to fight! Rui thought, while she was throwing every offense she had at the oncoming sea of Ciphers, I guess those Kumdo lessons from grandpa were useful!
Rui continued to block and repel her oncoming offensive blows, until her weapon was slapped out of her hands.
"Ow!" she yelped, clutching her hit hand. Rui gasped as she ducked to avoid the metal club in a peon's hands.
"Wes!" Rui cried, as she was beginning to get cornered on the deck.
"What?!" Wes snapped, throwing back Skrub far enough for a five-second conversation.
"I thought you said it'll be okay!" Rui screamed, as she ducked an oncoming blow. At that moment, while going down, she saw her pipe by her feet. She picked it up with no hesitation, and slammed it against the peon's ankles, causing them the scream in pain and bent over slightly. Rui took the moment to stand and knock the peon out called by a whack on the nerve.
"Finally!" Rui sighed, only to gasp when two peons assaulted on either side of her.
"A little closer, and..."
With a battle cry, Rui whacked one peon on the nerve, and as he collapsed, she automatically whacked the other Peon's nerve, knocking him out cold.
Wes was wide-eyed as he watched this, the others staring at Rui, horrified. Everything seemed to stop.
Finally, Wes said smoothly, "Like I said. Everything's gonna be okay."
"That's all you can say?!" Naps cried in disbelief, before being knocked out by Michael, after he hit him on his nerve with the piece of rusted metal.
After watching Naps collapse like a rag doll, Michael frowned. "That's gonna leave a mark."
"You idiot!" Skrub cried, as he backed away from the two snaggers.
"Game over, Skrub." Wes furrowed.
"Well, you may have won." Skrub replied, holding up the snag ball with Hypno inside, "But I still got the Hypno. So, none the less, I still-"
Skrub never finished his rant, because a second in, he gets hit by a broken pipe on the nerve, and drops the snag ball as he is knocked out. Rui caught the snag ball that was thrown in the air when Skrub blacked out, just before gravity could get a hold of it.
The two boys just stared at Rui, Wes' eyes wide and face pale, while Michael had the wide-eyes, dropped jaw, and loss of speech.
Rui shrugged, tossing Hypno's ball to Wes casually. "That was easy."