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Chapter 35: Of Steeds and Shipwrecks

Thomas threw his jacket on as he and Jeremy left the Gym, hoping to cover the stains from recent events. Seeing a banner with Quartz on it in a battle pose, he thought back past the showers to the fight and remembered Dusty's evolution. “I can't believe he evolved right in the middle of it all!" Jeremy nodded, remembering the fight from a different point of view as he massaged his lower jaw. Something out of the corner of the pokemon's eye caught his attention and he pointed down the street. Thomas followed his gaze to see the image of a rearing rapidash above the word 'Saddlery'. “Not a bad idea, that." He mused, once again pulled along by the assertive Hakamo-o.

After several paces the two fell into a common step, the walk taking little time as they perused the various shopfronts past the mid-afternoon pedestrian traffic. It would be a few hours before quitting time for most stores back in Milra, though given Sidna was such a hive of activity Thomas assumed they would be open longer given it was the end of the work week and he'd seen various signs indicating something called 'Late Night Shopping.' So there was plenty of time for him to get Dusty some new things before the shops closed.

The stares he was getting walking down the street were a mix of interest in Jeremy, and an almost celebrity type of recognition from the multitude of flyers and newspaper front pages he'd been on; some of the former still taped to lamp posts as they walked past. Thomas found one in particularly good condition and managed to extract it from the several layers of tape, folding it away into a pocket for later. Jeremy looked at him quizzically. “Hey, not every day you get a wanted poster." Jeremy spotted a badly coloured flyer with a blurry photo of himself and pointed at Thomas to take it down as well, which the trainer did quite happily.

Jeremy held the piece of paper to get a better look at it and grinned, pointing to the significantly higher reward before jabbing an elbow in his trainer's ribs playfully. <I see they understand who's got more power in our relationship.> He chuckled.

“Is that so?" Thomas replied, surprising himself after a moment's consideration. The two stopped, looking back and forth trying to figure out if they actually understood one another before a short, sharp blast of a car horn snapped them back to reality. They had stopped on a crosswalk in front of a particularly irate driver, who was now performing a veritable symphony on the monotone air horn. They quickly pulled to the side, Thomas forgetting what had caused them to stop in the first place. But Jeremy remembered, and the city street was no place to talk about it, so he held back for now.

A minute or two later they were standing in front of a large pokemon store, which according to the tagline under 'Sorraia's Saddlery' catered to those with mountable pokemon. The notion that he'd been mounted by pokemon more than they had been by him flitted through his mind, causing him a cheeky smile. Jermey saw the man's thought process and rolled his eyes, pushing in through the double doors. Thomas followed suit and soon they were walking past the first row of shelves.

It didn't take long for a store clerk to show up. “Good afternoon, is there anything I can help you out with today?" asked the man. He was a good head shorter than Thomas - closer in height to Jeremy - and dressed in the company's white pants and orange polo, the name 'Steve' emblazoned on a nametag.

“Uh, yeah." Thomas fumbled for Dusty's ball and unclipped it from the belt. “Dusty- uh, my Mudbray evolved during a Gym battle." He gestured as to whether he could release the aforementioned pokemon in the store and Steve nodded enthusiastically. Thomas pressed the button and with the telltale popping noise and flash, Dusty appeared in the wider than usual aisle.

“Congratulations!" Steve patted the Surfsdale's neck and shoulder, his head out of reach of the shorter man. “You said during a battle?"

“Just fought the Fire Gym." Thomas boasted, showing off his new pin attached to his remaining bracer. He made a mental note that he'd have to get both him and Kiera another bracer. “Dusty evolved after taking down Obsidian, the uh, 'normal' Incineroar." Jeremy gave Thomas a sideways glance. “Well, these two together took him down." He said pulling Jeremy into a sideways hug while throwing an arm over Dusty's neck to hug his head as well.

“Bet that got the other challengers cheering." Steve chuckled, stroking the short hair down Dusty's flank. “So you've come to pick up some care items more suitable for Dusty here, given he'd be a little bigger than he was this morning."

“Just a tad." Thomas smiled, gesturing with his thumb and forefinger an inch apart. “At the very least, probably gonna need some different treats. Maybe a saddle?" Dusty humphed, the blast of air from his nose enough to startle Steve. “HA! Maybe not." Thomas mused, patting the pokemon on his shoulder. “I just wanna make sure I can take care of him properly. He… Saved my life a while back." Thomas rested his head against the Surfsdale's muzzle. “The least I can do is make sure he's properly taken care of."

Jeremy raised an eyebrow, considering everything he'd done for Thomas as well, then realised how deeply connected they were and how much his Trainer - his lover - had been doing for him. Not just the armour polish or specialised poketreats but the love and comfort, the trust he had in the Hakamo-o far outweighed any material benefit. Jeremy smiled - conceding Dusty this point - as Thomas asked for a basic rundown on how to take care of this Vandimland variant of a Mudsdale.

The clerk dragged the three around several aisles of product, from brushes to shampoos, slowly loading up a basket with essentials. There was a sand improver recommended for the mud around his hooves, a moisturiser for any treks through the harsh interior of the nation, and even some nutrient paste for the flower growing behind Dusty's left ear. Once all the necessary items had been collected - Thomas politely refusing anything that wouldn't fit into his already weighty pack back at the hotel - Steve rung everything up using a portable point-of-sale and led the three to one of the back rooms, to give Thomas a run down on proper brushing techniques and the like.

This is where Jeremy bowed out. He was getting peckish and unless he dragged Thomas out of the store to find food, he wasn't going to be eating anytime soon with the pack containing poketreats still back at the hotel. He stole a kiss from Thomas when Steve was busy applying the moisturiser to Dusty's hooves with the applicator brush, and disappeared inside his ball.

A short while later Steve had finished showing Thomas the basics. “Is there anything else I can help with?" Steve asked, but Thomas just looked to Dusty and shook his head. “Well, you're welcome to stay here for a while and finish what I started. Just remember; firm brush first, soft brush second."

“Firm First, Soft second. Got it." He gave a thumbs up to the clerk who bade them goodbye and closed the door behind him. “So, how's it feel?" Dusty whinnied, rearing up playfully before trotting around, his much larger hooves striking the ground with solid thuds as he circled Thomas. “I take it you're enjoying being the biggest, strongest pokemon I've had the pleasure of meeting." Dusty held his proud head high, grinning as he looked down to his trainer. “C'mon, I need to swing through a clothes store after this, so let's get you properly brushed."

Thomas started at Dusty's neck with the stiff brush in hand, stroking back along his thick muscular frame. With each stroke, Thomas felt the pokemon shudder a little, though he wasn't sure if it was because of the strange sensation or if he was doing it wrong. He adjusted his grip on the brush and continued, with the occasional grunt from Dusty as he approached the pokemon's hindquarters. After working across his belly and around the reddy brown haunches, Thomas kneeled down to get Dusty's hind legs, which is when he saw it.

Twitching only a couple feet in front of him was Dusty's rather sizeable - and still relatively flaccid - black, glistening member. Thomas' hands paused as he took in the sight, and after a few seconds Dusty turned his head to see why his trainer had stopped. He grunted, forcing the cock to throb and bounce, Thomas following the meaty rod as it bobbed up and down before his eyes. He tried to keep focusing on Dusty's coat and managed to finish all but the mane and tail before curiosity got the better of him.

Ensuring the door separating them from the rest of the store was locked, Thomas walked over face to face with Dusty. “May I?" he asked, gesturing to the large pokemon's nethers. The huge muzzle leaned forwards to Thomas's face, a long tongue licking up his neck and over his chin. Thomas experimentally opened his mouth and Dusty gladly took the invitation, thrusting his long, thick tongue into Thomas' throat as he leant in to have their lips meet. The act took Thomas by surprise but he quickly adapted, running his hands along Dusty's muzzle to his cheeks and ears, tongue unable to do much more than struggle against the underside of the Surfsdale's more powerful muscle.

Dusty showed his strength, and Thomas immediately fell in line. As their lips parted he fell to all fours, crawling between the pokemon's front legs to face the throbbing cock head on. He knelt in front of it and with nervous hands reached out to hold it. Like the other water types he'd encountered, Dusty seemed to be able to provide his own kind of lubrication in much larger amounts. As Thomas stroked the massive member, the pokemon's pre flowed from it's tip. It was almost oily in it's consistency, and felt like a thinned down lube. He collected palmfuls of it to slather the black member, sliding his hands from the tip, past the ring midway to its base. With each stroke it throbbed and grew, far exceeding the man's arm in length and girth.

It was a tempting thought that glanced through Thomas' mind, far too tempting to refuse. He waited for Dusty's cock to throb. Then closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Thomas opened wide and slid his mouth around the head. Dusty whinnied, hooved feet shifting about from the pleasure as Thomas' mouth was filled almost beyond capacity. He massaged up the shaft, his hands working the already lathered pre up and down soft black skin as his tongue slid against the underside.

A sizeable spurt of pre exploded against the back of Thomas throat and poured back over his occupied tongue. The flavour was wonderful; almost like Pamtre juice; despite the dry taste, it felt super hydrating. Thomas swallowed the next spurt of pre that struck the back of his throat, lubricating himself for the insanity he was about to proceed with. Thomas got back on all fours and now angled better he crawled slowly forward, further impaling his mouth upon the thick black rod of his pokemon.

Dusty grunted, tip-tapping his hooves on the floor as he was given a slow and sensual throat fuck, the first in this new form. He'd had fun with Thomas way back on Route 13, though at the time he was on the receiving end. Back then he more wanted to please his newfound trainer out of some strange desire. But since Owlra he'd not felt that same feeling, that need. He was just happy to be part of the team. Then there was the massage parlour the night before. Lisa - the mudbray who had seen to him - was quite enthused to have him around, and after the official massage, the two ended up coupling. Dusty remarked how different the act was with one of his own kind - as opposed to a sligoo - and while it felt glorious to release in that tight philly, there was a certain level of taboo that was lacking. But with his trainer gulping down the Surfsdale's lengthy member, Dusty felt that lewdness in full force.

As Thomas reached the medial ring he felt his lungs begin to burn and pulled back to catch his breath. Dusty grunted at the quick replacement of the man's warm mouth with a cool breeze, but understood the man had to breathe. Thomas took a second to gather himself, licking his lips to taste Dusty's pre properly. “Damn you're tasty." He muttered, patting the huge pokemon's belly. Dusty whinnied appreciatively at the comment, shaking his head to swish his golden blonde mane about. “Yeah, you know it." He chuckled before lining himself up with the cock once more.

He opened wide and crawled forward, gulping down inch after inch of the massive tool. Once he reached the medial ring for a second time, Thomas' jaw ached. He felt well over a foot of Dusty's cock pulsing in his throat, filling his belly with the tasty precum and just wanted to stay there suckling from the Surfsdale forever. But with his throat convulsing and lungs burning, he knew he could not. He hummed mournfully, pulling back off Dusty's member with a smack of his lips. The pokemon turned his head to give Thomas a questioning glare. “Hey, don't look at me like that," He sighed “You're about to get a much better deal."

Dusty raised an eyebrow as Thomas slid his pants off. Without hesitation, the man did an about face underneath the massive Surfsdale, pressing his rear against the throbbing head of Dusty's member. Another burst of pre flowed from the pokemon, coating the first few inches of the man's rectum in the slippery lubricant. The two both sighed from the sensation, but as Thomas was about to back up onto the mighty member, Dusty decided to take the initiative and swung his hips forward. The first pass pushed against the man's ring before bending then flicking up onto his back. With an amused grin the pokemon continued forward until his weighty balls slapped against thomas' own, the head of the black member peeking over thomas shoulder.

“Arceus help me…" Thomas moaned as he turned his head, kissing the cock gently before Dusty could withdraw. Thomas felt the cock slide down his back, tracing its way with a trail of pre until it fell between his cheeks to bob in the air once more. “You can do it." Thomas encouraged his pokemon, rubbing a hand up and down Dusty's front leg comfortingly. He needn't have worried, the next quick thrust speared Thomas' arse quite effectively, disappearing the first few inches in one go. “NNNNnnnnnggggg…" He groaned, trying not to cry out and alert the staff or other customers to his current predicament.

But Dusty was undeterred. With a few spurts of his liquid velvet inside Thomas arse, the Surfsdale forged ahead inch by girthy inch. For Thomas, the Rhyperior had been far thicker, but nowhere near as long. Dusty's cock pushed through his insides, bulging his stomach in the process until the pokemon's ring popped inside. Only a few inches later and it was as deep as he could go, two foot of Surfsdale cock embedded in the trainer's arse. Dusty held himself there, letting Thomas feel the thumping of his heartbeat and revel in each pulse of pre rhythmically splattering against his inner walls.

Thomas was already out of breath. Perhaps it was the nature of being mounted like that, or the position. Or perhaps his lungs were being compressed from two foot of Surfsdale cock buried in his body. Whatever the reason, all Thomas could do was gently hump back against the intrusion, mumbling nonsensically. Dusty on the other hand was more than capable of a little extra movement, swaying backwards to withdraw just past the medial ring before plunging himself back inside.

“Aahhmmmmmmm…" Thomas moaned, still attempting to keep as quiet as possible, but starting to falter. His arms grew shaky, along with his legs, the extreme sensual assault on his rear driving his body to new heights as he allowed his newly evolved friend full reign of his dwarfed human form. He put every ounce of energy into pushing back against that monstrous black cock as it slammed into him with increased force at every stroke, but Thomas knew it was only a matter of time before his legs gave out. “I-I… I can't…" he moaned between thrusts, unable to get the words out beyond the sparkling haze creeping into his vision.

Dusty paused, hearing his trainer's muffled voice. He could feel the man's body shudder around his cock, and understood his concern. Scanning the room, he spotted a hay bale stacked against one wall. Grabbing a corner in his teeth (then regretting it as the stale taste spread across his tongue) Dusty dragged the bale over to them, then shuffled around it. Thomas crawled - the monster member in his rear jiggling and jolting with each movement - until he was laying across it, his thighs against it's side and arms hanging limply. “Thank you." He sighed happily, giving Dusty's red belly a pat as indication the Surfsdale could continue.

Dusty wasted no time building back up to the previous pace, and as he went he discovered Thomas' arse relenting with each stroke. It wasn't much - fractions of an inch really - but every time the massive pokemon hilted himself inside his trainer, he felt the passage deepen. After a few minutes he was another inch deeper, a few more and he could feel the overswing of his balls glance Thomas' own swaying sack.

At that brief touch, the man's senses lit like fireworks. Another couple of soft taps pushed Thomas beyond his limit; his body tensing, a guttural groan stifled as he bit down on the base of his thumb. His muscles wrung Dusty's cock for all it was worth, holding the throbbing staff in place. Instinct took over as Dusty felt his breeding partner clench around him. Thomas gasped as he felt a thickness grow deep inside, Dusty's flare proudly expanding to keep what was coming inside the man.

With a forceful grunt from one and a pleading whimper from the other, the two came. Dusty's torrent flowed fast and free, deep into the man's belly as thick strands of human cum splattered against the hay bale. Thomas' eyes rolled back as he squeaked a near silent scream from the blissful overload, hot ropes of Surfsdale cum striking his insides time and time again, with no sign of stopping. Dusty was not nearly as quiet. He reared up before landing with a heavy thud and deep, rumbling grunt. He bucked into Thomas again, compressing the cum already there before adding to the pressure with another blast.

The trainer blasted jolt after sticky jolt of cum upon the bale and floor as his pokemon filled him to bursting. He could feel his belly distend, not just from the obscene length of pokemon meat occupying his rear, but the sheer volume of jizz Dusty seemed capable of producing as well. Dusty whinnied, thrusting again and Thomas groaned contentedly, thanking Arceus for leading Dusty to him back at Cannab.

The two of them rested, winding down from their ordeal as Dusty's member shrank back down to a more manageable size inside Thomas before plopping out. Fortunately for him, the Surfsdale had cum so deep, and the flare had done such a good job of keeping all the cum there, that aside from a small trail of splooge the majority of pokecum was tucked around a bend and unable to just dribble out.

Thomas checked the time on his pokedex and swore. There was only another half hour of this store being open, not to mention the other clothing shops. He grumbled, picking himself up off the hay and came face to face with Dusty, who looked rather pleased with himself. Thomas pointed a finger at him raising an eyebrow as if to chide the pokemon “Next time," Dusty looked left and right, a little concerned he'd done something wrong “you go balls deep. Understand?"

Dusty blinked, then leaned forward with his muzzle to shove his tongue as deep as possible into Thomas' mouth. The man nearly choked at first, but he quickly responded to the passionate kiss in his own way. His hands ran along Dusty's muzzle, caressing his face and ears before moving onto the pokemon's neck and flowing mane.

It was close to a minute before their tongues returned to their own mouths. Dusty had a cheeky look on his face, like a child that just got away with something naughty. Thomas sighed and grabbed the pokemon's ball. With a wink and a whinny, Dusty disappeared in a flash. Thomas cleaned himself up and gathered his newly acquired stuff. Seeing the mess on the floor, he pushed the hay bale through it, wiping away his sins as he shoved the freshly coated side against the wall.

Then with a deep breath he unlocked the door and stepped back out into the store. He was worried others might have heard him, but if they did, they weren't showing it. Exhaling in relief, he made his way through the aisles and out the door, trying to spot the store he needed. A little way down the road he could see the familiar 'Ultramart' logo - a capital U interwoven with a capital M - and made a beeline for it.

He stepped inside just as the PA system stated there was only ten minutes remaining, and made his way to the 'surf & dive' section. He figured the rangers would probably equip him with an assortment of gear for the mission, but he wanted to have backups just in case. He bought a couple of wristbands that would inflate when touched for himself and Jeremy, along with a small canister of air in a mouthpiece that would be useful for about five minutes of breathing time. He also acquired a waterproof flashlight and a couple packs of both human and pokemon rations in waterproof packs.

The night's raid would hopefully be as simple as storm the ship, retrieve the pokemon and leave. But Thomas knew from experience that nothing in life was that simple, and if Bruno was involved, he would be unable to plan past boarding the ship. With a five minute warning he quickly swung by the clothing section and picked up a black, water-friendly outfit consisting of pants made from a similar material to diving suits except thinner and a long-sleeve shirt of the same typically used while surfing. He also grabbed two secure low-slung ball holsters, each one capable of holding three balls very securely in a hydrodynamic shape that made his thighs look exceptionally thick.

He made his way to the counter and left the store with the doors locking shut behind him. Once arriving at the hotel, Thomas dumped the assortment of newly purchased items on the table and summoned the entire crew. He gave them a rundown of what would happen that night. He detailed how the Rangers - along with Jeremy, Zye and himself - would take the boat under cover of darkness. He'd be bringing Dusty along just in case travelling by boat wasn't an option, but everyone else had to stay behind. He then had to explain to a whinging whirlipede why a bug in the ocean wasn't such a good idea, and while Griff might be useful, he could very well be fighting old friends and Thomas didn't want to make him do that. Zana was out due to her reluctance to get in a fight and Carmen would have little space to manoeuvre in.

So it was up to the Zoroark to hold the fort while Jeremy, Dusty and himself took the fight to Bruno. Thomas handed out some poketreats before heading to bed for a much needed powernap. Now all that was left was to wait until midnight, or long enough that he could get to the docks by midnight without worry.

Come 11:00 that night, Thomas pulled himself from the covers to see a hotel room full of nervous pokemon. He sighed. “C'mere." He opened his arms wide. Carmen was the first to race to him, engulfing him in a massive Goodra hug. Jeremy and Griff were next, hugging him from the side while Dusty placed his muzzle on the man's shoulder. Mac somehow managed to engulf the man's leg in the soft flesh of his central hub while Zana leapt onto his back, hugging his shoulder as she gave him a peck on the cheek. “I- we are coming back. I promise."

Zana turned his chin so he would look at her. “You better keep that promise."

Thomas grinned, almost solemnly “You better avenge me if I don't." Carmen heard that and hugged him even tighter, eliciting a grunt from the man. “Okay, okay. We gotta get organised and head off, so we don't miss the boat." One by one the pokemon pulled away from their trainer, with Zana giving Dusty some attentive pats and a few words of encouragement. Jeremy disappeared into the bathroom while the other three took a seat on the couch, waiting nervously for Thomas to leave.

Jeremy returned, Parker's vest strapped firmly to his chest as he flexed. It was then Thomas realised for the Hakamo-o there was more to this waterborne assault than retrieving a Quilladin. There was a score to be settled. And he planned on settling it before sunrise. Thomas looked to the two brave pokemon coming with him, gave each a hug and popped their pokeballs off his new holster. “When I summon you next, you'll need to check the environment quick; you might not have long to react to an attack." Thomas got a nod from each of them before he pressed the buttons on their respective balls and slotted them away. He nodded to the remaining four pokemon and with a deep breath, took his leave.

Then he walked right back in, grabbed one of the radio handsets sheepishly and walked back out.

The night was cool, the nippiness of the air being caused by a mid-spring cold front. Thomas strode purposefully along the docks from the hotel towards the place indicated in the message he'd received from Twine earlier. It was 11:50 by the time he got to the small group launching a dinghy from the back of a trailer. Twine was there in a similar - albeit thicker - version of Thomas' attire, mirrored by Coil and several other operatives. Including Thomas, the human element of this operation appeared to consist of nine individuals.

Twine waved him over and ordered one of the other operatives to help Thomas into the dive packs. He was fitted with a set of goggles, a pair of retractable flippers and a locator wristband which he strapped just behind his emergency floatation band. The others were wearing the same kit, except with a small backpack air tank instead of Thomas' tiny emergency supply. Twine approved of the trainer's considerations regarding attire, even complimenting him on the new ball holster before Coil grumpily pointed out it was time to go. Thomas looked around and saw the familiar green and black canine skulking through the shadows. He waved Zye over, the legendary pokemon leaping onto the boat.

The eight rangers and Thomas piled into the boat, which was pushed off from the ramp. Thomas noted it lacked an engine, but before he could ask, one of the women summoned a Sharpedo into the water, which quickly swam up to the appropriately sharpedo-shaped gap at the back, clamped it's jaws down on a padded bar and powered the dinghy into the harbour. Thomas marvelled at the silence of it all. The only noise was the gentle lapping of waves striking the bow of the craft, and while the sound increased as the boat picked up speed upon leaving Sidna Harbour, it was nothing compared to the motor-driven boats they passed.

The ride out was reasonably uneventful, the whole compliment having been told to keep quiet and lights off once they got far enough out not to bother other water traffic. Zye had a slight glow to it, which was fortunately covered by a thick blanket handed out by Twine. The boats other occupants took any chance they could to get a glance of the Zygarde, but the darkness and blanket made getting any detail almost impossible. The Sharpedo had gotten up to a high enough speed the dinghy was gliding across the surface of the water rather than partially submerged, their target anchored about an hour away at that rate. The wind was bitter, and Thomas was thankful for a blanket he'd been given to keep the worst of the weather off as they shot across the water.

Once they got in range of the yacht - it's outline dark against the starry sky - the sharpedo lowered it's speed and brought the dinghy silently alongside. But as Thomas stepped off onto the back deck of the yacht, he looked down to see light from below. He tapped Twine on the shoulder and pointed down to the lit structure under the surface. The Ranger's eyes bulged at the sight, slipping his goggles on before quietly sliding into the water. He gave Ranger Coil the gestured order to secure the deck before dipping below the surface.

After a few seconds Twine resurfaced, a concerned look on his face. He whispered to Thomas “It's an underwater base built into a shipwreck maybe two hundred feet down. Several floors, one main vertical tunnel. Airlock on the hull. Your friend might not be on the boat."

Zye growled as he leapt from the Dinghy to the Yacht. 'We need to find him.'

“We will." Thomas whispered back. “Not like they can go anywhere. We got their boat." He pat the pokemon on the back. “Orders?" Thomas looked back to Twine who had pulled himself up on deck.

“Stay behind me, we'll sweep the ship room by room, then head down." Zye moved to go ahead but Twine put his hand on the pokemon's back haunches, causing it to freeze in contempt. “No, really, stay behind me. I hope I'm wrong, but if I'm not…" He pat where he touched before pushing ahead of the Zygarde. Zye looked to Thomas, a hint of concern in its eyes, but the man just shrugged. They followed behind the Ranger as the rest of the team pulled dart guns from their holsters, clearing the rear deck before moving inside.

The boat felt so much larger once inside, with multiple entertainment rooms one after the other on the sea-level deck. As the team reached the central staircase, half of them ascended it while the other half moved around to continue searching that floor. The upper deck team - led by Coil - reported no souls aboard, as did the other team. Having met up at the central staircase again the group descended below the water line. As they approached the stairwell Zye stopped, looking to Thomas with a shake of its head. Glancing up the stairs it spoke directly into Thomas' mind 'There are two. They hide.' It then looked down to the gathering operatives below 'And they are connected.'

The realisation hit Thomas like a sack of bricks, his stomach turning as he asked the dreaded question. “How many?"

Zye looked first up, then down. 'All but the one called Twine.'

Coil looked up at the only two who had not descended the stairs. 'Just play along.' Thomas thought loudly, before catching up with the rest. Once downstairs Coil and three others set off down the passage leading to the stern while Twine directed the other three towards the ships aft. Before joining them, Thomas pulled Twine back and whispered “All of them" in the older man's ear. The Ranger sighed, nodding. He motioned Thomas and Zye to continue on, but gestured to the trainer's thighs and the pokeballs strapped there. Thomas peered into the empty room next to them and nodded before mumbling to himself. “Hope I'm right about this."

A few moments later he caught up with the others ahead, each one silently clearing the rooms until they reached a narrow staircase leading down. One of the operatives stayed behind to take rearguard as the dark passage was narrow and angled on either side by the shape of the hull. Twine and Zye made up the center of the group, with Thomas second last. Eventually they reached a hatch not too long after the other team. “Heads straight down. Must be some sort of airlock." Coil mused, looking to Twine for what to do next.

Zye loosed a low growl as Twine sighed. “We head down then." The ranger leader said, moving to the hatch. He studied the buttons and latches before pressing a series of them. The mechanism below whirred to life, a soft thrum vibrating through the hull. “Steady…" He whispered, wand-like gizmo in one hand, tranquilizer pistol in the other. The hatch hissed with pressurised air as it slid open, a circular platform about the same diameter as the tube below clicked into place level with the floor. It was several feet in diameter, with enough room for four people to comfortably stand on there at once without being too cramped.

“You two, guard this hatch." Twine said, pointing to two of the men. “You two, get up to the command deck, I want to know if anyone tries sending any communications." The four operatives look to each other then to Coil, who subtly nodded. “The rest of you, with me." He stepped up on to the platform in the vertical tube and waited for the other three to join him. They did so after a moment of hesitation - a couple glancing at Coil in the process - before Twine tapped a button built into the floor with his foot. As he descended he gave Thomas a nod with a look of sullen resignation.

Thomas watched as the rangers disappeared down the pipe, the hatch closing once their heads were clear. Thomas looked to Zye then Coil, who produced a masterball from a side pocket. Thomas sighed. “It's like that then?"

“It's like that." coil replied with a grin, the two guarding the hatch aiming at Thomas with their dart guns. “Didn't think you'd fall for it. Guess the others were wrong about your smarts." Thomas' face flushed red with anger as the traitorous Ranger taunted him.

“You have no idea what-"

“I know EXACTLY what I'm doing!" Coil shouted at Thomas, Zye frozen next to him while not taking an eye off the masterball threat only feet away. “And you're not gonna stop me." In the split second it took for Coil to draw his arm back for the throw, multiple events took place in that passageway.

The dim orange glow from one end of the corridor became significantly brighter as a superheated disc carved through the air - and Coil's wrist - before blasting through the hull further along towards the boat's bow. The flash of light from the disc striking Coil's flesh startled one of the double-crossing operatives, her itchy trigger finger releasing a potent tranquilizer dart in the direction of Thomas' chest.

Zye - seeing the ball flying through the air - saw its chance and leapt forwards, using the collapsing body of Coil as a platform to jump off, securing the ball in its teeth before leaping off the passage wall to headbutt the operative that had fired at Thomas. A thunderous crack echoed down the passageway from the contact, the woman dropping to her knees before sliding to the floor.

As Thomas took the dart to the chest, his bodily reaction to jerk away from the impact turned him to face two glowing red pinpricks of light rushing forth from the origin of the disc. He yanked the dart from his skin and felt his legs go weak. As his knees hit the deck, Jeremy's face came into the light; a mixture of terror and fury plastered across it as he saw his lover taken down by the traitorous man. Without skipping a beat he turned to the nearest ranger - who was aiming down sights at the Zygarde who had stomped his buddy - and unleashed an exceptionally powerful sky uppercut into the small of the man's back.

Even in the slightly delirious state of sedation from the fast acting chemicals now coursing through his bloodstream, Thomas shuddered from the sound of that many bones crunching to dust. The black-clad body ragdolling to the floor before laying motionless. Zye and Jeremy stood either side of Coil - who was clutching his stump of a wrist and screaming. Thomas could tell they were going to outright kill the traitor unless he did something. “Nnn- no…" He managed to utter weakly before slouching against a groaning bulkhead, the damage from Jeremy's Hidden Power attack having weakened and breached the hull's integrity.

The two pokemon snapped out of their berzerker state and leapt to Thomas' aid. 'Hold him'. Zye commanded, and without question Jeremy did so. Zye closed its eyes, the scarf like trail of cells moving like the head of a cobra before striking the impact wound. But instead of stopping at the surface it pushed deeper. Thomas' wail of pain reverberated through every inch of the ship, Jeremy squinting his eyes shut in the hopes to somehow block out any part of the horror before him.

For the man it was like someone had shoved a burning brand into his chest, then began moving it about. The fuzziness of the world around him turned to black as Thomas closed his eyes in an attempt to shut out the pain, but in doing so some sort of residual image remained. He could see a throbbing blue shape pinning him down while a bright green spike speared his heart. Except unlike looking at a bright light and closing ones eyes to see multicoloured blobs that faded away in seconds, the strange coloured shapes remained, and moved. Eyes closed, Thomas looked to his chest, seeing the spike split and fracture as it pushed through his body like some sort of mechanical root system.

And then like the ringing in one's ears after an intense wave of pressure, the pain slowly faded away and Thomas was left panting against the ship's bulkhead. Unfortunately with all three focused on Thomas' wellbeing nobody had noticed Coil shakily retrieve his dart gun. He fired several shots one after the other; striking Jeremy's armour plates twice, missing Thomas' head by a fraction of an inch and firing just above Zye's muzzle before running out of darts.

“Shit." He grumbled before Zye reared up, slamming his paws onto the steel grating of the passage and sending hundreds of tiny green hexagons shooting up from around it. A significant number sliced through Coil as though he weren't even there, the thousand arrows of energy acting like electricity against the man's flesh rather than anything more solid. As the green energy from Zye's attack dissipated, the man fell to the floor to lie motionless between his traitorous accomplices.

“Is he…" Thomas groaned, standing with Jeremy's help.

“No. Just unconscious." Zye growled, displeased but agreeing to Thomas' pleas. Once Thomas was standing Jeremy clenched his fists, focusing his energy to the point where his armour plates began to superheat. Thomas tried to protest but Jeremy moved too quickly, slamming one of the plates against the still bleeding stump at the end of the man's arm, cauterizing it.

Coil immediately woke up and began screaming. Thomas - in a display of speed that shocked both Zye and Jeremy - ducked low to grab one of the discarded pistols from Coil's minions and unleashed the remaining clip of darts into the man's face. Less than a second later the boat was silent but for one sound. Rushing water.

Thomas looked below the steel grating to see the sea water pooling. “Dammit." He looked back and forth down the passage. “That tube aint gonna support this boat's weight." He blinked, still trying to get his bearings after the bizarre treatment Zye had given him. “We gotta get them to the dinghy."

<We WHAT?!> Jeremy howled in disagreement.

'What would be the benefit of such an act? You require this tube to get-'

“No, no." Thomas interrupted, his memory screaming at him. “Twine said something about a moon pool. That's those underwater pool things, right? Where air pressure stops the water from flooding the rest of the room? Like… like a diving bell." He stepped over to the hatch and peered through the little window, then pointed at a small structure lighting the reef beside the shipwreck it was built into. “There. We dive down."

Zye looked from Thomas to Jeremy, who shrugged. 'They would not be expecting it., true.' He looked up, seemingly through the decks. 'Two other not-rangers and four others wait above.' Jeremy's eyes once more began to glow as his plates warmed up.

“I've got an idea about that."

---

“Abandon ship!" Thomas shouted as he carried Coil up the stairs onto the main deck. Six sets of eyes turned to look at him in shock, several gun barrels rising to join them. “Don't just stand there!" He screamed. “There are two more below!" The two faux rangers dashed down the stairs as the rest kept their weapons trained on Thomas. “There's a dinghy off the back, quick!"

“You expect me to believe-" Val grumbled, standing to his full height as Rizza joined his side.

“WE GOT WATER!" Came the shout over the radio. “It's past the hatch!"

Rizza looked to Thomas, gun wavering. “What the hell did you do?"

“I got shot!" Thomas shouted back before gesturing the the ships aft with a sideways nod. “And right now I'm trying to save this bastards life!"

Rizza looked to Val, who nodded. “Okay, quick." He moved to the rear doors.

“You heard him boys. Grab everything of value and get to the back." Val waved the other two away as he accompanied Rizza and Thomas back to the dinghy. Once at the back deck, Thomas gestured for Rizza to get on the small boat so he could hand Coil's body to him rather than try to make the jump with the unconscious man in hand. Rizza all but collapsed from the weight, but set the ex-ranger on the floor as gently as he could. He held out a hand for Thomas to take, but the trainer had other plans.

“Next time, fellas." He said, sliding down the goggles from his forehead before stepping off the deck into the water. Zye was there waiting - holding tight to the underside of the ships hull with his sharp claws - ready to yank Thomas out of the way of any incoming bullets. The man watched as several bubbly trails streaked past, fiddling with the small breathing device.

'To the moon pool.' Zye stated, looking at the structure hundreds of feet below. Thomas nodded.

Thomas used his toes to kick the button just above each heel, causing the flippers to deploy, and swam down. Swimming was something he'd loved doing as a child, and while he'd never had the chance to scuba dive before, his way of taking baths was to use a spring in the forest outside Milra; out of the way enough most folks didn't go there, but close enough to town that most pokemon stayed away. It was small, but deep, and it was one of the few actually relaxing places he was able to frequent back there.

The mouthpiece took a bit of getting used to, with long calm breaths far more beneficial than short panicked ones. He dove down with Zye doing a weird combination of a doggy-paddle and a strange serpentine swaying beside him. He felt the water oppressively push against his body, his ears popping from the pressure the deeper they went, darkness all around them with only the lights cast down from the moon pool as guidance. They swam around a snapped mast and gave the centuries old rigging a wide berth, the sizeable wreck close to a galleon in size. From the surface it looked much smaller, and such it was far deeper than he'd initially assumed.

A crunch and the shrieking of metal could be heard. Thomas looked up in time to see the yacht slip below the surface of the water, pulling the flexible connecting tube with it as it swayed off to the side, away from the wreck. But somewhere in the facility below someone had thrown a switch as the connection point between the shaft leading to the boat and the underwater base itself exploded in a cascade of bubbles. The tube - filled with air - quickly rose to the surface forcing the yacht to flip, and changing its trajectory.

Zye was several feet in front of Thomas and moving rapidly away when the man realised what was happening and followed suit. They made haste for the moon pool as the flooded yacht lumbered towards them threateningly. The blue light from below called to them, a promise of safety from the incoming derelict, and with only a second to spare, they made it under the structure as it was struck.

Rending metal and a violent shake heralded the yachts arrival, but Thomas could see through the water below that it had fallen onto the small reef, resting alongside it's nautical ancestor. It didn't do so without consequences though, as Zye noticed a dribble of water begin to cascade down one of the support beams. 'We must make haste.' It said, hauling itself up onto the grated floor. 'He is weak, but I feel him.'

Thomas removed Jeremy's ball from it's holster and popped it open, the Hakamo-o arriving in a flash of light. He looked around and took a deep breath. <I can smell him.> The look of murderous rage plastered across Jeremy's face gave Thomas pause for thought. Was he helping his friend? Or was he making things worse? <This way.> The shiny pokemon set off with a determined stride into the hallway with Thomas and Zye close behind.

“Have you found them yet?!" The distinctive voice of the three's common enemy reverberated through the hallway. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN NO!" He screamed as Jeremy took cover behind the doorway, Thomas and Zye right behind him. “No, keep the surface covered." The click of the radio mic disconnecting brought about an audible sigh from Bruno. “You; take Twine to the brig. You two; get out there and find Thomas Drake! I don't care what happens to that Hakamo-o, but bring his trainer to me."

Jeremy looked back to Thomas wide-eyed. Thomas went ghostly pale, realising just how deep into this he was. The directive was for his capture now, not Jeremy's. As though the Hakamo-o meant nothing. And he hadn't even mentioned Zye. “But what about the-"

“He'll come." Bruno interrupted one of his minions. Both Thomas and Jeremy looked to Zye as the man finally addressed the Copperajah in the room. “We have its toy." Bruno practically spat those words as he stormed off further into the underwater complex.

Thomas could tell Zye was ropeable by the sheer psychic noise it was putting out. “Calm down." He whispered, trying to soothe the beast. “Please, I can feel you're angry, you don't want-"

“He's here!" Bruno shouted.

“Shit." Thomas groaned. He turned around just in time to see Jeremy's plates become incandescent, a fine red smoke billowing from his eyes as he stepped into the corridor.

Time slowed as Thomas peeked around the doorway. Jeremy ripped off one of his right shoulder plates and hurled it in a tight arc down the hallway, the disc barely scraping Bruno's jacket. The next plate to be hurled as a deadly weapon was torn from his upper left arm, and the next from his right. Disc after superheated disc shot down the hallway, the glowing trails seared into the eyes of those watching as Bruno turned to run.

Jeremy strode confidently behind, loosing the sharp parts of himself one at a time at the fleeing mob boss. At one point Bruno summoned his two offsiders, but by the time they had materialised, Jeremy was standing between them. With glowing red eyes he grabbed their chests, hoisted them bodily from the metal floor by digging his claws into their chests before slamming them back down. Hard. his arms swirled in a golden mist, a recognition of something Thomas couldn't quite place.

Bruno disappeared around a corner, followed quickly by Jeremy as the Electivire and Magmortar tried making sense of what was going on. Thomas ducked back behind the doorway and gestured to Zye as what to do. 'I can sense Jeremy from here, if he is in trouble, I will tell you. But for now, I need your help.' It turned around, pointing with it's muzzle in the direction of the Quilladin. 'This way.'

The two quickly made their way down one of the passages, the water having risen to about an inch off the floor by the time they found the right room, but just as Thomas got his hand on the door, a gut-wrenching groan vibrated through the structure just before the entire complex jolted violently. Zye's head twisted around, looking wide-eyed in Jeremy's direction. 'No.' He looked to Thomas. 'Meet me at the moon pool!' then dashed off; a green blur disappearing through the narrow hallways.

Thomas wrenched the door open to find a horrible sight. The Quilladin lay in a pool of it's own blood, lacerations and bruises adorning every inch of its skin while the armored shell was dotted with bolts and screws at various depths. Thomas could only tell the pokemon was still alive because the room was so cold he could see the faint vapour puffing out from his nose. Quickly he picked up a bloodied pair of boltcutters and severed the thick chains binding him to the floor. There was no movement, no reaction, which had Thomas desperately hoping he could pull off a plan B. He looked about the room and spied his salvation. A Master Ball.

It was upon one of the shelves covered with frozen, pre-packaged food lining the walls. He grabbed it, and clicked the button in the vain hopes that Bruno hadn't had it re-set. Sure enough, the ball popped open, a red beam pouring from it to envelop the poor, broken pokemon before zapping him inside. It clicked shut and the ring around the button throbbed a deep, crimson red. Thomas growled his hatred into the cold air. He turned, reached for the door and yanked it open.

A torrent of water several inches high poured into the freezer room. The base was being claimed by the sea. In the same way Jeremy's attacks on the yacht had caused it to sink - with a little help after the fact to make sure it sank thanks to Zye - his flurry of superheated armour plates thanks to his Hidden Power must have caused enough ruptures in the base's hull to bring about it's flooding. That and the Yacht ploughing into it probably didn't help. Then Thomas realised something he'd forgotten. “Twine!" He shouted, glancing around for some sort of sign or direction toward the brig.

He didn't have to look for long as two of the traitors that had gone down the tube with Ranger Twine burst through one of the doorways. They both pulled their guns and fired as Thomas ducked behind a bulkhead. “STOP! STOP!" He shouted at them, the white noise of rushing water filling the space as the sound of ricocheting darts faded out. “I'm not here to hurt you! Just let me save Twine!"

“Why should we let you?" One shouted back, seemingly unsure of his own words.

“Because he doesn't deserve to die like this. No-one does!" Thomas' words hung in near silence, the water creeping up past his ankles. The two men moved around the bulkhead, guns trained on Thomas as they made their way to the moon pool. Seeing he had no weapon, the two just kept an eye on Thomas as they moved past.

When they got to the door at the end of the way, the first one dashed through, but the second sighed, shaking his head. “Where we came in, second hallway on the left, first door on the right." Then with a swish of water, he too was gone.

Thomas took a deep breath and powered through the water; shin deep and rising. He could see the eddies swirl and ripple, the source of the main leak definitely off in the direction Jeremy had run. He hadn't heard from either of his comrades in several minutes, though from the hazy presence his mind he could tell the Zygarde was at least still un-balled.

He pushed through the rising waters, down the hallway and to the first door on the right. The locks were on the outside, and fortunately were more a seal than a lock per-se. He grabbed the handle and with a bit of bracing managed to turn it enough to disengage the clamps. But pulling the door back against the weight of the water was something else. Just getting it an inch open resulted in a significant amount of cussing from inside “Damn you Pika-poaching bastards! What in the name of-"

“TWINE!" Thomas interrupted the man, grunting as he tried keeping the door open with all his might.

“Thomas?"

“Help me get you out!" He growled through the doorway, fingers stinging from the force of water pushing against him. With their combined efforts the two managed to heave the door open by the time the water had crept to just below Thomas' knee. “Zye and Jeremy…" he panted, out of breath. “Went, went to get Bruno."

“He'd be headed back to his Yacht then." Twine glared down the hallways, concerned.

“Nah." Thomas exhaled, bending backwards to pop his vertebrae back into place. “Kinda sunk it." the elder Ranger looked at him with a bemused stare. “Later. I have the Quilladin, just need to get the other two." He waved for Twine to follow.

They waded through the torrent, water lapping at their thighs as they approached what appeared to be Bruno's office. Thomas almost collapsed at the sight waiting for him beyond the door. “It took you long enough." The gang leader was standing on the chair behind his desk, the Electivire on the right side of the desk holding a broken and bleeding Jeremy aloft, while the Magmortar was on the left side covering Zye with a primed and glowing cannon-arm. The Zygarde was standing in a tense pose just inside the door, not taking its eyes off the gang leader as the water flowed around it. “Now that everyone is here, we can talk. Though, best not take too long." he tapped the walls with a partly corroded cutlass.

“You bastard…" Thomas growled moving through the waist high water towards Bruno, but the man just raised the curved blade to Jeremy's throat. The trainer froze as his blood boiled.

“Not another step. Or you'll need two pokeballs to get your precious Hakamo-o back to shore." Thomas glowered as Twine held himself flat against the bulkhead outside the room, staying quiet and out of sight. “Now, you tell your Zygarde friend to get in the ball, or 'Jeremy' here loses more than a few armour plates."

Thomas felt himself wanting to hyperventilate, but forcing his mouth to stay shut beyond clenched teeth helped keep the sensation at bay. He just stared at the situation. There really wasn't much of a way out of this, from what he could tell. Bruno pulled a Masterball from his pocket, turned it over in his hand and readied to throw it to Thomas. Thomas took a deep breath as something crazy flashed through his mind. But he'd only have one chance.

Bruno lowered his sword to counterbalance his throw, and in that split-second Thomas slapped Jeremy's ball on his thigh, the pokemon slipping from the Electivires grasp in an instant. Bruno hadn't seen that coming and stabbed forward with the cutlass, it's rusted blade slicing through thin air as Thomas reached out to grab the masterball tossed his way.

Bruno screamed incoherently as the Magmortar looked to him for instruction. But it was too late, Zye had reared up on its hind legs. Around it the water defied gravity, pushing away from the glowing green dog while it's surface began to ripple outwards at tremendous speed, like a thousand tiny waves growing in intensity. With the water level in the room rising rapidly - while the hallway drained - Bruno was faced with only one option; escape. He turned to a panel on the wall and pulled a lever. He slapped the balls at his waist, summoning his bodyguards as a low beep rang out.

And then, water.

The panel Bruno was holding on to burst outwards into the ocean, flooding the room almost instantly. The torrent was too strong for Thomas and Twine to stand against, the two men flung down the hallway by the crashing wave filling the base room by room. Zye allowed itself to be tossed around behind them, keeping an eye on its human companion. It was surprised that this was the third time that month Thomas had been washed away by a torrent of water.

The trio crashed into walls as the water carried them towards the moon pool. Ranger Twine was separated from the other two as he smashed through an open door into one room while Thomas and Zye washed straight past. The two were flung out into the deep water, the current stirring up the sand from the reef below. He activated his flippers and tried swimming back to the base for Twine, but Zye pulled him away and into the cloud of sand. Thomas then panicked when his throat began gulping and he couldn't tell which way was up. He realised he'd used up the emergency tank, and not grabbed anything from the moon pool on the way out. In that state he wasn't thinking properly, and made a mistake.

A very big mistake. He grabbed the emergency inflation device on his wrist and yanked it open. A hiss of air filled a beachball-sized balloon, rocketing the man skyward.

Straight into the rigging.

Zye swam upwards quickly, attempting to free the man from the ropes with several bites, but with each one removed, another loose end wrapped its way around the mans limbs. Thomas' lungs burned, his jaw clenched tightly shut as golden sparkles crept in from around his vision. He needed air.

“Thomaaaas..." The roar pierced through the water. Thomas shook his head, the lack of oxygen must have been getting to him. “Thomaaaaaas..." There it was again. The deep rumbling call. Had Darkrai come to claim him, to drag Thomas to his shadow realm, or perhaps a Dhelmise calling to his soul as a final torment. “THOMAAAAAAAS!"

And then darkness.

:link1716726:

---

[So, in several chapters time I'm gonna be adding another pokemon to the roster. I want suggestions from you, my audience. Over the next few weeks I'll be taking suggestions - just pop them down in the comments - and when it gets close to the reveal I'll take the most suggested/upvoted and put those specific ones to a vote. There have been some great suggestions so far, so keep em coming.]

[The only restrictions are: No legendaries (except Arcanine, because Gen 1 descriptions can be wacky). We've already got one ancient/mythical pokemon, more might be a bit excessive and mess with the plot. And no Wailord. Bit too big for what I have planned.]