Pokemon: QATM Chapter 16
His journey in Kanto fresh in his mind, Mark Taylor from the Hoenn Region recaps all the things he's seen and the people he has met, battling the mighty trainers Blue, Red's longtime rival, and Lance, the Dragon Master Champion of Kanto. Of all the battles he has faced in his time, these would prove to be some of his most memorable; the unpredictability of Blue, the sheer power and determination of Lance, traits which reflected in their Pokémon. These two stood out above many other opponents Mark had faced. And then, of course, was his battle with Red; the hardest-fought battle of his entire career as a trainer, seizing victory by the skin of his teeth, and discovering the existence of a new Pokémon, known as Mewtwo; the most powerful Psychic-type in the world. It had taken the combined efforts of three of his Pokémon; his living wall of iron, Tanker the Steelix, his swift-moving fire-spewing Charmeleon, Coal, and his high-flying solar-powered bomber, Palm Tree the Tropius, to finally bring down Mewtwo. Prior to that battle, though, his mightiest Pokémon, Vitesse the Blaziken, met her match against Red's all-powerful Charizard, who like her was capable of Mega Evolution. Their battle was by far the fiercest, but in the end Vitesse seized a narrow victory, collapsing with exhaustion and leaving the rest to Mark's remaining Pokémon. Unknown to him, his battle with Red had been spied upon by members of the elusive International Pokémon Crime Syndicate; an organization of ruthless Pokémon thieves and thugs comprised of former members of Team Rocket, Team Plasma, Team Galactic, and Team Aqua and Magma, forming after the near-calamity in the Kalos Region at Geosenge Town. Mark's battle prowess caught the attention of Syndicate lieutenant, Kevin Zane, who now watches Mark's movements, claiming he believes Mark's Pokémon could be powerful assets, but in truth, he sees Mark as a threat to their organization; one who could compromise their motives. Something he will not let stand. Even now, the wicked mind of Kevin Zane plots and plans his next move. One that will show Mark and Randy just what are the risks they take when when they cross the mighty Crime Syndicate... Pokémon: Quest of a True Master Chapter 16 -Johto and Sinnoh Arc- Marvin walked briskly down the corridor of the Johto base, passing several Syndicate Operatives as he trekked through the metal corridors. His footsteps were hurried, having received a summons from Kevin Zane, and ordered to respond immediately; knowing Kevin was not one to keep waiting, he hustled to the meeting room, eager to avoid a lecture or gloat about promptness from the young lieutenant. Several grunts saluted him as he passed, recognizing him as a ranking operative in the organization. He turned a corner, and saw the meeting room up ahead, two guards on either side of the door. Watchmen, they were called, recognized by wearing white uniforms as opposed to the standard gray of recruits, blue of full members known as Enforcers and black for Operatives. Marvin was ranked one above the latter-most; not quite a Lieutenant, but the equivalent of a sergeant in the army, known as a Special Operative. The white-clad Watchmen were Enforcers assigned guard duty at the bases, completing the circle of Syndicate members who were recognized by colours, while the senior members of the syndicate could dress as they chose. The two guards stood at attention and stepped aside to let Marvin pass, the door opening for him as the motion sensor detected him. He stopped only for a moment, reaching into the pocket of his green vest and producing his large gold coin, twirling it on his finger for a moment before flipping it, letting it land flat in his hand to show the face of a Blastoise on the side facing him. With that, he clenched his hand around the coin and stepped through the door, adjusting his posture to appear strong and confident. Unlike the rest of the base, this room was not made of metal. In fact, this room look more like the windowless board rooms of an office building, only with more colour; the walls were lined with panels of fake wood, dark brown in colour, with red wall-to-wall carpeting. A white sheet hung down on the wall to the right and if one looked at the table, they would see a projector linked up to a closed laptop computer sitting at the very center, near the largest chair. The table was black and glassy and looked quite expensive, perfectly round and ringed by numerous padded seats designed to perfectly fit the form of those who sat in them. Marvin peered about the room, confirming he was the only one there. "Hm. Seems I worried for nothing," he said, realizing he was the first to arrive. Smiling broadly he approached the table, searching for a seat. He avoided the large chair; that one was off limits to any operative, reserved only for the boss of the Syndicate, someone Marvin had never even met before, but knew well to avoid ever seating himself in the chair. Kevin Zane's rank as a lieutenant put him as part of the upper echelon of the Syndicate; the boss hand-picked the lieutenants himself from the best the Syndicate had, and Kevin was one of only three the Syndicate had; Marvin had never met the other two, but if they were Kevin's equals in rank, they had to be his equals in battle... He shuddered to think what they were like. The door opened, and Marvin instinctively put his hands on the table in preparation to stand, expecting Kevin to come through, but a close glance at the new arrival quickly revealed it was not him. The one who stepped through the door was a large, bulky man with a grey-white sleeveless shirt -although the frills, loose threads and tears around the arm sockets were evidence the shirt had once had sleeves, but they had been torn off. He wore dark sunglasses, and his head was wrapped in a dirty red bandana, from under which trailed unkempt black hair. He wore a shoulder strap across his chest, housing six Poké Balls in their condensed forms, and a pair of dark green cargo pants. Marvin recognized the man quickly, having memorized most of the personnel roster for the Syndicate. "Baxter Summers?" He asked. The man raised a hand to his glasses and tilted them up to look at Marvin. "Do I know you?' He asked, his mouth barely visible behind a thick mustache. "We have never met, formally," Marvin replied. "But I know you; my name is Martin Gold, Special Operative of the Syndicate, like yourself." 'What in the world is this lunatic doing here?' Marvin demanded in his mind. Baxter had a rather dubious reputation as something of a mad bomber, earning him the nickname 'Bomber' Baxter in the organization, often called upon for loud jobs that would distract the authorities or for making examples of enemies of the Syndicate. Despite his efficiency at the jobs he did, though, he often enjoyed them a little too much... Baxter nodded. "So, I guess Zane called you in too, eh?" He asked, lifting a piece of beef jerky in his other hand to his mouth, biting down on it and tearing away a chunk before chewing. "He did indeed," returned Marvin. "But to call upon two Special Operatives like ourselves, I wonder what he has planned?" Baxter crossed the room to the table, wolfing down the rest of the jerky in his hand before he found himself a seat and sat down, crossing his arms. "Better not be another boring one like that last job I had in Hearthome City." "Yes, your... infamous work at the hotel, where you eliminated that investigator, wasn't it?" Marvin asked. "The one close to tracking down our base of operations there?" "That's the one." "I'll have you know, that task of yours may have saved our operations in Sinnoh; you should be proud of it," Marvin stated. "What about it didn't satisfy you?" "I didn't get to use enough dynamite," Baxter replied. "I wanted to use forty pounds; nice big boom, but the boss said that'd bring the whole building down. I didn't really care, but he said we were 'only after the investigator, not the entire tourism industry of Sinnoh'." He snorted. "Could barely hear the blast from the diner." 'I dearly hope Kevin knows what he's doing, bringing in this madman,' thought Marvin. Almost as if the thought were a cue, the door opened once again, seizing the attention of both Marvin and Baxter; they turned, and through the door stepped Kevin Zane, crossing the way to the table with slow steps that spoke of his authority. His hands were tucked into the pockets of his dark green pants, and his hair huge around his head like a cowl from beneath his black cap, his deep brown eyes regarding the two as he found his seat next to the bosses chair. "Glad to see you both here; I admire men who are prompt," Kevin remarked as he seated himself, and turned to Baxter. "Mr. Summers; I hope your trip here from Sinnoh wasn't too boring for you?" "Only thing that kept me from blowing up anything on the ship was the fact I was on it," Baxter replied, dully. "Although, Curtis told me to tell you, he expects me back in Sinnoh within the week; says he has plans for me." Kevin scoffed. "Curtis will get you back when I say so, and not a minute before; if he has a problem with that, he can get his head out of the clouds and come down to see me," stated the Lieutenant. "I answer only to the boss, and no one else." Baxter shrugged. "Frankly, I don't care who I'm working for; just give me something to detonate and I'll do it." Kevin grinned. "Then you're in luck," he stated. "Because you're going to get to do just that." The bored-looking Baxter's expression seemed to light up at that, the mouth hidden beneath his mustache stretching into a wide grin. "Then where's my target, boss?" "Patience, Mr. Summers," urged Kevin. "There is much to discuss." He folded his hands on the table in front of him, clearing his throat. "You will be working with Marvin on this operation; he will coordinate, you will..." He chuckled as he added wittily. "Detonate." "You want me to work with him?" Marvin asked, incredulously. "With all due respect, Kevin, Mr. Summers here has a foreboding reputation as being something of a loose cannon." "Why do you think I chose you to work with him?" Kevin asked, plainly. "A cannon requires an organized and coordinated mind to operate it, and you fit the bill despite your shortcomings on the heist of the S.S Julia, but think of this next one as your chance to redeem yourself." "You know what my Operatives and I faced aboard that ship," Marvin said, keeping his tone even through his annoyance at the reminder of his recent failure. He flipped his coin into the air. "I was close, so close to accomplishing," and then caught the coin out of midair. "Only for some completely out-of-the-blue scenario to seize it from me." "Part of why I am sending you on this mission," Kevin stated firmly, silencing Marvin. "For you see, you're going to rob the Magnet Train on its route to Johto." Suddenly, it dawned on Marvin why Kevin had chosen both him and Baxter for this mission; in his mind, the puzzle pieces were coming together, and became a moving picture of the operation. He had not even begun, but merely hearing the words 'Magnet Train' had set his mind in motion, already planning how to carry out the mission. "I see," Marvin said, softly, nodding his head. "That is why you chose both of us; I can calculate the exact time to stop the train, and he's the one who can ensure it'll be done." "Correct," returned Kevin. "Very perceptive, Marvin." Despite all the times Marvin had disagreed with Kevin, it felt good he was earning some praise from him; Kevin was often hard to please. "Now," Kevin continued. "You'll be assigned enough men to complete this mission; I have already made arrangements for some agents to put on board; Operatives, working discreetly, and a large team of Enforcers will be with you two; when the train is stopped, you two will apprehend anyone who tries to leave the train, while the others will deal with the people on board. Same routine as before; rare Pokémon only, and all valuables. "Quell any resistance, and take everything you can get your hands on, and then return them to this base. Success will be well-rewarded," Kevin concluded the mission briefing. "Oh, and Marvin?" "Yes?" "I expect you to carry out this mission thoroughly," Kevin stated. "No matter who gets in your way, it will succeed. Understand?" Marvin wanted to scowl, but he kept himself under control, and plainly replied to Kevin, in the most even tone he could muster, "I won't fail a second operation, Kevin. Of that, you can be certain." "Good," replied Kevin. "Now, I've bought you a window; the train has experienced some... power failures, and is, as such, delayed for a couple of hours. A jeep is waiting for you outside to head to the staging area; get out there and quickly." Marvin and Baxter were already standing as Kevin continued. "You don't have long before they get the train running again; get there too late, and you'll miss it." They were already heading for the door as Baxter called back. "We'll get it done!" He bellowed, guffawing joyously. "This is going to be a blast!"
Saffron City, the largest city in Kanto and the corporate epicentre of the entire region, home of the Kanto Poké Ball manufacturer, Silph Company, and the stopping point of the Magnet Train between Kanto and Johto. Saffron was one of the largest cities in the world, housing citizens numbering the millions at least, and equally famous as being the place where the legendary Pokémon Trainer, Red, rescued the Silph Company from Team Rocket. In memory of the event, a portrait of Red had actually been placed on a board outside of the building, commemorating the day and honouring the risks he took for complete strangers and for the well-being of countless Pokémon. Mark was no stranger to big cities, but to be standing outside of Silph Co. in person, where so much had happened before, only made his respect for Red grow. His battle with the former Kanto Champion was still fresh in his mind, and he kept replaying it over and over again; it had been the hardest-fought battle in his entire career as a trainer... and he had loved it. Hard battles like those were the most memorable, and despite his newfound rivalry with Red, the two had managed to become friends, and looked forward to a rematch in the distant future. He turned to Vitesse, who stood tall at his side, her arms crossed in front of her chest. His first partner and one of his cherished friends, the Blaziken was looking stronger than ever since the battle with Red's Charizard. All of her injuries from it had healed, thanks to a couple of trips to the Pokémon Center, but it wasn't until after that Mark noticed how strong-looking she had become, as if battling Charizard had brought her to a whole other level. The power he could feel coming from her made his confidence grow, and he knew that his quest to face the other trainers of the world would succeed, so long as she was at his side. She caught his look, glancing back at him and tilting her head curiously. Mark chuckled and reached over to pet her crest, bringing a happy chirp from her. "We're going to go far, girl," he stated. "Hey, Mark!" At the sound of his name being called, Mark turned in the direction of the voice, and saw Randy sprinting up to him, with Cairo, his Lucario, running at his side. He turned to face him, and as Randy stopped before them. "What's up?" "They just announced that the train has been fixed; it's finally on its way in," replied Randy. "We better get over there so we can make the boarding time." "Good idea," returned Mark. "Race you there?" Randy gave Mark a smug grin. "You really think you can outrun me, pal?" "I can try," Mark returned, and looked at Vitesse. "Think we can win it, girl?" "Chak!" Vitesse returned in affirmation. "Let's show 'em what speed is, Cairo!" Randy chimed as he spun around and broke into a run, followed promptly by the Lucario. "Raarru!" Cairo barked, sprinting alongside his trainer. Mark and Vitesse were off in hot pursuit, striding down the sidewalk on the tails of their competitors; Vitesse, having a longer stride than all three of them, was quickly pulling ahead, and Cairo, being naturally quick and built for running, was right on at her side, while their two trainers, though falling behind both of them, were almost shoulder to shoulder, although Mark was not as good a sprinter as Randy, and so the latter was gaining more ground on him. They neared a crowd, and suddenly the two trainers had to move and dodge them, excusing themselves as they weaved their way through the cluster. Vitesse and Cairo took a shortcut, though; Cairo sprang up to a lamp post, leaping from one to another deftly to pass over the crowd. Vitesse used the power of her long legs to clear the crowd in a single jump, front-flipping through the air before landing on the street gracefully, and resuming her run; Cairo was only seconds behind her. Mark and Randy finally cleared the crowd, but were easily ten seconds behind their Pokémon. "Those two are cheaters!" Randy complained. "Hey, if you could jump over a whole crowd, wouldn't you do it?" Mark asked, matter-of-factly, as he sprinted alongside his friend. "Yeah, point taken; I probably would," replied Randy. The Magnet Train station was not far from the Silph building -a few blocks, at most. Vitesse and Cairo deliberately slowed down a little to let their trainers catch up before accelerating the final stretch; Vitesse passed through the door first with Cairo less than a second behind her. Third was Randy, and Mark, a full two seconds behind him. With their little race complete, the four stopped to gather their breath, with Randy glancing slyly at Mark. "Heh... told ya you couldn't outrun me; speed is key, my friend." "Yeah?" Mark asked. "Well Vitesse won that race, so in your face." "So... another tie; you lose against me, but my Pokémon loses against yours..." He chuckled. "Dayum; we just can't surpass each other can we?" "Is that such a bad thing?" Mark asked, smiling warmly. "It gives us both something to drive towards." "True that," agreed Randy. Mark turned to look at Vitesse, reaching out and patting her shoulder. "Good run, girl," he said. "Chik," she returned. Randy started petting Cairo's head, giving his ears a scratch which brought a pleased hum from the Lucario, when he glanced at Mark again. "You still got our tickets?" Mark patted the zippered-pocket of his vest. "Yep; got them here," he affirmed. "Good, 'cuz I think the train's coming," said Randy as the sounds of metal on metal began to fill the air, starting low and growing louder by the second. Mark nodded. "Good ear," he complimented. The train came sliding into view of the platform seconds later, its approach slowed by the powerful magnets that carried it along the rails. As the train appeared on the platform it screeched to a slow, steady stop before the safety locks engaged and the train was secured in place. Seconds later, the doors opened, and numerous passengers filed out, some of the hurriedly, others patiently; several of them ran to meet others who were waiting on the platform, family members who had been waiting for their return since the train was announced to be stuck out in Goldenrod City due to an electrical failure. The number of passengers waiting for the train had grown substantially, and once the train was emptied, they received the automated voice prompt and allowed them to board. Mark produced their tickets, passing Randy his, and they were the last to board, scanning their passes at the terminals before the doors, accompanied by Vitesse and Cairo as they stepped onto the train. Vitesse squawked she nearly tripped while entering the train, her talons catching on the edge between the platform and the rail, but Mark, acting reflexively, caught her. "Careful girl," he said. "Has she ever been on a train before?" Randy asked, curiously. "Nope. Has Cairo?" "Yeah; we sometimes took the train across Hoenn; it's how we get around." "I usually drove or just flew on Palm Tree's back, depending on the distance," replied Mark as they found their seats on the train at the rear car. Vitesse stayed standing while the others occupied seats, and Mark warned her to hold on to the bar, else she might lose her balance when the train took off. "Never really needed the train." Randy shrugged. "Fair enough." The warning bell sounded, alerting the passengers that the doors were closing and the train was about to depart. Mark and Randy braced themselves as the doors slid shut with a hiss, and the safety locks disengaged, sending a slight jolt through the floor of the train. With that, the train began to move, starting slow as it began to leave the platform. Mark and Randy watched out the windows as the train picked up speed, seeing the city buildings rushing past as the train sped between them, feeling like they were rushing through a trench, until the train emerged from the buildings into open ground, leaving the big city behind as it began its trip to Johto. Mark watched through the back window as Saffron faded away into the distance, impressed by how fast the train moved, but despite that, he felt a little blue as they raced across Kanto, peering off towards the north in the direction of Cerulean city. It showed on his expression, which Randy was quick to notice. "What's the matter, man?" "I don't know," replied Mark. "I guess I'm just a little sad to leaving Kanto. I really enjoyed my time here." Randy chuckled. "Still thinking about your battle with Red?" Mark chuckled too. "Thinking about all the battles I had here. Red, Lance, Blue, even Brock; they were all phenomenal trainers; something that's hard to come by when you've come as far as we have." "I hear ya, bro," Randy stated, nodding. "All that battling has got me pumped up too; I hope I can find some action when we get to Johto too." Mark smiled, never taking his gaze off of the Kanto wilderness as the train carried on. "You never know; you just might." There was a brief silence between the two, simply enjoying the passing scenery around them as the train carried on across the land, until Randy broke the silence by voicing his next question. "So, it's Ethan next, right? Any idea where to find him?" "Well he wasn't at the Indigo Plateau, and Lance had no info for us on where he is," replied Mark. "I suppose we should just look for info at his home in New Bark Town." "Sounds like that's all we can do," agreed Randy. "I just hope there are no bumps in the road this time." "Say it like that and you'll jinx it," Mark returned. ~~~~~ Marvin stood atop the hill, lying prone upon the grassy ledge as he looked through a pair of binoculars towards the east, his eyes scanning along the tracks in the direction of Saffron City, where the Magnet Train would be coming down shortly. Behind him, numerous Syndicate Enforcers, keeping low to the ground to make them hard to spot from the ground below, patiently waiting for their leader's signal. Marvin reached to his side, producing a two-way radio and holding it up to his mouth. "Marvin to Baxter," he said. "Baxter here; what's up?" "Are you all set up? I calculate the train will be in sight at any second." "My bombs are all set up; just give me the word and I'll light up the sky!" "Good work," complimented Marvin. "Based on the travelling speed of the train, to bring it to an optimal placement we'll need to wait until it is within ten seconds of this hill. When it detects that the circuitry in the rails is no longer running, its emergency brakes will activate, and bring the train to a stop right below my position, where our forces will move in and begin phase two." "Spare me the babble; just tell me when the hit the switch." "Fine," returned Marvin. 'Barbarian,' he thought. Suddenly, a whistle blowing caught Marvin's attention. He raised his binoculars again, peering down the rails, and just on the horizon, he saw it; the magnet train, racing straight towards them. "There it is!" He exclaimed, before looking over his shoulder. "All of you, get ready!" He called out to the enforcers. "The train is almost here!" He turned back to face over the hillside, watching the train as it grew closer, holding the transmit button for the radio again. "Baxter, the train is approaching! Standby!" "Finger's on the trigger!" Marvin watched, eyes fixed on the train as he crunched numbers in his mind, estimating the train's rough top speed and the ideal moment to detonate. "Not yet, not yet," Marvin mumbled. "Wait..." His eyes widened. "NOW!" Only a second after Marvin's prompt, a deafening explosion split there air, sending a pillar of smoke erupting from beyond the neighboring hill, climbing high into the sky over the hill. Even from this distance, Marvin felt his ears ringing from the sound wave and felt dirt and stone showering him, dirtying his clothes and even bumping his head somewhat as a sizeable stone hit the top of his head. "Bloody lunatic, how much explosive did he use?!" He scoffed. It would be a miracle if the explosion alone hadn't just given away their entire operation; if anyone was nearby -a Ranger, a traveller or even just some plane flying overhead, they had just sent up a nice big beacon to tell them something was wrong.. "No matter... it has done the job." Down below, the brakes of the magnet train had kicked in upon detecting the severed electrical current in the lines, sparks erupting from beneath the train and showering the surrounding trees and grass, screeching in protest as they struggled to stop the train, bringing it to a halt between the foothills, ripe for the picking of the Syndicate Enforcers. Marvin motioned for his men to hold their ground for the moment as he set aside his radio and binoculars, rising to his feet and brushing the dirt and loose grass blades off of his shirt, scoffing at the mess he was in before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his coin, twirling it between his fingers. "Alright, men; begin the advance," he stated. "The sleeper agents will be jumping into action as soon as they see you; they'll subdue anyone who..." He paused, and his sudden hesitation brought the confused looks of his enforcers as he stared at something down by the train, over the top of the now immobilized transport to two individuals that had stepped out of the rear-most car of the train and into view... "Well now... how delightfully unexpected." ~~~~~ Mark was half asleep on the surprisingly quiet train ride as the vehicle bumped and rolled along, propped up between two seats, with Vitesse lying against his side, equally relaxed. Randy had picked up a magazine and was reading it, although clearly it wasn't showing anything interesting, for he still looked bored, as did Cairo, who was seemingly reading over his shoulder -although it wasn't what it appeared. Cairo was smart, but even he couldn't read, so he was only looking at the pictures. Mark hummed to himself, tapping his foot as he remembered a favorite tune of his, arms tucked behind his head. He squirmed a little between the seats, having some difficulty finding a comfortable position laying on two seats. "Damn, glad this trip's only an hour," he said. "These seats hurt my ass and my back." "They weren't meant for long-term use, yanno," Randy pointed out. "Maybe not, but would some padding hurt?" Mark asked. "Maybe an armrest? Or..." KABOOM. "WHOA!" Randy screamed, both he and Cairo nearly jumping out of their seats. "What the freaking...?!" Mark demanded as he sat up and Vitesse shot to her feet, both of them looking for the source of the blast. They barely had seconds to look, however, before a horrible screeching sound filled the cars and the train jolted. Mark cried out in surprise as he suddenly felt himself thrown out of his seat. Vitesse flapped her arms as she lost her balance and fell with her trainer, both of them dropping to the floor heavily. Cairo and Randy had been halfway out of their seats when the jolt occurred, sending them both falling face-first to the floor. Passengers all through the car stumbled and screamed in surprise as the train slowed, the wheels screaming to a halt and bringing the massive transport to a stop right in the middle of nowhere... Randy pushed himself up on his hands, shaking his head to clear the stars from his eyes. "What's going on; why'd the train stop?" He asked. "Bigger question, what the hell was that blast?" Mark demanded as he sat up, glancing over at Vitesse as she rose up to a seated position. "You okay girl?" "Herrrrrrh," she returned, rubbing her head. "Arruu!!" Cairo barked, tapping his trainer on the back to get his attention. Randy looked over his shoulder at the Lucario, and saw him pointing out the window with his other paw. Following his arm, and turning over in the process, Randy saw what Cairo was looking at, seeing a pillar of dust and black smoke rising over the nearby hill, next to where the train had stopped. "Hey! Mark, see that?" Randy called, pointing at the window. "That must be where the explosion came from." "Come on," said Mark as Vitesse helped him to his feet. "We better go see what happened; someone might be in trouble." "Good idea, although I've got to say, something smells fishy about all this," remarked Randy as they hurried over to the door. Vitesse pushed her talons between the seams of the door, allowing both her and Mark to put their fingers between it and pry the doors open and stepped outside, running alongside the train before crossing the tracks and heading for the hills. "Hey; we're at the heel of Mt. Silver!" Randy remarked. "We're right on the regional boundary!" Mark didn't give an answer, simply carrying on. The four of them continued their sprint towards the hills, heading up a short incline until they were in sight of the cause of the smoke; straight ahead of them was an electrical substation, easily recognized by the fencing and electrical transformers within, as a sign hanging on the fence reading 'Private Property: No Trespassing' and another reading 'Goldenrod City Power Company'. The cause of the smoke was a destroyed transformer, blown to pieces amidst the others, and an electrical fire had broken out, setting the entire substation ablaze. "Damn! What did that?" Randy asked. "That doesn't look like any short-circuit I've ever seen," Mark stated. "I'd say someone bombed that place!" "Wait... you think maybe this is a substation to the rail line?" Randy asked. Mark perked with realization, and glanced at Randy. "It must be; there's nothing else out here," he stated. "That must be why the train stopped; when the electricity stopped flowing the automated safety kicked in and activated the train's brakes." "So somebody stopped the train on purpose, then," Randy said, and not in a question. "They did... we better get back the train; I smell a Raticate and its initials are 'IPCS'." They turned, but didn't move another step. Blocking their path was a familiar, thin, long-legged man in a green vest and white shirt, wearing black dress pants. Housed on his vest were magnetized holsters holding four Poké Balls, and he flipped a coin from his hand and into the air, spiralling high over his head before dropping back into his palm, bearing a smug look on his face as he regarded the two trainers. "I know that face," Mark stated. "And damn it I hate when I'm right." "It has been a while," the man called out to the two. "But I remember you two all too well, after you humiliated me on the S.S Julia. What are the chances, though, that I would find you, here of all places?" He looked at his gold coin. "Fate is truly kind, it seems; giving me the opportunity to pay you both back in full for getting in my way." "Or maybe cruel because it brought us here so I could kick your ass again," Mark stated, cracking his knuckles. "If I recall, your name was Marvin, wasn't it?" "Yes indeed, sir," returned the man. "I'm flattered you would remember me." "If you're responsible for this destruction, I'm sending you to Unova in the tiniest box I can stuff your sorry ass into," Mark warned. "After I knock out all of your teeth." "I'm simply following orders," replied the man. "But now that I know you two are here, the plan will have to change; I can't have you interfering with another of our operations, after all." He reached for a Poké Ball on his vest and plucked it free. "So I will not be letting you pass." Mark flashed a cruel smile. "And you think you can stop us?" He asked, matter-of-factly. "I took you down single-handedly aboard the Julia, and Randy beat every one of your thugs without breaking a sweat, by himself," he gestured to his friend. "You're dreaming if you think you can take on both of us at the same time." "So if I were you, buddy," Randy chimed in, pushing up his glasses. "I'd be getting out of the way before things get rough." As he spoke, both Cairo and Vitesse stepped forward to get into position, standing in front of their trainers to await their directions. Randy's words succeeded in making Marvin hesitate, the confidence draining almost visibly from him as he lowered the arm holding his Poké Ball. He started to step back, but a strong voice split the air, making Mark and Randy jump. "HEY! You aren't planning on continuing the fun without me, are you Marv, after that last blast got me all fired up?" A man appeared from behind the hill next to the three, garbed in old tattered clothes and approaching them, tossing a Poké Ball up and down in his hand. Marvin watched the man until he stopped at his side. "I'd remind you you're supposed to be with the rest, Baxter, but I can say I'm honestly glad to see you," stated Marvin. "You were lookin' a little outnumbered," returned the man, now identified as Baxter. "Who are these two anyway?" "Nuisances to the Syndicate; they foiled the heist of the S.S Julia almost two months ago," said Marvin. "And now they are intent on ruining our work here." Baxter scowled at the two, showing a row of teeth, rather poorly kept, as he stopped tossing his Poké Ball and held it tightly in his hand. "Are they now?" He asked. "Well ,we can't have that; I say we be putting them in their place, don't you?" "I could not agree more," returned Marvin, his confidence regained now that the odds were even. "Another Syndicate lackey," Randy whispered to Mark. "This one's not in uniform either; must be one of the bosses." "Doesn't matter," said Mark. "We've got to get back to the train -no chance these two came here alone. Let's take 'em down, hard and fast." "Just our style," agreed Randy. (Music for this scene: 'Vs. Team Rocket' from Heartgold/Soulsilver) Marvin cast his Poké Ball forward. "I choose Magnezone!" Baxter followed suite. "Get 'em, Toxicroak!" Magnezone was the first to emerge, the floating, metal, man-made Pokémon emerging from the confines of its ball, whirring loudly and twirling its magnetic 'hands' as it watched Vitesse and Cairo with its center eye, flashing red and crackling with electricity. The second Pokémon that emerged from the ball thrown by Baxter was a large, bipedal Pokémon, frog-like in appearance with teal-coloured skin, large yellow eyes with slitted pupils like a cat, and black ring patterns on its arms. It grinned with a pair of large teeth, the red vocal sac on its neck expanding as it croaked and pumped its arms, which also served to show a pair of spikes on top of its fists, closely resembling stingers and matching the colour of the vocal sac. "I'll do you a favor, Marv," Baxter stated before he pointed at Vitesse. "Toxicroak; Poison Jab! Go for the Blaziken!" "Rrrribbrt!" The Toxicroak replied before it made a mighty leap towards Vitesse. Mark was about to give an order, but Randy beat him to it. "Block it, Cairo!" The Lucario replied promptly, dashing into Toxicroak's path and letting the flurry of stabbing punches from the Poison/Fighting Type hit him instead, protecting Vitesse from the attack. Baxter was laughing at Randy's seemingly foolish mistake. "Noble, boy, but you cost your own Pokémon its strength doing that!" "Think again, hairy," Randy retorted. When Toxicroak finally ceased its attack and leapt away, Cairo stood completely unfazed by the attack, with nary a mark to be seen anywhere on his body, while Vitesse had been successfully defended from a potentially harmful attack. "A Lucario is part Steel-type; completely immune to Poison!" "Ah blast it," growled Baxter. "But not to this!" Marvin called as Magnezone suddenly rose up from behind Toxicroak, its entire body sparking with voltage. "Magnezone; Zap Cannon!" Cairo and Vitesse reacted purely on impulse as Magnezone charged up the powerful electrical blast, banking to the sides to evade it, sending it blasting into the ground instead; the force of impact was so great it caused a backlash that sent dirt and grass flying in all directions, showering Pokémon and trainer alike. The two Syndicate Pokémon followed their targets, with Toxicroak chasing Cairo and Magnezone pursuing Vitesse. Randy ordered Cairo to use Aura Sphere, and in response the Lucario stopped sprinting and turned to face Toxicroak forming the sphere of condensed energy between his paws. "Sucker Punch!" Baxter called. Toxicroak dashed forward with greater speed that before, and bashed Cairo across the face before he could complete charging the attack. "Cairo, Force Palm!" Randy called. Cairo responded immediately, avoiding a second punch from Toxicroak before raising one arm and delivering a powerful palm thrust into Toxicroak's chest that sent it skidding across the ground, stunned by the attack; Toxicroak clutched where it was hit, coughing. Cairo had struck just the right spot to knock the wind out of it, and leave it vulnerable. "Toxicroak; hurry, use Bulk-up!" Baxter called. Toxicroak started to move, but then froze, and became still except for some minor twitching. It croaked loudly, struggling to make its body respond, to no avail. "Tough luck, pal; Force Palm has a chance of causing temporary paralysis!" Randy called. "Now Cairo, time for something new; get in close!" At the command, Cairo raced towards Toxicroak, closing the distance between the two of them before stopping barely arm's length from his opponent, the Lucario eyeing it coldly as he heard his trainer's next command. "Now, Focus Blast!" Cairo held up both paws, facing them towards Toxicroak and charging up a gold-yellow energy in front of them; Toxicroak's eyes went wide in horror, and once more it desperately tried to move but still couldn't. Cairo unleashed the powerful energy attack, and sent Toxicroak flying through the air, spiralling over the ground before hitting the hillside hard enough to leave an impression of itself in the soil, and knocked clear out in the process. Meanwhile, Magnezone was still chasing Vitesse, weaving and dodging her flamethrower attacks as she tried to knock it out of midair with distance attacks, despite them being out of her element. "Magnezone; Thunderbolt!" Marvin called. At the command, Magnezone crackled with electricity, bolts forming around its magnet-hands, before coming together and blasting straight ahead, aimed at Vitesse. The Blaziken managed to dodge the first, but the second one struck home, stumbling her and nearly making her lose her footing, but she resisted, shaking off the static pain coursing through her body. "Vitesse; Flame Charge!" Mark called. She turned to face Magnezone, and as her body became engulfed in fire, she rushed at it, closing the distance in seconds and ramming the floating magnetic Pokémon directly, sending it spiralling out of control. "Now, move in and use Blaze Kick!" Mark called. With the speed boost she gained from Flame Charge, she reached Magnezone before it could fully recover from the direct hit it had taken from the charge, allowing her to unleash her attack in the form of an airborne spin kick, sending Magnezone bouncing across the grass like a stone on water. "Magnezone; try to get up!" Marvin called as the electric/steel Pokémon finally came to a stop. Surprisingly, it diligently responded, floating shakily back up from the ground again... but it didn't last. "Flamethrower!" Mark called. Vitesse breathed a long cone of flames that engulfed Magnezone before it could fully recover, the flamethrower attack overheating it internally and causing it to fall back to the ground, now rendered immobile and unable to get back up. With Magnezone dispatched, Mark snapped his fingers and chuckled. "That was a piece of cake," he said, confidently. Marvin held up Magnezone's Poké Ball and recalled it, as Baxter did for Toxicroak at the same time, both of them disgruntled by the crushing defeat. "Think we underestimated these youngsters a little," remarked Baxter. "They are both Ex-Champions," Marvin stated. "And you didn't think to tell me that sooner?" "If I thought it was relevant, I would have." "Bah! Whatever; let's just carry on!" The demolitionist stated as he produced his next Poké Ball. "Fine; let's go," agreed Marvin, bringing out his next as well, glaring at Mark. "Last time we fought, I didn't get to show you my trump card. Now, I'll make up for lost time and show him to you." "Do your worst, Marvin; Vitesse can kick the tar out of every Pokémon you have," Mark said, dismissing any threat Marvin posed. "We'll see who laughs last!" Marvin called. "Now!" "Come out, Ferrothorn!" Baxter called as he too cast his Poké Ball out alongside Marvin. The first Pokémon to appear was a massive, yellow spider with a light purple underbelly and patterns on its back, with large tufts of hair growing from the abdomen. It had two large eyes and multiple smaller, simple eyes, each one a matching light blue colour. It had multiple hairy legs supporting its body, and two additional short appendages reaching out like arms from its body behind its head. The Pokémon, Mark recognized -with some disgust- as a Galvantula; a Bug/Electric-type Pokémon, the only one of its kind besides its pre-evolution, Joltik. "Ugh... a bug; someone step on it," Mark stated, cringing. "It HAD to be a spider," added Randy. The second Pokémon had a metallic body resembling a flattened durian, covered in thorns. Two yellow eyes peeked out from its main body, ringed by green that matched the vines growing from its body, each vine ending in a metal disk acting as feet as it used the vines to lift itself up from the ground. "A Galvantula and a Ferrothorn," said Randy. "You've still got Vitesse out and they bring out two Pokémon that are weak against Fire? What's going through these guy's heads?" "I don't know," replied Mark. "But I'm not going to underestimate Marvin; he wouldn't call out that Galvantula unless he had some kind of trick up his sleeve; it'd be an amateur move if he did." He stared at Galvantula for a moment for glancing at Randy. "Keep your eyes peeled; be ready for anything." "You got it." "Ferrothorn, Pin Missile attack!" Baxter called. Ferrothorn tensed, and the spikes on its body began to eject from it, re-growing almost instantly only to be fired again, creating a volley of showering spikes that fell towards Cairo and Vitesse. Mark and Randy both shouted "Look out!" at the same time, while Cairo and Vitesse hurriedly sought cover, ducking behind rocks to evade the oncoming shower. All the while, Galvantula charged ahead, crossing the battlefield with impressive speed before pouncing over the rock Vitesse had been hiding behind, forcing her out from behind the cover. "Cairo; help Vitesse!" Randy called. "Oh no you don't!" Baxter called. "Ferrothorn; power whip!" Just as Cairo was about to make a mad dash to aid Vitesse, one of Ferrothorn's long limbs reached out towards him and struck the ground in his path, making him jump back instinctively, the sonic boom emitted by the snapping of the vine making him blink. He tried again, but once more Ferrothorn would not let him pass, and after the second attempt, it launched itself with its powerful vine-like legs and landed in Cairo's path, blocking him from advancing and once more striking at him with power whip. Once again Cairo just managed to dodge it, but it was clear he wasn't going to be able to assist Vitesse while this Pokémon was in the way. "Alright, you want to play rough?" Randy asked, annoyed. "Cairo; Aura Sphere!" "Ferrothorn; Mirror Shot!" As Cairo charged his attack, a flash of light erupted from Ferrothorn's body, shining brightly and making Cairo have to close his eyes again, trying to shield them from the intense glare, but he could not even open them a crack. Not that that could stop him, though; as a Lucario, he could see the Aura of other Pokémon, allowing him to see them even without his eyesight. The dredlock-like appendages growing from his head splayed outward as if with minds of their own, and soon he could see the Aura of Ferrothorn, identified by its distinctive shape, but he could see something else forming in front of it; it was still charging up its mirror shot attack while it thought Cairo was blinded. Cairo wasted no time; he finished charging up his Aura Sphere and cast it towards Ferrothorn; to Cairo it was a blazing blue sphere, filling with his own bodily energy into a powerful attack, racing towards the Grass/Steel-Type. But at almost the exact same time, Ferrothorn discharged its attack as well, and the two collided in midair, exploding upon contact and nearly knocking both Pokémon over. "Oh, I like that," Baxter called, grinning from ear to ear after seeing the explosion. "Let's see if we can do that again, shall we? Ferrothorn; Mirror Shot!" "Cairo; use Extreme Speed to get in close, and then Force Palm!" Randy called. Cairo, eyes still closed, was off like a bullet from a gun as Ferrothorn charged up and fired again, the attack missing him completely, until Cairo raced up to its side, and thrust his palm right into its side, which, although did damage, Cairo yelped and pulled back his paw as Ferrothorn tumbled away; he'd punctured himself on one of the many barbs covering Ferrothorn's body -even as a steel-type himself, a Lucario had some soft areas of their own, and the paw was one of them. "Nice try," Baxter retorted as Ferrothorn, shaking itself as it stood up on its vine-legs again, faced Cairo once more, not yet ready to lose. "But my Ferrothorn can take anything you hit it with." "We'll see about that," Randy replied. "You okay, Cairo?" "Ar!" Cairo returned confidently, shaking the pain from his paw before turning to his combat stance, ready to resume. Meanwhile Vitesse was still occupied with the Galvantula, which proved to be quite fast for such a big spider, leaping away and dodging every attack she tried. She lunged at it with a Blaze Kick; it jumped out of the way. She attacked with Flamethrower; it stepped out of its path, letting it hit nothing instead. "Damn bug is quick!" Mark growled. "You haven't seen anything yet," Marvin returned. "Galvantula; String Shot!" From between its mandibles, a thread was shot out; instinctively, Vitesse put up her arm to defend herself, feeling it hit her forearm. Galvantula fired again, this time aiming lower; Vitesse tried to jump, but a half-second before making her leap, a string caught her leg, and Galvantula reared back to pull at it, tripping her up. With a wider spray of thread, he coated her legs in the string, and they stuck together; even as she leapt back to her feet, she had trouble moving, her legs gummed up by the sticky spider thread. "Now, Electroweb, before it can move!" Marvin called. Galvantula sprang into the air again, bringing its legs together as it sprayed more thread to the pointed tips of its many limbs, and rapidly created a web-like net that, after opening its legs, dropped down onto Vitesse; too sluggish from the string shot before, she couldn't get out of the way, and the web fell around her, coating her completely... and that's when the pain started. Electricity crackled as the web fell around her, and she shrieked loudly as she was electrocuted inside of the web. "Vitesse!" Mark called, desperately. Back with Randy, Cairo had managed to get past Ferrothorn's defenses and hit it with another Aura Sphere, sending it flying several feet; it hit the ground, not too far from where Vitesse was being shocked by the web, which Galvantula took further advantage on jumping onto the web-covered Blaziken and pinning her down, forcing her to continue taking the shock. Cairo saw what was happening and, without even waiting for an order from Randy, used Extreme Speed to close in and punch Galvantula off of Vitesse, sending the spider careening. With that, Cairo quickly ripped the web off of Vitesse, freeing her. "Ferrothorn, Explosion!" Baxter called. "What?" Mark and Randy both demanded. "No, you idiot!" Marvin shouted. But it was too late. Ferrothorn, seeming unconscious a mere moment ago, suddenly opened its eyes as its body started to glow brightly, becoming a bleachy white light before there was a suddenly blast, going all directions all around it, sending up dust clouds and torn pieces as of grass as all remaining energy from Ferrothorn was discharged into the highly destructive Explosion attack; a move that had, in recent years, been outlawed by the Government, forbidding its use -especially in tournaments. Everyone was caught in it; Randy and Mark were both blown off of their feet, Cairo and Vitesse who were closer were both sent flying, while Marvin suddenly found himself catching his Galvantula with his face as the spider was launched back-first into him by the blast. Only Baxter remained on his feet, holding Ferrothorn's ball and waiting until the blast subsided before he called it back, as the Explosion had knocked out Ferrothorn too. As the dust settled, Mark pushed himself up on his hands, rubbing his head before turning to Randy, who lay face-down at his side. "You okay, man?" Randy pushed himself up to a knelt position, shaking his head briskly to try and clear it. "I'll let you know as soon as my ears stop ringing," he replied. "Hey wait," Mark said, suddenly remembering Vitesse and Cairo. "Where'd our Pokémon go?!" That did it; Randy was awake and fully alert instantly, both of them springing to their feet in record speed and looking around for any sign of their beloved partners. It didn't take long for them to spot the two, lying nearby, both of them unconscious and lying sprawled out on the ground. They called out their names as they ran to their sides, falling to their knees next to them but they were both unresponsive, knocked clean out by the blast. Meanwhile, Marvin was not only back on his feet and already recalled his Galvantula, but he was storming over to Baxter, looking very displeased. "You imbecile!" He screamed at him. "You not only knocked out their Pokémon; you knocked out ours too! I was nearly on the verge of winning!" "Oh, come off it, you big baby," returned Baxter dismissively. "You've got more of 'em, don't ya? So bring out your next one." Marvin growled angrily, eye twitching, but he complied, producing another Poké Ball and casting it out alongside Baxter's. From within Marvin's Poké Ball, a Victreebel emerged; the Grass/Poison-type Pokémon with a shape like an inverted bell, standing upright on its base, with two long leaves growing from its sides like arms, another one covering its mouth at the top of its body where two eyes gazed out at the opposing trainers, and a long vine growing from its upper back, ending in a fang-like leaf at the end. The second Poké Ball released a much bigger Pokémon. A blue quadruped with a body of solid stone, with various spiny, crystal-like red features jutting out of its body. Its limbs had gray joints and were each topped with red crystalline features, with the two claws on each limb being similar features. It had a red eyes nearly concealed within two pits in its head that glared out from under what appeared to be a glare. Several of the crystalline features were present on its face; three below its eyes, one in the middle resembling a crest, and other crystals to the sides of its head, angling back and shorter than the crest. It took a step forward, and the land shuddered under its footstep "Whoa... what is that?" Mark asked after pocketing Vitesse's Poké Ball, having called her back into it safely. "It's a Gigalith," replied Randy. "Powerful Rock-type from Unova; big on the attack and the defense alike. I fought one once before; thing was tough." "Marvin's Victreebel shouldn't be too hard, though," Mark stated. "Last time I saw that thing one kick from Vitesse took it out, so he hasn't raised that one very well." "Alright, then," said Randy, reaching for his next Poké Ball. "I'll take Gigalith then; that guy has crossed the line of my last nerve, so I'm bringing out Gemstar." "No, hang on," Mark insisted. "Why?" "You saw how excited Baxter got by that Explosion, right?" Mark asked. "That wasn't just a desperate last move; he actually enjoyed doing that, even though he sacrificed his Pokémon in the process; I think we're dealing with a bomber here. I'm willing to bet Gigalith can learn that attack too -most Rock-types can; he's bound to use it again if we back him into a corner. We need a different approach." "You have a plan?" "I have a plan. Bring out Velox." "Why him?" "We'll need his speed, plus he can use Fire Blast and has the Immunity ability, so he can take out Victreebel." "What about you?" Mark grinned, holding up his next Poké Ball. "I'm giving us a nice, big, iron shield." It seemed, at that moment, Randy caught on to Mark's plan, because suddenly he was grinning back and elicited a light chuckle. "Hey!" Marvin called, impatiently. "If you two are surrendering, get it over with already!" "Dream on, asshole," Mark retorted. "We're just getting warmed up!" Randy added as he and Mark threw their next choices out to the field, releasing them from their Poké Balls. Out of Randy's, the Zangoose known as Velox appeared, chattering madly as he landed on all fours, glaring ahead at his new adversaries. Out of Mark's, the massive iron Steelix known as Tanker formed, towering up behind Velox like a titan of iron as he growled at Marvin and Baxter's Pokémon, his train-engine voice enough to send shivers down the backs of the trainers. Their Pokémon stood fast better than they, and returned the glares of their opponents. "Alright, let's take 'em!" Mark called. "Velox, use Fury Cutter on Victreebel!" At the command, Velox charged, running on all fours towards Victreebel, claws extended and ready for use. Victreebel, at its trainers command, attacked with Leaf Blade, lashing its long vine and slashing at Velox with the tip, but the Zangoose deftly evaded the attack, charging inside of its reach and striking with Fury Cutter as ordered, clawing across Victreebel's flank. The plant Pokémon retaliated with another Leaf Blade, but Velox was so swift to react, he moved out of reach before Victreebel could even bring its vine around again, dashing right out of reach, and as soon as he had his opening, he hit Victreebel with Fury Cutter again. "V-Victreebel, Poison Powder!" Marvin called. Victreebel uncovered its mouth, and out of the gaping maw a storm of sickly purple powder erupted, showering the field; not even Velox could dodge it, but it turned out, he didn't need to; he kept up the attack, unhindered, and sent Victreebel spiralling to the ground. "Hey! What's going on?!" "Zangoose is the enemy of Seviper, a powerful Poison-type," Randy replied. "He has a natural immunity -his body can fight off any kind of Poison-type attacks." "Aww hell..." Marvin grumbled; Victreebel wasn't beaten yet, it got up. But it was increasingly clear that he was losing this battle, badly. Gigalith was preoccupied and unable to assist as Tanker charged, leaving grooves in the dirt as he tore his way across the battlefield and attacked with Iron Head at Mark's command; Gigalith reared up on its hind legs and caught Tanker's attack with a Smack Down attack, the two moves cancelling each other out, both of them grinding to a halt. Gigalith was tough, to be able to take a direct hit from a Steelix like that and not be sent flying, but it was going to take far more than that to stop Tanker. "Iron Tail!" Mark called. Tanker pulled his head back and twisted himself around, smacking Gigalith with his tail and nearly knocking it over, but it defiantly held its ground despite the hit. "Use Power Gem!" The crystalline growth on Gigalith's body glowed brightly, and shining violet diamonds of energy emerged from its body, assailing Tanker in a flurry of attacks, but Tanker took them easily, barely even reacting to the onslaught despite taking them straight to the head, much to Baxter's dismay. "Your Gigalith is tough," Mark admitted. "But when it comes to defense, nothing tops my Steelix." "Let's put that to the test, shall we?" Baxter asked, glaringly. Meanwhile, Velox had finished with Victeebel already; unleashing a Fire Blast attack after wearing it down with Fury Cutter the Grass-type was utterly defeated by the Zangoose, forcing Marvin to call it back to its Poké Ball. He growled angrily, and then called out to Baxter. "I don't have any Pokémon left I can use; my Tentacruel can't fight in this landscape!" Nor would it do him much good against a Zangoose; Tentacruel was a Poison-type too, with no advantage over something like a Zangoose. "Aw, the hell with this!" Baxter growled. "Gigalith, Explosion now!" "Randy!" Mark called. "Velox, use Quick Attack; get behind Tanker!" Randy instructed. "Tanker; Iron Defense, hurry!" Mark ordered. Tanker coiled up, lowering his head as his body adopted a white-ish sheen as he amplified his defense, while Zangoose, moving so swiftly that his body was a blur, dashing across the field as Gigalith began to glow brightly, ready to unleash its power. Mark and Randy covered their ears and ducked low, hoping Mark's strategy would work, because Gigalith was about to unleash a lot more energy than Ferrothorn had; Gigalith was notorious for having an incredibly high-powered core within itself, one capable of destroying mountains if unleashed all at once. The blast was released, and after a brief silence, a deafening 'boom' filled the air, dull at first but rising in volume fast as it broke the silence and could be heard from untold distances, a column of smoke rising hundreds of feet into the sky sent up a beacon of the blast's location for miles aound, and massive shockwave blanketed the ground...