{"sf1_id":893911,"sf2_id":null,"title":"Pokemon: QATM Chapter 16","author":"Volcan MacAingeal","words":10253,"posted_at":"2015-08-03T17:33:00.000Z","tags":["Ferrothorn","Galvantula","Gigalith","Human","Magnezone","Toxicroak","Victreebel","Zangoose","blaziken","lucario","pokemon","pokemon trainer","steelix"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/893911-pokemon-qatm-chapter-16","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/893911","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=893911\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"\n            His journey in Kanto fresh in his mind, Mark Taylor from\nthe Hoenn Region recaps all the things he's seen and the people he has met,\nbattling the mighty trainers Blue, Red's longtime rival, and Lance, the Dragon\nMaster Champion of Kanto. Of all the battles he has faced in his time, these\nwould prove to be some of his most memorable; the unpredictability of Blue, the\nsheer power and determination of Lance, traits which reflected in their Pokémon.\nThese two stood out above many other opponents Mark had faced. And then, of\ncourse, was his battle with Red; the hardest-fought battle of his entire career\nas a trainer, seizing victory by the skin of his teeth, and discovering the\nexistence of a new Pokémon, known as Mewtwo; the most powerful Psychic-type in\nthe world.\n            It had taken the combined efforts of three of his Pokémon;\nhis living wall of iron, Tanker the Steelix, his swift-moving fire-spewing\nCharmeleon, Coal, and his high-flying solar-powered bomber, Palm Tree the\nTropius, to finally bring down Mewtwo. Prior to that battle, though, his\nmightiest Pokémon, Vitesse the Blaziken, met her match against Red's\nall-powerful Charizard, who like her was capable of Mega Evolution. Their\nbattle was by far the fiercest, but in the end Vitesse seized a narrow victory,\ncollapsing with exhaustion and leaving the rest to Mark's remaining Pokémon.\n            Unknown to him, his battle with Red had been spied upon\nby members of the elusive International Pokémon Crime Syndicate; an\norganization of ruthless Pokémon thieves and thugs comprised of former members\nof Team Rocket, Team Plasma, Team Galactic, and Team Aqua and Magma, forming\nafter the near-calamity in the Kalos Region at Geosenge Town. Mark's battle\nprowess caught the attention of Syndicate lieutenant, Kevin Zane, who now\nwatches Mark's movements, claiming he believes Mark's Pokémon could be powerful\nassets, but in truth, he sees Mark as a threat to their organization; one who\ncould compromise their motives.\n            Something he will not let stand.\n            Even now, the wicked mind of Kevin Zane plots and plans\nhis next move. One that will show Mark and Randy just what are the risks they\ntake when when they cross the mighty Crime Syndicate...\nPokémon:\nQuest of a True Master\nChapter 16\n-Johto and Sinnoh Arc-\n            Marvin walked briskly down the\ncorridor of the Johto base, passing several Syndicate Operatives as he trekked\nthrough the metal corridors. His footsteps were hurried, having received a\nsummons from Kevin Zane, and ordered to respond immediately; knowing Kevin was\nnot one to keep waiting, he hustled to the meeting room, eager to avoid a\nlecture or gloat about promptness from the young lieutenant. Several grunts\nsaluted him as he passed, recognizing him as a ranking operative in the\norganization.\n            He turned a corner, and saw the\nmeeting room up ahead, two guards on either side of the door. Watchmen, they\nwere called, recognized by wearing white uniforms as opposed to the standard\ngray of recruits, blue of full members known as Enforcers and black for Operatives.\nMarvin was ranked one above the latter-most; not quite a Lieutenant, but the\nequivalent of a sergeant in the army, known as a Special Operative. The white-clad\nWatchmen were Enforcers assigned guard duty at the bases, completing the circle\nof Syndicate members who were recognized by colours, while the senior members\nof the syndicate could dress as they chose.\n            The two guards stood at attention\nand stepped aside to let Marvin pass, the door opening for him as the motion\nsensor detected him. He stopped only for a moment, reaching into the pocket of\nhis green vest and producing his large gold coin, twirling it on his finger for\na moment before flipping it, letting it land flat in his hand to show the face\nof a Blastoise on the side facing him. With that, he clenched his hand around\nthe coin and stepped through the door, adjusting his posture to appear strong\nand confident.\n            Unlike the rest of the base, this\nroom was not made of metal. In fact, this room look more like the windowless\nboard rooms of an office building, only with more colour; the walls were lined\nwith panels of fake wood, dark brown in colour, with red wall-to-wall\ncarpeting. A white sheet hung down on the wall to the right and if one looked\nat the table, they would see a projector linked up to a closed laptop computer\nsitting at the very center, near the largest chair. The table was black and\nglassy and looked quite expensive, perfectly round and ringed by numerous\npadded seats designed to perfectly fit the form of those who sat in them.\n            Marvin peered about the room,\nconfirming he was the only one there. \"Hm. Seems I worried for nothing,\" he\nsaid, realizing he was the first to arrive. Smiling broadly he approached the\ntable, searching for a seat.\n            He avoided the large chair; that one\nwas off limits to any operative, reserved only for the boss of the Syndicate,\nsomeone Marvin had never even met before, but knew well to avoid ever seating\nhimself in the chair. Kevin Zane's rank as a lieutenant put him as part of the\nupper echelon of the Syndicate; the boss hand-picked the lieutenants himself\nfrom the best the Syndicate had, and Kevin was one of only three the Syndicate\nhad; Marvin had never met the other two, but if they were Kevin's equals in\nrank, they had to be his equals in battle...\n            He shuddered to think what they were\nlike.\n            The door opened, and Marvin\ninstinctively put his hands on the table in preparation to stand, expecting\nKevin to come through, but a close glance at the new arrival quickly revealed\nit was not him. The one who stepped through the door was a large, bulky man\nwith a grey-white sleeveless shirt -although the frills, loose threads and\ntears around the arm sockets were evidence the shirt had once had sleeves, but\nthey had been torn off. He wore dark sunglasses, and his head was wrapped in a\ndirty red bandana, from under which trailed unkempt black hair. He wore a\nshoulder strap across his chest, housing six Poké Balls in their condensed\nforms, and a pair of dark green cargo pants.\n            Marvin recognized the man quickly,\nhaving memorized most of the personnel roster for the Syndicate. \"Baxter\nSummers?\" He asked.\n            The man raised a hand to his glasses\nand tilted them up to look at Marvin. \"Do I know you?' He asked, his mouth\nbarely visible behind a thick mustache.\n            \"We have never met, formally,\"\nMarvin replied. \"But I know you; my name is Martin Gold, Special Operative of\nthe Syndicate, like yourself.\" \n'What in the\nworld is this lunatic doing here?' Marvin demanded in his mind. Baxter had a rather\ndubious reputation as something of a mad bomber, earning him the nickname\n'Bomber' Baxter in the organization, often called upon for loud jobs that would\ndistract the authorities or for making examples of enemies of the Syndicate.\nDespite his efficiency at the jobs he did, though, he often enjoyed them a\nlittle too much...\n            Baxter nodded. \"So, I guess Zane\ncalled you in too, eh?\" He asked, lifting a piece of beef jerky in his other\nhand to his mouth, biting down on it and tearing away a chunk before chewing.\n            \"He did indeed,\" returned Marvin. \"But\nto call upon two Special Operatives like ourselves, I wonder what he has\nplanned?\"\n            Baxter crossed the room to the\ntable, wolfing down the rest of the jerky in his hand before he found himself a\nseat and sat down, crossing his arms. \"Better not be another boring one like\nthat last job I had in Hearthome City.\"\n            \"Yes, your... infamous work at the\nhotel, where you eliminated that investigator, wasn't it?\" Marvin asked. \"The\none close to tracking down our base of operations there?\"\n            \"That's the one.\"\n            \"I'll have you know, that task of\nyours may have saved our operations in Sinnoh; you should be proud of it,\"\nMarvin stated. \"What about it didn't satisfy you?\"\n            \"I didn't get to use enough\ndynamite,\" Baxter replied. \"I wanted to use forty pounds; nice big boom, but\nthe boss said that'd bring the whole building down. I didn't really care, but\nhe said we were 'only after the investigator, not the entire tourism industry\nof Sinnoh'.\" He snorted. \"Could barely hear the blast from the diner.\"\n            'I\ndearly hope Kevin knows what he's doing, bringing in this madman,' thought\nMarvin.\n            Almost as if the thought were a cue,\nthe door opened once again, seizing the attention of both Marvin and Baxter;\nthey turned, and through the door stepped Kevin Zane, crossing the way to the\ntable with slow steps that spoke of his authority. His hands were tucked into\nthe pockets of his dark green pants, and his hair huge around his head like a\ncowl from beneath his black cap, his deep brown eyes regarding the two as he\nfound his seat next to the bosses chair.\n            \"Glad to see you both here; I admire\nmen who are prompt,\" Kevin remarked as he seated himself, and turned to Baxter.\n\"Mr. Summers; I hope your trip here from Sinnoh wasn't too boring for you?\"\n            \"Only thing that kept me from\nblowing up anything on the ship was the fact I was on it,\" Baxter replied,\ndully. \"Although, Curtis told me to tell you, he expects me back in Sinnoh\nwithin the week; says he has plans for me.\"\n            Kevin scoffed. \"Curtis will get you\nback when I say so, and not a minute before; if he has a problem with that, he\ncan get his head out of the clouds and come down to see me,\" stated the\nLieutenant. \"I answer only to the boss, and no one else.\"\n            Baxter shrugged. \"Frankly, I don't\ncare who I'm working for; just give me something to detonate and I'll do it.\"\n            Kevin grinned. \"Then you're in\nluck,\" he stated. \"Because you're going to get to do just that.\"\n            The bored-looking Baxter's\nexpression seemed to light up at that, the mouth hidden beneath his mustache\nstretching into a wide grin. \"Then where's my target, boss?\"\n            \"Patience, Mr. Summers,\" urged\nKevin. \"There is much to discuss.\" He folded his hands on the table in front of\nhim, clearing his throat. \"You will be working with Marvin on this operation;\nhe will coordinate, you will...\" He chuckled as he added wittily. \"Detonate.\"\n            \"You want me to work with him?\"\nMarvin asked, incredulously. \"With all due respect, Kevin, Mr. Summers here has\na foreboding reputation as being something of a loose cannon.\"\n            \"Why do you think I chose you to\nwork with him?\" Kevin asked, plainly. \"A cannon requires an organized and\ncoordinated mind to operate it, and you fit the bill despite your shortcomings\non the heist of the S.S Julia, but\nthink of this next one as your chance to redeem yourself.\"\n            \"You know what my Operatives and I faced aboard that ship,\" Marvin said,\nkeeping his tone even through his annoyance at the reminder of his recent\nfailure. He flipped his coin into the air. \"I was close, so close to\naccomplishing,\" and then caught the coin out of midair. \"Only for some\ncompletely out-of-the-blue scenario to seize it from me.\"\n            \"Part of why I am sending you on\nthis mission,\" Kevin stated firmly, silencing Marvin. \"For you see, you're\ngoing to rob the Magnet Train on its route to Johto.\"\n            Suddenly, it dawned on Marvin why\nKevin had chosen both him and Baxter for this mission; in his mind, the puzzle\npieces were coming together, and became a moving picture of the operation. He\nhad not even begun, but merely hearing the words 'Magnet Train' had set his\nmind in motion, already planning how to carry out the mission. \"I see,\" Marvin\nsaid, softly, nodding his head. \"That is why you chose both of us; I can\ncalculate the exact time to stop the train, and he's the one who can ensure\nit'll be done.\"\n            \"Correct,\" returned Kevin. \"Very\nperceptive, Marvin.\"\n            Despite all the times Marvin had\ndisagreed with Kevin, it felt good he was earning some praise from him; Kevin\nwas often hard to please.\n            \"Now,\" Kevin continued. \"You'll be\nassigned enough men to complete this mission; I have already made arrangements\nfor some agents to put on board; Operatives, working discreetly, and a large\nteam of Enforcers will be with you two; when the train is stopped, you two will\napprehend anyone who tries to leave the train, while the others will deal with\nthe people on board. Same routine as before; rare Pokémon only, and all\nvaluables.\n            \"Quell any resistance, and take\neverything you can get your hands on, and then return them to this base.\nSuccess will be well-rewarded,\" Kevin concluded the mission briefing. \"Oh, and\nMarvin?\"\n            \"Yes?\"\n            \"I expect you to carry out this\nmission thoroughly,\" Kevin stated. \"No matter who gets in your way, it will succeed. Understand?\"\n            Marvin wanted to scowl, but he kept\nhimself under control, and plainly replied to Kevin, in the most even tone he\ncould muster, \"I won't fail a second operation, Kevin. Of that, you can be\ncertain.\"\n            \"Good,\" replied Kevin. \"Now, I've\nbought you a window; the train has experienced some... power failures, and is,\nas such, delayed for a couple of hours. A jeep is waiting for you outside to\nhead to the staging area; get out there and quickly.\" Marvin and Baxter were\nalready standing as Kevin continued. \"You don't have long before they get the\ntrain running again; get there too late, and you'll miss it.\"\n            They were already heading for the\ndoor as Baxter called back. \"We'll get it done!\" He bellowed, guffawing\njoyously. \"This is going to be a blast!\"\n_____________________________________________________________________________\nSaffron City, the largest city in Kanto and the\ncorporate epicentre of the entire region, home of the Kanto Poké Ball\nmanufacturer, Silph Company, and the stopping point of the Magnet Train between\nKanto and Johto.  Saffron was one of the\nlargest cities in the world, housing citizens numbering the millions at least,\nand equally famous as being the place where the legendary Pokémon Trainer, Red,\nrescued the Silph Company from Team Rocket. In memory of the event, a portrait\nof Red had actually been placed on a board outside of the building,\ncommemorating the day and honouring the risks he took for complete strangers\nand for the well-being of countless Pokémon. \nMark was no stranger to big cities, but to be\nstanding outside of Silph Co. in person, where so much had happened before,\nonly made his respect for Red grow. His battle with the former Kanto Champion\nwas still fresh in his mind, and he kept replaying it over and over again; it\nhad been the hardest-fought battle in his entire career as a trainer... and he\nhad loved it. Hard battles like those\nwere the most memorable, and despite his newfound rivalry with Red, the two had\nmanaged to become friends, and looked forward to a rematch in the distant\nfuture.\nHe turned to Vitesse, who stood tall at his side,\nher arms crossed in front of her chest. His first partner and one of his\ncherished friends, the Blaziken was looking stronger than ever since the battle\nwith Red's Charizard. All of her injuries from it had healed, thanks to a\ncouple of trips to the Pokémon Center, but it wasn't until after that Mark\nnoticed how strong-looking she had become, as if battling Charizard had brought\nher to a whole other level. The power he could feel coming from her made his\nconfidence grow, and he knew that his quest to face the other trainers of the\nworld would succeed, so long as she was at his side.\nShe caught his look, glancing back at him and\ntilting her head curiously. Mark chuckled and reached over to pet her crest, bringing\na happy chirp from her. \"We're going to go far, girl,\" he stated. \n\"Hey, Mark!\"\nAt the sound of his name being called, Mark turned\nin the direction of the voice, and saw Randy sprinting up to him, with Cairo,\nhis Lucario, running at his side. He turned to face him, and as Randy stopped\nbefore them. \"What's up?\"\n\"They just announced that the train has been fixed;\nit's finally on its way in,\" replied Randy. \"We better get over there so we can\nmake the boarding time.\"\n\"Good idea,\" returned Mark. \"Race you there?\"\nRandy gave Mark a smug grin. \"You really think you\ncan outrun me, pal?\"\n\"I can try,\" Mark returned, and looked at Vitesse.\n\"Think we can win it, girl?\"\n\"Chak!\" Vitesse returned in\naffirmation.\n\"Let's show 'em what speed is, Cairo!\" Randy chimed as he spun around and broke into a\nrun, followed promptly by the Lucario.\n\"Raarru!\" Cairo\nbarked, sprinting alongside his trainer.\nMark and Vitesse were off in hot pursuit, striding\ndown the sidewalk on the tails of their competitors; Vitesse, having a longer\nstride than all three of them, was quickly pulling ahead, and Cairo, being\nnaturally quick and built for running, was right on at her side, while their\ntwo trainers, though falling behind both of them, were almost shoulder to\nshoulder, although Mark was not as good a sprinter as Randy, and so the latter\nwas gaining more ground on him.\nThey neared a crowd, and suddenly the two trainers\nhad to move and dodge them, excusing themselves as they weaved their way\nthrough the cluster. Vitesse and Cairo took a shortcut, though; Cairo sprang up\nto a lamp post, leaping from one to another deftly to pass over the crowd.\nVitesse used the power of her long legs to clear the crowd in a single jump,\nfront-flipping through the air before landing on the street gracefully, and\nresuming her run; Cairo was only seconds behind her.\nMark and Randy finally cleared the crowd, but were\neasily ten seconds behind their Pokémon. \"Those two are cheaters!\" Randy\ncomplained.\n\"Hey, if you could jump over a whole crowd, wouldn't\nyou do it?\" Mark asked, matter-of-factly, as he sprinted alongside his friend.\n            \"Yeah, point taken; I probably\nwould,\" replied Randy.\n            The Magnet Train station was not far\nfrom the Silph building -a few blocks, at most. Vitesse and Cairo deliberately\nslowed down a little to let their trainers catch up before accelerating the\nfinal stretch; Vitesse passed through the door first with Cairo less than a\nsecond behind her. Third was Randy, and Mark, a full two seconds behind him.\n            With their little race complete, the\nfour stopped to gather their breath, with Randy glancing slyly at Mark. \"Heh...\ntold ya you couldn't outrun me; speed is key, my friend.\"\n            \"Yeah?\" Mark asked. \"Well Vitesse\nwon that race, so in your face.\"\n            \"So... another tie; you lose against\nme, but my Pokémon loses against yours...\" He chuckled. \"Dayum; we just can't\nsurpass each other can we?\"\n\"Is that such a bad thing?\" Mark asked, smiling\nwarmly. \"It gives us both something to drive towards.\"\n\"True that,\" agreed Randy.\nMark turned to look at Vitesse, reaching out and\npatting her shoulder. \"Good run, girl,\" he said.\n\"Chik,\" she\nreturned.\nRandy started petting Cairo's head, giving his ears\na scratch which brought a pleased hum from the Lucario, when he glanced at Mark\nagain. \"You still got our tickets?\"\nMark patted the zippered-pocket of his vest. \"Yep;\ngot them here,\" he affirmed. \n\"Good, 'cuz I think the train's coming,\" said Randy\nas the sounds of metal on metal began to fill the air, starting low and growing\nlouder by the second.\nMark nodded. \"Good ear,\" he complimented.\nThe train came sliding into view of the platform\nseconds later, its approach slowed by the powerful magnets that carried it\nalong the rails. As the train appeared on the platform it screeched to a slow,\nsteady stop before the safety locks engaged and the train was secured in place.\nSeconds later, the doors opened, and numerous passengers filed out, some of the\nhurriedly, others patiently; several of them ran to meet others who were\nwaiting on the platform, family members who had been waiting for their return\nsince the train was announced to be stuck out in Goldenrod City due to an\nelectrical failure. The number of passengers waiting for the train had grown\nsubstantially, and once the train was emptied, they received the automated\nvoice prompt and allowed them to board.\nMark produced their tickets, passing Randy his, and\nthey were the last to board, scanning their passes at the terminals before the\ndoors, accompanied by Vitesse and Cairo as they stepped onto the train. Vitesse\nsquawked she nearly tripped while entering the train, her talons catching on\nthe edge between the platform and the rail, but Mark, acting reflexively,\ncaught her. \"Careful girl,\" he said.\n\"Has she ever been on a train before?\" Randy asked,\ncuriously.\n\"Nope. Has Cairo?\"\n\"Yeah; we sometimes took the train across Hoenn;\nit's how we get around.\"\n\"I usually drove or just flew on Palm Tree's back,\ndepending on the distance,\" replied Mark as they found their seats on the train\nat the rear car. Vitesse stayed standing while the others occupied seats, and\nMark warned her to hold on to the bar, else she might lose her balance when the\ntrain took off. \"Never really needed the train.\"\nRandy shrugged. \"Fair enough.\"\nThe warning bell sounded, alerting the passengers\nthat the doors were closing and the train was about to depart. Mark and Randy\nbraced themselves as the doors slid shut with a hiss, and the safety locks\ndisengaged, sending a slight jolt through the floor of the train. With that,\nthe train began to move, starting slow as it began to leave the platform. Mark\nand Randy watched out the windows as the train picked up speed, seeing the city\nbuildings rushing past as the train sped between them, feeling like they were\nrushing through a trench, until the train emerged from the buildings into open\nground, leaving the big city behind as it began its trip to Johto.\nMark watched through the back window as Saffron\nfaded away into the distance, impressed by how fast the train moved, but\ndespite that, he felt a little blue as they raced across Kanto, peering off\ntowards the north in the direction of Cerulean city. It showed on his\nexpression, which Randy was quick to notice. \"What's the matter, man?\"\n\"I don't know,\" replied Mark. \"I guess I'm just a\nlittle sad to leaving Kanto. I really enjoyed my time here.\"\nRandy chuckled. \"Still\nthinking about your battle with Red?\"\nMark chuckled too. \"Thinking about all the battles I had here. Red, Lance,\nBlue, even Brock; they were all phenomenal trainers; something that's hard to\ncome by when you've come as far as we have.\"\n\"I hear ya, bro,\" Randy stated, nodding. \"All that\nbattling has got me pumped up too; I\nhope I can find some action when we get to Johto too.\"\nMark smiled, never taking his gaze off of the Kanto\nwilderness as the train carried on. \"You never know; you just might.\"\nThere was a brief silence between the two, simply\nenjoying the passing scenery around them as the train carried on across the\nland, until Randy broke the silence by voicing his next question. \"So, it's\nEthan next, right? Any idea where to find him?\"\n\"Well he wasn't at the Indigo Plateau, and Lance had\nno info for us on where he is,\" replied Mark. \"I suppose we should just look\nfor info at his home in New Bark Town.\"\n\"Sounds like that's all we can do,\" agreed Randy. \"I\njust hope there are no bumps in the road this time.\"\n\"Say it like that and you'll jinx it,\" Mark\nreturned.\n~~~~~\nMarvin stood atop the hill, lying prone upon the grassy\nledge as he looked through a pair of binoculars towards the east, his eyes\nscanning along the tracks in the direction of Saffron City, where the Magnet\nTrain would be coming down shortly. Behind him, numerous Syndicate Enforcers,\nkeeping low to the ground to make them hard to spot from the ground below,\npatiently waiting for their leader's signal.\nMarvin reached to his side, producing a two-way\nradio and holding it up to his mouth. \"Marvin to Baxter,\" he said.\n\"Baxter here;\nwhat's up?\"\n\"Are you all set up? I calculate the train will be\nin sight at any second.\"\n\"My bombs are\nall set up; just give me the word and I'll light up the sky!\"\n\"Good work,\" complimented Marvin. \"Based on the\ntravelling speed of the train, to bring it to an optimal placement we'll need\nto wait until it is within ten seconds of this hill. When it detects that the\ncircuitry in the rails is no longer running, its emergency brakes will\nactivate, and bring the train to a stop right below my position, where our\nforces will move in and begin phase two.\"\n\"Spare me the\nbabble; just tell me when the hit the switch.\"\n\"Fine,\" returned Marvin. 'Barbarian,' he thought.\nSuddenly, a whistle blowing caught Marvin's\nattention. He raised his binoculars again, peering down the rails, and just on\nthe horizon, he saw it; the magnet train, racing straight towards them. \"There\nit is!\" He exclaimed, before looking over his shoulder. \"All of you, get\nready!\" He called out to the enforcers. \"The train is almost here!\" He turned\nback to face over the hillside, watching the train as it grew closer, holding\nthe transmit button for the radio again. \"Baxter, the train is approaching!\nStandby!\"\n\"Finger's on\nthe trigger!\"\nMarvin watched, eyes fixed on the train as he\ncrunched numbers in his mind, estimating the train's rough top speed and the\nideal moment to detonate. \"Not yet, not yet,\" Marvin mumbled. \"Wait...\" His\neyes widened. \"NOW!\"\nOnly a second after Marvin's prompt, a deafening\nexplosion split there air, sending a pillar of smoke erupting from beyond the\nneighboring hill, climbing high into the sky over the hill. Even from this\ndistance, Marvin felt his ears ringing from the sound wave and felt dirt and\nstone showering him, dirtying his clothes and even bumping his head somewhat as\na sizeable stone hit the top of his head. \n\"Bloody lunatic, how much explosive did he use?!\" He\nscoffed. It would be a miracle if the explosion alone hadn't just given away\ntheir entire operation; if anyone was nearby -a Ranger, a traveller or even\njust some plane flying overhead, they had just sent up a nice big beacon to\ntell them something was wrong.. \"No matter... it has done the job.\"\nDown below, the brakes of the magnet train had\nkicked in upon detecting the severed electrical current in the lines, sparks\nerupting from beneath the train and showering the surrounding trees and grass,\nscreeching in protest as they struggled to stop the train, bringing it to a\nhalt between the foothills, ripe for the picking of the Syndicate Enforcers.\nMarvin motioned for his men to hold their ground for the moment as he set aside\nhis radio and binoculars, rising to his feet and brushing the dirt and loose\ngrass blades off of his shirt, scoffing at the mess he was in before reaching\ninto his pocket and pulling out his coin, twirling it between his fingers.\n\"Alright, men; begin the advance,\" he stated. \"The\nsleeper agents will be jumping into action as soon as they see you; they'll\nsubdue anyone who...\" He paused, and his sudden hesitation brought the confused\nlooks of his enforcers as he stared at something down by the train, over the\ntop of the now immobilized transport to two individuals that had stepped out of\nthe rear-most car of the train and into view... \"Well now... how delightfully\nunexpected.\"\n~~~~~\n            Mark was half asleep on the\nsurprisingly quiet train ride as the vehicle bumped and rolled along, propped\nup between two seats, with Vitesse lying against his side, equally relaxed.\nRandy had picked up a magazine and was reading it, although clearly it wasn't\nshowing anything interesting, for he still looked bored, as did Cairo, who was\nseemingly reading over his shoulder -although it wasn't what it appeared. Cairo\nwas smart, but even he couldn't read, so he was only looking at the pictures.\n            Mark hummed to himself, tapping his\nfoot as he remembered a favorite tune of his, arms tucked behind his head. He\nsquirmed a little between the seats, having some difficulty finding a\ncomfortable position laying on two seats. \"Damn, glad this trip's only an\nhour,\" he said. \"These seats hurt my ass and my back.\"\n            \"They weren't meant for long-term\nuse, yanno,\" Randy pointed out.\n            \"Maybe not, but would some padding\nhurt?\" Mark asked. \"Maybe an armrest? Or...\"\n            KABOOM.\n            \"WHOA!\" Randy screamed, both he and\nCairo nearly jumping out of their seats.\n            \"What the freaking...?!\" Mark\ndemanded as he sat up and Vitesse shot to her feet, both of them looking for\nthe source of the blast. \nThey barely had seconds to look, however, before a\nhorrible screeching sound filled the cars and the train jolted. Mark cried out\nin surprise as he suddenly felt himself thrown out of his seat. Vitesse flapped\nher arms as she lost her balance and fell with her trainer, both of them\ndropping to the floor heavily. Cairo and Randy had been halfway out of their\nseats when the jolt occurred, sending them both falling face-first to the\nfloor. Passengers all through the car stumbled and screamed in surprise as the\ntrain slowed, the wheels screaming to a halt and bringing the massive transport\nto a stop right in the middle of nowhere...\nRandy pushed himself up on his hands, shaking his\nhead to clear the stars from his eyes. \"What's going on; why'd the train stop?\"\nHe asked.\n\"Bigger question, what the hell was that blast?\"\nMark demanded as he sat up, glancing over at Vitesse as she rose up to a seated\nposition. \"You okay girl?\"\n\"Herrrrrrh,\" she returned, rubbing her\nhead.\n\"Arruu!!\" Cairo\nbarked, tapping his trainer on the back to get his attention. Randy looked over\nhis shoulder at the Lucario, and saw him pointing out the window with his other\npaw. Following his arm, and turning over in the process, Randy saw what Cairo\nwas looking at, seeing a pillar of dust and black smoke rising over the nearby\nhill, next to where the train had stopped.\n\"Hey! Mark, see that?\" Randy called, pointing at the\nwindow. \"That must be where the explosion came from.\"\n\"Come on,\" said Mark as Vitesse helped him to his\nfeet. \"We better go see what happened; someone might be in trouble.\"\n\"Good idea, although I've got to say, something\nsmells fishy about all this,\" remarked Randy as they hurried over to the door.\nVitesse pushed her talons between the seams of the\ndoor, allowing both her and Mark to put their fingers between it and pry the\ndoors open and stepped outside, running alongside the train before crossing the\ntracks and heading for the hills. \"Hey; we're at the heel of Mt. Silver!\" Randy\nremarked. \"We're right on the regional boundary!\"\nMark didn't give an answer, simply carrying on. The\nfour of them continued their sprint towards the hills, heading up a short\nincline until they were in sight of the cause of the smoke; straight ahead of\nthem was an electrical substation, easily recognized by the fencing and\nelectrical transformers within, as a sign hanging on the fence reading 'Private\nProperty: No Trespassing' and another reading 'Goldenrod City Power Company'.\nThe cause of the smoke was a destroyed transformer, blown to pieces amidst the\nothers, and an electrical fire had broken out, setting the entire substation\nablaze.\n\"Damn! What did that?\" Randy asked.\n\"That doesn't look like any short-circuit I've ever\nseen,\" Mark stated. \"I'd say someone bombed that place!\"\n\"Wait... you think maybe this is a substation to the\nrail line?\" Randy asked.\nMark perked with realization, and glanced at Randy.\n\"It must be; there's nothing else out here,\" he stated. \"That must be why the\ntrain stopped; when the electricity stopped flowing the automated safety kicked\nin and activated the train's brakes.\"\n\"So somebody stopped the train on purpose, then,\"\nRandy said, and not in a question.\n\"They did... we better get back the train; I smell a\nRaticate and its initials are 'IPCS'.\"\nThey turned, but didn't move another step. Blocking\ntheir path was a familiar, thin, long-legged man in a green vest and white\nshirt, wearing black dress pants. Housed on his vest were magnetized holsters\nholding four Poké Balls, and he flipped a coin from his hand and into the air,\nspiralling high over his head before dropping back into his palm, bearing a\nsmug look on his face as he regarded the two trainers.\n\"I know that face,\" Mark stated. \"And damn it I hate\nwhen I'm right.\"\n\"It has been a while,\" the man called out to the\ntwo. \"But I remember you two all too well, after you humiliated me on the S.S Julia. What are the chances, though,\nthat I would find you, here of all places?\" He looked at his gold coin. \"Fate\nis truly kind, it seems; giving me the opportunity to pay you both back in full\nfor getting in my way.\"\n\"Or maybe cruel because it brought us here so I\ncould kick your ass again,\" Mark stated, cracking his knuckles. \"If I recall,\nyour name was Marvin, wasn't it?\"\n\"Yes indeed, sir,\" returned the man. \"I'm flattered\nyou would remember me.\"\n\"If you're responsible for this destruction, I'm\nsending you to Unova in the tiniest box I can stuff your sorry ass into,\" Mark\nwarned. \"After I knock out all of your teeth.\"\n\"I'm simply following orders,\" replied the man. \"But\nnow that I know you two are here, the plan will have to change; I can't have\nyou interfering with another of our operations, after all.\" He reached for a\nPoké Ball on his vest and plucked it free. \"So I will not be letting you pass.\"\nMark flashed a cruel smile. \"And you think you can\nstop us?\" He asked, matter-of-factly. \"I took you down single-handedly aboard\nthe Julia, and Randy beat every one\nof your thugs without breaking a sweat, by himself,\" he gestured to his friend.\n\"You're dreaming if you think you can take on both of us at the same time.\"\n\"So if I were you, buddy,\" Randy chimed in, pushing\nup his glasses. \"I'd be getting out of the way before things get rough.\" As he\nspoke, both Cairo and Vitesse stepped forward to get into position, standing in\nfront of their trainers to await their directions.\nRandy's words succeeded in making Marvin hesitate,\nthe confidence draining almost visibly from him as he lowered the arm holding\nhis Poké Ball. He started to step back, but a strong voice split the air,\nmaking Mark and Randy jump. \"HEY! You aren't planning on continuing the fun\nwithout me, are you Marv, after that last blast got me all fired up?\"\nA man appeared from behind the hill next to the\nthree, garbed in old tattered clothes and approaching them, tossing a Poké Ball\nup and down in his hand. Marvin watched the man until he stopped at his side.\n\"I'd remind you you're supposed to be with the rest, Baxter, but I can say I'm\nhonestly glad to see you,\" stated Marvin.\n\"You were lookin' a little outnumbered,\" returned\nthe man, now identified as Baxter. \"Who are these two anyway?\"\n\"Nuisances to the Syndicate; they foiled the heist\nof the S.S Julia almost two months ago,\" said Marvin. \"And now they are intent\non ruining our work here.\"\nBaxter scowled at the two, showing a row of teeth,\nrather poorly kept, as he stopped tossing his Poké Ball and held it tightly in\nhis hand. \"Are they now?\" He asked. \"Well ,we can't have that; I say we be\nputting them in their place, don't you?\"\n\"I could not agree more,\" returned Marvin, his\nconfidence regained now that the odds were even.\n\"Another Syndicate lackey,\" Randy whispered to Mark.\n\"This one's not in uniform either; must be one of the bosses.\"\n\"Doesn't matter,\" said Mark. \"We've got to get back\nto the train -no chance these two came here alone. Let's take 'em down, hard\nand fast.\"\n\"Just our style,\" agreed Randy.\n(Music for this scene: 'Vs. Team Rocket' from\nHeartgold/Soulsilver)\nMarvin cast his Poké Ball forward. \"I choose\nMagnezone!\"\nBaxter followed suite. \"Get 'em, Toxicroak!\"\nMagnezone was the first to emerge, the floating,\nmetal, man-made Pokémon emerging from the confines of its ball, whirring loudly\nand twirling its magnetic 'hands' as it watched Vitesse and Cairo with its\ncenter eye, flashing red and crackling with electricity. The second Pokémon\nthat emerged from the ball thrown by Baxter was a large, bipedal Pokémon,\nfrog-like in appearance with teal-coloured skin, large yellow eyes with slitted\npupils like a cat, and black ring patterns on its arms. It grinned with a pair\nof large teeth, the red vocal sac on its neck expanding as it croaked and\npumped its arms, which also served to show a pair of spikes on top of its\nfists, closely resembling stingers and matching the colour of the vocal sac.\n\"I'll do you a favor, Marv,\" Baxter stated before he\npointed at Vitesse. \"Toxicroak; Poison Jab! Go for the Blaziken!\"\n\"Rrrribbrt!\" The Toxicroak replied before\nit made a mighty leap towards Vitesse.\nMark was about to give an order, but Randy beat him\nto it. \"Block it, Cairo!\" The Lucario replied promptly, dashing into\nToxicroak's path and letting the flurry of stabbing punches from the\nPoison/Fighting Type hit him instead, protecting Vitesse from the attack. \nBaxter was laughing at Randy's seemingly foolish\nmistake. \"Noble, boy, but you cost your own Pokémon its strength doing that!\"\n\"Think again, hairy,\" Randy retorted. When Toxicroak\nfinally ceased its attack and leapt away, Cairo stood completely unfazed by the\nattack, with nary a mark to be seen anywhere on his body, while Vitesse had been\nsuccessfully defended from a potentially harmful attack. \"A Lucario is part\nSteel-type; completely immune to Poison!\"\n\"Ah blast it,\" growled Baxter.\n\"But not to this!\" Marvin called as Magnezone\nsuddenly rose up from behind Toxicroak, its entire body sparking with voltage.\n\"Magnezone; Zap Cannon!\"\nCairo and Vitesse reacted purely on impulse as\nMagnezone charged up the powerful electrical blast, banking to the sides to\nevade it, sending it blasting into the ground instead; the force of impact was\nso great it caused a backlash that sent dirt and grass flying in all\ndirections, showering Pokémon and trainer alike. The two Syndicate Pokémon\nfollowed their targets, with Toxicroak chasing Cairo and Magnezone pursuing\nVitesse. Randy ordered Cairo to use Aura Sphere, and in response the Lucario\nstopped sprinting and turned to face Toxicroak forming the sphere of condensed\nenergy between his paws.\n\"Sucker Punch!\" Baxter called.\nToxicroak dashed forward with greater speed that\nbefore, and bashed Cairo across the face before he could complete charging the\nattack. \"Cairo, Force Palm!\" Randy called. Cairo responded immediately,\navoiding a second punch from Toxicroak before raising one arm and delivering a\npowerful palm thrust into Toxicroak's chest that sent it skidding across the\nground, stunned by the attack; Toxicroak clutched where it was hit, coughing.\nCairo had struck just the right spot to knock the wind out of it, and leave it\nvulnerable.\n\"Toxicroak; hurry, use Bulk-up!\" Baxter called.\nToxicroak started to move, but then froze, and\nbecame still except for some minor twitching. It croaked loudly, struggling to\nmake its body respond, to no avail. \"Tough luck, pal; Force Palm has a chance\nof causing temporary paralysis!\" Randy called. \"Now Cairo, time for something\nnew; get in close!\" At the command, Cairo raced towards Toxicroak, closing the\ndistance between the two of them before stopping barely arm's length from his\nopponent, the Lucario eyeing it coldly as he heard his trainer's next command.\n\"Now, Focus Blast!\"\nCairo held up both paws, facing them towards\nToxicroak and charging up a gold-yellow energy in front of them; Toxicroak's\neyes went wide in horror, and once more it desperately tried to move but still\ncouldn't. Cairo unleashed the powerful energy attack, and sent Toxicroak flying\nthrough the air, spiralling over the ground before hitting the hillside hard\nenough to leave an impression of itself in the soil, and knocked clear out in\nthe process.\nMeanwhile, Magnezone was still chasing Vitesse,\nweaving and dodging her flamethrower attacks as she tried to knock it out of\nmidair with distance attacks, despite them being out of her element.\n\"Magnezone; Thunderbolt!\" Marvin called. At the command, Magnezone crackled\nwith electricity, bolts forming around its magnet-hands, before coming together\nand blasting straight ahead, aimed at Vitesse. The Blaziken managed to dodge\nthe first, but the second one struck home, stumbling her and nearly making her\nlose her footing, but she resisted, shaking off the static pain coursing\nthrough her body.\n\"Vitesse; Flame Charge!\" Mark called.\nShe turned to face Magnezone, and as her body became\nengulfed in fire, she rushed at it, closing the distance in seconds and ramming\nthe floating magnetic Pokémon directly, sending it spiralling out of control.\n\"Now, move in and use Blaze Kick!\" Mark called. With the speed boost she gained\nfrom Flame Charge, she reached Magnezone before it could fully recover from the\ndirect hit it had taken from the charge, allowing her to unleash her attack in\nthe form of an airborne spin kick, sending Magnezone bouncing across the grass\nlike a stone on water.\n\"Magnezone; try to get up!\" Marvin called as the\nelectric/steel Pokémon finally came to a stop. Surprisingly, it diligently\nresponded, floating shakily back up from the ground again... but it didn't\nlast.\n\"Flamethrower!\" Mark called.\nVitesse breathed a long cone of flames that engulfed\nMagnezone before it could fully recover, the flamethrower attack overheating it\ninternally and causing it to fall back to the ground, now rendered immobile and\nunable to get back up. With Magnezone dispatched, Mark snapped his fingers and\nchuckled. \"That was a piece of cake,\" he said, confidently.\nMarvin held up Magnezone's Poké Ball and recalled\nit, as Baxter did for Toxicroak at the same time, both of them disgruntled by\nthe crushing defeat. \"Think we underestimated these youngsters a little,\"\nremarked Baxter.\n\"They are both\nEx-Champions,\" Marvin stated.\n\"And you didn't think to tell me that sooner?\"\n\"If I thought it was relevant, I would have.\"\n\"Bah! Whatever; let's just carry on!\" The\ndemolitionist stated as he produced his next Poké Ball.\n\"Fine; let's go,\" agreed Marvin, bringing out his\nnext as well, glaring at Mark. \"Last time we fought, I didn't get to show you\nmy trump card. Now, I'll make up for lost time and show him to you.\"\n\"Do your worst, Marvin; Vitesse can kick the tar out\nof every Pokémon you have,\" Mark said, dismissing any threat Marvin posed.\n\"We'll see who laughs last!\" Marvin called. \"Now!\"\n\"Come out, Ferrothorn!\" Baxter called as he too cast\nhis Poké Ball out alongside Marvin.\nThe first Pokémon to appear was a massive, yellow\nspider with a light purple underbelly and patterns on its back, with large\ntufts of hair growing from the abdomen. It had two large eyes and multiple\nsmaller, simple eyes, each one a matching light blue colour. It had multiple\nhairy legs supporting its body, and two additional short appendages reaching\nout like arms from its body behind its head. The Pokémon, Mark recognized -with\nsome disgust- as a Galvantula; a Bug/Electric-type Pokémon, the only one of its\nkind besides its pre-evolution, Joltik.\n\"Ugh... a bug; someone step on it,\" Mark stated,\ncringing.\n\"It HAD to be a spider,\" added Randy.\nThe second Pokémon had a metallic body resembling a\nflattened durian, covered in thorns. Two yellow eyes peeked out from its main\nbody, ringed by green that matched the vines growing from its body, each vine\nending in a metal disk acting as feet as it used the vines to lift itself up\nfrom the ground.\n\"A Galvantula and a Ferrothorn,\" said Randy. \"You've\nstill got Vitesse out and they bring out two Pokémon that are weak against\nFire? What's going through these guy's heads?\"\n\"I don't know,\" replied Mark. \"But I'm not going to\nunderestimate Marvin; he wouldn't call out that Galvantula unless he had some\nkind of trick up his sleeve; it'd be an amateur move if he did.\" He stared at\nGalvantula for a moment for glancing at Randy. \"Keep your eyes peeled; be ready\nfor anything.\"\n\"You got it.\"\n\"Ferrothorn, Pin Missile attack!\" Baxter called.\nFerrothorn tensed, and the spikes on its body began\nto eject from it, re-growing almost instantly only to be fired again, creating\na volley of showering spikes that fell towards Cairo and Vitesse. Mark and Randy\nboth shouted \"Look out!\" at the same time, while Cairo and Vitesse hurriedly\nsought cover, ducking behind rocks to evade the oncoming shower. All the while,\nGalvantula charged ahead, crossing the battlefield with impressive speed before\npouncing over the rock Vitesse had been hiding behind, forcing her out from\nbehind the cover.\n\"Cairo; help Vitesse!\" Randy called.\n\"Oh no you don't!\" Baxter called. \"Ferrothorn; power\nwhip!\"\nJust as Cairo was about to make a mad dash to aid\nVitesse, one of Ferrothorn's long limbs reached out towards him and struck the\nground in his path, making him jump back instinctively, the sonic boom emitted\nby the snapping of the vine making him blink. He tried again, but once more\nFerrothorn would not let him pass, and after the second attempt, it launched\nitself with its powerful vine-like legs and landed in Cairo's path, blocking\nhim from advancing and once more striking at him with power whip. Once again\nCairo just managed to dodge it, but it was clear he wasn't going to be able to\nassist Vitesse while this Pokémon was in the way.\n\"Alright, you want to play rough?\" Randy asked,\nannoyed. \"Cairo; Aura Sphere!\"\n\"Ferrothorn; Mirror Shot!\"\nAs Cairo \ncharged his attack, a flash of light erupted from Ferrothorn's body,\nshining brightly and making Cairo have to close his eyes again, trying to\nshield them from the intense glare, but he could not even open them a crack.\nNot that that could stop him, though; as a Lucario, he could see the Aura of\nother Pokémon, allowing him to see them even without his eyesight. The\ndredlock-like appendages growing from his head splayed outward as if with minds\nof their own, and soon he could see the Aura of Ferrothorn, identified by its\ndistinctive shape, but he could see something else forming in front of it; it\nwas still charging up its mirror shot attack while it thought Cairo was\nblinded.\nCairo wasted no time; he finished charging up his\nAura Sphere and cast it towards Ferrothorn; to Cairo it was a blazing blue\nsphere, filling with his own bodily energy into a powerful attack, racing\ntowards the Grass/Steel-Type. But at almost the exact same time, Ferrothorn\ndischarged its attack as well, and the two collided in midair, exploding upon\ncontact and nearly knocking both Pokémon over.\n\"Oh, I like that,\" Baxter called, grinning from ear\nto ear after seeing the explosion. \"Let's see if we can do that again, shall\nwe? Ferrothorn; Mirror Shot!\"\n\"Cairo; use Extreme Speed to get in close, and then\nForce Palm!\" Randy called.\nCairo, eyes still closed, was off like a bullet from\na gun as Ferrothorn charged up and fired again, the attack missing him\ncompletely, until Cairo raced up to its side, and thrust his palm right into\nits side, which, although did damage, Cairo yelped and pulled back his paw as\nFerrothorn tumbled away; he'd punctured himself on one of the many barbs\ncovering Ferrothorn's body -even as a steel-type himself, a Lucario had some\nsoft areas of their own, and the paw was one of them.\n\"Nice try,\" Baxter retorted as Ferrothorn, shaking\nitself as it stood up on its vine-legs again, faced Cairo once more, not yet\nready to lose. \"But my Ferrothorn can take anything you hit it with.\"\n\"We'll see about that,\" Randy replied. \"You okay,\nCairo?\"\n\"Ar!\"\nCairo returned confidently, shaking the pain from his paw before turning to his\ncombat stance, ready to resume.\nMeanwhile Vitesse was still occupied with the\nGalvantula, which proved to be quite fast for such a big spider, leaping away\nand dodging every attack she tried. She lunged at it with a Blaze Kick; it\njumped out of the way. She attacked with Flamethrower; it stepped out of its\npath, letting it hit nothing instead. \"Damn bug is quick!\" Mark growled.\n\"You haven't seen anything yet,\" Marvin returned.\n\"Galvantula; String Shot!\"\nFrom between its mandibles, a thread was shot out;\ninstinctively, Vitesse put up her arm to defend herself, feeling it hit her\nforearm. Galvantula fired again, this time aiming lower; Vitesse tried to jump,\nbut a half-second before making her leap, a string caught her leg, and\nGalvantula reared back to pull at it, tripping her up. With a wider spray of\nthread, he coated her legs in the string, and they stuck together; even as she\nleapt back to her feet, she had trouble moving, her legs gummed up by the\nsticky spider thread.\n\"Now, Electroweb, before it can move!\" Marvin\ncalled.\nGalvantula sprang into the air again, bringing its\nlegs together as it sprayed more thread to the pointed tips of its many limbs,\nand rapidly created a web-like net that, after opening its legs, dropped down\nonto Vitesse; too sluggish from the string shot before, she couldn't get out of\nthe way, and the web fell around her, coating her completely... and that's when\nthe pain started. Electricity crackled as the web fell around her, and she\nshrieked loudly as she was electrocuted inside of the web.\n\"Vitesse!\" Mark called, desperately.\nBack with Randy, Cairo had managed to get past\nFerrothorn's defenses and hit it with another Aura Sphere, sending it flying\nseveral feet; it hit the ground, not too far from where Vitesse was being\nshocked by the web, which Galvantula took further advantage on jumping onto the\nweb-covered Blaziken and pinning her down, forcing her to continue taking the\nshock. Cairo saw what was happening and, without even waiting for an order from\nRandy, used Extreme Speed to close in and punch Galvantula off of Vitesse,\nsending the spider careening. With that, Cairo quickly ripped the web off of\nVitesse, freeing her.\n\"Ferrothorn, Explosion!\" Baxter called.\n\"What?\" Mark and Randy both demanded.\n\"No, you idiot!\" Marvin shouted.\nBut it was too late. Ferrothorn, seeming unconscious\na mere moment ago, suddenly opened its eyes as its body started to glow\nbrightly, becoming a bleachy white light before there was a suddenly blast,\ngoing all directions all around it, sending up dust clouds and torn pieces as\nof grass as all remaining energy from Ferrothorn was discharged into the highly\ndestructive Explosion attack; a move that had, in recent years, been outlawed\nby the Government, forbidding its use -especially in tournaments.\n            Everyone was caught in it; Randy and\nMark were both blown off of their feet, Cairo and Vitesse who were closer were\nboth sent flying, while Marvin suddenly found himself catching his Galvantula\nwith his face as the spider was launched back-first into him by the blast. Only\nBaxter remained on his feet, holding Ferrothorn's ball and waiting until the\nblast subsided before he called it back, as the Explosion had knocked out Ferrothorn\ntoo.\n            As the dust settled, Mark pushed\nhimself up on his hands, rubbing his head before turning to Randy, who lay\nface-down at his side. \"You okay, man?\"\n            Randy pushed himself up to a knelt\nposition, shaking his head briskly to try and clear it. \"I'll let you know as\nsoon as my ears stop ringing,\" he replied.\n            \"Hey wait,\" Mark said, suddenly\nremembering Vitesse and Cairo. \"Where'd our Pokémon go?!\"\n            That did it; Randy was awake and\nfully alert instantly, both of them springing to their feet in record speed and\nlooking around for any sign of their beloved partners. It didn't take long for\nthem to spot the two, lying nearby, both of them unconscious and lying sprawled\nout on the ground. They called out their names as they ran to their sides,\nfalling to their knees next to them but they were both unresponsive, knocked\nclean out by the blast. \n            Meanwhile, Marvin was not only back\non his feet and already recalled his Galvantula, but he was storming over to\nBaxter, looking very displeased. \"You imbecile!\" He screamed at him. \"You not\nonly knocked out their Pokémon; you knocked out ours too! I was nearly on the verge of winning!\"\n            \"Oh, come off it, you big baby,\"\nreturned Baxter dismissively. \"You've got more of 'em, don't ya? So bring out\nyour next one.\"\n            Marvin growled angrily, eye\ntwitching, but he complied, producing another Poké Ball and casting it out\nalongside Baxter's. From within Marvin's Poké Ball, a Victreebel emerged; the\nGrass/Poison-type Pokémon with a shape like an inverted bell, standing upright\non its base, with two long leaves growing from its sides like arms, another one\ncovering its mouth at the top of its body where two eyes gazed out at the\nopposing trainers, and a long vine growing from its upper back, ending in a\nfang-like leaf at the end.\n            The\nsecond Poké Ball released a much bigger Pokémon.  A blue quadruped with a body of solid stone,\nwith various spiny, crystal-like red features jutting out of its body. Its\nlimbs had gray joints and were each topped with red crystalline features, with\nthe two claws on each limb being similar features. It had a red eyes nearly\nconcealed within two pits in its head that glared out from under what appeared\nto be a glare. Several of the crystalline features were present on its face;\nthree below its eyes, one in the middle resembling a crest, and other crystals\nto the sides of its head, angling back and shorter than the crest. It took a\nstep forward, and the land shuddered under its footstep\n            \"Whoa... what is that?\" Mark asked after pocketing\nVitesse's Poké Ball, having called her back into it safely.\n            \"It's a Gigalith,\" replied Randy. \"Powerful Rock-type\nfrom Unova; big on the attack and the defense alike. I fought one once before;\nthing was tough.\"\n            \"Marvin's Victreebel shouldn't be too hard, though,\" Mark\nstated. \"Last time I saw that thing one kick from Vitesse took it out, so he\nhasn't raised that one very well.\"\n            \"Alright, then,\" said Randy, reaching for his next Poké\nBall. \"I'll take Gigalith then; that guy has crossed the line of my last nerve,\nso I'm bringing out Gemstar.\"\n            \"No, hang on,\" Mark insisted.\n            \"Why?\"\n            \"You saw how excited Baxter got by that Explosion,\nright?\" Mark asked. \"That wasn't just a desperate last move; he actually enjoyed doing that, even though he\nsacrificed his Pokémon in the process; I think we're dealing with a bomber\nhere. I'm willing to bet Gigalith can learn that attack too -most Rock-types\ncan; he's bound to use it again if we back him into a corner. We need a\ndifferent approach.\"\n            \"You have a plan?\"\n            \"I have a plan. Bring out Velox.\"\n            \"Why him?\"\n            \"We'll need his speed, plus he can use Fire Blast and has\nthe Immunity ability, so he can take out Victreebel.\"\n            \"What about you?\"\n            Mark grinned, holding up his next Poké Ball. \"I'm giving\nus a nice, big, iron shield.\"\n            It seemed, at that moment, Randy caught on to Mark's\nplan, because suddenly he was grinning back and elicited a light chuckle.\n\"Hey!\" Marvin called, impatiently. \"If you two are surrendering, get it over\nwith already!\"\n            \"Dream on, asshole,\" Mark retorted.\n            \"We're just getting warmed up!\" Randy added as he and\nMark threw their next choices out to the field, releasing them from their Poké\nBalls.\n            Out of Randy's, the Zangoose known as Velox appeared,\nchattering madly as he landed on all fours, glaring ahead at his new\nadversaries. Out of Mark's, the massive iron Steelix known as Tanker formed,\ntowering up behind Velox like a titan of iron as he growled at Marvin and\nBaxter's Pokémon, his train-engine voice enough to send shivers down the backs\nof the trainers. Their Pokémon stood fast better than they, and returned the\nglares of their opponents.\n            \"Alright, let's take 'em!\" Mark called.\n            \"Velox, use Fury Cutter on Victreebel!\"\n            At the command, Velox charged, running on all fours\ntowards Victreebel, claws extended and ready for use. Victreebel, at its\ntrainers command, attacked with Leaf Blade, lashing its long vine and slashing\nat Velox with the tip, but the Zangoose deftly evaded the attack, charging\ninside of its reach and striking with Fury Cutter as ordered, clawing across\nVictreebel's flank. The plant Pokémon retaliated with another Leaf Blade, but\nVelox was so swift to react, he moved out of reach before Victreebel could even\nbring its vine around again, dashing right out of reach, and as soon as he had\nhis opening, he hit Victreebel with Fury Cutter again.\n            \"V-Victreebel, Poison Powder!\" Marvin called.\n            Victreebel uncovered its mouth, and out of the gaping maw\na storm of sickly purple powder erupted, showering the field; not even Velox\ncould dodge it, but it turned out, he didn't need to; he kept up the attack,\nunhindered, and sent Victreebel spiralling to the ground. \"Hey! What's going\non?!\"\n            \"Zangoose is the enemy of Seviper, a powerful\nPoison-type,\" Randy replied. \"He has a natural immunity -his body can fight off\nany kind of Poison-type attacks.\"\n            \"Aww hell...\" Marvin grumbled; Victreebel wasn't beaten\nyet, it got up. But it was increasingly clear that he was losing this battle,\nbadly.\n            Gigalith was preoccupied and unable to assist as Tanker\ncharged, leaving grooves in the dirt as he tore his way across the battlefield\nand attacked with Iron Head at Mark's command; Gigalith reared up on its hind\nlegs and caught Tanker's attack with a Smack Down attack, the two moves\ncancelling each other out, both of them grinding to a halt. Gigalith was tough,\nto be able to take a direct hit from a Steelix like that and not be sent\nflying, but it was going to take far more than that to stop Tanker.\n            \"Iron Tail!\" Mark called.\n            Tanker pulled his head back and twisted himself around,\nsmacking Gigalith with his tail and nearly knocking it over, but it defiantly\nheld its ground despite the hit. \"Use Power Gem!\" The crystalline growth on\nGigalith's body glowed brightly, and shining violet diamonds of energy emerged\nfrom its body, assailing Tanker in a flurry of attacks, but Tanker took them\neasily, barely even reacting to the onslaught despite taking them straight to\nthe head, much to Baxter's dismay.\n            \"Your Gigalith is tough,\" Mark admitted. \"But when it\ncomes to defense, nothing tops my\nSteelix.\"\n            \"Let's put that to the test, shall we?\" Baxter asked,\nglaringly.\n            Meanwhile, Velox had finished with Victeebel already;\nunleashing a Fire Blast attack after wearing it down with Fury Cutter the\nGrass-type was utterly defeated by the Zangoose, forcing Marvin to call it back\nto its Poké Ball. He growled angrily, and then called out to Baxter. \"I don't\nhave any Pokémon left I can use; my Tentacruel can't fight in this landscape!\"\nNor would it do him much good against a Zangoose; Tentacruel was a Poison-type\ntoo, with no advantage over something like a Zangoose.\n            \"Aw, the hell with this!\" Baxter growled. \"Gigalith, Explosion\nnow!\"\n            \"Randy!\" Mark called.\n            \"Velox, use Quick Attack; get behind Tanker!\" Randy\ninstructed.\n            \"Tanker; Iron Defense, hurry!\" Mark ordered.\n            Tanker coiled up, lowering his head as his body adopted a\nwhite-ish sheen as he amplified his defense, while Zangoose, moving so swiftly\nthat his body was a blur, dashing across the field as Gigalith began to glow\nbrightly, ready to unleash its power. Mark and Randy covered their ears and\nducked low, hoping Mark's strategy would work, because Gigalith was about to\nunleash a lot more energy than Ferrothorn had; Gigalith was notorious for\nhaving an incredibly high-powered core within itself, one capable of destroying\nmountains if unleashed all at once.\n            The blast was released, and after a brief silence, a\ndeafening 'boom' filled the air, dull\nat first but rising in volume fast as it broke the silence and could be heard\nfrom untold distances, a column of smoke rising hundreds of feet into the sky\nsent up a beacon of the blast's location for miles aound, and massive shockwave\nblanketed the ground...\n","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/869090-pokemon-qatm-chapter-15-kanto-finale.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/906017-pokemon-qatm-chapter-17.json"}