{"sf1_id":906017,"sf2_id":null,"title":"Pokemon: QATM Chapter 17","author":"Volcan MacAingeal","words":8942,"posted_at":"2015-09-02T22:52:00.000Z","tags":["Dusknoir","Human","Pangoro","Tyranitar","Zangoose","battle","brutality","defeat","gengar","mightyena","pokemon","pokemon trainer","steelix","zoroark"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/906017-pokemon-qatm-chapter-17","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/906017","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=906017\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"\nNote from author\nHey everyone! Here's the\nnext chapter. Quick note; you might've noticed I've started inserting\nsoundtrack prompts into the story; I can't add links directly, nor should I, so\ninstead I just insert the titles as I find them; you can find the songs on Youtube.com\nand play them from there during the reading. Bear in mind the themes I choose\nmay be borrowed from other characters -normally I strive for originality but\nfor a Pokémon story only Pokémon OST's should be used, wouldn't you say?\n_________________________________________________________________\nPokémon:\nQuest of a True Master\nChapter 17\n-Johto and Sinnoh Arc-\n            The last of the supplies were loaded onto the back\nof the cart as Reggie brought them out from the store, letting out a sigh as\nshe placed the last two bags into the back. \"Man, it's hot out here,\" she\nmuttered as she took off her hat and fanned herself with it for a moment, while\nwiping sweat from her forehead. She ran her eyes over the groceries and tools\nshe had picked up from the trading post; a fortunate relief that this place was\nso much closer than New Bark Town, or this trip would have taken her twice as\nlong.\n            \"Surprises me how much a whole camp\nof diggers and archaeologists can eat,\" she said sarcastically to her Zebstrika,\nBolt, who was hooked up to the cart. \nA larger-than-average Zebstrika, Bolt was nearly\ntwice as large as any other Zebstrika, standing taller than his trainer and\nwith a thick, muscly form, a saddle on his back where Reggie climbed on to,\nsettling into the saddle before noticing him looking back at her; she reached\nover and pet his muzzle, gingerly giggling.\n\"Don't worry boy, I didn't forget,\" she said, before\nreaching into her pocket, producing a handkerchief and unwrapped it to reveal\nseveral slices of apple in her hand, which the Zebstrika happily ate from her\npalm as she offered them to him. \"There you go.\"\nBolt nickered happily as he finished eating his\nlittle treat, and with a click of his trainer's tongue, they were off,\nfollowing a dirt road back to the dig site at the foot of Mt. Silver.\nWith naught but the sound of the wagon's wheels\nbumping over the rocks on the road to fill her ears, Reggie let herself drift\noff into thought, wondering what other discoveries they might discover here, at\nMt. Silver. There were so many mysteries to unravel about the ancient Pokémon\nof the past -so many species that might yet remain undiscovered all across the\nworld, and Reggie strove to be the Trainer and Archaeologist that would\ndiscover and train them all...\nShe was so deep in her thoughts that she nearly\nlaunched herself off of Bolt's back when a deafening explosion made her jump.\nSnapped out of her trance by the blast she had the sense to grab onto Bolt's\nneck to secure herself as he reared up and bayed in fright, preventing him from\nthrowing her off of his back for a painful drop. Urgently she tried to sooth\nher Pokémon's terror, getting off of his back and pulling at his reins while\nspeaking softly to him to try and calm him.\n\"Easy, easy! Steady boy!\" She said, keeping her\nvoice level despite her own thundering heart; the explosion had shook her up\njust as much as her Zebstrika, admittedly, and that likely didn't help with her\njob of calming Bolt, considering that he could probably sense her fear.\nBut, he slowly calmed down; he stopped pulling at\nhis reins and became silent, dropping back onto his fore-hooves and shaking his\nhead, before looking at Reggie almost apologetically. She smiled at him and\nstroked his muzzle again, assuring him it was fine, before she turned and\nlooked for the source of the explosion. It didn't take long to find it; a huge\npillar of dust, rising up from behind Mt. Silver, climbing high into the sky\nuntil it was dangerously close to merging with the clouds themselves.\n'That's no simple\n'drilling and blasting' going on over there; that's more like a war zone,' Reggie thought with\ncertainty before she jumped back onto Bolt. \"Let's go check it out, boy!\" She\nurged, and with a tap to his flank with her heel, she sent the Zebstrika into a\nrun, pulling the cart behind them and nearly tossing out some of the groceries\nand tools in her haste, but her attention was solely on the road ahead, fearing\nthe worst of what was happening around the mountain...\n~~~~~\nIt seemed to take forever for the dust to settle\naround them. When finally it was clear enough to see Gigalith, it was standing\nin a deep crater in the ground, completely frozen and its eyes dark. The strain\nof using such a powerful Explosion attack had taken the last of its strength,\nand as Baxter stuck his head up over the side of the crater, he saw the\nRock-type Pokémon fall to its side, unconscious.\nHe chuckled as he produced Gigalith's Poké Ball and\nrecalled it. \"Nice kaboom big fella,\" he said as it was drawn back into its\nball, which he pocketed.\nHis comment was promptly followed by a punch across\nthe face; it hadn't hurt so much as just caught him by surprise, and he turned\nto face his assailant, expecting a brawl, but he paused as he saw the enraged\nface of Marvin Gold staring back at him.\n\"You. IMPOSSIBLY\nIDIOTIC MADMAN!!\" He screamed so violently, his vocal chords hurt from the\nforce of his yell. \"You could have killed us all!\"\n\"Don't be such a wuss,\" Baxter returned\ndismissively. \"I got the job done; there's no way those two or their Pokémon\nsurvived that blast.\"\n\"Think again, bomber man!\" A voice spoke from\nBaxter's right.\nHe turned with a start, only to successfully allow\nthe foot of the flying figure to strike him square in the mouth, sending white-hot\npain across his face, and, unknown to him at first, sending a tooth flying out\nof his half-open mouth. Baxter hit the ground like a fallen tree, and when the\npain fully set in, he grabbed his face and screamed, muffled through the cupped\nhands over his mouth. Marvin turned to face the assailant, seeing a very\ndispleased Mark Taylor glaring back at him. He backed away, but didn't get two\nsteps before he bumped into someone else, peering over his shoulder to spot\nRandy Calvin, standing with arms crossed, between him and his escape.\n\"Not so fast, senor,\" Randy stated.\n\"Please,\" Marvin began. \"I-I-I had nothing to do\nwith what just happened; Baxter was assigned to work with me! But I didn't know\nhow obsessed with explosions he was; I had nothing to do with what...\" He\npaused. \"Wait a minute... how are you two even still conscious, let alone\nalive, after that?!\"\nAs if his question were a cue, a familiar looking\nSteelix emerged behind Mark, towering over the trainer and growling with\ndispleasure as it eyed Marvin and the downed Baxter. On top of the Steelix's\nhead sat a Zangoose, who mockingly waved his paw at the two below, chittering\nrapidly in a giggle. Only the Steelix appeared to have a single mark on him,\nand even then, what scratches could be seen in his metal body were vague, more\nlike the kind a man would have after trekking through a dense underbrush in the\nwoods or the jungle, but hardly the level of damage the land around Gigalith\nhad suffered...\n\"How is this possible?\" Marvin asked.\n\"Explosion is the most powerful attack in the known\nroster of Pokémon moves,\" Mark admitted. \"But even then, it's not an\nunstoppable force,\" he continued as he gestured back to his Steelix. \"And you\nneed unstoppable to beat unmovable, which Tanker is; nothing is tougher than a\nSteelix, especially not my Steelix;\nhe has the ultimate defense. Explosion still deals kinetic damage, and there\nisn't a Physical attack in the world that can stop him, of that I have the\nutmost confidence.\"\nMark punched his right fist into his left hand.\n\"But, back to the matter at hand,\" he said. \"This is the second time you've\ngotten in our way when we're simply just trying to get somewhere; first the S.S Julia where you caused a whole\nshipload of trouble -literally, for us and Captain Raven. Now here, on the\nGoldrenrod Railway we once again find you causing trouble for us and others;\nfor all the annoyances you've caused me on what was supposed to be a meaningful\ntrip, I'm going to kick your ass.\" He\nemphasized the last three words by deepening his voice...\nRandy let out a devious chuckle; Marvin looked over\nhis shoulder to the sound of knuckles cracking, seeing Randy grinning back at\nhim as he meshed his fingers together before pushing them forward. \"In short,\nyou and your buddy there are going to get punched a lot.\"\n\"Uh oh...\" Marvin whimpered as the two closed in on\nhim from both sides; their faces alone told him they were not bluffing... they\nwere actually going to do it.\n            But just as they got close, a new\nvoice called out. \"That'll be quite enough of that, Mr. Taylor and Calvin.\"\n            The three of them froze, turning to\nface the source of the voice; they saw, standing at the top of the hill, a\ntan-skinned man with jaw-length black hair and dark brown eyes, wearing green\nhat, a black shirt and white pants over a pair of red hi-top shoes. Hanging\nfrom his shoulder was a bag, slung across his chest and resting on the opposite\nhip. His face was young, barely even matured -this person could not have even\nbeen in his twenties yet, or if he was, he was aging quite slowly.\n            Down the hill, the newcomer stepped,\nslowly and casually, all the while Mark and Randy just stared, not sure who it\nwas they were looking at. While they were distracted, Marvin stepped cautiously\nover to the dazed Baxter, helping him to his feet before the both of them\nturned and ran over to the newcomer, standing behind him.\n            \"Mr. Zane... what're you doing\nhere?\" Marvin asked the young trainer.\n            \"I came to make sure you didn't\nbotch up this operation, like you did the last one,\" replied the boy.\n            \"That was not my fault!\" Marvin\nscreamed in protest, pointing at Mark and Randy. \"They are the ones who\ninterfered! They ruined the heist of the S.S\nJulia and now they seek to ruin this operation as well!\"\n            \"Then why didn't you stop them?\" the\nstranger asked, plainly.\n            \"Well... I...\" Marvin began. \"We\ntried... but they're both strong.\" He looked at Baxter. \"And this idiot can't\nresist making a mess of things.\"\n            \"Oy! Don't blame me for your lack of\nany skill, bucko!\" Baxter retorted.\n            \"Marvin's quite right, Baxter,\"\nstated Kevin. \"Your little 'blast' a moment ago sent up a beacon so big, I\nwager the police in Lumiose City saw it!\"\nHis voice escalated. \"I brought you on this operation for your demolition\nskills, and I expected a little more finesse but no; you had to try and bring\nMt. Silver down.\"\n            \"But... but I...\" Baxter stated.\n            \"Were your disciplinary actions up\nto me, you would not only be demoted, but I would have thoroughly flogged for\nyour idiocy,\" the boy went on. \"Fortunately for you, your fate does not rest\nwith me.\" He looked back at Marvin. \"I sent you along to keep him under\ncontrol, and you could not even do that right. Fortunately, I had the sense for\nforesee that, and so I came personally.\"\n            \"Wait...\" Marvin began, looking at\nthe stranger intensively. \"You... you knew!\" He exclaimed. \"You knew these two\nwere on this train, didn't you?!\"\n            \"Yes, I did,\" replied the boy. \"I\nthought your desire to get even with them would drive you to battle at your\nbest, overcome them, and still carry out the operation, but it appears I\noverestimated you.\" He turned away from Marvin. \"So, I'll be taking it from\nhere; the both of you, get over to the train and...\"\n            Tanker's sudden roar interjected on\nthe heated conversation, silencing the stranger referred to only as 'Mr. Zane'\nso far, despite being clearly out-aged by everyone else present at this\ngathering. He turned to face the Steelix, seeing him towering behind Mark and\nRandy, with Velox standing at the front of the group, lowered onto all fours\nand ready to pounce as he glared at Kevin.\n            \"We're still here, buddy,\" Randy\ncalled.\n            \"Who are you?\" Mark demanded. \"Are\nyou part of the Syndicate too?\"\n            The boy chuckled. \"Well, obviously I\nam,\" he replied, tipping his hat slightly. \"My name is Kevin Zane; I am a\nlieutenant with the IPCS.\"\n            Both Mark and Randy felt a rush of\nwonder surge through them, exchanging a brief glance. \"This kid is a lieutenant?\" Randy asked,\nquizzically.\n            \"Guess the Syndicate doesn't mistake\nage for leadership skill,\" Mark added, before turning back to Kevin. \"So you're\none of the Syndicate's higher-ups, eh?\" He asked. \"And why are you so\nforthcoming with that information?\"\n            \"Simply because...\" Kevin began,\nraising his arms and holding them outward as if on display for a photo op. \"I'm\nuntouchable.\"\n            Randy laughed at that. \"Oh really?\nSo if I run at you and kick you right in the solar plexus, that won't count as\n'touching'?\"\n            \"Careful Randy; this guy may be\ntougher than he looks,\" Mark warned.\n            But the threat had been made. Kevin\nnarrowed his eyes, but never lost that confident smirk, so smug it made Mark\nwant to hit him, but his instincts told him to hold back. He couldn't place it,\nbut something about this guy just felt... off. He remembered that feeling he'd\nhad when he met Lance, like he was staring at Feraligatr, filled with\nanticipation as it was heading into battle. He was getting a similar feeling\nfrom looking at Kevin, but with him it felt as if he were looking at Cofagrigus\n-a Pokémon that on the outside, looked like a harmless object, but on the\ninside, there was something sinister and dangerous waiting to strike. Kevin\ngave him that same sensation...\n            \"Well... it seems I would assume too\nmuch if I simply asked you two to step aside and get out of our way?\" Kevin\nasked.\n            \"Uh, yeah?\" Randy asked. \"We're not\njust going to let you walk away with people's Pokémon and money.\"\n            \"I'm afraid you're almost too late\nto stop me; by now our enforcers will have already confiscated anything of\nvalue on the train,\" returned Kevin. \"You've been here fighting all this time\nbut our men already had their orders and carried them out, and while you were\nfighting Marvin and Baxter, I oversaw them to make sure they succeeded. By now,\nthey'll be packing up and getting ready to leave, and there is nothing you can\ndo to stop them now.\"\n            \"You want to make a bet on that?\"\nMark asked, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at Tanker. \"This guy just took\nthe biggest blast since Cinnabar Volcano and barely flinched, and he's just one of my team; you think your lackeys\nstand a chance against us?\"\n            \"We got plenty more where that came\nfrom,\" Randy added. \"We can take on every Enforcer you have with one hand\nbehind our backs.\"\n            Kevin eyed them curiously, that\nsmirk of his fading somewhat, until he spoke, plainly and honestly. \"I believe\nyou.\" He shut his eyes. \"Well, it appears that you're just not going to back\noff... and I wager offering you a sum of money wouldn't help either?\"\n            \"Barking up the wrong tree if you\nthink you can bribe us,\" Mark retorted.\n            \"Then it seems I have no choice,\"\nreturned Kevin, opening his bag and reaching inside. \"I'm not about to let you\nget in the way on another of our heists, so I'm just going to have to deal with\nyou myself.\"\n            \"Kevin?\" Marvin asked. \"You're going\nto battle them?\"\n            \"I am,\" replied the young man,\nproducing one Poké Ball from his satchel. \"I'll deal with both of them; you two\ngo join the others and finish the mission. I shall be there soon.\"\n            \"Yes sir,\" returned Marvin, before\nhe and Baxter turned and started to leave.\n          (Pokémon X/Y - Vs Team Flare Boss\nMusic for this scene)\n            Randy and Mark watched with keen\ninterest as Kevin held the Poké Ball in his hand, looking at it for a moment\nbefore his gaze shifted to Mark and Randy. Immediately after, he cast the ball\nforth -just the one, despite being outnumbered, facing two Pokémon trainers\nalone, and with only one Pokémon chosen. It did not make sense to Mark and\nRandy; they could only watch as the creature contained within the ball was\nreleased from its confines and revealed itself to them.\n            The Pokémon that emerged was\nprimarily black, floating in the air with no feet; only a little, jagged\nappendage that hung down over the ground waving about as if a flag in the wind.\nIt had an oddly cylindrical head, with a yellow, disk-shaped antennae growing\nfrom the top. But what at first appeared to be a mouth suddenly glowed with the\npresence of a single, red eyeball. It's head was surrounded by six flat\nprojections resembling an upturned collar, and on its belly were yellow\nmarkings resembling a jagged-mouthed face, and from its shoulders extended two\nthick, powerful-looking arms. It released a low hum as it elevated its hands,\nstaring ominously at the trainers with that one red eye.\n            \"Whoa... that's a Dusknoir,\" Mark\nstated.\n            \"Damn scary lookin' thing, isn't\nit?\" Randy asked.\n            \"Sure is... but why didn't he pick a\nsecond Pokémon?\" Mark asked. \"Is this guy so cocky he actually thinks he can\ntake both of us with only one Pokémon?\"\n            Randy grimaced. \"Well, Dusknoir is\npretty powerful... if he's going with just one, this thing's got to be tough.\"\n            \"Then we take no chances,\" said\nMark, picking Tanker's Poké Ball from his hand. \"Tanker's my only other Mega\nEvolution Pokémon without Vitesse; I need to save him for later.\" He aimed the\nball at the Steelix. \"Tanker, come back!\" He called, firing the red beam from\nthe ball that engulfed Tanker in light, transforming him into energy and\ndrawing him into the ball, looking at it with a smile. \"Great work, big fella.\"\n            \"Velox isn't going to do much good\nagainst that thing,\" Randy muttered, before pulling out the Zangoose's Poké\nBall; he hated calling back his Pokémon, preferring to see fights through, but\neven he recognized the need for a tactical retreat, and recalled Velox. \"So,\ngot a plan?\"\n            \"Dusknoir's a pure Ghost-type; he'll\nbe weak against Dark-types and other Ghosts,\" he said. \"So let's jump on that.\"\n            \"Got just the one,\" said Randy,\nproducing a second Poké Ball.\n            \"So do I,\" added Mark, doing the\nsame.\n            The two of them wound up, and threw\nthe Poké Balls forward simultaneously, calling out the ones confined within.\nFrom Mark's Poké Ball, Fang emerged; the Mightyena growled eagerly as it\nerupted from the ball and landed on all fours, baring his teeth at the\nDusknoir. The second Pokémon, emerging from Randy's, was Gemstar, his Starmie.\nTo Mark, that seemed a terrible choice, and he turned to look at Randy, about\nto question his chosen Pokémon, but then he saw that look on his face; the first time he'd seen that was before\nMark had lost his title of Champion to Randy, when he had that devious but\nfocused expression; a big grin and eyes fixed on his opponent.\n            He knew what Randy was up to, and\nturned to face Kevin again, but his confidence suddenly drained when he noticed\nKevin looking at Gemstar with disinterest. \"Must you try to insult my\nintelligence, Randy Calvin?\" He asked.\n            Randy turned his head slightly.\n\"What do you mean?\"\n            \"I'm well aware of your tactics,\"\nKevin returned. \"If you think your little illusion trick is going to -if you'll\npardon my pun, outfox me, you're sorely mistaken.\" He crossed his arms. \"So are\nyou going to drop the illusion, or shall I have Terror do it for you?\"\n             Mark frowned. \"He knows...\" He said.\n            \"Crap...\" grumbled Randy. \"That\ntrick usually works.\" He let out a sigh, before calling out to Gemstar. \"Okay\nboy; may as well drop it.\"\n            At that, Gemstar seemed to melt away\ninto nothingness, and was replaced instead by a Zoroark. Shadow stood up on his\nhind legs, looking as displeased as his trainer that his usual, favorite trick\nhad not served them this time. Kevin eyed the Zoroark and the Mightyena, irking\nan eyebrow. \"Two Dark-types against one Ghost-type; a sound idea,\" he said,\nbefore grinning. \"But it's not going to be as simple as that.\"\n            \"We'll see,\" Mark retorted. \"Fang, Crunch!\"\n            \"Shadow, Night Daze!\" Randy added.\n            Fang charged forward as a crimson\naura began to form around Shadow, the vulpine Pokémon growling as it powered up\nits attack, while Fang went in for the direct approach, keeping low as his paws\ncarried him in for the attack. \"Terror; use Fire Punch,\" Kevin stated. Dusknoir\nhummed loudly as it advanced towards the Mightyena, drawing back its fist as it\nbecame ablaze with flames, swinging its mighty arm towards Fang, but the\nswifter Mightyena banked out of the way of the punch, lunging for Terror's arm\nwith his jaws wide open, baring all of his powerful fangs as he tried to clamp\ndown on its arm.\n            \"Bind,\" Kevin commanded, his voice\ncalm.\n            Reacting faster than expected, the\nDusknoir reared back, opening its arms wide and narrowly evading Fang's Crunch\nattack, but as he outstretched his arms, his hands suddenly became larger, and\nhe clapped them over Fang, pressing him in between its super-sized hands and\nclenching its fingers over his back. Fang yelped as suddenly the air was forced\nfrom his lungs, and he struggled to get free, but he was completely encompassed\nby Terror's hands as they began to squeeze, making it hard for him to breathe.\n            But not without help. Shadow\nsuddenly appeared at Terror's blindspot, still enveloped by the crimson aura,\nwhich erupted from him as he threw out his arms; the pulsing blast of energy\nthat erupted from him struck Terror in the back and launched him forward,\nreleasing his grip on Fang and letting the Mightyena fall from his grasp, hitting\nthe dirt with a plume of dust to mark his impact. Fang coughed before taking in\na deep breath, shaking his head. Shadow stood at his side, watching him as he\nstood up.\n            But despite taking a hit from\nZoroark's strongest attack, Terror was still up, turning around to face the two\nagain as his hands shrank back down to their normal size, once again that eerie\nhum sounding from the Ghost-type Pokémon. \"Good teamwork,\" Kevin admitted. \"But\nnot good enough.\"\n            \"Attack together!\" Mark called.\n\"Fang, Crunch again!\"\n            \"Shadow; Night Slash!\"\n            At the commands, both Pokémon\ncharged forward, lunging for the Dusknoir; big and strong as it was, it was not\nfast, and did not have a hope of escaping the two of them. He put up his arms\ndefensively, taking both attacks, the hum becoming higher pitch as Fang's jaws\nclamped onto his right wrist, and Shadow raked his powerful claws across his\nleft forearm with long nails that trailed dark mist is they swept. Terror\ntumbled back, shaking Fang off of his arm and narrowly avoiding another attack\nfrom Shadow\n            \"Gravity,\" Kevin called.\n            The Dusknoir put up his hands as the\ntwo charged at him again, and they stopped dead in their tracks. Or, more\nprecisely, they stumbled, falling flat onto their bellies as suddenly the very\ngravity around them seemed to intensify, almost suffocating them with its\npressure. Fang defiantly tried to move, but he couldn't lift his body, and\nShadow fared no better, using his arms to try and lift himself back up but to\nno avail. Terror kept his hands raised, a blue glow emitting from both of them\nas he maintained the pressure, preventing either Pokémon from fighting back.\n            \"Good, now keep them there,\" said\nKevin.\n            \"How the hell is Gravity working on\ntwo Dark-type Pokémon? It's a Psychic-type attack!\" Mark protested.\n            \"The same reason Glare or Growl work\non Ghost-type Pokémon,\" replied Kevin. \"The immunity only extends to damaging\nor status-inducing effects, but Terror is manipulating the gravity around them,\nnot the two Pokémon themselves. Simple physics.\"  He explained while reaching into his satchel\nand producing another Poké Ball.\n            \"Hey wait a minute, bringing out\nanother one in the middle of a battle?\" Randy barked. \"That's cheating!\"\n            \"It's a two-on-one battle; I think I\nhave the right to call out a second Pokémon,\" returned Kevin, before he\nnonchalantly tossed the ball forward, and out of its confines emerged a rather\nlarge, burly creature. \nThe newly called out Pokémon was big and panda-like\nin appearance, with a body covered in mostly black fur that grew in such a\nmanner the Pokémon appeared to be wearing a long-coat, growing in extensions\nbehind its legs. It had a round belly, covered in white fur, which also coated\nits head except for its black-furred ears. It stared out with two jet black\neyes, completely void of pupils or colours, and it's disproportionately long\narms showed huge muscles as it flexed both arms and roared to the air above,\neager for battle.\n\"A Pangoro?!\" Mark demanded, suddenly realizing what\nKevin was about to do. \"Shit! Randy, call Shadow back, hurry!\"\n            Clearly Randy was onto the tactic as\nwell; he had already pulled out Shadow's Poké Ball, taking aim with it and\nusing the recall function, to which Mark followed suite. The red beams shot out\nof the balls, making beelines right for their intended targets, but mere inches\nfrom touching, the beams suddenly scattered in all directions, not reaching\neither the Mightyena or the Zoroark. They tried repeatedly, but the beams never\ntouched them, as if blocked by some other worldly force.\n            \"What the hell?!\" Mark demanded.\n            \"It's that Dusknoir!\" Randy stated,\npointing at Terror, noticing that its single eye was glowing brighter than\nbefore. \"It must be using Mean Look; he won't let us recall our Pokémon!\"\n            \"Correct,\" Kevin said coldly. \"And\nnow you both will be given a message, with your Pokémon as the delivery\nsystem.\" He looked at his Pangoro. \"Capone, use Hammer Arm; start with the\nZoroark.\"\n            \"Hey, no way! You leave Shadow\nalone!\" Randy demanded.\n            \"Make me,\" retorted Kevin, grinning\nwickedly as the Pangoro named Capone stepped over to Shadow, raising its arm\nhigh over its head. Once again, Randy tried to recall Shadow but Mean Look was\nstill in affect, once more blocking the recall function of the beam.\n            \"Shadow!\" Randy cried out\ndesperately, taking a step forward.\n            And that was when the arm came down\non the pinned Zoroark, slamming hard into his back. Shadow screamed in horrid\npain as he was stricken by the heavy-handed bear, feeling himself compressed\ninto the ground and his ribs groaning in protest from the blow. Even from the\ndistance he stood, Randy swore he could hear those bones creaking dangerously,\nthreatening to collapse if they took another hit. And another hit did indeed\ncome, followed by a third, and shortly after, a fourth; by some miracle, the\nribs held, but they would not endure a fifth, and each hit brought another\nagonized cry from Shadow.\n            Driven by desperate need, Randy\ncharge; no new Pokémon or a command to Shadow, he ran forward, crossing the\nbattle zone to Kevin's Pokémon, bellowing in fury before he sprang, launching\nhimself at the Pangoro before Mark could stop him. He grappled the Pangoro\naround the neck. \"Leave him alone!!\"\nHe roared in Capone's ear, rearing back an arm and repeatedly slamming his fist\nagainst the Pangoro's head.\n            Barely fazed, either by the surprise\nattack or Randy's assault, Capone reached behind him with one arm, grasped\nRandy around the head, and then threw him off, sending him flying back towards\nMark, who was already approaching to try and help; Mark hollered in surprise as\nRandy was suddenly sent whirling through the air and crashed into him, sending\nboth of them to the ground in a tangle of limbs and knocking the wind out of\nMark's lungs in the process as they landed.\n            \"Have patience, sirs,\" called Kevin,\nmockingly. \"And let this be a lesson to you; when you cross the International\nPokémon Crime Syndicate,\" he raised his voice as he carried on. \"You get hurt! And so do the Pokémon that help\nyou!\" He pointed at Capone. \"Hammer arm, one more time!\"\n            Capone raised his arm high, no\nemotion in his eyes as Shadow looked desperately up at him, clear terror in the\neyes of the Zoroark. Fang resumed his struggle, barking defiantly as he tried\nto break the gravity bind around him, and he was quite impressive in the feat,\nmanaging to actually move a few inches, raising his head and baring his fangs\nas he growled ferally. Mark saw Fang, seeing his eyes on Terror, clearly his\nintended target. Mark pushed Randy off of him, rather roughly -he'd apologize\nlater, and called out to the Mightyena. \"SNARL!\"\n            The scream was so loud, it made his\nthroat hurt. Capone flattened his ears, and Terror falted; Fang's mouth opened,\nand he released the fiercest Snarl he had ever unleashed, directing it at the\nDusknoir. The attack threw off his concentration, stumbling him and breaking\nthe gravity spell. As soon as he was free, both Fang and Shadow made their\nmove; Fang growled with a feral voice, the pupils of his eyes shrinking to the\nsize of a bead as he leered at Terror. Even the Ghost-type Pokémon was\nintimidated by that look, visibly flinching, before Fang lunged at biting down\nhis shoulder with yet another Crunch attack.\n            Capone attempted to finish his\nattack on Shadow, but the Zoroark, no longer bound, darted away, despite the pain\nwracking his entire body; he evaded the downward fist, and at Randy's command,\nturned to Capone, pupils narrowing to slits before unleashing a near\npoint-blank Flamethrower at the Pangoro; the fires spread across his body,\nengulfing him and making the Fighting/Dark-type roar in pain, trying to escape\nthe flames.\n            Both Terror and Capone tried to ward\noff their attackers; Fang bit hard onto the Dusknoir's collar, and Shadow kept\nup the flamethrower until he ran out of breath. By then, Capone was severely burned,\nbut still on his feet. Even with his void-like eyes, the rage was still\napparent, and was promptly retaliated. He lunged forward, delivering a powerful\npunch to Shadow's chest; the Zoroark's eyes went wide, wheezing out the air in\nhis lungs before he was sent flying back, hitting the ground hard. Fang was\nfinally thrown off of Terror's arm, hurled up into the air, before he was\nstruck by a Thunderpunch as he came back down, yelping before he fell on top of\nShadow.\n            \"No...\" Mark rasped.\n            \"They lost...\" Randy whispered.\n            Without another thought, the two\ntrainers called back their Pokémon into their Poké Balls, looking at them\nbriefly before facing Kevin again, who stood with a pleased expression as he\nregarded the two of them. \"A good try, but I'm afraid it wasn't enough,\" he\nstated. \"You will have to do much better than that if you hope to beat me.\" \n            \"You want better?\" Mark asked, his\nface brimming with rage. \"I'll show you better; after what you just did to\nShadow, once I'm done knocking out every one of your Pokémon, I'm going to put\nyou right into the E.R!\" He produced his next Poké Ball. \"Anyone who can\nwillingly do that to a Pokémon, even one that isn't their own, digusts me!\"\n            \"Damn straight!\" Randy added.\n\"Shadow's one of my best friends, and you tried to break him right in half!\nI'll never forgive you for that!\"\n            Kevin barked out a laugh. \"If I\nwanted forgiveness, you really think this is the path I'd have chosen?\" He\nasked. \"I do what I want, when I want; I am one of the higher-ups of the\ngreatest criminal organization ever formed; one that makes every one of the previous\ncrime factions of the world look like a joke.\"\n He glared at the two, but his grin\nnever left. \"And unlike the ones before, it won't be some prodigal child from\nsome small town in one of the six regions that will bring us down; victory is\nall that matters, and how it's achieved is just a method to do so, whatever\nthat may be. Which was the right or wrong method?\" He chuckled. \"Well, that\njust depends on who is the last man standing. If I can remove you as a threat\nto my organization by breaking your Pokémon right in front of you?\" His eyes\nnarrowed. \"So be it.\"\n            Mark's body felt hot, every muscle\ntense with his anger. He could almost see a red veil forming over his eyes;\nnever had he despised anyone more in his life than the cruel, heartless boy standing\nacross from him. How he wanted to run at him right now and strike him with\nevery amount of force he could muster into his arm... sheer restraint was all\nthat kept him from doing so, to dare the wrath of the powerful Pangoro and\nDusknoir standing between him and the cause of his anger.\n            He couldn't see it, but Randy was\nsharing his thoughts, equally filled with fury by Kevin's actions. This was\nonly his second encounter with the Syndicate, and already he loathed them. If\nthey were led by people as evil as this Kevin Zane person standing before him,\nthen the entire organization was long overdue for some justice. Maybe he\ncouldn't be the one to deliver that justice to the entire group... but at the\nvery least, he and Mark could bring down this\none...\n            \"Alright, enough of this!\" Mark\ngrowled. \"Time to take this to the highest level!\" He threw the Poké Ball\nclenched in his hand, releasing the Pokémon within; it was Tanker, once again\nemerging for battle. \"I'm going to show you just how powerful my teammates really\nare!\" Mark declared as he held up his keystone bracelet.\n            \"Count me in,\" added Randy, tossing\nforward his next Poké Ball as well, releasing none other than Thorn, his\npowerful Sceptile... which was about to become even more powerful as he reached\ninto his shirt and produced the necklace that carried his keystone.\n            Kevin's eyes widened slightly,\nfilled with intrigue. \"So... you do\nhave Mega Evolution available to you,\" he said, still smiling.\n            Mark tapped the stone on his wrist,\nRandy clenched the stone of his necklace tightly in his hand, both of them\nbeginning to glow brightly, shining between the seams of their fingers, with\nidentical lights shining from the Mega Stone imbedded in the harness on Thorn's\nchest, and from the choker hidden on Tanker's neck, engulfing both of them in a\nviolet light as they ascended to their most powerful forms. Out of the light,\nthe Mega Sceptile and Mega Steelix emerged, roaring triumphantly as they\nunveiled their ultimate forms, facing Kevin's two Pokémon with eyes that blazed\nwith fury.\n            \"Seed Bomb!\" Randy called out to\nThorn.\n            The Sceptile gowled as he hunched\nover, angling his back forward as much as possible, before the seeds growing\nall along his back launched from his body, shooting up into the air above and\nreturning to terra firma seconds later, bombarding the Dusknoir and Pangoro with\nexplosive force for every one that hit, showering them with dirt and debris.\nCapone put up his arms, trying to shield his face from the assault, while\nTerror tried to float out of the way to escape the blasts.\n            Neither one of them noticed Tanker\nhad disappeared until after the barrage ended, and the ground behind Capone\nexploded; the Pangoro spun around in time to see the Mega Steelix rising up\nbehind him but didn't get the chance to react before he was stricken with a\npowerful Iron Tail that launched him cartwheeling over the ground, thudding\nagainst the hillside. At Kevin's command, Terror charged in to continue the\nattack with a Fire Punch, but its fist struck the nigh indestructible Mega\nSteelix with minimal effect, and Tanker simply retaliated with another Iron\nTail that sent the Dusknoir smashing into the same hill where Capone landed.\nWith that, another Seed Bomb barrage, compliments of Thorn, fell upon them,\nbombarding them and ensuring they were finished...\n            When the dust settled, the two Pokémon\nhad been rendered unconscious by the onslaught, laying prone and motionless on\nthe ground. With a gruff snort, Kevin recalled the two into their Poké Balls,\npocketing them before turning to Mark and Randy. \"Impressive; I knew at least\none of your Pokémon had the means to Mega Evolve, but I was under the\nimpression it was only the Sceptile and your Blaziken that could,\" he stated.\n\"Seems our intelligence on you two is incomplete.\"\n            \"We're full of surprises,\" Mark\nretorted, cracking his knuckles. \"Now comes the part where I put you into the\nhospital.\"\n            \"Not so fast,\" returned Kevin,\nrevealing two new Poké Ball's that had been hidden in his hand, one of which\nwas actually an Ultra Ball, the other a Dusk Ball -identified by its green\ncasing. He threw the two balls forward, both of which popped open to reveal yet\ntwo more Pokémon to join in the battle.\n            The first Pokémon, small in stature\nwith a roundish body, with two bright red eyes glaring out from its face, over\na large, toothy grin that stretched across its features as it . It had short\nlegs and arms, each ending with three digits, and spikes covering its back all\nthe way down to its short, stubby tail, along with two pointed ears rising up\nfrom the upper left and right corners of its body. It was a Gengar, Mark\nrecognized; a Ghost/Poison type Pokémon, and part of the evolution line from\nwhich the first ever Ghost Pokémon was discovered. One thing that stood out\nabout this Gengar though, Mark noticed, was that it's body was supposed to be\npurple; this one was oddly blue in colour; much lighter than a normal Gengar\nwas. \n            The second Pokémon was more than\nquadruple the size of the Gengar, however. A huge, dinosaurian creature, with\ncountless spikes protruding from its body from the back of its head, neck and\nshoulders, and had a mouth full of thick, razor-sharp fangs. Black, triangular\nholes could be seen on both sides of its chest and on its outer thighs,\nresembling vents into its body, and its belly was protected by gray, overlapping\nscales, and it had a short, spiky tail as thick around as Mark's torso.\n            \"A Tyranitar,\" said Randy. \"Those\nthings are extremely tough.\"\n            \"They're Rock-types, right?\" Mark\nasked. \"Tanker or Thorn can handle\nit.\"\n            \"I've fought a few Tyranitars, man;\nthey can take a beating and dish out just as much,\" replied Randy. \"But,\nThorn's taken down every one I've fought; he can match it type advantage for\ntype advantage, but no Tyranitar can match his speed, and Gengar's pretty much\nuseless against a Steelix, so I'll take the big guy, while you...\"\n            Kevin was laughing, and it wasn't\nuntil that moment his chortling grew high enough that the two trainers turned\nto face him, wondering what he as so jolly about. They watched as he shook his\nhead in dismay, before grinning deviously at the two trainers. \"If you know so\nmuch about Gengar and Tyranitar, you should know that they both are among the\ncurrent Pokémon that are known to possess Mega Evolved forms.\"\n            \"Uh, yeah?\" Randy asked. \"But you\ncan't Mega Evolve them both at the same time; a keystone can only be used once,\nand then it loses power for a while.\"\n            Kevin continued to chuckle, before\nhe uncrossed his arms. \"Then I just need to accessorize a bit more, don't I?\"\nHe asked as he held up both of his hands, turning them about so they could see\nthe tops of the bracelets worn around his wrists...\n            Both bracelets worn by Kevin Zane\nwere imbedded with Keystones.\n            \"No... freaking... way...\" Mark\nwhispered.\n            \"He. Has. TWO?!\" Randy cried. \"Why\nthe hell does he have TWO?!\"\n            Keystones were the rarest items in\nthe known world; a person could find ten mega stones before ever finding even\none single keystone, which without both, mega evolution was not possible. But\nthere, standing before them, was a renegade Pokémon Trainer in possession of two keystones, and with two Pokémon capable\nof mega evolution; the Gengar had their own mega stone on a band wrapped around\ntheir left arm, while Tyranitar had theirs on choker worn around their neck.\n            He was going to do the unthinkable,\nand mega evolve two Pokémon at the same time...\n            \"Now I'll show both of you what\nhappens when you mess with a Syndicate Lieutenant!\" Kevin declared, and the\nstones began to glow...\n            The sound of a phone ringing broke\nthe tense silence that had fallen over them as the stones had begun. The glow,\nout of nowhere, faded from both stones as Kevin turned to look at his pocket,\nreaching in and lifting out a phone. \"This had better be good,\" he began. A\nbrief pause later, Kevin scowled into the phone. \"Well why bother telling me?\nGet going then!\" Another pause, and then Kevin's eyes widened. \"He what... He\nwants me to go right now?\" He nodded. \"Alright; I'll start there immediately;\ntell Marvin I need pickup.\" \nHe pulled the phone away from his ear, looking at\nMark and Randy as they stood staring. \"Looks like it's your lucky day,\" he\nsaid, drawing the two Poké Balls of his current Pokémon and recalling them.\n\"Work's calling me.\"\n\"Wait, what?\" Mark asked.\n\"You're backing out?\" Randy inquired.\nKevin glared. \"Don't get the wrong idea,\" he stated,\ncoldly. \"My work takes precedence over my recreation. You defeated my Dusknoir\nand Pangoro, but I had more Pokémon ready to tear you asunder.\" He turned away.\n\"But there a man even I answer to,\nand he's demanded I take up a new mission. So, fortunately for you two, we'll\nhave to postpone this for another time.\"\nMark took a step forward. \"Now you hold it right there, shorty,\" he said in\nwarning. \"After what you've pulled here today I am not just letting you walk away.\"\nKevin peered over his shoulder at Mark, returning\nthe cold, hard glare he was giving him. They said nothing for a moment, only\nstaring into the eyes of one another, until finally Kevin broke the uneasy\nsilence. \"You are out on a new quest,\" he began. \"One to challenge the greatest\ntrainers in the world, correct?\"\n            Mark arched an eyebrow. \"How do you\nknow that?\"\n            \"Given your activities in Kanto, a\npattern started to form,\" replied Kevin. \"Blue Oak, Dragon Master Lance, Pokémon\nMaster Red, but nobody else from the whole region. And now you're on your way\nto Johto, where the only trainer in this continent said to be stronger than\neven Red dwells.\" He turned his gaze away. \"If you intend to battle all of the\ngreats, then it is simply a matter of time before we meet again.\" He turned\nonce more, this time his stare hard. \"But I warn you... if our next meeting\nshould be brought by you interfering with the Syndicate again... then I will\nhold nothing back. I have the most\nterrifying creature in the world at my command, and I will use it to destroy\nyou if you cross us again.\"\n            He began to step away again as the\nsound of a car engine was heard over the hill; Mark took a step again, but then\na jeep sped onto the scene, driven by Marvin, who pulled up alongside Kevin.\nThe younger trainer jumped aboard the Jeep before promptly departing, throwing\ndirt and grass upon Mark and Randy as it sped off and left the scene.\n            \"Damn...\" growled Mark.\n            \"What the hell was that all about?\"\nRandy asked.\n            \"I don't know...\" replied Mark.\n\"Come on; let's get back to the magnet train and see if anyone needs help, then\nsee if we can find some way to call for some ourselves.\" \nHe turned to Tanker, who powered down and reverted\nback to a normal Steelix, followed shortly by Thorn returning to his regular\nSceptile form. The two of them recalled their Pokémon to their balls, and broke\ninto a sprint as they headed back to the disabled Magnet Train...\n~~~~~\nKevin, Marvin and Baxter reached the rendezvous\npoint where the rest of their operatives and enforcers had been told to meet,\nwhere they would be debriefed on the mission, and the spoils would be counted.\nFifty men and women in uniforms of various shades, a few of them carrying thick\nsacks and a large box to a gathering area, setting them down in an organized\nfashion before they gathered into rows and stood at attention as the jeep\nrolled to a stop nearby.\nKevin climbed out of the vehicle, taking off his hat\nbriefly to adjust his hair before putting it back on, and making his way over\nto the pile of loot, unaware of the death stare Marvin was giving him as he\nwalked ahead. When Baxter walked past him as well, Marvin shook himself out of\nhis angered trance, and followed them to the stash as Kevin opened the first\nburlap sack and examined the contents inside, reaching in and lifting out a\nhandful of paper bills.\n\"Most excellent,\" he said, before turning and\ncalling out to the troops gathered nearby. \"A fine job by all you; good work.\nKeep this up, and I will personally see to it that you all get a raise,\" he\ncalled out. The Enforcers and Operatives remained composed, but he saw the\napproval on their faces, and nodded to them to express his own at how they\nremained disciplined and focused.\n\"Ya! A raise!\" Baxter bellowed.\nKevin turned to look at him and Marvin. \"Except you\ntwo,\" he said.\n\"What?\" They demanded.\n\"You need to keep a lid on your obsessions,\" stated\nKevin, pointing at Baxter, and then at Marvin. \"And you; your combat skills are\nseverely lacking. You need to work on that; your lack of ability is an\nembarrassment to our organization.\"\n\"Embarrassment?!\" Marvin echoed. \"I'll have you know\nI was an Executive with Team Rocket before the Syndicate ever formed!\"\n            \"And Team Rocket was defeated,\ntwice, by pre-teen boys fresh out of their mother's arms,\" Kevin pointed out.\n\"I find your argument rather underwhelming.\"\n\"And what group were you part of?\" Marvin demanded.\n\"What great claim to fame does the First Lieutenant, Kevin Zane, have that\nbrought him to the Syndicate? I was picked for my credentials; what about you?\"\nKevin reached out, grasping Marvin by the collar of\nhis vest and yanking him down to eye level with himself. \"That is quite simple;\nI'm the strongest trainer in this entire organization -the strongest in my\nentire region. You know what I was\ndoing while your old gang was blundering into the radio tower to make a call to\nyour old boss -the same man who disbanded you in the first place? I was\ncapturing a Pokémon that those imbeciles in Team Flare could not even subdue,\nlet alone control.\n\"I have never been beaten; while your organization,\nand those of the other regions came crashing down, I was defeating every\ntrainer in my homeland and capturing the strongest Pokémon I found. I never\nlost -never, not even to the so-called Champion. Our boss came to me, and I battled him -to this day he's the\nonly other who ever defeated me, but\ninstead of gloating he offered me a job. I spread the influence of the\nSyndicate across the Kalos region, where he appointed me his first lieutenant.\nAnd then I spread our influence to Sinnoh, where he appointed a second\nLieutenant, and named me his successor.\n\"I was entrusted to establish our new divisions here\nin Johto and Kanto, but then you screwed up the heist of the Julia, failing to procure us some rare Pokémon\nto give to our investors, causing them to withdraw our funding! Because of\nthat, we lost our division in Kanto; the first botched operation in our\nhistory, and it was an operation led by you,\nMarvin!\" He brought the man almost nose-to-nose with him. \"So never compare\nyourself to me. You are a Litwick and I am Moltres;\nthat is the difference between us. Understand?\"\nMarvin nodded, weakly.\n\"Good,\" returned Kevin, releasing Marvin and letting\nhim stand back upright, as well as straighten out his vest and shirt. \"Now,\nwe're finished with this op.\" He turned to face the enforcers and operatives\nonce more, pointing to the west in the direction of their base. \"Pack it up and\nreturn to base! See to it that the stolen Pokémon are taken to be conditioned\nfor deployment and begin distributing them to our divisions to supply the next\ntraining graduates; it's time to increase our numbers.\" He gestured to the bags\nof money and jewellry. \"And take these to the vaults until they can be\ntransferred to the accounts. And don't go getting any ideas, now.\"\nHe stepped aside to allow them to carry out their\norders, before he turned to Marvin and Baxter again. \"Now, we've got a rather\ntall order to fill, directly from the boss himself.\"\n\"From the big man, is it?\" Baxter asked, raising his\neyebrows\n\"What does he ask from us, sir?\" Marvin asked.\n\"It seems we won't be working together anymore, at\nleast for now,\" replied Kevin. \"Baxter; the boss wants you to take a small\ndetachment to raid a dig site not far from here,\" he explained.\n\"A dig? For what?\" Baxter asked.\n\"Fossils,\" replied Kevin. \"One of our top financiers\nis a collector of Pokémon fossils; he has learned of this dig, but it was not\nhim who funded it, and he does not like missing out on possible rare finds, so\nhe has put in a request; he will boost the Johto base's funding ten percent if\nwe can provide him some rare fossils. The boss wants you to go there, take over\nthe dig site, and bring them back; you are free to do some demolition to speed\nup the process but he urges discretion; damaged fossils are worthless.\"\nBaxter nodded. \"A'ight, I'll get on it.\"\n\"And me?\" Marvin asked.\n\"You are heading for Sinnoh,\" replied Kevin. \"An\noperation is being put in place to attempt to capture one of the Legendary Pokémon\nthere; they need an organiser, so the boss asked for you.\"\n\"For me, specifically?\"\nKevin nodded. \"You may lack skill as a trainer, but\nyou can turn even the most chaotic and messy office into a well-organized\nworkspace; that's what the operation needs at the moment, as we could only give\nthem some rather unruly teams.\"\nMarvin nodded. \"Then I will head to Sinnoh as soon\nas possible,\" he said, thought subtly thought to himself. Finally, I can get away from this little brat...\n\"And what about yerself; where's the boss sending\nyou?\"\nKevin smiled. \"Back to Kanto,\" he replied.\n\"Did he get our supporters back?\" Marvin asked.\n\"Sadly not,\" replied Kevin. \"This is something\npersonal to him; a Pokémon that was recently seen there. He wants it.\"\nBaxter rubbed that back of his head in confusion.\n\"Isn't that a little below your pay grade, lieutenant?\" He asked. \"Why not one\nof us?\"\n\"Because the Pokémon in question is not only\npowerful, it's commanded by the region's top trainer,\" replied Kevin. \"The boss\nfeels certain I'm the only one who can get it.\"\n            Baxter shrugged. \"Right then... so\nam I going alone to this dig; just me and a few enforcers?\"\n            \"No; the boss is sending one of our\nnewest Special Operatives with you; think of him as a fill-in for Marvin,\"\nreplied Kevin.\n            \"Who's goin' with me then?\"\n            \"Me.\" The three turned, and saw that\nsomeone had been eavesdropping on their conversation accompanied by ten\nSyndicate Enforcers. The man at the lead, a young adult roughly the same age as\nKevin, with very unique dark red hair, dressed in a blue, long-sleeve jacket\nwith red undertones, and slightly lighter-coloured pair of pants, with shoes\nmatching his coat. \"We're your team.\"\n            \"Well, you sure got here quickly,\"\nsaid Kevin. \"The boss didn't tell me he was sending you for this op.\"\n             \"I often appear where I'm not expected,\"\nreplied Silver.\n","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/893911-pokemon-qatm-chapter-16.json"}