Pokémon Legends: Court of Kings

[Marsuru]

The Tower of Mastery - Zack's Room

Seelie could breathe again. He hacked up the remaining leftovers and considered trying to eat them again, but the trainer stole his attention. He'd been so determined to stuff his face that he hadn't noticed her enter the room at all. Or he realised, with a prickle along his back, the Alakazam meditating near the window.

'Mwrowr?' Seelie blinked, tilting his head sideways and looking Helena up and down. There was something different about this one, but he couldn't quite place what. Something wrong. The Sylveon padded over, poking his nose over the side of the bed to get a better sniff. Definitely something strange. He extended one of his feelers for Helena to grasp, and if she did, she would be overtaken by a wave of calm.

And, unless she decided to stay, Seelie would lead her towards the door and indicate that she should come with him. Gurkinn had to see her now.  

[Jump Einatz]

The Street

Watching Prou and Durendal pass each other and cross the street to complete the trade felt like a millennia for both parties. Skarada looked at his watch, and Salieri’s eyes darted around to check for interferences the old fashioned way. Manny hadn’t discovered any of Ska’s people in the vicinity.

Were they hiding? Cloaked somehow? Salieri decided that it was highly unlikely, as Skarada didn’t know Sal had allied with Benedict or his Telepath. Even then, whipping up a way to stay hidden from a Psychic wasn’t run of the mill. Still, Sal considered the possibility, solely because the lack of an apparent backstab was making her suspicious.

’Multiple Auras?’ If Zack didn’t answer quickly, it could mean he was compromised. By five foes? From his position in the middle, Ben might be able to actually see a fight break out in the apartment Zack had commandeered. Time would tell on that one, but this timeframe was brief.

Durendal and Prou reached their destinations at the same time. Skarada’s eyes twinkled at the Sablenite the Pawniard held out to him reluctantly. He reached out slowly, as if he was scared the Stone wasn’t real. When his fingers made contact he snatched it right away, holding it up to his face. Keasbey, still perched on Ska’s shoulder, looked closely at his reflection staring back at him. “Finally…”

Salieri would’ve paid more attention to Skarada’s reactions, but right now she was face to face with her long lost friend. Well, face to helmet. The 241 visor only showed Salieri her own face in the reflective surface. Beyond that, Prou’s body language said nothing. She may as well have been a zombie. “Prou…”

The Gardevoir extended a hand, holding the Pokédex. The device had become still, the screen black. Salieri took it, hastily ripped off the bubblewrap, and placed it back into the cradle strapped to her arm. “Gotcha, Ivan.”

Ivan, uncharacteristically, said nothing. Prou then extended the hand holding her own Pokéball. It may as well have been an actual olive branch. Breathless, Salieri grabbed onto it, feeling an electric surge of hope elevate her heart rate.

Prou wouldn’t let go of ball.

“Prou, c’mon,” said Sal, tugging at the ball and barely budging it from the trancelike grip of 241. The girl looked back at Skarada, still enraptured by his treasure. “What gives, Ska?”

“Hmm?” Ska saw Salieri struggling and put the stone into his pocket, chuckling to himself. “Well, not her, evidently. S’matter? She’s not listening, is she?”

’There’s something wrong. The deal is going sour. Ben, get ready to move.’

“Tell her to let go,” Salieri demanded, though really, she was begging. Because her only contingencies for this trade, a trade that was shoddy since its conception, were Zack and Ben. Salieri expected to be betrayed. But she had also expected Prou to side with her. Her hope was Prou would break out of whatever puppet control Nicolette had put her under, that Ska maintained, long enough to join Salieri’s side. Now, her hope was dashed.

Interference from Ska was something she could handle. Watching Prou fight what was right was crushing.

“Me? Why? She’s supposed to be your Pokémon now.”
Salieri looked hard at the visor, trying to reach the eyes underneath. “Prou, just let go. Let go,” she pleaded.
“Here’s the thing, mate. You keep calling her that.” Ska checked his watch again. “But I told you, she’s a different animal now.”
“Ska, you b*****d!” Sal growled. “This wasn’t part of the deal.”

Durendal’s claws shined, ready to pounce at Skarada and take the pirate hostage with a blade to the neck. Keasbey must’ve seen this, because with a quick wink, he Quashed the Pawniard, causing Dune to stand absolutely still in his battle pose.

“Sure wasn’t. I let 241 walk. What she does now, that’s up to her, ain’t it? So long as that helmet’s locking her brain, what’s up to her is really up to me.” Ska whistled short, trying to catch the Gardevoir’s attention. “Oi, 241. Where do you wanna end up?”

’Zack, take the shot!’ Salieri yelled inside her brain, while screaming in reality. “Don’t you dare, Skarada!”
“If she won’t listen to you, well…that wasn’t part of my guarantee.”
“We had a DEAL!”

Ska whistled again, and shortly after, 241 disappeared in flash of pink light, Teleporting back to Ska’s side. The Quash wore off on Durendal, and suddenly he was moving again, unpaused.

’TAKE THE SHOT!’

The Apartment

The pink eyed woman giggled like a kid who heard a bad word when Zack said ‘Ditto’. A similar giggle with a higher pitch came from the rifle. The copy of her in the living room doing yoga also laughed, and the one drinking tea shook her head in disapproval.

“That’s adorable,” she told Zack, still giggling. She reached out to grab his shoulder for support, but missed and slapped her thigh instead. Allowing her laughter to cease, she took in the situation more thoroughly, seeing that Lethal was aimed at her target rather than Sweet Salieri.

The pink eyed woman shrugged and rested the rifle on her shoulder. “Okay," she obliged, her stare lingering on Zack for a little longer afterwards. “Do not miss your shot…hey...we know you from somewhere…yes, definitely…”

She looked off to the side, as if the memory she was searching for was between the ashtray or the plastic beach chair on the balcony. “No, that’s not it. Not it…” She snapped her fingers when she figured it out, pulling out the chair to sit down. “Right. The dumb one told us about you. Falling off a rollercoaster and fighting dinosaurs…but your nice suit isn’t here.”  

[Marsuru]

The Apartment

'I'm fine' Zack said through the mental link. 'I'm in an apartment building, of course there are multiple auras. Relax and focus.'

Letting the others get spooked over the pink eyed woman would throw a wrench in the works. He needed them to do their jobs; he could do his own even with this weirdo breathing down his neck. He had this under control. But even as the woman spoke, things started to go south. He could feel Salieri's panic and horror leaking through the link, a sensation not unlike their bond. His single fist tightened, and he formulated another plan.

'Zack, take the shot!' Salieri screamed. Zack grinned at the woman. He told Serene what to do.

'The name's Zack Redgrave,' he said as Serene tapped him on the arm, 'I hope you get back on your meds real soon, lady.'

'TAKE THE SHOT!'

Lethal's Aura Sphere whirled in his claw and launched on Zack's mental command. The backblast sent the beach chair flying, blew the ashes into a cloud of smoke, and would knock the pink eyed woman off balance for a second. Zack gave her a wink as he, Lethal, and Serene vanished in a flash of light.

The Street

And reappeared behind Ska, just as Prou Teleported to his side. The Aura Sphere flew towards them, a distant white dot that grew rapidly in size, targeting Ska unerringly, locked on to his life force. It was a new round, and before Prou even had a chance to Teleport Ska away, Serene used Imprison. She threw her arms out to her sides, generating a faded pink dome that fully encompassed the street and its surrounding areas. Anything inside the dome couldn't use any of the moves that Serene knew.

Most importantly, Teleport. If Ska wanted out, he'd have to do it the hard way.

'Hey dickhead!' Zack shouted as Lethal angled himself towards the pirate captain. 'Remember me?'

The Aura Sphere was still a couple seconds away, and Lethal wouldn't be able to fire another shot until it hit home, but he sure as hell could charge one up. Ice Beam crackled in his cannon claw, ready to launch, and very, very distracting. So distracting, Zack hoped, that none of Team Ska would notice the Aura Sphere until it blew them away.

'SNIPER' Zack shouted into the link, 'There's another sniper, get into cover!'

The Apartment

Hazard's eyes nearly popped out of her head when Zack left her alone. Before anyone could remember she existed, she quietly levitated through the ceiling, and made someone scream in the apartment above.  

[Spinne Biss]

Helena, if allowed, would pet the Sylevon on the head as she watched it. She took one of the feelers of the colorful little Pokemon and sucked in a deep breath at the oddity of the calming sensation.

She wasn't fine tuned to realize when subtle manipulation was happening, but Helena could feel the sudden change between herself now, and herself moments ago. When Seelie started to move, Helena hesitantly began to follow.

She'd gesture for Loki, who opened an eye to watch the scene, to follow and the top would be off.

It could be a trap, Helena thought, but she didn't expect Jean to be so subtle. If he wanted to show up and torment her, he simply would, and nobody would be able to do a thing about it.

Seelie was different. The creature didn't appear malicious, and Helena felt close enough to safe near Loki. The two could teleport out in case of emergency, and Loki's ball was with Azucena, which meant nobody could take him away from her.  

[Marsuru]

Seelie led Helena down the tower's spiraling staircase. They passed the Lucario statue's hard gaze, Helena's footsteps echoing all the way to the ground floor. Two attendants saw them coming, recognised Seelie as Gurkinn's own pokémon, and opened the stone double doors that guarded the tower. If one wanted to, they could hold a siege in here for quite some time, and it was likely the tower was built with that in mind. People in the town of mastery tended to mind their own business, except where newcomers were involved. Helena was no mere tourist, not with Seelie at her grasp, and she would feel plenty of people staring, but nobody making eye contact.

The Sylveon took her to a stone dome where heat haze rose over its top. On its side there was a small door with fabric covering the way. Seelie turned his head and gestured to the door with his other feeler. This was where Gurkinn was, he could feel it. He had a bond with the aura user that gave him some insight into aura as well. It was a gift, and it told him there was something off with this girl.

If Helena went inside she would be met with a wall of blistering heat. It would be hard to breathe, let alone get close to the fire like Gurkinn. He was sat peacefully, crosslegged, just feet from the giant floating flame at the centre of the room. He opened one eye when Helena entered, closed it again, and smiled.

'Helena Redgrave. I'm glad you decided to come. I sense a great deal is the matter,' he opened his eyes. They were warm and caring. 'I may be able to help. Please sit. I am Gurkinn, I trust your brother told you about me?'  

[Jump Einatz]

The Apartment

The pink eyed woman teetered back at the recoil from Lethal’s Aura Sphere, catching the chair in the process. When the tipped forward again, she brought the chair with her and slipped into a smooth sitdown. She waved at where Zack had been. “Buh-bye.”

Pachi looked over her shoulder and gave an identical goodbye to Hazard’s bottom half before the whole Ghost went through the ceiling. The copies of her in the living room melted away into pink mist, curling in thick strands back into the witch’s outstretched hand. “Buh-bye. Buh-bye.”

Putting Skarada down was harder with two kids in the way. Salieri, Zack. Not Jack. Jump had called him Jack about a thousand times at HQ. This was why his call sign in Pachi’s mind was the dumb one.

Salieri, Zack. She owed the first one a favor, so why not help them out?

She scooched her chair forward, scraping it across the balcony until she got to the railing. Pachi leveled the sniper rifle down at the confrontation a few blocks away. The end of the barrel bent as the rifle sneezed, then went back to shape.

“Birds of a feather are flocking outside.” She squinted and took aim, patiently waiting for the right time to shoot. “Two birds, one Mega Stone.”

Shalour City

Salieri succumbed to her first instinct when Zack relayed his warning, which was to release Biz Marquis, her first line of defense against The Sniper from a few days back. She got down low to the ground, partially covered from one angle by the bench next to her as she hissed “Sniper,” at Biz. The Chesnaught dropped to a knee and gulped, holding an arm out over his trainer. Her phone was ringing in her pocket nonstop. In fact, both Zack and Ben’s phones would be ringing with the same unknown caller.

“Zachary!” Skarada shouted, first looking surprised before looking pleased when he faced Zack and his Pokémon. 241 felt her power points being tampered with by Serene’s field, recalculating what her viable tactics were now. Scanning the battlefield with her eyes and her mind, she spotted the Aura Sphere, and could make out the vague shape of a person looking down at them from a faraway balcony.

Keasbey flapped off Skarada’s shoulder the same time Durendal lunged, chopping the Sablenite out of Ska’s hand and up into the air. The Murkrow’s talons caught it with a sharp grip, and he circled overhead, dropping the stone into 241’s outstretched hand.

Ska’s hands shifted, one of them dropped a Pokéball of his own to the ground. Sergio emerged, balanced with one knee drawn up to her chest. She was ready to react to Zack’s Clawitzer, feeling that rising tension before a fight broke out, but the Lopunny restrained herself as Ska yelled “WAIT, WAIT!”, dropping a Trap Card out of his sleeve behind his back in the process.

Tracing Biz’s Bulletproof, 241’s free hand snapped to the back of Ska’s head. She caught the Aura Sphere, and with a squeeze, it popped harmlessly like a balloon. Telekinesis wreathed her body in a faded pink light, one of her moves that wasn’t neutered by Serene’s. The Gardevoir was hovering inches off the ground now.

Durendal froze in his battle ready stance beside Zack and Lethal, still at Ska’s declaration. “If you shoot me down,” Ska warned with a confident grin, “No one in this city is making it out alive.”

Salieri ran cold at that omen. It was all too familiar. And her time on Ska’s ship flashed through her mind, the sky above the Tower of Mastery warped and crackled so loudly they could hear it from Shalour.

“Salieri! You know the drill!” Skarada called over his shoulder at her one time crewmate and apprentice. The wind picked up from the massive shifts in space, blowing Ska’s open coat in the wind. “This is my ultimatum!”

A swirling purple vortex opened above the island, twisting larger and larger until it was nearly as wide as the compound itself. From the portal came a metal object, growing bigger as it came down. It was the hull of an airship. Skarada’s ship. The Fishbone was visible for a few seconds, before thick streaks of grey clouds whirled out of its sides, camouflaging the ship and canopying the Tower of Mastery with a heavy overcast. The vortex shrank and disappeared, leaving behind the patch of darkness the stuck out in the otherwise clear blue horizon.

Police sirens sounded off in the distance, the sound echoing down towards the coast as the cruisers traveled. People on the street stopped and looked up, in awe, in apprehension, of what this all meant.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At the SCPD, phones were ringing off the hook to report the sighting over the ocean. The police were about fed up with the repetition of the one thing they already knew, until one call it broke the pattern. It was a woman, claiming to be the cause of the otherworldly black clouds, and claiming she was taking the town hostage.

The officer that answered the call requested an immediate trace as he did his best to keep the woman on the line. She made herself very clear. While they were docked in this now fly zone, if anyone crossed the sea and landed on the island, or set foot on The Fishbone, their ship would fire onto Shalour City without hesitation.

The trace confirmed the call was coming from above the Tower. Vocal recognition identified the woman as a registered war criminal, known as Erin. Last name unknown, affiliated with the Fishbone Pirates and fellow war criminal Skarada.

The officer on the phone asked what Erin was threatening to attack them with. She told them the Kalosian Army’s Misama Cannon. Erin was quick to point out the irony of a Kalosian city being held hostage by a Kalosian weapon. Before the officer could negotiate, she hung up.

Only one officer knew what the Miasma Cannon was, and it made her face go white. An experimental crowd control tool based on Spore that was designed to make a small insurgency complacent, it had only seen testing in Orre during the Kalosian occupation of the country. The military hadn’t expected the payload to spread so wide, or for the sideffects to include the corrosion of internal organs. But both were the case.

And shortly, the whole precinct became aware, and just as white in the face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Above the Tower, a bubble at the bottom of the cloud cover burst open, and something was diving down. Then it happened again, and again, until there were about twenty five or so people falling from the sky.

The pirate strike team spread out their limbs and pulled the ripcords of their Wingsuits, deploying the gliding membranes underneath their arms. They swirled around gracefully, alternating between divebombing and swooping like Pidgeots towards the compound. The raiding half of the strike team flew circles down towards the Tower, aiming for the vault of Mega Stones that laid inside.

The other half of the strike team glided between the streets, vigilant for the acolytes that would rise up against their thievery. Who they were most vigilant for was Gurkinn. Skarada warned them not to underestimate the Aura monk. Their forward scout said that as of last night, the only three big threats residing at the Tower were Gurkinn, Salieri and Zack. And Ska said he would make sure Salieri and Zack weren’t around.

Hooting and hollering like mad, the sky pirates took great pleasure in their descent to the island. It was a mission unlike any other they had. The heist of a lifetime.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“That’s the deal,” Ska tacked on, finishing explaining the ultimatum to Salieri and Zack the same way Erin was explaining it to the police. “If I’m not on my boat when it leaves, my wife’s gonna turn this city into a ghost town.”

“b*****d!” Salieri yelled back, fighting the urge to stand up because of Zack’s sniper warning, her Pokégear still ringing. It was just like in Orre, with the Interpol outpost. Déjà vu. Only this time she and Ska weren’t on the ship. She couldn’t stop the cannon from here. “This is what you really want?! Again?! This is low, Ska! It’s wrong!”

It looked like, for a second, Skarada genuinely knew that Salieri was right, and that he thought this wasn’t such a good idea. It was only a second, and then he was back to grinning.

“Right or wrong, I get what’s mine, mates.”

This standoff wouldn’t last. Skarada was confident in his strength, but he couldn’t fight off both Sal and Zack on his own. He wasn’t Ratio. But he could split them up.

“Take that back to the ship,” Ska told 241, and in the same breath, loud enough so the open phone in his pocket would receive his voice, said, “Erin, let’s go with extraction five!”

Two things happened simultaneously.

241 took one last look at everyone surrounding her, from the man she was compelled to obey and the girl so desperate to shatter that reality, before her hovering became full blown flight, carrying her up and away as she made to zoom for the ship.

At the same time, Skarada shifted his foot back, activating his Hurl Trap. His body snapped with sudden acceleration and thrust to the side, far enough that he was now across the street where Salieri was. The two of them exchanged bitter glances in a splitsecond, before his feet touched the earth and he hit the ground running towards the hill that led to the beach.

Sergio was behind him, keeping an eye on Zack, his Pokémon, and Durendal, acting as the buffer between them and her trainer. If she was out here, Ska expected opposition, and Keasbey was right beside his captain, keeping his own eyes on Salieri.

That turned out to be unnecessary, because as soon as 241 took off, Salieri let out a cry of something between anguish and rage at the sky, ignoring Ska entirely. Her phone stopped ringing. Now it was simply talking. “Beep boop Salieri. SALIERI.”

Despite everything else that was happening, and that was a lot, Salieri took the second to whip out her Pokégear and, in disbelief, answer the call. “Ivan?” If either Zack or Ben pickedu up the call at anytime, they’d be on the same line.
“I’ve been jumping around. There is no time to explain. I stalled the cannon’s CPU. You have eleven minutes. Go.”

Salieri stood there, a blank look on her face as the gears whirred in her head. “Ten minutes and fifty eight seconds. Go.”

Instinct clicked. Her tunnel vision directed her sightline at Prou escaping in the distance as she felt herself running, sprinting. Without thinking about it she swapped out Biz Marquis for Banksy and yelled out, “I’m getting Prou!”, Telepathy be damned, Shalour City be damned.

Banksy took one look at the familiar shape of her old friend disappearing again, another look at Salieri’s mad dash, and knew what she had to do. Her limbs retracted into her shell, her grey smoke spewed from her shell, and her White Jet was active. She flew forward.

Salieri jumped up, landing on Banksy’s passing back, and the two of them were off, chasing Prou into the sky towards the black clouds. Durendal gave Zack a quick nod, hummed with a Magnet Rise, and flew to catch up with Salieri while Skarada, Sergio and Keasbey dashed for their escape.  

[Klarp Glornharm]

Benedict heard the conversation flow through the telepathic bond, but at the ringing of his phone, he put the thing on speaker. Caboose looked over immediately, ready to zap the thing if any untoward effects started. That was the point of the speaker thing, it meant the Pokemon was less likely to zap him too...

There seemed to be a long silence until Sal's name came through, and then her voice. The conversation would be telepathically sent through to Zack, so there was no need to pick up the phone. Overall, it seemed he was the only one not immediately moving. "Sorry, Miss, I have to take this it looks like." He said aloud, and took the phone off speaker. Caboose received his orders, and a psychic message reached out to Hazard, who Manny had kept an eye on.

We need eyes on board the ship, maybe a way to disable the Canon. Most of my team won't make it without being spotted, but you and Caboose can. Mind helping out?

Ben pushed open the door to the establishment as people started to panic and put on his sunglasses. Sal had been very adamant about those. Francis was released outside, and Caboose took off with a magnet rise, flying towards the ship. Sal had her Pokemon.

Zack would probably need some backup, too. For now, he would leave the ship to the two that might be able to disable the cannon properly. Francis took off with Ben and Manny on his back, and launched off, towards Ska and Co. And hopefully Zack.

Caboose's approach would be intended to be stealthy, of course. It was the point of sending a flying mouse and a ghost, after all.  

[Marsuru]

The pink eyed woman hadn't fired. Zack slid behind a parked car and flushed with disappointment when Prou caught the Aura Sphere. If she had taken any damage he couldn't tell, though the Fight type sphere should have at least mangled her metal armour. Ska boasted his ultimatum, and Zack waited for the shot, expecting the pirate to get cut short. Maybe the Ditto had blown itself up after all.

Lethal was at the trainer's side, and let the Ice Beam die in its cannon. While Ska yammered on, Zack asked for a Swords Dance. He tried not to watch as the Clawitzer performed a low key version of the war dance, hidden behind the car's front end. It was embarrassing for him and Lethal both. And if Dune was still with them, it would test the limits of his Inner Focus.

'That’s the deal,' Ska's voice carried throughout the crossroads with ease. 'If I’m not on my boat when it leaves, my wife’s gonna turn this city into a ghost town.'

You're in the city, you stupid ********> Zack thought, hoping Salieri would realise that Ska was bluff- nope she had unleashed a tirade. Bought time at least. If they stopped Ska from leaving, it rendered the cannon moot, but Zack didn't sit too well with gambling thousands of lives on the logical choices of sky pirates. That's when everything changed. Prou left with the mega stone and Ska made a run for it. Zack caught Serene's eye across the street and made his decision.

'Dune, I got an idea,' he said, quickly explaining his plan.

The Kirlia Teleported, taking her Imprison dome with her into the sky after Prou. In truth, it was only a dome at ground level; once airborne, Serene had a literal sphere of influence that neutered a good amount of the Gardevoir's attacks. But not all of them, Zack thought with an uneasy chill. Before Serene had chance to fall, Lethal soared beneath her, riding on a line of Aqua Jet, catching the psychic on the back of his giant claw.

They kept on Prou's tail, and would soon enough be followed by Banksy and Sal. If Dune had gone along with Zack's plan, he would be perched in the open mouth of Lethal's cannon, ready to act as the projectile in the Clawitzer's Smack Down. Once they were in range, Lethal would take aim at Prou then fire Dune like a shot, giving any attack he made the added bonus of disabling Prou's Telekinesis and send her plummeting to the sea below.

Back at ground level, Zack had received the news of Ska's cannon dysfunction. With the scourge of pirates swarming the tower, the air ship itself was relatively defenseless. Now was the best time to beat Ska down and wreck his ship. They could end this.

Or maybe they couldn't.

He watched the pirates attack the tower from a distance, thought about the peaceful if judgmental people who lived there. His sister was there. Zack set his jaw and watched Ska escape with his pokémon, then went the other way.

---

Zack had lost count of how long he had left before the cannon came back online. He had stopped watching his pokémon above the city, and only hoped that they fared well. It didn't matter to him as much as getting to the tower, seeing that Helena was safe. And in no small part he wanted to prove that she didn't need to worry about him. What better way to do that than smashing some pirate faces?

So Zack rode on a plank of wood he'd found by the pier with a Charmeleon that shot fire from its arms perched on his back. When they crossed the water, Zack leaped from the wood plank, and ran up the external wall, propelled by Malis's Flame Jet. They crested the wall, unhooked from each other, and landed atop battlements while the pirates tore the town to pieces.

---

Hazard paused when she got Manny's message, then finished stacking the chairs she'd found in somebody's apartment and flew out of the building. She wasn't completely keyed in to how this psychic link malarkey operated, but she thought back hard in the affirmative.

[YEAH OKAY SURE] Hazard sent back to Manny. It would still come across as ghostly nonsense to Benedict but he ought to get the gist.

She flew between buildings at high speed until she spotted a flying Pikachu, so she waved and shouted over to her comrade. [Hey! HEY! I'M OVER HERE! WHERE ARE WE GOING?]  

[Jump Einatz]

Shalour City

Skarada had expected at least one of the two trainers to follow him. Even though getting to the extraction point uninterrupted would smoothen the raid, he was almost disappointed that they didn’t want to give him a fight. Still, it was no doubt better that way. In a minute he’d be out of the city, and then Erin could really threaten Shalour with the cannon.

So when he saw a third, unknown trainer on a Pidgeotto flying at his direction, he was taken for a loop, but not caught entirely off guard. “Ground ‘im, Keasbey,” he called over his shoulder, turning and skidding to a stop while reaching for his Trap Card deck.

Keasbey spotted the target. Benedict had sunglasses on, an inconvenience that made him immune to the effects of the custom Quash. He couldn’t slow the trainer, but he could slow down the bird. As soon as the Murkrow caught Francis’ Keen Eyes, he’d use his Prankster boosted gaze.

If Francis was looking at them, he’d be struck with the Quash, and his perception of time would freeze for three seconds. In midair, that’d mean his movements would cease, causing Ben and his Pokémon to fall down onto the grassy hill below. Mostly harmless at this altitude, but impeding.

To insure he could gain more distance, Ska drew three Trap Cards from his holster and held them up, aiming his throw at the bottom of the hill. Sergio was right beside him, eager to jump into a battle.

TING! The cards were knocked out of his hand and into the air by some force moving too fast for the pirate to see. In the splitsecond that followed, he desperately scanned his surroundings for the source of the attack, and saw that Sergio had stopped to look up at an apartment building a few blocks away. A sniper. Salieri had more friends than Skarada had thought.

TING! Skarada still couldn’t tell what kind of rounds were fired, but another shot was made. This time it hit the cards flying above him, activating the traps in
the air. The Fire Traps blew up into each other, creating a burst of expanding flame that would’ve engulfed Ska entirely if his Lopunny hadn’t tackled him out of the way.

“Getting kinda hot in here, Sergio,” Ska hissed while the fire died as quickly as it started. The police sirens grew louder. Soon they’d arrive at the beach to set up a blockade, making sure brave bystanders didn’t breach the terms of Erin’s hostage situation to get to the Tower. Not that it would be easy for them, as the sandbar was gone now. The police just didn’t know what else to do. Even Korrina, talking to the cops right now, was at a loss as to how to save the acolytes.

But Skarada, and by proxy Ben, were much closer to the beach than the police were. And now Ska was looking down the sandy hill that led to the beach cove, where another deep purple vortex was opening at the shore. Much smaller than the one that had appeared with the Fishbone, it was still big enough for most people and Pokémon to get through. That was Ska’s extraction. It’d bring him right to the Tower where the action was.

If Ben hadn’t cut him off by now, Ska would get up with Sergio and Keasbey in tow and continue with his escape, heading down the hill to the portal.

Countdown to Miasma Cannon: 10 minutes 33 seconds

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Durendal had never been used as ammunition before. Lethal’s claw wasn’t exactly roomy, but the waiting was the hard part. Every second that ticked away, the cannon was closer to firing. If they didn’t make it in time, and Erin fired because they breached the terms, then the blood of Shalour City would be on their hands as well.

“This was the fourth time my emergency code activated, and the first time it ran its course,” Ivan’s voice explained to Salieri through her Pokégear, which was now worn on her wrist like a watch. The AI spoke loudly to reach Sal’s ears over the din of the White Jet exhaust. “Before, my evolution was incomplete. You could say my characterization was inconsistent. Now I am whole, unbound from cyberspace, but my programming requires me to obey your every command. Regardless of whether it’s advisable or not, beepboop.”

Salieri wasn’t listening to the exposition. She was busy doing quickfire threat assessment. They had Prou vastly outnumbered, and with Serene around they had part of her movelist blocked off as well. But with the cloud cover up around the Fishbone, Sal couldn’t tell how much of the pirate crew was still on board. From what she remembered, Skarada’s crew had about fifty people. She estimated, roughly, that half of them had descended on the Tower.

That left half the crew, Erin and Prou as the sky based contingent. A formidable force, but it didn’t matter to Salieri. Prou was right here in front of her, she wasn’t letting her family get away again.

241 looked over her shoulder and saw her pursuers. She sped up her flight, even though Lethal’s claw was still trained on her as she zipped towards the rolling grey clouds. Her body hummed and glowed with a building Psychic energy. At last he fired, eliciting a loud “DON’T!” from Salieri in the process.

Dune was off like a dart, spinning in the air with his Metal Claws crossed in front of him. It was clear why Salieri didn’t want him to attack: she didn’t want Prou to get hurt. Durendal didn’t want to hurt this member of Moze’s team he had heard so much about either, but it was too late now. There was no changing his course, and he knew that the Gardevoir formerly known as Prou would hinder them from saving the people below if she was left to her own devices. You have to break a few eggs to make an omelet. That’s what Salieri would’ve said, if this wasn’t so personal for her.

Forgive me Master Salieri, but this time I cannot obey.

Prou suddenly stopped. The energy building up inside her flashed, and she was gone, replaced by a Pelipper. By the time the pirate’s bird realized they had been Switched with an Ally, they were slammed by Durendal and Lethal’s Rock Lobster attack. The Pawniard, a spinning bladed cannonball, tackled the Pelipper full force, sending them plummeting down to the ocean below where they landed with a splash.

Teleport was blocked by Imprison. Sal sussed out this she had used Ally Switch, speeding up beforehand to get within range of the Fishbone. If she switched out with another pirate’s Pokémon, that meant she was on the ship now. “Shell Smash!” Salieri called to Banksy under her feet.

Pieces of the Torkoal’s shell peeled off, revealing another layer beneath it. Her defenses dropped drastically, but her offensive prowess and speed doubled as a result. Banksy accelerated dramatically and Salieri gripped what remained of the shell tightly with one hand, parting a hole through the grey clouds in pursuit of her long lost friend.

Durendal was left in their wake, flying beside Lethal and Serene. He wasn’t sure how far or for how long Lethal could fly with Aqua Jets, but he was here to support them. The three Pokémon would have to make due, as Dune was unaware that in the distance behind them, Hazard and Caboose were stealthily bringing up the rear.

Outside The Fishbone

Once she got through the cloud cover, Salieri squinted at the sunlight pouring over her. The clouds surrounded the bottom and sides of the ship, but not the top, leaving a bright gap underneath clear sunny skies. The Fishbone was very much like a small and shabby aircraft carrier, held aloft by four large jets under the hull.

The Miasma Cannon was no longer on top of the deck. Instead it was below, held in an unknown room near the bow. The barrel of the cannon poked out of a large porthole, aimed in the general direction of Shalour City. It was indeed a real threat.

She could see Prou walking into the ship from the deck, but she wasn’t alone. A cadre of pirates, four of them, were running out onto the deck, taking her place and releasing their Pokémon. Skarada’s crew kept Pokémon that suited their needs, so the most common types were Flying, Water, and Dark. Here was no exception. Two pirates released matching Blastoises, while the other two released Unfexant and Swellow.

The birds circled over the deck, vigilant guards of the area, while the Blastoises got down on their haunches with their cannons taking aim at Salieri and Banksy. On their mark, they fired Aura Spheres, locked onto the Aura of the Torkoal.

Sal put her trust into Banksy and the Torkoal pulled up fast, going higher into the sky. The Aura Spheres whizzed past their original mark, turning around for another pass. Banksy spun and dove down, putting her evasive maneuvers to the test while avoiding the homing attacks.

The Blastoises, confident their shots would connect, braced themselves for the rest of the incoming Pokémon Salieri had left behind. When they poked through the clouds the turtles would fire again, holding the line as the birds would fly out to intercept the unwanted guests.

Countdown to Miasma Cannon: 8 minutes 27 seconds

The Tower of Mastery

“Pipe down!”

Zephyr kicked a whiny acolyte in his gut, doubling him over on the street. The resistance to the raid had been very brief. Out the corner of her eye she saw two of her friends pinning another acolyte to the ground. The more they got defeated, the less they fought back. It was easy, and somewhat disappointing.

Now the pirate had three acolytes before her on their knees as she commanded, looking down at the cobblestone in shame. The raid team was prying their way through the Tower’s door now, both from the base and from the top. Any minute now, she expected them to come out with armfuls of priceless Mega Stones and their scout Owen, whose reconnaissance had been key to their success.

“You have no honor,” one of the grounded acolytes spat at her defiantly. Zephyr kicked him again. The Ekans wound on her arm slithered downwards, its jaws reaching past her hand threateningly, dripping with venom in front of the acolyte.
“Yeah? You’re about to have no Mega Stones, mate.”

Zephyr received a smack to the back of her head by another passing pirate, part of the suppression team. “Idiot!” Rheese scolded her. “Captain said not to kill ‘em. Put yer fangs away.”
“Just havin’ fun you sad sack,” she snapped back with a playful grin. The walkie talkie at her hip buzzed.
“Erin to Supression Team, anyone copy? Pick up, over, damnit.”

She answered the transmission. “Go for Zephyr, over.”
“Cannon’s jammed. I’ll have it back up soon but we gotta play for keeps now. Round up everyone on the island and bring ‘em to the middle, over and out.”
Rheese behind her had heard the transmission. “You heard the boss lady. Let’s shuttle ‘em.”

And so the pirates began herding the acolytes like cattle to the center of their once peaceful settlement. A minute later, Zack would arrive on the wall of the island.

Countdown to Miasma Cannon: 9 minutes 32 seconds  

[Marsuru]

The Tower of Mastery

The townsfolk were grouped in a wide circle in front of the tower doors. Bodies of unconscious pokémon littered the streets, these domesticated pets outclassed by Ska's band of pirates. Not surprising, Zack thought, leaping from the tower wall onto a ridged roof that he climbed along to get a better look. Some of the pirates were still swarming, but they hadn't spotted him yet. The ones he was interested in were roughly shoving people into the circle, treating them like animals.

He scanned the mass of scared faces. Helena wasn't among them, but they might know where she had gone. His good hand tightened into a fist and he looked Malis's way, giving the fire type a nod. While Malis performed a Swords Dance, Zack counted up his opposition. Could he beat half a dozen deadly pirates with a broken arm, a Charmeleon and an untrained Snorlax?

Didn't matter. Zack stood up and told Malis to follow him. He had to.

He leaped from the rooftop and landed on bent knee before rising slow, stretching his neck with his hand, and getting into character. They must've seen him by now. Zack cracked a grin. This better goddamn work.

'Hey assholes,' he shouted for attention, standing half an arena away, 'which of you pissants thinks he's in charge?'  

[Marsuru]

Rivière Walk

Elizabeth sat stationary, her head pressed against the back seat glass. The press were growing excited on the road outside her limousine, and to that she frowned. Their attention had strayed from her father's procession, yet to start. Dozens of cars sat in a line along Route 7, soon taking his body to be entombed in the crypt at Chateau Leroux, their engines turned off and colder by the second. The funeral of a murdered Court noble ought to be the most important news of the day but something else had stolen their attention. Elizabeth tapped her lips thoughtfully.

'Find out what's happened,' she said to Cédric, who fixed her with a stare through the rear view mirror then climbed out of the driver's seat without a word, leaving her alone. Elizabeth might have valued the silence, but even along the length of the limousine she could see her father's hearse parked ahead and wreathed in flowers. She bit her nail and wanted to break something.

The door opened and flooded the car with media buzz that died with its shutting. Elliot sat beside Elizabeth, Lord Leroux himself, his white-blond hair worn in a formal parting, his wholly black suit flecked with the red of the Leroux crest on his lapel. Elizabeth spared him a glance, then looked away disinterested.

'Now,' she said, fighting a miserable smile from forming on her lips, 'now you want to talk.'

He looked across at her, not smiling, not doing much of anything, but there was a sorrowful look in his eye.

'Or perhaps not,' Elizabeth said, looking to the reporters rush between their vans, talking to their superiors on Holo Casters. She saw Malva Leroux among the crowd, wearing a black mourning dress. Her twin Charizard were no doubt circling the skies above, roaring fire. Malva had requested to report on Lord Gabriel's funeral to do service to her family, and Elizabeth appreciated her sentiment, but now Malva seemed distracted.
'Elizabeth,' Elliot said at last. Elizabeth had almost forgotten he was there. 'You are angry with me, and I understand. I expect if it were my father...' Elliot exhaled, and began staring at the ceiling for his next words. 'Our relationship has been strained lately, and I intend to fix it. Or perhaps damage it irreparably, I don't know. But I do know that I have come to a decision.'

Elizabeth gave him a mocking look. She had gone from wanting to smile to wanting to laugh, empty, hurtful. She had chased and hounded Elliot for days and he eluded her, ignored her when her father had died and she needed help. Now he spoke of reparations.

'Really,' she said, 'and what decision have you made, Elliot?'
Elliot closed his eyes, exhaling, and when he opened them again he seemed different, surer. 'I'll tell you everything. After the funeral, you can ask any question you want and I'll answer the best I can. You deserve that much. And afterwards, I suppose we'll see where we stand. Perhaps you can even help me.'

He didn't break eye contact, and Elizabeth couldn't find her words. Did she sneer at his poor timing, thank him for finally wanting to help, demand he answer her now? She started to speak, but Cédric opened the driver's door and poked his head inside.

His voice came through the intercom in a single, breathless sentence: 'Shalour City is under attack.'

---

'We're live on the ground in Shalour City and the atmosphere is tense. Police have congregated opposite The Tower of Mastery, a local religious ground believed to be the site of an attack by Orrean terrorists.'

The reporter walked along the Shalour Coast, the Tower in the far background, black specks buzzing around its silhouette. Robin blew bubbles in her smoothie, watching the news on a corner mounted television in a juice bar, Wayne yammering on relentlessly in her ear.

'So far the authorities have refused to comment on the situation, currently ongoing, though we can confirm the sighting of a military airship over the island. No word has come from the tower, which is under lockdown, and the status of its residents is unknown. We can only pray for their safety.'

Dexio and Sina were halfway through loading an egg into an incubator when the bulletin came through on their holo casters. They shared a glance, dropped everything and ran.

'What's this? It appears that a- We can see a trainer crossing the water to the island.' The camera zoomed in, unsteady and barely tracking the trainer who rode on a plank of wood with a back-mounted Charmeleon propelling him over the waves. 'What kind of reckless idiot would risk- Again, we can only pray for the residents of the Tower of Mastery and- oh wow he ran up the wall.'

Esme pinched her brow and laughed as she put her holo caster away. The flowers on Allard's grave shook in the wind, as though laughing with her.

Off Route 7

The forest lay black beneath the canopy, the barest fractions of light beaming spots onto the grassy floor. Ratio watched Gabriel's procession from a raised distance. Nobles had shown en masse, all wanting to be seen supporting the Lerouxs in this trying time. He wondered how many of them would soon offer their support. His face was a picture of apathy as he drew his hand up to it. The fabric of his glove twisted and wrapped around his face, splitting into white metal of a grotesque, animal design. It was never quite the same twice.

'Shepard,' he said to the darkness. 'Make sure the boy is prepared.'

No reply, but Ratio knew his request was heard. Ferox padded up to his side, the long grass curling away from her, burnt black at her approach. Ratio placed his hand on the Arcanine's back and pulled up his hood. He would either succeed or this would be where he died. No, that couldn't happen. Not yet.

Ratio pushed away thoughts of failure, and flew.  

[Spinne Biss]

Having eyes on you was something that she had grown accustomed to. There was judgment, jealousy, excitement, and everything inbetween with the looks that came from Pokemon matches. The ones at the tower felt different. Helena felt noted, as if they were marking her arrival but were otherwise, for the most part, unconcerned with her presence. There was a purpose, almost, that the people seemed to take in it that was lost on her.

Beyond the stone door, Helena felt the heat push against her. It felt almost like a challenge, and even though she tried, Helena made sure to keep aware of how close was too close. She stopped while Gurkinn was mid sentence, and took a few steps back finding the spot bearable enough.

"A little bit," Helena said in response, going over in her head if it would be rude to sit as far back as she was. "Probably not as much as you'd like." Gurkinn was the master of the tower, and he'd earned the respect that he had. The teen had made note of this, but there wasn't much she could say about a man like that. Everyone who held any authority, all her life, had placed themselves in a spot above her. Being an adult and having authority over another somehow made you better, but Helena had grown up with Zack and the idea that she should respect that absolutely felt wrong.

"A great deal is the matter, though." She looked around the place, her eyes squinting as if they could avoid the brightness and the heat of the flame. "I, er, sense that you'd like to speak with me about that?"  

[Marsuru]

'Your recent adventures have left you in quite a lot of pain,' Gurkinn said. He smiled like a dear grandfather, forming a vivid array of wrinkles while the flames danced and reflected on his face. 'Pain is a natural consequence of living, but we needn't suffer its ache as wholeheartedly as you are. You feel as if something has been taken and I can help you get it back.'  

[Spinne Biss]

Tower of Mastery

"Wh-" Helena was taken aback. In just the span of a week her life had changed. She had expected change, but not like this. The world was on its head. All she could think was to say "what do you want?"  

[Marsuru]

Gurkinn stroked his chin. 'Many come here seeking to become enlightened, to escape their old lives and begin anew. While some seek salvation, others seek power, and a fraction of a few even know the true nature of that power. Aura.'

The great flame flickered like a candle in the wind, then settled back in place. Gurkinn didn't move.

'While every living thing has an aura, only a few have the talent to master it. They are the elite four compared to a fledgling youngster, if you will. Do you know why Ratio wants you so badly?'