The Team Rocket Executive laughed at the Team Rocket Officer, cackling in the way that you might laugh at a kid for saying something stupid. The security room speakers crackling made the sound even more shrill, and even more insulting.
"Oh, look who's getting too big for his diapers!" Proton jeered. "Somebody thinks he's all grown up because his mommy gave him a job."
The Rocket grunts that had accompanied Proton all began to laugh at Aestus as well, acting as the world's worst entourage.
Even through the low-quality camera, I could see Aestus go pink as a vein began to pulse in his forehead.
"No worries, kiddo," Proton continued as he finally stopped laughing. "I'm not here to stop your 'wittle misswon'," he said in mocking, child-like voice. "Uncle's just here to pick something up for himself."
The executive walked just past Aestus, getting up and close to the younger Rocket. Even on the speakers, I couldn't hear what was said.
Aestus' shoulders slumped, and he gritted his teeth.
He nodded.
Proton patted him on the shoulder. "Good boy." He said, still half laughing. "Now keep looking over the rocks. My men will join you."
There was a collective groan from Proton's grunts, a display of unwillingness that I hadn't seen at all from Aestus's Rockets. Clearly, there was a very different vibe between the factions of the Rockets. They got to work anyway, assisting the injured grunts with packaging the fossils.
Proton walked away from Aestus, headed toward a different exhibit and leaving the younger man staring into the mid-distance.
My legs were tensed and I was ready to sprint for the lab, but I just couldn't leave yet. I stood glued to the screens, something Proton had said was echoing in my mind.
"Uncle's just here to pick something up for himself."
Like Daisy had told me on my tour, Pewter Museum was known for its extensive collection of stones, including fossils and evolution stones. I ran through the list of things that I'd seen as we walked, but for the life of me, I couldn't figure out what would be so important that a high-ranking member of Team Rocket would want it for themselves. It couldn't be a fossil, because Aestus and his men were already rounding all of them up. While the museum had almost every evolution stone known to man, they could be found cheaper and easier in a ton of other places.
Another thing that bothered me was the clear contempt that Proton and Aestus had for each other. Every organization was bound to have factions, but this seemed outright malicious. Proton was obviously here against the wishes or planning of whoever this 'Ariana' person was.
The Rocket Executive made their way to a large exhibit labeled Riches and Rarities, a collection of miscellaneous artifacts that had been found among the ancient dig sites that the museum had access to. He walked up to a wall that was angled against the camera in that area, leaving me unable to see what he was looking at.
I turned the volume dial for that camera up, but with no one in his immediate vicinity, the Executive was surprisingly silent. He glanced around, confirming he was alone, before reaching up onto the shelf. He slipped something off of a pedestal, quickly depositing it into his pocket.
The Rocket turned from the display, returning to his men and tormenting Aestus.
I sighed in frustration.
Of course it wasn't going to be that easy, I thought. I looked through the cameras one more time before I left. I saw motion on two separate exterior cameras. Oh, shit.
The first camera showed the back entrance to the museum, some form of loading dock near the lab. Two separate white trucks had been parked in it, and the Rockets were loading them with crates full of fossils. If someone didn't interfere soon, they would be fully loaded.
The other camera that showed was the front exterior camera of the building.
Walking up the set of steps to the building were two people, and my heart jumped into my throat as I realized that I knew both men by appearance alone.
One was Yuji's favorite member of Kanto's Elite Four, someone he had mentioned multiple times in our training sessions.
The other person I recognized from not only my own research, but from an eighteen-page spreadsheet that Hana had been working on since we got to Pewter.
Bruno of the Elite Four was a mountain of a man, big in every meaning of the word and rippling with strength. His lack of a shirt showed off his shredded body and vascular muscles. His wild mane of dark blue hair was barely contained by a single red tie, holding it into a Ponyta-tail.
Brock was closer to my age, maybe in his early twenties, but he cut no less of an intimidating figure. The Pewter City Gym Leader was stern and serious, and his dark features had a slate-sharp jawline that could cut rocks. He wore his battling outfit, a brown and green utility outfit that I'd seen in his challenge match videos.
Both men pulled out a Pokeball as they approached the front door to the museum. They looked back at some unseen party, before nodding to each other and both pulling their arms back.
Oh, shit! My eyes shot open wide. I grabbed onto the counter to steady myself.
A flash of light blinded the camera, but when their Pokemon hit the front door, the entire building shook. Even on the second floor, it felt like a bomb had just gone off.
My teeth rattled against the impact, and a muffled crash! echoed through the halls. Misdreavus even snapped to attention, instinctively summoning her illusions to make herself look bigger.
The lights all flickered out, including the security cameras, leaving me in complete darkness.
In the distance, I could hear a Pokemon roar.
"Steeeeeeeelix!"
----------------------------------------
Misdreavus and I sprinted down the stairs, away from the security and toward the lab. Stopping the Rockets was never my job, but now it wasn't even my priority.
Brock and Bruno were here now. No matter how strong the Rockets might be, they were a Gym Leader and a member of the Elite Four. Proton had no chance against one of the five strongest people in the region.
I was a no-badge trainer without my Pokemon. Even if I had a ghost following me, I had no business trying to take on a criminal organization. Not that I didn't want to beat every one of them into the ground, but my flagpole would only do so much against their Pokemon.
No, my priority was what it should be: Daisy.
Well, it was Daisy and Artis
And Dr. Spinel.
And the rest of the research team.
And I wanted to make sure the group of hostages had made it out-
"Aggggghh!" I yelled as I ran, shaking my head. "Why is this so freaking hard!"
I knew I couldn't save everyone, but I wanted to. And even though I shouldn't be the one fighting, because my rational brain definitely knew that, I could still do something.
I winced as I shoulder-checked a metal pipe. The electricity had entirely gone out when Brock and Bruno had begun their attack, and now my only light in the maintenance ways came from a small flashlight that Kevin the Rocket Grunt had carried on his belt.
I shivered as I thought about the Pokemon cry I'd heard earlier. Brock had pulled out a Steelix, one of the biggest, meanest and heaviest Pokemon around. Every once in a while, a tremor would run through the ground, almost forcing me off my feet. Even though I hadn't seen it, I knew that meant that the steel serpent was in battling mode.
My anxiety wasn't helped in that I had no idea where I was going. Well, that wasn't exactly true, I knew the general direction, but the maintenance tunnels were complex and confusing. They looped in odd ways and ended in a fair amount of dead ends.
"Drea, drea!" Misdreavous urgently called from ahead of me, beckoning me down a hallway.
I turned, following her voice, and finally I saw light at the end of the hallway, natural light. A few more feet and I'd be back in the main building-
The hallway to my left exploded.
Shrapnel and chunks of the wall went flying everywhere. The force of it pushed me away it, back toward the way I'd come.
I landed on my ass, hard. The air was driven from my lungs as I hit the ground, and my lip bled as I bit into it.
I wasn't the only one knocked on my ass, though.
As I blinked my eyes, trying to see what had happened, I scrambled away in panic.
Lying half imbedded in the wall in front of me, directly across from the hole it had created, was a hulking Pokemon. Its skin was formed of hardened purple armor, and a massive horn jutted from its triangular head.
The Nidoking looked dazed, and from the gap in the wall, I could hear the shifting and sounds of battle. Some thing had thrown the Pokemon through the wall, and if I had to guess I'd say it was that Steelix I'd heard earlier.
I pushed myself to my feet and looked towards the sunlight that Misdreavus had led me to. It was so close, but the doorway was maybe a meter passed a hundred kilos of armored poison type.
I cursed under my breath, taking a step forward.
The noise alerted the Nidoking, giving it something to focus on. Its bleary eyes turned to me, and the concrete of the wall began to crackle as it pressed against it, trying to break free.
"Misdreavus! Get me through!" I yelled, not looking back at my ghost as I sprinted through the rubble.
"Dreavus!" She cheered, and a ray of multicolored light shot from her jeweled necklace, striking at the Nidoking.
Confuse Ray... I vaguely recognized as I scrambled across the opening, passing a few feet in front of the armored Pokemon.
The Nidoking shook its head, the ghostly energy keeping it disoriented and confused.
"Nido!" It roared, pushing itself fully out of the wall. Bits of stone and dust showered me.
The Nidoking took a swipe at me, its claws passing by my face as I ducked, sprinting past it. The miss caused it to stumble, and I heard a clang! as the Nidoking's armor impacted a chunk of rebar in the rubble.
I made it to the doorway, blinding natural light blocking my vision. I didn't stop running, through. There was no reason to taunt Nidoking into coming after me.
I ran and ran as my vision returned, sprinting through hallways marked by doors. Doors with plaques! I was back in the administrative part of the building!
I read the signs as I sprinted, desperately looking for one of the names Daisy had pointed out to get my bearings.
There!
Dr. Euclase! Daisy had said something about him being very stern.
And since I had an idea of where I was, I knew where I was headed. I made a left toward the Fossil Lab.
----------------------------------------
Daisy had already made it to the Rockets by the time I got there. The hallways were dented and broken, entire chunks of walls and doors missing.
I stumbled up an active battle, two Rockets standing in a hallway between me and Daisy. Their Pokemon were in front of them, a Raticate and an Arbok each.
Beyond them, Daisy looked more disheveled than she had before, her hair unkempt and messy from the battle, but she had confidence plastered on her face.
She must have reclaimed her bag, because at her sides were two different pink Pokemon, a Clefairy and a Chansey. Each one had taken a defensive stance on either side of her.
All the way past her, there were two more Rockets, equipped with a Golbat and a Grimer. They'd surrounded her.
Daisy saw me before the Rockets did.
"Derek!" She shouted, elation clear in her voice.
Without another word, she snatched something from her bag and chucked it down the hallway to me. A red and white ball spiraled through the air.
The throw was good, but it wasn't going to make it all the way. I sprinted forward, catching the Pokeball with one hand.
Instead of losing my momentum or crashing into the Rockets who were turning to look at me, I hit the ground and slid through the legs of a Rocket grunt.
I'm not normally one to fight dirty, but the Rockets deserved it. I brought my flagpole upwards as I did my baseball slide, striking the grunt where their legs met. They went down like a sack of potatoes.
I rolled out of my slide, clicked my Pokeball and sprinting to Daisy's side. Artis popped into existence between me and the Rockets. Daisy's Pokemon initially stepped in front of me, but stood aside when they saw I wasn't a Rocket.
Daisy and I didn't have time to catch up. I'd only bought a moment of hesitation with my entrance, and it had been spent. Three of the four Rockets yelled attacks to their Pokemon, with the fourth one making a noise closer to a light squeal.
"Hyper Fang!"
"Wing Attack!"
"Acid Spray!"
Daisy and I went back to back, each of our Pokemon now covering the barrage from each direction.
"Powder Snow!" I shouted to Artis.
For his part, the tiny Spheal hadn't missed a beat when I dropped him into an unfamiliar situation against unknown foes.
Artis released a wave of white snow, blasting it into the Raticate's face as it charged us. It hadn't been expecting it and took the attack squarely in the mouth.
The Raticate rolled backward, fangs leaking cold mist as they froze together from the attack.
The Arbok, having abandoned waiting for its Trainer's orders, smashed through the fog. Its fangs were bared towards Artis.
It struck the wall, missing him by multiple feet. Misdreavous drifted out of the shadows, silently cheering at her successful Confuse Ray.
She drifted next to Artis in front of me, and both Pokemon glanced at each other before nodding and facing the enemy.
The Raticate struggled on the ground, scratching its frozen teeth with its back claws. Chunks of ice went flying, and it clicked its teeth together. The rat Pokemon scrambled to its feet, and its eyes narrowed with rage.
The Arbok slithered away from the wall, a large bump on its head from its impact.
The standing Rocket grunt helped the one I'd struck totheir feet, and both Rockets glared at me.
All Pokemon stood, ready to battle.
Behind me, I could hear Daisy calling orders to her Pokemon, battling the Rockets, but I couldn't look back.
I was staring down both grunts, eyes flicking between the two of them.
We were in a Paldean Stand-off.
I broke the silence first, shouting orders to my team.
"Misdreavus, run inference, keep 'em distracted," I barked. "Artis, charge up a Snowout!"
"Raticate, stop him!"
"Arbok, gobble that ghost!"
Both enemy Pokemon charged us. They were both fast physical fighters, meant to hit quick and hard.
Too bad for them I'd just spent the last weak training against Yuji. His Rattata was way faster.
"Dreavus, Confuse Ray, stay distant!"
The Arbok leaped into the air, fangs shining with Dark energy. Misdreavus faded from existence, forming again behind the snake, and released a prismatic Confuse Ray into the snake's back.
Arbok's eyes unfocused as the attack hit home, and the dazed snake started striking out in random directions.
The Raticate dashed for Artis, but my boy had listened when I'd asked him to charge up. Layers of white ice blasted forward from his Powder Snow, and his blue fur shined silver as his Defence Curl completed. We'd perfected this technique and it showed.
Like a cannon, Artis blasted from the ground, Rollout taking over and carrying him forward. He narrowly missed the Raticate, but it forced the Pokemon to leap out of the way. Misdreavus turned, sending a stray Confuse Ray at the rat that hit it squarely in the back. It came up just as dazed as its ally.
Arbok's maw snapped closed as it tried to strike Misdreavus again, but the ghost was too sneaky. She phased in and out of existence, too quick for the poison type.
Artis took a wide turn, bringing his icy Rollout back around to attack the Raticate.
I saw an opening. "Misdreavus, force it backward!"
Both Rockets saw what I was planning.
"Arbok, stop attacking the ghost. Get the blue one!"
"Raticate, Sucker Punch the ghost!"
Their orders almost came in time.
Misdreavus giggled as she reappeared at the edge of Arbok's vision, purposefully drawing the snake's attention to her. It took the bait, coating its fangs in dark type energy and snapping forward.
The Raticate turned to blindly follow its trainer's orders, coating one claw in the same energy as Arbok, and turned to punch Misdreavus. That would have been successful, had the two dark-type moves not hit each other. Arbok's Bite and Raticates Sucker Punch both connected where Misdravus had been moments before, causing both Pokemon to reel in pain and confusion.
Crack, crack!
Artis connected first with the Raticate, slamming it forward into the Arbok and throwing both back against the wall. The impact stole his momentum, but he used the stop to roll into a standing position, releasing another Powder Snow.
Misdrevaus reappeared above him, a blue halo of energy bursting into existence around her as she activated her Confusion.
The wave of white hit the laid-out pair of Pokemon, covering them in snow. The Arbok started to slither forward, the lesser affected of the two, but a blue halo formed around it and it began to writhe in pain as the Confusion took effect.
"Keep it up, guys!" I screamed, feeling my voice go hoarse. We had them in a corner.
"Arbok! Plan Guts!" The Rocket ordered, desperation in their voice.
"Raticate, Endure!" The other grunt followed up.
"Shit!" I cursed, recognizing what they were planning. "Stop them!"
My Pokemon were too busy keeping up their attacks and didn't move in time.
The Arbok, whipped its head around, deadly poison dripping from its fangs, the liquid freezing in the Powder Snow before it hit the ground.
Its fangs sunk into the Raticate, who tensed every one of its muscles. A grimace passed between both Pokemon as the snake's poison glands pulsed, sending veins of venom into the rat's body.
Arbok succumbed to Confusion and Powder Snow, fainting with its fangs still in its ally.
My Pokemon struggled to keep their continuous assault up, and both moves ended.
The Raticate's muscles tensed and grew, and its eyes went bloodshot as poison pumped through its veins.
'Guts' was an ability that some Pokemon had. It incredibly boosted their power as long as they were being affected by a status condition.
With how hurt the rat was, it had only a few seconds before it fainted, but that could be enough.
"Get away from it!" I yelled. We didn't need to beat it anymore, we just needed to outlast it.
Raticate moved faster than I could keep up with, Quick Attack making it move faster than either of my Pokemon. The Arbok trailed behind it, and it moved as though it couldn't feel the ten-centimeter blades lodged in its shoulder.
It slammed into Artis, and my boy squealed in pain. Misdravus phased behind the Raticate, releasing a Confuse Ray into it.
It shrugged it off, not even turning to face her and instead just rearing up on its back two claws.
"Artis!" I panicked.
The Raticate's claws lit up in dark type energy, two Sucker Punches ready to be brought down.
My boy's eyes glowed pink, and closed with serene grace.
Both strikes came down on him, making full contact. His blubber rippled with the impact, and the concrete cracked around him.
The Raticate collapsed on top of him, the poison taking its toll.
Misdreavus glowed blue, tossing the Raticate's form aside with Confusion and worriedly looking over Artis.
I sprinted forward, ignoring the Rockets as they returned their Pokemon and started sprinting away.
I only had eyes for my starter.
He was eagle-spread in a concrete crater, flippers spread in all directions.
I scooped him up from the ground, not caring as my muscles protested. I held his chest up against my face, panic clawing its way up my throat.
Ba-bump.
I fell to my knees with relief.
He was alive. The Sucker Punch/Guts combo had hit hard, and he was just unconscious.
"Spheal, pheal, pheal, pheal, pheal...." Artis breathed out.
Wait.
I looked down at my Pokemon, mind racing. His body was fine. Even the two spots where he'd been hit looked like minor bruises.
He wasn't unconscious, he was snoring!
"You motherfucker!" I grinned, tears in the corners of my eyes. "You used Rest!"
The pink glow I'd seen in his eyes as Artis was getting ready to get hit. He'd pulled off a new move in the nick of time, letting it resolve right after he'd been hit to heal himself.
Artis stirred, groggily opening his eyes. I laughed as I pulled him tight into a hug.
"You're the best, bud," I whispered to him.
"Spheal!" He barked happily.
I stood, returning Artis. He might've staved off a bad injury with his Rest, but I didn't want him to get hurt anymore.
I turned to Misdreavus, who was once again smiling now that she'd seen that Artis was okay.
"Thank you so much," I said, so grateful to her. "Are you okay with helping me some more?"
"Drea, drea!" The ghost chirped, spinning in a circle above my head. She rubbed her cheek against mine.
I chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes."
I looked back to Daisy's fight, realizing that I had lost track of her battle during my own.
She stood with one of her heels planted in the back of one of the Rocket grunts, with the other splayed unconscious on the ground.
Daisy was leaning down threateningly over him, both her Clefairy and Chancey looming with her.
"And that's it? Only sixteen of you?" Daisy said sternly, pressing down with her foot.
"Ye- yes!" The grunt grimaced in pain. "Just Officer Aestus and his brigade. It was supposed to be a smooth mission. We weren't supposed to still be around when the League showed up."
"That's not right," I stepped forward. "Your guy, Proton, showed up with a dozen guys. What's with that?"
Daisy looked up at me, shooting me a relieved smile when she saw that I was still alive. She narrowed her eyes and looked back down at the grunt, pressing harder.
"Does he need to repeat himself?" She said with the same angry cadence as a disappointed teacher.
Mrs. Oak? That be kinda- Nope. File that away for later.
"Ow, ow, ow! I'm sorry, I didn't know Proton was coming. He really hates Ariana, our boss lady, and he must be here to piss her off."
I grunted. "That's about what I figured." I looked up at Daisy. "Where's Dr. Spinel and the rest of the researchers?"
Daisy stepped off of the grunt, walking a few feet away with me. Both of her Pokemon stayed looming over him, and he cowered there in the hallway.
She pushed her hair back behind her ears. "They're still in the lab. After I removed the grunts that had held them hostage, they got to work removing their research from the Rocket computers."
I nodded. "Good, I'm glad they didn't get hurt."
"Me too," Daisy said with a smile, but winced when her eyes flicked over my appearance. "Are you okay, though?"
I looked down, finally letting the adrenaline stop beating through my body.
I felt a wave of exhaustion and nausea come over me. The world was so much quieter without blood rushing through my ears.
My new outfit was littered with holes and tears and thoroughly coated in cement dust. I had bloody scrapes across my knuckles, elbows, and knees, tokens from Nidoking's unexpected entrance.
My mouth was coppery, and I realized my lip was still split from when I'd bit it during the explosion earlier. I still gripped the flagpole in my left hand, and my fingers physically hurt as I unclenched them.
I looked like shit.
"Feeling like a million bucks," I grinned instead of saying the truth. I was scared, angry, and exhausted.
Daisy reached into her handbag and pulled out a handkerchief. She smiled at me, raising it to my mouth and starting to wipe away some of the blood.
It stung, but just this little bit of human contact pushed back a lot of the fear I'd been feeling.
As she finished, she pressed her handkerchief into my hand. "Hold onto that, you're probably going to need that again."
Her hand was warm in mine, and both of us let the contact linger.
An electrical voice buzzed. "All units, calling all units."
Daisy and I jerked in surprise, looking around the hallway. A walkie-talkie on the unconscious grunt's utility belt was going off.
Daisy shot a look toward the conscious one, who ripped his off of his belt. He slid it across the ground to us, immediately raising both of his hands above his head to satiate the Pokemon watching him.
Clefairy punched her fist into her palm threateningly. The grunt blanched.
Daisy nodded in satisfaction, leaning down and grabbing the device. She held it up so that we could both hear it.
It was Aestus speaking. "All units, retreat. We are evacuating. Get to the dock or the lobby. There are Leaguers on site."
I looked up at Daisy, and her summer green eyes met mine. She sighed.
"Do you want the loading docks or the lobby?" I asked.
She raised her eyebrow. "I highly doubt you know how to get to the docks."
I clicked my tongue. "Guess I'm taking the lobby."
Daisy laughed softly, squeezing my hand. "Stay safe. No unnecessary risks."
"Hey!" I protested. "That's my line!"
"Yet you're the one who looks like he's been through a blender." She let go of my hand, taking steps down the hallway.
Daisy looked down at the Rocket. "You. Tie yourself up. I'll be back if you don't."
Without a word, the Rocket ripped a set of plastic ties off his belt and bound his hands and legs.
As she sprinted down the hallway, her two Pokemon in tow, I took a moment to really appreciate her.
What a woman...
----------------------------------------
The halls deposited me right next to the receptionist's desk, where I'd met Daisy hours ago.
Of course, the desk was actually nonexistent now.
There was a massive hole in the front of the building where Brock's Steelix had impacted it. Glass, concrete, and steel all littered the ground, and the cool Kanto chill drifted through the opening.
The damage continued past what was left of the foyer, giving me a clear look into the show floor of the museum.
A battle was still raging on the first floor of the Pewter Museum.
Brock and Bruno, both incredibly powerful trainers if their positions were anything to go by, were less than fifty meters from me. Both stood with their backs to the entrance, the wall between the Rockets and their escape.
Beyond them, I could barely even track what was happening. Between the two League officials, there were maybe seven Pokemon, and I recognized all of them. Bruno was simultaneously commanding four different humanoid Pokemon, fighting types through and through. I recognized a Machamp, a beast with four arms and more than enough strength to boot. He also had out all three evolutions of the fighting type, Tyrogue. Hitmonchan, the boxing glove-wearing battler, Hitmonlee, the kickboxing master, and Hitmontop, the spinning martial arts Pokemon, all swept through the room.
Brock's Steelix took up most of the room, its massive body nearly scraping the ceiling as it maneuvered. Nearer to him, Brock had out a compacted boulder with arms, also known as a Golem, and his final Pokemon was one I'd seen as a fossil just hours before. With scythe-like arms and a flat stone head, Kabutops weaved through the battlefield.
On the other side of the battle were almost all of Proton's Rockets, of course, led by the Executive himself, their strength bolstered by Aestus's men. Half a dozen Arbok, Golbat, and Weezing covered the field, orders being shouted in chaotic waves from the Rocket trainers.
The small fry were almost a non-issue for Brock and Bruno's Pokemon. Kabutops whirled through the enemy, slashing in wide arcs and leaving fainted Pokemon in its wake. Steelix slammed its tail into the ground, creating tremors that rocked the room. The Tyrogue evolutions were actually going after the Rockets, striking them with non-lethal but brutal force. Hitmonchan rocketed toward one of Aestus's men, slamming their fist into his gut and crumpling him to the ground.
The real danger in the room came from, unsurprisingly, Proton's team. The Rocket Executive had four separate Pokemon battling on different fronts. The Nidoking I'd seen earlier was still up, grappling Bruno's Machamp and keeping it occupied all on its own. A massive fanged purple bat with four vibrating wings, a Crobat, zoomed between the fighting types, striking with venom-drenched fangs whenever it saw an opening. A massive Weezing spewed black smoke, fogging up the room and indiscriminately poisoning people.
Proton's final Pokemon was one I didn't recognize. It was a purple bipedal lizard with yellow lightning stripes running across its body. It brought a three-fingered hand up to its chest, and I shit you not, the sounds of a guitar strumming blasted forward from its body, carrying waves of electricity with the noise explosion.
Two of Bruno's Pokemon, Hitmonlee and Hitmontop, both took the brunt of the blast, yellowing lightning sparking up their bodies and causing their muscles to seize.
Proton's Crobat saw an opening, swooping down to sink its fangs into the paralyzed Pokemon, but Golem lumbered with unexpected speed forward, coating its arm in the ghostly energy of Sucker Punch to strike the bat. The two clashed, pushing off each other and returning to the fray.
The battle was raging, and one thing was clear.
This isn't nearly as one-sided as I'd thought it would be, I thought. Proton's not winning, but the sheer amount of Pokemon that the Rockets have is ridiculous.
I'd discounted them earlier, but the grunt's Pokemon were serving a different role than I'd realized. They were distracting the big hitters, tanking hits and attention so that Proton's powerhouses could get more damage in.
Even now, four Arbok slithered up around Brock's Steelix, working together to try and bind the massive monster. Kabutops left its position fighting Proton's Weezing to rush to its ally. The fossil Pokemon gracefully leaped up the Steelix's back, swiping at the snake's. The Weezing, now free from its fight, turned on the Nidoking-Machamp battle, blasting toxic sludge across both Pokemon.
Nidoking, a poison-ground type, barely felt the poison as it touched it, but Machamp took a full blast to the face. The fighting type faltered, releasing its grapple enough for Nidoking to grab it under the arms, bringing it above its head and slamming it down into the ground. The Nidoking's horn glowed green, and it slammed a Megahorn down into the fighting type.
I flinched as the Machamp took Nidoking's full-powered signature move. It didn't go down, but it had been horribly injured, a massive gash torn into its side from the impact.
I pushed forward, legs finally moving.
I wasn't sure what I could do, if I could do anything, but I needed to help.
Misdreavus moved with me. The normally cheerful ghost was silent, in awe of the massive battle we were seeing.
We sprinted to the edges of the room, trying to stay out of the fray as much as possible. There was nothing I could do to affect the big hitters, but maybe I could help against the trainers themselves.
Chunks of rubble sprayed in every direction as the fight continued. A stray hit from Steelix's tail showered me in glass, and I flinched as I skulked around the battle.
I snuck behind a set of display cases that hadn't been destroyed yet, crossing the battlefield quickly enough that I didn't think I'd been seen. I was even with the Rockets now, and could more clearly hear them speaking.
"Toxtricity, Discharge!" Proton ordered. He turned to one of his grunts. "We're going to need an escape soon. Have Quark send in the Alakazam. We're taking what we can."
Aestus's frustrated voice came next. "That would be a mission failure. At least let us retreat to my men in the dock. With all of us together-"
The sound of flesh smacking flesh echoed across this side of the field, and the sound of a person dropping to the floor followed.
"Ariana might let you talk back to her, kid, but don't you dare question me. If I wasn't here you'd already be under the jail," Proton spat. "You're pathetic."
Aestus didn't respond.
"Good. Get up and get the men as close to me as you can. I've got one last trick left."
People shuffled around on the other side of the display, and I could hear the men gathering. The fighting continued, but now I could hear the occasional sound of Pokemon being returned to their balls.
Team Rocket was getting ready to escape.
I turned to Misdreavus. "When they're getting ready to leave," I whispered. "You're going to Mean Look the guy in charge. Do you understand?"
The Misdrevous furrowed her eyebrows, deep in thought. Eventually, she nodded.
"Okay, wait for my call."
On the other side of the fight, the battle was getting more and more one-sided. Brock and Bruno shouted their orders to their Pokemon. They'd successfully removed most of the small fry, and together their power-houses started targeting Proton's beasts. Within seconds, Nidoking finally fell to a well-placed Ice Punch from Hitmonchan.
Proton returned Nidoking, shouting over the sounds of battle. "Now!" He shouted, causing the battle to pause as every eye in the room turned to him.
As one, the Rockets returned every single one of their Pokemon, with the exception of Proton's Toxtricity.
The purple and yellow lizard took that signal to instead release a move.
The air shifted around the electric type.
A massive sonic explosion moved forward with enough speed that I could see the shockwave.
The explosion rocked the entire room, hitting everyone and everything. Even behind the display top, I felt the wave pick me up and throw me across the room.
The sound was more than deafening. My bones shook, my teeth clattered, and a low thrum and a light pop noise pulsed through my ears, followed by a low ringing.
I hit the ground for what must've been my second or third time today.
I groaned, feeling pain lance through my body, and a deep tiredness overtake my sense. My vision started to tunnel, and I desperately wanted to let unconsciousness take me.
I pushed my hand underneath me, shoving off the floor.
Everyone had been thrown back by the attack. Rockets, Pokemon, and Leaguers, everyone was groggily pulling themselves off the ground.
Proton returned his Pokemon as he stood. I frowned, realizing I couldn't hear the sound of the Pokeball.
All I could hear was ringing.
I shook my head, now wasn't the time.
The air behind Proton warped, suddenly accommodating a gold and brown-shelled humanoid Pokemon. Alakazam were renowned for their teleporting abilities, and Proton must have called in a powerful one to move this many people.
Bruno's fighting types sprinted across the room, charging the Rockets, but there was no way they were going to make it in time.
Proton nodded to the Alakazam.
"Now!" I shouted, startling both the Rockets and the Leaguers. Neither had noticed I was there. My voice sounded wrong in my ears.
Misdreavus reappeared, but in front of the wrong person.
Her eyes went violent and huge, and her phantom teeth appeared in an illusion in front of Aestus.
His body went still, locked into place by the Mean Look.
Proton, Alakazam, and every other grunt disappeared.
I stumbled, falling to one knee.
Aestus broke free of Misdreavus' Mean Look, and his expression melted into one of raw horror.
Though I couldn't hear it, I knew his cry echoed throughout the Pewter Museum.
Team Rocket was gone, and I'd grabbed the wrong guy.
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