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Chapter 9 — Last Strike
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Two flashes of white light burst from the Poké Balls, revealing a Buizel and an Infernape that immediately let out challenging battle cries and assumed combat stances upon facing the lone poacher ahead.
“Staraptor, stay back and protect Latias! I don’t want any more surprises sneaking up on us,” Ash commanded while glancing at the overhead flier. Staraptor chirped in acknowledgment and landed dutifully behind Latias.
Latias’ psychic powers activated with a faint blue glow on her eyes that went unnoticed behind her closed eyelids and scanned all of Ash’s Pokémon briefly. ‘Hm, I’ve seen Pikachu and Buizel. Both are healthy, well-fed, and in excellent condition. Infernape and Staraptor are no different. He seems like a pretty good and responsible trainer. I wonder what they’ll do in this fight.’
“You could’ve also ended the whole thing already instead of having someone else do it for you,” Latios pointed out telepathically.
“Yeah, but these three are idiots hopelessly out of their depth. Plus, I’m bored,” Latias replied while flashing an image of her shrugging into her brother’s mind. “Besides, my savior is quite funny and cute. I like him.”
“Great to see your sense of humor survived your crushing defeat,” Latios commented drily.
“Oh, shut it,” Latias said sharply. “Now, go away and let me play damsel in distress in peace. You have school events to attend.”
“Alright guys, we gotta beat these goons!” Ash called out to his Pokémon. “Everyone ready!”
“I’m afraid he’s rained on our parade!” Braggo shouted as he ran toward the submarine. Its top structure released a mechanical groan as a pair of rails elevated it until it protruded above the ceiling of the building. The lead poacher spun and pointed aggressively at Ash and his Pokémon. “Snag with the Pokébag!”
“Uh, we lost most of our weaponry in the earlier fight,” Chico said over the loudspeakers while meekly rubbing the back of his head. “I suggest we do a quick getaway, boss.”
“No! Today we’ll fight with all our might!” Braggo responded. “Revenge is best served cold!”
Chico winced. “Alright…” He pressed a button on his control panel. Three crosshairs that centered on Ash’s Pokémon appeared on his screen. It beeped a couple of times and flashed repeatedly. “Pokébags aimed and armed!”
“Hit ‘em hard!” Blurt blurted out. “Hurry, Chico!”
The front three tubes on the submarine’s top fin erupted with intense blasts of smoke and fire, hurling three bright-orange rubber projectiles in the direction of Ash’s Pokémon.
Latias’ eyes glowed beneath her eyelids again. ‘I’ll be ready just in case.’
“Infernape, Flamethrower! Buizel, Water Pulse!” Ash commanded, pointing at the incoming orange projectiles. “Pikachu, stay where you are!”
Infernape let out a roar, took a deep breath, and fired a violent stream of cackling fire that instantly melted the incoming Pokébag into a pool of molten rubber that splattered unceremoniously on the rooftop.
A potent water jet emerged from Buizel’s arms and coalesced into a tight, pulsing sphere between his front paws. He growled and threw the water sphere ahead with as much strength as he mustered. The Water Pulse soared and crashed against the Pokébag, releasing a concentrated blast of water that splashed over a large roof section and deflected the rubber bag into a nearby canal, where it harmlessly detonated.
‘That’s two…’ Ash thought as he glared at the incoming bag that loomed upon him and Pikachu, who adopted a defensive stance in front of him.
‘Uh, you plan to do anything about that one?’ Latias wondered, psychic powers ready though still not intervening in the confrontation.
“Quick Attack! Hit its underside!” Ash called out swiftly.
Pikachu dashed ahead at breakneck speed, leaving only a vibrant trail of white luminescence in his wake. He leaped off the ground and hit the incoming Pokébag from the underside with a headbutt, deflecting it high without triggering it.
Ash smirked at Braggo, who stared at their countermeasure with a shocked face. “Return to sender with Iron Tail!”
Pikachu laughed, catching onto Ash’s plan. His zigzagged tail took on a lustrous metallic sheen as the device fell toward him. He jumped again, spun midair, and swiped his hardened tail at the bag’s rear end. A dull thump echoed as Pikachu hit it cleanly and hurled it back toward Braggo far faster than the poacher could react.
The bag collided with Braggo head-on and immediately detonated with a large plume of gray gas and a shrill whistle. The rubber device expanded into a mass of bands that coiled upon him from all directions, ensnaring him into a tight orange prison. “I’ve been had! I’m so mad!” he screeched in a muffled voice as he rolled across the rooftop, went over the edge, and unceremoniously bounced off into the street below.
‘Huh, not bad at all,’ Latias admitted as her closed eyes dimmed back to normal. ‘And here I thought I had to intervene.’
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
“Boss! Oh no! We have to get out of here! I’m not going back to jail!” Chico screamed in alarm while pulling at his bowl-cut hair. “That does it! Blurt, let's burn them to a crisp to cover our retreat!”
“I love the part where we burn things to a crisp!” Blurt shouted at the top of his lungs and smashed his enormous fist on the big red button on his control panel with such force the panel broke in half.
The submarine’s top faceplate split in half along a pair of rails with a mechanical groan, revealing a large cannon whose tip ignited with an ominous flare. Two large fans deployed at either side and revved up to create a potent gust of wind that swept across the rooftop.
Latias’ eyes glowed beneath her eyelids again with increased intensity. ‘Alright, no, that’s way too dangerous. I’ve got to intervene.’
Ash gasped while reaching up to hold his cap in place with a hand to prevent it from flying off. “Buizel, quick, water counter-shield!” he shouted over the roar of the fans.
Latias paused, incredulous. ‘Water counter-what?’
Buizel rushed ahead with a confident call while a powerful jet of water surged around him. He leaped onto his back and spun rapidly while spitting a water stream from his mouth. The Water Gun dispersed his Aqua Jet and formed a violent whirlpool of lashing water whips in every direction that danced along the gusts of wind, creating a prismatic light that shone over the rooftop due to the sun’s glare.
The submarine’s cannon ignited and fired a powerful wave of vivid flames that spread like a searing heatwave thanks to the fans’ gust. The red-hot waves collided against Buizel’s maelstrom with a sizzling whistle that released a blast of steam. Infernape immediately moved in front of Ash and stayed in place, shielding him from any errant embers or jets of heated steam that came their way as the aftermath spread across the rooftop and went over its edges.
‘Not. Bad.’ Latias resisted the urge to nod in approval. ‘That was quite impressive!’
“Quick, Pikachu! Hit that thing with Thunderbolt!” Ash commanded while using his elbow to shield his eyes.
Pikachu’s cheeks sparkled with bright electricity while releasing a static buzz. He let out a battle cry and fired off a vibrant arc of yellow lightning that swiftly soared across the air and collided with the submarine’s side, engulfing it in a blinding veil of electricity.
Chico threw his head back with laughter and wiped off a tear. “Electricity-proofing is a basic feature in any modern Pokémon poaching machine!”
Blurt squinted at the main screen and hummed. “Why is there a red warning light in our modern Pokémon poaching machine?”
“What?” Chico glanced at the panel and made a face. “…I completely forgot the electric-proofing is disabled when we expose the flamethrower and its highly flammable fuel lines. Oops?”
When several sparks from Pikachu’s Thunderbolt reached the flamethrower’s fuel tank, it ignited with a powerful blast that ripped open the sides of the submarine and caused the top fin to collapse into the canal below, engulfed in a blaze.
Latias swiftly surrounded the blast with a powerful telekinetic veil and prevented the fire or shockwaves from reaching nearby buildings or the rooftop section where Ash and his Pokémon resided. ‘That was faster than I expected.’
“Pack your things,” Latios quipped. “Now.”
“…Why?”
“I found a new Guardian of Alto Mare. I already have his statue in progress,” Latios answered, holding off a telepathic laugh.
“That’s a great idea! I can’t wait to replace your statue at the main plaza with his. We’ll look great together!” Latias replied cheerfully.
“What!? That is not what I meant!”
“I can’t hear you! There’s interference, going through a tunnel. I'll call you later. Bye!” Latias abruptly severed the telepathic link.
Ash opened his eyes—having failed to notice Latias’ psychic shield among the steam and blinding electricity—and walked forward to inspect his Pokémon’s handiwork. He leaned over the rooftop’s edge and looked at the wrecked half-sunk submarine on the canal below along with the two poachers weakly crawling out of its twisted remains.
“Let’s… get the boss… and get outta here,” Blurt mumbled. His hair sizzled with a few unextinguished embers and his tattered gray suit hung over his shoulder by only a few threads.
“Huh, these guys didn’t blast off again. Want to fix that, buddy?” Ash said to Pikachu, who nodded all too eagerly in response. Buizel and Infernape walked up to the edge alongside Ash with eager grins, while Staraptor took off and joined them. The four stopped in place when the sound of sirens caught their attention.
Two police patrol boats rounded the corners and surrounded the submarine from each side of the canal. Several flashes of white light erupted from the two boats as half a dozen Poké Balls opened and released a pair of Arcanine and a pair of Houndoom onto the sidewalk, and a pair of Lanturn into the canal. The six Pokémon—all wearing distinct police vests adorned with the emblems of Alto Mare—immediately surrounded the three poachers, who cowered down and surrendered at the sight.
“Well, that’s them dealt with, I guess,” Ash said, observing several officers step off the boats to join their Pokémon. “Great work, guys. You four did fantastic,” he said with a proud smile to his team. They chirped and called out their names in response to him, ecstatic at the praise. “It’s a shame Team Rocket got away, though.”
“It’s okay. It also slipped my mind to catch them when they blasted off. If anything, it’s my fault,” Latias commented nonchalantly, now at the group’s side. “…They’ll likely land somewhere in the middle of the ocean based on their trajectory. I should probably arrange a search party for them.”
Ash and Pikachu jumped to the side in surprise, while the other three Pokémon let out startled cries. Ash looked back to where Latias had resided earlier and then back at her, noticing that she appeared unbothered and uninjured. “Uh, wait, I thought you were knocked out.”
“Not anymore! It was a good rest, though,” Latias said. She winked at him. “Thanks for the help!”
Ash blinked, quite stunned. “You’re welco—”
“You’re funny. Come find me later. You’ll know what I mean when the time comes.” Latias abruptly vanished with a red and white blur.
Ash stepped back and noticed Latias levitating at Officer Jenny’s side and talking to her along with her officers. “That was… odd.”
Pikachu shrugged and voiced his opinion of the matter with a bored chatter.
“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Ash took out his Pokédex and checked the time. “Oh man, I hope we didn’t miss our museum tickets. Maybe Brock can fit in another visit if we did.” He frowned and pursed his lips. “I didn’t expect this detour in our plans.” He turned around, took out a trio of Poké Balls, and pointed them at his Pokémon. “Return!” Three beams of red light shot out and dematerialized Buizel, Infernape, and Staraptor back into their Poké Balls.
Pikachu leaped onto Ash’s shoulder and said several vocalizations of his name.
“Yeah, let’s get off this roof and hurry back,” Ash agreed while searching for the stairs.
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Chapter End
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