"Alright, let's do the rundown, shall we? My uniform looks good. My styler is all charged. I've got all the supplies I might need for a mission outdoors. And most important of all, you're feeling rested and healthy. Right?"
Spheal made a big show of appearing to think about Miles's question, before barking and clapping. He rolled to the door and waited impatiently for his partner to open out.
Miles chuckled at the sight. Spheal had adapted well to a life on land, all things considered, but getting through non-automatic doors and climbing up flights of stairs were still major issues for the round Ice-type.
As soon as he opened it, Spheal was off to the races, rolling down the hallway, forcing Miles to have to jog to catch up. They screeched to a halt in the main lobby, where everyone was already waiting.
"Morning, Kayla, Roselia," he greeted his main partners on missions. Both of them greeted him with a wave, though Roselia covered its face as she yawned. "Morning, Francis, Boldore."
His leader nodded to him, saying nothing. Even though Francis was a foot shorter than him, the ranger led at this base still intimidated Miles. He was built like a beefcake, and Miles was pretty sure Francis could bench press Boldore's weight without breaking a sweat.
He nodded at the mechanic twirling a wrench around his finger, and the operator standing next to the man. "Morning, Harika, Andre."
"Let's keep the greetings brief, Miles," Francis started. "I've got a mission for you. I'm sure you remember the poaching problems Sinnoh has been having. Or do you need a refresher this early in the morning?"
"Nah, I remember," Miles said confidently. "Every poacher under the sun decided to make Sinnoh their playground over the past however many months. In response, Cynthia has created task forces in every city. A combination of Sinnoh's best trainers, rangers, and law enforcement officials, all that can be deployed within a moment's notice to defeat and apprehend poachers, whenever they're spotted."
"Correct." Francis seemed pleased with his summary, though his leader's expression remained neutral.
"It's been going extremely well, even though we haven't managed to catch Hunter J, the worst of them yet," Kayla added. "There's only a few left, and we have word on another one. "You and Spheal are going to be on this task force."
"Just me and Spheal?" Miles repeated, looking down at his Pokémon. The last time he had a solo mission was that ill fated one to remove the Crawdaunt from a fishing pond that had almost cost him his arm.
"It'll make sense once we explain," Francis promised. "Harika, can you do the briefing?"
"Of course," the operator replied. "The target is this individual." She flicked the giant television on to show the image of a wild-eyed man with a massive unkempt beard. Captain Claw. Infamous pirate and sea poacher."
Captain Claw was actually dressed pretty well, though his face didn't indicate it. The man had very nice boots, and the normal waterproof pants, but he was very wearing a dressy white shirt that a man attending a fancy dinner party might, his coat was premium leather, and bedecked in gold and jewels.
That meant he was disgustingly successful at his awful ventures. But that wasn't what had phantom pain lancing through Miles's arm. "That man has a metal arm and a claw for a hand…" he said slowly.
"He's certainly aptly named," Francis muttered distastefully.
"A ship bearing Captain Claw's colors has been spotted off of Pastoria," Harika explained. "So we're sending out our own to confront him."
"I didn't know Sinnoh had a standing navy," Miles said in interest. His home region of Hoenn had one, but that was because over half the region was water. Sinnoh didn't have nearly as much ocean to patrol.
"We don't," Kayla admitted, her voice tinged with annoyance. "Captain Claw has a huge ego, as you probably can tell from his appearance. He won't be able to resist pitting his battleship against another. The best naval captain we have is mostly retired, but we're sending him out with his handpicked crew to take Claw down."
"He's a superstitious man, so he doesn't allow women on his ship. He also specifically told us to send someone that's at least somewhat familiar with the sea, in much rougher language, at least. That's you, Miles," Harika said, finishing her debrief.
Before the blonde ranger could protest, Francis came over and clapped him hard on the shoulder. "You're more than ready for a solo mission Miles. You've been doing great recently. You're a rank four ranger now, after all!"
Miles could tell Spheal was extremely excited for this, and he was too. His career was finally on the right path. This mission would prove once and for all that he didn't need his hand to be held.
"When you put it like that, how can I refuse!" Francis gripped his shoulder with his stupidly strong hand even harder, and Miles managed a smile that he hoped didn't look like a grimace.
He was handed a folder with several important looking documents inside. "You can look at these on your way there. It's good that you're ready, because Corviknight is itching to take off."
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Privately, Miles thought that buying some air taxis and Corviknight from Galar was one of the best things Cynthia had done since she had become Champion, though he kept that to himself. Many of the older rangers preferred the traditional way, which was befriending a Flying-type, because you couldn't rely on an air taxi whilst in the field.
He understood that mindset, but this at least offered him a chance to relax in comfort, before the all-important mission. Corviknight landed them right in the harbor, and while he didn't need to pay, because this Pokémon was in service of the Ranger Union, he still gave the great bird several treats.
That done, he and Spheal took off for the docks, bypassing the merchant dock, where a Swampert was helping tug in a barge to moor, and a Machamp was helping unload another ship, four crates at a time.
Miles also skipped the tourist dock where the wealthy people living around Pastoria docked their private sailboats. The docks were jam-packed with boats today, and Miles figured that no one was allowed to go out to sea until Captain Claw had been dealt with.
"We're looking for a ship named S.F. Ophelia, Spheal, whose captain goes by the name of Grimes. Apparently, it has an Absol figurehead, which should make it stand out amongst the pack, though I don't see it…"
Spheal barked a question to him, and Miles had to think about it. "Yeah, it is odd. You'd think a man so superstitious to not let women on board would fear Absol as well." Most every ranger had it drilled in their skulls to heed the warnings of an Absol when one appeared, but convincing the populace was a different matter entirely.
"Are we missing something?" Miles asked his Pokémon, turning his hands into binoculars and scanning the docks again for something that looked like a battleship. "I'm not seeing anything that fits the description we were given."
Spheal unfortunately wasn't quite as good of a swimmer that his evolutions were, so he couldn't go underwater for information, but Miles did trust him to roll all the way down one boardwalk while he ran down another, looking for the ship.
A few minutes later Miles sprinted back, hearing Spheal's distinct bark through the crowd. His Pokémon had found a ship with an Absol figurehead, and he could clearly see it bore the correct name. It was being loaded with supplies as well.
There was one issue, though, and Miles instantly understood why he had overlooked it earlier.
"A wooden ship?! In this day and age? We're going to capture Captain Claw in a wooden ship!?" It was a good looking galleon, painted black with silver lettering. It had three large masts typical for a warship of its era, but surely this ship belonged as a museum, and should be used for ceremonies, as opposed to still being taken out to sea.
Either his voice or bright red uniform caught someone's attention, because two men came striding down the gangplank. The older of the two, a grizzled old sailor with a chinstrap white beard and a thick mustache had a pin on his coat, signifying him as the captain.
"You must be the ranger that they've added to my crew," the man said, extending a hand, which Miles took. "Captain Grimes. This here is my first mate, Santos."
"A pleasure," the younger man said. Had Francis not had a terrible case of seasickness every time he got on a boat, he would fit in swimmingly here, because these men were absurdly strong.
"Miles," the blonde ranger managed. "And this is Spheal. Happy to help." His partner Pokémon offered a cheerful greeting, which had the captain's mustache twitching in amusement.
"Where are you from, Miles?"
"Mossdeep City. Sir." he added the last word as an afterthought, Grimes waved it off.
"Bah. I should be calling you sir. I got great respect for Pokémon Rangers, and the work you do. Although, I am glad you're not a total landlubber. Is Spheal the only Pokémon you've got with you?"
"He's seen his fair share of action, and he's more than capable," Miles defended, as Spheal barked a few times to get the point across.
"I don't doubt that," Captain Grimes said with a grin, "But we're not setting sail for another hour, at least. Why don't you do that ranger thingy and enlist a few more Pokémon to help us out? A few extra hands on board never hurt anyone. There's plenty of them around here. Water or Fighting-types preferred."
Miles shrugged. "Sure thing. I'll be back before we leave, then?"
"Can I go with him, Captain?" Santos suddenly asked. "I always wanted to see a ranger in action."
"Suit yourself. Just make sure you're back here before we launch, or I'm leaving you behind and finding another first mate, you hear me?"
"Aye, captain. Loud and clear."
Miles spotted a Pelipper perched on the dock, keenly eyeing up tourists' lunches and desserts, seeing which would be the easiest to swipe, so he headed in that direction first, exchanging questions on the way.
"I don't think I've ever been on a wooden ship," Miles said carefully, not trying to offend the sailor next to him, whilst trying to get some insight as to why anyone in their right mind would take a wooden ship out for a naval battle.
"Finest there is!" Santos bragged. "Sinnoh's finest, to be exact. That's what the S and the F stand for. She's named after the captain's wife."
"Oh, that's nice," Miles responded.
"Yeah, you'd think that." Santos didn't add any more context, and Miles decided not to push the subject, changing it instead.
"What about the figurehead?"
The first mate shrugged. "That was from when the captain was a much younger man. Apparently he was spooked by an Absol before an expedition, and decided not to embark. Turns out, Lugia whipped a mighty storm that cost many a sailor their life that night, so I guess he credits that Absol for saving his life, in a roundabout way."
He then clapped. "My turn for questions! Ya know, I've always wanted to see a ranger enchant a wild Pokémon into helping them. How exactly do you guys do it?" Santos asked, sounding like a child in front of his idol. Unfortunately, his knowledge of rangers wasn't quite accurate.
"We don't enchant Pokémon," he corrected, letting the capture disk fly and directing it with his styler. He looped it around Pelipper until it was awash in a glow of white. When Miles was finished, the Water-type flew over and landed on his shoulder. "We convey our emotions and display our friendship. Pelipper knows and trusts that I won't do anything to it, and it has agreed to lend me its strength temporarily."
Santos looked stunned. "It's that easy?!"
"Not always," Miles explained. "Sometimes Pokémon can be agitated, and we need to calm them down. Like over there." He pointed to a blue and green East Sea Gastrodon that had been stranded on some rocks on the shoreline. Feeling threatened as they approached, Gastrodon immediately started firing off Mud Bombs and Water Guns as deterrence.
"Spheal, can you give me an assist out here?" he asked his Pokémon. His partner jumped into action, waiting for Gastrodon to build a Water Pulse so he could smash it with an Ice Ball attack and then immediately freeze Gastrodon's mouth shut. That was plenty of time for Miles to complete the process of bonding with the wild Pokémon.
"He'll show you the way down," Miles told the now pacified Gastrodon, as Spheal started smashing a way back to the beach with Rock Smash.
"You rangers sure live exciting lives!" Santos said, still seemingly impressed by the things Miles did every day. "I don't know if I could handle that."
"Oh, come on. It's not exciting venturing out to sea?" Miles questioned.
"You'd think that," Santos replied, somewhat gravely, "but most men of the sea prefer a nice easy voyage, because excitement on the high seas usually equals danger as well. Every once in a while, it's fine, but not all the time."
If they were preparing for a sortie to confront Captain Claw and bring him to justice, then that would definitely involve trouble. But when he voiced his concerns to Santos, the man's cheerful nature returned. "Believe in Captain Grimes, lad. He's been sailing forty years, been captain of the Ophelia for twenty, and he's never gone down, because of nature or Pokémon or man. What's more, he's always brought his entire crew back as well. There isn't any other flag I'd rather sail under."
They arrived back at the ship with twenty minutes to spare, and Captain Grimes evaluated the two Pokémon following him with an approving eye. "Welcome aboard, Mr. Ranger. We'll make a salty sea man out of you yet."
Pretty soon, every preparation had been made. "I don't want to hear a single complaint about somebody leaving something behind!" the captain shouted in a booming voice. "Weigh the anchor! We're setting sail!"
----------------------------------------
One thing Miles had underestimated was how long it would take to find a solitary ship, no matter how infamous, on the high seas. At least all you needed to find a needle in a haystack was a magnet. Here, all he could see was the vast blue expanse of ocean.
It did give him ample time to roam around the ship and interact with the crew. It was quite the cast of oddballs and misfits. The lookout, Otto, had not come down once from his perch in the crow's nest. Whenever he needed to eat, he sent his Swanna down to get both of their meals and bring it back up.
There were also twin brothers Cutter and Gunner with their Seadra and Sneasel, who were the weapons expert and cook, respectively. Miles must have mixed them up twenty times already, though he was assured that everyone else did as well.
Oddest of all was Mikey, who hailed from Solaceon Town. Miles didn't know why a man that had probably never seen the ocean growing up was on this expedition, but when he posed the question to the captain, he was told that "every ship needs at least one crazy person."
Of course, there were an abundance of Pokémon as well, which included Fighting-types like Machoke and Santos's Grapploct, which thrived on the physically demanding labor that sailing a ship like this required. A Slowking belonging to the navigator was manning the wheel. Miles had seen a Quagsire, Gastrodon from both sides of Sinnoh, all four of the Pokémon in the Poliwag line, a Vaporeon, a Golduck, a Bibarel, a Prinplup, a Brionne, fliers like Wingull, Cramorant, and more Pelipper, and countless more Water-types that belonged to the crew.
Seadra and other sealiving Pokémon like Seaking, Huntail, and swam alongside them, making sure nothing too nosy decided to take a chomp out of the Ophelia's hull. Spheal had made friends with a Snover, tasked with keeping their food stores chilled.
It would have been very enjoyable, had they not been going to battle. About a week into their expedition, something broke through the everyday monotony.
"Wailmer ho!" came a voice he vaguely recognized. "Port side, at the aft!"
Since everyone else knew what that meant, they all rushed to the left side of the back of the boat before he did, which Miles didn't mind. He'd seen his fair share of Wailmer growing up around Mossdeep City.
The only other person that wasn't rushing to see the pod of large, round, whale Pokémon was Captain Grimes himself, who was not cracking a smile. "You must have seen plenty of Wailmer too, if you've been on the seas for forty years," Miles offered.
"True, but I knew a pod would be coming," the captain said. "That's the reason
I haven't been pushing us. Finding Claw out here," he waved to the horizon, "would be nothing but sheer luck. We need a guide that we can trust. But trust works two ways."
Miles considered his words. "You're saying the pirates we're after have been hunting these Wailmer, and you've been waiting around to demonstrate we aren't a threat? Now they're going to take us to them?"
"That's exactly what I'm sayin'," Grimes confirmed, before raising his voice. "Alright, enough gawking. Raise the sails! Set course as the Wailmer do, and get ready to take these sea scum down!"
A huge cheer erupted from the crew as they got to work.
----------------------------------------
The good mood of the crew slowly faded away, as they got closer to their quarry over the next few days. No longer were days and nights filled with fishing competitions, arm-wrestling matches, drinking and singing sea shanties. The only thing that had carried over were the Pokémon battles, and even they weren't fun contests of strength and skill.
They were honing the edges of both trainer and Pokémon. Eventually, on what seemed like a day like any other, the lookout Otto finally descended from his place amongst the birds to speak to the captain.
Captain Grimes held his hand out, and when his first mate placed a telescope in it, he looked out in the distance. After a moment, he lowered it grimly and handed it back. "Santos. Ready the crew for battle. Enemy ship sighted, starboard side."
"Aye, captain. I'm on it!" The first mate cupped his hands and started barking orders. "Fliers are grounded! Psychics to the front! Swimmers in the sea! Water Absorbers and Storm Drainers to the lower deck, starboard side! Everyone else, wait for further commands!"
"Lower the sails," Grimes added loudly. "They've got long range Octillery!" We can't afford for our speed to be compromised!"
Miles thought that was a little strange, because on a ship like this, the sails were the only reason you had any speed. Still, he sent the Gastrodon that he had befriended down to the lower deck, with many of the other Pokémon, while many of the other Water-types dove off the boat to join their brethren in the sea. A Slowbro, Golduck, and Starmie came to the bow of the boat to join the Slowking, while his Pelipper and all the other Flying-types perched on the edge of the boat, looking out of place.
Loud cracks sounded, as Captain Claw's blood red warship came into view. Its name, the Ripper, was painted in bright blue, and its figurehead was a golden star. The enemy ship was solid metal, unfortunately, and it seemed it had better range than theirs did, because Miles realized they were being fired upon.
Stolen story; please report.
Black shells of ink were impacting a psychic barrier that had been created by the crew's Psychic-types, or were being turned away all together. "What is that?" Miles asked, only to be handed the telescope.
He closed one eye and looked upon the enemy ship, which was coming in closer. The first thing he noticed were the four Octillery on Claw's boat, shooting Octazookas at them from long range. But something else caught his attention.
In the water, triangular purple fins were racing towards them, followed by jagged blue ones. "It's a strategy made famous by the Paldean Navy," Santos told him. "You send your Veluza in first, because they strip their own flesh away to increase their speed and attack power when fighting. Then you have your Sharpedo follow, because the flesh in the water puts them in a blood frenzy."
The Water-types in the ocean on their side immediately went to confront the enemy swarm. Miles could see flashes of light in the water as attacks were being fired and Pokémon were clashing. "None of you seem very concerned," Miles noted. "What if there was a Gyarados?"
"Even a pirate as mad as Claw wouldn't risk a Gyarados going on a rampage," Captain Grimes grunted. "And besides, I've got a special card up my sleeve if one decides to show its face. Don't you worry."
Miles hadn't seen the captain's Pokémon as of yet. Did he have a Lanturn?
That mystery would have to wait, because both ships were steadily approaching each other, to potentially break the stalemate. "Best you hold onto something. We're about to start exchanging broadsides, and it looks like they've got best-in-class Mega Launcher cannons," advised a sailor Miles couldn't name. The man bent down and patted Spheal on the head. "You too. I don't want to see you rolling off the side of the ship, you hear?"
Miles crouched down, and pulled Spheal into him. With the two ships only a few hundred yards away, he could see the crew of pirates leering and jeering at him from their ship, waving bone-carved cutlasses and boarding axes that made his skin crawl. Even worse was the assortment of crustacean Pokémon they had with them, Corphish, Krabby, Kingler, Crabrawler, Crabominable, Klawf, and of course, his personal nemesis, a massive Crawdaunt standing next to Captain Claw himself.
Every porthole of the enemy ship had a Clawitzer readying a huge Water Pulse attack. He assumed that the Pokémon on their side were doing something similar.
As soon as they were in range of each other, Captain Grimes and Captain Claw shouted the same order.
"Fire!"
The space between them erupted into explosions of energy and water as the Ophelia was fired upon relentlessly, though she did her best to return volley's in kind. Right away, Miles could see that there was really no contesting the power of the Clawitzer cannons, as their frightening strength blasted through most attacks from their side.
If Captain Grimes didn't have so many Pokémon on his crew that could draw in or absorb Water-type attacks, Miles didn't doubt that they would have been sleeping with Kyogre, as the sailors liked to say.
He expected at some point to hear the shout of fear, or the smashing of wood that indicated that their defenses had been breached, but even after an hour of back and forth bombardment, the Ophelia remained strong.
Still, so did the enemy ship. In the end, it was Captain Grimes who blinked first, and called to disengage. The two ships exchanged fire until the Ophelia made it out of the range of the Clawitzer cannons, though the Octillery long guns continued to take potshots, which kept their psychic Pokémon working.
"Report!" Captain Grimes roared, as the crew scrambled around, checking everything, before everyone checked in on the topside of the ship.
One sailor saluted before speaking. "Captain, the enemy ship has dropped anchor! We haven't sustained any major damage, though many of our Pokémon have been knocked out, and several more need healing. They switched from using Water-type attacks to different moves when they realized we were prepared for the former towards the end."
"It's not all bad news, sir," another sailor added. "Them Veluza and Sharpedo have been subdued by our Pokémon, so we have control of the sea."
"That'll make it easier for us to re-engage them, at least," Grimes muttered under his breath. "Alright, listen up! We're going to have to run the gauntlet of those Clawitzer cannons once more. Get your Pokémon ready to deal with Aura Spheres, Dark Pulses, and Dragon Pulses! I want everyone to think of their most powerful attack. Once we cross the T, and I let our big guns rip, that's your cue! Fliers, get with your trainers and await my command!"
Miles and Spheal seemed to be the only ones who had no idea what was going on. "We're going to disable the enemy ship by concentrating fire at the front," Santos explained to him.
The ranger still felt like he was missing something key. "Uh, that's great. How? And where exactly are our big guns?"
"You'll see," Santos promised. "Just fire your most powerful attack with the rest of us."
Spheal and Miles looked at each other, thinking the same thing. A max power Ice Ball was their most powerful attack, but they couldn't exactly hurl Spheal full speed at the enemy ship's hull. Hopefully, something else would be enough.
"Battle stations, sailors!" Captain Grimes ordered. "We're not leaving until that scummy pirate ship is at the bottom of the sea!"
Even though they were battered, the cheer from the sailors and the Pokémon was as loud as from before. "Turn this ship around!" Santos shouted, as soon as it died down.
"You're going to want to hold on even tighter, this time," Miles was advised, as the Ophelia slowly made a U-turn. "This is going to be even bumpier than last time!"
The pirates had relocated all their Clawitzer to the other side of the Ripper, and were happy to start blasting them as soon as the Ophelia came in range. This time, though, instead of stopping and returning fire, they chugged along, only trying to defend themselves.
It was definitely more stressful than the first time. The explosions were happening dangerously close to their ship, but it surged forward like a wave. The sound of Captain Grimes's voice was like them colliding with a cliffside, as they once again started to move past the other ship.
"Raise the sails! Slowking, hard to starboard! Fliers, Hurricane!"
All three things happened in magnificent harmony. The crew manning their sails unfurled them in a canvas of white, and Slowking took control of the wheel with psychic power, spinning it hard to the right, turning the ship that way as well. It didn't look like they had enough speed for the maneuver, but then every Flying-type they had, his Pelipper included, even as some were getting shot down by the opposing Octillery, started pumping wind into the sails.
Miles held onto Spheal and the ship tightly, as it turned sharply to the right. The sailors whooped in glee as the side of the Ophelia was now to the front of the Ripper, away from all the Clawitzer cannons. They were still face to face with the four pirate Octillery, but Miles's view was quickly blocked by another Pokémon, and he finally realized what their own big guns were.
A smile cracked Captain Grimes's weathered face, as he gave his trusty Pokémon a command. "Blastoise. Hydro Cannon!"
The fully-evolved Pokémon's two cannons locked on to their targets, before a massive orb of pressurized water started building in each of them. Blastoise ignored the attacks the Octillery sent its way in favor of building its attack up.
Miles made the wise choice of covering his ears, because of the sound Blastoise's cannons made when launching the two orbs at supersonic speed. The unfortunate Octillery could hardly move before they were blasted off the enemy ship into the water below.
Of course, that was the cue for every other sailor and their Pokémon to launch their own attack at the Ripper's hull. Miles managed to get his bearings and order an Aurora Beam from Spheal, though he ignored the looks he got about their attack choice.
The combined assault punched a hole in the enemy ship's metal hull, and though it didn't look like it wasn't going to sink, the ensuing explosion all but ensured that the pirates wouldn't be going anywhere.
"Time to board!" someone shouted, and two gangplanks were quickly dropped in between the ships. The pirates weren't going down without a fight, and immediately, a few Krabby and Klawf clambered on the first one and started advancing with their sideways gait. The other was quickly occupied by several Corphish, who skittered towards them.
"Mikey, you're up!" Santos shouted, and the man in question gave a trademark yell before throwing out his own Pokémon, which materialized into a Water-type Tauros, first bred in Paldea.
"Yeeeeeehaaaaaaw! It's time to give them a Solaceon Town smackdown! Tauros, use Ragin' Bull!" His Pokémon snorted at the opponents, lowered its horns and charged straight forward, smashing through the enemy Pokémon and tossing them aside.
"We can do that, can't we, Spheal?" Miles asked his Pokémon, who was watching Tauros's display eagerly. "Use Ice Ball!" His Pokémon covered himself in ice and started rolling around the ship to gain momentum, before pinballing into the Corphish on the other gangplank, knocking them into the water like bowling pins.
"Hah! I knew you two weren't useless!" someone clapped him on the back.
Chaaaaaarge!" The cry went up, and Miles found himself caught in the well of sailors boarding the enemy ship. He called Spheal to him, and found himself in utter chaos.
Their side was winning, but it was pandemonium all around him nonetheless. The Flying-types, without the Octillery to shoot them out of the sky, were wreaking havoc. The Crabrawler in particular had no good defense against them, and were being plucked off the ship by two or three flying-types at a time, and dropped into the ocean.
Santos, with his Poliwrath and Grapploct, led a party towards the stairs leading to the lower deck to subdue Clawitzer and their pirate trainers. A Crabominable came scuttling out to meet them, but its two limbs were no match for Grapploct's eight. It was locked in a tight chokehold, allowing the Pokémon and sailors to rush inside.
More than once Miles saw one of the Clawitzer sent flying through their porthole into the sea, where they too were easy pickings for the Water-types that had remained there. Mikey's Tauros knocked any Pokémon foolish enough to challenge it with a powerful headbutt, while Mikey himself lassoed up pirates and lashed them to the railing like he was wrangling cattle.
And of course, Captain Grimes and his Blastoise leisurely followed behind them, assisting his crew in their battles by Pokémon and pirates alike with Water Guns that Miles knew were barely the tip of the iceberg, considering the last move he'd seen this Blastoise pull off.
They were quickly making progress. Miles found himself face-to-face with a pirate, who flashed him a yellow grin and waved a bone-carved sword in his direction. "Kingler! Crabhammer!"
His Pokémon raised the bigger of its two claws, which started glowing, aiming to bring it down on Spheal's head.
"Pelipper, Air Slash!" he called urgently, as his Pokémon came flying towards him at the sound of his voice. The surprise wind scythes caused Kingler to flinch mid attack. "Ice Ball!" Spheal started rolling at Kingler, picking up speed, and the humongous claw quickly started to become a hindrance, as it struggled to even come close to hitting his Pokémon as it smashed into the Water-type.
"Use Stomp, dammit!" The oversized crustacean tried with its more maneuverable limbs to catch Spheal, but Miles wasn't about to let that happen.
"Pelipper, Bubble Beam at Kingler's feet! Spheal, Body Slam! Kingler lost its balance and slipped as Pelipper soaked the floor beneath it, and then its head was slammed to the ground when Spheal leapt onto it heavily. Its two claws fell to the floor as well, and now the pirate was looking nervous.
"Screw this!" he shouted. "I'm not getting caught! Every man for themselves!" Miles ducked as the bone cutlass was thrown at him sloppily, and before any of them could move, he had recalled his Kingler and leapt the railing to throw himself in the water in one motion.
Miles was sure the pirate was a good swimmer, but how long could he tread water? Because when they looked over the side, the man was with other pirates who had the same idea, and a bunch of their fainted Pokémon, surrounded by ones on the Ophelia's side.
He didn't have time to celebrate, because another opponent had stepped up to take the place of the previous one. And this wasn't any ordinary pirate.
"A ranger, huh? I suppose you're here to bring me to justice!" Captain Claw said, clicking his metal claw arm and leering at them through his overgrown beard. "Well then, let's see what you got, pretty boy. Go, Crawdaunt!"
The Pokémon that had almost taken his arm stepped up as Claw stepped back, looking as fearsomely menacing as Miles remembered. At his side, Spheal was quivering in anticipation, but the ranger knew that they were not alone this time. "Pelipper, Wing Attack!"
His Flying-type soared in, but the pirate captain was not caught by surprise." Knock Off!" Crawdaunt waited until the last moment before raising its claw and smashing Pelipper down. That was too much for the Pokémon, as its survival instinct came in front of its loyalty to him. As soon as Crawdaunt raised its claw, it bolted out of there.
Thank you, friend. Hopefully we will meet again, Miles thought, because he didn't want to take his eyes off these opponents. "Water Pulse!"
"Crabhammer!" Crawdaunt easily crushed through their attack with a water-enhanced pincer, and began to advance.
"Aurora Beam!" Miles ordered.
"Dark Pulse!" was the reply. Crawdaunt held out one claw before a spiraling dark beam emerged from it, overpowering their attack, and sending Spheal tumbling backwards when it connected. The power of Crawdaunt's attacks was absurd.
There had to be some weakness, though. Crawdaunt was more evenly proportioned than Kingler, but it wasn't the fastest Pokémon. Maybe they could build up speed against it as well? "Ice Ball!" Miles called.
Captain Claw was laughing in their face as he countered their attack. "Iron Defense into Crabhammer!" His Crawdaunt stood perfectly still, its shell shining with energy as it became as hard as steel. Spheal couldn't budge the crustacean at all. He then took the following attack right in the belly and was thrown back, eventually rolling to a stop at Miles's feet.
"Can you keep battling?" Miles asked worriedly. The Gastrodon he had befriended was still on the Ophelia, after all.
Spheal slowly staggered his way into a fighting stance, though it appeared Captain Claw was in no hurry to finish them. "Listen ranger, as much as I'd like to blow you away like Lugia would, I've got me ship to recapture. And you're going to be the key, with how weak your runt of a Pokémon is. Crawdaunt, Swords Dance!"
The shellfish raised its pincers to the sky before it went into a frenzy, scuttling side-to-side while snapping its claws. "Once we're done with you, no one on this ship will be able to stand up to our might!"
Finally, Claw had made a mistake, in Miles's view. "Encore, Spheal!"
Spheal clapped loudly for Crawdaunt's performance, showering it with praise. The enemy Pokémon had more than enough power to knock them out, but instead of attacking, it continued to use Swords Dance.
"Water Gun! Miles ordered. Spheal fired off the hose of water, but Claw's smile only grew wider as Crawdaunt continued to do its dance.
"Hah! You think we care about that? You don't have the power to take us out! We're going to get so much power that we'll destroy every one of you in one hit!"
"Aurora Beam! Water Gun! Body Slam!" Miles ordered Spheal to attack over and over, because he was feeling the pressure as Claw continued to chortle loudly. They had to put this monster down! The ranger had an awful feeling that they might be punched straight through the hull of the boat into the ocean, with how fearsomely powerful his nemesis had become. Crawdaunt was finishing its last Swords Dance.
"Enjoy Kyogre's cold embrace, ranger," Claw spat. "Use-"
"Zap Cannon!"
Miles recognized that voice. He turned around in time to see two electric orbs being fired from Blastoise's two cannons. One of them missed wildly, but one connected straight on Crawdaunt's head, and this attack had more than enough power to put the enemy Pokémon on its back.
"Hydro Pump," Captain Grimes said with no emotion. Even though it was a powerful attack, Blastoise still showed restraint, with the dual water blasts only sending Claw flying into the railing of his ship, though he received a thorough dousing. As their opponent struggled to get his sea legs under him, Miles turned to his captain.
"That's your trick against Gyarados? Blastoise knowing Zap Cannon?!"
Grimes grinned. "Works like a charm. No one expects the surprise Electric-attack." The captain turned his attention to his counterpart, walking over and picking up Crawdaunt's Pokéball. "Your ship has been taken, Claw."
"So it has," Claw said, watching his signature Pokémon get sucked back into its Pokéball. He scratched at his metal arm with his flesh one. "You've battled and beaten me fair and square. It's a shame."
"Why's that?" asked Grimes, humoring the enemy captain.
Claw was wearing a sinister grin. "Because I don't." Claw pressed a button on his metal arm, and it shot out like a viper, metal claw aimed straight at Captain Grimes's face.
"No one expects this surprise attack either!" Captain Claw cackled, as Miles struggled to react in time. His elderly captain and Blastoise were just as stunned, frozen as the claw threatened a savage, potentially lethal blow.
It was Spheal, who managed to jump straight up and smash metal arm with his Rock Smash before it could connect. It fell to the ground in pieces, and Miles breathed a sigh of relief. Grimes crouched down to address his savior.
"I might have to get another statue commissioned," he mused aloud. "A thousand thank yous for saving me, my little friend."
Spheal clapped his happiness, but there was nothing but contempt in Captain Grimes's voice when he turned back to the pirate captain. "If this were the old days, I'd hang you from my foremast and let all of Pastoria see your corpse as we docked. But it's not. You'll never smell the sea again, Claw, and I suppose that's a fitting punishment as there is."
Grimes made a gesture, and two sailors came up, holding a rope. "Tie him up, more than a smidgeon on the tight side, and throw him in the hold with the rest." Claw spat at them as he was led off, and had one last parting shot.
"You haven't seen the last of my legacy yet, you scurvy wretches!" He was dragged away unceremoniously, cursing them the entire way.
They passed some lumps covered with spare sails as they departed the conquered pirate ship. Whether they were a result from their attacks on the front of the ship, or from the storming of it that ensued, Miles didn't know. He wasn't about to check, either, but it wasn't anyone from their crew.
"We're going to sink the ship," Grimes told him. "That's the way of the sea. Everything gets recycled. This ship's been responsible for so much pain and death, but on the seafloor, it'll become a habitat, and will help sustain life."
Blastoise led the way with another Hydro Cannon, and every other sailor and their Pokémon contributed with their own attack. As the Ripper sank beneath the waves, never to be seen again, Miles turned to Spheal.
"Claw's been captured, his ship has been sunk, and the Wailmer can live in peace. I'd say that's mission clear!"