Secret base of Alphonso Haures
Haures closed his eyes and thought as he looked at the mountain of data in front of him. Andzral, Tessa, and Kaia had been busy combining everything they knew about Viridick City. The gym there was a final stop for a lot of tamers and even then it was often avoided. The city was practically owned by Gendo Giovanni, the gym leader and hardcore SEELE supporter, and all law was enforced to the letter by the Viridick police department.
“I guess there’s a reason Readman hasn’t gone to Viridick yet, hell I never like going there.” Andzral spoke in annoyance.
“You’ve been there before?” Tessa asked.
“Some assignments have taken me to the city, though it was always an in and out visit. Until now I’ve never bothered to look at the place as a whole. If you’re a free spirit then it’s best to head elsewhere.”
Haures nodded in agreement. Without his political ties there wasn’t much the wanted man could do to help the cause. “That’s probably the exact reason Marco Readman hasn’t been there yet. The city is anti-pokégirl rights and he’s quite firmly the opposite. As Angelica said, it would be hard for him and his teams to move around in such a place.”
“Thanks for that… but this does raise its own set of problems.” Angelica spoke through the monitor. “What works against him works against us as well. It’s going to be impossible to set up our teams without them raising suspicion and the police in the area are quick to act on any kind of disturbance. Readman works for the military so there’s a chance he may have a certain amount of immunity when it comes to dealing with them.”
Gerard scratched his head in his shrouded office and continued going down the list of pokégirls he had acquired for his harem. He knew the breeds that were in Readman’s harem based on the results of the gym battles he’d taken place in and the information Andzral had acquired. But just trying to counter wouldn’t be enough. “Are you certain these are the pokégirls he always has with him?”
“Fairly sure, yes. Of course there’s always a possibility that he could have added to that list but it’s fairly doubtful.” Andzral responded. “My understanding is that they are fairly strong, but I haven’t had too much issue with most of them.”
“You only fought a few of them and they seemed to get exponentially stronger as you went down the line.” Angelica chuckled to herself. “Tell us again how you almost got your ass handed to you by a Cherub.”
Andzral frowned and flipped her off over the monitor. “Fuck you Angelica. Didn’t your harem lose to them too?”
“Sure did, but I had to contend with Evan too. Pity that he’s no longer with us.” She nodded. “Besides, my harem isn’t really meant for in your face fighting unless they have to… I’m an assassin after all.”
“And you couldn’t manage to assassinate him.”
“Looking around I see a lot of failures. You couldn’t do it, Tessa failed to get him while he was in a coma, Evan got his ass kicked, I hardly got a chance, and all of our teams failed in a pretty spectacular fashion. Hell, even the late great Campbell failed in his mission… which is probably a good thing. Who knows what we would have had to deal with if he succeeded.”
“Enough singing Readman’s praises on the soft side Angelica.” Andzral spoke abruptly. “It’s been two weeks since his last gym battle, when can we expect to hear from him again?”
“You’re asking me like I know? Better question is how should we go about attacking him once he’s there?”
_____
Avalanche office, 1000
The unit had taken Henrietta’s announced pregnancy fairly well, though most of them couldn’t understand why she would hide such a thing. Slightly more surprising was how well Marco seemed to be taking it. Not only was he in a far better mood than he had been in the past months, he seemed to be openly enjoying the idea. This came as a welcomed shock to Kelly who was looking forward to having kids of her own one day.
With the battle at Viridick City gym quickly approaching and Henrietta out of the battle for maternity the harem was stepping up their training regimen. Ashley had already learned to manipulate her powers to the point that the electric training field was child’s play, but after some polite urging from Marco she decided her ranged fighting could use more work. On the other side Chesra, Carrie, and Bernadette continued to hone their closer range fighting abilities against each other with Henrietta supervising. The Archangel had been quite disappointed in her own performance during the last battle and wasn’t willing to settle for another loss.
Marco would have been out there with them but he currently had his own problems/headache to deal with concerning Kelly. He’d been listening to her go on for the last hour and it didn’t look like she would be stopping any time soon. The Duelist continued to look though the digital catalog then glanced back to Marco who was seconds away from banging his head on the table. “Are you even paying attention to what I’m saying?”
Marco groaned and nodded. “Yes, it looks lovely, but why exactly do you care what I think about this?”
“Because it’s my wedding dress and you’re going to be standing next to me. I want it to be perfect.”
“Then why are you looking through a catalog? If you want it to be perfect then design it yourself.” Marco suggested.
Kelly glared at him in all seriousness. “And what in the hell do I know about designing a wedding dress? It seems like you don’t even want to do this.”
Marco sat up quickly. “Oh no, you don’t get to pin this on me, I’m offering suggestions. And what I mean is you have Jean roaming around upstairs somewhere, how about the two of you take a day trip with Henrietta and Emaline to Cerulesbian, find a Seamstress, and work something out.”
The Duelist blinked a few times then jumped out of her chair and threw her arms around him. “That’s a great idea. We’ll go today, where are the others?”
“As I said, Jean is roaming around somewhere and Henrietta is trying to impart more of her close combat knowledge on the others, she’d better be staying out of the fighting though.”
“Speaking of the fighting, what are you going to do about her open spot for the gym battle?”
Marco stood up, taking Kelly with him, and started towards the door. “Same thing I always do, figure something out.” The Duelist hopped off his back and continued to walk next to him towards the main entrance. They were both taken by surprise to see General Butcher and Hiyori standing there. They both quickly snapped to a salute and waited to be released. “Sir, what brings you into our neck of the woods today?”
“Colonel, there’s been a lot of network traffic about Team Rocket mobilizing in Viridick City, that’s your final stop for your gym battles correct?”
“Yes sir, in another day or so, as soon as I feel like my harem is ready to take on that bastard Giovanni.”
Butcher seemed to tense for a moment. “I understand that you’re going to the gym for your own personal reasons. But just as a reminder, you’re still an officer in the Indigo Military, don’t let your personal beliefs serve as a statement for the military as a whole.”
“With all due respect General, you gave me the initial funding and your blessing when starting the Avalanche program. I’d like to think that we both share the same beliefs when it comes to pokégirls.”
“No one ever said we didn’t’ Colonel, it isn’t the Indigo Plateau so the place isn’t crowded with bureaucrats. Never the less, I’ve met with Gendo Giovanni before, he’s a hardedge believer in SEELE. Don’t let him rile you.”
“Understood Sir.”
The face of the old General seemed to harden even more. “That’s not why I’m here though. It’s been impressed upon me that I should remind you that Gerard is to be taken in alive. Other members of the intelligence community, pretty much all the initials you’re used to, have voiced concerns about some of your actions and your temperament as of late.”
“And those members of the intelligence community, which is a pretty good joke all its own, can go suck eggs.” Kelly grumbled though still fully audible to everyone there. Both Marco and Butcher fixed her with harsh looks but she didn’t seem to care. “Pardon me Sir, it’s just that it’s easy to make demands when their lives aren’t on the line. If we get killed in the line of duty then they still get to go on with business as usual, capitalizing off of our pain, suffering, and hard work. So yes, they can go suck eggs.”
Hiyori shook her head before addressing the Duelist. “Major, if your time in the capital should have taught you anything it’s that there are some hardheaded individuals running things. Just because we understand the lengths and sacrifices it takes doesn’t mean they will. At the end of the day all they care about are the results, and the one they want is the man in charge of Team Rocket.”
“Hiyori is correct in this Major. For them it’s all about the bottom line and the bottom line here is the eradication of Team Rocket.” Butcher added in agreement with Hiyori.
Marco just shook his head in restrained aggravation. At that point he was sick of all of them and almost regretted letting Butcher talk him into staying on as Black Ops. “I’d like to think that we’ve padded their bottom line rather well. All this credit makes you look better Sir, since you insisted that I stay on. But if knocking out two members of Tri Fotia, dozens of Team Rocket tamers, and three of their front companies isn’t enough to earn some respect from the higher ups then I’m with Kelly on this one with the egg sucking.” He was still furious but slightly better having gotten that off his chest. “But never let it be said that I’m not a Team Player. I will try my best to bring in Gerard alive, but if push comes to shove and it’s my life or his he’s a dead man.”
Hiyori turned to face her master directly and bowed her head. “Sir, I would like to go along with the Colonel when he heads to Viridick City.” The Dire Wolf could hear the barely audible grumble coming from Marco and faced him next. Try as she might she still couldn’t get through his psychic shielding, but one look in his eyes and she knew why he would be upset. “It’s not what you think Colonel, I want to be on hand in case you need some extra help.”
“I don’t suppose I really have much of a choice if the General gives you the ok. If you’d like to be on hand then I’ll be sticking you with Henrietta to keep her out of trouble.”
“I thought she was in your harem and would be taking part in what is sure to be a very difficult battle?”
“Henrietta has been removed from the harem due to medical reasons and can’t battle.”
The Dire Wolf focused her attention on Kelly then smirked. “I’ll be sure to attend the baby shower.”
“Never did care much for mind reading.” Said the Duelist as she crossed her arms.
“I knew before you thought it Major. Henrietta is a fighter and there are only a few things that would keep her off the battlefield, especially if they are medical reasons.”
Butcher chuckled. “Since the Colonel doesn’t seem to mind, you’ll be assisting Sargent Henrietta. Do try and stay out of trouble.”
“Me sir?”
“I was talking to all of you. The three of you seem to have a knack for attracting trouble.”
~~~~~
Avalanche Training Field
Henrietta sat on the sideline and continued to watch Chesra facing off against Carrie, Ashley, and Bernadette. It was really more of a formality than informative. She’d been watching Chesra fight for years and knew everything that was wrong with how she fought. What she wasn’t sure about was if she was capable of doing what she needed to to get better.
With a sharp blow of her whistle she brought them to a halt. “That’s enough, fall in.” She waited for the group to come together then sighed. “Chesra, because of the amount of time you’ve spent with enhanced strength you got used to the luxury of taking the battles at your own pace. On top of that you’ve fought a lot of amateurs, so called fighters who weren’t trained properly. A few weeks ago you ran into a fighter who more than measured up to you and you lost, it happens… but your biggest issue is that you fight with a sense of honor.”
Chesra crosser her arms. “And what exactly is wrong with fighting with a sense of honor and pride?”
“Absolutely nothing if you’re in a sanctioned fight with a referee watching you, but you already know that anything goes in pokébattles. So ditch the honor and fight like your life depends on it.”
While Chesra was busy thinking on what she said Ashley stepped up. “Where did you learn to fight?”
“I can’t go into that Ashley,” Henrietta whispered softly to herself. “But suffice to say I’ve spent years in constant battle, so I have levels of experience far beyond anything you’ve seen.”
“But you’ve lost gym battles too.” Bernadette said abruptly. “If you be so experienced…”
“My problems are different from Chesra’s. The good news for you all is that between Chesra and myself you’ve been trained to fight at your peak. Her focus on proper form and my focus on efficiency and brutality. Go ahead and hit the showers.”
The members of the harem started their jog back to the office and left the two betas by themselves. Chesra smirked and took a seat in the grass. “Why not tell the others, is it such a horrible thing to get out in the open?”
“It’s not the kind of thing I like to boast about. Having a high body count is one thing but knowing that the majority of them were children wouldn’t make them feel any better.”
“You were a child too if I remember correctly, as deplorable as the act of children fighting to the death is, you can’t blame the children themselves.”
Henrietta took a seat next to her friend and sighed. “Can you blame them when they start to enjoy the killing?”
“Sounds like the kind of thing you would have asked Alex, what’d she say?”
“She said one shouldn’t dwell on things that were out of their control, I reluctantly agreed with her. Marco didn’t question anything I said when I told him about what happened when I was younger.”
“Was he still stunned over finding out you were pregnant?”
“No, he’s had more than enough time to come to terms with that. I just figured that he’d want to know more.”
“You kept that bottled up for a long time, even from him, he’s probably just glad you were willing to share what you did. I was when you first told me. It helped explain a few things if nothing else.” Chesra laughed as she stood up and pulled Henrietta up with her.
Henrietta scratched her head and blushed. “Oh come on, I wasn’t that bad off.”
“Sure… and there’s nothing more I need to learn about fighting…”
_____
Indigo Plateau, 1500
Angelica sat on the bench and watched her son playing with the other children. It was rare for her to have a chance to just watch him play and she relished the chances she got. The rest of her harem was around keeping an eye on him as well, Delilah would be showing up soon and she still had little trust for the Dark Queen.
Delilah approached from the main sidewalk so she was easy to spot and took a seat next to Angelica. She set a small container containing a number of shaved ice on the table then handed the Breaker one. “You’ve always struck me as a strawberry kind of person. Cute child, I guess he gets that from you.”
“Thank you, the only thing he got from his father is his gender. Why meet today?”
“Because word has it that Marco Readman will be going to Viridick City. There’s also chatter saying that Team Rocket is mobilizing there too, what can you tell me?”
“You seem to be up to speed, so nothing new. But there’s no way we’re actually going to try and work in Viridick, that city suits us just as much as it suits him. This is Gerard’s last chance, he either gets Readman or he has to give it up.” Angelica took a bite of her shaved ice and sat back. “Not bad… so assuming Gerard has his way, he kills Readman then they try to use a military contact to appropriate Avalanche.”
‘After all this time they still have no idea.’ Delilah thought to herself. “None of you are aware about the papers made for the Avalanche pokégirls are you?”
“Excuse me?”
“Yes, in the event of Readman’s death every pokégirl in Avalanche becomes a free pokégirl. So even if he does die, Gerard will never get his hands on those girls in Avalanche.”
Angelica started to laugh hysterically and for a second Delilah thought she’d lost her mind. “I did say he gave them an amazing amount of freedom, I didn’t really think he actually gave them their freedom. I really, really … really want to tell Gerard he’s shooting for an unattainable goal, but it wouldn’t do any good at this point. He’s lost face and is on the verge of losing a lot more than that, if the Boss finds out that after all is said and done the original plan won’t work… he would kill him.”
Having seen and heard his mother laughing the way she was, Matt ran up to her. “Whas so funny mommy?”
“Sweetie, mommy was being bad and laughing at someone else’s misfortune. Would you like some shaved ice?” Her son nodded his head and Angelica took a look at the box. “Got a lemon in there?”
Delilah reached into the box and handed one to the little boy. “There you go little one, what’s your name?”
“Matt Oran, thank you ma’am.”
“Strong name, how about you take these and share them with the other kids.”
Matt looked to his mother for approval then grabbed the box and started to the other kids. “Walk carefully.” Angelica warned then waited for him to get further away. “We still have our deal correct?”
“Yes, you’ve been nothing but helpful and all things considered have continued to place yourself in danger. After all this is wrapped up we’ll find a safe house for you and yours.”
Angelical really had no intention of going along with Delilah. Considering the things she had done there was a good chance she would be required to testify against other members of Team Rocket or vice versa. That meant she would be stuck under their thumb and she knew how fickle the government could be with their people. “Good to know, we’re still drawing up plans for dealing with Readman.”
“Are you the one drawing up said plans?”
“Considering that I know my target much better than they do, yes, I’ll be in charge of this one.” Angelica nodded then squinted her eyes in pain. She’d eaten too fast and gotten a brain freeze. “I won’t have the luxury of taking it easy on him this time…”
Delilah got up and started to walk off. “Well we both know how well your last set of plans went, I’m sure he’s up to the challenge.”
A sudden sadness was felt by Angelica but she kept it out of her voice. “With the others maybe, but I’m smart enough to learn from my mistakes. If he’s not up to the challenge then he won’t be walking away at all. Is that going to be a problem?”
“Not as far as I’m concerned, he’s been more useful than I initially thought but that usefulness is starting to run out. Now his temper is getting in the way of the mission and I just can’t afford that. Of course this is just our little secret.”
“And a secret’s what makes a woman a woman, right?”
“You’re catching on. Good luck Angelica.”
Cleo and Croma made their way to Angelica and took seats at the table. The Grand Mistress continued to watch Delilah retreat before finally teleporting away. “I don’t trust her Mistress, there is surely something up her sleeve.”
“I agree, from what I could hear it almost sounded like she was willing to sacrifice Readman for this mission of hers.” Croma added.
Angelica reached over and scratched Croma’s head. “That’s because she is. She strikes me as the type that would happily kill a comrade if it meant she got what she wanted. As far as she knows she’s getting what she wants from us so there’s nothing to worry about, but we’ll be long gone before it gets to the point I’m giving anything to her.”
“And what of Readman Mistress? How do you plan on getting to him in a place like Viridick?” The Grand Mistress asked.
“As I told her I learn from my mistakes. We won’t be fighting Readman in Viridick, he’s more than likely gotten the jump on us and already has their surveillance installed. There’s no reason to play to his strengths when we have our own. But more importantly, we personally won’t be fighting him at all.”
Croma moved her head closer to enjoy the scratch. “So we’ll be luring him out of the city, how?”
“By turning his strength into his weakness. Once the gym battle starts I’ll have to look for someone, once it’s almost over we’ll enact our part of the plan. The actual fighting will be left up to Gerard and whoever can be convinced to go along on this mission.” Angelica unclipped her phone from her side and started dialing a number. “But I’m going to need one person in particular to give me a hand.”
“Who?”
She raised her hand and took a trembling breath. “Boss… um… I have a request… No, my contacts say that Readman is heading to Viridick City soon, it’s going to be Gerard’s last chance to get him while he’s out in the open… Yes sir I’ll leave that to you… My request? I’ll need Sandra, Evan’s Demon-Goddess.”
_____
The following day, Avalanche Office, 1600
Marco had finally decided to take some time off from training and making plans. It was a rare occasion for him to use the unit’s personal bathroom but after all the stress he’d been through a nice hot soak in the tub seemed like a good idea. The harem had been given the day to rest and relax before tomorrow’s gym battle and had decided to go off and enjoy the beach near his childhood home.
Soft music was playing from his pokédex and he could barely pick-up the sound of footsteps going across the floor. “I thought I was alone in here.”
“You’re never alone.” Chris laughed before removing her towel and sliding into the water next to him. “How goes the wedding planning?”
Marco groaned and threw his head back before placing a towel over it. “You just had to bring it up, and here I thought I would be free and clear on that for a while.”
“Don’t tell me she’s getting to you, you’ll just have to get used to it I guess.”
“I have a lot of stuff to get used to... being a husband, being a father. It’s all happening pretty fast.”
Chris ducked under the water for a moment to get her hair wet then came back up. “And here I was thinking that you were all gung-ho, but it’s really early to be getting cold feet.”
“Who said I was getting cold feet, I’m looking forward to these new surprises. And I have a bunch of people to share them with.” He took the towel off his head then washed his face. “But what about you, never thought about settling down?”
“Eventually, Ariel’s happy with the way things are right now and I suppose that eventually we’ll want kids. Hopefully all this Team Rocket stuff will be behind us by then. I’m actually surprised by how well you’ve managed to deal with everything. I would have gone off the deep end by now.”
“There were a couple of days where things had gotten a bit sketchy. I was keeping a lot of stuff bottled up and reaching a boiling point but they helped to get me back on track. I promised Rietta I would turn things around and if anything I’ve always been a man of my word.”
Chris slid through the water and settled next to him. “That you have been, it’s one of the things that first made me attracted to you. But you have Kelly and the others who’ve all come to terms with the different relationships you have, and I have Ariel who actually gets pretty damn jealous at times.”
“I never would have guessed it, she tends to keep her distance most of the time so I haven’t spent any actual time with her…” Marco noticed the look she was giving him and stammered a little. “Not that I’ve been trying to spend extra time with her or anything?”
“But you’ve been tempted haven’t you.”
“Well as I’ve said before she’s quite attractive, we have some differing opinions on things and that would probably kill any kind of intimacy between the two of us; but yes, I’ve been tempted before.”
The detective laughed and jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow. “Nothing wrong with that, if you want I’m pretty sure I can work something out with her.” Chris purred seductively and threw one leg over his lap before settling down against him. “Or we could just pick up where we left off last time.”
Marco laugh before sliding his arms around her waist. “I hope this isn’t you being subtle, because I’d hate to see what you’re like undercover.”
“Last time I checked you already knew what I was like undercovers.”
“… I walked right into that.”
_____
Viridick City, 1200
Viridick city was easily one of the cleanest and safest cities in the Indigo league. Because of their extremely efficient police force crime was practically nonexistent. Harsh punishments were handed out for even small infractions and if a person only got a fine then the police were having a very good day. To go along with that there were strict laws regarding pokégirls, going so far as limiting the amount a tamer could have out in the open at a single time if not battling and making sure their weapons were secured. Most tamers didn’t bother staying in the city long after getting a gym badge.
Marco and Kelly had teleported in from the edge of the city and started their way towards the gym. The rest of the unit didn’t bother to enter the city and instead decided to rely on Isabella’s recon drones to keep tabs on them. Chris and Ariel had entered the city also and walked with them to the gym. The detective had heard a lot about the city’s amazingly low crime rate and wanted to get a firsthand look.
“Was it everything you thought it would be?” Asked Marco as he looked at his pokédex to navigate the streets.
“Yes… but it’s also disturbing. It feels so stark and unwelcoming.”
“Imagine if you were a pokégirl, I guess you’d be lucky if you were stuck in the pokéball. Otherwise you’d be constantly monitored, watched for any sudden movements, and punished for things that aren’t your fault.”
Ariel’s tail lashed around lazily. “Good thing I’m a police pokégirl. I’ll have slightly more freedom than most.”
“Don’t bring too much attention to yourself. We’ve had enough time to setup teleport points around the city but it doesn’t take long for things to go south.”
Kelly could just barely see one of the drones sitting atop a tall building. “Are you sure the others couldn’t take up positions around the city?”
Marco looked up then pointed down one of the side streets. “This way; after I had time to think about it I’m pretty sure that’s how Alexis and Nikki got spotted. For the sake of argument we have to believe that at least a few of the people in Team Rocket are as smart as we are. We were all in the same area after what happened to Alex so there’s a good chance they know exactly what we look like now. On the other hand we only know the key players on their side so we’re at a slight disadvantage.”
“I guess you’re right.” Kelly nodded in agreement. “How far do we have left to go?”
“Three blocks. We’ll be there soon.” Clicking his ear piece he pulled up Isabella’s line. “Bella, how’s it looking?”
Viridick City was one of three cities in the Indigo League to have an airship airport and because of its proximity most of the city was designated as restricted airspace. This effectively kept the Mecha Musume grounded. “Everything is fine Colonel, I’ve patched into the citywide surveillance net and can track you all easily enough.”
“Good, I don’t suppose you were able to get the facial recognition program running as well?”
“No sir, not without putting them on alert. I couldn’t get authorization to run it in the first place and I’m fairly sure they would be pressing charges if I hacked their system like I was planning to.”
“Almost makes me wish I kept one of the VideoGirls from… that place.” Marco corrected himself before actually speaking the name Sanctuary out loud. “It’s a pity but no hacking, I seem to have enough people pissed at me, no need to be accused of compromising the security of an entire city. Be sure to keep us updated.”
“Will do Colonel.”
They finally made it to the gym but stopped on the outside. The exterior appeared to be made to resemble an ancient roman coliseum, complete with a mural carved into the stone. While an exquisite piece of art in and of itself Marco couldn’t quite agree with the chain of events it was depicting. To his relief he didn’t see Brock’s name on it.
Chris checked her watch and gave him a pat on the back. “This is the end of the line for us.”
“Heading off to enjoy the sights of the city?” Marco asked in response.
“This whole city is even cleaner than the rumors would suggest, I mean I really could eat off the sidewalk.”
Kelly laughed. “I wouldn’t recommend you drop anything, might get arrested for littering before you have the chance to pick it up.”
“True enough, but either way we’re going to grab something to eat and have a look around. Isabella will be watching us right?”
There was a short burst of static in her headset followed by the voice of the Mecha Musume. “As long as you’re out there I’ll have my eye on you.”
“Then we’ll be back in time to greet you after the battle is done. Good luck.” Chris and Ariel waved as they started down the street again.
Kelly turned to Marco and eyed him suspiciously. “Did you sleep with her again?”
“I did, we talked for a bit while I was in the bath then one thing kinda lead to another.” He explained before bending down and giving her a kiss on the lips. “Not getting jealous again are you?”
“No, no, she just seemed to be in a particularly good mood today. Good dick generally has that effect. Why, do I have a reason to be jealous?”
“I would hope not, having my fiancé pissed at me would be a grave mistake.” His eyes turned to the giant doors. “Last one, let’s get this over with.”
Marco was thankful that the doors were automated, requiring only a simple button press to open them, but the sight he saw when they opened made his blood boil. He’d heard of the rumors about the gyms reception area but never imagined it to be true. The lobby was mostly a wide open space but in the center were taxidermy-treated pokégirls. Each girl was nude and shown in a shamefully erotic pose, and if not erotic then primal and animalistic. There were even a few extinct species on display.
His attention was pulled away when the tamer came racing out of the battle arena clutching his pokéballs. There was a lot of blood on his clothes but he appeared to be unharmed. As he ran he passed by the display causing Marco to look at it again. He spotted what would be an adorable Diva, down on all fours with a microphone cord poking out of her crotch.
“I’m suddenly very happy Carrie is in the ball…” Marco muttered to himself.
“And why is that tamer?” Asked the deep voice from the side.
Marco’s eyes cut to the side to see Gendo Giovanni approaching from the same direction the younger tamer had just ran from. “She was a Diva once and I don’t think she would have appreciated this particular piece.”
Giovanni was tall and rather imposing for an older man. “Well no, I don’t suppose she would. But what about you?”
“My sentiments would mirror hers. Just not my thing, more so a fan of Brock Stuart’s work.”
Kelly had managed to hold her temper same as Marco but had to look away. “Well I think it’s detestable.”
Giovanni knew Kelly was a pokégirl at first sight and looked down at her. “No one asked you what you think.”
Marco smirked at Giovanni and rest his hand on Kelly’s shoulder. “Hey Kel, what do you think of the display?”
It was reasons like this that Kelly loved Marco. Most tamers would have just gotten mad or not said anything at all but being the gentleman that he was, Marco held the door wide opened for her. “I think it sucks, it’s detestable, barbaric, sadistic crap that only a deviant would think was good.”
“And there you have it, everyone’s a critic.” Marco grinned outwardly, though smoldering on the inside.”
Giovanni smirked. “Well yes, I do believe that this piece would be a bit much for those who are of weak constitution or just so blinded by lust that they forgot what these creatures almost did to humanity. The whole world plunged into darkness by a single disturbed scientist who saw fit to unleash these abominations on the world.”
“If history serves me correctly it was called the Revenge War for a reason. Governments, reporters, and closed minded individuals all forming their opinions on things they didn’t understand. Which was fine, everybody is entitled to their opinions, but taking away the people somebody loves because you don’t understand them… it was a bit excessive and uncalled for.”
“Why? Do you support creatures clearly designed to be subservient? Their very nature, their very GENETIC CODE makes them inferior to us!” Giovanni spoke harshly while pointing at the display.
"Subservient?” He glanced at Kelly and thought about many back and forth arguments he’d had with Avalanche as a whole. “Maybe so, but now we depend on each other. If they are subservient now a days it's because they were conditions to be so."
“Conditioned. In the same way pets and animals can be. You wish to cultivate relationships with these abominations? I wish to cultivate the advancement and re-rising of humanity.”
Once again Marco raised an eyebrow but kept his temper in check. "As a member of the Indigo Military I know all about conditioning. You can do it to a human just as easily as a pokégirl."
“Different circumstances. With humans, you train them for survival. With pokégirls, it's 'sit,' 'stay,' and 'don't pee on the carpet.'”
"You have any children?” Marco scoffed. “Because I’m pretty sure that's how we all started out. You teach them right from wrong, how to behave, and how to survive. Pokégirls just seem to have a jump on the whole survival thing.”
Something about what Marco said struck a chord with the gym leader. “MY children aren't ANIMALS. THESE creatures…” he spoke harshly again, gesturing towards the display but looking at Kelly. “Are the bastardized abominations of a madman bent on replacing humanity. Why do you want to help him?!”
Marco stepped in front of Kelly to get her out of his view. He could feel her getting madder and didn’t want her proving him right. “Help him? He's long dead, and I don't get the option of helping who I want. I serve the league and the people. I just happen to do it with the help of pokégirls. It's my whole unit, I trust them with my life and they put theirs on the line for everyone else."
“Pokégirls are beasts. They cannot be fully trusted. They're animals, savage and untamed, even the so-called 'human-like' ones, which is practically blasphemous in my view. Just because someone is dead doesn't mean his machinations end. Mine certainly won't.” Giovanni spoke grimly.
“If they couldn't be tamed or trusted then I doubt you and I would be having this conversation. If humans were never able to co-exist with pokégirls then they would have wiped us out in the war and been done with it."
Giovanni settled back against a pillar and crossed his arms. “Co-existing? You're delusional. We've suppressed them. Our natural human superiority has cowed these beasts. And now that we've done that, we need to purge them. Purge all pokégirl DNA from humanity so we can thrive again.”
“You’re calling me delusional?” Marco’s face turn to a look of confusion. “What you’re suggesting is impossible by this point, there are very few 'pure blood' humans left. As long as we've been procreating with them, as long as they've been having our children, and as long as there is a chance for threshold, there will always be a chance for pokégirls.”
“Hmph. Your denial of what obviously should be done to protect humanity from these creatures does little to help your case. And honestly, a purging of race-traitors does sound quite lovely. Limit the poisoned gene pool, as it were. Leave only pure lines, such as myself.”
The confusion that once plagued Marco was replaced with a slight look of stunned shock, but he let it go and hardened his expression. “If history has taught us anything at all, it’s that a line of thinking like that will never prevail. You could have your followers yes, but it would never be enough. Decent people would always resist, as will their pokégirls. And fighting for the right to live is always the best motivator."
“True. Decent people will always resist the tyranny of others. Decent people like me. Don't think you're in the right here, whelp. I've been fighting for humanity's safety and prosperity ever since I could use the toilet without help.” He spoke sternly and lifted himself from the pillar. “And one more thing - living is not a right. It's a privilege. One that pokégirls do not deserve.” Giovanni sighed, taking a deep breath to calm himself, and face palming. “Well, I can see that we're not going to get along at all, now are we? Let's just drop it for now and save the obvious planned homicide attempts for later, shall we? Let's see... you're here for a 'gym match,' yes? Come then. Let's see if you're worthy of the little trinket the League makes me give out.”
Marco actually found the idea of attempted murder funny. Considering how many times Team Rocket tried to kill him already, he wouldn’t mind another person lining up to take a shot. "Just because we don't agree doesn't mean we can't get along. Your opinion is your own and could be as bad as mine, depending on who you ask. But yes, this is my last stop for gym battles. And judging by that kid you sent crying you're just as good as rumored to be."
The gym leader smirked and nodded his head. “Hmph. You may be a blasphemer, but at least you're respectful. Your entrance is on the left. Mine is to the right. Oh, and don't mind the theatrics. Lesser Tamers tend to get scared off by them. And I find their tears amusing.”
“I’ve been called worse. And if nothing else I believe we both may have something in common; we both believe pity is wasted on the weak in a battle field." He started towards his entrance but paused. “What are the terms of the battle?”
“Normally it would be the standard fair best of three battle, but for someone as idealistic as yourself I think something special is in order. We’ll do best of three team battles, two per side, the catch is that the first girl to get incapacitated loses the round for her partner as well. I’ll assume you have the necessary six?”
Marco unclipped his pokédex from his belt and pressed a few buttons. “That I do, let’s get this over with.”
Kelly watched Giovanni walk away then yanked Marco by the hand. “What the hell was that, you just let him say those things and hardly even defended me?”
“Butcher was right to warn us about dealing with him. That kind of person is akin to a religious fanatic, they don’t compromise their views and it’s a waste of time to try and make them think differently.”
The Duelist wasn’t placated by the explanation he gave and felt hurt by the things that were said. “Whatever… who are you calling in to be the sixth pokégirl?”
“No one, I just took you off the non-combat list.” Marco cracked a smile as he watched her expression change from frustration to confusion. “Hey, he did just insult my fiancé and my family right to my face. So I have absolutely zero issues watching you tear his harem apart.” Turning his head in a silly but offended manner he looked towards the ceiling. “If I were younger I’d call my mommy to deal with the mean man.”
Kelly laughed and threw her arms around him in a tight hug. “You are such an ass hole at times, thanks for the opportunity to show him what I think about his ideals.”
Once he got into the hallway leading up to his entrance to the gym he released the rest of his harem. “Change of plans ladies. These are paired team battles to the best of three, but if one girl from the team has to be recalled then you both lose the round. Figure out who you want to work with and let’s put this self-righteous son of a bitch in his place.”
Chesra eyed both Marco and Kelly, she could see the tension in their shoulders and felt the aggravation coming from them. “If it’s ok with her then I’ll work with Carrie.” She suggested and watched the Mistress nod in approval.”
“I’ll pair up with Ashley.” Jean stated coolly. “She and I work fairly well together.”
“Excellent.” Marco spoke in approval. “That means you’re paired with Kel Bernie, think you can handle that?”
“Aye sir, the Alpha and I’ll tie ‘em to the mast and give ‘em a lashin they not soon be forgettin.” Bernadette spoke proudly.
Kelly looked at Marco pleadingly and shook her head. She liked Bernadette well enough but if their winning the battle was dependent on communication they were going to have problems. Marco quickly caught wind of her distress and cleared his throat to get the Piratit’s attention. “Bernie, if you’re going to work with Kelly then you can’t use piratical speech. It makes you hard to understand and this battle is really important to her… both of us.”
The Piratit shook her head vigorously then nodded. “Of course love, I’ll try to speak clearly until we win. I guess I’m just excited.”
Pulling her close he kissed her gently on the lips. “I know, you two haven’t really fought on a team together much but between her powers and your combat prowess yours will be a hard act to follow.” Moving to the side he turned to address all of them at once. “This is the final gym ladies and this man does not fuck around. Kelly and I saw his last opponent leaving in tears and covered in blood… but we’re better than that. Ashe, Jean, you two have the first fight, be careful and watch each other’s backs. Remember, if one of you goes down then you both lose. Take it slow and go for the weakest target. Give it everything you’ve got.”
“And then some more!” The six girls each nodded firmly and checked their weapons. Kelly reached into her poképack and retrieved her card vest and belt.
~~~~~
The doors opened inward to reveal the field they’d be fighting on. Sand and large rocks littered the battle field, the center line was made out of lime stone and the out of bounds lines were thick and hip height. They could feel the ground start to shake and watched the lights dim. Across on the other side Giovanni’s doors opened; throwing rocks and random debris onto the field. His pokégirls tunneled up from underground and yelled out as they surfaced. Each of them barely wore enough clothing to keep them covered and all wore thick collars.
“I guess I can see how that may put some newbies on edge!” Marco yelled across the field.
“Everybody’s a critic right! I see you let them dress as though they are real people blasphemer, it’s a sad state of affairs!”
“Actually I make them wear this uniform, gonna be a team gotta dress like one!” The members of the harem who weren’t around for the discussion they had earlier seemed to be instantly pissed off by Giovanni’s comments but took their cues from their master and relaxed. “So we gonna yell back and forth all day or we gonna fight?! I believe the opening move is yours oh great Harem Master!”
“Smart Ass! Shamshel, Gaghiel, go! Leave his girls face down in the dirt.” Giovanni commanded with a crack of his whip.
The Rhynodame and Ursine bellowed loudly and stepped obediently over the walls and into the battle field. Marco could see blood marks on the grey skin of the Rhynodame and knew it had to have come from one of the pokégirls she’d beaten. He knew Giovanni was a SEELE elitist but he was also a gym leader and wouldn’t send an injured girl into battle. Shamshel morphed into her animalistic form sprouting a large horn in the middle of her head and standing at nine feet despite being on all fours. Gaghiel didn’t waste any time climbing onto her back and unleashing a large mace from a pouch on her side.
Marco whistled quietly to himself and was about to switch the order around when Ashley and Jean leapt over the wall. “You two be careful out there.”
The pair didn’t say anything back, but stepped forward onto their starting line. Ashley pulled her picks from her back and eyed her opponents. She knew she was much faster than they were but from the looks of things they were a lot stronger. Jean didn’t even attempt to hide what she was, letting all nine of her tails go free and pulsing power through them. The countdown timer started and platforms dropped from the ceiling. Marco looked across the way and watched Giovanni step into his then get lifted higher to get a full view of the field and quickly followed suit.
Ashley glanced towards the clock. “I’ll engage first and you back me up with whatever you have.”
“If you can keep them off me I’ll have a chance to set up my illusions. From the look of things they’ll be working as one.” The buzzer sounded and the Rhynodame launched for her position in a charge while the Ursine spun her mace. “Go!”
Sparks flew as the Ria sprinted towards both girls. The sand was slowing her down a little but with her enhanced speed she was quickly closing the distance. Shamshel lowered her head in preparation for a massive headbutt but Ashley attacked first, stepping on the girl’s head and spinning off to the side before smacking Gaghiel in the side of the head with her hammer, knocking her off the Rhynodame’s back. This didn’t stop Shamshel from continuing her charge and Jean was now the intended target.
Gaghiel shook her head once then eye the Ria with murderous intent. Ashley swung for the fences in an attempt to knock the bear out but her weapon was knocked away by the mace. Swinging with the other one she landed a clean hit but panicked when the girl wasn’t fazed by it. The Ursine roared and reached forward to grab the Ria but Ashley was too fast, circling around to the side and throwing a haymaker Thunder Punch. Once again the attack didn’t seem to have any affect other than to enrage her opponent. Ashely began to back away, noticing her pick a few feet back she lunged and grabbed it, throwing an intense amount of electricity into it she was hell bent on finally doing some damage.
On the other side of the field Jean was trying her best to stay out of reach of the rampaging Rhynodame. Each time the girl would get close Jean teleported a short distance away in a different direction. She could see Ashely having a hard time of her own and had a plan to even things out. Using her illusions Jean altered the girl’s vision so that the only thing she could see was herself. With every teleport she turned the girl more and more towards Ashley and Gaghiel.
‘Ashley, try and get that Ursine’s attention to focus completely on you, I’m sending help your way.’
‘Well you’d better hurry, my attacks aren’t doing shit!’
Jean had managed to maneuver Shamshel into position so that she was in line with Gaghiel and started flickering backwards. Sure enough the Rhynodame lowered her head and charged, running full steam towards her partners back. Ashley had crouched down and was prepared to move, waiting until the moment was just right then leaping out of the way.
“Gaghiel, slingshot!” Giovanni commanded with a crack of his whip.
The Ursine pivoted in the sand, turning at the last moment then grabbing Shamshel by the horn and redirecting her towards where Ashley had landed. The Ria reacted on instinct, pressing the handle of her pick against her chest and jumping backwards as the headbutt struck. There was enough force behind the hit to send her rolling across the ground and into one of the bordering walls with a sickening crack.
For a moment it looked as though the Ria was out cold but slowly she began to stand. One of her legs was broken and her arm had been dislocated. Her eyes shot forward to see Gaghiel riding Shamshel, both of them making a beeline right for her. “Fffffuck…” She closed her eyes and braced for the impact but when none came she opened them again.
Jean had suddenly appeared in front of Ashley, her tails whipping wildly as she unleashed the full force of her psychic powers. Both opponents were suspended in the air and spun randomly as the Kyubi’s power fluctuated. With an explosion of psychic energy she hurled both girls back to the opposite side of the field. “Can you still fight?”
“I have one arm and one leg, my powers are damn near useless, and I have sand in my eyes… yeah I’m good to go.”
Jean nudged Ashley in her bad leg to make sure she had her attention. “Seriously, can you still send attacks out… without holding back anymore?”
“Fuck, can’t you see it’s broken!” Ashley cried out before taking a breath and steadying herself by using her weapon as a crutch. “Just keep them way over there and I’ll do what I can.”
With a nod Jean flickered and teleported away to stand between the two girls as they picked themselves back up. Pulling a set of knives from her pockets she jumped between them then kicked Shamshel in the chest before pushing off and landing a spinning slash against Gaghiel. The Ursine retaliated by swinging with the mace but just when she was about to make contact Jean vanished. No matter how much they searched neither of them could find the nine tailed fox. That was until Gaghiel started howling in pain and rolling on the ground with nearly a dozen throwing knives sticking out of her back.
Jean suddenly appeared hovering over the back of the Rhynodame and with a flip came down and jammed two of her ring knives into the girl’s back. The sudden surge of pain caused Shamshel to rise up and start running leaving Jean to hold on. Gaghiel was back on her feet and eyed the path her partner was taking and hurled her mace with all the force she could muster. Jean had been too preoccupied with her wild ride to notice the incoming projectile until it was too late and took the hit square in the chest, knocking her off the Rhynodame’s back and onto the ground.
Gaghiel went down to all fours in her charge and leapt through the air to pounce. Moments away from landing she saw a bright ball of light heading for her and defying gravity and physics, managed to maneuver herself out of the way in time to avoid the ball of electricity. Her attention turned to Ashley who was still bracing herself against the wall but launched another bolt. Shamshel jumped forward to intercept the bolt and didn’t even flinch as it impacted on her side.
Having been knocked for a loop, Jean was finally starting to crawl back to her feet but one look up had both girls towering over her. Gaghiel raised both her arms high above her head then brought them down but clashed against the psychic shield. This did nothing to prevent the bear from pounding away in an attempt to force her way through the barrier and Shamshel quickly followed suit. Ashley continued to send bolts of electricity but without both arms and unable to get into the proper stance her power was severely limited.
All of Jean’s concentration was going into keeping her shield up and she was quickly running out of power. When the Rhynodame turned and mule kicked the barrier it finally shattered and force the Kyubi back into the stone wall. Both opponents were in positions to deal the final blow and Jean was prepared for the worst when the return beam fired and took her off the field.
Back on Marco’s side Kelly and Bernadette were helping Ashley over the wall and off the field. The platform had dropped and Marco released Jean who held her head down in disappointment. “I’m sorry Marco, we couldn’t get the first win.”
She was startled when he pulled her into a hug and looked her over. As always his voice was low and comforting. “Its ok, that was a bad fight for you two from the word go. Are you ok?”
“Nothing bruised but my ego.”
“Is she ok, what about me? I’m the one with the broken leg and the ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!” Ashely screamed out as Chesra quickly put her arm back in its socket. When she opened her eyes again he was already in front of her and pulled her into a hug as well. “Ok, I guess… yeah… I’m ok.”
“Just didn’t want to hurt you anymore than you already were.”
Marco was going to say more but their moment was cut short by Giovanni’s yelling across the field. “Hey tamer! Your girls lost and you still praise them!? Just what I would expect from a pokégirl loving blasphemer!”
“They tried their best and feel bad enough for losing! My punishing them wouldn’t change what happened!”
Giovanni sent his next two girls out onto the field; the Ogress didn’t look too menacing in her pre monster form and neither did the Clydesdame but they had already been scanned and Marco knew better. “Whatever! Soft hearts like yours are exactly what’s wrong with this world!”
“You’re about to find out just what my soft heart is capable of!” Marco was finally starting to lose his patience with Giovanni’s comments and addressed Carrie and Chesra. “You two be extra careful out there. They may not look like much now but they can pack a serious punch.”
Carrie gripped her sword and let the rainbow of colors flash through her eyes. “You think they pack a punch? That’s the last time he’s going to insult you in our presence.” Pulling her shield and war hammer from her pack Chesra nodded in agreement. “Ready?”
"Very."
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Alpha- Kelly- Duelist |
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Delta |
Echo |
Indigo |
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Beta- Chesra- Archangel |
Beta- Henrietta- Charred Ghostrider |
Beta- Mina- Kunoichi |
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Arianna- War Hound |
Field Beta- Selena- Caphoochie |
Zianna- Wolf Queen |
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Kim- Bombshell |
Rebecca- Smokey |
Renae- Ice Princess |
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Nikki- SexSlash |
Lily- Belle Awesome |
Isabella- Mecha Musume |
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Emaline- Fire Maiden |
Alexis- Cherub- KIA |
Tam- Catgirl |
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Ilene- Imp |
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Leona- Lamia- KIA |
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Harem
Chesra- Co-Alpha
Henrietta- Co-Alpha
Carrie- Mistress (M)
Ashley- Ria
Jean- Kyubi
Bernadette- Piratit