The battle between Marco and Giovanni was entering the second round and things were about to pick up. It was make or break time for Marco, after having Jean and Ashley lose their match Carrie and Chesra would have to get a win or the match would be over. But from the look of things the mentor and her student weren’t going to stop until they had the win, if for no other reason than to take the wind out of Giovanni’s sails.
Both girls leapt over the short wall and landed in the sand. Their opposite number had been waiting patiently for them to enter and stared at them as they got settled. The Clydesdame had already morphed into her centaurian form, putting her height at an impressive twelve feet and giving her a more imposing look. To go along with that the Ogress had begun shifting into her monster out form to stand at an even eight feet. Both girls wielded a gladius as her primary weapon and a spear, though both were resized for their various heights.
Carrie pulled her blade from its sheath and eyed both girls maliciously. “Any specific ideas on how you want to play this?”
“Divide and conquer.” Chesra spoke in a low tone, crouching down slightly and keeping her shield low. “I’ll take the Clydesdame, can you handle the Ogress?”
“We’re winning this, I’ll do what I must… just short of killing her.”
“Good enough for me. I’ll take this half of the field you can have the other half.”
The buzzer sounded before Carrie could answer and all four girls were off, charging their way to the center of the field. Chesra held her speed at a match to Carrie’s but ran outward at a slight angle to increase the space between them. When the two girls met their swords clashed with a ear piercing clang and enough force to blow the sand away from between them. Ramiel tried to stab with the spear but Chesra countered by guarding with the shield then placed her hand against the Clydesdame just long enough to teleport them both to her side of the field.
Carrie didn’t engage the Ogress directly, using her telekinesis to throw up a blast of sand and slid between her legs before springing back up and spin kicking her in the back of the head. Matariel spun around quickly to stab with the spear but missed when the Mistress backed up. Enraged by the narrow miss the Ogress continued attacking, missing with her spear and having her gladius parried. Carrie wasn’t ready to fully clash against Matariel just yet and continued to make it appear as if she was being pushed back to increase the distance between the Ogress and her partner.
Matariel gripped her spear and growled. “Little girl keeps backing away, afraid to get hit!”
“Can’t think of a reason I should be.”
Ramiel was having a fit trying to combat Chesra. The Archangel had taken everything the Clydesdame could throw at her and was dealing it back in equal measure. Marco had continued to watch the fight from above, even though it was going well he knew how to tip the scales more in his favor. Reaching out with the delta bond he contacted both girls. ‘Chesra, I want you to use a spell to boost your strength then switch opponents with Carrie.’
Chesra summoned her wings and hovered in the air just long enough to kick Ramiel’s spear to the ground then knee the centaur in the chest before flipping away. ‘Are you sure, I have this one well in hand.’
‘Yes I’m sure, Carrie has the advantage with her extra weapons and you have a type advantage. Carrie, the Clydesdame is all legs, use your chains and take that away from her.’
‘Yes Master. Chesra, switch on the count of three.’ Carrie was intentionally dropping her guard and leaving open shots, all while psychically connecting her eyes to Marco and Chesra. ‘Come in from the right side. One… two… three!’
Carrie tripped and fell backwards into the sand leaving an opening Matariel couldn’t help but try and capitalize on. As expected, the Ogress clenched her spear tightly and drove it down towards Carrie’s chest in an attempt to deal a finishing blow. Just as the spear was about to make contact the Mistress vanished and Chesra teleported in fast from the side, hitting Matariel square across the face with the shield and knocking her backwards to the ground. The wings of the Archangel began to glow and with a high jump backwards she shot into the air then threw her wings forward to unleash Empty Daggers. For a moment I didn’t look as though Chesra had done anything, then the winds picked up, blowing sand into the Ogress’s face and causing several cuts to appear on her body.
Chesra landed again and readied her sword and shield, waiting to see if her opponent would get back to her feet. Sure enough Matariel began to get back up. “You could just stay down, I promise I wouldn’t think any less of you.”
“We win or get punished.”
It was the first time any of Giovanni’s girls spoke and there was intense fear in her voice. “Then I’m sorry in advance.” Chesra spoke softly. She wasn’t going to throw the match to keep the girl out of trouble. When the Ogress began pounding the ground and going into a rage Chesra backed up and started casting a spell. “Or maybe not.”
Ramiel had tried to stab Carrie since the moment she appeared out of nowhere and slashed her across the side with her sword. She was hoping the smaller girl without the armor would be easier to deal with but things just weren’t going her way. The centaurian pokégirl was actually so much taller than Carrie that she was having a hard time tracking her movements, not that Carrie was making things easy for her. Between the use of her psychic powers and her constant moving she was hard to pin down and when she struck she would quickly move back out of range.
“Stand still you whore!” Ramiel cried out as she tried to slash with the gladius.
Carrie stopped moving and gripped her sword, her eyes changing to a vibrant shade of green as the power of the Crystalline Giantess flowed through her. “Take your best shot.”
The Clydesdame yelled out and stabbed forward with the spear, intent on driving it straight through Carries chest, then she was stunned. Giovanni had informed them of what pokégirls they were fighting and that the Mistress would clearly be the easiest target. But when Carrie grabbed the spear and stopped her momentum completely Ramiel could feel her heart sink.
“How… there’s no way you can be as strong as me…”
“You’re right…” Carrie growled out, tightening her grip and crushing the end of the spear before shooting forward and hitting the girl with an uppercut that sent her flying backwards. “I’m much stronger!”
There wasn’t much in the world that surprised Giovanni anymore but even he was shocked at what he’d just seen. “There’s no way that’s possible, how did she do that tamer?!”
Marco flashed a vicious grin. “That soft heart of mine allowed me to give her a weapon no reasonable person would let any pokégirl have, especially a person like you. Wait, I’m done being soft hearted for today. Carrie, I’m sick of her running around, be a dear and remove her legs.”
“Yes sir!” Carrie yelled out before breaking the chains off from her arm guards.
Ramiel shook her head and climbed back to her feet just in time to watch the sets of chains fall to the ground and bury themselves in the sand. She’d heard what Marco had said and wasn’t going to let Carrie get close enough to act out his orders. In a burst of speed she took off and began galloping towards Matariel in hope of being able to gang up on the Archangel, but from the side she could see something plowing its way through the sand at an angle to cut her off.
Things hadn’t been going well for Matariel since Chesra finished casting her spell. Between the speed and power enhancing rings and the empowering effects of the spell Chesra had surpassed her and strength and was dishing out a savage beating. The Clydesdame was only a few dozen yards away from Chesra when Carrie’s chains shot from the ground like a viper, encircling each of her legs and tearing through the flesh and bone. Carrie appeared before her and clenched her hand, sending a psychic order to the chains the caused them to tighten and tear each of the centaurian pokégirls legs off. Matariel moved to assist her but was yanked back by her braided ponytail and thrown back to the ground.
Chesra hesitated from but a moment before Henrietta’s words came back to her. ‘…but you already know that anything goes in pokébattles. So ditch the honor and fight like your life depends on it.’ Grabbing her shield with both hands she brought the edge of it down on Matariel’s bicep, tearing through the muscle and crushing the bones underneath. Even through the girl’s wail of pain she continued, jumping on top of her and hitting her across the face as hard as she could.
Ramiel was in pain as well and helpless as Carrie slowly closed in on her. One eye of the Mistress stayed green while the other switched to red and her sword ignited. “So, I guess I can control two powers at once, what a pity for you.” The Clydesdame reached out to grab her then instantly regretted it when her arm was cut off at the shoulder. There was a low rumble in Carrie’s voice as the Mozouku made her presence known. “Mistress, can we please add this one to your collection?” “Silence, she has nothing I want.”
There was nothing more Giovanni could do. Both of his girls had been soundly defeated and he knew it. It aggravated him to no end to recall the girls and with a disgusted grunt he threw the two balls at Shamshel. “Get Ramiel healed then take them both to the taming room. I’ll deal with them after I’m done with the blasphemer.”
The Rhynodame caught both balls and stared at them with a sad expression. “Just Ramiel Master?”
“Yes just her, and if you question me again you’ll be joining them.”
Shamshel dropped to her knees and bowed before him despite his still being on the platform. “Yes Master, right away Master.” She groveled quickly before standing and running off.
Giovanni turned his attention back to Marco and hardened his expression. “I thought you cared about pokégirls, giving an order like that doesn’t make you much better than me.”
“Hey, they don’t belong to me and were in the way of my goal. Kinda falls onto the long sad list of not my problem.” Marco replied back in an equally harsh tone. “Besides, I’m not the one who let them continue fighting a losing battle… oh great Harem Master.”
Giovanni crossed his arms and laughed. “Anyone ever tell you you’re a real smartass?”
“My girls do, at least once a week, I just don’t see a reason to punish them for being right most of the time.”
“There’s that soft heart again. We’ll wait for Shamshel to return before we continue, it’s always important for them to know what their fate is after a match.”
“Whatever.” Marco’s platform lowered back to the ground just as Carrie and Chesra were climbing over the wall. “That was great work you two. If it weren’t against the rules I’d be sending you back out again.” His smile faltered when he saw the look on Chesra’s face. “You ok love?”
“Yeah… fine I guess. It’s just… I could see the fear in her eyes as she was getting recalled. It’s not right…”
“I know it isn’t, but there’s nothing we can do. It’s not like I could challenge him to a salvage battle and take them away from him. And even if I could I’d never risk one of you ending up in the same situation.” He explained and placed his hand gently against her cheek before sliding it around to the back of her head to massage her neck. “Try not to think about it.” Chesra nodded and went to where Ashley was sitting. She didn’t have time to fix the girl’s broken leg before she had to fight and was going to do it to keep her mind occupied. Carrie on the other hand had gotten out of her chain vest and removed her arm guards so she could hug her master without hurting him. “Thank you for following my orders out there, I know it’s not something that’s common for either of us outside of operations.”
“Didn’t bother me any.” Carrie stated without a second thought. “The battle needed to be won and it was a good way to cut her down to size.”
Marco just shook his head before giving her a kiss. “I’m starting to think you guys have been spending too much time with Rietta. That sounds exactly like something she’d say.”
~~~~~
“Aaaahhhhhcccchooo!” Henrietta sneezed loudly. She checked the room temperature, which was comfortable for her then opened her phone to see the picture of Marco she had for her background. “I’m gonna slap you when you get home.”
Hiyori glanced to her side, taking her eyes off the monitors for only a moment. “You say something Henrietta?”
“Just making a mental note. How ya doing over there?”
“It would be inappropriate for me to go into detail on all the other things I’d rather be doing right now, but suffice to say, I’m bored. There are three jobs I’ve always hated in the military, standing watch, being a monitor, and guard duty.”
Henrietta laughed and took a sip of her tea. “I hope you don’t think you’re here to guard me.”
“Not at all, my intention was to be with the Colonel while he was in Viridick but he said my time would better be served trying to keep you out of trouble, fruitless as it may be.”
“Keep me out of trouble?” Henrietta thought for a moment on all the things that could possibly go wrong over the course of the day and tilted her head. “Yeeahhh I could see that being an issue. But in my current state it would need to be a dire emergency… dire, Dire Wolf. Oh my god… his sense of humor is starting to rub off on me.” She groaned and buried her face in her hands.
Isabella glanced to the side and at the two of them then sighed. “You know you two really don’t need to be here. No one else from our side is in the city but Chris and Ariel, and I’ll be watching her quite closely.”
“I think we’re getting in her way.” Henrietta suggested politely. “Bella isn’t a big fan of people hanging over her shoulder when she’s working, not that I can blame her really.” Standing up she placed her hand on the Mecha Musume’s shoulder. “Let us know the second the Colonel is done with his battle, I want to be ready to move when he leaves.”
“Yes ma’am. As soon as he exits the building I’ll put everyone on alert.”
“Ok, let’s go and leave her to her work.”
_____
Edo League, Oran Residence
Angelica knelt down and gave her sleeping son a gentle kiss on the forehead. “Rest well son, mommy has to go to work now… one last time.” Sevon watched from the doorway and lowered her head when Angelica turned to look in her direction. As she passed she grabbed her battle coat from the coatrack. “You’re sure about this?”
“Yes ma’am.” The Guard Maid nodded.
“Well it’s your decision, I can understand you not wanting to face them after what happened. Just be sure to look after Matt while I’m gone. I’ll be back by morning.”
“But… what if you don’t come back?”
“I’m coming back for my son.” Angelica spoke harshly but relaxed when Sevon winched. “I have no intention on fighting anyone… but if worse comes to worse. If I’m not back by tomorrow night, I want you to go to the pokécenter with Matt. Tell them he was kidnapped and that you’re trying to get him back to Foreplay Island in the Indigo League. Then take him to the Readman’s place. No matter what happens there’s going to be someone from Avalanche left alive, they will remember you and take things from there.”
Sevon nodded then thought for a moment. “What about contacting… her?”
“I swear, you call her and, assuming I’m dead, I will come back and haunt you for the rest of your days. You keep her out of this… if all goes to plan then she won’t be an issue anyway. But that’s not the point, just look after him until I get back.” She commanded before heading out to the living room. The rest of her harem was already there and prepared for battle, among them was the Demon-goddess Sandra. “Everybody ready to go?”
Sandra stepped forward and looked Angelica in the eye. “Not that I don’t appreciate your requesting me and getting me out of that cell they placed me in, but why did you ask for me specifically?”
“Because you’ve dealt with our targets, that means you have experience with them which is something that is lacking on our end of things.”
“You know… I haven’t forgotten that you left Evan and me for dead back in Lavenderrier.”
“I bet you haven’t, honestly I was hoping Readman would have been more efficient when it came to dealing with him. On the other hand it gave me the opportunity to put my own personal touch on Evan’s demise.” Each of the other girls went motionless and began to look back and forth between the two of them. The eyes of the Demon-Goddess were fixed in a state of confusion that was only enhanced when Angelica’s hand shot forward and locked around her throat. She had begun manipulating Sandra’s emotions and now that the cat was out of the bag she was going to run with it. “Oh yes, I played a part in your former Master’s death. Readman probably wasn’t aware of it at the time but he more than likely knows by now. This isn’t a problem is it?”
Sandra shook her head as best as she could and held her neck defensively when Angelica let go. “No ma’am, it’s not a problem at all. It probably wouldn’t surprise you to know that I’m happy he’s dead. Even the punishment I received for leaving him with Arianna wasn’t as bad as being stuck with him… so if anything I guess I owe you my gratitude.”
“I don’t need your gratitude sweetheart, I just need you to follow my orders.”
The Demon-goddess nodded and summoned her key-staff. “They will be done, where are we heading now?”
“We’ll be retrieving Tessa and Andzral from their base, then you all will be meeting up with Gerard and the teams we were able to get. I’ll be on my own mission with Chio but will meet you all at the designated location.”
“What’s the designated location?”
Angelica thought for a moment, she didn’t want to give away the specifics just yet. “The same place I gave you an apple.”
_____
Viridick City Gym
Shamshel returned to the gym looking even sadder than when she’d left in the first place. They all knew there was a price to pay for losing a round during a gym battle. She only hoped that Israfel and Sachiel could win the final match and keep them all from having to pay the same price. As she looked onto the battle field she could tell her Alpha wasn’t going to be fooling around and would work extra hard to make up for being paired with the Zeromer. Israfel was tough and had won her share of battles but always seemed to choke when under intense pressure. Sachiel on the other hand was all business and knew how to use the field to her advantage.
But when she looked to the opposition she wasn’t filled with confidence. It wasn’t the Piratit that concerned her, she had fair advantages over the Zeromer but didn’t look as though she was taking things seriously while she talked with the rest of her harem. The Duelist on the other hand was very serious. She wasn’t moving, she wasn’t talking; she was just standing there with her eyes closed. The Ria moved to her side and whispered something in her ear, her eyes snapped opened and she stared directly at the Rhynodame. Shamshel could feel her breath catch in her throat and quickly turned her eyes away as she went to what remained of her harem.
“Be careful with the Duelist… there’s something not right about that one.” She pleaded with the Phawhore.
“I can feel it too.”
Israfel looked across the field to the other harem and shrugged. “She’s tiny, I mean I know size isn’t everything but still.”
“You’re an idiot. She’s a card mage with unpredictable powers. Even if I’m supposed to have the advantage against her if she has the right cards then that’s gone. Thankfully I’ve learned how to dispel magical effects.”
The sound of Giovanni’s whip shocked them out of their conversation and they immediately straightened up. “Israfel, Sachiel, get your useless cunts onto the field.”
“Yes Master!” they both said in unison before vaulting over the wall.
Marco nodded to Kelly and Bernadette. “Take it to ‘em. Kel, be sure to watch out for the Phawhore. She looks like she knows what she’s doing. Bernie, don’t get ahead of yourself with the Zeromer, she’s going to be a lot harder to bring down than she looks.”
Bernadette scratched her head and unsheathed her rapier. “Can’t be any worse than fighting that damn ghost.”
“Whatever, just stay on your guard.”
Kelly placed both her hands on the wall and sprung up before flipping over and landing in a kneeling position while Bernadette planted one hand on it and hopped over. The Duelist continued to watch the two girls as they picked up their weapons and moved to their starting line. “They will be trying to stay close to each other and fight together. If you knew how to teleport it would be easier to keep them separated, for now we’ll just engage them in close combat and see what they can do.”
“Ok, do we approach fast or slow?”
“I’ll need a few seconds at the start of the round to get set up, after that we approach with caution.”
“Roger Major.”
When the buzzer sounded Israfel and Sachiel took off from their starting positions and ran towards the center line. Bernadette moved out also but at a slower pace, giving Kelly time to catch up when she finished what she was doing. With the Piratit being on her own the Phawhore and Zeromer were quick to surround her. Israfel moved in first, attempting to stab her in the back but found her strike parried. Sachiel attempted to follow up with a strike of her own but Bernadette countered and redirected the Phawhore into blocking the Zeromer form attacking again. Between her enhanced speed, dexterity, and agility Bernadette was having no problems dealing with both girls at the same time but they all stopped when they could feel a sudden rise of pressure in the area as well as the frigid winds blowing their way.
“Mae, Sode no Shirayuki! Souten ni zase, Hyourinmaru!” When they turned to look Kelly was running towards them leaving twin trails of ice and water on the sand as she passed across it. Israfel and Sachiel tried to retreat but came under attack by Bernadette in an attempt to hold them in place. “Bernie, Megaton Strike!”
The Piratit sheathed her sword breaker and pulled back before launching forward and hitting the Zeromer with enough force to knock her into the air and across the field. Sachiel only took her eyes off Bernadette for a second and in that time Kelly had closed the gap and opened her fight by slashing the Phawhore across the leg with the ice-water blade, then kicked her in the chest and knocking her past Bernadette.
“Here.” Kelly called to Bernadette, handing her the Hyourinmaru blade and sliding two cards in her pockets. “You’ve got the Zeromer, the Phawhore is mine.” The Piratit was too busy looking at the blade to pay her any attention, the dragon formed by ice and water almost appeared to be alive as its head swiveled around and locked onto Israfel. “Pay attention damn it! Go after the Zeromer!”
“Sorry… on it.”
Sachiel could feel her leg getting colder and it had become harder to move. Gritting her teeth she leapt backwards then released Snake Bandage from her arms in an attempt to bind the Duelist. The bandages coiled wildly as they got closer to their target then straightened up and shot directly for her. Kelly guarded with her sword and let them coil around it then smirked. Sachiel was hoping to ensnare the Duelist but would settle for disarming her. But when she tried to retract her bandages there was a problem. It never occurred to her that contact with the sword itself would freeze the bandages and when she attempted to pull them back they shattered.
Kelly’s smirk hardened to a scowl as her eyes narrowed. “I do hope you have more extensive plans than that, because things are about to get a lot worse for you.”
_____
Viridick City, Angel Coffee house, 1430
Angelica had entered the city by way of Route 2 south a while earlier and was slowly making her way through the streets. Croma was out taking samples of the air as they walked. She had already gotten reports that Readman was in the city and engaged in his gym battle. Normally that would mean that members of Avalanche were around somewhere, but after a half an hour of being down wind she couldn’t find a trace of them. Now they sat in the coffee shop trying to figure out where to go from there, their booth putting them in the back of the shop but with enough space to see people coming and going.
“Croma, are you sure you got their scents?”
“Yes Mistress, I took samples of the ground they were standing on back in Douchsiabag City after they vacated the area. It took a little bit but I was able to isolate a scent that was unique to all of them. I’m assuming it’s from the Smokey that’s part of the unit.”
“That would make sense then. Trace amounts of her personal smoke would be stuck to them as well and since they pretty much live and work out of the same building it would just become part of their natural scent. Never the less, if they aren’t in the city it makes my plans a bit harder to work with.” She shut her eyes for a minute in thought then grimaced at what she came up with.
Croma saw the look on her mistress’s face and her ears fell back. “What’s wrong?”
“I won’t like it but there’s a chance we may need to pay a visit to Foreplay Island.”
The Cerberass shook her head. “No, there’s got to be a better way than that.”
“I said I didn’t like it Croma, I’m just saying that it may come to that. It’s not like that doors going to open and one of them will just waltz in here and order a cup of coffee.”
At that very moment the doors to the shop opened. Chris and Ariel had finished their sightseeing and decided to stop off for a drink. Angelica saw them immediately and turned her head slightly to hide her face. She’d only seen Chris the one time but wouldn’t forget the face of someone she’d fought. While Chris and Ariel were ordering their drinks Angelica pulled out her pokédex and began texting then turned the screen to Croma.
[Shut up. I didn’t expect for her to just walk in here either. She hasn’t noticed us yet, we’re taking her and her friend. When I release Chio I want you to rush the Lawfoxx and throw her outside. I’ll deal with the woman.]
Croma nodded and slid out of her seat, keeping low to try and avoid drawing extra attention to herself. Angelica released Chio and Croma sprinted from her position, tackling Ariel and sending them both out the window. It had all happened so quickly Chris didn’t know what to make of it. As she turned to go after them a sharp whistle caught her attention and when she turned Angelica was standing only a few feet away from her.
“Hey, how’s that knee treating you?”
Chris clenched her fist in anger, she remembered Angelica just as well as the Breaker remembered her and she had been itching for a rematch ever since their fight in Lavenderrier. “I’m gonna break your neck before I drag your ass into the station.”
“Give it your best shot.”
Chris moved forward to try punching at Angelica but like last time her hits kept getting deflected. Taking a step back she tried her standing sidekick. That was when Angelica struck, moving to the outside of the kick, with her left hand she grabbed Chris’s ankle while sweeping the other foot back and with her right hand she took Chris by the hair and slammed her headfirst into the counter. The detective was out cold, showing no resistance as Chio picked her up and threw her on her shoulders. The clerk was fumbling with the phone to try and call the police but stopped when Angelica reached over the counter and grabbed her by the collar of her blouse, pulling her across the counter.
“We’ll be out of your hair soon enough, so be a dear and sit quietly before I have to hurt you.” The clerk nodded as best as she could and handed the phone over to Angelica. “You can keep that.” She smiled lightly then turned to address the rest of the shop’s patrons who also hadn’t moved. “Hear that people, just sit still and we’ll be gone soon. Any wanna be heroes in here can cost this innocent girl her life.”
Outside, Croma and Ariel were still going at it. The Lawfoxx had gained some space to fight back after the tackle. Electricity sparked around her hands as she wound up for Electric Punch but suddenly everything went dark around her. When the light came back she froze, seeing her unconscious partner being held up with a knife to her throat.
Angelica lowered the blade and grabbed Ariel’s pokéball from Chris’s belt. “You’ll both be fine. Just do what I say and I promise not to hurt her.” The electricity dissipated from Ariel’s hand as they fell to her sides. “At least we understand each other.”
“Fuck you, let her go.”
“You and I both know I can’t do that right now. After Readman is done with us I’ll let you go. But we can talk about this later.” With a press of a button she recalled the Lawfoxx and then Croma. “Chio, we need to leave.”
~~~~~
Kelly and Bernadette had taken firm control of the match from the very start and continued to hold firm. Israfel and Sachiel were trying their best but couldn’t even get a hit in edge wise. The Piratit was displaying her various sword techniques while dodging and parrying any strike made against her. Israfel had even attempted to use her long ranged abilities but the magical sword was actively blocking the attacks and chasing her down. The result of this was the Zeromer constantly being forced to retreat to avoid damage.
The Duelist stopped her assault and began to concentrate. Small flashes of light were emanating from her card pouches, signifying that she was changing her abilities in one form or another. “You are aware that I could have beaten you ten times over by now, right?”
“It seems to me that you’ve been keeping your distance. You are a Duelist after all, always using others to do battle for you.”
“That’s odd, because I’ve limited myself in that regard. Of course if you want me to start using my constructs then I could do that. It’s not important though, the fact that this battle is still going proves just how poorly you and your partner were trained. Maybe if you could actually land a hit…”
“I’m going to run you through then disembowel you! So you’d better hope your tamer is fast on the recall.”
Kelly pulled a card from the pouch by her gun holster and activated it. The ceiling began to darken as a void opened up over their heads to reveal a night sky with twinkling purple stars. Bernadette watched the water dragon double in size, the effects of Kelly’s Yami card increasing all the magical ability in the area. Israfel activated her thrusters and took flight then focused her energy. There was an audible buildup of energy as light began to flow from the Zeromer’s hands to her chest then released in a massive beam of energy.
Bernadette slashed forward with the sword, forcing the dragon to charge forward through the blast. Israfel thought the dragon would stop after deflecting the attack but it continued forward, passing over her body and encasing all but her head in ice. The Zeromer struggled against the ice but couldn’t break free. Finally her struggling ceased and tears began to fall from her eyes, she knew her fate was sealed.
Kelly dismissed her sword and began to walk away. “And that’s that.” Sachiel knew she only had one chance left and lunged forward. With a yell she thrust her sword into Kelly’s back, but was instantly wrapped in chains. The Duelist turned to face her with cold eyes. “I did say that if you could land a strike then this would have been over long ago.” Struggle as the Phawhore did, she couldn’t break loose of the chains. Slowly they began to bind her whole body and drag her backwards as a dark void opened out of nowhere. “Hey Mr. Harem Master! You’ll want to recall her before she’s pulled in, I’m not sure if I can get her back otherwise!”
Giovanni looked at the situation objectively and sneered. Sachiel was panicking but the fight was far from over. “Sachiel, dispel!”
In a last ditch effort she let out a pulse of magical energy. The chains that once bound her body dissolved and she shot forward again. The ice blade reformed in Kelly’s hand just as Sachiel had closed the distance. It looked as though the Phawhore would score a direct hit but Kelly out maneuvered her. Flipping forward she blocked the Phawhore’s sword with her own then brought her heel down on top of the girl’s head, knocking her to the ground. She tried to get back up only to feel the cold blade piercing her stomach. Slowly ice began to form around the wound then spread to the rest of her body, her legs had turned to ice first then it began working its way upward. When Sachiel reached out to grab the sword her hand froze instantly.
Kelly’s gaze left her opponent to focus on Giovanni. “I am a pokégirl trained to kill and fighting for sport. Imagine the power I can unleash when I’m fighting for my life. It’s the same power I would use against any who would dare to attack those close to me.” Giovanni didn’t acknowledge the Duelist had said anything at all, just relenting and recalling the girls from the battle.
With the fight over Marco and his girls left the battlefield and went back to the lobby. It had taken around fifteen minutes for Giovanni to show up. Marco left his girls to wait by the entrance while he went to talk, with a sigh Giovanni begrudgingly stuck his hand out. “That was a well fought battle. Even for a pokégirl loving blasphemer you must have had to work hard to get them to that level of efficiency. I’m sure you do the Indigo Military proud.”
Marco laughed as he shook Giovanni’s hand. “Actually most of them share opinions much like yours. I was pretty much hated by the majority of my superiors. But as an officer all they really cared about was that I got the job done, and if nothing else my unit always did that.”
Giovanni arched an eye brow. “An Indigo Officer? Differing opinions from the others but fighting to protect the league as a whole… I can respect that. What’s your name?”
“Colonel Marco Readman, co-founder of the Avalanche Unit.” Giovanni’s grip on Marco’s hand tightened for only a moment before he let go and fished the gym badge out of his pocket. Marco took the offered item and grimaced slightly, pokégirls in chains with large rocks on their backs wasn’t exactly what he was expecting. He was about to say something but his headset started beeping. Glancing over to Kelly he nodded for her to take the call. “Sorry, I’d love to continue the debate we had earlier but I think something’s come up.”
“Right, I’m too busy anyway, there’s some discipline I need to dish out after that piss poor performance… Good luck Colonel.”
Marco nodded then ran up to Kelly. The Duelist wore an uneasy look and started heading outside. “What happened?”
“I don’t know yet, we’re getting some kind of radio interference, but the closer I get to the door the better our signal.”
Once they were outside they could hear Isabella clear as day. “… I repeat respond, this is a code red, Chris and Ariel have been taken, confirm last transmission.”
“This is the Colonel, when did it happen?”
“It must have been a few minutes ago. She walked into a coffee shop then the next thing I know I saw Ariel flying out the window and fighting with a pokégirl. They only rolled around for a few minutes before two people walked out of the shop. One was holding Chris while the other had a knife to her throat. They talked for a while but it was so low I couldn’t understand what they were saying.”
“Did you send anyone to the scene yet?”
“No Sir, I let Sargents Henrietta and Hiyori know and they ordered everyone to stay put into we heard from you…” Marco could hear Isabella starting to sniffle over the line. “I failed again Colonel, I said I wouldn’t lose track of them but I did.”
“We’re going to get them back Bella, just calm down, we’re going to be home soon.” Marco looked to the rest of his harem to make sure they understood the situation and were about to teleport when a tune being whistled caught his attention. When he turned to look down the street he saw Angelica and Chio walking and enjoying the sunshine, the Breaker spinning Chris’s beret on her finger. His eyes flashed purple and as he looked at her he could see her emotions clear as day. She was afraid, but not only that, there was sadness. He put his hand back to stop his girls from attacking and stepped forward. “Angelica Oran, it’s funny, a friend of ours went missing recently and she has a hat just like that one.”
“Do you mean that woman who was with you in Lavenderrier? She and her Lawfoxx are with us right now. I was fairly certain she wouldn’t come quietly so I had to knock her out first, the Lawfoxx still wanted to fight but after a little threat she didn’t resist.”
Marco crossed his arms and looked her up and down. “You know… I’ve always believed you weren’t a bad person, just a person put into a bad situation. There was even a time when I was conflicted on what to do with you when we caught you. Then there was the attack on my family...”
She tried her best not to let what he was saying get to her but the sound of disappointment in his voice was a shot right to her core. “I never had anything to do with the attack on your family; that was all Andzral! After your stunt with the three gyms and picking off our tamers like you were picking fruit from a tree, I refused to go after you again. But when your Sexslash got captured they found out about my son somehow. I know what you’re willing to do to protect your family, the lengths you’ll go to… I’ll do the same for my son.”
“So here we are… both of us willing to do horrible things to protect someone we care for.” He closed his eyes and thought for a moment. “Where is Chris?”
“Do you really think asking me is all it takes to find out where she is?”
“I do, you’re doing this to lead me into a trap anyway.” Marco smirked, taking a moment to watch her flames fluctuate in surprise. “There’s no other reason for you to take someone so loosely affiliated with Avalanche and you beat her when you two fought in Lavenderrier, so there’s no reason for petty revenge. Even if this wasn’t the last gym I was going to this is the correct action to take. If anything kudos to you for having a brain and forming a good plan, it’s exactly what I would have done in your position.”
Angelica found it odd how much she enjoyed the fact that he agreed with her plan. “The Master Tactician at work, didn’t take you long to figure it out.”
“So… where and when do we get to meet again?”
“The when is all up to you, as for the where… Cerulesbian Power Plant Ruins. There was going to be some convoluted riddle I’d give you but what can I say, I like you.” Angelica reached forward and handed him the beret. “I’ll send her your regards.” She spoke softly before walking away, nodding to Chio to follow.
Marco nodded and watched them walk a bit further away before calling to her. “Angelica…” She turned around with a smile but it was quickly replaced with a look of dread when she saw the intensity in his eyes. “Prepare yourself. When we get there, anything that stands in our way will be destroyed.”
“I… I’ll keep that at the forefront of my thoughts… till later… Marco.”
_____
Avalanche Office
Despite Marco’s earlier calm demeanor he nearly kicked the door to the equipment room off the hinge. The rest of the unit were already busy collecting their weapons and armor, each with worried expressions for their leader. Mina pulled her swords from her locker then kicked Marco’s case to him. He was already out of his shirt and pulling up his tactical pants then flipped the latches on the case to retrieve his vest and weapons. Off in the corner he spotted Henrietta checking her rifle.
“Rietta, what do you think you’re doing?”
The Blaze Rider set her rifle down then finished wrapping her stomach. “Getting ready to go get my friends back.”
“You’re on medical leave, you’re to say your ass here.”
“Like hell I will. They’re my friends and I’m going to get them back.” Marco was about to speak but she kicked her locker close. “This is one of the rare times I can speak for everyone else, I am tired of fucking around Marco. I’m tired of this cat and mouse bullshit and one way or another this is done tonight.”
“Well I agree; the rules of engagement are as simple as can be, see it kill it. But you’re not going, I’m not going to risk you or the baby on this mission.”
Henrietta stomped forward and got right in his face, grabbing his collar. “And just how do you plan to stop me?”
“Simply…” Before Henrietta could react she was recalled into the maternity ball. He watched it for a moment as it continued to move around, but eventually it settled down and he placed back on his belt after giving it a kiss. “Nothing easier.”
Mina chuckled to herself. “Am I the only one who really didn’t see that coming?”
Marco shot the Kunoichi a dirty look then turned his attention to the Mecha Musume. Isabella, once we arrive in the zone I want every drone you have up and scanning the area.”
Isabella yanked out a laptop and sat down on the floor. “Where are we going Colonel?”
“The Ruins of the old Cerulesbian Power Plant.”
“Any they know we’re coming correct?” She asked as she continued typing away at the tiny computer.
Marco slammed a magazine into his rifle then turned slowly to look at the busy Mecha Musume. “Yes… why?”
“Well there goes my prototype. Everyone cover your ears and get down!” The rest of the unit quickly dropped to the ground and placed their hands over their ears just as she pressed the button marked Launch on the holo-screen. There was a momentary pause before they heard a loud crack then an explosion with enough force to shake the whole building. “Drones are on the way.”
“What the fuck was that Bella!?”
“A prototype delivery pod I made for my drones. Instead of having to lug them all with me I can fire it off to whatever trouble spot we’re heading to in the league. The cannon pretty much launches a rocket at a high trajectory, on its reentry it releases the drones that are contained inside. The distance to our current target is a fair distance away but the drones with scan the entire area with everything they have and give us enemy unit locations. Full travel and scan time is one hour but the tactical advantage we’ll get is worth it.” She explained with much pride.
“Excellent work then. I have no idea what we’re looking at for an opposing force but we can guarantee the major players will be there.”
Hiyori stepped forward, her normal military uniform gone and replaced with armor specially designed for combat. “Who are the major players going to be Colonel?”
“Angelica is heading this operation so we’re going to have to be wary of snipers, it’s what she does best. No doubt in my mind that Andzral and Tessa will be there too, that bitch of an Elf is a primary target and I want her head. Gerard is the main reason this is all happening but I have no clue what kind of harem he’s running and at best I’ve seen three of Angelica’s pokégirls. It also wouldn’t surprise me at all if there were more Team Rocket tamers to greet us when we arrive.”
“Is there any chance we can sneak in undetected?”
“Absolutely none. Angelica and Andzral aren’t fools, between the two of them they have our tactics and unit figured out…” Marco’s gaze passed across all the girls in the unit, each of them prepared to get to work and go the distance. He was proud of each and every one of them and in the back of his mind he knew he wouldn’t see some of them again after tonight. “I want to thank everyone one more time. We didn’t start this fight but tonight we’re going to end it.” He walked over to the Echo team lockers and gently placed his hand against Alexis’s. “If… if worse comes to worse and some of you don’t make it back…”
Emaline stepped up and placed her fingers against his lips to quiet him. “Stop it Sir, you’re just no good at the mushy stuff… Besides, we’re all coming back alive.”
Marco nodded and kissed the finger of the Fire Maiden. “You’re right… we will.” Out the corner of his eye he spotted Hiyori pacing back and forth with a phone to her ear. “What are you doing Sargent?”
“The General wanted me to pass a message to you if things got really bad and you needed help. You’re a member of the Indigo Military Colonel Readman and we don’t abandon our own. Whether you like it or not you’re getting reinforcements. They will be at a rendezvous location outside of the power plant zone. After the Staff Sargent’s drones are done with their scans we can have the information sent to the back-up forces.”
It was hard to see but there was a look of relief on Marco’s face. It was the second time in a while that he had a chance to feel hopeful and the idea that they would all be alive at the end of the day gave him just that. “Thanks…”
~~~~~
Cerulesbian Power Plant Ruins
The eyes of the detective fluttered opened then shut tight again, the pounding in her head letting her know she was still alive. Her neck was stiff and with a groan she opened her eyes again to get a look at her surroundings. The first thing she was quick to note was that she was tied to a chair by her torso and then her arms. At first she could only make out the table in front of her with her personal possessions neatly arranged, but as her eyes adjusted she started to see things she didn’t like.
There were two men and two pokégirls in the room with her, they weren’t bound so she was sure they weren’t hostages too. On instinct she began to struggle against her bonds but the feel of a tail caressing her neck caused her to freeze. With a bit of strain she turned her head just enough to see Ariel seated behind her in taming restraints.
“Ugh… what happened? The last thing I remember was… Angelica.”
“We were ambushed in the coffee shop… they held you hostage to make me comply… I’m sorry love.”
Chris wasn’t as concerned for her own wellbeing as she was for her partner. After all the years they had spent together, on the force and off, she wanted to make sure she was ok first. “They didn’t hurt you did they?”
“No, Angelica gave the ones watching us strict instructions that they weren’t to touch us. It’s been about forty minutes since we’ve been here.” Ariel struggled against the restraints then settled back and relaxed again. “There were more of them at one point but something outside got them to leave.”
The hard pounding at the door pulled Chris’s attention, the guard that was closest pulled the door opened and Chris immediately began to tense. It was the first time she’d seen the Hunter Bondage Elf in person and while Andzral didn’t look imposing the detective knew better. “Hey! Angelica brought me a present.” Andzral announced in a chipper tone as she slid by the guards. “And she even wrapped it for me, how sweet.” Passing by the table she picked up Chris’s switchblade. “Let’s open her up and see what’s inside.”
The two pokégirls stepped in front of her to block her path while the second guard stood off to the side. “Angelica told us not to lay a finger on them. Bit of a shame since she’s kinda hot.”
The Bondage Elf hopped back and onto the table then picked up Chris’s wallet. “Let’s see let’s see, Miss. Christina Reynolds… wait wait, that’s Detective Christina Reynolds. So, detective, what exactly did you do to earn an invitation to our party?” Chris sat up straight and tightened her jaw. “Not a talker eh?” In a smooth motion Andzral slid off the table and opened the switchblade, enjoying the sound of its trademark click, then shoved past the two girls. “Well you’re an uninvited guest as far as I’m concerned… and you didn’t even bring refreshments…” She cooed as she took a seat on Chris’s lap and sliced a button off her shirt, cutting upward and leaving a small scratch on Chris’s cheek. “That’s fine I guess, this guy seems to like you and I bet he’d be more than willing to give you something to drink.”
Chris tensed when another button was cut away and another slightly deeper scratch was left on her face. But all action ceased when Angelica entered the room backed by her harem. “What the fuck is going on in here? I thought I gave explicit instructions that I was the only one to enter this room and above all else she wasn’t to be harmed.”
Andzral gave a cute pout then hopped off Chris’s lap with a shrug. “Come on Angie, what’s a couple of nicks between friends?”
“Fucking psycho.” Chris spat viciously.
“And I love you too. So, who’s the girl? I mean aside from Detective Christina Reynolds. Do you go by Christina, Chris, Chrissy?” She mocked, walking back to the table and stabbing the knife into it before turning her attention back to Angelica.
“She’s connected to our guest of honor, and I’m dealing with her, so get lost. He should be arriving soon enough.” Angelica fumed as she made her way deeper into the room.
“Ooooooo, is she Readman’s girlfriend, fiancé, bitch on the side? Are you sure I can’t carve a few more pieces off her?”
“I said leave Andzral, I doubt we have the time to waste.” She waited for Andzral to leave then turned to address the tamer who stood closest to Chris. “You have a girl who can do healing right?”
“Ye… yes ma’am.”
“Good…” In one swift motion she grabbed his arm and twisted it off to the side before bringing her foot against the side of his knee, breaking it in one blow then tossing him towards the other tamer. “Because when I give an order I expect it to be followed. Now you take him to get his leg fixed then both of you get in position.” The pokégirls looked like they wanted to attack her but thought better of it when Phoebe and Croma stepped forward. The second tamer helped the first one up and exited the room followed closely by their girls. The Breaker then turned her attention to Chris. “Chio, heal her.”
Chris only flinched for a moment when the healing started then settled down. “You have a thing about breaking peoples knees don’t you?”
“I find it’s a fairly efficient way to stop a person from attacking me… while keeping them alive as a bonus.” Angelica explained while pulling a chair from the table and taking a seat a few feet away from Chris.
Once Chio was done with the healing Chris sat back. “So, I’m just bait to lure out Marco?”
“I’d be lying if I said there was more to it than that. Admittedly I was a bit skeptical about taking you.” She took Chris’s look of confusion for what it was and decided to explain. “You see; aside from that one time in Lavenderrier no one’s ever seen you with Marco, so I wasn’t quite sure if he was going to care enough about you being gone to want you back.”
“And?”
“And then I spoke with him… I still remember the look he gave me when he said he’d destroy anything that got in his way to get to you.”
There was a moment of shock where Chris wasn’t sure if Angelica was lying or not. “You spoke to him?”
“Indeed I did, I gave him your beret for safe keeping. He’s coming to get you… what is your relationship with him?”
Chris thought back on everything that had happened and sighed. “I… I got a chance to read your file. Since you’re an enemy we had to be up to date on our information. Marco… he saved me after an ordeal like the one you had with Evan Domico. I was a wreck even after Alexis helped me… but he was there. We became friends, and he gave me a place by his side.”
The eyes of the Breaker hardened. “So he loves you.”
Chris quickly shook her head. “No, don’t be mistaken, I love Ariel. With me and Marco, it was just a mutual sexual attraction. He loves his girls and they love him. But we’re both human, constantly surrounded by pokégirls… sometimes it feels good to be with someone who also understands what it’s like to be weak.” She looked to Angelica with a sigh. “But I guess that’s not a problem you have.”
Thoughts of Angelica’s past came flooding back to her and she clenched her fist tightly before relaxing again. “I know what it’s like to be weak, I spent the whole early part of my life weak. Talked down to, looked down upon, pretty much treated like a pokégirl since that’s what they expected me to be. Cleo taught me to be strong… but when it mattered the most I wasn’t strong enough.” Sparks flickered from her hands and for the first time Chris saw her magical ability. “For all the power I can wield you and I both were victims of the same circumstances. So… yes, I know what it’s like to be weak.”
“What are you going to do with us?”
Angelica stood and started for the door. “Nothing, I’m not going to hurt you and neither is anyone else. Whether Marco makes it to you or not you’ll be leaving here alive and unharmed.”
Angelica was just at the door when Chris spoke again. “There was a night, Marco and I were having a drink together and talking. He knew exactly what to think about Evan… Andzral, even Haures, but not you. There was something about you that he couldn’t figure out… and the more we learned about you the less he understood. His orders when you were concerned were always vague but keeping you alive was always at the forefront.” Angelica paused and her hand trembled as she reached for the door handle. “He always said you were a good person, I guess after what you just did for me any doubts I had are gone.”
She bit back her tears and turned to face Chris one last time. “If… if I had the luxury of being selfish… you and I would be leaving here together. I’d talk to him in person and see if I could find my place with him too. But I can’t, I’m not doing my job because I want to… I’m doing it because it’s the only way out for the one I care for most.”
~~~~~
The sun was just starting to set off in the distance and as the twilight began to show Avalanche made their way to their staging area. Isabella was already at work setting up the locator beacon for whatever reinforcements were coming. Rebecca let out a puff of smoke to watch it drift with the breeze then took flight against it. She already had her initial assignment and needed to get in position.
“Bella, how long on the reinforcements?”
There was a rustling in the bushes followed by a low whistle. A pair of pokégirls in tactical gear and helmets emerged then stopped to check their locator. When they looked up there were over a dozen guns pointed at them. “… Avalanche beacon location?”
Marco quickly stepped up along with Hiyori. “Confirmed, are there more of you?”
The girl in the front gave a sharp whistle and another four girls emerged as well as their commanding officer. Ashley recognized the voice of the Alpha and stepped forward as well. “Julia?”
“Colonel Guile, I didn’t know they’d be sending you.” Marco said in surprise.
Guile and Julia removed their helmets and greeted them both. “Not send, I volunteered.” The older colonel said with a smile, extending his hand and shaking Readman’s. “I did say if you ever needed a hand to give me a call. We got the area data Bella sent earlier and are equip to give em hell.”
“Good to have you aboard. As soon as we get the signal from Rebecca we’ll start moving forward.”
Hiyori clicked her data pad then turned to address the two men. “Hold on, there’s one more team on the way.”
Julia gave Ashley a once over. “You look good, and I can feel how strong you’ve gotten.”
“Thanks, but admittedly I was hoping to get red and black fur like yours.” The Ria replied before pulling Julia into a hug.
The Oni Lyra slid her visor up and chuckled. “Then you should go to Pretty Woman Salon, she gets a full body dye job every month.”
“That’s supposed to be a secret Lyra, god help you when we get back to base.” Julia snapped, slapping the Oni in the back of the head. “Where’s Henrietta?” She asked after taking a look around and not seeing the Blaze Rider.
“In her Maternity Ball.”
“Holy shit… wasn’t expecting that.”
“Neither were we. But everyone’s excited.”
While their girls were talking Marco and guile were going over the battle plans. Once again there was a rustling from the bushes and the click of guns being readjusted to the area. Everyone was certain it was the second team but no one was going to take any chances. When the Dark Lady stepped out Chesra had to force herself not to fire. Marco recognized Gwyneth the moment he saw her and if she was there then that meant Richard Spenser was there too. Moments later the IGS agent walked out with the rest of his harem.
Marco moved past Guile and stood in front of Richard, his harem falling in behind him. “Agent Spenser, did you request this mission as well?”
“They did play me for a fool after all then left me for dead, and if nothing else I owe you one for the attempted murder, and the stalking, and Gwyn killing Henrietta the first time.”
“Well at least I already know your group and handle themselves.” Marco said before shaking the man’s hand. “Thanks for showing up. This is Colonel Guile, an old friend and the VerMuffEatin’ gym leader.”
Guile stepped forward and shook the man’s hand as well. “Welcome to the party.”
Carrie and Z-Ko stared back and forth at each other while Jean and Denise started their own conversation. But all this came to an end when Chesra and Gwyneth stepped face to face. The infernal and celestial pokégirls seemed to vibrate with animosity. Hell Fire erupted from Gwyneth’s hand and Heavenly Fire from Chesra’s.
“Still quoting your scriptures bitch?”
“Oh no, I’ve moved past that, rancid cunt.”
Things were looking bad until both girls were grabbed by the hair and yanked back. Both Marco and Richard were irritated with how the girls were acting and quick to let their irritation be known, talking in unison but saying practically the same thing. “What the hell is wrong with you? They’re here to help us. / We’re here to help them. Now go apologize!”
“Yes Sir.” The two girls mumbled in unison as well then looked over the shoulders of their masters to each other. “Sorry for picking a fight with you.”
Guile stood off to the side chuckling at what was happening then went to look over Isabella’s shoulder. The Mecha Musume was hard at work on something but it was all going over the colonel’s head. Tam and Renae gave her the signal and Isabella tapped a few more buttons before settling back to watch her inventions in all their glory. The holographic projector stakes she’d had her teammates set up earlier clicked on, displaying the power plant facility and the surrounding two mile area. In a small zone south of the area there was a large green beacon with a number over it while much further away was a single smaller green beacon.
“What’s that number represent Staff Sargent?”
“Our current location and number, if one of us splits off the number decreases and another marker appears. You all have our current radio frequency so it registered you all as part of Avalanche. Zianna.” She called over to the Wolf Queen. “Get everyone fitted for helmets.” Zianna teleported away then returned with a massive black case.
“We already have helmets Staff Sargent.”
“Well you’re all getting better ones Colonel. Now if you don’t mind, I’m busy.” Isabella snapped. Guile was about to correct her but Marco pulled him away. The Mecha Musume had moved well past being upset about losing Chris and settled into her determination mode. She wasn’t in the mood to mess around and would be assisting the operation personally. One by one the extra helmets started to come on and register with her system. “Everyone, input your military ID number or scan your ID card if you have them. If you don’t have an ID number or card then get over here so I can register you to the helmet you have. I’m going to know where you all are at all times.”
The second option was just a formality seeing as how everyone there was connected to the military or government in some form or another. She continued to look at her system and watched the names pop up on the screen then link to the helmets. With that taken care of they all moved to gather around the holographic projectors. Isabella clicked a few buttons and overhead her drones went into action. Seconds went by and soon dozens of red markers started appearing around or in the facility. Just like theirs, some of the markers were larger than the others with numbers over them and added together the enemy force was roughly four times their own number.
Marco shook his head. “They really aren’t fucking around with me this time… thanks again everyone.”
“Well neither are we.” Richard declared with a clenched fist. “When do we move out?”
“As soon as we get the signal from Rebecca.”
“And what’s the signal supposed to be?” Asked Guile, cocking his rifle.
Just as Marco was about to explain the wind picked up and with it came a light cloud of smoke. A quick glance into the forest revealed much denser fog wafting in. “That’s the signal, let’s roll out.”
~~~~~
In an office on the top floor of the power plant Gerard stood in the center of the room, looking over the girls he’d acquired and tamed while waiting for his final confrontation with Readman. Each girl was at the height of their power and they knew it, and that was why they were selected. There was more than enough ego in the room but that was all pushed aside for the task at hand. Even after going over Marco’s harem composition he couldn’t form an exact harem to combat them, so he settled on arcane power, brute force, and pure viciousness.
If it was magical ability he needed then the Archmage, Demon-goddess, and Hild each had it in spades. Dragons were well known for being both tough and incredibly powerful so it was a simple choice for Gerard to claim both the Drakaina and Flydra. Though she wasn’t about to fit in the room he needed a girl who was strong and could control the terrain, the Wooly Mammaryth was a good choice but quite slow and paired with a Titmanian Devil for efficiency. But with that much power and personality on one team he needed a girl capable of reigning them in and taking command. When the Dire Wolf was appointed as the Alpha there was a lot of bitching but any kind of complaint was quickly dealt with. Her takeover, swift and hostile.
There was a creak from the door due to its years of neglect as Andzral, Tessa, and Evelyn walked in followed shortly by Angelica and her harem. The breaker had managed to compose herself before entering the room. Andzral clapped in delight when she saw the girls. “Now will you look at that, all this power sitting in one room, all for one man. I thinks thoust be a bit scared.”
Gerard was about to say something but the Dire Wolf stepped up. “This one has a big mouth, maybe I should shut it.”
The grin on the face of the Bondage Elf never faltered. “Look here cub, I’ve been around for 212 years. I’ve seen more than a few Dire Wolfs.” Andzral spoke, relishing in the look of surprise in the girls eyes. “Oh yes, I know exactly what you are and more to the point I don’t care. I’ve killed at least three of your kind in the past and I’ll admit it, they put up a good fight. But these waters are too deep to test and get back out of.”
“That’s enough Andzral,” Gerard warned. “She’s not your enemy. Angelica, are the tamers and harems in place?”
“In position and awaiting the guest of honor. I will warn you though; judging by his previous actions and current attitude this will be a battle the likes of which we’ve never seen before. A lot of those kids out there are going to die.”
“Then they will die. But they did die taking out Readman’s girls along the way.”
“Our forces have numbers and that’s it. They weren’t trained for the kind of fighting the military does, it’s going to be a slaughter fest until our personal harems mobilize. Not to mention our primary objective is to capture the pokégirls from avalanche. That put’s our forces at a major disadvantage since they will be trying to keep them alive and Avalanche is out for blood.”
In a grand gesture Gerard turned and motioned to his harem. “And what do you think they are for? You said yourself that Readman would probably be sweeping the buildings in teams. Once the groups are isolated these girls will sweep them up. Between them, your girls, and the ones that Haures sent, Avalanche should be taken care of within the hour.”
Angelica turned to address her harem, looking each of them in the eye. “Let’s get to our positions and get ready. You’ve seen enough of Readman’s harem and know who your dance partners are. When you find them, be safe, none of you are allowed to die.” Each girl nodded and followed her out the door. There was tension felt by each of them but they knew their orders.
Andzral yawned loudly and craned her neck, motioning Tessa and Evelyn to follow her. “Well you ladies have fun with that, we’ve got our own thing to do.”
Gerard growled in irritation. “What thing? You don’t do things.”
The Bondage Elf unsheathed her sword and gazed at the razor sharp edge. “My previous orders still stand, which means I have a head to collect. Peace be with you.”
Before Gerard could react Andzral had sheathed the blade then grabbed her two partners and teleported away. In the back of Gerard’s mind he began to worry about his prospects in the battle. His boss hadn’t actually authorize the use of all the tamers that were called in and if things went wrong this time it would be the last time. Without warning the Dire Wolf and Flydra moved to the window overlooking the massive plant.
It was only then that he could pick up a faint buzzing sound. Outside the window was an odd contraption hovering in the air. It turned ever so slowly and began looking into the window. He jumped back when red beams of light shot out of it and scanned the room from left to right. The device paused for a moment then started lifting back into the sky. But the Dire Wolf wasn’t willing to let it get away, teleporting outside and catching the object before teleporting back in. The drone tried to pull away but with a simple flick of her wrist she flung it against the wall, smashing it into hundreds of pieces.
One of the cameras lenses rolled across the ground and stopped at her foot. She stepped forward and crushed it then looked to Gerard. “It’s begun.”
~~~~~
“So what the fuck are we doing out here in the first place?” Asked the young tamer as he leaned against the tree. “I mean I know I’m new and everything but this place is a shit hole and most of the pokégirls around here are fairly common.”
“I overheard some of the older guys talking, they said this was an ambush mission, taking out some tamer and his pokégirls.” Replied the other, taking a puff from his cigarette.
The first tamer began to shake his head, suddenly feeling dizzy. There was the sound of a branch breaking off in the distance that startled them both. Thick fog seemed to roll in without warning and made the abandoned facility especially scary. His partner motioned to his girls and began to creep deeper into the forest, leaving him alone. There was another crack followed by the rustling of bushes causing him to turn in the opposite direction. His vision blurred for just a moment as the person emerged.
“Mom… ?”
The older woman’s face was in a scowl and she shook her head in disgust. “I heard the rumors but I didn’t want them to be true… my son… a member of Team Rocket.”
“Mom…” He spoke softly, eyes cast to the ground in shame and stinging with held back tears. “You… you weren’t supposed to find out. Things were hard as a tamer… I needed the money. I’m sorry…”
“I know you are.” She stepped forward and pulled him into a tight embrace.
“Can… can you ever forgive me.”
“Sweetheart…” She spoke softly but little by little her voice began to change. “If I were your mother, maybe. If it were another day with better circumstances, maybe.” The tamers vision suddenly cleared and when he looked around not only did he see the dead bodies of the other tamer and harem, he saw the remains of his own harem as well. The woman standing before him would be beautiful if not for all the blood on her face. Each of her nine tails swayed gracefully behind her but that wasn’t as important as the knife she held in her hand. “But today just isn’t your day.” The tailes closed in from behind her to prevent him from getting away and in one gentle motion she plunged the blade in through the back of his neck and ripped it out to the side.
“Good work Jean.” Praised Marco. He glanced around the opening leading to the facility. It was a lot bigger than it looked on Isabella’s display. “Spencer, you’re with the Indigo team, sweep the east facility. Guile, you’ll be working with Delta and taking the west facility. Echo and I have the south building. Hiyori, I want you with Spencer’s unit. Everyone converge on the two northern towers, that’s where Bella’s drone picked up a human and a number of high powered pokégirls. Smart money says that’s our man.”
Isabella cocked her shotgun in frustration. “There’s a wolf up there who crushed my drone, I want that one alive.”
“Save it for the enemy.” Marco commanded. “Everyone take your time and stay safe. Go quiet for as long as possible but when things heat up go full force. If it moves, shoot it. No such thing as overkill here so do what you have to do.” There was a momentary pause as Marco looked back at the tower. “Our main objective, the safe return of Detectives Christina Reynolds and Ariel. Move out.”
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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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Harems |
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Colonel Readman |
Colonel Guile |
Agent Spencer |
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Ashley – Ria |
Barbra – Tesladama |
Denise – Thundercunt |
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Bernadette – Piratit |
Cassandra – Mechdoll |
(A) Gwyneth – Dark Lady |
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Carrie – Mistress (M) |
Crimson – Sexlong |
Valery – Umbrea |
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(A) Chesra – Archangel |
(A) Julia – Ria |
Z- Ko – Shadowgirl |
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(A) Henrietta – Blaze Rider |
Lyra – Oni |
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Jean – Kyubi |
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