The enemy Piratit continued to wander around the area she’d been given to look after, all while keeping on her guard. They hadn’t really been given specifics about who they were after or why but the job seemed simple enough from how it was explained. She could have sworn she saw movement a few seconds ago and went to investigate but couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary. When she moved into the next section of her patrol she entered one of the maintenance areas. Dozens of chains hung from the ceiling and swayed lifelessly. Out the corner of her eyes she saw shadows moving again and stepped forward through the chains to get a better look.
There was another one of her harem sisters laying on the ground unconscious. The Piratit rushed over to check on the girl, shaking her to try and rouse her. Little did she know the chains overhead began to lower next to her head. Before she could react the chains had wrapped around her neck, yanking her up and cutting off her air. She tried to struggle but the rest of the chains closed in and bound her arms and legs. Bit by bit her struggling ceased and her limbs went limp as Carrie stepped out of the shadows.
The Mistress tapped her sword against her shoulder as she looked the girl up and down. She was still alive but just barely. “Maybe if she were a She-Captain, but for the life of me I can’t think of anything she has that I want.”
“Well fuck you too.” Bernadette grumbled.
“Oh well… he said no one left alive.” She put her hand up to take control of the chains again and clenched her fist, causing them to tighten more until she heard the crack she’d expected. “Let’s move on.”
The teams were moving through the area section by section, taking out whatever random pokégirls they came across with expert precision. So far their sweeps had been successful for removing lightweight tamers and pokégirls without being noticed. But the deeper they were getting into the facility the tighter the groups were getting. Sooner or later the full battle would breakout and they’d be forced into open engagements against Team Rocket.
Without the help of Isabella’s drones they would have had a much harder time tracking their targets and possibly been discovered already. But the Mecha Musume was far from happy. The total count for the enemy had dropped by nearly 15% between Echo and Delta but the Indigo team had yet to run into more than a handful of pokégirls. Marco had given them the area with the least resistance so they could slip behind the enemy lines but things seemed to be going far too well in that regard.
They had teleported safely to the top of their building using the various dark pokégirls with them and slowly began to work their way down. Zianna, Hiyori, and Tam took point as they came down the first stairwell and to the entrance of the top floor. They cracked the door just enough to see inside and spotted the tamer and harem Isabella’s drone had highlighted to be in the room. Mina motioned for them to attack but Valery waved her off, putting a finger to her lips. Getting down on all fours she crawled into the room then to and up the wall, transitioning to the ceiling. She naturally blended into the shadows and quietly slithered her way across the ceiling until she was right over them.
Light was hardly able to penetrate the room through the dirty windows and there was more than enough shadow for her to manipulate. In a quick expansion of her powers she impaled the three pokégirls standing guard then dropped down from the ceiling, phasing her hand through the tamers chest then grabbing her heart and ripping it out in one smooth motion. Taking her combat knife from her hip she ran the blade against all three pokégirls throats to make sure they were dead then motioned for the others to join her.
Mina crossed her arms then pulled a case from her combat pack. “Showoff… no idea how you lost to Ashley.”
“Ashley? The Peekabu… she was a lot tougher than I thought she’d be and sure as hell don’t want to fight her now.”
“Fair enough.” The Kunoichi pulled her marksman rifle from her case and attached her silencer. “Zianna, you have control of the team. Spencer, you mind if I borrow one of your girls? I could use a scout.”
Richard nodded and gave Valery a pat on the back. “You two seem as if you’ll get along. Do as you’re told and lookout for each other.”
Mina handed the Umbrea a second rifle. “We’ll be fine here. Bella, what’s the area control look like?”
The Mecha Musume pulled out her laptop and brought up the 3D representation of the area. A green line marked the territory they already swept through while the red was considered either unknown or enemy controlled. Buildings were marked in the same fashion except by floor, their current building being green at the very top and red below the floor they were currently on. Over 70% of the area was still marked red, including the buildings the other teams were working through.
“Territory is still in the red but we’re taking over slowly. I recommend holding fire and marking locations for now. But our teammates should always be highlighted through your visors.”
“You know I can’t see properly with the visor down, that’s why I need a spotter.”
“Well you’re the one who wouldn’t let me enhance your scopes.”
“Don’t mouth off now.” Mina warned. “Besides I saw how you were planning to mod my scope, I never would have been able to attach it to the rifle by the time you were done.”
A loud burst of static kept Isabella from responding and one of the zones on the screen started turning yellow. Someone had missed taking down a target and now they were on the move. Mina took one glance at the screen and the location markers then the zone that was starting to brighten and took aim.
“Head’s up, we got a runner!” Guile nearly yelled into the headsets. “We can’t pin er down!”
A loud crash was heard when the Spiderwoman launched herself out a forth story window then shot webs to a tower and sprung towards the main facility in the north. Mina took aim and fired three shots but precognition and high agility had the Spiderwoman contorting to avoid being hit. Hiyori lined up to go get her when a wall of flames erupted from nothing and drove the fleeing girl into the ground. Emaline could be seen hiding behind a storage container from Mina’s position but was quickly falling back.
“Fuck, so much for staying stealthy.” Z-Ko whined.
“So much for them being stealthy.” Richard corrected. “We’re still hidden. Let’s clear the building as instructed then prepare for the teams that are surely going to be coming to check that out.”
Sure enough pokégirls and tamers began gathering where the still burning body had fallen. There were so many girls of different typing and strengths it would be difficult at best to figure out which targets to take out first. But then the real threats appeared. Andzral and Tessa had only stayed around for a second before leaving again but the Dire Wolf and Archmage stayed to take stock of the situation.
Hiyori’s fur bristled in aggravation. “I believe a sibling of mine needs a little correcting.”
“Don’t you move Hiyori!” Mina commanded in a harsh whisper. “Them grouped together like that. That’s exactly the kind of situation the Colonel would take advantage of.” Suddenly the eyes of the Kunoichi shot open. “He’s fucking insane.”
“Everyone hold your positions, no matter what happens hold your positions.”
~~~~~
The Dire Wolf had grabbed one of the tamers by the collar and was lifting him off the ground as the others watched her helplessly. The only thing they knew about her was that she was in command of their boss’s harem and was not playing around. “Stop your crying you baby, she’s dead and there’s nothing your weeping can do to bring her back.”
“Snoww, Aurora, what the fuck is going on down there?” Gerard asked over the radio.
The Dire Wolf clicked her radio. “One of the tamer’s pokégirls got attacked. Whoever did it made it look as though she spontaneously combusted but judging by the size of the impact she was forced to the ground, pyrokinesis possibly.” Sticking her nose into the air she sucked in a deep breath. “The air around here is thick with blood, our honored guest has arrived.”
A deep echoing click was heard with every step Marco took, his hands stuffed into his pockets and a low tune being whistled on his approach. No one moved, just watched as he walked up to them from out of nowhere. “Hello Ladies and Gentlemen of Team Rocket. I’m Colonel Marco Readman…” He followed with a showman’s bow. “And you all have the bad luck of interfering with a Military Rescue mission. This is your one time only, expires in one minute offer. Leave this place, leave Team Rocket and never look back. None of you want to waste your lives here.”
Gerard had been watching from overhead and could hear him speak. With a clenched fist he grabbed the radio. “If he’s stupid enough to just walk up like that then he deserves to die. Snoww, take his head off.”
In a flicker the Dire Wolf teleported behind him and drove her hand through his chest only to watch it phase through with no resistance. She growled then spun and kicked for his head but ran into the same problem. Aurora stepped forward and put her hand out, feeling the magical energy before her. “It’s an illusion you idiot.”
Snoww’s ears fell back and her tail lashed in agitation. “Can you figure out where it’s originating from?”
“He’s said to have a Kyubi in his harem and this is their kind of magic. Not even I can dispel their illusions.”
The Marco illusion just shook his head in disappointment. The illusion flickered and he was standing at the top of a pile of bodies, all the tamers and pokégirls they had killed so far. “Count yourselves lucky. My original idea was just to blow the lot of you up and call it a day. But now I’m actually coming for you Gerard, and when I get my hands on you… well…” Fire erupted from his hand and ignited the bodies. “See you soon.”
One pokégirl, a meek Bawdger, began sniffling and backing away before turning to her tamer. “They… they got my sister. We need to leave here.”
Her tamer just shook her head. “We can’t leave, we’re under orders.”
“What orders, we were told to come here and ambush a tamer and his harem. Ambushes only work if the ambusher can get the drop on the ambushee. WELL THE AMBUSHEE KNOWS WHERE THE FUCK WE ARE! HE’S HUNTING US AND… ahhhggghh.” The Bawdger’s rant was cut short by a set of claws tearing through her throat. She fell forward and into the arms of her tamer who could only glare back at her murderer.
Snoww’d had enough insubordination and whining for one evening and was prepared to do what she had to do to gain compliance. “Don’t you dare look at me in that manner or I swear I’ll pluck your eyes out, take your girls, and leave you to wander the forest.” The Dire Wolf turned to eye the building the Spiderwoman had come from, but the threat wasn’t just from the one building. “The opposing force is much more dangerous than we initially thought, larger too. Aurora, tell the Master’s ground forces to get ready for counter attack then tell Cinder to get her useless ass in position. Also, have Nala and Mula start their air patrols. The enemy has made contact and things are about to get bloody.”
“And what about Tiana and myself?” The Archmage asked with ever narrowing eyes on the Dire Wolf.
Snoww took another big sniff of the air and turned her attention toward the building Indigo and Richard were currently occupying. “You two will be watching over the Master.”
Aurora couldn’t help the look of surprise she had for the Dire Wolf. “Really? I figured you’d want to see to his safety personally.”
“Normally I would do that and hand tactical command over to you. As a matter of fact, with the exception of the orders I’ve already given you’re going to be in tactical command.”
“I’m not going to complain and of course I’ll do my best, but why me? And where are you going to be in the middle of all this?”
“I’m choosing you because you have enough sense to ask the important questions and dismiss the ones you want to ask but know aren’t worth answering. As for where I’ll be…” The Dire Wolf began to expand her aura, her tail going rigid, and ears curling back as she growled. “There’s a family matter I need to attend to.”
~~~~~
Marco sat back against the wall then reached over to scratch the back of Jean’s head. “Spectacular work as always love.” He then clicked his headset to open the channels between the teams again. “Bella, did we get anything useful from that?”
“Still processing Colonel, you almost gave me a bloody heart attack with that one.” The Mecha Musume had taken the video feed from one of her drones and ran it back through various programs before sending it to the other visors. The program started as a base line pokédex then started highlighting whatever life appeared in the video based on various threat levels. When Tessa and Andzral appeared the Neo-Iczel was highlighted in a dark red while the Hunter Bondage Elf was given deep purple along with five golden skulls over it.
Z-Ko remembered her first time meeting Andzral in person and clenched her fist. “What’s with the skulls?”
“High priority, high threat target.”
Arianna growled over her headset. “She’s not that big a threat.”
“Uh huh, and just how long did you spend captured again?”
“Z-Ko’s not afraid of her. She and I have a score to settle anyway.” Boasted the Shadowgirl.
Isabella didn’t have time for the Shadowgirl’s attitude and emphasized her point by remotely turning up the girl’s headset volume then sending a high pitched beep through it. The video sped up then rewound and played again. “Most of the others are run of the mill pokégirls but those other two… a Dire Wolf and Archmage, they could be trouble.” The program highlighted both girls in purple and gave them each a single skull.
Hiyori clicked her headset. “The Dire Wolf is mine.”
“What makes you so certain?” Marco asked while looking over the video feeds for anything he could use.
“We both already know the other is here. When the battle starts we may not be attacking each other initially but sooner or later we’ll gravitate to one another.”
“That’s fine, if you can find her early and get her out of the area then that can remove a major hazard from the battlefield.”
“Understood colonel, for now we should continue to clear the buildings we’re in then prepare for a full assault of the North-West Tower.”
Everyone’s headsets began to beep then switched to an overhead view of the area. Dozens of pokégirls were fleeing the buildings they once occupied and were taking positions around the entrance to the North-East Tower. Marco shook his head in disbelief. “I honestly thought we had gotten more of them than that.”
Kelly continued to watch the groups get situated then grinned maliciously. “This just works out better for us. Ilene, Kim, Jean, Ashley, Julia, and Nikki; I need you all on me. We’re about to thin out the herd.”
“That’s a whole lot of pokégirls Kel, what’s your plan?”
“To beat them the same way I passed my SCS Exams.”
_____
Angelica entered the room where Chris and Ariel were being held. Now that Marco had given his ultimatum it wouldn’t be long before someone was there to get the two detectives. Still, Chris wasn’t her problem just the bait and she wanted to make sure the two girls were ok before she went to her post. Looking around she immediately noticed something out of place and didn’t go further into the room.
Chris watched her stop in the doorway and shifted slightly. “What’s going on out there?”
“Marco and the others are here to get you. I have to go now but I wanted to make sure you’re ok. I told him and you that you wouldn’t get hurt and I’d like to keep my word, so if you’re going to escape then head out the exits to the left. Our forces should be too concerned with not getting killed to care where you go.”
Chris held a look of concern for Angelica. “Are you going to be ok, with what you’re doing and everything?”
“I know I’ll be fine.” She wanted to get closer to Chris but decided against it. “When you’ve been at this job for as long as I have you start to learn the things you need to do to stay off the radar. But I appreciate your concern… and you not hiding behind that door waiting to stab the first person who entered the room.”
There was a momentary pause before Chris and Ariel stood up from the chairs, the ropes falling away like they weren’t even there. “How’d you know?”
“Andzral had stabbed your knife into the table before I kicked her out and I left it there on my way out. It’s not there now so either you both managed to maneuver yourselves close enough to get it or Ariel can manipulate electricity enough for magnetism and drew it to you. Either way the ropes weren’t arranged the same way I left them so you had gotten loose.”
“You’d make a fine detective.” Chris sighed. “The Cop in me is saying I should try and detain you so you don’t get away. But you’ve been looking out for us and I’m indebted to you… despite the concussion you probably gave me.”
“Good luck Chris. Let’s go ladies.”
~~~~~
From the outside of the towers all appeared fine but suddenly the ground started shaking. What was initially thought to be the act of a pokégirl had lasted too long and was getting infinitely stronger. Chunks of the buildings began falling off them and glass broke as the full force of the earth quake took hold. Screams of fright erupted from the dozens of girls trying to hold their positions while those that could fly took to the air.
The earthquake seemed to last forever but just as suddenly as it started it stopped. Snoww returned to the ground to survey the scene. Her first thought wasn’t to the pawns that were still trying to collect themselves but to her enemy and how they could possible use the circumstances to their advantage. The building they were charged with protecting was still intact, having hardly taken any damage. Everyone was more or less fine, having only sustained damage from their own actions. She opened her mouth to begin issuing orders but a sudden and massive sense of dread passed through her and she shot back into the sky.
“EVERYBODY RUN!!”
It was far too late, the explosion tore through the ground. Those that were particularly weak were killed by the shrapnel thrown by the force of the blast while those that were unlucky or just extra tough fell into the massive hole that was created under them. Snoww stayed in the air to get a handle on what was happening and in the distance saw a massive wave of water baring down on the area. The Dire Wolf was quick to note how the water wasn’t moving outside a specific area and knew it was magically enhanced, but to what end she wasn’t sure. Fire and Ground pokégirls trampled each other in a bid to get inside without being certain of how much if any damage the water would do. By the time the water had gotten to them it had slowed considerably and the Water pokégirls around dove in to restore their water supplies, showing it was safe to enter.
Atop the East and South buildings stood a single pokégirl each, not being hard to spot with the arching electricity around them. The skies rumbled to life with untold fury, bolts of electricity jumping across them in flashes of light. Ashley looked to Julia and gave a single nod as she stuck one hand up and pointed the other towards the confused and soaked enemies.
“RAI!!!”
Twin bolts of electricity dropped from the sky and into the water. Any Water pokégirls still in the magical river were killed instantly as were any tamers who didn’t have the sense to get out or find cover either, and if they were dropped into the hole made by the explosion then they were good as dead too. Ashley raised her hand in victory then looked down over the edge towards her Master. His look of approval was quickly replaced by one of confusion then the whole group franticly pointing and shouting at her. She turned slowly to face the Flydra diving towards her at a sharp angle. At the last second it flipped horizontal and spun a full 360 before hanging a hard angled turn and going back into the skies.
There was a moment where Marco thought Ashley was fine, that the Flydra had only intended to scare her, then she was launched off the top of the building. The strength of the wind attack she’d been hit by was extraordinary enough to throw the Ria through the front windows of the west tower on the third floor, sixty feet away. The locator beacon on her headset shut off instantly and any data on her physical wellbeing was gone.
“Someone from Indigo, go check on her. Everyone else, Open Fire!” Marco barked with a clenched fist. “Bella, enemy force concentration?”
“That last chain of attacks knocked out 50% of what was left, the remaining enemies are spread between the two northern facilities and the ground. Spencer and the rest of Indigo are making their way to the ground floor and will look for Ashley along the way… she’s… she’s going to be ok Marco. … tell me she’s going to be ok…”
“She’ll be fine Bella, just stay on task.”
~~~~~
Angelica shoved through the doors leading to the back of the tower without breaking stride, the rest of her harem falling in behind her as her pace quickened. “Status report, what happened?”
“Readman struck; leveled the front of the building, blew up, drowned, and electrocuted most of the forces there. Nala knocked one of his girls off the roof of building four and then they started shooting at everything over here. We were forced to leave our post to get out of the line of fire.” Cirra explained while trying to keep pace with her mistress.
“Conformation on the death of that girl?”
“It was his Ria, Ashley I believe.” The Gunvalkyrie Jenna spoke up. “Nothing on whether she’s dead or not but at the speed she was traveling I highly doubt she lived. Your orders?”
Angelica stopped and patted herself down before reaching into the breast pocket of her coat and handing them each a teleport token. “Get to your secondary and let me know when you have confirmation on the targets… But don’t shoot until I give you the word. Things go bad, I want you both out of there.”
Cirra gave angelica a pleading look. “But… what if…”
Angelica was quick to take the girl by the hair and force her back against the wall while keeping the other hand from going for her throat. “No what ifs, you do what I say, if shit goes downhill I want you both to leave. Understood?” Jenna nodded quickly and took the hand of the Gun Bunny to drag her away. Angelica reached out to apologize but the pair rushed around the corner and vanished. She fished two more coins out of her pocket and handed one each to Croma and Phoebe. “Find your dance partners out there. Don’t overdo it though, if you have to retreat then do so.”
The large clawed hand of the Cerberass shook as she held the token before taking Angelica’s hand and giving it back. “I don’t need one Mistress.”
“You know how I feel about overconfidence Croma. Take the coin.” Warned Angelica.
“I… I’m not coming back. I didn’t get to say anything to my sister last time and now they’re both out there. They will either accept me or kill me, but I won’t be coming back after I see them.”
For all the force she’d used over the years, her hardened exterior, and her quick and decisive uses of action, Angelica hated to see her girls go. Before she was allowed to keep her own personal harem she would train pokégirls but they were always eventually taken by other team members. It had always hurt her to watch them be taken away but she never showed it. Her current harem was different though, she’d spent more time with them and despite circumstances around them being in her harem they grew to love each other.
The Breaker clenched the coin in her fist then lashed out and slapped Croma as hard as she could, knocking her to the ground. When the Cerberass looked up she didn’t see anger in her mistress’s eyes. It was a strange mixture of joy and sadness as she extended a hand to help her back up. There was a short pause before Angelica threw her arms around the girl. “Then go, find the family you lost.” She unclipped the pokéball from her side and handed it to her. “If things don’t go smoothly then recall yourself to stay alive, enemy or no they will make a case to keep you around.”
“Thank you Mistress… I’ll always love you.”
“Don’t worry Mistress, I’ll be coming back.” Phoebe said quickly.
“Both of you, get going before I decide to start being selfish.” She waited for them to round the corner then took a moment to compose herself before heading into the room where Gerard was staying. Aurora and the Demon-Goddess Tiana flinched then relaxed when Angelica entered the room flanked by the remaining three of her harem. In the corner sat the Hild Cinder who seemed to just be standing around. “You’d better hope that girl of his is still alive.”
Gerard snorted smugly. “That girl of his helped fry a bunch of those child tamers you were so worried about earlier. For her sake I hope Nala killed her, otherwise I’ll be taking a few pages out of Evan’s book. So check your tone Angelica.”
“Right, look here sonny, I don’t know what delusions you may be suffering under but let’s get one things straight right now. I’m not Haures, I don’t take orders from you and for all intents and purposes I’m actually the one running this show. That stunt you pulled, getting all those extra tamers, that’s on your head since you authorized it. My job was to get Readman here and I did.” Angelica spoke harshly as she looked out the windows. Even after an explosion, flood, and thunder attack there was still dense fog covering the lower parts of the facility.
There was a pause and a moment where the two sets of pokégirls looked back and forth to each other in preparation for the possible fight that could break out. Finally Gerard took a seat in the old dusty chair of the manager who probably used to run the power plant and laughed. “You always had this thing about speaking to me like I was a child Angie. Given that the girl in question wasn’t part of the primary acquisition group it shouldn’t be a big deal.”
“You always acted like a spoiled child even before being taken away, given our age difference there was never a moment I thought of it as cute. Just the fact that she got hurt caused an immediate paradigm shift. But I’ll assume by the dumb look you’re giving me you have no idea what I’m talking about. Well it doesn’t matter, I’ve never been much one to stand around and do nothing while there’s work to be done.” She stated plainly as she turned to leave the room again. “Sandra, you stay here and guard him with the others.”
“Your operation I guess, your ass on the line just as much as mine.”
“You’d think so…”
~~~~~
The Echo and Delta teams had already cleared their buildings and were making their way towards the towers. Anything moving that didn’t surrender upon seeing them was instantly fired on. As the Team Rocket tamers and pokégirls finally started getting organized and fighting back with powers the assault was grinding to a standstill. But even then, there was a world of difference in ability level and power usage between the military and Team Rocket. Barriers of rock were formed to provide cover for those using traditional firearms and while Kelly’s explosion plan had significantly reduced the enemy numbers it was also making getting in through the front of the building more difficult.
A particularly loud screeching roar alerted the assault teams to the incoming Flydra overhead. Nala had left the zone of the battle after attacking Ashley and was now reentering at top speed. Her body would be hard to see under optimal circumstances but the visors had her highlighted. Given the speed she was traveling at and her showing no signs of deceleration everyone hit the ground and covered their ears. The strength of the Mach Breaker attack was enough to rip a hole through the dense fog and knock the enemy pokégirls who hadn’t taken cover to the ground.
Isabella was doing everything she could to track everyone’s movements from the East tower and picked up two more pokégirls closing in from the skies. Aside from her drones, which had zero offensive capabilities, they currently had no air support in the skies. “All units, all units, Drakaina and Whorizard are approaching the battlefield from the same direction. Judging by the flight pattern there’s a high probability of Napalm and Flamethrower attacks on the way.” The computer’s battle programs kicked in and ran the two enemy pokégirls against the ones they had available, their ability to combat them in the given scenario, and their current locations then highlighted who was best to send. “Denise, Crimson, and Chesra, we need you heading west to intercept. Spencer, send Gwyn after the Flydra. She just needs to slow her down.”
Richard came up on the display. “Denise and Gwyn are mobile and moving to the designated locations. Readman, we found Ashley, she took a nasty hit and has a few cuts but she’s fine. Isabella’s helmet is broken but kept her head from cracking open against the wall. We’ll get her back on her feet and she’ll be ready to go.”
“Thank god.” Marco responded quickly as he leaned around a barrier and fired a few shots. He glanced at the Maternity Ball on his hip and shook his head. “Chesra is on the way; Bella, let us know immediately if they can’t stop them.”
Chesra had already teleported into the air and taken off. She could feel Marco’s distress at the situation and linked her mind to his. ‘Keep her in the ball, the flyers aren’t going to make it to you.’
‘Be safe Ches.’
Denise and Crimson formed up alongside Chesra. Their targets were still a few miles out but closing in fast. Thunder rumbled overhead as the Thundercunt and Sexlong began pulling in power. Against the dragons the electric attacks wouldn’t be much help but slowing them down was their first concern. Lightning rained down from above but in a show of skill both girls began weaving and diving to avoid getting hit. Chesra loosed her hammer from her side and climbed higher, both girls were closing in and she was only going to have one chance to stop them completely.
A single bolt of lightning flew from above and was heading for Mula but at the last second she folded in her wings and dropped until she was right above the trees. The Whorizard prepared to dive as well when the wind suddenly changed direction causing her to turn. In her haste to avoid getting electrocuted or crashing she completely missed the winged pokégirl coming down from the side. Chesra brought the hammer down on the girl’s wing with enough force to crush the connecting bones in her wing, arm, and shoulder, sending her plummeting into the trees below. A whining roar echoed from under the trees but it was quickly followed up by a bright flash of light and a Flamethrower attack. Chesra teleported out of the attack and rejoined pursuit of the Drakaina, they were still miles out from the power plant and the Whorizard would be a while getting there since she couldn’t fly.
Mula was still making a bid for the power plant, as far as she was concerned she should have been there from the beginning. Having managed to pass Denise and Crimson she was busy dodging every manner of flying and electric attack, all the while charging up power for her own attacks. Thinking fast she ducked down and began phasing through the trees. Neither girl could get a clear line of sight and began to radio ahead about the girl they couldn’t catch.
Before they could send the alert Isabella contacted them. “Redirect; Crimsion and Denise, return to the battle field to lend air support. Chesra, stay on the Drakaina, you have help inbound.”
Chesra teleported once more to catch up to the electric flyers and all three continued tracking Mula until she suddenly disappeared in a void of darkness. A massive crash was heard and Chesra circled back around before landing outside the dome. She had only been on the ground for a second before Arianna lunged out and tackled her off to the side. Seconds later a bright multi-colored beam of energy tore its way through the forest.
Arianna got back to her feet then pulled Chesra up. “Hyperbeam…”
“I noticed, who else is here?”
The dome of darkness vanished to reveal Mula in a test of strength against the slightly shorter but just as powerful Zianna. The jaws of the Drakaina were trying to find their way to the throat of the Wolf Queen but Zianna wasn’t having it. Breaking the hand holds she ducked in and scooped Mula up by the legs but the size and angle she held the Drakaina at was making her lose her balance. At the same moment Arianna and Chesra charged forward.
“Ari, up and over!” Chesra called.
Teleporting behind Zianna, Chesra placed her back against the Wolf Queen’s to keep her steady then locked her fingers. Arianna had continued sprinting forward and stepped into Chesra’s hands, getting tossed up and striking with a Tenebrous jackknife kick. The force of the attack sent Mula reeling but she maintained enough presence of mind to lash out with her tail as she flipped backwards and strike all three girls, knocking them to the ground as well.
Chesra and Mula were the first to get back up, the Archangel placing herself in front of her still downed allies and the Drakaina on all fours snarling and shaking her head. In the distance a loud thumping could be heard as well as the rustling of low tree branches. Chesra was mildly surprised to see the Whorizard making her way to them much sooner than she intended. Her hands flew into a string of signs before being placed against Zianna and giving her the fire element ward. That was all the motivation the Wolf Queen needed, sprinting past Chesra to engage the fire dragon.
Dark energy coated the limbs of the War Hound and her eyes locked onto Mula. “You’re good to go Ches, we got it from here.”
“Just don’t get careless, he’ll never forgive me if I left you two here and you died.” She replied before teleporting away.
Arianna growled and started inching closer to her opponent. “Zi… you know they’re coming right?”
“Yeah, I smell ‘em. We have to finish these two first, then settle the other matter.”
~~~~~
Nala had left the battlefield and was circling back in again when she heard her sisters coming under attack from the radio. Mula had been a bitch to her earlier, calling her plan and ideas useless but stern words from their Alpha set them both straight. They were to work as a team whether they liked each other or not and that made her top priority to make sure her teammate was safe. With the ability to travel twice as fast as others she was making good time and her telescopic vision had her zeroing in on Mula’s attackers.
The loud maniacal cackling laugh came and left just as quickly, barely giving her time to pick up on it. She pressed on and suddenly heard the laughter again but much louder than before. Her second sight was switched for night vision so she could scan the area but as she looked around she couldn’t find anyone close to her. In the distance she watched the Whorizard take a hit and get dropped into the forest while lightning rained down around Mula. She was already pushing herself to intercept the two electric girls and dug deep for more speed. In her haste she zipped past something that seemed to appear from out of nowhere and heard the laughter again. She turned her head back to look and didn’t find anything but when she looked forward again a pokégirl was hovering directly in her path.
“Cheese!” Gwyneth yelled out as she flung Shinesphere right into Nala’s face. The Flydra let out a nearly deafening scream as she went blind and started spinning out of control. But always being one to add insult to injury Gwyneth grabbed onto her and teleported them into the forest before letting her go to crash into something.
Nala was slow to pick herself up off the ground and placed her hand against the tree for stability. “You Bitch!”
Spells were primed in the Dark Lady’s hands and she was prepared to do battle. That was until she got a better look at her opponent and actually began to feel slightly remorseful. Bending down she picked up a small rock then teleported to the Flydra’s opposite side and threw it at her. The girl’s response was to turn sharply and run into the tree she’d just been leaning on. Gwyneth picked up another rock and threw it against a tree several meters away then watched her turn and fire Dragon’s Breath at it.
“Tracking targets at night from far away, so you were using night vision and I’d bet your telescopic vision was nearly maxed out as well… You’re completely blind now aren’t you?” Gwyneth taunted from the top of a tree then teleported away from another breath attack. “And it’s not coming back you know, even if you were to find a healer right this second your vision still wouldn’t come back.”
The Flydra began to cry. “You’re lying! I’ve been blinded before, my vision will come back soon and then I’ll kill you.”
“If I thought I was in danger of you actually hurting me this conversation wouldn’t be taking place. Even at your best you’re nothing but speed and vision and I’ve just stripped you of both really. You’re a weak, pathetic, useless idiot, and my time is better served going off to kill you’re harem sisters. I wonder, if I can catch the Dire Wolf if Richard will let me keep her?” Gwyneth mused to herself as she clicked her headset. “Gwyn checking in, the Flydra is out of the battle, returning to… lend… assis… SHIT!” Gwyneth ducked and teleported out of the way just in time to avoid the claw slash aimed at her head. The strength of the blow cleaved right through the tree she was standing next to and in the fog she saw the one pokégirl she actually wanted to avoid, despite her previous comment.
The Dire Wolf’s tail lashed angrily as she eyed the Dark Lady. “Sooo, what exactly were you going to do when you caught me?”
Gwyn didn’t respond she just turned and ran, flickering through the forest as Snoww chased after her. There was no smile or laughter for the Dark Lady just the urgent need to get away from an opponent who had the potential to kill her in one blow if she wasn’t careful. The need for self-preservation was playing hell on her concentration and keeping her from teleporting right back to the battlefield but she was able to outpace the celestial for the time being, and that was good enough for her.
“Gwyn… Gwyn, repeat your last, you got cut off.” Richard called over the headset.
“Can’t talk… Dire Wolf,.. Chasing… need help… shit!” She cried out to the sound of several explosions in the background.
Not only was Snoww after the Dark Lady but Cinder had join in as well. The chase didn’t continue much longer after that, Power Bolts raining down around the Dark Lady and causing her to fall forward. She hit the ground then looked up to see the Dire Wolf high in the air and coming down in a spinning kick to finish the job. Gwyn’s eyes squeezed shut and she covered her face in preparation to be struck down but all she heard was an odd metal thud followed by the sound of a tree falling over and Power Bolts exploding around her.
When she opened her eyes all she could see was white, then the wings moved. Chesra was staring down the Dire Wolf on one side while her wings protected Gwyn from the other side. Her shield was heavily dented, pretty much cracked down the middle, but still in position to defend them both. “You ok back there?”
The Dark Lady got back on her feet and ignited both her hands in Hell Fire as she placed her back against the Archangel’s. “I’m not going to say it you know. I hope that’s enough.”
“I expected nothing less… stick close to her for the edge.”
Snoww crouched down in preparation for attack. “Archangel, why do you stand between me and protect that infernal scum?”
“Because we’re allies. Isn’t that the same reason the Hild over there is helping you fight another infernal?” Chesra replied back, noting the damage to her shield and casting it aside.
Cinder stood atop the half of the tree that wasn’t burning and looked past Gwyn. “Hey, Dark Lady, any chance I can talk you into joining me just long enough to kill them, then going our separate ways?”
Gwyn’s maniacal laughter was back and filled the surrounding area of the forest as she started her approach, black fire burning in one hand and an Energy Blade formed in the other. “Tempting as that may be… no. Her friend would find me and I’d rather fight the Dire Wolf than deal with the Blaze Rider again.”
No more words were shared between the four girls. Chesra was almost ready to put her hammer away and fight snow hand to hand until the Dire Wolf pulled out a broad sword. For a moment time appeared to stand still between all of them, no sound could be heard, no wind rustling the trees, not even a breath was taken… then all four clashed. Taking Chesra’s advice Gwyn kept the fight against the Hild as tight as possible, teleporting in when she felt she was losing distance and keeping the pressure on. But Cinder was no slouch for combat and while getting burned and receiving shallow cuts she was able to dish out the damage too.
Chesra and Snoww crossed weapons in the first clash with Snoww easily taking the upper hand with her immense power but was thrown off balance when Chesra shifted away. The Archangel followed up with a quick string of attacks, landing a few kicks and ending with a hammer shot to drive the wolf back. But Snoww was quick to counter and landed a devastating uppercut before grabbing Chesra by the arm and throwing her towards a tree. Thinking fast she shifted to the side and used her wings to slide around the tree and returned to launch forward and drive a knee into the chest of the Dire Wolf, sending her back and towards the two fighting infernals. Cinder saw her coming and grabbed Gwyn, manuvering her to take the impact but when they collided the Dark Lady teleported all three of them next to Chesra.
Chesra spun low, tripping all three girls with her left set of wings but caught Gwyn with the right set and tossed her into the air before hitting Snoww with a knee and throwing the same leg back to kick Cinder in the face. That was all the prompting the Dark Lady needed and unleashed a string of Mana Bolts just as Chesra flew out of the way. Cinder wasn’t going to be outdone that easily and unleashed a shield to deflect the magical energy. Snoww teleported over Gwyn and brought her sword down with the intent to cut the girl in half. Gwyn guarded the attack with her Energy Blade but the force was enough to send her flying down to a waiting Chesra who caught her on the inside of her wings and threw her towards Cinder.
Throughout the battle Snoww had seen the Archangel covering the Dark Lady and came up with a plan. Instead of attacking Chesra again she changed targets and focused on Gwyn along with Cinder. Chesra was trying to help the Dark Lady but the pressure was finally getting to her. Suddenly Snoww switched targets and nailed Chesra with several heavy blows before side kicking her against a tree. Then teleported back to Gwyn and leveled her with a blow to the back of the head.
Snoww threw a kick with enough force to break all the Dark Lady’s ribs and knock her over to Chesra. “If you had more concern for the celestial you may have stood a chance.”
Chesra cracked her eyes opened and looked around. Snoww wasn’t as strong as Hiyori but the Archangel would be damned if she still didn’t pack a punch. Slowly her mind reached out and her eyes began to glow. ‘Master… send hel.’ Before she could finish her thought Snoww reached down and picked her up by the throat.
“You fought bravely warrior. You deserve a warrior’s death.”
Just as Snoww was to strike Chesra down Cinder fell forward but was held up by the white flaming fist through her chest. “Hello sister.” Growled Hiyori, her armor dripping with the blood of those she’d slain in the other areas of the battlefield.
Snoww’s interest in Chesra had officially come to an end and she punctuated that fact by letting her fall back to the ground unconscious. There was still life in the eyes of the Hild but it wouldn’t be there much longer. “You’ve just killed my subordinate.”
“And it looks as though you were about to do the same to a fellow celestial and sister of mine. What has you working for Team Rocket?” Hiyori asked, placing onehand against Cinder’s back and pushing her off the other.
“My current Master has an issue with that one’s tamer, but that’s all going to be resolved tonight. You can stand in our way if you want but victory will be ours.”
“What victory, you’re helping someone from an organization that treats pokégirls like property and trying to kill the man that treats us all as equals. The path you’re taking is wrong.”
“I can’t know that for sure… and if I’m wrong I’ll have to atone for it. But the others need their Alpha.” Snoww glanced down at the dead Hild then to the still unconscious Gwyn. “So… you going to kill her too or can I do it?”
“She’s an ally, if I’m going to kill one last person tonight, it’s going to be you.”
“We’ll see…”
~~~~~
Back in the power plant the assault team was making their push forward to advance on the towers. Team Rocket’s tamers and pokégirls were getting organized to counter attack and with some of Avalanches stronger pokégirls off battling in the woods they tried to press their numbers advantage. Things were going fairly well until Crimson and Denise flew overhead and began raining down lightning. Various projectile attacks flew to the skies but the girls were too fast to hit.
One tamer mobilized all the fire types together and gave the order to saturate the area with flames. Thanks to the barricades they had erected and various shield techniques Avalanche was able to keep from getting burned. Due to the coordination of the attacks though they were completely unable to counterattack.
Ashley was finally back on her feet and exited the west building with the remainder of Indigo and Richard’s harem but they all ducked back inside to avoid the fire. Renae saw the endless stream of flames pouring over her teammates and flew into action. The winds began to pick up as she harnessed her powers, eyes pulsing a chilling blue. Snow began to fall from the skies in tiny burst but as the winds picked up the Snow Storm and Little Cloud attacks began to beat back the flames. Marco knew she wouldn’t be able to hold the attacks for long and signaled everyone to open fire. Dominance reestablished Avalanche began to push forward again with Indigo leaving the building to join them.
Tam was the last to exit and started her approach to the front line when something caught her attention. She remembered Nikki being placed at the front to maintain the ground barriers but when she looked to the side she saw the Sexslash creeping towards Marco from the side of the south building. Another glance towards the front and she could clearly see Nikki raising more of the earth. Without warning the mystery girl started dashing towards their backline.
The Catgirl didn’t think, just acted, sprinting forward and tackling the girl. She was only on top for a moment before being kicked off and rolling to the side. With a turn she spun on her knee then threw out a hand and clawed the side of the girls face. Slowly the girl began to stand and transform, Tam swallowed hard as she faced down Andzral. Her palms began to sweat and her hands shook as she started to back away.
Andzral placed her hand on the side of her face and wiped her blood away from the claw marks. Reaching behind her and into the poképack she grabbed the handle of Chesra’s old hammer and pulled it out, spinning it once then draping it over her shoulder. She could see and smell the fear in the Catgirl and licked the blood off her finger as she started stepping closer. “Here kitty kitty…”
“… hhhh heee… heelllll…”
“Huh… cat got your tongue?” Andzral growled as she took the Warhammer in both hands. “I mean its sooo hard to hear you over the gunfire and the sound of you wetting yourself. So you’ll need to speak up.”
“HELP!!!” Tam screamed at the top of her lungs.
“Oh you bitch.”
The screams of the Catgirl definitely pulled someone’s attention and as she started backing up her shadow began to morph. Andzral was only mildly surprised when Z-Ko jumped out of it and drew her sword. “Hey, it’s the lawn ornament. Z-Ko owes you one for the last time we came face to face.”
“Well when I’m done Z-Ko’s gonna need a closed casket funeral.” Andzral didn’t have a moment to waste. It would only be a matter of time before the others turned around and the girls in Avalanche were developing a habit of getting stronger every time she fought a different one. Luckily the Catgirl looked terrified and she knew the Shadowgirl wasn’t that strong.
Z-Ko struck first, lunging forward and slashing with her katana. Andzral took a single step back then blocked the blade with the hammer. In one fluid motion she rolled around the Shadowgirl and while keeping contact with the blade threw her foot into Tam’s stomach. Z-Ko tried to bare down on her but she just didn’t have the strength to overpower the Hunter Bondage Elf. The foot that was back shot forward into a knee and connected with enough force to send the Shadowgirl airborne. Andzral then spun backwards and hit Tam across the side with the Warhammer. Z-Ko was just about to land when Andzral reached out, grabbed her by the foot, and slung her into Tam.
Andzral leaned on the hammer and looked down at Tam, being mildly surprised the girl was still alive. “Now I was certain that shot to the chest would have killed you… guess I need to wring a few more lives out of you then.” With a step forward she kicked the hammer head and slung it over her shoulder again then focused on Z-Ko. “And I did promise you a closed casket funeral.”
A wall of flames shot across her path, blocking her from advancing on the two downed girls. To the side stood Emaline wielding a scythe and talking into her radio. “Red alert, red alert, Andzral is behind our line!”
“Oh for fuck sake, can’t I just kill one person and leave happily without a bunch of people getting in the way?”
Emaline spun the scythe once then ignited. “You’re kidding right, you killed Alex… I’m gonna take your head off. It’s what she would have wanted.” Before Andzral could reply Emaline went on the attack, flying forward and slashing towards her head.
Andzral blocked the first attack then tried to counter with the hammer but had to duck when the Firemaiden pulled the scythe and almost got her in the back of the head. She was surprised at the amount of skill the maiden had with the weapon, being able to go toe to toe against her without major physical enhancements. As the two fought back and forth Tam and Z-Ko got back on their feet and joined the fray but despite the numbers advantage Andzral was still more than holding her own.
Ducking another slash from the scythe Andzral and Emaline locked weapons. “Gotta admit, your pretty damn good with that thing.” Praised the Bondage Elf.
“You’re using my Beta’s weapon. I’ve been hit with it enough to know exactly how well it works and what to avoid.”
Emaline’s code had alerted Marco and the others to the presence of the Bondage Elf but with so much going on and the stronger members of the unit missing there wasn’t much they could do. Given how engrossed the four girls were in the fight no one could open fire and they couldn’t afford to pull anyone away to assist them. Looking around he noticed that the snow was dying down and the temperature was increasing. Renae was forced to retreat as multiple uses of Firewind finally overwhelmed her. The fire-types began advancing and in a last ditch effort she encased herself in a tomb of glowing ice.
Back behind the line Andzral finally had enough of defending herself from the three girls and went on the full force offensive. Locking weapons with Emaline she angled the head of the scythe into the ground then jumped and kneed her in the face. Kicking off the Firemaiden she slung the hammer back then spun and drove the butt of the handle into Tam’s stomach before kicking it down, hitting her on the top of the head then finally bringing it back around and swinging upward with the flat side. The hammer head connected with the Catgirl’s chin and snapped her head back with a sickening crack, killing the girl instantly. Z-Ko watched the lifeless body of the Catgirl fall to the ground and lunged forward to attack. Andzral didn’t waste a single motion, starting her swing in one direction then teleporting to another and crushing the skull of the Shadowgirl in a mighty blow, the spikes on the hammer tearing through the flesh on her face and leaving her dead as well. With one last spin she flung the hammer back and hit Emaline in the face then turned and sprinted towards Marco to finish him off once and for all.
Marco was still engrossed in the fighting in front of him when two of the vitality meters went dead. He turned his head to see Andzral heading towards him and sent a mental call for backup to Carrie and Kelly but with both of them on the frontline and holding up shields to stop the fire attacks they couldn’t concentrate enough to teleport to him. A colossal Blaze Blast hit the ground barriers in a massive explosion, knocking some of the team back and forcing them to retreat. Shrapnel from the blast struck Marco in the back, knocking him to the ground, Wildfire Tsunami was moments from breaching their frontline, and Andzral was airborne and about to bring Chesra’s hammer down on top of him. On instinct his arms crossed over his head to shield the hit, though he knew it was pointless.
Just as Andzral was about to strike Marco shut his eyes. A loud crack was heard and he felt the ground around him move but there was no impact, even through his closed eyes he could see the bright flash of light. The heat from the flames had stopped and loud screaming was heard coming from the direction of the towers, the fire attack had been reversed and was now doubling back on Team Rocket. Slowly he opened his eyes and let out a sigh of relief. He’d heard rumors of particularly strong and stubborn pokégirls being able to force themselves out of their pokéballs and as he watched Henrietta hold back the flames with one hand while the other gripped Chesra’s hammer, keeping Andzral from getting to him, he was glad they were true.
“I should let you get burned for keeping me in there.” Henrietta seethed, her eyes going past Andzral to the two bodies sprawled across the ground. “I could have saved them.”
Andzral had kept her position in the air by using Levitate and chuckled grimly. “There was nothing you could have done to save those weaklings. Miss. Kitty used up all her extra lives and Z-Ko… she was just useless.” Her eyes narrowed as she lowered back down to the ground. “This is the second time I’ve gotten close to killing this bastard and the second time you’ve gotten in my way… there isn’t going to be a third.”
“Oh you’re right about that.” Glancing back she saw the glowing orb of ice in the middle of the fire. “Renae, finish up and get your ass out here!”
As if on cue the ice cracked then shattered in a frigid blast of wind, the fire faded instantly. Snow began to pour from the sky and batter against the confused enemy pokégirls as a cold mist filled the area. The barriers Avalanche had formed earlier started to rebuild themselves out of ice and Renae took her place at the top of one. Long ice-white hair and near grey skin the Ice Empress cast an emotionless gaze across the tamers and pokégirls. One pokégirl, a Flarebra, charged past the others and leapt towards Renae, claws out and firing Flamethrower with as much power as she could muster. In response the Ice Empress put out a single hand and fired Blizzard Beam, completely disbursing the fire attack and freezing just the head of the Flarebra before grabbing it and watching it snap off as the body continued past her.
She didn’t turn to face the Blaze Rider but spoke loud enough for her voice to carry. “Nice of you to join us Henrietta, if you have personal business to take care of I can see to things here.”
Andzral sighed when Henrietta grabbed her by the wrist holding the hammer. “Just one of those days I guess.”
“You have no idea.”
In an instant both girls were gone. Marco checked his visor but she wasn’t coming up anywhere in the area. “Bella, where did they go?”
“I don’t know, they’re out of the drone’s sensors and I… fuck… she tricked me.” She paused as she finally realized what she unwittingly had done. “We won’t be able to reach her Colonel.”
“What, why not?”
“A while back she asked me if I could improve upon Dizzy’s design of the static field teleport jammers, the one Chesra pulled out of the Splice’s room. Well I did, made it dual directional and much more compact… small enough to clip onto a belt. Wherever she just took Andzral she doesn’t want us following or her leaving… she planned this all along.”
Renae stomped her foot as her voice echoed through the area. “This is all very fascinating but discuss it after you’re out of immediate danger. Our friends are starting to get bold looks and probably preparing to do something stupid.”
There was a brief flash of light as the pair of constructs took form. Cassandra and Sophita took positions next to her with Kelly walking up and dusting herself off. Behind her approached Carrie as well, her sword finally unsheathed and every glowing red. She took off her vest and let it rest on her sword as she ignited it, black flames pouring through the links in the chain. But that didn’t compare to the looks of confusion and horror held by the young tamers when the Widow jumped on the line next to Kelly. Jean had had enough of watching her friends and family get hurt and was looking to crush the morale of the opposition once and for all. Carrie hurled her vest into the ground then activated Link Shower to pepper them with heated metal.
A massive crash was heard from the second North Tower and all attention turned to the two people trying to get clear of the area. There was only one pokégirl chasing them and she didn’t seem big enough to be a problem but a second one seen lumbering after them did. The fox girl running away turned and fired several bolts to electricity to give her friend cover then started running again as the Titmanian Devil continued chasing her.
Mina recognized the detectives from her room but couldn’t get a clear shot to cover them. “It’s Chris and Ariel; Julia, can you get them outta there?”
It had only been a few minutes since the snow had started but the ground was already covered. In her haste to get away Chris slipped and slid across the ground. Ariel stopped and turned back to engage when Julia shot past her. What she lacked in strength and agility she normally made up for in speed but on the slick ground she couldn’t get the traction she needed. Her clash against the Titmanian Devil was quick and violent, being hit several times and thrown to the side.
“Julia, catch!” Ashley yelled as she charged forward, throwing one of her picks.
The black Ria snagged the weapon out of the air then glanced back to Chris and Ariel. “Get outta here, we’ll keep you covered!” Ashley stepped up next to her gripping the other pick. “You ok to fight?”
“Never better. You two, stand down or prepare to die.”
The Wolly Mammaryth finally caught up and extended her nose. “Jass and I aren’t going to surrender, but you should. Bow before our master and little harm will come to you.”
“You’re joking right? Half our harem is missing and presumably dead. We take revenge for our lost sisters Elsa.” Growled the Titmanian Devil.
“That works too.”
Both Ashley and Julia sent electricity between the picks causing a stream of lightning to appear between them. “Your funeral.”
~~~~~
Back in the forest Arianna and Zianna continued to battle with Nala. Though she put up a good fight the Whorizard was dispatched with relative ease and between the two sisters the Drakaina was losing ground quickly. Zianna rushed in from the side, ducking under a tail swipe, and raked her claws against Nala’s chest and stomach before smacking her across the face with her tail. The force of the hit was enough to knock her straight up and Arianna seized the opening, running and jumping off Zianna’s shoulders and locking her hands together under the Drakaina’s chin. Zianna charged forward and grabbed Nala by the legs to keep her in place while Arianna flipped over, keeping her hands locked and planning her feet into her back. With a yell she threw all the force she could into driving Nala’s head down and snapped the girl’s spine in half.
Not wasting the opportunity Zianna release her feet and leapt forward, jamming her knees into Mula’s throat and crushing it. Mula groaned and struggled for only a moment before she started coughing up blood then finally faded into death. The Wolf Queen panted in exhaustion then rolled onto her back. “Fuck she was tough.”
“Not as tough as the damned G-Splice though.” Arianna replied, extending a hand and pulling her sister back to her feet.
A soft rustling got their attention and they turned in the direction prepared to attack. From the woods stepped Croma and Phoebe. They looked at the body of the dead Drakaina and shrugged. Truth be known they were planning on killing any of Gerard’s girls they came across while they were out. Both Arianna and Zianna kept their guard up but judging by the relaxed posture of the Cerberass and Moonmaid a fight was still up in the air on their part.
“Fifteen years… fifteen years since I’ve smelled this scent.” Croma mumbled as she sucked in a deep breath then exhaled slowly. “I’d always hoped you were ok.”
It was the first time Zianna had gotten the chance to get a good look at Croma. Of course none of them looked anything like they did when they were kits but she recognized her blood when she saw it. “As do you… it’s a pity you’re on the wrong side of this conflict.”
Phoebe summoned her great sword and leaned against a tree. “Eh… it’s not so much that we’re on the wrong side, we’re just on our own side.”
“I guess it’s just not our side, how’s Sevon?”
The Moonmaid had actually been gearing up for the fight they were supposed to have but just that quickly Zianna had taken the wind out of her sails. “She’s just fine… I know we had a um… tense meeting that first time, but I appreciate you taking care of her how you all did. She refused to come on this mission, couldn’t find the nerve to fight you guys.”
“Well we appreciate her being sensible at least, and Angelica, I’ll assume she’s lying in wait somewhere.”
“I don’t know.” Spoke Croma. “She gave us a few details about how things are supposed to go down… it’s hard to tell which way she’s leaning right now. There have been a lot of hush hush conversations between her and the boss.”
“Plans about what to do when and or if we all are finally taken in, I guess consequently that means the Colonel would be dead.” Arianna mumbled. “But he’s not going to go down easily. Using Chris and Ariel to get him out here, it was a dirty move. You’d better hope those two are ok.”
“They we’re fine the last time we saw them, hell, even managed to escape from their bonds. Mistress Angelica just needed a way to make sure your Colonel came here. Harming either of them wasn’t part of that and she punished one of their guards for letting Andzral near them.”
Arianna’s fur bristled and a low growl was audible through her clenched teeth. “Andzral… I wanna kill her myself.”
“You gotta get in line first. She disappeared when everyone was going over plans, her and her two friends. No idea where she is now.”
“She just vanished with Henrietta not too long ago. From the sound of things she planned on getting Andzral alone from the start so no idea where they are now… Hold on…” She explained as she put a hand to her ear to hear her headset better. “Chris and Ariel are out in the open, Julia and Ashley are keeping them covered while they engage… a Titmanian Devil and a Wolly Mammaryth.”
Croma nodded. “Two more of Gerard’s girls… I know none of us are really looking forward to this but it’s got to be asked. What are we going to do about this fight… I mean I know what you’re supposed to do and I know what we’re supposed to do but… what are we actually going to do?”
“Well submitting is just out of the question for us, we’ll fight you if we must but honestly it doesn’t seem like any of us are up for it. All the same our family is out there fighting and we can’t waste more time here when we can be helping them. So the real question is how do you want this to go down?”
There was a momentary pause as Croma looked to Phoebe. She’d already made up her mind about what she wanted but if her partner decided to fight then she’d have to choose who to back up. Phoebe on the other hand dismissed her sword then threw her arms around the Cerberass. “I’m going to miss you, and so will Matty.”
“Be sure to let everyone know I’m ok, and give Matt a hug for me. If you ever find a way to contact me I’ll try to visit but… I need to make it through the night first.” She hugged back tightly before letting her go and watching her walk deeper into the woods. Pulling the pokéball from her pocket she handed it to Zianna. “I can’t help you… please just keep me out of sight until it’s all over. I don’t want any of this falling back on Angelica.”
“We’ll keep you hidden until we get back to the base.” Nodded the Wolf Queen before calling to Phoebe. “Give our regards to Sevy, and try to avoid anyone else from the unit.”
“Will do.”
Arianna waited until the Moonmaid was gone then started back towards the power plant. “You think Rietta’s ok?”
“If she’s going out of her way to keep us out of the loop then I’d like to be a fly on the wall for that fight.”
_____
Unknown League, Unknown Location
When Henrietta and Andzral appeared they were only together for a brief moment before separating. Andzral moved further away and took a moment to look around. It was still dark out but thanks to her Dark Goggles she was able to see well enough. The building they were in was run down, the roof was gone and had left it exposed to the elements for years by the look of things. There was a slight odor to the building, like something had died and been left to rot.
They were at the bottom of a pit or arena of sorts. Andzral could see the scars of countless battles marking the stone walls and wooden post, the few that still stood. While Andzral got her bearings Henrietta removed her vest, clicking the jammer while she moved, then tossed it out. She’d noticed there was grass on the ground and ignited, quickly burning it all away, restoring it to how she remembered.
Andzral leaned back against one of the post and put her attention on Henrietta. “So… this is a nice place you got here. Where are we?”
“I grew up here… this was a lot of different things. A den of drugs, drinking, a hideout for some; for myself and those who also grew up here it was a school of sorts. Within these walls, in this ring, I learned so many different things.” She explained as she ignited the tops of the pillars with her ember and pyrokinesis. “The main lesson was always fighting, but you only learned if you lived and you lived if you won.”
“This is fascinating… but I’m going to go now…” Andzral explained before trying to teleport out only to find that she couldn’t.
“Yeah, we had this one girl who came in, she was super smart. Normally when we weren’t fighting or being… punished… we would be stuck in our kitballs. During meals or on the rare occasion the bosses were feeling generous she would teach us stuff. Reading, writing, math; poetry wasn’t my thing but it was something to get my mind off the situation I was stuck in. She was also a hell of a fighter, hung in there for… I have no idea really, we didn’t get fed everyday so it was hard to tell time. But alas her luck ran out one day.”
“What, she died?” Andzral asked while leaning on the hammer.
“I would hope so, I drove a knife through the top of her skull. If she’s still alive then I need to apologize. But that was how things normally went, we would try and learn things between rounds of killing each other off. I mean eventually I made it out of being a regular in the pit and got more time out of the ball but that brought… other problems to deal with.”
A loud yawn erupted from the Bondage Elf as she turned and tossed Chesra’s hammer onto the next level before jumping up and dangling off the edge. “I can’t seem to teleport out of here and I really don’t want to hear more of… whatever you’re telling me. So I’m just gonna hop outta here and start walking.”
“You could do that but I’m going to shoot you in the back and drag you back in here.” Henrietta announced as she tightened her gloves. Andzral sighed out and grabbed the hammer again before dropping back down. “Much better, oh yeah, Chesra’s been upset about losing her weapon. I’ll be sure to take it back to her.”
The previously quiet Andzral began to chuckle but it was quickly turning into full blown laughter. “Oh, so you expect to just beat me up. I mean yeah, you got some good shots in the last time we fought but I’m taking things way more seriously this time… just letting you know in case you couldn’t tell.”
“That wasn’t me you fought back in Prussian. It was my body yes but I wasn’t myself then, that person had no memory, just instinct. And if my memory serves me correctly you barely made it out of there with your head on. As for taking things seriously… I left my love and my family back on a battle field just to deal with you one on one.”
Andzral ran her hands against the scarred walls in curiosity. “Did they let you use weapons in here?”
“Eh… that’s a tricky thing to answer. I mean six year olds don’t really have much control over their special abilities so when it came time to deliver a death blow they would toss a knife in here and let us do it that way. There were occasions where the losing girl would get ahold of the knife, but she was normally losing for a reason. I was one of the few that got lucky and killed the girl who was supposed to win, that was a lesson in itself, learned to kill with my hands after that. Once you graduated to just using your hands you moved into a different bracket, no knife, just natural abilities.”
Andzral eyed Henrietta with an air of skepticism. “Six? How long were you in here before you escaped?”
“How the hell should I know?” She replied with a shrug then started stretching. “I was like seven and was here for twenty, twenty-five years. As I said they didn’t let us out except to fight, eat, or get healed; unless there was a special occasion. At least until I was turned into a whore/bodyguard, then I was allowed plenty of time out of the ball… in hindsight I preferred the ball. But I guess I was like sixteen or seventeen physically by the time I escaped.”
The Bondage Elf’s look of skepticism slowly changed to one of worry as her eyes narrowed and locked onto the Blaze Rider. “Ok, now you see… I’m crazy, I know it and you know it. You’ve had it a lot worse than I have and I’m fucking nuts, how are you so stable?” She asked, leaning forward on the hammer.
“Ahhh, now that’s a great question and more than anything else explains why we’re both here and I didn’t just kill you back at the plant.” Andzral started to chuckle at the idea while Henrietta crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. “I left this league and made it to Indigo, which still sucked but was a lot better than here. Spent a couple of years in Stone Town taking small jobs and while people were assholes they didn’t go out of their way to try and hurt me, even made some friends. I had gotten my hands on an anti-capture collar but it broke and I got captured by the military, Avalanche specifically. One of my ‘superiors’ suggested I go to see the psychologist to help with some of my ‘issues’… that’s where I first met Alexis…”
There was a moment where Andzral’s heart began to pound in her chest as she recalled the name, the grin that was once plastered on her face began to fade. “The Cherub…” On reflex her hand left the hammer and traveled up her arm to where it had been cut off. “I offered her a chance to come with me, she was talented, there was something about her that just… she was wasted being with the military. Killing her wasn’t what I wanted to do but I couldn’t risk fighting someone like that again.” Andzral stated in pure honesty.
Henrietta’s fist clenched in barely contained anger. “Before Alexis joined Avalanche she was just a medic and psychologist. I didn’t expect much during my first session; I mean really, most celestials are prudish pains in the ass or arrogant know it all bitches. But even other celestials didn’t know what to think of her, she longed for combat and took pleasure in killing, more blood thirsty than infernals I’ve met.”
“You don’t have to tell me, I watched her kill two tamers without blinking an eye and she fought me toe to toe with every intention of killing me.” Andzral interrupted.
Henrietta continued recalling her lost friend, acting as if the Bondage Elf never spoke. “But she and I connected… I went through every horrible detail of what happened to me here and she listened. Never once judged me for the way I turned out and helped me change for the better. I… loved her, some times more than the man you just tried to kill. And… you took her, right in front of me…”
“Well let’s put this in prospective, shall we.” Andzral suggested as she tossed Chesra’s hammer out the arena and cracked her knuckles. “You want revenge, I get that. I killed your subordinate and someone you loved. You’re not the first person to want revenge against me, 200 plus years of being on this planet and I’ve made my share of enemies. I’ve destroyed families, helped topple governments, sailed with pirates, and been to the worst leagues the world has to offer. I’ve taken jobs that had me sick to my stomach afterwards, after a while eventually I just learned not to let it get to me… even if there were nights when I couldn’t sleep. Still being able to see their faces.” She explained as she removed the tactical vest she’d bought for the occasion. “So you have me here, I can’t teleport and I don’t know where I am. You want to have it out once and for all, fine, we’re going to do this.”
Black fire flickered around Henrietta’s collar and for the first time since they’d been there she cracked a smile. “Funny thing; you said Alex gave you trouble… she had one of the strangest fighting styles and was one of the most dangerous in the unit to try and fight. There are three others that fall into that same category; Arianna, Renae, who you should be quite happy you don’t have to fight now, and myself… Luckily I out rank all of them, and I think ahead, so you have to deal with me.”
“…… Oh joy.”
_____
Chesra’s eyes fluttered opened to the sounds of vicious growling and blows being landed. Gwyneth’s body was draped across her lap but she could tell the Dark Lady was still alive and still struggling for breath with her crushed ribs. Glancing out she could marveled at the destructive power of the two Dire Wolves. Terrain was being torn apart by the force of their battle, trees felled, craters formed, and rocks smashed to dust.
Gathering her energy she placed her hands against Gwyneth’s sides and began healing her. It took several moments but eventually the Dark Lady began to groan and roll over. “Daughter of a celestial whore… where the hell am…” She looked up and let out an irritated sigh. “Why is it every time I get my ass handed to me and get healed I wake up to a celestial watching over me? It’s kinda disconcerting.”
“You’re welcome.” Chesra spoke smugly, shoving her off her lap and into the dirt. “We need to get back to the others.”
“Bitch.”
“Love you too.” Grabbing her by the hand Chesra teleported them both out leaving Snoww and Hiyori there to fight it out.
Not much headway had been made between either of the wolves. Being of similar size, build, and having similar powers it all came down to who knew how to fight better. The way things were currently looking Snoww was coming up short, but the longer the fight raged on the more she got to stretch her legs. One exchange left them both holding an arm and limping.
Hiyori stretched her arm and backed away. “Now that the extra bodies are gone we can get down to the nitty gritty.”
“Don’t tell me you’ve been holding back all this time. It’s been so long since I’ve gotten a chance to fight like this, I’d like you to give it your all.”
Reaching up Hiyori removed her helmet and threw it off to the side. “And I’d like you to come to your senses. Give it up, your forces are being annihilated as we speak and soon Colonel Readman will have your Master in custody. Your connection to Team Rocket is loose right now, there’s still time for you to get out of this.”
“You waste your breath, this is my mission and I’m going to see it through. Those useless weakling I was burdened with may fall but I will stand victorious and at my Master’s side when all is said and done. That is unless you think your insignificant forces can stop me.”
“… That’s your decision, I pray that you find peace in death. Because I’ll kill you before I ever knowingly let a fellow celestial sister be a pawn to something as detestable as Team Rocket.”
Both girls growled and began to circle each other. Snoww moved in quickly, slashing out and clawing at Hiyori but only scratched her armor. In response to this Hiyori lunged and tackled her. The pair rolled across the ground before breaking apart and springing back to their feet. Snoww spun quickly and kicked in an upward arc, raking her claws against the side of Hiyori’s face and officially drawing first blood. But not to be out done she took the hit and used the force to jump and spin, going horizontal and raking the claws on her hand down Snoww’s chest.
Teleporting into the air Snoww released a string of Mana Bolts but missed her target as Hiyori took flight. The sky filled with the sound of battle, yells and grunts of close quarters fighting combine with magical energy being shot in every direction. Despite Snoww’s best efforts most of her damaging abilities were being hampered by Hiyori’s armor or just avoided do to precognition. Sacrificing a hit to the stomach Hiyori grabbed Snoww’s arm and dove to the ground in a massive spin. At the last second she let go and charged magical energy through her hands before teleporting high into the air.
Snoww stumbled back to her feet and began gathering energy of her own. Both girl’s precognition kicked in, starring each other down over what was about to happen. Magical beams of energy shot from each girl before clashing in midair in a brilliant display of light and color. On first contact a ripple of power flowed through the area as the energy expanded and began swallowing up everything that wasn’t either of the girls.
As the power swirled and fluxed Snoww left the ground and Hiyori began getting closer to. The military wolf bared down with all she had. “You believe in your cause?! Then you’ll have the nerve to see this through to the bitter end!”
“Well then sister! I’ll see you on the other side!”
Even miles away at the power plant the energy released by both Dire Wolves could be seen. Things apparently came to a head as both girls finally collided. There was a brief pause and a beam of light flying in from an unaffiliated angle followed by an explosion fit to seemingly blow a hole strait to the center of the earth. Then there was nothing, no sound, no wind, and no trace of either girl.
~~~~~
In the wake of the explosion everyone was knocked to the ground and slowly making their way back to their feet. Marco clicked his headset and there was a moment where no one responded. Initially he began to think the worst but one by one signals returned to his display. “Bella, what the hell was that?”
“No idea Colonel, all of my drones were blown out of the sky and destroyed by the force of the blast and the communicators got reset.”
Renae took off from the field and started in the direction of the blast. “Hiyori was over there, I’ll see if I can find her.”
Marco was torn on what to do. If the Dire Wolf was injured then she would need medical attention but he also couldn’t afford to have one of their strongest fighters leave the field. “Negative Renae, we need you here.”
“I can’t, but I’ve sent for back up, just wait until we’re all home to yell at me.”
“Yell at you? Wait… we’re all here. What back up?”
The dead air was replaced by a strong wind blowing from around him of all places. His shadow shown clearly in the moonlight turned blood red and began to morph and writhe. Then he heard it, it was a sound that both brought him comfort and set him on edge, the loud ringing of bells.
Kelly crawled over to the downed bodies of Jean and Carrie, checking their pulses and letting out a sigh of relief that they were still alive. Her relief was short lived though. Several feet away from her there appeared to be a localized rain shower. The pokégirls they had spent so much energy beating on started getting back up, all looking fairly refreshed and ready to battle. That’s when she saw the Seabra using Restorative Rain on her allies. But to her added relief she noticed blood on the ground separating and pooling in its own spots.
A shot rang out in the odd silence of the battlefield and the Sebra dropped to her knees with a hole in her chest. Three more shots rang out and two more holes appeared in her chest while the third opened up her throat in a spray of blood like someone just juiced a tomato. And while losing their healer counted as quite bad the fact that girls who were obviously dead were starting to move was a much more pressing matter.
Kitty knelt down next to Kelly and injected her with the P-Med dispenser. “You ok Sugar?”
“Kitty?” Kelly groaned. “When… how?”
“Renae and Mina. Between the call and telepathy we got a pretty clear picture that something was going wrong.” The Gun Bunny glanced over to the enemy forces and cracked a smile. “Too bad for them, Catherine hasn’t eaten yet today.”
One of the Team Rocket tamers had enough sense of self-preservation to have ducked out of most of the battle and managed to avoid the blast by being inside. He emerged to see everyone trying to collect themselves and was seconds away from issuing orders when he was seized by the neck and pulled away. The pokégirls were prepared to turn their attention and attacks back on Avalanche when an ocean of blood surged towards, then past them. Turning around to see where it lead they saw the tamer struggling, his head forced into the blood while a pair of red eyes pulsed over him. Eventually his struggling stopped, showing signs of his death.
The blood surged upward and Catherine appeared, her once pale skin dripping red with blood. “Oh ye unfortunate souls who attack that which is a part of me, your death is near at hand. Be at ease for it shall be swift and fairly painless, but it is coming none the less.” Blood flowed up to her hands creating shimmering crimson blades of blood. “The end isn’t near, it’s here.”
Marco just stared and shook his head then groaned out as he felt a sharp pinch then pressure in his arm from the injection, then received a firm slap to the back of his head. “Oww, what the hell?” He complained then turned to see him mom glaring at him.
“You should have let us know. Military operation be damned, it’s my family too. Having to hear second hand was what going on and then getting called when everyone is on the brink of death.”
Marco sighed and shook his head then had a confused look. “Heard second hand, by who?” Just before she was about to respond Marco’s headset started beeping. “Readman, its Guile, Primary Objective complete. Chris and Ariel safe and secure at the back line. Heading into the Second Tower.”
“10-4, we’re going to proceed to Secondary Objective. Kelly, Carrie, Arianna, we’re heading inside. Everyone else, assist my mom and aunts in the cleanup. Renae, any update on Hiyori’s status?”
“Negative sir… the whole area looks like a barren wasteland, continuing my search.”
Turning back to Vana Marco pulled her into a hug. “I’m sorry I didn’t call, everything happened rather quickly. But I really appreciate you showing up… please stay safe.”
“Hold on, there are two others who insisted on coming with us… you did ask who clued us in first.” Vana explained as she gestured to the side and towards the Dark Queen and Megami taking stock of the situation.
Marco honestly didn’t have time to deal with either of them. “You two do whatever you like but don’t interfere in our operation, understood?”
While Clair was more than willing to let them be Delilah didn’t have that luxury. “Our goal is the same Colonel, so whether you like it or not I’ll be coming along to retrieve Gerard.”
“Professional curtesy aside, I don’t want you getting in our way. You want to be helpful, kill something.” He spoke harshly to Delilah before turning to the Megami. “Clair, if you can provide medical attention to our injured I would really appreciate it.” The Megami nodded and rushed off towards anyone who was still down on the ground.
A loud trumpeting roar emanated from the second tower causing Delilah to cover her ears and glare towards the still fighting Ria trying to contend with the Wolly Mammaryth and Titmainian Devil. In a flash of fire she was gone and standing before the girl with intense yellow eyes. “You will be silent or I will remove your lungs and watch what happens afterwards.”
Elsa looked down at the Dark Queen and sucked in a deep breath to sound off again out of spite when Delilah disappeared. She only had to wait a moment before she felt a pair of hands sink into her from behind and suddenly found it hard to breathe. Tears welled up in her eyes and she started turning red as she fell to ground clutching at her throat struggling for air. Just to force her point Delilah reappeared in front of her and dropped the girl’s lungs on the ground before wiping her hands off the mammoth’s thick fur.
Ashley had sent Julia along after it became clear that she could easily outrun Elsa and concentrated her attacked against Jass. When the Titmanian Devil saw her partner fall to the ground dead she flew into a rage, charging towards the Ria, intent on at least taking her down. Ashley took a deep breath and moved into a stance, placing one hand out as if to halt the charging girl and the other one holding her weapon, pick side down. Jass lunged forward at the last second, going completely airborne, claws out and mouth wide opened to bite. Ashley let the weight of her weapon start the swing then tightened her grip and threw all of her strength and electricity into it. The point of the pick pierced through the bottom of Jass’s skull then flew out the top in a massive explosion of blood, bone, and brains.
“Ha! Nailed it!” Ashley cheered, finally mimicking Chesra’s attack. Clicking her headset she radioed to the others. “Moving to catch up with Guile.”
Clair had gotten around to healing Chesra and Gwyneth a second time and left them to collect themselves. While Chesra tried to get a read on the flow of the battle the Dark Lady stared and drooled over Catherine. The Lucarda had taken to attacking Team Rocket by animating their dead pokégirls and using them to attack from one side while attacking with her kitten familiars on the other. Screams of panic and terror filled the air and Gwyneth bit down on her hand to try and quell the sudden frustration she was feeling.
“I think I found a new big sister.” She spoke in a breathy and barely contained moan.
Chesra just shook her head then glanced back to see a motionless Richard and Valery standing over the body of the fallen Shadow Girl. “Two things; before you go over there and start trying to give her a hug I’ll be reminding her that you’re the one who tortured the Colonel… her nephew.” Gwyneth visible shook in fear for a moment and dismissed the idea of getting near the Lucarda, putting her attention to where Chesra was pointing. “And I think your Master might need some help.”
Gwyneth was gone in a flicker, appearing next to Richard and dropping to her knees. “Zee…”
“We’ll avenge her Gwyn… can you teleport us into the main facility?”
“I’ll find a way.”
~~~~~
At the top floor of the first tower Gerard was having a fit. Based on the few reports he was still getting things were looking bad. “What in the hell is going on out there?”
“Three more pokégirls showed up and are just tearing our defensive line apart. Apparently Readman has access to even more powerful pokégirls than Avalanche.” Aurora explained. “Thanks to Snoww and the other Dire Wolf it’s hard to get a good reading on everything.”
Sandra nodded in agreement. “That was one hell of a magical attack. I can’t feel either one of them at this point, though there are more pressing matters heading towards us.”
“Such as?” Grumbled Gerard.
“The Lucarda who’s currently feasting on any and everything outside and the Dark Queen Delilah is here, not to mention what I believe are two celestial mages of some kind and… someone using fortune magic?” Aurora explained.
“Just fucking perfect, where the hell is Angelica?”
The Demon-Goddess Tiana expanded her powers a little then glanced downward. “Still in the other building but heading down. If she’s not careful she’s going to run into the military.”
Gerard paced a few more times then took a seat back in the chair. “What a fucking nightmare. Still, if we can kill Readman we can come out of this ahead.”
Aurora looked out the window and shook her head. “I don’t think there is any way imaginable that we could come out ahead on this one. From my understanding of our current situation I believe we’ve more than exceeded the acceptable amount of death for such an operation.”
Gerard drummed his fingers on the desk for a moment when a thought struck him. “Wait… where’s Andzral and Tessa?”
“Tessa is still in this building on guard with Evelyn. Andzral… I have no idea.”
_____
Andzral hit the wall then pushed off to punch, only to be countered and rammed into a post but connected with an elbow then back kick to create more space between herself and the Blaze Rider. The Bondage Elf knew she was in for a fight but didn’t have a clue on how much of one until things really got going. Where Alexis was a master of ranged fighting and using her limited strength, Henrietta took things to a whole new level of intensity. Punches and kicks were being thrown with bone breaking force from both girls and both were still holding back.
Henrietta brushed some dirt and splinters off her pants then moved back into her stance. “You having fun yet?”
“Ehh…” Andzral shrugged back. “I mean you’re a lot more entertaining than those three I fought earlier. But don’t let that give you some kinda false hope about getting out of this alive.”
“If I didn’t think you weren’t going to puss out on me and run I wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of keeping you from teleporting. Call it women’s intuition but you seem the type to split when things get rough.”
“At least I didn’t lose to that weakling Gwyneth. Can’t believe she killed you.”
Leaping forward Henrietta started her string of attacks, forcing Andzral to back up. Dropping into a sweep kick she pushed up off one hand then twisted and brought her other foot up against Andzral’s chin. The kick sent the elf head first into the wall but she shook it off and retaliated, driving her elbow into Henrietta’s leg to block a kick then rotating around and jabbing her twice in the face. Her next move was an uppercut that got used as a brace, Henrietta pushing down against the fist then jumping and spinning horizontally to bring her own elbow down on Andzral’s head before backing off again.
“Extenuating circumstances, it’s the other reason we’re out here with no one to get in our way. It’s rather difficult to concentrate on kicking your ass when I have to look after other people.”
“Oh come on, you didn’t even try to help Alexis or go after me when I killed her. You just stood there like a frightene…”
Andzral’s statement was cut short when she got popped in the mouth. “I know when you can keep someone alive and when you can’t.”
The Bondage Elf frowned then checked her lip for blood. “That was fucking rude, I was talking.”
“You were making noise, nothing important was coming out.”
The hands of the Bondage Elf began to glow as she built up magical energy, with a jump back she fired a string of Mana Bolts but couldn’t connect as Henrietta dodged between the posts. Not to be outdone Henrietta snapped a post and threw it at her before summoning her gun and opening fire. Andzral ducked down and summoned Shroud of Darkness then Dark Goggles to try and gain the upper hand but was surprised when Henrietta used Dark Goggles as well. Once again they attacked in a flurry of blows before each landed a kick that sent them to opposite ends of the arena.
Andzral coughed a few times then dismissed the darkness abilities. “Ok, now I know you’re a Blaze Rider, when did you gain dark abilities?”
Henrietta grinned maliciously as dark blue lightning began to form around her hand. “Since after I was nearly burned to death in that research facility we took over. Left there Charred and with all sorts of new abilities.”
Taking note of Andzral’s shadow being on the wall behind her she threw her elbow back, striking the shadow and hitting Andzral in the nose then threw her hand forward to release Dark Thunder. The first blow came as such a surprised that Andzral didn’t have time to dodge the lightning attack and took the shot square in the chest. But being as powerful as she was she staved off the status effects and hurled another Mana Bolt. Henrietta dodged again then looked up to see Andzral on the next level up. Rushing forward, the Blaze Rider stepped onto the post she’d broken then launched herself up and forward in a spinning back kick. Reading the attack Andzral caught her by the leg and slung her through one of the wooden pillars.
“I decided I like it out here better, more space to move around and all.” Andzral chuckled only to sigh when the dust settled and Henrietta was back on her feet.
Fire erupted from the posts in the area and began to spread all around the first floor of the building. “Whatever makes you feel better about how this is going to end is fine with me. This place needs to come down anyway.”
“I gotta offer, if for no other reason than I’m starting to like you too. Interested in joining Team…” She cut short when Henrietta shook her head. “Yeah didn’t think so, just thought I’d ask.” Andzral explained as she slid her foot underneath the head of Chesra’s hammer and kicked it up into her hand. “I obviously can’t leave here until I get rid of you so I guess it’s time to stop playing around.”
Black fire ignited from Henrietta’s collar as the skin began to melt from around her head. The heat in the room jumped up by several degrees and left Andzral lowering the zipper to her leather suit to cool off. “I’ve been waiting for you to say that.”
The Bondage Elf shot forward, swinging the hammer low and coming up in an arch to hit but missing as the image of the Blaze Rider began to blur. She tried to continue with the motion but had to back off when the heat increased again. On instinct she shielded her face from the intensity of the heat and took a nasty Flame Punch to the stomach, sending her sliding back and leaving a scorch mark on the leather. Three more punches came in rapidly followed by a spin kick with enough force to send Andzral clear across the pit. Henrietta ran and jumped across also but got caught with a standing side kick, held in the air, then redirected into the ground.
Before Henrietta could get back up Andzral spun and brought the hammer down on her stomach. But the smile was quickly wiped off the face of the Bondage Elf when the fire nearly tripled in intensity. Grabbing the head of the hammer, Henrietta yanked it away and kicked Andzral through a pillar before springing back to her feet. She checked her bandages to make sure they were still secure then let out a short sigh of relief before chasing down her prey.
“I’M GONNA KILL YOU!”
“You mean you weren’t trying befo…” Once again Andzral was cut off, taking a full body hammer shot and being knocked into and through the bar area. With a groan she stumbled back to her feet. “Ok, point made.”
Henrietta threw the hammer out the opening in the roof and focused on Andzral. “I spent weeks trying to figure out what to do about you. After all you’ve done, the pain and suffering you’ve put everyone I love through... just being beaten to death seems too good for someone like you.”
“How about a stern talking to and sending me on my way?”
“Then something you said earlier hit me…
“Great, now she’s ignoring me again. And to be fair I’ve been hitting you too… just doesn’t seem to do much besides piss you off.” She said, pulling a brass pole from the debris. “Maybe this will do it.”
Henrietta hopped out of the way of the first swing and took a solid kick to the stomach then grabbed the pole and nearly melted it before driving her exposed skull down against Andzral’s head. The Bondage Elf stumbled back then punched forward only to have her hand caught by the wrist. The flames around Henrietta’s collar began to pick up and Andzral could feel her strength drain away as the heat left her body. She lurched forward to bite into Henrietta’s neck but couldn’t penetrate the bandage that was wrapped there.
“Right, like I’m gonna let that happen.” Henrietta grinned as she continued to drain away the elf’s strength. A thoughtful look crossed her face as she stared down at the Bondage Elf. “Did you really feel sympathy… remorse for the lives you’ve taken and disrupted?” Before Andzral could answer Henrietta watched her eyes shoot down and to the left as the pupils dilated, something she picked up from Alexis. Andzral’s struggling to get away increased despite how useless she knew it was by that point. “Know what, don’t say anything, I’ll find out soon enough.”
Two small fire balls began to encircle both girls. As the speed increased the color changed, going from a reddish orange to a wispy ethereal green. Henrietta pushed her away and watched as they continued to circle just Andzral before plunging into her chest and head. There was a long pause as Andzral looked around and Henrietta thought the attack wasn’t effective. But when Andzral tried to take a step forward she stumbled; she could feel her heart rate increase dramatically and clutched her chest as the pain began to set in. She could feel it, every bit of pain and torment she’d caused over her life time was coming back to her. All the men, women, and children she’d regretted killing, the pokégirls and pokékits, it all hit her like an anvil.
She tried to grit her teeth and fight through the pain but eventually curled into a ball on the floor. As if the intense burning pain wasn’t enough her mind was assaulted by visions of all her past transgressions. “Ahhhhhhh! Stop! Make it stop!” She cried out, her hand reaching towards Henrietta only to have it kicked away. “Haaahheerrraaahhh!” Tears streamed down her face as it twisted up in anguish. In her panting and heaving she threw up and curled back into a ball.
Henrietta let her powers expand and absorbed all the flames that were in the building. Though considerable structural damage had been done it didn’t look like it was in danger of collapsing any time soon. With a smirk she went and picked up her vest then took a seat on the floor next to Andzral, continuing to watch the elf writhe and cry out in pain. “There’s a chance that this same attack will be used on me one day… but your death won’t be one I’ll feel.” She felt a sudden ping of distress coming from Marco and reached inside the vest to turn off the jammer. “I’ve got to go now but somehow I don’t think you’ll be going anywhere anytime soon. In the event this doesn’t kill you outright I’ll be back to finish the job later.”
_____
Guile, Julia, and Lily continued their way through the second building, hastily clearing rooms as they came to them. From the look of things the building had been mostly empty though Julia had pointed out the room where Chris and Ariel had been held. One floor down from the top the Ria stopped and started sniffing around then suddenly jumped back behind a wall. Guile poked his head around the corner and spotted tree women walking down the hall.
At the other side of the hall Angelica, Chio, and Cleo continued to walk and were only mildly surprised when Guile and the two pokégirls sprung from around the corner. “Put your hands up and prepare to be detained by order of the Indigo Military!”
‘Mistress?’ Cleo asked mentally through their delta bond.
‘No killing from either of you, let them get close then subdue and incapacitate.’ Angelica thought telepathically to both girls. ‘We let them get close first then strike.’ “Evening, we were just leaving.”
“I said put your hands on your head and get down on your knees.”
“Ok ok, fine.”
Angelica turned to face the wall and dropped down to her knees in compliance. Guile moved up behind her and managed to get her hand in one cuff before she sprung into action. In a swift motion she was on her feet, planting one foot against the wall and pushing off to force him back. Pushing back he tried to force her into the wall only to have her run up it then plant her hand on his shoulder in a handstand. Before he knew what happened she flipped back and sat on his shoulders then twisted and locked the joint of her leg around his neck in an attempt to choke him out. Guile turned and slammed her back first into the wall then fell backwards to drive her into the ground but in a true display of her skill and training she arched back and planted her hands on the floor, keeping them at an odd angle but effectively off the ground.
While the two humans were tussling the pokégirls engaged each other. Lily used electric whip in conjunction with her vines to try and subdue Cleo but had seriously underestimated the strength of the pokéwoman. Using Aura Guard Cleo fully coated her hands in chi and snatched one of the vines out the air then took a step back and pulled her clear across the hall in one yank. The Belle Awesome was still airborne when the Grand Mistress let the chi flow fully into her free hand then struck the younger girl with a Mega Strike palm thrust to the chest. Lily’s forward momentum was completely halted, the force of the blow causing her heart to skip a beat and her to consequently pass out. Julia and Chio had thrown each other into one of the offices then back out as they tussled back and forth. While the Ria should have had the advantage the Battle Angel’s use of Elemental Ward nullified her electric attacks. This didn’t stop Julia from handing Chio a beating though.
A sharp whistle got her to turn her head and she was met with a fist to the temple. “We’re done over here!” Cleo announced as she helped the Battle Angel up.
Guile’s struggling had finally stopped and Angelica released him from the choke hold. “He really hung in there.” A loud bang was heard as the door opened up and Ashley rushed in then paused to take stock of the situation. Electricity pulsed around her for just a second and she was prepared to attack until Angelica put a knife to Guile’s throat. “Just calm down, relax. Everyone’s still alive.”
Ashley put her hands up in a calming gesture and let her powers dissipate. “Ok, just don’t hurt them.”
“Ok Ashley, you’re a reasonable person so here’s what’s going to happen.” She explained as she moved the knife away from his throat and got up. “The three of us are going to back away from them and leave, after that you can do whatever you like. We want nothing to do with you, Marco, or Avalanche and this is the last you’ll ever see of me. Give them my regards and my apology for anyone who didn’t make it out of this alive. Wait… did Chris make it out ok?”
The Ria was taken aback by the genuine tone of concern found in the Breaker’s voice. “She’s fine… if you’re going to go then go!” She snapped, just wanting to be rid of them.
“Fine, be safe.”
Chio grabbed both women then teleported them out leaving Ashley to look after Guile and the others. “This is Ashley, Angelica and her harem just took out Guile, Julia, and Lily. All three are still alive but unconscious, please send back up.” She announced over the radio.
“Isabella to Ashley, we’ll have someone heading to your location. Where’s Angelica?”
“Gone, teleported away… don’t bother going after her. She could have killed them but she didn’t. Let’s focus on the actual threats.”
~~~~~
Richard, Gwyneth, and Valery had teleported into one of the middle floors of the first tower and started searching for someone, anyone they could vent their hurt and frustration on. Tamers and pokégirls they came across were dispatched in swift and brutal fashions while still maintaining relatively unnoticed. While making their way up to the next floor they heard a pair of females walking down and snuck into a dark corner.
“I’m telling you to get the hell out of here Eve. Readman is coming and I don’t think we want to be here for this.” Tessa argued.
“I understand that but I’m worried about Andzral.”
Just the mention of the Bondage Elf was enough to send the three IGS agents into a blind rage. Tessa didn’t even see the hits coming when Valery and Gwyneth tackled her through the wall. Evelyn was too surprised by what happened to notice the knife flying from the darkness and jamming into her stomach. Richard was quick to follow up, kicking her in the chest and backing her against the wall. He left the first knife in her gut while a second one was stabbed into her shoulder.
“Where the fuck is Andzral?!”
“I… I don’t know.” The Espea cried out as he twisted the knife.
“Where is she?! I’m not going to ask again!”
Evelyn’s tail flipped up between her legs and stuck Richard hard enough to force him away and she quickly followed up with a telekinetic pulse to send him across the room. She groaned and cried out as she ripped the knife out of her shoulder and tried to get her bearings when Valery flew from the darkness and punched her several times between the face and chest. Maniacal laughter was heard from the opening in the wall but got cut off rather quickly in lieu of an explosion. Gwyneth came flying out seconds later and crashed into Valery, knocking her away for the Espea while Tessa stood in front of her.
“Quick, get out of here.”
Evelyn groaned again and fell to her knees. The knife wound had caused her to lose a lot of blood and her consciousness was starting to slip. “We… we don’t… know…”
Tessa glared between the three IGS agents as she charged a spell in one hand and healing energy in the other. “She’s not part of this, and she’s right, we have no idea where Andzral went.” The Neo-Iczel tried to explain as she pull the knife from the Espea’s stomach and started healing her.
Richard cocked his gun and aimed at both girls. “But you know where she’ll go when she comes back and you’re going to take us there.”
“Eve, I’m begging you to leave right now.” Tessa pleaded. A gun shot rang out and the Espea slumped back against the wall. “Eve… EVE!” Tessa cried out, pulling the girl to a tight embrace as the light faded from the young girl’s eyes. “She didn’t know anything! Eve’s never done anything to hurt you all… she was never cut out for this kind of work. What the hell is your problem?!”
“Andzral killed Zee… now you take me to where she’s going.”
Magical energy pulsed around the Neo-Iczel and both Gwyneth and Valery took defensive positions in front of Richard. “If its hell you wish to visit then I’ll be giving you a one way ticket.”
~~~~~
Marco and his group didn’t so much open the door to the hallway as slide it slightly to the side, then froze at the sight before them. The whole area was torn apart, magical burns and blood marked everything from ceiling to floor. Even if the lights had been working they would have been destroyed by now. Arianna stepped into the hall first and took a sniff of the air then visibly cringed.
“It’s Richard, Gwyn, and Val… they didn’t survive.” Her ears picked up on a slight sniffling sound at the end of the hall and she had to activate Dark Goggles to make out the Neo-Iczel holding the Espea. “It was Tessa.”
The group made their way up to the Neo-Iczel but she just continued to hold Evelyn. “They didn’t have to kill her, combat wasn’t her thing, but you knew that Ari…”
“What did you do here Tess?”
“Spenser and his girls, they came out of nowhere and attacked us. Gwyn and Val kept me busy while he attacked her, he just kept asking about where Andzral went, she didn’t know…”
“Andzral got taken away by Henrietta, we can’t even get to her.” Arianna explained.
“Eve was bleeding out and I tried to heal her… that’s when… he just shot her in cold blood!” Tessa screamed in anguish before slipping into a vicious growl. “Then he had the nerve to demand I take them to where Andzral would be… hopefully I sent them to hell where they belonged.”
Arianna glanced to Marco and Kelly. “Go ahead, I’ve got this…” The War Hound waited until they had moved into the next stairwell before she spoke again. “Look… the director of the IGS isn’t the type of woman to forgive this. She’ll want you hurt for what you did to her agents.”
“I don’t care Ari… Just leave me be.”
“Shut up and listen you weakling, you’re hurt, I understand. I know you guys got some kind of report about what I did to Evan after I thought my Colonel was dead, so we both understand what grief can make a person do, all I’m saying is that she won’t care. But… I can’t just let you run…”
Tessa looked up to Arianna, she knew exactly where the conversation was heading. “We could make it look like I beat you and got away...”
“I’m honestly not trying to make light of this situation but you and I both know better than that. You could hardly take me before let alone in the current state of distress you’re in.” Reaching into her Assault Pack she pulled out an Elemental pistol and loaded it with a single Psychic Element round. “You had to endure Evan… twice, and you don’t deserve what they’ll do to you for this. I can’t let you leave, but I can give you a way out.”
Tessa nodded and pulled Evelyn into one last hug. “This was going to be our last job you know… You guys won, nobody wanted anything else to do with you. All we wanted was to live in peace, no more Team Rocket, no more Avalanche, and no more fighting for our lives.” Kissing the Espea on the cheek she closed her eyes and sat back. “I’ll be with you soon Eve... I guess the song was true.”
Arianna cocked the pistol and leveled it off at her head. “Song?”
“You… can’t always… get what you want. You can’t always get… what you… want. But if you try sometimes… well you… just fi…”
The shot rang out and echoed through the empty hall and Arianna closed her eyes and turned away. “You get what you need.”
~~~~~
Marco and the others paused and looked back when they heard the shot. There was no reason to guess or turn back, the fact that there was a shot at all told them what happened. In the back of his mind he made a note to come up with a reasonable excuse for why the Neo-Iczel was executed. But that was something they could worry about later. There was only one more floor to go before he reached what he assumed would be the supervisor’s office, and given the data they had that’s where Gerard would be.
Halfway down the next hall they came to a large set of double doors and nodding to Carrie they kicked the doors opened. Kelly pulled the knife from behind her back and locked eyes on Sandra while Carrie gripped her sword and glanced between Tiana and Aurora. Marco tried to step between both girls but every time he moved forward they adjusted their positioning to stay in front of him. Gerard finally left his chair and started to make his way to the center of the room where the mages took position.
“Marco Readman, the great pain in my ass. I’m actually kind of surprised no one managed to kill you on your way up here.” As he passed by Aurora he curled a finger under her chin. “I was certain Snoww would have gotten you but she got derailed fighting your Dire Wolf I guess.”
“And I guess you’re Gerard…” Marco growled, only getting himself under control after taking a deep breath. “I should have asked Selena to come and keep me in line too.” He muttered to himself before addressing Gerard again. “You are under arrest by the authority of the Indigo League Military. You… well you actually have no rights at all and I personally plan on beating your bosses name out of you and then putting a bullet in your head when I’m done.”
“You have a lot of mouth, but you’re outnumbered. Do you have any idea how much grief you’ve caused me, how many lives you’ve destroyed, how much suffering you’ve caused?”
Marco fixed Gerard with a look stuck somewhere between disbelief and confused fury. “You’re kidding right? I understand a lot better than you do,” He stated harshly as he started getting closer. “I’ve cut short the lives of the young idiots your organization’s conned into joining them. I’ve watch pokégirls emotionally broken as their tamer met their end. I nearly turned one of the most efficient and honored units in the military into nothing more than a group of trained killers. And I’ve struck my own girls, my family, in blind rage, all thanks to the endless hounding and attacks against me and mine. The only reason, and it’s a loose one at that, that you and I are even talking right now and I haven’t just put a bullet in your head is because every intelligence agency out there wants a piece of you.” Marco stopped mid-way as Carrie crossed in front of him and put her hand on his chest. “And about that being outnumbered. Carrie, love, think you can take the two on the left?”
Carrie gripped then unsheathed her sword, her eyes flashing through several colors before settling into a dark orange. “Sandra, you should run. Run while you still have the chance.” Ronda pleaded through Carrie. “If she wants to stay and join you she can. Oh yes Master, I’m looking forward to adding more souls to my collection.”
Aurora pulled a pair of gloves from her pocket and put them on before summoning her staff. She eyed Carrie and snapped her finger then marveled when nothing happened. “That… thing, is heavily enchanted. I can’t dispel whatever abilities it has.”
Picking up on the hint she’d just gotten Kelly summoned a fireball card to her hand and launched the spell towards the Archmage. Aurora turned slightly and snapped her fingers, not only did the spell vanish but the card the Duelist was still holding burst into flames and was destroyed. “That’s a nifty set of gloves you have there. Enchanted?” Kelly asked with a smile.
“Yes, my own design. They can dispel most magic attacks and destroy low level magical items.”
“Interesting… I’ll be taking those when we’re done.”
“They wouldn’t fit you shorty.”
“The hands can come too, trophy room and everything.”
Kelly flipped her knife once then pulled another one and charged Sandra. At the same time Carrie uncoiled the chains from her right armguard and sent it spiraling at Aurora. Without warning the chain crashed against some form of barrier and shot to the ground. Carrie ignited her sword and moved in to engage as well, doing whatever she had to do to keep the attention off Marco. With a spin she kicked towards the Archmage but collided against the same barrier as before then ducked to avoid the strike from Tiana.
Blocking the Demon-Goddess’s staff with her sword she pulled her chain to her hand and lashed at Sandra over Kelly’s head. Sandra recoiled from the hit then yelled in pain as Kelly stabbed her in the same foot as last time. Glancing back Kelly eyed Tiana and rolled backwards then sprung off her hands to come down on her head with a knee but got hit with the staff and knocked her away. Her attempt to follow up on the hit was thwarted by Carrie’s chain hitting her across the face and then stopped completely when Carrie did it in person.
The Mistress lashed out again with her chain and whip but couldn’t break through the shield the Archmage produced. “What the fuck is that thing?” ‘Looks like a doubled Ultimate Shell Shield, you’re gonna need to give it some umph.’ The Seraph deduced.
Gripping the sword Carrie began the channel the power of the giantess, her eyes changing green. Aurora raised an eye brow when she felt the magical composition of the blade change then watched the Mistress leap forward and punch with all her strength. She could see her barrier ripple then shatter in a wave of energy that knocked her to the ground. Before she knew what happened the chains were shooting towards her, rolling back onto her feet she snapped her fingers to create a deflective barrier but the enchanted items plowed through it. In a last ditch effort the Archmage made a hand sign and grabbed the item before it could hit her, then dropped it as it tore into her hand.
“For fucks sake! Who enchanted this?”
“The Bonds, they do magnificent work, no?” Carrie responded.
“No, I mean yes. But that’s all the psychic ability you’ll be putting through these.”
Carrie unwound the second chain from her armguard and grabbed the end. “That’s fine, I have more.” Sliding the first guard off her arm she threw it to Kelly. “Put that on.”
The Duelist was quick to put on the item and watched it resize to fit her smaller arm. “Thanks.”
As the girls engaged in battle Marco started his own fight with Gerard. The men approached each other slowly at first began to pick up pace as they got closer. Gerard was the first to attack, throwing a front kick but getting shoved away. Marco struck back and jabbed him once in the stomach before grabbing him and tossing him over the desk. He jumped up on the desk to go after him but Gerard was quick to get back to his feet, rotating and sweep-kicking Marco’s feet from under him then grabbed him around the neck.
“Hah, the great Colonel Readman. You’re not that tough.”
Reaching back Marco thrust the edge of his hand into Gerard’s throat then managed to get a knee back far enough to strike him in the head. “And you’re… just as weak… as I thought you’d be.” He huffed out in response. Rolling off the side of the desk he grabbed Gerard by the hair and rammed his head repeatedly into the desk. One of the drawers opened from the impact and Gerard’s head found its way in there for two more slams before being thrown against the wall. Just as Marco was about to follow up with a punch Gerard vanished, causing him to hit the wall and break his hand.
Tiana had teleported Gerard to the other side of the room and lunged to attack Marco. She was in mid-flight when she got tackled herself and slammed into the ground. As she tried to get up a foot hit her from underneath and launched her into the ceiling then she was caught and thrown back into the ground on the way down. The Demon-Goddess rolled over and got her first look at her assailant, a War Hound towering over her.
“You guys started without me.” Arianna growled.
Kelly dodged Sandra’s staff then caught it, spun, and forced the girl back with a palm thrust. “You took your time getting here, not our fault.”
Carrie hit the ground and roll back between Kelly and Arianna then climbed back to her feet. “At least you showed up.”
Tiana and Sandra took spots on either side of Aurora and began to concentrate as the Archmage flew into a long string of hand gestures. Glyphs appeared on the floor underneath each girl and they simultaneously moved into the same stance, all summoning their staffs at the same time. Arianna, Carrie, and Kelly each moved into their own individual stances and prepared to dive into the fight as Marco took position behind them.
“Be careful guys.” Marco urged, wincing in pain when Kelly grabbed his broken hand and healed it. “You still alive back there you bastard!”
“Ladies, kill him!” Gerard groaned, wobbling back to his feet.
Aurora made a few more hand gestures and the lion constellation formed in front of her and she sucked a deep breath. Carrie and Arianna threw up barriers in an attempt to shield them from the flaming roar but both barriers dissolved and threw all four of them back. Arianna was the first to get back to her feet and threw herself in between the three mages, forming Shroud of Darkness around herself to gain a quick advantage.
From the outside Kelly could see the War Hound holding her own. Sandra got kicked out to the side and the Duelist lunged after her, slashing high and low with her knives to keep the Demon-Goddess off balance. Carrie continued to wait for an opening and when Tiana got ejected from the sphere the Mistress went on the attack, her sword igniting and clashing against the magical staff. Aurora would have preferred to fight either of the other girls. With Arianna’s lack of magic she was forced to fight the hound head to head.
Though things were looking bad the mages had a plan for turning things in their favor. As the fight continued they began maneuvering around the room, luring the girls from Avalanche into position in front of the opened windows. Tiana and Sandra pressed their attacks as hard as they could, the pair holding off all three girls while Aurora charged up.
When the pair of Demon-Goddess dove for cover Kelly focused on the Archmage and could feel the power of the incoming magical attack. Pulling a card from her pouch she summoned her shield wall as Arianna did the same and braced herself. But it was all for not when the Archmage released Megidolaon.
Thanks to the shield card the blast was spread out, catching both Tiana and Sandra in part of the blast. Unfortunately the backlash of having her card destroyed in such a manner drained Kelly completely and the force of the blast knocked her unconscious. Carrie had been blown off also but pulled Kelly against her chest on the way out. Throwing her chain into the side of the building she swung down and dropped the Duelist on a lower floor before shadow teleporting to Marco. Arianna summoned her wings in midflight but sustained too much damage to return to the battle.
Back on the top floor Marco was slumped down against the wall trying to will his eyes opened. His ears were working just fine though and he could hear Gerard complaining. “You could have killed us all you idiot!”
“Me idiot? You’d still be getting your head beat against the wall if it weren’t for us. Wait… you hear something? Shit, he’s coming to.” He could hear Aurora explain.
“Then what should you be doing? Don’t just stand around gawking, kill him!”
Once again Marco tried to move but couldn’t. He felt a sudden rush past through his body then heard a loud clash of metal on metal close to his head. “You stay away from my master!”
‘That’s Carrie!’ Marco thought in a panic as the clashing and scuffling got louder. It felt like it went on forever as the Mistress fought for both their lives. Finally there was a loud clang followed by hundreds of tiny impacts then two heavy thuds hitting the ground. ‘Carrie…’
“Son of a bitch!” Gerard growled again. “Get her restrained, I’ve always wondered if you could turn a Mistress back into a Penance.”
“Tiana’s dead!” Sandra screamed.
“I can see that, she doesn’t have a head anymore so it’s kind of obvious.”
‘Rietta…’ Marco called out in his weakened state then groaned as he was lifted up by his neck. ‘Henrietta!’
“All this trouble just to kill one man.” Sandra sighed and started tightening her grip. It was a strain but Marco’s eyes finally snapped open and began to glow. She could feel the pressure and the temperature start to rise in the room. At first she thought it was coming from him, and part of it was, but there was another presence. The hand that held him up was suddenly gripped with bone crushing strength as the Blaze rider appeared out of nowhere.
“Guess there’s still more ass to kick around these parts.” With a simple twist Henrietta wrenched Marco loose and shoved him back against the wall. Her eyes shot down to see Carrie on the ground and the heat in the room shot up. “Someone’s gonna get it.”
Aurora summoned her staff and stepped forward. “And who the fuck are you?”
“Me? The only important title here is ‘The All-powerful Queen Bitch’ standing between you and him.”
“Then as soon as I’m done with you I’ll finish him.”
The flesh reformed on Henrietta’s face to show her smiling as she shoved Sandra back. “I remember Andzral making the same claim, but you don’t see her here do you?”
Both Sandra and Aurora had been around long enough to know the reputation of the Bondage Elf and if the girl standing across from them claimed to have done her in then she wasn’t to be taken lightly. The doors burst opened and both mages began to quake with fear. Glowing golden eyes pulsed in the darkness as the Dark Queen entered the room and surveyed the damage.
“Oh excellent, he’s still alive.”
“Back off Delilah. I can handle these two.” Henrietta exclaimed, using her foot to slide Carrie next to Marco and out of the way. “We don’t need SLOI’s help.”
“I’m sure you don’t but I’d rather he be alive when all is said and done. Sandra, it’s been too long… I figured you would have left by now.”
The Demon-Goddess swallowed hard and nodded. “Yep, Angelica is waiting for me after all.”
Before Aurora could say a word Sandra was gone, leaving just her to protect Gerard. Delilah was past her and had her target by the neck. “Ohhhh I’ve really been looking forward to getting my hands on you.”
“Get me out of here you idiot!”
The Archmage charged Delilah and struck with the staff, knocking Gerard clear then picking him up. Her intention was to teleport away but unknown to her Henrietta turned her teleport jammer back on. Dark fire formed around Delilah’s hands as she reached out and grabbed Aurora by the throat. Slightly more concerning was the hand that sank into the Archmage’s heart but was knocked away before the attack could be finished. With no way to get Gerard out and no means of escape Aurora had no choice but to either attack and be killed or surrender and hopefully not be killed.
Thinking better of her options she de-summoned her staff and put her hands up. “Ok ok, I’m done!”
Henrietta summoned her gun and put a single round through the girl’s head. “You certainly are.”
“What the fuck is your problem!” Delilah yelled. “She may have had information that ahhh!!” She yelped when the Blaze Rider put a bullet past her. “Ok… I have Gerard, I should have what I need.”
“Glad you see my point.”
There was a low groan at the door followed by Kelly falling through it. “This has been a very shitty day.” She groaned again and scooted next to Marco. “You ok hun?”
“Alive.” He coughed. “How about Carrie?”
The Duelist pulled Carrie closer to them and winced. “Probably has a concussion but she’s breathing.” Clair entered the room shortly after and almost tripped over Kelly in her rush but started healing them as soon as she saw their condition. “Thanks.” The Duelist then glared at Delilah. “You get what you want?”
Gerard had already been placed in cuffs and was being held up by his shirt. “Oh yes, as soon as I get him back to HQ we’ll start our interrogation. There’s a lot of blood on his hands but maybe he’d like to cut a deal and give up the location and leader of Team Rocket.”
Marco was partially healed and back on his feet, though leaning against the door for stability. “You’re fucking kidding me. All the shit he put us through and you’re going to try and make a deal with him?”
“How we handle the situation is none of your business Colonel. We appreciate all you’ve done and I’m sorry for the losses you’ve suffered but this goes way beyond you.”
“I should have just killed him when I had the chance.”
“I guess you should have.” She remarked as she started towards the doors.
Gerard smirked at Marco. “I was going to fuck both your sisters you know. Turn them into whores for team members to abuse as they saw fit them send them to the worst league in the world.” He proclaimed with no lack of enthusiasm. “They would have received treatment worse than anything Evan’s ever done.”
Marco tried to leave the wall but was held back by Henrietta and Carrie. “I’ll fucking kill you!”
“Not toda…” Gerard’s goading was cut brutally short when his head exploded into hundreds of tiny pieces.
_____
30 seconds earlier, Power Plant Ruins, Two Miles Out
Angelica continued to watch the scene unfold through her binoculars and clicked her radio. “Mr. Chairman, Gerard’s in custody and is about to be taken away. Your orders?”
“Take him out, I can’t afford to be put under scrutiny and he will talk.”
Angelica nodded to Cirra and Jenna, both who had their sights trained on the occupants of the room. The Gun Valkyrie began harnessing her energy and released a condensed bolt of plasma that silently flew through the forest and splattered the man’s head like a pumpkin. Looking through the binoculars again she could see the surprise and alarm they had just caused as well as Delilah quickly pointing fingers and yelling at Marco.
“Kill confirmed sir.”
“Excellent. Who else is left there?”
“Delilah is present and…”
“You take that traitorous bitch out of my sight for good!” He cut her off and yelled through the headset.
“With fucking pleasure.” She replied back. “Eliminate Delilah next, both of you.” Both Cirra and Jenna gave her a questioning glance but the stern look she shot them was all the reply they needed. It only took a moment for both girls to target the Dark Queen and fire. Like last time the shots sailed through the air and found their target, one striking the bridge of her nose while the other struck her in the heart. “Kill con-fucking-firmed.” She announced with no lack of enthusiasm but that was quickly brought to a halt when she remember who was left. “What about Readman?”
There was a pause on the other end of the line. “The blasphemer… he can live, a man such as myself deserves a worthy opponent when the revolution begins. But if that smart mouth Duelist is there I want her eliminated too.”
“Duelist?” Angelica said in a questioning tone as she looked to the room again. Though admittedly she had watched the whole fight and knew exactly who he was talking about. Both snipers heard the breed type and began adjusting their sights. Angelica could see Kelly helping pull Marco to cover deeper in the room but from their angle it was still a clear shot. She was about to speak when she remembered the conversation she had with Chris.
“…He loves his girls and they love him.”
“She’s in the room but we can’t get a clear shot at her.” Angelica lied causing Cirra and Jenna to look up at her. They checked their scopes again and gave her the sign that they could make the shot but dismissed it when she shook her head. “Are… are we good sir?”
“Your obligation to Team Rocket is cleared. Thanks for your help cleaning up.”
“Thank you for letting me go.” The Chairman cleared the line and Angelica let out a heavy sigh. “We have twenty-four hours ladies, let’s pack up and move out.”
Sandra stepped forward with an awkward look. “What about me Angelica.”
“Cleo…” The Grand Mistress moved swiftly behind the Demon-Goddess and broke her neck. “You didn’t survive the battle.”
Jenna reverted out of her battle form and stretched. “Good riddance.”
“Excellent work tonight. Did you have to deal with any of Gerard’s harem?”
“Snoww was fighting with the other Dire Wolf but I put one through her head while she was busy. I didn’t plan on that explosion though.”
“And what of the other wolf?”
“Lost track of her during the explosion. I think Readman’s Ice Empress was out looking for her but we left Avalanche alone like you ordered.”
Angelica took one last look at Marco through the binoculars and a faint smile curled her lips. ‘Thanks and you’re welcome.’
_____
After coming to the conclusion that it was safe to leave the room Marco and the others returned to the bottom to help clean up the rest of the Team Rocket tamers in the area. It was a slow process to weed them all out but after a few hours the area was contained. There were bodies everywhere after all was said and done and there would be even more to answer to.
Renae had returned with a barely alive Hiyori but they got her healed and back on her feet in no time. With her being alive it would be slightly easier to explain how everything went so wrong at the end of the day. As the reclamation teams entered the area to catalog the scene and possibly consider trying to get the power plant back in operational condition a thought struck Marco.
“Rietta, where’s Andzral?”
The Blaze Rider blanked out for a second then vanished only to return moments later looking both embarrassed and pissed off. “She’s gone…”
“What do you mean gone? Where did you take her?”
“I… I took her to a place I don’t like to talk about… and I don’t want you to see. She must have willed herself to teleport out but she was in no shape to fight when I was done.”
Arianna growled in irritation. “Chances of us seeing her again?”
“Remote at best, she’s not going to want to cross us ever again.”
_____
It had taken a week for military intelligence to go through all the reports that had been filed for the operation. In reality there was no one to blame for how things had ended but someone had to take the blame and as Marco, Avalanche, Guile, his harem, Denise, Clair, Philip, Ledda, and Caswell sat in the meeting room it was becoming clear who the three General’s fingers would be pointing at. But at this point Marco found it hard to care. They finally put those that died on that mission to rest the day before and he just didn’t have it in him to care about what the generals.
Marco had only been mildly surprised to discover that General Barnes had been dishonorably discharged after Haures admitted to working with him for several years. But where that removed one of his military detractors it left room for another to take his place. Major General Sizemore was said to be a fair and honest man so it was just on a personal level that he and Marco didn’t get along. Of course Brigadier Generals Napier and Stevenson were there as well and so was Lorain Baswell. So there was a good chance he knew where things were heading.
Like the others, General Sizemore was up in years and greeted the room with a stern look. “Good morning everyone, this meeting is to discuss the events that took place at the ruins of the old Cerulesbian City Power Plant. After military intelligence going over all the reports there were some questions raised that we were hoping could be answered by those who were there. General Stevenson, if you please.”
Stevenson addressed the room in her normal calm demeanor. “Colonel Readman, good to see you again as always. We would like to know the exact reason for your operation there.”
Marco stood and saluted, all the while wondering when people stopped reading field reports. “Ma’am, Sirs, a handler from my unit and her Lawfoxx were abducted and taken to that location. Our Primary objective was the safe return of Detectives Christina Reynolds and Ariel.”
“Understood, the report says that both were recovered alive and in good health. But you also pressed on with a secondary objective, that being the capture of Gerard, a previously unknown member of Team Rocket. Why is that?”
“You read the field report Ma’am?” Marco asked with a look of surprise.
“Of course Colonel, this is merely for clarification.”
“Yes Ma’am. Over the past year my unit and I have been the focus of several precision strikes and operations conducted by Team Rocket. Thanks to intelligence provided by SLOI Agent Delilah I was told that we had cost them an excessive amount of forces and that Gerard would be forced to abandon his campaign against us if his final operation failed. The majority of the intelligence and law enforcement agencies wanted this man brought in alive and with that in mind we moved to our secondary objective, the capture of Gerard.”
Napier raised his hand. “Colonel, how exactly did you discover the location of where Ms. Reynolds and her pokégirl were being kept?”
“Sir. After leaving the gym in Viridick I was confronted by Angelica Oran, the only remaining member of Tri Fotia, a separate division of Team Rocket. She informed me of where they were keeping Ms. Reynolds. Their plan was to lure me into a trap at the plant using Christina as bait to get me there.”
Stevenson spoke again. “Yes, I believe Colonel Guile came in contact with Angelica.”
“It was brief, she and her pokégirls disabled the team I was leading, myself included.” Guile spoke from a place of disappointment. “From what I remember Colonel Readman’s Ria, Ashley, confronted them but we were being used as hostages and she was forced to let them escape.”
“Understood Colonel Guile.” Sizemore cut in before Stevenson could speak again. “We could spend the rest of the day going over every little detail but let’s get down to the bare bones of the matter. Readman, you failed in you secondary objective to capture Gerard did you not?”
“Technically no I didn’t. Agent Delilah detained Gerard, there for he was in SLOI custody.” Marco Stated in a matter of fact like tone.
“It was your operation and she would have been following your orders.”
“If she were following my orders she would have left the area when I told her to. She and I had crossed paths when I was putting one of my family to rest and words were exchanged. Long story short, I rather pointedly told her exactly what I thought about bringing Gerard in alive and about being pressed into doing so.”
“So your intention was not to bring Gerard in alive in the first place?”
“No, my intention was to do my job and follow orders. My desire was to carve out his heart and dump is body in the woods.”
“Watch your tone Colonel.”
“Watch nothing. Everybody on this side of the room except for Caswell and Guile has managed to lose something in the middle of all this. I lost two team members, Denise lost her master and her whole damn harem, Ledda lost all but one of a team under her command, and Agents Wade and Clair lost Delilah. Did I particularly care for Delilah, no not really, but I wouldn’t wish her dead. Gerard, ooooohh yeah, wanted him dead.”
“Well he’s dead, information is lost, and somebody has to be held responsible. In this particular case that somebody is you. You failed your mission.”
“I accomplished my mission, I failed a secondary objective… and I really didn’t do that since he got killed in someone else’s custody. That’s like saying it’s my fault if Campbell suddenly turned up dead.”
“Campbell is dead.” Wade stated, sliding a folder over to Marco.
Marco took the file and flipped it open then tried his best not to let the hilarity of the report and photos ruin his bad mood. “I honestly didn’t think a person could die like that.”
“You’re telling me, we thought it was foul play at first but the video evidence confirmed what our M.E. said happened.”
“Well… that’s not my fault either. But I can tell by the looks you three are giving me that my fate has more or less been decided, so let’s have it.”
“You have a horrible attitude and a lack of respect for authority!” Napier Barked.
“I have a doctor’s note for that, Rebel Blood.”
Sizemore slammed his gavel. “Enough! You’re right Readman, we already know what we’re going to do with you. You’re being forced out, retired.” He ordered, glancing to the Ingenue next to him who produced a stack of papers from a folder.
Marco’s eyes hardened but he turned his attention to Baswell. “On such weak grounds to force me out I could feasibly hold this process up for months couldn’t I?”
Baswell shuffled her papers and coughed before nodding. “Months? More like years. You could drag this whole thing out and make an appeal to The President of the League if you felt like it. Though they would probably want to throw you in jail for the time being.”
“Then here’s what I want. I get to keep the office building…” He thought for a moment. “And one of the PUMAs, then I’ll sign your papers and be out of here.”
Sizemore eyed Marco suspiciously then nodded his head. “Those are agreeable terms Colonel Readman.”
It had only taken ten minutes to make the necessary adjustments to the paperwork and Marco was more than happy to sign after reading it over then handing it to Henrietta to do the same. Kelly and the other members of Avalanche weren’t quite sure what to think at the time but had trust in his judgment. After one last initial and date he stood up from his chair and gave a salute. “It’s been an honor and a pleasure to serve the military, the league, and the people.” Then he cracked a smile, clapped his hands together and motioned towards the door. “Let’s go people.”
“Hold it right there!” Sizemore commanded. “Where do you think you’re taking them? Avalanche belongs to the Indigo Military now. Or did you not fully read what you signed.”
“No I read that, Kelly can you go home and get a copy of the contract out of the safe.” There was a short wait for the Duelist to return but when she did she brought a folder with her. She handed it to Marco and Marco handed it to Baswell. “As you can see I have an Indigo League Government signed, dated, and notarized contract that states that upon my, death or retirement, or any end of my service to the military the ladies in Avalanche will be made free pokégirls. Actually there’s a separate contract for each member of the unit but a blanket form as well. Either way, you can’t give orders to them or me anymore. If they choose to stay with me then thanks for giving me the space to maintain everyone.”
Lorain took the contract and read through it before handing it back to Marco and stuffing the papers into her briefcase. “Well played yet again Colonel.”
“Thank you as always.” Marco laughed before shaking her hand and preparing to leave again.
Sizemore was up and out of his seat. “That’s garbage, he just signed a contract giving operational of the unit over to me.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Baswell said with a shrug. “Your military contract doesn’t void a government one, all you did was release Colonel Readman from service to the military as a whole. His contract was a signed agreement that upon his release any and all parties of a pokégirl registration are also release from the military regardless of any previous commitments.”
“So there we have it.” Marco laugh, getting closer to the door. “Before your predecessor was put on trial for working with Team Rocket, treason essentially, he tried to take Avalanche too. It didn’t work for him either.”
“Then you are to return all military equipment to the south east storage bunker.” Sizemore barked out.
Marco turned around and continued to smile then transitioned to full on laughing. “What equipment?”
“Weapons, armor, computer terminals, everything that was issued to you.”
“You really have no idea how the unit operated do you? All I was given was a task and a list of ways I could fail. Any and all equipment we have we had to buy using our quite meager operating budget. After we got rolling and got some bounties that wasn’t an issue… wait… there’s a crate of toothbrushes I can send back.”
“What about the computer terminal that was issued to you?”
Isabella kicked back in her chair and started laughing. “That piece of junk was gone six months after I got captured. What kind of tech specialist would I be if I let us operate with inferior equipment?”
Sizemore was seconds away from flipping the table but Stevenson stood up as well. “That will be all Colonel. Thank you for your service to the league and it is my hope that if we are ever in a crisis we may turn to you for assistance.”
Marco nodded and opened the door to let his girls file out. “I have all the badges I can get so I’m immune from Tamer Callouts. But you know where we’ll be, and it never hurts to ask.”
_____
Secret Home of Alphonso Haures, One Island
Kaia sat at the terminal with a sad expression as she received the news from the Chairman. “I guess I kinda knew after the first night they didn’t come back… but to know that Tessa and Eve…”
“The report says they were killed by IGS Agent Spencer, but the agent died of his injuries as well.”
“Avalanche wasn’t responsible?”
“No. Be sure to tell Haures when he gets back, his service to Team Rocket is over.”
“Thank you for telling us, at least we know not to keep waiting.”
“Whatever… Oh, there’s no mention of Andzral. If she survived then I’d like to offer her a job.”
Kaia’s eyes cut to the quivering mass covered in blankets on the floor. “We haven’t heard from her either… we lost everyone.”
There was an actual hint of remorse in the Chairman’s voice. “Sorry for your loss.”
The call disconnected and Kaia moved to the floor next to Andzral and pulled her head to rest in the. She’d managed to teleport to safety but even a healing cycle couldn’t repair the damage done to her mind. Even after a week she was still haunted by visions of the past. Kaia wasn’t concerned though, just being happy that one member of the family came back alive. Leaning down she could hear Andzral still whispering.
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry.”
“The fight is over and we’ll never have to fight again.”
============================================================================
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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 Empress |
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Nikki- SexSlash |
Lily- Belle Awesome |
Isabella- Mecha Musume |
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Emaline- Fire Maiden |
Alexis- Cherub- KIA |
Tam- Catgirl- KIA |
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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- KIA |
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Ashley – Ria |
Barbra – Tesladama |
Denise – Thundercunt |
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Bernadette – Piratit |
Cassandra – Mechdoll |
(A) Gwyneth – Dark Lady - KIA |
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Carrie – Mistress (M) |
Crimson – Sexlong |
Valery – Umbrea- KIA |
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(A) Chesra – Archangel |
(A) Julia – Ria |
Z- Ko – Shadowgirl- KIA |
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(A) Henrietta – Blaze Rider |
Lyra – Oni |
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Jean – Kyubi |
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