Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoy. If you REALLY like it, I have a P-a-t-r-e-o-n, under the same name, where you can read 5 chapters ahead.
A somewhat experimental chapter.
Warning: Graphic violence.
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I vaguely knew that someone was speaking very loudly, but it came to me as if underwater. Distantly, hands touched me and guided me, yet all I knew was the increasingly rapid thudding of my heart and the feeling of choking no matter how fast I breathed. The sensation of icy water on my skin and in my throat as I fell into the eyes of the Vulpix, the creaking and splintering of wood as everything was torn apart around me, fur slipping between my fingers as I tried desperately to hold on, but my head hit a beam hard and went fuzzy-
SMACK!
My head whipped to the side, pain and heat spreading across my face. My hand lifted to my cheek while my eyes focused just in time to see Gary being shoved back by a furious Misty.
"Hey, back off, douchebag!"
"It fucking worked, didn't it!? Back with us, oh Champion of trauma?" It had been a while since there had been genuine anger in his voice, yet the undercurrent was thick and obvious. Another time I might've cared, but I was a little preoccupied, looking around in a daze, confused by suddenly being in our cabin rather than on the deck.
"Wha-what happened?" My voice was faint and trembling as it left my mouth, my tongue thick and wooden.
"You kinda just froze up there when you saw the weird Vulpix, so we recalled it and went down here. Are you okay?" Ash shifted from foot to foot, looking quite uncomfortable. I looked down at the mention, seeing the black and gold PokéBall still in my hand, and noticing that it was more than just my voice that was shaking.
"It was fucking embarrassing, having to pull you outta there! Get a fucking grip!" For once, I didn't fire back at Gary's venomous words, searching through my pockets quickly as my mind rebooted and the realisation I had earlier came back to me. "Now what!? Huh? Who the fuck are you calling?" He asked as I pulled out my PokéDex, fumbling with the touchscreen.
"W-we need help, the Rockets are coming!" I couldn't believe I'd forgotten. I knew that my memories of the anime were poor even before spending years blurring them with the real thing, but how the fuck could I forget the sinking of a giant-ass ship by terrorists!? That was serious shit!
"What are you rambling about!? Holy shit, you've completely lost it!"
"Peri, maybe it's best if you just sit down-" I knew Brock was just trying to help, but I still slapped his hand away and backed away from them.
"NO! I don't need-I know they're coming and we need help before they get here!"
It-... it was definitely a memory. I wasn't being crazy, I'd just forgotten and, and seeing the… the Vulpix reminded me.
Team Rocket was going to attack the S.S. Anne. It all lined up. The Pebble Clan members, the 'fans' that gave the gang tickets, and the rare Pokémon on board.
I wasn't being crazy.
I wasn't.
The blurred reflection of my pale face in the black screen faded as the call was picked up. On the other end, long blonde locks fell over a weathered face without the usual hat to hold them back, a long moustache wavering as the large man blew a strand away from his mouth. Ocean blue eyes blinked at me, confused, while a scared hand came up to scratch at The Admiral of Kanto's chin.
"Eh, that ya, lad? The hell do ya need at this hour? Ya youngin's need yar sleep, ya know." Walter Waterflower questioned in a bored tone. Despite his words, I recognised the area behind him as the same pool where I'd spent most of my time training in Cerulean, so it wasn't like he was lying in bed himself.
Not that it mattered beyond him picking up.
"Walter! Listen, I'm on the S.S. Anne and-"
"Oh? And here I thought ya were a lil' scardy Meowth 'bout the sea-"
"LISTEN TO ME!" The old sailor quirked an eyebrow at my outburst, yet did indeed go silent. "Team Rocket is about to attack the ship!"
That got his attention, a hard look turning his eyes to stone as he locked in and leaned forward.
"What? Tell me everything."
"Uncle, don't listen to him-" Misty leaned over my shoulder to appear on the camera, before I tilted so Walter couldn't see her.
"No, you have to listen to me! We're near Cinnabar Island. Send everyone, I don't know how long we have!"
"Lad, breathe for a moment and explain it clearly." Usually, Walter's even tone would probably have helped me calm down, even though Misty was getting more and more aggressive in trying to get the PokéDex from me.
Not that time.
"You'll have to trust me, we don't have time-" Suddenly, without any warning, the screen went black. "Hello!? Walter!? WALTER!?" I could feel sweat running down the back of my neck as a symbol with a red line through it popped up on the screen when I tried to recall him. I'd had a connection in the middle of Viridian Forest and the fields surrounding Cerulean, yet I lost it on the billionaire cruise ship?
"It's them, they're here! Send out your team and, and-"
"Will you stop it!? It's probably just the storm-" Misty seemed to have lost what patience she had and tried to force me down on my bed physically, but I wasn't having it.
"Storm!?" I interrupted. "What storm?"
Shoving them out of the way, I quickly moved over to the window and peered out. My stomach rolled at the sight of the water, the waves appearing like undulating black sludge in the night, but I forced the bile down and looked upwards. Dark clouds had replaced the clear skies in the short time since we'd gone downstairs.
"It's happening. It's happening right now! Get ready, they're coming!" In hindsight, I couldn't blame them for their disbelief. Despite the words being true – which they were, they had to be – there was more than a bit of mania in my voice as I clipped my newest PokéBall to my belt and yoinked another while grabbing my backpack as fast as possible, heart smashing against my ribs and my breath coming in pants.
"Peri, calm down! Nobody's coming, okay, you're having another flashback-"
A slight whine followed by a scratch interrupted us as the hidden speakers lining the ceiling sprang to life.
"Good evening, passengers of the S.S. Anne." A smooth, smug, and articulate voice echoed through the room. The words of my friends disappeared, the world narrowed to a pinprick of light at the end of a tunnel, and my blood turned to ice in my veins even as magma flooded my body.
I knew that voice. Not a week went by that I didn't hear it in my nightmares.
"This is your new captain, Proton, speaking. I apologise for the inconvenience, but we have claimed this vessel in the name of Team Rocket. Please return to your cabins in a calm, orderly manner. The replacement crew will come around to introduce the… new contraband list and confiscate anything… unusual. After all, your safety is our main concern."
"Thank you for sailing with the S.S. Anne. We really appreciate it."
—-
-"My name is Proton, Executive Proton, and we, that would be my fellows and I, come representing Team Rocket."-
"Peri!"
BANG!
The door slammed open so hard the metal hinges wrenched themselves apart, and the door itself fell to the floor. Dark smoke poured through the opening, thick enough to obscure our vision as several silhouettes stepped through the doorway, three in particular leading the way.
A human with obnoxiously long hair and another with a shorter, more spikey style stopped in the smoke and posed with their backs to each other, a small, bigheaded Pokémon standing between them.
"Prepare for trouble!"
"And make it double!"
The smoke slowly cleared to reveal the two figures, though I didn't need the introduction. I'd been on the lookout for them since day one.
A woman with ridiculous, comet-shaped magenta hair and sapphire blue eyes stood in a pose with her chest puffed out, lipstick-coated lips pulled into a cocky smirk, green earrings dangling in the breeze of their forceful entrance. Her clothing consisted of a short, sleeveless white shirt with a large red letter in the middle, a high-neck collar, and a short-sleeved black shirt that revealed her midriff. Her bottom half was covered in a white miniskirt that ended at her thighs and tightly hugged her curvy hips, and she wore long, skin-tight boots.
The other human was male, with shoulder-length periwinkle hair, a single fringe sprouting from the centre, and green eyes. Much like his companion, he wore a white long-sleeve shirt, a black short-sleeve undershirt, white pants with a purple belt, black boots, and matching gloves.
Finally, the Pokémon in the middle coughed and waved its paw to get the smoke out of its face, revealing the long whiskers and golden medallion in the centre of its forehead. Able to breathe, Meowth swiftly retakes his pose.
Behind them stood a couple of grunts in their ordinary black uniforms, dumb smirks on their faces, otherwise clad in the shadow of their low-pulled hats.
All of that was secondary to the large, red R in the middle of their shirts.
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
-two men stepped out, the red R on their chests lighting up like beacons in the night-
"Jessie!"
"Jam-AHHHHHH!"
James' introduction got interrupted as I crashed against him, sword first, the point of my blade digging into the muscle in his shoulder. His shrill scream turned into a wet gurgle as his nose crunched against my knuckles, blood exploding out under my fist. Again and again, my hand rose and fell, his orbital socket and cheekbone splintering beneath my pounding. Teeth snapped under my assault and the jaw broke, bone and enamel failing under my unrestrained strength.
When had I drawn the sword?
"JAMES!"
"Hey, kid, get off hi-HOLY SHIT! JESSIE HELP!"
Out of the corner of my vision, I saw a tan feline coming at me, a talking Meowth – The Meowth – moving to get me off James, yet before he could make it to me, a much larger yellow canine barreled into him, snapping jaws doing their best to clamp around the cat's neck. The callout gave me just enough time to roll to the side, though, as Jessie clicked open a PokéBall and a long Pokémon emerged to lunge at me. Bringing the sword up, I was just in time for the purple snake to bite down on the metal, allowing me to swing the Ekans to the side and get back up.
One of the grunts made for me, only to fall back screaming and clutching his hand, two of the fingers he'd outstretched towards me falling to the floor with a wet thud! Then I no longer had to worry about him as a forceful jet of water struck him in the chest with a sickening crack! and he collapsed, wheezing awfully. Looking around, I was just in time to see Jessie push the other Grunt in front of her as she tried to make it to the door, grabbing a moaning James – whose face probably wouldn't recover for a while – and dragging him with her. Meanwhile, Meowth had somehow managed to scramble out from under Sol and left him to fight a Koffin, before rushing after his friend, bleeding profusely from his ripped apart shoulder.
Did I release them? Did they sense what was going on and come out on their own?
Not that it mattered. Even as the comic relief of Team Rocket tried to make their getaway, Betty decided she disagreed and inhaled deeply. I barely had the time to recall Sol before blue dragon fire washed over the front half of the cabin, wide enough to cover even the large room. The Koffin groaned miserably, and the Ekans hissed in panic as it was picked up from where it had been slittering back my way, as both Pokémon were sent hurling towards their Trainers. Jessie looked over her shoulder at the roar and paled at the sight of the greenish-blue sea of flames coming towards her, screaming briefly before she was cut off by the Ekans wrapping around her throat and the Koffin hitting her in the stomach.
And then they were gone, vanishing beneath the Dragon Breath, along with almost the entirety of the back wall, debris and tiny pieces of wood clattering against the ground. A hole stretched through the S.S. Anne, a new path of broken stuff that led further in than I could see. Jessie and James were nowhere to be seen.
Panting heavily, despite the whole thing taking less than two minutes, I looked back over at my friends, only to find them frozen in basically the same pose I remembered them being in. The only difference was that at least Misty and Brock had released Starmie and Geodude, respectively, alongside a Zubat that clung to the back of Brock's head.
Ash and Gary, on the other hand, were simply gaping at me, Pikachu still on Ash's shoulder.
"What the fuck are you staring at!? They're here, we're under attack!" While speaking, I lashed out with a foot and kicked the Grunt, whose fingers I cut off, in the head to make him stop whimpering. I failed to knock him out, but Herc finished the job. "Send out your fucking Pokémon and tell them that it's kill or be killed!"
"Peri, I'm not sure-"
I didn't stick around to hear whatever bullshit Brock had to say, running to the destroyed wall with my team, clutching my sword tightly. I could hear faint crashing and yelling in all directions, but I paid it no mind as I jogged towards the stairs that would lead back up to the deck, not bothering to acknowledge the others as they scrambled to follow.
Proton was there. Proton was on the fucking ship, and he was upstairs, and he was in the Captain's quarters, and I was going to fucking kill him-
"Hey, let him go!" Blinking out of my thoughts, I looked up to see what Ash was yelling at and saw another two Team Rocket Grunts, based on their basic black uniforms. They were standing in front of an open cabin door, with one of them crouched over the back of an older man with a moustache who they'd forced to the floor. The other was busy fiddling with the old man's belt, and as he looked up at our arrival, I could see he was holding a couple of PokéBalls.
"What the hell? Oi, brats, hand over your Pokémon, or Gastly here's gonna give ya a nasty cough!" A swirl of purple, pink, and black miasma leaked up from the Grunt's feet and gathered over his shoulders, huge eyes and an enormous mouth forming as the Gastly stuck its tongue out at us-
-A wispy cloud of purple-black toxic gas appeared from the corner of my eye, jumping from the larger mass protecting their position. Huge eyes formed over a large, open mouth with a pair of long fangs chomping down towards my arm-
-"Peri!" A hand touched my shoulder without warning, making me swing my sword automatically. Gary jumped back as red painted a thin line across his chest, my blade missing by inches. "WOAH, CAREFUL, MORON!"
Panting even harder, I looked around to find myself at the end of the corridor, far from where I started. At my feet, a pair of glazed-over eyes peered up at me, the face twisted in a grimace of the Grunt's last moments of pain and dread, two large slashes cutting across his belly and chest. Blood dripped from my blade and hand, droplets staining my face.
Did… did I?
What happened?
Looking behind Gary, I saw the second Grunt on the floor next to Hercules, left leg bent at a wrong angle, blood leaking from a gash in his head, and a wide swath of scorch marks littering the front of his uniform. In fact, most of the walls were pockmarked with circular, Ember burns, and presumably the culprit was Betty, who even now was slowly stalking closer to the downed Rocket. Further down, Ash and Misty were helping the older guy back to his feet and handing him his PokéBalls.
We'd just left the cabin, and… what the fuck?
"Hey, idiot!" My reflexive flinch saved me from another slap to the cheek as Gary got my attention. Despite the anger and impatience, the youngest Oak was pale and sweaty, his eyes constantly darting around and to the corridor behind me as he reached up and brushed a shaky hand through his messy hair. He wasn't handling things as well as he wanted to pretend. "While your whole psycho shit is useful right now, we need you to stay with us, okay?!"
"Right, right," I agreed, trying to shake it off as Brock came up to us. Siren and Eevee were at my feet, with Sol down behind the gang, keeping watch.
"You okay, Peri?" The older teen didn't seem to buy my nod and attempt at a brave face, but he didn't mention it. We had other shit to worry about. "Okay, we need to head up to the top deck and get to the lifeboats. There's probably going to be quite a lot of Rockets between us and there, so we need to figure out which Pokémon we're going to use. Much as I hate to say it, Onix isn't going to be much help here, and both Geodude and Zubat are weaker than a lot of what you guys got." He grimaced at his own words and reached up to scratch the aforementioned Zubat under the chin as the Flying-Type clicked at his words.
Looking around, I had to agree with his statement. The hallways of the S.S. Anne were wide, around 8 feet, but there were still limits to how many could move forwards at the same time-
"Wait! We have to help the others, too!" I didn't need to look to know that it was Ash who said that, though I did so anyway, finding him side-by-side with Misty and the old guy, and a horde of smaller Pokémon surrounding them. "Harold has already agreed to help as well-"
Suddenly, the whole ship tilted to the side violently. Everyone lost their footing and stumbled into the wall as the vessel came down, rocking back and forth-
-Water rushed in to fill the path the Hyper Beam had left, walls falling as the ceiling crashed down around our ears-
-pain exploded in my head as it smashed into a doorframe, dazing me and splitting my eyebrow open. Even though I was extremely out of it, I still had enough wits to sway to the side, letting a fist pass over my shoulder and hit the same doorframe with a crack! and curses from behind.
That, in turn, gave me a location for the backwards elbow to hit the guy in the face as I rushed backwards and forced him against the opposite wall, feeling his breath being forced out of his lungs. Stomping on his toes, I judged him suitably distracted and turned around, jamming a fist into his throat and leaving him to choke as I took in the situation.
Misty's Starmie, Ash's Squirtle, Squirty, Siren, and a Mudkip that I didn't know were all gathered in the centre of the massive room we were standing in, opposite a similar gathering of Pokémon as jets and beams of water shot back and forth. In front of them and to the sides, more physically oriented Pokémon duked it out, Sol's large form towering over them as a floating, grey, mechanical Pokémon with a pair of magnets sticking out of either side of its body was sent flying by a Brick Break.
"SOL!"
While I wasn't sure what was going on, I did know that the large brown blur coming at my Growlithe was an enemy, and that wasn't good. Thankfully, he managed to get clear before a glowing pair of enormous incisors clamped down where the back of his neck would've been, the chunky Raticate chittering in annoyance before it was forced away by both Sol and another Raticate that I believed belonged to Gary. Trusting the two to handle it, I tried to get my bearings and looked around.
Once more, the room was more suited for a castle than a ship, with gilded walls and massive, glittering chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The floor was polished to a mirror finish, and the round tables with elaborate chairs around them looked hand-carved, with intricate designs and patterns.
Or, they had been. Now, they were little more than firewood as a horde of rampaging Pokémon tore through the hall. I could see Betty off to the side, having the time of her life as she spat out the limp body of a Rattata, not even caring that another two tried to sink their inch-long front teeth into her hind legs. Instead, she breathed a massive arc of Dragon Breath across the space, forcing the half dozen Rockets hiding behind some tables to duck and take cover. I heard more than a few cry out in pain as the Dragon-Type happily stomped over towards them.
Herc and Eevee were by my side, a couple of wounded and unconscious Poochyena and Zubat lying around us. The Normal-Type fox whined up at me and pressed against my leg, obviously not a fan of everything going on – whatever that may be. Brushing a hand through her fur, I also noticed that she flinched when I got to her back leg and that she didn't want to put weight on it. Likewise, Herc was rotating his shoulder, trying to hide a grimace. While his fight against Graveler left him wounded, it shouldn't bother him that badly.
Something had clearly happened while I was… out or whatever.
There were also half a dozen people I didn't recognise, with as many Pokémon, all standing in the middle with Ash, Gary, Misty, and Brock as they gave orders for the group firefight in the middle.
Goddammit, I needed to get my shit together. It really wasn't the time for a breakdown.
"Herc, when I tell you to, give me your best Shock Wave, okay?" I said, moving up from where I'd apparently been engaged in my own fight over to the side while the others handled the bulk of the Grunts. They briefly looked at me, but nobody seemed particularly angry or scared, so hopefully I hadn't fucked up too badly.
"When I say so, use the widest Water-Type attacks you have. We're going to electrocute them." I quickly informed the others as I joined their ranks, waving over Betty when I made eye contact – and also winching when I became aware of a large cut across my tricep. She wouldn't be helpful with the current plan, but having her close made me feel better.
Getting a round of nods, I kept my eyes peeled and pushed away my confusion and, admittedly, fear, to look for the right opportunity.
The Rockets Pokémon seemed to be the usual Zubat and Poochyena, mostly, but as I noticed earlier, there was a fair amount of Electric-Types as well. Nothing crazy, mostly Magnemites and considering I could see two Pikachus, at least one of those as well.
It made sense for an attack on a boat – which in and of itself was somewhat surprising from Team Rocket. Not really known for logic.
But the true surprise was the near-human-adult-sized yellow humanoid that had placed itself front and centre. Bulky arms windmilled constantly as electricity buzzed around the bipedal, forcing the front-line fighters to keep their distance. The long tail lashed side-to-side aggressively as the Electabuzz bared its teeth, almost single-handedly carrying the fight for its team as the constant barrage of Electric-Type moves forced us to keep protecting our Water-Types. Even Starmie found itself locked down, with the majority of the attention focused on it.
So, that definitely had to go first.
"Brock, be ready with Geodude, I'm gonna take care of that Electabuzz first," I said, not waiting for a response before moving sideways to get a better angle.
Sol and Siren already had their posts, and it didn't seem wise to get too far away from Eevee, so it was an easy decision which of them to trust to take care of it.
"Betty, charge! Herc, protect her!"
Where was my fucking sword when I needed it?
Shrieking in delight, Betty stomped the floor heavily before lowering her head and kicking off the ground. Her hide was covered in blood and minor scratches, a long cut running down the side of her neck, yet she practically glowed with delight as she approached the evolved Pokémon. In contrast, Hercules was all grim determination and focus, blurring with Quick Attack as he slammed a leaping Rattata to the side and stunned a swooping Zubat with a Swift and weak Thunder Shock. A different Elekid, one a little taller than Herc but not as wide, managed to slip by him using its comrades as a distraction. The Electric-Type whirred as its arms windmilled, lightning leaping between the prongs on its head, before shooting at the incoming Bagon and hitting her head on-
-to damn near zero effect against her shock-resistant hide – other than getting Betty's attention and an extra hard Headbutt to the ribs on the way past, followed by a Hammer Arm to the back of the head that embedded it into the floor.
By then, the Electabuzz had taken notice of them and whirred in a much deeper tone than Hercules was capable of. The larger Electric-Type glowed with an impressive amount of power and unleashed a Thunderbolt that cracked across the distance.
"Herc, ground it!"
Running in front of the attack and almost up in the Electabuzz's face, Hercules threw up one arm and placed the other beneath him. The Thunderbolt struck him with a flash as he barred his teeth and shook with power, the electricity melting and warning the wood polish on the boards beneath him. By the time it let up, Hercules slumped forward, spasming uncontrollably as he hit the floor.
At almost exactly the same moment, a barrage of rocks hit the evolved Electric-Type in the front, stunning it briefly. That allowed Behemoth to leap over Herc's downed body and strike the Electabuzz right in the chest with all of her nearly 500 pounds of weight, both of them falling backwards.
Seizing the chance, I turned around and gave the signal.
"Now! Water!"
They didn't need further instruction. The Water-Types inhaled deeply and sprayed out wide swaths of water. Starmie spun as beams of liquid appeared from each of its ten arms and merged into a wave, free to use its full power now that Electabuzz was down.
"Electricity!"
A variety of different Pokémon, not all of them Electric-Types, shone with thunder as they followed my command. Even Hercules redirected the leftover absorbed lightning into the waves. Most noticeable, however, was the small yellow rodent that leapt up high, shining like a star as Pikachu roared its fury.
"PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"
Multiple bolts of lightning rained down from the mouse, striking the flood of water as it surged towards the Rockets, currents sparking across the surface. The terrorists tried to run, but were too slow. They were swept up in the wave, bubbles erupting from their mouths in silent screams. Others tried to use defensive moves, yet none of them were encompassing enough and soon they were spasming as they were carried away, nervous systems and muscles rendered useless.
Betty had been caught up in the attack as well; however, as the tide hit the far wall and deposited the electrocuted and unconscious humans and Pokémon, the Bagon emerged from the pile, shaking her head before getting right back to work cleaning up the various Pokémon that were still capable of standing.
After finishing taking down the last of them, we all took a moment to breathe. I petted Sol's fur affectionately as the dog Pokémon came lumbering up with my sword in his mouth, though I'd have to teach him not to play tug-of-war with sharp metal. I also got a Full Heal from one of the guys we'd helped – some mid-twenties surfer dude – which helped Hercules with the worst of his overload. He'd feel it the next day, but seeing another sunrise was in and of itself a victory.
"Alright, everyone!" Brock spoke up after helping inject a Potion into the Mudkip from earlier. "I know that not everyone here is a fighter, but unfortunately, that doesn't really matter right now. Team Rocket has taken that choice away from you." Looking out over the crowd, I saw that he was right. Other than one guy in the S.S. Anne uniform, all the rest seemed to be civilians.
Fucking knew we couldn't trust the Pebble Clan. Where the fuck were they?
"Brock's right," I spoke up. I wasn't sure it was a good idea, given that I didn't know what they'd seen me do, but I might as well try. "I was on a different ship that Team Rocket attacked, and, sorry to say if you think this has a peaceful ending, but they stole all our Pokémon and killed the humans. I doubt this time will be different. Our best chance is to at least get to the top deck and escape." Not what I'd prefer, but telling a bunch of ordinary people that we should fight to the death probably wouldn't turn out well.
Based on their pale, yet firming facial expressions, I made the right choice.
"Yeah!" Ash spoke up, to my relief. He would have the right words to rally them. "We have to-"
-without warning, the S.S. Anne listed to the side again, the remains of expensive chairs and tables screeching over the polished, red-ish wooden floorboard and smashing even further apart on the walls. People screamed as they lost their footing and fell, myself included. My head bounced against the floor as the leftover water from the attacks soaked my clothes and hair-
-the liquid was ice cold as it surrounded us, pinned under the debris. My forehead hit something hard on the way down-
-a hand grabbed me by the back of my shirt and yanked me back, barely in time for a knife to pass right by my nose. Instinctively, I lashed out with a foot and kicked the middle-aged Rocket in the gut. He let out an 'ooopphhh' and bent over at just the right angle for Gary to step forward and knee him in the face.
"Watch yourself, idiot!"
"Wha-ye-yeah, right." We were in another corridor, and judging by the decor, we were getting closer to the top. Several doors lining the wall were open, and our resistance force was spread up, small groups each engaged with a couple of Rockets. Seems like we'd been ambushed. "Thanks, Ga-down!"
I pulled him down as a Zubat with wings glowing a steely silver, swooped past with a headache-inducing shriek that was cut off by my sword hitting it head-on like a bat and smacking it into the wall.
Our Pokémon were on either side of us, dealing with the ground forces, leaving Gary and me to go back to back and hold off flyers and Trainers that came close, waiting for them to finish. Eevee was still by my side, star-shaped projectiles of Normal-Type energy shooting from her mouth and plucking Flying-Types out of the air.
Meanwhile, I was swinging my sword around like a madman, trying to force everyone back while keeping an eye on Gary. I cursed as I was forced to let another Zubat sink its fangs into my shoulder to turn around and force a Grunt with a baton to jump back before he could hit Gary over the head. I held in a scream as a fist punched me in the liver, the enemies quickly finding out that Gary wasn't a fighter and targeting him harder and harder. Injuries started piling up, the increasingly familiar feeling of poison rushing through my body as I pulled him back to take another blow in his place-
-a rock hit the female Grunt in the back of the head, her eyes rolling back as she fainted on the spot. A furious gurgling was followed by a barrage of Water Bullets peppering our opponents as Siren showed her displeasure at my wounds. I could hear bones breaking and imagined several people lost their ability to walk or even breathe to that attack.
I gasped as a needle pierced my skin, and the cold sensation of an Antidote spread through me as Brock distributed healing items.
"You two good?" He asked. I nodded and bumped Gary with my shoulder, knocking him out of the daze he'd fallen into once we were no longer in immediate danger. He jolted and nodded jerkily, eyes darting to me, and the blood flowing from the dozen minor wounds I'd accumulated, guiltily.
Looking behind Brock and down the corridor, I saw, at the end, a staircase that I recognised as the one that led up. Adrenaline and rage chased away the pain and exhaustion, and I pushed off the wall, making to continue.
"Come on, we're almost there."
"Hold on, Peri," Brock interjected, stepping into my path with his hands up, "I think I should go first."
"I told you I'm fine," I tried to push past him, yet a hand on my chest held me back. Looking up to tell him off, the words died on my tongue when I found myself pinned by the most serious expression I'd ever seen on Brock's face, eyes wide open and severe.
"No, you're not." At least he kept his voice low. I wasn't sure the others had noticed that I wasn't just my normal psychotic self. "And normally, that's okay. But right now, you're a liability – not to mention injured – so you're staying behind me."
…shit. I wanted to protest so badly, yet I merely nodded mutely and allowed him to push me behind him. He was right, in the end. I barely knew what was going on anymore. I might've been able to handle the Rockets, the ship, or the Vulpix, hell, maybe even two at once.
But all three had me fucked up, and there wasn't time for my shit. Every time I'd come to, I'd been out of position or over to the side, doing my own shit.
For once, I'd swallow my pride and do the smart thing. It didn't matter as long as we got Proton.
"Fine, whatever. Lead the way, then, as long as we hurry up."
He looked at me for another moment before nodding and turning to the rest of the 20-30 people we'd somehow gathered along the way. The time it took to organise us had me gritting my teeth, but finally, Brock led the way up the stairs and out onto the deck of the S.S. Anne.
And into pandemonium.
Yells rang out over the deck, along with explosions and crashes. Bright flashing lights came from every direction as the ship crew – which I'd found suspiciously absent earlier – did their best to hold off the advancing ranks of Team Rocket. Dozens, if not a hundred, Pokémon fought back and forth, the more common TR species battling with the rarer types of the S.S. Anne. Those already defeated lay sprawled across the deck, the Rocket Pokémon much more numerous. And yet, even as I watched, more and more Grunts poured over the side of the ship, throwing out their PokéBalls to replace their fallen twice over.
BOOOOM!
A large smash over to the side drew my attention to a large group of Rockets, my heart thundering at the two white uniforms I saw among the masses. Across from them, a shadowy figure stood alone, their arms crossed as their equally hidden Pokémon battled a horde all by themselves.
Above it all, the dark skies swirled menacingly, howling gales threatening to send everyone overboard. The storm I'd seen through the window had intensified massively. Thunder boomed as rain whipped across our skin, and on the horizon I could see the top of a monstrous wave before it vanished beneath the railing, only for the ship to rock violently again.
"Hold the line! Left: push further up; right: get yourselves together! Arianna, reinforce the middle!"
The words cut through the chaos without issue, defying logic, and piercing straight through my brain like a bullet. Like magnets, my eyes moved on their own volition to the source, just as a booming thunderbolt split the sky and bathed the world in pale light, revealing the tall man's face behind the Rocket lines, directing them forward and barking orders.
A pointed chin at the bottom of a long face, cheekbones protruding sharply. The nose was petite and straight, the lips full and held in a casual smirk. The handsome man reached a slender hand up and pulled his black beret further down over his teal hair to protect against the storm.
"Come on, gentlemen, put your backs into it!" Executive Proton commanded as my world faded until only he and I existed.
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Oh my God, Team Rocket, what are you doing here!?
I don't know if the way I wrote this works. I wanted to kick up the whole 'PTSD flashbacks' into full-blown episodes as there were a lot of triggers going on, where Peri just blacks out while doing shit. But I don't know how it comes across in the text.
It's not necessarily going to be a recurring thing, at least not often, but it felt appropriate.
Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoyed. If you REALLY liked it, I have a P-a-t-r-e-o-n, under the same name, where you can read 5 chapters ahead.