Rapture

Foray

The night was calm as Bruno sat on the beach of his sector of the island deep in meditation. A foreboding feeling had been troubling him lately… keeping him from training at his full potential. His fellow members of the Elite Four were up to something and not telling him. This wasn’t uncommon, however this time things seemed to be happening on a different scale.

Bruno had noticed Lance’s Dragon Pokémon busy at work making modifications to the surface of the island. They were morphing the island into some kind of specific shape and running what seemed to be power lines across the islands extremities. The lines ran even through his area and without his permission.

Though he typically cared not for issues that didn’t directly affect his ability to become stronger, he couldn’t shake the feeling that whatever was going on was going to change the perception of the world forever.

Though concentrating deeply in his meditation, the slightest of noises jarred him from his self induced trance. Looking out into the ocean Bruno noticed slight water ripples among the waves moving down the island. “A… Gyarados?” Bruno thought. Not the type to miss a training opportunity, he grabbed his Poké Ball nunchucks and followed the ripple along the cliffy coast line.

Where the coast leveled out onto smooth beach slope, an amphibious personnel carrier rolled its way up on the sand. On the side of the vehicle was painted a large red “R”.

The doors on the front of the vehicle opened forming a ramp for Giovanni and his three generals to disembark.

“So this is the infamous island of the elites…” Koga looked around apparently not very impressed.

“Indeed it is… Now do try and be careful, I’d imagine this entire island is laden with traps. The Elite’s don’t take kindly to visitors.” Giovanni insisted as he prepared his own Poké Balls.

“Intruders!” Bruno stood atop a short cliff looking down at the Rockets.

“See?” Giovanni smirked as he continued walking.

“Do not walk away from me!” Bruno yelled.

In several leaps Koga scaled the cliff and stood facing the large man, “You’re fight is with me Bruno.”

Bruno laughed in Koga’s face, “With you? It will take all of you to make me break a sweat!”

Koga grinned, “We’ll see…”

Giovanni nodded to his other two generals, “You two find your targets while I go say hi the leader of the Elite Four.” Bouncing a Poké Ball in his hand, Giovanni disappeared into the forest.

Sabrina and Surge nodded at each other as they separated to begin their hunt.

Surge wondered through the forest coming across a cave with the entrance frozen, and snow piling up inside, “That’s gotta be it,” Surge laughed to himself as he entered. Surge wandered around the inside of the cave. The deeper he went the colder and darker it became. Tossing a Poké Ball, his Raichu emerged, “Hey Raichu, light this place up a bit could ya?”

The Raichu nodded and used Flash to illuminate the cavern. Surge noticed the walls of the cave were solid blocks of solid ice. Only a little deeper into the cave Surge found himself at a dead end, “Well this sucks…” he said out loud, his Raichu nodded in agreement.

A feminine laugh echoed through the tunnel, “Oh you are too easy there!”

Surge turned around quickly, “That must be her!”

“Ice Beam!” Ice flashed in front of Surge’s face creating a new wall sealing off the exit to the cave and locking Surge inside a large ice box. The ice defogged revealing Lorelei standing on the other side, “I’m sorry, but it looks like you’ll be staying here for a while.”

Sabrina had made it to Agatha’s graveyard, carefully following the path down the middle in search of the ghost woman. The ground around Sabrina’s feet began to vibrate and Ghost Pokémon emerged from the graves.

“Silly girl, you intend to fight a mistress of ghosts in the middle of a graveyard? Soon you shall join them in this site. Heeheehee.” The woman laughed from the shadows as her Pokémon surrounded the girl leaving her no room to move.

Bruno’s nunchucks twirled over his head, and in fluid motion shot straight forward and released his Pokémon from the ball at the end. A giant Onyx appeared towering high above both trainers and let out a mighty growl.

Koga crossed his arms looking dejected, “Oh come now, don’t insult me! I wanted Bruno to challenge me… If you really want to fight me outside of your type then fine, but don’t complain when I defeat you.” Koga tossed a Poké Ball releasing a Toxicroak who stood strong yet small against the Onyx.

“You think just because your Pokémon comes from a far off land that it can defeat my Onyx? Try it!”

Koga smirked, “Very well, Ningog, Bulk Up and use Rock Smash!” The Toxicroak’s muscles bulged and it leapt at the rock snake. With a precisely aimed attack, the smaller ninja frog knocked the Onyx to the ground. Its rocky body took the effect of the Rock Smash and became more vulnerable.

“I see… you wish to challenge me in a fighting type match… very well,” Bruno recalled his Onyx and tossed in the Poké Ball from the other end of his nunchuck. A Hitmonlee appeared and began flexing its limbs and warming up by flipping in the air.

“That’s more like it… Ningog, give it your “special” Mudslap!” Reaching into the ground and filling its fist with dirt, the Toxicroak secreted a fluid from its hands to moisten the dirt into mud, and slapped the Sludge into Hitmonlee’s face.

Hitmonlee kicked the Toxicroak at close range with a multi-jointed snap flinging Ningog across their battle arena. Koga’s Toxicroak slid back and flipped onto its feet to a quick stop.

Bruno scowled, “You think having its accuracy lowered will impede Hitmonlee’s ability to strike you enough to turn this battle?”

Koga smiled, “Against you probably not, but are you sure that’s all I’ve done?”

Bruno scrunched his face in confusion. Looking to his Hitmonlee, he realized the Pokémon was looking ill all of a sudden. The realization hit Bruno quite suddenly, “You mixed poison into your attack!”

Koga smiled, “Your Hitmonlee has taken the effects of both Mud Slap and Sludge Bomb at close contact. Soon its attacks will be too weak to harm my Toxicroak. But don’t let that slow the battle! Ningog, bring Hitmonlee to its knees with Poison Jab!”

The Toxicroak jumped back into battle.

“Get ready for it Hitmonlee, prepare Counter!”

Lorelei stood outside the ice box examining her prisoner closely, “Well then gym leader… what brings you to our island?”

Lt. Surge shrugged, “Why don’t you tell me? I just came to find out what my gym badge is being used for all the way out here.”

Lorelei chuckled, “I see you Rockets are more resourceful than you look, did you come to take back your badge channeling device?”

“Maybe,” Surge smiled.

The grin faded from Lorelei’s face, the man was just too calm for her liking. He was supposed to be her prisoner. “It’s a shame you’ll never get it back then, or escape your prison for that matter.”

Surge grinned, “I wouldn’t be so sure of that, Raichu!”

“Rai!” The Pokémon charged up an electric attack and blasted the wall of ice with its thunderous power. The ice dissipated the attack and remained perfectly intact.

Lorelai started laughing, “My my, I would have thought you’d realize Mr. Electric Gym Leader that thunder attacks are useless on ice. Ice will only spread the electricity through it, effectively dissipating it in a cavern as large as this.

Surge shrugged, “It was worth a try.” Surge pulled out another Poké Ball, releasing a Magnezone inside the ice block, “OK Magnezone, hit that wall with Flash Cannon!”

The Magnezone made a beeping sound and blasted the wall with its steel attack. The ice shattered instantly.

Lorelei gritted her teeth and pointing at the Magnezone shouted, “Dewgong! Aurora Beam!”

“Hehe…” Surge laughed as the beam approached, “Mirror Shot!”

The Magnezone absorbed the energy of the Aurora Beam and fired back a devastating blow at the Dewgong.

Agatha chuckled to herself at the girl’s predicament. Surrounded by ghosts on all sides, “Such a pity… oh well! Attack!” The old woman shrieked.

All of the ghosts moved in for the kill when Sabrina’s eyes began to glow and a Psybeam was expelled from her body dissipating the weaker ghosts.

“What?!” Agatha stared in shock.

“Sorry, but that won’t work too well against a psychic Pokémon …” Agatha turned around to see Sabrina standing behind her.

“But… You’re… how?” Agatha’s eye twitched.

“Alakazam, end Role Play…” The Sabrina in the grave yard below phased out revealing an Alakazam standing in her place.

Agatha gritted her teeth, “Psychic trickster…”

“Now Alakazam, Psywave!” The Alakazam emitted a wave of telepathic power keeping all the ghosts around it pinned.

“Foolish… Psychic powers are no match against the specters from beyond!”

Koga’s Toxicroak was in the middle of a fierce battle with Bruno’s Hitmontop. The upside down Pokémon was spinning mad, throwing punches and kicks at random. Ningog was barely able to defend against them all.

“In a battle of spirit, I will not lose… Use Close Combat Hitmontop!” The fighting Pokémon took things a level higher, it’s punches and kicks became fiercer and faster…

Koga’s Toxicroak was knocked hard on the head and sent flying taking quite a bit of damage.

“Now finish it! Use Focus Punch!” The Hitmontop leapt into the air focusing all of its power into its fist to unleash at the moment of contact when it came crashing down on top of Ningog.

“This is what we’ve been waiting for Ningog, take the hit!” Koga crossed his fingers that his Pokémon could withstand such a blow.

The Hitmontop crashed into the Toxicroak with amazing force, splitting the ground beneath them as it made contact. Ningog didn’t look good, but was still standing.

“NOW NINGOG! REVENGE!” Ningog’s eyes began to glow with power, taking all the damage it received from that Focus Punch, it turned to the Hitmontop and struck with twice the devastating force it had just received.

Bruno had to brace himself as the force of the punch nearly blew him off his feet. When the dust cleared Bruno opened his eyes to find his Hitmontop on the ground, not moving. Its head twisted in an unnatural way and blood trailed from its mouth.

“Nooo…” Bruno sank to the ground by his Pokémon and felt for a heartbeat. Finding none he stood and clenched his fist.

“It’s your own fault for using attacks that lowered your own defense. You should have taken that into consideration when fighting a battle where your opponent is already using enfeebles to hinder your other abilities,” Koga stated coldly.

Bruno gritted his teeth, “I... I’ll break you!” He threw another Poké Ball releasing Hitmonchan. “Dynamic Punch!”

Koga shook his head, “No, this battle is over,” Koga tossed another Poké Ball in as well, “Golbat, Air Cutter!”

The bat screeched loudly, and hit Hitmonchan in the middle of its attack scoring a critical hit. Hitmonchan was thrown off its feet, weakened by the effective move.

“Concede! You have lost.” Koga stood in front of the large man, his arms crossed, both his Pokémon at his sides.

Surge’s Magnezone finally went down after a long battle with Lorelei’s Glalie. “Awww… now what am I gonna do?” Surge taunted the ice master, “All I have left is this pathetic Pokémon …” Surge tossed a Poké Ball releasing a Bastiodon. Its steel face an intimidating site before the Glalie.

Lorelei grunted “Glalie! Give it everything you’ve got!” The Glalie hopped into place and struck the large steel beast with all of its ice power.

Surge seemed to ignore the attacks, and gave no commands.

All of Glalie’s ice attacks hit the Bastiodon head on, but the Pokémon stood there as if it weren’t even being tickled.

Lorelei called off the attack realizing her Glalie wasn’t causing any damage, “That’s enough Glalie…”

“Yeah I thought so too,” Surge pointed to the Glalie, “Use Iron Head!” The Bastiodon charged the Glalie and butted it hard with its steel skull. The ice the Glalie used to defend itself broke off and the Pokémon rolled away.

“Don’t go thinking you’re so good, I’m not done yet!” Lorelei tossed in another Poké Ball calling out a Walrein, “Steel attacks won’t work so well on this Pokémon!” Lorelei exclaimed.

Lt. Surge looked at the blubbery Pokémon funny and shrugged, “OK… Raichu?”

The electric mouse jumped out from behind Surge, “Rai!”

Through the course of the fight, Lorelei had lost track of the electric Pokémon, “No!” It was too late; Raichu had already built up enough energy and fired a Thunder blast at the Walrein. The Walrein crawled back over to its master, electrical burns covering its body.

Surge shrugged and smiled to Lorelei, “Hey we could keep doing this all night or we could jump in the sack and call it even!”

Lorelei grunted not believing she was losing to such a stuck up jerk…

“Use Dark Pulse…” Sableye, Weavile, and Absol all used the move at the same time vanquishing a multitude of copies and substitutes Agatha’s Gengars and Haunters made of themselves.

“Gah… Foul Dark moves… Fine! Curse them Gengar!”

Gengar laughed maniacally as it grabbed a steak and prepared to stab itself.

“Alakazam, Skill Swap, now.” The Alakazam looked at the Gengar and in a flash of light Gengar forgot how the Curse ceremony went. “Now Alakazam, Night Shade!” Turning the ghost moves against them, the Alakzam, focused its power on the nearest Haunter. The Haunter was blown away and fell from the sky.

“Your Pokémon won’t be able to continue battling like this much longer…” Sabrina said sounding extremely stoic.

“Impudent child! My ghost’s powers still reach far beyond the depths of your human perception!” Agatha threw a fresh Gengar into the battle, “Gengar! Mass Hypnosis!” The Gengar emitted energy waves to put the Pokémon surrounding it to sleep, “Sleep them, and use Nightmare!”

The Alakazam started flinching in its sleep suffering from horrible dreams. Agatha laughed at its dilemma, “Now you’ll see!” The old woman’s laugh echoed throughout her graveyard domain.

A tap on the shoulder caused her to end the self gratification, “What?”

Sabrina pointed toward the battle area where Weavile, Sableye, and Absol had Gengar surrounded, left unaffected by the psychic hypnosis move. “Dark Pulse.”

On command the three Pokémon combined their powers and used the ability to wipe the Gengar out of the physical realm.

“NO!” Agatha cried at the opposing Pokémon.

“It is useless, you cannot win this battle.” Sabrina stated uncaringly.

“RAAAAGGGHHHH!” Agatha screamed furiously. She knew she had to think of something fast as she was running out of tactics…

Sabrina stood tall and confident she could handle anything the old hag could throw hey way at this point, “I will end this now…”

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