Re:Rise of Team Neos

Advice taken. Story read. One word: Utterlyamazingohmygoshthisissocoolitisthebeststoryintheworlditiscool. Yes Raikou and Raiden are the coolest things since... Since... EVERYTHING.

Now, I want the blueprints to Raikou. I need to build my own.

I think Entei would suit you better XD

Anywhos, Great chapter!

*Blazi has nothing else to say, aside from that Psycho Is epic, and Stamgalaki beat me to 100th post

Right, so this chapter was actually finished a few days ago but I wanted to save it for today. Why? Because today Rise of Team Neos is officially two years old! Can you believe it? I know I sure can't! Especially considering in the first year I produced 25 chapters and only 8 this time around. Psycho Monkey's New Year's resolution is to at least get one out a month this year. Whether this is the January chapter or not all depends on how fast I can write the next one >>;

My thanks goes out to Zacky for helping me overcome the terrible case of writer's block I was afflicted with. Kudos to you my good man!

Chapter 33: A Day In The Life Of Axel

The first thing I noticed this morning when I woke up was that something wasn’t right. I was awake, but it was by my own volition. Normally I was woken up by my trainer kicking me. A gentle kick of course, but it was still his foot to my ribs. I stretched out my long arms with a loud grunt as I fully woke myself up.

After getting up off the floor, I walked over to the bed where my human slept to see if he was still breathing. Brian looked so peaceful, sleeping face down in a puddle of his own drool. It would be a shame if some naughty monkey were to climb up on the foot of the bed and jump on him thus interrupting his restful sleep. Who would do something like that anyway? I would!

“ATTACK!” I yelled to give him fair warning. Granted I only gave him a second to react before throwing myself on top of him.

“Axel!” Brian shouted throwing his hand in my face to push me off getting his fingers in my eyes, nose, and mouth. I retaliated by grabbing a pillow and smacking him with it. The human then grabbed his own pillow and smacked me. I pushed him hard as payback. Bad idea. Brian started to fall out of bed so he grabbed me as leverage which ended up pulling both of us out of the bed. We both landed with a thud on the hard floor.

“Rude awakening. I was enjoying the comfort of my nice warm bed too.” lamented Brian rubbing his head.

“It’s what you get for slacking off.” I teased standing back up. “You know you’re in trouble if I wake up before you. Now feed me breakfast!” I demanded.

“And I’m the slacker?” he questioned sitting up. His entire body started jerking as if there was an invisible force shooting down his spine and travelling throughout his body. “It’s too cold to exist in this world.” grumbled Brian. He reached for his green backpack, but after determining it was out of arms reach, stretched out his leg to pull it towards him with his foot.

“I would have grabbed it if you asked.” I told him. Brian of course ignored me because his one track mind was telling him to get warm not hear what Axel has to say. My trainer started throwing out random Item Balls until he found the one he was looking for. He pushed the button on it releasing a long sleeved black shirt.

I liked Item Balls much better than Pokéballs. Brian could store lots and lots of food for us in Item Balls. Pokéballs suck! I hated feeling my body getting all energy like and weird. And they were cramped too! That’s why I broke mine as soon as I got the chance. I Fire Punched it against a tree much too Brian’s annoyance. He tried to fix it with duct tape but my Pokéball still couldn’t contain me after that. I guess duct tape can’t fix everything. It does do a good job holding the straps to Brian’s worn torn backpack at least. Even then, he still carries his backpack in an Item Ball now. Those things rock!

“What are you doing now?” I asked. Brian was fully dressed now in everything but his gloves and boots and was staring intently at the T-shirt he had worn until today. I know he owns three exact copies of the same shirt, but even I can’t keep track of how often he changes his clothes.

“I’m trying to decide if I should wash this now or wait until spring.” he answered. Brian put the shirt to his nose and sniffed it. “Doesn’t smell like man-sweat to me, but why would it? What do you think Axel?” he said passing the shirt to me.

“Smells like you.” I responded after smelling it.

“Then in the Item Ball it goes!” he declared. Much like those portable prisons suck in poor unsuspecting Pokémon, Brian’s shirt turned red and was absorbed by the grey sphere. No sooner did he throw the ball back into his backpack I was in his face close enough that our foreheads were almost touching.

“Feed me!” I ordered.

“Baby!” he yelled back. “Alright, let’s go.”

While we ate, the humans discussed their plans for the day. Last night Raiden called us saying he would be back today so the humans decided to take the day off and plan something fun. Since it was the season humans call Fall, it was guaranteed that we wouldn’t do anything water related because it was too cold. That is unless those naked apes pick a hot spring.

“Brian, don’t let them pick a hot spring!” I requested.

“What’s wrong with hot springs?” Lloyd inquired teasingly. “They’re very nice and relaxing. It is much easier to approach a female when they’re comfortable.” I gave the Golduck an are-you-kidding-me look.

“Of course you would like it. You’re a Water-type! That’s you’re element.” I started passing my hands through my flame. “See this? I’m a Fire-type. I hate water! And I’m only interested in female Infernapes which would also stay away from water.”

“To each his own I guess.” shrugged Lloyd. Don’t get me wrong, Lloyd is a cool Pokémon and makes for interesting conversation when Brian is distracted, but he can also be pretty spacey sometimes.

“What about a day spa? It’s important we don’t get too stressed out.” suggested Chane.

“I could use a massage.” Eve considered as she rubbed her shoulders.

“And I love happy endings!” Zack added exuberantly.

“I like it!” Brian affirmed making the decision unanimous. He then turned to me. “Try not to get us kicked out this time Axel.” he whispered with a playful grin.

“Well don’t take me in the steam room then.” I warned. That was a crazy day that I would rather not repeat. I’m too big now to even attempt some of that stuff that I got away with before anyway.
-------------------

“Looks like we’ll finally be putting those paychecks of ours to good use.” Eve said when the team arrived at what I’m guessing to be an expensive day spa in Saffron City. I’ll let Brian deal with paying for it as long as it doesn’t come out of my food fund.

I’m not sure how humans found places like this relaxing. Sure there were some nice plants at the doorway and around the lobby, and the ambiance in the background was soothing, but what the hell was that nasty smell? Why couldn’t they just have a natural scent instead of those horrible artificial odors?

“Four people and nineteen Pokémon.” Zack told the receptionist. I’m sure he was disappointed that the person at the counter was a male wearing a white polo shirt and not a female he could mate with.

“Ok, but I have to let you know that people and Pokémon have different programs meaning they are separated from their trainers for the day. Is that alright?” the worker asked everyone.

“Fine by me.” answered Eve without a second thought.

“W-will they be alright?” Chane questioned with concern.

“What say ye Axel?” Brian asked me.

“It means you get to go to the steam room and I stay out of trouble. Now hand over my partners.” I answered excitedly holding out my hands. It was like a field trip!

“Before we get started, I’m going to the bathroom.” stated Zack. Brian started snickering when Zack disappeared behind one of the doors at the far end of the hallway.

“What?” I inquired looked from the door to my trainer.

“Look closely at the symbol on the door and remember how we humans are.” he answered with an amused grin. I turned back to the door and stared at it. The one Zack went into had a human shape with a wide triangle for a body. The symbol on the door to the left was just a human silhouette. Wasn’t the first one used to represent human females and the normal looking ones males?

“Ow! Ow! OW!!” Zack screamed as he was escorted out of the bathroom with his arm twisted behind his back by a female human who I’m guessing was security based on her blue uniform. Well that answers my question. “I’m sorry! My glasses broke and I haven’t gotten new ones yet. I’m far-sighted so I can’t see things within five feet of me.” he explained.

“In that case I’ll let you off with a warning. Don’t let me catch you in the women’s restroom again.” Ms. Security warned sternly. She released him and watched as he slunk back to us sheepishly.

“Using your disability as an excuse to go peeping? That’s sad.” Eve criticized shaking her head in disappointment. Zack smiled slyly at her claim.

“I have to use my advantages when I can right?” he replied not even bothering to deny the truth with us. So he really did know he was going in the wrong bathroom. That sneaky devil.

“I take it back Axel. Zack will be the one who gets us kicked out.” Brian said with certainty. The nice people in white polos and white pants all came out to escort us to our proper locations. They first took the trainers to the area where we Pokémon would be left for our treatment. It was a big open room that could fit at least a dozen Wailords so there was definitely enough room for all of us to fit.

“Enjoy your spa treatment. I hope you all come out very relaxed.” Chane told her Pokémon nervously.

“We’ll be fine. Don’t worry about us Chane.” Izzy assured. I know don’t know if she can communicate with her Pokémon the way Brian and I do, but Chane did seem relieved by Izzy’s lack of concern.

“Be on your best behavior now children.” Eve instructed her team. The atmosphere of the spa became less comfortable with the appearance of Diva. I swear that thing is evil incarnate. And I’m not just saying that because she tried ripping out my heart or clawing out my brains that one time. Ok maybe I am.

“Oh we’re always on our best behavior Mother.” the fell spirit said sweetly. You could get a headache with that much sugar.

“What are they going to do to us Axel-senpai?” asked Riolu inquisitively.

“It’s called a day spa Rio. It’s something humans do when they want to relax and it is also relaxing to Pokémon as well.” I informed. I was almost always the one giving Riolu new information. He was the youngest member of all of Brian’s Pokémon and I was Brian’s first, not to mention a fellow Fighting-type so he looked up to me.

“See ya’s! Have fun!” Brian called to us as he and the others left.

“As you wish my liege.” Piloswine responded respectfully. Piloswine was an interesting case. He’s a quiet one who only speaks when spoken to unless he really has something important to say. We caught Piloswine when entering the Ice Path in Johto and he has been one of Brian’s most loyal Pokémon since.

“I hope they feed us.” yearned Snorlax rubbing his fat belly with one of his stubby arms. Snorlax is a gentle giant who thinks about food more than I do. We picked him up in Sinnoh as a Munchlax and he quickly evolved because of how happy eating made him.

“I highly doubt they plan on feeding us.” Aerodactyl shot down curtly. In short, he’s a jerkass. And I’m not just saying that because he’s a Flying-type who teases me every chance he gets. Aero is grateful to Brian for giving him life, but he’s still blatantly rude to everyone. Even the human who resurrected him on Cinnabar Island from a tooth encased in amber isn’t immune to an insult here and there.

The sixth member of the team is Beldum, but I don’t exactly know how to describe it. Not only is it the newest of Brian’s Pokémon, but it also keeps to itself to the point where I have never even heard it speak. I don’t know if it has anything to do with Beldum’s previous owner being Strife Maxwell or not, but Beldum just seems off to me. Even right now it just floats around aimlessly while the rest of us socialize. Such a strange creature.

“Hey, shouldn’t there be people in here tending to our every whim?” questioned Diva conceitedly. While I didn’t agree with her, I did find it strange that the only nineteen creatures in the room were Pokémon. And not just that, we all belonged to a small group of people. Surely more trainers had come here with Pokémon.

“Ah you’re too impatient Diva. Just sit back, chill, and enjoy each other’s company.” suggest Lloyd as he made himself comfortable on the floor. “So any of you ladies ever wanted to fuck a duck before?” he proposed nonchalantly.

“Ew.” Diva spat in disgust.

“Umm Lloyd. None of us are even in your Egg Group.” Lucy pointed out sounding unsure how to respond to that statement. I’ve noticed that Lucy is the one most like her trainer out of Chane’s Pokémon. While all six share Chane’s kindness, Lucy is the shyest and most uncertain one.

“Best form of birth control out there.” he responded.

“You’re terrible.” said Izzy straightforwardly. Izzy and Jace are the most serious and protective ones of their team so I can only guess one of them was Chane’s first Pokémon. I’m not sure which one though as they both seem to share the leadership roles.

“You won’t know unless you try.” the Golduck persisted.

“I’m a Grass-type Lloyd. If you don’t knock it off I will Mega Drain you.” she warned.

“Kinky. Is that an innuendo?” At this point I was just giggling uncontrollably.

“If you want a Grass-type, I’ll Leech your Seed.” offered Roserade. Now those giggles had become all out hysterical laughing.

“I fail to see the humor in this.” Jace said unamusedly. The difference between Jace and Izzy is that he’s a lot more stern while she’s more understanding. They almost reminded me of a mother and father.

“I can’t help it. I’m easily amused.” I said through laughs.

“I don’t understand what they’re saying Axel-senpai.” Riolu stated which silenced me instantly. Damn. I didn’t think I’d have to tell him about mating too.

“I’ll… tell you when you evolve.” I answered evasively.

“But I want to know now!” he pressed impatiently.

“You’re too young to know now! You’re not even a year old yet Rio!” I insisted assertively.

“Balderdash! I’ll tell the boy if you don’t have the spine.” Walrein volunteered.

“No you won’t!” I rejected firmly. “As the second in command for this team and Riolu’s primary guardian, I make all the strategic decisions when Brian isn’t around. And I say no one gives Riolu the talk until he evolves!”

“I agree with Axel. It should be the trainer or one of the trainers own Pokémon that teaches the younger ones such things.” Jace stepped in.

“Don’t waste your time with them Walrein. They’re beneath us.” Steelix scoffed.

“Why are you all such bullies?” Kermit asked defensively. He never got his answer because we were interrupted by a loud scream from Lloyd.

“This sucks!” he cried. He was tied up in roots that had emerged from a single brown seed planted on his chest. I spat a small Ember at the seed to burn it off for him.

“Ah thanks man. I had no idea Roserade had been literal when she said she’d leech my seed.” he thanked gratefully.

“Of course. You and I need to watch each other’s backs from the abuse we take from Eve’s Pokémon. And that goes for Chane’s and Brian’s other Pokémon as well.” I declared.

“So much hate for us. What did we ever do to deserve it?” Diva asked innocently.

“Nearly killed me.” I said flatly.

“Used Leech Seed on me when I didn’t deserve it.” Lloyd protested.

“Violently beat me up.” Riolu added.

“I still have a dent in my tail from you pipsqueak!” interrupted Steelix.

“Causing trouble for us even though we’re on the same side.” Izzy relayed.

“Do not be high and mighty with us.” Luxray cautioned threateningly.

“She wasn’t. Izzy was just stating a fact.” interjected Celia.

“I wasn’t talking to you Bug!” the lioness snarled.

“Thus proves our point. Instead of trying to get along, you all start conflict.” Jace said matter-of-factly.

“You’re just too sensitive.” Roserade admonished. “Besides, it was Lloyd who started causing trouble.”

“Was not!” he denied. Actually it kind of was. He wouldn’t have gotten seeded and Rio wouldn’t have asked about mating if Lloyd had just kept his bill shut.

“Can’t we just get along?” Lucy pleaded.

“I wish we could Lucy, but some battles must be fought in the name of loyalty.” Piloswine affirmed.

“Alright! We’re gonna have a fight aren’t we?” anticipated Aerodactyl gleefully.

“Not yet we aren’t.” refuted Nidoqueen.

“All this because I asked one question?” panicked Riolu.

“No, I think this had been boiling over for a while Riolu.” Luna consoled.

“That’s right. They’ve been unfriendly since before Brian or Eve were even in Team Neos.” I reminded.

“Still holding that grudge Abu?” taunted Diva. What!? Abu!

“I think you have me confused with someone else. The name’s Axel. Got it memorized?” I said tapping my temple with my index finger.

“Whatever you say Abu.” she mocked with a wry zippered smile just for the sake of getting on my nerves. I snarled at her to show my agitation but didn’t go any further. Throwing a tantrum or a punch would just encourage all six of them.

“Our trainers would be all over us if we got in a brawl, especially if the people who should be here walk in and find us at each other’s throats. That’s why I say Eve’s Pokémon stay over there, and everyone else stays over here.” I delegated.

“What about Snorlax-san?” Riolu asked pointing to the snoozing bear. I swear he could sleep through the apocalypse if given the chance.

“He’ll be fine. Let him sleep.” I said waving my arm at Snorlax. At that moment, I heard voices on the other side of the door to the room we were in. Finally. It’s about time we got our service.

“They’re right in here Sir. Nineteen Pokémon in total.” said one of the voices as the door opened. If I had a mirror, my reflection would show a WTF face and an Oh Shit face because filing into the room were two people in the white uniforms like we were expecting, but with them was none other than our old pal Lambda, the Team Rocket Executive.

“Fuck me!” I blurted.

“You have got to be kidding.” said Diva unamusedly.

“They won’t service me.” Lloyd said blankly. Jace spread his wings wide, puffed up his chest and screeched loudly at Lambda and his accomplices. His smug look instantly dissolved when he saw us.

“They were supposed to be asleep! Why didn’t you fools turn on the sleep gas like you were supposed to?” he demanded.

“Look Sir! The Snorlax is sleeping on the vent!” one of the spa people (if they really were spa people) indicated pointing at Snorlax. Go Snorlax! Lambda made an annoyed expression on his face.

“Well how do you expect me to kidnap them if they are all conscious? I can’t take on nineteen Pokémon at once! No way!” he yelled.

“Hey shit face! Remember me?” I called to him walking up. It was worth it just to see his face turn white with terror.

“Th-th-that golden Infernape! I-i-is it’s trainer here by chance?” stuttered Lambda shaking uncontrollably.

“Yes Sir. He and the people he arrived with are enjoying the normal service we give the trainers to distract them from the theft of their Pokémon.” answered one of the people in white. “Why do you ask?”

“I need to get out of here! Forget the Pokémon! I want to live! I would rather face Lord Giovanni’s wrath than the claws of that demon!!” the Rocket Executive shrieked. Lambda looked like he was about to piss himself at the thought of what Brian would do to him. He wasted no time in fleeing the room.

“Sir, wait!” called one of the whities running after the cowardly executive. I decided it would be funnier to let Lambda run away in shame than to try and capture him. No harm came to any of us so I don’t even see a legitimate reason to tell Brian.

“We’re not getting a treatment, are we Senpai?” Riolu realized.

“Nope. So until our humans are done, I guess we’re just stuck here bored.” I said unable to think of other options. Steelix suddenly threw his large head mere inches from mine which not only pushed me back, but forced me to look into his hate filled red eyes.

“Why did you let the Rocket go? He’ll only cause more trouble for us in the future!” demanded the metallic serpent.

“Because attacking him would only provoke him to attack us. This way no one gets hurt, everyone is safe, and Brian and I get to enjoy terrorizing Lambda some more. The faces he makes when scared really are priceless.” I explained trying to push the metal head away from me.

“I respect Axel’s decision not to attack. I would rather avert violence unless there is no other option than to fight.” Jace supported.

“But that was our enemy he let escape!” admonished Luxray.

“Then why didn’t you go to stop him from running away with his tail between his legs?” Lloyd countered. That basically shut up anyone who disagreed with letting Lambda go.

“The Rocket even said he couldn’t handle all of us and would probably have left anyway even without the previous trauma Axel and Brian inflicted on him.” stated Izzy. “As far as I’m concerned we won that battle.”

“Until he comes back with reinforcements anyway.” Nidoqueen said cynically.

“I know Hyper Beam, Fat Ass over there knows Hyper Beam, he and I incinerate their worthless existence. Simple as that.” Aerodactyl responded indifferently.

“But killing is wrong! We should at least try to fight them back.” objected Lucy.

“It was a hypothetical statement. Besides, I will kill if it’s a fight for survival.” I admit. “You can’t go easy on an enemy who is willing to use deceitful and underhanded tricks to come out on top.” I shot Diva a quick look with that last part.
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So there we all were, stuck in a room with nothing to do except talk to each other and all that seemed to do is invite disagreements and arguing. That left no other option than to sit in bored silence aside from the short lived conversations with our respective teammates. The silence was suddenly interrupted by a loud yawn from Snorlax after sleeping for half an hour.

“I’m hungry…” he grumbled.

“You’re always hungry fat ass. I doubt we’re even going to get fed since this was supposed to be a trap.” Aerodactyl deduced bitterly.

“No windows, no photosynthesis.” Roserade said dejectedly.

“Alright, I’m going hunting. I’ll go ransack the first place of feeding I come across, steal one of those metallic cart things, load it up with as much as it’ll hold, and deliver room service.” I proposed. I know I promised Brian I would be a good monkey and not do anything that might get us kicked out this time, but given the circumstances I say it’s worth the risk.

“Let me join you Senpai! I can feel people’s auras so we can avoid trouble.” requested my young protégé.

“I appreciate the gesture Rio, but I have a better idea for you. You’re in charge of all of Brian’s Pokémon while I’m gone.” I designated.

“I’m not taking orders from the infant.” refused Aerodactyl.

“You will or Piloswine will Ice Beam you.” I threatened. The prehistoric Pokémon screeched what sounded like ‘What!?’ while Piloswine nodded in compliance at his assigned duty.

“Huuuuuunngryyyyy…” Snorlax moaned.

“Patience!” I ordered. “Be back soon.”

“Hold on! Let me come too. Celia has very specific dietary needs that you might not know how to shop for.” volunteered Izzy.

“There are a lot of us here, and I’m sure Snorlax is a big eater, so you might need an extra pair of arms to push another cart.” Lloyd suggested. I would have rather gone alone, but they both did have some valid points for tagging along.

“Fine, fine. You are both welcome to come.” I allowed. I couldn’t believe I was about to say this next sentence, but I threw it on the table anyway. “Do you want to join us Diva?” I invited. The Banette gave me a shocked look.

“What?” she questioned suspiciously.

“We might need you to look through walls in search of munchies and people. Besides, you know what your team likes to eat better than we do.” I explained. I wanted to gag, but as much as I disliked her, we still needed her services.

“Fine, I’ll go with you. But I get first dibs.” agreed the specter.

As it turned out, Zack is an avid fan of spy movies so Lloyd picked up a few tactics from them that will help us sneak to the kitchen unnoticed. I decided it would be best to follow his lead as I was originally just going to rely on audacity and walk right in as if I belonged there.

To exit the room, Lloyd and I did barrel rolls into the hall as that is how you’re supposed to go from one hiding spot to another. We then pushed ourselves as flat against the wall as we could.

“What are you two doing?” Izzy inquired with a concerned look on her face.

“We’re being stealthy. You have to do ridiculous gestures when sneaking about because otherwise guards will see you.” explained the Golduck.

“Yeeeaaaahh…” Diva trailed. She closed her eyes quickly vanishing from sight. “The nice thing about being a Ghost-type is I can make myself invisible. It’s a better form of stealth than your childish antics anyway.” she admonished.

“She’s just jealous of us.” I taunted. “Coming Izzy?” I asked. The Breloom rolled her eyes as she dropped down and barrel rolled toward us. It was expertly done as expected from a Fighting-type. Izzy sighed as she reluctantly pressed herself against the wall with us. I felt a horrible chill as I’m guessing Diva passed us by.

“Coming?” the invisible demon asked us.

“Right behind ya! I think…” Lloyd said running zigzags down the hall.

“Are you sure that’s how it works?” I called to him.

“Every time!” he called back. I just shrugged as I followed suit. What did I know about spy movies? I had only seen the end of one with Brian and that’s it. It was already half way over when we turned it on late one night.

“I hope we find some cool stuff to hide behind, because we are totally exposed in the open hall like this.” Lloyd criticized. I looked around for anything we could use as cover for our espionage. I noticed a row of potted plants at the edges of a doorway up ahead.

“There’s something!” I pointed out.

“Good eye my fine mammal friend.” he thanked. “Where ever you are Diva, could you look in there for us to see if they have anything to eat?” he called to her. While we waited for her response, the three of us barrel rolled and crouched behind the plants. It was so awkward considering there were three of us in such a small area.

“No food here, but there are humans getting ready to come out.” warned Diva professionally. At least they won’t be able to see us hiding behind this bush. As soon as the door opened, three spa employees walked out and just our luck, they turned to walk the direction we were!

“Hey! What are Pokémon doing here?” one of them questioned before even passing us. Impossible! You mean they actually saw us hiding here?

“Sleep please!” Izzy requested the humans. I quickly covered my faces with my hands as I realized she was about to release her Spores. With a shake of her head, a fine green powder scattered from the mushroom on her head. The employees’ eyes began sagging until they collapsed unconscious.

“Good work Izzy.” I complemented once it was safe to breathe again. “Alright, let’s keep hunting.” I said. As I got up, Lloyd fell face down on the floor. I can’t believe that duck! He fell asleep! I gave him a hard punch to the back of the head.

“Wake up you lazy bum! This isn’t the time for a nap Lloyd!” I yelled at him giving him a few more whacks.

“Ow! That hurt!” he yelled waking up and rubbing his head.

“Serves you right for sleeping on the job.” I scolded.

“My apologies Lloyd. I thought you would have covered your face like Axel did.” Izzy apologized. “Are you still with us Diva?” she called out as she turned her head side to side looking for signs of the invisible ghost.

“Insomnia Ability. Comes in handy in times like this.” said Diva matter-of-factly from where ever she was hiding. Makes sense to me. After moving the spa people out of the way, Lloyd, Izzy, and I barrel rolled from our hiding spots and continued to zigzag down the hall. That is, until we came to the lobby; a wide open space where we were vulnerable and had two forks to chose from. Made worse because we were immediately spotted by the two people at the front desk.

“Call security!” the female one ordered.

“Cover your face Lloyd.” advised Izzy. I also took the hint in time for the Breloom to scatter more spores from her mushroom head. The employees fell forward smacking their faces to the desk. They were going to have some nasty headaches when they woke up. Now the big question was which fork should we take; the one closest to the desk or the one directly ahead of us?

“Take cover!” called Lloyd dramatically pointing at the desk. After a barrel roll from each of us, we pressed up against the desk and wall to decide our next plan of action.

“All in favor of going down that hall?” I proposed pointing to the one closest to the desk.

“It’s the least obvious choice. That means it must be it!” Lloyd assumed.

“Works for me.” agreed Izzy.

“Fine, whatever.” Diva said boredly. Then it was settled! The three of us that were actually visible jumped over the desk, barrel rolled, then zigzagged up the chosen hall. Man this was fun! I’ll have to do random covert espionage with Brian sometime.

Delicious scents soon came to my nose meaning we had chosen the right path. We would be there soon! Though we couldn’t see her, Diva was checking every room we passed in search of a cafeteria or kitchen to raid.

“Here!” she called to us. The Ghost-type reappeared in front of a pair of large grey double doors on our left. Based on all of the tasty smells coming from there, I knew it was the place.

“Alright guys, up until this point we did things Lloyd’s way and it worked. But now we do things my way!” I declared. I delivered a powerful kick to the doors sending them flying wide open followed by my umpteenth barrel roll of the day to get inside. “Thank you! Fuck you! The Pokémon have arrived!” I announced imitating that awesome introduction Brian gave at Cinnabar.

“What the hell?” cried one of the chef’s in shock of our presence.

“Nice one Abu.” Diva complemented sarcastically.

“We could have been a bit more discreet.” Izzy said hesitantly.

“Too late! Steal everything!” I command jumping on a table and grabbing the vegetables that were being cut up. I wasn’t really paying attention to the kind.

“Get them!” ordered another chef coming at me with a cleaver. I kicked him in the face then used his head as a stepping stone to jump off the table. Lloyd meanwhile was raiding the freezer while smacking cooks away with his tail.

“I’ve got a cart!” stated Diva delightedly. She must be enjoying this chaos we’re causing. Hopefully not by too much. I put my kleptoed veggies on the cart and attacked the oven next. Being a Fire-type, I was the only one who could resist the heat and not get burned when stealing the steaks. I also ransacked the hot boxes which had pork cutlets, chicken, and more steak all while knocking around the cooks who got in my way. Some of them were even repeat offenders who didn’t learn the first time.

“Oh good, the do have honey. Celia will like this.” Izzy said over the confusion as she loaded the bottle to another pilfered cart.

“Sweet! They have Krabby cake! This really is the best spa in Saffron City!” cheered Lloyd elatedly as he stole a tray of the uncooked seafood. I’ll cook that later if anyone wants me to.

“You can’t take those! Those are for the guests!” shouted one of the chefs.

“I’m sure Zack would love to meet you, but we gotta eat too.” Lloyd apologized pushing her away. Just to distract them, I blew a few Embers on the stove to ignite all the burners.

“Get the fire extinguishers!” a cook demanded. This was great! I grabbed a bottle of ketchup and a bottle of mustard and squirted them all over the floors and chefs.

“Damn monkey!” cried another one.

“Alright, we got what we came for, let’s go!” I told my partners as I threw the now empty bottles at people. I grabbed a cart full of our spoils then ran to the exit with everyone else. Still, this isn’t the awesome way I wanted to leave. I turned around placing my thumb on my nose. “Bye bye Boo!” I taunted waving my fingers at the chefs. That was much better.

“You are such a trouble maker.” scolded Izzy as we ran down the hall.

“I learned from the best.” I admit proudly. Life wouldn’t be half as fun without shenanigans and hijinks. I suddenly heard vengeful yelling coming from behind us. I turned around to see the cooks we harassed joined with security chasing after us. Each was armed with their weapons of trade: cleavers and knives on the cooks, tazers and beating sticks on security. At least there were no guns.

“Oh shit!” I cried. “Fun faster!” Easier said than done. It was nearly impossible for me to control the cart I was pushing while running at my top speed.

“Get them!” the crowd of enemies behind us hollered. Eep! Since we can’t run as fast thanks to the carts, they were quickly gaining on us.

“No choice then. I will sacrifice myself for the good of the team!” Lloyd volunteered with dramatic somber. “Farewell my friends!” he said standing firm with his arms out to block the mob.

“Knock it off Lloyd! You still need to push your cart!” Diva chastised.

“No. Let him go. A man must be willing to sacrifice his own life to protect his people from starvation and invasion. I promise you my friend, I will always tell the legend of Lloyd the Great Hero! For generations to come!” I praised on the verge of shedding manly tears. With that I grabbed my cart and Diva reluctantly took control of Lloyd’s so we could get this hard earned meal to our comrades back at the bunker. From behind me I heard the entire exchange between Lloyd and the mob.

“Don’t let them get away!” commanded a human.

“You shall not pass!” Lloyd vowed with emphasis on each syllable of his sentence. I turned around for a brief instant to at least watch his fall only to see the Golduck blast the floor with an Ice Beam making all the humans slip and slide all over the place, even into each other.

“Alright Lloyd!” I commended.

“Oh you haven’t seen anything yet Axel!” Lloyd put his hands to his face. “Confusion!” he yelled. The humans all screamed before falling unconscious. Point ours.

The four of us returned intact and triumphant to our awaiting team members. I told Snorlax that if he wanted to eat he had to sit in front of the door so no one could intrude. Riolu would tell us if he sensed our trainers approaching so that we could still let them in. Everyone seemed to be in a much better mood now that we were feasting. Even the rift between Eve’s Pokémon and the rest of us seemed smaller if only by a little bit thanks to Diva assisting us.

“Axel-senpai, Chane-sama is coming.” Riolu notified after finishing an apple.

“Just Chane?” I questioned. As Rio had just shoved half a sandwich in his mouth, he only nodded in response. “Alright Snorlax, move aside.” I requested.

“I was comfy.” he sighed getting up and then slumping down away from the door just in time for Chane to knock on the other side. Izzy opened the door and greeted her trainer with a hug.

“Hello to you too Izzy. I wasn’t expecting… you…to… What is all this?” Chane asked in justifiable concern and confusion to our situation as she entered the room. I myself was a bit confused because the last time I was at a spa, Brian wore only a towel or a robe yet Chane was fully dressed.

“Bitches wouldn’t feed us so we helped ourselves to their kitchen.” I said straightforwardly.

“Be civil Axel.” Jace scolded. “Things weren’t exactly as we expected here Chane.”

“I see. So they aren’t really that nice to the Pokémon at this place. I’m so sorry. I had no idea.” she apologized regretfuly. The six of her Pokémon went to her as comfort to show her they were fine.

“It’s not your fault sweetie. You couldn’t have possibly known about this.” Luna told her.

“But still, I feel like I let you all down. We got to get unstressed, but all of you just sat here with nothing to do.” said Chane guiltily.

“That’s not true. We got to scare people and reek havoc. I call that something.” I said. Then again, she probably didn’t understand a word of it.

“Well I guess if everyone had fun, it’s ok.” she said.

“Did you hear me speak?” I questioned curiously.

“No, Chane is very empathetic. She feels your emotions rather than your words.” Kermit explained. Well that made sense.

“Brian-sensei, Eve-sama, and Zack-sama are coming now too.” Riolu announced. Oh boy. We’re gong to have some explaining to do. A minute later, the three remaining trainers came walking through the door, each was wearing a white robe.

“Axel. Explain to me why we were told about a small band of Pokémon, one of which being a golden Infernape, rampaging through the building.” demanded Brian in annoyance.

“Service here sucks. No one came to do activities with us and no one came to feed us so we took matters into our own hands.” I explained. I grabbed a Krabby cake from the cart then ignited my hand to cook it. “Krabby cake?” I offered.

“Krabby cakes are tasty.” he caved accepting my gift. “But you aren’t off the hook yet.” he warned taking a bite.

“What are you doing here anyway Chane and why are you dressed?” Eve questioned.

“Well… um… I wanted to check on the Pokémon and I wasn’t really comfortable walking around a public place mostly undressed.” she answered timidly.

“But you have a nice body. You shouldn’t be trying to hide yourself.” Zack advised. I agreed with that. Humans were way too caught up in wearing clothes. Granted those things keep them warm this time of year because they don’t have fur all over their bodies, but there are plenty of Pokémon that are completely hairless and still endure the cold. Humans can be sensitive about the strangest things sometimes.

“Is that steak?” Brian inquired pointing to one of our conquested carts.

“Yup! Last one too. Shall I cook it up for you?” I proposed.

“Do that and all will be forgiven!” he said practically salivating.

“You’re letting him go just like that?” Eve protested.

“They were left here all alone for hours. I can understand them doing what they did.” Chane defended. I passed the warmed up steak to Brian.

“Besides, they got us steak and Krabby cakes! That makes up for everything!” Brian cheered rubbing his hands together. “Wait, where are the fork and knife?”

“Haha! You pitiful creature!” Aerodactyl mocked.

“Pokémon don’t need such things so we didn’t steal any.” I said. Brian just stared at me blankly.

“I’m going to go get my stuff. I’m sure I’ve got some kind of utensil somewhere.” he mused leaving the room.

“We’re as good as kicked out anyway, so I think I’ll finish the day by walking into the women’s locker room pretending to be lost before gathering my stuff.” Zack announced. “Coming Eve?”

“I’ll wait until after you get thrown out.” she said uncaringly basically allowing him to do as he pleased.

“Zack you can’t!” Chane forbade.

“Try and stop me then.” he dared running off followed by the females. I have never met a creature, Pokémon or human, that needed to mate as badly as him.

“Go Zack!” Lloyd encouraged.

“Mmmm… smells tasty.” said Snorlax lumbering over to the plate of steak before picking it up between his claws. Oh damn, I didn’t realize he was still awake!

“No Snorlax-san! That’s Sensei’s food!” cried Riolu trying to grab it from the giant bear. All Riolu succeeded in doing was getting picked up along with the meat. The puppy kicked his legs trying to pull back.

“Just let go Riolu! It isn’t worth you getting eaten too!” I called. Riolu let go landing on his feet just in time for Snorlax to scarf down the last piece of steak. I am so not getting dessert tonight.
--------------

Luckily Brian was in a better mood than I thought he’d be. Sure he was mad at Snorlax for eating his steak, but he knew it was a bad idea to leave food out around the Pokémon so he let it go. Besides, he channeled all his anger at the front desk by complaining about how we Pokémon were mistreated. When they didn’t give the humans a refund due to the trouble me and the rest of my crew caused, Brian stole one of their chairs and threw it though a window just because he could.

We then had to run like hell because security was ready to arrest us. The important thing was that Brian got to relax for a day and had fun pulling a prank again. He’s been far too tense lately with work compared to how he was before. That’s why I had no intention of telling him about Lambda.

When we finally got back to the apartment we were staying in, Raiden was already back waiting for us.

“Where have the four of you been?” he asked calmly.

“Enjoying our day off.” Zack said in high spirits. When Zack had come out of the female’s locker room he said something about having been to the Promised Land and seen heaven. I have no idea what that means, but apparently that and his happy ending, whatever that is, were the highlights of his day.

“Well that is always beneficial. Have the missions I left you with been successful?” inquired Raiden.

“About that Master Raiden. Things went fine, but I think they might have gone smoother if you had a second-in-command to take charge when you aren’t around.” Brian proposed. “During your absence we took turns running things, but it would be helpful for you to name a number two so we don’t have to have daily elections.” Oh Brian. I can see right through you. You’re trying to subtly convince him to make you his second. I hope you get the position!

“I will think about it.” Raiden answered uncaringly.

“Well in that case, may I also suggest that we go to Hoenn for the winter? We might lose moral if it’s cold.” requested my trainer tactfully.

“The answer is no. Unless we’re given orders from above, we stay in Kanto to subdue Team Rocket’s efforts.” refuse Raiden.

“Awww. Poor baby got rejected. I guess the little boy is just gonna have to stop being a little wussy and endure the cold.” Eve taunted in a childish tone.

“Don’t pick on him! I don’t really like the cold either.” defended Chane.

“Or are you just saying that to protect your crush?” Eve ridiculed. Chane’s face started turning red. What a silly accusation. I have seen no signs of willingness to mate from her or Brian.

“I-I do not!” she denied. As I thought. If they wanted to mate, they would have groomed each other or something.

“Please be silent. Assassination is a very exasperating job, so if there is nothing more to say then I will go to bed. I suggest the rest of you get some sleep as well. There is always work to be done.” instructed Raiden leaving us for his room.

“Come on then Axel.” Brian called over waving me to our room.

Hopefully we can put an end to Team Rocket soon. Maybe after making the world a better place, things can go back to the way they were. I much prefer good times and fun battles over the high stressed life or death situations we find ourselves in now a days. Deep down, I’m sure Brian feels the same way.

“Right behind ya Monkey.” I said.
**************************

At long last the time has come! Beginning next chapter will be the final story arc of Volume One! Shit will go down, blood will be spilled, surprised twists will be around every turn, and someone will get laid! I hope you're ready.

Awesome chapter man.  So does Eve and her Pokemon call Brian Aladdin or is Abu the only Disney reference they make.  Can't wait for the next one

A hillarious insight into the mind of Axel! Gogo food raiding! A fun chapter Psycho, loving the fact that the Pokemon reflect the trainers natures. And the rivalries between them.

... Leech Seed, I will never look at you the same way again.

Shit will go down, blood will be spilled, surprised twists will be around every turn, and someone will get laid! I hope you're ready.

While fun chapters are fun, this is what I've really been waiting for ('cept maybe the getting laid bit...). So bring it on, Psycho Monkey. Bring it on.

Oh and Happy Birthday to the fic.

Well there won't be sex in the next chapter Aura, only violence. I was just rambling things to come before I finish the first third of this novel sized fic. It hit the 300 page mark this chapter BTW.

Awesome chapter man.  So does Eve and her Pokemon call Brian Aladdin or is Abu the only Disney reference they make.  Can't wait for the next one

Diva was just calling Axel Abu to make fun of him sort of like how Eve always refers to Brian as a little kid. I just picked Abu at random because it's a fun monkey name XD

“I think you have me confused with someone else. The name’s Axel. Got it memorized?” I said tapping my temple with my index finger.

^ I almost fell off my chair when I was reading that. My ribs hurt from laughing so much.

Great chapter, and I can't wait till the final arc. Keep it up!

great chapter. it was a nice look into the pokemon of the other team members. cant wait for more! ^^
i cant believe its already been two years...

I loled so hard at the KH and LOTR references (especially the KH one, my brother is actually playing 358/2 Days in the background xD)

This was a really good chapter! I like how the Pokemon communicate with each other. One thing that bothered me however was that, while Brian's team was pretty diverse personality-wise, most of Chane's Pokemon behaved pretty much like Chane does, and Eve's entire team was just like Eve. While I can see why you made it like that, I still think there should be a little more diversity.

But all in all, great chapter, it's good to know that we should be receiving relatively regular updates from now on. And happy B-day, Team Neos!

I'll guess as to why Eve's pokemon are like Eve and Chane's pokemon are like Chane, is because unlike Brian, they wanted certain qualities in their pokemon. Those qualities were ones they had.

...To be honest, a pokemon with Chane's personality on Eve's team would be a little WTF. (and vice versa) :V

This chapter was very amusing, lol

I'll guess as to why Eve's pokemon are like Eve and Chane's pokemon are like Chane, is because unlike Brian, they wanted certain qualities in their pokemon. Those qualities were ones they had.

...To be honest, a pokemon with Chane's personality on Eve's team would be a little WTF. (and vice versa) :V

I completely agree with you, but I still think a little bit more variation could be in place. Just a teensy tiny bit~

I must add though, I absolutely love how similar Axel and Brian are They take the phrase "brotha from anotha motha" to a whole new level :'D

I love Aerodactyl! He's so snarky and hilarious. I also think that you portrayed the Pokemon's views very well. However, to make it more natural, how often do Pokemon really go around stating their types? Wouldn't they know it by sight or instinctively?

Also, on the Egg Groups, I agree. XD That makes an excellent form of birth control. It's just a pity Riolu is so naive.

@Blazi: You have no idea how long I've been waiting to give Axel the excuse to say "Got it memorized?" XD

@Weeds: Honestly, I did try to distinguish ever Pokemon's personality, but have you ever tried developing nineteen characters in a single chapter? It ain't easy! After rewriting that scene three different ways I just said screw it and simply made sure everyone got at least one or two speaking lines. Luckily I'm a genius so the in-story reason why Brian's Pokemon seem the most diverse is because it was told from Axel's perspective. Who do you think he'd know better, his core team or the Pokemon belonging to the other trainers?

@Secad: You're right about mentioning the types, I didn't really think about that    I'm just going to go out on a limb and say Axel felt it necesary to remind Lloyd that fire and water don't mix and to give other reasons for why he doesn't get along with Aerodactyl besides Flying beats Fighting. :/

Like I'm pretty sure I already said, this is amazing. I like the chapter from Axel's view, but I always forget names XD
I'd also like to know how far you are in the next chapter. Have fun and keep writing!

Wow, I missed two chapters because of the move? o.o

Either way, both of them were completely epic. While I'd just be repeating some other readers, I have to agree the chapter from Axel's point of view was full of "lolz", hehe. But I really did like Raiden's chapter more. He's still one of my favorite characters. ^_^

Brace yourselves my dear fans because this chapter is about to set off some serious chain of events! 

Chapter 34: Combined Threat

As the months continued to pass, Team Neos became more of a dominating force. It was not long before membership was in the tens of thousands. The villainous Teams that used to control the majority of the crime in their respective regions were losing profit by the day thanks to the continued interventions of Neos. Their control was slipping fast. And then the event no one imagined was possible became a reality. On March 10, 2009 Team Neos won its first major victory: they defeated Team Magma!

The Hoenn branch of Neos was able to locate Team Magma’s stronghold in Mt. Chimney and raided the base without warning. There were casualties on both sides of the battle consisting of both human and Pokémon, but in the end it was Team Magma that was crushed. Magma Admins Courtney, Tabitha, and Mack were all defeated and executed on the spot. Because Team Magma Leader Maxie’s body was never recovered, it is rumored that after Maxie was defeated he was thrown into the Mt. Chimney volcano to become one with the land he so reverently wanted to expand. With its chain of command eliminated, Team Magma was forced to permanently disband.

When what happened in Hoenn went international, the world was taken by storm. Granted, Team Neos had already long since established a name for itself, but this simple act had made world history. However, while the members of Team Neos across the world rejoiced over their collective accomplishment, darker thing were in the works. Those who thought things would only get easier for Neos would be proven wrong. Dead wrong.

-------------------------
Team Galactic HQ—Veilstone Building
-------------------------

Sitting at a white circular table in what must have been a conference room was a man with spiky pale blue hair, cold blue eyes, and a permanent scowling expression on his face. The man wore black pinstriped pants, white shoes, and a grey shirt with black sleeves that resembled his pants. A stylized yellow ‘G’ was emblazoned on the man’s shirt over his heart indicating that he was associated with Team Galactic. He sat with his elbows on the table and hands folded in front of his face as if waiting for something.

The man’s wait came to an end when the door to the conference room opened and a younger man entered. This one had darker blue hair styled to look like cat ears, sapphire colored eyes, and wore a uniform similar to the older man’s, however the shirt was simpler in design and the ‘G’ emblem was in the center of his chest.

“Cyrus. Your guests have arrived.” the younger man informed.

“Very good Saturn. Escort them in.” Cyrus ordered. Saturn lowered his head in compliance and left the room. When Saturn came back, he was accompanied by four individuals. Cyrus stood to properly greet his guests as they approached the table.

The first was Archie, the Leader of Team Aqua. He was a man with a scruffy black beard and mustache, short black hair covered by a blue bandana marked with an ‘A’ written in a style to represent bones, and black eyes. He wore long black pants, black shoes, a golden chain necklace, and a long-sleeved black shirt with a high collar and open around the chest. Just below the opening was an ‘A’ like the one on his bandana.

Joining Archie was his top Admin Shelly. She had long poofy red hair, brown eyes, and wore long blue pants with red rings on the side of the legs, heeled red shoes, blue gloves, a black sports bra, a blue vest that came down to the base of her ribs, and a blue bandana like her boss’s complete with the Aqua emblem. Shelly was holding her arms close as she was unused to, and improperly dressed for, Sinnoh’s cold climate.

Cyrus’s second guest was known as one of the most dangerous, yet most underground, of all of the crime bosses. He was Team Rocket’s clandestine Leader Giovanni, a man with short black hair, black eyes, and a face as hard as the earth. He wore a black suit marked with Team Rocket’s signature red ‘R’ and a white dress shirt underneath.

Escorting Giovanni was his most trusted Executive Archer. He had short teal hair and wore a white suit marked with the red ‘R’ and a black shirt underneath.

“Welcome my fellow Leaders.” Cyrus greeted politely. “Please, have a seat.” he offered. Giovanni took the chair directly across from Cyrus and Archie took the seat on Giovanni’s left so that they both could look the Leader of Team Galactic in the eye. The three second-in-commands each sat next to their respective leaders leaving only the seat on Cryus’s left empty. “I am sure you all are aware as to why I requested this conference.” alluded Cyrus.

“It is because Team Neos is becoming a threat to our very survival.” Giovanni surmised.

“Correct. They started off as only a mere nuisance, but quickly grew into an irritating itch, then a thorn, and now they are quickly becoming a plague.” the Galactic Leader stated.

“I would have thanked Team Neos for getting rid of those damn Magmas for me, but those bastards have been causing Team Aqua just as much trouble. We’ll probably get hit more frequently now that there aren’t two of us in Hoenn anymore.” Archie said bitterly.

“Then what does Team Galactic propose we do?” inquired Archer.

“The reason I asked for this audience is to ask for your help. Time and again Team Galactic has been thwarted in our schemes and has watched our hard work crumble before our eyes thanks to Team Neos. I am sure the same can be said for Teams Aqua and Rocket. Unless you want to one day suffer the same tragedy as Team Magma, I suggest we pool our resources and crush Team Neos once and for all.” advocated Cyrus. The Galactic Leader held out his hand. “I feel it is in our best interests if we join forces and work together.”

“Team Aqua should have been the ones to defeat Team Magma. They were our rivals for years, and then Team Neos comes in and takes them out first. You have Aqua’s support Cyrus.” Archie declared shaking the other Leader’s hand.

“Team Rocket controls the most territory, yet with all of our resources and man power Team Neos continues to spoil our plans. Perhaps this union will be fruitful to our goals as well.” Giovanni sneered accepting Cyrus’s offer also.

---------------------
Back to Brian
---------------------

“Finally! It’s about damn time I can talk again!” I said indignantly. I blame Raiden and Axel for this. I had a bet going on with Zack, Chane, and Eve that I could name all 450 some nonlegendary Pokémon in National dex numerical order. My self-imposed penalty for failure was to be silent for as many species as I missed in minutes.

Unfortunately, Raiden asked me a question not aware of what I was doing which threw me off. Then Axel had to keep shouting ‘Infernape’ at me because I wasn’t at his species yet which threw me off more. As a result, I had to keep quiet for almost an hour and a half. Damn people didn’t even let me finish because I missed too many thanks to those interruptions. I could have shaved off at least 45min if they had only let me name a few Sinnoh Pokémon.

“It’s your own fault for being overconfident in your abilities.” Eve criticized.

“You should have said Chimchar, Monferno, and Infernape first.” scolded Axel. Just because I could, I smacked him upside the head.

“This is half your fault Axel. You know that right?” I told him unamusedly. I slouched into my chair with my arms crossed to show him how unpleased I was.

“But you still love me anyway right?” he asked sarcastically.

“Depends on what you do for me.” I said playfully.

“I’ll fling poo at Team Rocket in our next mission.” he proposed.

“It would be funnier if it was flaming poo. Unfortunately, we don’t even know when our next mission is.” I reminded. In the two weeks since Team Magma was eliminated, Team Rocket has been laying low. They must be afraid of our superiority. I actually wish they would do something so that I can have the same pleasure of wiping them all out that my colleagues in Hoenn got.

“What if I were to tell you our next mission was now?” Raiden informed coming into the room. “Our intelligence has reported that Team Rocket is on the move again. They are heading for the Safari Zone, most likely to poach the wild Pokémon living there. Since we are already in Fuchsia City, the job goes to us.”

“‘Bout damn time.” I said getting up and quickly making my way to my room to get my uniform on.
------------

Once we were all suited up, we headed to the north of the city where the entrance to the Safari Zone was located. When we got to the gate, the guards were already unconscious meaning we were too late to cut Team Rocket off.

“That’s not a good sign.” Zack said stating the obvious.

“This could be troublesome. The Safari Zone is a big place. Team Rocket could be anywhere by now.” said Raiden with annoyance. “When we get in, split up to cover more ground. If any of you find Team Rocket do not engage them, radio the rest of us for back up.” he commanded. When we entered, we were greeted by a lone Rocket who must have been charged with keeping watch over the entrance.

“Oh shit! Team Neos! I must warn the others!” he cried running away into the vast grassland. There were a few trees here and there, but the majority of the Safari Zone was open plains.

“Forget the last strategy! After him!” Raiden ordered.

“The idiot’s going to lead us right to the main group!” Eve laughed. Sure enough, there was a whole team of about a dozen Rockets in a clearing by a lake full of reeds not far from the entrance. They must have arrived only moments before us.

“We are Team Neos! Now prepare to die!” I announced evilly.

“Only five of you? No, I think you’re the ones who are about to die.” threatened a particularly bold Rocket. What a fool.

“Incompetent creature! I’ve killed more than this on my own before.” I bragged.

“Really? Prove it then!” he insisted snapping his fingers. All of a sudden, people dressed in blue pants, black and white horizontal striped shirts and blue bandanas emerged from the lake throwing aside the reeds they had used for air. Then coming behind us were people dressed in black and silver space suits with ridiculous bowl cuts. They weren’t alone at all! This was a fucking ambush! But who were these new guys?

“May I introduce Team Aqua and Team Galactic. They will be assisting us from now on in eliminating you Neophytes.” the Rocket taunted. No doubt, this guy was the one in charge here. Kill him and the rest will fall.

“Pentagon Formation now!” Raiden ordered. The five of us put our backs to one another to cover all possible blind spots so enemies couldn’t sneak up behind us. This formation also required the use of at least one Pokémon each to work. I of course had Axel, but I added Beldum to cover the air. Zack used Lloyd, Eve summoned Steelix for size, Raiden called out Electrode for speed, and Chane used Luna.

“Show them the combined might of the new Team Triad!” ordered the lead Rocket. The now thirty some enemies we were facing all threw their Pokéballs unleashing a wide array of Pokémon species. Aside from the usual suspects we normally see from Team Rocket, the Aqua Grunts were using Poochyenas, Mightyenas, Carvahanas, and other species of Water-types, while the Galactics were sending out Stunkys, Glameows, Bronzors, their evolutions, and other Sinnoh native Pokémon.

“Electrode! Strike down one of the Tentacruel with Thunder Bolt!” Raiden commanded. The Ball Pokémon’s body sparked as it gathered electricity. It then released its gathered bower at the nearest Tentacruel. The lightning attack however was redirected, weaving through the enemy Pokémon until it hit a Rhydon’s horn. “Well that’s troublesome.” said Raiden disappointedly.

“I’ve got Rhydon! Water Pulse Lloyd!” Zack called. The Golduck blasted sonic waves of water from his bill at the Rhydon only for his attack to get drawn to a Gastrodon. “Did these guys plan this or something?” he questioned.

“I’ll take Rhydon then! Someone else can get Gastrodon!” I volunteered. “Axel! Mach Punch! Beldum! Iron Head!” With blinding speed, Axel punched Rhydon as hard as he could, followed next by the Iron Ball Pokémon headbutting Rhydon.

“Way ahead of ya! Use Slam on Gastrodon Steelix!” commanded Eve. The metallic serpent smashed his large head on top of the Sea Slug Pokémon.

“Luna, please use Hypnosis on that Skuntank!” Chane called. The giant crescent moon stared at the Skunk Pokémon using its psychic powers to put the enemy to sleep.

“Gang up on them so they can’t defend!” shouted the Rocket in charge. “Rhydon! Knock that Beldum out of the air with Hammer Arm!” The Drill Pokémon slammed its arm into Beldum with incredible force.

“Get Beldum with Flamethrower Houndoom!” ordered a Grunt. To protect his teammate, Axel willing took the hit instead since he was more resistant to fire.

“If it’s pain you want monkey, we’ll give you some! Use Crab Hammer Crawdaunt!” commanded an Aqua Grunt. A large lobster punched Axel with its water-soaked claws.

“I am so cracking you open for that!” Axel yelled engaging the Crawdaunt in Close Combat.

“Dig Steelix!” Eve called to protect her Pokémon from the barrage of Water Guns he was receiving from Team Aqua’s Pokémon.

“Use Reflect Luna!” Chane shouted as her Pokémon was also being viciously attacked by two Stunkys, a Glameow, a Raticate, and two Koffings.

“Flatten these miscreants with Rollout Electrode!” Raiden ordered. His Electric-type did as told rolling here, there, and everywhere hitting multiple enemies. “Come out Jolteon!” he summoned throwing a Pokéball to release the yellow Eeveelution.

At the same time, Steelix emerged under the Water-types that had been bothering him earlier, grabbing a Whiscash in his mouth as he rose. Without mercy, he crunched down hard sending the fish’s lower body and tail falling to the ground.

“This is getting out of hand! There’s too many of them!” Zack shouted worriedly.

“We just need more ammo!” retorted Eve sending out Walrein and Diva.

“She’s right!” I agreed sending out my four remaining Pokémon. “Piloswine! Watch Zack’s back for me! Snorlax! Use Belly Drum, Rest, and Sleep Talk in that order! Aerodactyl! We need to take out that Rhydon! Fly Riolu over there so he can use Force Palm while you use Iron Head! Go!” I commanded. “Beldum, if you can hear me, Zen Headbutt one of the Croagunks! And Axel, crush that Crawdaunt!”

While my Pokémon did as told, I looked around the field at some of the other battles going on. Jace was having an aerial battle with a Fearow while Celia sucked the life out of a Lombre with what was either Absorb or Mega Drain. Not a good sign was Kermit getting beaten down by a Rocket’s Machoke.

As Luxray had recently joined the battle, she was engaged in a cat fight with a Purugly the same time Diva was struggling with a Sharpedo. On top of that, Steelix had met his match in both strength and size with an Aqua’s Gyarados.

Meanwhile, Lloyd had moved into the lake to trade blows with a different Golduck. Unfortunately, the location also put him at a disadvantage to other Water-types like Seaking, Staryu, and Carvahana. Simultaneously, Raiden’s Pokémon had to resort to their non-Electric-type moves because Rhydon was still on the loose. Jolteon was Double Kicking a Mightyena, Electrode was still bowling enemies over, and Magnezone was floating high above sniping enemy Pokémon with Mirror Shot.

As for my Pokémon, Piloswine was bulldozing opponents down around the water’s edge to protect Lloyd from other enemies as instructed. Axel had torn the claws off of Crawdaunt and was now assisting Aerodactyl and Riolu with that bothersome Rhydon. He was even using a Crawdaunt claw to beat the bipedal rhino. Snorlax had ended up Sleep Talking Rollout which had him bowling over enemies like Raiden’s Electrode, and Beldum had just KOed a Croagunk.

“We can take them out easier if they’re separated and can’t work together! Break them up Koffing! Get between the trainers and use Self Destruct!” commanded a Grunt. The cowardly bastard! A floating purple mine marked with the skull and cross bones floated towards us. The Poison Gas Pokémon’s body was already beginning to throb as it was preparing to detonate itself.

“Walrein! Kill that thing with Sheer Cold!” Eve ordered. The cold air the walrus blew from his mouth was so bone chilling even I could feel it. I instinctively held myself as I shivered under the wintry blast. The enemy’s Koffing was reduced to a floating popsicle, however the energy it had built up did not go to waste. The moment Koffing hit the ground, it violently exploded.

While the detonation wasn’t as bad for us as it could have been had Koffing been closer, it did kick up a lot of dust and create a lot of smoke completely obscuring our view. Still, as long as we remained in Pentagon Formation, no enemy could attack us from behind.

“What the—AAAHHH!!” Zack screamed. I turned to his direction, but he was already gone! I then heard Chane scream as she too was pulled away! What the hell is going on!? All of a sudden I felt my body grow lighter as a blue glow surrounded me. I was getting pulled against my will towards a giant blue bell with glowing blue eyes!

“Axel! Blaze Kick the Bronzong that’s using Psychic on me!” I commanded. The Infernape yelled as he jumped in the air into a flying kick. His out stretched right foot caught on fire just before the kick struck Bronzong. The Bronze Bell Pokémon let out an echoing cry as it fell to the ground freeing me from its hold. I didn’t get a chance to congratulate Axel before a Galactic came up from behind and wrapped his arms around me to constrict my movements.

“Gotcha!” he said as if a pathetic grip could ever hold me. I activated my Dragon-Forme and used the strength boost to break the Galactic’s grip on me. On previous missions where Raiden had instructed me to keep the body count low, I would have just punched the assailant in the face. But the time for a “peaceful” surrender was over! I surrounded my claws in draconic aura. Before the Galactic could react I impaled him in the stomach with a particularly lethal version of Dragon Claw I came up with.

“Wait a go Team Numb-nuts. You’ve gone and pissed him off now. I hope you all know that none of you are getting out alive now.” Axel said dryly.

I pulled my blood soaked hand out of the former Galactic and cracked my knuckles. “Who’s next?” I dared menacingly with a sadistic grin.

“Ahhh… Drifblim! Constrict that man!” ordered a Galactic nervously. A purple balloon like Pokémon that had red eyes, a yellow ‘X’ on its face, and a white cloud on its head sent out long purple streamers with yellow tips to tie me up. I stood still allowing the Pokémon to wrap me up. I had been confident that I could break free of the attack, however it was proving to be more difficult than I originally predicted.

“Ack! Piloswine! Ram Drifblim with Ice Fang!” I commanded as I struggled to move. Note to self: Never let the enemy ensnare me like this again. My wooly boar charged into the Blimp Pokémon with his tusks coated in ice. Drifblim was weakened enough that I could wriggle my way free.

“Don’t let that loser beat you Drifblim! Use Shadow Ball on Piloswine!” the Galactic controlling it ordered. Drifblim gathered the shadows cast from the sun light above between two of its streamers. When the darkness had swirled together to create a sphere, the Ghost-type launched the Shadow Ball at Piloswine. He recoiled with an angry grunt on impact.

“Attack Piloswine as well with Brine Sealeo!” I turned to my left and snarled at the Aqua Grunt. A plump blue seal Pokémon that was similar in appearance to Eve’s Walrein, only smaller and lacking tusks, opened its mouth and blasted spiraling salty water at the Swine Pokémon. Piloswine reacted with more disdain to that attack; shaking his head trying to get the water out of his thick fur.

“Stay out of this!” I yelled blasting the Aqua with a Dragon Pulse shredding her uniform. “Aerodactyl! Crush all enemies with Rock Slide!” I called. The ancient flyer dive bombed the ground from high up in the sky. By slamming his head into the ground at such a high speed, he caused the surface to break apart sending numerous shattered rocks at Drifblim, Sealeo, the Galactic Grunt, and the Aqua Grunt. With Sealeo and its trainer being the one’s closest to Aerodactyl, Sealeo was fainted while the already injured Aqua was impaled through the torso by a sharp stone. The Galactic was lucky enough to only be knocked unconscious.

“Now Piloswine! Finish Drifblim with another Ice Fang!” I commanded. Piloswine once again stabbed the Blimp Pokémon with his tusks, only instead of fainting, the Pokémon exploded taking Piloswine out with it! Damn! I should have anticipated the Aftermath Ability! I returned Piloswine before anymore harm could come to him.

“Alright Snorlax!” cheered Axel. I looked around noticing that Snorlax had woken up and had summoned a giant wave with Surf. Said wave crashed down on Rhydon and several other Pokémon along with their trainers washing them away. When the water subsided back into the lake, Rhydon was revealed to finally have been taken out.

“Good work! Now, Jolteon! Raichu! Use Thunder Bolt on that Muk and that Purugly respectively!” Raiden called now having the use of his Electric-type moves.

“Two can play this game! Come out Electivire!” called the lead Rocket. A taller, hairier, and uglier version of Electabuzz emerged from the Rocket’s Ultra Ball.

“I will take you on! Electabuzz! Low Kick!” Raiden commanded. As much as I wanted to watch their fight, I had my own battles to deal with. Namely Riolu getting KOed by an Aqua’s Wailmer leaving me down two! Never have we done so poorly!

“Beldum! Attack Wailmer with Zen Headbutt!” I yelled angrily. The Iron Ball Pokémon’s head took on a blue glow as it charged through the air at Wailmer like a missile.

“Mightyena! Use Crunch on Beldum!” ordered that same Aqua. A wolf Pokémon with coarse black fur and a maw filled with sharp white teeth jumped in front of Wailmer taking Beldum’s attack instead. Thanks to typing, Mightyena didn’t even feel Zen Headbutt which made it all the more easy for the Bite Pokémon to pin down Beldum and sink its teeth into my Pokémon.

“Iron Defense now!” I called. Beldum’s body turned silver as it made its metal body denser. Hopefully Mighyena will break its teeth!

“Izzy! Help Beldum with Mach Punch!” I heard Chane cry. A green blur whisked by slamming her fist into the wolf causing it to jump back with a yelp. Before I could thank Chane, a giant purple scorpion with a segmented body, two huge claws, a formidable looking tail and rows of sharp teeth jumped into the fray.

“You Neophytes shouldn’t be ganging up on people when there are so many of us to deal with! Use Poison Fang on Breloom Drapion!” ordered a Galactic Grunt. The monster scorpion sank its long fangs into Izzy injecting her with poison.

“No Izzy!” Chane screamed as she quickly returned her Pokémon.

“Hey, how many are you down?” I questioned urgently.

“Three; Izzy, Kermit, and Lucy.” Chane said. She was barely better off that me.

“I never thought I’d owe one to Team Galactic.” thanked the Aqua.

“Consider it a favor in taking out a common enemy. I hope you can repay it.” the Galactic replied curtly.

“I will! Wailmer! Finish Beldum with Water Pulse!” he ordered. The whale blasted sound waves of water at Beldum fainting it. Oh that’s it!

“Die!” I ordered racing at the Grunt. He had just enough time to put on a look of fear before I grabbed his throat. I lifted the Aqua off the ground as I squeezed tighter and tighter. As soon as my claws sunk deep enough to pierce the skin, blood spurted everywhere.

“What are you, some kind of demon!?” cried the Galactic fearfully. I turned to her with a murderous look in my eyes and a sadistic smile.

“Yes.” I answered simply. “I am the Demon of Team Neos! Not that you will remember it!” I threw the dead Aqua’s body at her knocking her to the ground. I ran in her direction, jumped up, and landed on top of her chest. I felt myself sink as her ribs shattered under my weight. The Galactic coughed up blood from her pierced lungs.

“Shit! This isn’t good!” I heard Zack scream. I looked in his direction to see him return Lloyd to his Pokéball. With Lloyd fainted Zack was helpless!

“Aerodactyl! Take care of Zack! Zack! Use Aerodactyl as you see fit!” I called to them. A loud roar alerted me to Steelix finally succumbing to Gyarados’s power. This can’t be! We can’t be losing!

“I hate to say this Brian, but I think I’m just about spent!” lamented Axel wearily.

“Not you too!” I shouted in disbelief.

“Keep it up everyone! We’ve almost got these guys!” encouraged a Rocket victoriously. Hearing them so cocky, so proud, was infuriating!

“No! The one’s who will fall… are you!” I roared. In all the time I’ve known about my Dragon-Forme, I have only ever relied on Dragon Pulse and Dragon Claw. Now I was about to attempt something I’ve never tried before. I concentrated my energy into my chest the same way I concentrate it into my palms. It stung a bit actually because I’ve never done this, but I’m sure I’ll get used to it.

“Dragon Breath!” I yelled focusing the energy up my throat into my mouth. I opened my mouth only to blast out a small burst of energy but a good bit of blood. I tried to scream, but that only hurt more. I fell to my knees holding my neck in pain. The inside of my throat burned as if I had chugged a cup of boiling water. No, it was more intense than that! It was indescribable!

What went wrong? It should have been no different than shooting a Dragon Pulse. Is it just that the inside of my esophagus is too tender to handle draconic energy? Am I not strong enough yet? This hurts so fucking bad!

“Brian! Are you okay?” Chane asked frantically.

“Ffff… ahk…” I choked. Even talking hurt right now. How could I have been so careless? How could I allow myself to appear vulnerable in front of our enemies!?

“This isn’t good! Everyone! Retreat!” I heard Raiden announce. No! We can’t! We can’t just stop now! We need to end them!

“Come on let’s go.” insisted Chane. But I wasn’t having any of it. I got up and charged at Team Rocket and their allies. I won’t run away! Not from them!

“Brian, get back here!” ordered Raiden.

“I’ll stop him! Hit Brian with Ice Beam Walrein!” Eve commanded. What the hell did she just say!? I spun around to see a frozen white beam coming at me. Primal fear took hold of me as I instinctively realized this was not going to be pleasant.

The moment it struck, I screamed in agony as I fell to the ground and curled into the fetal position. The pain was unreal! It was so intense that I forgot about the pain in my throat from my failed Dragon Breath. S-s-s-so… c-c-cold… It was like being thrust into a frozen hell to which there was no escape. I could almost feel my blood crystallize in my veins as my heart rate slowed to one beat per minute.

My mind was getting all kinds of fuzzy. I thought I heard people calling my name, but their voices were so distant. It felt like the world was spinning around me. Was I about to lose consciousness?

Then I felt it. Warmth! Something soft, and more importantly, warm, had taken hold of me and was no carrying me off. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I clung to it practically snuggling against it. So soft. So comforting. So warm.
------------------

Back at our room I was slowly recovering from my agonizing ordeal. My feet were in a tub of hot water, about bath water temperature, I was wrapped up in heavy blankets, I had a hot towel on my head, and in my hands was a hot cup of herbal tea that I slowly sipped at. The tea was supposed to both help my throat and keep my insides warm.

When the water got too chilled, Axel would spit Embers into it to warm it back up. As I figured out when my mind was coherent again, he was the one who carried me back. We agreed that my snuggling him was a result of delirium induced by the hypothermia I was experiencing.

Another thing I surmised was the reasons behind that Ice Beam having such a severe effect on me. First of all, it’s Super effective against my Dragon-type, then there’s the natural strength of the attack, the STAB bonus it got from Walrein, the power bonus from how well trained Eve’s Pokémon is, and based on the bruise on my chest, it was a critical hit. A recipe so deadly, I’m lucky I came out of it with only a really bad case of hypothermia and not frostbite or death.

But above all, I was absolutely pissed off! Not only did we get our asses handed to us by those inferior creatures, but my own teammate turned on me! Eve knows I’m a Dragon-typed human, so of all the potential ways to subdue me she chose the most lethal method! That I cannot forgive! Paralysis or sleep would have worked just as well! Worse yet, if our enemies were smart enough to get reinforcements to ambush us, then surely they will be smart enough to figure out that me plus ice equals vulnerability!

As Axel explained to me, escaping wasn’t easy. Teams Rocket, Aqua, and Galactic had completely blocked off all possible escape routes on land so everyone had to pile on Aerodactyl, Jace, and Magnezone to escape via the air. Of course our enemies tried pursuing us and shooting us down, but our fliers were able to fight them off enough that we got out without any casualties.

“Feeling better?” Axel inquired worriedly.

“You know how you feel after getting mind-raped by Psychic attacks? It takes more than an hour to fully shake the numbness.” I replied dryly. The way Axel cringed at the acid in my tone told me he knew I was in an extremely foul mood. Fury so great that the next person to get on my bad side would be lucky if I left their body recognizable as human.

During my recovery period, I had no visitors namely because I told everyone except Axel to leave me be. The only one who did come in my room was Chane, but only to return my Pokémon that she had taken to the Pokémon Center for recovery.

By the time I was able to stand without needing support, my mind was made up. I was taking a break from all of this. I got dressed in my usual civilian wear, made sure my Pokémon were ready and that all my stuff was tucked away safely in my backpack, and then put that in its Item Ball for storage.

“Come Axel. You and I are going out.” I told him.

“Where to?” he questioned.

“Anywhere that isn’t here.” I answered bitterly. When I opened my bedroom door to leave, Eve was there waiting for me. The very sight of her filled me with rage.

“Brian, I-” she started. I cut her off by swiftly raising my arm with my claws pointing only inches from her face.

“Save it! I don’t want your excuses!” I snarled. She gulped nervously not even bother trying to hide her terror.

“Settle down! That is no way to speak to your comrade!” ordered Raiden strictly. I lowered my arm back to my side. She wasn’t worth the effort right now anyway.

“You’re right Master Raiden. That is why I’m requesting a leave of absence.” I requested casually walking up to him.

“Request denied. There is too much going on now for you to not be here.” he shot down. Not the answer I wanted.

“Then let me make this easier for you to understand.” I said sternly. “I’m walking through that door, and no one is going to stop me. Kay?” I said pointing to the apartment door. I waved bye to everyone as I continued out.

“Brian!” Raiden shouted.

“Don’t go!” pleaded Chane. I didn’t turn back, I just kept walking. I hated going against my friends like this, but if I stayed I would only endanger them.

“So when do you plan to come back?” Axel asked.

“After I’ve had a chance to unwind a bit.” I replied. I still had no clue where I was going, but it’s more fun to let life dictate that road. One thing was certain though; I had to make sure I was at my best the next time I went on a mission.
*****************

For the record, this is the last time I do massive group battles. That is just way too many Pokémon to keep track of @_@ 

The next chapter seems like it will be a short one (at least in my head it's short ) so I should have it up either before or during my Spring Break which starts on March 10th.

An excellent end to an excellent Volume and you left us at a cliffhanger.  I can't wait to see how this new team Triad will pan out.  But why was Team Magma picked to be destroyed first?

Ahahaa fun! It was nice to see that Brian wasn't completely invincible this time around, because if he was it would just get boring. The Ass Kickers must be kicked too sometimes. Very curious to see where Brian's going, and loving the fact that all the others Teams (except Plasma) have teamed up to be an even greater threat to them.

The tension between Brian and Eve should be very very fun I believe... hehehee...

You sir, are god.

An excellent end to an excellent Volume and you left us at a cliffhanger.  I can't wait to see how this new team Triad will pan out.  But why was Team Magma picked to be destroyed first?

This isn't the end though, it's the beginning of the end. This is merely the first chapter of the final story arc. Volume 1 should finish with aprox 50 chapters and I already have ~10 of them planned out already. As for why I chose Magma, Team Neos preyed on Team Magma's and Team Aqua's rivalry to weaken both of them. Because I played Sapphire, Aqua was the one I chose to live (for now anyway)

Ahahaa fun! It was nice to see that Brian wasn't completely invincible this time around, because if he was it would just get boring. The Ass Kickers must be kicked too sometimes. Very curious to see where Brian's going, and loving the fact that all the others Teams (except Plasma) have teamed up to be an even greater threat to them.

The tension between Brian and Eve should be very very fun I believe... hehehee...

You sir, are god.

[me=Psycho Monkey]bows[/me]

Thank you, I try to make things as awesome/interesting/believable as possible. As for why Team Plasma isn't involved: same reason Unova and the Gen V Pokemon aren't. The fic was started before their time, and even though English copies of BW will be out in ten days, this world will only contain what was known as far as HGSS. If anyone disagrees with that, I have two words: Creative Freedom

I will write a short story over spring break based in Unova and (if I have time) write a Let's Play on my White.

Lol, mind rape. I would love to see a description of that for what Axel experiences.

As for the chapter overall, I think it is a great idea for the teams to band together. They might actually be able to cover their weaknesses and not get beaten up by a bunch of little kids. XD