The Great Bulk Part 8.5: Opening Moves

The Hunt

Using the information I gathered, I came to a plan. The files spoke of allies Team Yin-Yang had in the past; ones I could easily use for leverage against them. One such ally was Team Masquerade, a bounty hunting team of some repute. They'd offer resistance, of course, but it'd be far easier to kidnap one of them than it would be anyone else. I could simply snatch them while they were leaving a town, with no other witnesses to complicate things.

Luckily for me, they had returned to Sahra to restock. I threw away the poncho Cacturne gave me and covered my arms in bandages, as to conceal my scar, and began to trail them. Their visit wasn't all too unusual – I spotted them buying goods, looking up bounties, and talking to townsfolk. As it was still morning, the two of them left towards whatever goal they had in mind. It was downright trivial to follow them, although the sparse cover complicated things.

After they were a few hours away from Sahra, Roserade began to look around, as if suspicious of something. He talked to his partner, who performed similar motions. They likely suspected they were being followed; it wasn't of much use for me to hide any longer. I took a moment to peek out of cover and aim, shooting an Ice Beam towards Roserade. It was a dicey move, considering it travelled slower than my Bubble Beam, but if it hit, it had the potential to make this encounter much easier.

Roserade was able to notice the projectile travel and evaded it, nullifying the advantage of surprise I had. He and his partner turned towards my position and began to advance, and that's when I shifted gears. I noted Empoleon's slow, plodding gait, and began to launch Energy Balls at him in order to soften him up. I got a few on him before Roserade closed the distance, prompting me to switch tactics again. I expelled my Giga Drain roots from my left hand and watched him closely. To my surprise, he spoke to me instead of swinging first.

"What in the world are you doing?" Roserade asked. "I don't know who you are, but attacking travellers like us is rather rude, you know? What do you want, our money?"

I shook my head. "No. I need you," I responded. My target noticably tensed up at my declaration, looking quite uncomfortable. "I'm taking you, and holding you hostage. I need you to get to a couple of individuals I am seeking."

"Can't we just talk it over?" Roserade pleaded. "If you need information on someone you think I know, I'd be more than willing to provide it. You don't need to do the whole kidnapping-and-torture shtick to get me to speak to you, you know."

I aimed my free index claw at him, ice crystals forming around it. "You misunderstand," I began to clarify. "I need your presence to draw out two individuals I am hunting. If you're my hostage, they'll come to me, unless they care so little about you that they'd just let you die. Knowing them, there's approximately a 33% chance they'll abandon you."

Roserade's body language became more defensive; hostile. "Oh, so you're gonna use me to pull a fast one on somebody?" He questioned. "That's kind of a cowardly move, if you ask me."

I fired an Ice Beam towards Roserade, who only narrowly lept out of the way. "I'm not a coward anymore," I muttered, a slight hint of ire creeping into my voice. I hated that word – it reminded me too much of my days as a merchant. "Besides, you associate with cowardly Pokemon yourself. Now, keep still. This'll only take a minute."

"No way!" Roserade cried out, eyeing my next move. I fired an Ice Beam that I intentionally missed, aiming to create a false window of vulnerability he'd try to capitalize upon. He took the bait, advancing towards me with a Poison Jab, just as I planned. I side-stepped and had my roots wrap around my foe's torso, locking him in place. I pointed a claw towards him, preparing to shoot an Ice Beam at his bound form, but instead, he drenched me with a Sludge Bomb, forcing me to throw him to the ground and leap back, coughing and gagging. I felt a wave of weakness wash over me, but I pushed through it, not letting my guard down in the slightest.

"I'm sorry, but that wasn't the first bind I gotten myself into!" Roserade quipped. "You're gonna have to try a lot harder than that to keep me down." He then looked over his shoulder, seeing that his partner had finally arrived. "You sure took your sweet time, Emps! This weirdo wants to kidnap me. I feel like I should know him, but I dunno where I've heard of him."

Empoleon sighed. "I think I know," he chimed in, looking at the bandages around my arms. "I can tell those bandages aren't on him because he's injured, and he tried to dispatch us at a distance first, too – it's clear to me that this is Cacturne's little sidekick, trying to hide that scar of his. There's only one Lombre I know of with aim like that."

I shot an Energy Ball towards Empoleon, expecting him to sit and take it due to his ponderous gate. Instead, he used an Aqua Jet to propel himself out of the way, making my attack useless. I saw Roserade move in the corner of my vision and lept away from him as he attempted a Poison Jab. After that, I heard the sound of wind rushing towards me. An Air Slash from Empoleon slashed into me, causing me to flinch but for a moment. His partner then attempted another Poison Jab, hitting me this time due to my disoriented state.

I was rather heavily injured from their attacks, prompting me to consume an Oran Berry. As it revitalized me, my mind ran through the data I had gathered. I had an idea of how these two Pokemon fought, now – Roserade worked up close, while Empoleon hung in the back and fired at their enemy. They're far more of a threat to me than Asana ever was, but I knew I couldn't get to her unless I drew her out, and thus, I had to keep fighting.

I began clashing with Roserade again, keeping an ear out for Empoleon's attacks all the while. With the speed my Mach Ribbon imparted to me, I was able to overwhelm Roserade with Fury Swipes, but I recognized that it was only my item that gave me an advantage – if we were on an even playing field, he'd far outskill me in hand-to-hand. I had to work on that, but for now, I merely focused on staying mobile, making sure to evade his attacks.

I saw him prepare to fire another Sludge Bomb, to which I jumped out of the way. While I was up in the air, I could see Empoleon, who was preparing to fire another Air Slash towards me, but I wasn't going to just sit there and take it. When I got back on the ground, I began to listen for him, and when I heard the sound of his move, I circled behind Roserade and bound his arms with my roots, using him as a shield.

The Air Slash impacted against him, causing him to cry out in pain. I slammed him to the ground and fired two Ice Beams while he was down, injuring him further. As he got up, I threw a Sleep Seed at him, rendering him helpless. It would only take one last Ice Beam to finish him off. As I aimed, however, a wave of water rushed over me, pushing me away from him. If I were to guess, it was a Hydro Pump.

I looked towards the source of the attack, finding Empoleon glaring harshly at me. "Keep away from him," he ordered. "I promised to protect him no matter what, especially from scum like you."

I stepped forward, sizing up my new target. "I don't want to do this, but I don't have much of a choice," I informed him. "I made a promise, too – to avenge my partner, no matter the costs. You can still turn away, you know. We don't need to fight. I can simply take Roserade, and be on my way."

Empoleon fired another Air Slash at me, which I side-stepped. "I'm not going to let my partner's life lay in your hands," he replied. "You're nothing more than a timid crook. The reports said you fled from the battle that ended Cacturne's career. Only a spineless worm like yourself would abandon your comrades in their time of need."

His words dug into me, causing my trigger claw to itch for a moment, but I steadied myself, retaining my composure. I knew if I were to lose my temper, I would lose the fight shortly after. "It wasn't like that," I told him. "Cacturne gave orders not to shoot his ex-wife, even though she was a snitch. I had to follow his wishes, even though they were foolish."

Knowing that Empoleon could use Aqua Jet, I fired an Ice Beam towards him, in order to bait him. He used the move to propel himself out of the way, and so, I fired an Energy Ball towards where he was travelling to. It hit him, causing him to groan. "You are completely and utterly predictable," I chided. "You can't change direction after you've taken off. All I'll have to do is wear you down before your little buddy wakes up." I then began to fire a volley of Bullet Seeds at him, their superior speed not allowing Empoleon the chance to react to them.

He attempted to raise a wing up in order to use an Air Slash, but a Stun Seed swiftly solved that problem. He was nothing more than a target on a firing range now, allowing me to fire Energy Balls and Bullet Seeds at my leisure. However, as he was finally getting worn down, I heard something. "Emps!" Roserade cried out, having finally awoken. "I don't think our usual tactics are gonna work on this guy! Lemme get over here, and then we'll hit him with our trump card, got it?"

Empoleon nodded. Hearing of a "trump card", I drew out a Rainy Orb in order to utilize my own. I activated it, and felt rain beginning to pour down upon me, making me feel much more limber. I fired at Roserade as he came to his partner's side, hitting him in the leg. He kneeled down, struggling to stand. "Emps, it's all up to you now! Do it!" He yelled out. What happened next was the first time I felt true, mortal fear ever since Cacturne found me.

Empoleon fired a column of water at me, while Roserade fired one comprised of plant matter. The two attacks washed over me and to my surprise merged together, becoming far stronger than the sum of its parts! The combined attack battered me terribly, and to make matters worse, it turned the terrain all around us into a thick, artificial swamp. I thought about what power could result in such a drastic change, and that was when I remembered a book on rare moves I had read several years ago.

There were three rare moves called the Pledges. There were ones for Fire, Water, and Grass. The book said that individually, they were weak, but when two Pokemon that trusted each other deeply used two of them together, their power would become enough to warp the very landscape around them. Team Masquerade possessed them, and it spoke to the bond my two opponents had, but more importantly, it nullified the greatest advantage I had:

Speed. Even with the rain I had summoned, my legs struggled to move through the terrain they had summoned. I thought I was finished, but I calmed myself with deep breaths, allowing myself to note a very important detail: Only my legs were covered; my arms were still free. I took aim at Roserade, who was taking out something from his bag, and fired at him. The attack was enough to knock him out on the spot, leaving only Empoleon to deal with.

The Last Stand

Empoleon gazed at his partner's downed form, anger and hate building within him. I could see it in his eyes; the posture of his body. He said nothing, firing an Air Slash at me. Since the thick muck around me impeded my movement, I couldn't dodge out of the way – the projectile tore into me, while my surroundings rendered me nearly helpless. He attacked twice more, injuring me even further. I ate another Oran and began firing Bullet Seeds back at him, trying my hardest to keep him busy.

It succeeded in stopping his attacks before, but there was something different this time. He was angry; he was determined and it shown in how he raised his wing again, in spite of his wounds. I withdrew a Luminous Orb and used it to blind him, and then proceeded to perform another gambit – I advanced closer to him, and when he was in their maximum range, I fired my roots out at him.

They grappled onto him, and I used them to draw myself closer to him. I began to use Giga Drain itself in order to suck out his energy, but I was interrupted by him knocking me away with a wing. He charged me with a single Drill Peck, sending me flying across the battlefield. As I recovered, I clutched the rather large wound he dealt me. I could see a shift in his gaze, compared to when his partner was still standing:

His glare eminated murderous intent. He perceived me as a threat to Roserade's life, and was holding absolutely nothing back. The thought that I might have to kill him to save my own skin made me sick. I've been forced to take lives before, and it was never a pretty sight. Both times, it was some hapless sentry who threatened Cacturne. It was in defense of him, but those adversaries were merely performing their duties. They were doing nothing wrong, just like Empoleon.

Asana and her pet were different. They used Pokemon as puppets and meat-shields. They were worse than all but the most depraved of the Sand Continent's customers. The only thing holding them back from being in being in those ranks was the veneer they donned to be a part of civilized society. They were the ones forcing me to take drastic actions such as those I was performing tonight – I had to lure them out into a situation they would be alone and disadvantaged in, or else they could pull another "miracle" from their sleeve and end my quest for justice.

Back in my battle, Empoleon used an Aqua Jet to propel himself forward and used the water around him to impact me with a Brine. The physical force of the attack was overwhelming, causing me to fall into the muck that comprised our current environment. I lept right back up and narrowly evaded a Steel Wing, and grabbed a Vile Seed from my storage. I threw it at him, knowing a window of opportunity would be created – as it affects an organic Pokemon's system, a strong wave of nausea would affect them. I saw Empoleon turn a bit green, struggling to hold in his stomach, which allowed me to charge and fire off an Energy Ball.

Due to my opponent's ruined defenses, the projectile burned him quite badly. It was a miracle he remained standing. As he tried to reach into his bag, I fired a second one to finish the job, incinerating it and harming him even further. However, he still wouldn't fall. He began to slowly, shakily raise his wing, prompting me to groan.

"You're badly injured," I said to him. "I don't know if you'll survive if I hit you again. Do the sensible thing and surrender."

"I can't let Roserade enter harm's way," he replied weakly. "I swore to protect him with my life, if I must."

"What would dying here accomplish, Empoleon?" I asked, my tone scolding and sharp. "What worth would you be to your comrade as a corpse? He could very well survive what I have in store. How would he feel to know you died for nothing?"

My enemy's breathing hastened, his body language indicating the extreme discomfort my words inflicted upon him. "What am I supposed to do, then?" He muttered confusedly.

"I'll give you instructions," I informed him. "Do you remember working with a Meditite with a scar over her eye in the past?"

Empoleon nodded. "I doubt there'll be many who haven't heard of her by the end of the year," he reflected. "Her and Makuhita did the impossible twice. I've seen how good your aim was, Lombre. If Roserade wasn't already on guard, your first shot would've landed, and I would've had to do everything alone. Why can't you do the same against the two of them? Are you scared? Is that why you're going to use my partner's life as a bargaining chip?"

That bird had the uncanny ability to say the exact things that'd get under my skin, but I buried those feelings, focusing on the task at hand. "No," I told him. "It's all about manipulating the odds in my favor. If I set the rules of our next encounter, I'll have a greater chance of vanquishing them. Now, follow my instructions exactly."

"You will go to Sahra Town and wait on Team Yin-Yang to show up," I began. "Once they rear their heads, you will tell them that I am holding Roserade hostage, and that I am waiting for them atop the Mystery Dungeon Rocky Perch, which is immediately north of Sahra. The two of them are to scale it by themselves. They may bring no reinforcements, no friends, no business associates, and no officers of the law with them. If they do so, Roserade's life is forfeit. Do you understand and accept my demands?"

Empoleon smirked. "I accept them, but I know your plan won't work out. Makuhita told me of some of his exploits as we drank one night – he and Asana helped clear out an entire gang of bird Pokemon. What makes you think an area like the one you picked will beat them?"

"The point isn't to beat them," I said calmly, as I walked over to Roserade's unconscious form and picked it up. "If you don't understand why I made that choice, you're dumber than I took you for." The intention of Rocky Perch wasn't to defeat them, but to make them exhaust themselves and their supplies. Of course, I chose not to tell my enemy this. I didn't want to reveal all of my cards just yet.

I bound Roserade with some rope and took my prize off into the night. I was constantly checking my back to make sure Empoleon wasn't planning to strike from behind until I was sure I was far enough away from him. Once I got to my destination, I knew I would have to check back into Sahra every couple of days to replenish supplies and see if my targets had returned, but that was the other reason why I picked Rocky Perch – it was less than a day's travel away from there.