The problem with planning a war is what you don't know. I had some amatuer experience in the method, but we needed experts.
Thankfully, Deadshot and Giovanni had different levels of ability to bring to the table.
"Their code of honor may seem dumb, but it's actually made them an interesting threat to take on," Deadshot said. Even without a mask, he seemed to have little to no expression on his face, making him hard to read. "Sustained conflict has always been where they have the advantage. When they can't bring their crazier weapons to the field, the dragons are pushovers. But then… Someone decides to get smart. One time, this guy from Metropolis showed up in Oahu, tried to take over with some gear he stole from Lexcorp. Some kind of handheld lasers he got out of their tech division. Next thing we knew, they brought out the exact same tech and wiped the floor with him. Experimental, illegal, weapons tech. And they just brought it out when they needed it."
"How?" I asked. "Lex ain't exactly the most generous sort."
"Who knows? That's just one story. Anytime someone starts a brawl with them, they spring some kind of trap. I've killed a few of their people, but I'm exempt from most of their rules. Only use guns."
"And math," I said with a sigh. "Okay. The escalation thing is a problem. I don't like having an enemy that has a cap I don't know about. But fine."
"I do think we have options on that end," Giovanni leaned back. "As a man with a history of the seedier side of life, I know what it takes to run a gang. And one of those things is making the money look clean. Having six million in an account is nice, until people ask questions about where you got it."
"Money laundering. Huh," I hadn't thought of that, to be honest. Rainbow Rockets had a lot more issues looking legit, considering they were from another dimension and were universally hated in the one they found themselves in.
"The FBI has been working several angles on that for years," Roxy said with a frown. "So have the police. They shut down a few places over the years, but nothing in recent months. Maybe we can find something there, or ask someone on the inside?"
"You want to bring in Sam?" Giovanni smiled. "I'd love to. I like him. Great sense of humor."
Roxy gave him a look like he'd gone crazy. "You kidding? Sam hates you!"
"Maybe we should bring him in," Giovanni mused.
"No!"
The Rocket Leader smirked, but nodded his assent. "The idea still has merit. Finding out if law enforcement have any ideas on who is cleaning the dragons money will be very useful to us. I think we need a different angle just in case."
"I can help," Kalini said. He'd been staring at the Pokemon around him with wide eyes, focused on the Nido's horns, Slugma oozing around us happily, and Mudkip sitting on my head and bobbing around as I moved. "The Silicon Dragons like tourist traps for their laundering. People pay cash a lot, make massive transactions, tip huge at restaurants. And the Dragons have some fans. Traditionalists who think those maniacs are protecting Hawaii from greater threats."
"We'll need a list then," Alakazam stroked his chin. "In fact, we will need many things. Do you have one of my requests ready?"
"Of course," Giovanni said. "A computer was selected by my engineers. What are you thinking, Alakazam?"
"We begin compiling our information, work from the bottom up. Not just on the dragons, but on the criminal underground of Hawaii in general, it's history, it's present," Alakazam said dramatically. "Information, in this as in all things, is power."
I nodded. "In the meantime. We need to protect each other. If a single one of us gets knocked down, the rest of us fall to. Except you," I pointed at Deadshot. "I figure if the rest of us get taken out you'll shrug and walk off into the sunset."
Deadshot shook his head. "I'm a professional. I stay until the job is done."
"Which is the same as saying you'll leave if we all end up dead," I said. "That's not some judgement or something, I'm asking if you'd be willing to do a giant revenge at all costs, thing if things end up like that."
Floyd's mustache twitched. "Depends on how much you pay me."
"You take cash?"
"I do. I'll work out an estimate and get back to you."
"Great," I looked around. Giovanni had an amused look on his face, while Kalini and Roxy looked at me like I was crazy. Nidoqueen had walked over to Slugma, watching the tiny slug buzz around, while Mimikyu was sneaking over towards an unsuspecting Roxy. "That done, back to business. Our plan is obviously that I'm the giant friendly target everyone shoots at."
"Kid, you are way too cavalier about this kind of thing," Kalini mumbled.
"It's true. I'm already a public figure, and people have applied the hero thing to me. So that means I can act like the big and obvious distraction to the real damage. I fight them like a dumb tank, take out their obvious operations and operatives, have them think I'm their main threat. And you guys take out their support structure."
"Then we'll need to find a big and obvious target for you," Giovanni said casually. "Something appropriate. And somewhere to house Kalini with the police after him."
"Kalini?" I looked over at him, confused. "What happened?"
"That FBI agent who's been hunting you figured out that I'm the guy who's been seen with you everytime we go out."
A shot of guilt went through me. Damnit. I should have considered that. "You okay?"
"Oh yeah, I'm fine," he said shakily, smirking. "It was kinda interesting. Never spoke to the FBI before."
"What can they do to him, legally speaking?" Giovanni asked Roxy.
"Depends on what they have," Roxy pursed her lips, not noticing Mimikyu looking up at her curiously. "I'll work to keep him out of prison. I can argue that he's a witness, not an actual criminal," I got the feeling she was really dumbing down what the legal process would be, for our sakes. "Still, he'll need a place to stay in the meantime- Oh. Hello there."
Mimikyu was pressed against Roxy's leg, looking up at her. "Mimikyu!"
Roxy smiled. For a moment, the lawyer was replaced by a young girl. "Aren't you cute!"
She might as well have made Mimikyu's day. The tiny Pokemon wiggled happily, her costume head bouncing up and down with the motion. "Mimikyu, Kyu!"
Roxy lowered a hand to pet Mimikyu, smiling at the sheer joy in the costumed ghost's voice. She looked up at Mudkip, then at Giovanni. "So your whole world is filled with cute animals?"
Giovanni chuckled. "Well, a few. But some will grow up," he looked meaningfully at Nidoking, who was still meeting Tyrunt's eyes.
"And do they all end up looking like Ultraman bad guys?" Kalini asked, revealing he was a man of culture.
"No. Some of them become dragons," I answered. "Kalini, do you need a place to stay?"
"I can provide lodging if you like?" Giovanni said.
"Or you can stay with us," I offered.
Kalini looked between Giovanni and I. For a moment, he seemed to think. Then he sighed. "Yeah, I'll stay with you kid. No offense," he said to Giovanni.
Giovanni blinked. He seemed slightly surprised, but also intrigued. "Very well. Then I suppose all that is left is our plan. Which is to wait and learn more."
"We came to plan, to have a plan?" Kalini asked curiously.
"Hurry up and wait," Giovanni, Deadshot, and I said in unison. I continued. "Honestly, this is a step forward. We've established our basic roles. I'll be front and center, Deadshot takes out things from the background, Giovanni and you work with Roxy to pick targets, and the Pokemon are our army. You guys cool with that?"
"Gurdurr," the fighting type said, twirling his I-Beam around.
"Mud."
"Now, about training?" I asked Giovanni.
"Come by in two days," Giovanni said. "I'll have something set up for you."
"That'll have to do then. In the meantime, I guess I need to do hero things…" I sighed. "Which means I need to go out on patrol."
"You need to do that?" Roxy asked.
"If I'm going to be a public threat, I need to keep being a public figure," I said with a shrug. "Okay then. Tomorrow, Kahu Ki goes on patrol."
"Kahu Kiaʻi," Roxy said.
"What?"
"You mispronounced it. It's Kahu Kiaʻi."
"...I finally get a superhero name. And I can't even pronounce it."
In a flash of light, Alakazam and I reappeared in our home again with the rest of my Pokemon. And one passenger.
"Whoo!" Kalini coughed, shaking his head. "That was… weird. You go around like that all the time?"
"It's a most convenient form of travel, despite the parameters I must follow for it," Alakazam said, watching Kalini pat slowly at himself, the Hawaiian man pressing his palms against his chest, back, buttocks, and groin. "Are you... well?"
"Yeah, just making sure I have all my bits," Kalini said, sighing in relief when he was done.
The rest of us stared at him. Then Mudkip, Gurdurr, Slugma, Mimikyu and Tyrunt all looked down at themselves.
Alakazam scoffed, offended. "As if I would ever make such a mistake!"
"Okay. And there is not gonna be a clone of me or something back where we were?" Kalini asked. Then he became pale. "Oh god! Am I a clone!?"
"No! Where are you getting these hairbrained ideas!?"
"That's how it works in Star Trek!"
"What in Arceus' name is Star Trek?"
"Kalini, calm down," I said with a sigh. "You aren't going to lose parts, get clones, get time traveled, get ported to an alternate universe, split in half… Well, basically you'll be fine, I promise."
He breathed a sigh of relief, while Alakazam continued to look offended. "Star Trek. What sort of foolishness…"
"Mudkip!"
I was surprised by that, and looked down at the little guy. "Really? You aren't tired?"
"Mud!"
"What's he saying?" Kalini asked curiously.
"He wants to go for a swim," I said. After a moment I shrugged. "Yeah, sure bud. Just try to be back before dinner, okay?"
"Kip, Mudkip!" he jumped up to give me a hug, then leaped off and into the water.
"Is that really going to be okay?" Kalini asked.
"It should be," Alakazam said. "The list of things off shore that could hurt him are very small. And he's a smart one."
He nodded slowly, then looked around. I patted Kalini on the back. "Come on. Let me show you around."
We all walked off together, unworried about Mudkip as we started walking Kalini around our gym/home. If only I'd known.
Mudkip/Mako
Mudkip dived into the water and sighed happily at the feel of cold water around him. While he preferred swamps and rivers, the ocean was becoming something he had a lot of familiarity with.
He left the harbor of the cave and entered the ocean proper, cartwheeling his way deeper into the chill waters. He swam quickly through the water, enjoying the currents bouncing him around.
This world was very interesting. Mahmoud, his master, had told him a bit about Earth before they found themselves in the version of it. Including it's oceans. Of course, this wasn't that Earth. Some other one. Mudkip wasn't sure what the real difference was. He just enjoyed the experience of a new ocean.
He went out into the section of ocean where shipping vessels crossed past Hilo, and floated for a moment, staring upwards. Since getting to the new oceans, he'd been mapping it out. Tracking how currents moved, figuring out where prey and predators lived, and where humans roamed. This place was strange. Back home, people weren't so cavalier about where they would take their boats. They seemed to go wherever they wanted.
Gyarados, Kingdra, and other Pokemon made it so that they had to be careful about where in the ocean they went. Sailors were trained fighters, with Pokemon helping to keep their boats safe.
Here though, Mudkip could see a fat looking hull slowly make its way through the waters, uncaring of the sharks that sometimes went by. Humans must have been safer here. Still, the water was also dirtier. Mudkip had last week cut a piece of plastic off the neck of a seal. It hadn't thanked him. Animals here were much ruder than any Pokemon.
Such as the shark currently coming towards him.
"Mudkip," sighed the tiny blue being, looking over at the animal in question.
It was bigger than Sharpedo's were. Not as wide around, but much longer. It had a pattern across it's gray skin like a Zebstrika's, striped a bit.
It came towards him, and slowly circled. Mudkip watched it. If it was anything like other sharks he'd encountered… there it was.
The sixteen-foot-long animal snapped it's teeth at him. Mudkip waited until it was close enough. Then he smacked it silly with his tiny paw. Its head snapped to the side. The water in his paw swirled around and around, instantly engulfing the confused animal in a swirling mass of water.
The animal was sent spinning back like a top, the water churning in his wake, before the small whirlpool flowed away. After a long moment, the shark shook its head. The big dummy wasn't smart enough to be surprised. It just turned and swam away as fast as possible.
"Mudkip, kikikiki!" he giggled to himself, his paws lifting his mouth. Animals in the world may not have been smart, but they were very funny!
Mudkip cartwheeled in the ocean and started swimming again, when something tickled his mind. He followed the mental nudge, getting close to home, until Alakazam could finally link up with him.
"Mudkip, I'm glad you were still close enough to feel my mind," Alakazam said in what he thought was a grand manner. Personally Mudkip thought he sounded pretentious. "I've been working on our information on possible locations of interest to us. Kalini mentioned an aquarium he was told to send some shipments to."
"
Mudkip," another voice, much harsher, less clean sounding, came over the link. "Can you go investigate it on your own? I don't want you to get in any fights or something, but if you can swim in the water near the aquarium and find out if any of the dragons are using the place for their dirty business, we might have a first target."
Mudkip hummed to himself, cartwheeling slowly through the water with a hand to his chin. "Mudkip?"
"The Maui Ocean Center in Wailuku."
Alakazam sent a mental image of the map of Hawaii. It wasn't too far for Mudkip. Now that he knew the oceans of Hawaii better, he could make such journeys more easily, following the currents for more speed, like that fish movie they'd watched together that had the turtle scene.
"Mudkip."
"...I mean, you aren't supposed to look for a fight if you can avoid one-"
"Kip!"
"Wait, that isn't permission-!"
Sadly, Mudkip didn't hear the full message from his master. Still, he understood the gist of it. He did trust his master and appreciated that he worried for Mudkip.
Even so. Mudkip twisted through the ocean at high speed, a devil may care grin on his face. It had been a while since he'd gone on a solo adventure!
Mudkip approached the aquarium as the sun was going down, popping his head up to look at it. He quirked his head to the right, the fin on his head waving in the wind. "Kiiiiip."
It wasn't what he'd expected. It was shorter, for one. Mudkip had an image in his head of a massive building, holding lots of snacks. Instead, it was more of a series of buildings, a lot with solar panels. He approached slowly, looking around. The place must have closed or was closing soon. There were only a few cars in the parking lot, and all he could hear was the sound of wind passing through the palm trees.
He swam over to the section of docks set up almost directly in front of the aquarium, with a parking lot in the space between the docks and the aquarium. He hopped up onto the docks and looked around. No one was around, the two boats that were parked in the docks were small ones that he would have noticed someone inside of.
He kept an eye out and carefully hopped over to a tree near the aquarium. It looked empty…
Which meant he could have some fun!
"Mudkip," he whispered gleefully.
Using all the stealth he had learned from hunting Rocket grunts, he went from tree to tree, moving up a hill and then hopping over a fence. Just like that, he started walking down a pathway, looking around the aquarium curiously.
It was rather nice. All paved pathways, palm trees, and nice buildings. He noticed a map and hopped over to it. Mudkip looked up at the map for a good long moment.
"..." he didn't know how to read. It wasn't something he'd ever had to learn. His master liked reading, and told him a lot of stories, like the one of Dresden the Wizard. But Mudkip himself had never learned how. Until that moment, it hadn't ever been something he had to worry about!
After a bit of frustration, Mudkip shook his head and simply focused on the image of the map as a whole, ignoring the words. He was on the orange circle pointing at a single point, obviously, the pathways lined up. So that way would lead to a place with a picture of a shark. The other to something that had a picture that looked like a weird Wailord. And that way had tiny fish…
For a moment, Mudkip was very tempted to go that way. He was feeling a bit peckish… No. He had work to do.
Mudkip grabbed a paper map from the holster holding a bunch of them next to the plastic one, and started roaming about.
For an hour or so, Mudkip simply roamed around the aquarium, taking in the sights. He walked up to a place with hammerhead sharks. Down to another section with animals that looked like the various turtle Pokemon he'd seen, in this case green Tirtouga or Carracosta's.
In fact, Mudkip found the similarities between this world's animals and Pokemon kinda funny. It was like someone had taken Pokemon, removed everything that made them powerful, and dropped them on this planet like a lazy artist running out of ideas.
He roamed, bored after an hour of walking, past the entrance. It was interesting, but at some point he was just seeing animals in captivity. He could see all these creatures out in the ocean. And eat/fight them.
As he thought about that, a light came from the entrance. He dropped the paper map in his mouth and ran towards a pond next to the entrance, labeled something he couldn't read. The water there had strong currents, but he kept control of himself, looking out at the entrance.
A woman shouted. Mudkip's eyes narrowed. Appearing at the entrance were four people. Two were an Asian man and black woman shoving a wheelchair along. Inside the wheelchair was a petite woman with short blonde hair. She was struggling against bindings that lashed her to the chair, screaming.
"Let me go! Let me-!"
The last man, a tall Hawaiian with long hair pulled into a ponytail, came up from behind and smacked her in the face. "Shut up!"
Mudkip's eyes narrowed.
The woman stared at the ground for a moment, then spat out blood. She grinned up at him with blood stained teeth. "What, I'm supposed to be scared because you'll beat up a cripple?"
He didn't flinch from the insult. "I don't give a shit about your legs. What I want is your mind."
She stared at him, defiance tinged with confusion. "Who are you guys?"
"We're the Silicon Dragons," the black woman said with a smug smile.
The blond seemed worried at that, but still defiant. "Good for you. Why do you want me?"
"We don't. What we want is your research. Specifically, the research locked in the computers of this aquarium," the Hawaiian man said.
"My medical- seriously?" she stared at them, defiance replaced with befuddlement. "That's for helping people like me! For curing paralysis! Seriousl-"
"Stop, stop," the Asian man waved the black woman and Hawaiian man back. Then he moved in front of the blonde woman. "Grace. I think we've confused each other here. Let me lay this out."
"Kip," Mudkip whispered to himself. He grabbed a fish that was swimming next to him and tossed it into his mouth as he kept his eyes on the action.
"...Do I know you?" the woman, Grace apparently, said slowly, her eyes wide.
The man smiled. "Lets walk and talk."
"..." Grace looked down at her legs, motionless in her wheelchair, then up at the man with a sarcastic grin. "That some kind of joke?"
The man's gentle smile cracked a bit. Mudkip chuckled under his breath. The Asian man circled around her and began pushing the wheelchair, his comrades following. Mudkip waited till they had made some distance, then hopped out of the pool to start following, keeping to the shadows as best as he could.
"Grace Balin, an intern who is currently on the fasttrack to a Ph.D in Marine Biology and Bio-Medicine. I believe you're supposed to head back to Gotham in a year once you complete your internship? That's very impressive."
"What, do you have my trading card?" Grace said. She swallowed nervously as they went down the dark pathways.
"No. But we did our research before we agreed to fund you."
Grace stilled. She twisted in her chair slightly, despite her bonds. "You!?"
"Yes. I think I used the name, 'Danny Kolberg'?" he shrugged, hands twisting on the handles of Grace's wheelchair. "It's not unusual for us. The Silicon Dragons are not some simple gang. We do care about the environment, about the goals of science. Your research could lead to an end to paralysis!"
"Sorry, the blood in my mouth is making it hard to hear."
The man scoffed. "What is it about modern teenagers, that they have decided snark is the best form of communication? Ms. Balin, you are an incredible scientist. But you seem to see your success as a failure."
Grace scowled. "No. I just… my serum isn't a cure yet. The effects it has on DNA are too transformative. I want to cure people. Not make monsters."
"Not monsters. Soldiers."
She twisted to glare at him. "You think I got into this to make killers?"
He smirked down at her. "History is rife with science that eventually benefits the populace being used for military applications. Your serum may one day cure the world of some of its worst pains. But the dragons require it for another purpose."
"Goodie for you. I'm not helping you."
"You don't have a choice."
They entered a building, the door closing behind them.
"Kip," Mudkip ran over to the building and jumped up to the handle, opening the door slowly before dropping and slipping inside.
"What was that?" the black woman said at the sound of the door closing.
Mudkip rushed behind an exhibit that had statues of seals cavorting on it, his paws silent on the carpet floor.
The black woman went up to the doors, a gun in her hand. She looked around, confused. Mudkip patted his way carefully away from her, circling Grace and the other dragons all looking towards the doors. With a gentle jump, he landed on top of a tube of water containing small fishes, and hunkered down, staring at the people below. As they continued to look for him, he thought things through.
He'd been told to get as much information as he could. So far, he was doing a great job! Mudkip's tail wagged happily. These guys wanted a serum that could make monsters. Maybe they wanted to be like Pokemon? That was smart.
This Grace woman didn't want to help though. She talked a bit like Master did. Mudkip liked that.
So Mudkip would wait and see what would happen so he could learn as much as he could. But if someone hurt her again, he was going to break their legs.
They stopped looking for him and entered the room in the back, taking their time with it. Mudkip hopped silently from exhibit to exhibit, following along before dropping into the room they entered, slipping inside.
After a short walk through a hallway, they got to a place that looked very sciency. Blue tanks full of water, tables with lights shining down on pools set inside tables, lots of syringes and stuff everywhere.
"My lab," Grace said quietly.
"Nostalgic, is it?" the Asian man said with a chuckle. "Bryce, bring our people in."
The Hawaiian man nodded, walking out. Mudkip went under a table and sat on his haunches, watching as the black woman and Asian man went with Grace to a safe. Grace, seeing the safe, began to struggle, but the Asian man ignored her.
"It was surprising, to know how advanced the security on your safe was," he mused. "A breath lock, fingerprint scanner, with cold fridge-tech, and enough steel to make a car. How much of that was paid for with our funding?"
"Fuck you!" Grace said.
"I would, but I don't find cripples attractive," the Asian man said.
The Hawaiian man walked back into the room. With him was a group of five men.
"Where are the rest?" the Asian man asked.
"They're bringing the boat around."
"Hn. I suppose five will be a good start," he grabbed Grace's head and dragged her over to the safe.
"Ahhh!" Grace screamed. Mudkip held his breath.
The man mechanically moved Grace, ignoring her struggles. When she refused to breath on the safe, he simply held her there until she had no choice. He removed her right hand from it's bindings and shoved her hand up against the glass. The lock on the safe popped open, and the door swung open, a chill burst of wind coming from the fridge.
"There it is," the Asian man breathed.
"Please," Grace gasped. "That's all I have. I still need to fix it."
"Yes, and that will require test subjects," he said softly, reaching slowly forward. "Allow the dragons to be your first willing volunteers. The beginning of your legacy."
"Mudkip."
Everyone froze when the blue finned Pokemon spoke, his voice echoing in the halls. Everyone, Grace, the Asian man, the Black woman, Bryce, and the five people who had just come in, turned around.
Mudkip stared up at them cutely, smiling, his fin waving.
"...Fuuuuuck," one of the men said, going from confusion, to realization, and finally to depressed acceptance.
Then a blast of water hit two of the men, sending them back.
"Shoot it!" the Asian guy screamed.
Mudkip ran in, water surrounding him, and flew past them, crashing into the Asian man like a waterfall meeting a river. The Asian man screeched while he flew back, finally crashing into a blue water tank. Mudkip spun to land in Grace's lap, smiling up at her.
"Kip!"
"AHHHH!" Grace shouted in fear and confusion, staring at the animal the size of a puppy that had sent a man flying ten feet..
The dragons aimed their guns at her and Mudkip puffed his cheeks. They were about to open fire. Grace screamed. From Mudkip's mouth came a wave of water that filled the space in front of him.
"Shit!"
"What in god's name!"
The dragons screamed and shouted as they were swept up in a deluge, the force of an ocean wave coming from his place on Grace's lap as she stared in wonder. When they were pushed out of the room. Mudkip turned to her.
"Kip!" he sliced through her binding with his teeth, looked over at the safe and pointed with his paw. "Mudkip!"
"W-What?" Grace said.
Mudkip sighed. Why were humans here so bad at talking? He pointed at her. Then at the safe. Then he pantomimed running away.
"O-Oh!" Grace was at least smart. She turned the wheelchair around and pulled the safe door wide open, reaching in and pulling out a tray with several test tubes filled with a gray-white fluid, then pulled out a small device that looked like a gun with a syringe attached to the end. "Okay, lets go!"
Mudkip let out a bark, hopped behind her, and began pushing her wheelchair.
"Whoa!" Grace shouted, waving her arms to balance before relaxing. "Warn me next time!"
"Mudkip!"
"Do you say anything else?"
He sighed internally. Honestly, he'd been talking a lot. It was her that wasn't listening. Humans here were so weird.
Behind them, the sounds of more people resounded. Mudkip pushed her just a bit faster, and the two burst through a pair of doors, entering a long tunnel made of glass.
The tunnel was surrounded in water. Fish swam past the glass in the light of the moon, waves of the silver hue coming through the water in ripples.
A crashing sound was the signal for dragons coming through the door and following behind them.
"...They can't get their hands on it," Grace whispered. Mudkip ignored her, instead giving her another shove and spinning to face two men running towards them, still dripping wet from Mudkip's Surf attack. He hit one with an ice beam, sending him to the floor, then leapt up and smacked the other aside with his tail as the man tried to stab Mudkip with a katana. Another guy came through the door and shot Mudkip in the face, the bullet embedding in his skin and tossing him back.
Mudkip rolled as he landed, ignoring the pain to blast that guy with boiling water from his lips, the high temp of the water scalding the man severely even as it tossed him into the glass tunnel with a thump, sending a hammerhead shark outside twisting away.
"Hold them off!" Grace shouted. "I can stop this!"
Hold them off? Mudkip blinked. He was winning! Besides, if they did anything crazy, he would break the glass and send them into the water. See them win while they were in his world.
He dodged a bullet, jumped from the ground, onto the glass ceiling, then came down with all four paws on the face of the black woman. He opened his mouth and hit her with a water gun between the eyes, the force sending him back-flipping away and her into the ground.
Mudkip landed on the ground and puffed his orange cheeks, glaring at his opponents with a bit of blood going down his forehead. "Kiiiiiiiip."
One of the dragons lifted his gun. Another raised a knife. For a tense moment, they stared at him, as their friends ran to join them.
The Asian Man came after his friends, snarling. Then he stared at something behind Mudkip. "NO! Dr. Balin!"
Mudkip looked behind him.
Grace tossed aside a test tube. All of the test tubes, once full of that strange liquid, around ten or so, were empty, discarded in her lap. She stared at the syringe gun in her hand. Mudkip realised that was why she'd said to hold them off. She wanted to fill the syringe gun.
She lifted it up to her neck. Her smile was broken. "You wanted test subjects!?"
"Stop her!" the Asian man shouted.
The dragons rushed forward. And Mudkip, seeing them raise submachine guns, surrounded himself in waves of water, rushed forward, and crashed into the group just as they began shooting, sending them into the walls before he hit the glass with all his power at the point where the tunnel met the building.
"Fuck it!" the Asian man screamed. "Bring out the big guns!"
Mudkip could hear Grace scream, hear bones break and flesh rip, while her voice began to echo in the tunnel. He bounced back as the Asian man, Bryce, and one other person pulled out guns.
Since coming to this world, he'd seen guns a couple of times. He'd never seen one with a big glowing green tube for a barrel.
The three men fired, emerald beams of light aiming for him. Mudkip hit the laser blast that was coming for him with an ice beam, the blasts meeting in the center and exploding. The explosion of the ice beam attack froze the glass around it, the sound of cracking following. The other two blasts hit the walls of the tunnel.
The glass shattered. The combination of being frozen from an ice beam explosion, then superheated by laser blasts, was too much for even the tough acrylic glass, made to withstand thousands of pounds of pressure, but not two supernatural attacks.
The aquarium alarms began to blare, and metal bulkhead doors slammed down on either side of the tunnel. This did nothing for those in the tunnel itself, who were swept along.
As Mudkip was pulled in, he saw a black shape pass him in the water.
Author's Note: This is kind of the plan with the new story. Revamping everything. And part of that is focusing much more on the Pokemon as characters in their own right. So Mudkip gets a mission of his own. Granted, he was just supposed to hang out in the water and watch the comings and goings near the aquarium for a bit, but he couldn't help but look for trouble
As for Grace Balin, a google search will help ya there.
In the meantime, please consider supporting me on , where the next chapter will be posted soon! Have a good night!