Hard Enough-Chapter 298 - Interlude - The B Team!

Erika gazed upon her garden and felt relief.

Gone were the interlopers. Those weeds would storm in with fire, flying and bugs demanding her badge and crashing through her perfectly arranged gardens.

The worst were always the ones that took the most direct route. They simply walked, blazing and cutting their way through her hedges towards her.

Her girls would always intercept them and fight all the harder but his year had been rough. Her garden had been set upon numerous times and from all angles.

She spared a glance at the glasshouse’s roof. She’d had at least seventeen panes of glass replaced when people thought themselves clever by dropping rocks on her glasshouse to gain entry from the sky.

She’d never had to give out so many fines and arrests as she had this year.

Honestly she’d never given out as many arrests as she did in the last month!

Desperation had taken over the trainers attempting to gain access to the end of the Circuit Tournament. With so many trainers attempting entry, it was being heralded as the biggest tournament of the decade.

Prize pools were said to extend all the way down to the top sixty-four trainers. Sponsors were salivating and had already approached some trainers who had gotten glowing reviews from her and other Gym Leaders.

Hiring Agencies, large corporations, Rangers, the Police, and Fire and Rescue were all set to watch the competitors for potential recruits.

It all boiled down to a crunch period that put the hurt on her and all the other Gym Leaders.

Well apart from Brock and the Cerulean Sisters, they’d faced off against a significant portion of the trainers that came through earlier in the year. Some of them had been drawn back to Pewter when Brock started up his Elite Challenge but otherwise, the true population of Trainers had settled in around Celadon and Saffron due to the number of Gyms that could be attempted with minimal travel requirements.

You could walk between Celadon and Saffron if you cared to. On a bike, that trip could take an hour or two and as soon as pokemon got involved, those trips could shorten further.

Erika took in her garden; it no longer had smouldering leaves, blacked earth, or a stray Caterpie munching on her shrubbery. It was clean, quiet, and wholly devoid of invaders.

Her grass types started chirping and poking their heads out of what remained of the bushes, working to repair all the damage while calling out to their friends. They’d have things fixed within a week, but until then, Erika’s garden would be… rougher than usual.

Erika allowed herself a satisfied sigh of relief.

Sweet, sweet, solitude.

She allowed herself to flop onto her back.

None of her girls were around, so she allowed herself this momentary lapse.

She kicked her geta and socks off and dug her toes into the earthy loam, enjoying the cool soil and the touch of grass on her toes.

“Ahhhhh, this is what I needed,” Erika said aloud.

She wasn’t expecting a response, which made it all the more jarring when Visquez spoke up from next to her. “Eh, it’s not quite my drink of choice but it’s alright.”

Erika allowed her head to slowly turn to the side, where, sure enough, Visquez was sitting with her shoes off while scrunching her toes into the ground much like Erika was.

Erika held in her initial urge to shriek. Part of that was probably thanks to all the jump scares she’d been subject to with Sabrina, and then later Janine sneaking up on her.

Both of those girls catching her unawares made a good deal of sense.

Visquez however? Visquez was a towering Amazonian woman with more muscle than most women Erika knew. Visquez was loud. She exulted in being loud and announcing herself.

“How did you sneak in here?” Erika asked, knowing she was going to regret it, but at the same time, she couldn’t tamp her curiosity.

Visquez grinned, tapping on her fatigues, which were khaki camouflage patterns. “You see me wearing stuff like this and thought it was just a bad fashion statement didn’t cha?” Visquez grinned at her knowingly and Erika flushed.

“It’s just…” Erika didn’t, or rather, couldn’t think of a polite way to point out how this girl could barely sit through afternoon tea without moving or making noise.

Visquez, if anything, just looked even more pleased with herself. “It’s part of the books my sweet daddy leant me. Got a whole section on talking about being more than what people expect of you and how that can lead you to victory.”

Visquez flopped back on the grass. “Course, you gotta let your friends know some of what you're capable of.”

Erika blinked. “O-oh? Why thank you then,” she said, understanding that this was the larger girl’s way of declaring her and Erika as friends.

Erika grinned. “Have you done something like this with Brock as well?” she asked, enjoying the idea of Visquez sneaking up on Brock.

“Wouldn’t work. I pulled a different kind of trick on him,” she said.

Erika chewed her lip, warring with her engrained politeness to not ask what sort of joke Visquez had played while the part that adored gossip demanded she asked. What did Visquez mean when she said it wouldn’t have worked against Brock?

She suddenly had a lot of questions but wsn’t sure which she should ask first.

The choice was taken from her when another voice spoke up from the tree to her side. “Was this the butt cake that you tricked Brock into delivering to your father?”

Erika held in her urge to shriek as Janine announced herself. Erika sat up and brushed off her dress only to pause when she found Janine had also doffed her shoes to scrunch her toes into the earth like the other two girls.

Erika felt oddly touched that they’d both copied her.

Erika warred within herself once again as Etitquet demanded that she greet her guests, but then again they had both just snuck in.

And she was rather tired.

Erika flopped back on the grass and allowed herself a moment to just relax, ignoring the absurdity of the situation and instead deciding to treat this as just three friends relaxing after a hard month of work.

Eventually, however, she had to ask the question that was niggling at her mind, demanding to be asked.

“Why have you snuck into my Gym?” she asked.

“Dunno. Sabrina sent me a letter telling me to be here today,” Visquez said with a shrug.

“Sabrina also had a letter delivered,” Janine confirmed and Erika felt the niggle in her mind grow.

“She told me to make sure today was kept free,” Erika admitted. She glanced towards the doors.

She had booked a massage in a few hours time… surely that wouldn’t matter? Sabrina surely just meant—

A warning chime went off on each of the three Gym Leaders’ wrists, causing them to inspect their transceivers.

“Giant pokemon seen rampaging northeast of Pallet town?” read Visquez aloud.

Erika glared at her transceivers. She had half a mind to call Sabrina and give her a tongue lashing. This was why she’d told her to keep her day free and told these girls to come to her Gym, wasn’t it?

Damn, her precognitive friend could be a pain in her backside sometimes!

“How are we getting there?” Erika said to the companions only to get blank looks which caused her to sigh. She was going to have to make a call.

She prepared to key in a number only to blink when a flash of light appeared with a Hypno and a Claydol appeared.

“What the?” Visquez said, staring at the pokemon only for Hypno to draw out a card.

Visquez leaned forward and snatched the card.

“Stealing is rude Visquez, also these pokemon are to get you to where you need to go…” Visquez blinked at the card and then the pokemon. “That girl is scary,” she said.

Erika felt her lips twitch even as she nodded. Still, sometimes it was nice to have Sabrina’s support.

Erika took in everything as calmly as she could. Outwardly she was like a Sunflora, wafting back and forth without a care. Inwardly she was cursing Sabrina.

She predicted something like this! And she didn’t say anything? She was going to send Sabrina such a scathing message! She was half tempted to do so right now!

Visquez whistled and put a hand over her eyes to shield them from the flashes of light and energy scouring the area. “Damn this looks like a right clusterfuck! Shit’s gone FUBAR! I reckon this here is a worse shitstorm than the time a herd of Tauros got sucked into a Dragonite’s Hurricane! There were turds flying every which-a-way!”

She made to continue only for Erika to cough. “Thank you for that… vivid descriptive imagery,”

A cluster of rangers were present, sending wave after wave of pokemon forward while trying to support each other.

It didn’t help in the face of the two positively gigantic pokemon.

“A giant Alakazam, and a giant Gengar,” Janine said, her arm raised as she hastily typed out message after message. A moment later she clicked her tongue. “And both Sabrina and Agatha are unable to help us…”

“What?” Erika said her head snapping around faster than Victrebell on an unsuspecting bug pokemon. “Why are they… oh Agatha retired didn’t she? Where is she now?”

Janine shrugged. “No one knows!” She then grimaced. “The League is aware, but Lance is still flying back. Lorelei and my father are being mobilized along with a… specialty trainer.”

Janine frowned for a moment only to groan. “Oh dear, they’re sending her to help us?”

Erika tilted her head and was about to ask who ‘her’ meant only for another Teleport to appear next to them and a familiar grey-haired woman stood next to them.

“Well this is certainly a shitstorm,” said Karen.

Visquez grinned. “Eh, she’s cool, she can stay!”

Karen’s lips quirked upwards. “Just for that gigantor, you can be my second in command for this op.” Karen then grinned at Janine and Erika. “Think you can follow orders?”

Erika wasn’t sure if she felt relief or annoyance to have this woman simply appear and start giving orders. “We’ll support you,” she demurred when Karen’s gaze swept over her. If she was incompetent, she’d just have to talk to the others quietly and nudge things in a more productive manner.

Karen surprised her however by turning to Janine. “Get me a sitrep, who caused this, what triggered giant pokemon attacking each other, and are there any more potential traps about to go off on us if we’re not careful!”

Janine nodded, released a Crobat and blurred away with her pokemon a moment later.

Karen turned to Visquez. “Get me whoever’s in charge locally. I’m frankly amazed that Oak hasn’t gotten involved with this being on his doorstep!”

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Karen then turned to Erika. “Get me a perimeter, those two pokemon seem content to duke it out with each other. Other people and pokemon joining in is just asking for more casualties. Link up with the Rangers on site and order them to pull back. Once you’ve done that, get upwind and I want you to set up for a mass wave of Sleep Powder!”

Erika blinked. That… hadn’t been what she’d been expecting to come out of a woman who was, according to multiple sources, ‘extremely abrasive’. This was much more competency than she’d been expecting.

“You got a problem with that?” Karen asked her when Erika didn’t move off like Janine had.

Erika shook her head and hurried away, her pokemon deploying off her belt with a hurried sweep of her hands.

“We’re in a danger zone!” she announced to her pokemon who looked around curiously at their release. The announcement caused all of them, particularly her Tangrowth to stiffen.

Erika nodded. “We’re forming a perimeter, stop any pokemon getting through or people,” she said as she began working her transceiver to get a connection with someone in the local Ranger group.

She didn’t spend any more effort cursing Sabrina and instead got to work.

When a crack of thunder overhead shook the earth Erika knew that she’d have to work faster, things between the giant pokemon appeared to be heating up.

Janine raced through the trees arcing around the battling foes while making sure to keep an eye on them lest a stray beam or attack be sent her way.

She stuck to her father’s lessons, reciting them to herself like a mantra as she ran.

I am a shadow to pass unseen and unfelt by the world. Weightless and faster than light. I am in control and aware of everything around myself.

Janine dropped out of the tree branches a moment before a huge boulder tore through the space she’d been a moment ago. Sweat trickled down her spine.

I am… I am in control. She thought desperately as she kept her eyes forward and avoided looking at the clashing titans.

Both pokemon let off beam attacks that slammed together, causing a wave of energy that thankfully went up into the sky, adding to the growing clouds and lightning that was building.

Janine licked her lips. Storms like that were prone to draw attention from powerful pokemon.

Janine had read the after-action reports the Guardians had compiled about all Legendary encounters.

She very much did not want to find herself facing down a Zapdos, or even Johto’s Legendary, Raikou.

Sadly she knew that it was only a matter of when, not if, they would arrive should the storm continue to grow. Potentially both pokemon might appear, which would only make things worse as two different types of titans would fight.

Janine sprinted around and found herself closing on the only site of local significance that she could see.

A dig site that had unearthed what appeared to be a large bell atop the entrance to what appeared to be a proto-society shrine. From what she could see from the structure, it was merely the entryway with the tori gates signalling that the true shrine was actually much further along.

Which was interesting, considering the mountain that the gates appeared to lead into.

Janine found herself very much wishing to examine this site.

“Oh Arceus! What could we even do to make things worse!” said a blue-haired woman flapping about. “First, that Gengar ate all my assistants, and now we’ve released a second monster and they’re fighting! They might damage this dig! Do you have any idea how horrible that would be?” the woman shrieked towards a trainer that Janine had faced a few months ago.

Ash Ketchum of Pallet town floundered. “Pretty bad?”

Janine dropped down near them in her traditional ninja cool entrance pose. “It would be a significant loss to our understanding of precursor society. Simply the entranceway to the shrine already highlights an interesting tale,” Janine said by way of announcing herself.

“PIKACHU!” shrieked Ash’s little starter, springing into the air and scuttling to get in front of Ash where it sparked up protectively.

Janine gave it an approving nod before dismissing it. “You mentioned releasing the two giant pokemon? Explain yourselves or I will be forced to arrest you!”

“Arrest me?” Ash said, tilting his head.

Janine narrowed her eyes. Ah, that’s right, his file mentioned numerous times that he was the clueless kind of boy. He needed to be motivated in different ways. “Which would mean you’re ineligible for the Tournament!” she declared.

“It was all her!” Ash shouted, not hesitating to spill the beans. “She did something weird with one of the items they pulled from the dig site! This giant Gengar appeared and started charging towards Pallet and I had to defend myself, which caused it to start chasing us and I rode back here only to find her glowing and speaking in tongues! Then she did this thing with a spoon and she unleashed a giant Alakazam to fight the Gengar!”

Eve bristled. “It wasn’t my fault! It was my assistant’s fault!”

“Where are they so we can find out what happened?” Janine barked trying to keep things on task only for Eve to grimace.

“I saw them get absorbed into the Gengar… you can just make out their shape inside the pokemon if you look closely enough.”

Janine dragged out a set of high-power binoculars and sighted them on Gengar. Sure enough, there were human shapes floating around within it.

She toggled her transceiver. “Be advised, hostage situation similar to a Muk subsuming prey occurring with Gengar!”

“Roger that Black Shadow!” replied Visquez.

Janine considered her transceiver for a moment. Black Shadow… that was a good call sign. “I have secured two persons of interest at the dig site,” She quickly detailed what she’d learned of the two pokemon’s emergence before asking, “How proceed Giant Storm?”

“Detain them and secure the site!” Karen announced. “We’ll get over to you momentarily.”

And sure enough a few moments later Karen and Visquez Teleported to Janine, causing both Ash and Eve to flinch.

Karen kept her focus on the battling giants. “We’re going to have to put those pokemon down soon, otherwise we’ll have some serious issues coming our way.”

“We got an ETA on Lorelei, Koga and Bruno?” Visquez asked.

Karen nodded towards where a wall of Ice was forming up to the north. “It appears Lorelei is here and setting up to shield Viridian City.” Then Karen snorted. “You do not want Bruno in an incident like this. The man is an oaf that can only smash.”

“Strength respects strength though,” Visquez pointed out before turning to Janine. “We got any other angles to pursue or we gotta go do some smashing?”

Janine turned towards Eve. “Are there any methods of containing them or making them withdraw into what must be their proto-pokeballs?”

Eve turned her head towards the shrine. “It would be recorded in the shrine except… well I can’t read…” She frowned. “Wait! I can read that text? How is that possible?” she stared at a nearby tablet that was resting on a table in confusion.

“No time for being caught up in why’s or how you got an Arcues blessed language course shoved in your head! Read that tablet nerd!” Visquez commanded.

“Ah! Um! It says; Beware the two great powers of destruction,

the shadow of the dark device will grapple with the prisoner of the unearthly urn.

The sacred city will be no more as day is swallowed up by night.

Darker still for you when they return to lay waste to the world,

but no human knows the secret to soothe the powers and guide them back to the shadow world.”

Janine shivered at the shadow world mentioned, that was thought to be the realm where Giratina ruled. For these pokemon to have been ‘summoned’ from there did not bode well. If they were denizens that had escaped… then Zapdos or Raikou might not be their biggest concerns.

“We need to soothe them fast. Are there any other tablets?” Janine said.

“It sounds like we need to use pokemon,” said Karen as her eyes tracked a bolt of lightning that split the sky, only to be followed by thunder so strong that the earth rumbled. “How bad is that storm getting?”

Visquez eyed it. “Super cell in a few minutes, after that… it’s supposed to go into a Squall Line but… well those are said to cover hundreds of kilometres, not be condensed. We’ll be facing hail soon.”

“We need to stop those pokemon blasting each other then.” Karen tapped her transceiver. “Lorelei, we need to weaken those pokemon and fast!”

“Stand by for Sleep Powder wave,” said Lorelei and a few moments later, flying type pokemon formed a line where Erika must have been. A moment later a huge wave of silvery powder appeared and advanced on the battling giants.

Both pokemon paused with Alakazam scoffing before giving the wave of Sleep Powder a negligent wave of its hand. The Sleep Powder halted and then secondslater retreated directly at Erika’s position.

“Look out Grassy Girl!” Visquez roared into her transceiver, only for it to be too late. “Shit, Grassy is gonna need securing!”

“Koga is on it,” came the reply. “Karen, we’re going to have to engage them directly. I’ll target the Gengar, you take the Alakazam.”

Karen grunted and released her pokemon while drawing back her sleeve to reveal her mega stone fully. “Alright team, time to hand a giant Psychic type a loss.”

“Keep an eye out for stray shots,” she continued before marching towards the battling giants.

Janine felt a stirring of respect for the older girl. She could certainly step up when the moment called for it.

Janine turned back to Ash and Eve. “Let’s check the site over for any other clues. Perhaps there is a specific pokemon we need to use or a weakness we need to exploit.”

That got them to rush towards the shrine entrance only for Eve to stop at the gateway. “There’s an inscription here about that bell!”

Janine and Visquez joined them within moments. “Alright don’t hold back spill!” prompted Visquez.

Eve leaned in. “With the power of song summon forth a guardian to quell the rising shadows.”

Ash perked up. “Does anyone have a pokemon that can use Sing?” he said looking around hopefully only to slump when everyone shook their heads.

Ash whipped his head around. “Argh where is that Jigglypuff when you need it?” he said only for no such pokemon to appear.

Janine had no idea what he was talking about and instead began inspecting the bell. Hmm the shape of it along with the position it was set up… “It just needs a song, we might not need a pokemon that can use Sing but a song ourselves.”

Ash perked up. “I know a song!” he declared only to start singing before anyone could question him.

“I want to be the best there ever was

To beat all the rest, yeah, that's my cause

Electrode, Diglett, Nidoran, Mankey

Venusaur, Rattata, Fearow, Pidgey

Seaking, Jolteon, Dragonite, Gastly

Ponyta, Vaporeon, Poliwrath, Butterfree

Catch 'em, catch 'em, gotta catc—” Ash was then interrupted by the Bell tolling with what Janine could only think was ‘anger’.

Ash was knocked off his feet and sent flying.

“Urgh! Hey! What gives? That was a song!” he shouted.

Visquez coughed. “More like a war crime… Urgh shit, Can’t believe it’s come to this.” Visquez stepped forward and Janine held up a hand to stop her.

Visquez, without missing a beat, broke into glorious song.

“What doesn't kill you makes you stronger

Stand a little taller

Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone

What doesn't kill you makes a fighter!”

Janine gaped. Visquez was singing. Visquez who was a giant of a woman with more muscles than most people. Brash, loud, bombastic Visquez.

And she was absolutely nailing it.

Janine felt like she was standing in the front row of a music show with how good her friend was.

The bell seemed to agree as instead of tolling once more in an ominous fashion, it began to light up.

“Keep going! It’s working!” cheered Eve.

This caused Visquez to get even more into the song, and she began to shimmy while continuing to sing.

When the light fully reached the top, the bell tolled once more, only this time it was a clear, resonant tone. Then, with white light that rippled out a new shape took form.

Janine gaped as a huge Jigglypuff with what looked like painted on swirls appeared before them.

“Jiggly!” boomed the giant puffball.

“Oh, no I have a bad feeling about this,” Ash said seconds before the giant Jigglypuff began to sing.

Janine tried to fight against it, she could feel the artificial slumber settling in over her only for it to blow through any resistances she’d built up from her ninja training. She fell to the ground as sleep claimed her.

When she roused herself she found her father kneeling next to her. Their eyes met and for second shame filled Janine only for her father to exhale and slump in relief.

“Good, you were just sleeping… that’s good,” His hand squeezed her shoulder and he straightened leaving Janine feeling slightly warm. She took a moment to gather her self control before joining him in surveying the site.

Around them various people and pokemon were asleep.

Janine glanced around, looking for the giant pokemon. “Where did the Alakazam and Gengar go?”

“As far as I can tell? They were recalled to their summoning devices,” he said, indicating the dark orbs and the odd-looking golden urn. He ran a hand over his chin. “We’re going to have to secure this site and have it carefully inspected. Those summoning devices are also going to be locked away.”

“The tablet the archeologist read off said that the pokemon were summoned from the Shadow Realm.”

Father hissed at that revelation and gave the items another look. “The highest level of lock up it would seem…”

He turned to her then and nodded. “Excellent work getting here so quickly. It made all the difference I believe.”

“We had some help… Sabrina told three of us to assemble at Erika’s Gym.” Janine gained a scowl. “She could have told us to come here and stop this if she knew.”

Koga shook his head. “No, she might not have seen that much. Large events like this can cause significant ripples that can block even powerful Psychics from glimpsing them. With a Giant Alakzam and a Gengar doing battle? I have no doubt that her future sight would have been murky at best. Sabrina might have only known enough to have you ready to act and no more.”

Janine slumped. “Oh, that… makes a lot of sense,” she said feeling relieved that her friend hadn’t left her high and dry. Then she grimaced. “She also warned me to be with Erika and Visquez again in three days time… with the same cryptic warning.”

Koga sighed. “It would seem we’re in for some interesting days ahead.” He pat Janine on the shoulder. “I’ll get your report from you and the other ladies, then perhaps you can retreat to make the most of what is left of the day with your friends.”

Janine nodded and set about waking everyone up.

Visquez, who’d been loudly snoring while cuddling up to Ash’s Pikachu despite it zapping her sat bolt upright.

“Oh man! I had the weirdest dream!” she announced only to blink and look around at the destruction. “Oh biscuits! I actually sang in front of you, didn’t I?”

Janine nodded. “You were amaz—”

A giant hand clamped over her mouth. Janine stared into Visquez’s eyes. “Listen here. You don’t say a word of this to anyone you hear me? This is my secret, and I don’t like sharing it. If you tell anyone, I’ll kill them, you, and then myself. You read me Black Shadow?”

Janine nodded uncertainly.

Visquez released her. “Phew! Good!” she said before marching off, leaving Janine to watch her.

With everything that had been discovered today, Janine couldn’t help but feel that Visquez being an amazing singer somehow topped everything else.

Janine vowed in her heart of hearts to sneak into Visquez’s home and listen in. She was too amazing not to listen to.

She’d need to advance her skills more though. Sneaking into Surge’s former household was bound to be a tough task.

But the payoff promised to be worth it!