PokéBall Z the Series: Vol. I: Green

Chapter XV: Louis the Furious

Riviére's eyes opened wide to Louis' confession. Upon hearing the words "Team Rocket", her stomach clenched as though it was grabbed by an invisible hand and yanked. Her body trembled as her eyes began to water. She looked at Alexander with a frightened look. "Alexander...Are....Are you a member of Team Rocket?" she asked, hopeful of his denial.

Alexander lowered his head and looked at the ground solemnly. After a moments pause, he looked back up with a stony look. "I am bound to the will of my Master. Master Louis wished to join Team Rocket, and I am bound to join him in his conquest." he said sadly.

Riviére blood iced over as she fell to her knees, losing all strength in her legs. Her eyes zoned out as memories of Proton threatening to rape her and Magikarp being shot by Team Rocket flooded her mind. The look on Proton's face, the evil in his eyes and his despicable grin haunted her. The guilt of ordering the deaths of those men swelled her heart. Her mind became hazy as her fear took over.

She screamed at the top of her lungs as tears flowed down her cheeks. "Gyarados!" she screamed, "KILL THEM ALL!"

Gyarados' eyes glowed red and roared loudly before lunging at Louis with his jaws wide open, intent to eat Louis alive. Pangoro jumped in front of Louis and blocked the deadly attack by grabbing Gyarados by the jaws with his full strength. Gyarados' body thrashed as Gyarados tried to devour the Pangoro in his outrage.

"Louis, get out of here!" yelled Alexander as Hanako and Tatsu tried to approach Riviére, but were cut off by the thrashing tail of Gyarados.

Louis laughed and withdrew his Luxury Ball. "Are you kidding me? It's my turn to battle!" he said with a fling of his wrist. "Go, Aegislash!" The Royal Sword Pokémon materialized before them and hovered in front of Louis. Louis grinned as he pointed at the Gyarados struggling to eat the Pangoro. "Aegislash, use Sacred Sword on Gyarados!"

Aegislash removed the shield from his front and held it like a warrior going to battle. Aegislash shot forward like a missile, the blade glowing bright blue. As the Royal Sword Pokémon swung himself and a large energy wave shot forward, striking Gyarados in the back of the head. The sudden blow knocked the Gyarados unconscious. The Atrocious Pokémon fell to his side and lay coiled around Riviére as she wailed.

Louis laughed as Pangoro stepped away from the unconscious Gyarados and looked at Louis with a disgusted look.

"Did you see that!" he exclaimed. "One strike and Gyarados fell!"

"My Lord, her Gyarados did just face off against Pangoro," reminded Alexander. "Let us take leave. They don't have enough strength to fight back and are not going to join our efforts."

Louis scoffed. "They may not join us, but the boss won't want us to leave empty handed. We'll take their Pokémon in the name of Team Rocket."

Tatsu, Hanako, their Pokémon, and Wartortle walked around the unconscious Gyarados and ran to Riviére. "Riviére!" Hanako exclaimed as she and Tatsu knelled beside her. What they saw shocked them.

Riviére was unresponsive to them. She stared off with a faraway look with her hands clamped over her ears. "Kill them all...die...They are going to kill us...die...Magikarp, I let you down...die..." she muttered incoherently.

Tatsu clenched his fist. "Damn it, she's gone off the deep end," he said angrily as he turned and climbed over Gyarados. "Charmeleon, use Dragon Pulse!" ordered Tatsu as Wartortle jumped over Gyarados to join in on the attack.

Together, Wartortle and Charmeleon charged and fired a Dragon Pulse attack directly at Louis' Aegislash. Seeing the attack, the Aegislash reverted back to Shield Form and blocked the attack with a King's Shield. The Dragon Pulses were reflected by the energy shield and dispersed.

"Oh? Think you can attack me from behind?" asked Louis as he turned his attention to Tatsu, Charmeleon, and Wartortle. He grinned evilly and ordered Aegislash. "Aegislash, use Shadow Ball!"

From his single purple eye, the Aegislash charged a ghastly dark purple energy ball and shot it toward the Charmeleon and Wartortle. The Shadow Ball hit the ground by their feet and exploded. The force of the attack flung Wartortle and Charmeleon aside and knocked them to the ground.

"Charmeleon!" shouted Tatsu as he ran toward his Charmeleon and checked on his fallen friend, Growlithe by his side.

Pangoro walked over toward Alexander as he turned and faced Louis with an angry look. "Cease this immediately," he said defiantly, withdrawing two Luxury Balls. "I will not allow you to steal Riviére's Pokémon and the others."

Louis growled at Alexander as the other sins approached them. "You fool!" he shouted "You dare defy me? You are my servant! You are bound by contract to serve me!" he yelled as the Aegislash hovered beside Louis and reverted to his defensive form.

Alexander loosened his tie and closed his eyes. "I, Alexander Violet, hereby concede my services to you and terminate myself from our contract," said Alexander as he opened his eyes.

Louis stared at him, dumbstruck, until rage filled him. "You dare tarnish your family name by simply quitting! You wouldn't spit on your family's pride by breaking an oath to serve me!"

"Wrong," he said calmly, "I shamed my family when I entered your service."

Louis' rage bubbled at the breaking point. "Fine! Soil your family name! Aegislash, end his pitiful life!" ordered Louis.

Aegislash looked at him hesitantly for a moment before switching into his attack form. The Royal Sword Pokémon lunged himself at Alexander. Pangoro grabbed the Aegislash by the blade just inches away from Alexander's unflinching face. Pangoro threw Aegislash aside and stood in front of Alexander protectively.

Louis turned his back on Alexander. "Attack him!" he said angrily.

"What do ya expect us ta do against 'im?" protested Robin. "Our Pokémon dun stand a chance against 'im!"

"Robin is right," said Jean, "we can't beat Alexander."

"Idiots, do as I say!" roared Louis.

Alexander narrowed his eyes and tossed the Luxury Balls. A female Pyroar and Luxray materialized beside Pangoro. Both feline Pokémon reared back and prepared to fight, snarling at the Sins.

Hanako looked through the gap of Gyarados' protective coil. She frowned as Alexander prepared to fight off Louis and the other sins. Riviére continued to mutter incoherently as Hanako reached into Riviére's purse and withdrew Gyarados and Wartortle's Poké Balls. As she returned Gyarados to his Poké Ball, Hanako said, "Ivysaur, use Sleep Powder on Riviére."

"Saur?" asked the Ivysaur.

Hanako nodded. "Trust me."

The Seed Pokémon nodded and lowered his front. He shot a steam of spores at Riviére. She breathed in the spores and she fell to her front. As Hanako turned toward Riviére's fallen Wartortle, she gave a similar order. "Exeggcute, use Sleep Powder on Tatsu."

Exeggcute nodded and bounced toward Tatsu. "Exe!" said the Exeggcute as Tatsu tended his Charmeleon with Growlithe beside Tatsu protectively.

"Exeggcute?" he said, surprised, as Exeggcute exhaled the sleeping spores on Tatsu and his Pokémon. Tatsu and Growlithe coughed as they inhaled the spores and passed out where they stood.

"I'm sorry," said Hanako as she returned Wartortle to his Poké Ball. She placed the Poké Balls back into Riviére's purse before returning her own Pokémon to their Poké Balls. "There's no other way I can see this ending well. I have no other choice," she said as she approached Tatsu and returned his Pokémon to their Poké Balls.

She sighed softly and turned her attention back toward the Sins. "Alexander!" she called out.

Alexander turned his head around and looked over toward Hanako. He noticed the unconscious Tatsu and Riviére. "What have you done?"

"Get out of the way!" she called out.

Confused, Alexander obeyed her request. He and his Pokémon walked away from Louis and the other sins. "Hanako, what are you planning to do?" he said to himself as he and his Pokémon walked a few dozen feet away.

Hanako removed her purse and dropped it to her side. "Your reign of terror ends here," she called out. "I won't let Team Rocket strike fear into us anymore!" Suddenly, a green aura appeared around Hanako as she raised her arm forward. A strange energy filled the air, making the oxygen heavy.

"Wha....What are you!" shouted a frightened Louis. Without hesitating, Louis gave Aegislash an order. "Aegislash, use Sacred Sword!"

"I will not let you," she said confidently as a large ball of energy formed in her hand. Like a shotgun blast, several smaller balls of energy shot from her hand. Like a rain of bullets, the energy balls assaulted the Aegislash and exploded on contact. The Royal Sword Pokémon fell to the ground, knocked out by the attack.

In a fit of rage, Louis spiked Aegislash's Luxury Ball and broke it. He turned toward his Sins. "GET HER! ATTACK!" he ordered his petrified crew.

Without warning, she raised her arm and slightly turned her body. As she did, leaves and grass were swept up by a sudden gust of wind. With a quick slash, force created a powerful air vacuum that slashed towards the group and flung them high into the air and fell into the river. Hanako sighed tiredly as she wiped her forehead. "I haven't done that in a while," she said to herself as the Sins were carried off by the river.

Alexander and his Pokémon eyed her suspiciously as she collected her clothing. He turned his attention toward the knocked out Aegislash and walked towards him. Alexander knelled beside him and withdrew an empty Luxury Ball. "I saw your former Master destroy your Luxury Ball. If you want, I could be your new Master. We can take you to a Pokémon Center and get you healed up."

The Aegislash looked at him. "Aeg..." it said before resting on the ground.

Alexander nodded and aimed the Luxury Ball at Aegislash. The Luxury Ball opened and a red light attached itself to Aegislash, absorbing him inside the Luxury Ball. The ball shook in his palm a few times before ceasing. Alexander stood up and pocketed the newly caught Aegislash and turned back toward Hanako, who had just put on her shirt. "Excuse me," said Alexander as he and his Pokémon approached her cautiously. "Mind telling me who...what...you are?" he asked as the Pyroar and Luxray growled at her defensively.

Hanako sighed as she picked up her purse and placed the flower inside before she turned toward Alexander with a somber look. "If I tell you, then you cannot tell anyone else. The fact that you know is detrimental to my objective, and I can't have anyone interfere."

Alexander mulled the offer. His curiosity bound him to his oath as he nodded in agreement. "Very well. What are you? Are you hostile?"

Hanako shook her head. "No, I'm not hostile." she sigh with relief.

"Then what are you...?"

Hanako looked down then at the unconscious bodies of Tatsu and Riviére before she turned her attention back to Alexander. "Fine, I'll tell you."