Reflections of the Past
Chapter 9: The Attack on Headquarters
by: KentaMarina

Original A/N:

Author's Note:

The author cast a grave look on his face when he spoke. "We're now at the final chapters of this fic series, and as always in my case, when it's near the end, it gets violent and foul-mouthed, so all of you have been warned..." he said as he glared menacingly at the reader.

The author suddenly smiled cheerfully. "But don't worry," he said with a smile, "it's not gonna be THAT violent, so breathe a sigh of relief right now!"

A moment's silence passed. "And now, back to your regularly scheduled program..." said the author, who suddenly dashed for the exit, fearing the reader and his or her intentions to get him... :P

* * *

Feb. 2008

*headdesk*

* * *

Chapter 9: The Attack on Headquarters

        "Damn it," cursed Lance. "It's just gets even worse," he said as he looked away from the screen. "We might have to battle them with our Trainers."
        "Am I gonna join them?" I asked Lance.
        "Kenta," replied Lance, "I hate to break it to you, but you're the only one who knows what Giovanni is capable of doing, as you've already met him quite a few times before, so you're gonna take care of him."
        I looked at Marina, who suddenly looked as if she was about to cry.
        "This is your final order, Kenta," said Lance with a grave look on his face. "Your mission: to defeat and take out Giovanni and any Rockets who interfere with you and Marina. Will you accept this mission?" asked Lance.
        I thought about this for a moment, unsure if I will actually be able to take him out. "What about Archie and Maxie?" I asked Lance.
        "Richter and I will take them out," replied Lance.
        I was surprised to hear this. "Richter? A G-Man?!" I asked in surprise. Obviously, Marina also seemed surprised to hear this.
        "Yes, actually," said Richter, who appeared right beside Lance. "Sorry about everything, Kenta, but I had to make sure you wouldn't do anything stupid while you were there."
        Yeah sure, like I'd actually do anything of that sort while he was around...
        "So what will it be, Kenta?" asked Lance, and a moment's silence passed.
        "I'll take the mission," I said with a nod. "There's no turning back, they're going to attack any moment now."

* * *

        "Trust me Kenta, you won't fail this mission," said the mysterious Trainer outside the door quietly, pulling out another one of the strange device he used to strengthen his Typhlosion. He then teleported out of Headquarters.

* * *

        "Sir, we're ready to open fire," said a Rocket Executive.
        "Good, now wait for my signal," replied Giovanni, who laughed to himself as the Executive left.

        Meanwhile, Archie and Maxie got inside Headquarters when suddenly, a group of Trainers appeared and pointed their stun weapons at the two. Maxie let out a small grin as he pulled out his own weapon, shooting them and knocking out most of them unconscious. As they continued, they met more resistance, but the two of them were able to take them out easily, only Archie took a hit to the shoulder, making that side numb. They finally reached the door, and Archie kicked the metal door.

* * *

        "Richter," Lance called as he heard a loud banging noise on the door, "they're here."
        "Let's do this," said Richter.
        "Kenta, exit through the other door," Lance ordered me.
        I nodded as I took Marina's hand and led her to the back of the room, where another scanner lock was. The door opened just in time as I saw Archie and Maxie enter the room. I didn't know what happened next as I went out after Marina did.

* * *

        "Where is the boy?" asked Archie.
        "Giovanni wants him dead," added Maxie.
        "Well you won't find him here," said Lance.
        "You're gonna have to go through us first, or we'll go through you!" shouted Richter.
        Apparently, this ticked off Maxie as he took out a Master Ball. Archie followed suit and also pulled out a Master Ball.
        "Fine, a Double Battle it is," declared Lance as he took out a PokéBall.
        "Bring it on!" shouted Richter as he took out an Ultra Ball. He threw it towards the arena, releasing a huge green Pokémon that was heavily armored by its skin. "Tyranitar, let's do this!" he shouted as the Tyranitar he released let out a loud roar.
        "Dragonite, I choose you!" shouted Lance as he threw his PokéBall out into the arena, releasing his mighty Dragon Pokémon.
        To their surprise, Archie and Maxie smirked. "You think we have something worthless in our Master Balls?" asked Archie.
        "We would if you'd already sent that Pokémon out," retorted Lance.
        "Fine then," said Maxie as he threw the Master Ball into the arena. "Groudon, I choose you!" he shouted as the Master Ball released a huge, red, scaly Pokémon with sharp claws and sharp spikes on its sides. The Pokémon roared and both Lance and Richter could only watch in disbelief.
        "My turn!" shouted Archie as he also threw his Master Ball into the arena. "Kyogre, come on out!" he shouted as his Master Ball released an almost equally huge blue Pokémon with massive flippers and also a massive tailfin, and a round body. Lance and Richter again could not believe that they are seeing these two Pokémon.
        "How did you get them?" asked Lance.
        "Let's just say they were forced to do our bidding," replied Maxie, letting out a cold laugh.
        "You two are going to pay for this!" shouted Richter.
        "We'll see who will!" replied Archie before he made his move. "Kyogre, Surf!" he commanded.
        Water suddenly appeared from out of nowhere as Kyogre directed the wave towards both Dragonite and Tyranitar, who was knocked down by the attack.
        "Tyranitar, get up and use Earthquake!" shouted Richter.
        Tyranitar, who was able to get up, roared and stomped the ground, this time causing both Kyogre and Groudon to take damage from the incoming earthquake. Dragonite was not affected by the attack.
        "Dragonite, help Tyranitar out with a Thunder!" shouted Lance.
        Dragonite roared as dark storm clouds came out of nowhere and lightning bolts came out, striking Kyogre effectively.
        "Groudon, use your Fire Blast attack!" commanded Maxie.
        Groudon opened its mouth and fired a stream of burning flame, which turned into a 5-pointed star and crashed into Dragonite, with the force of the impact knocking it away and inflicting a Burned status on it.
        "Dragonite, no!" shouted Lance as his trusty Pokémon hit the wall behind Lance.

* * *

        "You again," I said as Marina and I saw the Trainer again.
        "Here you go, hope it helps," he simply said as he tossed another one of those devices that he used to power up his Typhlosion. He then continued on, "It's called the EX Enhancer, and it uses the special codes on the game cards to power up Pokémon in different methods, based on the card used."
        "Thanks, but um...how do you use it?" I asked rather stupidly.
        "I think you already know how," he replied. He then started to walk away.
        "Wait," I suddenly said. "Before you go, tell us who you are and what are you doing," I asked him.
        The Trainer stopped in his tracks. "The name's Kai, and I was just around to simply...change things" he said as he continued on. "I'll see you around, I got some...business to attend to," he called out.
        After he was gone, I heard Marina muttering something about the boy "being very weird."

* * *

        "Not so tough now, huh 'Dragon Trainer?'" mocked Archie, and he kinda did have the right to do so, since he and Maxie had the two trainers on the ropes with their Legendary Pokémon with them.
        "Finish them off with a Fire Blast!" commanded Maxie.
        Groudon again fired a stream of flame that became a 5-pointed object of fire right at Dragonite. Lance wasn't able to do a thing about it. His Dragonite was down and defeated, and Richter will be crushed without a partner.
        "Kyogre, finish off that Tyranitar!" commanded Archie with excitement.
        Kyogre simply did a weak Water Pulse attack, finally knocking out Tyranitar and defeating the two G-Men. Richter fell down to his knees as he recalled the fallen Pokémon.
        A voice was suddenly heard. "There's still one last Trainer standing, you idiots."
        The room began to turn blue as in ice, and temperatures suddenly dropped. A loud howl was heard, catching the two Legendary Pokémons' attentions. Groudon turned to face the newcomer when a blast of water knocked it away and fainted it.
        "What was that?" asked Maxie in shock.
        The room became normal as the new Pokémon became visible. All four Trainers widened their eyes in shock and surprise.
        "A Suicune?" Lance managed to ask.
        Kai walked in. "Suicune, Rain Dance!" said Kai, who was still unknown to the Trainers battling.
        This time, rain in appeared in the arena suddenly, and Suicune suddenly glowed in different colors, like a rainbow while the rain hit it.
        "That Suicune isn't tough," said Archie.
        "You should've thought twice before saying that, Archie," replied Kai to a stunned Archie, who wondered how a kid like him would know his name. "Suicune, finish it off with a Hyper Beam," he said quietly.
        Kai's Suicune howled as it suddenly glowed white. It released a powerful beam of light at Kyogre, pushing it away and knocking it out. Archie could not believe what had just happened: A kid with a Suicune, managing to beat their two powerful Legendary Pokémon in two moves. Both Archie and Maxie tried to recall their Pokémon, but they wouldn't go in.
        "What's the meaning of this?" Maxie asked Kai furiously, still trying to recall his Pokémon. Apparently, since his Typhlosion was out, Kai probably told it to use Purify while they tried to recall their Pokémon, and now the two powerful Pokémon calmed down and wouldn't obey their former Trainers anymore.
        "The two of you are too stupid and weak to use Pokémon higher than what you can actually control," replied Kai without the slightest hint of remorse in his voice. "Oooh," he said mockingly, "what will Giovanni do now?"
        "We'll be back," said Archie as he pulled out a smoke bomb, which he and Maxie used to escape.
        "I doubt that," said Kai quietly. He then looked at Lance and Richter, who had just gotten up. "You two are gonna have to put these two Pokémon back to wherever they got them," he said as he simply vanished into thin air.

* * *

        "Open fire," said Giovanni to the Executive, who in turn shouted out the command to the others. The Grunts loaded a missile into the launcher, and fired it right at HQ.

* * *

        I heard a soft, whistling sound that got louder and louder. It almost sounded like...
        "Marina! Watch out!" I shouted as I grabbed her and used myself to shield the explosion that occurred. A missile hit HQ, rocking it with an earthquake. Debris fell everywhere, eventually blocking the path behind us. A large rock hit me on the arm and injuring it. I winced in pain as I still continued to shield Marina. When it was over, I grabbed my arm in pain and cursed under my breath.
        "Kenta, are you alright?" asked Marina, who noticed a slightly visible stain on my pitch-black uniform.
        "No, it's nothing," I said as I tried to cover the stain with my hand. It didn't work as I accidentally hit the wound while trying to cover it, making me curse in pain instead. I saw Marina pull out a familiar-looking red bandanna out of her pocket.
        "Marina, isn't that..?" I started.
        "Yeah, it's the one," Marina answered. "You used to wear this before you got the cap, remember?"
        Just as I thought, it was my old bandanna which I usually wore before I got my yellow and black cap. I was really amazed that it was still in good condition, after giving it to Marina the day before I went on my journey.
        "Yeah, I'm surprised you still have that on you. I thought that you did something else with it," I said rather sheepishly. She then began to tie it around my wound.
        "Why would I wanna do something to an object a close friend would have given me?" she asked me.
        I didn't say anything until she finished. She helped me up, and we just stood there in front of each other for quite a few minutes.
        "Thanks for still having it on you, Marina," I said to her.
        She smiled. "No problem," she replied. "Come on, we're almost near Giovanni," she said as we continued on.

* * *

        Lance and Richter felt the attack.
        "Lance, better ready your troops, it's gonna be a tough one," said Richter.
        Lance nodded in agreement and went over to the main computer and alert the other G-Men of the attack. A few minutes later, a large group of G-Men who were trained to battle rushed through the doors in a much larger conference room Headquarters had. Richter simply briefed the group, and sent them out. The group equipped their gear which included a flak jacket, a bullet-proof helmet, and a standard sidearm with non-lethal ammunition that would easily stun people that are hit. Both Lance and Richter did the same, only with an extra weapon on them.

* * *

        "Sir, where are you going?" asked the Executive, who noticed that Giovanni was heading towards the building.
        "They're about to attack any moment now," said Giovanni, "so keep them at bay. Kill them if you have to," ordered Giovanni.
        "We're readying our troops at once," replied the Executive.
        "Good, I have to go somewhere," said Giovanni and at that, he left.

* * *

        Marina suddenly stopped in her tracks. "What the...? Giovanni is moving?" asked Marina.
        "It looks like it," I said. "But he's not heading for the building, is he?"
        "I think he is," replied Marina and at this, I cursed once again. I noticed a rather large group of dots on Marina's device headed for the field where the defense systems (which were disabled by me) were in place.
        "Oh no, it's gonna be a bloody battle right outside the field," I said.

* * *

        "Oh boy, this is not good,"  remarked Richter. A soldier approached him.
        "Sir, I think we're outnumbered," he said a tad bit unnecessary.
        The combined groups of Rocket, Magma, and Aqua had easily outnumbered the G-Men by about a few thousand. Despite all of this, Lance decided to take them on. My description of this upcoming battle was indeed bloody, as both sides began shooting with their stunning weapons. Most of the G-Men were already down and some were even killed, but their fighting spirit helped them to be able to take out most of the enemy group. The situation looked worse, as Magma provided air support, bombing the field and wiping out groups of them.

* * *

        As we continued on, I heard the sounds of a battle raging outside the field. Marina and I didn't stop as we followed Giovanni's signal, which was already inside Headquarters. We managed to find another route through the air vents, getting out just outside from where we started. We continued on and noticed that Giovanni's signal headed for the top floor.
        "How very cliché of him to go to the top floor," I remarked, noticing that Giovanni's signal stopped right there.
        "It looks like he's actually waiting for us there," said Marina, and I thought she was right.
        We continued on, past a few flights of stairs (the elevators were all disabled in this emergency), all the way up past about 12 or 13 floors. We came to a stop on the next set of stairs leading up, which were blocked by debris from the explosion earlier. I noticed that the rooftop door was busted open.
        "Wait," I suddenly said when Marina took a step forward, PokéBall in hand.
        "What is it?" she asked me.
        "If we use our Pokémon to break through, Giovanni might hear us and attack us quickly," I explained.
        "So what do you think we should do, climb up the elevator shaft?" she asked me sarcastically. She wished that she shouldn't have said that, because a wide grin spread over my face as an idea struck me. Marina noticed me smiling and started to back slowly away from me.
        "Oh no, you're not making me climb up some walls!" she protested, trying to break free of my grip...

        A few minutes later...

        "I can't believe I'm actually doing this," said Marina, climbing up a concrete wall up to where our hooks hit the small platform in the doorway. I was right below her for a very good reason: in case she falls off, I could still catch her, hopefully. A downside to this is that I had to resist the urge to look up at Marina's...well, I wouldn't want to mention that in this one, but simply put, I had less fear looking down rather than looking up.
        While we were climbing, I felt a sharp jolt of pain in my body, and I stopped for a moment to recover. Marina looked back down.
        "Kenta, what's wrong?" she asked. "Is it the wound?"
        "No," I said, smiling and looking up, "i-it's nothing," I said.
        "Tell me when it hurts, alright? You don't have to be reckless, because there's only one of you."
        I then thought about what she said and I nodded.
        When we got to the top, Marina helped me up.
        "I hope you didn't do anything back there," she said, turning red.
        "Wh...why do you think that I would do something like that back there?" I stammered, still red.
        "Because I know you well enough to know pretty much the way you think, Kenta, that's why!" replied Marina.
        I tried to open my mouth, but then I closed it instead. She did have a point in that. Marina looked at the steel door in front of us and went over there.
        "Kenta, please be careful," said Marina. "You had better not hurt yourself," she warned me.
        I went over to the steel door, ready to open it. "Don't worry, I know what I'm going to do," I replied, but deep down inside me, I really didn't. For one thing, I could end up being killed, or even worse, get Marina killed. We successfully opened the elevator door, and for the first time in a few hours, the sunlight brightly shone again in our faces.

        And there we saw him, standing there, watching the battle that was going on in the field. We took a few steps, and he then faced us.
        "So nice of you to come here and face me again, Kenta," said Giovanni.
        I clenched my fist and looked at him with anger in me. He was about to pay for what he did by simply setting up an evil organization that stole Pokémon and used them for their own profit. My anger flared up suddenly as I clutched the EX Enhancer that Kai gave me. I felt it vibrate a little in my hand, as if it was calling out for me to use it.
        "It really didn't have to be like this, Giovanni," I said. "What you told Red three years ago was not fulfilled by the looks of it. Instead, you just made matters even worse."
        Giovanni gritted his teeth in anger.
        "Silence!" he shouted, pulling out a PokéBall. "You shall pay for disbanding my underground Rockets!"
        "Bring it on!" I shouted, pulling out a PokéBall. It was a good thing that I had recovered my team from Bill's PC when I went to Goldenrod, otherwise, I would've been toast. I then noticed that the EX Enhancer began to vibrate in my hand very violently. It looked like my hand was moving way fast for the eye to see...
        "Go!" shouted Giovanni, throwing the PokéBall into the air.
        "I choose you!" I shouted, also throwing my PokéBall in the air.
        The two PokéBalls went right past each other, almost hitting the other one. The Balls then hit the ground, releasing white light in front of the opposing Trainers.

        Below the Trainers, the screams of a bloody war was heard. High above the war, the roars of two powerful Pokémon intimidated both Trainers as a dark cloud loomed over them...