A View of the World The world consisted of seven major countries: Hoenn, Johto, Kanto, Orre, the Orange Islands, Sevii Islands and Rocket Province. Johto and Kanto were connected, making a large continent separated by the natural boundary of Mt. Silver. To the south lay the Great Sea, where the Orange and Sevii Islands were situated. To the north of the Johto-Kanto continent lay the North Sea, where off to the West, the large island of Rocket Province loomed. Further north, the nation of Hoenn stood present, with Orre off to the East, forming the Hoenn-Orren continent. Each country was characterized by the color of their flags and uniforms. Hoenn was red, Johto was orange, Rocket Province was black, Kanto was blue, Orre was maroon, the Orange Islands were green and the Sevii Islands were yellow. Though there were several hundred other national entities present, the region encompassing these seven nations would be the center of a huge, momentous and revolutionary series of events. Prologue: The End of Peace There the Four assembled, There the Three joined them Charged millions, the mighty armies of the North, but were slain by fire Further North brought forth further men, cursed by thunder were they From the East, afflicted by chill and turned to no more Rode the six hundred Cannon to the left of them Cannon to the right of them Cannon in front of them Flash’d all their sabers bare Boldly they rode and well* The battle of the Three And the world Commenced on the Valley of the Titans And the perfect, beautiful couple was once again reunited. Who shall claim victory? Who shall restore order Or bring chaos? Rocket Province had done a splendid job stabilizing herself after Giovanni founded the island nation. A government quickly formed, currency was issued, cities were built, and a very, very functional military soon developed. The Rocketian Senate building, built upon the creation of the nation of Rocket Province five years prior, lay in the capitol city of Zion. One half of the building was a coliseum, where the Senators sat with their white uniforms. The other half was a great wall and a gate. The building was entirely white and even the floors were made of a white marble. At the bottom of the stadium seating was a Johtan and his four guards. They wore their nation’s color of orange. He began to speak. “Senators of Rocket Province,” The Johtan began, wearing a military uniform adorned with ribbons and medals, “the Johtan Empire does not wish for yet another war with her neighbor. In fact, she seeks an ally to help our Hoenn friends.” “Continue,” One of the Senators said, up high on a seat towards the far back of the stadium seating. “As you may know,” The Johtan went on, “Our Empire is currently allied with Hoenn. Although we are communist, and therefore have conflicting ideas with your government, Johto hopes to come to an understanding with Rocket Province. However, the nation of Orre is becoming a thorn at our friend’s side. Although claiming to be neutral, they are mobilizing dangerously close to the Orren-Hoenn border. We ask for a friend that may help us should such a case present itself.” The Senators mumbled amongst each other, and a low tremor of hushed voices quickly filled the halls of the Senate. It was at that moment that Giovanni walked into the Senate. Wearing a black suit and black pants like the Rocketian military, Giovanni’s clothes clashed wondrously with the whiteness of the Senate. With him, four Elite Rocket Corpsmen strode behind. The Elite Rocket Corps was a branch of the Rocketian military, originally created in secret within the first few years of Team Rocket. Team Rocket scientists weaved strands of Magnemite into their cloaks, creating a magnetic force that activates when a metallic object approaches the cloak at a great velocity. As a result, the Elite Rocket Corps were in essence, bulletproof. Using sabers instead of guns, and trained from the age of six, they were the shock troops of Rocket Province. They could, of course, use guns and other long ranged weaponry, but slashing and stabbing at your enemy induces much more terror. Giovanni, although in his forties, was still a figure of strength. At six feet and three inches, he had a powerful chest and very broad shoulders. His reddish brown hair was slicked back as usual, and his dark brown eyes seemed to absorb the energy from the observer. Giovanni and his guards approached the Johtans, and with a violent shing, pointed their sabers dangerously close to the Johtans’ throats. The room filled with gasps, and the Johtan grunted in shock. “You invade Kanto with no cause,” Giovanni began in a calm tone, “slay millions of civilians, rape countless women, and burn thousands of defenseless children, and you expect us to be your friends!?” Giovanni’s escalated to a full roar. The alarmed Johtan stepped back, and his guards followed suit. Their rifles useless against the Corpsmen, the Johtan guards could only point their bayonets at them knowing full well who would win in a fight. “Giovanni,” the Johtan began, “you represent a nation now, not a crime syndicate. There are rules you must follow. One of them is to lay down all weapons in a diplomatic negotiation.” “You bring trained soldiers into my nation, carry your military uniforms into the Senate, represent a vile, disgusting nation…and you lecture me about diplomacy?” Giovanni threatened. His saber was still dangerously close to the Johtan’s face. “Giovanni,” one of the Senators stood, wearing a white suit and white pants like every other senator. “He is right, there are to be no weapons in a diplomatic negotiation. Whether or not the Johtans decide to follow the rules have nothing to do with how we will act.” Giovanni smiled, closed his eyes, and sheathed his sword. His four guards followed suit. The Johtans watched, sweating, panting, and not knowing what would happen next. Suddenly, Giovanni’s eyes sprang open. He leaped into the air, twirled and kicked the main Johtan in the throat. The Corpsmen, swift as lightning, seized the rifles from the Johtans and all did a similar spinning kick. Giovanni landed gracefully in a crouched position, stood up, and gave the stunned Johtan a roundhouse kick to his ribcage, sending the Johtan flying. The stunned man lay there, eyes wide with shock but unable to move. “Now,” Giovanni began, clapping the dust off his hands, “Unless you wretched fools made a law considering my right foot as a weapon, I believe I have humored your request.” Coughing up blood, the Johtan remained defiant. “You have no idea of the vastness and might of the Johtan Hammer and the Hoenn Flood!” The Johtan said, on his back in between gasps, “We would not hesitate at a moment’s notice to unleash our power against your pathetic island nation of criminals!” Giovanni shuddered, and then his face turned a bright red. Veins began to appear on his otherwise smooth forehead, and his normally calm demeanor gave way to an intimidating rage. He towered over the Johtan, who was lying on his back and shuddering as well, but in fear. “My name is Giovanni!” His face turned even redder, “I am the ruler of rulers! Behold the power of my nation, and despair!” With that, Giovanni stomped on the Johtan’s face, knocking him unconscious in a great spray of blood. Another round of gasps gripped the Senate Hall. The Corpsmen dragged him and the other unconscious guards out of their presence.. Giovanni stared at the spot where the Johtan lay, and after a few turbulent moments his face began to return to its normal hue. He took a deep breath, and completely regained his composure. “Kanto is not lost,” Giovanni began speaking to the Rocketian Senators, “Vermillion and Saffron City still stands. We must help our friends. If it weren’t for Lance, we would never have been able to form this nation. If Kanto falls, Johto and Hoenn will turn to us to expand territory. Better to fight now so our children may live in peace.” One old Senator spoke up, in a weary, shaky voice. He had a great white beard, and wore the same white outfit as every other Senator, “Why must we instigate them? Our nation is but a tender ten years old, we are not ready for war.” Giovanni’s face hardened. “As commander-in-chief of the military, I was not asking to send soldiers into Kanto to fight. I was merely informing you of what I intend to do. This issue has nothing to do with the Senate. Your duty is to make legislation. My duty is to command the military, and that is what I will do. You may continue to make laws.” With that, Giovanni stormed out of the building, leaving seventy wretched Senators shocked and speechless. The peace had ended, at last. Chapter 1 Vermillion City “Why the hell am I here,” Major Hans thought to himself for the millionth time. He sat on a wooden crate at the edge of his makeshift tent, polishing his saber. He loved being part of the Elite Rocket Corps, but staying just beyond the outskirts of Vermillion City in some random, muddy clearing was not how he had envisioned he would carry out his code of duty, honor and glory. Major Hans was a bit taller than average. Although he was slender, he was by no means weak or skinny. Like every Elite Rocket Corps member, he had gone through a monumental fourteen years of training; beginning at the age of six, ending at the age of twenty. At twenty two years old, he was the youngest Major in the Corps and had seen a substantial amount of action- almost all of it completely in Kanto. He was part of a contingent of fifty Corpsmen, stationed to protect Vermillion. Major Hans was second in command of the contingent, under the leadership of a stouter and older Colonel Blitz. Vermillion, along with Saffron, were the last two major cities left under the control of the Kantan Republic. Their President, Lance, had fled to the safety of Rocket Province. He occasionally came on the radio to try and raise morale to the shattered remains of his once mighty military machine, but otherwise lost all power and title. Major Hans made sure to wear his cloak at all times. His cloak, black like every Rocketian uniform, was rough and coarse because of the metallic fragments it contained. Scientists from Rocket Province were able to manipulate the magnetic properties of Magnemite fragments so that the cloak had the ability to deflect any metallic object once it reached a certain speed. In essence, any bullet shot at Major Hans would simply bounce off harmlessly once it encountered the specialized magnetic field. Major Hans’ Rapidash stood by his side, occasionally stretching his legs or pecking away at the muddy grass. Part of the reason the Rocketian military was able to stand up against the seemingly insurmountable odds of the Johtan and Hoenn military was the fact that each soldier had their own Pokemon. Major Hans, like all other Corpsmen, received his Ponyta at the age of ten and had constantly trained with it his whole life. His other personal Pokemon, Aerodactyl, preferred staying in its pokeball. Major Hans continued cleaning his saber idly, after returning from a quick slaughter against a small force of Johtan infantry just moments earlier. It was midday. His sluggishness quickly ended as a whistle was heard through the air. An Electrode landed directly in front of him, and made eye contact. “Electrode,” it bleeped. At the same time, Major Hans sheathed his sword, recalled his Rapidash and leapt into the air into a full fledged back flip a moment before the orb-like Pokemon exploded. Barely avoiding death for the hundredth time that week, Major Hans landed on his feet in a crouched position. More Electrodes began falling from the skies. “They’re firing from the forest!” Major Hans yelled. He immediately began running towards the tree line, Electrodes falling all around him. Two Electrodes landed in front of him, one behind him and six Voltorbs landed to his left- all at the same time. The Pokemon would land, and there would be a slight delay before they actually exploded. Major Hans took that time to call out his Aerodactyl, fly out of harm’s way and immediately recall it, and would land gracefully on the ground. Off to the left, he saw Colonel Blitz doing the same thing with his Pidgeot. Anyone viewing this sight would immediately be in awe of the grace and agility these soldiers possessed. Yet, this was everyday life for them. Trained to be warriors from the age of accountability, these Corpsmen were nothing more than finely tuned machines. As Voltorbs and Electrodes began exploding around him, Major Hans managed to avoid every single one with ninja-like speed. “Duty!” Colonel Blitz suddenly yelled with his stentorian voice, jumping out of the way of a cluster of three Voltorbs. “With Honor!” His men replied in unison. This was their rallying call, the roar they made in battle, meant to raise morale on one side and crush the spirits of another. “Immortality!” Colonel Blitz yelled again, making steady progress towards the tree line, where the exploding Pokemon were being launched. “From Glory!” his men yelled back. Suddenly, the air screeched to a hushed silence; the barrage had stopped. “Don’t be idiots,” Colonel Blitz warned, “call out your mounts.” Major Hans and the rest of his men complied. Major Hans’ Rapidash was a runt when it was born, but had grown into one of the most powerful Rapidash in the military. Bouncier and more energetic than average, Hans’ Rapidash would always fight with a zeal that was unmatched. It stood twitching, eager to do its part in the battle. One could almost make out a smile in the Pokemon. The contingent formed a straight line, facing the boundary between the clearing and the forest. There were about ten feet between each men and the line took up the entire width of the now desolate clearing. Major Hans turned around to observe their makeshift camp; it was in smoldering ruins. “I hate Kanto,” Major Hans thought to himself. “I wish the Kantanese military would help. Too bad they’re hiding in their walled cities all the time. Cowards.” They stood at attention, facing the tree line and waiting. The silence abruptly ended when the ground itself began shaking. It began with a small growl, but gradually ascended into an all out roar. “Sabers out!” Major Hans commanded with a slight agitation in his voice. An undeniable *shing* sound pierced the air, as fifty men pulled their swords from out of their sheaths at the same time. The ground continued to shake and roar, the trees hissed as leaves and fruit began to fall off the branches. Bird Pokemon squawked in agitation and flew out of harm’s way. Many of the jittery Rapidash began to whine noisily, while Corpsmen desperately tried to keep them steady. They stared at the trees, unable to see what monstrosty approached them. The ground shook more violently, and the roar was louder…louder…louder… ---- Chapter 2 Saffron City Corporal Michael Todd yawned for what seemed to be the millionth time that day. Stationed just outside the looming walls of Saffron City, Corporal Todd of the 10th Regular Infantry Division sat inside his pillbox, accompanied only by a quirky Mr. Mime. His personal Pokemon, Flareon, preferred staying in its pokeball for fear of getting shot. At twenty years old, he had large brown eyes and an unkempt beard. His brown hair was wild and messy, and was a bit chubby around the edges. He was part of a system of trenches that surrounded the entire city. Within the trenches, eight thousand Regulars guarded one of two remaining Kantan cities. Although not nearly as well-trained as the Corps, all Regular infantry went through four years of training- beginning at age fourteen and ending at age eighteen. Corporal Todd was one of several pillboxes that dotted the outer edges of the trenches, and acted as a first line of defense for Saffron. “MIME! MIME! Mr. MIME!” Michael’s back was facing the viewing slit in his pillbox, and he looked over lazily at his Mr. Mime. Todd didn’t care for Mr. Mime in general; they seemed too freakishly humanoid to be considered natural. His pink, blue-eared Pokemon’s duty was to teleport to various ammunition stations so that Todd would always have a constant stream of ammo. “MIME MIME MIME MIME MIME!” His Pokemon was jumping up and down, and Corporal Todd rolled his eyes. He looked over at his monstrosity of a machine gun- capable of firing 900 rounds per minute. It was nailed to the ground, or else the reverse force of the gun would knock him over. “I hate Mr. Mime” he thought to himself, “What kind of retarded name is that for a Pokemon? What moron thought of that name?” “MIME! MR MIME!!” At first, Corporal Todd refused to acknowledge, or even make eye contact with his Pokemon on the fact that its voice was weird and it was ugly. But after a while, it was apparent that Corporal Todd’s Mr. Mime would only get louder and more annoying. Against his wishes, Corporal Todd gave in. “What?” he asked. His Mr. Mime was pointing frantically at the viewing slit. Humoring it, Corporal Todd looked outside, and his face dropped. Immediately, Corporal Todd grabbed a handheld radio and fumbled with the dials. When he got connected, he began speaking into it. “This is Corporal Michael Todd of the 10th Regular Infantry Division!” he began, agitation in his voice, “there is a huge force of Johtans and Hoenns mobilizing to the north of Saffron City! I repeat, Johtans and Hoenns are mobilizing to the north of Saffron City, over!” There was slight static, and a voice from headquarters inside Saffron City answered in a much calmer tone. “Copy that Corporal,” the voice began, “Can you give us an estimate of how many you think there are?” Corporal Todd looked through his viewing slit. They were still very far away, but they were numerous enough to see. Orange mixed with red, Todd guessed that they were about a mile away. “I can’t say for sure,” Todd began, “But it looks to be around seventy thousand.” There was an extended pause from headquarters, the man clearly in shock at the number. Todd began sweating profusely, his heart rate accelerating. After Rocket Province entered the war on Kanto’s side, Johto and Hoenn stopped all offensive actions. Now, it seemed, they were resuming their role of conqueror. Michael Todd was somewhat aware of the political turmoil back home, and the Senate’s refusal to allow Giovanni to send more than a provisional force of “peace keepers” to Kanto. He knew without doubt he was outnumbered in this one. “Copy that,” the voice came back. Soon after, sirens began wailing all over Saffron City. Civilians began flocking to bomb shelters, and the remnants of the Kantan military began taking up defensive positions inside the city. Rocketians, on the other hand, began storming towards the northern ends of the trenches as fast as they could. Suddenly, Todd noticed the sky darkening though it was only midday. Looking up at the sky, he soon realized why. Hundreds of Pidgeots were in the sky, carrying large sacks filled to the brim with explosive Pokemon. Voltorbs, Electrodes, Geodudes, Magnemites, anything that could explode were carried by the Pidgeot and dropped within the trenches. Todd breathed a sigh of relief as the enormous flock flew past him, and cringed when he heard thousands of explosions behind him. Some tried to run away, others attempted to shoot down the Pidgeots. When the barrage ended, one thousand Rocketians lay dead. “Hoenn soldiers are now advancing,” Todd said into the handheld radio. He was at the northernmost point of the trenches, so he saw everything first and had to report what he saw. “Copy that Corporal,” the voice responded, “hold your fire, let the minefield do its job.” The Rocketians had the sense to plant an enormous minefield to act as a buffer zone, and to slow down an invasion. The Johtans and Hoenns, however, had a way to counter it. Thousands upon thousands of Hoenn soldiers were sent to “clear” the minefield by intentionally stepping on mines as they ran. The first wave of soldiers weren’t even given weapons; their orders were to run straight ahead. They were like a flood, dressed in red. Unarmed and fanatic, they willingly wasted their lives to help the next wave of soldiers. Corporal Todd winced at the deliberate suicide charge. He soon realized there were far more than his original estimate of seventy thousand. Within a few minutes, the entire minefield had been cleared. So many soldiers were sent that even a few hundred Hoenn soldiers were able to reach the trenches. Without weapons, however, they soon died. The second wave soon followed. They were Hoenn again; this time, every other line got a weapon. Ones without weapons were expected to pick up guns from their fallen comrades. Fully armed Johtans waited behind them, ready to shoot anyone who tried running away. “Corporal Todd again, requesting Cloysters be deployed to slow down the second wave.” The radio hissed with static, and the voice came back. “Copy that Corporal, deploying Cloysters.” From within the city, several thousand pokeballs were launched high into the air. Immediately, Cloysters began materializing in the path of the Hoenn flood, and exploded when they got too close. Large, purple and virtually indestructible, they were also natural tank blockers. It was working, until the Johtans launched several thousand pokeballs of their own, containing Pikachus. The Cloyster, immobile and helpless, could only stand there and be cooked alive under thousands of watts of electricity coursing through their wet bodies. Within minutes, all of the Cloysters were killed. “Do we have anymore Pokemon to deploy?” Corporal Todd asked into the radio. “No Corporal, we weren’t given enough resources to sustain a large Pokemon contingent. That was all we had.” Although the Cloysters were all killed, they had done their duty. The second wave was stopped. It was all infantry coming at them now, and Corporal Todd mounted his enormous machine gun. His Mr. Mime began to concentrate, preparing itself to teleport all over the place under intense pressure. The third wave was yet again Hoenn, but this time every single man was given a weapon. With nothing to stop them, Corporal Todd began opening fire. Due to the fact that Michael Todd was given years of practice on accuracy, and the fact that the Hoenn soldiers moved in a tight formation, Todd began mowing down dozens upon dozens of soldiers. Mr. Mime began to teleport to various ammunition stations, constantly fueling the young Corporal with a steady supply of ammo. “They’re getting close!” Corporal Todd yelled over at his Mr. Mime, while holding down the trigger. Although the machine gun was nailed to the ground, it still jolted and jerked the Corporal violently. The concrete around the bolts began cracking under the turbulence. When they were 30 yards away, it was time to bail. Todd left a self-detonating C-4 charge inside the pillbox, and made a mad 20 yard dash to the front row of trenches. The moment he entered the trenches, his pillbox exploded from the C-4, and killed several Hoenns around it. “The third wave is almost gone!” An older, more experienced Sergeant said while running up next to Todd with a spare rifle. Todd took the rifle, and began opening fire. Mr. Mime made itself useful, stripped a fallen comrade of his semi-automatic, and began firing on the advancing wave of Hoenns as well. "Just got word from Headquarters that we're outnumbered fifteen to one!" the Sergeant continued, "No one is going home tonight! You are going to fight to the death!" Corporal Todd, and several other soldiers who heard the Sergeant, nodded grimly. Then, they resumed fighting off the enemy. A bullet whizzed between the Sergeant and the Corporal’s heads. Another whiz. “MIME!” Corporal Todd looked over, and saw that his Mr. Mime was shot in the arm. The pink, blue-eyed Pokemon clutched its wound, trying to stop the flow of blood. Suddenly, he felt a curious sensation running through his body. Instead of indifference, he felt anger. Rather than reason, he felt rage. Jumping out of the trench, he fixed his bayonet on his rifle and charged straight at the charging Hoenns. “Bastards!” he yelled, running head on towards the enemy, “I’ll kill you and I'll rape your family!” Tears began flowing through his eyes. It was then he realized he was actually quite fond of his Mr. Mime, after all. Running ten yards, he speared a Hoenn soldier in the stomach, twisted to increase the pain, and pulled up, ripping the man’s torso into two pieces. Swinging his rifle violently, Corporal Todd took out three or four more soldiers. Nearby Hoenns mostly ignored him, and continued running on. They felt no attachment or any sort of regard for their fellow soldier. Due to the nature of the way they fought, it was really every man for himself. It contrasted starkly with the way Rocketians and Johtans fought. Up ahead, next to the remains of his exploded pillbox, Corporal Todd saw a line of red tanks. This wave brought tank support with them. Ignoring every instinct and fiber of logic in his body, Corporal Todd began running straight towards the tank. “I’ll kill you too, you mother fu-!” A tank shell exploded in front of him, cutting him off. The shock didn’t pierce his skin, but had enough force to throw the Corporal ten yards. Skidding to a halt, dazed and in shock, Todd lay there for a few seconds. Then, he got right back up and charged at the same tank again. “Come on you bastard! Kill me! I dare you! Come on!” Face covered in blood and dirt, his eyes were wild with anger. He had reached the point of mental breakdown. He continued screaming at the tank, but his words slowly degenerated into incoherent shrieks of fury. The second tank shell landed just in front of him again, sparing him one more time. The force threw the Corporal back into the trench. He slammed his head hard, and felt his temple bleeding. His Mr. Mime was crawling towards Todd, bleeding and in pain. Todd’s vision began to blur, and his hearing began to go fuzzy. He saw orange uniforms pouring into the trenches now. Another whiz. The Sergeant crawled up next to Corporal Todd, shot in three places in the chest. He clutched one of his wounds, right next to his heart. Corporal Todd lay on his back, observing Johtans and Hoenns pushing forward with support from tank shells. He saw his fellow soldiers being slaughtered by the overwhelming numbers. “We held off three waves of infantry,” the Sergeant managed to cough out, “we did our duty. The rest lies in fate.” With those last words, he died. Todd felt fate as a curious force, especially at the moment of his imminent death. His vision began darkening towards the outermost fringes of his vision. Then, the darkness spread. He saw his Mr. Mime glowing, and crawling towards him. With that, all went black. Vermillion City “Sabers out!” Major Hans commanded with a slight agitation in his voice. An undeniable *shing* sound pierced the air, as fifty men pulled their swords from out of their sheaths at the same time. The ground continued to shake and roar, the trees hissed as leaves and fruit began to fall off the branches. Bird Pokemon squawked in agitation and flew out of harm’s way. Many of the jittery Rapidash began to whine noisily, while Corpsmen desperately tried to keep them steady. They stared at the trees, unable to see what monstrosity approached them. The ground shook more violently, and the roar was louder…louder…louder… Suddenly, bursting from the tree line, an entire row of seventy Rhyhorns began charging towards them, running in rage and fear, although no longer able to remember why they were charging in the first place. The tension amongst the Corpsmen abruptly ended, and Major Hans was able to crack a rare smile. He looked over at Corporal Blitz, sitting on his Rapidash next to him. “Perhaps they forgot who we are?” Major Hans joked. “If they did,” Corporal Blitz smiled back, “they would have run away a long time ago. You give the order.” He emphasized "You", to show that he was giving Major Hans a chance to be a leader of men. Major Hans nodded, pointed his saber directly in front of him, and gave a tremendous roar. Seconds later, the rest of his contingent joined in, and charged straight at the line of Rhyhorns, their Rapidashes’ manes of fire flaring furiously. "Duty!" Major Hans yelled, as they charged. "With Honor!" his men, and Colonel Blitz, replied. "Immortality!" "From Glory!" Instead of falling silent, the Corpsmen continued screaming and yelling like crazed maniacs. They were, after all, the shock troops of Rocket Province. Their job was to bring terror to the enemy through battle. Swearing, cursing, yelling and whooping, the Corpsmen, in all their fancy clothing and ornate weapons, seemed like a bunch of barbaric animals. Yet, it was all controlled and part of a more sophisticated plan. Right before the Rhyhorns connected with the Rapidashes, all fifty Corpsmen pulled up at the same time and the Rapidashes glided majestically over the Rhyhorns. Unable to change direction, and unaware as to why they were running in the first place, the Rhyhorns continued in a straight line and ran into the forest. Within a few seconds, they were well out of sight. There was a brief silence, interrupted by a roar from within the forest in front of them. Moments later, a block formation of Hoenn soldiers charged directly at the Corpsmen, bayonets fixed and fanatic to the point of insanity. “Ten to one!” Colonel Blitz yelled out, “better than yesterday, right boys?” “Sir yes sir!” the Corpsmen replied. “Arrowhead formation!” Major Hans called out, “Let’s slash these bitches to hell!” The Corpsmen began directing their Rapidashes, and began making a formation in the shape of an arrowhead. The two sides charged straight at each other. When they were about twenty yards apart, Colonel Blitz pulled out a nasty surprise. “Flamethrower!” Instantly, fifty Rapidashes fired a stream of flame straight at the block of Hoenns, completely demolishing the front lines and clearing a path for the Rocketians. Major Hans was at the tip of the arrowhead, so he was the first to slam into the enemy. Slashing, stabbing, kicking and screaming, Major Hans worked his way through the men. Within three minutes, the arrowhead formation was successful. The Corpsmen were able to break the block in half, scattering the Hoenns and creating an atmosphere of chaos and confusion. It was those two things- chaos and confusion, which allowed the Corpsmen to do their job. Feeding off of the fear and mayhem, Major Hans relished in the blood splattering in his face. The truth was, he knew no other joy in the world than taking the life of an enemy. He gave a roar, not out of rage, but out of content. A few minutes later, the remaining Hoenns were either killed or had fled into the woods. Covered in blood and mud, Major Hans panted heavily. He pointed his saber straight to the sky, splashing Hoenn blood all around him. “Rocket Province!” he yelled. His men yelled back in victory. Colonel Blitz smiled, grey hair flowing in the wind. He nodded in approval at Major Hans, and Hans smiled again that day. It would be his last genuine smile in a long, long time. Suddenly, the silence was broken by a low growling. Yet again, Major Hans was under attack. “They’re coming from behind!” one soldier yelled. Major Hans turned around. Sure enough, the enemy was coming in the direction of their camp. “This isn’t good,” Major Hans growled, “They’re coming from Vermillion’s direction.” They weren't soldiers this time, however. Bright, orange tanks churned the ground with their treaded tires, making a painfully loud grumble as they shook the earth beneath them. The Corpsmen were bunched up into a little group now, because of the way the battle had turned out. They quickly spread themselves out to avoid being exploded to pieces. “Pull back to the forest!” Major Hans yelled immediately, “take cover in the trees, and then take the tanks out from behind!” The fifty Corpsmen were about to comply, when the grey haired, grey eyed Colonel interrupted. “No!” Major Hans looked at Blitz, unsure of what to say. “We charge straight at them!” he continued. His face was hardened and stern. “Rocketians never retreat!” “Sir, we’re not going to be retreating,” Major Hans began, “We’re just-” “Insolence,” Colonel Blitz snapped, without bothering to make eye contact with the young Major, “and insubordination is punishable by death.” “Sir, our cloaks aren’t designed to handle tank shells,” Major Hans pleaded once more. The magnetic field would, in fact, stop a tank shell from actually making contact with the human. However, the force of the field would cause the shell to explode, and the shock from the force wouldn’t leave enough human pieces to fill a condom. “Challenge me one more time,” Colonel Blitz said in a low, threatening voice, “and I will court-martial your ass and make sure your family lives in poverty for ten generations.” Hans abruptly jerked his Rapidash to one side, and turned around, shocked at the sudden shift in attitude from the Colonel. “Straight line formation!” Colonel Blitz barked. Fifty confused Corpsmen, unsure as to why they were being led to certain death by their commander, followed orders. They knew no other way of thinking. It was their greatest asset, and their greatest tragedy. Hans assumed the furthest point in the formation, as far apart from Blitz as possible. The tanks groaned towards them, aiming their cannons directly at the Rocketians. The Rapidashes were neighing furiously, as equally aware of their approaching deaths as their owners. “Sabers out!” Blitz continued. “What the hell are we going to do with these sabers?” Major Hans muttered out loud to himself, at his end of the formation. Still, he obeyed. Fourteen years of training had left its mark- he was engineered to follow orders until death no longer allowed him to do so. “Charge!” As if on cue, the Johtan tanks opened fire. Shells exploded all over the field, as a collective 700 years of training helplessly shredded apart. Major Hans and Colonel Blitz actually came pretty close, but a shell landed in front of Hans, knocking him and his Rapidash back ten yards. BOOM Major Hans felt himself rolling on the ground, and it took him a few seconds to realize that he was actually rolling with his Rapidash, which was kicking and screaming furiously. Somehow, he managed to recall his Pokemon back to its ball, and at the same time he felt his head smash against something hard. All went black for the young soldier. Within three minutes, the battle had ended. The last remaining resistance in Kanto had been eliminated. Rocket Province had been forcefully driven out of the remnants of democracy. All fifty Corpsmen had become casualties in battle. All, save for one stout, grey haired, grey eyed Colonel.