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Gotengo

Save for the sound of the news in the background, the treehouse was silent while everyone gathered around the PC for the call. “Cannon didn’t fire.”

That didn’t sink in for the kids for a few seconds, but Mia leaned back in her chair, releasing a pent up breath as her heart sank back to a normal position in her chest. Her relief triggered a wave of realization among the kids, and at the same time, they all cheered.

“YEEEEAH BOI!” The kids jumped up and down. Those that didn’t understand the full gravity of the situation got caught up in the hype that came with a team victory. Mia could hear bottles of soda getting popped open behind her as kids jumped up and down on the couch.

“Ok, make sure the pirates don’t get a second chance,” she spoke into the receiver to Benedict. She tried dialing Salieri’s number on the other line, but it went directly to voicemail. Her phone was off. That can’t be good.

The Fishbone – Above Deck

[Uhhh.] There weren’t many other places for Stunky to go on the deck of the ship. So she shuffled off to the side, squatting down and curling up into a sad ball. [Here is good.]

When that pillar of heat and light rose into the sky, Stunky knew that here was, in fact, not good. Gogandantes’ Solar Beam was as precise as it was powerful, forming a direct hit on one of the four rotors guiding the Fishbone’s movements. The port side rotor at the bow blew up in a flash of fire and emerald light, scattering shards of steel and wires up into the air.

The entire ship rocked to its side violently, and continued to tilt. The Fishbone entered a tailspin, dropping closer to the ocean north of the Tower and gaining speed.

The Tower of Mastery – Parapet

“s**t s**t s**t,” said one of the pirates who had congregated to the Tower for the extraction. The two dozen pirates looked to the sky, watching the Fishbone spin through the air and further away like a slow motion, clumsy Frisbee. Their ride, and their home, was going to fall into the ocean.

The Fishbone - Center of the Ship

It was Zack’s last comments that shifted Ska’s smile. It shrank down until it was small, mirth fleeing all the while. Now it was only sinister. Nearly killer. A shadow was cast over his eyes, the faint green glow of his Mega Eye shining through the dark.

Sergio picked up on the shift. She stopped hopping like a rabbit in place and got into a lower stance, one that readied her to sprint. “Awfully presumptuous of you to think that far ahead. With an attitude like that, you’re not getting off this ship alive.”

It was difficult to follow up on that threat, because that’s when the ship was hit by Gogandantes. A thunderous BOOM echoed through the halls in time with the abrupt turbulence, a tremor so strong even the surefooted ship captain stumbled this time. The lights flickered off, in a way that indicated something was wrong, and then turned back on with a red glow from the backup generator.

“No.” Skarada looked around, dropping any pretense that he was looking forward to a fight as his ship slowly dropped out of the sky. A torturous flash of Erin laying dead in the bridge flashed to his imagination. “NO! ERIN!”

The ship was tilting harder, making it difficult to stand on the slanted floor, but Skarada and Sergio were already running forward. Ska threw his Smoke Trap card at Zack’s feet, and then the Shuriken Card at that trap to activate it.

If successful, it’d create an obstructing cover of smoke, blocking Zack and Ska’s sides from each other’s views. Ska would get lower in his run and tackle at where he thought Zack would be standing, aiming to knock the trainer to the ground and then keeping moving to the wall of debris. He had to get to the bridge and make sure his family was safe, at any cost.

Meanwhile, Sergio was in sync with Skarada, ready for the same end goal. She ran much faster, pouncing up in the air and thrusting both legs at Ecarlate with a running Jump Kick when she got close with enough force to shake the air. If her drop kick attack missed, she’d be sent into the wall of debris, but it would be destroyed, enabling them to travel further.

The Fishbone – Hangar

As Hazard phased away through a wall, Biz Marquis and Reynard busted open the door to the hangar before it could even slide open. Biz landed on one knee, forming his wooden cannon around one arm and panning it across the room. Rey landed on all fours and arched her back, letting it bubble and boil to show she meant business.

What they found was a room of defeated enemies, their own allies and a diffused cannon. The two Pokémon dropped their intimidation routines, and their excitement. [We missed it, didn’t we?] Biz sighed.

The ship rumbled, shaking in a way far greater than Tyrant’s Earthquakes. As the Fishbone dropped, Biz and Rey fell towards the wall. Biz grabbed a railing for support and Rey grabbed onto him.

[What’s going on?] said Reynard, looking around for any indication. She saw smoke rising near the portside window.
[WE’RE GOING DOWN!] Biz cried, instantly in panic mode. [ABANDON SHIP!]
Rey’s face turned a tint of green. [Bleeeugh…]

As the ship kept spinning, the tilting grew worse, and suddenly Biz Marquis and Reynard were flung out of the hangar and back into the lower deck’s hallway.

The Fishbone – Lower Deck

As soon as Benedict started rounding his first corner, the ship was rocked, which would assist his travel by throwing him into the next hall. What he’d find at the end of the corridor was Keasbey and Skarada’s Samurott, Ferris. They were just as startled by the sudden change in trajectory as anyone else on the ship.

Then they spotted Benedict, and from the looks of things it was pretty obvious he wasn’t on their side. That put him against the pirates.

Immediately, Keasbey used his Prankster powered Mean Look. If Ben and Manny were looking down the hallway, as people usually did to assess where to walk next, it would be too late for them to avoid.

It was followed up by Ferris drawing a seamitar from one of his arm sheathes and swiping it out horizontally in front of him. The swipe cut the very air, sending a horizontal Air Slash down the hall at his two opponents. It carved into the edges of the corridors, screeching as it traveled.

The Fishbone – The ******** ******** you.”

Erin took a deep breath after her new mantra. Slowly, she settled the detonator down on the desk behind her. Neither her nor Salieri had noticed the cannon’s operating system had been destroyed, making her surrender but a gesture.

Salieri received Ben and Manny’s Telepathic message, cringing at the unwelcome entering of her mind. Discomfort gave way to pleasant relief, but she didn’t tell Erin about the cannon being diffused. She decided it was better for Erin to believe the choice was truly hers.

“It’s better this ******** off. They won’t let us leave Kalos after this.”
Sal put both hands against the crystal dome. “I’ll help you guys escape.”

Erin, still reeling from having changed her mind, wasn’t ready for that offer. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Why…after everything else-“
“So you can leave Kalos, and never come back. I don’t ever want to see you or Ska in the news ever again. So your kid can have a nice, quiet life.”

The first mate looked down at her stomach, visualizing a future on a tropical beach. She heard Alola was gorgeous all year round. A place she could someday call home. “Quiet would be nice,” Erin said to her child.

BOOM!

The ship rocked, and Salieri fell off her stool. She knew what it meant when the lights turned red. This was a bonafide emergency. Then again, looking out the window and seeing the Shalour skyline rapidly pan towards the ocean was another obvious sign.

“What the hell?” Sal yelled, getting up shakily. Durendal, standing his ground, came to help her up. Erin spun in her chair to face the computer. Her jaw dropped open. “Merde, Erin! What is this?”

“The ship is going down!” Erin yelled back, getting up as quickly as she could in her third trimester. Hawkins turned her attention to his trainer, coming by her side. He used one hand to maintain the crystal barrier and the other to support Erin. “We lost a rotor.”

When she lived on the Fishbone, Salieri had been drilled on what to do in case of an emergency. There were jump ships in the hangar for quick escapes, emergency windows to break open, or simply jumping off deck with a wingsuit. But times had changed, and so had her options.

“Serene!” Salieri called over her shoulder, crisis in her eyes. “Get us out of here!” She turned to Erin. “Drop the barrier, we’ll Teleport you to the ******** off,” said Erin, shaking her head. “I’m not going anywhere with-“

The Fishbone tilted harder in its spin, forcing Hawkins to catch a falling Erin. Sal knew that Erin’s Bronzong needed time to create portals, and in a room that was constantly moving this fast it would be next to impossible to make that happen accurately. “Connard! There’s no time! Come on!”

Erin grit her teeth. “…******** this!” She raised and lowered her hand, a signal for Hawkins to drop the defenses. He did as he was told, and the dome dissolved into tiny flakes, reforming into the original form of a big jewel shield. Erin returned her Bronzong and sauntered forward to Sal and the others.

Salieri suddenly remembered that she couldn’t actually leave yet: Biz Marquis and Reynard were still on the ship. “Merde! Serene, take them, I need to get my other Pokémon!”

The Fishbone - Lower Deck
Ben and Manny were successfully flung into the hallway, and were both caught off guard to find enemies sitting there. The mean look took effect, but there wasn't time to worry about running away from these opponents. Manny used Ben as a springboard to leap over the Air Slash as it came his way, and he countered with another Hidden Power, an electrically powered shot and would fly at Keasbey. If all went well, thanks to the disorientation all around, probably especially for a flying type that might be put at risk trying to fly in an airship that was being jolted about, the hidden power would strike that meddling dark type and leave him with a more simple fight.

Ben, meanwhile, took the low road, diving under the Air Slash, and scrambling as well as one could to his feet to start start towards the two, and hopefully give Manny a good landing pad.

The Fishbone - The Hangar

Once the two were abandoned by their companion, Caboose would carry Essence out of the room using his Static to make it easier to move her with his Magnet Rised body. Once the two were out, he would let her go and land just in time for the newcomers to arrive and the room to start spinning.

Caboose would stick himself to the floor with his Static and the remaining time on Magnet Rise, meanwhile.

[Owwwwww...] The Roselia complained, once they'd landed, presumably in some form of pile. If she were lucky enough that Reynard hadn't vomited yet, she would make her way away from him.

Caboose, meanwhile, would start after the group, using his Static to make the journey easier just in case they started doing more spins.

Gotengo

Celebrations were put on hold when the Fishbone was hit by Gogandantes’ Solar Beam. Now the same kids were had been popping bottles had their eyes glued to the TV or the treehouse’s PC were abject terror, watching the airship spiral towards the ocean. “Mia, are they still on the ship?” Carter asked weakly. “I didn’t see them get off…”

Mia stood up from her chair and walked to the back of the couch, her spliff hanging with no attention from her lips as she also observed. There was nothing more she could do now, and Salieri wasn’t answering her phone. “I don’t know.”

Her phone rang, and she picked it up in a heartbeat. "Sal."
"It's Juliet. Put me in touch with Salieri."

Juliet sounded out of breath. Needless to say, Mia wasn't expecting this call. Nor was she ready to receive. "I don't know if you're watching the news right now-"
"I saw. Trying to help. I have Matheson's Magic Door Key, but I need a door to go through."

Mia spun on her foot and got back to her computer. The Roll Cloud class airship, according to the blueprint Juliet had collected that Salieri had sent pictures of to Mia earlier, had sliding steel doors for all the rooms. Nothing with keyholes, except for the closet and bathroom doors.

"Hang on." She searched up a picture for a bathroom door online, and sent it to Juliet. "That's from online, it's not accurate to the Fishbone-"
"It's fine. Bringing them home, thanks."

Juliet hung up. Mia stared at the inert phone in her hand before going back to the TV. She lit the spliff and folded her arms, patiently watching with a confident little smirk. "Game over."

The Fishbone – Above Deck

[Oh god oh god oh god,] Stunky repeated over and over as her claws failed to dig into the slick deck of the ship. They’d reach full tilt soon but it didn’t matter. She was already sliding off, watching as Bosstone and unconscious pirates slipped off the deck and out of sight, but not out of mind.

She’d be joining them soon if she didn’t do something about it. In a panic, she made a frantic leap to cling onto Malis’ tail, her only lifeline. [Help meeee!]

The Tower of Mastery

“No, what about Ska!? HEY!”

Erin looked around. They were no longer on the bridge, but at the foot of the Tower where Zack had fought pirates not long ago. Stunned, she peeled herself away from Serene, unable to truly absorb her surroundings as she looked at the sky. Hawkins was at her side, eyes darting from stray acolyte to acolyte while holding up his crystal shield.

From the outside, the situation looked far worse. One of the rotors was decimated entirely. There was no way to keep the ship afloat now, and at this rate it wouldn’t be able to stay on the water either. Silent, Erin fumbled for the radio in her pocket and tried to contact Ska.

The Fishbone – The Bridge

Salieri took a second to realize that she, and Durendal, were the only ones on the bridge. This was the first time she had been in this room for years. On a few occasions, Ska and Erin would let her steer if they were in an open airspace. It was never for long, but it felt amazing.

Now, she had a feeling no one would ever be in this room again.

Dune tugged on her pants leg, trying to get her attention politely. She snapped back to reality, and jumped for one of the cabinets. The ship was tilting, throwing anything not bolted down towards the wall.

Her Pokédex glowed to life. “Beepboop hello.”
“Ivan?” Salieri tried to open one of the cabinet doors. It was locked. “The hell have you been?”
“I sent myself to your Pokédex when your Pokégear was destroyed.”
Not one to waste time, Dune cut the lock off the cabinet with a swipe of his hand. The doors flung open.

A wave of items fell out, but Salieri caught the one she had been looking for: one of Skarada’s extra belts, complete with a full Trap Card holster. “You couldn’t have shown up sooner?” Sal growled.
“I assessed that I should not intervene. You were having a moment, beepboop.”
Salieri strapped the belt over her shoulder like a bandolier, keeping the holster near her chest. “Assess later. Help me now or shut up.”
“Most certainly. Shutting up now.”

The Fishbone - Center of the Ship

As Skarada ran, he had to adjust for the ship’s lopsided descent and the traps that still remained on the floor. Two unconscious pirates in the hall slid into another room out of his way. That’s when the Flame Trap was sprung.

His only recourse was wrapping as much of himself in his longcoat as he could. Now the captain was on fire, charging ablaze at Zack with focus. Ska ducked low to dodge the hook and tackle Zack’s midsection, but couldn’t quite take the large teen down.

He received an elbow to his face as a result, and he abandoned his grapple to reposition himself as try again. With the smoke already clearing, Ska took a step back and flung off his burning jacket. The coat landed next to a pirate, and somehow, that of all things was the trigger that woke the pirate up. “Wuss goin’ on?” the pirate asked groggily, not sure if this was a dream.

Ska had no time to respond. The ship was going down, and if Zack wasn’t stopped then he wouldn’t get to Erin in time. The Unovan seemed to have no intention of jumping ship. Perhaps he really was just that dedicated to seeing Skarada fail. All the more reason he had to end this quickly.

Skarada drew more cards from his holster, this time three Shuriken Cards for one hand, and spit some blood onto the ground. He gripped them tightly between his fingers as if they were claws and jabbed one set at Zack’s face with angry desperation. “MOVE!”

Meanwhile, Ecarlate jumped over Sergio’s Jump Kick, clearing the way for the Mega Lopunny to destroy the debris wall. Then his Bullet Punch came down at her throat, providing the deterrence a dodge lacked. Sergio did not have a lengthy number of surprises or tricks in her moveset. She specialized in hitting hard and fast, and had to be good at both to compensate for low versatility. With her superior speed, she used her ears to spin in the air. It turned her drop kick into a drill kick, and parried Ecarlate’s claw away with one ear.

Her Jump Kick collided with the barrier of wreckage, having lost enough momentum to only crunch into tumbled panels without breaking through. It would’ve hurt if she had been traveling at full speed. Now her feet were pressed against the wall, and in that moment while the airship kept up its tailspin, Sergio could stand up sideways on the wall and look to where she and the Scizor had switched positions.

Flash Cannon was fired and the wacky gravity took hold again. Sergio folded her legs and dropping between the ground and the wall in a sprinter’s pose. The ball of light hit the debris behind her, doing the rest of the work and punching a hole through it.

Now there was a path to the rest of the ship, and subsequently the bridge. Escaping would have to wait. If Zack was serious about only gaining satisfaction by watching Skarada fail, they had no choice but to remove him from the equation as soon as possible. That was the only safe way to get to Erin.

Unbeknownst to him, Ecarlate was standing between a Confusion and a Flame Trap that were on the floor, which was now to his side. Sergio dashed forward again, closing the gap with unparalleled quickness, and came to a stop in front of the Scizor with a Fire Punch. The hook was thrown with one long ear rather than her fist, adding to the range. If the hook hit the side of Ecarlate’s chest as intended, it’d fling him to the sideways floor into a Flame Trap.

The ship would continue to spin, and in a few seconds the wall would become the new floor. After that they be standing on the ceiling, if they were still standing at all.

The Fishbone – Hangar

Biz Marquis grew green wooden needles on his knuckles and punched into the floor, anchoring himself to one surface as the floor began to transform into a wall. The jump ships and the cargo crates in the hangar began to slide slowly towards the wall as the room tilted.

Reynard jumped into his other large open palm, now perched and analyzing what was happening. [We’re going down,] she informed everybody, still queasy.
[We gotta find Salieri!] Biz cried. He put Reynard onto his back and punched into the ground with both arms. If this was a dead end, then they’d have to go back the way they came to find her.
[No, we gotta jump ship!] Reynard demanded. {Eurrrrgh.]
[I can’t swim!] Biz called back, immediately embarrassed.
[I’ve got it covered, bro, let’s bail!]

Biz Marquis looked to Caboose and Essence. [How’d you guys get in here?]

The Fishbone – Lower Deck

The Air Slash left a wide mark at the end of the hall, three inches deep. As the ship turned, Ferris stood up on his hind legs, tall and imposing with the signature glare of his species.

Keasbey had little fight in him left, but as the only one in this fight who could control their position in midair, he had a slight advantage in all this chaos. He whipped up a priority Tailwind, flapping back with boosted speed to avoid the long range projectile. It burst into sparks behind him. “Brawwk! We’re going down, we’re doing down!”

Ferris drew his second seamitar, now wielding both. Focusing on Manny rather than the human, he used his boosted speed to lunge at the Meditite as he landed, slashing at the opposing Pokémon with a diagonal Razor Shell attack off one of the seamitars.

The Fishbone – The Stern

Traversing a sinking ship was difficult. Traversing a sinking ship on rollerblades was high risk, high reward. Salieri rounded a corner on her wheels, grinding on a dislodged beam of steel going back the way she came. Durendal was flying ahead of her, streaked in the red lightning of Fleché a la Mode as he cut any debris that threatened to fall on Salieri into pieces.

Ahead of her, the floor had broken apart, creating a gap that lead to the lower deck. Not trying to fall in and unable to jump across on her own, Salieri performed a wall jump and landed atop Dune’s back, using him as a stepping stone to cross the gap.

She saw a pair of shadows moving from the next hall, and drew two Cards from the deck to deal with them. Salieri wasn’t as good with her aim as Skarada, and didn’t have a handle on how to count the cards in order to draw the right ones, but they were her only weapon right now, as Ivan had exhausted the PP of his useful moves during the prior fights.

Sal prepared to throw the cards, but was shocked to see Helena and Gurkinn’s Sylveon in her way. She skidded to a stop, planting a hand on the wall to keep her footing. “What are you doing here?” she blurted out, not sure what to ask.

The Fishbone – Above Deck

Loki began to fall when the ship began to spiral. Like the unconscious pirates and their Pokemon, he had nothing to hold on to. Focusing on Fatass, Loki would switch places with the large Pokemon as he likely began to fall as well. That put him face to face with Tyrant, who was falling toward him. Switching again put Loki inside the hall where he grabbed onto the wall to keep himself from falling any further. From there, he'd pull himself inside and rest against the wall, closing his eyes in the hopes that the vertigo would go away.

Tyrant, meanwhile, roared as he fell into the sea.

The Fishbone - Center of the Ship

Sergio's six limbs would be an issue. As Écarlate watched the Pokemon duck down, he'd analyze. The room around them was rapidly changing. Écarlate didn't let the opportunity go to waste, instead he disappeared the moment Sergio stopped.

Quick Attack allowed him to escape behind Mega Sergio so fast he was almost rendered invisible. A scarlet streak. Écarlate's stance, as he moved behind Sergio, would change to compensate for the changes in the ship as it fell. One foot on the wall, the other one the ground.

he'd immediately do one of two things. If Sergio didn't immediately make distance, her spine would be met with a Bullet Punch, if she did make distance, he'd open his claw instead for another Flash Cannon. As the ship moved, he'd move with it to stand on the wall.

The Fishbone – The Stern

It was thanks to Seelie that the duo were able to traverse the ship without much trouble. Helena was still returning from her vertigo as she ran. Seconds. It would all come down to seconds. The anxiety in the pit of her stomach combined with her adrenaline to cause Helena to push herself harder to run faster.

She had no idea where she was going, but it wouldn't matter. She wasn't familiar enough to receive Manny's message, which was followed seconds later by the fatal would to The Fishbone.

Helena was flung into a wall with the sudden change of the ship. A loud smack accompanied her head crashing into the wall, stealing all of her momentum from sprinting. Helena slid down the wall as the ship changed to turn it into the new floor.

"Wait," she called out to Seelie, out of breath. They had done it, Helena thought. That was the cannon firing.

Holding her head with one hand, Helena felt despair pulse through her, waves of it with every heartbeat.

It took her a few seconds, as the airship was spinning out of control, to realize that something was wrong. The feeling of vertigo started again. Helena looked back toward the direction that Zack had been, and then ahead. If the cannon hadn't fired, it still could, even if they were falling from the sky.

The teen started forward once again, until she met with Salieri.

"Stopping the cannon," Helena said in a quiet voice, breathy and tired. Resting against the wall as it slowly became the new floor, Helena would meet Salieri's eyes, her own wild and awake even if the rest of her looked exhausted. "We have to keep moving."

((Edited the Lower Deck portion because I am a dingus))

The Fishbone – Above Deck

Stunky held fast to the Charmeleon’s tail, her eyes closed in fear all the while. All she felt was the heat of the flame and the rush of the wind while a cacophony of screeching metal and explosives played in her ears.

When she opened her eyes, she was somehow inside the ship with Malis and Loki. Any relief she felt was short lived; the ship was still going down. She even saw the Snorlax and the Tyrantrum falling off the ship into the ocean below alongside a few of her friends.

So she closed her eyes again, digging her paws softly back into Malis’ tail once more with a sad whimper. [My home…]

The Fishbone - Center of the Ship

A mental checklist sprang up in Skarada’s head as he spiraled backwards through the air, punched by the Unovan and his Ghost. In that moment he thought in slow motion, watching his ship tilt precariously to an inevitable crash.

Was Erin safe? He still wasn’t sure. He could hear her voice coming through the thin tones of his radio, which was falling out of his pocket towards another room. So she had the wherewithal to call, at least. He still needed to make sure she was okay.

Their child? They were in the same boat as Erin. The crew? He didn’t know who may have already fallen off the ship. It depended on how many of them Salieri had knocked out before. Salieri…once again, that girl ruined everything. And this time she brought friends to help. He hardly believed that at one time, she lived on the Fishbone. At one time, she had been like family.

Family. Still flying backwards, Ska saw his family down the hall, fighting Ecarlate. The Scizor had gotten behind his Mega Lopunny with a Quick Attack. The moment he was about to strike with a Bullet Punch, Sergio pulled off the same trick with a Quick Attack that was even faster. Only she did not stop behind Ecarlate. She continued to the far end of the hall, behind the fallen debris.

Skarada hit the wall and his perception of time returned to normal. His Shuriken cards clanged to the floor from his hand. Blood ran down the side of his face as he struggled to stand, locking eyes with Sergio on the far end. He nodded at her. She solemnly nodded back.

And then she used another Quick Attack to dash down the hall towards the stern, heading for the bridge in Ska’s place. Ska was alone now. But they had ensured Erin wouldn’t be.

The pirate who had come to from the other room was fully standing now, eyes wide with confusion and fear. “Cap’n!” he called out.
“Wake up ‘s many ‘s ya can.” Ska spat a glob of blood on the wall that was now the floor to speak more clearly. “And jump ship.”

The pirate assessed the situation. It was a losing scenario. Between when he got knocked out and now, something had gone horribly wrong. “But cap’n…”

The ship lurched again, this time violently. The pirate lost his footing and fell. Ska saw a set of steel beams dislodge from the room next to him, flying with broken off, sharpened ends towards his crewmate.

He summoned what was left of his strength to charge the pirate with his shoulder, knocking him back towards the front of the ship. The pirate was safe from the beams.

Ska heard a wet sounding SHUNK, and felt a screaming pain from his entire being. He looked down.

One of the steel beams had gone right through the side of his stomach, coming clean out the other side. He could hardly catch his breath, and each time he inhaled, he knew it would be closer to the last time.

“SKARADA!” the pirate called out tearfully. Ska waved him off, nearly falling to his knees as he bitterly stared ahead. His holster belt had been cut through, dropping both decks of Trap Cards to the ground. The pirate gulped, then ran off to save as many as he could.

Every breath felt like a burden. With one hand plugging his gaping wound, Ska stumbled down the hall towards the stern. He was looking past Zack, Hazard and Ecarlate, as if he could see the bridge through the wall. “…Erin…”

All the fight had been sapped out of him. He couldn’t help but think of all the mistakes he hade. Underestimating his enemies was the least of them. The biggest had to be that he had tried this stunt in the first place, and for what? Satisfaction? Even the Sablenite didn’t change that this was all for naught. Erin. He had to save Erin.

Ska whispered her name one more time, stopping when he got to Zack. As he slid his feet past the Unovan, he’d reach to grab the trainer’s shoulder for support. “…you win…so…jump ship already.”

He realized his eyes were hot with tears. “Never been good at savin’ the people I love…but Erin…I’ll save you, Erin…”

And he’d try his best to keep walking forward to the bridge, as long as they let him. Dots of blood trailed behind him with each step.

The Fishbone – Hangar

Biz Marquis watched Caboose run down the hall, and Essence lumber after him less gracefully. [What should we do?] he asked Reynard.
[Blow a hole in the side and jump off,] Reynard told him like it should’ve been obvious.
[…I can’t swim.]
[I’ve got it covered, bro, now go go go!] Reynard spoke urgently. She was starting to panic.

The Chesnaught looked to where Caboose and Essence were going. Somewhere, Salieri was still on this ship. Their trainer hadn’t left without them, right? Sal could be ruthless, but she took care of her own. The best they could do was repay that courtesy.

[Let’s get Sal first.]
Reynard huffed. […fine, just hurry up.]

The Fishbone – Lower Deck

The tips of Ben’s outstretched middle and ring fingers flew through the air, clean cuts made from the Razor Shell. Recovering from the swing, Ferris hardly hard time to draw his second seamitar before Manny used another Hidden Power. The strange electricity coursed through his body, causing his muscles to temporarily seize and his teeth to clench hard. With Manny's power ups it hurt like hell, frying him up, but he wasn't down yet.

Jerath was at him now, airborne and charging from the get-go. Only the Tailwind gave him enough time to act. The Samurott brought both swords in front of him, forming an X with the blades. The X-Scissor opened up at the tip of the Horn Attack, clashing firmly with the enemy move. Ferris felt his feet slide backwards on the sloped ground until his heels were at the wall, but was no worse for wear. Jerath would land on his feet in front of Ferris shortly after.

A blue glowing light came up behind Benedict, along with the crackling of electricity. “…Benedict?” came a young woman’s familiar voice.

Juliet stood in the doorway to a bathroom behind Ben, sword in hand. The hilt revved with the hum of a motor, and the handle was now orange with a Rotom’s smiling face. The blade itself was wreathed in the blue electricity.

Ferris puffed up his chest, preparing his next move. Meanwhile, Keasbey was already gunning for Manny, who was in the air behind Ferris. The Murkrow flapped his wings rapidly and unleashed a flurry of Air Cutter blades at the Fighting type Pokémon before he landed. The attack was wide, meant for multiple targets and filling up the area behind the Samurott.

“Come with me if you want to live,” Juliet said to Benedict. The room behind her, somehow, did not lead to the bathroom. In fact, she was standing on the patio of a boutique in Shalour City, and far behind her he’d be able to see the Fishbone falling out of the sky. With Matheson’s Magic Door Key, she had folded space to get this far.

Ferris spewed out a Surf from his mouth. The wide wave of water was enough to fill the hallway forcefully, chasing down to everyone ahead of him. Juliet yelled again for Ben to enter the bathroom door. If he did before the Surf could reach them, she’d close the door behind them.

If he didn’t make it in time, she’d close it without him.

The Fishbone – The Stern

“Yeah, in the other direction,” Salieri told Helena. She reached out to spin Helena around by the shoulder, back in the direction they came from. “Cannon’s off, ship’s going down. We gotta bail.”

Salieri wasn’t sure how Helena had gotten up here. She didn’t know much about Helena’s team, but she knew Loki could Teleport them this far. Still, she couldn’t leave without Biz Marquis and Reynard. And if Helena had gotten up here, who else had boarded the Fishbone after Salieri?

“I need to find my Pokémon,” Sal said brusquely, already walking past Helena on shaky ground. Her wheels clicked back into her shoes for steadier travel. “Did you come alone?”

That was when she saw the action going on in the lower deck through a hole in the floor. She could make out Benedict and further behind him…was that Juliet? What was she doing here? Behind Juliet was Shalour City, somehow. Sal put two and two together in her head.

“C’mon,” she said to Helena, and she’d jump down to the lower deck through the hole in the hall, unaware that Ferris was about to launch a Surf attack down the hall.

The Fishbone – Above Deck

Vertigo disorientated Loki, but it didn't prevent him from analyzing the situation. The ship was going down, both Pokemon had trainers inside of the ship. Loki looked over at Malis. There were no more teleports, so they'd either have to wait for the ship to touch down and hope it wasn't violent enough to kill everyone, or find another way off the ship.

Parachutes, flight, gliders.

They had gliding suits. Loki looked out toward the deck, now giving a view of the sea instead of the horizon. It was too late to salvage them now.

Loki, all the while he thought, would follow the wall as it became the floor, tired but not beyond making sure he wasn't tossed about by the ship.

The Tower of Mastery

Absolon arrived, his remaining Pokemon materializing. "Round up the pirates," he said and the five of them - Absol, Tangrowth, Grumpig, Conkeldurr, and Ferrothorn, split up to round up the pirates. Absolon took off again, on top of Talonflame's back, toward the Quillon who stood at the top of the Tower, watching the airship fall from the sky.

Held in the armored Pokemon's left hand was Sunny Day, emerald and tinting his armor with its light.

"We're rounding them up down below," Absolon said as he jumped off Talonflame's back and looked at the Sceptile. The soldier looked over at the falling airship, then he looked at Gogandantes again. "We'll board once it touches down."

The Fishbone - Center of the Ship

Écarlate would not take long to make his decision. Stay and protect Zack, or go after Sergio who was headed in the direction that Helena had gone. Écarlate shot off, letting the quick attack momentum carry him into an Agility. If Sergio didn't notice her tail, Écarlate would fire a Flash Cannon to crash into the Pokemon's feet and cause her to tumble down the hall if it hit.

The Fishbone – The Stern

"Wait", Kross!Helena said as she grabbed Salieri, "they're about to launch a surf attack!"

A weight was lifted off of Helena's shoulders when Salieri revealed that the cannon was no longer a threat. This was replaced by the panic that Zack was still back there, fighting Ska on a crashing ship.

Facing the other direction courtesy of Salieri, Helena looked back at the karate girl. "Zack is here, I need to get back to him." That was when they stumbled across the floor in the ground. Helena shook her head in response to Salieri's suggestion. She looked to Seelie instead. "Go, I'm heading back to Zack."

With that, Helena would move away from the hole, and head back toward Zack and Ska's battle.

The Tower of Mastery

One by one, the pirates that had been defeated on the island were rounded up in the center of town by Absolon’s Pokémon, silently compliant with sullen faces. The acolytes silently watched their aggressors get filed up and forcibly seated in the main square. Though a mass arrest was in itself arresting, they all felt a wave of relief that these bullies would be taken somewhere else.

Hope returned in spades to the people of the Tower.

Curiously, a few of the pirates, Erin included, could not be accounted for. Not since she had climbed down the rooftop had there been a sighting of her…

The Fishbone - Center of the Ship

Skarada came to a dead stop when Zack grabbed his shoulder. He looked over his shoulder to the trainer, one of the handful who foiled him. Snatched away his revenge. That vengeance felt oh so hollow right now, and Ska’s train of thought caused him to realize what a villain he was. A cur. A mongrel. What Kalos had said about him was right, even if they made him that way. It was no excuse. That was no listen he could tell his child, as a father.

Foiled or not, his qualm was not with Zack, not really. A captain was supposed to go down with his ship, and only after everyone else was off.

“You’re not bad, Zackary Not bad at all.” Ska switch on a labored, yet honest grin. “But you can’t save everyone.”

Mustering up his strength, he’d shove at Zack with his palm. If Zack was shifted back, he’d step into the Hurl Trap Ska had hidden behind him.

And Ska would watch as Zack was flung back the way he had come, and then tossed into the next hall as the ship lurched violently to the side. The burlap sack of Mega Stones (which may as well have been paperweights at this point) was dislodged from the room Ska dropped them in, and would follow the same pathway after Zack.

The Pirate King would latch onto the side of a door and make a head nod to Hazard for her to follow her trainer.

Then he’d keep going.

The Fishbone – The Stern

Écarlate’s clanging metal footsteps were hard to miss even in the screeching, whirling death trap that had once been the rabbit’s home. Sergio set up her own Agility once she knew she was being chased, giving her the speed advantage once again and putting more distance between the two as he fired his Flash Cannon.

Sergio did what any good bunny would do to avoid danger: she jumped.

The Mega Lopunny performed a short backflip, allowing the Flash Cannon to explode away from her against the floor (or was it a wall? The orientation of the ship continued to change). If the Scizor kept this up all the way to the bridge, it wouldn’t be safe to bring him in Erin’s direction. She needed to make sure he couldn’t follow all the way.

So, still in the air, her backflip continued until her feet were near the incoming Scizor’s chest. Sergio forcefully extended her legs to Bounce with a snarl towards Écarlate’s chest, aiming to cause a high speed collision and knock the Bug into the open mess hall doors behind them.

The Fishbone – Lower Deck

Salieri understood Helena’s decision to stay and find her brother. If she had been in that girl’s place, the choice would be a no-brainer. But Salieri had to look after her people, and she knew Zack enough to trust him with whatever he was doing (a thought that, before the bonding, would’ve been alien to her).

So she landed and slid into the teetering wall and saw Ben across from her. Juliet was farher still, with the door to Shalour City open. Sal would’ve preferred to see Matheson as her ticket to safety. Beggars can’t be choosers.

Durendal hovered down, not touching the floor. He noticed the Pokémon battle going on behind them before Salieri did, just as Keasbey failed to notice Caboose behind him. The Murkrow convulsed in the air, his skeleton flashing like a strobe light. He coughed up smoke with one final “Brawwwk”, then landed atop Ferris’ horn, KO’d.

Biz Marquis and Reynard rounded the corner right after, followed by the Ingrained Essence. [SalSalSal!] Biz freaked out to his trainer, causing her to snap around and see what was unfolding.

This time around, the Samurott knew what Benedict could attempt with a Pokéball in hand. If Ben launched Jerath with an uppercut, Ferris would lean back and away from the release with the boost from Keasbey’s Tailwind. Then he’d launch the Surf straight into poor Jerath at point blank range.

Salieri backed up quickly when she saw what Ferris was about to do. She barely had the time to utter a single “Merde” when Biz leapt into action. He curled into a ball, grabbing Reynard (and Essence, if she wasn’t returned) in the process. Like a giant beach ball he’d ride the wave, taking less damage than usual with his resistances and grabbing any allies who were in his way. This included Salieri and Durendal (and possibly Ben and his Pokémon if they needed the help), who fell under his bear hug that lasted all the way down the hall.

Juliet, despite the immediate danger, sighed with exasperation at the Chesnaught’s cartoonish rescue. “Of course.”

At the very end of the hall he unfurled, throwing Sal and the Pokémon through the open door that he rolled through as well. When everyone was through, Juliet would close the door just as the end of the Surf crashed down.

Shalour City

The patio to the boutique was soaked with Surf water, which had managed to drench Salieri and her Pokémon as well. Reynard mentally commanded the water off of all of them, gathering it into balls and letting it drop onto the deserted street. Only minutes ago this street had been full of life. After the evacuation, Shalour City was almost a ghost town.

Breathless, Salieri stood straight next to Juliet, who was wringing out her funeral coat. She gave the Nostrad lord a quick clap on the shoulder, the briefest of acknowledgements that Juliet’s help was appreciated. Juliet, in response, gave her a silent nod. No closer to being friends, but currently allies.

Then Sal looked to the ocean in the north, where the ship crashed down in a monumental splash. The white foam of the wave rippled up, obscuring the ship entirely. But Salieri knew what would come next. The ship would take on water, and sink in short order. It was meant to coast on the ocean, but not with this much damage, and not like this.

How had this happened, she wondered, thinking back to see if this was something she caused. If it was, she didn’t mean to. The pirates, foul as they were, weren’t evil. Just bitter. Like her.

Salieri took a seat on the side of the road in front of the patio. She looked over her shoulder at Benedict, not yet noticing that his fingers weren’t 100% there. “You okay?”

Shalour City

Benedict mentioned his fingers, and Salieri saw the blood, and felt the familiar pang of guilt in her chest as Ben unloaded on her. She didn’t let the conflict show on her face. Priority number one? That was Prou. Sal made that clear from the get go. Things changed for everyone else, not her. It had been a simple choice for her to make.

And sometimes, making a choice meant losing out on something else. If Ben and Zack, and maybe Helena hadn’t been around, who knows what could have happened? But they had been. And the cannon was stopped, and they were alive. Between the four of them they had covered all their bases. That’s why Sal asked for help in the first place.

“My qualifications should not be called into question by the unqualified,” Juliet responded lightly to Ben’s charms. Already, she was inserting the Magic Door Key into the lock. “…but you are welcome. And whatever you managed to do saved this city from a bombing, for that I’m grateful.”

Juliet didn’t say anything about Ben’s issues with Salieri, as much as watching the street girl get chewed out gave her some measure of catharsis. There were still people on that ship, and she still had time to get out as many as possible. Juliet opened the door again, this time leading to a different corridor on the sinking Fishbone. “Do not leave, I have questions. And keep applying pressure to your fingers.”

The noblewoman closed the door behind her, leaving Sal and Ben alone with their Pokémon.

Sal looked away at the ocean. The water was settling now. A thick plume of smoke rose from the top, a rising tower of finality. “If the cannon had fired, we’d probably be dead. So, duh.” She wasn’t going to mention that she talked Erin down. It didn’t change that she disagreed on how objective the number one priority was supposed to be.

“Did you think I went up there and did nothing? The top guard on the ship didn’t try to stop you, because I handled that.” She fluttered a hand to her side, as if she was waving off Ben’s irritation. “Whatever. Sorry about your hand. Reynard, put it on ice.”

The Vaporeon wagged her tail and looked up at Benedict’s hand, her mouth open with the faint white glow of a weak Ice Beam. If Ben chose to lift out his hand and accept the help, Rey would lightly frost over where his fingertips were missing.