Chapter 36: Counter Measures
Well ok, so Headquarters wasn’t exactly city sized like I thought it would be. The former Underground Path that had run east to west from Route 7 to Route 8 had only been expanded to cover the southern half of Saffron City. Even so, the ceiling was made with reinforced steel as a safety precaution, both to keep the city from caving in on us and to block Gym Leader Sabrina’s Psychic powers. Unfortunately, Team Neos couldn’t use something intangible like Darkness to completely block her, hence why HQ doesn’t cover the northern half of the city where her Gym is located. At least not the top floor.
The north to south Underground Path that ran from Route 5 to Route 6 had traveled beneath the Routes 7 and 8 Path so that now served as the lowest floor of the base. That floor covered the entire eastern half of Saffron which unluckily was under Sabrina’s Gym. Once again, reinforced steel made up the roof. It amazed me to no end how such an elaborate structure had been created without anyone noticing. Not just the actual construction work, but also the amount of money this place must have taken to expand and fill with state of the art equipment. The ingeniousness and ingenuity of Team Neos truly was amazing.
In the week since we got here, I have done nothing but train myself and my Pokémon. Team Neos had three types of battle facilities: one for Pokémon Battles, one for human versus human brawls, and one for squad versus squad. For Pokémon Battles, I only challenged my fellow Officers. I wouldn’t refuse a battle if a Grunt challenged me, but I wouldn’t go after them. As far as competition went, the Grunts were a cake walk and barely a warm-up to me while the Officers were a mixed bag. The ones on the lower end of the spectrum got curb stomped, while the ones at the higher end made for really close challenging battles. In the few battles I lost, most could have gone either way while only one or two was an uphill struggle from the get go. I liked the idea that on the Officer hierarchy I was one of the elites, but then I guess I wouldn’t have been chosen for Raiden’s personal squad if I wasn’t.
I also dabbled in fighting my fellow Team members in hand-to-hand combat. To keep things fair I always restrained my Dragon abilities since I didn’t want to shred my own comrades with that destructive power. Ironically, like Pokémon Battles, I found the Grunts to be easier to dominate in a sparring match and Officers to be a mixed bag. It’s like Raiden always said, “A Pokémon is only as good as its Trainer.”
As for the squad versus squad training, that also came in several flavors all of which tested teamwork. Before going a round, the squads would agree on whether this would be a group battle where we have a big battle royal like we’ve experienced in the field, or if it would be a sort of hide-and-seek/ambush scenario. For that one, one squad tries to find the other before getting found themselves. Naturally, this training room was incredibly large and had holograms simulating outdoor terrain and/or obstacles to navigate around.
Unfortunately, due to recent events, Raiden wouldn’t let us do this type. He said that our teamwork needed refining before challenging others. That is why every morning we divided into 2-on-2 battles with each other where the goal wasn’t to win, but to cover our partner and achieve victory because of them. Since there were five of us, we were doing rotation battles meaning one person sat out while the other four battled and then had their turn while someone else was on the sidelines.
After that, we were free to go about our own business which is when I engaged in my other battles. Luckily being barred from combat wasn’t part of my probation. Raiden agreed that it is important that my Pokémon and I remain in top fighting condition for when we go back in the field. I did however have to constantly report in so that he knew my whereabouts and what I was doing at all times. It was like being treated like a child and I hated it! Not even my own parents had given me a curfew or such conditions! But I did bring this on myself after all so I guess I shouldn’t complain.
“Heads up!” I had no time to react before Axel smacked me upside the head.
“Ow! What the hell was that for?” I yelled at him holding the back of my head.
“You looked distracted. So what’s on your mind Monkey Boy?” asked my partner as we walked to the training facility to meet up with Raiden and the others.
“Oh you know. This and that.” I responded nonchalantly. “Just thinking about recent events and how things just seem to be so messed up and weird right now. Even with all the battling and training, it just doesn’t feel right knowing that Team Rocket is still out there committing crimes and hurting those who can’t defend themselves. I hate doing nothing about it!” I raised my voiced and clenched my fists on the last sentence.
“Except you are not doing nothing about it.” I turned around to see Raiden coming down the hall to the facility as well. “Every day you and your Pokémon spend battling and training is a day you all grow stronger both as individuals and as a unit. It is so that when the time is right, we can defeat our enemies no matter how many or how formidable they may be.” he explained sagely.
“I know you’re right Master, but still…” I sighed unhappily. Axel gave me a reassuring pat on the back.
“Hang tough. We’ve been through worse.” reassured the Flame Pokémon. “I think.” he added after a pause.
“Come. Our battle today should take your mind off things. I have a special surprise for you four.” hinted Raiden. That perked me up a bit. What could he possibly have in store for us? Whatever it is, I’m excited!
Much to my continued restlessness, Raiden and I were the first ones to arrive so we had to wait for everyone else. Within fifteen minutes, Zack, Chane, and finally Eve arrived to join us. Of course Eve would be the one to hold us up. In our double battles, she is the hardest one for me to work with. The main reason is because I still despise her for freezing me, and secondly because our battle styles are just so contradictory. I’m the type to adapt to any situation as the battle progresses. She, on the other hand, wants to control the battle from beginning to end which includes my movements as well. So frustrating!
“Good morning everyone.” greeted our superior formally. “Today we are taking your training to the next level. All four of you will work together in trying to defeat me.” he announced.
“A-are you serious Raiden? We’re not strong enough!” Chane said doubtfully.
“And no offense to Lloyd, but I don’t think he and I will be much use against your Electric-types.” Zack pointed out.
“Alone I could defeat you all, but working together you may have a chance. And do not worry Zack. If your teammates properly watch out for you, then Lloyd will receive minimal damage.” encouraged Raiden. “Here is my proclamation: I will use all six of my Pokémon at once, while you all are only allowed one each.”
“Hold on! How is that fair?” Eve called out. “That’s four against six and none of us have beaten you in the past when doing double battles.”
“Like I said, all four of you need to work together.” he repeated. “In the field you will face multiple powerful Trainers and Pokémon at once with only limited numbers on your side. Alone you are strong, together you can be unstoppable. Now choose your Pokémon wisely. It has to be one that will benefit your teammates. Picking a Pokémon with Earthquake to counter my Electric-types is practical in single battle, but catastrophic in multi-battle. You have one minute to select.”
With that, Raiden threw down all six of his Pokéballs releasing Electrode, Manectric, Magnezone, Raichu, Jolteon, and Electabuzz. Zack’s choice was obvious, despite Raiden’s warning, Eve chose Steelix, Chane went with Lucy to help heal the rest of us, and I selected Axel since his Fire/Fighting-type combination will help with Magnezone.
“Good choices. The first move is yours.” offered Raiden.
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Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. In just ten minutes Raiden swept all four of us losing only Magnezone and only because we all ganged up on it at the start. The rest of his Pokémon were just too fast and too strong.
“Well that was depressing.” Raiden said stoically. “Combined, your power levels should exceed my own. How disappointing.”
“We told you this would happen! We knew there was no way to beat you!” Eve snapped. Raiden only shook his head.
“Master Raiden. It’s because we had doubt in beating you that we failed, correct?” I asked remembering from past experiences.
“Correct. If you go into battle believing you will lose, you will. Go into battle believing you can win and complementing one another’s movements and battle styles will give you the power you need to overcome your foes.” he enlightened. “Now go heal your Pokémon. I want to try this exercise again.” Raiden was interrupted by the sound of his phone ringing. He reached into his pocket pulling out his cell phone.
“Third Seat Arka speaking.” he answered professionally. “…As a matter of fact I am with my squad right now. …Yes, I understand. …Very well, we will do that at once.”
“So what’s the deal?” Zack inquired once Raiden hung up his phone.
“That was Lt. Deter. The Captains have come to a consensus on what to do about the Team Triad problem. We are to gather in the auditorium in one hour to hear what they have to say.” informed Raiden. I started grinning. Finally!
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The auditorium was gigantic! It was several times larger than the training facility in Goldenrod where I was recruited and had enough room to comfortably fit hundreds of Neos at once. And it was packed! Neos members of all ranks were crowded around like any other major gathering. At the front of the room was a small stage where people could give presentations and above the stage was a huge TV screen. I guess that was to show the people in the far back what was going on up on stage.
“How much longer until the Captains show up?” Axel asked me.
“Soon I hope.” I said in anticipation. I was eager to finally meet the three highest ranking members of this organization besides Strife and Arthias. I couldn’t help but feel jittery. Soon enough, a handful of people dressed in our uniform walked on to the stage including a certain obnoxious midget.
“Alright listen up you maggots!” Lt. Deter yelled to all of us. “Stand at attention to formally present yourselves to the superiors you lesser beings could never hope to strive to compete with!” Well isn’t he an encouraging little man. Surprisingly, that ego maniacal runt wasn’t up on the big screen like I thought he would be.
“Don’t you just want to kick that little shit?” Eve said darkly. I could almost imagine her picking Little Charlie up by his head, letting him go, then punting him over the horizon. Just the thought made me giggle. The sound of static alerted me to the TV screen coming on. Three boxes appeared on the screen arranged with two on top and one on the bottom. Inside each box was the face of one of the Captains. I guess they weren’t coming here in person after all. Oh well.
“Yo Team Neos! I am Captain Gabriel King!” greeted a cheerful man with spiky brown hair and bright blue eyes giving us all a quick wave. His image was at the top right.
“Captain King, please act more professionally.” scolded a man with long silver hair and dull green eyes. He was in the top left corner of the screen. “Forgive my colleague. I am Captain Damian Sinclair.”
“Aw don’t be such a kill joy Damian. What’s wrong with being cordial with our underlings? Hi! I’m Captain Alexandra Ross!” introduced a woman with shoulder length dark red hair and blue eyes on the bottom part of the screen. So she’s the captain Raiden mentioned.
“Yeah, you tell him Alex!” supported Captain King. “Anyway, let’s get down to business before we lose credibility with our organization. As I’m sure all of you are aware of by now, in the wake of Team Magma’s demise at the hands of yours truly, Teams Aqua, Rocket, and Galactic joined forces and are now calling themselves Team Triad.”
“Since the appearance of Team Triad, our success rate for intervention missions has gone down 70%. That is unacceptable.” Captain Ross cut in. “Our people are out numbered and out classed by these new developments. Or so it would seem.” she added with a smirk.
“Our Stealth Division has made a crucial discovery that will turn the tides of combat back to our favor.” said Captain Sinclair professionally. The screen changed to displaying a world map of Hoenn, Johto, Kanto, and Sinnoh. “The unity of these past rival organizations is not without its costs. Their alliance is an uneasy one. It functions solely on equivalent exchange. For example, for every Rocket and Galactic sent to Hoenn to aide Team Aqua, an Aqua must be sent abroad so the other Teams do not feel cheated or weakened.” the Captain’s voice continued as blue arrows spread out of Hoenn to the other three regions while black arrows came out of Kanto and Johto and grey arrows came from Sinnoh leading into Hoenn.
“I’m sure a lot of you are now wondering why your squads have been out numbered on the field even though the number of foes remains the same.” Captain King chimed in. “Team Triad wants us to think they’re unstoppable by traveling in larger groups. Instead of having, say, ten groups of five, they’re in two groups of twenty-five now. They’re working together but they’re still scared of us. They want us to be afraid too so they try to intimidate us. They think fear will weaken us.”
“But it will not.” The three Captains reappeared on screen as Captain Sinclair spoke those rousing words.
“If all of you are as smart as I hope you are, you should have already figured out what we have planned.” Captain Ross teased at. “To beat our enemy’s unity and numbers, we must unify our own forces and increase the numbers within our squads.”
By her words alone I was already getting psyched to the point I wanted to laugh maniacally, but I suppressed my excitement until they finished so I wouldn’t miss any important details.
“The very existence of Team Triad shows us that our enemies are no longer playing around meaning we should not play around either.” Captain Sinclair declared. “As usual, Grunts will not be assigned intervention type missions. They will continue with their usual duties. Likewise, squads consisting of only Officers will not be assigned to intervention missions. To engage with Team Triad, squads must include a minimum of one Seated Officer. Low level seats like Tenth and Ninth must be accompanied by another Seated Officer. No exceptions.”
“Also,” Captain King spoke up, “even with the union of squads, my fellow Captains and I feel that is still not enough to defeat Team Triad. The moment Galactic, Rocket, and Aqua teamed up, they declared open war on Team Neos. Therefore, you will show no mercy! In the past, killing your opponent was left up to the individual or commanding officer. No more. If we are to win, they must be eliminated.” he ordered.
“K-kill them…” Chane repeated nervously.
“Don’t worry. I’ll kill your opponents for you.” I assured her. After all, my hands were already stained with blood, what’re a few more casualties? Still, I love the idea that I now have direct orders from the Captains themselves to carry out my vengeance.
“Another thing.” continued Captain Ross. “From now on, we aren’t going to wait for them to strike and send our people to intervene. No, now we hunt them down! We seek them out, catch them off guard, and slay them on the spot. I’m not even talking about small cells or groups either. The fastest way to kill an Arbok is to cut its head off. We will seek out their command centers and eliminate the chain of command from the top. Not only will the rabble have no direction without their leaders, but they’ll have nowhere to return to as their bases will be under Neos control.”
“We’ll leave the responsibility of reorganizing the squads to the lieutenants as they have a better idea of the Seated’s strengths and weaknesses.” delegated Captain King. “Remember, be ruthless. Hunt them down and kill them. Interrogate them for information if you must, but leave no survivors. Well, see ya everyone!” The Captain gave a quick salute before his screen went blank.
“Do your worst!” Captain Ross instructed before signing off as well. Captain Sinclair only sighed before his screen also went off.
After a few seconds of silence, the auditorium came to life with roars of cheers and laughter. Everyone was thrilled by the words of our Captains. It meant Team Neos wasn’t beaten yet. In fact, it seemed like we were just getting started! As for me, I was so excited I was trembling and bouncing on the balls of my feet. We would soon have enough manpower to bring the Rockets, or Triad, whatever the hell the want to be called, to extinction! Yes!
“Listen up everyone!” shouted one of the other Lieutenants. “You are all dismissed until further notice! We will notify you all once we have determined how to merge the squads as per the Captains’ decree and where you will be assigned! That is all!”
“Raiden? W-we won’t be separated will we?” asked Chane in concern.
“We should not be. This merger should only add members, essentially evolving us from a squad of five to a unit of twenty or more. If we are to be separated, then I will inform Captain Ross that I wish to keep each of you as my direct subordinates.” he responded.
“She was pretty hot Raiden and you seem to know her quite well. So what’s the story?” asked Zack in a naughty tone.
“If you must know, when I first joined Team Neos she was my commanding officer much like I am yours.” he answered matter-of-factly. “Other than that, Captain Ross is my superior and I am her subordinate.”
“So does that mean she’s available?” Zack questioned eagerly.
“Captain Ross’s personal life is none of our business. Show some respect.” Raiden shot down mercilessly.
“If you need me or Axel, we’ll be training for the slaughter!” I announced.
“Very well. Keep your phone on for any new announcements.” instructed Raiden.
“Will do. Come Monkey!” I headed to the battle facilities with Axel in tow.
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The next day around noonish we were assembled again in the auditorium for the reworking of the teams. The lieutenants began naming off squads based on who the Seated Officers in charge were and telling them who they would be teaming up with. Some were as simple as saying “Join with a team of Officers that serve under you,” while other assignments made it so that the new unit consisted of multiple Seateds.
“First Seat Ken Feng! Second Seat Skylar Eirwyn! Third Seat Raiden Arka! You three will be merged together. You will also gather one of your other Officer teams that serve under you.” Lt. Deter announced when it was his turn to speak. “Your unit is responsible for cleaning up the entire Sevii Island region which is why you are allowed so many high leveled Trainers.”
“Is that little man still mad at us for the mess we made in Ecruteak?” Axel wondered.
“Who cares! As long as I get to shed Rocket blood, I don’t care if we’re sent out to the boonies or the big city. And with two members theoretically stronger than Master Raiden joining us, there is nothing we can’t do!” I cheered.
“Out of Raiden, Eirwyn, and Feng, Raiden is the lowest ranked so I wonder who will lead us.” Zack mused.
“I will still be in command over the four of you and whichever Officer group I select to unite with us, however Feng will most likely make himself commander. With him there is no democracy.” Raiden told us. It sounds like he has personal experience with the First Seat, but I wasn’t asking any questions no matter how curious I got. Knowing Raiden, he’d either answer evasively or so bluntly that no real answer is given.
After the announcements, we were dismissed and the Seateds were ordered to go through their rosters and select as many squads of Officers as they were previously instructed to. Raiden was given forty-eight hours to select a group and join up with the other two Seateds. After that, our witch hunt in the Sevii Islands would begin!
Well ok, so Headquarters wasn’t exactly city sized like I thought it would be. The former Underground Path that had run east to west from Route 7 to Route 8 had only been expanded to cover the southern half of Saffron City. Even so, the ceiling was made with reinforced steel as a safety precaution, both to keep the city from caving in on us and to block Gym Leader Sabrina’s Psychic powers. Unfortunately, Team Neos couldn’t use something intangible like Darkness to completely block her, hence why HQ doesn’t cover the northern half of the city where her Gym is located. At least not the top floor.
The north to south Underground Path that ran from Route 5 to Route 6 had traveled beneath the Routes 7 and 8 Path so that now served as the lowest floor of the base. That floor covered the entire eastern half of Saffron which unluckily was under Sabrina’s Gym. Once again, reinforced steel made up the roof. It amazed me to no end how such an elaborate structure had been created without anyone noticing. Not just the actual construction work, but also the amount of money this place must have taken to expand and fill with state of the art equipment. The ingeniousness and ingenuity of Team Neos truly was amazing.
In the week since we got here, I have done nothing but train myself and my Pokémon. Team Neos had three types of battle facilities: one for Pokémon Battles, one for human versus human brawls, and one for squad versus squad. For Pokémon Battles, I only challenged my fellow Officers. I wouldn’t refuse a battle if a Grunt challenged me, but I wouldn’t go after them. As far as competition went, the Grunts were a cake walk and barely a warm-up to me while the Officers were a mixed bag. The ones on the lower end of the spectrum got curb stomped, while the ones at the higher end made for really close challenging battles. In the few battles I lost, most could have gone either way while only one or two was an uphill struggle from the get go. I liked the idea that on the Officer hierarchy I was one of the elites, but then I guess I wouldn’t have been chosen for Raiden’s personal squad if I wasn’t.
I also dabbled in fighting my fellow Team members in hand-to-hand combat. To keep things fair I always restrained my Dragon abilities since I didn’t want to shred my own comrades with that destructive power. Ironically, like Pokémon Battles, I found the Grunts to be easier to dominate in a sparring match and Officers to be a mixed bag. It’s like Raiden always said, “A Pokémon is only as good as its Trainer.”
As for the squad versus squad training, that also came in several flavors all of which tested teamwork. Before going a round, the squads would agree on whether this would be a group battle where we have a big battle royal like we’ve experienced in the field, or if it would be a sort of hide-and-seek/ambush scenario. For that one, one squad tries to find the other before getting found themselves. Naturally, this training room was incredibly large and had holograms simulating outdoor terrain and/or obstacles to navigate around.
Unfortunately, due to recent events, Raiden wouldn’t let us do this type. He said that our teamwork needed refining before challenging others. That is why every morning we divided into 2-on-2 battles with each other where the goal wasn’t to win, but to cover our partner and achieve victory because of them. Since there were five of us, we were doing rotation battles meaning one person sat out while the other four battled and then had their turn while someone else was on the sidelines.
After that, we were free to go about our own business which is when I engaged in my other battles. Luckily being barred from combat wasn’t part of my probation. Raiden agreed that it is important that my Pokémon and I remain in top fighting condition for when we go back in the field. I did however have to constantly report in so that he knew my whereabouts and what I was doing at all times. It was like being treated like a child and I hated it! Not even my own parents had given me a curfew or such conditions! But I did bring this on myself after all so I guess I shouldn’t complain.
“Heads up!” I had no time to react before Axel smacked me upside the head.
“Ow! What the hell was that for?” I yelled at him holding the back of my head.
“You looked distracted. So what’s on your mind Monkey Boy?” asked my partner as we walked to the training facility to meet up with Raiden and the others.
“Oh you know. This and that.” I responded nonchalantly. “Just thinking about recent events and how things just seem to be so messed up and weird right now. Even with all the battling and training, it just doesn’t feel right knowing that Team Rocket is still out there committing crimes and hurting those who can’t defend themselves. I hate doing nothing about it!” I raised my voiced and clenched my fists on the last sentence.
“Except you are not doing nothing about it.” I turned around to see Raiden coming down the hall to the facility as well. “Every day you and your Pokémon spend battling and training is a day you all grow stronger both as individuals and as a unit. It is so that when the time is right, we can defeat our enemies no matter how many or how formidable they may be.” he explained sagely.
“I know you’re right Master, but still…” I sighed unhappily. Axel gave me a reassuring pat on the back.
“Hang tough. We’ve been through worse.” reassured the Flame Pokémon. “I think.” he added after a pause.
“Come. Our battle today should take your mind off things. I have a special surprise for you four.” hinted Raiden. That perked me up a bit. What could he possibly have in store for us? Whatever it is, I’m excited!
Much to my continued restlessness, Raiden and I were the first ones to arrive so we had to wait for everyone else. Within fifteen minutes, Zack, Chane, and finally Eve arrived to join us. Of course Eve would be the one to hold us up. In our double battles, she is the hardest one for me to work with. The main reason is because I still despise her for freezing me, and secondly because our battle styles are just so contradictory. I’m the type to adapt to any situation as the battle progresses. She, on the other hand, wants to control the battle from beginning to end which includes my movements as well. So frustrating!
“Good morning everyone.” greeted our superior formally. “Today we are taking your training to the next level. All four of you will work together in trying to defeat me.” he announced.
“A-are you serious Raiden? We’re not strong enough!” Chane said doubtfully.
“And no offense to Lloyd, but I don’t think he and I will be much use against your Electric-types.” Zack pointed out.
“Alone I could defeat you all, but working together you may have a chance. And do not worry Zack. If your teammates properly watch out for you, then Lloyd will receive minimal damage.” encouraged Raiden. “Here is my proclamation: I will use all six of my Pokémon at once, while you all are only allowed one each.”
“Hold on! How is that fair?” Eve called out. “That’s four against six and none of us have beaten you in the past when doing double battles.”
“Like I said, all four of you need to work together.” he repeated. “In the field you will face multiple powerful Trainers and Pokémon at once with only limited numbers on your side. Alone you are strong, together you can be unstoppable. Now choose your Pokémon wisely. It has to be one that will benefit your teammates. Picking a Pokémon with Earthquake to counter my Electric-types is practical in single battle, but catastrophic in multi-battle. You have one minute to select.”
With that, Raiden threw down all six of his Pokéballs releasing Electrode, Manectric, Magnezone, Raichu, Jolteon, and Electabuzz. Zack’s choice was obvious, despite Raiden’s warning, Eve chose Steelix, Chane went with Lucy to help heal the rest of us, and I selected Axel since his Fire/Fighting-type combination will help with Magnezone.
“Good choices. The first move is yours.” offered Raiden.
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Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. In just ten minutes Raiden swept all four of us losing only Magnezone and only because we all ganged up on it at the start. The rest of his Pokémon were just too fast and too strong.
“Well that was depressing.” Raiden said stoically. “Combined, your power levels should exceed my own. How disappointing.”
“We told you this would happen! We knew there was no way to beat you!” Eve snapped. Raiden only shook his head.
“Master Raiden. It’s because we had doubt in beating you that we failed, correct?” I asked remembering from past experiences.
“Correct. If you go into battle believing you will lose, you will. Go into battle believing you can win and complementing one another’s movements and battle styles will give you the power you need to overcome your foes.” he enlightened. “Now go heal your Pokémon. I want to try this exercise again.” Raiden was interrupted by the sound of his phone ringing. He reached into his pocket pulling out his cell phone.
“Third Seat Arka speaking.” he answered professionally. “…As a matter of fact I am with my squad right now. …Yes, I understand. …Very well, we will do that at once.”
“So what’s the deal?” Zack inquired once Raiden hung up his phone.
“That was Lt. Deter. The Captains have come to a consensus on what to do about the Team Triad problem. We are to gather in the auditorium in one hour to hear what they have to say.” informed Raiden. I started grinning. Finally!
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The auditorium was gigantic! It was several times larger than the training facility in Goldenrod where I was recruited and had enough room to comfortably fit hundreds of Neos at once. And it was packed! Neos members of all ranks were crowded around like any other major gathering. At the front of the room was a small stage where people could give presentations and above the stage was a huge TV screen. I guess that was to show the people in the far back what was going on up on stage.
“How much longer until the Captains show up?” Axel asked me.
“Soon I hope.” I said in anticipation. I was eager to finally meet the three highest ranking members of this organization besides Strife and Arthias. I couldn’t help but feel jittery. Soon enough, a handful of people dressed in our uniform walked on to the stage including a certain obnoxious midget.
“Alright listen up you maggots!” Lt. Deter yelled to all of us. “Stand at attention to formally present yourselves to the superiors you lesser beings could never hope to strive to compete with!” Well isn’t he an encouraging little man. Surprisingly, that ego maniacal runt wasn’t up on the big screen like I thought he would be.
“Don’t you just want to kick that little shit?” Eve said darkly. I could almost imagine her picking Little Charlie up by his head, letting him go, then punting him over the horizon. Just the thought made me giggle. The sound of static alerted me to the TV screen coming on. Three boxes appeared on the screen arranged with two on top and one on the bottom. Inside each box was the face of one of the Captains. I guess they weren’t coming here in person after all. Oh well.
“Yo Team Neos! I am Captain Gabriel King!” greeted a cheerful man with spiky brown hair and bright blue eyes giving us all a quick wave. His image was at the top right.
“Captain King, please act more professionally.” scolded a man with long silver hair and dull green eyes. He was in the top left corner of the screen. “Forgive my colleague. I am Captain Damian Sinclair.”
“Aw don’t be such a kill joy Damian. What’s wrong with being cordial with our underlings? Hi! I’m Captain Alexandra Ross!” introduced a woman with shoulder length dark red hair and blue eyes on the bottom part of the screen. So she’s the captain Raiden mentioned.
“Yeah, you tell him Alex!” supported Captain King. “Anyway, let’s get down to business before we lose credibility with our organization. As I’m sure all of you are aware of by now, in the wake of Team Magma’s demise at the hands of yours truly, Teams Aqua, Rocket, and Galactic joined forces and are now calling themselves Team Triad.”
“Since the appearance of Team Triad, our success rate for intervention missions has gone down 70%. That is unacceptable.” Captain Ross cut in. “Our people are out numbered and out classed by these new developments. Or so it would seem.” she added with a smirk.
“Our Stealth Division has made a crucial discovery that will turn the tides of combat back to our favor.” said Captain Sinclair professionally. The screen changed to displaying a world map of Hoenn, Johto, Kanto, and Sinnoh. “The unity of these past rival organizations is not without its costs. Their alliance is an uneasy one. It functions solely on equivalent exchange. For example, for every Rocket and Galactic sent to Hoenn to aide Team Aqua, an Aqua must be sent abroad so the other Teams do not feel cheated or weakened.” the Captain’s voice continued as blue arrows spread out of Hoenn to the other three regions while black arrows came out of Kanto and Johto and grey arrows came from Sinnoh leading into Hoenn.
“I’m sure a lot of you are now wondering why your squads have been out numbered on the field even though the number of foes remains the same.” Captain King chimed in. “Team Triad wants us to think they’re unstoppable by traveling in larger groups. Instead of having, say, ten groups of five, they’re in two groups of twenty-five now. They’re working together but they’re still scared of us. They want us to be afraid too so they try to intimidate us. They think fear will weaken us.”
“But it will not.” The three Captains reappeared on screen as Captain Sinclair spoke those rousing words.
“If all of you are as smart as I hope you are, you should have already figured out what we have planned.” Captain Ross teased at. “To beat our enemy’s unity and numbers, we must unify our own forces and increase the numbers within our squads.”
By her words alone I was already getting psyched to the point I wanted to laugh maniacally, but I suppressed my excitement until they finished so I wouldn’t miss any important details.
“The very existence of Team Triad shows us that our enemies are no longer playing around meaning we should not play around either.” Captain Sinclair declared. “As usual, Grunts will not be assigned intervention type missions. They will continue with their usual duties. Likewise, squads consisting of only Officers will not be assigned to intervention missions. To engage with Team Triad, squads must include a minimum of one Seated Officer. Low level seats like Tenth and Ninth must be accompanied by another Seated Officer. No exceptions.”
“Also,” Captain King spoke up, “even with the union of squads, my fellow Captains and I feel that is still not enough to defeat Team Triad. The moment Galactic, Rocket, and Aqua teamed up, they declared open war on Team Neos. Therefore, you will show no mercy! In the past, killing your opponent was left up to the individual or commanding officer. No more. If we are to win, they must be eliminated.” he ordered.
“K-kill them…” Chane repeated nervously.
“Don’t worry. I’ll kill your opponents for you.” I assured her. After all, my hands were already stained with blood, what’re a few more casualties? Still, I love the idea that I now have direct orders from the Captains themselves to carry out my vengeance.
“Another thing.” continued Captain Ross. “From now on, we aren’t going to wait for them to strike and send our people to intervene. No, now we hunt them down! We seek them out, catch them off guard, and slay them on the spot. I’m not even talking about small cells or groups either. The fastest way to kill an Arbok is to cut its head off. We will seek out their command centers and eliminate the chain of command from the top. Not only will the rabble have no direction without their leaders, but they’ll have nowhere to return to as their bases will be under Neos control.”
“We’ll leave the responsibility of reorganizing the squads to the lieutenants as they have a better idea of the Seated’s strengths and weaknesses.” delegated Captain King. “Remember, be ruthless. Hunt them down and kill them. Interrogate them for information if you must, but leave no survivors. Well, see ya everyone!” The Captain gave a quick salute before his screen went blank.
“Do your worst!” Captain Ross instructed before signing off as well. Captain Sinclair only sighed before his screen also went off.
After a few seconds of silence, the auditorium came to life with roars of cheers and laughter. Everyone was thrilled by the words of our Captains. It meant Team Neos wasn’t beaten yet. In fact, it seemed like we were just getting started! As for me, I was so excited I was trembling and bouncing on the balls of my feet. We would soon have enough manpower to bring the Rockets, or Triad, whatever the hell the want to be called, to extinction! Yes!
“Listen up everyone!” shouted one of the other Lieutenants. “You are all dismissed until further notice! We will notify you all once we have determined how to merge the squads as per the Captains’ decree and where you will be assigned! That is all!”
“Raiden? W-we won’t be separated will we?” asked Chane in concern.
“We should not be. This merger should only add members, essentially evolving us from a squad of five to a unit of twenty or more. If we are to be separated, then I will inform Captain Ross that I wish to keep each of you as my direct subordinates.” he responded.
“She was pretty hot Raiden and you seem to know her quite well. So what’s the story?” asked Zack in a naughty tone.
“If you must know, when I first joined Team Neos she was my commanding officer much like I am yours.” he answered matter-of-factly. “Other than that, Captain Ross is my superior and I am her subordinate.”
“So does that mean she’s available?” Zack questioned eagerly.
“Captain Ross’s personal life is none of our business. Show some respect.” Raiden shot down mercilessly.
“If you need me or Axel, we’ll be training for the slaughter!” I announced.
“Very well. Keep your phone on for any new announcements.” instructed Raiden.
“Will do. Come Monkey!” I headed to the battle facilities with Axel in tow.
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The next day around noonish we were assembled again in the auditorium for the reworking of the teams. The lieutenants began naming off squads based on who the Seated Officers in charge were and telling them who they would be teaming up with. Some were as simple as saying “Join with a team of Officers that serve under you,” while other assignments made it so that the new unit consisted of multiple Seateds.
“First Seat Ken Feng! Second Seat Skylar Eirwyn! Third Seat Raiden Arka! You three will be merged together. You will also gather one of your other Officer teams that serve under you.” Lt. Deter announced when it was his turn to speak. “Your unit is responsible for cleaning up the entire Sevii Island region which is why you are allowed so many high leveled Trainers.”
“Is that little man still mad at us for the mess we made in Ecruteak?” Axel wondered.
“Who cares! As long as I get to shed Rocket blood, I don’t care if we’re sent out to the boonies or the big city. And with two members theoretically stronger than Master Raiden joining us, there is nothing we can’t do!” I cheered.
“Out of Raiden, Eirwyn, and Feng, Raiden is the lowest ranked so I wonder who will lead us.” Zack mused.
“I will still be in command over the four of you and whichever Officer group I select to unite with us, however Feng will most likely make himself commander. With him there is no democracy.” Raiden told us. It sounds like he has personal experience with the First Seat, but I wasn’t asking any questions no matter how curious I got. Knowing Raiden, he’d either answer evasively or so bluntly that no real answer is given.
After the announcements, we were dismissed and the Seateds were ordered to go through their rosters and select as many squads of Officers as they were previously instructed to. Raiden was given forty-eight hours to select a group and join up with the other two Seateds. After that, our witch hunt in the Sevii Islands would begin!