In the sea, Team Rocket prepared to engage the Dragonair that was standing up to them. Several hatches opened from the aircraft's sides, sending out a swarm of Golbats. Pearl frowned. She let out a loud cry as her orbs released a bright light, followed moments later by a howling blizzard. The helicopter seemed to be prepared for harsh conditions like these, at least at a structural level as it lost some altitude. The Golbats... not so much. As they were struck by chuncks of ice, they were recalled just as quickly as they were sent out. The storm eventualy subsided, with hail taking place.
"Pff... why do we even bother using these things? If we want something done, we do it ourselves." The boss said. While he was talking, Pearl pointed her horn at the aircraft and fired a Hyper Beam at it, pushing it back a few feet with the impact and shaking everyone inside. It was bad enough for the crew, but at least they had some time to brace for impact. It was worse for Chris, who couldn't tell when the next shake would come. "Oh boy! She's going all out!" He exclaimed.
At the control room, the boss gritted his teeth. "Fire the cannon!" He shouted. This time, Pearl had already taken countermeasures and shrouded herself with a Safeguard. The stun blast desintegrated in contact with the protective aura. Pearl started charging a Hydro Pump, forming a water sphere under her neck and also merging it with electricity. She then fired the electrified water jet against the helicopter, which just climbed to dodge it. The aircraft then fired a rocket salvo, followed by a homing missile. She dodged the rockets, then fired a Dragon Pulse from her horn at the missile, although this one exploded relatively close, knocking her back a few feet with the impact.
"Enter stealth mode!" The boss commanded. Once Pearl recovered from the blow, she climbed into the air and dived at the aircraft with a Dragon Rush. The helicopter vanished as it activated its cloaking device. Pearl Kept going with the momentum to where she last saw the vehicle, ending up passing right below it and barely missing it. She climbed into the air again, and with another high pitch cry, the weather changed to a rainstorm as her orbs started glowing brightly and thunderclouds formed. A lightning struck the helicopter moments later, sending it closer to the sea surface and disabling the cloaking device. The orbs on Pearl's tail then started glowing as she slammed it in the water, sending a wave crashing at the vehicle. The pilot managed to lift the aircraft just in time to avoid being swallowed.
"Damn! I thought Iris was a savage when angry, but this is too much." Chris commented, holding on to some bars. The boss gave the pilot a side glance. "How many weapons do we have?" He asked her. "Only the stun cannon left. We wasted pretty muc half the ammo on the boat." The pilot responded. While they were talking, Pearl climbed higher into the sky. Her body became surrounded by an orange aura, her orbs started glowing once again, and as the rain stopped, the sky changed to an orange tone. "Ugh, great! What is it doing now?" The boss muttered. The Dragonair then let out a loud, continuous cry, as meteors started falling from the sky. "Fire the cannon! A full charge! I don't care what happens to that snake! Do it!" The boss started shouting, slamming both fists at the table.
As the cannon charged, however, one of the meteorites struck the helicopter from above, putting the weapon out of commission. "The cannon got hit! We can't fire anymore!" The pilot exclaimed, for the first time with a worried expression. Chris himself was starting to show signs of concern, with the last hit making him doubt the helicopter's structure. "God damnit, Pearl! I didn't ask to be rescued and certainly not to be killed either, now chill out!" He shouted. Fortunately for him (and for the crew in general), Pearl eventualy did stop, as her orbs darkened and their glow suddenly faded. No more meteors fell, and the sky slowly returned to normal. The crew went silent for a bit, until the pilot finaly spoke. "Huh... looks like it ran out of energy." She said.
"Turn on the engines and let's get out of here. Full throttle!" The bossed said. The pilot pushed a lever, giving the helicopter a sudden burst of acceleration and ramming the dragon-type with its nose, sending it plummeting into the ocean as it flew away into the distance. Chris sat down and took a deep breath. "Never thought I'd be cheering for the bad guys." He commented.
A few moments later, Pearl peaked above the water before taking into the air again. However, now, the helicopter was nowhere to be seen. Resigned, Pearl flew West back to land towards Vermillion to find her trainer and warn him about the event.
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Meanwhile, on Route 5, Alexis was actually insisting on the idea of investigating such incident.
"We have no means of transport to get there. They're surrounded by water and moving, and if Pearl if tampering with the weather then it's another problem. So we'll do it like this: we get to Vermillion, and if they haven't docked by then, I'll give him a call to know if anything is happening." He said to Alexis, before turning to Iris. "In fact... you can go ahead and check it out for me. The officer won't fine a pokémon for taking shortcuts. If you see them, tell Pearl to fly back here." He told her. The mare nodded, before jumping over the gate and off into the distance.
Amelia would eventualy arrive, with the same motivation as always. Rick walked next to the underground's entrance. "Alright gents! After you." He said, with an arm stretched and a flat palm pointing inside. "
Or I can go ahead and reach Vermillion before you do. Don't think I'm a Slacking just because I dismissed my means of transport." He added with a smirk.
