Welcome to another exciting installment of Spacemon, the tale of a Pokemon TRPG campaign! This is a spinoff of the sci-fi space epic played using the Pokemon Tabletop United (PTU) system, this time GMed by yours truly. You can get caught up on the entire Spacemon saga here!
“Hey! Captain!” Gaster called out as he stepped onto the Maverick’s cargo ramp. “Where’s the salvaging equipment? There was some stuff back in those ruins we were thinking of going back for. And where’s Ace? I think he’ll want to check that place out!”
“Perfect timing, boys, we just got a call from Azarov; Lory and his men returned to their base not too long ago,” came the captain’s reply. “I’m afraid your little excursion will have to wait, we have a limited window of time here.”
“I’ll get what we have loaded up and ready for takeoff,” Kasey said before heading back down the ramp.
“Guess we should let Persephone know, then,” said Gaster, glancing around the cargo hold. “Axel’s room?” he asked Taraka, turning to the monk.
“Axel’s room,” Taraka nodded.
“There’s been a situation and something’s come up,” Persephone spoke into her Pokedex as Axel, Gaster, and Taraka entered the room. “No, I should be back soon. I just need to deal with this first.” She paused for a moment while the person on the other end of the line spoke and held up a finger to let the trio know she would just be a minute. “Yes, we’ll be resuming operations in a couple of days. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to take care of something.”
After slipping her Dex back into her pocket, Persephone turned and smiled at the group. “What can I do for you, boys?”
“What was that about?” Gaster asked, glancing at the Pokedex poking out of Persephone’s pocket.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” she answered. “Don’t worry about it.”
“So, Persephone,” Axel cut in. “We just found out where those assholes who blew your ship up are right now.”
“Well, it’s about time,” Persephone replied, her smile widening.
“Whad’ya say we go and kick their asses?”
Persephone let out a laugh.
“I’d like nothing more.”
“Alright everyone, check your guns and get your Pokeballs ready,” the captain said as the Maverick dropped out of warp space in the Garm system.
“Already done, boss,” Axel replied, grinning as he watched the abandoned mining station Maelstrom used as a headquarters grow closer through the ship’s front viewport. The mercenary had prepared himself three times during the jump from Zintau. He was very much looking forward to getting some payback against Dane Lory and his band of mercs.
“Glad to hear it,” Cyrus said. “Everyone remember the plan?”
“Of course we do,” Gaster said.
The plan was a simple one, which was just the way Axel liked it. Jun Azarov’s scouting had revealed that the station had no external weapons, so they were going to go in guns blazing and take Maelstrom out before they even knew what hit them. There was no need for sneaking around this time, which was just the way Axel liked it.
“Docking in five,” Anya announced as she brought the ship in. “Four … three … two …” There was a metallic clank as the donking clamp locked in place. “One.”
“Alright people, let’s move!” Cyrus barked.
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Axel said before following the captain out of the room.
The Maverick’s crew soon assembled in the airlock, where Ace and Kasey made short work of the door keeping them out. It took only a few moments for the pair to break through the pathetic security measures of the station’s airlock. As soon as he could fit through, Axel moved into the docking tube and did a quick sweep with his eyes.
“All clear,” the mercenary announced, glancing back at his crewmates.
“Always good to hear,” Cyrus said, stepping into the docking tube. “Now let’s get to it. Ace, Kasey, you’re with me. We’ll keep the Maverick safe if any mercs come to investigate. The rest of you, go kick their asses.”
“With pleasure,” Axel said, grinning. He then turned to Gaster, Persephone, and Taraka. “Alright, you guys. Let’s move.”
“I’ve been looking forward to this,” Persephone said, pulling out a Pokeball. “It’s time to show these brutes who they’re messing with.”
Flamethrower at the ready, Axel made his way down the docking tube with Persephone and his two crewmates close behind. They soon stepped out into a large open room packed full of crates of varying sizes. Two of Lory’s men were in view, but fortunately had yet to notice the intruders.
“Let’s say hello, shall we?” Persephone said.
“Be on your guard,” Gaster said. “There’s likely more lurking among the crates.”
Persephone just flashed a smile. “Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that,” she said before releasing her Blaziken. “Alright, Basan, Blaze Kick!” Before either mercenary could react, Persephone’s Pokemon was right in their faces. With a swift kick of a flaming talon, one of the two men was launched into the crates behind him.
“Don’t go leaving me out of the fun now,” Axel said before releasing the Gyarados he captured on Pyraxia. “Saika, finish that guy off with Dragon Pulse!” the mercenary commanded the large fiery serpent. Firing off a beam of draconic energy at the Maelstrom merc as he struggled to pick himself up, Saika dropped him to the floor once again, this time for good.
Gaster and Taraka, meanwhile, sent out Pokemon of their own. The latter then threw up a protective psionic barrier to keep everyone safe. “Sirius, Fairy Wind,” the monk instructed his Togekiss while Gaster lined up a shot with his tesla coil rifle on the remaining merc.
The man was quick to dodge the incoming blast of air, but his reflexes weren’t quick enough to react to the bolt of electricity Gaster fired off immediately after. He grunted in pain as volts of electricity coursed through him, but he fought through it and grabbed a Pokeball off his belt before diving for cover behind a crate.
“Bulldoze!” the merc called out as he released a Sharpedo from behind cover. The Pokemon came flying out of the ball at rapid speed and crashed right into Saika. Fortunately, the Gyarados was protected by Taraka’s barrier. The merc then poked his head out and fired off a few shots with his pistol, landing a nasty hit on Taraka’s Togekiss.
“Take care of that bastard, Clara!” Gaster commanded his Shuppet. “Use Hex!” The former smuggler’s ghostly Pokemon floated up above the Maelstrom merc’s hiding spot and fired off her attack, further whittling him down.
“Saika, lend a hand!” Axel called out. “Lava Plume!” Letting out a fierce roar, Axel’s Gyarados let loose a ring of fire in all directions, blasting through the crate and sending both the merc and his Sharpedo flying. The merc was down for the count, but the Sharpedo still had some fight left in it. In retaliation, the shark Pokemon launched itself at Saika again, teeth bared. Despite her size, the Gyarados maneuvered out of the way and her attacker’s jaws clamped down around nothing.
“Well, you all seem to have this handled,” Persephone said. “I’ll move up along the right in case there are more of them. Let’s go, Basan.” She motioned for her Blaziken to follow as she began moving along the stack of crates.
“We’ll take the left, then,” Gaster said, moving up in the other direction with his Shuppet. As the former smuggler moved between cover as he advanced, a third merc appeared from behind another stack of crates and opened fire.
Gaster was quick to dive back into cover, but his Shuppet remained in the line of fire, taking a few hits. “Damn,” Gaster grunted as laser fire ate into the crate he was hiding behind.
“We’re going to need more protection,” Taraka said as he took cover as well. He then proceeded to strengthen his psionic barrier with more energy.
“We need to deal with that Sharpedo, too,” Axel said.
“On it,” Taraka replied. “Sirius, Fairy Wind!” The monk’s Pokemon fired off another blast of air, this time at the Sharpedo, but was unfortunately unable to land a hit.
“Allow me,” Gaster said, lining up a shot with his rifle. He fired off a bolt of electricity at the Sharpedo, frying it. “And that is why I bought this rifle,” the former smuggler declared.
Just then, the mercenary on the left stopped firing and reached for a Pokeball, sending out a Tentacruel. “Well, put it to good use and shoot that thing, will ya?” Axel said, glancing back at Gaster.
“You got it.” Gaster leaned out of cover and lined up a shot, firing on the newly sent out Pokemon. He then directed his own Pokemon to attack the Tentacruel’s trainer.
Axel readied his flamethrower to assist, but then he spotted two more mercs moving out from behind the crates on the right, guns trained on Persephone and her Blaziken. “You guys got this guy?” Axel asked his crewmates. “I need to go lend Persephone a hand.”
“Go, we’ll take care of him,” Gaster replied.
“Let’s go get ‘em, Saika!” Axel called out to his Pokemon as he ran over to Persephone. “Burn ‘em up!” He grabbed one of his solar grenades up into the air and it erupted into a small artificial sun. Taking in the influx of solar energy, Axel’s Gyarados began charging up for a powerful attack.
Seeing the fiery serpent coming for them, the two mercs began to open fire on Saika, but there was no slowing her down as she propelled herself along the floor with her powerful tail. “Fire Fang!” Axel commanded the Gyarados. Flames spewing out from her mouth, Saika clamped her powerful jaws around one of the mercenaries, then proceeded to thrash him about wildly before casting his unconscious form aside.
“Good work, Saika!” Axel called out to his Gyarados as he ran over to administer a super potion to keep her in fighting shape.
“Basan, take care of the other one!” Persephone ordered her Blaziken while Axel saw to his own Pokemon. “Blaze Kick!” Charging the merc, the Blaziken leapt into the air and struck him directly at the center of his chest with a flaming talon, launching him into a stack of crates and breaking a few of his ribs in the process.
“You alright?” Axel asked Persephone now that the two mercenaries had been dealt with.
“I’m fine,” the redheaded woman replied, flashing a smile. “But it looks like your friends could use a hand.
Glancing back over at Gaster and Taraka, Axel saw that they were still contending with the same merc and his Tentacruel. Both had switched out to new Pokemon, but the Tentacruel still seemed to be giving them trouble.
“I know just what they need,” Axel said, pulling out another Pokeball. “You’re up Krieg!” he called out as he released his Luxio. “Hit ‘em with the blitzkrieg combo! Use Spark!”
Running up beside Gaster and Taraka’s Pokemon, Krieg drew in electrical energy from the latter’s Zebstrika, then dove at the Tentacruel, violently discharging sparks as he did so. As he made contact with the giant jellyfish Pokemon, all the stored up energy was released into it, quickly bringing it down.
“Damn you!” the Maelstrom mercenary cursed before opening fire on Axel’s Luxio.
“Oh no you don’t!” Taraka responded. “Blitz, use Shock Wave!”
“You too, Lulabelle!” Gaster ordered his Cinccino. “Tail Slap!”
While Blitz’s electric attack left the mercenary momentarily stunned, Lulabelle rushed in and delivered three swift slaps with her tail, bringing the man down.
“That’s the last of them,” Persephone said, walking over. “At least in this room. Let’s move on and find where this Dane Lory is hiding.”
Axel grinned.
“Sounds good to me.”
The sound of rushing flames, clattering metal, and shouting men surrounded Axel as he smashed through the sealed bulkhead riding on the back of his mighty Gyarados. Dane Lory’s men scattered as the intimidating serpent reared her head and let out a powerful roar.
“Saika, use Lava Plume!” Axel shouted before leaping off the Pokemon’s back. Lunging forward at the two nearest mercenaries, the Gyarados released a burst of flames in all directions. One of the two managed to dive out of the way just in time, but the other was not so lucky; the wave of pressure, heat, and fire propelled him across the room and into the wall, where he slumped to the floor, unconscious.
“Blitz, use Shock Wave!”
“Lulabelle, use Swift!”
Moving into the room behind their crewmate, Taraka and Gaster commanded their own Pokemon to attack the merc who had managed to avoid Saika’s attack. The man quickly scrambled to his feet and slipped into cover behind a crate as the Zebstrika and Cinccino unleashed their attacks.
“Allow me,” Persephone said as she stepped into the room. “Basan, Blaze Kick!” Moving at rapid speed, her Blaziken rushed forward and leapt into the air, talon surrounded in flames and ready to strike. The blaze Pokemon smashed right through the crate, right into the mercenary’s back, snapping his spine.
Holy shit, Axel thought as he looked back at Persephone in awe and amazement. Here was a woman who’s skill with fire Pokemon matched or perhaps even surpassed his own. Catching the mercenary’s gaze, Persephone winked back at him.
“You’re gonna pay for that!” one of the remaining mercs shouted before sending out a Pokemon, specifically a Golduck. The other followed suit and released a Qwilfish.
“Watch out for that one!” Gaster called out, pointing at the Qwilfish. “They’re known to explode!”
“Then we’ll need to guard against it,” Taraka said, throwing up a fresh psionic barrier.
“Or we just need to strengthen our offense!” Axel shouted, reaching for the Pokeball containing his Charizard. “You’re up, Ritsu! Flamethrower!” Emerging from her ball with ferocious roar, Ritsu spit out a torrent of flames at the Golduck.
“Dodge it and fire back with Confusion!” the opposing mercenary barked. His Golduck nimbly avoided the attack, then unleashed a psychic burst on the Charizard.
“Hit it with Rollout, Qwilfish!” the other merc followed up with a command of his own. Inflating itself into a large ball, the Qwilfish began to roll at Ritsu, but she was ready this time and used her powerful wings to propel herself to safety.
“Nice try,” Axel taunted as a Shock Wave from Taraka’s Zebstrika and a Flame Burst from Persephone’s Blaziken took the Qwilfish out. “Now have a taste of the true power of my fire types! Ritsu, Sunny Day!”
Falling back a bit, Axel’s Charizard spewed out a massive ball of fire that formed into a radiant sphere of flame glowing with solar energy. Drawing in that energy, Axel’s Gyarados began to build up power again.
“Confusion again!” the Golduck’s trainer commanded his Pokemon in response. He then began to retreat with his fellow Maelstrom merc, both of them firing off a few shots. Gaster was quick to return fire, clipping one of them in the leg before they ducked behind the bulkhead leading to the next room.
With only a Golduck standing between them and the mercs hiding in the next room. The Maverick crewmates all ordered their Pokemon to attack it.
“Blitz, Shock Wave!”
“Lulabelle, Tail Slap!”
“Ritsu, Flamethrower!”
In an explosion of sparks and flames, the Golduck dropped to the floor. It was no match for the concentrated assault of the three Pokemon.
“Alright, Basan, your path is cleared. Use Bulk Up and then get after them!” Persephone ordered her Blaziken. As her Pokemon ran for the next room, she followed behind. Axel was hot on her heels along with his two crewmates.
Crossing the threshold, Axel saw there were more men than just the two retreating mercs to deal with. Near the back of the long corridor he now found himself in, Axel spotted two more armored mercs wielding rifles, both weapons trained on Persephone’s Blaziken. The sound of gunfire soon drew his attention back to the front, however, as the two grunts began unloading their pistols. Axel quickly ducked back behind the bulkhead while Gaster fired off a volley of suppressing fire, forcing the grunts back into cover.
“Saika, Dragon Pulse!” Axel commanded his Gyarados now that he had a moment to think. Slithering into the room, snaking around everyone in her way, Saika lined up a shot, then let loose another beam of draconic energy at one of the grunts. Her attack blasted right through his cover and brought him down.
“Blitz take care of that other one,” Taraka instructed his own Pokemon, directing the Zebstrika after the other grunt. “Use Spark!” Dashing at lightning speed, Blitz maneuvered around the merc’s cover and plowed right into him, violently sparking off electricity as she did so. The grunt let out a pained moan as he collapsed to the floor. He wouldn’t be getting back up any time soon.
“Basan, deal with the two in back!” Persephone ordered her Blaziken now that the way forward was cleared. “Blaze Kick!” Sprinting across the room, the speedy fire Pokemon leapt into the air and brought one of the two riflemen down with a single fiery kick. Basan then turned to attack the second, but the merc dodged out of the way, then opened fire before sliding into cover.
“Ritsu, go lend a hand!” Axel shouted to his Charizard. Before the Pokemon could react, a volley of shots came flying at her out from one of the doorways leading off the corridor. Fortunately for Ritsu, the laser fire merely peppered against Taraka’s psionic barrier, which was protecting her. Unfortunately for the mercenary who pulled the trigger, he incurred the wrath of the Charizard. Ritsu let out a roar of anger before spewing flames into the room. A scream of agony rang out from the room, followed by silence.
Letting out a satisfied grunt, Ritsu turned to assist Persephone’s Blaziken as well as Gaster and Taraka’s Pokemon, who had both moved up. The three Pokemon were squaring off with a vicious looking Feraligatr that the remaining mercenary had sent out. Gaster, meanwhile, was trading fire with the mercenary himself, drawing fire off the Pokemon.
“Saika, get in there and help too!” Axel commanded his Gyarados.
As the massive serpent made her way across the room, her commanding presence drew the attention of both the mercenary and his Pokemon. “Crunch that thing!” the merc ordered as he opened fire on Saika. The Feraligatr sank its sharp teeth in and bit right through Saika’s scaly hide.
The Gyarados was showing signs of weakening now, but Axel knew she still had plenty of fight left in her. Fortunately for Saika, there were plenty of allies to back her up, and they all ordered their own Pokemon to attack.
“Basan, Blaze Kick!
“Blitz, Shock Wave!”
“Lulabelle, Tail Slap!”
The combined assault did a real number on the Feraligatr, but it was still standing … at least for the moment. A bolt of electricity fired from Gaster’s tesla coil rifle was enough to bring it down. Now only the mercenary remained, but not for long.
“Ritsu, Flamethrower!” Axel ordered his Charizard. Ritsu let out a roar, then another jet of flame, and the merc dropped to the ground.
With the room clear, Axel let out a short cheer of victory. “Nice work team,” Axel he then said triumphantly, looking over at Gaster, Persephone, and Taraka.
The sound of roaring flames filled the air as Axel’s Charizard and Gyarados, along with Persephone’s Blaziken, steadily melted through the heavy blast doors that stood in the assault team’s way. “Almost there,” the mercenary said as he looked on in anticipation. Powered by the energy of one of Axel’s solar grenades, it wouldn’t be long now before the trio of fire Pokemon made it through to the other side.
“This has gotta be where Lory is hiding,” Gaster said, his rifle trained on the door in case anything came through.
“And we’re about to smoke him out,” Axel said.
Moments later, the three fire Pokemon stopped spewing out flames and chunks of metal fell away from the door, revealing a jagged hole big enough even for Saika to fit through that had been cut out with concentrated jets of fire. Axel barely had time to react before a jet of water shot through the opening in an explosion of steam. Fortunately, all three fire Pokemon managed to evade the attack.
“Let’s get in there!” Axel shouted before leading the charge through the opening.
Flamethrower at the ready, Axel stepped out into a large open room that appeared to be some sort of hangar. The mercenary looked past the several men pointing guns at him to Dane Lory, who stood in the middle of the room, wearing some sort of mechanical exoskeleton around his armor. While it did provide some extra armor plating, what stood out most about this exoskeleton was the giant shoulder-mounted water cannon. Such a weapon may have intimidated a lesser man, but Axel laughed in the face of such danger.
“This is as far as you go!” Lory shouted, aiming one of his arm cannons at Axel and his crewmates stepping through the opening behind him. “Get ‘em, boys!” At the mercenary leader’s command, the two grunts in front raised their pistols to fire, as did the two more heavily armored rifle-wielding men in the back.
“Hey, fake Blastoise,” Axel taunted, standing his ground. “Your water hasn’t helped you so far, and it’s not about to stop us now!”
“We’ll just see about that!” Lory retorted before tossing out his Blastoise.
A smirk appeared on Axel’s face. “Yeah, we will. Ritsu!”
Heeding her trainer’s call, Ritsu flew into the room. As the Charizard passed overhead she sprayed out a jet of flames, setting one of Lory’s men afire. The merc let out an anguished scream as he attempted to put out the flames, but he quickly succumbed to the burns and collapsed to the ground. With one more kill to her name, Ritsu touched down in front of Lory’s Blastoise and let out a fierce snarl.
“Blitz, use Shock Wave!” Taraka ordered his Zebstrika, directing her forward into the fray.
“Lulabelle, give a Helping Hand!” Gaster commanded his own Pokemon.
Gaster’s Cinccino hopped up onto Blitz’s back, and then the Zebstrika ran forward, shooting off powered up sparks at Lory’s Pokemon. As the bolts of electricity flew in its direction, the Blastoise retreated into its shell, deflecting most of the energy.
“Great work, Shellshock!” Lory commended his Pokemon. “Now, counterattack with Blizzard!” Re-emerging from its shell, the Blastoise took aim with its cannons, then let loose twin blasts of ice, snow, and freezing air, one at Blitz and Lulabelle, the other at Taraka and Axel.
“Not so fast!” Taraka shouted, throwing up his arms and focusing all his energy into his barriers. White light filled the air as the Blastoise’s attack struck the barrier, and a layer of ice began to build up on it. The barriers shattered under the strain, sending shards of ice flying in all directions, but the power of the attack was greatly reduced in the process.
“Now, Saika!” Axel called out to his Gyarados. “Dragon Pulse!” Slithering into the room through the hole in the door, Saika got into position, then fired off a beam of draconic energy at Lory’s Blastoise, powered up by the still-burning solar grenade reaction in the corridor. Once more, Shellshock retreated back into its shell, avoiding the brunt of the attack.
“Not bad,” Lory taunted. “But we’re gonna have to do something about that new toy of yours.” With that, Maelstrom’s leader hit a button on his armor, triggering the release of clouds of water vapour. The clouds quickly filled the air, then began pouring down rain extinguishing the solar grenade reaction. “Let’s see how your fire Pokemon deal with this!”
“As for the rest of you,” Maelstrom’s leader continued, glaring around the room at his men. “Make yourselves useful already!”
“You got it boss!” the remaining grunt replied, sending out a Politoed. The two gunmen in the back followed suit, releasing a Mightyena and a Weezing.
“Hit that Zebstrika with Power-Up Punch!” the grunt ordered his Pokemon. The Politoed leapt at Taraka’s Pokemon, but the monk stepped between them, taking the hit for her. Gaster then zapped the Politoed with a bolt from his tesla coil rifle, driving it back.
“Crunch that Zebstrika!”
“Hit that Charizard with Sludge Bomb!”
At the command of their trainers, the Mightyena and Weezing moved in to attack, doing a real number on Blitz and Ritsu, but retribution was soon to follow.
“Basan, Heat Wave!”
Suddenly, Persephone’s Blaziken sprang through the hole in the blast doors into the hangar. He landed right in the fray, then let loose a massive wall of fire that engulfed the grunt, the Mightyena, and the Blastoise. When the smoke cleared, both the merc and the Mightyena lay dead on the ground, and Lory’s Pokemon was looking much worse for wear. Basan then struck up a combative stance, ready to strike again.
“What took you so long?!” Axel playfully called out to Persephone as he watched her step into the hangar.
“More of them came up behind us and we had to deal with them,” Persephone explained. “Basan made short work of them.”
“I have no doubt about that,” Axel said, having just witnessed her Blaziken’s true strength. He was in awe of the power of Persephone’s Pokemon, but he was trying to play it cool.
“Oh, you’re gonna pay for that!” Lory shouted, drawing Axel’s attention back to his enemy. The mercenary leader stomped forward, the boots of his exoskeleton clanging on the metal floor and took aim with his shoulder cannon. A huge torrent of pressurized water came spewing out, blasting through Basan, Persephone, and Saika. The Blaziken was instantly knocked out and Persephone was swept off her feet, but the Gyarados stood firm.
“Persephone!” Axel cried out with concern.
“I’m fine!” she managed to grunt in response as she sat upright and recalled her fainted Pokemon.
“I think you’re the one who’s gonna pay!” Axel roared, turning back to face Lory. “Ritsu, Saika, attack!”
“Shellshock, Hydro Pump!” Lory commanded his own Pokemon in response. His Blastoise fired a dual jet of pressurized water at Saika, taking her down before she could get off an attack. Ritsu, however, spit out a blast of flames at the Weezing, doing a real number on it.
“Damn it,” Axel grunted before recalling both of his Pokemon. While Saika was down, Ritsu was still hanging in there. Even so, Axel didn’t want to risk keeping her out any longer.
Meanwhile, Taraka and Gaster’s Pokemon managed to take out the Politoed. With that Pokemon out of the way, Axel’s crewmates turned their attention to Lory’s Blastoise. “Blitz, Shock Wave!” Taraka commanded his Pokemon while Gaster lined up a shot and pulled the trigger. Two bolts of electricity arced across the hangar and found their mark, bringing Shellshock closer to the edge.
“Weezing, get in there and use Poison Gas!” one of the remaining Maelstrom mercs ordered his Pokemon before opening fire on Gaster’s Cinccino. Thanks to Taraka’s barriers, Lulabelle managed to hang on and evade the toxic gas coming her way.
“Hit that thing with Swift, Lulabelle!” Gaster issued a command of his own before opening fire himself. Their combined assault bombarded the Weezing all over its body, taking it out of the fight.
Unfortunately for Axel, the Weezing tumbled in his direction when it hit the floor, then it exploded. The concussive blast launched the mercenary to the floor. He quickly scrambled to his feet as Lory’s men opened fire on him. He’d never been more thankful for the armor Erik had made for him than at this moment; it had surely saved his life.
Without hesitation, Axel let loose a tide of flames with his flamethrower at his assailants, forcing them into cover. He then reached for Krieg’s Pokeball and sent the Luxio out. “Hit that Blastoise with Spark!” he ordered the Pokemon. Sparks flying off his body, Krieg slammed himself into Lory’s Pokemon, further whittling it down.
“Get rid of that nuisance!” Lory barked in response. “Hydro Cannon!” His Blastoise proceeded to fire off its largest jets of water yet, blasting Krieg across the hangar into the wall. The Luxio fell unconscious before he even hit it.
“Alright, Myrmecoleon, let’s see what you can do!” Persephone called out, back on her feet. She threw out a Pokeball, releasing the Flygon she captured on Pyraxia. The fiery dragon took to the air, soaring over the combatants. “Get the ones in the back with Inferno!” The Flygon let loose a blast of flames down at one of the riflemen beneath her setting him alight.
The mercenary screamed and began firing off his rifle wildy. He landed several shots on the Flygon as well as Axel and Taraka before succumbing to the pain of his burns. The other rifleman, meanwhile, quickly slid into cover to avoid meeting the same fate as his comrade, then fired off several shots, landing a few on Gaster. Gaster was quick to return fire, and Axel joined in, using his flamethrower to flush the man out of cover.
“Blitz, use Shock Wave!” Taraka ordered his Zebstrika. Another jolt of electricity was just enough to bring it down. Now Lory and his last merc were all that remained.
“Lulabelle, use Thunder Wave!” Gaster then commanded his Cinccino. Lulabelle fired off a jolt of electricity of her own, this one directed at Lory.
As soon as the attack made contact, sparks flew all along the mercenary leader’s mechanical exoskeleton, causing it to short out. “Fuck!” Lory cursed in frustration as he stumbled backwards, falling to the ground near the last merc under his command still standing.
“Finish them off, Myrmecoleon!” Persephone ordered her Flygon. “Overheat!” Making another pass over the battle, Myrmecoleon let loose a huge torrent of flames, taking the final two members of Maelstrom out. “Nice work, girl,” Persephone told the Pokemon as she came in for a landing.
“Alright, you bastard, time to put an end to this once and for all!” Axel shouted as he marched across the hangar toward the unconscious leader of Maelstrom.
Standing over his fallen enemy, Axel aimed his flamethrower, then squeezed the trigger.
Notes: At long last, more Spacemon! I kind of burned myself out on writing and a bunch of life stuff came up so I needed to step away from writing for a while, but it’s a new year and writing is back in business! I was originally planning on getting this out as one last chapter before the end of the year, but I ended up not meeting that goal. It’s 2019 now, though, and my New Year’s resolution is to write more. So here’s to more Spacemon this year.
Getting into the substance of the chapter, this was the 30th session of the game and it was time to hit the Maelstrom base. I’d been holding out for Axel to be present and we weren’t sure if he’d be able to make it the following session, so it had to be then, even though Alec wasn’t present. Since we needed to get through all this combat, it was a bit of a longer session too.
The opening scenes weren’t actually in the session but they were based off a scene from an earlier or later session (I don’t remember which at this point) that accidentally wasn’t included in the session recording. It was just something to tease the mystery of Persephone. Thanks to DragonStorm for helping write those scenes.
Moving onto the actual combat, the party opted to go in guns blazing. I had Cyrus, Ace, and Kasey stay behind and guard the ship to avoid giving them too many allies, which would make things take too long. They needed Persephone of course as she was the whole reason they were there. This is where I got to show off the true potential of the fire ace special attack ace combo, both classes Axel has. Persephone was my character in a previous campaign and it was fun to mess some things up as her again.
I ramped up the challenge too, giving Lory a mech suit that gave him Hydro Cannon, but the party still did really well. They took Lory down faster than expected and he didn’t even get to use his next Pokemon, the Barbaracle he yoinked from them previously. And then Axel went and killed him.
That does it for this chapter. As always the Spacemon gang and I will be monitoring the comments to foster discussion and answer any questions. Feel free to give feedback and critiques of the writing so I can improve it for the future, or just leave a comment with what you think about what went down in this chapter or what you think might happen next! You can also revisit past chapters, check out the rest of the Spacemon saga, join the Spacemon Discord server, or like our Facebook page to stay updated on all things Spacemon! Click here for the next exciting installment of Spacemon: Frontier!
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Comments
I thought he had Physical Attack Ace?