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!
All was calm as Gaster sat on guard duty at the entrance to the Maverick’s wreckage with his Milotic coiled beside him. There were no signs of hostile activity out in the desert, but his rifle lay across his lap at the ready just in case. It was a still, almost peaceful night, but that could still change at a moment’s notice.
“Hey, I gotta talk quick cuz I don’t know how long this battery’s gonna last me,” the former smuggler spoke into his Pokedex. He had no clue how long it would take Simon and his Paladins to get to them, so he thought it would be smart to look for help in other places. Perhaps the Red Riders were closer. “I’m sending you coordinates,” he continued to dictate his message. “Come here if you want some closure on that psychic assassin we’ve been tracking down. Also, please help. We’ve crashed and are in desperate need of medical assistance.”
Gaster sighed as he sent the message off. Lars hadn’t answered his call, but he hoped that he would receive the message soon and get there quickly. For now, he looked back out into the desert night. He had to remain vigilant for any danger.
A few minutes passed and Gaster began to hear strange noises from out in the darkness. It could best be described as a faint chittering. Gazing out in the directions of the sound, however, he couldn’t see anything.
“I don’t like the sound of that,” Taraka said, walking up behind him.
“Sounds like wild Pokemon,” Gaster told the monk. “Probably nothing to worry about, but one of us should check it out just in case.”
Before either of them got the chance to do anything, they heard a rumbling under the ground. Suddenly, four red-colored Drapions sprang out from the sand near the entrance to the wreckage.
Gaster raised his rifle and fired as the group of Pokemon charged at them, landing a few hits on three of them, but he was unable to drive them off. One ran at Taraka and sank its fangs into him, while another rushed Gaster’s Milotic and took a nasty bite out of her.
As the other two Drapions moved in, Taraka released his Flygon to block them. “Flicky, use Earthquake!” the monk called out as she emerged. Touching down on the ground, the Flygon sent out a powerful shockwave out in all directions, doing some serious damage to the two encroaching Drapions as well as the one on her trainer. Letting out angry hissing sounds, the former two charged at Flicky. She managed to dodge the first, but the second managed to get a bite in with its strong jaws.
“Francisca, use Aqua Ring and then hit it with a Water Pulse,” Gaster proceeded to command his Milotic, directing her after the Drapion attacking her. The Tender Pokemon shrouded herself in a healing veil of water, then fired a jet at the hostile wild Pokemon, but it dug down into the ground and dodged the attack.
Taraka, meanwhile, was fighting to keep the one attacking him at bay. It managed to land a powerful strike with its tail before the monk knocked it back with his staff. “Flicky, use Earth Power!” he then commanded his Pokemon. The Flygon stomped down and a blast of earth shot up from beneath the Drapion, launching it away. With a thud, it fell back to the ground, motionless.
The remaining two Drapions reacted poorly to this, each letting out an angry sounding screech. As they charged to attack, Gaster lined up a shot on one and fired, dropping it, while Taraka threw a Pokeball at the other. The ball pulled the Drapion in, then fell into the sand. It shook violently for a few moments, then stopped.
The last Drapion emerged from the ground only to see the others were defeated. With an angry hiss, it charged at Francisca. “Frost Breath!” Gaster commanded a counterattack. The Milotic shot out a jet of cold air at the charging Drapion, freezing it in place.
“Now, use Blizzard!” Gaster shouted as the Drapion started to break out of the ice entrapping it. Francisca unleashed a blast of snow and ice on the Ogre Scorpion Pokemon, taking it down.
“We did it,” Taraka said, taking a seat to catch his breath.
“We did,” Gaster nodded. “But let’s hope there aren’t more to deal with. This night has been long enough already.”
“Agreed.”
“How’s it going?” Taraka asked as he poked his head into the workshop where Ace was busy working on rigging a generator.
“Poorly,” Ace grumbled. Taraka could tell from the android’s voice that he was frustrated. “I don’t have access to all the right materials, a lot of the tools are broken, and this stupid thing just won’t work!”
Ace angrily slammed his fist on the worktable, causing a box of components to fall onto the floor with a loud clatter. “Sorry,” Ace said as he began to stand to pick everything up.
“I’ve got it,” Taraka said, crouching down to help.
“Thanks,” Ace nodded. “I’m just frustrated.”
Taraka stood back up and put the box back on the table, then placed a comforting hand on Ace’s shoulder. “We all are,” he said. “And that’s okay. But we’ll make it through this.”
“You’re right,” Ace said, starting to calm down a bit. “I think I can get this to work. I just need a couple more hours.”
“That’s the spirit,” Taraka nodded. “I believe in you.”
“Thanks, Taraka.”
“Of course. Now, I’ll leave you to it.”
After departing the workshop, Taraka headed to the medbay to check on things. He entered to see Anya with her head down on the counter, asleep, while Cyrus was sitting next to Erik at the medical table.
“How’s he doing?” Taraka asked the captain.
“He’s hanging in there for now,” Cyrus said.
“That’s good,” Taraka said. “And you sound like you’re doing better too, Captain.”
“The painkillers helped with that,” the captain said.
“Good, good,” Taraka nodded. “Alright, I’m going back out to keep Gaster company on watch.”
Cyrus nodded back. “I’ll be here.”
When Taraka stepped outside, Gaster was sitting in the same spot as when he had left him, with his Milotic coiled up beside him. He turned his gaze away from the dark as Taraka approached.
“Hey,” the former smuggler said.
“Everything’s still safe, I take it?” Taraka asked his crewmate.
“Just some more wild Pokemon,” Gaster answered, motioning out into the desert night.
Taraka looked out in the direction and spotted a group of Pokemon in the distance. “Cacturnes,” he said, recognizing them.
“Don’t worry about them,” Gaster told him. “They’ve been out there for a while and they’re leaving us alone.”
“That’s good,” Taraka said, taking a seat.
The pair sat there for a bit, just shooting the breeze as they kept watch. After a while, however, Taraka started to hear the faint sound of voices in the far distance.
“Do you hear that?” Taraka asked.
“Yeah,” Gaster answered, his expression turning serious. “That’s probably not a good sign.” He stood up, rifle in hand. “Stay here. I’m gonna go check it out.” With that, Gaster recalled his Milotic and headed out into the night.
Gaster moved swiftly and silently toward the source of the noise. By now, he could say for sure that the sound was, in fact, that of voices. Reaching the top of one of the dunes surrounding the crash site, he looked down on the other side and saw the telltale beams of flashlights.
Lying prone to avoid detection, Gaster pulled out his rifle and gazed down the sights at the lights. From the glimpses he got in the moving beams, he could see a group of four armed men with flashlights mounted on their rifles. They appeared to be mercs of some kind. Zooming in the magnification on his sights, he got a better look. These mercs were definitely not Paladins, and they seemed to be heading in the direction of the wreckage of the Maverick’s back half.
“Damn it,” Gaster muttered. This meant trouble. He got back up, then slid down the dune and hurried back to the Maverick.
“Find anything?” Taraka asked upon his return.
“Yeah,” Gaster answered. “Stay alert. There’s guys over there.” He pointed off in the direction the mercs were coming from. “Looks like some sort of search party. I couldn’t really get a read on them but they’re not Paladins, that’s for sure. Keep your eyes over there and if people start coming over the hill, we ought to hide back in the ship.”
“Understood,” Taraka nodded. “It’s only getting worse. This is great.”
As the two spoke, they soon saw the flashlight beams appear over the top of the dune.
“I see what you mean,” Taraka said.
“I’ll let everyone know we’ve got company,” Gaster told the monk before heading into the ship.
“Heads up!” Gaster called out to get the others’ attention. “We’ve got mercs coming, probably not friendly.”
“Oh, how exciting,” Sikari said, emerging from her room. “Let’s set up an ambush.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Gaster replied. “Just need to make sure the others are ready.”
Gaster headed for the medbay first. “What do you want to do, Captain?” he asked Cyrus.
“Probably best to lock us in here,” Cyrus told him. “I’ll keep my Pokemon out to guard us,” he continued, sending out his Braviary.
“Alright, stay safe,” Gaster nodded.
He headed to the workshop next. “Ace, we’ll need you to be ready to fight.”
“I heard, but I have to stay here and keep working on the generator,” Ace told him. “Call for me if and when I’m needed.”
“Understood,” Gaster nodded.
Before returning his attention to his work, Ace sent out his Delphox. “Blaze will help you.”
After returning to the others with Ace’s Pokemon in tow, Gaster used the remaining time they had to put together a quick plan. Taraka and Sikari stood just inside the entrances to their rooms with their Pokemon to wait in ambush while Gaster positioned himself at the back of the corridor, in front of the cargo hold door so he had a clean shot on anyone who stepped into the wreckage. With his Parasect beside him on one side and Ace’s Delphox on the other, he waited with his finger resting on the trigger.
Moments later, the first of the four men Gaster had sighted from the dune entered. Without hesitation, Gaster squeezed the trigger. The laser bolt shot down the corridor, narrowly missing the man’s head.
“It’s them!” the man called out as he retreated back. Two more ran up to join him, each taking cover on either side of the corridor, while the fourth ducked behind some scrap metal just at the edge of Gaster’s view.
“Damn it!” Gaster cursed. “Jacques, use Dire Spore!” The former smuggler’s Parasect skittered forward and shot out a cloud of spores at the retreating merc, knocking him right out.
As the gunfire began to fly from the remaining mercs, Taraka and Ace’s Delphox threw up protective barriers to guard everyone. Gaster used the opportunity to slip into some better cover, then called out, “Ace, we’ve got company!”
Ace soon came charging out of the workshop, laser sword ignited and energy shield activated. The mercs shifted their fire from Jacques to Ace as the android came sprinting down the corridor at them, but he deflected most of their shots with his shield as he pressed forward.
“Blaze, with me!” Ace called out. “Fox Fire!” Moving up behind his trainer, the Delphox conjured up three flames around himself, one of which he sent flying at the merc in the back as he began shooting at him.
“We found them!” Gaster heard one of the mercs shout into his commlink. “We located the back of the ship and we’re taking fire! Send backup!”
“Shit! We’re gonna have more company!” Gaster called out.
“Then we’ll just have to clean up before they get here,” Sikari responded. She activated her cloaking device and disappeared from her doorway. Moments later, she reappeared next to the merc taking cover on the starboard side of the wreckage. Catching the man by surprise, she stabbed him with her psionic blade, causing him to stumble out into the middle of the corridor.
As Sikari moved in to strike again, the merc regained his balance and blocked with his rifle. He then brought the butt of the weapon down on her shoulder, landing a heavy blow.
“Lechew, use Crunch!”
Suddenly, Taraka’s Sharpedo shot out from the monk’s room and clamped his strong jaws around the merc from the back, digging his sharp teeth in. With the man held in place, Sikari sank her blade into his throat for the killing blow.
The merc in the back fired off a retaliatory volley of shots at the assassin, but she cloaked again. Spitting out several Romanov curses, the merc sprayed more gunfire into the wreckage, landing shots on Jacques as well as Ace and his Delphox. The Delphox fired back with another of his wisps of flame.
That’s when Sikari reappeared again, right behind the merc. She stabbed him right in the back, catching him completely unaware.
“Blaze, finish him off with Mystical fire!” Ace barked out. Sikari hopped back as the android’s Delphox doused the injured merc in flames. Now there was just one more to worry about.
“Jacques, use Leech Life!” Gaster commanded his Parasect after the last merc. However, as Jacques moved around the corner to attack, the merc he had knocked out earlier began to stir and pick himself up. Quickly, Gaster shifted his aim and fired a couple shots at the man as he scrambled to his feet.
The still somewhat disoriented merc raised his rifle to fire back, but Taraka stepped out of his room and blasted him with psionic energy. Reeling, the merc stumbled back, narrowly avoiding Ace’s sword as the android charged him. He fell back into the wall and coughed up a clump of residual spores, then collapsed, the last of his strength depleted.
Turning his focus back to his Parasect, who was locked in combat with the last merc, Gaster commanded, “Jacques, use Stun Spore then fall back!” The Mushroom Pokemon spewed out a cloud of spores at the man, leaving him dazed, then began to skitter away.
Suddenly a volley of gunfire sprayed into the wreckage from the distance, narrowly missing Ace and Sikari, who were still out in the open. “Fall back!” Ace called out.
“Right,” said Sikari. She then ran back inside, right for the final merc. She closed the distance fast and stabbed him right in the gut.
“Blaze, Flamethrower!”
“Lechew, use Crunch!”
A pair of attacks from Ace’s Delphox and Taraka’s Sharpedo left the stunned merc clinging to consciousness. One more stab from Sikari, and he was gone. The fight was far from over, though.
“There’s more of them coming down from the ridge,” Ace informed them as they regrouped.
“Great, another wave,” Gaster said dryly as he got in position and aimed down the sights of his rifle. “Let’s show ‘em the welcome wagon.” The former smuggler rested his finger on the trigger, ready to fire on whoever walked into his sights.
Ace tightly gripped the hilt of his laser sword and raised his shield as the squad of five mercenaries came into view. Gaster immediately opened fire beside him, dropping the guy in front and sending the others all scrambling for cover. A salvo of gunfire followed, but Ace deflected most of the shots with his shield, keeping his crewmates safe.
Taking advantage of the covering fire, the merc on the ground managed to escape into cover. He then threw a Pokeball into the corridor, releasing a Weezing. “Dym, Sludge Bomb!” the merc barked. Ace readied his shield as the Weezing spat out a blob of sludge at him, but he wasn’t fast enough to block it.
Ace’s crewmates were quick to come to his aid, commanding their Pokemon to attack. Gaster’s Parasect skittered up and sprayed out a Stun Spore cloud at the Weezing. While it was temporarily immobilized, Taraka’s Shapedo rocked toward it on a jet of water and sank his sharp teeth in for some serious damage.
“Blaze, Psybeam!” Ace then ordered his Delphox. The Fox Pokemon shot out a beam of psychic energy at the Weezing, stunning it again.
“Now, Lechew, use Ice Fang!” Taraka commanded. Jumping at the Weezing again, the Sharpedo clamped his jaws down around it and knocked it out.
“Alright, Blaze, move up and use Fire Spin! Flush them out!”
Blaze moved down the corridor to attack, drawing the fire of the mercs in the process. The Delphox flung the last of his Fox Fires at his attackers, then unleashed a vortex of fire on the Weezing’s trainer. The merc came running out of cover to avoid the rush of flames, but he was immediately caught in the psychic grasp of Sikari’s Malamar. He let out one last scream before the life was squeezed out of him.
“Here I come!” Ace shouted as he began to charge down the corridor. He raised his shield as the mercs all opened fire on him and deflected the shots away. One landed a glancing shot on his shoulder, but it pinged harmlessly off his armor plating. Ace then lunged with his sword at the nearest merc, gouging his body armor.
One of the mercs on his right fired on him, but Ace blocked with his shield. The other took the opportunity to knock the android back with the butt of his rifle, then sent out an Ursaring between them. The one on the right followed suit, releasing a Houndoom. The two in the back soon followed, releasing a Mightyena and another Ursaring.
“Izverg, Smog!” the Houndoom’s trainer ordered. The Pokemon ran toward Blaze and Lechew to attack, but Gaster fired at it and landed a couple shots, forcing its attack to miss. The Mightyena charged in after, but Gaster drove it off as well with another pair of well placed shots.
Ace, meanwhile, soon found himself pincered between the two Ursarings. He quickly brought up his shield as one lunged with an Ice Punch. Ice began to form over the surface of his shield as soon as the attack landed, but the heat it produced melted it away just as fast. The second Ursaring moved in on his flank, however, and he wasn’t able to move his shield fast enough to block.
“Now, Mega Punch!” the merc Ace wounded commanded his Ursaring. Thinking quickly, Ace ducked down and the bear’s arm wooshed over his head. He then raised his shield up over his head to block as the second Ursaring brough its claws down on him.
Tucking into a backwards roll, Ace evaded away from the hostile Pokemon, then brought his blade up as he sprang to his feet, cutting into the Ursaring on the left. The Pokemon let out an angry roar as it recoiled back.
“Lechew, use Night Slash!” Ace heard Taraka call out from behind him. On his right, the monk’s Sharpedo shot between the Houndoom and the Mightyena, cutting both down.
“Blaze, Flamethrower!” Ace then commanded his Delphox as he continued to retreat back from the two Ursarings. The Fox Pokemon spat out a jet of flame at the enemy Pokemon’s trainers, setting one of them aflame.
Meanwhile, Gaster recalled his Parasect and sent out his Typhlosion. “Rusty, use Smokescreen!” he yelled as his Pokemon emerged. Rusty began to spew out smoke from his mouth, soon filling the entire entryway to the wreckage.
Gunfire rang out in the ensuing chaos as the mercs attempted to find their targets. Ace’s advanced optical sensors allowed him to see them through the smoke as they attempted to fall back, firing wildly. The android blocked a few stray shots headed his way as he prepared to give chase.
One of the mercs suddenly dropped as Sikari’s Malamar unleashed his hypnotic power. The others fired back into smoke. The spray of gunfire mostly peppered the surrounding walls, but several shots managed to hit Blaze. The Delphox got off one last retaliatory shot of flames before succumbing to his injuries.
“Rusty, use Flame Charge!” Gaster commanded as he returned fire. Surrounded in flames, his Typhlosion charged out of the smoke, but the mercs and Ursarings all dodged out of the way.
“Lechew, use Slash!” Taraka then ordered his Sharpedo. The monk’s Pokemon shot out from the smoke and cut through one of the Ursarings and its trainer.
“Thrash!” the merc barked out in retaliation. The other Ursaring’s trainer ordered the same and the two bear Poekmon closed in on Lechew and tore into the Sharpedo with their powerful claws, taking him down.
While the two enemy Pokemon were focused on their target, Sikari’s Malamar moved up behind one of them. Turning from the downed Sharpedo, the Ursaring barely had a moment to react before the Malamar slashed into it with his tentacles. Roaring in rage, the bear swiped wildly at its assailant, but the Malamar floated out of its reach.
Gaster then fired down the corridor, spraying the mercs and their Pokemon with laser shots. The sustained fire dropped the injured Ursaring and gave Ace and Taraka the cover they needed to recall their own downed Pokemon and send out new ones.
“Let’s see what you’ve got, Wildfire!” Ace called out as he released the Charizard he recently acquired while back on Insipia. “Flamethrower!” he commanded, pointing out one of the mercs. With a mighty roar, the Charizard spit out a jet of flames at his target. The merc let out one last scream as he dropped.
Taraka, meanwhile, had sent out his Togekiss and sent her after some of the other mercs. “Sirius, use Dazzling Gleam!” the monk commanded. In a blinding flash, one more was taken down.
“Rusty, use Flame Charge!” Gaster then ordered his Typhlosion after the remaining merc. Sikari’s Malamar moved into assist as well, flanking from the other side.
The merc retreated back as he took hits from both sides, and Ace saw an opening. Sword raised, he charged in and lunged, running him through. “Wildfire, Fire Fang! Take out that Ursaring!” Ace commanded his Charizard as he drew back his blade. Wildfire moved in to engage and sank his flaming jaws into his target, finally taking it out.
“We did it,” Ace said, looking around and not seeing any more enemies.
“Not quite,” Sikari said, walking over to the merc her Malamar had hypnotized. “This one is starting to wake up.” She rolled him over with her foot to reveal that he was beginning to stir. Sikari then plunged her blade into his throat, killing him swiftly.
“Was that really necessary?” Ace asked as Sikari rose to her feet.
“We are fighting for survival here,” she answered. “So, yes, it was.”
“Fair enough,” Ace conceded. “Alright, let’s get ready in case more of them show up.”
Taraka stood on high alert, expecting the next attack to come at any moment. Ace’s Charizard stood guard at the entrance to the wreckage, his flame bathing the surrounding area in a flickering glow. As he gazed out into the night, Taraka began to notice some movement. He could make out several figures moving on the edge of the light.
“Heads up,” Taraka said, drawing his crewmates’ attention as the figures stepped out of the darkness.
Two of them Taraka recognized immediately. One was a large, muscular man with short blond hair wearing a bulky suit of armor, the other a woman with long dark brown hair. They had fought the former aboard the station in orbit above them, while the latter had escaped them back on Insipia. The two mercenary leaders, Sergei and Raisa, were flanked by four more of their men.
“Well, well, what do we have here?” Raisa asked tauntingly. “Gonna invite us to sit by your campfire?”
“Oh, shut up!” Gaster shouted back at her. “Rusty, use Toxic!”
Gaster’s Typhlosion ran out from the wreckage and spewed out toxic fumes at the mercenary leader. “How … rude,” she coughed out as she stumbled out of the fumes.
Raisa reached for a Pokeball on her belt and sent out her Lopunny, then raised her pistol and fired a salvo of shots at the Typhlosion, hitting him several times. “Barkhat, Power-Up Punch!” she then commanded her Pokemon. The Lopunny jumped at Rusty and struck hard, knocking him out instantly.
“That will teach you,” Raisa said, flashing a smirk. “Come on, brother. Let’s show our friends here how we do business.”
Sergei nodded. “Da.” He raised a hand and waved it in a forward motion. “Open fire.”
“Wildfire, Wing Attack!” Ace called out as the mercs began to fire. Dodging past the barrage, his Charizard flew at the Lopunny and slammed into it with the edge of his wing.
“Sirius, use Air Slash!” Taraka commanded his Togekiss to make a follow-up attack. As Sirius flew in to attack Raisa’s Lopunny, Sikari’s Malamar floated up as well and lashed out with psychic energy.
“Barkhat, Endure!” Raisa ordered her Pokemon in response to the incoming attacks. The Lopunny struck up a defensive stance as the two Pokemon made their attacks, and managed to weather the assault.
“What are you idiots doing?!” the mercenary leader then shouted. “Drive them back! Fire!”
The men under her command let loose another spray of gunfire at the Maverick crew’s Pokemon, but the three of them avoided every single shot.
“Can’t you hit anything?!” Sergei barked. He grabbed a Pokeball off his belt and sent out his Pinsir. “Or do we have to do this ourselves?”
Perhaps sensing their bosses’ frustrations, the mercs lowered their weapons and followed Sergei’s example by sending out Pokemon of their own: a Hitmontop, a Mandibuzz, a Garbodor, and a Claydol. In face of these new threats, Gaster recalled his downed Typhlosion and sent out his Vileplume, but they were still outnumbered.
“Captain, we could use some Pokemon backup out here!” Ace shouted as the mercs directed their Pokemon to attack.
“Watch out, Sirius!” Taraka called out as the Garbodor spat out a Sludge Bomb attack at his Togekiss. Sirius flew up and evaded the attack, but with so many enemies it was going to be hard to avoid all of them.
“Glina, Ancient Power!” the Claydol’s trainer commanded. The merc’s Pokemon launched its attack and landed a direct hit on Sirius. The powerful attack surely would have knocked the Togekiss if not for Taraka’s psionic barrier keeping her safe.
Meanwhile, the Mandibuzz hung back to build up power while the Hitmontop’s trainer commanded it to attack Ace’s Charizard. The Hitmontop spun across the ground at the Flame Pokemon, but was unable to land a hit. However, while the Charizard was distracted, Sergei charged at him and slammed into him with his shoulder.
“That’s how it’s done!” Sergei shouted. Then, pointing out the rest of the Maverick crew’s grouped up Pokemon, he commanded his Pinsir, “Khitin, Thrash!” The mercenary leader’s Pokemon flew right into the midst of the Malamar, Togekiss, and Vileplume, flailing wildly with its arms and pincers. Once again, Taraka’s barrier helped to mitigate the damage, but it still looked like it hurt a lot.
“Ficus, fall back!” Gaster commanded his Vileplume in response as the Pinsir continued to rage. Once she was at a safe distance, the former smuggler issued another order, “Use Stun Spore!” A cloud of spores erupted out from Ficus’s flower, surrounding the Garbodor and leaving it immobilized as they settled onto its body.
In the chaos, Taraka suddenly saw Raisa run over to her Lopunny and use a Full Restore on it. “Oh no you don’t,” the monk said, conjuring up a psionic flame in each hand. He flung the two wisps at the Romanov merc and her Pokemon, then commanded his Togekiss to attack, “Sirius, use Swift!” The flames made contact first, burning their targets, then the pair were immediately buffeted with a salvo of energy stars.
“Wildfire, Fire Blast!” Ace then ordered his Charizard. The Flame Pokemon spat out a five-pointed blast of fire at the injured Lopunny, but wasn’t enough to bring it down.
“Glina, Giga Impact!”
Suddenly, the Claydol launched itself at Wildfire. The two Pokemon collided and the Charizard slammed into the wall. He let out a last defiant growl before falling unconscious.
“Kosti, use Air Slash!” the Mandibuzz’s trainer then commanded. The Bone Vulture Pokemon flew overhead and shot a cutting burst of air down at Gaster’s Vileplume, taking her out as well.
“Volchok, Triple Kick!”
With the way clear, the Hitmontop spun down the corridor right at Taraka. Its legs flew out at the monk as it rotated, landing two strikes on the monk. It was about to land a third when it was suddenly flung against the wall by a blast of psychic energy from Sikari’s Malamar. Sikari nodded at Taraka, then activated her cloaking device and disappeared.
Just then, Cyrus’s Braviary emerged from the medbay and flew down the corridor. He let out a fierce cry as he moved to engage the enemy Pinsir. Under the cover the Braviary provided, Ace and Gaster recalled their downed Pokemon and sent out Cofagrigus and Volcarona, respectively.
Two of the mercs opened fire on the newly released Cofagrigus while the other two started shooting at Taraka himself. As he raised his rifle to return fire, Sergei charged him and attempted to grab him. Taraka managed to slip the large merc’s grasp, but Sergei reacted fast and struck him in the gut with his fist, knocking him against the wall.
“A little help here!” Taraka called out to his crewmates.
“I got you!” Gaster responded. He quickly shifted his aim and fired two shots at Sergei, allowing Taraka to retreat back and drink down a potion.
After he regained his composure, Taraka quickly surveyed the battlefield. The Pinsir continued to rage about and seemed to present the greatest threat, so that’s where the monk decided to focus. “Sirius, use Air Slash!” he commanded his Togekiss to attack. Flying past the raging bug Pokemon, Sirius shot out a blast of air at it, landing a solid hit.
“Alciel, use Quiver Dance, then hit it with a Fiery Dance!” Gaster then ordered his Volcarona. The Sun Pokemon began to flutter in a circular pattern, building up power, then unleashed it in a fiery explosion focused on the Pinsir. When the flames cleared, Sergei’s Pokemon was left lying on the floor, defeated.
With one of the two biggest threats dealt with, Taraka turned his focus to Raisa’s Lopunny. The scrappy Rabbit Pokemon was doing some serious damage to Ace’s Cofagrigus, but the burns that he had inflicted on it were certainly taking their toll. It landed one last kick on the Coffin Pokemon before collapsing from exhaustion.
Taraka felt a lot better about their odds now, but there were still a few merc Pokemon left to deal with. The Mandibuzz’s trainer commanded it to hang back again and build up more power, while the Garbodor’s ordered it to attack, “Musor, Toxic!” The Trash Heap Pokemon spat out a blob of toxic sludge at Gaster’s Volcarona, then dodged back with surprising grace as Sikari’s Malamar moved in to strike with his tentacles.
The mercs all proceeded to open fire, filling the corridor with a spray of gunfire. Ace charged forward and deflected most of it with his shield while Taraka managed to focus the last remnants of his psionic barrier to shield the Pokemon. Shots continued to fly, however, and they tore the barrier apart, landing several hits on Gaster’s Volcarona and Sikari’s Malamar.
Deflecting more shorts, Ace continued to press forward and draw more fire away. Making it to Sergei, he slashed with his sword, leaving a large gouge across the mercenary leader’s breastplate. Sergei threw a punch back, but Ace swiftly dodged to the side and knocked his arm away.
“Tombstone, Double Curse!” Ace commanded as he stepped back from his foe. Using up the last of her energy, the android’s Cofagrigus inflicted a curse upon Sergei and his sister.
Ignoring the curse now sapping her strength, Raisa jumped and flipped past the Maverick crew’s Pokemon and sprang up into the air. She landed hard on top of Sikari’s Malamar, knocking him out. Sikari moved to strike her from behind in retaliation, but the Garbodor moved into her path. The assassin dove at the obstruction with her psionic blade, and she was met with a blast of putrid sludge that sent her flying into the wall.
As the Garbodor turned to face Taraka next and the Claydol and Mandibuzz moved up beside it, the monk braced for the inevitable attack, but it didn’t come. Gaster fired a salvo of shots down the corridor, driving the Pokemon back and landing some hits on Sergei and one of his men too.
“Alciel, use Heat Wave!” Gaster then commanded. His Volcarona flew down the corridor, then erupted in a fireball that engulfed the Mandibuzz and the Claydol, completely knocking out the latter.
“Kosti, Air Slash!” the Mandibuzz’s trainer barked out in response. The Bone Vulture Pokemon fired a blast of air back at Alciel, but the Volcarona gracefully fluttered out of the way.
Quick on her feet, Sikari hopped back up and switched out her fainted Malamar for her Toxicroak and sent it after the Mandibuzz.
Meanwhile, Ace had moved back toward Taraka has Sergei advanced on him. Sergei seemed focused on his target, so Taraka saw an opening. “Sirius, use Dazzling Gleam!” he commanded his Togekiss. Sirius flew over beside her trainer and fired out a blast of light at Sergei.
“Argh,” the mercenary leader growled as he stumbled back from the attack.
Seizing the opportunity that Taraka had created, Ace lunged with his sword. The blade cut through Sergei’s armor along his side. With a grunt, the large, hulking man dropped to the ground.
Taraka grabbed his Togekiss and ducked into cover from the gunfire that followed as Ace covered his escape with his shield. Once he got to safety, Taraka channeled some healing energy into his Pokemon.
“Go get ‘em, girl,” he said as he released his grasp on Sirius and she flew back out into battle.
As Taraka peered back out into the fray, Raisa barked out a string of orders in Romanov. Two of the mercs laid down covering fire as the other two rushed in. Ace sent out his Persian as they advanced, and commanded the Pokemon to attack. The cat dove at one of them, knocking him off his feet. The other merc made it to Sergei and grabbed him by his armor, then began to drag him away while the two in the back kept him covered.
The merc was about halfway back down the corridor when Cyrus’s Braviary dove down from the sky at his squadmates covering him. The Valiant Pokemon tore into both with his talons, leaving the other mercs without cover.
“Alciel, use Fiery Dance!” Gaster commanded, taking advantage of the opportunity.
“Not so fast!” Raisa shouted the Volcarona moved up to attack. She charged the advancing Pokemon and leapt forward. She ducked into a roll, then sprang up into the air, slamming both feet into the Volcarona. The two hit the wall and Alciel fell to the ground, unconscious.
“Shit,” Gaster said, raising his rifle. He fired a few shots on the merc pulling Sergei before the others managed to drive off Cyrus’s Braviary and resume their covering fire. Gaster ducked back into cover as their gunfire flew in his direction, then sent out his Spiritomb.
The mercs seemed to be moving to retreat at this point, and ordered their Pokemon in to cover them and help out their comrade that Ace’s Persian was tearing into. The Mandibuzz fired off a Dark Pulse attack at Gaster’s Spiritomb, stunning Forbidden Pokemon, while the Garbodor’s trainer ordered it to cover Raisa. Sikari moved to attack it again, but it knocked her back.
“Sirius, use Swift!” Taraka commanded his Togekiss to assist. Sirius flew up above her targets and fired a barrage of energy stars down at Raisia and the Pokemon guarding her. Taraka then summoned two psionic flames and flung them at the pair, but the Garbodor swiped them away.
Raisa responded by unloading her pistols, landing several shots on Sirius and Sikari and narrowly missing Taraka. Then, with the Garbodor covering her exit, she jumped away and rolled into cover. “Fall back until reinforcements come!” the Romanov mercenary leader then called out to her men, who continued to retreat.
“Not if we stop you!” Ace shouted as he charged after the retreating mercs. “Prowl, Slash!” the android commanded his Persian. Prowl ran up alongside her trainer, taking down the trailing merc she had already wounded with her claws as she passed him.
Following Ace’s example, Taraka jumped out of cover and began to charge forward. However, the Garbodor stood in his way of reaching his crewmate. The Trash Heap Pokemon was distracted fighting Sikari, so Taraka paused and lined up a shot on the Garbodor with his tesla coil rifle. He fired and scored a direct hit that left it stunned and open to attack. Sikari immediately took advantage of this opening, and drove her blade into its gut.
The Garbodor reared back and let out a roar of pain. It seemed to be readying an attack so Taraka shot it again. The Pokemon grunted, then dropped. As it hit the ground, a cloud of noxious gasses erupted out of its body. The pressure wave crashed into Sikari and slammed her against the wrecked corridor wall. She then sank to the ground, coughing.
“Sorry!” Taraka called out. He hadn’t meant to do that.
“Go!” she coughed back at him.
Taraka nodded, then turned and began chasing after Ace as he pursued the fleeing mercs. As he charged, he fired off his rifle at the enemy combatants while his crewmates’ Pokemon moved in to attack. Sikari’s Toxicroak took down the Mandibuzz and Cyrus’s Braviary dove back down and finished off another of the mercs.
As the man dragging Sergei continued to move further away, Raisa and the other merc continued to lay down covering fire while they retreated as well. Gaster and Taraka returned fire, landing a few hits on them. Both then commanded their Pokemon to attack.
“Ereshkigal, use Dark Pulse!”
“Sirius, use Air Slash!”
Gaster’s Spiritomb fired a pulse of dark energy at the merc dragging Sergei, hitting him square in the chest and knocking him off his feet. Taraka’s Togekiss shot out a blast of air at Raisa, but the nimble merc ducked into a roll and dodged the attack.
Ace moved to block Raisa’s escape and the last remaining merc under her command aimed his rifle at him to cover her. Before the man could fire, however, Cyrus’s Braviary dive-bombed him and took him down. With the path clear, Ace lunged at Raisa with his sword, but she was faster. She rolled out of the way as he brought the blade down, then sprang onto her feet. She jumped up and, kicking off his shoulder, bounded over Ace and landed on the other side of him
“Better luck next time,” Raisa taunted, raising her pistol. “But you’re outnumbered now.”
As she spoke, a considerable force of mercs appeared over the sand dunes. A gunship rose up behind them, its chaingun barrels spinning up. Taraka felt his heart sink at the sight.
Just when all hope seemed lost, the gunship suddenly exploded, raining debris down on the mercs. Simon’s ship soared overhead, sending out several small dropships. Paladins repelled down from the ships and the whole area erupted into gunfire.
They were saved.
The sound of ballistics, lasers, shouts, and Pokemon cries filled the air as the two mercenary groups clashed. Taraka could see Raisa dragging her brother off in the chaos, and raised his rifle to fire, but he couldn’t get a clear shot.
Taraka lowered his weapon and recalled his Togekiss. He turned to his crewmates and said, “Let’s get to safety.”
Notes: This was a fun time. Aside from a tiny sliver that was included in the previous chapter and the last few moments at the end of the session, this chapter covers the entirety of the events of session 67. I played around with some interesting ideas here but it made for a long session. As soon as I decided that I was going to crash the ship, I knew I wanted to include a holdout mission where the players would need to fight off increasingly difficult waves of enemies. After getting past some opening RP, which I expanded upon a bit for the writing, it was on to the encounter.
For the first wave, I wanted to start slow with some wild Pokemon. Just for the heck of it, I let them roll for rarity as usual for wild encounters. They ended up rolling really well so I quickly threw together some special shiny desert Drapions with a unique ability that made sense for the environment. In the session, Ace actually came out to help here, but quickly went back inside after sending a Pokemon out when it seemed things were under control. For the sake of trimming things down a bit, I cut that out entirely and just had Gaster and Taraka handle things. I thought it made sense for Ace to just keep working on the generator unless there was a major threat.
Before the next wave there was a little bit of RP, which I expanded with some extra interactions to make it all flow. Mostly it was Gaster scouting things out and setting up an ambush with everyone for the first real wave. This wave was just some mercs and was no real issue for them. I decided to write this one from Gaster’s perspective as it worked nicely as one scene with him scouting the enemy ahead of it. Plus it was shorter and Gaster was the perspective character for the wild Pokemon wave as well. I wanted to use a different perspective character for each main wave so breaking it down this way made sense.
The next wave was even more mercs, and this time they used Pokemon as well. I decided to use Ace as the perspective character here since he did some cool stuff. There were a couple small things I noticed when writing this part. I don’t remember if I accidentally missed it during the session itself or if I missed it when listening back or what happened exactly since it’s been so long, but there was no mention of the merc Wezing going down during the fight. It just disappeared from the outline. So I worked that in at a point that made sense. Another thing was that Clarissa accidentally used a fourth instance of Delphox’s Fox Fire ability which gives three free uses of Ember. It was easy to correct for that in the writing, especially since I trimmed down the end of the wave a bit to keep the chapter from getting too long.
The final wave brought back the two merc boss characters I had introduced for this arc on top of merc minions. Their builds were fun so it was nice to get some more use out of them, and fighting both together was a good step up in difficulty from their individual fights as well as from the previous waves of this encounter. Taraka got this wave since I felt like he shined during it. Of course, it was not without issues either. Lopunny should have gotten a turn after using Endure, but I forgot it was a free action so I skipped its turn. It was still a great fight, and I kept them on their toes by teasing an even bigger wave after it seemed like they won. There was no wave planned, though, as this was just to set up for Simon’s timely arrival! Overall, I really enjoyed this encounter and I think the chapter turned out great.
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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