Chapter Thirty One

The sun was well into setting as Macro and Anchor skulked by the orchard. Macro had resorted to hiding himself inside a razz berry bush, and much to his irritation the tiny thorns kept catching in his fur and the leaves clung to his sticky scarf.

"Can you hear anything?" he asked.

Anchor grunted. "Yeh. You."

Macro tutted and turned his violet eyes back onto the iron gate. There was no sign of grass pokemon beyond it. They'd long since retired to their tents, hidden out of sight. Or maybe they'd left Cyan City. If they'd left... then that meant they'd took the children with them.

The mawile pushed himself out of the bush and plucked thorns from his thick fur. He never took his eyes off the gate. Slowly he crept towards it, and the bush behind him rustled as Anchor climbed out from it. Macro threw his back up against the wall and drew his laser. He didn't know if he'd need it, but having it ready would save vital time. And lives.

He strained his ears, but not a whisper came from beyond the wall. Carefully, he edged closer to the gate. The branches were motionless, but in the rapidly dimming light he could see a lone caterpillar pokemon - a caterpie or a sewaddle going off the colour - dozing amongst the lush leaves of a sitrus tree. So they slept? It made sense, given DL's need to sleep. But he hadn't expected it. He'd expected a horde of ravenous, untiring, empty caterpillars munching their way through Cyan City's food supply. He didn't even know if they could evolve. If they could, the consequences could be disastrous.

He turned his eyes back onto the orchard, searching frantically for any sign of the grass army amongst the shrubs and trees.

Nothing.

"Can't see a thing in this light," he snorted.

"Yeh," said Anchor quietly. "It would be a lot easier if I'd remembered my heat tracker."

"You don't have it?" Macro saw Anchor shake his head. The mawile rolled his eyes. "Moron."

Something warm fell on his shoulder and his mouth flew open, releasing an involuntary scream. It echoed around the square and his eyes flew to his assailant.

Lossy stood stock still behind him, her black eyes impossibly wide. Her sleek fur bristled like a brush and she stared at him, her breath coming in quick bursts.

Anchor stood behind her, his eyes and ears trained on the orchard. Macro followed his gaze while trying to calm his racing heart.

Silence.

Where was the grass army?

"I'm sorry," Lossy whispered. "I... wanted to know if you wanted... somewhere to sleep."

Macro slapped his paw into his face and groaned. This dewott was going to be the death of him.

Sleep wasn't a bad idea, but if the grass army was sleeping then now was a good time to sneak into their camp and rescue the twins.

He rounded on the dewott and flashed his canines.

"I don't want sleep," he hissed. "Now let me do my job."

She snatched her paw back and clutched it to her chest. With a curt nod, she took a step away from him, and her eyes flitted to the orchard.

"And go home," Macro added as he turned back to the gate. "I don't want you slowing me down by getting yourself caught."

"I can't," she said. "It feels so..."

She glanced over her shoulder at the apartment blocks and her eyes welled with tears.

Macro sighed and shook his head. "Fine. Then stay hidden somewhere. Sleep in a bush or something."

He turned to the gate and reached into his pouch for his lock pick. Another scan of the orchard beyond confirmed there were no nearby grass types. His pick flew expertly into the lock and within seconds it flicked open with a loud snap. The gate creaked open on its hinges under his paws, creating an ear-splitting screech that made him freeze in his tracks.

The caterpillar pokemon nearby raised its head and looked around. Macro braced himself for the wretched thing to let off an alarm, but instead it moved towards the nearest sitrus berry like a magnet to metal.

He let out the breath he'd been holding and squirmed through the narrow gap the gate had left him. Then he shot into the nearest bush like a dart.

Silence.

The orchard was oddly silent, almost eerie. Nothing but a slight breeze could be heard, rustling through the branches of the trees and stirring the leaves. The rustling sounded like the flapping of hundreds of wings, and each gust sent a chill down Macro's spine. He leapt as the gate creaked open to allow Anchor inside. The granbull's pink body was visible through the bush's branches, but he didn't join Macro in the bush. Instead he skulked beside it, sniffing the air. Macro could tell by the way he was snuffling that he'd picked up on something.

He reached for his laser and his arm brushed across cool, damp leaves and they shifted beneath his touch. He froze and looked down at his right, his breath still in his throat. What he'd dismissed as wind became more apparent that it was the soft, deep breathing of a sleeping pokemon. Almost invisible amid the foliage, the sleeping ivysaur's ribs rose and fell with each deep breath.

Macro didn't know much about grass type pokemon. Some were definitely nocturnal, such as oddish. But most needed to photosynthesise as well as consume berries. With no sun to warm their leaves and, in the case of the ivysaur, blood, then it would be unlikely that they'd be awake. If he was correct, then that explained the leafy reptile's hiding.

Macro took a deep, steadying breath and reversed out of the bush, not taking his eyes off the ivysaur. As his feet touched soft grass, he finally let out the breath and looked up at Anchor. The granbull raised an eyebrow at him then turned back to the orchard. Macro swallowed dryly and trotted around the bush to join his side, keeping a paw clasped over the butt of his laser.

"There's an ivysaur in that bush," he whispered.

Anchor looked down at him with a start, then over at the bush his captain had just scurried from. His nose twitched again as he sniffed the air, then he scratched it with a broad claw.

"It makes me wonder how many are left here," Macro whispered as he looked up at the branches. "Because this orchard was teaming with grass types earlier on."

His heart pounded. Any one of those bushes or shrubs could be attached to an unsuspecting and invisible pokemon. He was fortunate enough he only ran into an occupied berry bush. If he'd taken up refuge in a tangrowth's vines, he'd be crushed half to death by now.

He tapped Anchor with the barrel of his gun. "Let's find those twins."

Soft grass rustled beneath their paws as they pressed their way through the orchard. Macro paused beside each bush, carefully analyzing it before pulling aside the branches. Every one he checked was nothing more than a razz or bluk berry bush, but most of them contained one or two sleeping pokemon. Mostly chikorita and bayleaf. One bush even contained a leafeon.

He paused beside a massive orchid to check it for any small, sneaky grass types and his breath caught in his throat as his eyes trailed up it. It was no flower. Closer inspection revealed it to be bug-like, but it was also no bug. Long, petal-like limbs folded neatly over equally petal-like legs. Yet he knew full well those 'petal-like limbs' were as deadly as a scyther's scythes. The lurantis slept soundly, its antennae twitching at every sound. He desperately hoped it wouldn't wake up. He had nothing in his arsenal to deal with grass pokemon, let alone something as volatile as a lurantis.

Anchor ushered him on with a paw on his back and Macro tore himself away from the dangerous grass pokemon. Every step felt like he was treading on egg shells. Three tiny cherubi sat huddled beneath a cheri tree. Clever. Very clever. Beside the cheri tree slept the torterra he'd seen earlier. In its branches lay a roselia, while a tropius slept beneath it. How had he missed all this from outside the orchard? Now he knew they were there, they were as clear as day.

Almost half way around the orchard, and he'd seen no sign of the oshawott twins. No sign of a tent. He bit back the urge to call out for them. That would be suicide, and would likely also result in the death of those kids.

The two pirates froze as something caught their eye. Movement to their left. Beside a tangled bush Macro guessed to be a tangela sat two squat pokemon. An oddish and a gloom. Both were deeply involved in a game of chess. Each piece was lit up green as they floated over the holoscreen of a pocket computer. Macro tutted under his breath. The night watch. It had been too easy to skulk about the orchard unseen. If those two were awake, then they were probably guarding something. The twins? He could hope so. But with the size of their army, he couldn't exactly go in guns blazing.

He nodded to Anchor and trotted towards the shadows of a tree, carefully checking they were vacant first. A quick survey of the branches confirmed their safety and he pressed his back against it while keeping one eye on the oddish and gloom.

Anchor joined his side and folded his arms as he frowned at the two pokemon.

"Any ideas?" he asked Macro quietly. "'Cos we've dealt with large armies before, but nothing to this scale."

Macro bit his lip. "I'll be honest... I'm seriously rethinking my method."

Anchor jerked his head to look down at him. "You are?"

"We can't deal with this alone," said Macro. "You've seen the size of them. They're perfectly camouflaged."

"They wake up, they'll be sluggish," said Anchor.

"Sluggish or not, one stun spore and we're easy prey."

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

Macro sighed and threw a paw in the air. "Message Matrix. See if he has any ideas. Failing that..."

He trailed off, watching the two pokemon playing chess. Surrounded on all sides by a grass army he felt helpless. He could only remember two occasions he'd felt helpless. One, he was puny kid surrounded by a squad of dragon type pirates, desperate to defend his friend. The other... he hated even thinking about it.

No... he wasn't a helpless kid anymore. But those two oshawott were.

He took a step forward, reaching for his second gun. But before his paw reached it, something snaked its way around his wrist and up his arm. His eyes snapped to it, but the green tentacle wormed its way around his chest and tightened before it reached his throat. He turned to reach out to Anchor, but his paw faltered. The granbull was surrounded by green tentacles, leaving only his legs and eyes visible. The owner sat atop his head, its large green mouth spread in a grin peppered with long, green, bristle-like teeth.

A carnivine.

Macro's violet eyes narrowed into a leer.

The fly trap pokemon pulled him in towards him, slamming his back hard into the tree. A low purr came from deep within his throat and he moved his maw closer to the two pirates.

"You two have a fine set of sharp teeth," he said as he wrapped his vine around Macro's muzzle. "Now tell me. Is it just me, or should all water type pokemon be treated as water dwellers? I mean... they're the same, right? They need water to survive. Much more so than we do. And we've all gotta eat, so I say we just farm those berry-loving suckers."

The carnivine's words pushed bile up into Macro's throat and it took everything in his power to not bite down hard on his slimy vine.

"You agree with me, right?" The carnivine's voice was laced with venom. "Because why else would a pair of fairy type space pirates be skulking around a berry orchard in Cyan City? Certainly not intervening with Luma City's plans, no, no, of course not. That would be... really... very... foolish." With every final word, his vines tightened, crushing his prey.

The carnivine's breath stunk of rotting meat. Macro feared he would be sick. He wriggled one of his paws to rotate his laser and pressed the trigger. Whatever laser was set didn't matter. It would be enough to startle the carnivine so they could break free of its wretched, strangling grip.

A flash of green sent Macro's heart plummeting. Grass. It was enough to sear the fly trap's dangling vines. Enough for his grip to loosen and for Anchor to break free. But Macro was snatched back into the carnivine's body to be entangled in a death grip. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of red as Anchor's canines lit up, but it went unnoticed by the grass pokemon. However, the flames only flickered briefly. A reflex. Anchor knew full well if he hit the carnivine with a fire attack it would harm his ally.

"So you are here to meddle in our plans," the carnivine hissed. "Well..." He paused to sniff Macro's head and chuckled. "Let's just say that little Hunter has become the hunted."

Anchor smashed his gauntlets together in a shower of sparks. The sound drowned out anything he said before he raised his fist and brought it down onto the carnivine's jaws. Acid leaked from his needle-like teeth and splattered over Macro's fur, acting as a conductor to carry the sparks over his own body.

The mawile tugged the stunned vines free and staggered from his grip. His entire body tingled as electricity coursed through him and he struggled to catch his breath. Each one came in a raspy burst and he rubbed a paw over his scar to try and get some feeling back in his face.

Anchor lunged past him, snapping his canines down onto the carnivine in a torrent of flames. The orchard lit up red and orange for a brief second before the flames fizzled out.

The carnivine lay in a heap of sparking, smoldering vines, each one twitching like a sack full of rattata kits.

"I think..." Macro's voice croaked and he cleared his throat. "I think I'm gonna stick with what I said earli-"

A cloud of dust engulfed him, choking off his sentence, and he collapsed to the floor. His eyes remained open long enough to see the oddish rush Anchor, only to be met with his sparking gauntlet and sent rolling through the sky like a shuttlecock.

...

Wallpaper peeled off the wall, blackening in the intense heat. Hot flames licked at Macro's fur and thick, black smoke curled up and filled his senses. His body shook as he choked, forcing himself to his feet. There wasn't a drop of moisture in the small room. Even his mouth felt bone dry, and his eyes stung. But somewhere, there was sobbing. A child... trapped in the deadly flames.

The only door sat beyond the ring of fire, as black as the heavy smoke. His only option was the window. Somehow, the ring of flames hadn't reached it. It was as if they were being held back by some invisible force.

He made a beeline for it, but before his paws touched the window sill, that sobbing intensified into a panicked screech.

Of course... the twins!

He snapped his head around to focus on it. Beyond the flames, he saw a movement. Someone sat huddled in the corner, small and pale. As they looked up, they fixed a pair of chocolate eyes on his.

No...

He pushed himself back from the window, searching the room for a way through. There was no way he was leaving her.

The antennae behind the pachirisu's ear began to flash between blue and orange and her paw flopped onto the dry ground. One word flew from her mouth, sounding oddly warped.

"Jump."

He stood watching her. Watching as the antennae blinked from orange to red and those chocolate eyes slowly closed. He shook his head, bracing himself to run through the flames. There was no way he was leaving her. She wasn't going to die in this furnace. But his feet fought to move forwards as something pulled him towards the window.

He turned to face it, to fight back, but light blinded him. A strange, soothing light. The heat from the flames cooled as they were forced back, and he felt himself dragged from the window.

Green grass rushed up to greet him, faster and faster. It spread out like a mattress, curling and coiling into a fluffy green cloud.

Macro sat bolt upright, launching the suffocating duvet across the bed. His heart was racing and he looked around the tiny room. No flames. No grass. No blinding light. But once again, that odd sun-like dazzle spot occupied his vision, distorting the blue cheri blossom wallpaper.

His duvet shifted and he snapped back to it, reaching for his laser. It fell away from its heap to reveal Anchor's surprised face, and he looked at Macro with a twinkle of amusement.

"Aren't you too old for night terrors, Cap'n? 'Cos I always thought pokemon grew out of them as they got older."

Macro rubbed the base of his horn and frowned. "I don't have night terrors."

"Well, it were somethin' nasty." Anchor folded the duvet back onto the bed. "You were screamin' DL's name before you woke up."

Macro's face heated up and he diverted his gaze to the closed door. His paw absently rubbed at his arm. Despite the dry heat in his dream, his fur was sopping wet. His heart was also still racing.

He turned back to Anchor and cleared his throat. "What happened? Where are we?"

"You got doused with spore and it put you into a right deep sleep." Anchor retrieved the magazine he was reading which Macro noted was about orchard care. "After I wiped the floor with those two night watchers I carried you back to Lossy's apartment, since you were in no fit state to fight."

Macro frowned and his claws wound into the bed sheet. "We were in a berry orchard! Just force a chesto berry down my throat!"

Anchor snorted and looked up at him. "Can't say the idea didn't cross my mind, but what was to stop them tossing another spore our way? Grass types are tricky, Cap'n. You were right. We need more pokemon to take them down and rescue the kids. Hopefully that oddish and gloom don't rat us out, but that's a golden dream right there. Those twins could already be in trouble, especially if they think they're what we were after."

Macro muttered under his breath and slipped from the bed. A flicker of light caught his eye and he span towards the window. Light blue curtains billowed in the gentle breeze.

"It's daylight?!" He turned on the spot to face Anchor.

"Aye," said the granbull without looking up from whatever article he was reading. "You slept the entire night."

"Why couldn't you have woken me?!"

"Spore." Anchor shrugged. "Besides. I think you needed the sleep, if I'm honest. Not to mention we need a plan."

Macro sighed and closed his eyes. Of course. They did need a plan. Two lone space pirates running into an army camp guns blazing was the epitome of a suicide mission.

Unfortunately, he didn't know enough pokemon who would be willing to help him.

The door opened and Lossy stood in the corridor rubbing her paws together. Her face was pale beneath her white fur and her eyes were bloodshot.

"There's been another incident," she said. "Cyan City's army have apprehended a fire type pokemon. It looks like... the grass army might have formed an alliance."

"Unlikely," said Macro. "You might have just found a stray. The three of you are at war, after all."

She shook her head. "I don't know. They found the talonflame flying over the orchard where you found that caterpie."

Macro's eyes widened and Anchor dropped his magazine.

"Talonflame?" they asked in unison.

"Yes," she said. "They're holding him in the cells. What are we going to do?"

Macro exchanged glances with Anchor and the granbull stood up.

"You think it's Switch?" Anchor asked.

"If it is," said Macro, "I'm gonna kick his feathered tush all the way back to Wildcard Gamma."

He made for the door and Lossy stood aside to let him past.

"You might know him?" she gasped.

He looked back over his shoulder. "There's a fair chance I do. And if it's who I think it is, he's meant to be recovering on my ship. Did they say if he was injured?"

"Yes, but they think it was from their battle."

"That cinches it then." Macro waved a paw at her and marched down the corridor. "I'm gonna go get him. Where's this holding place?"

"At the police station," she said. "But erm..."

He paused and his ears twitched as she sniffed a couple of times.

"I think," she said slowly, "that you should have a little shower first."

He looked down at his fur, still damp from his nightmare. His drying fur was definitely beginning to let off quite the doggy smell. With a sigh, he turned into the bathroom.