Rain and Thunder

"Let's get this show on the road, shall we?"

He grabbed a Pokeball from his back pocket as he spoke, its unique features being illuminated by the summer sun.

With a gentle toss, a giant ball of brilliance coated everything within a 10-meter radius.

Bzz

A heavy aura descended upon the forest, as if a tiger descending its mountain, a furious bellow that shook the trees as if a king claiming dominance over all life. A massive serpent, black and white in appearance, coiled in on itself, its sharp diamond-like teeth refracting the light cast down upon it.

"Use rain dance," a simple command, yet the result was far from small. Giant waves stirred in the sky as the once sparse clouds amassed together like cotton candy. A whirlpool in the sky, a giant stain of ink upon an empty canvas, the sunlight was obscured and blocked out. the once brightly lit forest was now a dark and sinister wasteland.

Fleeting shadows danced throw the trees as they ran for cover, the anxious cries of mothers looking for their young as they rushed away.

Rex turned towards the camp once more, vaguely spotting the retreating figures of several guards as they rushed for cover.

***

"Hey, what do you think of this year's league competition?" A man wearing a balaclava asked as he lit a cigarette, slightly twisting his body for a better position as he exhaled a plume of smoke from his mouth with a comfortable "ahh".

"They're alright, I guess. They have some good seedlings this year. But they'll end up in that special recruit program the league set up anyway. I pity those kids. I had the great displeasure of meeting the final product… and man… *sigh* bunch of emotionless machines, I tell you."

"Really, I simply heard that most of them are that way due to the nature of the missions they are assigned. You know, assassination, counter-espionage and all that. But you're saying it's from the training? Damn…"

There was a brief silence as both parties simply sat against the wall of the armoury, guns beside them as they sneakily smoked.

"Hey, did you hear about the new drill sergeant?" asked the masked smoker as he dipped his fingers into the flickering flame on the lit lighter.

"No, what's the scoop?"

"They say he's a real tough guy, used to be a league 'special agent' heh!" The flame illuminated his uncovered eyes, full of derision.

"Oh great, just what we need." The other man complained as he exaggeratedly kicked a pebble by his feet, causing him to swing his gun into the air. "Another drill sergeant who thinks he's still in the special forces."

The masked man hummed in agreement as he puffed out another cloud of smoke, "I heard he's been giving the new recruits a real hard time. Making them do push-ups in the mud and all that."

"Please, that's nothing. I remember when my drill sergeant made us do push-ups on a bed of hot coals."

"*sudden coughing* You're kidding me, right?. That's not even safe." The masked man said in disbelief as wiped the spit from the corner of his mouth.

"Safe? This is the military; safety is for wimps. But I'll tell you one thing, I never burned my chest hair again."

The masked man grinned, "Ha! I'm just glad I'm not a new recruit anymore. I don't think my body could handle that kind of punishment." A look of reminiscence dawned upon him.

"Yeah, me too. But let's just hope this new drill sergeant isn't too much of a hard ass. I don't want to be doing push-ups until I'm 50."

"I hear ya. But in the meantime, let's just keep our heads down and do our job." The lit flame wavered unsteadily as a sudden gust of wind swept over the two men.

"Sounds like a plan. Now let's go check on that new fence they put up. I heard it's escape-proof." The other man said mockingly as he gazed towards the newly built fence.

"Escape-proof? That's a laugh. I bet a determined rattata could find a way over that thing."

"Ha! Well, better safe than sorry, I suppose."

A begrudging sigh escaped their mouths as they waddled over to the newly built fence, not a hit of vigilance on them.

Pata Pata Pata papapapapapapa

A sudden downpour caught the two guards unaware, quickly becoming drenched as a violent storm took form above their heads.

"Fuck me, as if this day couldn't get worse, now we have this rain to deal with."

"Quit complaining and finish inspecting the wall! Otherwise, if we get caught doing a bad job, it's our asses on the line."

The masked man grunted at his friend's words, kicking the fence angrily as he stared up at the murky sky.

"What do you think those nerds are doing in that mountain? I heard that some spelunkers found something incredible down there."

"…"

"Hey, did you hear me?" the masked man asked as he lowered his head towards his friend. Yet his vision suddenly darkened as a massive fist collided with his face, sending him shooting back into the wall of a container, causing it to deform slightly.

Lightning crackled, lighting up the dark edges of the compound among the fog and rain.

And if one looked carefully, amidst the two unconscious men, a massive 4-armed Pokemon towered over the surroundings, its purple eyes glowing in the darkness. Beside him, a white-haired youth with a relaxed expression stepped over one of them and continued on his way. the occasional squelch of someone stepping on mud being the only sound amidst the endless thunder.