The deep snow crunched beneath the feet of the two agents of righteousness as they worked their way towards the warehouses down by the docks of the city. Snow was starting to build up in the late hours and moving treading around was starting to become a problem. The snow hadn't improved any since Laundry had arrived and he was beginning to wonder if this snowstorm would ever die down. It's as if its only mission was to cover the world in a thick white blanket to suffocate it.
The docks were close though. Laundry could smell the salty brine in the air. The warehouses were lit by the dim streetlamps just feet ahead of them. Thankfully, a snowplow had been going since early in the evening, leaving the lanes fresh, clean, and mostly without snow. He stumbled through the snow drifts to the plowed pavement and started to look around. The cluster of warehouses in his site was empty, quiet except for the low rumbles of the plow a block or so down and the soft whistle of the wintery winds. His eyes darted amongst the warehouse fronts, trying to locate the one he sought. He knew the number--846--but he had no idea which of the group it was.
"Hey kid," the police officer said behind him, panting for breath. "Yer lookin' for that one." He pointed at the one on the street's left, at the far end. "I reckon you won't be needin' me anymore?"
"Nah, I'm good. Thanks for your help," Laundry said. The police officer bid his good-bye, turned, and left.
Laundry ran to the end of the street and stood at the entrance to the warehouse. He needed to prepare himself for whatever was inside. He had no idea how many enemy grunts currently inhabited the building or how strong of Pokemon they had. He could even be walking into a trap, though he doubted that. Still, he figured that he could take on whatever lay waiting ahead. Working up his confidence, he approached the door and tried the handle. Naturally, it didn't budge. They were smart enough to use a key. Laundry backed away from the door and thought of what to do next.
The agent then rounded to one side of the building. These warehouses were built with enough of a gap that a small alleyway existed between the two buildings. On one side, nothing of merit existed. The windows on the building were too high for Laundry to pull himself up to the ledge; however, the other side had a few crates stacked up against the wall. Laundry began to climb them, shooting a glance at the windows here and there. He saw nothing suspicious, but he was trying to see if they were unlocked. Once he reached the top of the crates, he leaned over and tried the window.
Jackpot.
Laundry slid his head through the opening that the window allowed him and started to look around. He saw no one coming down the road but he heard music from some point. He guessed there weren't more than 10 people in here and he figured that was a huge overestimation. He looked below the window to see where he'd be landing. A small walkway had been constructed below the window. Laundry then pulled himself through the opening and landed as softly as he could. He paused for a few minutes, listening for footsteps amongst the jazzy notes but he heard nothing. Laundry then proceeded to climb over the side onto a group of crates piled next to the walkway and worked his way down onto the floor below. Decent enough hiding spot, he figured.
Once in safety, he looked at his selection of Pokemon. He wanted to pick Blaziken here but he needed something a bit more stealthy than the Speed Boost Chicken. He didn't want to bring down the hammer just yet. He didn't have a reason to move just yet. He had a Gardevoir here but that really wouldn't help in this situation. He did bring along one Pokemon as a third option for situations exactly like these though. Laundry pulled out another ball and opened it. A Crobat flew out and landed on Laundry's head.
"Alright, here's what we're gonna do," Laundry whispered to his Pokemon. "I want you to fly up as quietly as possible and look at the number of people. Once you do that, come down here and blink your eyes for as many people as you see." Laundry's Crobat gave a curt nod as best as a creature with no real neck could, and then shot up in the air. Laundry waited a few seconds...
"What was that?"
****.
"Crobat, come back!" Laundry yelled, aiming the Pokeball at the flying bat. A red light shot out from the center of the sphere, recalling his Pokemon into its confines. He then pulled out another one and opened it. Blaziken popped out of his Pokeball and gave his trainer a solemn gaze.
"Come out here from behind the box, kid!"
Laundry gave his Blaziken a curt nod.
"I mean it! Now, before we come back the-OOF!"
Blaziken had took it upon himself to introduce the criminal to one of his crates. He now lay on the floor, passed out from the magnitude of the experience. The crate had also toppled to the ground and was spilling out onto the floor its contents: pokeballs. Hundreds of them emptied from the crate onto the ground. Laundry didn't budge from his spot. The rest of the criminals surrounded him, calling out their Pokemon from their Pokeballs.
"Gotcha now, kid!"
"Good job, you surrounded me. But since you *******es seem to have let it slip your mind, you haven't caught me yet. Get 'em, Pojo," Laundry said. Blaziken kicked another box along the floor at them, making their Pokemon scatter. In the confusion, Blaziken found another crate, lifted it, and kicked it at them. The remaining three partners got out of the way in time and both crates collided into another tower of them, knocking over all the boxes. One of the criminals got caught in the avalanche of wood and balls, getting knocked out in the process.
Problem is, they blew all of their cover in the process. But, a 1v2 wasn't so impossible in this situation.
"Alright Pojo, this should be easy. Blaze Kick!" Laundry yelled. His Blaziken responded by punting the second KOed trainer's Pokemon across the warehouse. It landed with a thud against the back wall and slid down as well. The other two trainers backed up, letting their sudden fear show. Their Pokemon matched their movement, one of them (a Bibarel) letting out an audible gulp. Laundry smirked. Right where he wanted them.
---
Ryker slid out of his car and stumbled across the ground. That did more to his body than he had anticipated but he wasn't about to show that. He grit his teeth, stood up amonst the pain and walked over to their spun-out vehicle. THE METAGAME had been recalled to his pokeball already to recover his wounds. Ryker would have to go with another one of his special members of team Dai-Raika. He called out his ace in the hole: Gastrodon (Westside of course). He then proceed to drag both of the criminals that were in the other car out of the wreckage and toss them on the ground. His Gastrodon slid up next to them, prepared to freeze them in place, should he need to.
"Thought you gave me the slip, didn't ya?" Ryker said, leaning over. "Now what'd you do with the professor?"
"H-he's in the backseat!" whimpered one of the criminals. Ryker got up and looked in the back seat. Miraculously, the old man was tied and gagged in the backseat, mostly unharmed save for a slight trickle of blood running down his head.
"Holy ****, gramps!" Ryker said as he pulled the old man from the back. Oak was quickly freed from his bonds. The old man stood up from the ground. He reached up to his head and wiped the blood off, then let off a sigh. He then turned to the two criminals on the ground.
"You were close!" he said, taunting them with some obnoxious voice that he put on. Ryker had a sudden worry he had caused the professor to have amnesia.
---
Dark Horse, Arcanine, Town Bloodhound has been killed!
Day 4 begins! Deadline is Thursday, June 21st at 11:59 PM EST!
