Chapter 9

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Me and my friends took party crashing to a whole new level.

We had escaped the cage, climbed up it's support chain, ran along the branches, and shimmied down the chandelier. Vobeat and Illumise slept soundly around our feet, and I barley managed to step over a sleeping bug's antennae.

The party went on below us, and I could spot a large leafy throne with a smaller one beside it, where Serperiour and Snivy sat, overlooking the dancing and chatting of the other guests. A slow song was being played by the band, and some Pokemon were swaying to the tune.

"Ah, Meloletta's Sonnet." Pidgey sighed, then frowned, "But the bass player missed his cue."

Zoura rolled his eyes, "Well when this is all over, you can go waltz into the sunset with a hot chick on your arm, but for now, let's stick to reality."

Ace snickered, "Burn."

"I don't see Snivy." Kip whimpered.

"There!" Charmander pointed at the throne. Serperiour was lounging on the chair and talking animatedly to Snivy, who was curled up on the smaller throne, looking bored out of her mind with a small gold chain emerald crown on her head.

"So how we gonna do this? Aw, gosh I can't believe I'm seeing the original Freedom Fighters in action!" Psyduck gushed.

"You mean us winging a high stakes mission while cracking jokes and nearly dying every ten seconds? Then you've got quite a show in store!" Zoura said, chipper as usual.

Psyduck looked shocked, "You mean you never had a plan? All those crazy adventures were made up as you went along? How did you make it out of there alive!?"

Charmander shrugged, "It's a gift."

"Put a sock in it air heads! We need to come up with a plan to get Snivy." I snapped.

Creaaaakkk-shrk!

The chandelier lurched to the side and dropped a few feet, making us stumble and grab new handholds.

"Uh, what's the weight limit on this thing?" Zoura asked, scrabbling at a branch as the bugs around his feet buzzed, waking up.

"I'm no Pidgey, but I'd say less than us!" Kip squeaked, and the vine holding the chandelier snapped again, leaving us hanging by a thread. The Bug Pokemon in front of me opened its eyes and glared at me.

"Help us!" I blurted. Diplomacy wasn't my strong suit, but these bugs might listen to reason.

"Intruderzzzzz come to bargain with uszzzz." Illumise droned in its buzzing voice. The others echoed its voice, rising up angrily.

I finally noticed the metal shackles attaching each bug's leg to the chandelier. They were prisoners! "We'll set you free!" I yelled, more vine fibers snapping.

"Free?" The Pokemon inquired, eyes wide. The bug's buzzing grew louder as more echoed his question.

"Free?" "Free?!" "Free!" The voices began to take up the call, chanting and straining against their shackles.

"Help us and you've got a deal." I gasped, paws slipping.

"You can all go to Freedom Island! Instant jobs, great health benefits. Good insurance rates. Zero shackle guarantee!" Zoura promised as the chandelier swung from side to side.

"We'll even stop the Queen as a bonus!" Kip added.

"Zzzzzdeal!" The insect buzzed.

I focused as the chandelier moaned in distress and sparkling stars shot away from my body, slicing through the bug's chains. All the Illumise and Volbeat buzzed in collective joy, swirling up in a cloud of light in the leftover Swift sparkles.

It must've been one heavy of a light show because Pokemon on the ground began to applaud. The last fiber holding us up snapped and we plummeted as the party guests realized this was not part of the act and scrambled.

I might've screamed but I couldn't be sure. I was suddenly suspended in the air by strong arms and watched the now dark tangle of wood crash into the ground.

I looked up to see a smiling Volbeat, holding me up, "Prizzzonerzzzz zzzzztick together. Thank you Shackle Breaker, we are slaves no more." I couldn't help but grin. Shackle Breaker. I liked that.

"It's kinda what I do." I looked over to see my friends being carried by other Bug types, looks ranging from terrified to estacy.

Ace and Pidgey flew by themselves and Ace dipped lower towards me and called over the wind, "This a normal day for you Freedom Fighters? Because if so, I'm gonna want to look at those health benefits!"

***

The Volbeat and Illumise set us down near the wreck of the chandelier. Amongst the chaos, the panicking guests didn't even notice us. The lamps lighting the lower floor had fallen over, starting random fires, and since most of the guests were bug and grass type, that wasn't exactly good news.

"Goodbye Chainsssmasssher. We shall zzzee you on Freedom Izzzland. Take care!" The Volbeat buzzed, flying away with the rest of its swarm through the open windows.

Our group turned back towards the chaos. Pokemon were running and screaming, smoke rising into the air where some bug types had taken flight. The wood under our feet was charred and Zoura nearly burned his paw on some still smoldering embers.

"Fire. Wherever we go we leave it like scar in the Earth." Pidgey whispered quietly.

"We don't make it." Kip said looking up at him, "It follows us." As if happy at his words, the flames reared higher, cutting off part of our view. Pidgey and Kip began to cough from the smoke being produced and I jumped back from some flames.

"YOU!" A shadow came out from the inferno. Serperiour's regal calm look was gone, now replaced by one of unfathomable fury, "I try to be nice and let you live, but just look where it got me!" She snarled, the end of her tail begining to glow.

I placed myself in front of my friends as she came closer, "Well I'm tired of people thinking they can rule, because that is my job." The leaves on the Queen's tail turned razor sharp.

"You're a monster!" Kip yelled from behind me. It was at that moment I realized I didn't want to be a queen, or a commander, or have any crazy title.

The title has power.

Power changes things.

Queens, Pokemon...

Humans.

Serperiour's eyes reflected the flames like red mirrors and her tail came flashing down.

"GET AWAY FROM MY FRIENDS!"

In an instant, Serperiour's Leaf Blade was parried by a much smaller one. The queen gasped in shock and staggered back. Snivy stood proud before us, crouched low in a battle stance, flames hightlighting her pose and making her eyes dance. My friend rose up and ripped the chain crown off her head in one swift movement and tossed it at her parent's feet.

"Mother, I think it's time we had a talk."

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