InuYasha Fan Fiction / Cowboy Bebop Fan Fiction / Dragon Half Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction / Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction / Hellsing Fan Fiction / Crossover Fan Fiction / Words Worth Fan Fiction / Battle Angel Alita Fan Fiction ❯ On the Run ❯ Fisticuffs ( Chapter 12 )

On the Run

By: bsmart (a.k.a. Tiek Mo Shet)

Disclaimer: Why the hell am I writing this? Nobody reads them and they have no legal weight. It's a complete waste of time and bandwidth and yet I'm still typing. If you're under the legal age where ever you are don't read this, but since you're going to anyways at least don't let your mommy catch you. This fic is very much NC-17.

Copyright? Ha! Don't be a dick and claim this as your own and if you got this anywhere besides mediaminer.org or the official Pokegirls Yahoo group then you likely haven't seen all of it as those are the only two places where this story is officially distributed.

Note: This is an Orange League fic. To be honest I don't know a damn thing about pokemon and I want to keep it that way. If I make a dumb mistake feel free to point it out. I've done as much research as I can into this to keep it consistent with what seems to be the accepted canon of the pokegirl world. Also no one that I know of has done anything with the Orange League so I'm making it up as I go along.

"…" Normal Speech

`…' Thought

Chapter 12: Fisticuffs

The stillness of the warehouse was shattered as the pulse rifle ripped off its burst. Nikolas tried to see the results of his ambush but by the time the after image of the muzzle flash cleared from his eyes both of the silhouettes had disappeared but he could hear someone with a deep bass voice cursing from where they had last been.

"Damn it he shot me!"

Realizing his ambush was blown Nikolas quickly ducked down behind the crate he had been using for cover and started to move parallel to the door behind a row of crates and containers. After moving a few meters down the row he stuck his head over to check the entrance to the warehouse again. When he saw no one he crouched back over and was about to start back down the row when he heard the large man mutter something else to low to hear. Nikolas made a quick decision and headed for the door keeping his right shoulder against the nearest wall of crates. When he reached the end of the row he stopped and kept his entire body pressed back against the stack of blue plastic containers that were at the end of it. Cautiously peering around the corner he was able to see then entirety of the warehouse's loading dock and almost exactly in the middle of it was larger of the two bounty hunters.

The tattoos on the mans left arm and face looked almost black in the dim light except where a bit of light shined across one just below his eye, that one appeared almost silver. The high velocity slugs from the pulse rifle had punched a neat hole through the meat of the man's right shoulder and had torn a gash through the pants leg on the same side. While Nikolas watched the man tried to stand but neither his arm nor leg seemed to cooperate and he flopped back down onto his back breathing hard. A meter from his outstretched left hand laid the tranquilizer pistol he had used at the river.

Before he even realized what he was doing Nikolas had dropped his rifle to his side and had pulled out the pistol on his right side from its holster. Gripping the weapon in both hands he quickly closed the distance between himself and the bounty hunter bringing the pistol up and into line with the man's head as he did so.

The movement attracted the bald man's attention and he watched wide eyed as the young man came out of hiding and leveled the barrel of a rather large pistol at his head. For a moment his eyes darted down towards his tranquilizer gun but he already knew that it was too far away to reach. The man, more like a boy in the bounty hunter's estimation, stopped three meters away and took up a shooting stance too far away to reach. For an instant their eyes met over the barrel of the gun and the boy didn't blink, he just started to pull back on the trigger.

As he settled into the shooting stance his grandfather had taught him Nikolas unconsciously ensured that he was too far away for the man to reach him. It was only as his elbows locked into place that Nikolas realized that he had every intention of killing this man. A large part of him balked at the idea of taking this man's life but even as the doubts started to rear their heads he remembered exactly what would happen if he was captured. `If these guys get me moms and Izzy and Dorrie all go back to the ranch right along with Nina, Ceres, Mihoshi…all of them go back if I'm caught.' When his eyes met the bounty hunter's over the gun he thought, `Nobody's taking them away from me,' as he pulled the trigger.

The pistol cracked and the shots ricocheted off the pavement a centimeter from the man's hand as the green haired bounty hunter's foot connected with Nikolas' hand. The pistol flew out of Nikolas' hand and skittered across the floor as he stumbled back and grabbed his rifle. The man quickly adjusted and spun kicking at the rifle Nikolas was bringing into line with him. Nikolas tried to get a shot in before his weapon was knocked away but his shots missed as the rifle was knocked to the side and they pierced the bright blue containers Nikolas had previously been hiding behind and the rifle was knocked from his grasp and onto a stack of wooden shipping crates well out of reach.

Nikolas tried to regain his footing and lashed out at the bounty hunter with a right hook but his blow struck nothing and his off balanced foot slipped on the puddle of thick green liquid that was rapidly pouring form the punctured containers. Nikolas was spun around as he crashed into a stack of wooden crates and saw the green haired man standing confidently in the middle of the puddle lightly bouncing on the balls of his feet. As he snarled at the confidant bounty hunter Nikolas dropped his right hand to the hilt of his hunting knife. When the hunter slid forward and lashed out with his right fist Nikolas lunged towards him and tore his knife from its scabbard. Even as the bounty hunter's fist connected with his cheek Nikolas was rewarded with the sight of the thin scarlet line his backhanded swipe had sliced across the man's face. He didn't get a chance at a second swipe as his legs were swept out from under him and the man's left fist hurled him towards the ground.

Nikolas landed on his back and rapidly he rapidly spun himself around in the slick liquid that covered the ground but as he rolled over his attacker knocked him over backwards with a kick to the jaw.

"Give it up kid, you're only getting yourself beat at this point," the bounty hunter declared calmly as Nikolas rolled over and got his arms and legs under him. Out of the corner of his eye Nikolas saw his pistol lying a meter away from him.

It was then that Faye's voice exclaimed from the rafters, "Spike!?"

When the man turned towards her voice Nikolas dove for his pistol. His motion didn't go unnoticed and immediately he began to turn back towards his quarry, but it was too late as Nikolas' hand closed around the butt of his pistol and he brought it around towards Spike. With three meters between them the hunter reached for his tranquilizer pistol but Nikolas' pistol was already free and lining up his target even as Spike began to draw his own. When the pistol was aimed properly Nikolas grinned at the stunned expression on Spike's face and pulled the trigger.

Even amidst the gasps and hissed breaths in the room the click of the pistols hammer was easily heard as it came down and nothing happened.

"Fuck," Nikolas complained flatly as he watched Spike finish drawing his pistol and when he felt a barrel pressed against his temple a quick glance to the side showed that the other bounty hunter had managed to struggle to his feet.

"Drop it," the large man ordered. Nikolas did as he was told.

"Spike, Jet, no!" Faye yelled as she lithely dropped to the ground.

Both of them seemed shocked by her appearance but neither took their eyes or weapons off of Nikolas as they both asked, "Faye?"

While neither of them had taken their eyes off of Nikolas before they did when they heard the pistol that Faye was now pointing at them get cocked. "Let him go," she ordered them nervously.

"Faye, why are you here?" the wounded man Nikolas assumed was Jet asked.

"And why are you pointing that at us?" Spike added.

"Just let him go, please," Faye pleaded.

"You know these assholes?" Nikolas asked her.

Spike's voice was tinged with annoyance. "I'm her owner."

"You sold me, remember?" Faye asked.

To Nikolas' left he heard Jet agree, "You did."

"He wasn't supposed to leave, just hold onto you until I could catch that bounty. I needed the money for that stun net remember?"

"Well he did!" Faye snapped back.

"Uh, hello?" Nikolas reminded Faye as he tried to point to Jet's gun without raising his hands.

Faye's ears flattened back against her head as she repeated more forcefully, "Let him go." Spike slowly raised his pistol but Jet kept the barrel of his tranquilizer gun firmly pressed to Nikolas' temple. "Jet," Faye started menacingly as she shifted her aim away from Spike and towards the reticent bounty hunter.

When Nikolas felt the pressure on his temple relent he glanced back over his shoulder to see Jet taking a step back away from him. Nikolas quickly scrambled up and retrieved his pistol, slipping slightly in the thick green liquid covering the floor even after he stepped out of the puddle. He picked up the pistol and racked the slide sending a single unspent cartridge tumbling out onto the floor. "Damn misfire," he muttered as he turned back towards his pursuers.

"Nikolas, leave them alone," Faye told her tamer shakily.

Nikolas looked up at Faye confused, "What the…?"

"Hell did you do?" Washu finished as she came running into the warehouse and dropped to her knees beside Jet.

"Oh, gods damn it, do you ever listen to what I tell you?"

"No," Washu said as she started to apply a dressing to Jet's shoulder who was looking very confused.

Shaking his head at Washu's behavior Nikolas turned towards Spike.

"Nikolas, please, just leave them alone," Faye quietly begged.

Nikolas locked eyes with Spike and told Faye, "If we don't do something they'll just keep after us and I'm not letting any of us get caught."

Faye lowered her pistol and asked Spike, "Just let us go, just stop coming after us," she pleaded as her voice cracked, "Please?"

Spike considered Nikolas' face for a moment before looking at Faye. For several long seconds the three of them considered each other intently until Spike unceremoniously holstered his tranquilizer pistol and pulled out a cigarette. After lighting the thin white stick he nodded solemnly and turned to watch Washu finish patching up Jet.

Jet was obviously stunned, "What? You're just letting them go?!" he roared incredulously. "And what has gotten into you? Oww!!" he asked Faye until Washu pulled the gauze straps holding the pressure bandage on Jet's leg harder then she needed too. With a wan smile Faye crouched down beside Washu, being careful to keep her tail off the floor, and helped tend Jet's wounds.

Nikolas walked over and picked up his knife. He sighed when he saw that it was covered in the same green goo as he was. A quick examination of his clothing revealed a small patch of olive drab pants that didn't seem to be soaked and he started to wipe the knife off.

"So?" Spike asked as he walked up next to Nikolas and puffed on his cigarette.

"So what?"

"Did you do it?"

Nikolas slid the hunting knife back into it's scabbard and fastened the retaining strap over its hilt. "Do what? Are you going to start making sense any time soon?" Nikolas asked hostilely.

"One count murder in the second degree, twelve counts grand theft pokegirl, assault, possession of an illegal weapon…did I miss anything?"

"Breaking and entering and another count of plain old grand theft."

"Ah," Spike took another drag of his cigarette. "So?"

"Yeah." Nikolas turned back into the warehouse and fetched his rifle from on top of the crates where it had landed. "Faye, Washu, let's go," he told them. Turning back to Spike he asked, "So you're just letting me go?"

Spike nodded and it was Nikolas' turn to stare Spike in the eyes. When Faye and Washu walked up he turned to them and said, "Come on, let's get out of here, I've gotta get out of these clothes."

As the group disappeared towards the back of the warehouse Spike and Jet heard Washu say, "I can't believe you shot him."

Jet limped up beside his partner, "So you're just letting her go with that maniac?"

Spike pulled the remains of his cigarette out of his mouth and dropped it on the floor, "Yeah."

Jet sighed and continued, "I guess you really pissed her off."

"Looks that way."

"That kid ain't right."

Spike turned and started to walk away with his hands in his pockets, "I sort of liked him."

Nikolas kicked a rock out of his path in frustration. "I liked this jacket," he snarled.

"What is that stuff anyway?" Faye asked.

For the tenth time Nikolas tried to wipe some of the thick gel off of his jacket. "Oh fuck it," he growled as he handed Faye his rifle, "hold this for a minute." Nikolas snatched his jacket off and tossed it off into the woods that lined the small dirt path.

"It soaked through," Washu observed with a smile.

Nikolas quickly removed his cap and pulled his t-shirt off, sending it after the jacket. "This day just keeps sucking harder," he grumbled as he put his cap back on and retrieved his rifle from Faye. After calming down for a few minutes he asked Faye, "So, who were those guys?"

"My former owner and his partner."

"Former?"

A little of the wind seemed to go out of Faye's sails. "Yes, former."

Nikolas waited for an explanation but none was forth coming. "He said something about selling you for a stun net or something?"

Faye nodded, "A couple of months ago we were up near Sluton chasing a bounty. The bounty was strictly alive and he was being a pain in the ass to catch so we decided to trap him, pokegirls and all in a stun net. The problem was that we were flat broke so Spike and Jet got the idea to sell me temporarily to a ranch. They figured they'd sell me, buy the net and then buy me back with the cash they made off the bounty."

"I'm guessing it didn't work out that way," Washu offered.

Faye sighed and shook her head, "No, the rancher figured they were deadbeats, which they are, and sold me to the first person who was interested."

"Ahh."

"The tamer who bought me couldn't…handle me," Faye said with a grin and a flick of her tail. "He unloaded me the first chance he got, at Azusa's."

"Then Nikolas showed up," Washu said.

Faye smiled, "Yeah, then he showed up."

As they continued to walk the trees grew shorter and the ground danker and soggier. Before long the sound of rushing water could be heard. "We're just about to the river, we'll follow it up to the falls."

"What then?" Washu asked.

"Well you fix up Delta and then we catch a quick nap before we head for Tigit, it's not too far away and we can probably make it there by mid day if we don't sleep too long."

Washu nodded as they came to the river and the path turned to follow it. "So, why did you do it?"

"Do what?" Nikolas asked.

"Try to kill those men."

Nikolas said nothing and continued on down the path, his pace never varying. "Nikolas?" Washu asked quietly after several long moments.

"I had too."

Faye was confused, "Why?"

"If I didn't they would just keep coming," he said forcefully, emphasizing his last three words.

"You don't know that," Washu said.

"I'd already shot at both of them at the river, I'm pretty sure I winged one or two of them. If that didn't make them give up I don't know what would.!" he snapped.

Washu was about to retort but Faye's soft voice cut her off, "He's right. Spike and Jet wouldn't just give up on a bounty because it was a little dangerous."

"Then what makes you think they're going too now? Because you asked them nicely?!" Washu yelled.

"I should have just shot them," Nikolas muttered.

"They won't," Faye desperately tried to assure her companions, "Spike wouldn't."

"Because you asked nicely," Nikolas sneered.

"Yes, you saw what happened, we won't see them again!"

Nikolas snorted, "I see them again and I kill them."

"Why didn't you just do it this time?" Washu asked skeptically.

Nikolas almost snapped out an answer but paused to think about it for a second. "Faye asked me not too," he said doubtfully.

"So? No offense to purple there but aren't you her tamer?" Washu said sarcastically.

While Faye stared daggers at Washu Nikolas tried to come up with an answer but when he spoke his voice was full of exasperation, "Yes I am, alright?! Maybe I was just in a good mood and didn't feel like executing them ok?"

Again everyone was quiet as they walked. "Do you have a better explanation yet?" Washu asked some time later.

Nikolas nodded, "It's one thing when the people you're planning on killing are armed and after you. It's another when they're down and unarmed."

"From what I saw you were about to kill Jet while he was lying there on the ground," Faye observed. When Nikolas gave her a questioning look she explained, "I was trying to sneak up on them to help you."

"His partner was still loose and his weapon was just out of reach, I didn't have time to deal with him any other way," Nikolas explained, "It was…."

"Expedient?" Washu offered.

Nikolas scowled at her, "That isn't the word I would have used."

"But the meaning's correct," she stated.

"Yeah, it is," Nikolas admitted softly before drifting off into silence again.

Around four in the morning the group stumbled into the area Nikolas had indicated to the other girls. The ground had firmed up and the trees were taller, deciduous trees gave way to pines. After only a few minutes of looking they were startled when Harley fell out of a tree directly over them and bounded over to Nikolas to give him a firm kiss on the lips. While Nikolas was enjoying the none to gentle kiss and the fang nips that accompanied it Washu got immediately to business, "Where is everyone?"

Nikolas tried to pull back but Harley just pressed into him harder and gestured back over her shoulder deeper into trees and back towards the river. While their tamer did his best to extract himself from the grip of his amorous Ocelolita, Faye and Washu went off in the direction she had indicated. They found the rest of their group camped out on the shore of the river right below the falls. The tents were pitched and the fire was low but Ceres was still up and cradling a pokeball and Nina and Lana were keeping her company.

"Did you find what you needed?" Nina asked hopefully.

Washu nodded and extended her hand for Delta's pokeball; when she received it she quickly released Delta. The Youma was lying on her stomach motionless as the beam released her. While her wounds already looked visibly better her already pasty color had paled even further leaving her nearly white and her wings had developed a web of blackened lines.

"She looks bad," Nikolas said as he came up behind Washu.

Washu nodded and started to draw a dose of a medicine from one of the vials from her pack. "She's a lot worse, even though she was in her ball."

"She'll get better though, right Master?" Ceres asked hopefully.

"Probably," Washu answered for him.

"Mastah? Is that what puddin' wants to be called?"

Nikolas sighed as he felt a set of fur covered arms encircled his waist and Harley pressed herself up against him. Washu paused in her search through her bag to hold up a hypo-spray that Nikolas remembered from the pokecenter. "No," he chuckled, "you can call me puddin'." Harley squealed in delight but when she grabbed Nikolas face in order to spin him around the way he hissed at her touch caused her to let him go and he quickly sad down next to what was left of the fire.

"What happened to you," Lana asked concernedly as she saw her adopted son's face.

"And what happened to your clothes?" Nina added.

Nikolas looked down at his pants and told his second mother, "I ran into something," in the firelight he was able to see that his pants were already starting to bleach and become still, "and I spilled something on myself."

Faye laughed cynically, "He ran into a bounty hunter's fist, repeatedly."

"Ha ha, which tent is mine?" Lana pointed one out and Nikolas disappeared inside.

"So what really happened?" Nina asked Faye.

"We ran into the bounty hunters again, Nikolas sent Washu and me on ahead and he stayed back and fought them off," Faye explained.

"He fought both of them?" Nina asked skeptically.

"Washu?" Lana asked.

"More or less," she answered as she fixed a dressing on Delta's wing.

Nikolas emerged a few minutes later in a new pair of pants and tossed his old ones off into the brush. "How's she gonna be?" he asked as he sauntered over to the group.

"I have no idea," Washu said as she cleaned off her hands with a rag. "It's just too early to tell. I've pumped her full of more antibiotics then is probably a good idea along with enough nutrients to keep her fed for a month. Whatever it is that was in that thing's mouth was incredibly virulent, it's managed to spread through out her system incredibly quickly. The antibiotics in her are extremely powerful, we just have to hope that their tougher then the crud that was in that thing's teeth." Washu tossed the rag in the direction of Nikolas' ruined pair of pants. "We'll `ball her and when we get to Tigit we can plug in my new toy and run her through it." Washu let out an exasperated breath as she recalled Delta to her ball. "That's all we can do. Here you go," she said as she handed the pokeball back to a sullen Ceres who headed for her own tent. Lana followed suit and headed to bed.

Nikolas patted the little Supe-Bra Genius on her shoulder, "Thanks Washu."

Washu threw her arms over her head and stretched as she yawned. "I need to sleep."

"I have no idea where Mihoshi is….," Nikolas started until he saw Washu heading for his tent followed closely by Harley. "Washu?"

"Don't get your hopes up," she said as she disappeared inside.

Harley paused before heading inside, "Just get something up," she giggled.

Nikolas followed after them and a few moments later Nikolas' voice could be heard through the tent, "I'm too tired to fuck, just go to sleep."

A few seconds later Washu yelled, "Get off me you randy little nutcase!"

A moment after that, "Damn it Harley, go to SLEEP!"

"Awwww puddin'!"

Nikolas' Girls

Nina - Catgirl

Washu - Supe-Bra Genius

Ceres - Vampire

Isabella - Titmouse

Edora - Titmouse

Mihoshi - Bunnygirl

Gally - Battle Angel?

Faye - Cheshire

Mink - Dracona

Sango - Kunochi

Delta - Youma

Ivy - Boobisaur

Harley - Ocelolita

Kaya - Wildcat

Naga

Billie

Author's Notes

Acknowledgements:

Lighthawk - My designated pre-reader, who subjected himself to this every way too often.

Warpwizard - Who's given me a lot of advice on the mechanics of my writing.

Notes:

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