Phoenix scrambled to raise what little weapon he had against the metal bug beast. But rather than follow up the failed ambush with another attack, she clamped her pincers together and glared. As Phoenix watched her, she faded into thin air, disappearing as her stealth systems activated again. Unlike the other Magic Gears they encountered, it appeared VOLCANUS did not announce her attacks before striking, an inconvenient upgrade indeed.
Dan ran up to Phoenix's side. Captain America leaped on the tank a moment later.
"You saw it, Nicky?"
He nodded. "She's not hiding- she's stalking us."
"Really? Well, nuts," Cap remarked. "I hate fighting smart machines."
"Ultron?" they both guessed who he was referring to.
He shrugged. "Ultron, Nazi robots, vampire robots... vampire Nazi robots..." he made it clear he could've gone on. "There's a line between man and machine. It makes it difficult fighting a smart A.I because you never know when and where they're gonna cross that line... if they ever do."
"Well, these ones can cross it- trust me, we've trashed two so far," Dan said. The three of them formed a triangle, backs against each other, weapons raised.
"Watch the water," Phoenix cautioned. "That's how I caught her sneaking up on me the first time," he said, looking around. "It's lucky she doesn't just wait for the room to fill with water so she can snatch us when we run out of room to stand."
"Don't give the boss ideas, Nicky!"
Meanwhile, on the other side of the room...
The double doors broke open and water from the room immediately drained out... only to connect with the rising water from the corridor beyond.
"Oh, that's just great," Chris Redfield said.
"That hallway will be flooded by the time we get halfway down it. Same with the command center," Colress informed him.
"Zzzzzonnneee..."
"We need to get out of here!" Springer said. She and Spinner took to the air. "Everypony with wings, carry somepony without. We'll get out using the top tunnel."
Spinner looked at her long-time friend. "Boss, did you just suggest we actually help these guys? Dan's friends?"
"Don't remind me."
"Uh, if you're wet, I probably shouldn't touch you," Lightning said, rising and trying to keep himself dry.
"Magnezone can help, everyone else, grab on!" Colress called. The fillies all climbed on the magnetic Pokemon and he slowly began to levitate higher off the ground. Spinner took Colress and Springer grabbed Chris, together lifting them up to the broken tube high above.
Applebloom looked around. "Wait, where's Marksaline?" Sweetie Belle pointed up at the open shaft. The red-black Marker pony was already there, watching them.
"We are being watched."
"Yeah, what else is new?" Scootaloo asked.
"Going somewhere?" A net engulfed all of them, even as they rose to safety. It ensnared all three would-be fliers and began dragging them down.
"Aahh!"
"Errgh!"
"Why so eager to leave just because of a little shower? We've got plenty of bath toys! Let's clean you up!" Magic Gear VOLCANUS had launched an net from its hybrid crab/scorpion/spider/whatever rear end and positioned its head around so it was pretty much bent in a U shape. It used its pincers to pull on the netting, even as the others flew to try and escape, dragging them back down to the water.
"HEY!" Lightning yelled, "You know what they say about electricity and water?" He charged his hooves with cracking electricity. From his horn, it wrapped around his hooves seamlessly, fully under his control now until it formed two spheres for him to hold.
"I was actually unaware they said anything. Let me guess- something about them not mixing?"
Lightning shrugged, grinning mischievously. "Ya know, I'm not entirely sure myself. But I think you might find this enlightening. And by that, I mean en-lightning."
"We're really going back to the electric-based puns?"
He clapped his hooves together. A beam of lightning, not a ray or a bolt but a solid beam of electricity and power shot from his hooves the moment they collided, an explosion of raw, focused lightning power. This was Lightning Claw's power in his complete form- not instability, but energy controlled, refined. Although his name was Claw, his nature was not truly that of a savage; a claw was a tool first and a weapon when needed.
Lightning was proud of his control over his powers. Finally, something he had achieved after all this time, thanks both to himself and his friends. His belief in himself and his belief in the kindness of others had allowed him to finally master his strength.
And this cliche'd morality moment lasted about half a second until Lightning realized what he'd done.
"BLRRRAAAAAGGH!!"
"AAHHH!!"
"EEEEYAAAAAAHH!!"
The screams of his new friends and allies were nearly deafening. The moment Lightning's lightning hit Magic Gear VOLCANUS, it traveled through her and through the water-soaked net she launched and into its captives, electrifying all of them.
Lightning felt almost as bad as when he'd both gained and lost his horn. "Oh my gawsh... guys, are you okay?"
VOLCANUS shrugged. "I'm fine, thanks. Not sure about your friends, though."
Lightning Claw flew down to them immediately. "Oh gawsh, oh gawsh, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"I-it's okay, ouch," Colress said. "Magnezone here absorbed most of the shock."
"Zooo-zoooonnnnnee..." The Pokemon's eyes were dazed, but not quite swirly or big circle-Xs, which would have indicated he had fainted. Unfortunately, checking on all of them left Lightning vulnerable to another fact.
"Still here," VOLCANUS said from behind him. "And I'm still going to neutralize all of you, sparky. Really, never take your eyes off the boss, scrub." The Gear grabbed the alicorn before he could react.
"Gaah!" He yelped in pain as the metal squeezed his midsection, but he restrained his powers. He couldn't risk shocking them again.
Once again though, fortune did not favor him. "Ya know, you might make a good battery. You got any juice left?" VOLCANUS shook him rapidly.
"AH-aaa-AH-aaa-AAHH!!" Lightning couldn't help it- his horn lit up, loosing sparks from his body.
"HA! You're just like one of those flashlights you shake to charge up. I would use the name, but Shakelight is actually copyri-oh, dammit I just went and used the name. Oh well." She started shaking him again, violently until he lit up like a lightbulb.
"Oh boy." Chris swallowed.
"Magnezone, Endure. ENDURE!!"
Magic Gear VOLCANUS dunked Lightning in the water. His electricity surged across the floor like someone had dipped an exposed wire into it. For Chris, it was actually a reminder of the time he killed the Neptune by electrocuting it. Would've been a time to say "good times" if Chris wasn't experiencing exactly what that mutated shark had experienced all the way back in RE1. Now it was more like karma.
Lightning's electricity was so strong it actually reached the other side of the room. But it did more than that.
"Oh crap," Dan said, watching his friends get electrocuted. "She's using the live wive like a... a live wire!"
Phoenix swallowed. "They're gonna be turned into fishsticks if we don't do something soon."
"I'll get Lightning!" Cap called. "If we get him, we can save the others!"
"Hey guys," Blast Fuse said. "Mind if we make a suggestion?"
The three humans turned around. One of the Typhoon-class submarines was directly behind them and Blast Fuse was waving at them out of the hatch.
"Yes?!" they all three asked.
"Bee-seven!" Fusey yelled. The submarine launched a torpedo.
Although not quite submerged, the torpedo launched right out of the tube and landed in the water. It activated right in front of the tank Dan and the others were standing on, but quickly turned to avoid them. A red light on it blinked under the water, allowing the three of them to watch it as it traveled out around them... between the racks of Soviet weapons, between the tanks and towards its target.
"AAAAHHHH!" Lightning screamed. His own electricity was shocking him, with his adorable fur having absorbed so much water.
"Oh, lighten up, would you?" VOLCANUS said, dunking him again.
"Hey! Lightning and lightning bug!" Dan yelled.
VOLCANUS turned to Dan. She noticed him just in time for her eyes to go wide as the torpedo sped towards her.
"WE SANK YOUR BATTLESHIP!!"
"Boom."
*BRRRAAAAOOOOOOMMMM* The torpedo exploded, blowing Magic Gear VOLCANUS to pieces.