A lone car drives down the dark highway on the outskirts of Viridian City. The unmarked black limousine rolled along the winding path toward Pewter City, where it would rendezvous with the remaining convoy. A man sat quietly and stared calmly as the soft glow of police lights sped toward the city limits. His face hardened as a police squad car raced from the opposite end of the highway toward his vehicle. "Mr. Giovanni, sir?" a voice crackled from a small intercom on the panel next to the man.
"Stay the course, Proton." The man calmly replied.
Giovanni's eyes stayed locked on the police vehicle as it sped closer and closer. The boss of the nefarious Team Rocket slowly reached to his belt and placed a hand on his Pokeball. Giovanni's stern gazed softened as the speeding officer passed the limo without hesitation. The intercom crackled again, "We are expecting to arrive at the Pewter Museum within the next 2 hours, right on schedule sir." Proton sighed heavily as he watched the lights dip from view in the rearview mirror. "No need to rush Proton. Let's enjoy the view." Proton was confused, jostling his cap with the R insignia as though the action would spark a memory. "I didn't take you as the sentimental type, boss." Giovanni placed his left hand onto the console on the door. He casually flipped a small switch, pressed a code and hovered his hand over a small flashing button.
"I'm not."
With that, he pressed in the button. Moments later, a concussive blast erupted within the city limits of Viridian. The noise from the explosion was muffled by the soundproof glass, but for Giovanni, it got the point across. He watched as the lights of the police cars were overshadowed by a plume of smoke and flares of fire. Giovanni admired his work, as the smoldering remains of the Viridian Gym fell and lit up the night sky like a beacon. Satisfied with the scene, the Rocket boss turned to the invitation laying on the leather seat next to him. The letter, marked with the insignia of what appeared to be royalty, was perfectly timed and warned of the raid on the Gym. Somehow, he knew this mysterious benefactor was not laying a trap. And if it was, he had no problem handling those he met with the same gusto that he just handled the Viridian Police. As he rounded Mt. Moon, he turned the card over and read the letterhead:
N.O.C.T.O.W.L
About an hour had passed since the explosion that had decimated the Viridian Gym. The city was in gridlock. News vans tried to get a glimpse of the scene, but were blocked by a wall of fire trucks. Breianne Jay wiped the sweat from her dark skin as she surveyed the scene. The Water Pokémon from the Viridian Fire Co. looked exhausted as they continued to combat the flaming remains of the Gym. Equipped with her Potion belt, the free-lance nurse walked from Pokémon to Pokémon, spraying various medicines to keep their strength up. Meanwhile, her Sylveon took the lead, placing the ribbons from its ear to the backs of the exhausted Pokémon. "Sylveon, use Wish and share the energy with them!" Bre called to her Pokémon swiftly, stopping the healing spree only briefly to nod encouragingly. Sylveon closed its eyes and focused. Opening its eyes, its normal pupils were replaced with what appeared to be individual galaxies, filled with shooting stars. The tips of Sylveon's ribbons began to glow with the same cosmic light, as the energy was transferred from the pink Pokémon's body to the water Pokémon.
Meanwhile, within the roaring flames, Bre's Ninetales elegantly hopped through the inferno, sniffing the ground for anybody still trapped in the fiery debris. The dancing flames slowly began to descend from their great heights, revealing the absolute carnage behinds its veil. Bre gasped and covered her mouth with her hands as she saw within the stones the remains of what must have been the frontline when the explosion hit. Humans. Pokémon. Both victims in this terrible scene. Flames glimmered in solid pools of blood, limbs crushed between portions of walls. Bre, in her profession as a medical professional, had seen and dealt with many horrific scenes. But this, by far, was beyond anything she had comprehended. After a few more moments of staring at the scene in silent horror, she was snapped back to reality by the howl of her Ninetales. Bre squinted through the heavy smoke still pluming from the gym and saw Ninetales furiously pawing at the ground.
Perhaps a survivor?
She recalled her Sylveon and motioned to a nearby firefighter. The man barked orders to clear a path to Ninetales' position. Led by the firefighter, Bre walked briskly down the pathway created by the water jets. She knelt down to Ninetales and asked what she saw. Before Ninetales could respond she noticed in the corner of her eye a large metal structure. It appeared to have been in the basement of the facility, but had erupted upwards from the explosion. Within the construct in a pile laid eight Electrodes.
Swiftly, from her potion belt, Bre turned on her PokeDoc, the portable vitals scanner given to her by the Pokémon League. The heat from the surrounding fire seemed to be interfering with the scan. Suddenly, a blip rang out from the scanner. "Sir, those Electrodes! They are still alive! They're hurt, bad, but still breathing. We need to get in there!" Bre called to older gentleman. The gruff firefighter nodded and motioned for her to step back. He revealed a fire axe from inside his coat and swung it down on the glass. After a few hard swings the glass shattered, releasing a wave of air that fed the fires around them. "The flames are closing in. We have one shot to do this!" the man shouted above the roaring flames. Bre nodded and began to cough. The smoke was beginning to get to be too much. She placed her scarf over mouth and nose as the fireman jumped into the strange metal container.
Smoke was filling the container quickly as the old fireman struggled to find his footing on the mangled construct. Maybe I am getting too old for this. The man mused to himself as he felt the joints in his legs creak. He flipped on the flashlight attached to his belt and quickly surveyed the area. He saw just ahead the pile of the unconscious Electrode. He noticed strange plugs and wires strewn nearby. Arceus, the poor things must have been used as the detonator. He worked his way over to them but stopped just before. He noticed small sparks coming from the pile of the ball shaped Pokémon. They are most certainly live. Noticing the air thickening, he quickened his pace. He shuffled in his pocket and took out a Pokeball. "Alakazam! We need you more than ever!" The capsule opened and Alakazam appeared. Slightly shocked by the surroundings, Alakazam raised its two spoons and quickly focused. "We need to get these poor things out of here 'Kazam. Use your Psychic and get them up to the nice nurse there." The man shouted, encouragingly to his partner. Without hesitation, Alakazam pointed the spoons at the fallen Pokémon. A mystical blue light surrounded the Electrode as they began to gently rise. "Doctor!" the fireman shouted up to Bre. "Do you have a method of transferrin' the Electrode once we get them up there?" "Yes! I have my Gothitelle ready to transport them the rest of the way!" She just can't see them from up here!" Bre responded, as she turned to her Gothic Pokémon. She could tell the poor thing was trying to be brave amidst the flames, but it certainly was concerning her. The fireman watched as his veteran partner and friend expertly moved the injured through the opening.
Just as he was prepared to leave, he stopped to survey the construct one final time. As he surveyed the smoking remains, his flashlight reflected off of a small item. He squinted as he peered through the toxic mist. Something in his gut told him to move closer. Call at an intuition, call it morbid curiosity. Carefully, he worked his way toward the gleam, slipping occasionally on the slick metal beams. He reached out to grasp the object and gasped as he discovered it was attached to a young woman. Her purple hair draped over her face; her black suit singed and bloodied. The badge could barely be read, but the fireman's heart quickened when he made out one word: Police. He couldn't tell if she was breathing, but he wasn't about to leave a member of the police force down to die. "Kazam, get her up there! Gentle but quick, she's bleeding bad." Alakazam, who was using psychic energy to clear the smoke from around its head, once again pointed the spoons in its hands and closed its eyes. Slowly but surely, the young woman was lifted through the air towards the opening. Suddenly, she gasped awake and cried out in pain. She snatched the hand of her rescuer and gripped tightly. The man firmly clasped hers back and spoke as calmly as he could. "Don't worry lass, we're friendly. We're getting you out of here. Try to stay still while Alakazam gets you out to safety." He quickly removed his oxygen mask and coughed heavily as the smoke rushed into his lungs. "Doctor! We got one more coming! What's the status up there!" he shouted above the roar of the flames, which appeared to be growing louder by the minute. What are those damn fools doing up there? Roasting marshmallows?! Bre called back, a slight panic in her voice, "The Electrodes are safe, but the fire has picked up and is cutting off our exit! My Politoed is doing his best to keep a pathway open, but we need to go now!" Bre looked up from the hole, eyes burning from the smoke billowing from below. She looked desperately at her Politoed's continued efforts to suppress the flames. We are certainly earning our pay tonight, she thought. Her mind scolded her for thinking of money at a time like this, but she was used to helping after a disaster, not during a continued one.
Within the metal structure, the injured woman still grasped her saviors arm, as she coughed hard from the smoke. "Ma'am, you need to let me go. I promise you will be safe." The old man tried to pry the girls' hand from his so Alakazam could lift her up to safety. He looked at her in her deep purple eyes, which seemed almost pleading at this point. It was clear that she was trying to communicate something. "What it is, girlie? What's wrong?" She struggled to speak as she gasped for air. She seemed prepared to pass out again, but sputtered out a phrase through coughs of blood.
"Second… Bomb…"
She released his hand and pointed in the direction of a mound of rubble nearby. The brave, seasoned fireman's heart sank. In two words, all of the years of training, service and missions flushed from his body and was replaced with a new feeling: fear. For a brief moment, all he felt was numbness. He turned slowly and looked at the spot at which she pointed. He brushed the stones and dirt away to reveal a small blinking timer. He watched as the blinking light descended down second by second. His eyes glazed just past the timer to see a fairly decent amount of explosives. All of this, for nothing? His mind struggled to grasp the intensity of the new situation.
Fires are fine. I've fought countless. But a damn bomb?! I never signed up for this. Arceus… I never signed up for this.
"Sir! We have her. It's time to go!" the encouraging call from the freelancer sounded muffled as it clawed its way through the crippling waves of fright masking the fireman's entire being. But just as it was about to fall to deaf ears, the man's mind snapped back to reality with a jolt of adrenaline. Swiftly, he turned and shouted back to the hole above. "No can do, Doc! There's a second bomb down here! My Alakazam is coming up to teleport you out of here! I'll do what I can to disarm it. Get all of those folks out there to fall back!" the rush of adrenaline let loose the thick Kalos accent the old man worked so hard to lose since his move to the Kanto region. It was Breianne's turn to feel a wave of panic.
Did he just say bomb?!
She shuddered heavily and suddenly felt cold despite the growing flames around her. She shrugged off the feeling long enough to comprehend what the man was implying. "No. No way, I am not leaving you here. This is no time to play hero… Mr. …" She paused for a moment. In the midst of the action, she never bothered to learn the man's name. Hearing the pause, the man smiled briefly. "Lumierre, Ms. Doctor. The name is Lumierre, and this is not up for debate!" he eyed the timer nervously, knowing the bickering was only wasting precious seconds. "It's Dr. Breianne Jay, and I am sworn by my medical oath to overrule your debate!" a twinge of anger laced her shout as she quickly surveyed the area, looking for a way down to the stubborn firefighter. Lumierre ignored most of her shouting and turned to face his Pokémon with a serious, yet somber look. "The shocked Psychic type looked back to him with a feverous scowl. Kazam! Ala! Kazam! The Pokémon shouted defiantly at his friend. "Alakazam! You listen to me! You need to help those ladies and all those folks out there. That is an order! If I don't do this, I break our code. A lot of people will get hurt. Do you understand me? You listen to me!" he felt the ferocity of his words burn his tongue. Alakazam was taken aback, almost stunned by the harshness in his master's words. Lumierre immediately softened his tone, realizing what he had done. "Kazam, I'm sorry. I just… need you to help them. I know what I am asking of you, and I know it isn't something you or I want to do, but it is what is right." Alakazam began to protest, but saw the look in his partner's eye. Reluctantly, the Pokémon nodded. "Thank you, my friend. Once you get those folks to safety, you can swing back and get me." The grizzled man grinned, half jokingly, trying to compensate for the pit in his stomach. He snatched the heavy glove from his right hand and yanked it from his person. Beneath the equipment, his rough, leathered hand was marked by a single ring on his middle finger. Embedded in the silver band, a Mega Stone protruded and glistened in the flashlight.
"You're going to need this extra boost. Alakazam! Our hearts and minds are linked and pure! Mega Evolve!"
Lumierre squeezed his fist tightly as the gemstone began to glow with a blinding light. On Alakazam, a ring similar to his began to glow as well with the same gleam. Bolts of energy flowed from their bodies and connecting between them, the vibrant colors mixing and intertwining. The mystic energy doubled back and surrounded the Psi Pokémon as it began to transform. From its chin a grand flowing white beard draped across its slimming body. The spoons from its hand rose and multiplied to form an arc above its crown. With a final pulse of energy, Mega Alakazam emerged. The appearance of the powerful Pokémon gave a small level of comfort to Lumierre. However, he shook his head from the moment of admiration to focus. "Alakazam, use Teleport to get the good doctor and company out of here. Then use Psywave and get all of those people back! Do not take no for an answer!" Lumierre watched as his now stoic partner flashed from sight with a burst of psychic light. The fireman heaved a heavy sigh, and turned to face the descending timer's wiring. He began to disrobe to increase his maneuverability. Before he began, he reached to a small recording device around his neck. Another heavy sigh preceded a quick click of the button.
Up above, Bre blinked hard after witnessing the colorful Mega Evolution display. She barely had time to recover before she felt the psychic presence of the Mega Evolved Alakazam appear behind her. She looked around to see a familiar aura of energy surround her, the injured woman and her Pokémon. She realized she didn't see the fireman in the small group, and her heart sank. "Wait, Alakazam! Where is he?! We need to get him out! Alakazam, no! We can't leave him!" She shouted, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. Before she could utter another word, she felt the chill of the surrounding air. She and the others had already been teleported out of the fire, just behind the barricade of fire trucks blocking the path to the site. She struggled to stand up as other medical personnel rushed to her side. She tried to break past them as she watched the Alakazam reappear just before the fire, facing the fire and rescue squads. The eyes of the Psi Pokémon reflected a fierce blue as it raised its hands towards them. In a pulse of almost ethereal light, a shockwave of psychic energy rippled from the Pokémon. The Water Pokémon, the humans and their equipment all were surrounded in that same light as they were pushed further from the scene.
Just as the pulse faded, all eyes were now on the Pokémon that had carried an entire fleet of emergency personnel away from the blaze. Seemingly satisfied with the results of the Psywave, Mega Alakazam turned slowly to face the inferno amongst the rubble of the decimated Gym. Through a crack between trucks, Bre struggled to free herself from the arms of other firefighters as she screamed at anyone who would hear that there was a still a man inside. Before anyone could react, another explosion erupted from the site, engulfing the entire facility in a wall of fire. The concussive blast shattered the windows of the cruisers and nearby buildings. Bre watched in horror as the flames enveloped Alakazam, watching through tears as the Pokémon disappeared into the flames. Her grief only subsided slightly as she watched the same Alakazam plummet to the ground, no longer in its Mega form. Alakazam, smoldering and singed, collapsed to the ground, its spoons skittering across the water-glazed pavement. Finally undoing herself from the grip of the EMT's, she stumbled to the burned Pokémon's side to discover it was conscious. She sobbed with relief as she saw the Psi Pokémon's eyes wide open, albeit petrified with shock and disbelief. She knew exactly what it was thinking, and her heart plummeted again.
It was too late. He's gone.