The last thing he did before he died was releasing his Pokémon.

Ai, Lucas, Jeremie, Xander, Tori, and Miguel crowded around their fatally wounded Trainer, doing their best to defend him from further injury, but it was futile. Team Plasma had done their job of liberating the 'enslaved' creatures, and were leaving Jason to die. Which he did. After all, when a Flamethrower is used on a human, the results are horrifying.

Ai, a Lucario, was the highest-leveled of the bunch – level 31. She had hatched from an egg and was one of Jason's most powerful Pokémon. Currently she knew the moves Dark Pulse, Force Palm, Heal Pulse, and Calm Mind. Jason had given her a band that was supposed to boost her Special Defense at the cost of some of her agility. Her mental strength was such that she would never flinch, no matter what.

Lucas was the youngest, just a level 10 Eevee. He was a gift to Jason from a good friend of his, and Jason was very, very protective of Lucas. The little Eevee was very timid and sensitive, even though his Ability was 'Technician' and not 'Run Away'. Lucas knew Sand-Attack, Tackle, and Hidden Power. He was currently holding a small locket with Eviolite stored inside, which boosted his Defense and Special Defense.

Jeremie, a Togetic, was just at level 20 when Jason died. The normally stoic Pokémon was the one to drive off Team Plasma, his Metronome summoning Aero Blast. In addition to Metronome, Jeremie knew how to use Magical Leaf, Safeguard, and Reflect. He was mainly a quiet one, preferring to assist his teammates in battle with his power of Serene Grace. A Quick Claw was tied around one of his hands.

Xander had been freshly caught with a Heal Ball before Jason's demise. The Gligar, level 17, wasn't entirely certain what to think – should he rejoice that he was free once more, or mourn for the young man who had, upon catching him, let him out of that cramped ball to check for injuries? He had just been taught how to use Iron Tail, and had to be content with Poison Sting, Harden, and Quick Attack as his other moves. This lonely bat-scorpion hybrid had a Poison Barb tied to his tail.

Tori saw the moment when Jason's fate was sealed. She was the one to enter fury state when she processed the full scope of events that had played out before her. The Corphish was normally a careful, organized, disciplined Pokémon, but in those moments she became an unpredictable monster. All 24 levels of training flew out the window when Plasma attacked. Rage, Faint Attack, Secret Power, and Taunt were her weapons, with a Shell Bell restoring her health whenever she landed an attack.

Miguel's candle shone brightly as Jason died. It's said, after all, that a Litwick uses the life force of others to stay alight. The fiery ghost had never dropped its suspiciously cheerful, devious, somewhat off-putting demeanor before, until its Trainer's essence fueled his candle wick. That's when the façade dropped, revealing a sadistic, unstable, highly dangerous persona behind that cheerful smile. Aided with the Expert Belt that Jason had given him, the angry level 21 ghost used its Flame Burst, Flash, Night Shade, and Confuse Ray to herd the Plasma grunts into a cluster so Jeremie could use Aero Blast on them.

No matter how much Ai wished her Heal Pulse would work on her trainer, he was gone.

For a moment, she didn't want to leave his side, but something told her to keep going, to make sure this didn't happen again. The young Lucario grit her teeth as she stood, before raising her voice.

"Jason's gone. I couldn't save him." Lucas whimpered and hid his face in his paws, Jeremie patting him on the head in an attempt to comfort him. Tori's claws clicked in agitation even as she bowed her head in sorrow. Xander looked to be in shock, staring at the charred body that lay before him. Miguel's fire still burned as his eyes returned to their purple color, rage emnating off his body.

"We're gonna make sure those humans pay for what they did to him!" Ai bellowed. "And we'll stop them from doing anything like that to any other humans!" The group listened obediently. "Jason didn't deserve what happened to him...so we're going to set things right and get even for him!"

"We should move him to somewhere more suitable for rest," Jeremie noted calmly, even though his body was trembling. Lucas cried. Xander just stared at the remains of his trainer. The Litwick looked irritated with both of them and flared his candlelight brightly. "You two! Snap out of it and stop crying," Miguel boomed. Tori shook her head in despair.

How could they survive - let alone get revenge - if the group couldn't even work together?