Ozone
Out of the mixing of fire and water, vapor is created, a material that rises above the rest. It was like this that Team Ozone came to be. My name is Sarah, and I have been living in Hoenn all 16 years of my life. Team Magma and Team Aqua, both power hungry and in desperate search of the legendary pokémon of the land and water, had clashed many times. It was from the reckless decisions that Archie, leader of Aqua, and Maxie, leader of Magma made that caused many in their ranks to begin to doubt them as stable enough to lead. These insurgents broke away, and under the leadership of Ben formed a new team. Team Ozone.
They believed that Hoenn needed stabilization and began to resist both of the teams, provoking them into an outrage. It is here that my story begins, in the midst of the terror and chaos of a region at war with itself.
"Get down!" the powerful roar of Ben's voice rings out as he yells to his team, the black armored soldiers that make up Team Ozone's ranks. His team scrambled to find cover as yet another Shadow Ball attack was thrown their way.
He turns to me. "Things were going well until Aqua showed up. That was when everything went to hell in a handbasket."
His team of 20 men and women had been in the midst of a raid on a museum, searching in vain for a clue to lead him to the object of his desperate quarry, the pokémon Rayquaza. He believed that with it's ferocity, he could finally force Archie and Maxie into submission.
More attacks from blue-clad foes followed, striking home. One soldier, not as quick as his fellow brethren, was thrown into the marble wall at great speed. He hit the wall and, with a moan, fell motionless. Ben winced. The armor could only do so much.
"That's it! Go Altaria!" He roared, "Dragon Pulse!"
Altaria obeyed, and with a screech, cast a destructive beam of white energy into the ranks of Aqua grunts. I could hear yells as they scattered. Dragon type moves were fierce and I didn't blame them for their obvious fear.
"Move out!" Ben yelled, his black armor shining in the quickly fading light of the day.
His soldiers moved to obey. Ben attempted to follow, but a tablet set on a display on the wall caught his eye. From where I stood, I couldn't quite see what it said, but it clearly caused him to grin in excitement.
"Hold up!" He ordered, then barked at his men to assist him with removing it from its pedestal. When he finally got it loose, he had them carry it to the lift point. He pulled his radio from its clip on his vest and murmured something into it. "Now all we have to do is wait."
I laughed, because the way he said it, it seemed like the easiest thing. "Right, because we have all the time in the world."
Chuckling, he said, "True, we are in a bit of a rush."
Team Aqua attempted to make one final push, but were clearly outnumbered and had no choice but to flee when the Ozone choppers began to arrive to retrieve the crew. Sleek, black helicopters with the Ozone insignia in gold, gleaming in the fading daylight. Grey uniformed Ozone grunts hopped out of the landed copter and began to load the ancient tablet into the cargo hold. At last, Ben and I were safely in a helicopter in headed to Ozone's base of operations. After several moments of silence during which we both let the magnitude of the previous battle sink in, I broke the ice. "So what is it?"
"The tablet? Not sure. However, it referenced Rayquaza and the other two, Groudon and Kyogre, so I decided it was worth taking."
"And we will be returning it after the war is over, right?"
He sighed. "If we must..." He trailed off.
I rolled my eyes. He had a habit of keeping things that he had taken as part of the war effort. As we began our final landing, my mind had wandered. Ben and I had known each other for about a year. He had come to my aid during one of the battles between Magma and Aqua in the middle of my hometown, Lilycove City. I remember it like it was yesterday.
I was returning from the department store with the usual stuff that I needed for my daily life as a trainer. Repels, Pokéballs, some Pokédolls, etc. I took my normal route home, and as I was rounding the corner, I saw them. Magma and Aqua grunts. "Rubies and sapphires" my dad had called them. They were battling in the streets, taking cover behind the rubble that had once been a small and sweet little neighborhood. I ran for my house, one of the only left standing. The street was being blasted to pieces and I kept losing my balance. I could see my parents, trying desperately to ward off the attackers. There were helicopters too, depositing more soldiers and supplies to those on the ground. As I ran, a wave of fast-moving planes flew over the city. However, these were different. They were moving too fast, I realized. They weren't attempting to land. Instead, the bay doors in the back opened, and small, grey objects fell. I heard rumbling and loud, booming noises behind me, where the copters had originated. The noises grew louder and louder, a deafening thunder, rolling across the land. Bombs! I thought, those are bombs!
I had just enough time to fall to the ground as the explosions reached me. The ground was rocked, even though the bombs were sparse. With the horror of what had happened setting in They weren't meant to kill. They were only meant to drive off the enemy and make the battlefield bigger by removing the buildings.
My ears were ringing when I finally sat up. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. Figures in blue and red were still battling, using the remains of my neighbors houses to protect themselves. In a panic, I searched for my house, finding only rubble. The house I had lived in for my entire life. Destroyed. The emotions inside were overwhelming me. With tears in my eyes, I immediately called out Beautifly and Grovyle. My little darlings were hit and knocked senseless by crossfire before I had the chance to attack. I recalled them, planning to flee back to town where more powerful trainers stayed. They would help me, I thought. But as I turned to run, I found that the road was harder to navigate than I had thought. Chunks were still being constantly blown out from the chaos surrounding me. Turns out, help had already arrived.
A booming voice called out what I had assumed to be the name of a Pokémon, followed by, "Hyper Beam, now!"
I fell to my stomach and stayed on the ground as a tall, grey pokémon with claws responded with a pulsing beam of energy that passed so close that I could feel the heat from it as it waved back and forth over me. It knocked all the grunts that didn't hear him clean off their feet and threw them among the rubble that had once been my house, my neighbors homes.
When I had decided it was safe to look up, he was there, standing over me. I saw him more clearly then. He was wearing some sort of body armor, with the areas between the black metal plating consisting of a grey bodysuit. He helped me to my feet and smiled at me. He had blue eyes and brown hair spiked up on the top of his head. As he introduced himself, I felt as though I had seen him before. When he mentioned his name, I nearly fainted. Ben had won numerous championships throughout every region, including Hoenn. He was a superstar. I finally regained my voice. "Who was that pokémon?"
"Who, Garchomp? It's a rare dragon and ground type pokémon, found in Sinnoh, Kalos, and Alola. Extremely powerful and dangerous. Suits me perfectly, don't you agree?" He said that last part with his trademark smirk. The kind that says: Yeah, you know who I am.
I laughed. It did suit him perfectly. He was a very aggressive trainer that used powerful moves to overwhelm his opponents. I then realized my head was spinning and my legs were on the verge of collapse.
Ben looked at me closer and said, "Ah, shell shock. You might want to lay down for a while." I responded by collapsing forward into his arms.
When I came to, I was in a bed in a sterile hospital room. Ben was sitting in a chair on my left.
He smiled. "Glad to see you're okay. You're in the infirmary. I brought you to our headquarters so our medics could make sure you were all right. If you're feeling better, I could show you around."
I was unsure, but agreed to at least tour the base. After I did, I knew that Ozone could be my new family. However, I will never get over the loses I suffered that day. Even now, it brings tears to my eyes.
"Hey," Ben said gently, "What's going on?" Apparently my sorrow from my flashback had shown on my face.
"Just...thinking about the day we met." I said, beginning to cry.
"It's okay, you're among friends now," He said, "There's no reason to cry."
I nodded, wiping the tears from my eyes. It still caused me to lose control, even though it had been a whole year since it happened.
Suddenly, the copter stopped. Ben stood. "We've landed. I've got to unload the tablet. Let's plan to meet up at my office in say, an hour?"
"Sure. An hour." I replied.
He smiled. "Great. Now I better oversee the unloading and make sure they don't break anything." Suddenly, his expression turned serious. With a stonelike gaze he continued, his voice tense. "This is the biggest clue we've ever had to locating Rayquaza. We cannot blow this."
I was startled. He had never been that focused or serious with me. Even in the heat of battle, he was calm and easy going.
He must have seen my expression, because he immediately smiled apologetically and tried to compensate for how he had been. "Sorry, I've been through a lot these last few days. I think the fatigue is starting to catch up to me." He said, hand sweeping back his hair, which had fallen down into his eyes. Just like it always did.
I smiled, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He nodded to me in farewell and turned an walked determinedly down the hallway, steel boots clicking on the marble floor as he did. I stared after him. My feelings for him were...complicated. I was truly grateful to him for rescuing me that day, but he kind-of scared me sometimes. He could be so intense and the things I had seen him do, the battle I'd seen him win, they left me feeling uneasy. There had been something in his expression that had unsettled me. It was almost if he had been reading my mind, or trying to judge me on something. I decided to let it go.
I sat in my chair and accessed the Ozone Intranet. I had a habit of going over the mission database after every battle and raid, to see if I had missed anything about the battle, or to see how the higher-ups had viewed our performance. I accessed the most recent file.
Raid on Oceanic Museum in Slateport City.
Raid leaders: Leader Ben Draconem, Lieutenant Sarah Fay
Summary: Team broke into museum with the intention of gathering information on legendary pokémon. Team had progressed into Ancient History section when Team Aqua arrived and forced team to retreat, with the removal of an artifact referencing all three legendary pokémon.
Loses: None, though many minor injuries were reported due to the Aqua attack.
Conclusion: Satisfactory
With a breath of relief, I set the screen down for a minute. They hadn't thought the mission to be a failure. They found the tablet to be useful. I felt the same emotions I felt after most successful missions, like I had just done something momentous and great. I guess it kinda was, but even after so many missions, the war was still not over. That can dampen your good mood a bit.
I reopened the laptop. I began to browse through the mission log, to see if anything else had happened while I had been gone. Just as I had expected, there were none. However, there was an updated file. I frowned. There had never been a file in need of updating in Ozone history. The tech reps were great at their jobs and always crammed as much detail into each file as they could. I opened it.
Inside the file, there was information on the Battle of Lilycove City. I had looked at it several times. There wasn't much info, because it was only Ben that had gone. He had engaged without notifying the rest of the team, so there weren't any data crews at the scene. Yet, there was more data. Not much, but enough to cause me to stand abruptly, kicking over my chair in the process. I didn't care, because my mind was racing. I removed my communicator from my belt and punched in a few cell numbers, contacting those who could assist me should things go south. I slammed the computer screen shut and left my room at a dead sprint. I was going to see Ben. I didn't care if he wasn't expecting me for another 20 minutes. He had some explaining to do. Because that file had two pieces I was concerned with. The first being the authorization of war plane deployment during the Battle of Lilycove. The second was a blueprint for the mass production of bombs.
As I ran, I was mentally kicking myself. How could I have not seen it earlier? Ben just happened to arrive seconds after the bombs fell, but looked completely fine. No dust or cuts from the rubble. And the planes that dropped the bombs. I had always thought they were Aqua's, because they looked blue. Not anymore. In fact, the more I thought about it, the planes looked darker. They were black, the trademark color of Team Ozone.
As I reached Ben's office, I realized that the reason Ben had asked me to join wasn't because he wanted to help me. He wanted to keep an eye on me and make sure I didn't tell anyone about what I had seen that day. Suddenly, I was scared. If someone at the top of the chain of command was aware that I suspected them of committing a war crime, they would do anything to keep me silent. These people weren't my friends anymore. If anything, they were the most dangerous enemies I had ever faced. They knew me. Not just my face, but my pokémon, my hobbies, my talents. Everything that makes me who I am, everything that gives me an edge over my opponents. They had that information at their disposal.
I had a hand on the offices doorknob when I realized that going to the man that authorized and gave the order to kill my family and friends was the last person I should be going to. I turned to run the other way, but two Ozone grunts stood in my way. Frozen in terror, I couldn't react when they strode silently across the room and grabbed my arms and pulled me inside the office.
There was quite a party inside the room. I counted 15 grunts along the walls, along with 10 of Ben's Dragoons. The name he gave his special forces soldiers. It occurred to me that I had probably fought alongside all of them at some point, and I wondered if they felt any pity for me. To the left of the desk stood Steven, son of the owner of the Devon Corporation. He was Ben's third in command. To the right was an empty space, and I realized that that was where I normally stood during meetings and reports. The worst of all, the desk was occupied by Ben himself. He sat in silence for a while, staring at me, analyzing my face for any sign that would give him a tip on what I was thinking.
After a minute or so, he motioned for his soldiers to leave. Only he and Steven remained in the room with me. I leaned forward, my hands cuffed. "What is going on here?" I demanded.
His face was calm, but his voice was commanding and angry. "I believe you know exactly what is going on." He replied. After a pause, he continued, "I tried to protect you from this information so that you could be happy. You fit in here. You belong here. I wanted you to be able to trust me, so that you could stay here and be happy."
"That's just the thing I would expect a lying murderer to say!" I shouted at him. Steven looked as if he wanted to step in, but Ben waved him off.
"I am trying to cleanse Hoenn of its impurities! I could have found Rayquaza and annihilated Magma and Aqua by tomorrow if I didn't have to deal with you complicating things!"
I shrunk back in my chair, shocked by his outburst. That didn't stop me from replying though. "So that Rayquaza means more to you than I do?"
Ben's eyes widened. He was stunned that he had been trapped like that. I he replied yes, he'd be lying. If he replied no, he'd look weak in front of the now second-in-command Steven. After a few tries, he managed to say, "Look, I truly care for you. I do. However, Rayquaza is the one thing Hoenn needs right now. I need it just as much as I need you. I need both of you, but the only way that's going to work is if you stick by my side."
That ticked me off. "You killed my parents! My friends! You destroyed my house and ruined my chance to have a normal life! Yet, after all of that, you expect me to support you? You must be crazy!" I was yelling now, and Steven made it clear that if I didn't calm down, he was going to take action.
Ben bowed his head, obviously trying to sort out the conflict that must be occurring in his mind. Finally, he looked me in the eye. All of the anger was gone, replaced by remorse and sadness. "Look, I'm sorry for changing the subject, but do you know where I come from?" He asked.
I was taken aback. "What does this have to do with anything? This isn't about you!" I shouted.
"It may help you to know where I came from, and how I ended up here. You and I are more alike than you realize." He paused, drawing a breath and preparing himself as if it were something painful.
"I had lived in the Alola region for my entire life. I had spent my time evenly between the four islands: Melemele, Akala, Ula'ula, and Poni. I was a daring trainer, going where nobody else had gone before.
However, I did all this without any actual family. I never knew my parents, and I had no siblings. They never told me anything about them, only that I had appeared on the beach one day. I had no memory of how I had come to be there and knew only my name and age. I was dressed in a cloak made from dragon scale, and Kahuna Olivia took me in immediately. I was like the son she never had. In Alola, they use not the President or Prime Minister as their leader of government, but they use the Kahuna system. The Kahunas are wise and powerful adults that are chosen by the island guardians. Olivia was the Kahuna of Akala Island and specialized in using the rock type.
It became apparent that I was skilled in communicating with the dragon type. They still seek me out, as if they sense my presence. Not only was I skilled with the dragon type, but the steel, ghost, and poison are easy to wield as well.
It took me only months to earn my Z-Ring, the band on my right wrist. It allows me to use insanely powerful moves called Z-Moves. It takes lots of mental focus, and you can usually only use one before you and your pokémon have to rest. However, when used correctly, they can be a knockout punch to help you win a battle.
I also forged my mega ring myself, out of solid steel. It contains a keystone, and when it is used in tandem with a mega stone and the right pokémon, it can become a devastating weapon. You see, some pokémon have a secret and temporary evolution. This is called their 'Mega Evolution' and it boosts their power and speed until the battle is over or they are knocked out. You can use it again and again, as many times as you need to.
With all this power, the Kahunas began to lose trust in me. They were worried I was attempting to overthrow them. They began to plant seeds of doubt in my friends' minds. Their job was to attempt to drive me from Alola in any way possible. It hurt them dearly to do it, but they had to listen to the Kahunas. Their plan was to openly confront me, defeat me, and force me to leave. However, when they approached me while on the beach one night, they discovered my secret. I would tell you, but I have promised never to reveal it. There are too many people that would attempt to use it for their own gain, and I cannot, under any circumstances, allow that to happen. It would doom our world, putting the lives of millions at stake.
When they found me on the beach, instead of attacking, they waited and watched. I doubt they really understood what they saw that night, but the Kahunas understood completely. The three Kahunas met, Hala of Melemele, Nanu from Ula'Ula, and Olivia from Akala, and they voted on my exile from Alola. Olivia defended me, of course, but Hala and Nanu had always been suspicious of me because of how mysteriously I had arrived. The vote was 2-1, and I was asked to leave.
I left quietly and without a fight, but before I boarded the plane to Kalos, I promised I Olivia and my friends I would return. That set Hala and Nanu off, and they informed me that I would be arrested if I set foot in Alola again.
I made my way from region to region, never staying longer than I needed to. Hoenn was different. The atmosphere and geography was so diverse that I felt as if I had come home. I decided I would stay a little while longer, so I looked for work. I took up a position as a member of Team Magma until I convinced other recruits to break away and form Team Ozone, and here I am." He finished with a sad nod in my direction, letting me know I was allowed to speak.
I was stunned. To have gone through all of that, I would have gone insane. He was right. He and I were more alike than I had thought at first. I was about to forgive him, but I needed to get out of this office. I nodded and replied "I understand."
He smiled and pressed a button on his desk. The door opened and he motioned for me to leave. I stood, Steven removed my handcuffs, and I walked out. I immediately made a beeline for the exit, then changed my mind and turned down a corridor. I grabbed a helmet off the rack next to the door and speed walked to the hanger, where I picked out an Ozone cycle. A few minutes later, I was on the highway and headed for Slateport City.
2 days had passed before the people I had contacted showed. I had set up shop on one of the rooftops near the Museum we had raided 2 days ago. There was an enormous marble dias, a display made in the Kalos region with an odd helix shape set into it. It was labeled: Mega Evolution Origin Stone.
I was watching as Ben arrived. He walked and stood on the dias, looking for me and calling my name. I had sent a distress signal, stating that I had been attacked and captured. It wasn't a lie, because that was quite likely if this didn't go well, and it explained why I had been gone for two days without contacting him. I had thought of telling him about what I had done, making desperate and risky moves in blind rage, before Ben extinguished that fire. I decided to take a risk and keep him in the dark. This was a chance to end the war in one fiery moment. Suddenly, he whipped his head around, for on either side of him, Maxie and Archie had materialized, the two others I had contacted days earlier. They climbed the stairs, placing themselves on the other two points of the triangular dias.
Ben spoke up first, with a nod in greeting and an equally smug smirk. "To what do I owe this pleasure, gentlemen?"
Archie sneered and replied, "We're here to put an end to this. This has gone on for far too long with far too little progress in any direction."
Maxie nodded, a cold smile creeping onto his face. "Archie and I have agreed that we stand no chance against you alone, but together we may stand a chance."
The smug smile on Ben's face was gone, with a hint of nervousness in his eyes. "You're lying. You couldn't work together if you tried." However, I knew that it was possible, and he did too. These two were strong, not just physically, but mentally and strategically. If they decided it was their best chance at winning, they would take it.
Archie and Maxie's only reply was sending out their pokémon, Sharpedo and Camerupt, instigating a battle. This hadn't been my earlier plan. That plan was to have a three way battle, with Ben the loser. A 2v1 wasn't remotely fair. Ben squared his shoulders and took something off his belt. He attached it behind his ear and pressed a button. A half mask appeared, completely covering both ears and the lower half of his face. When he spoke, his voice was metallic and deep. "Bring it on!"
He reached to his belt again, removing two pokéballs. "Garchomp and Altaria, I choose you!" He called out. And the battle was on.
Ben made the first move, ordering dual Dragon Pulses. Both Archie and Maxie had to dodge, but were immediately on the offensive again. Ben had to dodge a Water Pulse and a Fire Blast, but his pokémon remained untouched and fiery with determination. He managed to land both a Dragon Claw while Altaria used Dragon's Dance and raised its attack and speed. During that time, Maxie landed two Flamethrowers and Archie knocked out Altaria with Bite. Garchomp was still standing, but was not as quick as it was. Ben noticed this, and grim determination flashed across his face. He raised his left arm and poised his right hand over the Mega Ring on his wrist.
His voice rang out as if he was yelling into a microphone. "This ring and these stones are proof that I truly care about my partners! I spent years tracking these stones, so I could unlock their true potential and power on the battlefield! I forged this ring from steel that I myself dug from the earth! I have faced many hardships, from tough opponents and tricky pokémon, to homelessness and abandonment! I am the tropical wind of Alola. I am the force that brings storms and destruction to the coasts, but I also can give life giving rain to help those who are struggling. I am restless and uncontrollable, and I have not one home. I am at home wherever I go! Feel my wrath! Garchomp, Mega Evolve!" And with that he pressed the white keystone embedded in the ring.
Immediately, white lines of energy erupted from the ring, connecting with the equally powerful orange beams from Garchomp's stone embedded in the necklace it wore. Garchomp was surrounded by light, its silhouette changing, growing bigger and the claws elongating into scythe-like blades. Finally, a helix shape just like the one on the dias appeared. It was glowing in front of the brand new Garchomp that had emerged from the light. It had spikes lining its chest and its jaw was bigger. It roared and both leaders and their pokémon flinched and stumbled back in fear. Ben laughed sarcastically and yelled, "Let's turn this tide!"
It was my turn to act. I couldn't just sit around and watch. I needed to help fix the mess I had started. I jumped and slid down the wall, calling out to Ben. In his eyes, I could see the confusion turn to realization, and then to disappointment and anger. He knew it wasn't a coincidence that I was here. I ran up beside him, and was about to send out Grovyle when a tremor shook the ground. The rock at the center of the dias began to crumble.
Ben's eyes widened. "It can't be! Wormholes haven't ever been documented anywhere but Alola!" He cried in disbelief.
It had to be, because he recalled Garchomp and in the same motion pointed his arm at me, wrist tilted down. "I'm sorry about everything. You have to believe that lying was the only option I had. I'm so sorry." He was crying now, though his expression wasn't of sadness or sorrow, but of grim acceptance. He flexed his fingers and a force equal to a sucker-punch slammed into my chest, knocking me clean off the dias.
I struggled to regain my feet, but found I could not. He had hit me with some temporary paralysis, for I could feel it wearing off already. It was too late. As I watched in horror, the dias buckled, the rock being sucked into a glowing white hole that appeared from nowhere. It looked as if the sky had torn. Maxie and Archie lost their balance and tumbled into the wormhole. Ben was more agile and managed to grab the edge of the dias that hadn't already disappeared into the unknown.
Ben yelled again, "I forgive you too! Just one last thing, go to Alola and watch the sunset for me. It was the one thing I missed the most, that I couldn't see it all this time I've been away." And with that, he let go and fell into the wormhole.
Seconds later, the effect wore off. I scrambled to my feet and ran to the edge of the dias, calling Ben's name. All that was left was a giant circular hole that continued about twelve feet into the ground before it stopped abruptly. I couldn't bring myself to believe what had happened. He couldn't have sacrificed himself. He wouldn't have. It was exactly what he had done though, ending the war at the cost of his life. The ultimate sacrifice. I turned and ran for the cycle. I fastened the helmet and sped off towards Ozone's headquarters. The command would know what to do.
It was an hour after the battle ended. I was sitting on the roof, my legs dangling off the rooftop. I had arrived to find the base empty. There hadn't been a soul in sight. Papers had been scattered everywhere, like the occupants had left in a hurry, bringing everything they could fit in their arms along. I sat there for a while, deep in thought. Where should I go now? I really didn't have much left here, but at least I knew the landscape. I could participate in the league here, the tournament I had been training to enter before I was thrust into this war. However, there was also what Ben had asked of me. Go to Alola. Watch the sunset for me. Must I obey his last wish, or would he mind me waiting? I sat there for what seemed like hours.
Finally, I made up my mind. I pulled my communicator from my belt and ordered plane tickets to the Alola Region. I then hopped on my cycle and sped east, intending to leave my home for the last time.