Chapter 2- First contact.
The kids arrived to the facility before the storm arrived to the valley. But when they went inside, they discovered that the place was a mess.
"Well, this is it. The investigation facility which I mentioned." Clemont pronounced.
"Uf, well at least they could have it a little tidier." Bonnie observed.
"This place looks like no one has been here for years. Clemont, why this place was abandoned?" Ash asked in curiosity.
"Well, the scientists tried to know what the crystals composition by all ways was, and in one of those procedures they discovered that those crystals have a lot of energy readings, like if they were some kind of power source. But when they tried to test it, the result was explosive. I guess that's why they abandoned this place."
"Then how are we going to accommodate if this place looks like ruins?" Serena asked worried.
"Hum, let me see if this place still has power."
Clemont searched the facility's generator and try to see if it still worked. After a little review, he managed to turn it on.
"Well, that's more like it."
"Good work, Clemont. Now we can see what are in this place better." Ash congratulated.
"Some computers still working, so I can check the research they were doing about the crystals." Clemont said.
"Meanwhile we can look around to see what else is here and do some cleaning."
"Nice idea, Serena." Ash supported.
While her brother examined the computer's data and Ash helped Serena to fix the place, Bonnie and Dedenne explored the facility more deeply. Then they found a big room with heavy machinery and some scout duty vehicles, but what caught her attention was something out of place: a big red firefighter truck still in the back of the room.
"Woah. Hey, big brother, guys!"
"Bonnie, was wrong?" Serena asked.
"Are you okay, you're hurt?!" Clemont asked worried.
"No, I just found something incredible!"
"Huh, exactly what?" Ash asked interested.
"Come on, I will show you!"
Bonnie led everyone to the room where the truck still was.
"See? What I told you?" She said proudly.
"That's something incredible? It's only a firefighter truck." Serena recognized.
"I believe you saw something really interesting." Ash said a little disappointed.
"Pika."
"Wait a minute. Bonnie has just realized something out of place." Her brother said.
"Huh?" Ash and Serena said.
"First of all, that's a heavy firefighter truck used only in case of big uncontrolled fires; second, what is doing a vehicle like this in a place like this? It makes no sense." Clemont observed.
Serena and Ash did not understand anything he said, but they know that Clemont's deductions were always right.
"Guys, I want to have a look to the truck, meanwhile you finish ordering the place."
"Okay Clemont, if you are sure of that we'll not disturb you." Ash said before he and Serena returned to clean duties.
"Bonnie, can I borrow Dedenne for a moment? Is for the truck's checking."
"Sure, big brother. Okay Dedenne, stay with Clemont, be nice and do everything he told you."
"Dedenne." The little pokemon nodded.
Clemont decided to check the truck's inside first, but when he opened the driver's door a lot of metal cylinders came out of it.
"This is very strange." He said observing one of the cylinders. "Dedenne, I want to check if the engine's still online. Use Thunder Shock."
"Dedenne!"
Dedenne launched the electric movement to the truck, and immediately electricity began to light up the whole vehicle. But then the radio started to reproduce a strange message with static.
"Calling… (static)…calling all Autobots…(static)." The radio reproduced before it turned off.
"Hum." Clemont said very surprised.
Meanwhile, Ash, Serena and Bonnie just finished cleaning the rest of the facility, so Bonnie was now playing with Pikachu while Ash and Serena prepared things for dinner.
"Look it now, this place now seems not bad at all." Ash observed. "I'm going to miss this moments a lot."
"Yeah, me too."
Serena though that was a good moment to tell Ash her feelings towards him.
"Ash, I need to tell you something very important."
"What is it, Serena?"
"You see, I wanted to tell you the first time we met again, but I was not able to do it because I was not brave enough or just not have the right moment, but I want you to know it before is too late."
"Huh? And what exactly is it?"
Serena was a little nervous, but she decided to do it. "Ash, I…"
"Hey guys!" Clemont's voice sounded in the entire place while he arrived to them.
"What's going on, Clemont?!" Ash asked.
"You need to see this; I think I made a great discovery! Come on!"
"Wait for us, big brother!" Bonnie said as she and Pikachu ran after him.
"We're right behind you! Oh, sorry Serena. You can finish telling me that later." Ash said before he went too.
"Okay." She said a little disappointed.
In a few seconds, everyone was in the big room.
"What is so important?" Ash asked.
"I assure you that you have never seen a truck like this." Clemont said while he climbed up to the truck's top.
"Hum, and why?" Serena asked.
"First of all, I checked its engine and it's too advanced compared to all known vehicle engines; second, its bodywork is more resistant than it seems; third, I found these cylinders inside it, but there are mortar ammunition; and fourth, look what's on the steering wheel." Clemont explained.
Ash took a look on the steering wheel and saw a strange robotic face in the center.
"Woah. I've never seem a symbol like that." Ash said while Serena saw it too.
"What kind of brand would create a vehicle like this?" She asked.
"And that's not the last thing. Ash, tell Pikachu to use an electric attack on the truck."
"What? Clemont, are you sure about that?"
"Trust me, Bonnie. I saw its effect before, just do it."
"Okay Pikachu, use Thunderbolt." Ash instructed.
"Pika!"
Pikachu used his electric attack against the truck, and immediately it started to light it up again.
"Calling… (static)…calling all Autobots…(static)." The radio reproduced again, leaving everyone impressed.
"Woah, truly this truck is not normal." Ash realized.
"But then what exactly is it?" Serena asked.
"And what the radio was referring with that of Autobots?" Bonnie added.
"I'm not sure, but I'm intended to find it out. Ash, can you help me here? I want to see the engine closer." Clemont requested.
"Sure."
"Be careful you two." Serena said worried.
After remove the cover, the two boys began to examine the engine.
"Hum, it seems it has something stuck. We need to remove it first to check it better." Clemont said as he and Ash began to pull on the object.
"What is that? Looks like a missile." Ash noticed.
"It is! And is activated!" Clemont warned.
Then the missile started to fly around, hitting things everywhere.
"Girls, take cover!" Ash shouted.
Everyone hid in some places while the missile made a hole in the truck's engine before it continued to make a mess around the place. That was seeing outside the facility, where Team Rocket was hidden.
"What are all those lights and sparks inside?" Jessie asked.
"Maybe they found something interesting on that facility." James suggested.
"Who cares what they could find? This could be our chance to grab Pikachu without they notice it." Meowth said.
"Yeah, let's go!" The three said at once.
"Wobbuffet!"
But before they could act, the missile came out through the facility's window and flew directly towards them. The missile exploded near to them, making them leave flying.
"No fair! How can these happen to us?!" Jessie cursed.
"Maybe they saw us while we were planning our move." James said with his arms crossed.
"That was our chance! Now what are going to say to the boss!?" Meowth yelled.
"Wobbuffet!"
"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" They said at once as they went flying away like always.
Meanwhile, inside the facility, the missile caused a lot of damage to the entire place. Fortunately, the kids were all alright.
"Uf, that was close." Clemont said in relief.
"At least everyone is alright." Ash added.
"Pika."
Then they heard a weird noise coming from the vehicle as sparks came from the engine.
"What's that?" Ash asked.
"I don't know, but I have a bad feeling about this." Clemont said worried.
Then the truck's parts began to change, until the truck turned completely into some kind of giant robot. The kids began to run and hid because the robot was advancing in a threatening manner.
"I'll kill you! No, no!" The robot said as he tried to get up.
The robot was enormous, with the same color as the truck, but it had a very human appearance, with a face that looked like an older person. The children hid as they saw the robot taking out some kind of weapon.
"I will kill you! Stay back!" The robot said aiming his weapon.
"What's going on?!" Serena asked.
"That truck just transformed into a giant robot!" Ash said in disbelief.
"How can this be possible?" Bonnie asked.
"I don't know, I've never seen a robot like this!" Clemont said hidden.
"Hold on. Look how he is acting. It's like he's blind." Ash noticed, observing that the robot was aiming everywhere without knowing what was there. "Maybe if he could see us, he'll saw we're not any threat."
"But Ash, it could be dangerous!" Serena warned.
"We've to try it. Maybe that's the only way to calm him down."
"Perhaps you're right. It looks like there is a lot of dust covering its eyes." Clemont observed.
Serena doubted about that, but Ash's intuitions were almost always right.
"Okay, but be careful." She begged.
"Greninja, I chose you!" Ash said pulling out a poke ball, which where Greninja came out. "We need your help, use Water Shuriken on the fire sprinklers. Aim to the ceiling."
"Greninja!"
Greninja launched two water shurikens which hit on the sprinklers of the ceiling, making the water flow and cleaning the robot's eyes from all the dust. Once they were clean, it was seeing that its eyes were blue.
"Do you think it now can see us?" Bonnie asked as she stood up.
She slipped up a little, making the robot to aim at her with its weapon.
"Bonnie!" Clemont yelled.
She began to drop tears of fear, something the robot noticed.
"Easy, little human. I'm not going to hurt you." The robot said.
That calmed Bonnie seeing that was not danger.
"It's okay guys. He's not going to hurt us, come out." She said.
Then the rest of the group came from their hidings.
"What happened? Weapons systems damaged." The robot said, checking his weapon.
"A missile hit your engine. And we took it out of you." Clemont explained.
"Where I am?"
"You're in an abandoned investigation facility, and we found you turned into a truck. We just tried to help you." Ash said.
"Then I am in your dept." The robot said calming down, but then he became nervous again. "My partners, they're in danger!"
As the robot tried to walk, he fell to his needs and some parts of his body, especially from his helmet dropped.
"I need to go, now." He said as some blue liquid came from his injures.
"How far you think you're gonna get? Look at you, you're badly damaged." Clemont noticed.
"What happened to you?" Ash asked in curiosity.
"An ambush. A trap, set by humans and their creatures. I escaped and took this form." The robot told as a strange metallic golden object fell from his chest.
"But why would humans and pokemon hurt you?" Serena asked.
"There were not alone. My allies can repair me." The robot said as he put the object inside him again.
"If you can reach them. What about us?" Ash said.
"Huh? Ash, what are you talking about?" Serena asked.
"Look him, he's really bad! If he goes outside, he'll not survive for long. He needs help right now."
"Do you believe you can repair me?" The robot asked in disbelief.
"Of course. My big brother knows a lot of machines, he's an inventor. After all he managed to create Clembot." Bonnie reminded.
"Clemont, do you believe you can help him?" Ash asked.
Clemont has never worked with such advanced material, but besides he doesn't know anything about that robot's designs he was the best option indeed.
"I can try it. But of course if we're going to repair you, we're going to need your help, to tell us how to fix you." He said.
The robot wasn't so sure whether to trust them, but at looking at their eyes, something told him that those kids were trustworthy.
"I'll need to replace some of my armor pieces and fix the most affected parts. And I'll need energon, a lot." The robot instructed.
"Energon? What is that?" Ash asked.
"Is that your fuel?" Clemont deduced.
"My life force." The robot answered.
That left everyone in shock. They were talking with some kind of living robot?
"Okay, how can we find it? Or how does it look like?" Ash asked confused.
"In this place should be in its purest and fossilized form, giant blue crystals." He answered.
"Wait a second!" Clemont said as he pulled out the piece of the crystal. "Is this energon?"
"Yes."
"So that explains why the scientists never discovered what the crystals were. It must be the energon he needs." Clemont deduced.
"There are a lot of them in the valley. Let's get them!" Ash said.
But when they went to the exit, it was already raining outside.
"Oh, is raining. We're going to get wet." Bonnie objected.
"But Bonnie, we can't wait until the rain stops. He needs our help now!" Ash reminded.
They saw that what Ash said was true when they saw the robot getting worse as he dropped more pieces, lying in the floor.
"You're right. He needs us now. We can't disappoint him." Serena supported.
"Serena, I will need Braixen right here. Her fire type moves can help us with the reparations." Clemont said.
"Alright. Braixen, we need you!"
Serena pulled out Braixen's poke ball to call her.
"Braixen, stay with Ash and Clemont and help them in any they need." Serena instructed.
"Braixen."
"Take Greninja and Pikachu with you. They can help you carrying the crystals." Ash offered.
"Thank you, Ash." Serena said.
"We'll back in no time." Bonnie added.
And so, the girls accompanied by Greninja and Pikachu run down to the valley towards the place where the crystals were.
"Okay, we're here. Now we need to split the crystals so we can carry them back. Greninja, use Cut! And Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" Serena instructed.
Greninja and Pikachu managed to cut a lot of parts from the giant crystals, enough of size for being transported. Meanwhile, Ash, Clemont and Braixen started to fix the robot's parts.
"Braixen, I need you to use Flamethrower on these parts we are putting to weld them with the armor." Clemont explained.
"Braixen." She nodded as she began to shot fire at the pieces Ash and Clemont put together.
"That was a great hit. The missile just missed your power source." Clemont observed while he began to weld other pieces with his tools.
"We call it a spark. It contains our life force and our memories." The robot told.
"Woah, it's just like our souls." Ash said.
"Hey guys! We're back!"
They saw behind to see Bonnie, Serena and the two pokemon carrying a lot of energon crystals.
"Now what?" Bonnie asked.
"Put them inside this canister so it can turn them in liquid form." The robot instructed pointing to a big canister.
They put the crystals inside before it started to melt them into some kind of blue liquid that then he inserted in his arm.
"Why? Why are you willing to help me?" The robot asked.
"Because you need help. If you found anyone in distress, you would help him, no?" Ash answered.
The kids continued to help the robot's reparations while the storm continued. Meanwhile, very far from there, a helicopter was flying above the North Pole, meeting in an area where a giant spaceship was landed. It landed over the spaceship and a pretty lady came from inside: it was young, with red long hair and a kind of dress with a cap. She had a double necklace with a poke ball inserted. She looked above her to see Lockdown, accompanied with other giant black robots armed and with some kind of metallic wolves.
"I warm you; Miss Misbelwy of Earth, an alliance is a contract. And contracts, like humans, expire." Lockdown said.
"On this planet we have a saying: The enemy of my enemy is my friend." She said.
"I also have a saying: I don't care." Lockdown responded coldly.
"So what happened in Johto, years ago? I thought you had him." Misbelwy asked.
"Three direct hits, a mortal wound, and then your creatures allowed him to escape. You promised me human intelligence and pokemon support. Or is there such a thing?" He answered.
"You know, you've still never told me. Why do you want him? Who are you working for?" She asked again.
"Every galaxy I've travelled, all you species are the same. You all think you're the center of the universe. You have no idea."