Chapter 13: Whatever It Takes

"So, any ideas, like?" Stan asked. The trio had been staring in awe at the portal for a while now, and he was the one to break the silence.

"There's a theory that due to an unexplained event in the 19th Century there is a rift in space and time located in the heart of Castelia's twin city, Cardiff," Rebecca explained. "Reports of strange creatures and technology appearing in the city are often suppressed by the British government but of course some of those documents have been leaked, suggesting that there is some truth to it. Some have even theorised that the link between Cardiff and Castelia City was made for more than just financial reasons."

"So the Beer Baron knew about all this weird stuff?" Owen asked (the Beer Baron, of course, being a reference to the wealthy businessman responsible for the construction of the Mareep District, well-known for being an alcoholic).

"He would be far from alone," Rebecca said. "You remember the time when all the children started behaving oddly, don't you?"

"That could've been last week for all I can tell. Never did understand kids."

"You were one at one time, as hard to believe as that may seem," Rebecca said, and Owen declined to speak of the matter again. "What I'm trying to say is that we may have an established cause for Jason's sudden disappearance."

"So what, you think he just left his bag behind, came through this rough-ass estate and walked into this portal thing?"

"It's not beyond the realm of possibility at this point," Rebecca said. "Alternatively he could have been taken through by someone else, or forced against his will."

"Ya think?" Owen asked with more than a hint of sarcasm. "Hey, maybe those guys are waiting on the other end. Let's give 'em a message!" Owen picked up a brick, tossing it in the air as though it were a pebble. With all his might he threw it at the shining vortex, into which it seemed to sink like a skimming stone into water, proving beyond reasonable doubt that there definitely was something there and it wasn't some trick of the light. A ripple spread outward from the site of impact but other than that there was no activity. "Well, guess that didn't get their attention. Oi, Stan!"

"What?" Stan asked, having zoned out and begun examining the impressive urban graffiti, contemplating why anyone would want to be a 'Skunny Legend'.

"You ever wanted to go to Cardiff? Today might be your lucky day!"

"I went there once, on holiday. Very Welsh," Stan said.

"Well, somebody's gotta take the fall. Was kinda hoping it wouldn't have to be me."

"Owen! That's completely unethical! You can't endanger the life of someone you barely know!" Rebecca snapped.

"Alright, fine, I'll go myself. But only to prove all this space crap's not just some joke." Owen strode towards the vortex, seemingly unfazed by it. He stuck one hand in, reaching around to make sure it was safe and nothing was waiting on the other side that would tear his limbs off. Confident that there was nothing he couldn't handle waiting for him, the rest of his body followed and the golden apparition rippled once more.

After a few tense minutes of waiting, Owen emerged again, white as a sheet and looking as though he'd had the fright of his life, which was extremely out-of-character for him seeing as he was at his physical peak and regularly faced off against Pokémon that required power belts to suppress their strength. Rebecca ran to his aid; this pale and pallid figure emerging from the rift was so extraordinarily far from normal that something truly horrific must have been waiting on the other side.

"What is it? What happened?" she asked in exasperation.

"That... was definitely not Cardiff!" was all Owen said before he collapsed in a heap, unconscious.

With only the ancient deity of the desert between them and their intended target, the resistance knew they had no choice but to push forward. When they'd been drafting the plans to infiltrate the Relic Castle, they had not accounted for such a powerful foe, and within seconds it was clear that this mission was not going to be as straightforward as they may have hoped.

The Green Sage grinned sadistically as the Pokémon he had raised by hand tore through its enemies, incinerating even those who resisted the power of its flame. The burning fury of Volcarona obliterated Dennis' Dewott before he even had a chance to give out commands, much to his chagrin. Lethe had initially seemed to be an excellent choice to battle such an opponent, due to its typing and moves being perfect to keep a moth engulfed in flames at bay, but the Green Sage had anticipated such tactics.

"I command you, defeat your weak adversary with... Giga Drain!" Ryoku ordered. Lisa almost lost her footing through shock as the insect drained the life from her Whiscash using the same mysterious power her Tangela was imbued with. Reluctantly she recalled her first choice as it writhed in pain, its very essence being transferred to the Volcarona.

"Hey, kid! Get over here and help out already!" Dennis yelled at Jason in response to the shocking defeat of Lethe, as though he had any authority. Things had been completely fine the night before, but now the lank-haired tool-carrier seemed to be conspiring to create as much misery as possible, like a demented vacuum that sucked up positivity instead of air. However, Jason knew he had to help in any way he could, so he ignored the pain in his chest and brought forth his Psyduck in an attempt to take advantage of water's inherent dominance over fire. Maybe he wasn't the best of Trainers, but he was determined to give it a go at least.

"Water Pulse! Now!" he said frantically as the blazing winged monster spun round to face them. Unsurprisingly given its previous record against the resistance, this turned out to be completely futile as the seraphic wings of the Volcarona flapped, generating burning waves that threatened to turn Trevor crispy and aromatic. Dennis groaned and shook his head in disapproval, before taking action and sending his Hitmontop into the heat of battle, soon partnered by Victor's Golem, Rhodes.

"Watch out, the damn thing's got Giga Drain!" Dennis warned as Victor told his trusted companion to roll towards the towering inferno at full speed. Although one may suspect a Hitmontop would be ill-equipped to face a furious Volcarona, Dennis had the upper hand in this situation. After using it briefly to escape from the Stealth Rock trap, Jason suspected Rocket had a nasty surprise awaiting its opponent.

"Rocket, knock 'em for six with Stone Edge!" Dennis said enthusiastically, shedding the facade of fear. His loyal Capoiera fighter turned itself upside-down, generating momentum while carrying a sharp jagged stone that conveniently had been strewn on the ground. As it gathered speed and Rhodes continued rolling, the Volcarona niftily and nimbly swerved sideways, avoiding both. Both Trainers shouted frantically at their Pokémon, trying to halt their attacks in vain. As many a physicist will know, a heavy rock gathering momentum will only stop once it collides with another object, and this time it just so happened to be headed straight towards its partner, far too late to avoid impact. The crash flung Rocket right across the chamber while Rhodes began to roll in the opposite direction, towards the pack of Plasma grunts baying for blood. The five began nervously shuffling before scattering in all directions to avoid becoming human bowling pins, but the Green Sage stood firm, his arms aloft, still willing Volcarona to continue on its path to destruction. He was fortunate to not be crushed as the Golem ploughed on past him, gathering more momentum until it crashed straight through the wall behind them.

"The project!" cried one of the unidentified grunts as he dived through the wall after the Golem. The rest of the wall collapsed around the distracted Ryoku, revealing the true scale of his project. Hidden in a secret room built behind the ancient throne room was a mass of wriggling and writhing Larvesta, part of Ryoku's grand plan to show the world that Pokémon were superior to humanity as they bombarded civilisation with flames while he himself rode atop the one he had raised by hand, the one that was currently embroiled in deep combat with Plasma's enemies.

"You blundering fools!" Ryoku bellowed at his subordinates. "What on Earth do you think you're doing? Your job is to ensure nothing happens to my precious project!"

"Sorry, sir," the unfortunate grunt said, struggling to his feet. "I got a bit carried away."

"Blimey, he's headed straight for the lot of 'em!" another grunt, whom Jason faintly remembered possibly being referred to as Porter, hollered. The other three low-ranking officers scrambled over the rubble and began chasing after the Golem, futilely trying to halt its rolling. The air was soon filled with the short squeals and the sound of small bodies popping as Rhodes steamrolled several hundred Larvesta, most of which were totally innocent and undeserving of such a fate.

"How dare you!" the Green Sage seethed. "This is the culmination of five years of careful research, and you frivolously destroy it as though it were mere garbage!"

"Well, that's kinda what we do," Victor said. "S'pose I better go stop Rhodes before he starts headin' back this way!" The dashing and brave hero (in his dreams) sprinted across the chamber, his coat-tails flapping limply behind him, to return the out-of-control Golem to its Pokeball before it caused even more chaos.

"All of you shall be punished accordingly!" Ryoku declared. "My royal magnum opus shall ensure the end of all your existences! Consume them with your flames, Volcarona! Leave nothing but ashes!"

"What about us, sir?" Porter enquired. "Won't we all burn too?"

"A most noble sacrifice for the greatest of causes," Ryoku said with a mixture of pride and melancholy in his voice. "If what we do here today ensures the erasure of our adversaries..."

"I don't want to die!" Porter shrieked. "Plasmaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" He then ran headlong into the stone wall behind him, knocking himself out. In the confusion and madness, the perfect Volcarona had been given ample time to prepare its next attack, a deadly Fire Blast. The members of the resistance group still fighting scattered, narrowly avoiding the distinctive five-pointed blast radius of its attack. Conveniently, it seemed this immaculate being had forgotten that one of its foes, the whirling dervish Rocket, was approaching fast from behind, still clutching the jagged rock he'd acquired earlier. The Volcarona sensed its opponent at the last second, avoiding the brunt of the blow but Rocket still managed to inflict a rather nasty gash down one side.

"This is it!" Lisa proclaimed. "We have to finish this off right now!" She surveyed the area, making sure everyone was paying attention. Victor, having now retrieved Rhodes, skidded to a halt by her side. "Everyone ready?" The resistance all in some capacity gave a sign of their willingness and ability to accomplish the task at hand, and with a blinding light four Pokeballs were emptied in unison, preparing to end the saga of the Volcarona.

Kathy stepped up first, her Audino, Marnie, taking a supporting role, much like her trainer.

"Thunder Wave it to keep it pinned down," Kathy said, and the Audino began conducting an electrical charge through her fingers. Sparks flew around Marnie as she moved closer to her opponent, unleashing a paralytic force to trap the majestic insect in place. "Alright, Jason, you're up next. We need to weaken it more, Trubbish should do the trick." Jason and his bin-bag companion entered the fray, Jason commanding Dan to use his Acid Spray again to lower the Volcarona's defences, leaving it more susceptible to later attacks. The bug hissed as the corrosive liquid splattered over its anthropoid exoskeleton, eating right through to the epidermis.

"So who's going for the final blow?" Victor asked. "We picking straws or something?" The stern look he received from Lisa told him all he needed to know. "Ok, whenever you're ready! Let's squash this bug once and for all!" With the assistance of a Revive supplied by Kathy, who always ensured there were plentiful supplies of healing items from their storage facilities to go around, Deimos was back, staring down the Volcarona menacingly in a way only a cephalopod armed with its own biological ballistic cannon could. Although Victor could have revived Hanley had he so wished, it would have been unwise to let the type advantage slip, so Rhodes also returned to the field of battle, wary of the Volcarona's powerful Giga Drain. Finally, Dennis had never recalled Rocket so it was simpler to allow him a chance to land one last hit rather than try to find an alternative.

"Everyone, on the count of three... actually, just go for it! Hydro Pump!"

"Rock Slide 'em, Rhodes!"

"Stone Edge again, Rocket!" This had to be the final barrage, with Deimos preparing a high-pressure blast of water, Rhodes hurling himself at the wall to dislodge any loose rocks from the ceiling and Rocket living up to its namesake in terms of rotating speed, there appeared to be no conceivable escape for the Volcarona.

Just as it seemed the battle was drawing to a close, the insect flared into life, breaking out of the electrical bonds that held it in place and pirouetting through the air, above and past its enemies. Deimos' deluge splashed off the pillar Volcarona had rested near, Rhodes' debris crashed to the ground incredibly loudly but to no effect and Rocket's spin came to an abrupt end as it clipped against the corner of one of the pieces Rhodes had dislodged, cannoning over to the opposite wall before slumping back in defeat.

"Damn, thought that would've been enough," Lisa cursed, the Volcarona circling overhead as though it were taunting her. Suddenly it darted forward and Lisa instinctively did a rolling manoeuvre to avoid it, but she was not the target. Glowing green energy began to spread from its wings towards Rhodes, then back again, transferring the colossus' life energy to the attacker. The energy flowed around the Volcarona's body, repairing the heavy damage it had sustained. Dead tissue lived once more as its various wounds closed themselves, the Volcarona almost showing no signs that it had moments earlier been close to death.

"Now that's a bit of a problem," Victor said. "Rhodes'll be ok since he's sturdy as a brick outhouse but now we gotta go through all that again!"

"We noticed." Lisa's patience wore thin. This was taking far too long and it was compromising their primary objective of accessing Plasma's databases from within, she was going to have to change tactics, and fast. "Deimos, Lock On to the target! We need to get a clear shot at this!" The Octillery's eyes glowed a fluorescent green as its gaze swept across the chamber, seeking its target. Once locked on, it shifted itself around so its cannon was aiming squarely at the opponent's body. Although the Volcarona had mostly recovered from its earlier injuries, it was still drenched in acid from earlier, which continued to slowly digest its outer carapace.

"Just one shot, that's all we need," Lisa asserted. "No need to count down. Deimos, open fire!" This time, as Volcarona swerved pre-emptively to try to avoid the hit, Deimos tracked its opponent's movement and adjusted the trajectory of its Hydro Pump accordingly, loosing gallons forth in a concentrated blast that hit the Volcarona centrally, smashing it against the far wall with violent pressure, not relenting until the beast stopped squirming. Ryoku ran forward urgently, the plain Pokeball that his prized Pokémon spent most of its time in in his hand, ending the battle by withdrawing the fallen deity.

"You have bested my finest creation in battle," the wizened old sage admitted. "I feel you should be aware that your victory here today changes nothing. The pinnacle of five years of carefully-controlled breeding was merely a personal folly, not significant in our Lord Ghetsis' grand visions..."

"Spare us the sermon, vicar!" Victor cut in. "We got some questions, you got answers. Capiche?"

"I shall humour you, boy," Ryoku said. "None of this shall matter anyway."

"Alrighty then, Mr. Green Sage, what exactly is the deal with those squirmy bastards back there? You said somethin' about it being perfect. Any specifics there?" Victor rambled, pacing the width of the chamber like a general addressing his troops before sending them over the top.

"I suppose, since your Golem mercilessly slaughtered most of my Larvesta, simultaneously crushing any hopes of my project reaching its completion, I have no reason to withhold my reasoning," Ryoku sighed. "Originally, when the glory of Team Plasma finally took control of this noble land, I returned to this castle in order to capture Volcarona and present it to Ghetsis. Such beauty, such raw unbridled strength, just waiting to be given purpose.

"Unfortunately by that stage Ghetsis was far more concerned with his pointless battle against what you call the United Nations and their intervention in affairs they did not truly understand. That damnable dragon was all he cared for! Not the team itself or our future as the rulers of Unova, but the destructive drive of a creature brought into being by the sheer arrogance of humanity! That day, I resolved to prove to our lord Ghetsis that though Pokémon may hold power beyond our wildest dreams, the dragon, even when combined, was merely part of a fractured whole, imperfect in its nature. My goal was to create the perfect Pokémon, completely without flaws! Just think what Team Plasma could achieve with the correct genetic manipulation! The world would bow before us and cower in our wake as this most magnificent being burned through the air like the great Phoenix!

"With the Relic Castle vacant and in need of restoration, and the people of the desert town threatening revolt, I based my operations right here, in the very same place I had found the catalyst. By sheer luck, one of the eggs confiscated by us during the Great Purge hatched into a Larvesta, opposite in sex to the one I had found resting within this chamber. Through the years, I alternated my duties between maintaining the Relic Castle and the key operations within, creating the ultimate trap to prevent any intruders from accessing this very room, and of course controlling breeding between generation after generation of Larvesta, until one day the very same one you saw before you was born."

"Sounds legit," Victor said. "So, what about the rest of 'em? Were you gonna just leave 'em all back there or was there something those 'imperfect' fellas could do?"

"They were to become part of our artillery," the Green Sage revealed. Lisa gasped and he could only imagine she was seeing the same vision as he was, the image of thousands of Volcarona flying forth from the abandoned tower, swarming across Unova spreading fire and destruction across their path, led by Ryoku himself atop the pinnacle of his genetic manipulation. It was a terrible prospect, to be sure, but was that really the plan?

"An army of Volcarona could do untold damage," Lisa said, a shiver running down her spine at the thought of it. "A perfect way to keep the people living in fear."

"You misunderstand me. Only if war was declared would the artillery be needed. My lord Ghetsis may have a predilection for atrocity, but he is far from stupid. He would never willingly harm his own subjects!"

"Try telling that to all those who died during the Permafrost!" Victor bellowed furiously, taking everyone by surprise. "Everyone knows you did that to show off your fancy new toy! And now you're sayin' you're all about peace while you're buildin' a secret army underground and... stickin'Pokémon in cages! This is why I stand against you! Because you lied to everyone! And you destroyed my hometown! Everything you ever did, you said was all for the 'greater good', but we know that's not true! I would've thought a man like you, a real smart man, woulda realised what was going on and known how wrong it is, but no, you turn your back on everything that's decent and follow the path set out by Ghetsis without a second thought!"

"Harsh words indeed," Ryoku said, "but this changes nothing! I have chosen my path, knowing it to be the truth, and you have chosen a different path. This cannot change. You may have bested me in battle, but the fact remains that your presence here has been recorded and your images shall soon be circulated across Unova. Leave now and enjoy what little freedom you have before you are forced underground! Milton, prepare for our departure. We shall report back to headquarters immediately!"

"Yes, sir!" came the cry from Milton as he scampered across the length of the chamber.

"Now, the rest of you, come with me!" Ryoku barked. Two of the unnamed grunts complied but the other remained with the unconscious Porter, propping his out-cold comrade against the wall with great care.

"I'm goin' after these dogs, and don't even try and stop me!" Victor said angrily. "C'mon Rhodes, let's roll!" The Golem nodded, indicating its willingness to obey, then stomped alongside his adopted Trainer after the retreating Sage.

"Alright, listen up," Lisa said, quickly formulating a plan. "From what I can remember of this place, what we're looking for is on the second underground floor. Since one of our number decided to embark on his own little crusade, I propose two pairs. Kathy, you come with me, we'll head up these stairs here. Dennis, take Jason with you and see if there's anything else going on in that other room. Keep your comms on, I doubt they have the capacity to intercept us here."

"Order are orders I guess," Dennis said. "I just feel aggrieved that I'm was effectively on an escort mission with the most deluded individual I've ever met."

"Glad we're in agreement," Lisa replied. "Remember, he's our guest and the information he holds could prove valuable. Don't let anything happen to him, understand?"

"Do I have a choice?" Dennis asked rhetorically, knowing he was, as always, in the wrong on this particular issue.

"Wanna swap?"

"Yes. Yes I do actually."

"Well, tough," Lisa said. "Keep Jason by your side at all, and I mean all, times. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am..." Dennis and Jason waded through the sea of dead Larvesta towards an unsafe looking elevator while Lisa popped open the door, half-tempted to chuck a grenade through the crack, and hoped this would take them the right way.

While the resistance fought valiantly in the desert, in an altogether different climate, a mother and her child huddled together beneath the awnings of an abandoned greengrocer's.

"Mummy, I'm hungry," the small boy whined. He and his mother were some of the last people left in the shell of what had been the capital of Unova, Opelucid City. Castelia may have been the largest of cities, but Opelucid had, until Plasma's reign began, been the political centre of a proud nation. After the mayor, Drayden Rivers, departed on a mission to stop Team Plasma five years ago, the city's livelihood left with him. After the Permafrost incident, in which Black Kyurem has brought the island nation to a standstill for almost a year, Opelucid had become almost deserted, its architecture remained encased in ice as a reminder of the power Team Plasma had at their disposal.

"Hush, darling," the mother cooed, stroking her son's face in a comforting manner. "Those nice men will be back soon." Their leader may have been corrupt and greedy, but he certainly knew what he was doing. Team Plasma would periodically provide aid to those living in the shell of Opelucid City, offering food, fuel, clothing and other essentials, although accommodation was less readily available due to all the buildings being frozen shut. However, it had been six weeks since they had last visited the city and supplies had begun to run out. People began fighting over the precious food packages, charging at each other across the ice and engaging in brawls that would make Wayne Gretzky proud. The mother and child wanted no part in such ruthless action, so they hid themselves away under the awnings of the frozen greengrocer's, a delectably ironic choice given the food shortage in Opelucid.

All around them, the bloodshed continued, showing no sign of stopping. Team Plasma had neglected to inform them of the date of their next aid package, as a result tempers had become frayed and a free-for-all had broken out, but the wider world would never know. Ghetsis' men had complete control over Unova, meaning they could easily suppress any reports of civil unrest before they became public. And so none would know of the fate of a fractured family, starving and cold, left to die beneath the shell of a business sorely needed in such harsh times.

Or at least, that would have been the case if not for the appearance of a man of many mysteries. He had a rather odd sense of fashion, choosing to wear a hooded cloak reminiscent of an occult necromancer's, dark sunglasses just in case his face wasn't already completely hidden and thick-soled work boots that added a couple of inches to his height, bringing him roughly up to par with Napoleon. What was underneath the hood was of no concern to anyone because nobody would ever see it, but this fact was of total irrelevance to the mother and child.

"Take my hand," he instructed, offering his right hand to the lost ones. The mother took it, while the child continued clinging to his primary caregiver. He pulled her up from the ground, discovering that she towered above him despite the thick soles of his boots.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Is there food?" the small one also asked.

"Somewhere safe," the enigma replied to the first question, "and yes, there will be food," he replied to the second. "Come, Joffrey, your time is now! Take us to the Sanctuary!"