Pocket Monsters: Shattered Souls

by Zatoshi121

Story follows OC: Ayden as he travels through the Kanto Region to fulfill a promise to his brother and uncovers the mysteries of the organization Team Chaos and the hidden powers within himself they seek. The story basically follows the plot of the anime, but is a more mature version with my own take on how the events happen throughout. (Rated M for language and moderate violence)

14. Chapter 14

Good evening, everyone! Welcome to chapter 14 of Pocket Monsters: Shattered Souls. Thank you for reading the story up to this point and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

---

CHAPTER 14

The battlefield erupted with explosions, as attacks flew in every direction and dust filled the air. Around the room, several grunts of Team Chaos desperately gasped for breath as they watched their pokémon attack in vain.

Alone on the opposite side of the grunts, a tall teenager with short spiky black hair and red eyes stood wearing the same black uniform with the silver 'C' on the chest, but he had a silver bar on his shoulders, giving him the rank of Chaos First Lieutenant.

He stood with his arms crossed and a huge sadistic smile on his face. "Come on, you bunch of weaklings! Is this the best you got? I'm getting bored over here! Come on! Who's ready for another beating, huh?"

The rest of the members backed up at his taunting. They've been training for hours, and none of them had been able to get a single hit on his pokémon yet.

The First Lieutenant, known throughout the organization as a man of very little patience, clenched his fists and yelled, with his voice echoing throughout the room. "Fine! If you won't come to us, then we'll just come to you! Yeah! Come on, let's take 'em down!"

At his command, his pokémon charged into its opponents, sending them flying across the room and slamming against the walls. It didn't stop with just the pokémon, as it went on to attack the other trainers until they too were motionless on the ground. With its work complete, it exhaled in content, and returned to its trainer's side.

The First Lieutenant smiled and took a pokéball out. "Well, done! You sure made short work out of those weak-ass peons. Together, we're the strongest team."

With that, he recalled the pokémon to its ball then placed it back on his belt. No sooner had he done that, his phone rang.

He rolled his eyes in irritation and answered. "Yeah, First Lieutenant Leberecht here." He smiled and stuck his hand in his pocket. "Hello, Captain Rose. This is out of the ordinary. Didn't expect to get a call from you?"

Rose leaned back in her chair with her slender smooth legs propped up on her desk. She brushed back her long pink hair and patted her faithful Persian.

"First Lieutenant Leberecht, you seem well. I take it your training is going just grand?"

Leberecht walked over to one of his unconscious opponents and nudged him with his foot. "Oh yeah, things are going great. These weak-ass losers were no challenge at all. You call this training? I want an actual challenge! Give me something that's actually worthy of my time!"

Rose grinned. "Well, if you're that eager, then I have just what you're looking for. I have an assignment for you that requires you to complete without fail. You can even take down a few people while you're at it."

Leberecht's smile widened. He'd been waiting for a mission like this. "All right, you got it, Captain. What's the mission? When do I start? Who do you want me to kill?"

Rose chuckled. "Patience, Lieutenant. I have a chopper coming your way soon. I'll give you the details when you arrive."

She hung up and Leberecht tightened his grip on his phone. How long he'd been waiting for a chance like this? Finally, a chance to go wild and let the higher brass know he's much stronger than they think he is.

"My time has come at last. I'm so eager for it, I can taste it already." He licked his lips and smiled. "It's freaking delicious!"

---

The tires screeched and car horns blared as the car swerved to dodge the oncoming truck. He felt the car smash against the guardrail and topple over several times before hitting the water. The moment the car hit the surface, he woke up with a jolt, breathing frantically trying to calm down. His golden locket dangled around his neck, and he quickly reached for it, holding it tight and close. The longer he held the locket, the calmer his breathing became.

With his breathing back to normal, he sat up and ran his fingers through his silver hair. Piik slept silently next to him, twitching her ears and wagging her thunderbolt-shaped tail. He patted her on the head, and the feel of his warm hands gliding across her fur woke her up. She yawned as she stretched out her limbs and tail. When she saw Ayden standing over her, she smiled brightly, ran up his arm to his shoulder and proceeded to lick him on the cheek.

He chuckled at the touch of her tongue. "Hey, glad you're feeling better, Piik. Thanks for watching over me while I slept." Piik's smile widened and she nuzzled against his head. "So, shall we get out of here for a bit?"

She nodded and they exited the room with her riding his shoulder.

---

The afternoon rush came and the cafeteria in the Pokémon Center quickly grew crowded and noisy. Mendy sat across the table from Nami and Jin as the three enjoyed a relaxing lunch.

Mendy slurped up her ramen noodles and pointed her chopsticks at them. "I'm telling you, it was the cutest thing ever! Ayden watched Piik throughout the entire night and fell asleep the moment she woke up! Then Piik nuzzled up beside him and fell back asleep! It was adorable!"

Nami took a bite of her burger and spoke sarcastically through a mouthful. "Wow, so he really does go to sleep. I've never seen that guy sleep at all. This is truly shocking news."

Jin took a sip of his soda. "I saw him sleep once, although he was just faking me out." He chuckled, then went back to drinking. "Classic Ayden."

Mendy chugged the broth of her ramen and slammed the bowl down on the table. "Who wants to go check on him with me?"

Nami unenthusiastically took another bite of her burger. "You know I would love to, I mean I really would, but I'm in the middle of a very delicious burger right now."

Mendy dropped her shoulders and stared at her. "Come on. Aren't you even a little worried about him?"

Nami swallowed her burger and stared back at Mendy. There had been something bothering her for the longest time and now seemed like the perfect chance to get it out in the open.

"You know, you've been doing a lot of worrying about him lately, especially since we got out of Cerulean. Is there something you want to tell us, Mendy?"

Jin adjusted his glasses. "Now that you mention it, you do seem a bit more concerned about Ayden now. When I first met you, you only cared about your bike, but you haven't mentioned that in a long while."

Mendy blushed and stuttered finding words to say. "W-w-w-what are you guys talking about? Can't a person be concerned about the well-being of a friend without being psychoanalyzed? Look, he needs to get better because… he still owes me the bike." She looked up at her friends' unconvinced expressions and then stood up. "I'm gonna go see how he's doing."

Jin and Nami watched as she briskly walked out of the cafeteria.

Jin turned to Nami. "Uh, what was that all about? Is she okay?"

Nami sighed. "Don't know."

Mendy walked steadily down the hallway toward Piik's room with Jin and Nami's words still ringing through her mind. The more she thought about them, the faster she walked. She shook her head as she tried to block them out of her mind. They couldn't have been more wrong. She just wanted to know how her friend was doing. Nothing else. She reached the room and flung open the door only to find no one inside.

She dropped her shoulders and hung her head in disappointment. "How could he be up already? He fell asleep only a couple hours ago." She heard footsteps and turned to see Nami and Jin walk up to her. "Wait, I thought you guys weren't coming."

Nami scratched the back of her head and diverted her gaze. "Yeah well, as annoying as that guy can be, this was obviously important to you… and I guess I was worried about him too. A little. Maybe."

Jin chuckled. "Yeah, you're right, Mendy. Ayden's our friend and he has been through a lot. He was there for us when we needed him, so it's our turn to help him."

Mendy smiled. She knew she could count on them. "Thanks, guys. That's really thoughtful of you."

Nami waved it down. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, let's just get this over with. Where is he anyway?"

Mendy giggled nervously. "Well, that's the thing. He was gone when I got here."

Jin and Nami yelled 'what' in unison.

Jin adjusted his glasses and looked around the room. Like Mendy said, no one was there. "You mean he was able to get back on his feet after going through all that? I'd be really impressed if I wasn't so concerned. Classic Ayden."

Nami clenched her teeth and popped her knuckles. An aura of rage emanated from her and Jin backed up and gave her room.

"You mean… I turned down a deliciously perfect burger for this? Where is he? I'll make sure he's back in the hospital bed this time!"

She sprinted down the hallway toward the exit. Mendy looked at Jin and they both ran after her. They made it outside to the battlefield behind the Pokémon Center where they spotted Ayden just as he recalled his pokémon back to their pokéballs.

Mendy breathed a sigh of relief and smiled as Piik ran up his leg to his shoulder. He looked to be okay. As bandaged as he was, he moved around as if the events of yesterday never happened.

Jin waved and called out to him. "Hey, man, you doing okay? We missed you at the hospital bed! You sure you're okay to be moving around like that?"

Ayden nodded and walked toward the Pokémon Center.

As he passed the group, Mendy turned to him. "Wait, where you going? Do you need any help?"

Ayden continued towards the door. "Going to take a shower. Sure you want to help with that?"

As he entered the Pokémon Center, Mendy's face reddened.

Nami tightened her fists as her anger reached its boiling point. "Hey! Don't go putting nasty images in our heads, you jerk! Damn that lousy… I'm going back to my burger!"

Ayden finished giving Piik a bath and then laid her on his bed in the guest room. He turned the water on for the shower and took off his shirt, revealing the intricate branding of triangles and circles that covered the majority of his back. He still had no idea what it was or even how it got on him. He only knew it wouldn't go away no matter what he tried.

He stepped into the shower and winced as the water rolled down the branding, burning him.

---

The helicopter slowed its descent as it approached the base. Leberecht sat in his seat tapping his foot as his irritation slowly took over. He couldn't take it much longer. Being cooped up in that small plane for hours got on his nerves. He hated sitting still and he hated waiting even more.

"Would you hurry the hell up? Get this damn thing on the ground already!"

The helicopter finally made its landing and as the pilot made the final preparations, Leberecht jumped out of his seat and kicked the door to the helicopter open.

The pilot turned to him shock. "Lieutenant Leberecht! What are you doing, sir? Please, we ask that you be patient with us!"

Leberecht turned to him with a dissatisfied look. "Last I checked, I outrank you! So you should just shut up and do as you're told from your superior officer!"

The pilot sank back and bowed his head. "My deepest apologies, sir. It won't happen-,"

Leberecht took out a pokéball. "Dammit! Didn't I say shut up?"

"You're as quick-tempered as ever, Lieutenant."

Leberecht turned and saw Rose walk gracefully toward him along with two First Lieutenants. He lowered his shoulders as her hair billowed behind her like a cape and the wind slightly lifted her up her skirt just enough that he caught a glimpse of her perfectly smooth thighs.

As she approached, he jumped out of the helicopter, popped to attention and rendered a salute. "Captain Rose, how're you doing today?"

Rose saluted back. "I'm doing well, Lieutenant, but can you please explain to me why you felt the need to damage one of my very expensive helicopters?"

Leberecht looked at the dented door he kicked opened and scoffed. "That stuffy thing was slow, small, and cramped. I needed to get out of that damn thing as quickly as possible."

Rose crossed her arms and nodded. "I see. Well, if that's the case, then my sincerest apologies, Lieutenant. If a cramped space was not to your liking, then you should've just said so in the first place. I could've made arrangements to help you."

Leberecht raised an eyebrow. "Really, Captain?"

Rose smiled. "Why yes. If fact, I have the perfect method to help you get used to small cramped spaces." She snapped her fingers and Persian immediately pounced on Leberecht, pinning him to the ground with her claws at his throat. Sweat fell down his face as he felt Persian's warm breath and the vibration of her growl in his stomach. "You see, Lieutenant, the quickest way to get you used to small cramped spaces is to kill you and stuff you in a coffin. I'm certain you'll adjust to the accommodations rather quickly then. So, what will it be? Do you wish to learn to be in small cramped spaces, or do you wish to shut up and follow the orders of your superior officer? Take your time. You have ten seconds to answer."

Leberecht tossed his hands up. "Yes, Captain, I surrender! I'm sorry about the helicopter! I'll pay for the repairs! So, please!"

Rose glared at him for a moment then snapped her fingers. Persian got off of Leberecht and sat down at Rose's heels. "A wise decision, Lieutenant. Now, if you're done acting like a little child, we have work to do."

She turned on her heels and walked back to the base. Leberecht got up, dusted himself off, and followed, grumbling to himself. She led him down a flight of stairs and into a hallway. Everyone there stopped moving and rendered a salute as she passed. They reached an elevator and stood quietly as it slowly moved down to the lowest level of the base.

Leberecht tapped his foot as he looked up to see they only made it halfway to their destination. "So, what's this thing you want to show me?"

Rose gave him a displeased look. "In due time, Lieutenant."

They continued and Leberecht looked up again to see they still had several floors to go. "Come on! Can't this stupid thing go any faster? Captain!"

He turned to her and immediately backed off. Her glare sent shivers down his spine. "Lieutenant, let me tell you a little secret. There are three things I hate the most in this world; number one: people who make me repeat myself, number two: weak men, and number three: weak men who touch me. You fall in one of the three categories going on two. Keep this up and I'll make sure you drop so low in the ranks you'll never promote again."

Leberecht gulped and nodded. As he did, the elevator chimed and opened its doors. Rose walked out and flipped her hair. Leberecht followed after making sure he kept a reasonable distance behind her just for insurance.

The lowest level of the base, the Experiment Sector, consisted of hundreds of test tubes, computers, cages with pokémon and people chained inside, and several dozen Chaos grunts running around and making certain all the items and equipment functioned appropriately.

Leberecht looked in awe at the sight before him. He heard of the Experiment Sector, but didn't think it would be this intense.

He smiled. "So, this is it, huh?"

Rose shook her head. "No, this isn't what I want to show you. Come with me."

He followed her down a spiral staircase. One of the guards took notice of her entrance and called the entire room to attention. At his call, every member dropped what they were doing and rendered a salute.

Rose saluted back. "Carry on!"

At her call, every member went back to work. She led him through the room until they came across a large machine pulsating with red energy. Lightning sparked around it, electrifying the air. In the center sat a red jewel.

Rose turned to Leberecht. "This is what I wanted to show you. This is a fragment of the Red Chain. There are several other fragments scattered across this region and we need to get them all. Your assignment is to retrieve the next piece. We've already isolated its location."

She handed him a tablet and he turned it on and scanned through the contents.

After a moment, he grinned. "All right, sounds simple enough. When do I leave?"

---

The afternoon sun shined brightly overhead as Mendy made her way through the streets of Vermilion City carrying several bags of groceries. A nearby bench caught her eye and she took the opportunity to sit down and rub her shoulders.

"Okay, that should be everything on the list that we'll need. Now, if I had the upper body strength to carry all these back in one go, that'd be fantastic."

She looked up and saw a large crowd of people gathered around a small stand. On the other side stood a short pudgy man wearing a red jacket and round glasses.

He spoke in a loud voice with his hands in the air. "Hurry, hurry, hurry, on up folks! Try your luck for a chance to win four tickets to the luxury cruise liner St. Anne! You won't find any more tickets for this, folks! This is your last chance! Step right up and spin the lottery wheel! If the gold marble falls out, the tickets are yours!"

Mendy gazed at the tickets and knew she had to give it a shot. She sat back as many people tried their luck only to have a white ball fall out of the wooden wheel. When enough of the crowd had dispersed, she went up, handed the merchant the money, and placed her hand on the handle.

The merchant smiled. "Good luck, little lady! You have three chances!" She barely turned the wheel when a white ball fell out and the merchant shook his head in disappointment. "I'm sorry, but that's try number one."

Mendy looked at him with irritation. Of course winning wouldn't be easy. Games likes these were usually rigged, but even still, she had to keep going. She turned the wheel faster only to have another white ball fall out.

The merchant shook his head again. "Again, looks like another dud. You have one try left. Good luck."

Mendy's eyes burned with anger. She had to give everything she had in this last spin. She gripped the handle and turned the wheel as fast as she could muster. When all the strength in her arm left her, she let go of the handle. She watched as a marble fell out onto the metal plate with widened eyes.

---

Nami and Jin sat on the couch in the Pokémon Center listening to the news. The reporter, a young woman with short blonde hair and blue eyes, spoke of the St. Anne and how its voyage would be in just a few hours.

She stood with the microphone in her hand with the cruise ship behind her. "I'm here in front of the legendary luxury cruise liner, St. Anne. As you can see behind me, the crew is working tirelessly getting ready to set sail. Ladies and gentlemen, I've seen many cruise liners, but this one tops them all. This one-of-a-kind liner spans 3,200 feet long and 550 feet tall, making it the largest ship ever constructed in history. There are more than fifty restaurants, 3,000 hotel rooms, thirty swimming pools, and of course, over twenty different arenas for all those hot-blooded trainers out there. So, it's no surprise tickets for this once-in-a-lifetime cruise have sold out so quickly. Now we're very fortunate to able to get a few minutes with the ship's very own captain, Captain Cuttingham. Captain, how do feel about this upcoming and highly anticipated voyage?"

Cuttingham, a sturdy-built elderly man with a large bushy white beard leaned in and spoke into the microphone. "We're very excited about the upcoming voyage. We've worked very hard so that she and everyone on board will have a smooth and safe trip."

The reporter nodded. "Well, it's obvious why you chose to call it the 'The Ship of the Heart', but is there any further meaning behind it?"

Cuttingham chuckled. "Nothing too grand. She has sailed through most of the seas of the world and my dream is that she will continue to sail through them all. I put my heart into building her and I hope I can make the dreams of other people come true too."

The reporter nodded again. "You also mentioned that she isn't your stereotypical cruise liner in that there's a special power source for it. Can you elaborate for us?"

Cuttingham shook his head. "I'm afraid that's a secret, young lady, but I will say this. This ship was built to withstand anything. The power source can keep this ship going for years and years without fail. Not even Arceus himself could sink this ship."

The reporter smiled. "Well, thank you for your time, Captain Cuttingham, and we wish the St. Anne a pleasant trip. This has been a special report live from Vermilion Port."

Nami and Jin sank deeper into the couch as reality hit them. Neither of them had tickets and all the stores had sold out long before they even reached Vermilion City. Nami couldn't take it. She wanted to go on that cruise more than anything.

She jumped onto her feet and threw her hands into the air. "Ah, damn it all! If we'd gone straight here instead of stopping at Cerulean we could've gotten tickets! I blame Ayden for this!"

Jin stuck his hand in his pockets and yawned. "I'm just as disappointed as you, Nami. But come on, blaming Ayden's not gonna change anything."

Nami scoffed, sat back down, and crossed her legs. "Well, it makes me feel better!"

They looked up and saw Mendy walk up to them carrying the bags of groceries along with a large smile on her face.

Nami sat up as she approached the couch. "Hey, you're in a good mood for someone who had to do the shopping. How'd it go? You get everything on the list?"

Mendy's smile widened as she sat the bags down. "Oh, it went well. On my way back I just happened to come across a lottery stand where the grand prize was a set of four tickets for the St. Anne voyage! And guess who won the jackpot?"

She flashed the tickets and waved them in their faces. Both Nami and Jin sat in awe at the sight.

Nami jumped up and snatched them out of her hand. She looked at the tickets carefully and sure enough they were legit. "No freaking way!"

Jin sat up and adjusted his glasses as he gazed at the tickets. "Mendy, you actually won a lottery? I thought those things were rigged."

Mendy nodded. "Pretty cool, huh? Now we can enjoy a nice little vacation for a bit. A lot's happened since we all decided to travel together, we could really use some winding down."

Nami jumped up and hugged Mendy. She had the best friend in the entire world. "Mendy, you are so freaking awesome! This is amazing! I can't believe we're going on a cruise! We're going on a cruise! We're going on a cruise! We're going on a cruise!"
Jin jumped into the fray and chanted along with them. On the other side of the door leading to the guest rooms, Ayden stood leaning against it, listening to their jubilation. A cruise? Water? Something he tried to avoid at all costs. Something that had been haunting him for years. Piik gazed at him with worry. She knew of his difficulties with large bodies of water. Going on this cruise was simply out of the question. She knew what she had to do. She had to destroy the tickets. She readied herself to jump off his shoulder, but he lightly smiled and patted her head.

"Thanks, Piik… I'll be okay."

---

The group made their way across the city toward the harbor with Mendy leading the way. Jin and Nami could barely contain their excitement and Ayden followed behind them with his hands in his pockets and Piik riding his shoulder.

They arrived at the harbor and stood in awe at all of the boats lined up. Each one more spectacular than the last. Anchored at the end of the long line of ships was the ship they were looking for, the famous St. Anne, the largest most luxurious ship in all of Kanto.

Mendy giggled as she watched Jin and Nami bow a kowtow to it. "Come on, you guys. I'm sure it's more impressive on the inside."

They walked up the staircase until they came to a steward, a tall brown-haired man wearing gray pants and a red vest over a white buttoned-up shirt.

She handed him the tickets and he bowed with a smile. "The entrance is just down this way. Thank you and please enjoy your stay on the St. Anne."

Mendy, Jin, and Nami beamed as they walked toward the entrance with a sign saying 'Pokémon Trainer Party Room'. They couldn't believe they were going to take a trip on the St. Anne. They walked through the entrance and gasped at the interior of the multi-story cruise liner. Hundreds of trainers stood in the main dining room talking to each other or bragging about their pokémon; dozens of vendors set up stands on the sides of the room, selling many different forms of merchandise; and tables, festooned with lavish appetizers and decorations, littered the floor.

Tears soon filled Jin's eyes and he fell to his knees. "I'm so happy right now! To be able to go on the famous St. Anne cruise is a dream come true! I'm so unworthy!"

He sobbed on the floor as Ayden, Mendy, and Nami walked by him and eyed all of what the ship had to offer.

Mendy looked around with a wide smile. To think she won the chance for them to be there. She still couldn't believe it. "Nami, this is amazing. What do you want to do first?"

Nami couldn't stop smiling as she looked around. "I don't know. There's so many things to do, it's hard to decide where to start." Her eyes soon fell on a large table filled with the most delicious food she'd ever seen. "Wait, I think I know where to begin. Let's hit the buffet!"

She and Mendy made a dash toward the table before they were stopped by one of the stewards, a pudgy man with a thick mustache.

Nami gritted her teeth in frustration. "Hey! What's the big idea? We're trying to get to the food! We have tickets if that's the problem!"

The steward shook his head. "That's not the problem, Miss. The food on this table is reserved for the trainer who wins our little tournament."

Mendy and Nami both blinked in confusion. "Tournament? What tournament?"

The steward pointed towards the battlefield on the second floor. "That's where our tournament is being held. The rules are simple. You can use only one pokémon throughout the entirety of your time in the tournament. The first trainer to win ten straight matches wins the buffet."

Nami raised an eyebrow. "Wait. So you're saying we have to battle our way through ten opponents just to eat some food? What's so special about this particular table than any of the other buffet stands on this ship?"

The steward grinned. "Miss, I'm glad you asked. The food behind me was made from the hands of the best culinary chefs in the Kalos region. Each morsel of food is prepared with the utmost care. One bite will make you feel like you're in Heaven!"

Both Mendy and Nami gulped down their hunger as they stared at the table of divine dishes.

Mendy regained her senses long enough to ask a question. "So, all we have to do is win ten matches in row with only one pokémon and the buffet is ours?"

The steward nodded. "That's right. But you'd better hurry, the gentleman up there has already won eight matches in a row."

With that, Mendy and Nami dashed up the stairs to get a glimpse of the upcoming match. They pushed and shoved their way through the crowd just in time for a young trainer and his Starmie to go up against the gentleman and his Raticate. Above each trainer hung a red and green light.

The young trainer had short brown hair and wore jeans and a green shirt. The gentleman stood very tall and thin, wearing a sharp black tuxedo complete with white gloves, top hat, circular shades, and a cane.

He placed his hand in his pocket and pointed his cane at Starmie. "Raticate, Quick Attack!"

Raticate charged at his opponent with blinding speed, but the young trainer stood his ground. "Starmie, counter it with Double-Edge!"

Starmie charged at Raticate, spinning like a saw. The two collided and broke free of each other in a stalemate.

The gentleman pointed his cane at Starmie again. "Raticate, Hyper Fang!"

Raticate's teeth glistened and sharpened as it charged toward its prey. In one fell swoop, it chomped onto Starmie's jewel and shattered it. Starmie wobbled and then fell over. The green light over the gentleman lit up while the red light over the young trainer did the same.

The young trainer ran up to his Starmie and took it in his arms. "Starmie, are you okay? You fought well. Have a good long rest."

He recalled his pokémon and walked away, while the gentleman tweaked his mustache a bit and laughed. "Well now, if I'm not mistaken, I'm only one win away from winning that luxurious feast. Who would like to be my final victim? But I'm sure you've all realized by now that nothing can stop my Raticate."

All the female trainers in the crowd swooned over him as he suavely twirled his cane. He winked at the girls and three fainted.

Nami rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Well, someone's certainly full of himself. Would love to take him on and shove that cane up his ass."

Mendy placed her hand on her shoulder. "Hold up! You know neither of us has a pokémon that can match that kind of speed. Let's just walk away from this, okay? There's plenty of food on the other tables."

Nami clicked her tongue. Sometimes she hated it when Mendy made sense. She dropped her shoulders and turned toward the exit. "Yeah, you're right. Let's go. Still, would've been nice to win that feast."

As they proceeded toward the exit, they heard the gentleman speak. "So, you're gonna challenge me, young man? What's your name?"

"I'm Ayden from Viridian City. Why don't you have a match with my Fearow?"

Both girls turned the moment they heard Ayden introduce himself. They looked around and wondered when he snuck past them and entered the battlefield. They fought their way back through the crowd and emerged in time to see Ayden call Fearow out. Fearow flew around the room proudly before landing in front of Ayden.

When both pokémon were present, the gentleman pointed his cane at Fearow. "Raticate, Hyper Fang!"

Raticate charged and jumped toward Fearow. The crowd grew wild as they've seen Raticate's Hyper Fang before and knew how powerful it was.

Ayden stood calmly as Raticate made its way toward Fearow. "Steel Wing!"

Fearow's wings hardened and turned into metal. It zoomed past Raticate before ascending into the air, leaving Raticate paralyzed to what just happened.

The gentleman and the crowd fell silent as Raticate simply stood there. Its teeth broke in half and its eyes widened as the pain finally reached it. It fell over on its side as Fearow took a victory lap around the room.

The green light over Ayden lit up while the red light over the gentleman did the same. Ayden had officially broken the gentleman's winning streak. The gentleman fell to his knees in shock as the audience fell silent and then erupted into a frenzy of cheers. They've never seen a pokémon strike its opponent so swiftly before.

Mendy threw her arm up and cheered. "Way to go, Fearow! You too, Ayden! That was awesome! Keep it up!"

Nami followed and pumped her fist into the air. "Come on, Fearow! You can do it! Just nine more victories!"

Mendy turned to Nami. "Well, this is a surprise. Never thought I'd see you cheer Ayden on for anything. What's with the sudden motivation?"

Nami grinned. "Oh please, I'm not cheering for him, I'm cheering for Fearow. He's doing all the work. And besides, if he keeps this up, then that free luxury dinner is all ours! Go Fearow!"

Mendy sighed in disappointment, but shrugged it off and went back to cheering.

---

Rose led Leberecht through the halls of the base until they came to a door. She entered her access code and the door slid open. They walked down a long staircase until they came to the training hall. Leberecht looked around to see several dozen Chaos Grunts training, exercising, and battling each other. Each one fiercer at their station than the last.

Rose crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. "Lieutenant Leberecht, this will be your team."

Leberecht looked around and saw just how hard everyone trained so they could climb the ranks and get to better positions.

He grinned. "Are you kidding? They all look like a bunch of weak-ass peons. I'm better off doing this mission solo."

Rose turned to him. "Lieutenant Leberecht, this mission is too important to mess up just because of your self-inflated ego. You will have a team for this mission and you will bring back the fragment. Am I making myself clear?"

Leberecht straightened up and gave her a salute. "Yes, Captain Rose. Perfectly clear, ma'am."

Rose nodded. "Good, now get a move on. Your new team is about to be revealed."

As they made their way to the front of the room, the supervisor for the training area saw them and immediately signaled the room to stop their training and stand at attention. "Room! Ten-hut! Present arms!"

At the command, all the grunts popped to attention and saluted Rose and Leberecht. Rose saluted back and signaled for them to stand at ease.

She turned to the rest of the room and flipped back her hair. "All right, listen up! You have a new mission today! Taking the lead will be First Lieutenant Leberecht! You are to go and retrieve the next fragment of the Red Chain! Failure is not an option! Do I make myself clear?" The room replied with a unanimous 'yes, ma'am'. "If you run into the Carrier on this mission, do not engage! The fragment takes top priority! Do I make myself clear?" Again, the room replied with 'yes, ma'am'. Rose nodded and turned to Leberecht. "All right, the room is yours."

With that, she left and Leberecht turned to his new team and a wide smile formed on his face. "All right! Listen up, you weak-ass peons! You heard the captain! You're all my team now! So, gear up and let's go! We have a fragment to retrieve!"

---

The crowd cheered on as Ayden continued to dominate the competition. One trainer after another fell before Fearow as it took down pokémon with electric, ice, and rock type attributes.

Jin, after taking pictures of every square inch of the other rooms, made his way to where Mendy and Nami stood. Both girls held their breath as they gazed at the battles.

"Hey guys, what's going on?"

Mendy turned to Jin and her eyes widened in shock. "Oh, Jin, when did you get here? Anyway, we're watching Ayden right now. He's battling in a competition with a free luxurious dinner on the line."

Nami nodded. "Yeah, and he has to defeat ten opponents in a row without swapping. He's already taken down nine trainers so far. Just one more to go, but Fearow's looking a little winded."

Fearow gazed at his opponent and knew it wouldn't be much competition. He swooped down and struck it to the back wall, knocking it unconscious. The crowd's cheering escalated as the green light above Ayden lit up.

Nami and Mendy hugged each other in jubilation while Jin snapped a photo of Fearow landing beside Ayden. "Classic Ayden."

---

Jin, Mendy, and Nami sat at the dinner table and looked on in delight as the Kalos chefs brought out each plate of food. The aroma salivated their mouths and the moment they tasted it, tears flooded their eyes.

Ayden sat at the end of the table with Piik, slowly taking in each bite. Piik smiled as she watched Ayden partake in the feast. After all that he had gone through, it was a nice change of pace to see him enjoying something like this. She'd do anything to keep him happy like that.

She perked up when several female trainers came up to the table. They all squealed in delight at the thought of being so close to him. They asked if he could join them for dinner, for autographs, or even invited him up to their rooms. Their boisterous presence drew the attention of the rest of Ayden's friends.

Jin set down his glass as he watched the festivities. "Wow, who would've thought Ayden would get so popular from that tournament? Classic Ayden."

Nami yawned. "It seems like everything that guy does brings more popularity upon him. All he did was win one little tournament and everyone goes ballistic. What do you think, Mendy?" She turned to see Mendy gripping her fork so tightly it bent and snapped in half. She kept her head down and mumbled to herself. Nami stared at her with concern and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Uh, Mendy, you okay?"

Mendy couldn't take it anymore. She slammed her broken fork onto the table, stood up, and walked over to the Ayden. She stopped when she saw the same tall gentleman from before walk through the crowd and stand over Ayden.

He twirled his moustache and tapped his cane on the floor to draw his attention. "Why hello again, young man, how're you doing this evening? I see you're enjoying the feast." Ayden shrugged and took another bite of his food. The gentleman cleared his throat. "I just wanted to congratulate you on winning that tournament. You know, that Fearow of yours was truly something. I don't think I've ever seen one with such fighting spirit. So, how about you and I make a deal?"

At that, Ayden stopped chewing and relaxed his shoulders. He slowly turned to the gentleman with an iota of annoyance on his face. "What are you getting at?"

The gentleman smiled and leaned forward. "I'm talking about trading, son; your Fearow for my Raticate. When two trainers acknowledge to each other that they have strong pokémon, they trade. All good pokémon trainers use this practice to better their relationships with each other."

Ayden chuckled. "That's funny. I don't recall acknowledging you or your pokémon as strong."

The gentleman furrowed his brow and straightened up. "What did you say?"

Ayden stood up. "Do you honestly think I'd trade my Fearow for you poorly trained Raticate? Fearow was the first pokémon I ever caught and we've been through a lot together. We train every day because we both want to get better. As for you, I can tell there's no connection between you and your Raticate at all. You traded for that Raticate, didn't you?" The gentleman took a step back at that and all eyes soon turned on him. Ayden stood up and placed his hands in his pockets. "I bet you go around and trade for pokémon you think are strong. You don't even take the time to train them yourself. You're a disgrace."

The gentleman gripped his cane in frustration. "Why you little-, how dare you say such a thing to me?"

With that, he turned on his heel and forced his way out of the crowd. When he disappeared, the female trainers' admiration toward him grew. They nudged each other trying to get closer to him, but stopped when Mendy appeared and quickly pushed each girl out of the way.

She stood in between them and Ayden with her hands on her hips. "All right! Listen up! We're trying to have a nice quiet dinner! It's really difficult with all of you are making such a racket!"

One of the females stepped forward and flipped her bright auburn hair. "And just who are you supposed to be? We were trying to have a conversation over here. Why don't you run along back to the playground?"

Mendy stepped forward and got in her face. "What was that?"

The female trainer glared back at her. "You heard me!"

As they stared each other down, one of the other girls gasped. "Hey, he's gone."

As they all looked around for him Jin took another sip of his drink and grinned. It had come to the point he expected Ayden to disappear without a trace like a magician or an emo costume-wearing crime fighter.

He set his drink down and reached for his silverware. "Heh, priceless. Classic Ayden."

The girls dispersed and went off searching for him while Mendy held back and thought about where he might be.

---

As the sun began to set, Ayden stood staring over the railing of the St. Anne, absentmindedly fiddling with his locket, the one thing in the world he couldn't live without; the last memento from his family. He thought back to when his brother gave it to him and how happy he was. He never expected what came next and since then, he'd been reliving that same moment every time he fell asleep and had become afraid of the water. However, he couldn't think of a better opportunity to try and overcome that fear.

Piik stood on the railing watching him intently. She knew he wanted to do this, she just hoped he wasn't pushing himself too hard.

He closed his eyes and took in deep breaths as the waves splashed up against the side of the ship, slowly reminding him of the incident eight years ago. As the memory grew stronger, his fidgeting with the locket hastened. The tires screeched and the car swerved before it slammed into the guardrail, Ayden gripped his locket and clenched his teeth. The car toppled several times then crashed onto the surface of the water and Ayden perked up. He broke out into a sweat and gasped for air until he calmed back down.

Afterwards he relaxed his shoulders and lightly smiled. "Guess I can't do it after all. Doesn't look like I'll be getting over this any time soon, Piik."

Piik gazed at him with concern. Although she felt happy he tried to overcome his fear, she still didn't like him doing things like that to himself.

"Won't be able to get over what?" They both turned to see Mendy walk up and Ayden quickly tucked his locket back underneath his shirt. "Hey, I've been looking for you. So, what were you talking about? Trying to remember how many of those girls were crowding you?"

She giggled and smiled widely, but Ayden simply placed his hands in his pockets and walked away. "Come on, Piik, let's go."

At his command, Piik leapt from the railing onto his shoulders.

Mendy ran up and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Come on, I was only joking. No need to be so serious."

Ayden turned toward her. "Can I help you with anything?"

Mendy shook her head. "No, I just wanted to see how you were doing. You took off in such a hurry back there, I figured something was on your mind."

Ayden continued toward the door. "Not really."

Mendy stood watching him walk away. She couldn't just let the conversation end like that. She had to say something. "So… uh… do you like staring at the ocean too?" Ayden froze and his eyes widened. Mendy smiled. She felt she brought up a topic they could both share. "Isn't it great? The beautiful ebb and flow of the waves, the light of the sun reflecting off the surface…,"

Ayden's breathing hastened as he clenched his teeth and gripped the railing. Images of the night resurfaced the more she spoke. He couldn't take it. He had to get the images out of his head.

Piik eyed him with worry and knew it had to be Mendy's fault. She had to shut her up for good so all of Ayden's worries would go away. She charged her cheeks, but Ayden motioned her to stop.

Mendy continued talking about the ocean, and her eyes sparkled with each word about the subject.

When she finished, she turned to Ayden. "So, what do you like about the ocean, Ayden?" She noticed him walk toward the door again. She reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder, but he immediately slapped it away. She took a step back and when she saw his face, she nearly gasped. His breathing was short and raspy and he looked to be in a lot of pain. "Ayden, you o-?"

"Don't! Don't… worry about it. I'm fine."

"You don't look fine! What's wrong? Please, just tell me!"

She took a step toward him, but he moved away. He held his head as the pain intensified. All he could see were the memories of that night.

His head throbbed and his heartbeat wouldn't calm down. "Stop… just… leave me alone."

With that, he made his way toward the door and walked back inside the ship, leaving her stunned. She didn't know what to make of it. She'd never seen him like that before. She hugged her arms as a cool breeze swept through. She looked up and saw thick, dark clouds forming. A few raindrops landed on her motioning her to go back inside. When she went down the hallway, she didn't see any sign of Ayden. With the ship as large as it was, he could've gone anywhere by that point. She breathed a deep sigh of regret and went back to the dining room, hoping she'd find him eating dinner at the table again.

---

The helicopter sped through the night sky, but not fast enough for Leberecht's taste. His subordinates sat opposite of him, watching as he sat with his arms crossed and tapping his boot on the floor.

He clicked his tongue as his impatience got the better of him. "How much longer until we get there?"

One of them took out a watch. "We'll be there in a few minutes, sir!"

Leberecht smiled. Finally, he'll be able to let loose and do some damage.

Just as he finished that thought, the pilot spoke. "Sir, we've located the drop point."

Leberecht's smile widened. "Excellent, get ready to jump, boys! Things are about to get wild!"

---

Mendy returned to the dining hall and found both Nami and Jin sitting on the floor rubbing their stomachs. She glanced at the table and noticed nearly all of the food from the tournament had disappeared.

"I take it you two have been enjoying yourselves."

Nami burped and turned to Mendy. "It was frickin' delicious! I don't know if I can move for the rest of the night and at this point I couldn't care less!"

Jin nodded. "Oh I agree. I don't think there's a force powerful enough to get me to move right now."

Mendy shook her head. "Hey, have you guys seen Ayden walk by here?"

Jin adjusted his glasses. "Nope, haven't seen him since we all sat down for dinner. Why? Did something happen to him?"

Mendy shook her head. "Well, I think I said something that may have upset him. I wanted to see if I could apologize."

Nami shrugged as she took another bite of chicken. "Nope, he never even crossed my mind. I was far too busy with this delicious dinner. I wish there was some more left."

Mendy placed her hands on her hips. "You understand the only reason you got to enjoy this meal was because Ayden won that tournament, right? You could at least say 'thank you'!"

Nami looked at her and nodded. "Mendy, you're absolutely right. I should say 'thank you'. Next time he brings out Fearow, remind me, okay?"

Mendy dropped her shoulders. There was nothing she could possibly say to get those two off of food. "Well, when you're ready, roll yourselves into the bedrooms, okay? I'm turning in."

As she made her way out of the dining room, an explosion drew her and everyone else's attention. It toppled all the tables in the dining room, shattered the windows, and knocked everyone to the floor.

Nami sat up with a jolt. "What the hell was that?"

Jin staggered to get on his feet. "Don't know. Sounded like an explosion."

One by one, Team Chaos grunts, entered through the windows and filled the dining room.

One of them, a man with short scruffy black hair and sunglasses, raised a pokéball to the crowd of terrified trainers. "All right! Nobody move! We're taking over this vessel until our mission is complete! Do what we say and no harm will come to you!"

The other grunts raised their pokéballs too, leaving all the trainers in the room confused as to what was going on. Some even wondered if this was a show put on by the staff of the ship.

Jin stepped back as more of them climbed into the room. "Team Chaos again? What are they doing here?"

Nami popped her knuckles and grinned. "Don't know, but I just found the perfect way to burn off all these calories. What do you say, Mendy? Let's give 'em hell!"

Mendy looked around with worry. "Wait, where's Ayden?"

Nami clicked her tongue. "Who cares? We can't think about him right now. We've got an enemy to fight and I've got a lot of bones to pick with them."

Jin reached for a pokéball and nodded. "I'm afraid Nami's right, Mendy. We have to take care of these guys first. But don't worry. Ayden's a talented trainer. He can take care of himself. I'm sure he'll be just fine. Honestly, it's whoever he ends up facing I'd be worried about."

Mendy thought back to what happened outside and wondered if he really would be okay. She shook her head, clenched her fists, and reached for Squirtle's pokéball. Nami and Jin were right. She had to focus and take care of the problem at hand.

The Team Chaos grunts walked around and pushed all the other trainers together into a group.

When all the trainers were together, the scruffy-haired grunt gazed at them and smirked. "Now you all just stand and wait here for a while. We'll tell you when you're free to move."

When one of the grunts walked up to Nami and reached for her arm, she quickly flipped him over her shoulder and slammed him to the floor. "You better keep your hands off me, pal!"

When two other grunts rushed to help their fallen teammate, Jin threw a pokéball into the air. "Vulpix, I need your help! Use Quick Attack!"

Vulpix emerged and the moment she touched the floor, she immediately slammed into the oncoming grunts, knocking them into the wall.

The other grunts looked on in annoyance as Nami took a step forward. "Everyone, listen up! These people are known as Team Chaos! They're terrorists who use pokémon for their own purposes and they need to be taught a lesson! So, let's kick their asses off this ship!"

All the other trainers rallied behind Nami and called out their pokémon.

The scruffy-haired grunt clenched his teeth as the rest of the grunts rallied behind him. "All right! Call out your pokémon! We have to secure this area! Let's go!"

The grunts complied with the order and called out their pokémon as well. Soon the room became a battleground with both sides ready to give it everything they had.

---

Ayden ran against the oncoming people as they fled from the scene of the explosions. The ship rocked back and forth as he made his way down the hallways, making it difficult for him to keep his balance. He came to one of the rooms occupied by Team Chaos members and their pokémon herding trainers into a corner.

The grunts turned to him and grinned. One of them placed his hands in his pockets and walked up to him. He had a buzz cut and a hole in his earlobe large enough to fit a ring.

"Well, what do we have here? Another trainer who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sorry, kid, looks like you're gonna have to be part of our little party. Get in with the others and don't try anything cute!" He took a closer look at Ayden and gasped when he finally noticed. "Wait! Silver hair… a blue-cheeked Pikachu? You couldn't be! You're the-,"

Piik jumped from Ayden's shoulders and launched an electric attack at the grunt, knocking him to the ground.

Ayden looked up at the other trainers. "Everyone, call out your pokémon! These people are known as Team Chaos! We can't let them take over this ship! Who knows what these guys intend to do!"

The other trainers, though uncertain as to all that was going on, agreed and rallied behind him.

When they moved, the grunts ordered their pokémon to attack, but Ayden had already planned a counter for them. "Piik, give the other trainers some room! Use, Thunderbolt!"

Piik jumped into the air and launched her attack, striking down several of the charging pokémon. The grunts looked at their pokémon then back at the trainers who had theirs ready to attack. They turned around to see Ayden blocking their path.

He lightly smiled and crossed his arms. "Looks like the tables have turned. You've nowhere to run now."

The grunts got their pokémon ready and steeled themselves for a fight.

---

The St. Anne barely kept steady as the storm intensified. The wind and the waves pushed and rocked the ship as the staff scrambled around doing everything they could to keep the ship on course. Cuttingham stood and watched as the storm raged. He'd seen a thousand storms just like this, but somehow this one gave him an uneasy feeling.

"Do not falter! Keep this ship on course! Help those in need! We will not let these pirates do as they please!"

His crew saluted and went back to work. While watching his crew, Cuttingham felt something bump against his shoe. He looked down and saw a metal ball blink and beep rapidly. His eyes widened as the ball exploded, sending half the crew overboard. Cuttingham flew into the ship's railing and coughed up blood on impact. Blood trickled down the side of his face as he staggered to get up. He heard footsteps approach and looked up to see Leberecht and two Chaos grunts standing over him.

Leberecht smiled sadistically while the other two stood emotionless. "Hey, old man. I don't know what you're talking about, but we aren't pirates or anything lame like that. We're Team Chaos, the toughest group of terrorists you'll ever see. So how about showing some respect and quit calling us pirates?"

Cuttingham breathed heavily as the three stared him down. "What is it that you want? Money?"

Leberecht's smile quickly faded and he snapped his fingers. At his command, one of the two grunts knelt down and punched Cuttingham in the face. Cuttingham spat out blood and reeled from the blow.

Leberecht knelt down and adjusted Cuttingham's head so he would look directly at him. "I told you to stop comparing us to stupid, lame-ass pirates! We're Team Chaos! International terrorists! Get that straight, old man!"

Cuttingham gritted his teeth as he looked at Leberecht's face. "So, what is it that you want then?"

Leberecht's smile returned and he let go of Cuttingham's head. "You've got one hell of a ship here? Something like this has got to have an amazing energy source. How's it run? My friends and I would love to see how this bucket of bolts works."

Cuttingham blinked in confusion. "The energy source? But, why on earth would you want something like that?"

Leberecht scowled and snapped his fingers again. His subordinate knelt down and punched Cuttingham again.

"Look, I'll make this real easy for ya, pops. I'm a man of very little patience and a whole lot of power. So, unless you want to see your ship and everyone on it sink to the bottom of the sea, I'd suggest you do as we say and tell us what we want to know with no questions asked."

Cuttingham heaved in breaths as a trail of blood fell from his nose. He looked up at the trio and nodded. "Fine, I'll show you the power source, just please don't harm the passengers."

Leberecht grabbed him by the throat. "That all depends on you, pops. The longer you take, the more likely I'll start throwing people off this ship. So let's get going, shall we?"

---

The commands and attacks flew back and forth as Mendy, Nami, and Jin along with the other trainers in the dining room, fought off the Chaos grunts. The dining room became more unrecognizable with each attack damaging the room even further. Eventually, Mendy and the others pushed the grunts into a corner.

"Squirtle, Water Gun!"

Squirtle jumped into the air and launched its attack on the grunts, ramming them into the wall. They looked up to see the other trainers surround them and they raised their hands in surrender.

After tying up all the grunts, Mendy and Nami high-fived while the rest of the trainers cheered in victory.

Jin smiled and petted Vulpix. "You were amazing back there, Vulpix! I'm really proud of you!"

Vulpix smiled and nuzzled up against Jin in delight.

Nami walked up to one of the grunts and grabbed him by the shirt. "All right, you! Why did you guys attack this ship? Who're you working for and what are you after?"

The grunt smirked. "I'm not obliged to answer that, little girl. We of Team Chaos have nothing but the mission and we carried it out perfectly."

Nami clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. There didn't seem to be any reasoning with these people. They weren't going to give her the information she wanted.

Mendy thought about what the grunt said and her eyes widened. "Wait, are there more of you guys on this ship? Where are they now? Answer me!"

The grunt shrugged and chuckled. "Who knows? There could be, but then again, maybe there aren't."

Mendy furrowed her brow and clenched her teeth. "Come on, guys, we have to hurry! We have to find Ayden now!"

---

"Piik, Thunderbolt!"

Piik jumped into the air and launched her attack on several of the Team Chaos' pokémon, knocking them all down. Other trainers called on their pokémon to attack as well, driving the remaining grunts into a corner. After returning all of their pokémon, the grunts scowled and threw their hands up to surrender. The other trainers cheered and Ayden lightly smiled while Piik jumped onto his shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye, Ayden saw Cuttingham being led down the hallway by a few Chaos members. He had a bad feeling about it and followed them.

Cuttingham led Leberecht and his two subordinates down a series of stairs until they came toward a room at the end of a hallway. In the center of all the pipes, wires, and machinery, sat a small bright-red jewel shining majestically.

The two subordinates gazed in awe while Leberecht smiled uncontrollably. "That's it! That's what we've been searching for! There's no mistaking it!"

Cuttingham turned to the three. "There! I've shown you the power source for the ship! Now please leave at once! I wish for there to be no more senseless violence!"

Leberecht walked up to Cuttingham and punched him the stomach. Cuttingham gasped for air and fell to the floor. Leberecht snapped his fingers and his subordinates readied themselves with gloves and ran towards the jewel.

"Sorry, pops, but we'll be taking this lovely jewel of yours."

Cuttingham staggered as he looked up at Leberecht's grinning face. "Please, I beg of you. This ship is my life's work. It's my treasure. It's all I have left. That jewel keeps it running. It's the only fuel source that can keep this ship going! Please don't take it away!"

Leberecht kicked Cuttingham in the head, knocking him to the side wall. "Shut up already, pops! Enough of your damn whining! We're on a mission and I have every intention of completing it!"

Leberecht's subordinates walked up to him with a bag in their hands. "We've got it, sir! The second piece!"

Leberecht opened the bag and marveled at the piece of the Red Chain. They were one more step closer to reaching their goal. "Excellent work. Now, let's get back to the helicopter."

The three took off out of the room as Cuttingham lay on the floor bloodied in the face, fidgeting as he attempted to move.

Ayden ran down the hallway and saw Team Chaos running away. He made his way toward them when he noticed Cuttingham lying on the floor.

He ran toward him and lifted him up. "Hey, are you all right? Don't worry, I'll get you out of here! Come on let's go!"

Ayden tried standing him up, but Cuttingham refused his help.

He coughed into his hand and slowly took in breaths. "Thank you, young man, but you needn't worry about me. Please, go confront those people. Save the ship and everyone on it."

"Wait… what about you? I can't just leave you here!"

Cuttingham smiled and reached into the pocket of his coat. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. I'd very much appreciate to just remain here for now. Please, you have to hurry. You have to save this ship. Please get that jewel back."

Ayden nodded and stood up. "All right. I'll get that jewel back, but you have to promise me you'll get out of here. We're all going to get off this ship."

With that, he sprinted out of the room. As soon as he left, Cuttingham pulled out a photo a young beautiful woman with honey-colored hair that cascaded down to her ankles and piercing green eyes. She wore a light yellow sundress, a straw hat, and a necklace. He leaned against the wall as he placed the photo up to his heart, and smiled as he thought back to his younger days.

He could clearly see the woman in the photo dancing happily in a field of flowers, twirling around and laughing without a care in the world. She turned to him, smiled, and ran into his arms and embraced him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a sparkling necklace with a large ruby jewel in the center. She gasped when she saw the necklace. She looked up at him and said, 'I love you' before kissing him.

Cuttingham tightened his grip on the photo as a tear fell down his cheek.

---

Leberecht and his team made their way through the storm toward their helicopter as it slowly descended for them. His subordinates cleared the way for him to reach the rope ladder, and as he made his way up, a bolt of electricity struck through, cutting the ladder in half. Leberecht looked back to see Ayden and Piik ready to confront them.

Lightning flashed revealing Leberecht's sadistic smile. The timing couldn't have been more perfect. He wanted this more than anything. Obtaining pieces of the Red Chain never caught his interest anyway. He only wanted to fight.

"Well look here, boys. The Carrier has graced us with his presence, but where are our manners? We didn't roll out the red carpet for him. You two go on ahead. I'll take care of this one."

He shoved the bag into his subordinate's hands and walked toward Ayden.

The subordinate popped to attention and rendered a salute. "Sir!"

With that, the two jumped into the helicopter and it ascended into the air.

Ayden clenched his teeth as he watched them make their getaway. "You're not going anywhere! Piik, Thunderbolt!"

Piik jumped off his shoulder and launched her attack at the helicopter, while Leberecht instantaneously threw a pokéball into the air. It popped open and revealed a large, bulky, badger-like pokémon, with a short snout and sharp teeth. The back of its neck held red spots that quickly produced flames as soon as it landed on the ship.

Leberecht grinned. "Typhlosion, Flamethrower!"

Typhlosion launched its attack and blocked Piik's assault on the helicopter. Ayden clicked his tongue as the helicopter flew away from the ship.

Leberecht chuckled and turned to face Ayden. "That was pretty close, kid. Just a little bit too slow though."

The two trainers stood facing each other, neither fazed by the pelting rain or the flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder. Piik stood at the ready charging her cheeks while Typhlosion flared the fire on its back.

Leberecht grinned. This couldn't have been more perfect. This was all he ever wanted; a one-on-one battle against the Carrier.

His grin widened as the thought swam through his mind. "I'm gonna enjoy beating you down, kid. Then, I'll take you back to headquarters where you and that Pikachu belong."

Ayden furrowed his brow. "Piik and I aren't going anywhere. We're going beat the answers to all our questions out of you."

Leberecht chuckled before throwing his head back in a burst of laughter. "I'd love to see you try it, Carrier! Typhlosion, Flamethrower!" Typhlosion reared back and launched a stream of flames at Piik.

"Piik, Agility!" Without hesitation, Piik zipped around the oncoming flames with ease. "Now, switch to Quick Attack!" She gained momentum and launched herself at Typhlosion, landing a solid blow to its head.

Leberecht relaxed his shoulders and smiled. "Typhlosion, Double-Edge!" Typhlosion readied its body and rammed into Piik, sending her flying into the ship's railing, denting the metal.

Ayden turned around in shock. "Piik! Are you okay?"

Piik got up and shook off the attack. She growled and bared her fangs as she readied herself for the next round. Typhlosion did the same and got on all fours.

Leberecht clapped. "I'm impressed that Pikachu was able to shake my attack off like that. Let's see how it handles this. Typhlosion, Flamethrower!"

Ayden clenched his fists. "Piik, Thunderbolt!"

Piik charged her cheeks and launched her attack. The flames and the electricity collided in an intense burst of energy that exploded on contact. The smoke blanketed the ship's surface, leaving both Ayden and Piik wondering where the enemy could be. Before Ayden could think of a plan, Typhlosion emerged from the smoke and closed in on Piik.

"Typhlosion, Shadow Claw!"

A ghostly claw emerged from Typhlosion's paw. It swung and slashed Piik across the stomach, launching her into the air.

Ayden furrowed his brow. He had to take the opportunity to do some damage. "Piik, Thunder!"

She straightened up and drew in electricity from the clouds. When she stored enough, she launched her attack on Typhlosion. Typhlosion howled as the electricity rained down on him. It reeled from the attack and glared at Piik as she landed perfectly back on the ship.

Both pokémon breathed heavily, staring each other down while waiting for their trainers to give the next order. Neither one of them wanted to give in to the other.

Leberecht clicked his tongue. How long had it been since anyone managed to cause so much damage to his Typhlosion? He knew what he would be getting into though. He knew the Carrier wouldn't be an average opponent. No, the Carrier was the kind of opponent he'd been looking for. No one else could offer him a challenge like this. Now that he had it, he had to defeat him. He had to crush him with everything he had. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to move forward. No other kind of victory would sate him.

"Typhlosion! Let's end this! Inferno!"

Typhlosion's eyes turned an intense red and its howl echoed into the distance. The floor beneath Piik warmed up until flames danced around her paws. The flames then engulfed her in a tornado of fire burning her from the inside out.

Ayden's eyes widened as the flames intensified. He ran up to her hoping to pull her out of the flames, but Typhlosion appeared and struck him in his stomach, launching him to the back railing. He reeled from the blow and looked up to see Typhlosion glare down at him.

Leberecht smiled widely and waved his finger back and forth. "Sorry, but that's not allowed. You shouldn't interfere in the match like that, Carrier. Look just face it, I've won and I'm about to take both you and your Pikachu back with me. So, quit resisting and let's get going."

Piik perked up at his words. The thought of being put back in the lab of Team Chaos forced her memories of that place to resurface. It scared her out of her mind. She couldn't go back there. She wouldn't be able to take it. She had to get away from that lab at all costs. She didn't care how, she just had to get this guy away from her.

A pulse resonated throughout her body. It passed through her violently and she curled into a ball trying to hold in the pain. It soon overtook her and her eyes widened and her mind blanked. She looked around and saw nothing but darkness. She blinked in confusion until she heard deep slow breathing behind her. She slowly turned around to see a large silhouette leer down at her. She backed up in shock and fear as it reached its claw out and snatched her up. As she struggled against its grip, a dark aura emanated from the creature and slowly filtered into her. Soon, her eyes turned from green to blood red.

Leberecht walked up to Ayden as Typhlosion had him pinned against the ship. "Don't worry, I'm sure everything will be over soon. Just accept your loss and everything will-,"

He paused as Piik's cries turned into roars of rage, echoing through the distance. Black electricity sparked and erupted from her, dissipating the flames from Typhlosion's Inferno.

Leberecht's eyes widened as he gazed at Piik. No one could break out of Typhlosion's Inferno like that and come out without a burn. He looked closer and saw her entire demeanor had changed. Her eyes now a crimson red and the brown fur on her back and tail turned blue like her cheeks. He didn't know what happened, but if that Pikachu wanted to continue the fight, why not?

"Typhlosion, let's end this battle now! Looks like our little friend is back and ready for more!"

Typhlosion snarled and applied more pressure on Ayden. That move alone drove Piik's anger passed the breaking point. She crouched down and readied her attack.

Leberecht smiled and laughed. "Oh, you want to try and save the Carrier? Well, by all means, feel free to-,"

Piik zipped past him and slammed into Typhlosion's gut. Typhlosion's eyes widened as if a cannon ball had struck it. The force of her attack knocked it off Ayden and he gasped for air. He looked up and his eyes widened in horror as Piik stood with black electricity encircling her. Just like in Vermilion Gym, she had completely lost control of herself.

"Piik, wait! Don't do this!"

He tried to get up, but Typhlosion had done more damage to his body than he'd thought.

Leberecht clenched his teeth in frustration. He'd never seen speeds like that before. Not even his Typhlosion could move like that. It had to be just a coincidence. There's no way that little rat could be faster than his Typhlosion.

"Typhlosion! Come on! Get up and use Flamethrower!"

Typhlosion stood back up and launched the attack. Piik eyed the incoming flames and countered with an electric attack. The lightning cut through the flames and hit Typhlosion with ease. Typhlosion roared in pain as the electricity caused more damage than before.

Leberecht couldn't believe it. How could it have gotten so much stronger? "Typhlosion, Quick Attack!"

Typhlosion crouched down, but before it attacked, Piik slammed into its stomach again, dropping it to the floor. Piik took the opportunity to launch another electric attack. She charged her cheeks until the black sparks enveloped her body. She compressed them and then fired at Typhlosion and Leberecht. Her attack moved at such force and speed, the windows shattered and the wooden flooring split in half as the attack connected, knocking them both into the water.

When the attack subsided, Piik stood heaving as she could no longer see the enemy anymore. Her eyes returned to green, her electricity turned back to yellow, and her fur turned back to brown. When all the energy had left her, she fell forward.

Ayden slowly stood up and rushed over to gather her in his arms. "Piik, are you okay? Say something!"

Piik lay limp in his arms, breathing deeply as she fell asleep. Ayden sighed in relief as he gave her a hug, thinking things could've gotten a lot worse. Just as he settled down, explosions erupted around the ship, shooting up chunks of wood and spreading fire.

Ayden ran down the hallways until he found the room he left Cuttingham in. He had been sitting in the same spot since he left to fight Team Chaos, gazing at a photograph. The floor had already been submerged by inches of water, but Cuttingham continued to sit there studying the photograph as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Ayden ran up to him and placed his arm around his shoulder. "Come on! We've gotta go!" He tried lifting him up, but Cuttingham wouldn't budge. "What're you doing? This ship is about to sink! We've gotta get out of here!"

Cuttingham shook his head. "No, please, young man, just leave me be. I can't abandon this ship. This was everything to us. Our dream was imbedded in every plank of wood and driven nail. We said it would be the ship to travel every ocean in the world. I wanted to realize our dream for the both of us. Now look at it, the unsinkable ship is barely staying above the surface. I was a fool to think I could still carry on that dream."

"You can't give up now!" Cuttingham turned to him in shock. "You've come this far just to quit? Over a little set back? If you've got a dream then you've got to keep it alive no matter what it takes! You have to keep going until you achieve it! What would your wife think if you met her on the other side and told her you quit on your dream? How do you think she'd feel?"

Cuttingham's heart sank at his words. They made him realize how selfish he'd been. How could he forget her feelings in all this?

He turned to Ayden and smiled. "Young man, what's your name?"

Ayden paused for a moment. "Ayden."

Cuttingham smiled. "Ayden… thank you."

---

The ship, robbed of its power source and damaged inside and out, swayed back and forth against the rough current as the weather worsened. Hundreds of people crowded the exits waiting for their turn to gain entry into a lifeboat.

The ship's staff tried to handle the crowd as best they could. One employee held up a bullhorn while the rest of the staff worked the crowd. She had dark red hair in a ponytail and looked nervous trying to get the crowd's attention.

"Everyone! Please remain calm! We will be able to help you all get to safety! Please just remain calm!"

The crowd paid her little notice as each passenger tried to scramble over each other to get to the next available lifeboat.

Mendy, Jin, and Nami arrived and saw the pandemonium escalate. The three looked around but couldn't find Ayden or Piik.

Nami wiped her brow and placed her hands on her knees. "This is ridiculous! We've been up and down the ship! Where the hell is he?"

Jin straightened up and wiped the sweat off his chin. "He has to be here somewhere. Just wish we could get a sign or something."

Mendy continued to look around, hoping to see him standing off in the corner somewhere minding his own business, but couldn't spot him at all.

She thought back to what she said to him earlier and she fell to her knees in anger. "Damn it! If I hadn't said those things to him back then, he wouldn't have gone off on his own! Then maybe we wouldn't be in this mess!"

Jin walked up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Mendy, you can't blame yourself. Look we'll find him, okay? He's a tough trainer. He knows what he's doing."

Mendy looked up at Jin and nodded. She wiped the sweat from her brow and straightened up. She noticed Cuttingham walk into the room with Ayden beside him. She teared up as a wave of relief surged through her.

She threw her hands into the air to get his attention. "Ayden! Over here! Over here!"

Jin and Nami noticed him too and followed Mendy's example. Ayden saw them and walked up to them.

Jin greeted him with a smile and a headlock. "Hey, man! I knew you'd be just fine! Glad you made it back safely! You had us worried there for a bit!"

Nami walked up and crossed her arms while Mendy went up to him. "Ayden! Glad you're okay! What happened to Piik?"

Ayden told them about his run-in with Leberecht and their eyes widened.

Mendy placed her hands over her mouth. "My God! She went through that again? The poor thing."

Jin tapped Ayden on the shoulder. "Here, let me see her. I have some medicine that might help her out."

Ayden nodded and handed Piik to him. "Thanks, Jin."

Cuttingham walked to the center of the room, stood up in front of the raging crowd of passengers and spoke into the megaphone. "Everyone! We will be able to get you all into the lifeboats, but we need you all to stay calm and approach in a nice orderly fashion! Your safety is our number one priority and we will make sure all of you get off this ship safely!"

Ayden and the others integrated into the rest of the crowd and patiently awaited their turn for the lifeboats while the crowd pushed and shoved them along. The storm's rage grew as the waves knocked the ship from side to side. A passenger pushed Ayden back and he lost his footing and fell to the floor, snapping the chain around his neck. Ayden's eyes widened in horror as he watched his locket slide across the floor and down the hallway.

He quickly got up and chased after it. "Wait! Come back! Get back here!"

Mendy saw him and ran after him. "Ayden, wait! What's wrong? Where're you going?"

Nami and Jin tried to go after them, but the crowd pushed them along preventing them from escaping. "Mendy! Wait! Let us through! We have to get through! Dammit! Mendy!"

Ayden desperately chased after the locket as the tilted ship made it slide faster down the hallways. He had to catch up to it. He had to get it back. He couldn't afford to lose that locket.

Mendy ran as fast as she could to catch up to Ayden, but he kept getting farther ahead of her. "Ayden, slow down! What's wrong? We have to get back to the lifeboats! Ayden!"

Nami and Jin had been pushed to the front of the crowd and forced into one of the lifeboats along with a few dozen other passengers. They tried pleading with the staff to let them back in to get their friends, but the staff moved on as if they never heard them and forced them to sit down as they got more people onto the lifeboats.

Nami and Jin looked on as the ship slowly sank. They just hoped Ayden and Mendy would get back into the crowd of people and make it to the lifeboats.

Ayden continued to chase the locket and found it had stopped just short of giant hole. He went up to it as quickly as he could, but the ship rocked again knocking the locket into the hole. He didn't care where it went, he had to get that locket back no matter what. Without hesitation, he jumped into the hole and continued his search.

Mendy caught up to him and jumped down the hole too.

She looked around and saw Ayden on his hands and knees. "Ayden, what's wrong? Why did you just take off like that? Come on! We have to go!"

Ayden ignored her and continued his search. All he could think about was getting his locket back. Nothing else mattered. He noticed a gleam and immediately went up to it. He snatched it up and sighed in relief as he held his locket in his hands.

The storm raged and rocked the ship, sending Ayden and Mendy flying head first into the wall of the room.

Nami and Jin watched as the last of the ship sank below the surface of the water. They searched, but couldn't find Mendy or Ayden.

Nami cupped her hands around her mouth and took a deep breath. "Mendy! Mendy! Answer me! Are you out here? Say something! Mendy!"

Jin held Piik close and did the same. "Ayden! Mendy! Are you two okay? Ayden! Mendy!"

The storm drowned out their voices, but they hoped either one would hear them. Neither received any results and they looked at each other in dismay as the realization hit them.

Nami's eyes widened as fear took over her. This couldn't be happening. Mendy couldn't possibly be still on the ship, right? The thought swam through her mind until she couldn't take it anymore. She had to get her out of there. She stood up, causing the lifeboat to wobble even more. The other passengers yelled at her and held her down before they all capsized into the sea. She fought them off as hard as she could, but they eventually forced her back into the lifeboat.

Jin looked up at her while trying to keep the boat steady as the waves and rain drenched them. "Nami! What do you think you're doing?"

"What the hell do you think? We have to go down there and get them out! We have to save them!"

She tried to stand back up, but Jin placed his hand on her shoulder. "Are you crazy? You'll never be able to swim through this kind of storm! You'll die before you even reach the ship! I know exactly how you feel, but there's nothing we can do at this point!"

A wave splashed through, hitting Nami in the face. She clenched her fists and teared up. She jerked her shoulder out of his grip and screamed into the distance out of frustration.

---

Beneath the surface, Leberecht swam through the storm with his equipment from Team Chaos. He came to the middle of the ocean, miles away from where the lifeboats had been prepped. He pressed a button on his wrist and looked up. Not much later, a helicopter appeared and lowered a rope ladder for him. He grasped the ladder and climbed up. The moment he sat down, his subordinates immediately took to his needs.

He turned to his subordinates as they tended to him. "Where's the stone?"

One of the subordinates produced the bag and showed him. "Here it is, sir."

Leberecht nodded and leaned back in his seat. "Good, set a course back to headquarters. Our mission is complete."

His subordinates saluted and went to work. Leberecht looked at the floor and clenched his hands as he thought back to his fight with Ayden. The way his Pikachu moved and harnessed its powers, he'd never seen anything like it. It frustrated him to think that little punk could possess power far beyond his own. Obviously, he had no control over his Pikachu, but that didn't matter. They had to move quickly.

"If the Carrier ever masters the power in that Pikachu, our whole organization will be in deep trouble. I have to report this to the higher-ups and fast."

The helicopter made its way through the storm back to base.

---

Below the water's surface, the remainder of the St. Anne sank into the ocean's murky depths as Ayden and Mendy lay unconscious on the floor.

---

Thank you again for taking the time to read my chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. As always, let me know what you think of the story so far. Also, I'll be going on a bit of a hiatus. There's a lot that's going to happen in the next month and I won't be able to work on the story during that time as often as I'd like. So, I ask for your patience and to please check back around the end of April for chapter 15 of Pocket Monsters: Shattered Souls. Thank you all again!