This is it, folks; the Doctor and his friends are about to face off against the Prozonites! But before that, I wish to apologize for the delay: I had to shift out of range of the Internet for a short while.

So now… let's get it on!

Chapter 13: The Crystal Brawl

On board the Prozonite battleship, the controlled forces were preparing the vessel for departure when the news rang out in their minds: "The Doctor and his TARDIS have been recaptured. All high ranks report to the control room. Lower ranks will stand by the holding cells."

As several Prozonite set off to their tasks, none of them noticed a Gardevoir appearing with four other smaller Pokémon beside it. As a Feraligatr stomped past, they cringed in terror, but the giant Water Pokémon completely ignored them.

"So the Doctor was right after all," Alcazar sighed in relief.

"I never doubted him for a minute," Mickey reassured. "Now come on; we've got work to do…"

Sticking close to Gardevoir, the little band of Pokémon set off after the Feraligatr down a dark passageway until they reached the cells, a long passageway with several barred doors along its length. There they found a small caste of Prozonites who didn't have any hosts, but they managed to slip past without being spotted and soon found the main controls.

"Now what?" Minka asked.

"Obviously, we need to release the Pokémon from their cells," Eliza explained, "and then Gardevoir can teleport them to safety."

"I can only Teleport about ten at one time and there are a few hundred prisoners," Gardevoir replied with some concern. "If I leave you alone, the Prozonites might spot you and attack…"

"Then tell any other Pokémon who can use Teleport to help out," Mickey answered. "We'll hold off any Prozonites who attack until then."

With that, the Growlithe leapt up to the controls and pressed some buttons. At once, the cell doors slid upwards and many Pokémon emerged from within. As they did, a sudden alarm blared out, "UNAUTHORIZED CELL DOOR RELEASE! PRISONERS ESCAPING! INVESTIGATE, INVESTIGATE!"

"They're coming," Minka gasped.

"Listen up, all of you," Mickey called out. "We're getting you out of here! Get into groups of ten and Gardevoir will Teleport the first group to safety. When she returns, she'll bring other Psychic Pokémon to help out. In the meantime, if the Prozonites attack us, you mustn't use your elemental attacks. Physical moves are the most effective against them. Now, get ready!"

At once the Pokémon split into groups and one ran up to Gardevoir and were Teleported away… just as several Prozonites emerged down the corridor. Eliza let out a gasp of alarm as she spotted two familiar faces at the front of the army: a Bibarel with a brown ear and an Ariados. "It's Byron and Kerry!"

"Intruders detected," Byron shouted. "Capture them, capture them!"

As the Prozonites charged forward, Alcazar, Mickey, Minka, Eliza and the other Pokémon braced themselves for battle, ready to fight for their freedom!

A controlled Empoleon swung its flipper out at the group, but was hit by a Body Slam from a Bayleef. An Arcanine and a Mamoswine charged into the groups only to be knocked back by an Iron Tail from an Onix. Mickey narrowly missed a Horn Attack from a Tauros and then used Bite on the blob on its chest. Minka and Alcazar held back a Charizard and an Aggron with a volley of Double Hit and Focus Punch attacks, while Eliza used Fury Swipes to keep a Luxray at bay.

But while they were fighting, none of them noticed a host-less Prozonite approaching from the ceiling, until it leapt into the battling crowd and charged towards Mickey's group. Several uncontrolled Pokémon scattered in terror as the black blobby starfish stomped through them.

"Guys, look out!" Eliza screamed as the Prozonite reached its arm towards them and grabbed Alcazar.

"DAD, NOOOO!" Minka cried out.

But Mickey could only stare in horror as the Prozonite bonded itself to Alcazar's chest and the Ambipom let out a scream of pain…

Up in the control room, Belagar and Falarx and many of their high-ranking officers were waiting for the Flyers to return. At last, they felt Varbalos' message come through in their minds and Sergeant Darless opened the blast doors above them, allowing the Captain and his troops to lower the TARDIS down.

With a smile on his borrowed face, Belagar bellowed, "Come on out, Doctor! We know you're in there, and bring your friends with you!"

The blue box's doors opened and out stepped the Doctor in his brown coat, Rachel and Jack, paws raised. At once, Darless and Varbalos stomped forward and grabbed Rachel and Jack in their clutches. As Rachel looked around, she spotted an Infernape with a scarf round its neck. "Ignatius, is that you?" she called out.

"Your friend is now under the control of Major Klenerz," Varbalos snarled in her ear. "He can no longer recognize you…"

"Now then, Doctor," Belagar growled. "Unless you want to see your friends snapped in half by my forces, you will connect your vessel to the main controls of our ship and then when the time comes, set the coordinates of the target planet and activate your dematerialization circuit to send our ship there."

"Lots to do, isn't there?" the Doctor muttered, scratching his long ear.

"We have to wait until our forces return with the Legendary Beasts before we can leave," Falarx reminded his CO.

"Listen to me, Belagar, you can't take these Legendary Pokémon from this planet!" The Doctor's voice was adamant. "The world's placed in a delicate balance with its inhabitants; by capturing Groudon, Kyogre and Rayquaza, you're upsetting the natural order! Once you leave, the planet will tear itself apart!"

"Then it shall die knowing what worthy hosts it's given to our cause, Doctor," Belagar hissed. "Now get to work or your companions will lose their heads!"

With another glare at the General, the Doctor ran into the TARDIS and seconds later, emerged with a long cable in his paws. As Belagar watched with hungry eyes, he didn't notice an Espeon and another Pikachu sneak through the lines, with a quick wink at Rachel and Jack…

On the level below the Prozonite ship, as the Flyers lowered the TARDIS into the vessel, two more Flying Pokémon with passengers swooped through the trees to their destination. As they landed, Leander pointed to where he saw Duplica get herded off.

"Tread carefully, guys," Martha whispered as they set off. "We don't have any Psychic powers to help us…"

"So we can still get spotted by any Prozonite we meet," Leander finished.

"Maybe I can help you out there," a tiny voice purred from the bushes.

Martha and Luke braced themselves for action but then a tiny pink cat with big blue eyes and a long thin tail floated out from the undergrowth. Feathers, Zubat and Leander let out a gasp of amazement. "It can't be…" Zubat breathed.

"But it is," the cat purred. "Mew, the New Specie Pokémon. My friends, Uxie, Azelf and Mesprit, told me about your mission to save the Dittos so I came to help you. My Psychic powers will keep you safe from this dark force."

"Thanks for that, Mew," Luke beamed. "Let's get going."

Slowly they made their way past the steps towards the bushes at the back. Martha and Feathers braced themselves for the warning alarm of the Prozonites but none came, and soon they stumbled upon a clearing with a large group of Dittos crowded together. Martha could see the Dittos struggling to move. "They're in a restraining field, just like Rachel and the Doctor were."

"We've got to help them," Feathers murmured but then he spotted some Prozonite guards coming out; a Sceptile, a Typhlosion, a Blastoise and a Flygon. "This might be a problem…"

"Not necessarily," Mew replied. "Feathers, you've been rejected by these guys for being the wrong size so they can't touch you, and Zubat has been disapproved too. But you will need some help…" With that, Mew's body glowed brightly and changed shape, becoming a Honchkrow.

"You can use Transform too," Luke breathed.

"I saw them reject a Honchkrow for the same reason as Feathers," Mew explained. "So these forms are perfect for distracting them. Then you, Martha and Leander can shut down the restraining field and get them to safety."

"Sounds good," Feathers replied. "Let's do it!"

And he, Zubat and the Transformed Mew flew towards the guards. The Sceptile called out, "INTRUDER ALERT! REJECTED FORMS INCOMING! ATTACK, ATTACK!"

The Typhlosion launched a Flamethrower at the birds, but they used Agility to avoid the fire. The Flygon zoomed forward and swung its tail out and Feathers countered with Wing Attack. Meanwhile Mew launched a Peck at the Blastoise, sending it reeling back while Zubat confused them with Supersonic.

While this was happening, Martha, Luke and Leander ran up to the Dittos. One Ditto called out to the two Grass-Types, "I remember you two! I warned you and your friends about those monsters."

"Duplica, it's you!" Martha realized. "Don't worry; we'll get you and your friends out of there."

"Hey guys," Luke called out. "I've found the main controls, but I can't reach the buttons. Could you help me up?"

"Hold on," Leander replied, dashing up. He then wrapped his vines around Luke's waist and hoisted him up to the controls. Luke then pushed some buttons and soon, the restraining field faded and the Dittos oozed away.

But just as Luke jumped down to join the others; the Sceptile loomed over their heads. "Do not move, you unsuitable beings! You are interfering with the General's plans; you must be destroyed. LEAF BLADE!"

The leaves on his arms began to glow and he raised them up, but acting quickly, Martha jumped forward and Pounded the blob in his chest with her tail. As the Sceptile recoiled in pain, Duplica Transformed into a Tangrowth and shot out a cloud of Sleep Powder at the Sceptile, putting him to sleep. Then the Ditto sprayed the Sleep Powder at the other Prozonites. Mew, Zubat and Feathers flew up out of the way as the controlled Pokémon got caught in the cloud and also fell asleep.

As Duplica and Mew changed back to their original forms, Martha turned to the other Dittos. "Listen to me; can any of you Transform into a Gardevoir or any other Pokémon who can use Teleport?"

"I can," one Ditto raised a blobby arm and then Transformed into an Alakazam.

"Good," Martha beamed. "Now take the other Ditto and Zubat to safety. Meanwhile, Mew, you must Transform too and get us into the ship. Mickey, the Doctor and the others may need our help."

So Mew Transformed into a Gardevoir and Teleported Martha and her friends onto the ship while Duplica and the Dittos were taken to safety.

Deep inside the Prozonite vessel, Sarah and Mirrus snuck carefully through the passageway, avoiding the lower ranked Prozonites that stomped past, until they reached a door and ducked inside. There they found a large white crystal that towered over their heads, emitting bolts of yellow lightning.

"This is a piece of Prozon crystal," Mirrus whispered. "With it, General Belagar's troops are able to project the invisible shields that absorb energy attacks and enslave the forces he needs for their battles…"

"Unless we stop them," Sarah finished. "But the Doctor usually gives them a chance to surrender, doesn't he?"

"He did, but they refused to stop. So we must act now-"

"INTRUDERS DETECTED!" a sudden voice rang out.

Sarah and Mirrus turned to find Darkrai and an Armaldo standing in the doorway, blocking their escape.

"They know we're here," Sarah realized. "But how?"

"Darkrai's presence seems to be negating your psychic energy," Mirrus replied. "That's how Belagar was able to spot you when Darkrai captured you."

"Of course, now it makes sense…" Then Sarah started and turned to look at Mirrus. "Hang on a minute; you weren't there when Darkrai caught me. How did you know?"

"Enough talk," the Armaldo roared. "You are endangering the Prozon with your presence. Destroy them, destroy them!"

Darkrai swooped forward and launched a Dark Pulse at them, but Sarah and Mirrus jumped aside to avoid it. Sarah then charged forward and bashed her head into the Prozonite on Darkrai's chest, knocking him backwards. The Armaldo meanwhile swung his claw down at Mirrus, but the Pikachu rolled away safely.

"IRON TAIL!" he called out as he leapt into the air. His lightning-bolt shaped tail glowed white and he swung it round into the blob on the Armaldo's chest, shattering the glowing centre. Instantly, the Prozonite let out a screech of alarm and dissolved into a black puddle of slime, sliding off the Armaldo's body. As it did, the Prehistoric Pokémon gasped in pain and its glowing eyes faded to normal. As Sarah managed to knock Darkrai out, Mirrus ran up to the stunned Armaldo who was now glancing round in confusion. "W-Where am I?"

"You can think freely again!" Mirrus cried out. "Oh yes, am I brilliant or what?"

"Definitely brilliant… Doctor," Sarah smiled. "I should have known it was you. That's Mirrus up there distracting Belagar, isn't it?"

The Doctor nodded. "When I took Mirrus into the TARDIS, I offered him a chance to redeem himself and save his fellow Pokémon. So after he transformed into me, I gave him my coat, told him what to say and asked him to stall Belagar until we destroy the crystal. Sorry I had to deceive you like that…"

"I understand, Doctor," Sarah said. "You've pulled stunts like that in the past. I honestly don't know why I put up with you!"

"Excuse me," the Armaldo interrupted, "but could somebody tell me what's going on here?"

"Right, sorry. Getting a bit sidetracked; bad habit of mine." The Doctor looked up at the Prehistoric Pokémon. "Hello; I'm the Doctor and this is Sarah Jane Smith; what's your name?"

"Clayton," the Armaldo replied.

"Well, Clayton, your home world is being invaded by alien beings who want to use your powers to invade the universe, unless Sarah and I stop them…"

Sarah meanwhile was scanning the crystal with her sonic lipstick. Then she turned to her friends. "Doctor, we might have a problem; the Prozon is emitting the same level of psychic resonance as the Prozonites are. A powerful blow might be enough to destroy the crystal and break the link, but the energy buildup might kill anyone who attacks it."

The Doctor looked crestfallen for a moment. "No… I can't do this again," he murmured. "I can't let anyone die for the sake of the planet…"

"Then you will die for nothing!" Darkrai's voice rang out. "INTRUDERS ARE THREATENING THE PROZON! ATTACK, ATTACK!"

But then, Clayton charged forward and knocked the Dark Pokémon down with a swipe of his claw. "Go, you two," he bellowed down. "I'll deal with the crystal!"

"Clayton, don't," the Doctor called up. "We'll find another way to stop the Prozonites!"

"There is no other way," Sarah reminded her friend. "It's either destroying the crystal or the world is doomed!"

"Listen to me, Doctor," the Armaldo roared. "All my life, I've been a coward. Every battle I face, I run from, and my friends have been embarrassed by my fears. But when that Prozonite held me in its grasp, I felt a rage growing inside of me which made me realize why I was asked by Eliza to help her. It was because we were fighting to help others who were more scared than me, and to learn to hide your fear in the face of danger which made me braver than I ever felt. And now, my friends will be able to remember me with pride."

Sarah beamed at this speech. "I understand, Clayton."

The Doctor nodded sadly and said, "All right, big guy. If that's what you think, I won't stop you."

As they ran out of the room, Clayton called out, "Tell my friends, Eliza, Kerry and Feathers, that I thank them for everything!" Then as the Prehistoric Pokémon heard the footsteps of the Prozonites running towards him, he raised his claws and brought them down into the giant crystal…

Up in the control room, Belagar watched gleefully as the Doctor finished his work on wiring up the TARDIS to the main flight controls. Just a few minutes more and he would return to the Prozonite High Command and begin the invasion…

Nearby, Rachel struggled in Darless's grasp as she looked at her teammate. "Ignatius, I know you're in there somewhere," she called. "You've got to fight it!"

"It's fruitless to resist," Darless sniggered. "Our control is too powerful."

"It's no use fighting, Rachel," the Doctor sighed. "The Prozonites have won and I have to take them to their great invasion…"

"Come on, Doctor, don't give up now!" Jack bellowed. "You're way better than that!"

"Silence," Falarx roared. "The TARDIS has been connected. Now get into your machine and start it up. The invasion begins!"

The Doctor nodded solemnly and turned to enter his ship but then suddenly the entire ship began to tremble and shake, and the controls sparked with energy.

"What's happening?" Belegar roared out.

Then a message came through from Lieutenant Felsar. "General, the Doctor and his friends have freed the Armaldo that Captain Megrall was controlling and it's attacking the Prozon. I think it's going to-"

KABOOOOOOOMM! The explosion rocked across the ship and at once an alarm blared out. "WARNING, WARNING! PROZON CRYSTAL HAS BEEN DESTROYED! PSYCHIC CONTROL FAILING!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Belagar screamed as he felt his hold on Dialga weaken and he heard the roars of the other Pokémon breaking free.

Down in the cells, the escaping Pokémon were being completely overwhelmed. Mickey was struggling in the grips of a Houndoom and a Skuntank, Minka had been grabbed by her own father and Eliza was cornered by her friends, Byron and Kerry.

Just then, a loud explosion rocked the ship and then suddenly, the attacking Pokémon recoiled in pain and let out roars and screams of agony. As Mickey watched, several Prozonites slipped off their hosts' bodies like melted ice-cream and the Pokémon's eyes faded to normal. The Houndoom and Skuntank shook off the blobs on their bodies and Mickey launched a Flamethrower at the Prozonites, which burnt them to a crisp.

"Their shields are down," he called to the Pokémon groups. "Our elemental attacks can affect them again!"

"Then let's take them out," Alcazar's voice called out as he pulled the blob off his chest. "SWIFT!"

He launched a volley of yellow stars out towards the Prozonites, cutting off pieces of black flesh from their bodies. Immediately, the Pokémon, those who were imprisoned and those who were controlled, all fired their elemental attacks. Fire burned, Water swept away, Electricity frazzled, Ice froze and Rock crushed. Soon all the Prozonites were destroyed. Seconds later, Gardevoir appeared, followed by a small number of Alakazam, Claydol and Xatu.

"You took your time," Minka yelled. "We were almost overrun."

"I apologize," Gardevoir sighed. "It took a while to find these guys."

"Are they here to rescue us?" Byron called out.

"They certainly are," Eliza replied.

"Alright, everyone," Mickey shouted. "Gardevoir and the others can take us all out of here! The Prozonites are weakened and this is the best time to leave."

The Pokémon groups let out a cheer and ran up to the Psychic Pokémon, and soon they were Teleported back to Treasure Town…

As Belagar finally lost control and slipped off Dialga's body, he could feel his mind being bombarded by alerts from his lower ranks, all saying they had lost control of their bodies. Then he heard calls from his special forces, some saying they lost control of Groudon and Kyogre and others saying they are unable to control Rayquaza – all before they fell silent.

Nearer to base, Falarx, Varbalos, Darless and the others all slipped off their respective hosts. The Scizor and Tangrowth slumped to the back and dropped Rachel and Jack to the ground. Ignatius flung off his Prozonite host and ran up to Rachel. Dialga and Palkia stumbled around in mild confusion.

"Doctor, you've betrayed us!" Belagar roared out.

"I did warn you," a voice rang out. The Prozonites turned to see a Pikachu exactly like the Doctor bound into the room, followed by an Espeon. "That Doctor there is actually one of your imprisoned Dittos in disguise. Show them, Mirrus…"

The Doctor by the platform suddenly glowed white. His brown coat flopped down in a heap as the light faded and a small pink blob was seen.

"Why, you rotten double-crossing Time Lord!" Varbalos roared, his tentacles twitching in rage. "You'll pay for this betrayal!" And he, Darless and Stranton stomped towards the Doctor.

"BULLET SEED!"

"RAZOR LEAF!"

"PSYBEAM!"

Suddenly, a stream of glowing seeds, a volley of leaves and a rainbow beam shot out from the shadows, knocking the Prozonites back. Then an Eevee, a Swellow and a Zubat charged forward and smashed into the creatures' chests, smashing the glowing cores and reducing them to puddles of goo.

"Are you all right, Doctor?" Martha called out as she, Leander and a small pink floating cat emerged from the shadows.

"Dad!" the little Bulbasaur cried out running up to a bewildered Venusaur and rubbing his head against his father.

"What are you guys doing here?" Sarah called out as she grabbed Luke in a hug.

"Mew Teleported us here because Martha knew you might need help," Feathers explained as he and Zubat flew down. "So we arrived to help, but it looks like you managed to stop them."

"He certainly did," Jack cried out as he used Water Gun to wash back an attacking Prozonite.

"Good job, Doctor," Rachel added as she used Thunderbolt on three other Prozonites and burning them to crisps.

"Thanks for coming to save me, guys," Ignatius called out as he used his Flame Wheel to take out the remaining Prozonites.

Belagar was bristling with anger. "You may have been able to destroy the Prozon, but we'll send a distress signal to the High Command and call for reinforcements!"

"Didn't you hear, General?" the Doctor called out. "You were gone for so long, the High Command gave up on you and tried to invade with other hosts, but they were overwhelmed and forced to retreat. The Prozonites gave up on their invasions and returned to their home world."

"No, you're lying!" Belagar roared. "You've destroyed weeks of planning and now you will face your doom!"

"Not while we can still think for ourselves," a new deeper voice boomed out.

Everyone looked up to see Dialga and Palkia towering overhead. The Time Pokémon glanced down at the Doctor and nodded. "Thank you, Time Lord," he growled. "I knew you would help us the moment I saw your blue box. Now go, Palkia and I will deal with these beings."

"Oh, I've been waiting for this for a long time," Palkia snarled. The two Legendary Pokémon flew into the air and began to charge their attacks.

Sarah quickly ran up to the controls and pushed a button, making the doors open overhead. "Feathers, Zubat, get the Flying Pokémon out of here. We'll use the TARDIS to escape."

Zubat and Feathers called out to the Pokémon and they all flew out the doors and into the skies. Leander, Luke, Sarah, Dendron, Martha, Jack and Rachel led the other Pokémon into the TARDIS while the Doctor, Mew and Mirrus turned to Belagar and Falarx.

"Please, General," the Doctor called out. "You've got nothing left now, but I can help you. I can take you back to your planet and you might get told off with a slap on the tentacles. What do you say?"

"Never," Belagar yelled. "The only thing you can do for us is to accept your doom!"

He thrust his tentacle out towards the Doctor, but Mirrus quickly jumped out and took the blow. He then Transformed into a Scyther and used his claws to cut through the cables that connected the TARDIS to their ship. Then he became a Machamp and grabbed the two Prozonites in his four hands. "Get out of here, Doctor! I'll hold them back."

"Listen to me, Mirrus," the Doctor called out. "Dialga and Palkia are about to use Roar of Time and Spatial Rend. You'll never survive!"

"I won't let these Prozonites harm you," the Ditto replied. "Tell my clan how I redeemed them all, and…" A tear trickled down his eye. "Tell my wife, Duplica, how much I love her. Now go!"

The Doctor and Mew set off into the TARDIS and moments later, the blue box faded away with a booming roar.

"ROAR OF TIME!"

"SPATIAL REND!"

The Legendary Pokémon unleashed their attacks at the same time, warping time and space around the entire ship…

Some distance away, the TARDIS materialized outside the Explorer's Guild and the Doctor and his passengers emerged into the sunlight. As Mickey and his friends ran up to join them, a sudden distant explosion rocked the entire world and they all turned to see a large black cloud billow up into the heavens.

"What was that?" Ignatius asked.

"That's the Legendary Dialga and Palkia finishing off the Prozonite ship," the Doctor said glumly. Then he walked up to Eliza and Kerry and told them the news about Clayton's heroic sacrifice, while Sarah went to Duplica and her clan and explained Mirrus's final words to them all.

"Is he going to be alright?" Rachel asked Martha.

"Yeah, eventually," the Treecko replied. "He's a bit bitter about seemly pointless deaths, but I think Clayton and Mirrus died to help save your world and that's good enough for me…"

As they prepared to celebrate their victory, none of them noticed two large shadows swoop out of the cloud and into the heavens, the Legendary Pokémon of time and space also celebrating their freedom…

And there you have it. The Prozonites have been defeated and some good Pokémon died. The next chapter will conclude this little story.

See you then