-70-
Anna awoke the next morning as sunlight streamed through the windows of the room. She felt Enrique's arms wrapped around her torso in a tight embrace. She reached up with her hands and rubbed her eyes a few times, making sure she wasn't still asleep and in the middle of a wonderful dream. Anna opened her eyes and looked down: she was still in her beautiful wedding dress and jewelry, adorned with diamonds and pink tourmaline. Anna blushed deeply and giggled to herself.
"So, last night wasn't a dream after all," thought Anna with great delight. Though the drapes were closed tight, the bright sunlight was still lighting up the room from outside. All was quiet in the honeymoon suite, except for Enrique's soft breathing. Anna carefully turned onto her back and then onto her other side, coming face to face with her mate. Anna smiled as she reached out with her right hand and then tenderly stroked Enrique's face. He slowly opened his eyes, gently awakened from Anna's soft, warm touch. He smiled at his beautiful wife.
"Good morning, my love," said Enrique softly.
"Good morning to you too, handsome," whispered Anna. She moved her hand from Enrique's face to his left side, gently stroking and feeling the soft fabric and embroidery of her mate's sparkling wedding dress. Enrique chuckled and moved towards Anna, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace. Anna giggled happily and lovingly embraced her husband. Enrique was overjoyed, but Anna was a bit worried. She tenderly stroked Enrique's back, hoping to find a pair of soft wings, covered with beautiful white feathers; however, somehow, Enrique had not grown wings during the night.
"Is something wrong, Anna?" asked Enrique sweetly. He could not figure out why Anna's happy and delighted smile had quickly turned into a concerned frown.
"Enrique you… you don't have wings," said Anna with shock. Enrique sat up in bed and glanced at a nearby mirror. He put his back towards the mirror and looked over his shoulder. Sure enough, he did not have wings.
"Well, we may as well get up for now," said Enrique, smiling at Anna, "It's okay, Anna. I'm content to not have wings."
"Are you sure, Enrique?" asked Anna as she climbed out of bed, "Now we can't take that morning flight that we wanted." Anna shivered a little bit as her feet touched the smooth, cold white marble floor. She stood up and quickly slid her feet into her soft and much warmer white satin slippers. Enrique did the same, shortly before he ran up to Anna and embraced her once again. Anna laughed with great joy as she wrapped her arms around Enrique once again. She grinned at Enrique and reached her hands into the pair of slits in the back of her mate's dress. She smiled seductively and giggled as she ran her fingers against the soft skin of Enrique's back. Enrique sighed blissfully as he leaned forward and kissed Anna with great passion. Anna closed her eyes and blushed as she and Enrique kissed. She kept stroking his back tenderly, until she felt something strange. The left and right sides of her mate's upper back were starting to feel… fuzzy. Anna opened her eyes with amazement and looked at Enrique's face. He was blushing deeply and smiling as his and Anna's long kiss continued. He finally broke the kiss and met Anna's wide eyes.
"Now what's wrong?" asked a bewildered Enrique, "And why is my back itching so much? Anna, would you please scratch my back for me? This itching is getting very uncomfortable." Anna grinned as she pulled her hands out of the slits in her mate's dress, releasing him from her embrace and took a few steps away from the worried, young prince.
"Brace yourself, my prince," said Anna softly and calmly with a bright smile on her face, "Your wings are about to be born." At that very moment, Enrique shouted out and wrapped his arms around his upper torso as the itching was quickly replaced by strange, strong sensations on his upper back. Anna helped Enrique onto the floor as he writhed uncontrollably. Anna took a quick look at the twin slits on the back of her husbands sparkling wedding dress: small white feathers were sprouting from Enrique's back and were growing very quickly. She dropped to her knees and softly placed her right hand on the back of Enrique's head, trying to comfort him.
"How long does this last?!" screamed Enrique with great fear.
"Just be patient and don't worry, my love," said Anna sweetly, "I think in a few moments, we're going to take that first flight together after all." Enrique shouted one last time when suddenly, the young prince's feathery wings finally burst forth from the slits in his dress. Enrique huffed and puffed loudly, trying to catch his breath as his strength returned.
"Are you okay?" asked Anna with concern. Enrique got on his knees then looked over each of his shoulders, one at a time: he returned his gaze and Anna and smiled at her.
"You want to fly together after breakfast?" asked Enrique as he slowly moved his wings, testing the new muscles in his back.
"I would love to!" exclaimed Anna with elation, "Wait until Glacian sees this!"
"Wait!" said a smiling Enrique, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Anna?" Anna grinned at her mate as she walked behind him and draped and secured the decorative, white cape over Enrique's back, covering up his new wings.
"Now then…" said Anna with a grin, "To the dining room?"
"To the dining room," replied Enrique with a chuckle as he held Anna's left hand in his right hand and started to lead her out of the bedroom.
"This is going to be a long day," said Anna with a blissful sigh as she and Enrique started down the long, marble hallway.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," said Enrique with a cheerful voice. Meanwhile, Glacian and Gloria had gotten up early and were already in the throne room, in their wedding splendor. Normally, they would have been enjoying a quiet breakfast together at this early hour, but Alvin was frantic and had been begging Wallace to let him see the king and queen as soon as possible this morning.
"Alvin, you may come forward," said Glacian. With that, Alvin walked from the main entrance of the massive throne room all the way up to Glacian and Gloria as they sat on their golden thrones. A few minutes passed before Alvin bowed politely and then made the final, short approach to the Gardevoir monarchs. Alvin had a look of fear on his face.
"Dr. Alvin Newman, what troubles you, my friend?" asked Glacian with his deep, yet gentle voice.
"I want to ask you a question first," said Alvin nervously.
"Go ahead, Alvin," said Gloria with a friendly smile, "What do you want to ask of us?" Alvin cleared his throat with a few dry and loud coughs.
"Your highness, do all Gardevoirs possess the power of foresight?" asked Alvin, still fearful.
"Yes, my friend," answered Glacian, "All Gardevoirs have the power to see into the future, but very few can control it and be able to focus to a specific time and place in the future. Most of the time, all Gardevoirs and Kirlias see are random visions that can be from any place on earth or at any time from the next moment to the very distant future unless they receive extensive training. So Alvin, what is making you so afraid?"
"I… I can't say it…" said a terribly frightened Alvin, "It may have just been a horrible nightmare…"
"May Gloria and I peer into your mind to see what you saw while you slept?" asked Glacian.
"I beg of you not to," replied Alvin, "But maybe you can help put my fears to rest."
"What do you need?" asked Glacian, "Whatever it is I can grant it to you at once, my friend."
"What I desire is this:" answered Alvin with renewed courage, "I want the Guardians of Gardev and any others who will willingly come to journey with me to my former Cipher facility on the southern edge of the Gardev Region. I must make sure that the remains of my facility have remained undisturbed." Glacian and Gloria glanced at each other with looks of fear on their faces.
"Why do you need to go there?" asked Glacian.
"My nightmare is linked to that place. If nothing has been tampered with, then what I saw was indeed just a dream and a very foul one at that," replied Alvin.
"Now I want to ask you something, my friend," said Glacian as he stood up from his throne and approached the Gardevoir scientist, "What kind of dark secrets do you still carry both in your mind and at your old laboratory? Is there anything else we should be worried about besides your old research?"
"Well, I would keep an eye out for the only two XD series Pokémon who have not been accounted for," answered Alvin, "There was a Gyarados named Leviathan and a Steelix named Titan, which was once Cecil's Onix. No one knows where they went after they escaped. Other than that, I don't know of any of my research or inventions that were not destroyed from the auto-destruct explosives of my facility or that were taken into protective custody of Mack, Aura, K-1 and myself."
"I see," said Glacian as he sat back down on his shining throne, "I think you have a great idea. I also would like to know what has become of the remains of your facility."
"You and me both," said Alvin with mounting fear, "After all, there is still a chance that someone could recover information from any computers that were not too badly damaged from the destruction of the building."
"Project Omega, Epsilon and Alpha to name a few," said Glacian grimly, "I remember them all."
"That's just the tip of the iceberg," warned Alvin, "At the very least, it would not surprise me if lots of weapons and other equipment that was left behind could still be used."
"I understand your concerns," said Glacian, "Very well, Alvin. You, Gloria and I shall fly down to Gardev at once and meet the Guardians. I'm certain they would not turn down your need for help in this matter."
"Should I carry Alvin, or should you dear?" asked Gloria.
"We'll just teleport to Gardev this time," replied Glacian just as Enrique and Anna walked into the large throne room.
"Look, dear!" said Gloria with delight, "Here come the newlyweds!" Enrique and Anna smiled as they approached the thrones of their great-great grandparents.
"Good morning, Glacian," said Anna happily.
"Ah, yes. Good morning, Anna," said Glacian, "I trust you and Enrique are enjoying each other's company at the very least?"
"Most certainly," said Enrique, "By the way, I have a little surprise for you." Glacian was about to ask what it was when Enrique unfurled his wings from behind his cape with a loud "Whoosh!" Glacian and Gloria were overjoyed.
"Well! That's wonderful!" said a delighted Gloria, "Are you two going to take your first flight together today?"
"Wouldn't miss it for the world," said Enrique as he wrapped his left arm around Anna, holding her close.
"Well, let us hope this is not the only good news of the day," said Glacian as he faced the advisors, "Advisors, you will mind the city while Gloria and I are gone. We shall return shortly." The six Gardevoirs nodded their heads in reply.
"Let's get going then," said Alvin, "The sooner, the better." With that, the king and queen of Olympus left the throne room with Alvin right behind them.
"What did Glacian mean when he said he hoped your wings weren't the only good news of the day?" asked a thoroughly bewildered Anna. Enrique just shrugged his shoulders and kissed Anna again, not sure how to answer his wife's question.
-71-
Mack and Aura had already gotten out of bed when Glacian started knocking on their door.
"Guardians?" called Glacian through the door, "Is it alright if we enter?"
"Go ahead," said Mack with a loud yawn. With that, Glacian opened the door and walked into the bedroom with Gloria at his side. Alvin was following right behind the king and queen. Mack and Aura had barely gotten changed and were still in their wedding dresses. Aura smiled as she put her earrings into a drawer on her vanity, closed the drawer and then turned around to face her great-great grandparents. Mack spread his wings out in a stretch and yawned once again.
"I hope we aren't intruding…" said Glacian hesitantly.
"You're just fine," said Mack as he folded his wings up behind his back, "So, what brings you here this morning?"
"Ah. I do believe Alvin here will be able to answer your question," said Glacian while Alvin walked in front of him.
"Guardians of Gardev…" started Alvin.
"Hold on!" laughed Mack, "Alvin, we're old friends, remember? You don't have to be so formal with Aura and I."
"I suppose you're right," said Alvin with a friendly smile, "Anyway, I've come here this morning because I need to ask a favor of you and Aura."
"Is that so?" asked Aura cheerfully, "What do you need our help with?" Alvin cleared his throat with a loud cough.
"Mack, Aura: I need you two to take me back to the ruins of my old Cipher facility," replied Alvin. Mack and Aura glanced at each other.
"I'm just curious, but why do you need to go back there?" asked Mack with suspicion.
"To be honest, I had a particularly nasty nightmare last night and I want to survey the ruins," answered Alvin, "I want to make sure that what remains of that old building has remained untouched. There were quite a few things that were left behind by Cipher: weapons, food and plenty of high-tech equipment."
"Maybe we ought to make a salvage operation of this as well," suggested Mack, "I'd feel better if we just clean the place out so none of that junk can be taken by criminals and the like."
"So, you'll help me?" asked Alvin with hope.
"I would be glad to help you check out that old facility," said Mack with a smile, "Besides, whatever we bring back might be useful in my experiments and inventions."
"Splendid!" exclaimed Alvin, "Thank you so much, Mack and Aura!"
"Always glad to help," said Aura, "Now, how about you all leave for now so Mack and I can get out of our wedding attire?"
"Most certainly," said Alvin, "Thank you." With that, Glacian, Gloria and Alvin left the room. From what Aura could gather, Mack was very eager to get going, but also somewhat worried.
"Is something on your mind, honey?" asked Aura sweetly.
"I just wonder what will await us once we get to that place," said Mack, "I certainly hope whatever's there has been left alone." Aura smiled as she walked up to her mate.
"We can always have Central, Xavier and K-1 come with us. I bet they would love to get out of the lab for a while," said Aura happily as she offered the back of her dress to Mack, "Now, would my prince please help his princess with her dress?"
"But of course, my princess," replied Mack softly as he reached out with his hands, unfastened the twin ruby collar buttons and tenderly unlaced Aura's wedding dress.
"Thank you, my love," giggled Aura with delight. Mack slowly pulled the laces out of their golden loops. Before long, Aura's dress was unlaced.
"God, I love being married…" said Mack, blushing as he gently pulled the sides of the dress bodice open and ever so carefully helped Aura pull her wings out of the wing slits on her dress.
"You and me both, handsome," said Aura with great delight. As Mack and Aura helped each other out of their wedding attire and quickly got dressed, K-1 was running diagnostics on the S-5 Heavy Cargo Carrier. The large vehicle had not been used in a long time and K-1 wanted to make sure the giant, flying transport did not need anything more than routine maintenance.
"The ship's computer is not reporting any faults," reported Central, "Looks like all that needs to be done is to clean the engines and repulsors."
"Sounds logical to me," said K-1, "There's no telling how much dust has collected in there over the last few years."
"That reminds me," said Central, "I just got the diagnostics back for the Firefox. It would appear that the S-4 is now flight-ready, plus most systems are operational again."
"That's great news!" said K-1 with glee, "Mack and I have only been trying to get the Firefox flight-worthy for the last twenty years! He'll be glad to hear that!"
"There is a 99.99999 chance if that being correct," said Central matter-of-factly.
"How can you say there is a chance that Mack won't be glad to hear the news?" demanded K-1.
"My calculation covers just today and I still estimate the almost unlikely scenario that Mack and Aura won't even come down here today," explained Central.
"Fat chance of that," laughed K-1. While Central and K-1 continued their work, Mack and Aura were enjoying a simple breakfast of fruit and cereal. Oddly enough, Simon had decided to join them this morning. What was even stranger was that William was still sound asleep in Warren's room and had not come down for breakfast. To top things off, the simple breakfast was because Agatha had taken the day off to relax and rest.
"I guess our little friend is exhausted after the wedding yesterday," said a cheerful Aura.
"I think I'd be worn out too if I had to spend yesterday in his shoes," chuckled Mack. Simon said nothing, vividly remembering the day Anna had forced him to dress up as a Gardevoir bride because he had lost a bet with her.
"He should have known better than to have trusted his fate to Anna," said Simon bluntly.
"I almost feel guilty for not warning him," said Aura as a grin spread across her face, "Almost."
"Now then," said Simon, "About your upcoming trek to Alvin's old Cipher facility. May I have the pleasure of joining you on this little excursion?"
"The more, the better I suppose," said Mack as he took a sip from his steaming coffee mug, "Xavier, K-1 and Central will be accompanying us. Eric, Andre, Alvin, Cecil and even David will be joining us, too. They said their knowledge of Cipher's inner workings should be useful in exploring the ruins."
"Sounds like a good choice," remarked Simon, "My only other question is when we will be leaving."
"After breakfast and after I issue out some weapons and equipment," replied Mack, "Alvin insists that we come thoroughly prepared, though he won't say why."
"Glacian mentioned something to me about Alvin having a nightmare last night," said Simon, "A Gardevoir's powers of foresight are quite chaotic without rigorous training. I, for one, think we will go to the ruins and find nothing."
"Either that, or whatever Alvin saw has already happened or will not happen for days, weeks, maybe even several years," said Aura. Mack sat back in his chair and crossed his arms.
"Considering that we're going into a Cipher facility, we may as well be cautious," warned Mack, "You may remember how most of the members of that criminal organization were never found. Either way, let's get ready to go and be on our toes." Half an hour passed before Mack, Aura and the others descended into the underground laboratory. K-1 had only just finished cleaning the engines on the massive S-5 and put the armored covers back in place when Mack and company arrived in the main control room.
"Welcome back, Dr. Foxx," said Central warmly, "It has been a few weeks since you were last here. I suspect that you and mistress Aura have something very important to attend to."
"That we do, Central," said Mack as he stepped aside, "And we have a few guests who will be traveling with us as well."
"Is Xavier sleeping in the aircraft bay?" asked Aura with a soft, cheerful tone of voice.
"Most certainly," replied Central.
"Thank you," said Aura happily, "Then the launch bay will be our first stop." Mack nodded his head.
"Central, please keep an eye out for our guests. You'll recognize them instantly," said Mack.
"Affirmative, sir," was Central's reply as Mack and Aura left the main control room and leisurely walked down the long, well-lit metallic hallway. Little time had passed when they arrived at the proper doors. Mack quickly entered an access code on a small console. Immediately, the large, twin doors let out a loud "Hiss!" as they slid open, revealing the huge aircraft bay. Mack and Aura chuckled warmly: Xavier was indeed sleeping in the launch bay, snoring loudly with his head buried under his massive wings. As the Guardians quietly approached the sleeping Lugia, he stirred in his sleep. He pulled his head out from under his wings and letting out a loud yawn, he greeted Mack and Aura with a smile on his face.
"Good morning," said Xavier happily, yet with tiredness in his voice, "Trying to sneak up on me again?"
"We've all but given up on that," said Mack with a friendly smile. Xavier laughed to himself as he stood up.
"So, what brings you here?" asked Xavier.
"We wanted to ask if you wanted to join me, Mack, Central, K-1 and some guests on a little field trip," answered Aura.
"Does this 'Fieldtrip' involve blowing things up or aerial observation?" asked Xavier jokingly.
"I do believe he already had our plan in mind," giggled Aura.
"You're not kidding, are you?" asked Xavier.
"Certainly not," said Mack, "Are you still eager to get out of the lab for the day?"
"I can be ready in ten minutes," said Xavier matter-of-factly.
"Great!" said Mack, "Though, you will have to ride in the S-5's cargo bay for the trip down, alright?"
"Not a problem," said Xavier, "I'll be all set to go after I've had some breakfast."
"Okay," said Aura with a cheerful voice, "We'll see you at the surface in a little while." With that, Mack and Aura walked out of the hanger, hand-in-hand. They arrived back at the control room to find their guests had just arrived.
"Well," said Central happily as one of her cameras gazed at the four Gardevoirs and one Mewtwo, "Eric, Alvin, Cecil, Andre and David. I haven't seen any of you for years. I trust you are all doing very well and in good health?"
"Quite so," replied Cecil, "It will be nice to get away from Olympus for the day."
"That's surprising," remarked Andre, "What's the matter, Cecil? Is your new job as a jeweler too boring for you?"
"Heh!" laughed Cecil, "Jewelry was my trade before I joined up with Cipher. I had joined up for fame and fortune and got just that, but make no mistake that I regret joining them. My brother, on the other hand…"
"You have a brother?" asked Mack with shock. Aura was equally surprised at Cecil's remark.
"Yes. His name is Cyan. I can't imagine what's become of him, though," answered Cecil, "The last time I saw him was a few weeks after we joined up with Cipher. Last I heard, he was promoted to admin within a few weeks. He always was a natural leader, but he was also very harsh."
"Kind of like how you were," said Eric.
"Yeah, don't remind me…" grumbled Cecil. Alvin turned his gaze towards Mack and Aura.
"So, are we ready to go?" asked Alvin.
"No. We have much to do, but I think we can be ready to leave within the hour," replied Mack as he face Central's main view screen, "Central?" The computer's gentle voice echoed throughout the large control room.
"What do you need, sir?" asked Central with eagerness.
"I want you and K-1 to be ready to move out in half an hour. I also want the S-5 prepped for launch and at the surface in twenty minutes," commanded Mack, "I'll hand out the weapons and other machinery."
"Command acknowledged," said Central firmly. In the large, underground hanger, the massive S-5 roared to life. Meanwhile, Lucca was hiding in one of the bushes in the backyard of Warren's mansion. The Ralts with the black bow and ribbon was glad that Agatha had not ratted her out and not only let her stay in the mansion for the night, but gave her the best breakfast she'd had in years. Lucca jumped back when the ground suddenly shook. There was a loud "Whirr!" in the air: Lucca looked on with disbelief when two large sections of the backyard, fifty yards away, slowly moved straight up a few feet and then slid sideways in opposite directions. The metallic whine from the S-5's engines and repulsors could be heard throughout Gardev and got progressively louder and louder. Soon, Lucca was staring wide-eyed at the massive S-5 as it slowly lifted out through the open launch bay doors. The giant vehicle then moved to the left, slowly, until it was clear of the hanger doors. The engines quieted down as the vehicle softly touched down on the ground and as the massive hanger doors slid closed and then settled back in place.
"What is that thing?!" thought Lucca with shock, "I've never seen anything like it!" The Ralts artist wasn't sure what to expect next; however, she smiled the moment the back doors of the massive machine opened up, revealing the large cargo bay. Lucca ran across the grassy backyard, hoping no one was watching her as she climbed into the heavy cargo carrier. She was worried: where would she hide now that she was in the cargo bay? Several large, metal crates quickly provided an answer.
"This is going to be easier than I thought," said Lucca to herself as she carefully and quietly climbed into one of the open crates. The container of her choice was filled with Styrofoam peanuts as well as several packages of what appeared to be food, sealed in plastic bags with cardboard backings.
"At least I won't be hungry," thought Lucca as her eyes started to glow with a faint blue light. Just outside the metal crate, the accompanying lid floated into the air and then slowly floated down onto Lucca's hiding place, latching itself shut. Lucca reached into a blue satchel that she was wearing on her left shoulder. She pulled out a small flashlight and switched it on. All was quiet in the crate and she hoped no one would find her. She turned off the flashlight and sat quietly.
"Come heck or high water, I have got to see the Guardians of Gardev in action!" thought Lucca with great excitement. The artistic possibilities were endless and Lucca was hoping she would get to see Mack and Aura either in flight or in combat.
"Here goes," thought an enthusiastic Lucca, "I'm going to get some of the best sketches I've ever made today." Lucca froze when she heard several, heavy footsteps from outside. They got louder and louder: something very large and heavy was approaching the crate. The footsteps came to an abrupt stop seemingly just yards from the crate.
"I wonder what that was?" thought Lucca with concern. She shrugged her shoulders and waited patiently in the metal crate while Mack was passing out munitions and other various gadgets down below in the lab. He reached out and entered a long, secret code on a number pad on the wall. The control pad was next to a large door, seemingly made out of glass. Behind the glass wall were dozens of futuristic guns, rifles and other weapons.
"Mack, if you don't mind me asking, how is a glass wall going to keep thieves out of your weapons should someone actually manage to break into the lab? It has been done before," cautioned Alvin. Mack said nothing as he pulled his trusty FIW-59A Elemental Pistol of its hanger. He turned off the safety, pointed the weapon at the clear wall and fired several shots into the glass. The loud bangs echoed in the lab and the bright flashes from each shot lit up the surrounding area. Besides some smoke, nothing had happened to the glass, not even a scratch.
"How did you do that…?" asked a bewildered Eric.
"Simple," replied Mack as he set the pistol on a nearby table and started removing other weapons from their shelves and hooks, "This glass is actually compressed diamond. I simply run some of my synthetic, flawless diamond through one of my inventions, called an atom press. It simply smashes atoms as close together as possible, reducing the size of the inserted object, but the object remains just as heavy and in many cases, stronger."
"But the atom press only works on certain materials, such as flawless crystals and metal," remarked K-1.
"That's true," said Mack as he handed Eric, Alvin, Cecil, Andre and David each a pistol and a rifle, "You each get an FIW-36 Combo Rifle and an FIW-12 auto pistol. You think you can handle these weapons, or do any of you want to squeeze off a few rounds in the shooting range?"
"I'm good. I've used weapons like this before," replied David.
"I'm set, too," said Andre confidently.
"Ditto," said Cecil. No one else said a word, so Mack handed everyone extra power cells, belts and holsters for the pistols and power cells and straps for the rifles. In a matter of minutes, Mack, Aura and company were loaded and ready to go.
"Would someone please remind me why we're taking all this hardware with us?" asked Eric with uneasiness in his voice.
"We can't take any chances," answered Alvin with determination, "If we actually find anyone at the ruins and we have to fight, at least we're all properly prepared."
"Not quite," said Mack as he handed each Gardevoir and the Mewtwo a small back box, about the size of a deck of cards and with a metal clip on the back of each device, "Clip these on your belts as well. Those are personal shield generators. They should provide complete protection from explosions, bullets and our own weapons. The last thing I want is for anyone to get hurt or killed by enemies or friendly fire." The psychic Pokémon obediently did as Mack asked.
"Are we ready to go now, honey?" asked Aura with a smile.
"Not quite," said Mack as he grabbed another object off the top shelf of the weapons case. It looked like a decorated, shiny and silver flashlight. Mack clipped the strange weapon onto his own belt and slid the elemental pistol into a thigh-grip holster on his right.
"Will you be needing any other equipment, sir?" asked Central as she walked up behind the small army in her S-100F armor.
"No," replied Mack, "Make sure you strap on your shoulder-mounted weapons and make sure K-1 is properly armed as well."
"As you wish, sir," said Central as she walked away. Lastly, Mack gave everyone in the group a black visor. There was a gray button on each side of the visors.
"Now these will provide us with night vision as well as infrared scanners," said Mack, "The button on your left will turn on the night vision function as well as turn it off. The button on the right does the same for the infrared scanner. Got it?" The Gardevoirs and Mewtwo nodded their heads with understanding.
"Good. Let's get to the surface and get going. Xavier's waiting for us," said Mack sternly. With that, the small army marched down the laboratory corridors with K-1 and Central following close behind. Meanwhile, Lucca was sitting quietly and was calmly relaxing in her hiding place. A few minutes passed slowly and then she heard the whine of the powerful engines getting progressively louder as the massive cargo bay doors creaked shut. She leaned back against one side of the crate, just as the entire vehicle suddenly lurched to one side. Now, she could feel herself moving up higher and higher. Only a few moments passed when she felt the large vehicle move forward and with surprising speed. Still, the takeoff had been very comfortable and the sudden movements, overall, had been gentle. She smiled in the darkness, reclining in the crate, figuring she would easily be able to get some great sketches of the Guardians of Gardev. Lucca's smile was soon replaced with a frown when she felt her hair standing on end from an unwelcome presence: she wasn't alone in the crate after all. Evil, maniacal laughter filled the darkness and seemed to come from every direction at once. Despite the unnerving sounds, Lucca was not at all fazed. She let out a sigh of disappointment, clenched her right hand into a fist and pulled back her arm. The laughter got louder and louder, but Lucca stood firm: she let her fist fly forward. The loud "Ouch!!" Lucca heard was the sweetest sound she had heard all morning as her fist collided with an unseen object with a powerful punch. There was a loud "Clang!" as whoever or whatever it was hit the opposite side of the crate. Lucca reached into her satchel for the flashlight and quickly turned it on.
"How come every time I tangle with a female Pokémon I always get hurt?" muttered Gremlin to himself as he sifted through the packets and small packages on the floor.
"Maybe it's because you're a blithering idiot," said Lucca coldly, "Now what are you doing here?" She grinned at Gremlin, realizing she had managed knock one of the Sableye's eyes clean out of its dark purple socket with a single blow.
"Need I answer?" grumbled Gremlin, "Now help me find my eye!" Lucca said nothing as Gremlin feverishly dug through the plastic packets, trying to find the gemstone eye that Lucca had knocked loose. Lucca shook her head back and forth and again she grinned. She reached down into the plastic packets on her right: sure enough, she found Gremlin's missing eye.
"Looking for this?" asked Lucca with a devious smile on her face as she held out the cracked gemstone towards Gremlin. The Sableye turned around fast and gazed at his eye, now in the hands of the grinning Ralts.
"Ah! You found it!" said Gremlin with glee, "Now give it back!" Lucca pulled the gem away from the frustrated Sableye.
"Not until you apologize," said Lucca with a loud yawn, "I can wait all day if I have to." Gremlin snarled as Lucca sat down on the crate floor, leaning against the back wall.
"You're going to have to wait until the end of time for that!" laughed Gremlin, "Ghost-Types never apologize and that goes double for Dark-Types, missy!"
"Is that so?" said Lucca with indifference as her gaze fell on the cracked, large gem, "Well, maybe I could make a pretty necklace with this." Gremlin's empty eye socket twitched.
"Don't even think about it!" said Gremlin, a threatening tone entering his voice.
"Or, maybe I could take it to a gem cutter…" said Lucca sadistically as she tossed the gem into the air and caught it several times right in front of Gremlin's face. Gremlin's eye and empty eye socket opened wide. He dropped to the floor and stared at Lucca with a pleading eye.
"Okay!" whined Gremlin, "I'm sorry!"
"Sorry for what?" asked Lucca, still grinning at Gremlin. The scared Sableye quickly considered his options: he could just admit what he did was wrong or try to snatch back his eye. However, Gremlin was surprised that not only had Lucca found him in complete darkness, but the single punch she landed on him had been surprisingly strong and painful. He gulped loudly: he hated to admit it, but there was a chance he was no match for the sadistic, small Pokémon.
"Okay!" said Gremlin, finally giving up, "I'm sorry for my pathetic attempt at trying to scare you!"
"That's a good boy," said Lucca as she tossed the strange gem back to Gremlin. The Sableye quickly stuffed the gemstone eye back into its socket.
"Gah!" shouted Gremlin as he removed the gem and quickly rearranged it, "I hate it when I put it in upside-down…" Meanwhile, outside the crate, Xavier stirred in his sleep as he overheard the tussle between two small Pokémon in a nearby crate. He shook his head slowly, back and forth, wondering who would be dumb enough to try and stow away on one of Mack's ships. He reached out with his head, latched his large beak onto the sides of the crate's lid and quickly pulled the lid away, exposing the feuding Ralts and Sableye.
"Well, well! What have we here?" asked Xavier with a grin. Lucca and Sableye fell silent and looked up at the huge Lugia as it loomed over them. They were overcome with fear knowing their cover had been blown. Xavier smiled and laughed at the scared, tiny Pokémon.
"Well? Start talking," said Xavier as he sat down on the metallic floor, "What are you two doing here? You'd better answer quickly or I'll get Mack and Aura back here at once." Lucca boldly stood up and looked Xavier right in the eye.
"I'll just be blunt," said Lucca as she crossed her arms, "I want to observe the Guardians of Gardev. Quite frankly, I think they are the most beautiful creatures I've ever seen and I would love to see them in action: be it combat, flight or whatever."
"So, you just want to sketch them, huh?" asked Xavier.
"That's the idea," replied Lucca, "Besides; I can take care of myself." Gremlin knew he needed an excuse and a very good one if he was going to get away with stowing aboard the S-5.
"Plus I can watch over her!" said Gremlin quickly.
"Very well," said Xavier as he reached out with his long neck, grabbed the cover of the metal crate in his mouth and then tenderly placed the lid back in place, covering the two small Pokémon, "Just be careful and I'll let you know when the coast is clear. However, if you get caught, we never spoke, got it?"
"Right," said Lucca quietly.
"Very well," replied Gremlin as he reclined against a side of the crate, "So, Lucca: how did you get so strong, anyway? Very few Pokémon have ever been able to knock my eye loose with a single strike like that."
"Didn't I tell you before?" said Lucca as a grin spread across her face once again; "My father is a member of the Olympus Elite Guards. Let's just say he wanted to make sure his dear only daughter could hold her own in a fight if needed, even if I had to face off against Dark or Ghost Types." Gremlin nodded his head and spoke not another word. The Sableye decided he should do whatever it took to stay off of Lucca's bad side… for now.