Disclaimers: Pokemon is owned by Satoshi Taijiri. Doctor Who is owned by the BBC.
"Any time you take a chance you better be sure the rewards are worth the risk because they can put you away just as fast for a ten dollar heist as they can for a million dollar job." - Stanley Kubrick
Vast White and Deep Black: Reunification
Chapter 25: To Protect and Shield at Risk!
(Nacrene City, Gym, Auditorium, January 8, 2011, 9:10 p.m.)
The smile never leaving his face after delivering a speech that surprised all in the auditorium, the Doctor turned to face a specific member of the audience. "You asked for a speech, didn't you? Now what did you think of that, Szac?"
Before the boy could answer, Amy beat him to the punch. "You just passed off some words you said before as a 'speech'. I was there, remember? Your papers identify you as a researcher. Well, as a researcher, ever heard of such a thing as plagiarizing yourself, Doctor?"
Szac raised an eyebrow. "Wait, he used those exact words before?"
"More or less." replied Amy.
"Why would he have made a speech like that in the past? His words sound like a threat."
"You probably won't believe me if I told you."
The boy frowned. "Well, in any case, that's not very original. I thought researchers were supposed to be imaginative with their speeches. What a bad cliche."
The Doctor huffed. "Alright, if you two are done dissecting my choice of creative, descriptive volcabulary, I believe I have something I have to take good care of." He turned to look at the figure, only to come face-to-face with a cobalt-blue sphere of energy directly in his field of vision, floating in the narrow space between the figure's raised hand and his cranium. The Doctor yelped and darted to his left, almost tripping over his Tepig, just as the figure launched the sphere of aura, causing it to travese the distance of the room and smash into the far wall, leaving a sizeable hole. "Blimey! You should be careful with that, you know. You could have lopped someone's head off. Trust me, that's not a very pretty sight. In fact..."
The figure quickly generated another aura sphere in his hands, cutting the Doctor's sentence short. "SILENCE!" He shot the sphere at the Doctor's new position, causing the Time Lord to jump as the attack struck the floor under his feet, leaving a dark scorch mark.
"Whoa! Now that was a close one."
Nathen turned to Miri, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Quick, while those grunts are distracted, get my parents and the other guest speakers out of here!"
The reporter raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure they'll come with me?"
"Just tell them I sent you."
Miri nodded. "Alright, just be careful, Nathen."
Nathen shot the reporter a sly smirk. "Is that concern I detect, Miri?"
Miri shook her head rapidly as she tried to contain a blush creeping across her cheeks. "What? N-No... I-I j-just d-don't w-want to lose one of m-my t-top inerviewees-s, t-that's a-all."
"Right..."
As Miri left her seat in a bid to sneak to the people Nathen described, Lenora pulled out a Pokeball, tossing it from her position behind the podium. "You have no right to be here! Leave! Go, Watchog!" The Lookout Pokemon emerged from its Pokeball, staring down the figure. "Confuse Ray!" Watchog complied, its eyes glowing purple as it held its arms out toward the figure. Before the attack could strike him, the figure seemed to vanish, reappearing behing the Lookout Pokemon. Lenora opened her mouth to warn her Watchog, but the figure leapt into the air, extending his feet outward, connecting with the Watchog's back in a dropkick. The Doctor dived out of the way as the Lookout Pokemon sailed through the space he occupied a second ago. The Plasma grunts assembled at the door were forced to duck as Watchog slammed face-first into the far wall, crumpling to the floor in a messy heap. "WATCHOG!"
Lenora rushed from the podium to tend to her Pokemon, while the Doctor turned to people who remained in the room. "RUN!"
As the audience moved to comply with the Time Lord's order, Adam stood up from his seat near the door, easily blending in with the crowd exiting the auditorium. "That was too easy. Now for a quick change of clothes..."
Nicolas shook his head as a good portion of the audience left the room. "No, we have Pokemon too, why should we run?"
Fennel stared at Lenora, who had just finished recalling her injured Pokemon. "That man just took out one of the gym leader's Pokemon! I think that's just as good a reason to do so." No sooner had Fennel finished her sentence did the figure create a third aura sphere between his hands, hurling it at the Doctor.
The Time Lord barely managed to tilt his head to the right, breathing a sigh of relief as the sphere whizzed inches past his ear. "Okay, now I know you people are out to get me."
The figure pointed at the Time Lord in irritation. "GET HIM!"
"See?" No further words had the opportunity to escape the Doctor's mouth as the Plasma grunts in the room began to charge at him, but were quickly kept at bay by Tepig's Ember attack striking the floor in front of their feet. Extending her vines, Snivy lashed a few of the grunts across the legs with her Vine Whip, quickly felling them. Letting out a prolonged whistle, the Time Lord cocked his head to one side, casting the figure a quizzical look. "Is that the best you can do? I must warn you, I'm very agile for my age." He took a step forward, accidently catching his left foot against the leg of a chair, tripping and falling flat onto his face. Groaning slightly, the Doctor raised his head to face the figure. "Okay, to be frank, I'm also very clumsy. But if it would make you feel any better, feel free to exploit this disadvantage of mine." A quick glance to his right told him that Miri was leading the guest speakers out of the auditorium, taking advantage of the Plasma grunts' focus on him.
While the Doctor and his Pokemon faced the Plasma grunts, Professor Juniper's face belied urgency. "We have to get the Light Stone out of here to a safe spot! Has anyone seen Spencer?"
"He must have left with the rest of the audience. Anyway, you have the Light Stone here?" asked Sophie.
Lenora nodded. "We found it in the Relic Castle and planned on unveiling it later, but obviously, we can't do that anymore! Hawes!"
Emerging from the curtain behind the podium, Hawes pushed the cart that held the artifact, the sphere of stone resting on a pillow, capped with a cover of glass. "Right away!"
Turning his head, the figure cast his gaze upon the cart, his voice bellowing with anger. "STOP THEM!" Several Pokemon sent out by the Plasma grunts proceeded to surround the perimeter of the now mostly empty auditorium, slowly closing in on those that remained.
Lenora stared at the audience members who stayed. "Quick! Hold off those Plasma grunts with your Pokemon so we can get out of this room! Skylar, help Hawes push the cart!"
The girl did not hesitate, proceeding to fulfill her assigned task. "R-Right!"
Standing in front of the cart, Daniel fingered a Pokeball from his belt, staring at the Plasma grunts. "Seeing people like you lot brings me way back to a time when I wasn't as noble. But no more. Haxorus!" A flick of his wrist sent out the Axe Jaw Pokemon, her presence causing a few grunts to rethink their strategy. "Clear a path for us with Dragon Claw." The Axe Jaw Pokemon's claws were illuminated by a light blue shine as she ran at her opponents, swatting aside a few Watchog.
Felix chuckled, holding a Pokeball of his own, flinging it to release his Gengar. "Hmmm... Persistent as a blind Zweilous who bangs its heads against rocks to find food. AHAHAHAHA! It's laughable, really! Shadow, come out and play!" In between Haxorus and the door, the Gengar levitated a meter above the floor, staring at his opponent with a chuckle. "Be a dear and use Curse, will you?" The Gengar's eyes glowed red as Haxorus' body became outlined in an aura of the same color. The Axe Jaw Pokemon fell to her knees as she felt her strength slowly disappear.
"HAXORUS!"
Amy looked puzzled. "What's wrong with Haxorus?"
Having recovered from tripping on the chair leg, the Doctor pulled himself to his feet. "Curse is a move whose effects differ depending on the user's type. Used by non-ghost-type Pokemon, it reduces the user's Speed stat while raising its Attack and Defense stats. But when used by a ghost-type like Gengar, the user takes damage equal to half of its maximum health. In turn, the opponent will slowly lose its health in short periods, a quarter each time."
Szac removed a Pokeball of his own in response. "Houndoom, help Haxorus with Inferno!" The Dark Pokemon emerged from the red-and-white sphere, a light blue ball of fire visible in his open jaws. He launched his attack, the ball elongating into a light blue stream of fire, accented by dark blue rings of fire along its length.
Felix chuckled, sidestepping to his right. "AHAHAHAHA! Shadow, dodge it." The Gengar casually floated away from the path of the attack, drifting on its own volition until it was behind Szac. The Inferno attack continued onwards towards the auditorium's doors, nearly scorching Felix's clothes and striking a Purrloin who had the misfortune of standing in its path. The Devious Pokemon shrieked in pain as blue fire surrounded its frame.
The Doctor bit his lip as his Oshawott slipped up an approaching Patrat by wetting the floor with Water Gun. "Inferno may burn if it hits, but it is a rather inaccurate move... Tepig, Flame Charge!" The Fire Pig Pokemon envelopped himself in a cloak of fire, charging at and knocking aside a Herdier.
Felix pointed at Szac. "Shadow, use Shadow Ball...on that boy!" From behind Szac, the Gengar created a black and purple ball of energy between its hands, slinging it at the boy's back.
Szac could only utter three words as he perceived the Shadow Ball attack rapidly approaching his body. "Are you mental?" Those present in the room had little time to breathe as they stared wide-eyed at the attack.
Time appeared to slow for Sophie as she ran towards the boy. "NO!" She lunged at Szac with her arms outstretched, pushing him to the floor, just as the Shadow Ball soared over the tops of their heads, smashing a few nearby chairs to smithereens.
The Doctor pointed at Shadow. "Snivy, Leaf Tornado!" The Grass Snake Pokemon turned herself upside down, creating a leaf-filled tornado with a swish of her tail. The vortex of air travelled towards the Gengar, suceeding in sucking in and holding him for a few seconds.
Felix whistled. "Shadow, use Shadow Ball, will you?" The Gengar complied, firing his attack down on Snivy, breaking her concentration and forcing her to relax the grip of her tornado, enabling Shadow to break free from its confines.
"Mega Drain!" Ceasing her Leaf Tornado, Snivy extended the vines from her shoulders and wrapped them around Shadow's body. The dark green glow surrounding the vines was a clear indicator that Snivy was sapping his health.
Groaning slightly from his impact with the floor, Szac looked up at the girl who now laid on top of his frame. "Thanks, but I never got your name."
"It's Sophie, and you're welcome."
Szac chuckled slightly at their awkward position. "Well, Sophie, I'm Szac, and could you get off me now?"
His comment was met with equal nervousness from Sophie as she complied with the request. "R-Right..." Nicolas simply rolled his eyes, shaking his head slightly at the scene.
Felix smirked, gazing at his Gengar, who had just managed to dislodge Snivy's vines and stop her Mega Drain attack. "That was as cute as a Purrloin tangled in yarn. Now Shadow, use Shadow Ball on that pesky Haxorus!" The Shadow Pokemon created another purple and black sphere of energy between his hands, slinging it at the weary Axe Jaw Pokemon.
Daniel began to mutter to himself. "Haxorus already lost a good amount of her health due to Curse... Dodge it!" Haxorus nodded weakly and leapt to her left, causing Shadow's attack to smash a hole into a wall.
Szac pointed at Shadow as he stood up. "I can't risk Inferno missing again at a time like this. Houndoom, distract that Gengar with Sludge Bomb!" The Dark Pokemon opened his mouth, shooting brown globules of sludge at the Shadow Pokemon. Shadow narrowed his eyes in irritation as the not very effective poison-type move struck his side.
Daniel gritted his teeth as he stared at his ailing Haxorus. "At this rate, due to that Gengar's Curse, Haxorus will be out like a light in a minute. Not to mention that the Gengar gave up a sizeable portion of his heath to use Curse. Better make this one count. Haxorus, Dragon Claw!"
Felix licked his lips. "If Shadow is to go down, he's taking your Haxorus with him, like a wife in an arranged marriage! Destiny Bond!" Mustering her remaining stregth, Haxorus charged at the Gengar, her claws bearing a light green shine. Shadow smirked as his body became outlined in purple, seconds before Haxorus raked her claws along his face, bfore raising her other arm to repeat the move. The Shadow Pokemon fell onto his back, his eyes swirly, but two purple lights emerged from his eyes, making contact with the Axe Jaw Pokemon. Haxorus became surrounded in a purple aura before she dropped onto her stomach, unconscious.
Daniel's eyes widened. "HAXORUS!" He held out his Pokemon's Pokeball, quickly returning her.
The Doctor nodded. "Destiny Bond is a move that knocks out the opponent if it causes the user to faint due to a direct attack."
Nathen seized the cart's handle, intending to offer help to those already assigned with pushing it. "While that guy is distracted, now's our chance!"
An arm tightly wrapped around her egg case, Amy held her only Pokeball in her other hand, tossing it. "Herdier, use Take Down!" Upon his emergence, the Loyal Dog Pokemon charged at Felix, focing him to dive to his right. Repelling any opposing Pokemon with his sides, Herdier stopped at the open doorway and barked. "Let's go!" The cart was pushed forward but several Plasma grunts stepped up to intercept it.
Szac stared at his Houndoom. "Hold them off with Sludge Bomb!" The Dark Pokemon fired off his attack at the floor, creating a few puddles of sludge.
Sophie tossed a Pokeball of her own, sending out her Dewott while pointing at the sludge. "Diver, help out with Water Pulse!" Diver formed a sphere of water between her hands, flingling it at the sludge. The sphere hit its mark, liquifying the sludge and causing it to travel down the floor in the direction of the Plasma grunts' feet. Upon stepping on the mix, the grunts cursed as they slipped up on the floor, along with a number of their Pokemon.
"Nice work, Sophie."
Standing in front of the cart holding the valuable artifact, Sophie turned to face the door. "Thanks Szac. Now come on, let's go!" Nathen, Skylar, and Hawes nodded, pushing it ahead, with Diver and Szac's Houndoom flanking their sides.
The figure muttered a few incoherent words under his breath, before forming a sphere of aura between his hands. "Incompetent buffoons..." With a snarl, he tossed the sphere at the backs of the people pushing the cart.
The Doctor hastily called out a command. "Oshawott, Water Gun!" Turning to gaze at the attack, the Sea Otter Pokemon released a forceful shot of water from his mouth which collided with the aura sphere, pushing it out of alignment with its intended targets and causing it to strike the floor instead. The Time Lord pointed at the door, currently defended by Amy's Herdier. The Loyal Dog Pokemon grunted as he slammed into a Trubbish with Tackle. "GO NOW!"
"What about you, Doctor?" asked Professor Juniper.
Amy pushed the professor forward, leaning in to speak. "The Doctor will be fine, he has three Pokemon."
Nathen's face creased with skepticism. "Against someone that can utilize aura? I doubt even those Pokemon will last for long."
Rory nodded. "Yes, but trust him, he's the Doctor."
The Doctor frowned as his Snivy smacked a Lillipup aside with Vine Whip. "DO I NEED TO REPEAT MYSELF? Snivy, Oshawott, go with them." The two Pokemon nodded, tasked with guarding the backs of the people leaving the room.
Amy sighed. "Trust the Doctor to be a hero. Now he'll only have one Pokemon left."
"Well, I hope he'll be alright. He seems to know what he's doing though." muttered Fennel.
Rory nodded. "If the Doctor tells us to leave, it's probably best that we do so."
The Time Lord chuckled. "Well said, Rory. Now make sure Pond doesn't come crawling back here to check on me, will you?"
Amy huffed. "What's that supposed to mean?" Before she could obtain a response from the Doctor, her husband pushed her out of the room.
The last to exit, Lenora turned to face the Doctor. "Good luck, Doctor." The only response she received from the Time Lord was a simple thumbs-up. Nodding, the gym leader turned tail and left the auditorium.
The figure removed two Pokeballs from his belt, tossing them into the air. One opened to reveal his Solosis, while the other played home to a small creature composed of two interlocking steel gray gears with six light gray teeth each. Each gear had a dark gray cicular center, with wide right eyes that have a white cornea and black pupil. Their left eyes were each a simple white letter "X". The gears had wide open mouths and round turquiose noses.
The Doctor immediately took notice of the two Pokemon "A Solosis and a Klink. I wonder..."
The figure pointed at the direction of the door, barking an order to the Plasma grunts. "AFTER THEM!" The two small Pokemon took off from the room in hot pursuit, followed a minute later by the grunts as they picked themselves up from the wet sludge. The figure moved to follow, but found the doors swing shut and lock themselves just as the last grunt exited.
Turning around, the figure found himself face-to-face with the Doctor and Tepig. The Doctor nodded, sonic screwdriver in hand. "I can't sense him at all, so I know you're not him. Frankly, sneaking around with that hood up really adds mystery to you. Don't you feel hot under there?" The figure's only response was to generate an aura sphere. "No?" The figure did not move. "Oh, don't give me that blank look." The Doctor held out his arms, palms facing upwards. Two aura spheres quickly materialized in his hands. "The security cameras are all knocked out, courtesy of Zekrom, so no one will see us. Frankly, I haven't done this for a long time." Upon the departure of those words from the Doctor's mouth, the figure swung his arm, flinging his sphere at his opponent, forcing the Time Lord to crouch in order to avoid the attack. He deftly grabbed a third Pokeball and tossed it, sending out a small, white eel-like creature with a red cross-shaped mouth. It had dark oval eyes and a long fin membrane around its body, with a yellow stripe down its length. "A Tynamo? Curious choice. Tepig!" The Fire Pig Pokemon trotted over to face the EleFish Pokemon on his Trainer's instructions.
The figure cast a glance at the Doctor before ordering the first attack from his Pokemon. "Tynamo, Charge Beam!" No sooner had the words left his mouth did the figure leap onto a chair, creating and firing another aura sphere at the Time Lord, using the increased height to ensure the sphere went on a downward diagonal trajectory towards his opponent. An orb of cackling yellow electricity appeared in front of Tynamo's mouth, from which a beam shot out at Tepig.
The Doctor widened his eyes at the sudden attack, and fired off one of the spheres in his hands in response. It met the aura sphere from the figure head-on, both attacks mutually negating each other in an explosion. In his distraction, the Time Lord let his attention slip, only realizing that he briefly forgot about his Pokemon when he heard Tepig's shriek of pain upon being struck by the electric-type attack. "TEPIG! Use Flame Charge then." Following his command, the Doctor hurled his other sphere of aura from his hand at the figure.
The figure took a second to perceive the Fire Pig Pokemon envelopped in fire and charging at his Tynamo, and another to notice the Time Lord's sphere headed for his cranium. "Tynamo, dodge that attack!" He jumped down from the chair, ensuring that his opponent's attack went wide of its intended target. The EleFish Pokemon attempted to wiggle out of Tepig's way, but was unable to avoid the Fire Pig Pokemon, being struck with Flame Charge.
The Doctor gritted his teeth as he saw the figure stretch an arm out towards him, creating an aura sphere. "Ember." Taking advantage of the close quarters his attack left him in, Tepig turned to face his opponent and shot off a stream of fire bolts from his snout, pelting the EleFish Pokemon with them. Just as the Tynamo was reeling from being hit, the figure shot his sphere of aura at the Time Lord. The Doctor dived down to try and avoid it, but was hit on his left shoulder, the impact causing him to skid a meter down the floor. He pressed the palms of his hands down to slow his involuntary movement to some success, cringing as he put pressure on his injured left hand. He reached for his backpack and hastily removed his ivory-white bladed claymore, clutching the sword in his right hand, leaving the scabbard in the bag as he stood up. Although the figure's face was hidden behind a hood, the Doctor was sure that his expression now belied surprise. "Tepig, use Tackle."
"Tynamo, Spark!" As Tepig charged at his opponent, sparks of blue electricity cackled around the EleFish Pokemon's frame before envelopping it in a cloak. Tynamo surged forward to meet the Fire Pig Pokemon with its own attack, both of them slamming into each other. The two Pokemon remained locked in position for a few seconds, before sliding away in opposite directions, finding themselves with their backs to each other. The figure snarled as he put his hands together, materializing an aura sphere between them. "Charge Beam!"
The Doctor moved his left hand to join his right on the claymore's handle, wincing in pain as the bandaged hand curled its fingers around the sword just under its pommel. "Tackle!" Tepig turned around to get his opponent into his field of vision again, only to see it with a sphere of yellow electricity in front of its mouth. Wasting no time, the Fire Pig Pokemon ran at the EleFish Pokemon, intending to engage it in a full body tackle. No sooner did Tepig embark on the attack did the figure launch his aura sphere at the Time Lord, while his Pokemon shot a yellow beam at the Fire Pig Pokemon. Clutching his sword, the Doctor swung the weapon forward, causing the sphere to collide with the blade. The still hands of the Time Lord kept the claymore in position, holding the attack at bay until an upward twirl of the weapon sent the aura sphere into the auditorium's ceiling, blowing a hole into its surface. The Doctor spluttered at he was showered with white plaster powder, failing to notice his Tepig's Tackle stopped by a direct hit from Tynamo's Charge Beam. The electric-type attack knocked the Fire Pig Pokemon away from his intended path, causing him to shriek as he veered off into a row of chairs. "TEPIG!"
Sensing his opportunity, the figure called out to his Pokemon. "Time to go, Tynamo!" The EleFish Pokemon wiggled along the floor to its Trainer, quickly recalled into its Pokeball. Dashing forward to take advantage of the Doctor and Tepig's distraction, the figure charged and fired off a sphere of aura in his hands, using his forward momentum to increase the speed that the attack travelled to head toward its target. Eyes widened, the Time Lord lurched to his right to dodge the sphere, only to leave himself open to a kick from the figure's foot, directly on the bruise of his left shin. Reeling from the hit, the Doctor felt his legs give out from under him, as his knees hit the floor. The figure smacked the Time Lord on his bandaged left hand, causing him to grit his teeth in pain as his fingers relaxed their grip on the claymore, the weapon hitting the floor with a dull thud. He raised his hand, about to deal a blow to the Doctor. Before the figure could do so, Tepig shot a stream of fire bolts at his back in an Ember attack, forcing him to jump aside, leaving the fire-type attack to hit the floor in front of the downed Time Lord. Turning to face the closed double doors, the figure obliberated them with a quickly formed aura sphere, tearing out the auditorium and down the connecting corridor.
The Doctor flexed his fingers, slowly getting to his feet as he picked up his claymore with his right hand, briefly looking over its ivory-white blade as he let out a sigh. "I locked that door with the sonic and that guy simply blasts it open with an aura sphere…" Looking over at his Tepig, he noticed the Fire Pig Pokemon with a guilt-stricken expression and lowered head, apologetic at nearly hitting him with Ember. The Time Lord walked over to Tepig and crouched down, placing his left hand on the Pokemon's head with the utmost of care. "Don't worry, Tepig, look at me." Tepig raised his head slightly, locking eyes with his Trainer. "I'm not mad, you did what you had to do, and I thank you for it. I thank you for saving me." The Fire Pig Pokemon closed his eyes, shaking his head slightly. "You don't think so? Well, I do, and I think you should stop feeling so guilty. It's not your fault. Understand?" A slow nod from Tepig was all the Doctor received. "Good. Give it time, you'll see. Things will get better. Play your part, together we'll stand, and in the end, hand in hand, we will get there. Just give it time."
The Time Lord stood up, removing his hand from Tepig's head as he muttered to himself, a smile forming on his face. "I must say, I'm impressed. That's another disadvantage I have, and that guy took full advantage of it. Not bad, if I do say so myself." Walking over to his backpack, the Doctor stowed the claymore away in the bag, back in its scabbard. "Well, I better get going if I'm to catch up to that bloke. Come on, Tepig." The Fire Pig Pokemon nodded, trotting off after his Trainer as the Doctor dashed out of the auditorium.
(Nacrene City, Gym, Musuem Gallery, January 8, 2011, 9:35 p.m.)
Amy narrowed her eyes as the group navigated their way through the Nacrene Museum's corridors, trying to find a safe exit for the cart they were tasked with guarding. Though simple in principle, success was hampered by the presence of several Plasma grunts, many of whom they opted to outrun instead of fight. The lack of other people in the building told the woman that they had been evacuated, the guest speakers especially by Miri. A select number of artifacts had been wrapped in plastic, and were being taken away by Plasma grunts, but the group had little opportunity to worry about those. Not when the museum's most valuable possession was lying on the cart they were pushing. Throughout their trek in the museum's corridors, a few members of the group had the embarrassing misfortune of slipping up on some parts of the floor, which had been recently waxed. Amy frowned as she recalled the fact that she was one of those people. If the Doctor was to be believed, that was part of the reason for the incapacitated guards lying bound and gagged in some locations. Amy gritted her teeth as they came to a stop in the middle of a largely empty corridor swamped by grunts, the exit blocked by several of them and their Pokemon. She turned to the people around her. "Clear away those grunts around us!"
Before anyone could respond, a bolt of yellow electricity struck Diver from behind, the surprise attack quickly bringing the Dewott to her knees. Sophie gasped. "DIVER!"
Szac's Houndoom turned to see what had happened, only to have several light blue circles strike him in the face. The Dark Pokemon being hit by the attack elicited a similar response from his Trainer as Sophie. "HOUNDOOM!" The figure's Solosis and Klink darted into the group's field of vision, their faces bearing taunting expressions.
Amy pulled out her Pokedex, holding it in front of the Solosis.
Solosis, the Cell Pokemon. Because their bodies are enveloped in a special liquid, they can survive in any environment.
Rory held up his own Pokedex to obtain the other Pokemon's data.
Klink, the Gear Pokemon. The two minigears that mesh together are predetermined. Each will rebound from other minigears without meshing.
Skylar tightened her grip on the cart's handle. "They could be trouble."
Nathen gazed at the two new arrivals. "They're probably some Plasma grunt's Pokemon. We'll just have to take care of them as well."
The boy perked up as he heard a voice shout from a nearby corridor, accompanied by running footsteps. "NATHEN!"
"Miri? MIRI!" Sure enough, the reporter came into view, running through the corridor entrance the group had taken seconds ago. Hovering in the space between Miri and the group, the figure's Pokemon frowned before quickly nodding to each other. The Klink came apart at the gears, each metal part soaring directly towards the reporter, intent to harm visible on its faces. "MIRI!" Miri shrieked as she ducked down into a crouch, causing Klink's first gear to whizz harmlessly overhead. Shot lower than its companion, the second gear soared towards the girl's frame, forcing her to roll to her left to avoid it.
Szac turned to his Houndoom, noticing that the Dark Pokemon had just stood up. "Houndoom, Hyper Beam!" Opening his mouth, Houndoom fired off a large orange beam of energy at the two gears, just as they reconnected into Klink again. Few signs of damage on its body evident, the Gear Pokemon spun around to face the source of the attack with irritation.
Nathen opened his mouth to speak to the reporter. "Are you alright?"
Miri stood up, trying to regain her composure, taking a deep breath to stable her nerves. "I-I t-think s-so."
"Well, that was a close one."
"I-It's a-an o-occupational h-hazard... J-Journalists g-get i-into them a-all the t-time..."
Nathen's face softened. "If you ask me, that's risky. Do be careful, won't you?"
Miri's face became tinted with red. "I-I'll try..."
"Did you get my parents and the other guest speakers out?"
"Yeah, I did. Then I came back in here to look for yo..." Miri cut herself off, briefly stumbling upon her words before regaining her focus. "I mean, the others. I mean, the others including you... Er..."
Nathen chuckled. "Don't worry, I know what you mean."
A voice spoke out from the end of the corridor the group entered a few seconds ago. "How touching. However, I think you'll find escape quite impossible, my dears. I don't care what the Doctor says, you're all trapped together. Trapped together like the hooks and loops of Velcro." The two Pokemon were soon joined by a number of Plasma grunts and accompanying Pokemon, Felix at the front.
Daniel chuckled nervously. "Well, this most certainly complicates matters..."
"I don't have time for you to chicken out now, Daniel! What happened to the man who used that Haxorus earlier?" snapped Amy.
"He's taking a vacation maybe..." muttered Daniel sheepishly.
"The Doctor's assistant may not know much about Pokemon, but she's certainly a firework." said Professor Juniper.
Fennel giggled in response. "Her husband seems like he's henpecked, in my opinion. Reminds me of Hawes and Lenora's relationship sometimes."
Hawes' eyes widened in shock. "HEY!"
Lenora chuckled. "They're just teasing you, dear. Though I can't help but reflect on their accuracy."
Hawes lowered his head dramatically. "Not you too!"
Amy huffed. "Cut the chit chat! You're the directors and you're making these comments at a time like this? You should be ashamed of yourselves!"
Nicolas crossed his arms. "Someone's eager. Skylar, just make sure no one gets close to the cart."
Skylar bit her lip. "I'll do my best. You're up, Blue." She tossed a Pokeball, sending out her Rotom, which proceeded to circle the cart.
Nicolas nodded. "I should pitch in as well. Let's go, Tank!" A flick of the wrist on his part sent out an Emboar from one of his Pokeballs.
Arms around her egg case, Amy turned to glare at Felix, motioning her Herdier to come to her side. "YOU! RETURN ME MY MUNNA!"
Fennel stared at Rory. "That's the guy you met at the Dreamyard?" The nurse simply nodded.
Felix rolled his eyes in boredom. "Oh, you're that pathetic girl from the Dreamyard who caught the Munna and ruined our plans at the Sunset Daycare Center. Looks like you have an egg now." The man turned to the other Plasma grunts. "Take care of the others." They complied, sending out their Pokemon as Felix cast his gaze at Amy. "My charming self regrets to inform you, but I don't have your Munna. Ghetsis took it. Not my business as to why he wants it though."
Amy's glare intensified. "Why you..."
"Did I touch a nerve? Drop your pretense, Amy Pond. You must be filled with rage and agony now. Aren't you furious and upset at all? Go on, cry your heart out. Don't bottle it up. Seeing a girl like you cry, that's one of the things I live for."
"You'll be crying after I show you who's pathetic! Herdier!" Amy alternated her focus between the Doctor's Pokemon and the figure's for a few seconds before passing instructions to Snivy and Oshawott. "Snivy, Oshawott, I trust that you know what to do." To finish, Amy turned to her husband. "Rory, don't just stand around! Use your Audino and help them or something!
The Doctor's two Pokemon nodded. Snivy cast a brief glance at Oshawott before turning to face Solosis and Klink. "Sni. Sni. Vy. Sni. Vy. Vy. Vy. Snivy. Vy." "You take the Klink. I'll handle that Solosis."
Oshawott smirked. "Wott. Wott. Osha." "Fine by me." The Sea Otter Pokemon looked up at his designated opponent, noticing that yellow electricity was cackling around Klink's frame before the Gear Pokemon fired it off as a bolt. Eyes widened, Oshawott began to roll on the floor to put distance between himself and his opponent as the attack progressively lost steam. Standing up, Oshawott had time to perceive Solosis glow light blue and release several light blue rings from its body at Snivy, who managed to dodge the first few before being hit by those that followed. Refocusing, Oshawott fired a Water Gun at Klink, only for the Gear Pokemon to dodge the attack, causing it to hit the ceiling instead. Klink proceeded to separate into its component gears, each one speeding towards one of the Doctor's Pokemon. "Wott! Oshawott!" "Snivy! Look out!"
Noticing the gear speed towards her, Snivy whacked it aside with one of her vines, knocking it astray, causing it to lodge itself into a wall. She turned to see Oshawott hold up his scalchop as Klink's other gear struck it, preventing the metal piece from slicing his head down the middle. The Sea Otter Pokemon batted the appendage down, sending the gear smacking into the floor. Snivy breathed a sigh of relief. "Vy! Sni. Snivy. Vy." "Phew! That was close."
Oshawott turned to look at Solosis, noticing that Klink had rejoined its gears together. "Osha. Osha. Wott. Oshawott." "Don't think this is over yet."
Felix licked his lips, holding his Gallade's Pokeball, tossing it with a flourish. "Looks like the Doctor's Pokemon are as occupied as procreating Lopunny. Maybe this will be worth my while. Time to strike, Sirknight!" The Blade Pokemon rubbed his arm blades against each other, creating the noise of steel rubbing against steel.
Tearing its eyes away from the Doctor's Snivy, Solosis peered behind itself to notice that Szac's Houndoom and Diver were occupied with beating back a number of Trubbish and Purrloin. Letting out a sadistic chuckle, its body glowed yellow as several light blue circles surrounded it, firing them off at the Dark Pokemon's back. Its partner quickly catching on to its intentions, Klink shot a beam of yellow electricity at Diver.
Noticing both attacks quickly reaching their targets, Daniel tossed a Pokeball. "Blitzle, front and center!" The red-and-white sphere opened to reveal a small zebra-like creature, with a black body and white stripes. It had a spiked white mane with a lightning bolt-shaped extension at the front, white legs with back hooves, and a stubby white tail. It had oval eyes with blue irises and yellow scleras. "Protect those Pokemon!" The Electrified Pokemon dived into the space between the oncoming attacks and their intended targets. He winced as the light blue circles struck him, but was unable to stop the beam of electricity from zipping past him. Before the electric-type attack could strike Diver, it made a u-turn in its path, moving to hit Blitzle. The Electrified Pokemon stood tall, seemingly not feeling the attack's effects. "My Blitzle has the ability Lightningrod, which causes all single-target electric-type moves to strike him, like that ThunderShock. Not only does it grant immunity to said moves, it also increases Blitzle's Special Attack. How about a demonstration?" Daniel pointed at Solosis and Klink. "Shock Wave!" Blitzle reared his head back before rapidly moving it forward, firing off a light blue beam of electricity from the tip of his mane. Solosis shot a few light blue balls at the Electrified Pokemon in response, with both attacks passing each other and hitting their respective targets. Daniel nodded. "That must be Hidden Power, a move whose type and power depends on the user. Since it dealt damage to Blitzle, this particular one isn't electric-type." Solosis and Klink stared down the Blitzle in annoyance, before diving out of the way of a forceful shot of water and two vines headed for them. Glancing around, they reengaged the Doctor's Pokemon.
Professor Juniper placed her hand on Daniel's shoulder. "Good for you, Daniel. You protected those kids' Pokemon. You're coming out of your shell to help others, a stepping stone in the right direction, and a sign that you are on the road to reforming."
Daniel lowered his head slightly. "T-Thank y-you…"
Sophie nodded as her Dewott fended off an attack from a Patrat. "Diver and I both owe you one, Daniel." She turned to the boy next to her. "Szac?"
Szac turned to face Daniel, having ordered his Houndoom to knock aside a Sandile with Sludge Bomb. "Of course, you have my thanks, mister."
Miri took out her notepad. "Daniel, is it? You're reforming? Reforming from what?"
Rory eyed the reporter, his Audino using Sweet Kiss to confuse a Trubbish. "Miri? Is now such a good time to ask Daniel that question?" He scratched his head. "What am I saying? Nathen should be asking her that question…" Daniel turned his back to the conversation, focused on repelling a group of Purrloin with his Blitzle.
Nathen felt his cheeks heat up as he shook his head. "Hey! Leave me out of this!"
Miri smirked. "Don't you want to be involved in the news, Nathen?"
The boy tried to hide his red face. "Not when Rory is probing me like that!"
Rory shrugged as his Audino smacked a Watchog across the face with Pound. "Just trying to be helpful. But you can help by sending out a Pokemon or two…"
Taking Rory's hint, Nathen held up a Pokeball, which he proceeded to toss, sending out his Lucario. "Let's go, Lucario!"
Miri tossed a Pokeball of her own, which opened to reveal her Lopunny. "Come on out, Lopie!" She turned to Nathen. "Any ideas?"
"Hmmm… Just one. Lucario, Aura Sphere!"
"Ah, Lopie, Jump Kick!" The Aura Pokemon formed a cobalt-blue sphere of energy between his hands. As he fired it, Lopie swung her leg out and kicked it towards a group of Purrloin and Trubbish, adding power and thrust to the attack. The targeted Pokemon attempted to scatter, but were knocked into a messy heap when the attack struck them.
Nathen whistled. "Can you say 'wipeout'?" Miri giggled in response.
Amy held up her Pokedex to Daniel's Blitzle, switching it on.
Blitzle, the Electrified Pokemon. Its mane shines when it discharges electricity. They use their flashing manes to communicate with one another.
Putting away the device, Amy narrowed her eyes at the Gallade. "Herdier, use Work Up and Take Down!" A crimson aura surrounded the Loyal Dog Pokemon as his Attack and Special Attack stats increased.
Herdier charged forward at Sirknight to initiate Take Down, just as Felix responded with a command of his own. "Sirknight, Double Team." The Gallade complied, dashing in a circle around Herdier quickly enough to form a ring of shadowy afterimages around Amy and Herdier, increasing Sirknight's Evasion. The Loyal Dog Pokemon widened his eyes in surprise as he went through a duplicate, making it disappear.
Amy pointed at another duplicate. "Keep at it until you hit the real Gallade, Herdier!" The Loyal Dog Pokemon nodded and leapt at the indicated duplicate, only for it to disappear as he reached it.
Felix yawned. "You're starting to bore me. Sirknight, Focus Blast!" The duplicates disappeared as a light blue ball of energy began to form between the Gallade's clasped hands.
Amy hastily issued another command. "Herdier, Bite!" The Loyal Dog Pokemon bared his fangs and jumped up at Sirknight, aiming for his arm.
"That trick again? Repetitive as a broken record. Sirknight, launch your attack!" As Herdier neared the Gallade on his approach, the Blade Pokemon hurled the sphere at the Loyal Dog Pokemon, connecting successfully with his underside. Herdier shrieked in pain as he was knocked backwards onto his back.
"HERDIER!" Winded from the blow, the Loyal Dog Pokemon stumbled to his feet. "Tackle!" Commencing his attack, Herdier ran towards Sirknight.
"Not giving up? Sirknight, use Double Team, if you will." Several shadowy duplicates of the Gallade appeared in a circle around Herdier.
Amy squinted briefly before pointing at one of the duplicates. "That trick again? The real Gallade is over there, Herdier!" Nodding, the Loyal Dog Pokemon shot off towards the duplicate Amy pointed out to him, smashing straight into the Blade Pokemon's chest and sending him skidding down the floor into a display case, knocking off its glass top and causing it to shatter on the floor.
Felix gritted his teeth. "What?"
Amy smirked. "One thing I learned when traveling with the Doctor is to keep your eyes peeled for every little detail of every little thing you see. Leave nothing to chance or the imagination and think about it. Always think. Soon, what you're looking for will become clear."
"I'm in no mood for lectures… Sirknight, Psycho Cut!" The Gallade's forearms glowed light blue as he attempted to slash Herdier.
"Herdier, get out of there!" Before the Blade Pokemon could strike Herdier with its forearms, the Loyal Dog Pokemon leapt aside, causing the Gallade to miss. "Use Work Up and Take Down again!" Bathed in a crimson aura, Herdier charged head-first into the Blade Pokemon's stomach, crumbling the base of the display case and knocking him into the glass cover of another. The cover fell onto Sirknight's head, breaking on contact.
Felix gritted his teeth as he dashed towards his Pokemon. "While you still can, Sirknight, Teleport!" He disappeared along with Sirknight, leaving Herdier to run back to Amy. An arm clutching her egg case, the woman knelt down to pat her Pokemon on the head.
Leaping away from a ThunderShock attack by Klink, Oshawott cast a glance at the display case he found himself at, his eyes widening in surprise at the sight of the Black Prince's ebony-black bladed claymore. "Wott… Osha. Osha. Wott. Osha. Wott." "That sword... The Doctor has one just like it."
Snivy rolled her eyes, dodging several light blue circles from Solosis. "Vy. Vy. Sni. Sni. Sni. Snivy. Snivy. Vy. Sni. Sni. Snivy? Snivy. Vy. Sni. Vy. Vy." "We know that. Its blade is white, remember? He used it to destroy that stone protrusion."
Grabbing Snivy by the hand, Oshawott dashed around a corner to briefly lose their opponents. "Osha. Oshawott. Wott. Wott. Wott. Oshawott. Osha. Osha." "Yes, but I saw robes almost like those in a closet of his TARDIS."
"Sni. Sni…" "So you think…"
Oshawott nodded. "Osha. Wott. Osha. Wott. Wott. Wott. Osha." "They're in his backpack, just like the white sword."
"Sni. Sni. Vy. Snivy. Snivy. Snivy. Vy. Vy. Vy. Vy. Sni?" "Is that why he's locks the front pocket of his backpack and never lets anyone touch it?"
"Wott." "Possibly."
Snivy's eyes widened as she noticed Klink get around the corner and rapidly approach Oshawott. "Vy!" "Look out!" The Grass Snake Pokemon pushed the Sea Otter Pokemon aside, only to get caught up between the rotating gears of Klink. Taunting Oshawott, the Gear Pokemon levitated a meter above the floor, squeezing Snivy's small frame between its gears. The Sea Otter Pokemon fired his Water Gun attack at Klink, but it was intercepted by Solosis, who had darted between its teammate and the attack. Rolling in a downward path towards Oshawott, the Cell Pokemon barreled its circular body through the attack, cutting through the stream of water from the Sea Otter Pokemon's mouth before slamming into Oshawott, sending him skidding into a wall. At the same time, Klink relinquished its crushing hold on Snivy, dropping the Grass Snake Pokemon to the floor.
Oshawott began to rub his head. "Osha. Osha…" "Ow…"
Nicolas gritted his teeth, issuing a command to his Emboar. "Tank, use Hammer Arm!" The Mega Fire Pig Pokemon's arm glowed white before he slammed it into a Sandile, sending it flying. The man gazed at the Plasma grunts, overwhelmed by their numbers. "There's too many of them!"
Hawes sat down on the floor, resting his back against the cart. "This really is bad... We could actually lose the Light Stone to Team Plasma..."
Lenora grasped her husband by the shoulders, giving his frame a few light shakes. "Are you really going to throw in the towel?"
Hawes shook his head. "It's no use. Team Plasma is probably bringing several of our artifacts outside as we speak, to be carted off to who-knows-where for who-knows-what."
"Come on, pull yourself together! Those young Trainers are doing all they can to help us protect the core of the White Prince's dragon, and you're giving up hope? You're letting him and his legacy down!"
A voice spoke out from the entrance to the corridor. "His legacy is dated. And soon, all of you will be as well. I think I've had just about enough of this!" Before anyone could react, an aura sphere soared through the distance of the corridor, colliding with Blue, sending it into its Trainer's chest, knocking them both to the floor. The girl groaned from the impact as she rubbed her head.
Professor Juniper gasped. "SKYLAR!" She raised her head to see the figure walk towards the cart.
Rory stared at the figure. "Wait, if he's here, then where's the Doctor?"
Nicolas eyed his Emboar, before gesturing towards the figure. "Nevermind that! Tank, stop him with…"
Before Nicolas could finish, the figure cut him off. "Klink, Gear Grind!" Seizing its opportunity with the distraction of its opponents, the Gear Pokemon disengaged them and separated into its component gears, both of them whizzing towards the Mega Fire Pig Pokemon. The first gear struck the Emboar across the forehead, the second directly in his torso. Tank stumbled backwards for a second, falling over and knocking the glass cover off the stone sphere on the cart, prompting Hawes to make a move in a bid to stabilize it, replacing it with a sigh.
"TANK!"
At the sight of the downed Emboar, Diver and Houndoom turned to glare at the figure, only to have two aura spheres smash into their frames, knocking them away from the cart. Szac and Sophie gasped as they rushed to tend to their Pokemon. The figure turned his attention to the cases holding the Black Prince's possessions, smashing the claymore's case with a punch. He pulled out the sword, pointing at the other items in the display. "Take them, all of them!" Leaving the Pokemon to continue battling on their own, a few Plasma grunts rushed to the cases to fulfill the figure's instructions, smashing the glass covers and retrieving the items inside.
"Why is he stealing the Black Prince's possessions?" asked Rory.
"Despite their horrendous reputation, those items are priceless. It has been suggested that the Black Prince's claymore possesses special qualities unlike those of a regular sword of its type." replied Lenora.
Rory stared at the smallest display case being emptied. "They're even taking the Zekrom scale."
"Any physical remains from a Legendary Pokemon are highly valued, and thought to have special qualities as well."
Claymore in hand, the figure continued to advance on the cart, shoving aside Lenora and Rory. He grabbed Hawes by the collar and lifted the man off the ground, before flinging him aside. Nathen pointed at the figure. "Lucario, use Aura Sphere now!" The Aura Pokemon complied, creating a cobalt-blue sphere between its hands, firing it at the figure. The only response from the cloaked man was for him to lift the claymore he held slightly, allowing the attack to hit the blade. The figure swung the sword in the direction of Daniel's Blitzle, flinging the sphere into the Electrified Pokemon, sending him stumbling a few steps.
Daniel gasped. "BLITZLE!"
Nathen lowered his head in apology. "I'm sorry…"
Ignoring the exchange of words, the figure continued towards the cart, but his advance was blocked by a tall fourteen year old girl with long brown hair tied into a ponytail and green eyes. She wore a dark gray shirt with a blue tie and a gray skirt with a blue fringe. Black legwarmers and flats were worn on her feet. The figure tightened his grip on the claymore. "Out of my way, girl."
The girl shook her head, defiance crossing her face. "You'll have to get past me first! This is the Nacrene Museum's most valuable possession, and I won't stand for it to fall in Team Plasma's hands!"
The figure charged an aura sphere in his hand, preparing to fling it at the girl. "Very well." The girl's stubborn expression began to waver at the sight of the cobalt-blue ball of energy as the figure let out a chuckle, firing it at point-blank range.
Before the sphere could connect with its target, Amy set down her egg case and dove forward with her arms outstretched, pushing the girl to the floor. Arms curled around the girl's head, the Scottish woman used much of her frame to envelope the smaller female's body. Amy winced as she heard the aura sphere hit the cart's glass cover, blowing it to smithereens. She felt tiny impacts across her back as shards of glass fell upon it. Disregarding her, the figure reached over and picked up the stone sphere from its pillow.
The sound of running footsteps sent everyone turning towards the corridor's entrance, coming face-to-face with the Doctor and his Tepig. The Time Lord narrowed his eyes as he caught sight of the figure holding the sphere of stone and the Black Prince's claymore. The figure walked towards the Time Lord, bending in to whisper to the Doctor. "How does it feel, Doctor? How does it feel for you to once again let down Reshi-"
"OSHA!" Before he could finish, the figure found Oshawott charging towards his back, intent on protecting the Doctor. The figure spun around and swung the sword down on Oshawott, intending to cleave him in two, but was countered by the Sea Otter Pokemon detaching his scalchop and elongating a pillar of water from it. Oshawott swung his Razor Shell attack upwards, meeting the downward progress of the claymore's blade with a resounding clang. The figure let out a snarl, swiftly kicking Oshawott into the frame of the bed owned by the museum building's former owner. The Sea Otter Pokemon shrieked as he crashed into the bottom of the bed's frame.
The Doctor's eyes widened. "OSHAWOTT!" He strode forward to reach his Pokemon, but stepped on a waxed portion of floor, slipping on his rear end.
The frame cracked from the impact, and a simple steel box came tumbling out. The figure dashed towards the bed, picking up the box and turning towards the Plasma grunts. "We have what we need, let's go!" The figure recalled his Solosis and Klink into their Pokeballs as he fled the corridor, followed by the retreating grunts and their Pokemon.
Daniel sighed. "We lost the Light Stone…"
Skylar rubbed her head as she stood up. "We can still give chase! Where could they have gone?"
Fennel straightened her hair. "If I had to guess, I would say Pinwheel Forest, the forest beyond the limits of Nacrene City. From there, they could go to the Skyarrow Bridge and straight into Castelia City. The thick growth of the forest is an easy way to lose any pursuers."
Upon hearing those words, Rory recalled his Audino, dashing out of the corridor. "Wait! It was just a guess by Fennel, Rory!" shouted Professor Juniper. By the time she finished, the nurse had disappeared.
The Doctor chuckled as he stood up. "Ah, Rory. The man can be a bit rash, in my opinion. Still he seems to have gained some respect for the White Prince."
Amy stood up, helping the girl to her feet. "Doctor, Team Plasma just stole the Light Stone and you're laughing?"
The Time Lord continued to smile. "Oh, don't worry, Pond. I'm sure things will work themselves out nicely."
Lenora frowned, a serious look crossing her face. "That's fine and all but we still need to go after Team Plasma!" She turned to the majority of the room's inhabitants, who had all recalled their Pokemon. "If you all are willing, spread out and search Pinwheel Forest! If we're fast, we could still catch up to Team Plasma! I'll stay here with Hawes, Professor Juniper, and Fennel to work out the damage."
Szac turned to Sophie. "Coming?"
Sophie nodded with a shrug and a smile. "With you? Sure, why not?" Nicolas rolled his eyes and walked out of the corridor without a word. "Don't mind my brother, we get into these 'scuffles' once in a while."
"Sounds like a typical sibling relationship to me, even if I don't have any."
Sophie chuckled as they walked away. "I like you…"
Skylar rubbed her head. "Maybe I'll stay here. Blue being hit by that figure's attack left me with a splitting headache. Must be the impact."
The Doctor nodded. "Yes, that can hurt. A lot, to be honest. I can attest to it, I was hit on the head…"
Amy crossed her arms. "Alright already! We get the point, Doctor!"
The Time Lord shrugged. "Anyway, going together, Nathen, Miri?" The two teens faced each other for a second before turning away, both sporting red on their faces.
"D-Do y-you w-want that, M-Miri?" asked Nathen, still not facing the reporter.
Miri nodded quickly. "S-Sure, i-if y-you're up f-for i-it…"
"W-We s-should probably g-go t-then…"
"R-Right." The two teens hastily left the corridor.
Daniel crossed his arms. "I think I'll stay here and help out with the cleanup. Plus, two of my Pokemon are injured. I need to heal them quickly."
The Doctor nodded. "Alright then. Do what you have to." He stared at the girl next to Amy. "By the way, Pond, who's that?"
The girl cleared her throat. "I-I'm K-Katrina O-O'Rear, s-sir."
"Steady your nerves, Katrina. Where did you come from?"
Katrina took a deep breath in a bid to stop her stuttering. "I was here for the launch event, and left when the auditorium was evacuated, but I was caught up somewhere and couldn't get out in time, so I just went into some corridor and hid behind a display case, avoiding any Plasma grunts I saw. Then you all showed up with that cart. I overheard Hawes mention that it held the Light Stone. When that man in the cloak came here, I decided to step in. I know that was a stupid thing to do, and he looked very scary, but I couldn't let him take that artifact…" She turned to Amy, wrapping her arms around the woman in a hug. "Thank you for saving me even though you put yourself in harm's way. If not for you, I would have been a goner."
Amy returned the embrace. "You're welcome. Don't do that again. Your life's more precious than a sphere of stone."
"I-I'll t-try."
"I'm Amy, by the way."
The Doctor cut in. "Amy? That name's boring. How about Amelia?"
Amy huffed, giving the Time Lord a dirty look. "Shut up, Doctor."
"Hey, in my defense, Amelia sounds a lot better."
"I grew up."
The Time Lord chuckled. "No, you didn't. Hiding behind that excuse again?"
Amy disregarded the Doctor, lowering her head to whisper to Katrina. "We have something in common. I've done lots of stupid things myself. Things so stupid I thought that they would actually work. Sometimes they did, and sometimes, well, they didn't. The Doctor's guilty of it all the time."
Arms still wrapped around Amy, Katrina raised her head to look into the woman's eyes. "Really? I have all these plans sometimes. They sound ridiculous in fact, that's what people tell me."
"The Doctor comes up with them too, and that's what I tell him sometimes. But when there's something he can't do, I find a way to solve it, and put him in his place. Maybe knock him off the high horse he likes to ride so often."
The Doctor huffed. "Oi! I heard that!"
Katrina ignored the Time Lord, muttering to Amy. "Talking to you is like talking to my sister, Rue…"
Amy smiled. "I'm glad you think that way."
"For the record, I think Amelia does sound like a better name. It has a nice ring to it. My family's kinda traditional, you know, and I grew up on a farm."
Amy raised an eyebrow at Katrina's comment. "Hmmm... You think so too, huh?"
Daniel cleared his throat. "I don't mean to be rude, but if you want to catch Team Plasma, I suggest you hurry up."
Amy nodded, staring at the Doctor. "Rory's out there."
The Doctor nodded. "Yes, we really should catch up to your husband as well."
Katrina raised an eyebrow. "Wait, the Doctor isn't your husband, Amy?"
The Time Lord whistled. "Oh, Rory's not going to be pleased when he hears that…"
"No, the Doctor's not my husband. We should probably go then…" muttered Amy.
Katrina reluctantly let go of the woman. "R-Right."
The Doctor walked to the corridor's exit, followed by Katrina and Amy, who had picked up her egg case. "Good luck, all of you." said Professor Juniper, as they walked away.
(Pinwheel Forest, Clearing, January 8, 2011, 10:10 p.m.)
At a clearing near the entrance of Pinwheel Forest, an elderly man gazed at several Plasma grunts in the process of loading wooden crates onto a moving truck. He had a white bushy moustache and short beard, as well as wide ears and eyes shut in a squint. He wore black robes with gold trim and a black conical hat. The man's robes sported a Team Plasma logo under the neck. He turned to a male grunt. "What is the progress of our situation?"
"Sage Gorm, we are almost done with packing the stolen artifacts into the truck. We still have to secure the Dragonite's skull and then load it on, along with a few other small items." replied the grunt.
"Carry on then." Gorm looked up at the dark cloud in the sky, noticing bolts of lightning from it striking the relative position of the Nacrene Museum. "Zekrom still persists in attacking the museum. Excellent." He turned to Adam, occupied with supervising his Feraligatr loading a wooden crate onto the truck. "You know what the plan is, don't you?"
Adam, disguised in a Team Plasma uniform with a blank theatre-esque silver mask to conceal his face, nodded. "Yes, sir. I ride in the truck for a short distance, and change my clothes back to that of a lab assistant's inside. Then you drop me off near the outside of the museum, and I'll blend in with the group of people who were evacuated. Due to the confusion surrounding Zekrom's cloud still in the sky near the building, people won't pay much attention to each other, let alone me. I'll just tell the police that I was there with the evacuees all along when they question me."
"At least this job will reduce the chances of anyone in the museum from recognizing you. Continue."
"From what I heard, Felix managed to isolate those interfering annoyances in one of the corridors, until he had to flee. We've loaded the Genesect fossil in the truck, and just secured the Light Stone."
Gorm straightened his hat. "Good. That's good. It buys us some time. The grunts stationed in the forest should alert us if there's any trouble."
Gorm and Adam turned their heads as they heard a voice in the distance. "Audino, Sweet Kiss! Now use Pound!"
"Someone's here!" muttered Adam.
Gorm sighed. "Which means that there could be more of them."
A grunt ran through the forest growth, stopping in front of Gorm as he panted. "Sage Gorm, there's a man making his way towards us with an Audino… He just beat me."
Before the grunt could elaborate further, Rory emerged, stepping into the clearing, accompanied by his Audino. "So that's where you're going to make your getaway! Return the artifacts you stole!"
Gorm chuckled. "To think we were actually found here… How interesting… Adam, take care of him."
Adam removed a Pokeball from his belt. "Very well, sir." He tossed the red-and-white sphere, sending out a Seviper. "Seviper, finish him!"
Rory gritted his teeth. "Audino, Pound!"
"Foolish mistake. Seviper, Poison Tail!" As Audino dashed towards Seviper with her raised right arm glowing white, the end of the Fang Snake Pokemon's tail glowed purple, as he reared it back and struck the Hearing Pokemon across her stomach.
"AUDINO!"
Behind his mask, Adam smirked. "Looks like I caught you off-guard. Now Seviper, Night Slash." The Fang Snake Pokemon's tail glowed crimson as he swung it towards Rory's Audino.
Rory gritted his teeth. "Come on, Audino! Pound!" As Seviper's tail approached her, Audino's arm glowed white as she thrust it forward to meet the Fang Snake Pokemon's attack, stopping it in its tracks.
"Seviper, Screech!" The Fang Snake Pokemon opened his mouth, releasing a high-pitched, earsplitting screech that distorted the air with its sound waves. Rory squeezed his eyes shut as he moved to cup his ears, attempting to shield them from damage. Audino winced as her Defense stat was lowered, her grasp on Seviper's tail wavering. "Poison Fang!" His fangs taking on a purple sheen, the Fang Snake Pokemon reared his head and bit into Audino's shoulder, forcing her to relinquish her grip on his tail.
"Pound!" Instead of executing the move she was instructed to, Audino swung her arm back and slapped Seviper across the face, before repeating it again with another slap. Three more slaps followed, forcing the Fang Snake Pokemon to release her shoulder. Rory bit his lip. "That must be a new move…" He held up his Pokedex, receiving information on it. "DoubleSlap… Interesting…" "Audino, use DoubleSlap again!" The Hearing Pokemon complied, slapping Seviper repeatedly across the face while he was still reeling from the previous assault on his visage.
Adam sighed. "Seviper, Poison Tail!" Tail glowing purple, the Fang Snake Pokemon swiped it at the Hearing Pokemon.
"Audino, dodge it!" The Hearing Pokemon narrowed her eyes as she watched the tail approach, jumping over it as the appendage dredged across the ground. "Pound!" An arm glowing white, Audino slammed it into the back of the Fang Snake Pokemon's head.
"Night Slash, Seviper!" Seviper smirked, his tail glowing with a crimson hue. He raised it, sweeping it forward to slam into Audino's back. The Hearing Pokemon shrieked in pain as she fell onto her front. "Again, Seviper!"
Rory's face belied urgency. "AUDINO! DODGE IT!" The Hearing Pokemon rolled out of the way as the Fang Snake Pokemon poised his tail to strike again, slamming into the ground on the location Audino once occupied.
"Keep on using Night Slash, Seviper!" The Fang Snake Pokemon nodded and swiped his tail at Audino, only for her to roll aside.
"Audino, Pound!" Her arm glowing white, Audino brought it up and smacked it against Seviper's tail as he brought it down on her frame, stopping the appendage in its tracks. "Now use Sweet Kiss!" Holding Seviper's tail in place, Audino blew him a kiss, sending several pink hearts from her mouth at her opponent. The hearts made contact, confusing the Fang Snake Pokemon as his eyes turned to stars. Seviper backed away from Audino, moving around in a daze. "DoubleSlap!" Getting on her feet, the Hearing Pokemon moved to slap the Fang Snake Pokemon a few times.
Gorm narrowed his eyes as he heard the nearby foliage rustle, signaling the arrival of more people. "We don't have time for this. End it now!" Holding a large blue rock in his hands, a grunt charged at Rory. Before the nurse could react, the grunt smashed the heavy rock onto his forehead. As Rory fell, he vaguely registered his right leg kicking upwards, smacking into the Plasma grunt's hand and dislodging the item the man held in his grasp. The nurse's head hit the ground with a dull thud, his sense of awareness rapidly departing him. Darkness swarmed his vision as he faintly heard three voices shout his name.
Author's notes: Boy, that was a tough chapter to write, and quite long too. I may rewrite parts of it at a later date. Many apologies if it's late, but my work is stacking up. It was difficult at time to handle shifting the action around between different characters, but I tried my best. I hope I did well in writing all those OCs as well. This chapter has no glossary, which is probably just as well, since I might burn myself out if it continues any longer. I'm not sure when I will put up the next chapter, but I hope it's soon.
I find it unusual, but I'm still looking for OCs. Reviews and constructive criticism are welcome. Flames will be deleted.
For credits:
Adam Colt belongs to WolfSummoner93.
Miri Olean belongs to Windy Rain.
Nathen Pierce belongs to Final Heir.
Skylar DeVienne belongs to Jigglypuff's Pillow.
Szac Selthez belongs to Gunzi Executioner TogainuNoChi.
Sophie Summers and Nicolas Summers belong to yuukifan001.
Felix Masque belongs to Tyltalis.
Daniel Pickman belongs to Master of the Boot.
Katrina O'Rear belongs to MeguMegu3.0.