---0---0--- SCENARIO 24 ---0---0---

"You're taking revenge on the world just for that! You're just insane!" Brock cried while tending to Dawn's wounds.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." The arrogant leader replied; sneering at the breeder.

"Don't blame everyone on your failure. Not everybody is like what you say—"

"Silence…! Tentacruel, our tied-up guest is asking for more. Give it to her."

"NO!"

The Tentacruel surrounded May once more and delivered another volley of painful strokes against the heavily-battered brunette coordinator. Her open wounds just made the lashes even more painful compared to the previous batches which meant her agonizing scream was twice as loud.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH…!"

"May…!" Brock cried. "Stop that at once! She has nothing to do with all of this!"

"B-Brock…I…I…" May was finally starting to fall apart. "AAAAAAAHHHH…!"

"Darn it! Why can't I do anything?"

"Brock, you have…to get out…ah…of here!"

"We're not leaving without you, May! That's who we came for!"

"Just…get…out…AAAAAAHHHH…!"

"May…!"

Having known her ultimate fate, the battered brunette coordinator mustered what's left of her strength and forced it out in one last message.

"ASH, PLEASE DON'T GO! AAAAAAAHHHHH…!"

Unexpectedly, there was a huge explosion that popped the main doors open. Smoke quickly filled up the room as the Tentacruel stopped lashing May because they couldn't see a thing in the thick smoke. A voice emanated from the doorstep; ordering a Pokemon to attack.

"Manectric, use Shock Wave!"

A horrifying surge of electricity went out across the room. The Tentacruel were hit dead on the mark and fainted immediately. Brock took cover and dragged Dawn behind a fallen concrete slab as a shield from the electric attack. Ash and Mikhail were lying down flat on the ground and didn't get hit while May was dangling several feet in the air. When the smoke cleared and the last Tentacruel was withdrawn back to the leader's Pokeball, a certain bearded man in a lab overcoat appeared behind the smoke. Ash and Mikhail finally gained consciousness afterwards and saw the bearded man by what was once the front door.

"Professor Rowan?" Ash said in curiosity. "With a Manectric…?"

"Manectric, use Quick Attack and followed by Bite on those ropes!" Professor Rowan said.

The discharge Pokemon leapt from where it stood and dashed across the room towards the hostage. Upon getting close to the ropes, Manectric's fangs popped open and bit the three ropes suspended to the ceiling. A battered May fell down to the ground. Ash quickly came to her aid but could do nothing to tend to her wounds.

---0---

"So we meet again, Rowan." The leader said. "The most pathetic excuse for a Pokemon Ranger I've ever battled."

"Cut the trash talk, mister." Professor Rowan replied. "This ends now!"

"What do you intend to do to me, Rowan? Hide behind your research lab like you always do…?"

"I'm going to do what I should have done ages ago. I'm going to put you under arrest for your destructive crimes. You're not going to cause any more harm after I'm done with you."

Suddenly, the Genesis leader pulled out something out of his pocket. It looked like a small remote with a button on it.

"You don't have the guts to take me down." The leader threatened all of them. "You come closer to me and I'll blow this plane up sky high."

But Professor Rowan, a shrewd man, only smirked and confidently said: "Bring it on."

"Professor Rowan…!" May cried. "He's going to do it!"

The leader was challenged and forced to press the button. Everybody ducked and took cover to brace for impact. But several seconds later, they didn't hear any explosion. He tried pressing the button several times but to no avail—there was no explosion whatsoever.

"What did you think caused your systems to shut down, huh?" The professor smirked. "We just launched a blackout warhead against your engine and electrical systems. Your plane is grounded for good, not-so-almighty Genesis leader."

"C-Curse you, Rowan…!" The leader attempted a getaway; running past the professor and heading for the open door to freedom.

"You're not going anywhere!" May sent out a Pokeball despite her injuries. "Glaceon, use Ice Beam on the passageway!"

Glaceon froze the passageway solid with its Ice Beam attack; giving the fugitive practically no way out. His Tentacruel were too hurt to even execute an attack against the ice block. He was trapped like a Rattata cornered by its predators against a wall.

"It's over." The professor said. "Just come peacefully."

"I'd rather die here than to live in a cruel world inhabited by greed!" The fugitive replied.

"You think that the world is cruel? No, you're cruel to the world. That's why."

"Cruel to the world…? I spent my entire life devoted to Pokemon and nature but all my efforts were in vain. How can I be cruel to the world? Tell me, Rowan!"

"Simple: you told the world that it'll never change for the better by giving up so easily."

The Genesis leader now reduced to nothing more but a captured fugitive, never contested against Professor Rowan anymore. Suddenly, Mikhail received a radio call from his walkie-talkie attached to his wrist. Latios Command was on the line.

"This is Seviper Team." Mikhail said. "Go ahead, Latios Command."

"Lieutenant Katarin, get your team out of there ASAP!" Admiral Hayden replied loudly. "The blast from the missile has created a volatile chemical reaction with the fuel. The rear portion of the mother ship is already on fire."

"We won't be able to make it on time if we take the route back to the LZ. We need you to blast a hole in our current location in Kilo two-niner."

"We'll spot the target with Echo 5. Latios Command, out."

---0---

"This is Echo 5. Kilo two-niner has been spotted. Relaying the coordinates to Latios Command…" One of the helicopters relayed the information back to the flagship.

"Target coordinates received. All vessels open fire!" Admiral Hayden said.

"AWACS to all planes: designated strike coordinates at Kilo two-niner. Strike the designated target immediately. Lieutenant Katarin and his team need to be extracted ASAP."

"This is Arcanine 1; moving into attack formation." Terry said; flying low with his wingmen to strike at the spot. "All planes, punch the target with everything you've got!"

The joint effort of naval and air power paid off after a portion of the walls of the throne room collapsed and a hole was made.

"We can get out of that hole! Go, go, go…!" Mikhail yelled.