It was almost over now. The sound of gunfire was dying down as the last stragglers in the city were being snuffed out of hiding. It had taken not even an hour for Seele to claim victory. EVA Units patrolled with loaded weapons, ensuring that the bodies littering the streets were all devoid of life. Their airships had surrounded the city's perimeter; any outside aircraft would be knocked right out of the sky the moment they would draw near.

Hoatzin City had fallen.

It was only the first demonstration of Seele's power. There would be more strikes across the globe after the Alpha Hour; Lumiose City, Viridian City, Castellia City... the list was endless. Seele would stand at the top.

But Greninja knew, without their leader, his master, in good health, they could not.

The field of rubble stood at least ten times Greninja's height, though its daunting size mattered not to the Water type. It knew that his master was buried within somewhere, and though he had not the physical strength to dig for him, there was another who could. That was why he sat upon the top of the pile, watching the sky as EVA drones dug away below him in search of their commander. Greninja was in a meditative state, using Extrasensory to detect his master's presence below him. It was faint, but there.

A roar in the sky disrupted his calm state, and Greninja looked up high to see Rayquaza descending towards his position. The black dragon circled around the mountain of debris, stopping at the peak by his fellow Pokemon.

'Master is in there,' Greninja told the dragon, 'Still alive, yet he is hurt.'

Rayquaza looked into the rubble, then back to the frog. 'Was he victorious in battle?'

'I sense no other signs of life down there besides his own.'

'…Then I shall retrieve him.'

Ascending, Rayquaza waited for Greninja to leap off the rubble's peak before looping back down at high speed. Flying horizontally towards the ruined skyscraper, he accelerated at high speeds until he was a black blur, his yellow markings growing brightly as he slammed into the debris. Chunks of stone and glass flew into the air, raining down onto the surrounding streets and crushing some EVA units who were unable to dodge the incoming fragments. Moving stealthily and quickly, Greninja jumped through the wreckage until he saw the familiar blade of his master poking out from between a couch and a stone slab. Enveloping his hands in water, he grabbed the still-heated blade and pulled, grabbing Bardiel's limp body as Rayquaza obliterated the stones falling down at them with a Hyper Beam. Carrying him out onto the street, Greninja laid him down gently as EVA units approached from all side. The frog glared at them, telling them to stay back. He studied the wheezing Bardiel, noting that his chest piece had been crushed in; aside from that, no other organs seemed to have been damaged. His master was mostly cybernetic anyways; all that was left of his old human body was his lungs and brain. The rest was just as artificial as an EVA drone. In other words, easy for Iruel to repair. Rayquaza now hovered nearby, studying their master just as intently.

'Here,' Greninja hoisted Bardiel up, so Rayquaza could grasp him in his three-fingered hand, 'We shall take him to the command ship. Master is no longer fit for battle. Iruel will fix him once we return home.'

'Then the large one shall take command of battle?' Rayquaza was referring to Zeruel, of course. 'I will not follow any command from him. He is not worthy to order me.'

The frog shook his head, leaping onto the dragon's back. 'He will not command us. Zeruel has been given orders from Master. If he does not follow them, he knows what punishment we will bring upon him.'

"Make a left."

Misato leaned out the window with pistol in hand, scanning the streets for any EVA drones that may still be patrolling the area. Having to backtrack was working out for them; on the initial drive through the area, she had managed to shoot down all the drones they encountered with the help of Kaji and Pen-Pen's Hydro Pump. It still surprised her that the children had been right where they were when they escaped that Regigigas earlier. They must have come back for something… But what?

The two boys in the backseat had stopped mumbling to each other. Misato had learned they were friends of Shinji and Asuka the moment after she had ended the call with Ikari; they were probably fearing the worst for their friends right now.

"Don't you two worry, okay?" she said with a small smile, trying to comfort them, "I bet they're fine. We'll get them and be out of here in no time."

Toji and Kensuke answered with a small, half-hearted nod. Misato's fake smile faded when she turned around, and caught Kaji's attention.

"Not sure if we should give them any false hope," the man said quietly, his eyes focused on the road, "We know what Seele does."

"I know. It just felt like something I should say right now."

"So you don't believe a word of it?"

"Do you?"

"What do you think?"

"...I want to, too. I told it to myself long before I told them. Those kids don't deserve this. Nobody does."

"Preach it," Kaji agreed with a nod, "We're almost there. Get ready to open the doors. I'm hitting the gas as soon as those kids are safe."

The distance from the truck to the alley was shrinking fast. Misato gripped the door handle tight, ready to swing it open once the children were in sight. She could hear sounds from all directions, all of them giving her a sinking feeling. If something had happened to those kids on their way to them…

No.

She opened her eyes, staring at the door handle. There was no time for worrying. She had to focus.

"Oh shit…!"

Kaji's cursing made Misato's heart jump. Her face darted forward as the boys in the back seat crawled up between the seats to see clearer. There was a confrontation on the road ahead. A Zoroark had leapt out of the alley holding something close to its chest, as a familiar Lucario and Combusken appeared after it. The Dark type spewed out a burst of fire from its jaws at the two Fighting types when a squad of EVA units emerged from the alley as well, with a captive Shinji and Gardevoir at gunpoint. One unit was holding Asuka and Ayanami under its arms, both girls unconscious. Misato slammed her fist against the door window and broke it as she drew her gun.

"Shinji!"

A bullet passed over the captive boy's head as it struck one of his captors through its head. Stunned at first, Ikari was soon filled with relief upon seeing his saviors in an accelerating truck.

"Misato!" Shinji began to run, ducking away from an EVA unit grabbing for him. Seeing an opportunity, Gardevoir emitted a psychic wave to knock the drones away and crush them down into the pavement. The Pokemon levitated Asuka and Rei's bodies in place after they fell from their captor's grasp, forming a protective sphere around them.

'The girls are safe,' Gardevoir said, following Shinji, 'Make haste to the vehicle!'

The truck skidded to a halt, Misato quickly exiting and taking fire at the Zoroark. She knew exactly what it was holding. "Kaji! It has the Artifact!"

"That's what I figured," the man groaned, drawing his own gun. Before he could roll down his window to fire, he spotted a large figure looming at the end of the street. At its feet walked Zeruel and a dozen or so EVA units at his side. "Misato, the Regigigas is back!"

"Dammit!" Katsuragi gritted her teeth in a snarl. The Zoroark was too quick for her bullets; any missed shot had the chance of striking Lucario and Combusken, or possibly the Artifact. Either way, Seele had the upper hand. Cursing to herself again, Misato fired one more shot before dashing back into the truck. Once in, she reached around the back seat and gave Shinji a quick hug. "Thank God you're all alright!"

Shinji smiled weakly, "…I screwed up, Misato... Kaworu's Zoroark made itself look like my father and-

"Don't beat yourself up," she answered, putting a hand on his head, "We won't let Seele win. We'll get it back. I promise."

Outside, Lucario saw that Shinji was inside the vehicle. Dodging Zoroark's flames, he grabbed Combusken by the shoulder. 'We must go! Now!'

'Sounds good to me!' Landing a kick on the Dark-type, Combusken followed the hound towards the truck, leaping onto the back bed instead of climbing inside. Zoroark landed on his feet by Zeruel as the vehicle sped off. The Illusion Pokemon handed the Artifact to the Angel, wiping a trickle of blood from his mouth.

'Tell my master I will be a bit late,' Zoroark said, sprinting after the truck on all fours. Zeruel studied the precious case, smiling behind his mask.

"Finally... Regigigas, lead us back to the Command Post. The mission is complete."

Awakening to the sound of screeching tires, Asuka opened her eyes to see Kensuke Aida staring down at her. It took the boy a few moments to realize she had regained consciousness.

"Uh, hi…" Kensuke laughed nervously, giving her a small wave, "Didn't think you'd wake up so soon."

"Get off me!" Shoving Aida away, Askua lifted herself up and into Toji's side, knocking his head into the window.

"Hey! What's da big idea Soryu?! Don't just wake up an' start hurtin' everbody!"

"Asuka!" Shinji scrambled into the back of the truck, squeezing into the space between Asuka and Kensuke, "You had me scared to death back there!"

"Don't worry so much about me, Baka Shinji… I can take care of myself."

"Dat's not what it looked like ta me-

"Shut it, Suzuhara!" As she went to slap Toji across the face, she heard a knocking from behind her. She turned to see Combusken with his face pressed to the glass, waving at her. "What's he doing out there?!"

'Well, it is quite crowded back here…' Gardevoir replied, the unconscious Ayanami resting on her lap. Seated on the floor in front of her, Lucario nodded in agreement: he looked less than comfortable.

"But… Isn't it dangerous out there?" Asuka said with a hint of worry, staring at her Pokemon. The chicken noticed her expression, and gave her a thumbs up (or claw-up, in his case). With his back turned, he couldn't see the black shape speeding towards the vehicle.

Lucario and Gardevoir sensed the danger first. Before both could alert Combusken, Zoroark leapt onto the bed of the truck, pinning him down with his claws.

'Heh heh…' The Dark type licked his teeth as his eyes began to glow, 'Guess I'll take you out first!'

Zoroark gripped Combusken by the neck as he struck him with his Extrasensory attack, prodding into the corners of the bird's mind. The Fire-Fighting type wriggled in pain, trying to break free.

"Combusken!" Pounding her fist on the glass, Asuka watched as her Pokemon was slowly being driven to defeat. "Get up! You gotta get up!"

Gardevoir also looked on in worry. Though he was quite rash and immature, she couldn't help but pity the Fighting type that did his best to impress her. She wanted to assist him, but the battles before this had finally taken their toll on her: she was too exhausted to let out even the weakest of attacks. It was to hard to watch. She couldn't bear losing another friend before her eyes today. 'Combusken…'

"Lucario!" Shinji turned to his Pokemon, only to see he was having trouble getting out from his position. "A-Are you stuck?!"

Embarrassed, Lucario began desperately tugging at his tail. 'I'm afraid so! And at a time like this, no less!'

Kaji and Misato were not oblivious to what was happening. The latter had grabbed hold of the wheel and jerked the car from left to right, much to the man's dismay. "I know what you're trying to do, but I can take care of it!"

"Then drive crazier! Get that thing off our ass!"

Zoroark dug his claws deeper into the truck. It would take more than some reckless driving to get him to fall. Grinning, he continued prodding Combusken's mind. 'You've got some interesting stuff in here, pal… That trainer of yours means a lot to you, though I could've guessed that. You can't help but do your best for her, yet look at yourself now. You're failing her. Not just her, though. There's another… Ah, well isn't that cute? You've got a little crush on that Gardevoir! Well, I think I'll let you know I'll rip her to shreds last! I'll let her watch as I take apart all your friends in there!'

'NO!'

Combusken clenched his fists, flames forming around them and burning Zoroark's wrists. Mustering all of his strength he began to push himself up off the truck bed, much to the Dark type's surprise. His body began glowing, growing larger and stronger than before. Once the glowing stopped, he was a whole new Pokemon. His legs were much longer now and accented with a bright yellow, and the fan-like feathers on his head now protruded back in two large tufts. A V-shaped crest had formed on his face, and his beak was now hooked and red. His eyes glared into Zoroark's as he broke free completely.

'Impossible-!' Zoroark tried to continue his Extrasensory attack, but his concentration was interrupted as his opponent's clawed hand grasped him by the neck.

Everyone in the truck looked on in amazement at his evolution. Through sheer will he had powered through the super-effective attack to stand and fight!

"I don't believe it…" Shinji looked to Asuka for a response. The girl stared at her Pokemon, a look of wonder in her eyes. She smiled with excitment, placing an open palm on the back window.

"Kick his ass… Blaziken!"

'ACK!' Zoroark choked and flailed under Blaziken's grip, reaching for his throat to no avail. The Fire-Fighting type smirked in the Illusion Pokemon's face.

'You ain't that tough at all, aren't ya?' Blaziken said, 'Relying on sneak attacks is all you can do, isn't it? You're nothing but a coward!'

Letting go of Zoroark, Blaziken ignited his legs. As the Dark type started to fall away from the moving vehicle, the bird spun and planted his Blaze Kick into the center of Zoroark's chest. The illusionist's body flew back quickly, hitting the road hard and skipping down it like a rock on a lake's surface. It was easy to say that Zoroark wouldn't be getting back up anytime soon.

'Heh,' Blaziken folded his arms, watching his opponent tumble away, 'Now that's how it's done.' He looked back into the truck, nodding at Asuka with a smile. Seeing Gardevoir as well he couldn't help but show off, posing heroically and flexing his arms. The Psychic type just closed her eyes and giggled at his behavior. Suddenly, she felt a rustling on her lap.

'My lady!' Propping her upright slowly with Aida's help, the blue haired girl clutched her head tenderly. 'Easy now… Do not force yourself.'

"…I am okay,' Rei answered quietly, looking at her surroundings. Ikari, Asuka, Kaji, Misato, two strangers, all staring at her… Had they all been worried about her?

"Rei," Shinji smiled weakly at her, "We're safe now. They aren't after us anymore."

The girl paused, staring at him. Why would Seele stop-

Realization hit, and Rei looked down at the floor.

They had the Artifact.

She had failed the Commander.

"…I see. Then you are wrong."

"What do you mean, Rei?"

"We are not safe. Now nobody is safe."

Next Stage:

Aftermath!

The World Reacts to the Wreckage!