Chapter 27 – Great Marsh Disaster
"That's it?" The man asked. He looked up at the two scientists who had accompanied the package down. Apparently one of them was higher up the chain of command or built the damn device or whatever. He didn't care. The man arming the device was simply a grunt, a cog in this vast machine. However, considering what they were planning on doing, he was surprised this small device was all they thought they needed. He thought based off the plans it would be larger.
"What will the projected output be?" the woman asked. She had spent the past week surveying the best spot to plant the device, coordinating with this man Groves.
"We've scaled back the initial testing, so we predict a radius about this size" the scientist explained, drawing on a map the projections. All four Galactic members stared down. Groves began taking notes and piecing them all together. He would have to plan this out meticulously as to not get caught.
It took another four days to put everything together to carry out the plan. Maintenance uniforms were paid for, trucks rented out, passes forged and timetables created. And then it was suddenly time to deliver the package. Everything was in place and ready. Groves nestled the package in the bed of the rented truck. Remote sensing equipment was launched into the air via balloons. Through this Charon would be able to monitor the blast and have data available immediately. It was also being streamed in real time to Cyrus back at the business moguls' office.
Groves and the other 'park' employee, Teller, took the truck and device off to the Marsh. The roads were busy coming into town due to a big gym match. Word on the street was that this visiting challenger today was someone who could beat Crasher Wake. That didn't happen often, but had already happened once a few weeks ago when some young blonde-haired kid came to town.
Because of the match happening in the city, the Marsh was also quite quiet today. So far as Groves could tell, it was only employees. He scanned his ID into the gate and drove the truck through. People didn't even spare it a second look. Considering how seriously Pastoria took protecting the Marsh and it's resident Pokemon, they had a massive blind spot when it came to personnel and equipment. The geologist back at the warehouse that the team was using, had picked out a spot some ways into the park. The cabin of the truck was silent, save for the engine noise. The man Teller was consulting both a map and the GPS on his phone. Finally, as the roads were becoming rougher, Teller said to stop.
"This seems to be the place she said." Groves leaned over and checked as well. Both men agreed on the spot and stepped outside. The humidity hit them both, but there was also an almost eerie silence around them. Neither man seemed to notice that detail however, as they began offloading the device.
Cynthia was losing her patience. There was no sign of anything Flint had talked about here in Pastoria. At least no sign that she could see. And the local authorities had failed to find anything suspicious. They had their hands full overseeing people coming to the gym match as well however. This lost and helpless feeling was new to Cynthia, something she hated. And it made her angry. Angry enough that she almost overlooked the only lead available. Sighing into the sky, the champion noticed something different.
Weather balloons, while not uncommon in Sinnoh, were scattered across what appeared to be the Great Marsh. More than should be in that area at once from her recollection. Cynthia quickly looked to the lieutenant who was accompanying her.
"Are there any storms expected or experiments scheduled over the Marsh today?" the champion asked. Something about her tone and speed made the lieutenant stumble over her words.
"N-no ma'am. N-not that I'm aware of?" Cynthia frowned and grabbed a Pokeball. She tossed it up in the air and released her flying type.
"Oberon, I need you to inspect those weather balloons. If they are something malicious, bring them down." The avian clicked his affirmation and flew off.
"Ma'am it would appear those balloons are stationed over the Great Marsh" the lieutenant said after confirming over the radio. Cynthia was still frowning but gestured towards the squad car. Both women quickly climbed in and sped off towards the protected area.
Crasher saw what had happened with the last collision before anyone else. His trump card for this battle had what appeared to be a muscle spasm. In battle however, that usually preceded paralysis. He kept pushing forward, knowing there would only be one outcome from this. Victory would evade him again.
His Floatzel pushed forward only to stumble as its right leg locked up. The Luxray on the other hand charged in and landed a devastating spark attack, one that finally knocked out Crasher's final Pokemon. He sighed then laughed.
"It's ended! That's no fun, I wanted to battle more!" Crasher boomed out. The crowd was still cheering. The girl on the other side looked exhausted, but smiled.
"That was an intense battle Mr. Wake. One of the hardest I've ever had to fight!" Crasher's booming laugh echoed off the now vacant pool walls.
"I had a wonderful time battling you Jill. You certainly deserve this!" Crasher pulled off a badge clipped to his belt and held it up for the crowd who roared their approval. They had come expecting to see a battle and had gotten everything they could ever want and then some.
Jill was in behind the pool of the gym along with Crasher and Barry who had come to watch the match. He was positively bouncing off the walls, analyzing and fawning over the entire ordeal. His battle with Crasher had gone very differently, with Barry utilizing the pool as much as Crasher had. Jill however, did not have any water type Pokemon so she had to adjust accordingly. Reporters were wanting interviews with both Crasher and Jill, but Jill was doing her best to avoid the cameras. She really didn't have a desire to be put in the spotlight like that. The crowd was beginning to thin out and exit the gym when an officer came rushing up to where the trainers were standing.
"I'm sorry sir, but I must interrupt" the officer said to Crasher who was talking to a reporter. The gym leader immediately lost his grin. Jill went on high alert, poking Barry to be quiet and listen. The young blonde wanted to look affronted but noticed the tension on his new 'mentor' and listened in.
"Not here" the leader said.
"Sir we need to keep everyone in the gym still" the officer responded. Jill was only able to hear what he said because she was practically right next to Crasher.
"Did you find something?" Crasher asked.
"What's going on sir?" Barry piped up.
"Nothing young man. Just some precautions being taken is all" Crasher responded before looking back at the officer. "How exactly are we going to explain this?" The officer looked to be lost. Jill assumed he was simply the messenger for something bigger going on.
"I was just told we need to keep people here sir."
"Then get the champion on the line…" Crasher started walking away quickly and Jill couldn't make out what else he said. But if Cynthia was here then something major must be happening. Jill hadn't seen the champion in the stands, and that would have been something she noticed immediately.
"Mr. Wake, what's going on? Can we help?" Jill said, following the officer.
"Miss Heart, I appreciate the offer, but this is something for the police to handle. Please just stay here while we get this sorted out."
"I can…" she wasn't able to finish her statement. At that moment, a low rumble could be heard followed by an earthquake.
Cynthia was rocked back. There was a massive whomp-like sound, and then the ground was shaking. There was also a wave of warm air that hit the champion, smelling like burnt earth and water. Adrenaline spiked, and the champion looked up. She couldn't see her avian at first, but then there was the white speck standing out against an angry looking black cloud starting to form. People were beginning to recover and run about to see what had just happened. The lieutenant had fallen to the ground and was recomposing herself.
Oberon landed beside the champion, clicking quickly. Cynthia knew that what she feared Flint had seen back in Veilstone, had just happened here. What she wasn't sure was who could be trusted. She pulled out her phone.
"Champion Cynthia?" the male voice on the other end of the line answered.
"I need to know if there are any IP agents in the field in Pastoria" Cynthia said with a tight voice.
"You need not worry, Looker is… well looking… into the occurrence at said city."
"Looker, I need to know what the hell is going on. They just set off a bomb of some sort in the Great Marsh!" Cynthia hissed.
"I am aware. They have a rented truck, these agents of chaos. There is also the warehouse upon which Looker is currently about to investigate."
"Where? I'll join you there!" the champion said.
"Negative. We will be needing the agents there, will we not?" Looker asked instead. Cynthia sighed. Right now, she didn't care who they caught. She wouldn't know who to even look at here at the Marsh anyways. All the trucks were the same, and the uniforms running around were more like a Durant nest than anything else at the moment.
"Fret not Miss Cynthia. I am sending you the plates of the suspected truck. Look for the men there. I will find the… findings… here!" The line went dead. Cynthia stared at her phone for a long minute before a text popped up with a string of numbers and letters.
"We need to find this plate" Cynthia told the lieutenant. Together the woman made their way into the staff work area for the marsh. Trucks were moving all over the place, making it far more difficult to find their vehicle. Cynthia however, was determined. This would not go unanswered.
"Dude I shit you not, that's the fucking champion!" Teller exclaimed. There was no way he signed up to take on the champion of Sinnoh.
"What in Arceus' name is she doing here" Groves said under his breath. Both men were still somewhat shaken from the devices explosion. Groves had a feeling that nutcase of a scientist was going to be happy, but for his part, Groves wanted out. Something this powerful and dangerous had no place in the world. He wasn't about to cross the most powerful man in the region though either.
"Fuck…" Groves sighed.
"What do we do?" the other man asked.
"We ditch the truck. Sneak out and head to the lake. That's where the rendezvous is anyways." Teller simply nodded. They quickly found a spot to park and climbed out of the truck. Luckily with the uniforms it was easy to get lost in the crowd. Both men quickly separated and began their trek out.
People were screaming, kids were crying, and Jill was simply trying to figure out what was going on. Crasher was at a loss as well, being stuck at the gym, people were looking to him. The problem was, he had no answers. And the champion had failed at whatever it was she was supposed to find and stop. Jill had lost track of Barry in all the commotion, but she wasn't too worried about her friend. He was smart enough to stay out of serious trouble. Or at least she thought he was.
"There you are!" Barry exclaimed in Jill's ear, just as she had managed to sneak past the cops guarding the gym doors.
"Arceus Barry!" Jill hissed, punching the young man in the shoulder. "When are you going to stop doing that!"
"Probably never, but that's not the point right now! We need to get to the Great Marsh!" Barry said, dragging Jill along behind him.
"Why there?" she asked.
"Heard Crasher say something about it. Sounds like that's where all the action is coming from."
"Barry, are you sure we should be getting involved? I mean if Crasher was talking about Cynthia being here, and the International Police…" Barry was frowning at Jill's words. Of course, they made sense. And Jill was just as at odds as Barry was about the situation.
"I can't sit around and do nothing…" the young man said. He finally stopped walked for a moment and faced his childhood friend. They stared at each other, and nodded. Nervous they may be, but this wasn't something a trainer walked away from. This was a chance to help do something right.
Both trainers sent out a Pokemon that would help move faster. Barry was using his Staravia while Jill sent out Epona. She jumped on to the horses back and clicked her into action. Jill had just begun riding Epona more and more while they were travelling. They made more kilometres certain days when she recalled some of her team and let Epona stretch her legs. This was a totally different experience however, riding on the fire-type at speed through the city. The two young trainers pulled up outside the main entrance to the Great Marsh, seeing a hive of activity. This was certainly ground zero.
"What now?" Jill asked, recalling her friend. Barry was frowning, also unsure where to begin.
"I guess we go see who's in charge?" The blonde led the way forward, Jill close behind. The two were looking around for someone issuing orders, but there was too much commotion to get a sense of leadership.
"Hey!" a park worker yelled at both Barry and Jill. They turned to address the mid twenties worker. "What are you two doing here? We're closed to the public!" He seemed out of breath. Barry and Jill looked at each other before Barry spoke up.
"We're here to help!"
"Look kid, I appreciate the thought, but we got this covered okay? Now just leave before you get in the way." The man shook his head and hurried off.
"I really should fine him…" Barry said, causing Jill to chuckle. She was looking around again when she saw something out of place. Nudging her friend, the young woman pointed to a man in uniform, looking rather uncomfortable, constantly checking around himself and seemingly walking away from the busiest areas.
"Think we should follow?" Barry asked quietly. Jill half shrugged but nodded at the same time. There was something about the man that bothered her.
"They're not here…" the lieutenant said, checking all over the truck. The officer had found their target, but both men had already left the vehicle, frustrating Cynthia even further. Standing at the back of the truck, the champion turned around, hands on her hips, scanning the crowd. With everyone wearing park uniforms, it was difficult to make out individuals. She needed something out of place. Anything. Cynthia's concentration was broken with a buzzing suddenly.
"Not a great time Lucian" the champion said.
"I know Cynthia, but we're getting reports here at the league. Where are you?" the elite asked.
"Great Marsh. It's where they set off the bomb."
"Just one?"
"What do you mean just one?" Cynthia responded. Dread filled up within her.
"Flint called in. Apparently, this wasn't the only device. There's evidence of more."
"Shit…" Lucian was quiet. This was the first time he'd ever heard the champion swear. "I need someone else here asap Lucian. I need to find the men who set this thing off, but we also need to know what we're dealing with here."
"The IP have people…"
"Not just the International Police Lucian. The league needs to be involved here. Now." The psychic trainer was quiet for a moment before responding.
"I can teleport myself and Bertha in." Cynthia was thinking fast. It would be unprecedented to leave the League empty. While their main function was to oversee and run league event and battles, the Elite four and Champions were also more than that. They were idols, figures of prominence, symbols of what people could achieve. They were looked up to. Beause of that, there were always people who came to the League to train and to be a part of that world. Which also meant that there always needed to be at least one current member at the League. Lucian seemed to know what she was thinking.
"Aaron will be back shortly. If anything, we can get the front desk to stall." Cynthia sighed. This whole situation kept getting worse and worse.
"Do it." The champion kept scanning the area looking for anything amiss. She had also discretely sent out Oberon again to scan the skies. If something was amiss, he would see it up there. It wasn't long before people parted in front of her allowing Lucian and Bertha through.
"Quite the mess we have here" Bertha stated. The older woman wasn't smiling for once. She was all business today. Smoke and steam were still billowing up from the Marsh, capturing both the elite's attention.
"Gods…" Lucian whispered. He wasn't normally a man shaken but this was a type of attack that had not been seen in a very long time. It would be time to judge what kind of a Champion Cynthia truly was.
"Bertha I need you to help take a team to the blast site and figure out what happened there" the champion said as she resumed control of the situation around her.
"I'm no expert in these matters champion" the older woman replied.
"That's why you're taking a team. We need to get these premises under control and get people out there to scout the damage. And your Pokemon are better suited to finding out what happened than anyone elses." Bertha nodded.
"Lucian, I want you overseeing efforts to keep the public calm and get operations restored here. Crasher should be here soon to help. Both of you, use him wisely."
"Where are you going?" Bertha asked. It was at this moment that Cynthia's Togekiss dropped from the sky, landing gracefully beside its trainer.
"Oberon found something. I need to follow it up. This truck here wasn't a registered vehicle with the park. It's a rental. I have the IP following up, but if whoever set off that bomb escaped into this mess then I need to find them." Oberon's beak clicked in affirmation. Both the elite's nodded and headed off to begin their tasks. The lieutenant who had been helping Cynthia stepped forward as the Champion addressed her flying type.
"Ma'am I'd like to help" she said. The policewoman was still nervous as all hell, but this was a moment to try and make a difference. The champion turned her gaze upon the law enforcer.
"Thank you, lieutenant, but I will be faster on my own. These people are dangerous. However, there is an agent here who could use local help. He'll go by the name of Looker. Find him and help him track down whatever elements were left behind in the city." The lieutenant saluted the champion as Cynthia headed off in pursuit of Oberon who had lifted off into the skies once more.
Her breathing was slowly returning to normal. Cynthia had to push down her anger and regain her battle poise. It was something that made people think of her as icy when she was battling. There seemed to be no real sense of emotion, only cold purpose. While that was not strictly speaking true, the champion also did nothing to debate those rumours. It was only in her personal life that people would ever see her more emotional side. This event however, was pushing the champion to her limits. It was hard not to feel anger, but that would only cloud her judgement. She needed to keep a clear head for whatever lay ahead.
Oberon lead the way east, headed out of the park. It was some time before Cynthia came upon the parks boundary at the city. The fence here was ripped open, enough for a larger person to fit through. The streets along the park were empty, a rather unnerving sight considering they should be full of people leaving the gym match. Looking up, Cynthia kept following her partner towards what he had spotted.
It was evening before Cynthia caught up to the suspect Oberon had spotted. A man was sitting there, making small movements. Cynthia couldn't be sure what he was doing, but it didn't seem anything dangerous. What she wasn't ready for was for someone else to pop out.
"Was that you who set off that bomb!" a young man yelled. Cynthia's heart almost stopped as she recognized who the young man was, along with her cousin who also stepped out into the clearing.
"Fuck off kid. I'm wiped, and I don't have the patience to deal with you!"
"You have some nerve!" Jill shouted back.
"Arceus sakes, I told you to fuck off!" the man said. He was wearing a park uniform Cynthia noted. She silently signalled for Oberon to stay in the air, and then grabbed a pokeball.
"Not until you tell us why you would do something like that" Barry said.
"I'm not telling you two jack shit." Before the younger trainers could react, the man sent out a Pokemon who wasted no time in attacking the two humans. It was in mid leap of striking Jill who was sent sprawling by Barry before the ground erupted beneath the Croagunk. Everyone in the area was flung back as a rather large dragon burst from the earth. The Garchomp roared its arrival causing the man in the park uniform to spin around searching.
"Oh fuck" he said as he spotted the champion calmly walking out into the clearing.
"Cynthia!" Jill exclaimed. The champion did not say anything however, keeping her steely gaze upon the imposter.
"You're coming with me" she said quietly, in a voice that whispered the unspoken threat.
"Not a fucking chance blondie. I ain't going nowhere but where the boss tells me." The man looked ready to fight, but he seemed to forget what Cynthia was capable of.
"Vervada…" the champion said softly. The dragon barely hissed before it moved lightning quick. The Croagunk was knocked unconscious and the man was laying on the ground, the dragon's claws pinning him before he could react. Cynthia held her gaze for some time before finally softening slightly to address Barry and Jill, both of whom were suitably shocked at the champions display of power and speed. And to the lesser extent, ruthlessness.
"What are you two doing here? You should still be at the gym!" Barry was still somewhat shocked that the champion of Sinnoh was speaking to him. Jill pushed herself off the ground and stood in front of her cousin.
"We couldn't just do nothing. What happened at the Marsh?" the young woman demanded. Cynthia stared at the younger trainer. For Jill's part, she held her ground, however, in her mind she was freaking out a bit. She could tell that Cynthia was mad about what had happened at the Marsh. This was most certainly way bigger than either Jill or Barry originally realized.
"What happened at the Marsh shouldn't worry you. That's for the league and police to follow up on" Cynthia replied.
"But we can help!" Barry called out, breaking out of his shock.
"Absolutely not!" Cynthia countered voice raised. Both trainers went silent. There was a steel in the champions voice that told them to listen rather than speak. Cynthia sighed. "Look, I appreciate that you two want to help. But winning gym badges isn't the same as what goes on in this world. These people, they're working out of the shadows. They won't care about hurting people or Pokemon. Every time you cross their path, you put yourselves at more risk than you are aware. Jill, you've already fought them twice that I'm aware of. You've also almost lost members of your team because of them." Jill looked down, remembering her encounter in Eterna and Star. Barry was still staring at the champion with a slight frown on his face. Cynthia looked back at the man struggling underneath her Garchomp.
"The International Police are here and helping the league investigate this. If you see something else happening or hear of anything let us know. Please do not rush in." Cynthia's phone began vibrating. She grabbed the device and looked down. Lucian was calling. She quickly sent a message saying she would call back shortly and faced the two travelling trainers once more. Jill was staring at her cousin with an intensity that matched Cynthia's own. She understood what Arthur had seen in her. But she wasn't ready yet.
"Don't let this stop you from travelling and growing. We'll get to the bottom of this."
"We're just supposed to go on about our travels and pretend as if nothing is happening?" Jill demanded.
"No, not pretend. You must always be aware. But you cannot let this stop you. Here" Cynthia paused to give both trainers her number. "Call me if you see anything. These people aren't through yet. This was only the first attack I'm sure, and you two are more inconspicuous than Elites." Both trainers were frowning slightly. Not the response they wanted, but Cynthia was standing firm in this. Even she didn't know that she would have to deal with these crises as Champion when she first claimed the title. The world was supposed to go along believing that the government would take care of stuff like this. And while they did, the league was full of the most powerful trainers per region. They were the ones who stepped in and helped solve issues when the government was outmatched. Cynthia couldn't help the sinking feeling that this time they were vastly outmatched however.
Jill and Barry were sitting together back at the Pastoria Pokemon centre. It was overrun with injured Pokemon. Nurses were trying to mend burns, broken bones and mostly just trying to calm down those wild Pokemon who the attendees of the park could not help on site there. Jill's heart was breaking seeing so much pain. And word was coming in that the water around the blast was gone. Earth had been scorched and soil dried out. Whatever bomb this was, it wasn't conventional. Again however, there was nothing the two trainers could do without getting in the way.
"What do you think we should do?" Barry asked, dead serious. He hadn't spoken much since Cynthia had called for someone to come and pick the two of them up. Gone was his playful tone and jokes. This was a Barry who knew the stakes were high.
"I guess we have to keep going?" Jill responded. She wasn't sure herself. Granted, after what she had seen Cynthia do with her Garchomp, Jill knew she wasn't on her cousin's level just yet. "Cynthia may be right. We're not cops Barry."
"I can't just sit around and do nothing though!" the young man hissed. He was frustrated. As if they were being treated as children.
"We won't be though." Both were silent for a time, idly drinking their water at a cafeteria table watching the aftermath unfold around them. Theirs was a bubble of silence and uneasy energy. "I think Barry, we need to keep going like Cynthia said." The blonde looked at his friend.
"How can we though?"
"You say how she handled her Garchomp. Can you honestly say you're that powerful yet?" Jill looked at her friend. As much as she hated to admit it, Cynthia was right about one thing. Winning gym battles wasn't the same as battling for your life. Her Garchomp was lightning fast at not only taking out the Croagunk that was ordered to attack Barry and Jill, but also in taking down the man ordering the attack. And Jill knew that neither she nor Barry could ever imagine telling one of their Pokemon to attack someone.
"Well no…" Barry answered frowning.
"Then we need to keep training. If something like this does happen again, we need to know that we can deal with it. I mean, that guy attacked us. At least you acted, but you could've been seriously hurt!" Barry blushed.
"Well… I couldn't let my best friend take the attack. I'd have to fine myself for not being a gentleman" he replied with a sheepish grin. Jill smiled back.
"Let's stay here tonight. We can continue on in the morning." As nice as it would be to get away from all of this, Jill knew that she needed the evening and a good night's sleep to get herself back together.
"Alright. Come on then, I know Crasher can put us up in the gym for the evening. The centre will probably need all the extra room they can get." Jill bit her lip. She still hadn't had a chance to heal her Pokemon since her gym match. However, Barry seemed to read her mind. "Oh, and he can get someone to look after your Pokemon. All the gym leaders have an area to do it themselves after their matches." Jill nodded and grabbed her bag.
Sorry for the long time between posts. I'm attempting to get ahead in my writing so that I can post more regularly. Hope you're still enjoying my take on this story thus far, and as always, reviews are appreciated. Your feedback is valuable.
Jillian's Pokemon:
Caladan (Grotle) - level 31, ability: Overgrow, nature: Bashful
Chase (Luxio) - level 32, ability: Intimidate, nature: Impish
Epona (Ponyta) - level 31, ability: Run Away, nature: Naughty
Urim (Togepi) - level 33, ability: Serene Grace, nature: Brave
Sphryna (Gabite) - level 31 ability: Sand Veil, nature: Naive
Icarium (Kirlia) - level 34, ability: Trace, nature: Lonely
