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Chapter XXVIII: In Which Iris Rises
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July 20th, 2009. Afternoon. Somewhere in Unova.
Twenty minutes following their departure from the Battle Pyramid, Elesa and Skyla emerged the thickest of the foliage and found themselves amid a clearing overrun by wildflowers and weeds. They were on a mission: Yet, a jagged pattern of gray stones rising from the ground was enough to give Elesa pause, and she dismounted from her Zebstrika to investigate. Skyla blinked and followed suit. She paced a few steps behind her fellow gym leader, casting her gaze left and right at the rows of unshapely stones.
"What is this place?" Skyla finally asked aloud, stopping behind Elesa. "Some kind of graveyard?"
Elesa remained silent for a moment longer, considering her response. "Not well maintained, but I believe so," she finally decided before approaching one of the grab slabs and crouching down to observe it. She reached out toward it with a single hand, gingerly trailing her fingers over the surface. "These headstones don't have any kind of words engraved in them, though. Just amateur carvings."
Skyla pricked up and turned her head back toward the dozens of headstones she'd passed. She hadn't noticed it the first, but each headstone was indeed marked by nothing but a shallow, child-like drawing. Skyla approached one such marking and leaned down to get a closer look. Her eyes widened then as she said, "This one resembles a Sandile." She glanced to her left. "And that—that one looks like a Herdier."
Elesa nodded, apparently unsurprised to hear this. "This is a Pokémon graveyard," she concluded. They said nothing further on the matter; their expressions in the glance they shared following Elesa's declaration was enough. Elesa appeared more contemplative, but Skyla was visibly unsettled. A graveyard for Pokémon was not unusual, but the strange fashioning of this one drew questions of their adversary's true nature to the forefront of their mind.
The eerie silence was broken by the sound of wings above them. Skyla looked upward and saw her Unfezant circling overhead. She extended an arm toward him, inviting him to land. "Did you find it?" Skyla asked once he perched himself. Unfezant cooed affirmatively and took flight once more. Elesa mounted her Zebstrika again and pulled Skyla up with her before they followed his lead.
Unfezant piloted them to the edge of a cliff before he stopped and landed on Skyla's shoulder. Below them stood a dilapidated, unsteady bridge that crossed over a shallow, dried waterbed and led to several rusting, abandoned buildings amid some yellowing brush and patches of red, dusty earth. The bridge connected to an unpaved roadway that wound around a cliffside opposite to the one they stood. Despite the derelict conditions of the area however, it was obvious this road was more recently used—and perhaps used quite often.
"That's the abandoned mine," Elesa realized. "We must be standing above the hideout."
"Then those Rockets can't be far from here," Skyla added. "So now we've just got to find this 'parking garage' and bring them back..." The two-way attached to Elesa's waist suddenly came to life with feedback; someone was trying to get into contact with them.
"This is Elesa to Battle Pyramid," Elesa said, swiftly picking up the radio. "Can you repeat that? We couldn't hear you."
More feedback—then, Lance's voice, distorted and fuzzy, but still comprehensible: "This is Lance to Elesa and Skyla. There's been a change in the mission plan."
The Rocket clan found the entrance to the alleged parking garage about 400 yards off the abandoned mine. Following the path marked by the tread of car tires, they were led to the red face of a cliff, where the tread abruptly ended—which, of course, inspired some confusion.
"Looks like a dead end," Butch breathed in frustration, staring at the tracks and then up at the wall. He stood mere inches away from the cliff face, right where the path ended, so close in fact that the tip of his nose was nearly touching the red rock.
"You dingus," Cassidy snarled. "There's obviously some kind of hidden entrance here! This wall is very suspicious."
"I just see a wall," Butch shot back, whipping his head toward her. Jessie sighed and folded her arms.
"Butch, take two steps back and look up again," she ordered. Butch glowered at her before doing as he was told: He backed up and tilted his head up again. Then, his eyes widened and his mouth formed a large, round "O" shape. There was a distinct rectangular box built into the face, a definite entrance.
"Oh..."
"So now the question is, how do we get in?" James asked. "Does anyone have a Voltorb or Electrode on hand?"
"Oh, yeh, like dat wouldn't draw any attention," Meowth scoffed.
"Maybe it opens like an automatic garage door, and all you need is the remote," Jessie suggested.
"Your ass has been living in suburbia for too long," Cassidy sneered dismissively.
"At least my ass hasn't been in jail for seven years," Jessie threw back with equal vitriol.
"Ey, be quiet, both of you," Meowth snapped at them. "I'm tryin' to think." The Pokémon then ritualistically pressed his paw to his chin, rubbing it, humming as he did. After a moment's pause, he continued, "It wouldn't be good to try to force our way in now anyway—dat might alert someone we're here, and we don't want dat."
"The base wants to know how many of these Plasma losers we're up against though," Cassidy reminded. "We can't go back until we have a number."
"Maybe we ought until someone comes out, and then that's our chance to go in," James suggested. "If the Champ Squad wants to break down the door later, then let them, but Meowth's right: We can't take the risk now."
"How long are we gonna have to wait though until someone comes out, though? By then, maybe they'll have all figured out the fire alarm was a ruse and will be heading back in," Butch pointed out. Jessie frowned and rolled her eyes as this conversation occurred; eventually, she pulled her purse off her shoulder—she didn't trust any of the goodies back at the base to hold onto it—and started digging through it.
"Well, do you have a better suggestion?" Meowth retorted.
"I do," Jessie cut in as she pulled a small remote out of her purse and pressed the green "open" button. There was a rumble, and the party stumbled back as the heavy stone door began to rise. Her companions stared at the door and then at her, to which she smirked and, holding up the remote as a taunt, said, "It's universal."
The halls were empty—for now, at least.
Trip had tucked Colress's journal under his arm and was moving quickly, stealthily through the castle, though not toward where he was ordered to go. The last contact he had received from the Battle Pyramid was Adalet instructing him to, in plain terms, get out. May had been compromised; Team Plasma knew they were there, and they would be looking for him next.
At the time, Trip had been digging further into the journal, and it had been difficult to tear himself away from the short, occasionally enigmatic entries. He had learned much from the record, and he expected his superiors would be interested in what it had to say too, but that would have to wait. He was supposed to be heading down to the first floor again to make his escape, but he had done the opposite, climbing an additional two floors in a madcap search. It was a definite mistake telling him May was in trouble: There was no way he would leave with that knowledge.
He stopped at a corner and carefully peered around the edge. There were no people, but there was a scene. Trip sucked in his breath, his chest tightening, before he stepped out to survey the area. A couple sets of curtains had been torn down and half-burned to ashes; the long velvet rug had a long cut sliced straight up the middle; a potted plant had toppled over. There undoubtedly had been an altercation there, and the burn marks indicated May and her Blaziken were a part of it.
"This is Battle Pyramid to Trip. Are you in a place where you can speak?" It was Lance.
Trip didn't respond at first. He stared vacantly at the violent display before him, still processing it inside his mind. It occurred to him Lance was probably contacting him to inquire where he was and why he wasn't on his way back yet, but returning himself had fallen even lower on his priority list. Finally, Trip pressed a finger to his earpiece and said, "I am."
"Are you still in the castle?"
"Yes." Trip saw no sense in denying it, but it was the following words that caught him off guard.
"Good. Stay there," Lance ordered, causing Trip's brow to shoot up. "Your Champions had a change of heart. We're taking Team Plasma head-on. There's still a rescue team heading in after May, and right now, we have people out assessing our enemy's size at the parking garage. But you're our only eyes and ears in there right now, and we'd like to keep that advantage."
"You don't have to ask me twice," Trip replied.
"Just don't get caught in any crossfires," Lance strictly advised. "I'd rather we not prepare two rescues."
Trip glanced at his anarchic backdrop once more. "I'll do my best," he said.
"Do you know where the team might find her?" Lance went on. "There are ten people going in, plus N's sisters, and they can split into two groups of six to cover more ground if you could give us an idea where to start."
"I've been moving up the floors, and I haven't found her," Trip finally admitted. He knew it would annoy Lance to figure out Trip actually never intended to leave the castle despite the evacuation order he was given, even if it was ultimately to their benefit. Trip appended, "I did find where she was attacked, but she's nowhere in sight."
Lance was silent for a moment, possibly thinking, possibly seething, possibly engaged in some other unpleasant emotion that couldn't affect Trip through a wireless earpiece. Regardless, Trip waited until the sound of something down the hallway caused him to whip his head around. Nothing was there, but Trip knew he had not made it up in his mind and, therefore, knew he was no longer alone.
"You haven't checked the ground level, though?" Lance finally asked.
Trip didn't respond. He breathing grew shallow, and he moved up the hall slowly, carefully. Again, he heard something around the corner, and that was when he jumped to see if he could catch it. All he did catch was the end of a striped pink tail from the other end of the hallway, but the sight was enough: The pieces came together in his mind, and horror fell across his face.
"Trip, the ground level?" Lance repeated impatiently.
"She went looking for me," Trip whispered in disbelief.
"What?" Lance sounded both irate and confused.
"Lance, there's something you and the others need to know." Trip said this all quickly, but seriously. "The first fire 'drill' was because one of the infected Pokémon escaped. I read about it in Colress's journal."
"I don't understand why—"
"I need to go, now." And with that, Trip turned off the earpiece, cutting off all distractions and heading into hypervigilance as he reached for a Pokéball.
"Holy smokes," James breathed, taking in the sight below him. "That's a lot of people. At least 300." He, along with the others, were crouched behind a short concrete wall near the top of the spiral roadway the descended into what was most definitely the parking garage. James peeked over the concrete wall again at the mass of darkly dressed Team Plasma grunts below. "Probably 306. Yes, it's 306."
"How can you be so sure?" Butch asked.
"I've never lost a jellybean guessing contest," James told him straight.
"People are not jellybeans!" Cassidy hissed.
"It's the same concept!" James fought back.
"What are we talking about jellybeans for?" Skyla asked, kneeling between the two warring parties. The team of former Team Rocket members jumped and Butch nearly yelped before Cassidy slapped a hand over his mouth. Skyla blinked, and Elesa pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Don't give us away!" Cassidy hissed.
Butch wretched Cassidy's hand away from his mouth and, after a couple gasps for air, added, "Yeah, sheesh, don't sneak up on us when we're trying to be sneaky."
"Sorry..." Skyla shrugged it off.
"What are you two doin' here anyway?" Meowth asked.
"It's complicated," Elesa answered. Now she, too, was kneeling with them behind the wall. "May was compromised, and we were originally sent to retrieve you. But we received word that the decision to abort was reversed, and now we're here for the same reason as you."
Jessie scoffed, but said, "Well, give Adalet or whoever our report then: We're outnumbered three to one."
Elesa stared. Then, she snapped her gaze away and slide closer to the wall to peer over the edge, and her composure was visibly shaken.
"Three to... ?" she blanched.
Concordia held a meticulously-kept card key delicately above the reader attached to the rusted elevator, keeping her party members in suspense. They watched her carefully, growing more confused upon her prolonged inaction. Eventually, Serena—a volunteer, though one of the last-minute additions to the team—cleared her throat.
"Is everything OK?" she asked. She might have used Concordia's name if she had known it. Clemont cast her an uneasy glance, but Serena kept a practiced, caring focus on the pensive sister, who turned and looked at Serena with an unreadable expression.
"You do realize that the moment I use this, Ghetsis may quickly find out I'm here," she said lightly.
"They already know the G-Men are here," Drew said; his speech was clipped. "There's nothing to lose."
"But they don't know N and his sisters are helping us," Wallace calmly pointed out. Drew flicked a tense look his way, and the one-way strain was easily felt among the entirety of the group, though they—save Max—didn't have the slightest clue why.
"Well, unless someone has another idea that doesn't risk the destruction of an old elevator that's our only way down..." Drew started to a silent audience. Then, with a self-assured nod, he said, "Thought so." Concordia slid the card in then, and the entire group quickly shuffled inside before the descent began. Within seconds, the castle came into view, and it was just as breathtaking for these new agents.
"You know, organized crime is getting surprisingly more creative," Zoey remarked.
"And crazy," Kenny added with half of a chuckle. Dawn looked sore upon the comment, however, and Kenny quickly realized why it was inappropriate—for multiple reasons, especially with N's sisters standing beside them. He quickly added, "Sorry."
"It just means we have to be more creative," Bonnie optimistically said. "And if there's one thing this group has, it's creativity."
It was true. Unintentional as it was, the group was comprised almost entirely of coordinators, with several unique additions, including an inventor, a stage performer, and a trainer whose personality whose particular personality was so vociferous that it was almost an artform in and of itself. Still, Max adjusted his glasses before inquiring, "Creativity?"
"I meant everyone else," Bonnie retorted wryly. "I don't know anything about you."
Max almost looked offended, then said, "I'm Max."
"Yeah, that's original," she laughed. Clemont gave her a look—her jollity in the severe situation was clearly not appreciated—and seeing his look, she added more seriously, "I'm kidding with you. I know you're May's brother. We're gonna find her." Drew breathed out at that, and Max pursed his lips.
They reached the bottom and started toward the castle. Here, the atmosphere changed. Any lighthearted attempts were left at the closing elevator doors, and Barry stepped deliberately ahead to ask the group, "So, do we split up?"
"Lance communicated to me that Trip believes May went looking for him," Wallace said, and at this, Drew's brow shot up.
"He thinks May got away?" he asked. He hadn't heard of this news yet, and he was halfway annoyed he hadn't. "On what basis?"
"I'm not sure," Wallace admitted, but any lead was better than no lead for Drew.
"We need to go straight to where they're doing the experiments then," he concluded before looking pointedly at the sisters. "Can you take us there?"
Anthea and Concordia exchanged careful glances and then nodded.
"We can, yes," Concordia answered.
Colress rationalistic temperance dissolved entirely the moment he reached his room and saw the door mangled into sharp-edged panels and splinters at the entrance. His lips curled into a beastlike snarl, and an equally animalistic scoff followed. He stumbled over the debris and went to his desk, ripping out a drawer and retrieving a first-aid kit. His hand had been badly burned and would require more sophisticated medical attention, but he would need to reassess his place and decide how to address the inconvenient situation facing him first.
Colress applied a low-grade Rawst treatment to his hand before pulling out a roll of disposable gauze and starting to unravel. He ripped the end of the gauze with his teeth then appropriately dressed the wound just as his phone rang. He reached for it with his uninjured hand and, after checking the caller ID, answered in a scathing tone, "What?"
"It's been twenty minutes." Aldith's voice, sounding equally annoyed patched through. "We're waiting for the OK to come back in still."
"I know." Colress threw the unused gauze back into the kit. He groped for his scientific equanimity again and managed to find some.
"So... ?" Aldith prompted him impatiently.
"You don't have the OK," Colress said calmly. "Stay out there."
This did not sit well with Aldith, and she growled, "What the hell is going on in there?"
"It's not your concern, Aldith." He paused then, feeling that something was out of the place, door aside. It was obvious enough that someone had raided has room, but he hadn't yet thought of what they might try to find. Trailing over his fingers over the abnormally disheveled papers on his desk—yes, someone had clearly been tampering with his private things—he soon realized what was missing.
"Where's Ghetsis?" Aldith suddenly demanded, apparently thinking she might have more success with the higher leader.
His response was likely not what she expected: Colress stood and overturned the entire desk in a fury that she surely heard, and then he practically screamed, "It's not your concern, Aldith!" before hanging up. He paced the room then, hand clutched over the mouth, mind running through dozens of thoughts by the minute.
The phone rang again. Colress snatched it up, answering, "Aldith—"
"Colress." A deeper voice came through, and Colress realized he had the wrong person.
"Ghetsis, sir," Colress started apologetically.
"Where are you?" Ghetsis demanded. "Annie and Oakley said you disappeared."
"Surely you don't believe I would abandon my post?" Colress asked in a pleasant, dilatory manner. "... I came to my room to treat a burn on my hand."
Little trust was regained, but after a moment's silence, Ghetsis revealed, "Concordia has reentered the building."
Colress stopped pacing. His expression changed from wild fury to careful contemplation, and he drolled, "Interesting... Tell Annie and Oakley to leave the Maple girl alone and find me." He returned to his first-aid kit, picking it out from the papers among his overturned desk. As he thought, a couple of Paralyze Heals were inside. "I believe I know what the G-Men are doing, and I know how we can respond."
"Elesa, Skyla, and the Rockets report we're outnumbered three to one."
This news from Lance was met with silence and unreadable expressions. They—being the elite few considered important enough to be present—were back in the communication room waiting upon this very news, and it was certainly not welcome news. Yet, Leaf appeared undeterred as she folded her hands together and sat up straighter than before. There was a slight pink ring around her eyes that no one would acknowledge, though by then they all knew the reason behind it.
"And?" she questioned.
Her response was equally unwanted on Lance's end; others, including Iris and Paul, might have felt some restorative effects at her unwavering stance. Still, Lance sternly asked, "Are you sure this is something you want to pursue?"
"What's the matter, Lance?" Leaf asked with calculated, robotic humor. "You were always more hawkish than I ever was." The chill was undeniable, and it was surprising in its own way. Cynthia raised an eyebrow; she was normally the one to challenge Lance, never Leaf, and it caused her her (and others) to wonder just how deeply the effects of Gary were.
"I'm not falling for your provocations this time," Lance half-warned. "I'm merely communicating what I was told."
Iris's hand anxiously rubbed the silver chain connected to her Key Stone and, suddenly feeling the pressure and grief of the moment, quickly turned to Adalet. With a slight tremor in her voice, she asked, "Erol, what do you think?"
"Are you considering changing your mind again, Ms. Ajagara?" Adalet asked calmly without missing a single beat. Iris let go of the chain and folded her hands in her lap. Cilan cast her a concerned look. The three all knew how it must have appeared: She was wishy-washy, vacillating between one decision to another, and Adalet was warning her of the consequences of another change.
"I recognize I have a lot of personal investment in this, and it that doesn't make me the best decision-maker," Iris finally said, a wise answer. "That's why I brought you here in the first place." Adalet had never indicated a lack of respect for Iris, but it was certainly gained then. He turned abruptly to the rest of the room.
"They don't know they outnumber us," he said, and Iris took in a surprised breath. He would defend her original position, and both Paul and Leaf seemed surprised, too. Silver smirked, and Ash caught the expression and looked bothered—really bothered. Misty frowned and gently touched his shoulder, assuming it was the news of Gary that had him distraught.
Adalet's declaration had turned the room, and Surge pressed a hand against his mouth, dragging it down, before adding, "We do have the higher ground, literally."
"And the right amount of talent," Steven appended. He then slowly moved his gaze toward the current crop of Champions, continuing, "... and righteous indignation."
The decision was made. Lance rose his head and said, "Well, if that's how we feel, then we need to move now. May's rescue team is underground, and we're losing time."
"Then why hasn't Team Plasma moved back inside?" Cynthia pointed out. "It's been at least a half-hour, and they're still just standing in the garage?"
"Disorganization?" Paul mumbled as a suggestion, but Cynthia frowned.
"Maybe," she conceded.
"I already said we should go," Leaf broke out impatiently. "I stand by that."
"I do, too," Iris added on quickly, and Paul nodded.
"Then let's go." Leaf stood up, and everyone else followed suit. Yet, Iris turned her head and watched Leaf for a moment as she turned, shoved her hand into her trainer bag, and pulled out a silver bracelet with two charms on it: the female astrological symbol and a multi-colored pearl with a familiar double-helix design. Iris's breath caught as Leaf slid the bracelet onto her wrist before she pounded out of the room. Paul's eyes connected surreptitiously with Iris's from across the way as soon as Leaf left, and she saw he, too, had pulled out a jewelry piece—a lapel in the shape of a Torterra's head—with the same kaleidoscopic effect. He pinned it to his shirt and followed Leaf.
"She's angry," Cilan commented from behind Iris, meaning Leaf. Iris pursed her lips.
"So am I," she said. "So is Paul." A pause, and the she strode to the door, too, with Cilan on her heels. They were headed toward the main entrance where everyone was waiting, but Adalet intercepted her first.
"Madam Champion," he started. "Given this is your region, you will be expected to speak and lead the charge. Lance has already said we're moving out, but..."
Cilan tensed up at this, but Iris only nodded and said, "I know."
"Perhaps we can take a few minutes to—" Cilan started, addressing Iris, but she cut him off.
"—It's OK," she assured him. "I know what to say." Cilan appeared surprised at this, and she smiled weakly before moving past Adalet and into the main area.
Everyone was already on their feet when she arrived. A hush fell upon her appearance, and suddenly, she had hundreds of eyes on her. She took in a deep breath to quell her anxiety; she glanced at Cilan beside her, who offered an attempt at a reassuring smile, and then looked out at the crowd, where she found Leaf and Paul both watching her. Iris rose her chin a little higher, remembering that she was speaking for more than just herself, and that was when she began.
"This is going to be dangerous." It was an unexpected start, and Cilan—among others—almost cringed. But then she continued, "There's no hiding that, and it wouldn't be right for me to hide that. But I know that if you're here, you're aware that there are risks, and I can't even put into words how grateful I am that you'd be willing to put yourselves on the line for Unova. This is my home, and this is the home to hundreds of thousands of others—including some of you—who will also be grateful to you after today."
A pause. Iris waited a moment, thinking how to address the next matter.
"I know some of us have lost people close to us because of what Team Plasma has done." Her gaze moved to Leaf, whose gaze had briefly turned glossy before returning to normal, then to Paul, then to Burgundy. "This is personal for a lot of us, myself included. Remember this isn't about us, though. This is about them. This is about protecting the people and Pokémon in not just Unova, but all of Napaj. That's our real responsibility." She had said what she needed to say, and she didn't know how to end it. So, she simply said, "Thank you."
Nothing. And then, the sound of clapping: It was Ash, who was shortly joined by Georgia, and then it was a flood. It was not celebratory or congratulatory in any sense, but empowering, and Iris smiled regardless and rose her voice above the noise to yell, "Let's go!"
The crowd immediately began to disperse, and Iris swiftly left Cilan's side to move through the crowd and find someone before she permanently lost him in the ferment.
"N," she started quickly, seriously, after finding him. He had been on the edge of the crowd, and she touched his shoulder to get his attention. "Are you coming?"
"An interesting speech," he mused, not answering her question. "You're an interesting leader, not at all whom I expected."
This caught Iris off guard, and if she had more time, she might have wanted to follow this tangent. She repeated his name again, though, and the same question, and he nodded.
"Yes, I'm coming," he said.
"I'm going to look for your father," Iris informed him next, and the implication was evident.
"Then I will come with you," N said. "I want to see him, too." Iris breathed out.
"I thought so," she said before turning to find Cilan catching up.
Concordia and Anthea led the way in perfect step with each other down the long, white-lit hallways. The two seemed relatively at ease—at least, no more strained than they had been assisting whom they had once considered an enemy—but those who followed had grown more tense now being inside the castle. It was beautifully well-kept, pristine even, but such decor did not have the intended effect. It inspired a great sense of discomfort, especially when Barry's curious hand passively drew back one of the curtains and revealed the outdoor projections to the entire party.
"This is like something out of a horror story," Serena muttered with a shiver. She said it to no one in particular, but she was careful to ensure neither Concordia nor Anthea heard her. "Is it any wonder N and his sisters are like this? They've grown up living a lie."
Zoey offered a strange kind of smile and said, "So have we."
They came to the white double-doors at the end of the hallway. The sounds of infected Pokémon could be heard through the half-opened doors; one was swung at an acute angle and had deep scratch marks on the bottom that tore away the white paint and revealed the wooden interior. It was one of the first blemishes in the otherwise perfectly maintained mansion.
The sisters stopped. The trainers began to preemptively pull out Pokéballs in case of a fight. Drew, taking in a shaky breath, stepped ahead of the sister and pushed the doors open.
There, an altercation was more evident, but May was nevertheless nowhere in sight. The team waited anxiously for a moment, Pokéballs still raised as they took in the scene: Dozens of sick Pokémon in small barred cages, abandoned strange experiments by scientists who had left for safer ground, a table overturned, papers everywhere. Lileep was in the back, and Wallace sighed before lowering his Pokéball and moving ahead to see it.
"Well, there's confirmation Team Plasma was behind the break-in at Mauville University," Kenny remarked, but no one was gratified by this news. Drew, especially, looked upset. He pressed a hand to his face and let out a frustrated breath.
"We're going to find her," Dawn assured him. "It's a big mansion, and we know she didn't disappear."
"Was she here, though, or was it already just a mess?" Max mumbled, stepping over a broken beaker.
"Concordia and Anthea would know," Wallace remarked from afar. He was standing in front of the Lileep; it was restless, but proved nonthreatening as he reached up to pet its receptacle. "They've been here before."
All eyes were drawn to the sisters, who were standing off alone together, hovering over one table
"Something's wrong," Anthea said quietly, causing alarm the suddenly coarse through all her companions.
"What's wrong?" Bonnie asked quickly.
Concordia turned to the others gravely and, stepping aside to reveal a broken and empty cage, said, "There were more."
"These cages are not at all structured to address the unique challenges the Pokérus presents." Clemont immediately spoke next with calm, scientific rationalism. He was a short distance away observing another broken cage. "It wouldn't be relatively difficult for them to... escape..." He trailed off as the gravity of this revelation set in upon him as it did everyone else. A beat of silence fell among the screeches and cries of the infected, and then Wallace cleared his throat.
"This changes things," he said. "I need to get back in contact with the Battle Pyramid."
There were some nods of agreement, but uncertainty now plagued the group. What would they do? What could they do? No one knew where May and Trip were, but no one also knew where the escaped Pokémon were. Questions and fears soon began to spring forth from the group in a feeble attempt to make sense of the immensely more dangerous situation.
"We can't leave without May," Drew said, half-panicked now.
"Or Trip," Barry added, agreeing.
"Drew, she may already be infected," Zoey said. It was an unempathetic, shrewd part of her which said it, and she immediately regretted it, but the point stood regardless: If she was infected, then her death sentence had already been signed and sealed, regardless of whether they found her or not, and continuing the search might sign more.
"We're not leaving," Max insisted.
"There's a chance she's not," Dawn went on. "We don't even really know what happened here. We came here on heresay, there's no real evidence May was actually here or not... She could be fine, and Annie and Oakley just have her trapped somewhere..."
"I agree," Zoey backpedaled. "But we should still see what they say at the Battle Pyramid. Maybe Trip has already found her and we can just leave."
The conversation cut short there when the sound of rabid barking cut through the air; they spun toward the ballroom doors and saw a Mightyena—its scleras purple, its fur balding—charging toward them. Someone screamed; the group broke apart to escape, but Kenny turned as he ran and enlarged one of his Pokéballs.
"Floatzel, Whirlpool!"
Mightyena leapt up, teeth barred, intending to sink them into his new foe, but Floatzel crossed his arms and spun out a torrent of water that stopped Mightyena in his tracks. He spun back into the doors, closing them them again and leaving a soaked trail to where he stood. Mightyena appeared hardly affected though; it shook its fur, let out a Roar that terrified Floatzel and sent him back into his Pokéball; the rest of the Pokémon, all still in their cages, turned riotous. Its wild eyes turned on Bonnie, and Clemont cried out her name as the Dark-type crouched to mount an attack against her next.
"Blaze Kick!"
It was as if from nowhere that Blaziken came flying in, and it landed a fiery direct hit against Mightyena's chest. Mightyena was thrown into a table upon which a caged, infected Vulpix sat; the table collapsed, the cage's door loosened, and Vulpix, too, broke free. This huge magnification of their problems might have gathered more of a horrified reaction were it not first for the shocked gazes that landed on May and her Blaziken. The trainer herself had come in through a secondary entrance and was standing on a table for higher ground, where it might have been considered a modicum safer. Beautifly was hovering above her shoulder, and Blaziken had returned to her side.
"May!" Drew cried out for her, both stunned and relieved by her arrival.
She didn't respond to him; rather, she thrust her hand out and ordered, "Beautifly, now, use Stun Spore!" Beautifly immediately obeyed and jetted forward with a thick, yellow dust trailing behind her. Vulpix scuttled away to avoid it, but Mightyena, still recovering from Blaziken's attack, was paralyzed. Still, not a moment's rest followed as an infected Camerupt charged through the closed doors, breaking them open, and immediately set its sight on the closest human: Max.
"Come on!" May leapt down from the table and grabbed his wrist. "We have to go."
In the chaos, the group split in all sorts of different directions: Drew ignored the closest and most logical escape faction, however, and instead turned toward May, her brother, and the Camerupt. Camerupt was preparing to charge, and Drew whipped out a Pokéball and enlarged it.
"Flygon, use Dragon Breath!"
Flygon flew directly overhead the slower and Camerupt and unleashed its eerie white-hot flames directly into the top conduit on its back. It was a vicious tactic, and it caused Camerupt's purplish eyes to roll and for a thick, lavender-tinted substance to spurt from its nostrils. Drew caught up with the faction and May led them straight into a storage room near the back. At the doorway, Drew whipped around and called back in his Flygon before the door was tightly slammed shut.
Heavy breathing ensued. Drew cast his eyes about the room to survey who had made it in with them: May, Max, Barry, and Bonnie. The others had run off elsewhere.
May let go of Max's wrist, returned her Beautifly and Blaziken, and, clutching her upper arm, slide down against the wall until she was on the floor. She looked exhausted; she had evidently been running for a while by then. Yet, she looked up tiredly at the others and asked, "Are you guys okay?"
"Are we okay?" Drew sputtered incredulously. "Are you—?" He stopped suddenly, his eyes widening. The adrenaline had caused him—and others, he was sure—to miss some more important details, the most prominent being that May's upper arm was badly torn up and bleeding. Hot, red streams of liquid seeped between the fingers clutched against her arm, and Drew breathed, "May..."
She wetted her lips, perhaps to reply, but Camerupt suddenly threw itself against the door and caused half the party to yelp in surprise.
"We gotta block that door, pronto," Barry said. "It might get tired enough to leave us alone, and then we can go and find the others." That was when Bonnie started to panic.
"They're out there facing infected Pokémon by themselves," she broke out. "My brother, Serena—"
"It'll be okay," May cut her off, trying to reassure her. "They have Wallace. He's a Champion." She said it as if genuinely believed Champion were infallible beings, and as if Bonnie were old enough and naïve enough to still be under the delusion they were. Nevertheless, Bonnie heaved in a long breath and nodded. Drew continued to stare at May, at her arm, and she avoided his gaze.
"C'mon, c'mon!" Barry was on his feet again and had moved to an old filing cabinet. "Help me get this in front of the door!"
"Man, I'm thirsty," Wyatt panted to his partner, fanning himself with his shirt. "Got any water?"
"No," Josiah huffed. The time was ticking by at a torturous rate by then. Forty-five minutes had passed, and yet, no approval for their re-entry had come, and the group was growing restless. The last time this happened, it only took fifteen minutes to get whatever the situation was under control. The extended wait had some were theorizing they were being punished or that they were being tested, but for most, it only had them annoyed and dehydrated.
"This is ridiculous," Wyatt groaned. "This never happened when we were in Team Rocket." A pair of razor-sharp steely blue eyes suddenly turned on him, and Wyatt realized he had inadvertently said that aloud only a couple of feet away from Aldith, his superior. "S-Sorry, Madam," he stammered out.
Aldith still looked indignant, but she half-turned her head away and, with her chin still raised, said, "Actually, I agree. This is ridiculous. We're going back in."
"W-What?" Josiah blinked, though he certainly wasn't going to protest. "Okay!" Once Aldith crossed the line to head back inside, it was assumed among all that permissions had been granted, and the rest of the grunts started to follow her.
"Oh Mew." Hundreds of feet higher, Skyla breathed in horror as she peered over the concrete wall. She looked desperately toward Elesa, saying, "They're going back in!"
Slouched against the wall, and though unaddressed, Cassidy mumbled, "And?"
"May's rescue team was deployed and is inside," Elesa said seriously, and then everyone seemed to understand.
"If dey go back in and fine 'em, it's game over," Meowth said.
The group sat in suspense for a moment, trying to come up with a plan—and quick. Most eyes were on Elesa, waiting for her judgment to pass, but it was evident the gym leader was struggling to reach a decision, any decision. And that was when Jessie took action.
"Well, I suppose we can't let that happen," she said, reaching into her purse and pulling out a single Pokéball. Its appearance, and the implication of it, jolted her companions.
"You can't be serious," Skyla protested. "If all of us together are outnumbered three to one, then the six of us are outnumbered fifty to one!"
"Seven of us," Meowth quickly corrected, pointing to himself.
"Like it makes a difference," Skyla contended with him before looking back at Jessie. "Sorry, but this is insane!" Yet, Jessie's lip still curled into a smirk.
"Honey," she began derisively, "you forget who we are." She then turned away from the group and held the Pokéball out. "Seviper, use Haze!" Seviper emerged, and Jessie directed him toward the wall. He slithered up the side and and unhinged his jaw to let out a thick, dark cloud that trailed over the edge and began to fill the room. The alarm among the Team Plasma agents was immediate, and they jerked their heads forward to find the source of the Haze, but there were already concealed in a fog.
"Good one, Jessie!" James praised before pulling out a Pokéball of his own. "Come out, Carnivine, and then use Bullet Seed!"
Screams of "What's happening?!" and "We're under attack!" echoed through the garage. Butch and Cassidy exchanged a blank look before smiling devilishly themselves and releasing their Cloyster and Tentacruel. Skyla leaned over the edge of wall, desperate to get a look at what was happening; the Haze blocked her view of the crowd, but she managed the catch a glimpse of the door leading, presumably, back into the castle. It was closed.
"Maybe this could work," she breathed, and Elesa nodded.
"They can't see us, so if we maintain our higher ground and attack from up here, then perhaps we'll hold them off long enough for—"
"—Charge!" Meowth cut off Elesa as he, the other four Rockets, and their Pokémon began stampeding down the long, spiral roadway toward the bottom. Elesa deadpanned, unmoved. Skyla stared after them blankly.
"There's a reason why Team Rocket fell apart," Elesa eventually sighed.
Halfway down the road, the group might have realized their charge was a mistake were it not for the thrill the adrenaline provided them. They dipped under the haze, where they had a view of the utter confusion among the Team Plasma grunts, and the Team Plasma grunts had a view of their attackers. One, still coughing from the smog, said, "Hey, I recognize those guys. Aren't they—?"
"To protect the world from devastation!" Jessie screeched out in order to be heard among at least a few of the Plasmas.
"To unite all peoples within our—nation!" James wasn't quite as loud as his wife, and he, now also affected by the Haze, coughed out the last word.
"There is no time for that," Cassidy snarled at the two, effectively ending the motto. "Tentacruel, use Sludge!" Screams ensued as a sizable section of Plasmas were covered in a black, noxious tar.
"Yeah, and then follow it up with Hydro Blast, Cloyster!" Butch added on.
"Butch, you idiot!" Cassidy hit the back of his head. "That's just gonna clean my Sludge off them!"
Before Butch could respond or make another call, Meowth yelped, "Look out!" The group jerked their heads up to see a Shadow Ball headed their way and split straight down the middle diving out of the way. The Shadow Ball ended up hitting the behind them, leaving a deep impact.
"What is this?" Aldith said furiously, emerging from the crowd with a Liepard at her side. "Who are you and what do you think you're doing here? How did you find us?"
"Madam Aldith." A face familiar to all four of the Rockets—Dr. Namba—stepped forward and into the open semicircle that had formed around the Plasma leader. "I can explain. I know these four."
"You know them?" Aldith sputtered, assuming the worst.
"N-No! Not like how you're thinking—my loyalties lie with Team Plasma now, of course," Namba quickly corrected. "What I mean to say is: I knew these four. I oversaw a number of their mission while working under Giovanni for Team Rocket. Those two—" He pointed to Butch and Cassidy first. "—were captured shortly before the organization was dissolved and were thrown in jail, and I'll be damned to know how they ever got out. Those two—" He pointed to Jessie and James next. "—are traitors. They sold us out and escaped retribution from both the law and from us."
"Oh, that's all?" Aldith suddenly looked and sounded far more relaxed. She folded her arms and shook her head before looking back at the Rockets, who had quickly gathered themselves up again and dusted themselves off. "Is this supposed to be an audition? We had a lot of Rockets cross over into Team Plasma following Team Rocket's disbandment. If that's the case, I'm not that impressed."
"We're not here to join your cult, thank you very much," Jessie dismissed with a sneer. "There's only enough room in Unova for one evil group, and Team Plasma has got to go."
Aldith laughed in response, and she could barely muster the words to reply, "What? You think the measly remains of Team Rocket are going to be able to take on Team Plasma? Oh, that's rich."
Jessie smiled wryly. "I wasn't talking about Team Rocket," she said.
As if by cue, the distinct roar of a dragon rang out through the garage, and a Dragonite flew beneath the smoke and unleashed a Flamethrower upon the crowd. The Dragonite was soon joined by others: An Aggron dropped to the ground, leaving a deep impact where he landed, before using Metal Sound and sending hands flying toward ears. A Venesaur dropped down behind Aggron, and its vines immediately picked up an unfortunate bystander and hurled him several yards into other Plasmas.
Chaos ensued. The battle had begun.
"Ugh," Harley groaned, spinning boredly in his chair. "How did we get stuck with nugatory sideline duties?"
He and Solidad were alone in the communication room of the Battle Pyramid, which seemed so much larger with only two people to fill it. Harley tried to put his feet up on the table, but the scolding look that Solidad sent him the moment he lifted even one leg was enough to deter him, and he sunk back into his chair.
"Because I volunteered us," Solidad eventually answered.
"Yeah, why?" Harley snorted.
"Because you didn't want to be a part of May's rescue team," Solidad replied in a matter-of-fact manner, "which was perhaps for the better. You would have been a major irritant and distraction."
Harley glowered at her, then asked, "Are you punishing me?"
She was silent for a moment. Then, she said, "It's not nugatory. We're the communication line between everyone in the castle."
Harley appeared frustrated upon that. "No one has even—" he started, but he stopped short and muttered "of course" when the microphone came alive with feedback.
"Wallace to Battle Pyramid." The feedback eventually formed into a voice. "Can you read?"
Solidad slid toward the microphone from her chair, held down the audio button, and replied, "Wallace, this is Solidad. I read you."
"Solidad, I need to speak with Lance."
"Why's that?" Harley leaned toward the microphone whilst Solidad was still holding down the button.
"There are infected Pokémon who've escaped and are running around in the mansion," Wallace revealed. "We found May, but the rescue team has inadvertently split up."
Solidad sucked in her breath and temporarily released the button. She exchanged a wide-eyed glance with Harley, whom appeared uncharacteristically alarmed himself. Solidad regathered herself, pushed the button again, and said, "Wallace, Lance just left. They all did. Harley and I are the only ones in the Battle Pyramid."
A dead silence followed. It was bad news, both to hear and to deliver. Solidad wetted her lips before adding, "Let me get back to you, Wallace." She released the audio button again and switched channels.
"This is Battle Pyramid to Lance. Do you read?" She and Harley heard only feedback that eventually transmuted to the sounds of battle; Solidad repeated the call, but again nothing came. She switched channels again.
"This is Battle Pyramid to Adalet. Do you read?" Nothing.
"This is Battle Pyramid to Leaf. Do you read?" Solidad asked, growing more desperate in her third switch. Again, the same procedure, with the same results.
"This is Battle Pyramid to Elesa. Do you read?" It was a last-ditch attempt, but she, too, did not respond despite multiple attempts, and Solidad fell back into her chair, defeated.
"That's all of them," she breathed.
"All of them?" Harley questioned.
"There were seven two-way devices sent out," Solidad explained. "May's was crushed. Trip turned his off. Four aren't responding. Wallace is the only one who's contacted us, and he needs our help." She covered her face with her hands and lowered her head, thinking. Then, she abruptly stood up.
"Stay here," she ordered him. "Continue to try getting in contact with someone to let them know. They're trying to force their way into the castle, and they don't know what's waiting for them."
"You're going, and I have to stay?" Harley complained incredulously, watching her as she hurried to grab her bag and pull out several of her Pokéballs. Solidad didn't respond at first, but once she reached the exit, she spun to face Harley again.
"Lucky you," she said. "Maybe you'll be the only one who lives to tell the story."
"Dragonite, use Thunder Punch!" Iris's order landed Dragonite's glittering fist straight into the gut of an enemy Poliwrath, sending it hurdling back into its trainer. She let on a satisfied smirk. "Nice job," she complimented him, and he merely grunted in response. Iris was about to take on another opponent when she recognized a thin, long shadow falling over her small stature, and she whipped her head around with an audible gasp to see a Bisharp raising its blades above her head.
"Beartic, Ice Beam!"
Iris jerked her head forward again after the razor torrent of snow knocked back her enemy, saving her life. There stood Georgia, and she, too, smirked before wryly saying, "Watch your back, Madam Champion," just as a Rhyperior was stalking toward her from behind. Iris swiftly ordered an Ice Punch from her Dragonite, repaying the debt.
"Watch yours," Iris threw back to a stunned Georgia before spinning around to take on an enemy Ferroseed.
She was surrounded by mayhem: To her left, Burgundy and her Darmanitan were grappling with a Swampert, and Chili and his Arcanine had to sweep into help. To her right, Cilan's Crustle was taking on both a Stoutland and a Hippopotas. Caitlin's Reuniculus had just sent a Nidoqueen flying overhead with Psychic, and Grimsley and Marshall were battling three Pokémon each. Cress was attempting to retreat, his Simipour injured, and Shauntal had to take his place while also dealing with her own battle. And that was just within the nearby vicinity.
Cilan managed to fight off his adversaries, and he deliberately backed himself up against Iris to murmur, "This is a losing battle. We're vastly outnumbered. We might have started with the upper hand thanks to the element of surprise but this—" He held a hand out to the battlefield. The couple winced when, from afar, they saw Ash's Snorlax being thrown back into a parked car. "—this is all defense, not offense."
Iris frowned.
"We just need something to change the tide in our favor," she insisted.
"Like what?" Cilan asked.
Iris didn't answer for a moment. Her attention was captured by an opening, a visible, thin walkway through the warring parties to the doors that led back into the castle. She turned her head, desperately searching for N among the malestrom. He ended up being easy to find: He stuck out, being the only one to not participate in the battle. He simply stood there as if in a daze, his hands hanging loosely at his sides, his eyes locked in a thousand-yard stare.
"Like taking down their leader," Iris finally said. "N!" He didn't respond, so she hurried over to him, grabbed his wrist, and repeated his name. He blinked and stared blankly at her. "Come on, this is our chance!"
She took off for the door with N in tow, and Cilan was briefly paralyzed by his own alarm.
"Iris?!" he called after her. "Iris!" He tried to follow, but the path disappeared, and he was swallowed whole by the battle again.
Iris and N made it inside, and once there, she spun toward him, saying, "Where will we find him?"
"Who?" N asked distractedly, and Iris looked incredulous.
"Your father," she emphasized.
"Oh," N said, disaffected. "Likely the throne room at the very top. It's safest there."
"Okay." Iris nodded. Seeing his expression, she had to ask, "Are you still with me in this?"
He was silent for a moment, and Iris began to wonder if he had drifted off again and would require her to pull him back again. Yet, just as she opened her mouth to repeat the question, he also nodded and said, "Yes."
Camerupt rammed full-speed into the door for the upteempth time. The door held surprisingly well, though a long crack had splintered down the middle, and the group knew once that broke, the tipsy filing cabinet would be the last boundary standing between them and Death. Yet, they no longer jumped each time Camerupt charged into the door. The hope that he would tire and leave had withered away, and they were only waiting now.
Silence had persisted for a while, though the a collection of the same questions were on everyone's mind. May was still nursing her injured arm, and Drew was still watching her. Everyone else was watching them. No warm greetings—not a kiss, not an embrace, not a single indication that they were lovers at all—had been exchanged between them since reuniting, and it was troublesome. May wouldn't look at him at all, but that was soon amended when, finally, Drew cleared his throat to speak.
"What happened?" he asked quietly. May briefly glanced at him, but her eyes fell again, as if she were ashamed.
"I found Colress and Ghetsis, but Annie and Oakley caught me in a surprise attack while I was eavesdropping," she explained. "Blaziken and I managed to get away, and we ran down here to see if we could find Trip. He wasn't here, and Annie and Oakley pursued, and I was trapped into the ballroom. A battle ensued, and we broke some things." What they "broke" was obvious enough. May continued, "The sisters fled, and I—" She stopped short, hesitating. Then, she managed to force out, "That Mightyena got me. ... It got Blaziken too."
Drew lowered his head into a hand, and Max shut his eyes. Barry and Bonnie both appeared utterly distressed. It wasn't what they wanted to hear, though they had all already guessed at the truth: May had been bitten and was now infected. And to make it worse, her Blaziken was affected too.
"I knew the rest of you would be coming, trying to force your way into the castle, and I decided to try to stop all the escaped infected by paralyzing them, so maybe we could make sure this didn't happen to someone else," May went on. "The effects of the virus don't start until maybe a day after you're first infected, so Blaziken won't turn aggressive for a little while. By then, I figure we'll be out of here one way or another." Her last remark came off as morbid as Camerupt charged the door again.
"May..." Max started hoarsely. "There's no cure. Trip didn't find anything."
Yet, May only smiled sadly and said, "You don't have to tell me. I came to that conclusion myself, from Adalet telling me we were aborting the mission, and then seeing all those Pokémon..."
Drew's head rose again. His eyes were empty when he said, "Paul said you insisted on volunteering."
"I did." May nodded.
"Why?"
"... I was mad at you," May admitted quietly. "I wanted to prove to you I was capable." She let on another strange smile and said, "Well, I sure showed you, didn't I?"
"Don't talk like that." Drew winced. "You're not incapable." He had her eyes now, and he sucked in his breath before continuing, "You know, you're the strongest opponent I've ever faced. I don't doubt if you actually wanted to go through all the hoops—earning the gym badges, battling your way through the league, taking on the Elite Four—you could take on Wallace and defeat him yourself. I know that as your rival." A pause. May's gaze was softening. "But I also know that you're compassionate; you're empathetic. You've certainly got better people skills than I do. It would make you one of Hoenn's greatest Champions. I know that as your—" He choked on the word, and it never made it out.
May pressed her hand more firmly against her shoulder. The blood was coagulating and drying by then.
"Well, it doesn't matter anymore," she said. "Wallace will find someone else, or someone else will rise to the occasion." May flicked her eyes toward her brother, and though caught by surprise, the nod wasn't lost upon him.
Drew swallowed, feeling a sudden, unusual surge of nervousness.
"May, I was planning on asking you to marry me," he confessed, and May drew in a sharp breath. Barry and Bonnie were visibly surprised too; only Max appeared disaffected. Drew went on, "I was being selfish. You know already I'm not particularly fond of the G-Men, but I also saw what being Champion—and being married to a Champion—put Iris and Cilan through. I didn't want that for you and I." His voice briefly cracked when he added, "Still, I wasn't talking with you like how a husband should."
May stared at him for a while. A faint, rosy color bloomed on her cheeks, and she appeared tense—then utterly relaxed. She offered a real smile this time and said, "You are now."
Drew let out a self-deprecating scoff.
"It's a little late now," he said.
"It's not too late," Bonnie broke out suddenly, jumping to her feet. "It's never too late. Marry her now!" The suggestion shocked her companions, almost as if it were inappropriate.
"Now?" Drew questioned just as Camerupt rammed into the door again.
"Hey, yeah, that's a great idea!" Barry exclaimed, jumping up too. "I can legally marry people. I got my certificate online, remember?"
"See? Perfect!" Bonnie spun back toward the couple. "Marry her now!"
May and Drew stared wide-eyes at her for a moment and then at each other. Yet, Drew eventually let on real smile himself and inquired, "May?"
She closed her lips to contain the grin and nodded.
Seeing his Greninja thrown down face-first into the concrete and rendered unable to battle by a Primeape sent a surge of both frustration and anxiety through Ash, and he gritted his teeth as he called him back into Pokeball. That was his fourth Pokémon down. He and his Pokémon had done well in fighting through the assemblage of Team Plasma members, but the numbers were simply not in their favor, and he and his Pokémon could not realistically keep up. Pikachu temporarily took Greninja's place, taking out Primeape with a Thunderbolt, before Ash called out his Bayleef.
"Hey, you—!" Ash heard a voice yell out nearby. "You're—" Ash initially thought he was the one being addressed, but he turned and saw it was, in fact, Silver. A presumable ex-Team Rocket member had dropped his jaw upon Silver's appearance, but there was no waiting period or grace of response: Silver's Alakazam used Psychic to pick the man up and throw him out of sight, to which Ash winced.
"Watch your manhandling," Misty scolded, having to jump out of the way. In the brief moment she was distracted, her Starmie was knocked out by a Galvantula, and she whipped her head forward again before calling him back and summoning her Golduck.
Lance and Adalet were not far behind Ash. Lance's Aerodactyl sank a Thunder Fang into a Walrein, and Adalet's Raichu had knocked out a Ludicolo with a Mega Punch.
"We're losing ground," Ash heard Adalet announce to Lance.
"You don't need to tell me," Lance snapped back.
"Lance!" A third voice—Solidad's—entered the equation. A Pidgeot flew over Ash's head, sweeping down briefly to peck at an enemy Raticate, before waiting for his trainer to catch up. Lance turned, and Ash realized he would need to take his place in order for Solidad to deliver whatever news she brought. Ash stepped into place and ordered a Razor Leaf against the same Walrein.
"What is it?" Lance demanded. "You should be at the Battle Pyramid."
"No one was responding to my calls," Solidad panted. "You can't hear me among all—this!" She shook her head, realizing she was wasting time, and said, "Lance, Wallace called me. Something happened—there are infected Pokémon running loose in the castle."
"What?" Lance stumbled, as did Ash. He briefly lost himself, glancing at her with wide eyes, before Walrein charged toward Bayleef. She luckily had the sense to dodge, and Ash jerked his attention back to the battle.
"That's what I was told," Solidad pressed, and Lance let out a growl and turned away. He wrested the battle back from Ash, ordering a Crunch against the Walrein.
"I don't know what you expect me to do," he said. "Find Leaf, or Paul, or Iris. They were the ones planning on breaking the line and entering the castle, not me. I have to hold the ground here."
Ash stood motionless for a moment, staring at them, and then looking around to see his comrades: Misty and Silver were closest to him, but his visions extended beyond that, to Ritchie and Sparky battling through exhaustion against an enormous Salamence, to Cilan desperately try to break through a swarm of Team Plasma grunts, to Leaf and Paul fighting side-by-side in a rare and powerful partnership, to Iris sprinting up endless flights of velvet stairs with equally endless determination, to Trip in pursuit of a dangerous enemy before it could bring harm to the imminent descent of friends into his vicinity, to Dawn grasping for stability while those around her fell into fractions, to May trapped and awaiting peril in herself and outside her door, to Clemont and Serena reaching for their Pokémon in a final stand against an adversary that wasn't their own.
An utter sense of helplessness suddenly overcame Ash; he wanted so much to do something, and he wished there was some genuine reserve of power in himself that he could call upon to save them, the kind of power people fantasized he had, but there was nothing.
While lost in this surreal graying world, a Braviary swept down, its talon catching him on the back of the head, slicing it open, and knocking him down on the ground. Pikachu and Bayleef both cried out, and Pikachu tried to hit the Braviary with a Thunderbolt but missed. Ash briefly blacked out—and in that moment, his anxieties melted into dark reassurances that all would be well.
He came back around to loud, worried repetitions of his name and found himself in Misty's arms with Pikachu nuzzled up to his cheek and Silver and Bayleef hovering nearby.
"Did you feel that?" was the first question Silver asked—not "How are you doing?" or "Are you okay?"—and Misty cast him an estranged, half-angry look. Ash didn't respond initially, only looking dazed, and Misty sucked in her breath.
"We need help!" she cried out, hoping to gain some ally's attention, but Ash grabbed her wrist suddenly.
"It's okay," he assured her. "Help is coming."
She didn't understand, and that compounded her fear that he was concussed. Noticing that several Plasmas and their Pokémon were closing in on them, Silver rose to his feet and called his Feraligatr to his side. Pikachu also leap to his feet, prepared to defend his trainer. A Sawsbuck charged first with Double-Edge, but Feraligatr grabbed it by the horns and tossed it aside with Strength. Pikachu, meanwhile, warded off a Scrafty with an Electro Ball while Bayleef hit a Rhyhorn with Magical Leaf. Yet, these were only three Pokémon, and soon there were nine, leaving Pikachu, Feraligatr, and Bayleef hopelessly overwhelmed.
Misty, her arm still under Ash's bloodied head, pulled out an additional Pokéball to fight, too, and Silver ordered Feraligatr to use Surf in the hope it could wipe out several enemies at once. Still, the Plasma agents were advancing on their vulnerabilities fast, and it was all but a lost battle. Then came the help.
The circle of Plasmas and enemy Pokémon surrounding Ash and company—a circle consisting of at least twenty bodies—suddenly glowed blue and were lifted several feet into the air before being tossed aside like old rags.
"Took him long enough," Silver muttered as Mewtwo swept into view and over the crowd. The changing tide had come; the Psychic-type addressed the congestion at the door next, violently clearing the way, allowing Cilan—and others—to finally break through as Iris had before.
"Ash, now is our chance." Silver whipped his head toward his brother.
His imploration finally brought some sense back to Ash, who abruptly sat up and staggered to his feet. "There are infected Pokémon in there!" he warned. "I heard it from Solidad. The people running in there—they don't know!"
"Well, now we do," Silver shot back.
Ash raised a hand to the back of his head, wondering how deep the cut was. It stung, and it was still warm with blood, but he only felt a little lightheaded, but half of that might have been from the adrenaline—or, perhaps the adrenaline was the only thing keeping him standing.
"Ash, you need medical attention," Misty told him.
Ash pursed his lips, returned Bayleef, and called Pikachu to his shoulder again. For a moment, Misty believed he would actually listen to her, but then he turned and said, "I'll be fine, Mist'. Someone's gotta warn the others."
"Ash—" Misty hissed.
"It's fine!" Ash insisted. "I'll be fine. Come on, Silver!" Silver nodded, and the two took off together as the battle raged on under Mewtwo's fist, and Misty stared after them disbelievingly before calling out her Golduck again to take on a Krookodile.
Inside, Ash paused only long enough to catch his breath. He glanced to the left, straining his ears, then said, "I think I hear Cilan's voice that way. We should go there and warn them!"
Silver, whose gaze was full of some strange, acute awareness, ignored this however, and pointed in the opposite direction. "We go this way!"
"That—?!" Before Ash could protest, Silver had already taken off, and Ash and Pikachu could only follow.
Barely two minutes after crossing the threshold into the Plasma base, Georgia's Beartic stumbled and fell forward to his knees in total exhaustion. Georgia spun on her heel with a gasp and fell beside him, cradling his head in her arms. Her company—a short list comprising only Burgundy, Chili, and Cilan—stopped too. The unexpected arrival of Mewtwo had provided a wider window of entry into N's castle, and Cilan had finally managed to push his way inside, bringing with him the small battalion.
"Beartic, you were amazing," Georgia said, raising his Pokéball and calling him inside. "Take a good long rest for now." She stowed the Pokéball away and looked up at Cilan. "So where to?"
He sucked in his breath.
"I don't know where Iris is," he said.
"Iris?" Burgundy perked up.
"She and N broke through the ranks before anyone else," Cilan explained.
Georgia appeared oddly annoyed at this said, with an edge, said, "Well, trust that Iris knows what she's doing, and we'll figure out what we're doing." Cilan was briefly taken aback, but no chance to respond was given. A harrowing bawl rang through the hallway, and it was followed by the sound of hooves. A Flaaffy with paling pink skin and disintegrating wool rounded the corner and galloped toward the group.
Chili's hand flew immediately to call out his Heatmor, but as the Flaaffy leapt, great vines burst from the ground, tearing through the rug, and wrapped around the Electric-type. Flaaffy bawled again just before it was thrown into the wall, knocking it out-cold. The vines rescinded, and the party looked ahead to see Trip and his Serperior.
"There are infected Pokémon in the building," Trip said with loud, heavy breaths.
"No shit," Georgia shot back. He didn't reply; he leaned against the wall to catch his breath and wipe the perspiration from his forehead. Georgia's attitude changed, and she approached him with greater concern.
"Are you OK?" she asked.
"I've been playing 'Chu-and-Meowth with that Flaaffy for an hour," Trip panted. "They're not supposed to be that fast."
"Well, that's the Pokérus for you right there," Chili said.
Trip again didn't respond. Burgundy scoured through her bag for a small water bottle, and he accepted it while mumbling a thanks. As soon as he had rehydrated himself, he looked up at the others and asked, "Has anyone found May?"
"We don't know." Cilan shook his head.
"She wanted to find me," Trip said. His eyes flicked cautiously over toward the Flaaffy, who was still passed out, and whom they hoped would remain in that condition. "That—" He pointed. "—was how I knew."
"Then it sounds like we're heading down to the first floor," Chili said, turning toward Cilan. He then looked to Trip again and asked, "You up for it?"
"Yeah." Trip wiped his mouth and straightened up. "Let's go."
They started off again, but Cilan had evident hesitancy in every step. He glanced behind him with worry creased in his face, and Georgia quickly noticed he was lagging and grabbed his wrist.
"Cilan, she'll be fine," she told him. "Come on."
In a brief moment of repose, Leaf sank against the wall beside one of the curtained windows inside the mansion. Her breathing was labored, and she pressed her hands to her eyes, shaking slightly. Stopping to recuperate was necessary physically, but battle was the sole distraction keeping from emotionally falling apart, and Paul quickly recognized that. He took in a few hard breaths, watching her, and glanced at the window. The natural-like lighting briefly intrigued him, and he pushed aside a corner of the curtain before making a disgusted noise and letting fall again.
"What's the plan?" he asked Leaf. She was silent for a moment, still regathering herself.
"Team Plasma leaders were noticeably missing in the garage, which means they're in here," she said. "We need to get them. An order without its leaders is nothing."
"Couldn't agree more." Leaf and Paul's heads shot up. A slightly disheveled Eiljah Colress was cantering down the hallway toward them at a slow, easy pace. "It perfectly explains why the G-Men has gone to pieces since Lance and Cynthia left."
"Colress!" Leaf sprang to her feet and called out her Venesaur. Paul was on her heels with Aggron. Elijah stopped, but his eerily pleasant expression did not break. His hands were folded behind his back, inciting the worst of Leaf and Paul's suspicions, but the Team Plasma elite made no sudden movements that would call for drastic measures.
"Now, now," Elijah tutted. "How is this at all fair? Two against one? That's against the League rules, isn't it?"
"We've been fighting two on six for the past hour," Paul dismissed. "I think we deserve an easy charge."
Elijah stared, then smiled in an oddly satisfied sort of way. He turned to his side, revealing he was hiding nothing behind him. Not a Pokéball, not a weapon, nothing—only an injured hand wrapped in gauze.
"I'm not going to battle you," he decided, catching the two by surprise.
"What?" Leaf demanded, her voice a mix of confusion and indignation.
"Let's talk, like adults," Colress suggested.
"I'm not interested in anything you have to say," Leaf scoffed.
"Neither am I," Paul added with equal contempt.
"And that is the mark of a couple of children—not leaders." The calm façade shattered, as a monstrous fury crossed Colress's expression. It alone was enough to draw growl from Venesaur and for Aggron to clench readied fists; yet, the pieces eventually reformed, and Colress continued pleasantly again, "It seems you are acting under passion rather than rational thought. It makes sense, of course. You—" His eyes settled on Paul first. "—you've lost your dear Pokémon partner. There are many parties whom you can fault for this, yourself included, but revenge is sweet. And as for you, Ms. Greene..." His gaze fell upon her next, and her eyes hardened. "Your eyes are still swollen. The G-Men wouldn't come here unprepared, as you clearly are, unless there was something pressing on you—like the death of a loved one?"
"Shut up!" Leaf viciously snarled; her voice tore and revealed a sliver of vulnerability, confirming Colress's beliefs, and he laughed.
"I thought so," he said. "It truly is no wonder the G-Men is falling apart at the seams with you two and Iris at the helm. There must be something to your credit, though. It should have been so easy to topple over your selective oligarchy. It's been weakening year by year, and Team Plasma certainly got closer than Team Rocket in your deposition."
Leaf and Paul were both puzzled by his words, and the careful expressions they shared with each other conveyed such.
"Our deposition?" Paul asked cautiously, though gruffly. "I thought Team Plasma's goal was Pokémon liberation."
"Then you have failed to grasp the nuances of our plans," Elijah chastised. "Pokémon liberation made for a nice slogan, but no one wants to give up power—it's partially why the G-Men and League are such a wreck—and Pokémon offer power."
"Right, of course," Paul shot back. "So the plan was to murder Iris under the guise of Pokémon liberation and take over Unova."
"Nuances," Elijah repeated with a click of his tongue. "No, it was much more complicated than that." He then held up a single, patronizing finger and began, "Step one: Send a martyr to purposefully miss the shot on Iris Ajagara, undermining her authority and scaring her." A second finger. "Step two: Coerce the frightened Ajagara into funding our vague research project under the guise it will help build her reputation." A third. "Step three: Steal an ancient Pokémon carrying a deadly virus and start an epidemic in Unova, further damaging Iris's reputation, while using her money to create a treatment for the virus." Finally, a fourth finger. "Step four: Raise anger against the corruption of the G-Men and incompetence of their leaders, and with it, sweep Iris out of office and replace her, to the cheers of a population hungry for a political revolution, with N, the pure-hearted puppet of Ghetsis."
"But your plan didn't work," Leaf pointed out, her brow lowering and her fists clenching.
"No, it didn't," Colress agreed. "You adapted. We adapted. Regardless, we were similarly hubristic in our grab for control, and the house of cards has fallen."
"You're admitting defeat then," Leaf said.
"I am," Colress affirmed, but then he smiled and, inclining his head toward them, asked, "Have you?" Leaf and Paul were unmoved. Colress sighed and straightened up again, continuing, "I wish I could say it was a well-played game. Failure, perhaps, would sting less then. I had hoped that perhaps I might be able to sway you into the belief that I could be of assistance to you, but one of your rats found my journal, and so I have nothing to offer—only vindication to seek. So, two bastions of power will fall today, and such will bring me a measure of satisfaction and relieve the burn."
Leaf drew in a sudden, sharp breath. She whipped her head toward Paul, demanding, "Paul, where's Iris?" He looked at her with a similar wide-eyed expression as the same realization dawned upon him, and Colress started laughing. Infuriated, Leaf pivoted toward him again.
"Venesaur—!" she started, raising the hand which donned her Key Stone, but Paul grabbed her wrist.
"Stop!" he said firmly. "You're better than that."
Leaf sucked in her breath and wrested her hand away, but ceased the command. A sudden voice calling out their names—"Paul! Leaf!"—caused the two to turn quickly and see that the fraction of May's rescue team that managed to escape the ballroom was running toward them. Dawn had been the one to yell out their names.
"Ah, so the cavalry has arrived," Colress said as though he were amused.
Leaf broke rank first and ran toward one of N's sisters, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Anthea!" she began desperately. "Anthea, where would your father be?"
Anthea appeared shocked—perhaps even scared—at this sudden request. "My father... ?" she started.
"The throne room at the top, I imagine," Concordia answered instead.
"Leaf, what's happening?" Kenny asked worriedly. He glanced over her shoulder and saw Colress standing down the way. He and other instinctively began to reach for their Pokéballs.
Leaf didn't answer. She returned her Venesaur and blew past the group, yelling to Wallace "He's all yours!" as she sprinted away to find stairs. Wallace appeared alarmed but quickly regathered himself as he set his sight on Colress, who stiffened in response. Paul called back his Aggron and was about to follow Leaf, but he changed his mind at the last moment, and he stumbled slightly before grasping Dawn by her arms and spinning her toward him.
"Dawn," he started seriously. "Listen closely—I need you to do something for me. I need you to find something that will prove Ghetsis's deception to N and that we—that Iris—are the people he needs to trust."
"What?" Dawn looked incredulous. "The infected Pokémon aren't enough? This entire castle—"
"You have to figure it out," Paul pressed. "For me, please." That was enough. Dawn sucked in her breath and nodded.
"I'll try," she agreed. Paul broke away from her then with an appreciative bow of his head before taking off after Leaf.
"Something that will prove N needs to trust Iris?" Serena repeated as soon as he left. She perked up and turned excitedly toward Dawn. "I have an idea."
Paul soon caught up with Leaf, and as soon he matched her stride, she breathlessly borrowed Colress's own words, saying "We adapted, so they adapted. They know they're going down, and they're going to try to bring us down with them."
"Iris has N with her," Paul reminded her.
"And?" Leaf raised an eyebrow.
"Colress might say otherwise, but they haven't given up yet," Paul said.
The final flight of stairs let directly to a set of stone white doors that extended at least ten feet above Iris's head. She slowed to a walk following her sprint to take in the grandiose entrance, and N stopped behind her. A brief sting on anxiety caused her chest to swell, and she glance at N, asking, "Is this it?"
He nodded. Iris laid her hands against the door then, prepared to push them open, but then she closed her eyes, groping for her sense of determination again. She found it and entered the darkness with N on her heels. The total lack of light struck Iris with uncertainty, and for a moment, she wondered if N was mistaken and Ghetsis wasn't there at all. Then, the false white lighting permeating the rest of the castle flicked on, and Iris and N both winced and found themselves blinking away spots from their eyes.
"Iris Ajagara." Iris snapped her head forward to see an aged male with thinning, graying green hair sitting atop a golden throne at the end of the hall. A Confagrigus hovered above him to his left while a Hydreigon curled around the right side of the throne, and one of the heads lay across Ghetsis's lap. "So we finally meet." Iris lowered the hand that had automatically risen to shield her eyes when the lights came on, revealing her scorn.
"Then you must be Ghetsis," she said. She started advancing toward him, but N stayed rooted near the entrance.
"Indeed." Ghetsis smiled. "Such a pleasure. You've been the primary focus of my attention for months, and yet, I never had the chance to speak with you myself. The honor belonged to Colress."
"Well, that's how you operate, isn't it?" Iris asked, shrugging with her hands. "You just get other people do your work for you while you reap the benefits."
Ghetsis ignored her then. He looked over her head at his son, remarking, "N, you're awfully quiet."
"I have a lot of questions for you father." N stepped forward once then. "I saw what Colress was doing to those Pokémon."
"Ghetsis, I was talking to you," Iris broke in suddenly, annoyed he had brushed her off. "You're a coward. You're sitting up here in this—" She paused, glancing around the room as if she could find an answer in it, but she ended up supplying a invisible noun with her hand. "—and, meanwhile, your followers and their innocent Pokémon are downstairs in battle."
"A conflict you created," Ghetsis said, sounding equally annoyed at her interruption. "Perhaps your indignation wouldn't seem so hollow were you not the instigator and if you hadn't abandoned your own followers to see me in this room. Are you any less a coward?"
"I'm here to make you answer for what you did to Unova," Iris correct, pressing an impassioned hand to her chest. She then reached for a Pokéball, enlarging it. "Go, Haxorus!"
The Dragon-type emerged with a roar. Iris widened her stance, expecting for the battle to start immediately. Yet, neither Ghetsis's Confagrigus nor his Hydreigon moved, and Ghetsis himself made no motion to give an order. He merely sighed and rested his hand on a closed fist.
"Do you see this, N?" he said, again speaking over Iris's head. "It's just as I told you. The G-Men use Pokémon to advance their own interests."
Iris looked at him incredulously and then back at N, who appeared wary—of him. Feeling reaffirmed, Iris faced forward again.
"Our interests are putting an end to the virus Team Plasma purposefully spread," she said. "N knows that."
"She's worse of a liar than I believed." Ghetsis shook his head, now speaking as if Iris wasn't there at all. "N, didn't she tell you? We have no cure for the virus here. They figured that out this afternoon, but it was no matter. Their true purpose for being here is their sense of bloodlust, and all their Pokémon? They're paying for it. Team Plasma's Pokémon, too, in order to defend ourselves."
Iris mentally stumbled, and she whipped her head back toward N again.
"N—" she started.
"... Is that true?" he cut her off. His suspicions had shifted to her, and Iris felt her mouth run dry.
"Team Plasma is still responsible for the harm they've brought to so many people and Pokémon," she said weakly.
"She's avoiding the question," Ghetsis interjected.
"She has a point," N retorted, moving up so he stood beside Iris again, bringing her a temporary sense of relief. "You are not blameless."
"I am. Team Plasma is. Colress is not," Ghetsis skillfully corrected. "He will be dismissed following the resolution of this little situation. Like you, I discovered an upsetting truth about Colress: He's a self-motivated traitor. He was planning on appealing to join the G-Men and assist them in maintaining their dominance over Napaj and all its Pokémon."
Iris's stability fell away again, and she said, with a growing desperation, "N, he's lying."
"On what basis do you claim that?" Ghetsis, meanwhile, remained completely calm. "I think you would find if you spoke to Colress yourself, he would admit to such." Iris heard N's breath turn shallow, and she saw the growing distrust in his eyes when he glanced at her. Ghetsis continued, "Really, think about it, N: What purpose would infecting Pokémon with a terrible scourge serve us, a humble organization which seeks to liberate Pokémon?"
"It's because Pokémon liberation isn't your real purpose!" Iris fought back.
"A lie," Ghetsis hissed.
"N, he's just trying to manipulate you like he's done all your life," Iris appealed to him again, but by then, N had withdrawn from her, and there was nothing she could say to get him back.
"Have I ever been anything less than good to you, N?" Ghetsis asked gently.
Silence. N's gaze was lowered to the ground, and Iris repeated his name with an equal gentleness, but he waved her off. He then looked straight ahead again and said, "You have been good to me."
Iris's throat tightened, and Ghetsis smiled again.
"Come here, my son," he said, standing and extending his arms toward him. N moved forward and Iris watched, mortified. Ghetsis pulled N into an embrace that was reciprocated with hesitation before moving N aside and looking down at Iris again. Their eyes remained connected for several wordless seconds, as Iris had nothing she could say.
Ghetsis flicked his head toward Hydreigon first. "Protect," he ordered. N and Iris both were alarmed when a translucent, protective shield surrounded the throne. Ghetsis looked toward Confagrigus next, saying, "Psychic." The stone blockade fell across the door, trapping Iris; she pivoted toward it briefly as dread flooded her conscience, then spun forward again when two dark portals orchestrated by Confagrigus opened and an infected Delcatty and Watchog fell through.
Each had a rope tied around their muzzles, but with a snap of Ghetsis's fingers, Confagrigus used Psychic again, and they came undone.
"We don't get paid nearly enough to risk getting bitten by one of these infected monsters," Annie growled through gritted teeth, her palms burning as the rope tied to the snout of a Mightyena—the same Mightyena which had attacked May and her rescue tem—slid through her hands as he resisted being pulled down the hallway.
"Its limbs are still stiff; it will be fine," Oakley dismissed. "That Maple girl ended up saving us a lot of work."
Annie was no less miffed, and she added in a grumble, "Iris has probably already made it to the throne room. Getting this Mightyena there would be a bit late."
"Ghetsis wanted three." Oakley refused to cede to her sister's complaints. "One for each."
Annie was about to retort, but she stopped suddenly when she heard voices around the corner. Oakley heard them too, and she pricked up in alarm—which transformed to intrigue when one, she realized, sounded vaguely familiar. Annie tightened her grip on the rope to and moved cautiously behind Oakley as they turned to see two familiar faces, one backed against a wall with a bloodied head and the other hovering over him with uncertainty in his expression.
"Maybe you need to stay here," Silver said hesitantly, but with what sounded like genuine concern. Pikachu made a noise of agreement, touching his trainer's knee.
"No, no..." Ash shook his head. "I gotta come... I gotta help..."
"Well, what a nice surprise," Oakley began glowingly, and Silver and Ash jerked their heads toward the sisters. "Kamon, it's been too long."
Silver smirked in response and straightened up. "I was hoping I'd run into you two," he said. Ash cast Silver an estranged, disbelieving look, as if he was seeing someone entirely different for the first time.
"Into them... ?" he mumbled as he struggled to stand.
"Well, we're glad you did," Oakley said. "We'll finally get to finish what should have been done a long, long time ago—and in the best way possible." She spun toward her sister. "Cut the rope, Annie."
Annie reeled back in surprise.
"But—"
"—Cut it!" Oakley ordered again, and Annie frowned and begrudgingly pulled out a pocket knife before slashing the rope off Mightyena's snout. She and Oakley immediately jumped back several feet as the Mightyena roared. Despite its still-stiffened limbs, it locked its sight on Silver, and managed to bow just low enough for a short but deadly jump forward.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash ordered, and the attack caught Mightyena just before he could reach Silver. The Dark-type fell forward, and Pikachu's tail then shimmered with Iron Tail. The small Pokémon swung its weight around and landed a hit directly under Mightyena's jaw, sending him back toward Annie and Oakley. Silver smirked again and pulled out a Pokéball.
"Come out, Feraligatr, and use slash!" Feraligatr did not hesitate to obey, raising its claws to strike—but Ash quickly realized the blow was not intended for Mightyena, but rather Oakley, and Ash scrambled to his feet.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt again!" he called out. In another situation, Pikachu might have hesitated to inflict damage against an ally, but the tone of his trainer's voice stripped him of any personal hesitations, and Feraligatr cried out as it was consumed with white lightening.
"Ash?!" Silver exclaimed, spinning toward his brother in shock. Ash managed to straighten himself up, but he felt lightheaded and stumbled slightly. The sisters looked on in shock, too, confused as to why he would save their lives—but their alarm changed focus when a third, though very different face, appeared around the corner ahead and rapidly flew toward them, stopping just short of them at Ash's side.
"Mewtwo!" Ash grinned at him. "Thanks for coming!"
Mewtwo didn't exhibit the same enthusiasm. He glanced dispassionately back at Ash, their gazes locking.
"I had to set things right with you."
Ash blinked and perked up, confused as to what he meant. A strange, tingling—almost cold—sensation suddenly moved up the back of Ash's head, and he winced, though it wasn't at all painful. He reached to touch it and realized the wound had sealed as if it had never been there at all. Mewtwo faced forward again, and then, there was a warm glow that burst through Ash's pocket. The trainer's breath caught as he reached inside and pulled out a small, unadorned Key Stone.
"Where did you get that?" Silver suddenly demanded in shock. "Why is it reacting?"
The answer came as Mewtwo's body was suddenly veiled in a brightening, multicolored light. All had to shield their eyes as the light reached a blinding point and then broke apart, revealing a transformed Mewtwo: He had lost his tail, but a long, curled appendage had sprung from the back of his head. His eyes had turned red, and his fingers and toes were now purple and bulbous.
"W-Wait!" Oakley fell back in horror. "He doesn't have a Mega Stone! How is this possible?!"
"Mewtwo..." Ash closed his fist around the Key Stone and then grinned. "All right, then let's set things right!"
July 20th, 2009. Afternoon. Opelucid City.
Gary held Bianca's Heart Scale in the palm of his hand, staring at its thin, vivid ripples that made up the geleanous substance beneath the flexible, though more resilient surface. His head was leaning against the window of a car, and he was starting to feel some serious motion sickness. His hand closed around the Heart Scale, and he sucked in his breath; that made him feel a little better.
Bianca slammed on the breaks as an upcoming light turned yellow, and Gary's stomach lurched. Bianca took the traffic stop as an opportunity to turn to the young ailing research and remind him, "Gary, I feel like this is a bad idea."
"You don't know what my idea is," Gary mumbled flatly, tiredly.
"It involved me breaking you out of a hospital!" Bianca was half-panicked by then. "It's a bad idea!" Regardless, when the light turned green again, Bianca pressed down on the gas pedal once more, and the car darted forward at a speed far too high for a community street. They turned the corner, and Bianca pulled into the Opelucid Pokémon Center and performed a messy park job in front of the entrance doors.
As soon as she turned off the engine, Gary opened up the car door—and fell out, collapsing against the pavement. Bianca yelped and ran around the front end of the vehicle and picked him up, hoisting him against the shoulder. With her support, they muddled their way through the entrance doors and then into the back end of the center, where the research team was still at work. Everything came to a screeching halt though the moment Bianca walked in with Gary looking as though he were on the brink of death.
"Gary?!" His grandfather immediately dropped what he was doing and hurried over to him, grasping him by the shoulders. "Gary, you should be at the hospital!"
Gary shook his head.
"I need to see the Lopunny that infected me now," he said hoarsely, adding some emphasis for sincerity.
"Gary—" Brock started worriedly.
"Now," Gary repeated more firmly.
They stared at him wide-eyed for a moment, paralyzed, but Aurea Juniper found herself nodding and she gestured for them to follow her. Bill came to help Bianca move him to a tall, specially-made cage Clemont had spent several days building. It was tall and wide, and Lopunny sat inside, shaking and foaming at the mouth. Gary was unafraid, however, and he pushed himself away from Bianca and Bill and fell forward against the sturdy encasement. Lopunny spun to face him, making a horrible shrieking noise that caused everyone—except Gary—to wince.
"This isn't you," Gary started as soon as her screech subsided. "You're not this."
Gary then revealed the Heart Scale in his hand and pressed it firmly against the door. Lopunny recoiled back; the foam fell away, and she looked notably less rabid.
"You know, for so long I was angry," Gary went on, almost sounding ashamed. "I pitied myself, and I barely thought about you. I'm sorry."
He opened the door to several frightened and appalled shrieks of "What are you doing?!" and "Gary, don't!" from his colleagues. Yet, he held the Heart Scale in his palm again and slid his hand inside, to which Lopunny panicked and bit down—hard. Gary winced, and the blood started to run, but he didn't scream, and he didn't attempt to pull his hand away.
They waited there. Her grip suddenly loosened, and her teeth fell away from his hand. Among the run of blood from Gary's hands were several thin whips of color—the gelatinous substance of the Heart Scale, which Lopunny had punctured. Gary smiled warmly.
"Let's start over," he said, and Lopunny became encased in light.
July 20th, 2009. Afternoon. Somewhere in Unova.
"Okay—" Barry fumbled for the right words as he held open an invisible book. He stood before May and Drew, whose hands were clasped in a nervous and macabre sort of anticipation. May's hand had been clutched against her shoulder still, but Drew pulled it off and held it firmly, paying no mind to the cooling, damp blood that caked it. She smiled at him weakly.
"So we're all gathered here today, in this storage closet, to see the joining of a couple that literally should have gotten married like three years ago," Barry finally began. "But better late than never, right?"
Drew gave Barry an exasperated look, and May let out a small, withered laugh. Even in their bleak situation—trapped in a closet, May bleeding at the arm, with a Camerupt knocking on their door—Barry still managed to bring an energizing sense of humor. Before the makeshift ceremony could proceed any further, however, Bonnie suddenly waved her hands and cried, "Wait!"
Barry glowered at her and clapped his hands together as if to close his book.
"Excuse me," he said. "I'm going to have to fine you for interrupting a nice wedding service."
"You can't get married yet," Bonnie went on, ignoring Barry as she turned to Drew. "You have to propose first."
Drew looked incredulous.
"I don't have the ring," he said.
"The ring?" May blinked and then pulled Drew's eyes back to her. "You bought a ring?"
"When he said he was planning on asking you to marry him, he was serious," Max informed her. "I have the ring." The news that Drew had actually gone as far to purchase an engagement ring and that even Max knew about it was a little dizzying for May, and suddenly, she felt very sad.
"Oh, good!" Bonnie beamed. "Give it here!"
"Not on me!" Max corrected, and Bonnie huffed. She pulled her bag over her shoulder and started rummaging through it. She pulled out silver-band ring that Drew took for one the novelty mood-changing jewelry pieces thanks to its multicolored gem.
"Well, regardless—" Bonnie faced Drew again, holding the ring out to Drew. "—you still have to ask her to marry you first."
"I did," Drew said flatly.
"In the worst roundabout way ever," Bonnie scoffed, pushing the ring toward him more forcefully. "Do it for real."
Camerupt had rammed the door again, and the splintered break down the middle was becoming more pronounced. Time was pressing against them, and Drew could have pointed out that all this extra pomp and circumstance would squander these last precious few minutes. However, he figured arguing against it would be the lengthier choice, and so he sighed, and with a tired, resigned smile, took Bonnie's ring and grasped May's hands again.
"May," he said seriously, holding the ring out to her. "Will you marry me?"
She started to smile, too.
"Ye—"
"—No!" Bonnie cut in shrilly. "Don't accept that May. He didn't even get on his knee. He didn't even say anything nice about you beforehand." She turned to Drew once more, instructing him, "You've got to have a proposal speech."
By that time, Drew was beyond exasperated and looked rather annoyed. He opened his mouth to protest, but stopped short when May spoke first.
"I'd like to hear a speech," she said quietly, a little shyly even.
"I'd like to see you get on one knee," Max added with a half-hearted smirk, and Barry nodded decisively, agreeing. Drew stared and almost became embarrassed, but seeing May's imploring gaze was enough to convince him. He sank to one knee.
"May," he began gravely, and her chest tightened at the sound of his voice alone. "When I first met you, I had no idea how much you were going to change my life. I grew up not knowing what it was like to be loved and appreciated, but you gave those things to me and so much more." May's breath had caught in her throat, and she thought she might cry. "You inspired me. You made me want to be a better person. You held me up during some of the hardest times in my life. I know I've fallen short in all regards when it comes to you, and I'm sorry we won't have the time for me to make it up to you—but I hope that the promise that I will love you for as long as I live will make up for a fraction of it. So will you marry me?"
May was crying by then. But, she swallowed, managed a smile, and stammered out a "Y-Yes."
He stood, slipped the ring onto her finger, and embraced her, and the moment was sobering for all the witnesses. Bonnie's eyes were glossy, and Barry had lost the animation that had buoyed them only minutes earlier. Max couldn't even look at his sister and Drew.
May and Drew pulled apart, and Bonnie quietly sniffed, "Okay. Now you can proceed."
Barry moved forward and opened his invisible book again.
"Drew," he started, now far more serious, "do you take May to be your wife, to love her, to comfort her, to protect her, to care for her in both sickness and in health, until—" He stopped and stumbled for a moment, grasping for an appropriate substitute. "—u-until the end of all time?"
"I do," Drew said firmly, his eyes locked with May's.
"And May." Barry turned to her next. "Do you take Drew to be your husband, to love him, to comfort him, to protect him, in both sickness and health until the end of all time?"
"I-I do," she answered.
"Then I now pronounce you husband and wife," Barry declared. "You may kiss the bride."
His arms wound around her waist as hers did around his neck, and they were locked together. The kiss was slow, long, and deeply intimate. It surpassed any kiss that had been shared between them before, to where all parties felt compelled to look away; and yet, at the same time, it was their most miserable kiss yet.
"Drew," May started after breaking apart. "I need you to do something for me." He didn't speak, but his look was enough to implore her continue. She cupped the side of his face with her unbloodied hand and said, "When that door comes down, Blaziken and I are going to draw that Camerupt in here. I need you, and Max, and Barry, and Bonnie to get out."
The request startled all in the room, not just Drew.
"What?" Drew blustered. "N-No, I won't. Its anger has been mounting, and it will erupt the moment it gets in here."
"I know, and I'm OK with that," May assured him. He still shook his head, and she more firmly grasped his face, saying, "I just promised to protect you. Please, let me give some meaning to what's happened to me."
A tense silence followed, and Drew still did not want to move. Yet, May's intense, fiery blue gaze pushed him off her, and there formed a divide between her and him, Barry, Max, and Bonnie. Camerupt rammed into the door, and the split was almost complete.
"Tell Mom and Dad I love them, OK?" she told Max as she pulled out a Pokéball and released Blaziken from inside. It was then that they actually the bite wound on his upper thigh.
"May, I—" Max started, wanting to protest in the same way Drew had, but a final charge against the door finally broke it to pieces and knocked over the filing cabinet. It stumbled over the cabinet, giving just enough of a window for the others to escape as it tried to rush May.
"Drew!" Cilan's voice called out to him, seeing their group flee the closet just as his was entering the ballroom. Drew only spun on his heel though and called for May instead as a bright and hot light burst from the broken doorway. Horror fell across their faces—until Camerupt was thrown out of the aurora on its back, and when the light faded, Blaziken—a very different-looking Blaziken—advanced from the doorway with a stunned and very much alive May in tow.
"That's Blaziken's Mega Evolved form," Trip breathed. "H-How is that possible?"
The garage battle was nearing its end, but Dawn and her companions couldn't have said such. It was their first time seeing the conflict, and it was every bit as vicious, every bit as violent, as it was an hour earlier—except now it was the G-Men marching toward victory. Dawn stalled for only an instant, rattled by the scene, but she quickly regained her sense and dove into the action.
"We have to find Cynthia!" Dawn said, raising her voice loud enough so the others could hear her.
"Should we split up?" Zoey suggested at an equally strong volume.
"No." Dawn vigorously shook her head. "Just do your best to stay with me. Then we can—" She stopped short, yelping as the careless swing of a Honedge's blade barely missed her. She stopped with a heavy, relieved breath, then looked around wildly, realizing the same swing had sent Zoey in different direction. Her friend was nowhere to be found, and she only had Kenny, Serena, and Clemont, who was struggling to keep up, with her now.
Dawn was prepared to call Zoey's name when she saw a flash of long blonde hair, and there she found Cynthia fighting against a Golem with her Lucario.
"There she is!" Dawn cried out before darting ahead. "Cynthia!" She ducked and slid between a warring Nidoking and and Magmar, which ended up losing the rest of her companions, but Dawn couldn't afford to lose sight of the former Sinnoh Champion. Dawn had to call her name again before Cynthia perked up with the realization that she was wanted.
"Dawn?" Cynthia asked, turning to the younger woman. "What's the matter? What's happened?"
"I need—" Dawn stopped, suddenly realizing the gravity of her request. "This is a lot to ask: I need to borrow Garchomp and his Mega Stone."
Cynthia's expression contorted into confusion.
"For what?"
"It's hard to explain," Dawn started. "Paul—" She never finished. Cynthia pivoted suddenly toward a persian and ordered he use Close Combat. Then, in a sliver of time that she could afford to turn her attention away from the battle, Cynthia pulled Garchomp's Pokéball from her waist and pressed it into Dawn's hand.
"I trust you and Paul," she said simply. "Garchomp is wearing the Mega Stone already."
Dawn nodded and thanked her, but Cynthia had nothing further to say as she and Lucario took on a second enemy. Dawn turned back to back to find her companions and saw that Serena had found her again first and was running toward her.
"Serena, are you sure this will work?" Dawn asked.
"No," Serena answered honestly, wiping perspiration away from her forehead. "But it's the best idea I've got." They were on their way back toward the door by then, and they would pick up any friends they saw along the way—but this was first priority.
"I thought Mega Evolution required the trainer and Pokémon to have a close bond," Dawn said. "This is Cynthia's Pokémon."
"Iris can read the hearts of dragons, right?" Serena reasoned back. "If she can connect that well with a Pokémon, a Dragon-type no less, then that will be enough. She's a Champion, so maybe she could Mega Evolve a Pokémon she's not supposed to be able to Mega Evolve."
Dawn frowned.
"Let's ho—" Her eyes were on Serena as she spoke, and so she missed the depression in the ground where a Pokémon battle had left a deep impact, and she ended up tripping, falling, and twisting her ankle. Cynthia's Garchomp fell out of her hand, and Dawn grabbed her ankle with a pained hiss.
"Dawn!" Serena worriedly fell to her side and then looked terrified upon realizing Garchomp was missing—until a hand extended his Pokéball toward the two women.
"I... got this..." Clemont said breathlessly, looking as if he were about to pass out. Dawn appeared relieved, but pushed the ball toward Serena.
"You go," Dawn said. "You get this to Iris."
"What about you?!" Serena asked.
"Don't worry," Dawn assured her. "Someone just needs to get that to her now."
The infected Delcatty and Watchog were approaching Iris at a menacing pace, lips curled into a snarl, scleras gleaming the unnatural purple under the equally unnatural lighting. Ghetsis still stood beside his son at the front of room, secure behind his Hydreigon's shield and amused by the Unova Champion's predicament. N, on the other hand, looked on in horror, but he could not—or was not willing to —find the words to put an end to the twisted juncture.
Iris had backed up several steps before sucking in a shaky breath and raising her Pokéball toward Haxorus.
"Return," she ordered, but Haxorus made a point to dodge the red beam of light. Iris appeared shocked and then upset. "Haxorus, I said return!" Haxorus again dodged.
"There, see?" Ghetsis mumbled to N. "Pokémon do not like being in Pokéballs. There's the proof right there."
Haxorus let out a long and pointed whine, and Iris suddenly straightened up. The Dragon-type then faced the infected again and lowered its back, as if ready to pounce, and Iris understood then. She put away his Pokéball.
"All right, if that's how you want it, then use Dragon Tail!" she commanded. The Delcatty hissed and leapt toward Haxorus first, and Haxorus swung its massive, glowing tail around and batted the Normal-type into a column. N let out an appalled gasp and pressed himself against the shield, and Ghetsis tutted, shaking his head.
"Such violence," he bemoaned.
Watchog attacked next, and Haxorus tried to hit it with Dual Chop under Iris's order, but Watchog dodged. The Delcatty, recovering, shook her injured head as if it were but a slight bump and then charged toward Haxorus. The Dragon-type was still trying to land a hit on the quick-footed Watchog and couldn't see the Delcatty coming; Iris gasped at this and dove in to stop the attack.
The Delcatty sank its teeth into Iris's arm, and as Iris tried to throw it off, the teeth dragged deeper into the skin and drew out some of her blood.
"Iris!" N cried out.
Haxorus, fearing for his trainer, spun his head toward her—and the brief moment of distraction was enough for Watchog to get its teeth into his shoulder. Then, that was it. Both of the infected Pokémon were jerked away from their respective victims by Confagrigus's Psychic and held in supension above them. Iris started to tear up—not for herself, but for the bite mark that was so visible on her Haxorus. She gestured for the Dragon-type to lower its head, and she embraced him tightly before looking more closely at the bite and gently running her fingers over it. Haxorus, meanwhile, licked at his trainer's wound.
"That certainly didn't take long at all!" Ghetsis laughed aloud. "It was inevitable, of course, but I expected greater resistance than that." He—and Iris and N—then perked up at hearing a commotion outside the throne doors: There were voices calling for Iris, and she immediately recognized them despite the muffled volume.
"Iris! Iris, are you in there?"
"Leaf, Paul!" Iris yelled back. "You have to go!"
"No, please, come in." Ghetsis rose his voice too, almost sounding gleeful, almost sounding like he had hoped they would come. The door shook then, and dust fell from the cracks that formed in the stone. One of their Pokémon was charging the door, and Ghetsis was willing to let this play out. He looked down upon Iris, upon her injury, with new disaffection.
"This is ultimately for the best," he said, deadpanning. "You were way in over your head, and Unova deserves better."
Iris glared back at him but said nothing. N was shaking.
"I'll give you two options." Ghetsis lifted two fingers for emphasis. "You may either surrender your throne here to N and die a quick, honorable death—" He lowered a finger. "—or you may continue to resist, and you will die a slow and painful one at the hands of the virus. Perhaps I'll give your fellow Champions the same options when they finally join us."
Iris's breath grew heavy, and she pressed a hand to her face to hide the tears that more poignantly stung. There were many thoughts that ran through her head as she closed her eyes, encasing her world in a sphere of darkness: She thought first of Gary and Leaf and the void that would forever exist in her life, then of Paul's Torterra and his trainer's complete unraveling at the loss; she thought of Burgundy dissolving in humiliation over the death of an innocent 13-year-old girl; she thought of Summer, and Anwir, and Adam, and dozens of other young and bright-eyed trainers and their Pokémon dead and dying, with no answer that could be given to the family they left behind; she thought of Ash seeing his own dreams fall to pieces when he, of all of them, would be the type of leader Napaj deserved; she thought of Cilan pressing his depressed head against her empty belly and the sacrifices he had made for her and, in consequence, made for Unova; she thought of the suffering and fear Unova, her home, had suffered under her hand, and she wouldn't stand for it a moment longer.
"I don't negotiate with selfish people who step on innocent people and Pokémon in their climb for power," Iris said in a low, warning voice as she rose to her feet again, looking Ghetsis directly in the eye. "Maybe Colress should have told you that."
Ghetsis appeared surprised by her tone, but the direct eye contact broke when the stone door fell to pieces. Leaf and Paul stood among the debris, the glow of their Key Stones—and the glow of their Pokémon's Mega Stones—cutting through the gray dust. Venesaur and Aggron, in their Mega forms, stood faithfully by their trainers' sides, having been the ones to take down the door. They were not alone: By then, Serena, though out of breath and nearing collapse, had made it to the top with Garchomp's Pokéball in hand.
N's eyes widened seeing Mega Venesaur and Aggron, never having seen such forms before. Serena sprang forward, running toward Iris.
"Iris!" she called out. "I have—"
Iris felt a warm vibration against her chest. She glanced down to see that her Key Stone was reacting—and she wasn't sure to what. Then she looked forward, and her breath caught: The wound on her Haxorus's shoulder was glowing the same as her Key Stone. Serena, also noticing this, stopped.
"Haxorus!" Iris called out with unrestrained thrill; Haxorus glanced back at her and made a permissive noise, so Iris let on a confident smile. "OK! So let's see what you're really made of then!"
The light trickled from Haxorus's wound into his veins, reaching every limb until he was entirely consumed by it. It split apart then, revealing his new form: He had grown nearly twice in size with thicker golden armor, and a new blade protruded from the top of his head as well from each arm. He roared then, and under Iris's command, charged toward the protective shield surrounding the throne and shattered it with a sweep of his left blade across the center. N and Ghetsis both fell back, and Confagrigus and Hydreigon were paralyzed with terror.
"What is this?" N whispered in awe. "I've never seen this before..." He managed to sit himself up, but he kept a careful distance. "This Pokémon... its heart truly resonated with Iris, and their connection... it brought out something greater in him, more powerful, more beautiful, more fulfilled..."
"N—" Ghetsis started, reaching for him, and N ripped his hand away.
"—Don't!" he burst out, and Ghetsis tensed. N's eyes were hard, and he added in a slow, cutting voice, "... Ghetsis."
And the day was won.
An hour later, all the major leaders of Team Plasma—Ghetsis, Colress, Annie, Oakley, among others—were in the G-Men's custody. N and his sisters had reunited, and everyone left them alone to speak and to wander the castle that had deluded them their entire lives and was now nothing more than a shattered illusion, a broken fantasy. Iris had no fear he would run—he had promised to see her again, and Ash apparently—and so she sat on the steps leading up to the throne with Haxorus, who had returned to his normal form, resting his head on her lap and Cilan holding carefully onto her injured arm.
He ran his fingers tenderly above the bite marks, not wanting to believe they were there, and Iris let him have this moment.
"What will happen?" Cilan finally asked in a quiet voice. Iris shook her head.
"I don't know," she said. "I barely knew what all that was." She grasped her Key Stone briefly and then let her hand fall to Haxorus's head. Cilan had not been a witness to her rising, but she had described it, and it seemed so fantastical that he could hardly believe it was real.
The throne room had become a gathering point. The Battle Pyramid was too far of a walk in the summer sun, and provisions were being brought up from Team Plasma's reserves, which Concordia had kindly pointed them toward. And it was the provisions where Ash was drawn first as he happily munched on a slice of wheat bread, occasionally sharing some with Pikachu. Misty's hands ran through the back of Ash's hair, incredulous that, for a second time, the wound was completely gone. And completely gone was also Mewtwo, who had disappeared just as quickly as he appeared.
Silver stood nearby, staring distantly at the different groups that were congregating in the room to lick their wounds. He saw the four-person Team Rocket bunch standing together, looking almost giddy, as if they had finally vindicated themselves. Dawn sat among her Sinnoan friends, her ankle now elevated and iced; Barry and Kenny were making jokes again, and Zoey was looking exasperated. May's arm, now also wrapped in gauze, was linked with Max's, and they were with Drew and Solidad. There was some secret the couple hadn't yet shared with the older woman—Silver didn't know what, but he could see it in their eyes—but there was also an air of uncertainty about them, and perhaps that was why they hadn't shared it. Bonnie had reunited with her brother and Serena, and the younger was chattering away excitedly about something that happened. Trip was laying on his back, his head on Georgia's lap and his arm crossed over his eyes; the new Elite Four member, meanwhile, was talking with Ritchie. Burgundy and Chili were alone and not talking at all, though it was evident there was a lot that wanted to be said.
And then there was Leaf and Paul. Silver saw them sitting outside the throne room near the stone door they had mutually destroyed. She had sunken onto a step, keeping Paul as her company, though he didn't seem to be talking much. Then Lance approached.
"How many of ours were bitten?" Lance asked plainly. Paul briefly flicked his gaze toward him, overall disaffected by his arrival, but still wishing he hadn't come. He didn't respond. The question was, obviously, meant for Leaf.
"Two: Iris and May, plus their Haxorus and Blaziken," Leaf answered. She morosely added, "Two too many."
Lance raised an eyebrow and then briefly looked over his own shoulder, surveying the room.
"Was this worth it?" he asked before looking back at her, and Leaf gritted her teeth.
"Not. Now."
Paul was about ready tell Lance to buzz off when Leaf's radio suddenly came alive with feedback. Leaf blinked and picked it up, readjusting the settings. Then Harley's voice patched through:
"This is your friendly neighborhood communication host Harley at the Battle Pyramid. Do you read me?"
Leaf rolled her eyes before answering in a flat tone of voice, "This is Leaf. What do you need Harley?"
"I just received some pretty important news from the Opelucid Pokémon Center that I think you'll want to hear," Harley went on, and Leaf cut him off there.
"I already know about Gary." Her voice cracked a little when she spoke. "I don't want to hear anything more about it."
"You mean about the successful treatment find?"
A beat of silence followed. Lance, Paul, and Leaf all stared at the radio blankly for a moment; then Leaf and Paul ended up exchanging astonished glances.
"What do you mean?" Leaf asked.
"Your beau Gary cracked the virus code," Harley said. "Something with Heart Scales and Pokémon-Human relationships and Mega Evolution."
Leaf was confused at first, but it soon evolved into a type of disbelieving anger.
"T-That's impossible; he's dead," she sputtered out.
"Not according to Bianca," Harley said.
Leaf was clutching the radio hard by then. She was utterly confused and angry, inclined to believe that it was some sick joke Harley had contrived for his own amusement. She started to look around her for an answer, from Paul first, then Lance—and then her gaze moved past them, traveling back into the throne room, where she saw Silver hovering near Ash.
Realization struck, and a torrential relief filled her, and for a moment, she was close to tears. It dried up though as a sudden fury consumed her, and the radio slipped through her fingers.
"Le—" Paul started, having reach the same conclusion, but by the time he had sprung to his feet, she had already flown back into the throne room. "Leaf!"
"You son of a bitch!" Leaf struck Silver across the face so viciously that her nails cut into his cheek. She had screamed the anathema, and all talk in the room ceased as all eyes shot toward the Indigo Champion and the unknown silver-eyed male with long red hair. Leaf might have hit him again if it weren't for Ash, who, with a surprised yelp, leapt to his feet and injected himself between the two, and Paul, who grabbed her by the arms and pulled her back.
"Leaf!" Iris also jumped to her feet and ran over, and there were others who followed.
"You lied to me!" Leaf continued to scream at Silver. "You told me Gary was dead. You took advantage of my emotions, deliberately misled me so I would—"
"—And it worked didn't it?" Silver cut her off with a short laugh, unable to react any other way with the sting upon his cheek. "It worked better than I would have thought." Ash felt like he couldn't breathe as he stared at his brother, absolutely mortified. Then Silver added, "You know, I learned a thing or two about manipulation from you."
Leaf's jaw clenched. Her eyes burned with a hatred unmatched by any who had provoked her manic temper before.
"I don't ever want to see you again," she said coldly, her voice shaking. "I don't care who you're related to, or what you've done for whom, I swear, if I ever see you again—"
It required Drew and Paul both to drag her from him, and Silver fell away, turning toward the broken doors and leaving the wreckage behind.
.
.
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