*Jacob comes in with a pair of CDs.*
Daniel: Whoa. What's with the CDs?
Jacob: Just a couple of new intros I developed for Coral. Each of them has a different song and intro to it. Wanna see them?
Hyna: Why not? I'll see them.
Daniel: Where is sis anyway?
Jacob: Hmm... good question. I need her vote on which intro to choose. Let me pull her up.
*pulls out touch pad and dials Coral's number. After several rings, Coral's face comes into view on screen*
Coral: Hello~!
Hyna: Coral, where-?
Coral: If you want to talk to me about an upcoming update, press one. If you have questions about my stories, press two. If you have other questions, press three
Three authors: ... really?
*Jacob dials three*
Jacob: Come on, where are you, Coral?
Coral: Hello~
Hyna: Cor-
Coral: If you have a question about my identity, good luck with that. If you are one of my fanfiction friends/siblings and have a question, press four. If you are my fanfiction friend/sibling and just want to talk, press five.
Hyna: When did you have time to do this?!
*Jacob dials four*
Jacob: Why do I have a bad feeling about this?
Coral: Yes?
Daniel: This is Coral right?
Coral: Yes this is she.
Jacob: *feeling something is off* So... where are you?
Coral: Ah hahaha... How to say this without having to explain anything...?
?: Coral! The kids can't wait any longer!
Coral: Be right there, darling~!
*great shock*
Daniel: Darling?!
Coral: I may have accidentally swapped with my avatar and am currently on a week-long internet family vacation with my internet husband. See ya~!
Hyna: Wait!
*hangs up* *silence*
Daniel: Did any of you knew she even had an internet boyfriend?
Hyna: She said husband.
Daniel: Which makes this a bit scarier.
Jacob: Wow... just, wow. So, uh, do you guys wanna vote on what song you wanna pick, or should we wait for Coral to come back?
Daniel: How about a poll?
Jacob: Hey, there's an idea! Okay, Let's do this; a poll will be posted for the new opening song for the story. When Coral comes back, we'll decide who has the highest number of votes and choose that one!
Hyna and Daniel: Yeah!
Disclaimer: Coral the Leviathan does not own RWBY, Pokemon, or the OCs. They all belong to their original creators.
*OPENING*
(Opening starts with a red cloak drifting away by the wind as dawn approaches)
Just head on! Just head on!
Thinking's only gonna slow you down
When emotions boost up my speed like a quick attack
(Crescythe caught the cloak and ran to camp)
There's not a moment to waste, right?
(Teams RWBY and JNPR and Seth, Jackson and Leafeon were out of their tents, yawning and preparing breakfast)
I won't lose, I won't run, there's no rain that can last forever
(In quick moments, camera shows Ruby putting on her cloak to Weiss putting her hair in a side ponytail to Blake putting her bow on to Yang wrapping her scarf around her neck)
I'll just bear my tears out and do a complete Reversal
(Team JNPR had their bags on their back as Seth and Jackson rushed past them)
Just set off! The sky'll clear up with a Hallelujah
(The group set off out of the forest with Crescythe and Leafeon by their side)
There are times where we'll fight
(Each person then stood on a Pokeball as they traveled in a colorful unknown dimension, Crescythe and Ruby sharing a ball, same with Jackson and Leafeon)
We've got passions strong enough to Overheat
(Team CRDL appeared wearing Team Flare's uniform as they tried to ambush Ruby)
So stop hesitating
(Crescythe took notice and moved their Pokeball away to avoid the attempt)
Roar like the Thunder cause your path don't need logic
(Ruby Mega-Evolves Crescythe and shouted out a command as the Absol shot out a Dark Pulse, sending them flying)
So come on now, pull open the future with your own bare hands
(The scene changed to platforms of various gym leaders then to the sky where a dark void is. Within it were the corrupted legendaries and Zetta and the assailant by their side)
A mad-paced getter, mad-paced getter, mad-paced getter
There's an unexplored future for us
(Ruby and Weiss threw their Pokeballs, releasing Reaper, Scout, Crocus, Cotton, Pythia, Spew and Aqua with Crescythe appearing with them. Blake and Yang threw their Pokeballs, revealing Spear, Screecher, Ivy, Tina, Emburn, Firebird and Leona. JNPR threw their balls and revealed Excalibur, Drill, Hydro, Pitfall, Blue, Pigpen, Eve, Freesk, Vulcan, Shanti, Sirius, Honey, and Floral. Seth and Jackson were surrounded by their Pokemon as they looked to the camera)
Oh yeah, gotta face my fears
Oh yeah, so many times
(The group were in a clearing, doing Pokemon Battles. Yang and Jackson fought fist to sword, literally. They clashed and caused an explosion)
A mad-paced getter, a mad-paced getter, a mad-paced getter
I know I am never alone
(Smoke subsided and showed Weiss doing a performance in a showcase with her Pokémon)
Oh yeah, so I won't back down
Oh yeah, let's head towards the dazzling future together
(Blake was leaning against a tree, reading a book. A little girl appeared and jumped on her. Both shared some laughs)
1, 2, 3 and we're ready to go! Let's ride the Tailwinds at our back!
(A battered Vanessa walks along the dark distorted path. She stops and looks up to the lone shining star, reminiscing on her Pokémon and friends)
Let's crack on and leap into an unexplored world
(Back in the Pokemon World, the Remnant Team, Seth, Jackson and Leafeon looked up at the moon with determined faces)
The next day, the heroes all got up early for some training. After Ruby showed them the first clue they have about Vanessa since their arrival, the Remnant team couldn't help but feel relief. At the same time, however, they were suspicious of the woman she bumped into. How did she know Vanessa? Does she have a connection with the ones who held her captive? Is she on their side? Is the clue really a clue?
"I still don't think we should trust this," Weiss said, as Cotton avoided Shanti's Dragonbreath. Of the few who found it strange, she was one of the few.
"I know it's strange, Weiss, but it's better than nothing!" Ruby reasoned, as Sickle took Clamp's Water Gun. Despite the attacking hitting the Kabuto, he showed no signs of how effective it was on him.
'Did I pick up a brain dead Pokemon?' Ruby began to wonder. 'No, he couldn't be. Not after he helped us with Arc.'
"She has a point Weiss," Seth said, practicing his psychic powers. "Suspicious as it may be, it's better than nothing, isn't it?"
"Well, I guess that's true," the heiress admitted.
"By the way, what's the next town after this one?" Yang asked, as Leona avoided Blue's Bubble attack.
"Shalour City," Lyanne answered, reading the newspaper. She sensed eyes on her and looked up to see everyone giving her funny looks. Immediately she knew why they were looking at her as such. "What? A legendary Pokemon can't learn about other regions?"
The group let out a nervous laugh at the statement.
"So, is there anything significant about that city?" Ren asked.
"Besides a gym that specializes in Fighting-types, there's a landmark called the Tower of Mastery," the legendary Pokemon answered.
"Tower of Mastery?" Nora repeated in a questioned tone.
"It's said to be the place of the first Pokemon to have ever Mega Evolve, and has a history about Mega Evolution," Seth answered. "I've heard about it and wanted to go there, before I discovered how Mega Evolution was done on my own that is."
"Well, we should wrap up training and get moving. Vanessa may be safe, but she's not going to wait forever," Jaune suggested. They all agreed with the idea.
After training was over, the group left Geosenge Town and made their way to Shalour City.
As Pyrrha looked about the rocky areas high above them, she asked, "So how far is it to the Shalour Gym?"
"Well, if we make it through Reflection Cave, we should be able to make it there in a pretty short amount of time," Seth answered, looking at the map. "And as for how far the Reflection Cave is, it should be a day's journey from here."
"That doesn't sound too bad," Jaune answered.
"Why do they call it the Reflection Cave?" Weiss asked.
"It's because a lot of the rock walls contain crystals that are like mirrors," Seth answered. "They fill up all the walls of the cave, so at least we'll be going through something very pretty like that."
"Just be careful," Jackson warned. "I've heard rumors that each mirror has an alternate dimension on the other side."
"An... alternate dimension?!" Ruby exclaimed.
"Woah! What do you think might be in them?!" Nora questioned excitedly.
"I don't know, and I hope we don't find out," Jaune answered, already trembling in fear.
Suddenly, they heard an outcry, screaming for help far ahead in the rocky path.
"Trouble!" Crescythe and Leafeon barked simultaneously.
"Let's see who's in trouble!" Ruby declared, and they all charged ahead to the source of the commotion.
When they arrived, they found four Pokémon backed into a wall, surrounded by a bunch of quadruped Pokémon. Half of the Pokémon were light purple with spikes on its' backs, ears, and a horn on its' head. The other half were light blue, spinier ears, and some of them were on their hind legs.
"What are they doing?!" Weiss demanded.
"Looks like a gang of Nidorino and Nidorina surrounding that poor group of Pokémon," Lyanne said.
Ren and Nora pulled out their Pokédex, examining the light purple and blue Pokémon, respectively.
"Nidorino, the Poison Pin Pokémon. Nidorino has a horn that is harder than a diamond. If it senses a hostile presence, all the barbs on its back bristle up at once, and it challenges the foe with all its might."
"Nidorina, the Poison Pin Pokémon. When Nidorina are with their friends or family, they keep their barbs tucked away to prevent hurting each other. This Pokémon appears to become nervous if separated from the others."
"They both evolve from the same Pokémon?" Nora questioned.
"There are different kinds of Nidoran, but it depends on the gender," Leafeon explained.
"Who cares?!" Yang exclaimed. "Those Pokémon are in trouble, so we need to get in to save them!"
The team charged in, and as they did so, one of Jackson's Pokéballs opened up, and Gardevoir came out. "Need any assistance, Jackson?" she asked.
"Whoa! Where did you come from?!" Ruby questioned.
"Perfect timing, as always, Gardevoir." Jackson answered. "Send those poisonous Pokémon flying!"
Gardevoir used her own powers to make a flying dash to the enemies and used Psychic on half of the Poison Pin Pokémon. They got tossed up into the air and were sent flying about the area, giving a straight line open space to the bullied Pokémon.
"Nice one!" Nora cheered for Gardevoir's work.
"Look! I can see the Pokémon inside!" Jaune pointed out.
Ruby looked at the innocent Pokémon and gasped in surprise. In it were a Dedenne, a Cottonee, a Floette, and a Swirlix. If it was only one or two of them, she wouldn't have acted surprised like she did. But considering that they were together, she had a feeling she knew who they were.
"Who did that?!" Dedenne exclaimed.
Gardevoir came zooming out in front of the pack, stopped, and turned to the horde of Nidorino and Nidorina, protecting the Fairy-type Pokémon behind her. The bullies were slightly hesitant, considering that she just easily took out half of them in a flash.
"What are you doing, ganging up on a bunch of little Pokémon like this?" Gardevoir questioned, her tone serious enough to intimidate the group.
"It's those guy's fault!" barked one of the Nidorino. "They were attempting to steal our food, but we caught them in the act before they got any!"
Gardevoir looked back at the group she was protecting with narrow eyes. "Is this true?"
"W-Well..." Cottonee nervously.
"It was Dedenne's idea!" Floette accused.
"Hey! Swirlix was the one who got us caught!" Dedenne retorted.
"I was hungry," Swirlix answered innocently.
"Be that as it may, you four should not have stolen from another Pokémon without permission," Gardevoir scolded. "Let this be a lesson to you all."
The four Fairy-types looked pretty sad at this.
The Embrace Pokemon turned back to the Poison Point Pokemon. "And as for you, these Pokémon did deserved to be driven off from what you've gathered, but to gang up like that is unacceptable. Now leave these Pokémon to me and my companions. We will personally deal with them."
The Poison Point Pokémon looked to one another, then decided to let them go. They turned and went up a narrow path and disappeared, leaving Gardevoir with the four thieves as the heroes watching the seen from afar.
"Wow. Gardevoir handled those Pokémon so well," Weiss stated in amazement.
"Well, she has always been Jackson wisest Pokémon, especially when dealing with issues like this," Lyanne recalled. "She has always been Jackson's guardian and would come out of the Pokéball herself when she needs to protect Jackson, or when she feels it is necessary."
Ruby was amazed at this as well, but her amazement diminished as she recalled who was behind Gardevoir. She and Crescythe rushed over as Gardevoir moved to the side to let her see the four Pokémon she protected.
"Hey, you guys!" Ruby greeted the four Pokémon. "You're Dedenne, Cottonee, Floette and Swirlix, right?"
"That's right." Floette answered.
"Hold on…" Dedenne realized something, drawing closer to her and Crescythe. "You two... you're that Ruby girl from that other world!"
"And you're Cardin's Dedenne!" Crescythe realized. "You're all here. Team CRDL's old Pokémon!"
"Hold on, did you say team CRDL's Pokémon?!" Seth questioned as the team gathered about them.
"Yeah, that's us," the Antenna Pokemon grumbled. "But we don't want to be affiliated with that jerk! He's no longer my trainer and they don't want us!"
"We saw the Pokémon who replaced you guys," Yang told them. "We're sorry you got abandoned like that."
"Who cares! He didn't!" Dedenne turned away from the group.
"You'll have to forgive him," Floette apologized. "He's been in complete dismay since Cardin left him."
"A-are you going to punish us?" Cottonee stammered, looking at Gardevoir fearfully.
"No. I'm not planning on doing that," Gardevoir answered, kneeling down to them. "But you will have to promise not to try and take other Pokémon's food without asking first. Do you promise?"
"Of course! I don't want to go through that again!"
"I am still very hungry," Swirlix moaned. Soon as he said that, everyone heard a loud growl coming from his belly.
Seth laughed at this. "Well, I guess this means we should settle down for some lunch. Let's take a break here."
"Sounds good to me," Yang agreed.
Everyone pitched in to set up the table and the food for the trainers and the Pokémon. While they did that, Jackson was curious and pulled out his Pokédex to the four Pokémon. "Dedenne, the Antenna Pokémon. Its whiskers serve as antennas. By sending and receiving electrical waves, it can communicate with others over vast distances. It uses its tail to absorb electricity from power plants or from outlets in houses. Floette, the Fairy Pokémon. It flutters around fields of flowers and cares for flowers that are starting to wilt. It draws out the hidden power of flowers to battle. Cottonee, the Cotton Puff Pokémon. Perhaps because they feel more at ease in a group, they stick to others they find. When attacked, it escapes by shooting cotton from its body, acting as a decoy to distract the attacker. Swirlix, the Cotton Candy Pokémon. To entangle its opponents in battle, it extrudes white threads as sweet and sticky as cotton candy. Because it eats nothing but sweets, its fur is as sticky sweet as cotton candy."
They placed down bowls of food for the four Pokémon, all who happily dug into it. As they ate, Ruby asked, "So why are you guys all the way out here? Considering that we met CRDL way back in Santalune City, we'd thought you be around there."
Dedenne stopped eating, looking back at the young Huntress-in-training. He was wondering if he should explain what happened after that incident. However, he noticed that the others behind her were curious about what happened as well.
Finally, he sighed and answered, "Yeah, maybe we should explain ourselves." He took a couple more pieces of food, gobbled them down, and started their story. "Let's start back when we first arrived to this world. When we got here, Cardin and us were kinda confused as to where we were. But he also was pretty irritated by the fact that I could no longer speak in his language anymore..."
*FLASHBACK*
"Speak my language, damn it!" Cardin barked, squeezing Dedenne in his hands and shaking him vigorously. Team CRDL had just woken up and found themselves outside of the Aquacorde Town, without their weapons. Not only that, but when Cardin questioned his Dedenne, he only responded by speaking in his own name.
"(What do you think I'm trying to do)?!" Dedenne answered in his native tongue. "(Stop shaking me, will you?!)" Dedenne unleashed a Flash that blinded Cardin, and forced him to drop the little Pokémon.
"Cardin, he isn't the only one unable to speak to you," Dove called to him, as he and the others were trying to speak to their Pokémon. "None of our partners are able to speak, either."
"Well, if they aren't able to speak, maybe we should ask why the hell they won't talk to us anymore?" Cardin questioned.
"If I knew, I would tell you," Dove answered. "But ever since we crossed that portal that was created, we haven't been understand our Pokémon."
"I wonder if the others can't understand their Pokémon, either?" Sky questioned.
"Yeah, maybe we should find Vanessa and the others, and figure this out," Russel suggested.
"Not a chance!" Cardin barked back at them. "The last thing I need is a lecture from that stupid little brat! And as for those other would-be-wimps, forget them! We can find out for ourselves what's going on."
The rest of team CRDL wasn't so sure about this. If anything, Cardin was just too stubborn to request help from Vanessa, considering how much of a pain she had been to him.
Just then, Dedenne's whiskers sparked, sensing something. "(Cardin! Something's coming to us!)" he called to him.
"Would you shut up! I can't stand that 'denne' crap you spout!" he barked.
Suddenly, the team heard a motor of a vehicle, followed by crashing trees and tires grinding on the ground.
"What is that?" Russel questioned.
Cardin glared at where the sound was coming from. On instinct, he prepared himself to fight, though he had no weapon to protect himself from whatever was coming. The others got ready, as their Pokémon were ready to protect their trainers, except for Dedenne, who only wanted to show his worth.
The sounds came in closer and closer, until suddenly, the trees before them broke apart and out came a large, six-wheeled transport vehicle, which were built for endurance and for technological purposes. On the sides of it were flame-shaped emblems.
Team CRDL endured the sudden arrival as it passed by them and skidded to a halt. The team turned to see the back door open, and eight red-suited characters popped out, followed by a rather bulgy character with very pale skin and a tuff of hair waving upwards behind his bald head.
"Hey, what's the big idea?!" Cardin barked, with Dedenne sparking a bit.
"Not exactly the words I was gonna ask, but it is the same question nonetheless," the man responded. "We recently detected a strange amount of dark energy coming from this place. You four are oddly-dressed for a group of young men, and you are within the perimeter of where the energy came from. Are you involved in this? If so, we insist you come with us."
"We don't have to tell you anything!" Cardin barked, then to his Dedenne. "Hey, pipsqueak! Make yourself useful and teach these guys a lesson on beating team CRDL!"
Despite hating being called 'pipsqueak' again, Dedenne grudgingly stepped up to fight the mysterious group. The others beckoned their Pokémon to take a stance as well.
"Such ignorance," the man sighed. "I'll just have to put you in your place!" He pulled out two Pokéballs and called out two Pokémon; a purple, four-winged bat, and a sinister, squid-looking Pokémon.
"They're Pokémon!" Dove gasped.
"And he had them in those Pokéballs, just like..." Russel started.
"So what?!" Cardin interrupted them. "We will not lose to them! Shock them up with Parabolic Charge!"
Dedenne charged up and unleashed a burst of electricity at the two opponents.
"Malamar, Psycho Cut," the man called out. His squid-like Pokémon unleashed a purple crescent wave that easily sliced through the electricity and struck Dedenne, knocking it out.
"What?!" Cardin gasped, shocked at the strength that was delivered to his partner.
"Floette, Fairy Wind!"
"Cottonee, Razor Leaf!"
"Swirlix, use Fairy Wind, too!"
The three other trainers unleashed all they could in response to their fallen partner.
"Crobat, dodge it and use Air Slash," the man responded.
His bat Pokémon dodged the attacks with such speed and retaliated by sending sharp discs of wind at the trio, striking them all down in one hit.
"I... can't believe it..." Sky gasped.
"He took them all down in only two hits!" Russel gasped.
"Cardin, what should we do?" Dove questioned.
His leader didn't answer. He was busy glaring down at his fallen Pokémon.
"Pathetic..." he growled. "How in the hell did I end up with such a pathetic Pokémon for a partner?"
"You should not blame your Pokémon for your own weakness," the man scolded him.
"Shut up! First Vanessa, then you. I am tired of people with those stupid creatures thinking they are better than me! I refused to being the weakling here! And it is creatures like this rodent that bring me down!"
He breathed heavily after his rant, but his anger was not tamed. It seemed to emanate all about him, scaring his fellow teammates, who were making sure their Pokémon were okay. Even some of the red-suited people were looking nervous at his fury.
"Hold on. Did you say 'Vanessa'?" the man asked in curiosity. "Tell me, is this girl's last name 'Pularis'?"
Cardin looked back at him, shocked. "Wait, how do you know her?"
"Hmm…very interesting. You seem to know the sister of our fellow enemy. You wouldn't happen to know where she is, would you?"
"Hell if I know. She ended up getting taken by this dark figure of a guy before we ended up in this place. The only reason I would like to know where she is so that I can have a chance to beat her senseless!"
"You hate her that much?" the man questioned.
"She's made a fool out of me and my team more than once. Her and those stupid students of hers." Russel, Dove and Sky had looks of agreement.
"Hmm... interesting." The man looked at Team CRDL. A smile started growing on his face. "You may lack the strength, right now, but you have potential. And we might have something that'll benefit the both of us in the future. I will explain my plans to give you what you want, as well as what I want."
Cardin was confused as the man turned waved them to go inside the truck. Cardin could feel that he was being baited, but it was a good bait to not take. He turned to the group, and made a gesture with his head to follow him. He led his team and the Pokémon they had into the vehicle, with the man and his squad of red-suited grunts behind him. The door closed behind them, and the vehicle drove off back the way it came.
Inside, the man sat in the seat near the back of the room filled with computers and machines that team CRDL certainly hadn't seen before. He had already called back his Pokémon, placing them in their balls.
"Before we begin, let us start over again with introductions," the man began. "I am Xerosic, the leader of an organization called Neo Team Flare."
"My name is Cardin Winchester," Cardin introduced. "This here is Russel, Dove, and Sky Lark. Together, we form team CRDL."
"That's an amusing name for your group," Xerosic chuckled, causing Cardin to glare. "But I digress. It seems the four of you are not like any other trainer I have seen before. Mind explaining your backstory?"
Cardin was a bit hesitant, but he explained anyway. "It might be hard to believe us, you know. We aren't exactly 'normal', in your words, for a reason."
As the vehicle drove, Cardin began explaining about where they were from, about how they were Huntsmen-in-training, and about everything that happened in result of Vanessa's arrival to their world, including the Pokémon that started appearing after she came. By that time, the truck had made its' arrival to a supposedly abandoned warehouse.
As the back of the truck opened up again and the grunts walked out. Xerosic sat in his chair still, contemplating about what happened.
"What a wondrous tale," he started. "Despite how unimaginable it sounds, the truth of the matter is that it fits in with all the mysterious things we've discovered."
"What kind of things?" Dove asked.
"Well, for one, the mysterious amount of dark energy signatures appearing about Kalos, with rumors of Pokémon being taken into portals." Xerosic stood up and walked past the group, causing them to follow him out of the truck. "We were unsure of where they were being taken to, or if Pokémon were always taken when these dark energy signatures appear on our computers. However, thanks to your story, we are able to put that problem aside."
He led the team to an elevator that looked like it was inoperable as he continued to speak. "Second set of proof falls in the fact that Vanessa Pularis had arrived in your world. We have had eyewitnesses and sky camera reports of her joining her brother, Nic Pularis, along with a ragtag group of unusual characters who wield special powers we have not seen before, not even from another group of humans we like to call Pokéhumans. From our last witness, they were seen somewhere in the south-eastern part of Kalos, heading into a portal before vanishing from sight. From what we gathered, there was a short flux of dark energy by the time the camera showed us Vanessa entering into the portal, meaning that something must've happened when she went into it. It might explain why she alone appeared in your world, while we assume the others were taken to some other worlds."
He punched in a code in a hidden number panel. The elevator doors opened, revealing to be a secret staircase that led downward. "This way, please," he ushered team CRDL. They walked down the steps into an underground pathway.
He pulled out a handheld device, pulling up some info he was just given. "The third proof of your story lies in your own bodies," he told the group, who were surprised and confused. "While inside the vehicle, our team managed to scan your bodies in secret and we discovered the energy you people have. This 'aura', as you call it, was recognized by our systems, which further proves your story. All in all, what we don't know is the whereabouts of Ms. Pularis."
He led the team through a mechanical sliding door, where they found themselves in a red-lighted room with monitors and computers specifically designed for research and analysis.
"Where are we?" Cardin asked.
"This is our base's research center," Xerosic answered. "Here, we gather the info of our organization's main goal."
"And what exactly is your main goal?" Russel asked.
"Why, to reset the world in an image of pure perfection."
This made team CRDL stop in their tracks.
"You want to control the world?" Cardin questioned. "That's a pretty big task and it doesn't sound like you would do this peacefully."
"We will do anything necessary in our path to bring forth our former leader's main goal."
They reached the main computer of the room, where a woman sat. The woman had short green hair that curved outward at the ends and wore green, visor-like glasses. She turned to see Xerosic approach with the group behind him.
"Hello there, sir," she greeted. "Who might these four boys be?"
"These people were involved in the large amount of dark energy before," he answered. "They apparently have been sent from another world through a portal of that same energy. Very peculiar, wouldn't you say?"
"Almost unbelievable. But you wouldn't have brought them here if it didn't contain truth, would you?" She looked to the boys, then she stared at Russel, who was gazing at her, not sure what to make of her. She smiled right back at him, nonetheless.
"This is Bryony, one of Neo Team Flare's chief scientists," Xerosic introduced her. "These four boys are Cardin, Russel, Dove and Sky. They apparently are a group of people called 'Huntsmen'."
"I see. Well, I hope you won't cause any trouble to Neo Team Flare's ambitions," Bryony warned the four.
"So what do you have in store for us?" Cardin questioned.
"Right. Let's get to the point," Xerosic said, replacing Bryony's place at the main computer and pulled up files of all kinds of things, like data from certain Pokémon, location schematics, pictures of certain kinds of Pokémon and people, and other things.
As he did so, one of the grunts working the computers looked at the monitor of the main computer with suspicion, tapping the side of his glasses.
"As I said before, our main goal is to create the perfect world, as did our leader want to have," Xerosic began. "The first Team Flare was led by our beloved leader, Lysandre, who was a master of creations that would benefit others, attempting to perfect the world with the technology he created. However, that was his public image. For us, Lysandre was attempting to create a beautiful world, void of humans driven by greed or evil. He attempted to destroy a lot of the human population with an ancient ultimate weapon, but it had failed. As a result, he was unable to succeed."
"That's pretty twisted, if you ask me!" Cardin barked. "Sure, I can't stand people who are driven by evil and greedy thoughts, but you can't just destroy a large portion of humanity to make it better. That would make us no better than the Grimm in our world, who attack people that have negative feelings, even for a moment."
"That does sound like a dangerous kind of Pokémon," Bryony stated.
"Except they aren't Pokémon," Russel corrected her. "They're creatures that are native to our world."
"Ahem!" Xerosic cleared his throat to get the group's attention. "The plan WAS a bit excessive, but considering we were able to survive afterwards, we were compelled to follow. However, Lysandre's plans were halted by a boy named Nic Pularis, who not only saved the legendary Pokémon used to power the machine, but also caused the mysterious disappearance of Lysandre. We assumed he was killed when the weapon was destroyed and the underground base was succumbed to rubble."
There was a pause as the group saw the face of Lysandre, who was middle-aged, mane-like hair, and had a determined look on his face.
"After some time, we disbanded, but we were forever dedicated to Lysandre and his goals. I went into research for other 'personal' matters, which were successful, but I still fell into despair from the loss of our leader," Xerosic continued.
"Then, suddenly, we were reunited by someone. We did not know his name, but he inspired us once more to continue Lysandre's goal to create the perfect world, out of his image. However, we decided to go a different path. Instead of destroying humanity, we will control it, so they will learn the wrongs of evil and greed. We will make this world a better place by making sure that humanity is controlled by us, starting with Kalos."
"Well, at least it doesn't involve killing humanity off," Dove stated.
"It does sound like a large plan to accomplish," Cardin agreed. "But how are you going to do that?"
"There are two things we must do in order to accomplish our goal; Obtain the device used for our goal, and eliminate the main obstacle that would stop us," Xerosic listed.
"That 'Nic' guy, right?" Sky asked.
"Exactly. He still poses as a major threat to our goals, so we must make sure he isn't involved. Fortunately, we've learned enough about him to know that he cares very much about any person close to him. As such, if we were to, say, hold someone close to him hostage, he wouldn't dare allow that person to be hurt in any form. That's why having Vanessa Pularis would be the perfect hostage, wouldn't you say? A bond between brother and sister would be excellently used for our benefit."
"That does sound like a reasonable plan. Vanessa ain't no wilting flower, so capturing her will be tough," Cardin stated. "She's taught all of us how to fight with Pokémon, and she's learned some moves at our academy. So I guess you would need some people who could adapt to her upgraded powers."
"You certainly catch on," Xerosic stated with a grin. He then turned to Bryony and said, "Bring four of our specially trained Pokémon for these young men to use."
The girl was taken aback at this. "Are you sure? We are just allowing them to some of the Pokémon we possess?"
"It is a reckless idea, but these four have potential, ambition, and most importantly, they have a vendetta against Ms. Pularis as we have against Nic. We will make sure they are properly equipped to take her in."
Bryony was hesitant, but seeing the four, she couldn't argue with Xerosic, so she walked off to gather what he wanted.
"So we're going to have all new Pokémon on our side?!" Sky questioned. "That sounds great!"
"I hope I get a strong one to use!" Dove hoped.
"Same here. We will make sure that we will beat anyone back at Vale who challenges us!" Russel declared.
"As long as we get Vanessa, and teach those other chumps a lesson, then I'm fine with going along with your plan," Cardin told Xerosic, smirking maliciously.
"That is good to hear," the lead scientist answered. "Now, for our other goal... and this is something you can do for us, as well." He put away one file, and placed up a new one, filled with all other sorts of data and pictures. The center of it was a picture of a mechanical device that was very odd-looking.
"What the heck is that?" Russel asked. "Some kind of machine?"
"This isn't just any machine. It's the Defense Mechanism of Alto Mare, or the DMA for short. It hails from a town of the same name in the Johto Region. It was designed as a matter of defense for the city, but it contains unbelievable powers, from controlling waters, creating barricades, and even reviving fossilized Pokémon. It is truly a work of mechanical perfection."
"That is a pretty powerful device," Dove agreed. "So do you want us to steal it?"
"Oh, the machine had been dismantled some years ago," Xerosic said. "But no worries, we found clues on how the machine is made, only we intend to use its function on a much larger scale. One that we can cover all of Kalos with."
"So what do you want us to do with it?" Cardin asked.
"In order to power it, we need two specific sources of energy. One of them is a jewel called the Soul Dew, which we are still searching for. The other is a Pokémon."
"A Pokémon?" Sky asked.
Xerosic nodded, and pulled up another picture, containing two Pokémon that looked like part-bird, part-dragon, with one being white and blue, the other being white and red. "These two are called Latias and Latios. They are mythical Pokémon, and are well known in Alto Mare as the guardians of the sea. The energy they possess will allow us to control the machine, along with the Soul Dew."
"So you want us to find one of these Pokémon and bring them to you?" Sky asked.
"Yes, although you are better off capturing the red one, Latias," Xerosic explained. "Latios had not been seen in that town for a long time, but rumors have it Latias has been seen there, but she had vanished. We're not sure where she went to, but we have our suspicions she might be in this region."
"So why not find her?" Cardin asked. "Shouldn't be that hard to capture this Pokémon."
"You clearly don't know how skilled a Latias can be. They can turn invisible using the down feathers on their body, transform into any person they desire, and even move at high speeds. And that's not to include the fact that they are strong Pokémon, too. So your job is to track down that Pokémon, and together, we can capture it and bring it in to use for our plan."
Cardin nodded in understanding.
Dedenne and the other Pokémon of team CRDL were looking worried. To them, this group of people were dangerous, and it's obvious they were using team CRDL to their advantage. But Cardin was too stubborn for reason. To him, it was all about getting payback on Vanessa and the others.
At this point, the grunt that was listening in before tapped his glasses again and stood up. He turned and was about to leave the room when one of the other grunts saw him leave.
"Hold on, you weren't relieved your post. Return to your station until you are given orders to leave," he said.
"That's a shame, cause I need to go, right now," the grunt answered. "So if you don't mind, I need to..." He leapt up and kicked the guy in the face as he shouted, "PASS!" He knocked the guy cold and drew the attention of the entire room. Two more grunts tried to stop him, but he knocked them aside, and ran out the room.
"Stop him!" Xerosic ordered in the group.
"CRDL, let's go!" Cardin ordered, and the team raced out the room after that guy, nearly bumping into Bryony, who brought a black and red case with her.
"What's going on?!" she questioned, suspicious about CRDL's actions.
"One of our scientists was a spy!" Xerosic informed her. "Go back up those boys to stop him!"
Bryony understood and raced after team CRDL.
In the hall ahead of the group, the spy raced along the corridor, took off his glasses, and removed the band on his hair, revealing his dark red eyes and his mid-length, dark red hair.
"I've got the info I need," Cypher said, looking at his glasses. Said accessory was also a secret device used to record conversations. "This is bad. I need to get in contact with my boss, quick. I should also tell Jackson. He'll probably need to know this the most."
Just then, he saw two grunts ahead of him, standing at the stairs that led outside, both pulling out Pokéballs.
"Stop, you!" one of them barked.
"Guess my escape won't be that easy," Cypher muttered, pulling out his own Pokéball. "Go, Pinsir!" He called out a blue, stag beetle-like Pokémon, glittering as he came out. His two opponents called out a Houndour and Skorupi.
"Dark Pulse!" the two shouted in unison. Both their Pokémon fired off streams of dark rings.
"Stone Edge!" Cypher responded. The Pinsir slammed the ground, causing light blue pillars of rock to rise up to block the attack. "Guillotine!" The Pokémon's horns glowed as it charged in at the petrified pair of Pokémon, destroying the pillars as he did so. He opened them wide and snapped them shut around his two opponents, knocking them out instantly. The attack also sent the rubble of the Stone Edge into the grunts, knocking them out as well.
"Good job, my friend," Cypher told his Pinsir.
"(Nothing like spreading these old horns out to do some damage!)" the Stagbeetle Pokémon answered in his language.
"Sorry I hadn't used you for a while, but those dang Flare grunt jobs," Cypher sighed. "It's like they want us to be weak for them to use."
"Hey!" Cardin's bark caused Cypher and Pinsir to turn to see team CRDL race up to confront him.
"If I were you guys, I'd stop listening to these people if you want to stay on my side," Cypher warned him. "This organization claims they are driving out greed and evil, but it turns out they ARE the greed and evil. You can't trust them."
Cardin growled at him, not sure how to respond.
Just then, Bryony caught up with the boys. "So he's the spy, huh? And he has a Pinsir, a rare alter-colored one, too."
"He took out a couple of your grunts pretty darn easily," Dove pointed out.
"Our Pokémon don't even stand a chance against him!" Sky added nervously.
"Hey, are those our new Pokémon?" Russel asked, noticing the case Bryony carried.
"They are. Take one and take him out," she answered, as she opened up the case to reveal four Pokéballs.
"Nice," Cardin smirked, pushing his comrades aside to grab one of them. "Let's see how trained the Pokémon are."
He threw out the Pokéball he grabbed and out came Dusclops.
"That's Dusclops," Bryony introduced, passing a device with a holoscreen. "You don't know what his moves are, so here's the list."
Cardin took the list. "Thanks."
"Wow, you guys are seriously prepared," Russel stated. "Thanks a lot, Ms. Bryony."
"You want to show flattery, then take out that guy's Pokémon," she responded seriously.
The other three took their Pokéballs and called out Diggersby, Scrafty and Loudred.
"Four on one, huh?" Cypher questioned. "We don't mind, do we?"
"(Absolutely not!)" Pinsir answered. "(Let's give these Pokémon a battle they'll never forget!)"
Team CRDL read the moves each of their Pokémon knew and understood what to do.
"Dusclops, use Shadow Punch!" Cardin roared. His Beckon Pokémon unleashed a shadowy punch at Pinsir.
"Counter with X-Scissor!" Cypher answered. The Stag Beetle Pokémon's horns glowed as he charged forward, unleashing a scissor cross at the fist of the Pokémon, causing an explosion. The force of the explosion caused the two sides to back away from one another.
"My turn! Use Hyper Voice!" Sky ordered.
"(GET AN EARFUL OF THIS!)" Loudred responded, unleashing a sound wave that struck Pinsir and Cypher hard.
"Damn! These corridors make a lousy echo chamber for us," the red-haired trainer moaned.
"I'll go up next," Dove followed up. "Use Hi-Jump Kick!" His Scrafty charged in with his leg glowing brightly, leapt up to the ceiling and dove down at the defenseless Pinsir, striking him hard and sending him skidding backwards.
"Let's not let up! Guillotine!" Cypher ordered.
"(I'll end you all!)" Pinsir roared, charging in fast with glowing pincer-like horns.
"Trick Room!" Cardin ordered.
Dusclops's eye glowed and a rectangular dome surrounded the entire group.
"What?!" Cypher gasped, recognizing this move. Pinsir started to slow down.
"What's going on?!" Dove questioned.
"Trick Room switches the speed of the Pokémon on the field," Bryony explained. "In other words, it slows down fast Pokémon, but it speeds up slow ones."
"Cardin, can I finish him off?" Russel asked.
"Be my guest." Cardin answered.
"Okay, then. Use Hammer Arm!" Russel's Diggersby's large ears glowed as he charged forward, slamming both of them on top of Pinsir before he had a chance to react. He slammed to the floor and the impact knocked him unconscious.
"Crap!" Cypher growled as he heard the two grunts behind him starting to come around again. He called back Pinsir to his Pokéball as Bryony stepped forward.
"It looks like this little getaway is over," she told him. "I won't let you get away with what you heard. Now, please hand over those glasses of yours."
Cypher grimaced, then heard Cardin boom with laughter. "Looks like these guys aren't so bad to work with," he told the cornered spy. "Maybe you're the one who should listen to these guys!"
"You kinda remind me of myself way back when," Cypher stated, pulling out a new Pokéball. "Let's hope you change for the better, like I did." He tossed the ball into the air, calling out Empoleon.
"We can still take you on!" Cardin barked. "Cause that's how we do it. Team CRDL: Flare Huntsmen!"
Cypher and his partner glared at the opponents ahead of them for a while. "Let's get out of here at high speeds, buddy."
"(You got it!)" Empoleon answered.
Cypher climbed onto his Pokémon's back as he used Aqua Jet, circling about and passing the two grunts up the stairs.
"No!" Bryony gasped as the team charged after it, but it was too late. They heard the door being blasted open above them and rushed to see the said door destroyed. The only signs of him left were the water droplets from the Aqua Jet.
"Damn it!" Russel grimaced.
"Sorry we didn't stop him," Dove apologized.
"He tricked us good," Bryony stated. "I don't believe you guys are at fault. Still, now our ultimate plan is exposed. We can't do anything to stop him from telling our info."
"Then we won't let him have any proof to gain," Xerosic came from behind the group, as Flare grunts rushed passed them, carrying all that they could in their hands.
"We're abandoning the base?" Bryony asked.
"We'll move all we have to the main base," Xerosic answered. "We'll destroy any evidence of this being our base."
"What about us?" Sky asked.
"Ah, of course." He snapped his fingers. A pair of the grunts came over, carrying a case filled with all kinds of new devices, supplies, Pokéballs, and four new uniforms.
"You can't walk around in this world in what you're wearing, so we'll prepare you with new clothes and new equipment to use," Xerosic explained. "We are giving you all of these things, but you must swear your loyalty to Neo Team Flare and its goals."
Everyone looked to Cardin, who looked to the uniform for a moment. He then smirked and answered, "Well, if I want to exact a little revenge over Vanessa, I guess it couldn't hurt to bring in her brother, as well. Consider it done, Xerosic."
The lead scientist nodded in approval.
After a half hour of removing all essentials, Xerosic had explosives attached inside the building. With a push of a button, they blew it up, destroying any evidence of it ever being a Flare base. As for team CRDL, they had already prepped themselves in their new clothes and had their equipment saddled on their backs, with their new Pokéballs across their belts.
Dedenne and the other Fairy-types approached the four newly-joined Team Flare Huntsmen.
"(Cardin, what about us?)" Dedenne asked.
Cardin looked back at his old partner, not understanding what he said. Despite that, he told him, "Get out of here. We have no use for pipsqueak Pokémon like you guys."
The words shocked and hurt the four Pokémon.
"Are you sure, Cardin?" Dove asked. "We could need them at some point."
"Why would we need weaklings like them?" he asked back. "I say good riddance to all of them. We're leaving them behind, and that's an order."
"(But we can get stronger!)" Dedenne answered. "(Call me a pipsqueak all you want, but I will get stronger if you just-!)"
"Shut up, will you?!" Cardin barked at him angrily, kicking Dedenne away from him. "If you want to be with a trainer, find some other helpless loser out there who would even consider taking you in! I don't care if you have no memory or what, you guys are no longer our Pokémon. So get your cutesy selves out of my sight, before I have Dusclops take you out personally!"
The four Pokémon looked at one another, hurt deeply at these words. Dedenne was hit the worst, and he was crying from it.
"(Fine! Who needs you!)" he squealed. Then, he ran off, with the other Pokémon trying to keep up with them, leaving team CRDL alone as they leapt through the forest.
"Are you sure about this, Cardin?" Sky asked.
"Absolutely," Cardin answered. "We don't need them. This will be a new start for team CRDL with our new Pokémon. Now come on! Lets see if we can find Vanessa and those other idiots." With that, Cardin lead his team along the road, heading towards the path to Santalune City.