They hadn't talked for a day and a half, but it wasn't because of an argument. Paul almost wished that had been the problem. Instead, their silence came from the shock of the aura of the city a day and a half behind them.
Having lived in Veilstone almost his whole life, Paul could instantly tell something was wrong when they were about to enter from the Route 215 side. As a result, he had led Haley through a path that went through the woods outside the city. They had snuck to Paul's house to say hi to Reggie (they hadn't seen or heard from him since he dropped them off in Celestic Town) and figure out what was causing the unpleasant aura.
Paul had never truly realized how petty the people of his home city really were.
Seriously, Chase had been gone for weeks, and they were still upset at the news about his sexual orientation, and it shocked the two teens into total silence. Haley looked the most offended, and Paul guessed it was because of that friend she had mention when he and Chase found her on Route 217. That wasn't to say Paul wasn't offended, either, but it just seemed to hit her harder.
And when he stopped looking at his moving feet and at where his feet were going, he frowned even worse than he had before.
Lake Valor.
As if enough emotional baggage had been dumped on him already, now they were at the place that reminded him of the worst two weeks of his Sinnoh journey.
It was that sight of the crystal clear lake, though, that made him realize how sick he was of these negative emotions. He had to make them stop before he found himself with a permanent scowl again.
"So, I go first," Paul decided, finally breaking the day and a half silence.
Haley jumped slightly in surprise at the sound of his voice, but quickly realized what he was doing. "No, because you went first at the Snowpoint Gym, so it's my turn," she argued.
"I would agree, but you're the one with seven badges," Paul pointed out.
She rolled her eyes. "The Pokémon League is going to be on the same day whether you go first or not," she replied.
Paul sighed. "Fine, you can go first," he caved in.
The black haired teen nodded, looking proud of herself. Then she gave off a confused look before her features softened and she giggled. "Thanks, Paul," she said.
He smiled back and shrugged. "I figured we needed a change of mood," he stated.
"Yeah, we did," Haley agreed. "But look at you, being the one to try and change it. I'm glad."
"What, you never thought I could?" he asked, sounding offended but having a playful smirk on his face.
Her response was to playfully push him, to which he chuckled. They walked in silence again, but this time it wasn't thick with tension and uncomfortable. Paul quietly inhaled the fresh scent of the air, finally feeling like a weight had lifted itself off of his shoulders, and suddenly it felt like the rest if the day would be smooth sailing.
"Red?" someone piped up in surprise, and the friends stopped. They looked in the direction the voice had come from, and Paul watched a grin grow on Haley's face.
"Gary!" she shouted, and she ran to give the other male a hug. Paul followed, studying the guy the whole way.
His spiky mahogany hair was all over the place, and Paul honestly couldn't say if he thought Ash's was unrulier or this guy's. He had dark viridian eyes, and he was wearing a black collared t-shirt, purple wristbands, a gray bag around his waist, purple pants, and black shoes. At his side was an Umbreon, who looked just as happy to see Haley as its Trainer.
"It's been forever, Red!" Gary exclaimed as he rubbed her head. Haley slapped his hand away but her grin never faded. "How's life been treatin ya?"
"Good, bad, the usual ups and downs," Haley told him. "How about you? Jeez, when was it we last saw each other, Johto?"
"Sounds about right," he voiced. "Well, you know, research has been going well. Gramps helped me snag a place with Professor Rowan."
"How would he have done that?" Paul asked.
The two old friends finally noticed he was at their side. "Oh right, sorry, Paul," Haley laughed nervously. She cleared her throat. "Gary, this is my friend and my traveling partner Paul Shinji. Paul, this is Gary Oak-"
"As in the Professor Oak?" Paul questioned in disbelief.
"Yep, that's my Gramps!" Gary confirmed, beaming.
Paul stared at him with wide eyes. "How do you know someone like him?" he barely got out.
"He's my Kanto rival's childhood...friend? I still don't know if she hates you or is completely head-over-heels for you," Haley mulled over.
"Red, she's so head-over-heels she's done two front flips and almost completed a third," Gary stated, a hint of smugness and confidence in his voice.
The purple haired Trainer now gave him the "Really?" look. "You're one of those types, I see," he muttered.
"Can't help it if I got the looks ladies love," he replied, running a hand through his hair. Paul rolled his eyes.
"Anyway, what are you doing here at Lake Valor?" Haley inquired.
Suddenly the playboy look in his eyes and the playful nature were gone, and Gary was serious. "Well, we got word that Pokémon Hunter J might be here soon to capture the Legendary Pokémon Azelf that's in the lake," he informed.
"Wait, Hunter J?" Paul repeated.
"Who's that?" Haley asked.
"She the most notorious Pokémon Hunter in all of Sinnoh," Paul explained. "If she has a target, she doesn't stop until it's hers, and then she puts the Pokémon she stole up on the black market.
"How do you have so much info on someone I would think would prefer to hide?"
"She's a strange case, that one," Gary answered Haley's question. "She keeps her movements hidden, but she has no problem in letting the world know she's the one responsible. I wouldn't just say Pokémon Hunter J's the most notorious in Sinnoh, I'd say the whole world."
Haley looked at him, apprehensive but determined. "Okay, but what does she want with the Legendary Pokémon?" she questioned.
"The only thing Hunter J is interested in is money," Gary stated. "She doesn't get the Pokémon so she can keep them, and if it's Azelf she's after, then we can suspect only one possible client: Team Galactic."
The two other teens tensed. "Team Galactic?!" Paul hissed.
"Not those creeps again," Haley spat.
"You've run into them before?" Gary inquired.
"At the Valley Windworks right outside Floaroma Town," Haley told him. "Man, that feels like forever ago."
"We also left the day before they had those Team Rocket idiots try to steal the Adamant Orb," Paul remembered. "And if I'll be honest, I was in Veilstone City the day they stole one of the meteorites, but I was...unavailable."
"Oh, and we were just a day late to help the Celestic Town Historical Research Center," Haley added.
Gary looked at them. "Wow, you two have run into them quite a bit," he noted.
"Even so, it's not like we've been able to do anything to help out," Haley brought up. Then she looked as if she were thinking of something. "Although..." She looked at Paul. "Did you know about the attack on Celestic Town?"
Paul looked at the other two, and since Cyrus' threat was now completely null and void, he decided to come out with it a few months too late. "I did," he replied.
Gary looked surprised, and Haley was clearly waiting for an explanation as to why he didn't tell her and why they didn't move faster.
"I ran into Team Galactic's leader while in the Solaceon Ruins," he began. Now both of them were surprised. "Unfortunately, I learned that he's someone I know, and he knows things others don't that I wish to keep under wraps. He told me of their plans but threatened to reveal my secret if I told anyone."
They continued to stare with surprised eyes. "But, Paul-"
"Haley, please don't take offense, but it's something I don't want even you to know," Paul interrupted. "At least, not now. It's only something a few people know, and I don't want to have to reveal it to any more people than I have to."
She looked downcast yet understanding. "Did he say anything about what they're planning to do?" Gary asked urgently.
He nodded. "Although, it might be information you've already learned or inferred yourself," Paul warned. Gary urged him on anyway. "Team Galactic is planning on creating a world with no emotions, and the leader plans to summon Dialga and Palkia in order to do it." The Trainers froze in place. "But the thing is, the leader wants the world for himself. He's lying to his entire organization just so he can get what he wants." Paul looked and even felt a little sick as he growled, "And he wanted me to come along."
"You told him he can go fuck himself, right?" Haley hissed.
"Of course I did," he assured
"Was there anything about the Lake Spirits?" Gary questioned with even more urgency.
"No, I wish," Paul grumbled. "That's probably more important than what I just spouted."
"Not necessarily," Gary argued. "We now know what they - or, I should say he wants, and it's confirmed now that he wants Dialga and Palkia. Combined with the fact that Carolina helped us figure out that Mt. Coronet is involved, I'd say we're doing good."
"Knowing all of that isn't going to help us, though," Haley replied. "Hunter J's coming here to get Azelf, and we know that we shouldn't let that happen because it'll probably make things worse for the world as we know it. But we need a plan to stop her, and that's hard to do when she could just appear out of nowhere."
The boys looked at her. "She's right," Paul pointed out.
Gary thought. "That's true," he muttered. Then he smirked. "Well, we're all top Trainers; let's just show her why."
Haley chuckled. "Leaf's old personality got to you, Gary," she stated.
"Well, maybe she's not the only one who's head-over-heels," he admitted with a grin.
So the three waited for Hunter J to show up, keeping a close eye on the sky and scanning the shores of the lake as well. And even though Paul knew keeping their senses sharp was the more important thing, the silence of just waiting around was a tad unbearable.
"So, a childhood friend of Haley's Kanto rival," he said to Gary.
The teen researcher looked at Paul and smiled. "Yeah, and sometimes when I tried to meet up with Leafy, Red would show up and spice things up." He chuckled. "Man, watching them go at it was like watching a Zangoose and a Seviper. Honestly, though, it was kind of hot."
"Sure, if you think girls mauling each other is hot," Paul retorted, rolling his eyes.
Gary laughed. "You don't know how many times I thought of throwing my best friend in the middle of it just to see how he would deal with it," he confessed. "Poor guy."
"Your best friend?" Paul questioned dryly.
"Well, when we were traveling through Kanto, he wasn't," Gary told him, seeming kind of ashamed. "It was my fault. I was being a huge ass because... Well, I had big shoes to fill. Gramps was originally an amazing Trainer before he became a Researcher, so everyone was expecting me to be a strong Trainer, too." He took a deep breath before saying, "And my dad as well. He was a good Trainer, so there was that riding on my shoulders."
Paul nodded, and then something flashed in his head.
I don't want to worry them, especially since one of them has enough to worry about.
"You wouldn't happen to know a guy named Ash Ketchum, would you?" Paul suddenly asked.
"Yeah, I do," Gary answered. "But how did you guess that?"
"He's actually my rival, and I remembered he's from Pallet Town," Paul explained. "I figured you knew him."
"Yep! He's my best friend." He chuckled. "I should probably apologize for my behavior in Kanto, but then again, he's so happy-go-lucky he probably didn't think twice after Johto."
He thinks I'm lucky that I still have my parents around.
Paul shrugged. "He can be an idiot sometimes, though if I'll be honest, he's good at judging someone's mood."
Gary nodded. "Ash was the guy who could cheer up anyone. Gets it from his parents, you know."
At least his died loving him down to their last breath.
"I'm sure," Paul replied, trying to hide disappointment.
"Although..." Paul raised an eyebrow at a mulling Gary. "I've always had this nagging suspicion that he's hiding something from me. I just don't know what."
The purple haired Trainer looked at his rival's best friend, and then looked to the sky as if he was searching for Pokémon Hunter J - which he kind of was - but he mostly didn't want Gary to see his smile.
Your friends aren't as unobservant as you thought, he told himself.
They continued to watch the sky and the surrounding area, and in some ways Paul was getting a little antsy. He had to admit to himself that he always wanted to see the notorious Pokémon Hunter if only to get a glimpse at one of the most wanted criminals. But he never actually wanted to take her head on. And when Gary's Umbreon began to growl, he had a suspicion he would have to fight her soon.
"Umbreon, do you sense danger?" Haley asked.
Umbreon looked up at her. "I do," he confirmed. "I think it might be Pokémon Hunter J."
Haley nodded. "Guys, get ready," she told her friends. "She'll be here any second."
Paul took out a Poké Ball, and Gary gripped the walkie-talkie he had to communicate with Professor Rowan.
They waited about half a minute before a giant airship appeared in the sky, dropping the invisibility cloak it had up. "Come on, Professor Rowan. This is Gary at Lake Valor," he immediately reported. "Pokémon Hunter J has appeared.
"Alright, we'll get in touch with Yuzo at Lake Verity and Carolina at Lake Acuity," the professor informed over the device.
Gary nodded. "Okay, guys, you ready?" His fellow Trainers nodded. "Umbreon, let's go!"
"Right!" he agreed, and then Gary brought out his Electivire.
"Empoleon, we're going to need you!" Haley called out as she released the Water-Steel type. Paul followed with his Froslass, but before the seven of them could take off-
"Toxicroak, use Dark Pulse," someone from behind commanded calmly.
The teens and their Pokémon turned their heads just in time to see the attack flying towards them. Luckily, Electivire got in the way and blocked it, but it did bring him to one knee. The Trainers looked to find two Galactic grunts and a man with dark blue hair. Standing in front of him was the Toxicroak in question.
"Get lost," the man ordered.
Of course, the three weren't going to obey. "You must be Team Galactic," Gary assumed, his eyes filled with anger.
"And I bet you're a commander, just like Mars is," Haley guessed, growling.
The man glared at all three of them. "That's correct," he replied. "I am Commander Saturn. Now, as I said, get lost."
"As if," Paul spat. "Froslass, use Ice Beam!"
"Umbreon, use Shadow Ball!" Gary ordered. The two Pokémon fired.
"Toxicroak, use X-Scissor," Saturn told it, and the Toxic Mouth Pokémon charged, ducking under the projectiles and hitting the two dead on. Froslass didn't look too effected, but being weak to Bug type attacks, Umbreon was flung back and looked really banged up.
Haley grunted. "Empoleon, Bubblebeam!" Her Pokémon opened his beak and fired the stream of bubbles.
"Counter with Dark Pulse." The two attacks clashed.
"Froslass, Water Pulse!" Paul commanded. She formed the water sphere and threw it at the Poison-Fighting type. It stopped its attack and jumped out of the way of both Water type attacks.
Saturn scowled, but then his eyes moved to the sky, and he smirked. "Finally," he chuckled.
The teens turned and realized too late that Saturn was only there as a distraction. They watched hopelessly as a strange-looking bomb hit the water, but rather than create an explosion, it made a whirlpool. Or, at least, it looked like a whirlpool. And they watched as a crackling ball of energy rose out from the center.
"What just happened?" Haley questioned.
"Allow me to enlighten." The Trainers turned and glared at the commander. "The Galactic Bomb, made out of the meteorite taken from Veilstone City, is powerful enough to rip a hole in space." Paul couldn't believe this. Were these people that fucking crazy?! "You see, the Lake Pokémon don't exactly live in a lake, as it were. The truth is the Lake Pokémon simply observe our world through another dimension that looks very much like a lake. And so the only way to get them out is to use that bomb. Now all Hunter J has to is collect our prize."
"Empoleon, we're not letting that happening!" Haley exclaimed, and her Pokémon nodded as they dashed to the water.
But before they went in, one of the grunts fired a metal ring that secured itself around Haley, pinning her arms to her sides. Then with a beep, electricity went off, causing the teen to scream before she sank to the ground, unconscious.
Paul and Gary stared at her, horrified, and then they spun around, fire in their eyes. "You're going to pay!" Paul vowed, but in an instant he too was caught in a metal ring. It fired off electricity as well, but Paul noted it wasn't as strong. Perhaps that was on purpose. It did leave him wobbly, though.
Meanwhile, Gary took decisive action and began to command all four Pokémon, trying to stop the woman atop the Salamance. Toxicroak prevented the four Pokémon from doing anything, and while the grunts released a horde of Golbats, Saturn walked over to Paul while Gary was distracted with Toxicroak. The man grabbed the collar of Paul's shirt.
"Master Cyrus wants you and your friend to come with us," he told the teen quietly.
He growled. "If he thinks I'm going to agree this time he's an even bigger idiot than I already thought!" Paul spat.
"No. He just wants to make sure you two are in his sights. We knew Professor Rowan would send someone to try and stop Pokémon Hunter J, so we've been here for quite a few hours, ready to thwart whomever it was. Even if it is an Oak, he's been out of the League for years, but Master Cyrus figured if you and that girl were to come along it would spell trouble. Good thing we were prepared when you two happened to stroll by."
Paul tried to kick him, but Saturn pushed the button of a small remote in his hand, causing the electricity to start up again.
"Don't struggle, Zuckerman, you'll only make things worse for yourself." Then he shoved Paul to the ground. "Now just sit back and watch."
What else could he do? It was getting hard to follow, though, since his vision was going in and out. Thanks to Salamance, Azelf awoke, and Hunter J clearly outmatched it. Then it was put in a capsule and-
He grunted; his head hurt.
Then the other two - Mesprit and Uxie - showed up, and not long after that Mars bitch and some other woman with a Skuntank-
No, no, he couldn't go unconscious just yet.
He watched through fading vision as the other two Lake Pokémon fired off Future Sights before they too were captured with ease. Now all five of them were in the same boat - or rather, airship - as Team Galactic took them all. He vaguely heard Gary's protests, along with the protests of their Pokémon, and he grunted.
The only reason they beat them was through cheap tricks. If they hadn't been such cowards, they wouldn't have any of the Legendary Pokémon at all. Pokémon Hunter J flew off, having lived up to the reputation Paul had heard of.
Even in his half-conscious state, he could feel how threatening she was when she had been talking to the three commanders.
But then the two Future Sights activated, hitting Hunter J's ship dead on. The last thing Paul saw before blacking out was the ship plunging into the water and an explosion rising from below the surface mere seconds later.
...
Paul woke up in a dark room, the only light source being the crack underneath the door. It gave him enough light to know that Haley, who was still unconscious, was in there with him and that the room was narrow - being about 6 or 7 feet - and short, around 8 feet. He groaned a little; his head still hurt. Then he heard voices coming from the other side of the door. He moved quietly and leaned up against the door to hear.
"Ugh, my head," he heard Haley moan from behind him. "Paul, where are we?"
He shushed her and then motioned her to come to the door with his head. She silently obeyed and leaned against the metal as well.
"I suppose I can tell you what this is about," they heard Cyrus say. It sounded as if he was talking to someone, but Paul didn't care at the moment. He was more concerned with how wide Haley's eyes were.
"Cyrus?" she whispered in surprise. "What's he doing here?"
Her friend didn't answer. He didn't have to; Cyrus answered himself. "I am part of this," he explained. "Team Galactic is my creation."
"Wh-what?" Haley gasped. "Cyrus Levy, the same guy who helped build every library and museum in Sinnoh-"
"Used it to help create an emotionless world for his own personal gain," Paul growled. "It's disgusting."
"So it was you who stole orb from the Celestic Ruins!" they heard a new voice shout, and now both of them had wide eyes. Ash? "You lied to all of us and you lied to Cynthia, too!"
"Lose your rage," Cyrus advised, sounding eerily calm. "It only destroys."
"No way!" Dawn interjected. They're here, but why? What's going on? "Not when you treat Pokémon that way! This has got to stop! Now let them go back to their lake!"
"That can't be done," the leader informed. "They're quite necessary in order to bring forth the new world."
How the duo hated being behind closed doors. There was nothing they could do, and they couldn't even see what was going on. Worse, Team Galactic had been smart and took their belts, putting their teams who-knows-where. And they had no way of knowing if Ash and his friends had their Pokémon or if they had been captured, too.
"Paul, I don't like this," Haley said. He agreed to that.
"Obviously these children must mean something important if the legendary Pokémon saw fit to bring them all here," Cyrus mused. So they hadn't been captured directly, but they still didn't know if now they were trapped. "We will need to keep them around until our task is completed, just in case."
"Damn it," Haley hissed. "We have to do something!"
"I wish we could," Paul muttered.
"You won't get away with it!" Ash vowed, and for whatever reason Paul just knew he had slipped into his other skin even though his voice didn't reveal that. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
They did! They had their Pokémon! Paul suddenly got the idea that maybe (hopefully) the trio could get he and Haley out of their cell. He heard the Electric attack fire, and then he heard Dawn's Piplup fire off a Bubblebeam, and then he heard glass braking. The Veilstone Trainer figured that had to be the cages the Lake Trios were held in. There was a spilt second lull in the action - probably from Team Galactic's shock - and Paul used that to his advantage.
"Ash!" he yelled as he kicked the door with his foot.
There was a collective noise of confusion. "Paul?" the Pallet Trainer responded.
"Brock, Dawn, we need help!" Haley cried, slamming into the door a few times. Of course, the door wasn't budging, and the metal ring made it hard to move. The girl grunted. "Team Galactic, you bunch of cowards! Let us free and fight us like the adults you are!"
Cyrus grunted in annoyance. "Insolent children. Saturn, shut them up."
Before the teens could shout against it, the metal bands activated again, and Paul was sure his electrical current was stronger this time. They screamed in agony and collapsed onto the ground. But Paul did get in two last words before he went unconscious again.
"You...bastard..."
...
Once again, Paul woke up lying on the metal floor and with another headache. At least the room was a bit bigger this time, and there were lights. Dim ones, but still. He also noticed the metal band that had held his arms at his sides had been replaced with cuffs that tied his wrists together. And there was the noise of a helicopter blade, and five figures with their backs to him, cuffed like he was. They were talking, though it was a little muffled to him since he was still recovering, and then he saw them nod. Did they have a plan? If they did, he wanted to know.
He sat up, grunting as he did, making the trio, Pikachu, and Piplup jump slightly before they turned around. "Paul, are you okay?" Ash asked.
Paul looked at the black haired boy and thought, I've had better days, hoping somehow he would know. Ash blinked, but somehow his rival knew it wasn't in confusion like usual. Verbally, he responded with the usual, "Whatever."
Dawn huffed. "He's just concerned," she stated. "How about being nice for once?"
"I'm never nice." The ten-year-old huffed again.
"I really want to stop getting hit by semis," Haley groaned. Everyone turned their heads to watch her slowly sit up. She shook her head and looked over at the group. "Oh, you guys got captured, too," she noted sadly.
"They took us hostage just in case Mesprit, Azelf, and Uxie break free of their control," Brock revealed.
Haley snorted. "As I said, cowards, all of them," she insulted. "But why you three? I mean, Team Galactic already has us. They could have used us as the hostages."
"The six of us are connected," Dawn explained. "Ash and Azelf, Brock and Uxie, and Mesprit and I. It makes us kind of important."
Haley nodded in understanding, and Paul thought about it, and it made a lot of sense. Ash was willpower, Brock was knowledge, and Troublesome was emotion. He almost laughed at the last one but was able to hold his tongue.
"What about you guys?" Dawn questioned.
"They're afraid of how strong we are," Haley replied. "It's also kind of our fault, though. We didn't have to help, but we stuck our noses in anyway." For once, Paul didn't really mind that they had. He just wished Team Galactic hadn't been a bunch of cowards. "Of course, that's not to say I didn't want to help. Besides, I'm pretty sure Gary would have killed me if I just walked away."
"Gary?" Ash repeated. "As in Gary Oak?"
She nodded. "I shouldn't be surprised. You're both from Pallet Town, and it's pretty small."
"Is he all right?" Ash inquired.
"As far as I know, yes," Haley reported. "They didn't capture him, if that's what you're wondering. Now he's watching over two of our Pokémon."
The group of five frowned. "That's right, they took our belts," Dawn stated.
Paul breathed in through his nose as he leaned against the wall. "Guess we just have to hope and pray," he muttered, loud enough for everyone to hear. There was a collective sigh of disappointment.
Of course, waiting for something to happen while they were right in the middle of a world-effecting crisis didn't help anyone's impatience. They sat around fidgeting, wondering when there would be even the slightest of chances to escape. When they felt the helicopter land on the ground, they pleaded this would give them the chance they wanted.
Unfortunately, the only time a chance appeared, it was doomed right from the start.
Jupiter tossed in four new roommates, and Paul growled at the sight of three of them. "Great, stuck in a cell with losers more pathetic than him," he hissed.
"Don't be so high and mighty, angry twerp, you got captured, too!" the male countered.
Ash looked at Paul, showing him - and only him - he was equally annoyed. "But what's Team Rocket doing here anyway?" Dawn pondered. "And with Looker, too."
Looker? Paul repeated. The fuck kind of name is that? That sounds like a name for a pedophile.
The man in the brown trench coat lifted his head, equally confused as to why the gang of three was locked up in the first place. While they were distracted, Jupiter went to close the door. Haley ran towards the magenta haired woman, but was met with metal to her face. She tumbled backwards and fell on the female Team Rocket member, who let out a cry in surprise.
"Well, at least the landing was soft," Haley moaned, still in pain from the door.
"I am not a landing mat!" the woman cried.
"Clearly, but thanks for acting as one." The woman began fuming, and Paul bit his tongue again.
"So what are we going to do now?" Dawn mused once everyone was sitting down.
Looker closed his eyes in thought. "Guess we just wait," he responded.
"As if we haven't been doing that already," Paul huffed. "Thanks. You're a tremendous help." The other kids huffed at his attitude, but it wasn't as if they could argue.
Then they heard the sound of heels, and just as they looked at the door opened, revealing Cynthia. Everyone jumped to their feet in surprise. "It's the Champion," Looker stated.
"Thanks for getting in touch with me, Looker," she replied, as cheerful yet calm as ever.
"You know him?" Paul inquired.
His cousin looked at him and smiled bigger. "He's part of the International Police," she revealed.
Paul was dumbfounded. "Interpol?" he questioned.
"And out of all the code names you could pick, you pick the one that makes you sound like a stalker," Haley mumbled under her breath. "Why not 'Handsome' or 'Beladonis' or 'Pan Ciacho' or, I don't know, anything else?" This time, Paul couldn't help but snicker just a tad.
Cynthia took all of their cuffs off, and then - with Looker's help - tied up three grunts and Jupiter, who had been guarding the aircraft. Team Rocket gloated for reasons Paul didn't care, but the Galactic admin tried to get in the last laugh.
"It's too late," she reported. "The world as you know it is going to end."
"We'll see about that," Ash vowed. Then there was a rumbling, and Jupiter chuckled.
"It's starting~," she sang ominously. "The Boss is summoning the rulers of time and space to create a whole new world."
"Ash, you and the other two have to get down there now!" Paul barked.
"Don't need to tell me twice," the fourteen-year-old agreed.
"Aren't you forgetting something, Ashy-boy?" a familiar voice asked, and when everyone turned to him, Gary tossed them their belts. All five Trainers caught them, and the young researcher smirked. "Come on, Red, the three of us have a few bones to pick, right? We gotta make sure there's a path free of all those damn grunts."
Haley and Paul nodded. "Thanks, Gary!" Dawn exclaimed.
"Thank me by making sure the world doesn't go up in smoke," he told her. "Let's get moving, people!"
Everyone eagerly agreed.
Pokémon in hand, the Trainers ran outside to witness Empoleon and Froslass fighting off a horde of Golbats. Helping them out were Gary's Pidgeot and Houndoom, and Cynthia's Garchomp. And they were doing a good job until the grunts decided to add Haunters to the mix, too.
"Empoleon, Bubblebeam to your right!" Haley suddenly ordered.
Thankfully not distracted by the reunion with his Trainer, the Water-Steel type did as she said and shot a furious stream of bubbles right before a Haunter attacked Froslass. Haley ran up to her Pokémon.
"Glad to see you're both doing well," she greeted.
They smiled. "We have Gary and Pidgeot to thank for that," the Ice-Ghost type informed.
"Yeah, Gary wanted to book it for Mt. Coronet as soon as he knew it was safe," Empoleon added. Then he shook out his fins. "Those talons hurt, though."
Haley giggled, and then she looked to her spiky haired friend. "Thanks Gary, I really owe ya!" she shouted.
Gary finished ordering his Houndoom to use Flamethrower at some Grimer the grunts added to the mix - which the attack helped clear the way for Ash, his friends, and Garchomp (since Cynthia wanted her to go with them) to make a break for it - before he called back. "No problem, Red. Couldn't have done it without Cynthia."
"Poor guy didn't know exactly where on the mountain to head," the Champion explained as she unleashed her Milotic on a pack of Mankeys. "So, I helped him out."
"Glad you could join," Paul said as Froslass used Water Pulse on a few Golbats. "These grunts just won't stop sending out Pokémon. I'm expecting a swarm of Beedrill at any second."
"Afraid you couldn't handle it on your own, Cousin?" Cynthia teased.
Paul let out an amused yet annoyed chuckle. "In your dreams," he countered.
Since the top Trainers were finally in control with no cheap shots from the opposing side, the group effortlessly fought off the grunts. When they only had a few Golbats and Grimers left, Haley stopped and looked to the entrance Ash and the others had disappeared into. She grunted sadly.
"They're screaming," she stated.
Paul and Gary stopped as well and stared at her. "Who are?" the Veilstone Trainer asked.
"I don't know," she answered. "All I know is that they're in pain, and I can hear them say, 'Stop, it hurts' over and over."
"Wait, what if that's Dialga and Palkia?" Gary realized.
"You're saying Ash and his friends failed?" Haley gasped.
"More like Cyrus might've had a back-up plan," Paul guessed. "I know him; he wouldn't jump into a big plan like this without something to fall back on."
"Then what do we do?" the black haired Trainer questioned.
"There's not much we can do," Cynthia revealed, butting into the conversation. "We just have to trust that Ash and the others can handle it."
Haley and Gary looked concerned, but Paul wasn't too keen on waiting outside twiddling his thumbs. It wasn't that he didn't trust them; hell, they probably had a better understanding of what to do more than he did for once.
But as Ash had learned while the two rivals were stuck in the forest, Paul hated doing nothing when the stakes were high.
Without a second thought Paul bolted for the entrance, Haley and Gary yelling after him to stop. He ignored them. For whatever reason he just felt like he had to be down there; he couldn't explain why or what he would accomplish, but he just felt like he had to be. Paul raced down the stairs as he heard thunder crash behind him, and he could feel electricity crackle around his body.
Dialga and Palkia must be doing something powerful, he thought.
And soon he found out what.
Cyrus was standing in front of a giant portal, showing infinite amounts of galaxies, all for him to toy with. The man was clearly going mad just staring into it, and Paul felt like he had to make him stop.
"Cyrus!" he yelled. Everyone turned around in surprise, except for the man he was addressing, though it was clear he heard. "Stop this! Don't you understand what you're doing?!"
"Recreating the world to be a better place," Cyrus replied calmly. "A world that is in my own image."
"Why, so you can be by yourself in a place full of nothingness?!" he retorted. Mars and Saturn stared at him with wide, disbelieving eyes, but he ignored their shock of the news that they'd be left behind.
The leader did as well. "There is no one here-"
"Who cares?" Paul finished with a hiss. "No one here?! Are you that stupid and thick headed and so wrapped up in your own angsty world that you can't even be bothered to try and see that there are people who do?!" He growled. "I may hate my father, and I may hate you, but I still know you both well enough to know you are friends! Are you telling me you're going to turn your back on your oldest friend?! Are you telling me you want to turn your back on your grandfather?!"
Everything went silent except for the power of the portal. "It's too late, anyways," Cyrus finally said. "Thanks to this, the world will end in a few minutes."
"Afraid not, Cyrus," Ash spoke up. Paul turned his head to notice his rival had partially slipped into his other skin. "I refuse to let you win, understand?"
He chuckled. "And how do you plan on that?" the man challenged.
"Like this: Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on Dialga's Red Chain!" His Pokémon nodded and fired the Electric move at the red ring around the legendary Pokémon.
"Piplup, use Bubblebeam!" Dawn ordered.
"Croagunk, use Poison Sting!" Brock commanded.
As Paul heard Garchomp charge up a Draco Meteor, he quickly contemplated on joining in. He had this bad feeling that something would go wrong, but not even seconds had passed when he decided he should try.
"You're a fool," he whispered as he reached for Torterra's Poké Ball. "Torterra, Stone Edge, let's go!" His starter appeared and helped break Palkia free. Meanwhile, after minimal pleading from Dawn, the three Lake Pokémon added in their own power.
And with all eight of them, the deities were set free.
They fell to the ground, groaning out in pain, and the portal began to close. Cyrus, in a madman daze, shuffled towards it and willingly jumped in, proclaiming it was his. Mars tried to follow him, but Saturn - realizing that the man he had been following had never been worth it - stopped her.
Because right after the portal disappeared, they had bigger things to worry about.
Dialga and Palkia, blinded by pain, unleashed massive amounts of power, creating a black hole that threatened to be just as destructive as the portal. Everyone tried to fight the wind current to the best of their abilities.
"Hey Ash, got anymore bright ideas?" Paul sarcastically roared over the wind.
"Very funny!" he shouted back as he and his friends braced themselves by a pillar. In their hands they held their Pokémon and the three Lake Pokémon, and Torterra was the first to notice the pixies.
"Tor, Torterra!" he cried, getting his Trainer's attention. Paul looked to where the Continent Pokémon was moving his head towards, and is eyes widened in understanding.
"Hey, don't those three help keep balance?" Paul brought up. The three humans looked at him, and after a second they nodded. "And aren't you connected with them?" They nodded again. "Well then do something with it!"
Immediately they understood, and the Psychic types wiggled out of the grasps to face the deities. With a plan (Finally, we have a plan actually ready to go, Paul thought), the legendaries and the humans ran up.
Ash directed Azelf to disperse the black hole. The Pokémon of Willpower gathered its energy and flew right in, and after a few seconds the black hole vanished, Azelf falling gently into Ash's waiting arms.
Brock and Uxie were next, and with their combined efforts they calmed the two Dragon types down.
Finally, with the help of Dawn and Mesprit, they were healed, and they let out mighty roars as both a way to show they were better...
And as a way of thanks.
...
"No sweat, we'll get these back to Professor Carolina safe and sound," Gary promised, motioning towards the two orbs in the box that Professor Rowan and his assistant Yuzo had brought.
"And...please don't tell her...I was here," Paul panted. He swore Haley and Cynthia had squeezed the life out of him when he finally exited with everyone who had been in Spear Pillar.
Gary laughed. "Yeah, guess the last thing you need is another lecture for that stupid ass stunt you pulled," he said. Somewhere behind him Paul was convinced Ash snickered.
"Well, if it weren't for Paul, who knows if everything would've turned out okay," Brock complimented.
"Guess you can be nice," Dawn teased as she poked his cheek. Paul growled and shoved her to the ground. "Hey, what was that for?!"
"I told you, Troublesome, I'm never nice." The ten-year-old huffed.
The group watched as the police vans with all the members of Team Galactic inside drive off, and soon after everyone began to say their goodbyes.
"It was awesome seeing you again, Red," Gary stated as he hugged her. "I just wish it didn't have to be on such a crappy day."
"Hey, it's not every day you get to beat up bad guys and save the world," she brushed off.
"You say that as if it were fun," Paul muttered.
"Maybe it was in a sadistic kind of way," Haley replied. Gary chuckled, and Paul rolled his eyes.
"So Paul, do the two of you need a ride?" Cynthia suddenly asked. "I can drive you guys if you want."
Paul looked to his friend, who smiled. "I don't see why not," he agreed.
Ash and his friends were offered a ride from Professor Rowan, which they took, but before he got on the helicopter Ash made sure no one was looking and then walked beside Paul. "Sorry about Cyrus," he told him.
He breathed out. "The fool got what was coming to him," he said.
"Wonder what's going to happen to your dad."
"Well... Guess we'll see, right?"
There was silence, and then Ash let out a small chuckle. "Right." And he quickly followed his friends.
Cynthia started up her SUV, and Paul sat shotgun with Haley in the back. "Lake Valor, right?" she clarified. Her cousin nodded. "Figured. You two must be excited to get to Sunyshore. Okay, hang on!" With that she stepped on the gas, and the vehicle zoomed down the mountain.
Haley gripped the handle on the car door, but Paul just calmly crossed his arms. "Grandma took you out on ATVs too, huh?" he noted.
"Almost every day," she reported with a laugh.
"Uh, Cynthia, are you sure this is safe?" Haley cautioned.
The Champion looked at her through the rearview mirror and gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I've been doing this since I was twelve," she reported. Then she eyed Paul. "And what's the one thing we always say?"
In a sudden burst of childish nature, Paul gave off a smirking grin and exclaimed, "Floor it!"
His cousin laughed again. "Now that's the Shirona family way!"
The pedal went down to the floor, and the young adult let out whoops and hollers like she was on a rollercoaster. Paul's grin never left, and after about five heart-pounding, terrifying minutes Haley found herself enjoying the thrill ride all the way to the lake.
Because there is sadness... We cherish happiness...
And because there is anger... Kindness is born...
When every life...meets another life...something will be born.