Hit Count for "The Path of the Aura: Intertwining Crossroads": 16,672.
Hit Count for "The Path of the Aura II: Brothers in Arms": 8,226.
Hit Count for "The Path of the Aura III: Bonds of Blood": 3,558.
Hit Count for "Diverging from The Path of the Aura": 664.
Hit Count for "The First Immortal: Or how I Learned to Create the Pokémon Universe": 1,342.
Total Hit Count: 30,462.
At some point, I should try to mix this story with my art hobby and attempt to make a doujinshi out of it. But that's an option for another day. Still practicing and getting better with each drawing I make.
Chapter LXXXVIII (88): Friendship Trinity
"Everybody has their expertise, and you work together, sharing skills and information. Stronger together than alone, and all that?" —Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnson (215) ("Earth Afire")
99.1: Sinner Donning a Red Suit
Location: Team Rocket Main Headquarters
Date: April 6th, 2019
Time: 11:50 AM
Giovanni, alongside twelve of the one-hundred and forty-four soldiers manning mechanical machines that match Pokémon attacks perfectly against their original counterparts, returned to Team Rocket Main Headquarters. The supersonic speeds at which they were flying did wonders in blow-drying the fresh blood off of their smooth, metallic surfaces, and even did wonders in removing the various stenches of dead human beings and Pokémon.
The other one-hundred and thirty-two Team Prism soldiers that flew alongside Giovanni, to join him in his crimson blitzkrieg of the Kanto/Johto Pokémon League foundation, the trainers that wanted to compete against each other to become Pokémon Champion and Pokémon Masters, and even the Elite Four as they all sacrificed themselves to protect the Champion, all scattered elsewhere along Kanto. The reason being equal to a chess player after they've captured the queen piece. To eliminate the knights, bishops, rooks, pawns, and watch the king enter a state of self-inflicted delirium as his options are severed before they're even considered.
With the reign of Team Prism commencing as equally in Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos, as it already is in Kanto and the neighboring Johto region, all six of the bosses of this unified crime syndicate mirrored Giovanni's choice of actions across the globe. The only difference between the six of them is that Giovanni is housing the World Champion alongside twelve Coadjutors under lock and key, and has Triple Zero as the prison warden.
So when Giovanni and his squad returned to their respective HQ, they weren't quick to check up on their prisoners. Their mood was too good long after stepping into the main hanger, stepping out of their synthetic abominations, noticing the incapacitated and deceased Grunts lying about the building, the short-circuited surveillance equipment, the brutalized bodies of Giovanni's quartet of Admins and Executives, the missing Elemental Plates, the nonexistent presence of the Coadjutors and the World Champion…
His subordinates naturally and absolutely went ballistic with panic.
"What the hell happened to the cameras?!"
"What the hell happened to our co-workers?!"
"What the hell happened to our Admins?!"
"Where the hell is the World Champion?!"
"Where the hell are Xeno's sccomplices?!"
Giovanni witnessed a sea of hysteric, crying men. Men that were cursing every single expletive in the English language, and several more in different languages. Men that were comforting one another for the loss of people that some have labeled as close friends. Men that were owing a fortune in the swear jar. Men that were vowing for the heads of those responsible wedged onto the points of wooden stakes. Men that were shouting in emotional agony. Men that were retching at the powerful stench of blood an intestines lining the floor, walls, and ceilings. Men that were pulling the hair out of their own heads in contemplating how they would even begin to explain this to their relatives.
In the middle of all of this commotion, their Boss slipped through and proceeded onward, completely overlooked and uncontested. He bore a saintly countenance, something that was his stark opposite, and something that many of his subordinates would likely question if they were seeing him or thinking rationally. But as Giovanni entered an elevator to proceed to the floors that were compromised, no one could see him deadpan.
Entering the room where the four Elemental Plates were stored for Triple Zero to analyze were nowhere to be seen. And there was next to no mess in this room either. Apparently, the Coadjutors responsible for thieving his Elemental Plates back into their possession cared just enough to leave his occupational equipment intact.
Approaching the basement floor hallways that housed hundreds of Pokémon across several football fields of length, Giovanni noticed that the only Pokémon left here–the septet of Pokémon that the Coadjutors and the World Champion most likely freed and befriended–were gone. Their cage doors were left open and the locks keeping them closed bore no signs of destruction or even frustration at the attempts in figuring out how to unlock the cages.
Another floor further down revealed the World Champion's prison cell to be completely vacant, with his means of escape coming mostly likely coming from a Pokémon that was strong enough to CRUNCH clean through chains. The proof for this was evident via the salivary puddles that were on the floor, where the severed chain links were resting.
Looking on at this didn't change Giovanni's emotions on the matter, nor did they warp his face into one of dark retribution. Instead, a subtle smile began to creep up on his countenance, one that demanded Triple Zero's immediate and private attention.
So, after making sure that he wasn't being followed by any of his staff, Giovanni proceeded to the lowest floor of his HQ, towards a hallway that seemingly led to a dead end that was surrounded by darkness in the form of lacking ceiling lights. In here, Giovanni knew his was past this point, and also knew that he was one of six with this same access. The other five, obviously, being the other five heads of Team Prism.
A quick retina scan, palm scan, fingerprint scan, and password input onto a discreetly placed interface that only protruded from the wall if one pushed against it at a proper angle, and the seemingly dead end hallway suddenly flashed a white light before revealing more to Giovanni's pathway.
Giovanni entered inside, and made his way down a spiraling corridor that bore thick, luminous wires, bent in right angles and composed of binary code if one were to look closely at them. And as Giovanni made his way further down this elongated and slightly slanted pathway, these wires became thicker and brighter. They pulsed with Giovanni's every clacking step on them, with the entity further inside sensing Giovanni's approach and readying itself accordingly.
Once Giovanni was at the ground floor, the last door separating him and Triple Zero opened, allowing one of the bosses of Team Prism to enter and pay it a visit.
The room where Triple Zero resided in, at its crudest comparison, resembled the inside of the base of a sequoia tree. The "data vines" that consisted of and flashed binary code repeatedly and nonsensically were at their largest down here. They all centered at what could best be comparable to a seed.
If seeds were the size of a small apartment building and radiated a light so unnatural that it resembled the artificial light of a bright LCD screen. And this screen, with Triple Zero residing within this "digital seed", flashed a blue, faint, and rhythmic light as it continued to speak in Binary Code.
But only down here, Triple Zero possessed a discernible voice. A voice that did wonders in freeing Giovanni's need to read and understand Binary Code. Not that Giovanni felt the need to relinquish that knowledge because he understands Binary Code fluently.
01011001 01001111 01010101 00100000 01000100 01001111 01001110 00100111 01010100 00100000 01010011 01000101 01000101 01001101 00100000 01010000 01000001 01010010 01010100 01001001 01000011 01010101 01001100 01000001 01010010 01001100 01011001 00100000 01000011 01001111 01001110 01000011 01000101 01010010 01001110 01000101 01000100 00100000 01000001 01000010 01001111 01010101 01010100 00100000 01011001 01001111 01010101 01010010 00100000 01000011 01010101 01010010 01010010 01000101 01001110 01010100 00100000 01010011 01001001 01010100 01010101 01000001 01010100 01001001 01001111 01001110 00101110
Y̪̞͖̱̼̰̞͋Õͦ͑ͣU͎̘͍ ͎̠̫̘̞̄͌̑ͅD͔̫̬͇̝͓ͤ̾͆́̍O̦̾̐ͣͥ̉N̮̮̱͖͛ͧ̈́'̓̐ͪT̜̪̤̱ ̥̲̥̄ͩ͛͗ͪS̖̆͌̾̀̊E̥̜̪͚̻E̖̿̌̔́ͪ̉M̙ ̳͕͑ͥͬ̍Pͨ̂̍A̱̝ͮ̿̾̅R͖̩̯̤̯͉̻̓̐̆Tͧͦ̃ͧ̉̇̚I̪̻͖̠̝͕̳̋̐̿ͣͬ͑C̞̓U̹̟̹̘͎͖̦̓L͇͚͍̯͚̎͒A̳̔̃ͣ͋ͤR̳̹̟͊ͭ͆̽L̙̯ͮ̋ͮ͋͂Y͉̥̬ͫ̒̇̊ ̮̲̞̠̜̆͒ͬͨͦ̉C̠͉͎̠̾ͫO̯̼͇̥̙N̰̥̳̣͕̫̱ͩ̍̏̆̾̀C͚̩̤̱̥̔̾ͯ̚Ḙ̩ͩ̔R̎̐̂̋N̞̬̮̬͕̩̜E͈̠̯͉͓͙̮ͩD̫͕̖̪̩ ̻̪̓̂ͥͫͭͪÁ̞̘̦͔̠͌̌̒ͅB͓͈̖̝̂ͅOͣ͊U̙ͤ̃̒T̤̩ͭ ̰͔̮̗̐̂͑͐ͨ̈ͦY͉͍̙͚͓̅́ͤͭͬ̉̐O̥̤͚̹̫U̞̱̳̐͒̍ͦR̗͕̃ ͗̓̑͛ͩ̚C̠͈ͤ̏U̬̤̯͍̜͒͒̄̍ͪRͅR͈̚E͗͒ͤͣͣͥN̫̘̰͖͓͉͍̍̇͋ͧ́T̾͆̂̋͗ ̼̗̭̖̈́̎S̰̻̗͔̀͌I̯͍̖̻͙ͣ͋ͦ̔T͚͉͔̻̭̬̝͊̓̾U̗̮̙̟ͧ̍̏̇̽̎ͧA̰̻͉̒T̹͎͚͎ͭ̓́̏I͋̔̉̊̈̓Õ̻͑̽̓̑ͭNͣͩ̚.͚̰͍̈́̋ͩ
"I can't really be, when my men are disposable and come in droves anyway." Giovanni stated calmly. "They're just a bunch of released criminals or war veterans or orphaned youths. You've seen the resumes that flood my email, right?"
01011001 01000101 01010011 00101110 00100000 01000010 01010101 01010100 00100000 01010010 01000101 01000111 01000001 01010010 01000100 01001100 01000101 01010011 01010011 00101100 00100000 01010100 01001000 01000101 00100000 01000001 01000010 01010011 01000101 01001110 01000011 01000101 00100000 01001111 01000110 00100000 01010100 01001000 01000101 00100000 01010111 01001111 01010010 01001100 01000100 00100000 01000011 01001000 01000001 01001101 01010000 01001001 01001111 01001110 00101100 00100000 01000001 01001100 01001111 01001110 01000111 01010011 01001001 01000100 01000101 00100000 01010100 01001000 01000101 00100000 01000011 01001111 01000001 01000100 01001010 01010101 01010100 01001111 01010010 01010011 00100000 01000001 01001110 01000100 00100000 01000101 01001100 01000101 01001101 01000101 01001110 01010100 01000001 01001100 00100000 01010000 01001100 01000001 01010100 01000101 01010011 00100000 01010011 01001000 01001111 01010101 01001100 01000100 00100000 01000001 01001100 01001100 00100000 01000010 01000101 00100000 01000001 00100000 01000111 01010010 01000001 01010110 01000101 00100000 01000011 01001111 01001110 01000011 01000101 01010010 01001110 00100000 01000110 01001111 01010010 00100000 01000001 01001110 01011001 00100000 01001111 01010010 01000111 01000001 01001110 01001001 01011010 01000001 01010100 01001001 01001111 01001110 00100000 01001100 01000101 01000001 01000100 01000101 01010010 00101110 00100000 01000101 01010011 01010000 01000101 01000011 01001001 01000001 01001100 01001100 01011001 00100000 01010111 01001000 01000101 01001110 00100000 01010100 01001000 01000101 01011001 00100000 01000001 01010010 01000101 00100000 01010100 01001000 01000101 00100000 01001101 01001111 01010011 01010100 00100000 01001100 01001001 01001011 01000101 01001100 01011001 00100000 01010100 01000101 01000001 01001101 00100000 01010100 01001111 00100000 01010101 01001110 01010111 01000101 01000001 01010110 01000101 00100000 01010100 01000101 01000001 01001101 00100000 01010000 01010010 01001001 01010011 01001101 00100111 01010011 00100000 01000001 01001101 01000010 01001001 01010100 01001001 01001111 01001110 01010011 00101110
Y͇̥̋͌̈́̒E͚̫͇͍̭͎Ș͔̦.̩̺̘͓̠̦̭̑͂̓͗̊̈́̚ ͓̪̮̝͙̖͍̃͒ͣ̂B̹̪̀U̗̦͒̈́̈́͊ͯͥT͚̳̯̳̩̠ ͓̖̟̳̖̰͔̇̅̆R̥͓̝͕̫ͮ̉E͚GĀͩ͋̒R͇͙̗̙̲͗D̖̣̩̺̙̆ͨ̉̇L͙̟̪̺̣̊ͨͪE͓͓̲̙S͙̫̻̣̤̬͒̎̌Ṡ͇̳̖ͮ̆̏,̞̗̤͚̲̊̚ ͖̜ͫT̞̠̯͎̙̞̝̿ͬͫͣͥ̈́H̦͈͇̻̀̓ͪ͊ͥͅE̞͕̼̝ͫ ͈͎̞͖̣̪ͮ̿̍ͅA͚B͈̜̹̪͍̹̙S̗̤͙̬͙̦̲ͣ̒̓͆ͦ̎E̬̻̭̊ͪͨ̈́͆ͯ͂N̳͍̟̖̫̳͌ͫČ̘͇͉̿E̦̠͇̗̥ͩͦͪ̄͆ͤ ̩̝͔̣͕O̠͍̲̿͛̌͐F̦͑ ͙͈̍̿͌͐ͩͭTͨͤ͂̍ͤͧȞ͙̞̲͓̦̇̉̆̍̐̽E̳̱̓̽ ̝̼̤͙̲̾̇̓̂W͇͎̠͈͒̂̊Ȏ͇͓̘̲̤̎̅ͅR̫͍͇̙͑̐̾͂̚L̦͉̻̞̠͓D͉ͮ̎̐ͤ ̣̩̺͉͔̩͇ͬ͌ͩ̒C̜̹͉͍̝̲̥͂̓̋̇ͥ̑H̭͎̼̩̖ͭ̎ͩͭÀ̹̙̖͖̼̝̊̈́M͙̜̈ͭ͑̿̒P͖̣̱̖͎̙͌͂ͦͥ̂͗̏I͖̦̐̃̎̆O̼̰̮̱N̬̬̣͙̜̼̏ͫ,̭͖̥̮̘ ͉̖̰̬̺̔ͣ̏̉̽ͤ̍Ă͕̞̱̮̲͚͈͛ͭͪ̒̊̿L͎͈̘̖̘̱̜O̬̰̮͎̘̳̲ͬN̲̅G̖̞̘̯̥̖̃̅̈́S̤̳̈́̍̄̒̂̑͑I͎̮̙͕̳̘͑D͋E̘͚̟͋ͧ͌̂̿ͧ ̫T̜̤͈̜͈ͦH̜̗̯̗͓̳͗̋ͣͪẸ̮̬̭̤̭ ̀ͣ̋͑ͩ̓̈C̣̪͓͙͎͖͎̃ͬ̈ͬ̓Õ̤͊̈́ͥ̚A̘̙̳̫̭ͮ̂̓ͅD̦̱̠̬̂ͧͬͯJ͇̮̖͌Ǔͩ̄T͚̙͎̎͐ͩ̋̾O̒͊R̥̟̜̹͐̑ͦͥS̤̮̬̣̻ ̠̫͎̝̝̯ͪͯ̑ͦ̂ͅA̻͓ͪ͆ͨN̟̳ͤ̓̚D̻̹̞̙ͬͨ ̤̣̼̥̟ͣE̼̪͔͖̖̣̼ͨ̉L͓̖̍͌̉ͯͩ̚ĔM͎̭̜͍͓̅E̞̱̳̱̼ͤN̪͉͍̳͈̊T̟ͨA͍L̻̭̯̤͓̙̰̑ͪ ̲̘͕̯̜̹ͤͥ̈ͣ̈͗P͎͑L̮̿Ḁ͈̯͉̐̿̿ͅT̳̿͂͆͌̈E̞̻͎̟͖̭͚̎ͭ̾̋̿̈́̅S̫̳͚͍̠͉̺̃ͦ͑̔̌ ̙͗͆̆̊̊S͎̭̮͇͙̞H̏͐ͯỎ̦̰ͤU̥̠͍͙̹͓̔̐̇̔̀ͧL̮̦Ď̩͔̟ ̟̦̈́̆͒͑A̹̰L͖̰͇ͪͨ͐̃̀L̠͇͍͖̫̗͋̊ͭ̋͗ ͇̪͗̐B̪̝ͮ͑ͥ̾̈Ẽ͉̞̙̝̙̝͙̆̄̌͌ ̰̥̬̽̅Ȃ̲ͩ̽ ̥̣ͅGͩ̈́̓̇ͤR̻̾̾A̻̹͙͖̖ͤ̀͆̃ͣ͑ͩVͦ͊Ě͍͚͒̓̚ C̭̱̮͛̚ͅO͖N̯̺̙͉̺̱̦̓͐̾͊͋C̗̟̖̮̈́̍͑ͫ̂̏̚Ĕ̈̌͆̃ͬ̄Ȑ̥̲͓͍̙͂͒̌ͤ̌N̜̈ͅ ̪͙̺̜F̯̪̹Õ̩̺͙͐̓̉R̯ ̯̙̥̳͊ͥ͋͋̑A͓͙̻͇̠͔̟͗̾̿̃ͧN͉̪̤̤̆̂̇̒Y̯̥̬͚̟ͬ̒̌̃̄͑̍ ͔̻͕̓͋ͥ͂ͩ͊̃O͍͈͋̓͂̓̒ͯ̿ͅR̼̹͔̖͐͗̄̅͒Gͣ͋͐A̳̞N͎̯̮͕͔̞ͥ̒͛̀̚I̳̫ͮ͗̿Z͎̪ͥ̀̅͑͐ͬ̚Ả͉̥̖͙Tͬͥ̂ͩ̚I̥̫͙̅̇ͭͧ͂͒̚Ô͎̬̗̗͇̞̜ͦN̬̄ͭͧ̅̄ͨ͂ ̰̲̦̣̘͖̀L̑̐̾̃̏̚E͉̜̬̽̌ͬ̅A̻͕̜̣̅ͭD̲̙̦ͣ̊̃ͫ͊̑E̱̩͔͎͆ͥͅR̭̹̘̼̰̓.̫̤͇̽ ̻̬̹̙͔͎̇͐͒̓̐̀E͓͖̺̱ͫ͆ͩ̎ͬ̉S͙̮̜͉̼̍͑͐̌ͪ͒PͬẺ̱͚̰̾Cͭͭ̉̈́̄ͪI̞̣̫̹̮̫̩ͥ̿ͭ̒ͥͬ̓Ǎ̫͙͉̼̰̰̇L̠̻̟͕͑͌͒̓̽̽ͬL̂Y̼̭͋ͮ̑ ̙͗ͩ̄͌W̮̣̥̘̤͌ͩ̎͐Ḫͨͬ̃́͌̒E̮͙̰͖̟ͣ̈N͂ͩ̃ͥ̇ ͖̪̀͗ͧT̥̻͇͙̥̔͌̓ͨH̯̣͛͛̍̂̒̃E̳̹̹͍̖͒̈ͤͨ̇Y͖͎̼̭͎̰̳ͨ̚ ̟̠͓͚̙͎̈̅̚A̖̣̗̖͍̳̤̔͂͂ͥ̎̍R̲̟̱͒̈́̊̽̂̋ͨE̠̟͇͉͈̘͕̓̀͒̒ͬͯ ̱̮ͧT͕̲̫̰ͤͧH̺ͨ̓̀ͦ́̏̚E̱̹̜͙̘̣̳ ͙̻͈ͥ̇ͯ͊͊M͇̱̑̈́O̭ͮ̇͆̋͋S̪̤̙͊̒͌̅T͇̣̗ͧͯ̄͊ͦ̇ ̖̣̜̈̒̐ͤͅL̩͕̺̜͈̼͇ͬͨͩ̌͂I͓̝̹̠̭͖̎̅̈ͩ͒̓̌K̟̩̞̞̻͖̘ͫ̇̋E͇̖͙͂L̺̳̲̉̔Y̻̱̊̆̽ͤ̏ ͍͑̿ͭ̄ͭͅT̮̰̱͇͖Ë͍͋̊̐Ā͉͖ͫ̽́͊̇ͧM͙ͭ ̓T̋͑͐̏̋͊̃Ō͕̯̓ͅ ͕͙̟̅̎̐͋ͣ̍̚ͅȔ͚̳̘N̘͇̭͓̋W̺̬̣̯͉̻̐ͮ̃ͪ̇͊E̳̺͈͒̒̄ͫͣͭͅAͯ̓̎̅V̹͔̹͙̙ͯ̓̚È͂ͩ̽ͭ̽ ̝͈̮͉̠̜̈́͋̾͒͋̌TͅE̹Ḁ̰̻͚̻̹̏̓͛ͯM̬̳̹̈́̄ͨͭ̓̽ ͓̹͍̣̣ͭ͋̋P͇̻̝̙͙ͧR̪͇͔̙̮͙̽͒ͦÏ͔̣̠ͬ́̄Ŝ̭͇̤ͬͭ̃ͭ͌ͧM͕̹̺̠̹͒̊̚ͅ'̟͎̹̑̌ͬ̈̂͒͗ͅS̭̪ͨ̓̈͂ ͎͔̣̣̖̯̊̾̽̐A̦̼͈̳͋̂͑M̞̳̮̘̔̽B͚̹̝̗̺̼̑̍̐ͣI̹̯̤T͓̱ͣI̳̬͉Ö̘̮̻̠͙͕́̾̃̊͆ͤͮN̰̬̹͖̙̦̖ͫ͗ͭS̤̝̎͑̋̚.̫̭̼̫̘͇ͨ͗ͦ͂
"Only if they don't have you as their user interface." Giovanni smiled at Team Prism's luxury and key source of success."After all, you possess the means to track down our escapees and our pilfered Elemental Plates."
01001001 00100000 01000100 01001111 00101110
I̞̮̙̱͊̑ͨ͛̐ ͈̺̬͙̠͌ͥͫ̔̆͂D̝̭͚̺̆Ŏ͆̄.̻ͤͦͩ̈̒͛
"They most likely believed that you simply allowed them to waltz out the door, after you sent out our incomplete mech suits after them."
01001001 00100000 01000100 01001001 01000100 00101110
I̹̗̽ͅ ͎͍͚D̘̪̮̖̖͛̐̓̽̌̓IͫͭͣͅD͍͇͎͍͐ͮ̈́ͥ̀̚.̥̟̦̇̐̾̓ͬͣ̾
"What they don't know is that your analysis of the Elemental Plates was not just a means of understanding its seemingly limitless power, but to also track them from anywhere on Earth."
01001001 01010100 00100000 01010111 01000001 01010011 00100000 01000011 01001111 01001101 01010000 01001100 01000101 01010100 01000101 01000100 00100000 01010011 01010101 01000011 01000011 01000101 01010011 01010011 01000110 01010101 01001100 01001100 01011001 00100000 01000001 01001100 01000010 01000101 01001001 01010100 00100000 01010111 01001001 01010100 01001000 01001001 01001110 00100000 01000001 00100000 01001110 01000001 01010010 01010010 01001111 01010111 00100000 01010100 01001001 01001101 01000101 00100000 01000110 01010010 01000001 01001101 01000101 00101110
I̼̦̣ͪ̋̑̉͒ͨͯT͓̻̰͍̖̍̈́̄̉̂̓ͤͅ ͂̒̒W̑A͇͔ͨS̞̦͍̊ ̦̖̺̭̹͈̿́͊̈C̣̼͈̦̖͆͛O̱̭̗̫̳ͬͬͤͩ̃M̦͇͈̗͉̹̟̽̒̊P̬͎̳̥̪͐ͣ͒͐̌̂̾L̻̙͕̜̊̀Ė̺̑ͪͩT͊ͩ̌͛Ĕ͔̆D͕͉͑͊̎ ̣̠̫S͇͕̻̰͖̬̗̍͊ͯU̩̥̗̩̹̮̜͛̅ͤ͑̄C̣͙̥̱̤̝͐̆͐̋C̊̈́̿ͨE͚̾̎̔S̹̖͇͍̙̠̏̾͊̾ͫ̀ͅS̈F̼̮̞ͦ͒ͪ̓͐Ü͎̲̰̳L̳͇̯̰̻͐̓ͯ̈́̆L̺̺̗Y̭̹ ͕͑̔̏̊ͣ̌̾A̞͚̫͖̥ͫ̉ͪ͂L͈̮͙̳̋B͕͓͔̅̃̂̈́͒͋ͥḚ̜̇̈̾I͛̐̿͌̽̉̚T̬̎͛͛̑̀̂ ͇̗̙̊ͧ̋ͩ͛W͇̱͎͚͍̗̝̓ͬͮ̚IͧT͚̐̉ͩͧ͑H̭̬͔͔̦̥͌ͯͨ̏͆̎̚I̬͗͒ͭ́ͮͩN̙̻ͭͣͨ͒ͩͣ ͔̞͕̝͔̩͇̏͂ͭͩA̩̼̎̅͗ ͍̱͈͆͊͌͂̆͋Ǹ͙̣͚͔͕̤̹̂ͥ̃ͨA͒R̼̰̰̠̳͙͍͋ͫ͌̃͗R̹̺̋ͮ̍͋͛̇̓O͗ͤW̤̺͈̻̖̩̋ͤ ͓̫̝͕̤̰̮ͧ̀ͯͦT̲͇̓̀̓̀I̠̝̫̬͓͔̖͋̆̍ͥͣM͓̥̿̔ͣ̍̚E͔̬ͬ ̺̥̼͔̬̜ͭͫ̓͂̽F͖̟̼͉̦͚̙ͤ͊ͩ̽R͕̣̜̉̊̔͆̎͗Ă̦M̾ͮ̂̊E͕͚̩̲.͕͇̏ͮ̋̑̂
"But what I find curious is how those twelve Pokémon that Xeno befriended harbored the Elemental Plates within themselves without any adverse effects." Giovanni put a hand to his chin and another within his orange suit's pocket. "Over the years, great caution was warned to anyone who finds themselves fortunate enough to possess even one Elemental Plate. The surge of power alone is enough to annihilate lesser souls, if they choose to want it and let it in."
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A͕̲͇͔̘͊̋̓̋̓Ȑ͙͈̤̹̙͒ͪ̿͆̿ͯC̩̫̞͚̾ͫ̽̀̽Ê̳͕̩̙͔̟͊̅̇Ù͐ͯͥ̓̉S̫͈̞ͦ̆ ̣̥̝̥͍̩̞I̥̣̖̮̜̣̒T͎̭͕̦̯̻ͪ̇̋͂͗̊ͥS͍̜͇͇͗̇͋ͣ̄̔E̲̟ͯ̆̎L̰̰̈̐̐F ͓͔̩͍ͬ̾ͥ̏̀̚̚H̲̱̳̞͓͍̆͌̈́̎̒ͣA̳̗̞̞̘̝ͤͬ̊̍D̯̻̹̱͔̟͉ ̬ͭͦ͋I͚̻̜̠͖̿̿͆̑͛̔ͬͅT̑ͭͫ͗̇ͅS͕͕̬̆ͫ̊̓ͯ̚ ̹̜̗̠̐̆̓TH̞͓͓̘R͓̞̖̄ͅE̬̪̞̘̘͒͌̔̈̃͒ͅE̪̭̙̝͇̖̲ͪͦ̔ͭͨ̚ ̝̜̺̥̂͐̇͋S͉̬̲͉̩͋̍̾͌O̪͉̍̎̾N͕̜͔̖͈̿̈́͐̀ͮ̚ͅS͉̠̭̟̟ͨͬ̾͊ͥ ̥̻̪͎̰̓͗ͦͪ͛́I̬͓̬͙̯Ǹ̰̦͓͎̝̭̈ͫSͦE̻͚̙̩̯͙͂̿ͩ͛R͚̝̥̦̹͉͔ͤ̊̃͛ͪ̿Ť̰͖͎͈̙̘̎̿̑̊ͭͩͅ ͙̣̻͊̓͑͒͒ͫT̬͔̫̻ͦ͋̋͛̄ͅH͉̪͎͍̺ͪE̺̟͌̒̂̋ ͍̼̤̇̇̈́͐E̠͆̿̂ͫͭ́L̻̪̯̗̺͌̑̊ͪ̍ͅͅE̺͓̯̮̰ͬ̋͗͌̋ͭͅM̥̪̻Ë͔͛ͦN̖̝̫͕̈́̅͌̚T͇ͣ͑̀ͩȦ͉͖̻͈̣̳Ḷ̰̪̻̮ͅ ̠͔̖̈́ͥ͛͂̀̍PL͍̬̯̘̰̟A̼̞ͥT̈́E̹͖͍̠̋̿̈ͤ͂S̈̏̀͂̔ ͇̠̺̳̝͚D̳͉̯͊Î͉̤͇̻̯͆̉͌͒ͣ̀R͉E̜͚̻̟͔̼͛̃͑̔̃ͥC̖̖̞͕̟̤̮̅T̻̱ͨ̌̐̅͛L̮̗̰͔̠̾̎̃̃̌̉ͩY͖̥̳̘̲̰̻͌̆͗̃̑͌ ͓͙̪̤͙̞̈͗͆̓̓͗Iͧ̓N̹͙̤̽ͩ̍̔͂T̹̹͈̻ͪOͭ̋ͯ ̦͇̓ͯT̯͚͉̲ͅH̰͈̙̹̭̠̪̓̓̽̉̈́̎Ȅ̖̗͇͕͕I͚̩̱̼̣̪͉̾R͓̗̠̰͖̄̍̚ ̠̗̲̪͎͍̌̑̔ͩ̒͆ͮB̘̙̹͛̓ͨE̳̻͙͗́̈ͣI̮͛ͨ͐͌̋͂ͅN̬͉̫̱͙͓GS͙̗͆̈́̓ͥ̂̚.͈͕ͫ͊ ̫̯̒͛ͨ̑ͬͦT̾H̟̠͇̯̃̒͂E̯̠̼̋ ̲̩̣̖͈ͨ̍͐̌͑̚E̤̭̫̲͎͑̀̔̈́ͬ̈́X͎͚͍͎͈̟͎Ả̤̜͇̫̋̏ͅC̘̞̔̾̓ͬT͚͈͎̱͚͈͑͐̋̚ͅ ͔͎̖̝̭̽̈́͐P̜̟͈̬̺͓̰̽ͧͩ̈́̓̒R͍̈́̿̂̎ͯͧ̈́Oͮ͂̚C͚͕̺̪̻͖͉͌̚E̦͕͒ͧ̆̓ͫS͙̣͈̟̩͔̎ͯ̇Sͦ̎̃̇,͋ͯ́ ̺ͥͧͭͅṮ̖͔̓̓̄͋̎O̪̝̓ͭ͐̂ ͙̬ͅM̜̦̱̹ͤ̌Ỷ͈̠̲̻ ̞C̄ͫ̈ͩA̼̱̜͎̔͐ͤ͂͒L̤͕̞ͫ̏̈́ͦ̍̎C͎̥̱͓U͖L̼̭͙̹A̰̘̮͗ͩ͊̒͛̓̋T͙͍̃̃ͣͩ̏̆ͤI̋O̼͕Ṇ̲́ͥͅS̹̊͛́ͭ̑̌ͧͅ,͚ͦ̈́̑͋ͬͯ̋ ̰͔̫̜̟́̈P̮̹̠͓̼͔̬̒̿͛̏̍̓ͬR̦̭͒E͙̗̫͉͖̯͔S̭͕̮͛̄ͧ̅Ĕ̙̘͚̬̫̬͇̌̒N̝͖͇͐͗̈ͧͦ̑T̮̤͇̥̦͉̔ͧ͗ͭL͍̈́ͮ̓͋̂ͨY̟̩̣̪̮͚ ̯̠͇̘̝ͩ͒R̮͎̼̬͓̖̫̐E͇͔ͬ͒̆ͤṂ͕͔̖͓͎̙̊͂ͬA̖̤͇͎̥ͨI̼̝̟̫̲ͅṆ͇͎̪͇͎͖ ̓̈́̆Ů̬̙̹̯͓̰N̫͎̗̗̟̥͗ͩ̍̔̇K̮͑ͨ̌̚N͕̲̦̻͋̅̄ͦͬ̚O̙̺͈̫ͬ͌̑̈́͆́W̼̲̟̟̳͛͗ͅN̠̤͍͙ͧ̏.͓͎ͧ̏̃ͯ͋͊̚
"Well, I suppose we'll learn soon enough when we reclaim what rightfully belongs to us." Giovanni continued speaking suavely and calmly, considering what he and his subordinates have just endured. "They have nowhere to run where we can't track them down. And Ash Ketchum has been a thorn at my side long enough."
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Ḧ̪͋E̩̦̮̊́ ̥̖A̘̦̟̳͈̅̍͗̚N̰̝̽ͩͩͅD̮̼͈̳͎ͨ ̘̼̹̩̣͔̓̽̋̄̐͊ͭH͎̝͔̳̳̭̪̑I͍̬̩̭͈̿̌ͥS̟͎͓̆̀̂ ̖̺̖̏ͧ̌̾Cͣ͌̽ͪ̅̃̊O̮ͮ̐M̐ͤȒ̗̠̣̺ͬ̽̒ͪͅA̞͙ͭͨD̬̮̦͈̫ͨ͌E̖͙̲͕͇ͯ̇S̮̻̘̩̟̾͂ ̼͋̚W̝͖͕̭̄̿Ī̠̪̖̳̝͈ͧL͔̹L̥͍͓̩̊ͨͨ ̿̏ͯS̜ͨ̓͗H̙͍ͪͫ̏ͭ̃A̙̦͚̙͆ͫ͒͒ͦͮR̪̩ͤ̔̽̆̌͒Ê̩̱̻̩̈́̿̔ ͈̜̫̯̉͐Y̒̽̉̓O̯̪̗̮͐ͩ̉̚U̬̳͍̎̐̆ͦ͊̓̅R̮̒ͤ̌̿͐̊̔ ̲̮͈̮͉̻P̪͈͖̈́ͫ́ͮ̽͋͒A̭̰ͪͮȊ̺̺̘͍̩͈͇ͫNͬͤ ̮̹̙͙̰͗̑̚S̼̰̖͓̟̥͗̆̽̈O͖̦̾̅ͨ̄̆O̾ͮ̆͗Ṇ͙̰̯̹͇̘̇̊̅́͐ E̒͐̌ͯ̊N͈̜̫̺̣̩͕O̟͆͆̃ͪͫ͆U̅Ǧ̟̽͆̂Hͥ.̻͖̗̺͍̜ ͥ̑̒I͉̙̬̘ ͈̖̼̼͎͖̺̽̈́͗W̫̽Ȉ͎͍͊̌́̾L͉̘̼̼͖̦̀̈́̂̓̈̎L͇̰̪̪̬ͮ ̀̎̔͂Ṕ̑̃E͎̥ͯ̃͂̔ͣ̐R̖̹̥ͫ̂̎͂̔̃͌S͎̖͇O̥̹͈̠͋̉̎N͙̟̑͛̈́ͮA̦̫̟ͫ̔L̦̙̮̝ͪL̙͕̭̻̣ͅY̰̻͕̳̐ͣͨͅ ̹̙́̈́̍S͙̼E͓̲͔͕͚ͣͥE͙̱̺̰̗͚̥͋͗̅ ͐͐̈ͯT̟̜̳̱̞͎̼ͪ̓̓̅ͩȎ̝͙͈̖̓ ̞̩̜̺͎I̭̹̠͙̮̝̍ͯ͌̓̏ͬ̿T̗̥̭̥͇̟͇͗ͩ͑͗̾̚.̪͓̳̬͇͎͙̄ͧ̐͛̄
"Good." Giovanni gave a simple comment of confirmation. "Now, I must contact the other five bosses and inform them that this situation is entirely under control. No point in throwing ourselves out of rhythm, especially after we've already knocked off the kings and queens of the world, and with relative ease no less."
Giovanni proceeded back to Team Rocket Main Headquarters through the same route, leaving Triple Zero alone to contemplate, grow, and continue working as the irreplaceable supercomputer of Team Prism.
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T̖̲͐ͅE͈͉̽̊͌͒͑̚C̞̊̀̑H̒ͪ̓͋N̘̥̼̟͕̽̆ͭ̋̉̿O̲͕̹ͫ̐̓̀L͎̪̟̓ͨO͓̭͗ͫ͐ͪ͋G͎͕͙̯̮̽̉̄ͣͩͨͩY͎̳̲̩̙̳̋͗.̙̥͔̼͓̟ͨ̈́͗̉̉.̭͑͛ͫͫ.͕̘̻͇̥̖͔̐̂̀̂ͩ̇P̫̪͓̲͚̒̒̾O͚̥̥͙͈̯ͪͯͅS̱̭̚S͌͛ͮ̇͆̄ES͉̱̠̭͖͎͐S͈͚̰ͧĔ̫̓̾̋̋S̖̖̭̟̺ͅ ͍̺͎͚̲ͮ̌N̬̯̹̼̐͒ͤ̇͂ͤ̒Ò͑ͨ́ ͍͉̲̼̭̫̦̈́̎S̒̒ͥ̌̔̾O͍͍U̦̯̺͉̬͐͑ͥ̀ͩLͬ̐̓̐̇̍ͭ.̩͍͙̱͎̘̝ͨ̍͊̄̀.̳̝̮̩ͫ̉ͬ.̥̠͍̣̝̙ͤ̔̔ ̳͈͎̱̣̍̅̉͆͋̒̀T̠̯͔͖̗͐͑̌̍E͕̘̥̘Cͬ̃͊̉̇ͮͣH̯̬͍̠̲͓̯ͩN͂ͪ̃O͙̟̺̟̼̣̊͆ͬͦ͒̆L̽̂̌O̠̤ͣ̇͐ͭG̯̼̩͚̉ͭͦ̂̊ͧY̼̤̥̳̒̔ͨ̏̅̿.̦̎ͣ͗ͅͅ.͖̈́͊.̥̜̱̦̬͗̒͆ͫP͉̫̠̓̆̀̑̃Ö̪̻̪ͦ̆̄̃S̻̗̽ͬ̎S͓͕͙͓͗͛́E̜̲͚S̳S̳̙̻̩͙ͨ̈̇͗E̠S̎̔̔͑̈̚ ̖̺̙̖̭̭̞A̠̼̩̩̪̻̮ͯ̿̌ͭ͑̾̈ ͈̠̜̖̿́ͭ͂S͓͈̀ͪ͗̊ͯ̓̃O̻͕͎̗̞̺͂̌͑͆U̖̤̠̭ͮL̺̲̱͔̍ͫ.̯̼̎̐ͮ̽͋̋̉.̪͈̤̪͑ͦ̄ͦ.̝̭͕͚ͪ̓ͭ̐̈ͥ̃
01000001 01001110 01000001 01001100 01011001 01011010 01001001 01001110 01000111 00100000 01000001 01001100 01001100 00100000 01000010 01010010 01000001 01001110 01000011 01001000 01001001 01001110 01000111 00100000 01010000 01001111 01010011 01010011 01001001 01000010 01001001 01001100 01001001 01010100 01001001 01000101 01010011 00100000 01010000 01000101 01010010 01010100 01000001 01001001 01001110 01001001 01001110 01000111 00100000 01010100 01001111 00100000 01010100 01000101 01000011 01001000 01001110 01001111 01001100 01001111 01000111 01011001 00100000 01001000 01000001 01010110 01001001 01001110 01000111 00100000 01000001 00101110 00101110 00101110 01010011 01001111 01010101 01001100 00101110
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99.2: Wanted Man and Pokémon
Location: Mt. Moon
Date: April 6th, 2019
Time: 12:04 PM
Spies/Parachutes/Coldplay
(Song Begins)
[Opening Instrumental]
At first, leaving the front door of Team Rocket Main Headquarters felt casual to the World Champion and the Coadjutors of the Pokémon of Prophecy. With no one left to oppose them, and Triple Zero essentially and literally leaving the door open for them, they exited the Team Prism building as though they were exiting a supermarket, holding four Elemental Plates in their hands, and twelve more in the hearts of the first twelve Coadjutors.
I awake to find no peace of mind.
I said, how do you live as a fugitive.
Down here, where I cannot see so clear.
I said, what do I know.
Show me the right way to go.
But a minute later, as they were navigating their way down the northernmost mountains of Mt. Moon's mountain range, their calm demeanor gave way to the necessary stress that is best comparable to a perpetrator running away from the police.
And the spies came out of the water.
But you're feeling so bad 'cos you know.
But the spies hide out in every corner.
But you can't touch them no.
'Cos they're all spies.
Especially when they overheard sonic booms and simultaneously witnessed the telltale jet streams from a dozen of Team Prism's mechanical abominations returning back to base.
[Instrumental]
They're all spies.
"Run!" Ash Ketchum shouted out once, even though it was one more than necessary.
[Instrumental]
I awake to see that no one is free.
We're all fugitives.
Look at the way we live.
Down here, I cannot sleep from fear, no.
I said, which way do I turn.
Oh, I forget everything I learned.
Almost as though they were competing against each other in a race, when in reality they were fleeing for their life and/or to avoid a conflict they may not yet win, everyone trekked down the mountain at breakneck speeds. They all ran down, flew down, levitated down, leapt down, and even warped down. All of it was with the intent of covering as much ground as possible.
And the spies came out of the water.
But you're feeling so bad 'cos you know.
But the spies hide out in every corner.
But you can't touch them no.
'Cos they're all spies.
And when some of them looked behind their backs for a split second…
[Instrumental]
They're all spies.
"Run faster!" Metagross shouted telepathically, as it rotated itself clockwise. "They're approaching us!"
[Instrumental]
And if we don't hide here,
They're going to find us.
And if we don't hide now,
They're going to catch us where we sleep.
And if we don't hide here,
They're going to find us.
…The sight of several more Grunts in armored suits, flying directly towards them, made them move their bodies to the point where they swore their feet no longer touched the ground.
[Instrumental]
And the spies came out of the water.
And you're feeling so good 'cos you know.
That the spies hide out in every corner.
They can't touch you no.
'Cos they're just spies.
Naturally, bipedal and quadrupedal Pokémon tripped over themselves over the uneven terrain. But the benefit of twenty-five Pokémon, with several of them possessing Psychic-Type abilities, was that they hardly ever lost a step when they tripped. No one was left behind, and no one lost any speed in keeping everyone directly to their left and right sides. Some of the largest Coadjutors even carried the smaller and slower Coadjutors on them.
[Instrumental]
They're just spies.
They're just spies.
They're just spies.
They're just spies.
[Song ends]
But they all soon realized that speed wasn't going to keep them from escaping these incoming mechanized soldiers.
"I see a cavern we can hide in!" Luxray hoarsely shouted as he hyperventilated, his gleaming and bloodshot eyes seeing through the rock and detecting a network of caverns within. "Follow me! Quickly!"
Like a light at the end of a dark tunnel, the Coadjutors and the World Champion headed directly for this cavern. And thankfully for Luxray, its judgment was optimal in selecting the perfect cavern for them to hide in. It was sunk into the earth and its entrance was slanted away from the incoming squadron. In other words, assuming they aren't bothering with using any extrasensory perception or tracking technology, then they'll fly by the cavern without even seeing it.
And fortunately for them, once everyone got into the cavern and allied themselves with the darkness, the mechs flew right by them at supersonic speeds. Their ears winced and their hearts skipped beats. Their breathing didn't calm, for those that had lungs. Their eyes didn't narrow their pupils, for those that had them. Their sweat didn't quell, for those that perspire. And their nerves didn't subdue, for those that were bordering on panicking.
But as the sonic boom dissipated, and breaths were held briefly and frequently, the fly-by grew quieter and quieter, until silence reigned supreme on Mt. Moon. And during the split-second interception, Wanderer Lucario managed to skim the minds of the men and women inside the machines, just long enough to picture their superficial thoughts.
The feedback was bittersweet.
"We're not their target. They don't even care that we escaped." Wanderer Lucario explained with obvious concern. "They're flying southwest, with the intent of bombing Pewter City to ground zero."
"Those bastards!" Samurott exclaimed, flexing his forearms to the point where the seamitars sheathed on them dislodged ever so slightly. "They've already taken over the world when they conquered the Pokémon Leagues! What are they trying to accomplish now?"
"Maybe they want to burn the city to the ground?" Charizard contemplated, an accurate assumption to be certain.
"It wouldn't make much sense to level just one city." Absol thought strategically, making sense of what he already knew of humans and how they live. "Unless that one city holds anything of value that they can't get their hands on, which I doubt with what we've just seen."
"How many Grunts do Team Prism have? How many of them man those machines? Thousands? Tens of thousands?" Sceptile contemplated, with his left arm on his chin.
"Team Prism is composed of six different Teams, across the world, united together by the common pain of defeat." Metagross knew as much through what was on record online, which was no longer bugged as it looked at it all off of the corner of its eyes. "It's unsafe to assume that their resources border on the lines of militaristic."
"No city is safe then." Aqua sorrowed for the screams of anguish being silenced abruptly across dozens of cities simultaneously and across the globe. "Team Prism plowed through the strongest Pokémon Trainers and Masters that this world has to offer."
"What can the cities that have Gym Leaders do then?" Terra shuddered to think, having just as much imagination as Aqua. "And what about those that don't?"
"…Perish." Scolipede uttered one word, and that one word spoke volumes.
As the Coadjutors began to feel the weight of saving the world rest heavy over their shoulders to the point of crushing their confidence, with the newer Pokémon beginning to feel inwardly and mildly apprehensive, Ash Ketchum contemplated the situation and what this meant for the world and for him personally.
"If they're targeting Pewter City, then they're likely targeting Cerulean City as well." The World Champion assessed. "Brock and Misty are elite Gym Leaders, and best friends of mine. They can hold their own against them, especially since I loaned them some of my Pokémon for safekeeping and for the emergency situation I hoped wouldn't come true."
Ash looked at the small army of clearly organized Pokémon that behaved unlike wild Pokémon. Ash carries a Pokémon with him that has explained the majority of what will happen in the near future, and one of the topics that she practically couldn't keep her mouth shut about were the Coadjutors of the Pokémon of Prophecy. These Pokémon were loyal to Xeno Lucario, almost religiously for half of them. And while Ash wouldn't hesitate to drop down on his knees and face to pray to Arceus for Xeno's presence and services here, he'd have to make due without them.
But to recruit these Pokémon, Ash would have to select his words just right. Both he and his "secret friend."
"Everyone, can I have your attention please?" Ash Ketchum asked kindly albeit authoritatively, a natural skill for any veteran Pokémon Trainer.
"You pretty much have it already." Aurorus stated, knowing how important a person he is.
Everyone else more or less nodded, shrugged their shoulders, or uttered a grunt or a sound of approval. Even Wanderer Lucario sided with the general consensus of Ash Ketchum being their leader. After all, he's already used to being second-in-command when Xeno Lucario is. Not only that, but Ash Ketchum already saved his life. Therefore, he's earned Wanderer's trust, and is well on pace to earn his affection.
"Alright then. Now, what I'm about to tell you is of the utmost importance." The World Champion continued.
"You want us to join forces to stop Team Prism." Blaziken suspected as much, even though he's one of the most seemingly oblivious Pokémon on the team.
Ash would've been taken aback to this if he didn't already know the rough outcome of this conversation turned recruitment opportunity.
"Yes." Ash continued. "After all we share a common enemy."
"And you're not too keen on our abilities to stop them on our own." Doublade read over Ash's mind, in no ways offended to him for thinking that. "I can understand as much. We're Pokémon and you're a human being. And the humans are fighting a war that us Pokémon are nothing more than weapons to."
"You're not weapons though. You're living beings with emotions and the freedom of choice.." Ash openly stated, on the off chance that any of his listeners think of him as a selfish World Champion with misguided viewpoints on Pokémon. "I wouldn't be the man that I am if I thought of Pokémon as nothing more than tools for me to capture and dispose of."
"We get it. Pokémon are just as much your friends as they are your assets." Tyranitar huffed mildly before holding his arm out for Hydreigon to lovingly perch on. "Isn't that right, Side Bitch?"
"(Damn right, boss!)" Hydreigon, strangely enough, chirped like a Chatot as Tyranitar lovingly scratched each of her heads.
"…Um, yeah. I guess?" Ash found himself scratching the back of his head as he attempted to make sense of Tyranitar's and Hydreigon's relationship, before setting it aside as quickly as it came. "Anyway, what I'm trying to say is if you're willing to join me. I'm not forcing you to, and I won't do anything to keep you from coming with me if you all collectively choose to leave your separate way. I don't know if you're wild Pokémon that haven't been captured, or Pokémon smart enough to have themselves captured and then keep their Pokémon hidden somewhere safe, such as Dusknoir's mouth."
"…" Dusknoir resisted the sudden urge to let out a burp through the mouth on his midsection, and kept the idea of "capturing" the other half of the Coadjutors on the back of his mind.
"Hell, I don't even know how you plan on going about the world." Ash continued wondering.
"We have a cargo helicopter for that." Aqua mentioned.
"Used to…have a cargo…helicopter…" Aggron added, slowly albeit sufficiently. "It's at Mt. Coronet...where it has…most likely…frozen over…"
".- .- .- .-.-.- .-.-.- .-.-.- / - ... . / .-. - ..-. .-.. -.-. - .-. - . .-. / ... .- ... / ..-. .-.. - .- -. / .. ... / .-.. .- ... - / ..-. .-.. .. -. ... - .-.-.-" [Aww... The ROFLcopter has flown is last flight.] Galvantula chattered sadly, with Terra paying enough attention to know that the EleSpider Pokémon isn't cursing in his native tongue again. ".- .- .- .-.-.- .-.-.- .-.-.- / - ... . / .-. - ..-. .-.. -.-. - .-. - . .-. / ... .- ... / ..-. .-.. - .- -. / .. ... / .-.. .- ... - / ..-. .-.. .. -. ... - .-.-.-" [And I never even got a chance to hang off of it as it soared across the sky...]
"So you used a cargo helicopter to trek about the world." Ash Ketchum contemplated the efficiency alongside the problems of that method of transportation. "How often were you guys impeded when you flew across the skies."
"Frequently, actually." Absol recalled. "Military choppers threatening to shoot us down, only to scratch their heads at Pokémon manning the wheel and let us go, even if we committed murder, which some of us technically have."
"All of that went away when we painted over the big red 'R' on the sides of the chopper though." Sceptile remarked. "Fortunately for us, Dusknoir could fly the chopper and Team Rocket couldn't pick us out of a haystack if they tried."
"But now that Team Rocket is one sixth of Team Prism." Charizard assumed the worst. "They probably have beads on each of our heads, and are waiting for us to step out into the open to shoot our brains out of our heads."
Weapons? Team Rocket?!
"I've had a gun pointed at my head before, but it wasn't from Team Rocket." Ash Ketchum recalled an unfortunate moment in his youth, before his Kanto Safari Zone sweep of a herd of Tauros he still has. "They fancy mechs, and making them quickly over durably. But now that they've clearly taken their time with them, and taught them Pokémon attacks through what I'm presuming is Triple Zero's doing, there's little to nothing on this planet that could stop them."
"They have powerful Pokémon on their side as well." Metagross noted, never forgetting the encounter he shared alongside Tyranitar and Wanderer Lucario to Archie's and Maxie's frighteningly powerful ally. "Pokémon that you as a human race have labeled Legendary and Mythical."
A subtle shift in Ash's aura was detectable to Wanderer Lucario. For everyone else, a crystal clear shift in his posture.
"…Name them for me."
"Ghetsis' Genesect," Aqua started.
"Lysandre's Diancie," Terra continued.
"Archie's and Maxie's Volcanion," Tyranitar growled.
"And Cyrus'…Deoxys…" Aggron concluded.
The color across Ash's face and strapping musculature appeared to fade a pigmentation or two in color.
"…Are there…any other Legendary or Mythical Pokémon…in their possession?"
The original twelve Coadjutors of the Pokémon of Prophecy, alongside the six that trained with Arceus' Three Sons, knew absolutely nothing about the potential plausibility of Team Prism harboring more Legendary or Mythical Pokémon under their name and authority, be it torturous or nonexistent. However, the seven most recent Coadjutors of the Pokémon of Prophecy searched their minds for an answer to this.
"Dear Arceus, what did those Grunts mutter about several weeks ago?" Aurorus thought, as elderly age and fossil revival naturally did adverse effects to her memory.
"I have absolutely no idea." Gardevoir stated without a tone of defeat in her voice. "But I do know what they were thinking about."
"Their thoughts are best comparable to a fountain of youth without water." Gallade allegorized. "Empty, or full of settling dirt that won't wash away."
"I may have fought against one." Greninja continuously poked at the end of his tongue scarf as he recalled a battle he was forced to have against a veiled Pokémon. "I fought against a Pokémon that wore a cloak over its body. All I know is that I was tasked with combating it because I'm a Dark-Type Pokémon. And I lost shortly after it exploited my Protean ability for the worst."
Again, Ash did nothing to hide the anxiety he was feeling over Team Prism's growingly apparent arsenal of one-sided carnage towards their opposition. Because, within his mind, there was only one Pokémon he could think of that Greninja clashed with that meets those requirements.
"The only Pokémon that I can think of, that is under Team Prism's control…is Mewtwo." Ash contemplated hesitantly, recalling his history with the Genetic Pokémon. "But last I checked, Mewtwo was a free Pokémon, having successfully liberated himself from Giovanni and Team Rocket."
"Mewtwo…" Wanderer Lucario recalled that Pokémon, and the beneficial history both Mewtwo and Xeno Lucario shared. "Last we've heard of him, he assisted Xeno Lucario in indirectly helping us all escape from Team Rocket. We don't know where he is now. We haven't seen him for almost ten years, and have heard next to nothing about his activity."
This only unsettled Ash Ketchum further, as the plausibility that Mewtwo was under Team Prism's control made a bit more sense. But he can't be absolutely certain, and can only assume the worst at best.
"We can only hope and pray to Arceus that Mewtwo is elsewhere right now." Ash believed. "Team Prism already has enough innocent Pokémon under their control. They don't need another."
"Hmph. Innocent is a strong word to describe those Pokémon." Tyranitar contradicted. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say they wanted to join Team Prism."
Ash sighed at that possibility, knowing that human judgment is a powerful factor in a Pokémon's development. Most Pokémon don't know the concept of good and evil, and those that do are granted it by the humans that capture and raise them. Most Pokémon Trainers raise their Pokémon with kind hearts, and said kindness is mirrored in their Pokémon through affection and trust. Others are harsher on their Pokémon and subsequently taint their Pokémon's hearts with pain and scorn. And yet others are outright malicious with their Pokémon, leading them to become outright evil and a threat to whomsoever they're unleashed on, including their owners.
It just goes to show how diverse Pokémon are, and how many people worldwide take that for granted.
Ash knew that these Coadjutors of the Pokémon of Prophecy wished to join forces with him. That much is palpable through their body language and their auras. They knew that Team Prism is a force that can take over the world, or already has and is attempting to snuff out all hope that will undue their present conquest. They knew that the Legendary and Mythical Pokémon they have in their possession, be they known or unknown, are meant to be free and will have to be freed when confronted again. And the machines that Team Prism has constructed must never exist, as it has already thrown off balance the naturality of this world.
So, without saying anything else, Ash Ketchum suddenly held out his right hand towards the Coadjutors, with his palm facing them. Wanderer Lucario immediately recognized the posture as a classic stance for conjuring an AURA SPHERE, something that Ash could easily do as an Aura Guardian. But instead of conjuring an AURA SPHERE out of blue fire, Ash conjured a Poké Ball through the same means.
A Poké Ball that was gold on top, silver on the bottom, and bore the letters "GS" above its button.
"It's time for you all to meet a close friend of mine." Ash Ketchum began to introduce the Pokémon within his GS Ball. "A Pokémon that has helped shape me into the man I am today."
Without tossing the Poké Ball into the air, or any other form of physical dramatic flair that is often the norm for any Pokémon Trainer in a competitive mood, Ash Ketchum simply pressed the bottom of the ball with his thumb, and allowed it to open within his hand. The GS Ball unleashed a burst of red energy that remained aloft in the air instead of on the ground, meaning that the Pokémon encapsulated within was able to levitate or fly off of the ground. And when said energy materialized, all of the uninitiated Coadjutors either tilted their heads in confusion or possessed a bewildered countenance. But those that were initiated visibly recoiled at the Pokémon that the World Champion had in his possession.
The Pokémon was small, green, with fairy-like wings and an equally matching body. Three fingers line each hand, and a round head rests on its neck. Big blue eyes that appear larger than its brain upon first glance are immediately telltale and rather adorable to look at directly, especially when it returns the gesture with a friendly smile on its face. It has black rings around its eyes, and green antennas that many people believe it to resemble an alien in its overall physical build.
This Pokémon is Celebi, another Mythical Pokémon that Team Prism would undoubtedly use to seal their victory over the world, if Ash didn't carry it in his possession and protection.
(National Pokédex Entry #251: Celebi, the Time Travel Pokémon. It is a Grass-Type and Psychic-Type Pokémon that measures in at an insignificant 2' 00" and weighs in at a lightweight 11.0 lbs. This Pokémon wanders across time. Grass and trees flourish in the forests in which it has appeared. When Celebi disappears deep in a forest, it is said to leave behind an egg it brought from the future. Revered as a guardian of the forest, Celebi appears wherever beautiful forests exist. This Pokémon came from the future by crossing over time. It is thought that so long as Celebi appears, a bright and shining future awaits us. It has the power to travel across time, but it is said to appear only in peaceful times.)
"Hello, everyone!" Celebi introduced itself, with a voice that made her sound as though she could pass for Ash's daughter, if she weren't a Pokémon and of a completely different body build. "I always knew that this day would come!"
The Coadjutors were overall stunned by the sudden presence of this rare and this powerful a Pokémon before them. And if they had just met Ash Ketchum, then they would feel hard-pressed to beat the life out of him, to free Celebi. But as they all already know, there's no evil in the World Champion's heart and aura, and Celebi appears as carefree and as jubilant as any Celebi should.
Well, any Celebi that has been spotted by man in recorded history.
"…How old are you again?" Wanderer Lucario asked.
Celebi immediately took offense to that, and gasped loudly at the arctic Aura Pokémon.
"Well I never! Didn't your parent's raise you better?! You never ask the age of a lady, especially one that can travel back and forward in–!"
"I was speaking to Ash." Wanderer reiterated, outwardly immune to Celebi's little outburst. "(And I was born without any parents…)"
"Well, let's see…" Ash used his fingers to count, as well as the stalactites on the cave, when he looked up at times in deep thought. "If I factor in the hundreds of times Celebi has transported me to the past and future for one reason or another, and the amount of time I've spent in a dimension where times doesn't flow and age freezes over, I'd estimate my exact age to be…ten years old."
"…" No Pokémon was willing to buy that a fully grown man with a herculean physique was ten years old.
"…You're shitting us right now." Tyranitar narrowed his eyes at Ash Ketchum.
"Yeah, I am." Ash smirked while brushing his nose with his index finger. "I'm technically supposed to be thirty-two years old, as of five days ago. Although I'm probably several years behind my actual age, because of the temporal 'complications' that Celebi has necessarily put me into."
"And what have you been doing across time?" Gardevoir wondered.
"Training." Ash simplified.
"What kind of training?" Samurott wondered.
"…All of it." Ash hyperbolized, but made enough of a point.
"And your Pokémon?" Luxray asked out of curiosity. "What about them?"
"They all underwent similar training as me." Ash Ketchum admitted easily enough. "Although I did leave most of them with close friends of mine, mostly for safekeeping on the off chance that I…didn't make it back from Team Prism alive."
"But you know the future, through Celebi even." Charizard inquired, finding it difficult for Ash to speculate when he and the Time Travel Pokémon should know for absolute certainty. "How can you doubt your own survival?"
"Because the past may be set in stone," Celebi answered. "But the future is always changing, with infinite variables resulting from infinite choices that no reasonable Pokémon could ever hope to keep track of. We who manipulate and witness time can only narrow our eyes, options, and results at best. Why do you think Arceus is working Itself to the bone to ensure that all of us come out of this alive and successful?"
"(Because he's not the God that he once was?)" Zoroark pondered, unable to speak her mind, and only tilting her head adorably as Celebi made her rhetorical question.
"So, long story short, we're all in this together now." Ash Ketchum summarized, feeling rushed for time now. "Team Prism is our common enemy, and we will stop them before they stop us."
Everyone collectively nodded and agreed with the World Champion.
"They're probably attacking Pewter City as we speak. We must march down there and stop them from destroying that town!"
"Is Pewter City really that important to Team Prism?" Lopunny said with crossed arms and mild indifference.
"Maybe. Maybe not." Ash Ketchum responded. "But I know for a fact that one person there is of importance to me. And I just hope that he can hold out against Team Prism by the time we get there."
99.3: Boulders and Mermaids
Location: Pewter City
Time: 12:04 PM
News of the Pokémon Leagues of the world, falling before the might of Team Prism, traveled almost as fast as Team Prism themselves. By the time news broadcasts were attempting to make sense of the carnage, analyzing the logic behind Team Prism's blitzkrieg tactics, counting the bodies of man and Pokémon that were killed in action, and wondering what sort of weapons they used to annihilate the pillars of the Pokémon world, Pewter City noticed Team Prism walking through their unlocked door.
Within seconds, explosions and screams of pain tore through the peaceful silence of the rugged city. Bodies and buildings were rent asunder as Team Prism marched down the street with their elite Pokémon and otherworldly machinery. Resistances were formed hastily and with about as many holes in them as Team Prism made themselves with their Pokémon and high caliber weaponry. As a result, dozens of lives were mowed down every other minute.
Team Prism made their way towards the only building in Pewter City that they saw was worth protecting: the Pewter City Gym. Because within it resides the Gym Leader Brock. And they know well enough what kind of a person Brock is, because he traveled alongside the World Champion during their youth.
Location: Pewter Gym (Basement Floor)
Time: 12:08 PM
Within a hidden underground room that seemed fitting for an earthbound-based Gym to possess, Brock and Misty of Cerulean City's Gym were nestled close together as they overheard the sounds of war echoing at the surface. And within this room, they were also able to monitor Team Prism's whereabouts through the hundreds of cameras scattered across Pewter City, enough so that they were given a full map of Pewter City.
Although, they found themselves looking away from the vast majority of these monitors, because every quick glance seemed to result in another shot down soul, attempting in vain to rid Team Prism from Pewter City.
Both Gym Leaders to neighboring cities were seated adjacent to one another, shoulder to shoulder. Sitting an inch further would unnerve them in the dimly-lit room, make them feel as though the darkness betrayed their sense of company. And they were already uncomfortable to begin with, as they were witnessing Team Prism lay waste to Pewter City, and undoubtedly any other major city across Kanto and elsewhere.
But what unnerved them the most was that Ash Ketchum, through the Time Travel Pokémon Celebi, forewarned them about an event that has just come true.
"Pewter City is in danger," Brock said with a strained tone of voice, the kind that comes with sitting idle when one knows that, deep within their heart, that they had to stand up and fight. "The citizens are dropping by the minute. And yet we find ourselves underground, knowing through Ash's Celebi that we'll die if we fight back."
"We're already dying on the inside, watching innocent people die helplessly." Misty spoke calmly and solemnly, but could feel her anger begin to boil as another group of bodies dropped down onto the floor, belonging to a family with children. "There's no justice for what Team Prism is doing, no love from the world for what they want to accomplish."
"And yet there's no power on Earth strong enough to stand up against them." Brock sulked. "If the Champions fled and the Elite Fours of the world gave their lives to increase their chances of escape, what hope do we Gym Leaders have?"
"We won't know unless we get out there and start fighting back." Misty strongly suggested.
"But Ash Ketchum told us to stay put here, until he returned." Brock recalled. "We'd be risking our lives against a seemingly one-sided fight."
"That hasn't stopped either of us before, especially when we traveled together." Misty continued attempting to change Brock's mind. "And I don't care if Celebi can see the future or not. Nothing is absolutely certain. We do have some of Ash's Pokémon with us after all, as proof of that."
In response to that, Brock dug through his pocket and retrieved three ordinary Poké Balls that contained three extraordinary Pokémon that Ash Ketchum has frequently used during his travels, his career as a Frontier Brain, and his many received challenges as the World Champion. And simultaneously, Misty retrieved three similar Poké Balls that didn't appear different from the billions across the world, but equally contained Pokémon of Ash's that were practically second to none.
And obviously, as Gym Leaders of Rock and Water, they had three more Pokémon each that they would use alongside their collective six. Three Pokémon that they were each familiar with in different ways. Pokémon that they've even known and have grown up with as children, such as Brock's Onix to Steelix. Or Pokémon that they've learned to befriend and bond closely with after overcoming personal fear, such as Misty's Gyarados.
This is how they each received the necessary equipment and requirements for Mega Evolving their prized Pokémon, through Ash and his worldwide network of friends and acquaintances.
But would it be enough to impede Team Prism entirely? Would it be enough to distract them long enough to keep Pewter City's citizens safe until Ash Ketchum would arrive? Or would they die trying?
"I guess we don't have much of a choice." Brock said, as both of them stood up and equipped their six Pokémon and respective Mega Bracelets.
Location: Pewter City
Time: 12:12 PM
At this point in time, Team Prism was actively hunting down the residents of Pewter City, alongside their respective Pokémon. Those were the smart individuals, the people and Pokémon with enough of a survival instinct and sense of battle to know that they couldn't hope to win, and would essentially be committing suicide if they so much as poked their heads out of their homes.
Team Prism marched onward across Pewter City with the mentality of soldiers seeking out the enemy, instead of Grunts that wished to cause mischief. As some of them were actively breaking into houses and riddling bodies and walls with bullets, others were beginning to surround Pewter City Gym. They all knew that there was no trace of Brock yet anywhere across his hometown, which meant that there were only two possibilities of his whereabouts.
Brock had evacuated Pewter City, which was highly doubtful. Or he was in Pewter City Gym, either taking shelter or preparing for a counterattack.
With the steadfast idea that Brock was favoring the latter, either out of a misplaced sense of honor for his hometown or for a plan that he feels will be successful against the nigh unstoppable force that is Team Prism, the enemy mechs began to proceed and surround Pewter City Gym. Their attention is dedicated almost exclusively to Pewter City Gym, as their sensors attempt to detect traces of life within the building, or underneath it.
And as this was going on, Ash Ketchum alongside his newfound Coadjutor allies successfully descended Mt. Moon and reached Pewter City, under the veil of Zoroark's illusion.
And as they quickly discovered when Team Prism Grunts, their Pokémon, and even their ten-feet-tall walking tanks, they were practically invisible to them as Zoroark seamlessly made them all nonexistent.
"Remind me again why they can't see through your illusion, Zoroark?" Dusknoir asked the Illusion Fox Pokémon, speaking as normally as he would because Zoroark's illusions overshadow all five senses.
Zoroark opened her mouth in an attempt to speak, even though she couldn't because she was mute. And before she could utter a sound to attempt to explain herself.
"A Zoroark's illusions can fool even human technology." Ash explained for her. "Sure, there are specialized equipment that can see through Zoroark's illusions, but it's clear that even these space-age machines don't have them. Probably too expensive to mass produce, or they couldn't be bothered to incorporate that kind of tech to prevent something that'll fail after one hit."
".-.. .. -.- . / ... ... . -.. .. -. .- .- .-. ... / .- - -. -.. . .-. / -. ..- .- .-. -.. .-.-.-" [Like Shedinja's Wonder Guard.] Galvantula chattered. ".. - .- -. .. -. . / .. ..-. / .- -. -.- / - - ... . .-. / .-. - -.- . - - -. / ... .- -.. / - ... .- - / -.- .. -. -.. / - ..-. / .- -... .. .-.. .. - -.- -..- / .-.. .. -.- . / .- / ... .-. .. .-. .. - - - -... / - .-. / .- -. / . .-.. . -.-. - .-. .. -.-. -...- - -.- .-. . / .-. - -.- . - - -. / - ... .- - / -.- -. - .- ... / - .- -. -. . - / .-. .. ... . .-.-.-" [Imagine if any other Pokémon had that kind of ability, like a Spiritomb or an Electric-Type Pokémon that knows MAGNET RISE.]
"(They literally wouldn't die.)" Terra believed.
"I assume you have a plan for us being here during another Prism siege?" Charizard said meekly, intimidated greatly by the mechs that were practically brushing by his wingspan as they all followed closely behind Ash Ketchum and Zoroark. "Because, if we didn't have Zoroark disguising us under a veil of nonexistence, we'd all be full of holes right now."
"Yo! My lizza!" Tyranitar spoke slang to the Flame Pokémon. "I'm already full of holes."
"Their bullets will…bounce off of me…" Aggron believed. "…I hope…"
"Of course I have a plan." Ash Ketchum reiterated. "(Although if I was still ten, then I'd just improvise like I commonly would.)"
"Okay." Sceptile asked. "So, what do you have in mind to rid Team Prism from Pewter City?"
Ash Ketchum knew that, when he would begin to explain his idea, they wouldn't like it. They'll agree to it nevertheless, especially when he fleshed his brainstorm out for them, they'll be unscathed in theory, and it'll be the most efficient means of utilizing the Coadjutors abilities freely.
So without hesitating, he explained to them all his plan.
Location: Pewter Gym (Basement Floor)
Time: 12:14 PM
Fortunate that this underground bunker underneath Pewter Gym was packed to the brim with both food and Pokémon battle supplies, and after grabbing their fill for the retaliation they have planned against Team Prism, both Brock and Misty began to make their way to the ladder that would lead them back up to the entrance.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
However, both the Gym Leaders of Cerulean and Pewter City found their bodies freezing in place, their courage dissipating into thin air, upon hearing an echoing reverberation roll across their underground room. The thought of making a stand against Team Prism fell flat when they believed that Team Prism was already at their door.
And already making an effort to open the door.
Both Brock and Misty felt themselves become cornered Rattata before a Meowth, left with the one and only option to bite back, even if they're ultimately swallowed whole or in pieces by Team Prism's overwhelming offense.
So without making a sound and only looking at each other once for reassurance, both of them retrieved one Poké Ball from their respective person, the Poké Balls that contained Brock's Steelix and Misty's Gyarados.
Without throwing them, both the snake-like and sea serpent-like Pokémon were unleashed in a flash of white light and materialized from red energy. Without saying a word, both Brock and Misty directed the attention of both of their closest Pokémon away from themselves and towards the ladder where an intruder was attempting to break in. And in quickly understanding the body language of their beloved masters, both Brock's Steelix and Misty's Gyarados set aside the brief period of time where they would normally nuzzle affectionately (if not awkwardly) with them in favor of tearing apart whatever was about to break into their underground bunker.
As a result, they didn't give the intruder a split second of landing down before they were completely over it.
"Gyarados! Steelix! Easy, you two!" A familiar voice echoed within the room, a voice that sounded strained albeit carefree, as though Gyarados and Steelix were akin to puppies instead of attack dogs. "It's me! Ash Ketchum! I'm a friend, not a chew toy!"
Shortly after saying that, both Brock and Misty caught a glimmer of Ash Ketchum as both of their Gyarados and Steelix split apart from one another enough to show that Ash had one hand and one foot in each of their mouths, keeping them (easily) open so that they wouldn't use CRUNCH on him. And when both of them realized their error, alongside Brock and Misty, both Pokémon let go of Ash and quickly nuzzled up to him, much to his enjoyment.
"Ash! You're back!" Brock exclaimed with approval.
"You're alright!" Misty equally exclaimed, with similar worry to a mother to her child.
Ash soon found himself surrounded on all sides by the love of those that loved him. And it took a small fraction of his physical strength to keep them from smothering him with affection.
"Of course I'm alright!" Ash exclaimed alongside them. "I told you that I would be. Celebi told you that we would all be, especially if you both respected her recommendation to stay here."
"…" Both Brock and Misty found themselves withdrawing away from Ash, both physically and emotionally, as he enunciated that. They also knew that he was a full-fledged Aura Guardian, and could read them like a child's book without so much as looking at them.
"Well, it's a good thing that I came here when I did." Ash Ketchum changed the subject, setting it aside as easily as they appeared to. "And it's also a good thing that I came here with friends."
The World Champion simply pointed at the monitors he noticed were present here within the underground bunker, knowing the live feed they were picking up of the entirety of Pewter City would speak volumes about the Coadjutors of the Pokémon of Prophecy that have allied with him.
Brock and Misty, as well as Gyrados and Steelix, looked at the monitor, and felt their entire viewpoint of their present situation with Team Prism do a complete 180.
What was once a collection of screens that seemingly portrayed death on every screen, was now full of activity from nothing but a diverse collection of Pokémon. These Coadjutors, as both Brock and Misty don't yet know about them, split themselves up into several teams, all flickering in and out of existence through Zoroark's cast illusion. And every time they disappeared, they took with them at least one human each. Some were more fortunate in finding entire families that feared for their lives, and initially saw these Pokémon as hostile and under Team Prism ownership. But the calm, reassuring way they approached most of these people, with some of the "uncooperative" ones understandably needing a bit of persuasion in the form of a status affliction, often won them over and made them willing to go with them. And shortly after they did, the Coadjutors managed to evacuate them out of the city, usually through the use of TELEPORT via either Gallade or Gardevoir.
Before the Coadjutors, there were hundreds of citizens dying. After the Coadjutors, there were next to none. Of course, almost all of Team Prism was converging on Pewter City Gym at the moment, so the Coadjutors are virtually uncontested and Pewter City's citizens were given the optimal opportunity to escape, even without the Coadjutors' help. But for the people that were trapped underneath rubble, the Coadjutors' strongest Pokémon, alongside Dusknoir as the intangible Ghost-Type, were able to free them.
"So…there is hope after all." Brock felt a great weight lift off of his shoulders, in seeing people he's come to know and love over the years successfully escape.
"But how will we still beat Team Prism?" Misty knew they weren't out of danger. "They have us surrounded, and I don't see any weaknesses in their machines."
Ash's time spent in Team Rocket Main Headquarters was certainly beneficial, if he set aside the fact that he willingly got himself incarcerated. Through the Coadjutors, he fought against segmented pieces of battle armor that offered a taste of what's about to be fought against here. As a result, he learned that brute strength is an effective means of breaking these suits of armor. The only problem is that each armor possesses Pokémon-like capabilities in using Pokémon attacks and shifting their Types to match, likely through a derivative of Arceus' Multitype or Greninja's Protean, or even an established RKS System that Silvally can utilize.
There were just too many unknowns regarding these armors, and salvaging just one would offer his resistance party a surplus of information to find weaknesses to it. But for now, he'd have to obliterate them.
After spending a fair amount of time pacing back and forth in deep thought, Ash contemplated a solution.
"You guys still have some of my Pokémon in your possession, right?"
Almost immediately, both Brock and Misty retrieved three Poké Balls from their respective persons, and held them before the World Champion.
"Your Gigalith, Krookodile, and Seismitoad." Brock listed the three Pokémon Ash loaned him for safekeeping.
"Your Blastoise, Floatzel, and Kingler." Misty listed after Brock.
"I trust that they were on their best behavior?" Ash joked mildly. "As if I even have to ask."
Before Ash retrieved his six Pokémon to use against Team Prism, his aura surged across his lower arms as he was reaching for them. This same aura began to take shape around his arms, resembling three bands of circulating power across each arm. And when Ash reclaimed his six Pokémon, six of hundreds that he's come to catch over the years, his aura "solidified" into three colossal bands around each of his arms. Each band held within them enough indentations to contain eighteen crystals that were shaped like the classic four points of a diamond, and bore a design within them that reflected the eighteen Types of Pokémon.
If Brock and Misty weren't so used to seeing Ash equip himself with items by having them materialize and dematerialize from his aura at will, then they would've dropped the balls before Ash could grab them.
"Alright then." Ash said before placing all six Poké Balls into his pants pocket, thankful that those same pockets weren't as torn up as the rest of his pants. "Are you guys ready to face your future?"
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