Chapter Fifty-Four:

The Doctor! Part 1


Afternoon (4:14 P.M.), Doctor Sirius's Lab

Startled by the voice, they turned around to find Doctor Sirius standing in front of the entrance.

Jackie swallowed nervously as his Pokémon retreated to his side. Dammit! We were found out!

The doctor glared at him disdainfully, "So we have some intruders? Hmm? Okay, then, we can do this the easy way or the hard way, your pick," he produced a Poké Ball from his lab coat/cloak.

This must be the boy with the Darkforce and Whisperer that I've been hearing about. Since he's unaffected by psychic powers, I guess we'll have to settle this with a Pokémon battle. He looked around at his various machines and blueprints. I'll have to do this carefully so that we don't break anything, which means I can't call the grunts to help.

Jackie narrowed his eyes as he held out a Poké Ball, "You're on! Deceit, you go first!"

"(Bring it!)" she nodded as the others were recalled.

"Very well," Sirius smiled as he tossed out his own Poké Ball, "Get'em, Sigilyph!"

The ball split open, releasing a red arc of energy that materialized into the form of a spherical Pokémon possessing two cyan eyes on the front, and a third on a black appendage coming out of its head. It had a pair of wings and a tail that are yellow with blue and red stripes at the ends of the "feathers". Out of the sides of its body were two black, three-pronged appendages, with two smaller spikes emerging below them, "(A new opponent?)"

Jackie glared at the doctor-who-was-actually-a-scientist, "Hey, mind if I ask you a question before we throw-down?"

Sirius shrugged, "Sure, why not? After all, you're going to die here anyway,"

Jackie gulped, but still posed his question, "What is your connection to Professor Cherry?"

The scientist froze, "W-What?!" his eyes narrowed in fury, "You know? YOU KNOW?! I'LL KILL YOU!" he pointed at Jackie, "SIGILYPH, SHADOW BALL!"

The avianoid wordlessly obeyed, forming a blob of darkness that it threw at Jackie!

"OH SH*T!" Jackie braced himself by shielding his face with his arms, but he needn't have done so as Deceit came to the rescue!

"(What's your problem?!)" she struck the ball with her Iron Head, sending it back to its owner, who, due to its typing, okay-but-not-great special defense, and being rather underleveled, was instantly knocked out for an ironic one-hit KO by its own attack.

"Arceus dammit!" a vein bulged on Sirius's forehead as he recalled his OHKOed Pokémon.

Jackie glared at him in shock and disgust, "What the hell?! You just tried to kill me!"

The doctor glared at him disdainfully, "I already told you that I would,"

"But still!" Jackie insisted. Deceit was right, what is his problem?!

The doctor said nothing as he drew his next Poké Ball and tossed it out.

The ball split open, releasing a red arc of energy that materialized into the form of a bipedal, yellow and black pig Pokémon.

Jackie scrutinized the creature, "That's a shiny Grumpig!"

"Indeed," the scientist answered dully, "Be prepared, because unlike my Sigilyph, this girl's properly leveled!"

Jackie smirked, "Bring it! Deceit, use Iron Head!"

"(You're going down!)" the large Mawile rushed headfirst at the Grumpig with her steel-hard head.

Doctor Sirius, now much calmer from his earlier careless rage, gave a telepathic order to his Pokémon. Dodge her, then strike with a Psychic!

The shiny Grumpig grinned as she sidestepped Deceit.

Damn! She's faster than I thought! Deceit grimaced as she skidded to a stop, but then grunted in pain as the Grumpig telepathically assaulted her mind, "GAH!"

Jackie bared his fist as he called his next order, "Break free and hit her with Bite! It'll be super-effective!"

Yeah! Deceit gritted her teeth and shook her head furiously to shake off the psychic attack, then turned to charge at the Grumpig, "(You're going down now, bitch!)"

Sirius grinned. Ah, just as I was expecting. Are you done charging yet?

Yes. Came the shiny Grumpig's mental reply.

Sirius's grin widened. Perfect. Wait until her fangs are bared, then strike for an instant knockout.

"(Hiya!)" Deceit was mere feet away from the Grumpig when she spun around, whipping out her jaw-like horns.

Which was just what the Grumpig was expecting as she unleashed an orangish-brown ball of energy point-blank to the back of Deceit's head!

"GYAAAH!" the Mawile shrieked as the Focus Blast sent her on a face-first collision course with one of Doctor Sirius's many machines.

She crashed into the cold, hard steel with a sickening thud.

Her limp, unconscious body slowly fell into a heap on the floor.

"DECEIT!" Jackie called out in worry as he recalled her.

Sirius sighed in relief. Thank Arceus she didn't break it!

*crack*

The sound reverberated through the room, and the machine crumbled into dust.

Sirius turned to glare at Jackie. I'm gonna f*cking murder that kid.

Jackie tossed out his next Poké Ball, "Go, go, Mary! Let's avenge Deceit!"

The ball split open, releasing the Flaaffy in a red arc of energy, "(It's go time!)" she bleated as she stared down the yellow pig, "(Ah'm gonna make you pay for what you did to mah friend!)"

"(Hah!)" the grumping snorted, "(Bring it!)"

Jackie glared at the doctor, "Now, let me ask you again, what's with the picture of Professor Cherry?"

Sirius frowned, "Why should I tell you?!" his expression relaxed as he took a moment to calm himself, "All you need to know is that he'll soon suffer through my revenge!"

Jackie blinked in confusion, "Revenge? He's the one you want revenge on? Why?!"

Sirius averted his gaze, "I'm not telling you,"

"Why not?!" Jackie snarled.

Sirius glared back at him, his eyes narrowed into slits, "It's a personal matter that is none of your concern!"

"Come on!" Jackie yelled, "What could Professor Cherry have possibly done to you that was so bad it made you evil?!"

Doctor Sirius held a hand to his chest, and spoke out in a strangled sob, "He broke my heart..."