Jacob: Coral's not in again?
Daniel and Hyna: Yep.
Jacob: Wow. Finals must've been hard for her, then.
Daniel: No kidding. Wonder if she'll be fully recovered by Christmas week.
Hyna: Hoping for a holiday chapter for one of her stories?
Daniel: That, or she just has a chapter updated by then. It happened before.
*explosion occurs in the room near them, followed by smoke*
Jacob: *cough cough* What the-?!
*shadow slowly rise from the smoke*
Coral: I LIIIIIIIIIIIIVE! So tell me what story needs to be updated, boys and girl! You just say the word and I write! And let me tell you, if my family dares ban me from here again-!
*splashed water on her*
Coral: *spat out water* ... Why did you do that?
Jacob: *holding a bucket* Sorry. Thought you were Mushu in disguise. Or possessed by him. *tossed bucket away* So. Guess this means you're back in Fanfiction world?
Coral: I am. Wish it's to say, but... reality...
Daniel: Well, look on the bright side. If you're here, that means you got the time now, right?
Coral: And that I do! Now! Help me forget the pain of college and let us get to this new Huntsmen in Kalos chapter that everyone has been waiting too long for! And with it, let us have up a new opening~!
Jacob: New opening? Which one. Finally doing the Alola one?
Coral: Well... Yes and no. I'll tell you more later. For now! Enjoy this chapter, peeps~!
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, Pokemon, or the OCs. They all belong to their original creators.
*OPENING*
Don't be afraid of stuff you have never seen or done
(Crescythe approached a lake and was going to take a drink it when she felt her horn tingle)
Come on, future hero!
Let us all run with the winds at our backs
(She side stepped and avoided Ruby's attempt to tackle her from behind, as the trainer fell into the lake. Crescythe offered a paw to help Ruby out with a smile, in which she gladly accepted.)
(Instrumental)
(Camera faced the whole landscape of Kalos as title appears on the screen)
You've gotten more tan since the time we met
(Scene changed to Bermuda Island, with Vanessa exiting out of the portal, exhausted as she fell to her knees)
Clothes have gotten a bit dirty, but that's alright since it's more like you
(She looks up and saw all her friends and their Pokemon in front of her, smiling as Ruby and Jaune offered her a hand, in which she accepted in relief)
Even with bitter tears hidden under the hat
(Ruby sat along the coastline at a beach, looking down at her Mega Bracelet in sadness)
Look, the sun will dry them soon enough
(Crescythe tapped her nose against her back, causing her to turn and saw her Pokemon team standing behind her, and all her friends behind them. This made Ruby smile as she ran up to them all.)
Learning 'til we're tired
(Scene changed to the plains where the team are training their Pokemon, with Vanessa and Lyanne supervising, and Seth and Jackson preparing lunch.)
Playing 'til it's dark
(Scene changed to the group sitting around a campfire having dinner)
Let's chase the Rainbow Wing
(From another dimension, Lugia and Ho-Oh kept close eyes on the group, specifically some certain individuals)
The importance of voicing out my dreams
(Weiss is on stage with her Pokemon team as she performs with them)
That's what you've taught me
(Meloetta flew above them as she sang. She then started to glow and change shape)
Don't be afraid of stuff you have never seen or done
(In a sunny area, Team RWBY had their first Pokemon out and against Team CRDL's Pokemon, the girls' Pokemon unleashing Aerial Ace, Ice Beam, Dragon Claw, and Hyper Beam at the opposing Pokemon)
Come on, future hero!
Let us all run with the winds at our backs
(In another area, Team JNPR had their own Pokemon out against the Neo Team Flare's female scientists' Pokemon, the Huntsmen's Pokemon using Iron Head, Swift, Dragon Breath, and Flying Press on the enemy)
Do not ever forget the dream that you have always had
(Vanessa looked down at her armor in her hands, thinking about Nic, as the Dark Legendaries appeared behind her. She sensed their presence and turned, only to instead see Seth, Jackson, Leafeon and Lyanne behind her)
Come on, let us all get our backpacks ready and go
(This made her relieved as she placed her armor in her new bag and put it on her back, as she joined them and the rest of their friends.)
This is your adventure and nobody else's
(In the Pokemon Village, Wulric and Diantha stood in the middle of a group of Pokemon. Both then looked up to the sky as a gentle wind blew.)
Let's take a step forward
(Opening ends with the heroes atop a cliff as they looked down at the town below)
It was the afternoon in Bathe Island. At one of the spa treatment buildings, Jackson and Vanessa were alone in one of the rooms. Vanessa was sitting in the wooden chair they had in the middle of the room, wearing only her sports bra as her top and shorts. Jackson was standing behind her, with hair-thin tip needles in his mouth, a small kit right on the bed next to him, and he was inserting said needles into her back. He had already placed needles into her still-injured leg before this.
"You sure you know what you're doing?" Vanessa asked, trying to keep the rest of her body still under Jackson's orders. "Based on your tense breathing, you are pretty nervous. You know, there are people who do acupunctures in spas."
"It's... not that at all; I'm confident in my skills!" Jackson responded, though his blushing face and beads of sweat going down his face saying otherwise. "I'm comfortable using acupuncture all the time with Seth and my Pokemon. It's more that I do this to a... well, a girl. Especially a developed one."
"My, how innocent you are..." Vanessa stated in a rather teasing tone. "Having a tough time with working on an endowed lady like myself?"
"You know I can use acupuncture to tweak your facial nerves, and send you out for everyone to see." At Jackson's warning, Vanessa ceased the teasing. "But because everyone insisted, I had to help you out with at least dulling out the pain in the injured parts of your body because, apparently, Weiss and Pyrrha both recalled hearing about how acupuncture can help speed up aura healing to an extent. Something which I highly doubt. And believe me, I've done acupuncture; I should know."
"Well, you are doing a rather good job so far," she assured him, her eyes looking at her broken leg. "I can at least walk without hobbling so much."
"Mind you, this is only temporary. You still gotta rest it up every chance you can. Same goes for your ribcage. What I'm doing right now is merely striking at the endorphins in your body system, which relieve you of the pain in your body, but it won't last long. Heck, I bet it'll not even last as long as usual, what with your aura's healing capabilities."
"It doesn't matter, as long as I can move for a while without being in pain," Vanessa assured him. "I don't want you guys to slow down so that I can keep up."
"They don't see it that way, but we appreciate the sediment," the swordsman stated, stepping away to allow time for the acupuncture to fully settle in, "As the one treating you right now, I ask that you don't do too much. And if you're having trouble sleeping on those injuries, my acupuncture can help knock you out, too."
"Wow. You really are a wiz at this kind of thing," Vanessa stated with a smile. "Glad to see my students have someone like you around." Jackson smiled at her kind words. "Still, I don't wanna be totally still while my friends and comrades do all the fighting. I wanna train myself even further so that I don't end up kidnapped like that again. Same with my Pokemon. After what happened back there, all that back to back fighting, we need to train harder."
"Well, it's a good thing Seth and I can help you in that department, as well. Once I finish adding the final modifications to your weapons, we can go for a test run later."
"Sounds good to me!" Vanessa answered, giving a determined glare as she turned to Jackson, only to yelp and wince at shifting her body.
"I told you not to move while you have the needles in you!" he warned her angrily.
Meanwhile, with everyone else, the gang were all busy doing a little activity they had not done in a long while: training.
"Tortoise! Use Smack Down!" Nora called to her Tirtouga.
"Archer, Ancient Power!" Ren called back to his Archeops.
Both ancient Pokemon unleashed their called Rock-type moves. Tortoise summoned a metallic golden orb of energy in front of him and shot it at Archer, whereas the partial Flying-type summoned a silver energy ball and shot that at the attack. Both moves collided and created an explosion, blocking both sides' field of vision.
"Okay, Skid! Use Razor Leaf!" Jaune called out to his Skiddo from another battlefield.
"Got it!" the Grass-type called out, as he fired multiple leaves from his mane at their opponent, who were Yang and Swirly.
"Knock them away, Swirly! Double Slap!" Yang called.
"I don't think it'll work, but!" Swirly spoke, as he obliged to his trainer's order, despite the hesitation. He didn't think slapping the leaves away would really work, but apparently he underestimated his strength or overestimated the leaves, as his trainer's plan truly worked.
"Nice one!" Yang complimented, while the Poliwhirl just looked on in shock at his own accomplishment.
"Wait, it really worked?!"
"Of course it worked! I knew you could do it if I could with my weapons!"
At the sidelines, Seth stood there watching the pair of battles go underway. With him were none other than Pyrrha, Meloetta and the rest of Team RWBY.
"They're doing pretty good out there," Blake observed. "Yang especially. Honestly, I never thought I'd ever see her with a Water-type Pokemon, considering her character."
"Can't say I disagree," Seth said. "It's too bad there are only two battlefields. Otherwise, the rest of you would've gotten some training in, too. Except for maybe Weiss; you're more into performances, after all."
"True, but after what happened last time with the Dark Legendaries, and that battle against Nero and his crew, I need some practice in my battle skills as well," Weiss said.
"I as well. I wish to be of some use to you all during your journey," Meloetta added.
"Can't argue with that."
"I hope one of them will end their battle soon... I really want to harness that Mega-Evolution-like power Crescythe has!" Ruby said.
"As much as I would like to have some training in, shouldn't you be focusing more on the rest of the team?" the Absol asked her trainer. "Especially... him."
Ruby knew who her Pokemon partner was referring to and looked down. "I tried to talk to Reaper, Crescythe."
"And?"
The silver-eyed Huntress kept silent, as she thought back to both what happened on the ship on their way to Bathe Island when Nero attacked and... what happened last night.
*FLASHBACK*
After the group had met Meloetta, they called it a night and went to sleep. While everyone was sleeping, Ruby grabbed one of her Pokeballs and snuck out of the room, wanting to have some time alone with Reaper. With her head now clear of doubts, thanks to Crescythe, she wanted to make amends with her shiny Scyther. No doubt he was blaming himself for the loss just as she and Crescythe had. As his trainer, Ruby found it was her job to fix this.
Once she arrived at the beach, Ruby tossed the ball in the air. "Reaper, come out."
Appearing out of the Pokeball was Reaper, who just stood there, avoiding eye contact with his trainer.
"Reaper. We need to talk," she said.
"What about, Red?" the Scyther solemnly asked.
"You know what. Reaper... back on that ship, why did you just return yourself in your Pokeball? Do you blame yourself that much for what happened in Anistar City? Do you blame me? We were up against the Dark Legendaries. Granted, they took away Crescythe's Mega Stone- the Mega Stone that somehow turned out to be fake- that doesn't matter now. If anything, we learned something from that loss. As we are now, we can't beat them. That's why we have to train harder than ever if we even want to hope to defeat those guys! So, what do you say? Tomorrow, we train first thing in the morning, and it'll be your call as to what the training will be. From 100 laps around the island to 1000 push-ups."
Ruby knew how much Reaper liked to train, and knew that training would cheer the Scyther right up. However, instead of being at all perky at the sound of training, Reaper remained neutral. No... More than just neutral...
"... And just why would you ever want to train a weak disgrace of a Pokemon...?" he asked at last.
That question, in the tone he used, stunned Ruby. Reaper... saw himself as 'weak'? He saw himself as a disgrace? Before she could ask what he meant, the shiny Scyther returned himself back in the Pokeball once more.
*END OF FLASHBACK*
"It... It didn't work out..." was all Ruby could say.
The Absol could tell from the tone she used that it was more than just it not working out so well. Something must've happened during their conversation. What it was, she didn't know, but it needs to be fixed somehow.
"Oh! Looks like they're almost done!" Ruby then said, referring to Yang and Jaune's battle.
"Come on, Skid! Vine Whip him!" the blonde leader of JNPR called.
"Use Bubblebeam on the ground! Shoot yourself up!" Yang shouted. Swirly did as told and fired his Water-type move under him, rocketing himself up in the air and avoided the Vine Whip attack. "Come on down with Body Slam!" Goes without saying, the Poliwhirl started to free fall belly first down at Skid.
"You're wide open, though! Razor Leaf!" Jaune called. Skid unleashed yet another wave of leaves at the Water-type opponent.
"Who do you think you're dealing with?! Bubblebeam on those!" At Yang's command, Swirly fired more bubbles from his mouth, reflecting the leaves away.
What she didn't know, however, was that the leaves were a distraction. "Now, Skid! Vine Whip!"
To the shock of Yang and Swirly, once the Poliwhirl got close enough, the Skiddo wrapped his vines around him and slammed the Water-type down to the ground, hard to the point where dust had picked up and spread about.
"Swirly!" Yang cried out in worry.
Seth looked over to the dust cloud, wondering what became of the Tadpole Pokemon. Once the dust cleared, Swirly was shown lying on the ground, his namesake in his eyes.
"Swirly is unable to battle! The winner is Skid!" he declared.
"Yes! Nice one, Skid!" Jaune cheered.
Yang sighed at her defeat, but returned her smile on her face, as she approached her defeated Pokemon. "You all right there, Swirly?"
"Ugh... My head is ringing..." he weakly answered.
"Well, you did your best. Time to take some rest," she then said, returning the Poliwhirl back in his ball.
Jaune was about to do the same thing, when Skid started glowing. "Whoa! Is this...?!"
The glow got everyone's attention, even Ren, Nora and their Pokemon, as they paused their battle to witness Skid's evolution process, as the Mount Pokemon grew bigger in height. The glow then dispersed, revealing Jaune's Grass-type in his evolved form.
Compared to before, he seemed more goat-like. The green leafy mane remained as is, but the dark brown fur turned to a normal brown on the back, and lighter brown on the belly and legs. His face also seemed more of that of a full-grown goat rather than a childish one, and his eyes were now red as well. More so, the horns on top of his head also grew immensely, now curved and extended over his back.
"Whoa! Awesome!" Jaune stated.
"Skid's a Gogoat now!" Seth identified.
Pyrrha took out her Pokedex for some info on this new form. "Gogoat, the Mount Pokemon. Gogoat can tell how its trainer is feeling by subtle shifts in the grip on its horns. This empathetic sense lets them run as if one being."
"Wow! So this Pokemon makes it easy to do horseback riding?!" Nora asked, observing Skid's new form in every angle.
"As a practice of sort," Seth corrected. "Shouldn't you be getting back to your own battle?"
Nora ignored him as she stared at Skid with sparkles in her eyes, imagining herself riding on him and winning through races.
"I guess this is where we stop out battle," Archer said.
"When she gets like this, it's tough to get her out of it," Ren pointed out. "Well, I think we did enough training on our part. Get some rest, Archer." With that, Ren returned his Archeops back in his ball.
"Whew. That's good. I wasn't feeling confident about taking another hit in this battle," Tortoise said in relief. Next thing he knew, in fact next anyone knew, he started glowing himself.
This dragged everyone's attention towards the Tirtouga, as his figure grew bigger and he started to stand on two feet. The glow faded away, and Tortoise now stood in his new form.
It wasn't much different from his previous form as a Tirtouga. If anything, it seemed like a bulky, adult version of himself, with the bottom part of his shell now acting as a sort of armor vest. His arms/flippers were big and long enough to touch the ground, his tail grew big, and his once bottom flippers were now legs.
"Wow! Tortoise! You've evolved, too~!" Nora happily stated, now fawning over her Pokemon, as Ren took out his Pokedex and analyzed Tortoise's evolved form.
"Carracosta, the Prototurtle Pokemon. Carracosta's jaws are terrifyingly powerful, it eats every last bit of prey it catches to further strengthen its sturdy shell. It could eat Omastar and Omanyte whole and not be bothered in the slightest by their shells."
That last part made the Remnant team, especially Blake, flinch, for they have an Omastar in their group, specifically the faunus. Blake and co gave Turtle a wary look, as the B of RWBY distanced herself and her Pokemon from him.
Noticing the look they were giving him, as well as Blake's action, followed by recalling what was said in that Pokedex, Tortoise quickly said, "Just because my kind eat Ess's kind doesn't mean I will to her; she's my friend!"
"Really?" Blake asked, not entirely sure if she should believe him.
"I'm telling you, I won't!"
"Well, we know him since he was revived, and he revived after Ess. I'm sure it'll be okay," Ren vouched.
"He's got a point there," Seth agreed.
"I suppose that is true..." Blake said, though not lowering her guard at all.
"That being said, though, with the pair of battles done, who wants to battle next?"
"How about us two?" came Jackson's voice.
The group turned and saw their engineer and Vanessa approaching them, the girl rubbing her shoulder for some reason.
"Well, look who finally showed up," Yang said. "Van especially looks healthier than before."
"I have my aura to thank. And Jackson's acupuncture," she reasoned. "Although, I'd be a lot more happier if he didn't accidentally poke me in a vein."
"Okay, I know I said sorry for that. Or do you want me to do acupuncture on you again and reform your face like I said I would?" Jackson asked.
Recalling their little conversation, Vanessa quickly replied, "On second thought, I'm good."
"So wait. Van is good for a battle?" Ruby asked.
"Just for a bit. Besides, I want to make sure my armor and gauntlets are fixed up and good to go. In case if... you know..."
Everyone knew what Vanessa was referring to when she trailed off. She managed to escape the Dark Legendaries, and barely lived through whatever battles she had endured, she wasn't going to let herself get captured again. And they will do whatever they can in their power to ensure Vanessa wouldn't be taken again.
"Welp. That being said, let's go back to the Pokemon Center, first, to retrieve your armor and gauntlets," Jackson said.
"Sounds like a plan. I need to check up on my Pokemon from Nurse Joy anyway," Vanessa agreed.
"We'll walk with you," Ruby insisted. "Our Pokemon need some healing from the training."
"Even though some of us didn't really train yet," Blake muttered.
Despite that, the whole group returned to the Pokemon Center to pick up Vanessa's belongings and Pokemon. As they walked, Jackson couldn't help but look at Vanessa and wonder about another person who was like her when he last saw them; injured, hurt, recovering.
He wondered how his sister was doing at this point. Had she recovered from the trauma their father put them through? Was she safe, even though she was a member of the Babylon Rogues? He hadn't spoken to her since he left home that he wasn't sure what her condition was.
If he only knew the situation she was really in right now...
*MEANWHILE*
*Hi, hi. Me again. Treasure hunter, Babylon Rogue member, and Pokémon trainer. If you haven't figured out who I am or what I've been up to till now, I hate you. But for the rest of you, glad you can keep up, cause my side of things only gotten crazier.
Let's see here, in the last chapter, Hoopa and I escaped Hoopa's evil side, and ended up inside a factory. Before I could think, I ended up facing this woman named Winter Schnee, and her partner, Serena the Swanna. I called out Nitro to the field, and was shocked to hear that Pokémon can speak in this place.
Well, anyways, Nitro and I fought Winter and Serena, and epically lost to them. Then as I was interrogated, I called out Hoopa, and learned this was another world, entirely! Again, as I asked in the last part with me, how many freakin' worlds are there out there?! Well, long story short, Hoopa couldn't prove that I entered that factory by going through dimensions, and I ended up in a prison cell until Hoopa and I can prove ourselves! See, this is why I hate authority so much. Well, I guess I should see if I convince them in this part.*
The day afterwards, Sarah was being led by two soldiers down the hallways. She looked down, thinking about what she needed to do in a worst case scenario. Then again, she had already thought of a lot of things while trapped in that cell. She did have a lot of time on her, and nothing extra to do. But one thing she did keep track of was the path she was taken on by the soldiers, and the surrounding pathways and things she needed to look out for, in case she attempted an escape.
Moments later, she was led to a door. One of the soldiers knocked and said, "We have brought the prisoner, as you instructed."
"The name is Sarah," the 'prisoner' retorted.
"Let her in," Winter's voice called out from the other side of the door.
The other soldier opened up the door, and shoved Sarah in, closing the door behind her. Sarah knew well enough not to look back at the noise, but around the room, and especially in front of her.
It definitely had the look of a large military office for someone of a high ranking, complete with a corner nest for Serena to rest in. In front was Winter Schnee at her desk, which had all of Sarah's stuff from her satchels. Considering one of them had a magically large amount of space within, the desk was completely filled, with Hoopa's Prison Bottle in the middle of it. Around the bottle were books, snacks, multiple sets of kunai, communicator, a tool kit for her Extreme Gear, which was resting on the side of the desk, her old clothing, berries from the Pokemon world, medical essentials, and all sorts of other things.
"I know you can learn a lot from a woman's purse, but still..." Sarah muttered. "I feel like my privacy has been violated."
"Considering the situation you were in, and the fact that we have no records of you in any kingdom, your privacy is not our problem," Winter retorted. "Although I was startled at the amount of things I found in there, especially at the technology I have yet to have seen before. Fortunately, I found this."
She held up a card in her hands, and Sarah recognized it as her Extreme Gear license.
'Shoot! Why is that always a force of habit to carry that with me?!' Sarah questioned herself. 'Jet always tells me a thief never brings along any identification, and this is why!'
"Name: Sarah Alpphire. Age: 17. Birth date: November 3rd," Winter read. "Location of home: Central City, Mobius. Height: 5'5". Weight: 122 lb. Measurements: 86-59-81."
"Hey! Don't mention that!" Sarah exclaimed, red in the face. "Readers can see that!"
(Hey! Stop Fourth Wall Breaking!)
'That's the least of my problem! And you have been away for too long, so we're even!'
Winter looked up at her questionably.
"Whatever, just stop it there!" Sarah recovered. "Look, you learned about me, and you saw my stuff. Will that convince you I came from another world?!"
"It can, but it still doesn't explain how you ended up inside our factory," Winter stated, placing down the license and walking around her desk to Sarah.
"I told you, it was an accident that I ended up there! Hoopa sent me through his ring to this world, saving my life from the evil Hoopa in the process."
"Yes, I already heard that story. And you demonstrated Hoopa's portal capabilities to me, already. However, you have yet to demonstrate me the capability of world travel with it." Sarah looked down, grimacing at that fact, and the result of not being able to do it yesterday. "Even so, there is someone else who would like to speak to you before you demonstrate this power."
At that, Winter pulled out a device, which looked like a large holographic tablet. She tapped it, and placed it on a piece on her table. The screen of the tablet showed the face of a rather old man with black hair. This man was James Ironwood.
"General Ironwood, sir," Winter greeted.
"Hello, Mrs. Schnee," Ironwood answered. Turning his attention to Sarah, he then asked, "So, I assume you're the trespasser who was caught in the Atlesian Military factory."
"Sure, if you want to put it that way," Sarah answered, folding her arms above her chest and frowning at him.
"Winter has informed me of how you were caught, as well as your story as to how you found yourself inside one of my factories," Ironwood informed her. "To be frank, I do believe in the fact that a person can enter into this world from another, as I have met two people who have done just that."
"I wouldn't mind meeting them, too," Sarah muttered.
"However, the way you entered here is different to theirs. Would you mind explaining to me, in full detail, about how you managed to enter into this world with this Pokemon of yours, Hoopa?"
Sarah nodded in response. "Sure. I'll give the full and..." she turned to Winter, "... TRUTHFUL story."
Winter was getting really annoyed at Sarah's rebellious behavior, but she kept it in because the general was watching.
Sarah started at the beginning, from explaining about the world she came from briefly, before telling about how she found Hoopa and the Prison Bottle, to how she ended up in the Pokemon world, to learning about the creatures there and becoming a trainer thanks to Roxanne, then to the attack from Hoopa's evil half, and ending with how Hoopa ringed her to this world, and that's how Winter found her. By the time she finished her story, Winter stood there, startled at the story she gave, while Ironwood was stone faced as he contemplated all he heard.
"So in other words, you're a treasure hunter who ended up traveling to this world and the Pokemon world thanks to Hoopa," the general summed up.
"That's pretty much the gist of it, yeah," Sarah answered, turning to Winter. "Speaking of which, where is Hoopa? And the rest of my Pokemon?"
"Your Pokemon are safe. Their injuries have been taken care of," Winter answered. "Based on the reports given, two of your Pokemon sustained heavy injuries. I assume it was due to the evil half of Hoopa, correct?"
Sarah nodded, looking down in worry about her friends.
"As for Hoopa, he decided to go back into his bottle shortly after you left," Winter continued, walking over to her desk and grabbing said object. "He didn't want to leave until you came back to get him."
The treasure hunter was quite surprised by how Hoopa really respected her, and didn't want to get acquainted with anyone else other than her. Winter handed her the bottle, who took it in response.
Sarah tapped the side of it. "Hoopa, it's me. I'll pull you out, now." She uncorked the bottle, and the vapor flew out, transforming into the small, good Hoopa.
"Ali-Hoopa!" he chanted spinning in the air, then diving down to Sarah. "Hoopa is glad to see Sarakan again. Is Sarakan okay?"
"I'm fine," Sarah responded. "I'm sorry I left you alone like that."
"Hoopa's okay."
"So this is the Pokemon that brought you to this world, huh?" Ironwood questioned, getting the two's attention.
"Who is that, Sarakan?" Hoopa asked Sarah.
"My name is General James Ironwood. I know quite a lot about Pokemon like you, as they have recently started populating all of Remnant. However, I have yet to have seen any that is like you."
"Hoopa is the only one of his kind," Hoopa explained. "Although, Hoopa's not a complete Pokemon, right now."
Again, Sarah felt the pang of regret not recovering Hoopa's body from his bad side.
"Yes. Sarah explained to me your predicament," Ironwood answered. "Now, I would like to see this power of yours. The ability to travel through worlds with your power."
Hoopa looked to Sarah, worried.
"Before he shows it, might I know exactly what do you plan on doing with Hoopa if these powers are true?" Sarah questioned the general. The tone in her voice showed that she did not want Hoopa's powers to be used for cruel means.
"For one, it might prove your innocence in entering into our factory!" Winter scolded her.
"At ease, Schnee," Ironwood stopped her. "I am simply curious about this power. I can tell you are protective for Hoopa, so I won't ask for anything more than what I'm asking right now. Trust me. I've been in a situation similar to this one before. I've learned from that."
Sarah seemed a bit hesitant. By the looks of the guy in front of her, the man was someone who wanted to show power. Yet, he was respectable, and considerate about people's feelings, nonetheless. Winter, on the other hand, was a strict woman. The complete opposite of Sarah's character. Although, considering the situation she was in, she could see no alternative way. She had to prove her innocence, but that didn't mean she couldn't do more.
"Very well then," Sarah decided, turning to Hoopa. "Can you open up a portal back to my world?"
"Of course! Is there anywhere specific?" Hoopa asked.
Sarah had already thought about it in her cell where she wanted to go.
*ELSEWHERE*
On the bridge of the Babylon Rogue Airship, Jet the Hawk sat at his desk, tapping his foot irritably, while Wave the Swallow was going through her holographic computer screens, tapping everything she needed. The screens mainly showed scanned data, map coordinates, and the info on Sarah Alpphire.
"Any luck finding her, yet?" Jet questioned Wave.
"Sorry, Jet. I just haven't been able to pinpoint where she went to," she answered. "She's been gone for over two weeks, but she has had no signs of reporting in since the last transmission."
Jet hammered the table with his fists, angry. "Dang it! Why didn't I send someone to go along with her?! I knew the traps to the treasure were going to be dangerous. I should've sent someone with her!"
"You know that she prefers going on these treasure hunting missions solo. She just didn't want us to get into any trouble."
Jet gritted his teeth still, angry at himself for not taking command and forcing someone to join her.
Suddenly, the doors banged open, and Storm the Albatross rushed in. "Sorry, boss!" he called, rushing in front of Jet's desk.
"Took you long enough!" the hawk barked. "So, did you find the cave where Sarah was last at?"
"I did!" Storm answered. "But I didn't see any signs of her there, anymore, sir. There was a lot of rubble, and I tried looking about in it to find her, but..." He stopped himself, but Jet and Wave both knew the answer. No signs of Sarah.
Jet looked down, discouraged.
"Should we... call off the search?" the swallow asked, the tone in her voice wanting the opposite.
"I just don't know," he answered, standing up and walking around his desk, thinking. If they hadn't found her in two weeks, then there might be no point in continuing the search.
"Gee, I wonder how we're going to tell her mom?" Storm asked.
"She doesn't know we're even giving her money, Storm," Wave reminded him. "She doesn't even know that her daughter's joined our group. She's been doing her best to give her money without knowing all this time, but now..."
There was a moment of silence between the three, wondering what they should do about this. In all honesty, Jet felt the most responsible for the loss of their comrade, and felt it was his duty to not only tell this to Sarah's mother, but to call in on Sonic to send a message to her brother about what had happened, as well.
He was just about to make the decision when something appeared behind him, and everyone turned to see a large ring appear there, with a blue portal within.
"Whoa!" Storm gasped.
"What is that?!" Wave questioned.
"How did it get on my ship?!" Jet demanded.
Suddenly, Sarah popped herself through the gate, shocking the Babylon Rogues. "Sarah Alpphire, reporting in!" she stated gleefully, saluting to the leader.
"Sarah!" Wave and Storm exclaimed.
Jet only stood there, his mouth gaping. Then he shook himself out of the shock and gritted his teeth. "Where the heck have you been?!" he demanded. "You can't just disappear for two weeks like that and come back like it was nothing! And what is that behind you?!"
"I apologize for not calling you guys soon enough," Sarah apologized. "But the communicator doesn't have trans-dimensional system to it."
"What are you talking about?" Jet questioned.
Just then, Winter looked through the ring and around the area, then was startled to see three humanoid bird-like creatures in front of her. "Who are-?!" she gasped.
"Hey! Who's she?!" Jet demanded, pointing a feathered finger at Winter.
"Yeah, this might take some time explaining," Sarah stated. "Let me fill you in, but first, come to the other side of the portal." She popped herself back through Hoopa's ring, disappearing from view. Winter watched her leave, then went back into the portal as well. Jet, Wave and Storm looked at one another, incredulously.
"What should we do, boss?" Storm asked.
"What do you think?! We need answers as to where she went to all this time, and she'd better tell us once we cross over," Jet answered.
"Let's bring our gear, as a precautionary measure," Wave suggested.
They all agreed to that, as they took their Extreme Gear with them and stepped through the portal.
They appeared on the other side, looking about Winter's office in shock.
"Welcome to another world, guys," Sarah greeted, standing next to the ring.
"Another world?!" Jet questioned in amazement.
"How is this possible?" Wave asked.
"It's thanks to my buddy here," Sarah answered waving up to Hoopa, who floated right next to the ring, but he flew down to get a close looked at the three avian characters.
"Wow! So these are the three Babylkans friends you told me about, Sarakan?" Hoopa asked. "They do look a lot like the other Babylkans."
"Hey, who's this pipsqueak?" Jet asked.
"A g-g-ghost!" Storm stammered.
"No. Well, yes, but no," Sarah answered, recalling Hoopa's Pokemon type before continuing to explain. "He's the treasure that I found in the cave. Guys, meets Hoopa. He comes from a species known as Pokemon, and has the power to create a portal to anywhere or anything you desire."
"So the legends were right!" Wave realized.
"Yeah, well, they didn't say anything about the actual thing being a creature," Jet pointed out.
"I bet they thought of Hoopa as some sort of genie," Sarah pointed out, pointing to the Prison Bottle on the table. "After all, Hoopa was sealed inside that bottle when I found him inside the Gigan Rocks."
"Excuse me!" barked Winter, who felt annoyed at how everyone seemed to ignore the situation they were in. "I know you want to explain some things to these... whatever they are, which I would like to know!"
"As do I," Ironwood agreed, still monitoring the room from the tablet.
"I was kinda hoping to avoid that until later, but oh well," Sarah muttered under her breath. "These are my friends and comrades from my world; Storm the Albatross, Wave the Swallow, and my leader, Jet the Hawk, also fastest Extreme Gear user in the universe."
Jet smirked at the introduction Sarah gave him.
"So who are these people?" Wave asked.
"That she-devil? Her name's Winter Schnee," Sarah carelessly introduced, getting a glare from the said woman. " The guy on the tablet is some general named Ironwood."
"General?" Jet questioned.
"Yeah. See, I got caught by accident when Hoopa ringed me to this world. They wanted proof of Hoopa's ability, so I figured what better way to reunite with you guys than to open a portal to you guys."
"Wait, so you were caught?! For crying out loud, we taught you better than that! You're part of the Babylon Rogues; the fastest thieves of all time!"
"Yeah, they didn't know I was a thief, either, until now. Thanks for adding that to my background," Sarah added then, glaring back at Jet.
"So you're a thief, as well?" Winter questioned seriously, stepping towards Sarah. "And why, may I ask, would you withhold that information?"
"Because thieving isn't exactly something I like to put in my resume, thanks! Nor would any sane person want to put in their own!" Sarah barked back. "In fact, it's something I never really wanted to be in the first place!"
"But that changes a whole new perspective on your character. For all we know, you could be lying about how you came to this facility in the first place."
"I admit, I am a thief, but I am not a liar!"
"Says the thief!"
"Hey, back off!" Storm growled, getting between Sarah and Winter, along with the rest of the Babylon Rouges.
"Sarah is not as bad of a thief as you think!" Wave added. "She's the nicest person we know."
"Not to mention a comrade, and an important friend!" Jet finished.
"Guys..." Sarah muttered, feeling happy to be protected by her friends.
"Enough!" Ironwood barked, drawing everyone's attention to him.
"But, General Ironwood, sir-"
"Schnee, let me talk." Ironwood looked back to Sarah. "As far as I'm concern, she may be a thief in her world, but not one here. And as she stated, it wasn't something she wanted to do in her life." With these things pointed out, Winter couldn't find an argument against it. "What I would like to know is why you became a thief, anyway? You do claim you are one, do you not, Sarah?"
"I am," she answered. "But I only steal from corrupted people, or those who treat women with such little respect."
The Babylon Rogues looked back at Sarah's severely angered face, knowing her backstory.
Ironwood looked at her for a moment. "... If I may, can I ask how you became a member of a group of thieves in the first place? And why do you stay with them?"
Jet, Wave and Storm looked to Ironwood with glares, then back at Sarah, who looked down, eyes closed. It was a past she hated recounting to anyone. It brought back too many horrible memories. Memories she wanted to forget. But no matter how much she tried, she could never get rid of them. She remembered them too well to forget.
"... My father divorced my mother, although I was young, and didn't know why. Later on, I found out his reason; my father only saw women as object, trophies to be married to, whose jobs are to stand there, look pretty, and never argue against the male. He was so sick, but I didn't know about it until it was too late." She looked back up to Ironwood. "He came back, and spoke to my younger brother first, gleefully admitting his reasons for the divorce, and then suggested that I was old and pretty enough to make a living as... a prostitute."
Winter's eyes went wide-eyed at these words, shocked to hear such a suggestion. Especially one so blunt from a family member.
"My brother attacked him, defending me from that man. I had no idea why he was fighting him. That man was battered up from what my brother did to him, but... he didn't even hesitate to admit this to me!" Sarah snapped her eyes shut as the memories started to come back to her again. "Our family fell apart. My brother, who was a hero and a fighter in my city, was ridiculed for his anger-induced attack on his father, and lost the trust of the city. My father was sent to prison, my mother was in grief, and... my heart was so shattered, that I was in therapy for a year! Even after I was done, I was scarred for life, and I tried so hard to escape it. The Babylon Rogues took me in, treated me like I was family. I decided I would dedicate my life to steal everything from those who were like my father. People who were corrupted and cared little for other's lives. I gave most of what I got to people who needed it, like the poor and innocent, including my mother. But of course, the police and all those other kinds of authority don't look at you that way, do they?"
She looked back up at Winter. "I also became a treasure hunter and an Extreme Gear expert to find more things to do to escape the reality of my father's actions in a better way. And when Hoopa brought me to his home world, he introduced me to the life of a Pokemon trainer, and I gained new friends and comrades, friends and comrades you still haven't returned. You accused me of so many things before you truly know me at all. You may look into my belongings all you want, but you don't even know a damn thing about me as a person!"
Winter could only look back at Sarah's face, noticing the tears falling down as she told her life story. Jet had his arms folded as he reheard this story once more. Wave and Storm were looking sympathetically at Sarah. Hoopa did not understand all of it, but knew enough to know that Sarah had been dealt with a harsh life.
"I'm... sorry I made you recall your past like that," Ironwood told her. "I can't understand how much of an emotional trauma that must be to you. I bet there are some who could, but I'm not one of them..." He glanced at Winter for a couple seconds, knowing of her relationship with her father, and knew that it was something that could relate her to Sarah. Looking back to the said treasure hunter, he then said, "Sarah Alpphire, I would like to make a full apology for our treatment to you up till now." This drew the attention of everyone in the room. "As you have shown, you had the power to travel to other worlds, thanks to Hoopa. And as I said, you may be a member of a group of thieves in your world, but you are not one, here. And your actions against Winter Schnee were only of self-defense, were they not?"
"Of course they were!" Sarah barked back. "I'm not someone who would pick a fight for no good reason."
Ironwood paused for a second, then continued, "I know you weren't introduced to this world under better terms, but if you are still curious, would you like to know about this world?"
"Excuse me?"
"Say what?" Jet followed.
"You have skills and technology that is fascinating, and you are a Pokemon trainer, which is still a new concept in this world," the general continued. "If you were to give us some of that knowledge of yours, we would be happy to tell you about our world. In fact, I have an idea that could work for both of us. Of course, it is still your choice to accept it or not."
"I'm listening..." Sarah followed.
"Since you have resisted arrest, destroyed military property, and assaulted Winter Schnee, it would only be wise to give you some sort of punishment for this." A frown formed on her face at this reminder. "As such, I would instruct Ms. Schnee to make sure you are taken care of here, including training you to be part of the Atlasian Military Special Operatives unit, as her student."
Everyone in the room looked incredulous at this suggestion. "Sir, you can't be serious!" Winter exclaimed.
"You want me to be working with this woman?!" Sarah questioned, pointing to the said Schnee.
"Hey! She's a member of the Babylon Rogues, not some military girl!" Jet barked at him.
"It is only a suggestion, and something that. Like I said, it would benefit both parties," Ironwood followed. "You would be pardoned for your attack, and would learn to become a skilled fighter in this world. I believe your world doesn't have people who have powers like aura or semblances, do they. Like the Pokemon world."
"Is that what she used in our battle before?" Sarah asked, recalling how powerful she was in combat, as well as the magic circle powers she showed.
"From what Winter explained, you are a skilled combatant, as well as an expert on this 'Extreme Gear' machine you use," Ironwood continued. "But if you are taught more properly, you can become so much better than what you are. You might even learn you can do so much more than what you know, and I know Winter will be a great instructor for your training. All we ask is knowledge on your technology."
Sarah paused on that suggestion. 'I know he's interested in my tech, and I bet he would use it to further his military power. But I still will never let him take Hoopa from me,' she thought. 'That kind of power is something I will never share unless I trust them. Still, he's obviously not as bad as Eggman, right? He does have sympathy for knowing my past, and is trying to help me in his own way. Then there's Winter, who is clearly the complete opposite of me. No sensitivity or care for me, strict, and everything you can describe a military woman to be. To have her work me over would be a nightmare. But this Ironwood guy is right; I am curious about this world, especially as to how this woman and her Swanna took me and my partner out so easily. Finally, there's the fact that I'm going to become part of this guy's military unit. Not exactly something I would enjoy. I'm sure I can work my way around their rules, and take my own life into my hands. I know who I am, and I'm not going to change myself for anyone's benefit. But to gain the strength of this world would also benefit my skills to punish the people I steal from. Guess that means one thing.'
She folded her arms across her chest again and gave her answer. "General, I'll have you know that I'm still a member of the Babylon Rouges, and that's not gonna change. I'm a treasure hunter, too, as well as a Extreme Gear user, so don't expect me to stay in one place. And I'm still working myself out as a Pokemon trainer, which I wouldn't mind getting more skills in. But if you're willing to let me become a member of this 'Special Operatives' unit, and help me become a skilled fighter, I guess I can humor myself. Consider it a deal."
Jet and the rest of the Babylon Rogues could see she was serious about this, but she was also a definite member of their team, so they were satisfied. Ironwood was irritated by Sarah's demeanor, but he could feel that she was hiding her true feelings on the matter. Winter, on the other hand, wasn't afraid to show that she was not approving this.
"Sir, I really don't think this is a wise idea," she told the general. "A girl like her would not benefit the unit at all. It's obvious that she has no care for us, at all!"
"That may be so. Her personality does leave little to be desired for our military," Ironwood stated. "But I'm confident you will whip her into a fine soldier. In fact, I believe you are the only one for the job."
"But sir-!"
"Besides, weren't you taught by someone similar just a little while ago when it came to Pokemon? Surely you know as well as I do that people with personalities like her can prove to be beneficial for us."
Winter took a pause as she thought of the said individual he spoke of.
"By the way, Wave. I think my Gear needs some tuning up," Sarah stated to her fellow female Babylon Rogue, walking over and taking her Gear from Winter's table. "Would you mind taking care of that and giving it back to me tomorrow?"
"Absolutely," Wave answered, taking the board from her. "I have developed a few new ideas for tuning the gear. It will be in top shape when I'm done with it. I'll even modify the communicator to speak with you through even from worlds apart."
"Thanks! I'm counting on you, girlfriend," Sarah stated with a thumbs up.
"I hope you come back soon, Sarah," Storm said. "It's kinda lonesome without you."
"Don't worry. I'll hop by when I feel like it. I am, after all, a member of the greatest thieves and Wind Masters there ever was."
"Don't you forget it!" Jet stated. "I don't want you to be like one of these authority figures. I'm counting on you to spread the name of the Babylon Rogues, you hear?"
"Absolutely, Jet!" Sarah answered, saluting him. "A Babylon Rogue and a Specialist... Maybe I should call myself a Babylon Specialist. The fastest girl in this world."
Jet smirked at this.
"Hoopa's getting kinda tired holding the portal up," Hoopa moaned.
"Sorry about that, buddy." Sarah apologized. "I'll see you guys tomorrow, and I'll write a full report as to what I went through up till now, okay?"
"Right," Jet answered, nodding in approval.
"And if I don't see you guys again, then that means..." Sarah started.
"Don't you dare say 'that means you're dead'! I almost thought you were the last time!"
Sarah giggled at this. "Right. Then I'll try to survive until tomorrow." She and Hoopa waved them goodbye as they entered through Hoopa's ring, and vanished. Hoopa pulled back the ring around his waist, once more, sighing in relief.
"Now that this matter is taken care of, I must see to my setup for the Vytal Festival," Ironwood stated. "I would like to meet Ms. Alpphire face to face, when I have the chance. The same goes for Hoopa."
"Very well," Winter sighed. "I shall do as instructed and have her come with me the next time I come to oversee the additional security units."
Ironwood nodded in approval, and the tablet went blank.
There was an awkward silence as Hoopa, Sarah and Winter were the only ones remaining in the room. Sarah walked over to the desk, taking her satchels first, and then began placing her things back in them. Winter watched her from behind, concerned about Ironwood's choice to have her train this smug rogue of a girl. Hoopa could only look between the two, worried about another conflict.
Sarah grabbed the Prison Bottle last, and faced the Mischief Pokemon. "Hoopa, why don't you take a rest, okay? And thanks so much for all your work, today."
"No problem, Sarakan!" Hoopa answered, saluting her. "I can't wait to see Jet and the other Babylkans again tomorrow."
"I look forward to it, too," Sarah uncorked the bottle, sucking Hoopa in, and corking the bottle afterwards.
With the two young ladies remaining, they locked eyes with one another, seeing who can out-gaze the other.
"... The General expects me to make a soldier out of you, so don't expect any mercy from me," Winter told her.
"Don't worry. I just hope you are able to tolerate a 'petty thief' like me," Sarah sassed back.
Both of them continued to glare at one another, sizing one another. It was as if Winter had a cold, icy blue aura emanated from her, while Sarah's red hot burning flames from her. Both of them seriously hated each other, and wanted to make sure the other's life was hell from then on.