Chapter 17: An Evil Resurgent- Neo Plasma

So far, we've been slice- o'- life- ing our way through the first 16 chapters. No more.

Get ready, 'cause this is where the serious stuff starts.

One week ago...

Red landed down. "Whew, that was fun!" Charizard growled pleasantly as it raised its hands in a thumbs- up position.

Oak smiled. "Well, then, first time flying, eh?"

"Yeah, and it was awesome. I can't even imagine what life would be like without flying on your Pokemon! It was so fun."

"That's good to hear. And both of you have made me more proud than I care to admit. It seemed only yesterday that your starters met you for the first time inside my Lab. And now, they've become remarkably strong Pokemon. That, in my opinion, is no easy feat."

"Aw, shucks, Gramps, you're sentimental! A little too much, if you ask me."

Seafoam Islands, Present Day

Colress spoke into the intercom. "Stop the ship. Coordinates show we have reached the target."

A voice spoke back. Understood, Dr. Colress.

Dr. Colress? Zinzolin is here... he would like to talk to you.

"Send him inside, then."

A man, clad in a purple robe and a matching hat, sporting pristine white hair, entered the room. He coughed for effect as he spoke. "So, then, Colress, how is the Frigate faring? Are we close?"

Colress responded while reading a letter. "When we are, I'll tell you."

"He would like to know right away."

Colress shifted his glasses as he re- read the letter. Zinzolin raised his voice a little louder. "I said, the Lord would like to-"

"I heard you the first time, Zinzolin. Now let me concentrate unless you want me to vaporise your non- existent brain and spine." Colress turned his gaze towards Zinzolin. "Are we clear?"

Zinzolin grit his teeth in fury. You little shitbag... let's see you talk to me like that next time... He glared back at Colress as he left the room.

Colress took a breath as he read the document in his hands.

Greetings.

It has been a while since we last spoke, old friend. How are you?

If I remember correctly, the last time you and I spoke was way back when... I felt our friendship should not go to waste. Nor should a good man like you.

I, to this day, am grateful for your advice in helping me escape Team Rocket. I was able to clear my conscience and start a better life- and I am wholly fulfilled. Once again, thank you.

And to that end- I still remember your project. Remember that machine you developed back when you interned for me at Silph- the Colress Machine, was it not?

In my travels in the past year, I went to the Kalos region- truly a beautiful place, exquisite in its beauty and architecture. But most important of all, I made an acquaintance with an interesting person- a famous seer by the name of Gurkinn. I believe he has the key to realising the true conclusion of your project.

If you read this, go to Lavender Town in Kanto and ask anyone there for my name and show them the other thing I sent you. They'll take you to my home. There, go into the basement and search for a velvet box. My diary should be right alongside it. I wish you adieu and good luck in your future research.

Regards,

Fuji.

Colress inhaled as he grabbed his coat and left the room. The tone of this letter was extremely foreboding.

And it irritated him.

Pallet Town, Present Day...

"Charizard, use Flamethrower!"

"Blastoise, use Hydro Pump!"

Charizard reared its head back and shot a monstrous ball of fire from its mouth. Blastoise ducked its head and launched pressurised water from its cannons, landing a blow on Charizard, who recovered quickly and launched another Flamethrower, which did some damage.

"Use Brick Break!"

"Use Shell Smash!"

Charizard tightened its hand and rocketed into the skies as Blastoise charged its body with energy. Blue calculated the outcome in his mind.

Now, let's see...

Sunlight isn't too harsh. So Solar Power is likely out of the question, assuming that's what's happening here. And Blastoise has better Physical Defense than Special Defense. But, Shell Smash...

Shell Smash was a potent setup move learnt by many Water- type Pokemon, wherein the user 'broke their shell', thereby reducing their defense, but bolstering their firepower and speed to insane levels. Usually, it was used as a last- ditch effort in a battle, but Blue knew better.

So, Shell Smash might make the attack a little stronger, but Blastoise can take it.

Let's run some numbers...

Neutral hit... Charizard is a Special Attacker, not Physical... No Solar Power boost... Blastoise does better against close- range attacks...

Shell Smash lowered Blastoise's defenses... Hmm... maybe this one...

Seems to be a good move.

However, his rival was not too far behind.

Okay, no Solar Power- not like it mattered for Brick Break anyway... Shell Smash lowers your defenses, that's good to hear... but Blastoise is Physically bulky... and he might likely be faster now, thanks to the boost.

Charizard roared and dove towards Blastoise, who tucked his head in and began to glow.

Crap, this is not looking good.

"Use Skull Bash!"

"Dodge and Brick Break! Follow with Air Slash!"

Charizard nodded and raised its arm for the blow as it descended rapidly. Blastoise responded by shooting itself into the air at high speeds. It began to release its head as it growled.

Charizard delivered the Brick Break attack as Blastoise's Skull Bash landed. The attacks sent out a little ripple, ruffling Blue's hair and knocking off Red's hat.

Blastoise pushed its head forward as Charizard tried to break free from the collision. Blastoise pushed forward until it slammed headfirst into Charizard's shoulder, sending it flying back. Charizard made to fall to the ground as Red yelled, "Charizard! NO!" Red dove to stop the impact.

Blue struck his hand out. "Red, watch out!"

Red jumped forward as Charizard fell from the sky. He closed his eyes as he braced for the impact.

"Sorry, Professor."

Professor Oak inhaled sharply. He almost looked like he was going to burst a blood vessel. He wordlessly turned around and left the room. Voices were heard from outside the room as Blue walked in, smiling wanly.

"Hey. You feeling better?"

"I guess. What happened?"

"Eh, he was just a little angry at you."

"Oh... well, crap."

A faint knock was heard. Blue opened the door as Daisy came inside. "Yeesh, Grandpa wasn't kidding. You look like crap."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Anyway, Blue- Grandpa wanted to talk to you. He's outside. And he told me to give you this." He nodded and left the room.

"What is it?"

"Open it and see for yourself. But not now. Now, you lie down. Grandpa will kill you if you pull another stunt like that."

"Mm- hmm." She smiled fondly and left the room.

"I leave the three of you in charge. Wait for my word and do not engage Articuno. Understood?"

"Yes... you are requested to return in two days' time... we are behind schedule... we cannot afford to lose time..."

"Alright. I understand." Colress sent out a Pokeball which emerged into a Skarmory. "Fly me to Lavender Town, please."

The metallic bird cawed as Colress climbed atop it and patted it twice on its wings. It flapped its wings as it flew into the sky.

The Shadow Triad watched silently as Colress eventually went out of sight.

Celadon City

"Yup, we're all good."

"Now, I'll be leaving you here. I expect both of you to be safe. And I'll visit tomorrow. And remember..." Both boys gulped.

"...No trouble."

"Yes, Professor." "On it, Gramps."

"Good. I'll be back from Cinnabar in under a week." At that, Oak climbed into the taxi as the Pidgeot cawed and flew into the skies above.

Blue said, "Okay, then- time to enter the Gym! You coming?"

"No. I'll cook something up for the match tomorrow. Good luck, Blue." Blue smiled. "Hey- never needed it."

Red went to the back of the Pokemon Center where he let out all of his Pokemon. Pikachu did a backflip and climbed onto Red's shoulder. Honestly, it just feels right at this point.

Charizard roared upon being released. Venusaur growled calmly and Wartortle spun around in its shell.

Red announced, "Alright, team- we're back in Celadon and we'll be having our rematch with Erika tomorrow. All clear?"

Charizard's eyes lit up with rage at the mention of Erika. Red pointed out, "That's something we need to work on, Charizard. You have to control your rage. And we can't shortcut our way through this one, okay? Either we get it done with here or we run into a brick wall. Am I clear?"

Charizard grunted lazily. Red repeated, an octave higher this time. "Am I clear?"

Charizard nodded. Red turned to Venusaur.

"I know we haven't gotten too much time to work on your battle strategy, Venusaur, but you are pivotal in Erika's Gym. Okay?" Venusaur growled appreciatively.

Wartortle and Pikachu turned to Red enthusiastically. "Sorry, but you guys can bench it for now. A Gym Leader will definitely use any advantage they can get. So, Pikachu's Electric moves and Wartortle's Water moves will do almost nothing to stop her. So, I've decided to hold off on using you guys unless it's absolutely necessary, okay?"

A disappointed Wartortle nodded. Pikachu patted it on the back and crawled up on the soft grass nearby. Wartortle, however, keenly observed Red's interactions with his other teammates.

Red walked up to Venusaur. "Okay, Venusaur, we'll start with you. In the meantime, I want you to practice Air Slash, Charizard. You'll need to be airborne if you want a better advantage. Clear?"

Charizard nodded and flew into the air. Red turned to Vensuaur and spoke, "Okay, so first- Venusaur, since you're a little more bulkier, speed isn't exactly your best play- that is, you're currently better at taking hits and giving 'em back rather than play the dodge game." Venusaur nodded, taking in the information.

Red nodded. "So, for now, we'll focus on offense- and to that end, I want to teach you Double- Edge and Giga Drain."

Let's see now... Double-Edge is a Normal- type move... gives off recoil of a quarter of the damage taken. It should pair nicely with Giga Drain on paper... If Venusaur uses Double-Edge and Giga Drain as a combo, then recoil would mostly be offset. Which is a good thing.

As for Charizard...

"I hope you're ready, challenger."

"Same goes." Blue smiled as he sent out his Pokeball.

Kadabra emerged as it levitated into the air, calmly clutching its spoon. Erika sent out her Tangela. It hissed at Kadabra noisily.

"Tangela, use Stun Spore!"

"Block it with Magic Coat!" Tangela's spores were completely blown away into the wind, as if repelled by the psychic attack. Tangela tends to run a defensive set, wearing both itself and the opponent out, and switching at the last moment, activating Regenerator. It's likely holding an Eviolite to boost its defenses.

Well, not for long, it's not.

"Kadabra, use Teleport!" Kadabra shone with a purple hue as it disappeared from the battlefield, as a loud caw was heard from above. Pidgeot swooped down and shoved Tangela across the stage. Blue squinted hard as Tangela was getting roughed up. Strangely, Erika did not react in the slightest.

"Use Wrap!" Blue yelled. "Let go of it! Get as far away as you can!" Pidgeot tried to fly into the air, but the little Tangela's vines were nigh inescapable as Pidgeot was trapped to the ground in its vines, which periodically increased their grip. "Now use Leech Seed!" Tangela shot out little seeds near Pidgeot, which quickly wrapped around Pidgeot and drained its health, giving Tangela some passive recovery.

Now Erika went on the offense. "Use Power Whip!" Tangela shot out a singular large whip at Pidgeot, maiming it severely. Blue smiled, "Now isn't that a clever play? Careful... it's learning. U- Turn, now!" Pidgeot flew towards Tangela and slammed into its body, sending it flying. Pidgeot flew up and in a singular motion, did a nosedive and landed right next to Blue.

One of Erika's Gym Trainers, who had been watching the match, said, "Uh... Um, Tangela is unable to battle! Pidgeot wins!" Pidgeot spread its wings as it squawked loudly. Blue returned it to its Pokeball as he took out another Pokeball.

"Are you sure? Pidgeot's your only bet against Erika, and Kadabra won't live a hit from her Victreebel- assuming Charmeleon didn't kill it last time."

Blue smiled. "Actually, I got some info from Gramps. Apparently you can find a Growlithe in Route 7 if you're lucky. I might keep the little guy around- he's really good against Erika and defensively against Blaine." Red nodded. He shrugged.

"Still not better than Charizard."

"Debatable. Growlithe gets really good moves like Bite and Crunch which help against Sabrina, who tends to specialize on Special Defense rather than Defense. Arcanine, their evolved forms, are really strong to boot."

Red nodded as he viewed Arcanine's page on his Pokedex. Blue smiled. "I'm gonna dip out now. I'll be back in an hour or so."

Blue walked into a patch of grass in Route 7, that was for some reason barricaded from the rest of the route, except for a solitary unlocked gate. Blue opened the gate as he walked in. He sent out Kadabra.

Oh, goody. What are we doing in the impound?

"The impound? This is Route 7."

Ah. Never mind, then-

"What were you doing in an impound?"

It was where I grew up. Contrary to popular belief, I actually had rather fond memories of that-

"Liar."

Alright, fine, I teleported in there by accident!

"That's better. Now, we're looking for a Growlithe. They're pretty laid- back, so catching them shouldn't be too hard."

Red walked over to Blue as he saw a shy little pup hide behind Blue's legs. He laughed as he said, "Meet Growlithe. He's a little shy, but he's real strong!" He clutched his arm as he said, "Yeah, real strong." Red couldn't see clearly, but it was obvious what had happened- he had been bit really bad.

"You should get that checked out." Blue laughed it off. "Nah, I'll be fine."

Charizard eyed the other Fire- type with an air of disapproval as it flew around both Trainers. Red chuckled. "Alright, Charizard, don't scare the crap out of him." Charizard nodded and immediately landed.

"Alright, let's see what ya got! Growlithe, go!"

The canine leapt out of its Pokeball and blankly stared at its surroundings. Maybe it was a wrong idea for his first battle to be a Gym Battle.

Just maybe.

Growlithe turned to face Blue, who said, "Alright, buddy, you got this! Easy win!"

Growlithe nodded hesitantly and turned to face Erika. She flung an Ultra Ball outside as a Pokemon emerged. Growlithe jumped for cover as gigantic tree- like figure burst forth from the Pokeball.

"Exeggutor, go!" The ridiculously tall Exeggutor smiled in a goofy way as it braced itself. Blue took a deep breath as he ran the facts in his head.

Kantonian Exeggutor can't reach a height like that in just one lifetime- the thing's nearly touching the ceiling.

Maybe it's a regional variant, like the ones Grandpa Samson studies in Alola. So, this one is a Grass/Dragon- type- and that means my Fire- type attacks won't do nearly as much if it were a regular Exeggutor.

Ugh, this is bad.

"Growlithe, use Fire Fang!" Growlithe barked and lunged at the Exeggutor, who kept smiling all the while. Growlithe bit its legs, receiving nothing more than the ever- present goofy smile on Exeggutor's face.

"Exeggutor, use Draco Meteor!" Blue reeled from shock. Draco Meteor? Oh, shit, this is bad, this is real bad.

Draco Meteor was reputed to be the strongest known Dragon- type move in existence, bar none. It was an attack where the user charged up a majority of their draconic energy and blasted spheres of that energy at their opponent. The 'meteor' part of Draco Meteor was actually coined because of the speed and ferocity with which the energy spheres were launched in battle, almost like meteors hurtling towards the Earth.

Naturally, a devastating attack such as this used up a lot of the user's energy, thereby lowering their attacking prowess harshly. Further, it was rather limited- only a select few Dragon- types could learn the move.

Exeggutor chuckled in the same oblivious way as it charged a multitude of purple spheres and fired them towards Growlithe. "Dodge them! Quick!" Growlithe was transfixed to its spot, whimpering and whining.

"Don't stand there, move! You'll get hit if you stand there!" Growlithe whined as it sat down in a petrified state. Blue paled as the Draco Meteor got closer.

"Growlithe, return!" Blue returned his Pokemon as he sent out Pidgeot, who instantly flew into the air. "Use Fly!" Pidgeot flew up as the attack landed onto the ground, sending debris from the impact flying everywhere. Pidgeot swooped down and landed a super- effective Fly, ramming right onto Exeggutor's vulnerable spot- the neck.

Exeggutor lurched forward as it fell to the ground, unconscious.

Erika and Blue readied their final Pokemon.

"You better not back down now, challenger."

"Trust me, I have no intention of doing that."

Venusaur rammed its body against Charizard, neither edging out the other. Venusaur pushed forth as Charizard barely held it back with its full power. Both Pokemon were then shoved back by the collision as Venusaur trembled a little. Charizard flew into the air as Venusaur launched a purple ball of goo at Charizard, maiming its wing cleanly and sending it back down. It charged up the fully- sprouted tree on its back as it drained energy from Charizard, knocking it down.

"And done! That was well done, both of you! You did good, Venusaur. You too, Charizard!" Red smiled as the now- setting sun made the sky shine with a reddish hue. "Alright, now we'll work with you two. Alright, Pikachu?"

Pikachu lay still. Red walked over to where Pikachu had been resting for the last few hours. He picked Pikachu up in his arms and said, "You okay, buddy?" It was fast asleep. Red instinctively touched its forehead.

It was burning hot with a fever.

"Kadabra, use Psyshock!" Kadabra launched sharp psychic projectiles at Vileplume as it teleported seamlessly from one part of the stage to another, thoroughly dizzying Vileplume.

"Use Petal Dance!" Vileplume began to spin around in a frenzy, launching a flurry of petals across the entire stage to snuff Kadabra out. It was a good play too- either Kadabra showed itself or got devastated by the typhoon of petals swirling next to Vileplume, which also created a makeshift barrier against Kadabra's attacks, though they would inevitably fall after a single line of attacks.

If you can hear me, teleport back and forth between the same two spots. Eventually, Vileplume will try to bait you and it'll put its full power into that attack, assuming my theory is right. Then, you teleport away at the last second, leaving it with a Confusion status and hit it with everything you got.

What's the guarantee it'll stay that way?

Very low, considering it might have a Berry or something, but it's worth a shot.

Alright, if you say so. Here goes nothing, then...

Kadabra teleported to and fro between the bottom left and top right corners of the stage as Vileplume tried to keep track of its movements. Blue could see both Kadabra and Vileplume getting more and more fatigued, as Kadabra was getting hit by stray petals whenever it teleported as Vileplume began to teeter around dizzily.

"Kadabra, now!" Kadabra teleported in front of Vileplume as it charged another Psyshock attack.

"Use Pollen Puff!" Suddenly, Vileplume stood upright and spat a large wad of pollen right at Kadabra, who was right in the line of fire.

Both the attacks landed right on target, sending Kadabra and Vileplume flying back. Vileplume teetered for a bit before it fell down. Kadabra panted heavily as it, too, succumbed to the attack.

The Trainer who was unofficially refereeing had her mouth open in shock- as did every other person currently watching the match.

"Uh... Well, um..." Erika sighed and waved her hand. "Never mind."

She turned to Blue. "It was a really close battle. I enjoyed myself thoroughly- and on that note, here is proof of your great victory- the Rainbow Badge. And a parting gift of sorts- the TM for Energy Ball. It's an infinite- use TM, so you can use it on as many Pokemon as you like- for example, that Kadabra of yours can learn this move."

Blue smiled. "It was a good battle, sure. Trust me, you're not the last Gym Leader I'll be defeating." Erika smiled. "If that's so, then I look forward to seeing you at the Indigo Conference."

"Hey, Red, guess who... Uh, did I miss something?" Red was wordlessly sitting on a chair, his hands covering his eyes. Blue tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, we all good there?"

Red sighed as he spoke. "Pikachu... Something happened to Pikachu, and I don't know what. He... has a really bad fever or something."

"Cheer up, Red. He probably got food poisoning from eating a stray Berry. Did you tell Gramps? I'm sure he'll know something."

"I did. He told me he's on his way here. He also asked how your Gym Battle went."

"Crushed her. I won- easily." Red couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that. "Okay, fine. It was close, she lost all three of her overpowered Pokemon and I lost three of min-"

The TV screen on one of the walls began flashing lights and showing static. Red tilted his head to get a better view as Blue turned around to face the TV. The static grew louder and louder before a figure appeared on- screen.

"What you are about to see... is a message. Two years we were in hiding, forced to live as outcasts from the very land we strove to liberate. And for what? A bastard lunatic who turned on us and hung us out to dry, he who betrayed everything I stood for."

The figure on TV boomed. "NOW THE WORLD SHALL FACE THE WRATH OF TEAM PLASMA! HEAR YE- I AM YOUR RULER, YOU WORTHLESS PAWNS!"

The camera spun to show an elegant avian, clad in blue feathers and radiating an icy aura around it, trapped in a machine of sorts. The figure snorted. "And, need I remind you of your heroine- the brat." The man gripped his cane harder as his features twisted into a grin ever so slightly.

"This is my message to you, N! Watch the downfall of Unova- the sins of your foolish actions coming for you! Repent, heathen and face your ruler's wrath! Articuno- SHEER COLD!"

Articuno struggled to break free from the mechanism's grasp as he pressed it fired an all- encompassing snowstorm through an open hatch on the bottom of the machine it was trapped in. The only thing more chilling was the figure's intermittent and maniacal laughter echoing throughout.

"Now, you odious specimen, watch as your kin all fall before me! I AM PERFECT! I AM THE RIGHTFUL RULER OF THIS WORLD! Mark my words- none shall escape my wrath! YOU WILL ALL FALL BEFORE ME!"

The TV screen suddenly gave off more static as it moved outside the vehicle, which now seemed to resemble some sort of floating ship.

Colress placed a hand over his mouth as he saw the debacle play out on TV.

The blizzard tore through the entire landscape, freezing everything as far the eye could see and beyond. Millions of civilians were frozen alive and shattered to pieces by the unrelenting snowstorm, their bodies getting broken into fragments, as if they were made of glass. Several men and women, clad in black outfits, began to enter the town as they broke apart what was left standing- buildings, shops, Pokemon Centers, frozen corpses- everything.

That spineless retard Zinzolin... of course he ratted the entire plan out to the Shadow Triad. But how did they manage to find Articuno so quickly? For that, one would require someone with decades of experience with the islands, someone who...

Colress berated himself for being so stupid. Of course, that's why they would want Blaine! Who better than an ex- Elite Four who's been living near the islands for nearly a decade now... I should have seen this coming. I should have, I should have...

I have to find Fuji quickly and get the hell back to the Frigate as soon as possible.

Colress tapped the bracelet on his wrist. It expanded as it fit itself around his arm, a blue screen blinking to life.

Good evening, Doctor.

"Good evening, Computer. Turn GPS on- locate the Plasma Frigate now."

Understood. Scanning for beacons...

Beacon_01 found. Location:

Opelucid City, Unova.

Colress inhaled as he made up his mind. He sent out his Skarmory as he climbed on, "Opelucid City, as fast as you can." Skarmory nodded as it lifted off into the air. The computer screen flashed to life.

Fastest Fly route: 13 Hours

Possible layover at Decolore Archipelago: 30 Minutes.

Potential Rest Stops: 2- Scalchop Island, Grand Spectrala Island.

Colress nodded as Skarmory continued to fly towards the ever- increasing horizon.

Dragonspiral Tower, Icirrus City

"Do you feel it, Reshiram? A power- and that on a scale resembling yours."

Yes, I do. The power surge emanates from Opelucid City. The source of the power surge is foreign- one not from this region.

"We must hurry, Reshiram. There's no telling what he... Father... could have done by now. If we wait any longer, he'll come for the entire region next. And I must not allow that."

Understood, N.

The man lowered his hat to cover his eyes as he climbed atop Reshiram. The dragon roared as it charged its tail engine, which emanated a white- hot hue and rocketed into the sky, tearing the ground apart and leaving but a massive crater in its place.

Opelucid City

Drayden coughed as he spat out another pool of blood. The man behind him pulled his cane out of Drayden's back, drawing even more blood. The Dragon- type Gym Leader lurched forward, now in absolute pain.

The man behind him laughed maniacally. "You wretched idiot. Two years ago, you foiled my rise. Not this time. This time, it is you who crumbles to the ground as the ones you strive to protect- the truth you strive to protect- gets stomped on! NOT ME! FOR I AM THE PERFECT ONE, THE RIGHTFUL RULER OF THIS WORLD! I CANNOT FAIL- NAY, I WILL NOT FAIL! FOR THE UNIVERSE DEEMED ME CORRECT!"

"D... damn you, G... Ghetsis. You... m... maniac. You froze nearly a million people alive, all fo... for the sake of revenge... what is wrong with you?"

"Shut it, you worthless gnat! This is a message to be sent- all who dare oppose me will FALL! STARTING WITH YOU!" Zinzolin, who was holding a camera behind him, switched it on as Ghetsis repeatedly stabbed Drayden with his cane, drawing larger and larger amounts of blood. With one final thrust, he pulled his cane out, getting blood splattered over his face as he fell back, erupting into more maniacal laughter.

Zinzolin threw the camera away as he rushed to help Ghetsis back up. The Shadow Triad appeared onto the scene as they carried Ghetsis away and into the Plasma Frigate, Zinzolin in tow.

Drayden closed his eyes one last time as his final thought crossed his mind.

You two are our last hope. N... and you too, Hilda.

Back at the Pokemon Center, Red and Blue stood rooted to their spots as everybody present began to tremble. A chorus of panicked voices echoed through the otherwise still room.

"That maniac froze a city alive! And he used Articuno, our Legendary Pokemon, to do it! Does this mean they've been here?"

One old man fell to the ground, weeping. "Oh, no... My daughter and grandchildren lived in Opelucid! NO! What has become of them? Oh, God, no, no..."

Blue turned to face Red. "What the hell just happened?"

Lance kicked the table hard as he yelled. "What in the GODDAMN hell just happened? Some maniac terrorist just shows up, freezes a whole megalopolis in Unova alive and THEY HAVE ARTICUNO! What did I miss?"

Lorelei was seething, though she restrained herself for now. "And Blaine is still missing. It's highly likely those people have him, considering he's the only one besides me who can navigate the Seafoam Islands."

"Where the hell is Bruno?"

"He and the Professor are still looking into Blaine's disappearance." Lance groaned. "Why is Professor Oak getting dragged into this again? He's retired!"

"We could use some help. All the help we can get. And we still have that Team Rocket matter to attend to. So, our hands are tied here. The only one who's probably free enough to go while making sure Kanto doesn't collapse on itself is the Professor."

Lance closed his eyes. "Now isn't that great? You know what, we'll just have to deal with this crap sooner or later. I vote sooner. Call in the remaining Gym Leaders and we'll formulate a plan, if possible."

A faint knock was heard on the door as it was opened slightly. The League Secretary poked her head inside the room. "Sir, there's a call for you. The Unova League wants to have a briefing with you as soon as possible regarding..." Lance groaned in frustration as he banged his head on the table. "Oh, God, for the love of- why is the old- timer bothering me now of all- I swear I'm about to- you know what, fine!" He stormed out of the room as the secretary called out, "Sir, actually, Alder didn't call the meeting."

Lance rolled his eyes as he said, "Oh, right, how could I ever forget?"

"Champion Hilda, saviour of Unova- how ever could we forget?"