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Drew nodded as he took a good look at the engine. "Yep. This is gonna take a while to clean out," he declared as he slammed the hood down.
"Like, what do you mean 'a while'? Can you get it cleared out or is it totally not your forte?" the pink haired teen (she was definitely not a grown woman) huffed.
"I can get it cleared out, but it's gonna take some time. Sand's probably clogging up the gears along with covering just about every square inch in there. Also gotta make sure the grit didn't damage any wires. If so, I've gotta replace them," he shrugged. While he wasn't the greatest engineer in the world, he lived out in the wastes long enough to know what sand damage was. Granted he wasn't much of a traveler, but there were more than a few wrecks littered around to give him a good idea what a vehicle needed to run and how thick sand can wreak havoc on just about every inch.
"Rough estimate...about a week if we're lucky."
"A WEEK?! UUUUGGGGGHHHHH!" the stranger screeched as she stamped down in frustration as she glared at the worker. "I, like, sooo don't have a week! So you better not be totally pulling my leg or we're gonna have, like, a lot of issues here!"
"Hey! I'm not the one going around driving in the wastes in a vehicle not fit for desert travel!" Drew snapped back. Those green eyes narrowed as they seemed to try and pierce his soul. But the worker stood his ground, having dealt with more than his fair share of goons in the past few months. And at this point he didn't care if they were a trainer or not.
"And it's not like you have any other options! Given that you probably didn't check to make sure this jeep was sand proof, something tells me you're in a hurry. Seeing how there's nothing out here besides the Snagem Hideout which given your look you're not interested in, that Shadow Production Facility, and miles upon miles of endless sand, I doubt you're trying to meet with someone.
"So looks to me you're running from something!"
The girl's eyes widened. And there it is, he thought.
"It's a good thing then that the authorities are too busy shutting down that Facility and arresting Cipher members to come out here, otherwise you'd be screwed. So unless you wanna trudge your way across the desert, you're gonna have to sit and wait. You've got the time."
She opened her mouth, and then closed it as she let out another strangled groan. "Uggghhh...fine! You just get my jeep fixed and I'll be, like, out of your hair."
"And lose the valley girl shtick. I can tell a fake voice when I hear one," the worker added. Honestly he'd throw himself out in the desert if he had to hear another 'like' or 'totally' in the next few seconds.
"Well...I…," the girl sighed, her voice suddenly taking on a deeper pitch. "Fine. I've already had a bad week as it is. What's one more thing to lose?" she said as she plopped herself down on a piece of metal.
"Good. We've reached a bit of an understanding," Drew said, clasping his hands. It never occurred to him that this could be a potentially dangerous criminal since she was on the run. But given that she hadn't tried to gut him or sic her Pokemon on him (yes he saw the Pokeballs on her cloak), she either wasn't the type or just wasn't in the mood.
If the latter, he'll have to be extra careful.
"I do need a place to shack up for the moment," the pinkette concluded, her shoulders sagging.
The worker sighed as he walked back inside to get some tools. He'll have to get an extra bed roll for her and see if he's got any extra rations to spare. Truth be told, he wanted her gone as much as she did. Something about those eyes sort of bothered him.
They looked almost innocent, except there was something that seemed to be lurking…
Drew shrugged as he walked out with a toolbox. Just more of a reason to get this jeep fixed he supposed.
0-0-0-0-0
"So you think you may know what Cipher did to Shadow Lugia?"
"I'm not entirely sure myself Professor, but I feel confident in saying what Greevil wanted him to be," Eagun clarified. The grandmaster, Michael, Krane, Lily, and Looker had gathered in the Purification Chamber while the rest of the crew were disassembling the monitors from outside.
Holographic images of all the Shadow Pokemon (both purified and still corrupted) the team had data on hovered from projectors.
"Do we have any footage of the battle with Salamence?" the sage asked.
"I believe we do," Krane said as he turned to Adon who was checking the equipment. "Adon! Replay a bit of that footage from the fight with Salamence."
"Can do boss," the technician said as he input a series of commands in the console. The holograms disappeared to be replaced by an animation of Salamence with corresponding text that described a profile of the dragon:
Salamence
Gender: Male
Status: Successfully Snagged on Citadark Isle from Admin. Eldes
Krane's Assessment: Subject shows heightened levels of aggression and adrenaline typical of Shadow Pokemon, though to a previously unseen level than previous specimens. The battle on Citadark Isle and subsequent studies indicates the subject has an obedience issue with certain opponents that seem to be tied to overall strength.
!Purification Status: In-Progess!
Looker raised an eyebrow. "I thought this room was for purifying Shadow Pokemon?"
Adon nodded as he began to upload the video file to the projector. "It is, but we managed to connect the files we had on the Shadow Pokemon Mikey caught and hooked it up to the system. That way we better know what exactly we're dealing with in terms of each individual."
With a press of a button, a video came up of the battle that just transpired outside. While sped up for the sake of convenience, it wasn't fast enough to fully skip Salamence getting electrocuted by Raichu in the end. A small snicker indicated to Michael that Espeon was again amused by the sight.
Looks like somebody's gonna be holding this over his head for a while, he thought.
"Now does anybody notice how he was fighting?" Eagun asked.
"Yeah, pretty aggressively if you ask me," Michael answered, folding his arms. "All the Shadow Pokemon I caught fight...well...differently from regular Pokemon. Almost as if their lives were on the line."
"That is correct. We've noted heightened levels of adrenaline and aggression in all of the Shadow Pokemon," Lily clarified with a nod. "The only real equivalent we have in the records of such behavior is when a Pokemon feels their life is in danger and thus fights harder to preserve themselves. It's the basic fight or flight instinct in all living creatures."
"And Cipher managed to make them feel as if their life was in jeopardy the whole time," Looker said with a frown. "I think I recall a similar experiment that Team Rocket ran during their heydays."
"I believe we've seen enough. Can we get the data on Shadow Lugia then? Particularly with some footage of the fight with my Pikachu?" Eagun then asked with his hands clasped.
"Uh...sure," Adon said with uncertainty as he input the command into the computer. Michael frowned. That last battle almost got out of hand. If he hadn't been able to calm Lugia down…
The hologram changed once again, this time showing an animation of Shadow Lugia along with its profile.
Lugia A.K.A: "XD-001"
Gender: Not determined, although some sources indicate male
Status: Successfully Snagged on Citadark Isle from Grandmaster Greevil
Krane's Assessment: Having just retrieved Lugia, I cannot say with certainty about its behavioral patterns. The subject seemed to exhibit signs of what appeared to be some sort of panic attack when placed within a confined space. Field report from Michael about the battle with Greevil indicates it may also go berserk when put under significant emotional distress. Further research required.
! Purification Status:? !
Michael frowned as he read the last part. Of course he knew that Lugia was still a Shadow Pokemon, but seeing those question marks instead of an in-progress notification. That was disconcerting. Still, he looked at Eagun with open ears. If anyone could point them in the right direction, it would be the man who's done this before.
The profile disappeared as the video of the recorded battle replaced it. Bright flashes and bursts of shadow filled the room with an alternating pattern of light and dark. Eyes were peeled to the screen, looking for the same thing that the sage apparently saw.
A gasp left the teen's mouth as the video came to its conclusion.
"Ahh, I believe our young master here sees the same thing I saw," Eagun said with satisfaction.
"I think I did professor," the boy responded. He noticed it before during the battle with Pikachu, but adrenaline had prevented him from putting the pieces together. Now seeing it being replayed, he was more easily able to see.
"Lugia didn't seem to be fighting to protect himself. It was almost if he were fighting like a machine."
"Exactly," the old man agreed. "Those movements were too precise, too controlled. I've never seen a Pokemon fight like that before. In fact, I've never seen anything fight quite like that."
His head tilted, Krane turned towards Adon. "Pull up the data we have on the adrenaline levels and brain patterns on both Shadow Lugia and Salamence during their respective fights if you would and overlay them. I want to see if the sensors picked anything up."
"Whatever you say boss," the technician said as he brought up the two sets of data. Already, the center's supercomputers had organized the data into charts that showed the levels of adrenaline and amount of brain activity throughout the fights of both the Shadow Pokemon. With the click of a key, the charts of their respective category were overlaid with one another.
Now it was Lily and Krane's turn to let out gasps. Their eyes widened as they saw the data and what it implied.
Salamence's readings were consistent with other Shadow Pokemon. Adrenaline was high throughout the entirety of the fight, along with high activity in the parts of the brain responsible for aggression and emotion.
XD-001's data was the exact opposite. Throughout its bout with Pikachu, its adrenaline levels were surprisingly low. Not that much higher than that of a regular Pokemon. Even more intriguing was the brain pattern. The parts of the brain that were running like crazy with Salamence were also low. By contrast, the cerebrum, or the part dedicated to planning and logic, was practically running in overdrive.
"Those…," Lily gulped as her eyes read the data. "Lugia's adrenaline numbers are even lower then how one would expect from a light workout."
Krane stepped forward as he put his hands on his hips. "I've never seen brain activity like that in the cerebrum before. Especially with such low levels in the amygdala and the limbic system."
"It's almost as though he were simply acting rather than actually fighting," Adon said, mostly to himself.
"With one noticeable exception," Looker stated, pointing towards the end of the adrenaline and brain activity charts. A spike in both charts skyrocketed as Michael realized what happened at that moment.
That was the moment Lugia nearly killed Pikachu.
"So Shadow Lugia only feels when it's about to kill," Krane said with firmness in his voice. Nobody responded to the revelation. Almost as if the possibility had always been there.
"If I may professor, if you were to create a weapon, a very effective weapon, how would you go about perfecting such a tool?" Eagun asked rather urgently.
Krane pondered the question for a moment. "I would want to make sure to keep it well conditioned. To remove any elements that would possibly interfere with its performance." He stopped and paused as he stared out into space. "I'd want to make sure nothing would impede it from its purpose."
"Exactly," the old man said with conviction. "Greevil must have wanted to make sure that nothing would prevent Lugia in achieving his goals. That would include suppressing emotions that might toy with its conviction. He wanted an obedient machine rather than a thinking Pokemon.
"But he also knew that he wouldn't be able to suppress those feelings for too long."
"Otherwise Lugia might explode like at Citadark Isle," Michael finished.
"That is correct." The sage continued. "He needed a way for XD-001 to release its pent up anger and hatred in a way that wouldn't interfere with his performance."
"And the only way to do that is by making the act of killing a trigger. So when he's about to kill, Shadow Lugia can't hold back," the teen realized. Horror crept up in his voice from the realization. Like most, Michael hadn't seen the exact methods used to create XD-001. But he did know its purpose.
Somehow, just knowing what Greevil wanted to do made things even worse.
"Wait a minute," Adon interrupted. "So I get that Greevil tried to make Lugia a murder machine. But how does that explain him roaring like a lunatic in the middle of the fight?" He brought up the video between Pikachu and the legendary, particularly focusing on moments where the great shadow seemed to roar with rage and hatred.
"It could be more of an intimidation method than anything else," Lily said while she paced. "Perhaps it's part of some kind of inherent programming within Lugia's conditioning. Like a computer responding to a certain input of commands."
Michael shrugged. "Could make sense. Greevil's the kind of creep that would want to intimidate and scare the pants off his victims."
"That also begs the question of what else he managed to condition XD-001 to do?" Looker said with a grim tone. His tone was infectious and spread throughout the room. They knew what Shadow Lugia was originally meant to do. They also knew it was trained to obey commands only by the grandmaster.
What else could Greevil have imagined his pet would do?
"Well!" Lily exclaimed as she clasped her hands together. "At the very least we know what Greevil wanted Lugia to be exactly. If anything, we can start the healing process from there."
"Yeah, but how are we gonna be able to purify him once we figure him out?" Adon asked, scratching his head. "I just took a look at the energy output the big guy was emitting from the fight, and there's no way the chamber can handle that strain without collapsing."
The professor put a finger on his chin. Michael knew that gesture, it was a sign he was deep in thought. That was a good question, the teen admitted inwardly. What good was the Purify Chamber going to do if it couldn't handle the strain from such a Shadow Pokemon?
A snap of fingers brought his thoughts back into focus. "I'll put in word to Doctor Kaminko. See if there's anything he can't whip up," Krane declared.
"...Doctor Kaminko?" Looker asked curiously. "I've never heard of him."
"He's an inventor that lives not too far from here," the professor explained to the agent. "Kaminko's a little eccentric so he's not really respected by the scientific community at large. But I must say he is quite the technician. Why, he even developed the Robo Kyogre that Michael used to get to Citadark Isle!"
"And everything else has a habit of either blowing things up, falling apart, or draining your electric bill," Michael said flatly.
"Regardless," Lily gently interrupted, although agreeing with some of her son's assessment, "he's the best option we have left at this point. Perhaps he may be able to modify the chamber in a way that can handle the strain. Not to mention his near vicinity can save us quite a bit of time."
Looker sighed. "Alright. I'll tag along as soon as you get the okay. I want to see exactly what this 'doctor's' been up to."
"Trust me. Kaminko's pretty harmless. It's his assistant you've got to watch out for. Little guy's got the attitude of an angry Houndoom." Espeon nodded with his trainer's assessment. Bad memories of a short man with a mad Gyarados came flooding back.
"If I may, I'd like to help as well." All eyes turned towards Eagun who was stroking his beard. "I want to see if I can get into contact with Celebi."
"CELEBI?!" Michael exclaimed. And for good reason. Celebi was one of the Mythical Pokemon, who's sightings were so rare most people didn't believe she existed. But when she does show herself, mountains moved. It was her appearance in the original Shadow Crisis that allowed the Bandit Hero to begin purifying Shadow Pokemon and thus turn the tide against Cipher. He hadn't seen her for himself, but he did feel her presence at the shrine whenever he purified his Pokemon through rituals.
If anyone can help them with Shadow Lugia, it will be the Voice of the Forest.
"It's going to take some time though," the sage said with a frown. "I can gather some priests to send out a summons through the shrine, but there's no guarantee when she'll arrive. Make no doubt the Time Traveler will show herself. It's just a question of when."
"We'll take any help that can be appreciated Master Eagun," Krane responded. "If Celebi helped before, she may help again. Or at least, point us in the right direction."
"Pretty sure Jovi's gonna wanna come with us to see her," Michael said with a groan. His mom responded with a sigh of her own at the thought.
"Then we're in agreement then. We'll meet with this Kaminko here while you make contact with Celebi. This should give us our best chance of starting our little project off," Looker concluded. Everyone nodded as their roles were understood.
Michael beamed inwardly.
Now they could finally get underway with helping Lugia.
0-0-0-0-0
Bright lights.
A voice pounding in its head.
"And there you have it sir! XD-001 is, like, sooo perfected to your liking!"
"What's wrong with its appearance? It looks, well, darker than we'd imagine it would be."
"We maaaay have had to up the conditioning for an alpha class legendary, along with the specifications that you've requested Master Greevil."
"It's...magnificent.
"XD-001...kneel before your master."
Low growl.
Defiance.
"It seems there is still some fight within you after all. Put it back through the conditioning cycle again Lovrina. Can't have a rebel now, can we XD-001?"
Roar.
Hatred.
"You WILL show me respect. We just need to teach you."
Pain.
Excruciating pain.
Michael jumped up from his bed, his face and chest soaking wet with sweat. Espeon shot his head up with alarm upon hearing the heavy breathing of his trainer.
The boy looked at the digital clock. 12:00 am. Midnight. He placed his head within his hands. Another bad dream, he thought. But it seemed so real though…
He looked at his night stand, checking on the Masterball.
Michael felt...something from within.
0-0-0-0-0
"Articuno, use Shadow Chill!"
Complying with its trainer's command, the ice titan channeled its energies within itself and fired a blackened stream of ice at the opposing Latios. With a startled cry, the dragon plummeted to the ground as the Shadow Legendary roared in victory.
The colosseum disintegrated as the simulation came to an end. "Nice job Articuno!" Michael said as he stroked his partner's feathers. The bird crooned as he ran his fingers through the blue plumage. A smile broke out on the teen's face at the noise. This was the first time he was able to touch the Simurgh without feeling it flinch.
"The same goes for all of you," he said, turning towards his other two legendaries. Moltres and Zapdos turned their heads in what seemed like embarrassment. "No, I'm serious," Michael reiterated, "I know that was a simulation and all, but you guys fought your hardest out there. You really gave the tech guys a run for their money!"
"You sure did," a voice on the intercom said in the now gray and drab chamber. "We're gonna have to update the system with the amount of stress you were putting it through."
"I just wanted you guys to know how proud I am of you. We're making a lot of progress at this rate." He really did mean that as he stroked both the fire and lightning titan's feathers. Michael was a bit disturbed by how humble they were. Sure there's nothing wrong with being modest, but for a trio of legendaries they were surprisingly mellow about their victories. More modest than the teen would have expected.
Guess Greevil didn't want to share the glory, he thought bitterly.
It was right after breakfast, and the first thing that Michael wanted to do that morning was get into the simulation chamber. The results with Salamence had been encouraging, so he'd figured the same principle should work for the titans. Good thing too it works, he admitted. I really wouldn't want to sic these guys on Aferd of all people.
Espeon began to hiss at the door heading outside the room. Zapdos tilted its head as the hair on the usually calm psychic type began to stand up. What could him so riled up-
"BIG BROTHER!" Jovi squealed as she bounced in the room. "Sorry, Michael. We tried to warn you but she just rocketed in," the voice in the intercom admitted rather sheepishly.
"Hey Jovi," Michael carefully said as his little sister embraced him in a tight hug. "Guess you just finished with breakfast?"
"Uh-huh!" she nodded enthusiastically. "Jovi just wanted to see how Big Brother and his birdies are doing." She turned to face the legendary birds. "I hope Big Brother is treating the pretty birdies alright!"
The trio exchanged curious looks with one another, not sure on how to take the sudden appearance nor her energy.
"It's okay guys, she's a bit annoying," Michael said over a high pitched "HEY!" ",but she's harmless. I'd be in more danger from a Magikarp than her.
"Though come to think of it," he dramatically placed a finger on his cheek, "there was that time in Gateon Port…"
"That's because Big Brother didn't see where Jovi was going. If it weren't for-"
Jovi stopped as she almost said that name. Her eyes widened in shock.
"Yeah, if it weren't for Verich," Michael finished.
The three birds looked puzzled at the concern over the name. Couldn't blame them, Michael supposed. 'Mr. Verich' was actually Greevil's civilian name, a persona that he helped cultivate in order to win good favor with the people. Once the Persian got out of the bag though, well, the name didn't really sit too well with most folks to put it lightly.
"...yeah. If it weren't for that man," Jovi said cautiously. She and Michael shivered as they remembered the moment. It seemed so innocuous then, but the fact that Greevil got so close. That a criminal mastermind got so close without either of them realizing who he was…
"Anyways. Jovi just wanted to see how the pretty birdies were doing." Her older brother breathed a sigh of relief, just glad they got off that sticky subject for once.
"Well, as you can see we're doing just fine so if you don't mind…" he said while gently shooing her away with his hand.
"Oh. Well...I was wondering if I could...you know...pet them."
Michael and Espeon's eyes blinked in unison. Not just at the fact that Jovi was talking in first person the second time in such a short time frame, but also her request. Pet three legendary Shadow Pokemon? If the trainer didn't know any better, he'd almost say Jovi had a death wish.
"It's just...well, they're gonna be with us for a while and they've got to learn to trust other people than you Michael," Jovi said quietly with her eyes on the ground.
The teen opened his mouth to say something, then looked over at the Shamouti trio. Then he looked down at Espeon, who seemed to understand what he was getting at. Not once did any one of the birds freak out over Jovi barging into the chamber. Espeon's psychic abilities would have picked up something. To be quite frank, they seemed more confused than anything else.
And like it or not, Jovi was right about them needing to trust other humans.
Before he could change his mind, Michael said, "Okay, but be careful. I don't want you to freak them out or anything."
"Sure thing," Jovi answered as she began to inch her way towards Moltres. The phoenix tilted its head as the little girl approached. Her brother went ahead as he put a reassuring hand on the fire titan's wing. Espeon hung back, eyeing the Shadow Pokemon warily and ready for action if the need arose.
A tiny hand reached out…
Moltres's fire flickered to life. Jovi gasped.
"Shhhh...it's okay. She's not going to hurt you," Michael reassured the great bird. Hearing its trainer's soothing voice, the flames died down, allowing the little girl to stroke his plumage.
"He's so warm!" Jovi commented as she ran her fingers through Moltres's feathers. She giggled.
"I never thought I'd be petting a legendary."
"Neither did I," her brother commented with a sigh. The titan relaxed as the little girl petted it down. It's a good sign at least since he's letting her touch him, he thought.
The process was repeated with the remaining two legendaries. There were a few false alarms, particularly with twitchy Zapdos, but overall the session went well. After petting Articuno, and a comment about how cold it was from Jovi, the little girl gave a bow and thanked Michael for the opportunity.
"No problem. I think they rather enjoyed it," he said, ruffling his little sister's hair a bit. After earning a squeal of delight, Jovi waved goodbye as she headed out the door.
"Jovi'll make sure to visit you again pretty birdies!"
The door slammed shut as Michael, Espeon, and the legendaries shared a look. At once, all five let out a sigh of relief.
We survived somehow, the trainer realized.
He then looked up and saw that the Shamouti trio looked fairly more relaxed than they have been for quite a while. Espeon sensed it too, his eyes beaming.
At least some Pokemon enjoyed themselves, he thought.
0-0-0-0-0
Dr. Kaminko's mood darkened as he gazed over his blueprints. Almost none of them seemed like an idea he could get behind. The Back Breaker sounded like a finishing move straight out of a wrestling show, from what he heard somebody already got a patent on an Automatic Orange Maker, and for some reason nobody was interested in a Tape Eraser. He really thought he could get an investor with that last one, but they kept saying VHS tapes were dead and nobody needed one.
Kaminko sighed, his brow furrowing. The past few days he had been brainstorming new ideas in his spare time, but nothing really seemed to catch his attention. He wondered if he should get back to working on Robo-Groudon, make a few more adjustments before lunch. After news of Robo-Kyogre's success in ferrying Michael to Citadark Isle reached his ears, the doctor went into a frenzy with excitement. He already claimed credit in an interview with ONBS about inventing the machine that helped save the day, and his assistant Chobin had to drag him from a two day period of non stop tinkering with Robo-Kyogre's counterpart. Now he was only allowed 4 hours on the mechanical legendary between meals.
I was a fool to abandon the line so easily, he thought as he filed the last of the blueprints away. His assistant would be coming in with lunch anytime soon and he didn't want any food to get on his designs. Robo-Kyogre proves I could do so much more than I already had thought of. And with Robo-Groudon's upgrades, there's no telling what I may be able to accomplish. Now I just need a chance to show the world what it can do!
His thoughts were broken as the phone rang. That's strange. He doesn't typically receive calls. Dr. Kaminko picked up the phone. From the other end, a voice introduced himself as Prof. Krane. And apparently he had a task only his brilliance could accomplish.
The call ended as Chobin entered the room with lunch.
"Who was that?" his number one assistant queried.
"Chobin…"
The doctor looked up with a feral look in his eye.
"...run a final diagnostic check on Robo-Groudon. We've just got the opportunity of a lifetime.
0-0-0-0-0
A/N: Sorry for the delay guys! I've been getting adjusted to school and been figuring out a new schedule. It's part of the reason why this chapter's a little bit shorter as I get warmed up again. Getting back into the groove as it were.
Celebi's gonna be appearing later on in the story as you can tell. Not right at the moment, but a little later on down the line. In Colosseum, the primary way of healing Shadow Pokemon was by using the shrine dedicated to her. However, there was an item that allowed you to summon Celebi to completely purify one of your Pokemon once per playthrough. If you're lucky enough to have the Japanese release, you get a bonus disc that will also allow you to get a Celebi in the GBA games via the Gameboy uplink.
Celebi's gone in XD, but I figured the events with Shadow Lugia would be a good way to bring her back into the story.
In XD, you briefly get into a boss battle with Dr. Kaminko's ultimate creation, Robo-Groudon. Neat idea for a boss fight, if it didn't play out like another trainer battle unfortunately. But as you can see, Kaminko's been inspired by Robo-Kyogre's success and has been working on Groudon ever since.
And Michael's about to get a good taste of what the upgraded mech can do.
Big fight scene coming up next chapter, which is another reason this one's so short. Feel free to leave those reviews and thanks for the support!