It was getting dark by the time Liam, Chelsea, and Marsha made it to New Court, and they were surprised to find nearly the entire high school mustered around the empty fountain. There were about three dozen in all. Everyone from Liam's class was there, including Mori, who had a deadly glimmer in her eye that Liam thought spelled doom for Claire. Arthur, Sylvia, Liz, and Taylor were coordinating—or more accurately, arguing.
"Hundreds?" repeated Taylor as Liam told him everything they had learned from Jiu. "Dang, dude. I don't think we can handle that, even with Silas and the gym leaders. That's assuming something hasn't happened at the Tubon Plateau. I haven't heard anything. Arthur's been texting his dad, and... it's bad."
"Bookwood Street, the northside, the downtown plaza—they're everywhere," said Arthur gravely. "They haven't made it to our side of town yet, but they'll probably go for the school before the night if over. I don't know if we can stop them."
"So… what?" said Liam in frustration. "We give up?"
"Heck no," said Liz firmly. "Those Team Power scum will step into New Court over my dead body. I just don't know what else we can do besides defend what's ours. We can't stop an—did you hear that?"
Liam reached for his Pokeball. There was a fluttering of wings overhead—flying Pokemon were swooping down from the darkness above.
"They're here!" shouted someone.
There was a scramble to take defensive positions. Arthur and Liz were barking orders, but no one was listening. Sneasel growled on Liam's shoulder.
"W-were completely screwed," Liam heard Orchid mutter. The Pokemon were whirling around above them, dodging the stray Thunderbolts and Ice Beams that were hurled at them with ease. Liam was starting to wonder if they had already lost when he heard a family sound.
CHARRR!
The five Pokemon landed at the south gate of New Court and their trainers dismounted. The other students rushed forward, but Liam merely sighed with relief. It wasn't Team Power.
It was the Blackwing Crew.
Silas was the only one Liam knew by sight, but he didn't need the excited whispers to tell him the five adults that swaggered into New Court were the League Champion and his Elite Four. Liam didn't learn their names until later. Jeremy—tall, muscular, and handsome, with dyed blonde tips in his curly dark hair. He was a master of Water-type Pokemon. Dennis—slouching and scrawny with square glasses and a blonde goatee. His skill with Electric types was unrivaled. Raven—she looked like Mori's type. Black streaks in her reddish hair, heavy eyeliner, and freckles. She preferred Dark types. And Lewis—dark skin and dreaded hair. He was from the class below them. Unlike the trainer he had been chosen to replace, Lewis used Dragon type Pokemon.
"Silas," gasped Taylor. "You dudes couldn't have given us a heads up? We're a little jumpy here."
"How was I supposed to know you were putting together a little army in New Court?" said Silas with an ironic smirk. "Were you kids seriously gonna try and take on Team Power alone?"
"Well, we weren't about to surrender," said Liz defiantly. "And we weren't about to tell you so you could come and stop us."
The other members of the Blackwing Crew chuckled. Silas took off his sunglasses and hung them on his shirt collar.
"I gotta give you credit," he said. "You're no cowards. But lucky for all of you, I've got a few friends to help us out. And they should be getting here right about… now."
Liam suddenly noticed what sounded like the march of approaching feet. It seemed to be coming from the north gate—or possibly the west? He looked over his shoulder, and realized that he wasn't the only one turning his head to try and identify the noise.
"Everspring International Pokemon Academy," said Silas triumphantly. "I give you Team Balance, Team Truth, and Team Virtue!"
All at once there were dozens—maybe even hundreds—of local students of their own age pouring into New Court. Some wore the green of Team Virtue, others the orange of Team Balance or the blue of Team Truth. They greeted the dumbfounded foreigners with laughs and smiles, and quickly latched on to whoever they could find in a familiar uniform.
"Team Virtue," said a Nanzonese girl, shaking Liam's hand. "You stay close to us."
Liam was torn between relief and embarrassment as all the members of Team Virtue from No. 1 Everspring High School introduced themselves. Of course they didn't have to face Team Power alone. The Flying Incineroars hadn't fought the Kantonians unaided—they had been the aid in a war the Nationalist government was already fighting. Now, it was happening again—Nanzonese and foreigners, fighting together to save the region they both loved.
He felt Mori flick him on the side of the head.
"Me and the… judgy albino are gonna run with you guys, if that's okay," she said, gesturing vaguely at Vasilio. "Not that I'm feeling that virtue-y right now. I just wanna find Claire and I think you guys will help me."
"Don't make too much of it," Vasilio muttered into Liam's ear. "She hasn't even looked at me yet."
As the rush of reinforcements subsided, Liam pushed his way to where Silas and the Blackwing Crew were going over tactics.
"Their main targets will be the gyms, the Pokemon centers, and the schools," said the League Champion. "And even with all this the odds are not in our favor. Mr. Liu and the police are holed up in the station near the international school. They'll need someone to bust them out."
"We can do that," said a girl in a Team Truth jacket.
"Good. We'll need to keep one eye on the rest of the region—that might be our only chance of getting reinforcements. Dennis, I want you to head for Jadetower and check in on Fei. I'm sure she'll be grateful for the help. Taylor, Liz—you two go to the Karst Forest and find Ashima. Raven—."
There was a screeching noise outside the south gate, and dozens of heads turned to see a purple car with a white Gengar painted on its hood skid to a halt. Tobias, looking so haggard and disheveled that Liam almost didn't recognize him, stumbled from the driver's seat and hobbled in an uncharacteristically-undignified way towards the League Champion.
"Ah, Silas," he said in his unusual weird intonation. "And… everyone else."
Liam thought he looked a little embarrassed.
"How can we help you, Tobias?" asked Silas.
"It's… nothing," said Tobias, "I just… could use some assistance in… reclaiming my gym."
There was a long pause.
"How'd you lose it, Toby?" asked Lewis. "Don't tell me all that fortune cookie spiritual wisdom you're almost dropping didn't help you in battle all that much."
"Yeah," put in Raven. "You mean they didn't flee in terror when you played creepy organ music at them?"
Tobias looked so ruffled by their jibes that Liam almost felt sorry for him. Almost.
"We can help Tobias get his gym back," said Liam. The leader of the squad from the No. 1 School nodded her assent.
"Alright. Looks like you'll have your batcave back in no time, Toby," said Silas, ruffling Tobias' long hite hair like an uncle to a hapless nephew. "Raven, take a squad from Team Truth and make sure they don't grab the TV Tower near the White Mudsdale Statue. Arthur, Sylvia, Haizhen, I want Team Balance to head straight for Feather and Petal. We'll converge on the center of town. Anyone who doesn't know what to do or where to go, ask one of the Elite Four. The three teams are one. Let's take Nanzo back!"
Liam took a deep breath as the other students cheered and began to disperse. This was it. The showdown Professor Werner had tried to prepare them for. He had never felt ready in the past. But now, he was strangely confident. He glanced over at Chelsea, who was almost glowing with anticipation.
'We got this, bro,' said the voice in his mind.