4- Hard Experience.
Optimus, Elita and Ratchet spotted how Galvatron's new undead legion rose in front of them.
"Galvatron has desecrated the resting place of our fallen ancestors. And his own." Ratchet observed.
"Not even the dead are free from his warmongering." Elita added.
Galvatron saw that the dark energon worked just like how he expected. "At last, symbiosis. I can feel it. I possess complete control over my legion. Destroy them!"
The Terrorcons started advancing toward the three Autobots. Optimus started shooting at them, managing to kill a few while others simply lost some parts.
"Optimus, if our combatants are already deceased, how can we possibly defeat them?" Ratchet asked.
"Ratchet, Elita, retreat. Bridge yourselves back to base."
"No Optimus, I will not leave you." Elita said changing her hands for guns.
"I also shall stand with you, Optimus." Ratchet supported as he turned his hands into blades. "You may require a medic when this is over with."
Ratchet and Elita joined Optimus into the battle. While Elita joined Optimus at shooting, Ratchet sliced two Terrorcons near to him and witnessed how their pieces stopped to move.
"I recommend dissection." Ratchet recommended as he finished another zombie. "The smaller the pieces, the better."
"Sound advice, old friend." Optimus said as he and his sparkmate replaced their cannons for swords.
Ratchet's deduction was correct: they managed to finish the undead faster than shooting at them.
"I have mastered dark energon. When you fall, Optimus, you too shall join my army." Galvatron menaced.
The Autobots charged against the Terrorcons, eliminating everyone that approached too much. At the same time, the Decepticons fired at the children, who had nowhere near to hid. But fortunately, Warpath and Hot Rod came at them in vehicle mode.
"Get in. Now!" Hot Rod instructed.
They didn't think it twice and obey him: Ash, Serena, Ritchie and Dawn got inside Hot Rod while the rest entered Warpath. Now was the Autobots who were dodging the shots, but at least the children were fine inside them.
"Thanks, guys." Ash thanked.
"Yeah, thanks." Serena added.
"Pika." Pikachu nodded a little tired.
"You should have warned us that you were coming." The young Autobot replied.
"Where's Wheeljack?" Dawn asked.
"Don't worry about him. He's a Wrecker, he knows how to handle himself."
"What…what are you doing here?!" Warpath asked.
"We were worried about my sister." Max started.
"Have you seen her?" Misty asked.
"Max, you're here? You and Bonnie should have been the ones to stay at base." May said showing herself from the back seat.
The two Autobots drove until he hid behind some big rock and opened their doors.
"Everyone out. And this time, please wait here." Warpath commanded.
After dropping the kids, both Autobots charged to the Decepticon ship, evading all the shots and getting under the ship, where the troops couldn't get them. Next, they headed to a rock wall and started to climb it in robot form. They reached to the Nemesis's roof, which was a Decepticon soldier looking for them, so Warpath grabbed him and threw him off the ship. Once on top, Warpath faced the closest Decepticon with his big hammer, and later used his corpse as shield to cover from the other Decepticons' shots, giving Hot Rod a moving cover to fire at them. The nearest Con received a quick hit from Hot Rod's guns, and before he could react, Hot Rod jumped and landed hard on him, immobilizing him before Warpath crushed his head. Another heavy soldier advanced at them, firing his Ion Displacer, but fortunately Wheeljack came suddenly out of nowhere and cut his weapon in half before slicing him with his swords.
"I knew you will show up right on time." The white Autobot saluted.
With all Decepticons eliminated, the Autobots went to take a look to the children, but there was one missing.
"What are the kids doing here?" Wheeljack asked surprised.
"Where's May?!" Warpath called, and then he heard a banging noise coming from his inside. He opened his compartment and his partner emerged, breathless. "May?!"
"How did you manage to get in there?" Hot Rod asked surprised.
"I heaved on your floor mats, sorry." May said covering her mouth before Warpath put her on the floor. "Remind me never to do that again."
Just in that moment another Decepticon tackled Warpath and hooked to his back, but he had no trouble to take him off and smash him. But a trapdoor opened and two more Decepticon heavy soldiers appeared. One tried to catch May, but Wheeljack eliminated one of them throwing his swords. As the other fired his guns, more Decepticon soldiers joined him. But Warpath had an idea: he grabbed the com-antenna and threw it against the Cons, hitting them all. With the combat finished he allowed May to get on his hand before more Decepticons started to shoot from behind.
"They're cutting our way out." Hot Rod realized.
"Not for long. In there, hurry!" Wheeljack said pointing at the trapdoor.
The three Autobots and May ran to the trapdoor. All that while the other kids waited down below.
"Think they forgot about us?" Bonnie asked.
"I don't know about them, but these surely not." Clemont said afraid as they saw three Decepticons, which turns into a F1, that were going to grab them.
Meanwhile, Hot Rod, Wheeljack, Warpath and May started to search inside the Nemesis, but soon two Decepticons stood on their way, and other two blocked their way back. As Hot Rod and Wheeljack covered their backs, Warpath threw May, sliding below the Decepticons, moment she took to summon Blaziken out again.
"Hit them from behind with Blaze Kick." May instructed.
Her pokémon surprised the Cons hitting them from behind, allowing Warpath to finish them on the floor.
"Nice call, May." The Autobot tank thanked.
"What did I tell you? You can accept our help." She said before Blaziken grabbed her and moved alongside the Autobots.
In other side, the three Decepticon soldiers were carrying the kids on their hands: one had on one hand Ash and Pikachu and Dawn and Piplup on the other, the second had on one hand Serena and Ritchie and Sparky in the other while the third one carried on one hand both Tracey and Clemont while he had on the other one Max, Bonnie and Dedenne, which was very pressed.
"Bring them to the brig. Commander Darkscream is keeping the other human there." One of them ordered to the other one.
"Did they just say Darkscream?" Dawn asked in fear, remembering a certain Decepticon.
"We need to get out of here somehow." Ritchie added.
Fortunately for them, while they were passing another hall, two recognizable cars came at high speed and tackled the Cons, throwing the kids in the air, but both Arcee and Moonracer grabbed them all.
"Pff, glad to see you're here, Moon."
"Anytime, Bonnie." She said placing her on the ground.
"And you too, Bumblebee." Max added.
"(You kids should not be here.)"
"Appreciate you clearing the front door for us, but storming the Decepticon warship was not on the activities list." Arcee reminded.
"Tell me about it." Misty nodded.
"We simply came to get May back to base, until we saw ourselves gotten into the mess." Ash explained.
"She's still here, maybe with Hot Rod, Warpath and Wheeljack." Serena added.
"They came here to rescue Ranger Jack." Tracey said.
"We know. That's why we are here." Sideswipe revealed.
"Let's try to find them first." Arcee suggested as she leaded the way.
The team reached to a corner where they heard noises coming from the other side, so Arcee readied her weapons. Fortunately, it was only Wheeljack with his swords ready and the others behind him.
"Friendly." Arcee said.
"Hi." Wheeljack responded.
"Brought the kids, huh?" Sideswipe deduced.
"You try getting them to stay behind!" Warpath defended himself.
"You would have acted like us if you knew what happened, partner." Hot Rod added.
"We need to find Jack and get the kids out of here." Arcee said.
"We heard that he's in the brig." Ash immediately reported to them.
"And to make things worse, he's with Darkscream." Serena added.
Speaking about him, the pokémon ranger was still chained, but a little stunned.
"My dear Ranger Jack." Darkscream started, making Jack to wake up. "You do realize the Autobots have abandoned you." He said as he let out an evil chuckle. "I am the only one you can rely upon now. So tell me what I want to know, or…" He menaced as he showed the prod and approached it to him.
Jack tried his best to get as far as he could from it. "Please, no more. They're in a secret research facility."
"Go on." Darkscream demanded.
Suddenly they started to hear shots coming from outside the room.
"Yes?" Darkscream continued.
"Maybe it was an abandoned power plant. Or it was under the pokémon cemetery in Lavender?" Jack invented, trying to gain time.
Darkscream lost his temper again and tortured him again, making him to lose conscious.
"Someone find out what is going on out there." He ordered to the guards, who went out to investigate.
The Decepticons trapped the Autobots and the gang in an intersection. The Autobots tried their best to cover the children and their pokémon, while they dodged relentlessly to not get crushed. The little pokémon managed to support their allies with quick moves against the Cons s a few times, with made the fight to end faster. The situation was not very different for Ratchet, Elita and Optimus, who were still dealing with the Terrorcons. However, they started to feel tired.
"Do you not feel suddenly more tired?" Elita noticed.
"This prolonged exposure to dark energon is sapping our strength." Ratchet realized.
"We cannot falter now." Optimus encouraged.
And they continued to battling the undead. Until they managed to overcome Optimus and started to dog pile him.
"Optimus!" Elita shouted.
That caused her to suffer the same.
"Elita, no!" Ratchet yelled.
The distraction allowed the Terrorcons to grab Ratchet and one managed to bite him hard in his arm before they started to push him against the ground. Galvatron smiled sinisterly, thinking that he managed to beat his rival finally, until Optimus let out a battle cry and disposed of all the zombies which trapped him. Next, he shot repeatedly at the ones holding Elita, allowing her to eliminate the last ones holding her. Next, they eliminated the ones which trapped Ratchet.
"After all this time, Optimus, still at the top of your game." Galvatron observed as the Autobots charged again. "My legion, finish them!"
"Ready for round two, old friend?" Elita asked helping Ratchet.
"What, giving up already?"
And the Autobots went for another round against the Terrorcons. Back to the Nemesis, four Vehicons were doing their normal routine in the ship's bridge until they heard someone knocking the door. One of them went to see who was, and when the door opened, he was taken down by a shot. Next, the Autobots eliminated the others before they could react.
"Clear." Arcee signaled.
The gang entered the bridge, with Hot Rod watching their backs. "So, now what?"
"Wait in here."
"(Why?)" Bee asked.
"They might slow us down and they're easy targets."
"Besides that, their safety is our priority." Sideswipe added.
"I'm not sure. Not any place of this ship is a safe place." Moon questioned.
"They'll be all right in here, as long as they stay put." Wheeljack finished as he activated his weapons and walked out of the bridge.
And so, the Autobots left the children at the bridge with their weapons ready and went to find Ranger Jack.
"That was more intense than I remember." May admitted.
"What? That's all you have to say?" Clemont asked in disbelief.
"And now we are in this mess because of you. What were you thinking, May?" Misty demanded.
"I don't remember ask you to follow me, even that I'm glad you did."
"We are supposed to go like the old times, so we weren't supposed to stick together?" Tracey reminded.
"Except one of us is supposed to stay with its corresponding partner, which I intended to."
"Then you should warn us the next time. We all were worried for your safety." Ritchie defended.
"Are you named Optimus Prime? You can leave my protection to Warpath."
"Eh, guys…" Bonnie warned, seeing something coming.
In that moment Max had enough and shouted higher than the others. "Stop it! All of you!"
Max went to the edge of the platform and sit on the floor before pulling his knees to his chin and wrapping his arms around them. He seemed to be crying. Immediately, Pikachu and Piplup went to check him and to comfort him.
"Hey Max, it's okay." His sister said sitting next to him and hugging him to comfort him. "I'm sorry that I worried you that much."
"Yeah, we're gonna be fine." Ash said sitting next to him at the other side.
"The Autobots will come back for us." Serena added.
"And they will take us home." Misty joined.
"How do you know?" Max asked worried.
"Because they always do." Bonnie reassured.
"Dedenne."
As they comforted him, Tracey saw something peculiar.
"Hey Clemont, what do you think of that?" He asked pointing at one screen with some kind of schematics.
Clemont wanted to see it closely, so he walked down a couple of stairs until he had the entire screen in front of him.
"It's important, real important." He analyzed.
Darkscream was hearing the shots getting closer.
"Wake up, you pathetic lump of flesh." He yelled at Jack.
"Mm, grandma, is it cookie time?" Jack said before he went unconscious again.
In that moment someone knocked the door, and when it opened a Decepticon trooper was there.
"Well?" Darkscream asked.
But the trooper felt, revealing Warpath right behind him, who shot down the remaining guard with his chest cannon. Next, Bumblebee, Sideswipe, Hot Rod and Wheeljack joined him aiming their weapons at Darkscream.
"Not so fast." Darkscream warned aiming his hand's cannon at the pokémon ranger, until he heard a metallic tapping from the top of his head and saw Arcee and Moonracer above him.
"I wouldn't." Arcee advised.
"Oh, but I might." Darkscream answered smiling sinisterly.
Meanwhile, in the bridge…
"We need to get this to Optimus." Clemont said.
"Really? How do you know it isn't just a recipe for a Con' snack?" His little sister asked.
"As a scientist I know math when I see it. And that is one serious equation."
"Can you download it?" Dawn asked.
"I got a flash drive." Clemont remembered pulling it out from his backpack. "But I don't see anywhere to plug it in. This tech is way too much advanced. And alien."
But then they received an unpleasant visit: a huge Decepticon, one with hard armor and huge claws instead of hands and a couple of engines on his back, a leaper, entered the bridge. Fortunately, the kids saw him as he was looking at his fallen comrades and went to hid, but Clemont rushed back for his bag. In the process, Bonnie tripped on and was spotted by the leaper. The leaper charged up his back's engines and jumped at her. Meanwhile, the standoff between Darkscream and the Autobots was still going on.
"Now, Ranger Jack and I will take our leave." Darkscream announced.
"The Doduo says neeyah." Jack said, probably hallucinating.
Bee took advantage of that distraction and fired at Darkscream, forcing him to dodge the shots. Arcee and Moon shot at him too, so Darkscream had no choice but to change to his vehicle mode and flew away, as the Autobots watched him. Back to the bridge, the leaper was about to strike Bonnie with his claws, but Ash managed to grab her before the Con hit the ground.
"Pikachu, use Electroweb!" Ash instructed.
Pikachu generated a spider web of electricity that grabbed around the Con's body, paralyzing him.
"Whoa, I didn't know your Pikachu learned a new move." Ritchie said surprised.
"Misty, take a picture!" Clemont shouted.
"Great idea." She nodded as the leaper managed to break free from the electroweb. "Hey, you!"
And she took a picture of the leaper with her phone. Fortunately, the Decepticon had no idea of what happened, so he didn't know how to react.
"Not of that! Of that!" Clemont corrected pointing at the screen.
"Oh." Misty said before taking the correct picture.
"Sparky, use Thunder Shock!" Ritchie called.
"Pikachu, assist him. Use Thunderbolt!" Ash followed.
Both Pikachu launched their electric attacks at the Decepticon leaper, paralyzing him again. But that caused a side effect: the leaper's engines overloaded, starting a countdown that sounded like a bomb about to explode.
"Where does that sound come from?" May asked.
"I think I know, and I don't want to be here to see it at the end." Clemont answered nervous. "I think he's going to blow."
"Let's get out of here!" Serena suggested.
The group exited the bridge before the leaper's engines exploded. Luckily, the Autobots were driving their way.
"I told you to stay put!" Arcee reminded as each one mounted with their corresponding Autobot.
"I like parties. Can we stop for some berry party?" Jack said, seated in Hot Rod's passenger seat.
"Jackie! Are you okay?" Ash asked.
"He's a little shocked, but he will be fine." Hot Rod reassured.
"Uf, at least you have rescued him." Serena said in relief.
With everyone safe, the Autobots abandoned the Nemesis. And so, Optimus, Elita and Ratchet ended their rumble with the Terrorcon horde, finishing with last ones.
"Bravo, Optimus. Though this is but a prelude. You may wish to save your strength for the main event." Galvatron advised.
Optimus retrieved his swords and started climbing the mountain in which top Galvatron was standing. "You will not prevail, Galvatron. Not while energon still flows through my veins." And he reached the top, facing Galvatron.
"Fitting. For its dark energon which flows through mine."
Optimus tried to punch his rival, but Galvatron jumped high and changed to his vehicle form, heading back to the Nemesis. Optimus tried to shot him down while Elita reached the top, but it was useless, so they helped Ratchet to reach the top. The Autobots viewed the Terrorcons' remains below them.
"If this wasn't Galvatron's endgame, what is?" Elita asked.
Optimus didn't know the answer, but he knew that something bad was going to come. Once they returned to base, Optimus helped Ratchet with his arm's injure putting him a cybertronian plaster. The gang saw Jack lying on a medical bed.
"What happened to you guys anyway?" Ash asked.
"We engaged an army of undead cybertronian warriors." Ratchet answered.
"Zombies? You mean real zombies?!" May asked in disbelief and horrified.
"Warpath, you exercised extremely poor judgment in allowing the humans to accompany you."
"It won't happen again, Elita. I promise."
"But it wasn't Warpath's fault." May intervened.
"Yeah, I was the one who Arcee put in charge."
"Hot Rod!" Arcee yelled.
"You and I are going to have a little chat about responsibility later." Elita told to Arcee.
"May, please." Warpath hissed.
"Besides, look what we discovered. Show them, Misty."
"Okay." She said pulling her phone and showing the picture of what they discovered in the Nemesis's bridge.
"Hum. Ratchet, have a look. It could be of importance to Galvatron." Optimus said.
"Galvatron has returned?" Bonnie asked.
"I'm afraid so." Elita nodded.
"That's some serious trouble." Tracey added.
Ratchet took a look to Misty's phone, but he saw the image of the Decepticon leaper. "I…don't understand."
"Ups. That's the Con that almost got Bonnie. Thank Arceus that Ash and Ritchie's Pikachu managed to dispose of it." Dawn explained.
"See? Our pokémon managed to stand against a Decepticon."
"But May, you lead us to the Decepticon ship because you went after your Autobot without warning. And my sister was put in danger."
"Clemont, we all were in danger. Us, them, even our pokémon. But that's the same that we went through the first time we helped the Autobots. And in the end, we succeeded in helping them."
"I have to say it, but May does have a point. That could be our secret weapon." Sideswipe admitted.
"Well, if this is just an average day with the Autobots, then I don't want to be a part of it. Not anymore." Misty decided, surprising everyone.
"You don't have to go that far, Misty." Serena begged.
"Yeah, having a bad day like this doesn't mean every time with the Autobots will end in a survival situation." Ash supported.
"Misty, putting you in harm's way was never our intent. However, it is no longer the safety of you nine that is at risk, but the safety of all human and pokémon kind." Optimus said.
"But we will respect your decision if you wish to leave." Elita accepted.
Immediately, Ratchet turned on the ground bridge. "No point in long goodbyes, here's the door."
"You're coming with?" Misty asked to her friends.
But no one wanted to leave their Autobot friends, who also seemed affected for the decision to come.
"We'll be okay, Misty." Max reassured.
"See you tomorrow?" Tracey encouraged.
"Sure." Misty nodded before walking toward the portal.
As she disappeared through the portal, Ash and his friends could avoid to feel bad for her.
"I didn't want Misty to get like this. I was starting to feel like the old times, when almost all our friends were together again." Ash lamented.
"Pika."
Meanwhile, inside the Nemesis, someone was really mad with someone else.
"Please, lord Galvatron. I meant no…" Darkscream tried to explain, but he received a hit from his master.
"I ordered you to wait my command." Galvatron hit Darkscream again, sending him flying backwards as Soundblaster and other Decepticons watched them. "Instead, your mindless agenda resulted in the disabling of my ship. And the delay of my plans!" Galvatron said advancing toward Darkscream.
Darkscream started to crawl back. "My intentions were pure, master. I only wanted you to be rid of Optimus…" But before he could continue speaking Galvatron put his foot on his face.
"No one rids me of Optimus Prime but me! Do you understand?! DO YOU?!" Galvatron yelled as he stepped his foot harder.
"Lord Galvatron, I will make things right. I swear! I know how to set your plans back on course." Darkscream reassured him, finally making Galvatron to take his foot off him, before grabbing him by the neck.
"Explain, Darkscream. Quickly."
Meanwhile, Misty was taking a break after ending her chores outside the Cerulean gym. Suddenly, a few lights revealed Bumblebee, and Max and May came outside.
"What are you two doing here? Shouldn't you be at home by now?" Misty asked them.
"We came here to check how you were doing. You left that mad and we get worried." May started.
"Everyone is." Max added.
"So are you here on behalf of everyone?" Misty asked.
"I admit it, my behavior today was not how I usually do. But you know what was the best of all? That you all followed me by your own, just like the old times."
"No offense May, but I don't recall being with you when you first met the Autobots."
"No, what my sister means is that we started to feel like the old times, when we meant to travel all around the world by our own. Living adventures and passing great times together."
"That was totally different, Max. It was the usual journey that any pokémon trainer would make. But today was completely different, being in middle of a fight of giant beings of metal from outer space who fight with advanced weapons. Not to mention that some of them wants to invade our world."
"And we know that. That's why we decided to return with the Autobots, to do something about it." May pointed out. "We could appreciate your help like you did in the old times."
"Yeah Misty. You are more than only a gym leader and you know it."
"Thanks for the compliment, Max. But being only a gym leader suits well for me." Misty ended, entering back the gym.
"Well, at least we tried." May said, admitting defeat before she and her brother walked at Bee.
"Let's go, Bumblebee." Max called.
The two of them entered the yellow Autobot before he drove away. Meanwhile, Ratchet was analyzing the schematics Misty brought.
"It can't be. Optimus, Elita! These are engineering specs for a space-time vortex generator." Ratchet summarized.
"Galvatron is building a space bridge, if he hasn't already." Optimus realized.
"The sooner he leaves the better."
"Sideswipe, a space bridge runs in two directions. Galvatron may not be using it to leave Earth, but to bring through his conquering army."
"The main event Galvatron referred to." Elita deduced.
"But the only place Galvatron could possibly recruit that many fallen warriors…" Ratchet started.
"Precisely." Optimus nodded.
Optimus already knew what place it was: their home planet, located far away from the planet they were defending. The place where everything started.
"Cybertron."
To be continued…