30- Operation Bumblebee (part 1).
Galvatron flew into a rock formation in an isolated area of Mt. Pyre on Hoenn, and landed just where there was a lot of Vehicons performing a mining operation. What they were not aware of is that they were being watched by Optimus Prime and Elita One from a distance.
"Galvatron?" Elita asked surprised.
"It seems Ratchet detected the ancient Autobot frequency precisely because it was unearthed." Optimus realized.
"Fortunately, our backup shouldn't be far behind."
"Without knowing what the Decepticons have exhumed, I do not think I am willing to wait." Optimus declared as he pulled out one of his cannons and advanced to the dig site with Elita following him.
A pair of Vehicons continued digging into the ground with a drill until they stopped: they seemed to have found something.
"Show me." Galvatron asked.
The Vehicons pulled out some kind of container.
"Bring it to me, with utmost care."
One of them brought it to their master, who opened it to see what it contained.
"Galvatron, I cannot allow you to pilfer Autobot relics." Optimus said aiming him with his weapon alongside Elita.
"Not only are you misinformed, Optimus, but I will strongly advise you to lower your weapons. Unless you're in the mood for mutually assured destruction." Galvatron answered, pulling out whatever was inside the container and showing it to the Autobots, some kind of weird metallic object.
"It can't be." Elita said in shock.
"The spark extractor." Optimus recognized as a few Decepticon tanks started to surround them and aiming their weapons at them.
"Rather unassuming, yet capable of extracting every spark within its radius. And to think that you led me straight to it, Optimus. Or should I say Orion Pax did?" Galvatron mocked as he observed that Optimus had the Autobot emblem back. "You really should have left your Decepticon shield intact, for you have no idea how useful your code-breaking skills proved to be, during our all-too-brief time together. Soundblaster, send the ground bridge."
Immediately, a portal emerged a few steps from them.
"Engage them!" Galvatron ordered.
All the Decepticon troops attacked the Autobot leaders, who fought against them using both guns and swords. A trio of helicopter Cons saw the fight from an upper floor, which distracted them from what came at them from behind: Bumblebee, who managed to drive between them and dodge all their shots and drove up, meeting with the others.
"Bumblebee, secure the package." Optimus commanded.
Bee continued passing through the Cons and followed Galvatron into the ground bridge. Once inside, he looped around the vortex's tunnel and changed to robot form, taking the spark extractor from Galvatron's hand.
"What?!"
Galvatron pulled out his sword, but before he could reach Bumblebee, he received an electric shock that stopped him: it was made by Pikachu and Sparky, who managed to climb onto his back when Bee looped above him. Bumblebee took the chance to change back to his alt mode and managed to pass under Galvatron, who missed trying to hit him.
"No!"
Galvatron tried to pursuit Bee once he recovered after he allowed both pokémon to enter inside him through the windows, but he reached the exit of the ground bridge first. And when Galvatron got out pulling out his fusion cannon, he only found the bodies of his deceased troops, but the Autobots were already gone, so he only growled in anger. Moments later, back at base, Bee was showing the children a demonstration about his previous action, by using a toy car.
"(Then I sneaked behind Galvatron, grabbed the artifact and left like a rocket heading to space!)"
Moonracer laughed. "Loop-de-loop, uh?"
"(As a scout, it is my duty to pass enemy lines, whatever is the goal.)" Bee said after he gave the toy car to Max.
"You have some brass bearings, Bumblebee." Sideswipe remarked.
"We're glad that Pikachu and Sparky have been of great help for you." Ritchie added.
"You acted well, buddy." Ash said stroking Pikachu's cheek.
"Chu." Pikachu said pleased.
Ratchet was examining the spark extractor. "Optimus, here: the source of the ancient frequency we detected."
"An Iacon homing beacon." Optimus recognized.
"What's an Autobot locator doing on that?" Arcee asked.
"The class-A Decepticon weapons confiscated during the war were sealed within the vault below Iacon." Elita answered.
"Where you once worked as an archivist." Hot Rod added.
"Iacon was both a cultural center and a stronghold, which Megatron raided when Autobot troops were at their nadir. It stands to reason that in anticipation of Iacon being overrun by enemy forces, these weapons were jettisoned off world to keep them far from Decepticon reach." Optimus explained.
"Clearly, the beacon was added as a safety measure, should the weapons ever be found by the undesired party." Ratchet added.
"Well, thanks to our hotshot stunt driver this one is going in our vault." Wheeljack said.
"Do you think this is the only intel you supplied to Galvatron?"
"Elita, you are right to ask. And I am afraid I…do not remember."
"Optimus, Galvatron clearly took advantage of your amnesia, but for all we know this spark extractor is the extent of it. Have you stopped to consider that he might have suggested otherwise merely to plague your thoughts?" Ratchet suggested.
At the same time, at the Nemesis, Galvatron hit the terminal hard, still furious for what happened.
"The spark extractor was in my grasp! I should have removed more than that scout's voice box when I had the chance."
To calm down his leader, Soundblaster approached him and showed on his screen that they were still two more Iacon signals.
"Indeed, Soundblaster. We possess two more sets of coordinates which Orion decrypted before departing our ranks. Let us see what other long-lost treasures we might be reunited with."
Bumblebee was driving near the Charicific Valley investigating another possible discovery.
"(Hot, I have detected another signal. It's near my location.)"
"Yeah, I just picked up the same signal. Could be another homing beacon. I will tell Sideswipe about it, he's closer to your position. I'm sure he will like to race to it and that way you'll rendezvous at the coordinates."
Once Bumblebee was close enough, he changed to robot form and walked into a canyon. He heard a beeping noise, which was coming some weird artifact. He came closer to check it better, but when he did, he saw that it was not cybertronian. In that moment, he heard a roar behind him, but in the moment he turned to see what it was, something hit him with Thunder Punch in the face: the impact's force and the electricity combined knocked him off. The responsible one: a Charizard in its Y mega form, but it looked bigger than normal.
"Well done, Charizard." His trainer congratulated, who was a Team Alien soldier.
It was a Team Alien ambush, supervised by Misbelwy herself.
"My lady, another one's headed toward our position. Estimated arrival: two minutes." One scout soldier reported.
"Work briskly." She ordered.
Immediately, a Drapion and a Barbaracle went to Bumblebee's legs and started an operation with an engineer while their trainers and leader observed. Not far from there, two young Charizard were observing from a cliff above them, until they heard an engine noise that approached them very fast until it was above them. Then, it transformed, revealing to be Darkscream.
"Out of my way, you mindless beings!" The Seeker menaced, scaring the young pokémon and making them to take flight and leave while he landed. After that he observed the entire scene. "It would appear the signal was a trap. Better Bumblebee than me. Well well, look who decided to come out at last."
As they continued, one of the soldiers was using his binoculars to watch for trouble. It spotted Sideswipe, approaching in vehicle form from the distance.
"My lady, we have company." The soldier reported.
"Looks like the backup is ahead of schedule." Misbelwy realized a little anxious.
"As luck would have it, so we." The pokémon's trainer replied as he saw the pokémon carrying a metallic thing that they pulled out of Bumblebee.
"Move out."
Darkscream saw Misbelwy's forces getting on a gunship and fly out of the area, so he simply waited for the right moment. When Bumblebee was getting back, he saw the vehicle leaving. Just in that moment, Sideswipe arrived and transformed.
"Bee! Are you okay? Who did this? Cons?"
"(I'm not sure.)"
"There is only a way to find out. Let's move!"
Sideswipe took the lead and changed back to vehicle form. Bee was about to do the same, but when he tried nothing happened. He tried again, but no matter how many times he did, he remained in robot form. Seeing that he was not following him, Sideswipe returned back to him and changed form.
"Well? Are we rolling or not?!"
"(That's the weird thing. I can't.)"
"What do you mean you can't?"
Bee simply looked him worried. At that night, back at base, Bee was lying on a medical berth while Ratchet was scanning him with everyone waiting around him.
"You can fix Bee, can't you?" Max asked worried.
"Bumblebee was hit pretty hard. The stun blast may have fried his T-Cog." Ratchet answered.
"Is that like a bone for us?" Misty asked.
"Not exactly. It's the organ that allow us to scan vehicle forms and transform." Wheeljack explained.
"By the Allspark. Bumblebee's T-Cog isn't damaged, it's missing." Ratchet discovered, leaving everyone in shock.
"But the Decepticons transform too. Why would they steal that?" Serena asked.
"Galvatron may be known to raise zombies, but he's no ghoul." Elita stated.
"If Galvatron wasn't behind this, then who was?" Ash asked.
"The ones who cannibalized Breakdown." Moonracer deduced.
"And tried to gut me." Arcee piped in.
"Team Alien. And it would appear their knowledge of cybertronian biotech has grown more sophisticated." Ratchet deduced.
"But why would they want Bumblebee's part?" May asked.
"Maybe they are getting closer to be able to reconstruct their own version of cybertronians again." Clemont deduced.
"If that is true, we might have a big problem." Hot Rod said.
"(This is not going to stop me. I'll continue fighting.)" Bee said as he got up and was about to leave, but Optimus stopped him.
"Bumblebee, please. You are not presently equipped to handle this."
"(Optimus, you don't know what it's like to lose something that important.)"
"You're mistaken, my friend. I do know what it's like to lose a vital part of oneself. And as a result, I know the value of putting one's faith in the strength of those around you. We vow to do everything in our power to make you whole again."
"And is not, Ratchet can just make you a new cog thing, right?" Bonnie suggested.
"(I'm doomed!)" Bee groaned as he sat down the berth and put his hands on his head.
"What'd I say?"
"Bonnie, a T-Cog is a bio mechanism, not a scrapyard find. If it were that easy, don't you think I would have replaced Bumblebee's voice box by now?" Ratchet snapped.
"(Thanks for remember me that, Ratchet. I'm practically useless now.)" Bee said as Elita put a hand on his shoulder.
"You're not useless, Bee." Max retorted.
"(Thanks for trying to cheer me up, Max.)" Bee said looking down.
"Alright, alright. I say none of us transform until Bumblebee gets his cog back."
"Your spark's in the right place Sideswipe, but I don't think now is the time to all us to get soft." Warpath said.
"Not with Galvatron potentially seeking other doomsday devices." Elita proclaimed.
"And I fear, not while Misbelwy uses Bumblebee's T-Cog for her own sinister purpose." Optimus added.
In an unknown location, inside some base, a Team Alien scientist typed some buttons in a terminal as two Metang inserted Bee's T-Cog inside an unfinished human-made cybertronian while Misbelwy observed.
"Commence Beta test." She ordered.
The scientist typed more buttons, making the right hand of the robot move. The robot's inside started to turn on, the eyes as well.
"Installation complete. Commencing scan." One operator announced.
The robot fired two beams of light that scanned one of Team Alien's gunship. Moments later, the terminal showed the results.
"Scan successful. Commencing transformation."
The robot stalled, again and again, but it didn't change form, not even moved. Misbelwy looked at them impatiently, so they tried again. The robot glowed again, but continued to be like glitched until it turned off itself.
"What happened? Why have it not reacted as it should have?" Misbelwy demanded.
"We don't know, my lady. We have followed all the indications the data has granted us; it should have worked." The scientist reported as he and the operators checked the schematics.
She sighed as she sat on a chair. "I don't get it. I thought with all the data we saved from our previous headquarters and the recently acquired from Breakdown we would be able to recreate the first prototypes we designed. What have we missed?"
In that moment, she heard a sinister laugh coming from the entrance. It was Darkscream, who followed them. He opened the big doors and walked inside the building.
"You are the one who once tried to gain control over our kind? You don't look like much standing right there."
"Darkscream." She recognized surprised, but not scared, but like if she reunited with an old friend. "It's been a while since the last time I saw you. You look great."
"Hm, and you are the same ones who turned poor Breakdown into a pitiful science experiment? Didn't learn much from the experience, did you?"
Suddenly, he found himself surrounded by lots of pokémon ready to fight and Team Alien soldiers aiming their weapons at him.
"But we managed to remember where your soft spots are." She answered summoning her Tyrantrum. "If memory does not fail me, you were part of that group that turned our units against us under Galvatron's lead, the ones called Decepticons. Have you come to settle old scores?"
"Not me. I'm not longer affiliated with that entity. I can assure you, that if I were here to avenge the big lug, you would be screaming for mercy by now."
"Oh? Then why are you here?"
"Let's say I have a debt to pay off." Darkscream revealed, leaving Misbelwy surprised. "As you already know, some Decepticons that arrived on Earth were destroyed by your troops and used to create your prototypes, but not all the first ones. I was one of them. By the time I awaken I found myself near to death's door, but when you allowed me to transfer myself to a new complete body, I found my way back to life. Let's summarize it like thanks to you, I managed to escape joining the Allspark and get another chance to enjoy the life I thought Megatron took from all of us when he crash-landed our ship in your world. So, now that I no need to obey Galvatron's will anymore, I came to offer my service to you, my savior, and new true master." And he bowed to her.
Misbelwy smiled. "And what can you offer to Team Alien, besides your combat skills and most welcome company?"
"Insider knowledge, the one which you so desperately seek and only a true cybertronian can absolutely supply."
With that answer, Misbelwy ordered everyone to low their weapons and pokémon to stand down.
"I am flattered saying this, Darkscream: welcome back home, welcome back to Team Alien." Misbelwy proclaimed.
"Thank you. Now back to business, a T-Cog isn't technology, it is biology." Darkscream started as he walked to the unfinished robot, passing next to Misbelwy and her Tyrantrum. "Which means it will reject any power source other than energon."
"Energon…of course. Your basic fuel, that was what we were missing."
"Energon is more than simple fuel, is the ammunition and the lifeblood of all cybertronians, whatever their affiliation. You and I both want it, and currently I lack the means of locating it. But once I supply with the…" Darkscream said as he made himself a scratch, taking a small drop of energon, placing it into the robot's core, making it to turn on. "…particulars of its chemical makeup, we can utilize your considerable resources to devise the means of detecting new deposits. For us to share."
"You would no need to worry about that. We will make sure you'll have the necessary fuel, if the supply meets Team Alien's future significant demand."
"Ah, intending to build an army, are you?"
"And opening us the path to upgrade our tech to a new level, far away from mankind's actual one. But you already visualized that, right?"
"I am no stranger to ambition."
Meanwhile, back at base…
"(Hey Ratchet, any news about my piece?)" Bee asked walking over to him.
"No one haven't reported in yet."
"(But you will tell me everything about that, don't you?)"
"Bumblebee, I will let you know the moment I hear something."
"(And now, anything now? Please, please, please.)" He asked tapping Ratchet's shoulder.
Ratchet sighed. "For Primus sake. Will someone keep him occupied so I can get some work done?!"
"Hey Bee, how about a video game?" Bonnie called from the sofa.
"(Okay.)"
Bumblebee walked to see what the children were playing, and he saw they were playing a race video game.
"(It really has to be a racing game?)" Bee asked a little annoyed.
"Uh, bad call." Misty remarked.
"Sorry." Bonnie apologized.
"Well, I have enough with gaming. What did you say we watch some TV?" May suggested.
"(Yeah, that sounds better.)"
But when they turned it on, a car commercial appeared.
"The new Urbana 500, it won't just rock your world, it'll transform it." The commercial announced.
From seeing that, everyone remained shocked and speechless, with funny faces.
"(THEY DO NOT STOP SCRUBBING ME!)" Bee yelled putting his hands on his head.
"Taking the auto out of Autobot is so not a good thing." Dawn remarked.
"You said it." Ritchie supported.
"Bee, come on. You're just as amazing without wheels. I mean…speed isn't everything." Max reassured.
Before Bee could answer, Arcee and Serena arrived at base, at high speed, and stopping suddenly.
"You got a new record, Arcee. I recorded 120 easy." Serena congratulated her.
"Girls." Tracey called as he pointed at Bee, who showed an angry look.
"Uh oh." Both friends said in unison.
"(I need a break.)" Bumblebee said walking to the base's entrance.
"Bumblebee, where do you think you're going?" Ratchet demanded.
"(I'm going for a walk.)"
"You can't just go for a walk. We are robots in disguise, leaving the base in this form puts you at risk of being seen, and of us being discovered. You may be lucky if a pokémon trainer believes you are some new kind of pokémon." Ratchet told him as he motioned him back into the base. "You just need to remain in the base until…"
Bee whacked his arm. "(Till you fix me! I get it! Just like you did with my voice!)"
The children saw Bumblebee returning in a very bad mood.
"Yes, Bumblebee. Until I can fix you."
The next day, Max was waiting outside his house for someone to pick him up. He suddenly heard a siren and saw Ratchet coming in vehicle form.
"In you go." Ratchet said as he got inside him.
"Thanks doctor, friend of Ash's mother!" Max said loudly to make everyone around believe that as they started the ride.
"Where is your sister?"
"She is helping mom with shopping. Sorry to say but I was expecting Warpath, until he called me to wait outside house instead of the usual place."
"Well, sorry to disappoint but he's on watch duty. You want to ride with the siren on?" Ratchet offered.
"No thank you."
Meanwhile at base, the terminal's screen showed a known signal.
"(Is that what I think it is?)"
"This could be it. I'll alert the others." Warpath realized.
"(We two can handle this by ourselves.)"
"I know you and I can handle it, Bee. But there's no reason to…" Warpath said until he sighed. "What are you trying to prove?"
"(That I'm still good as any Autobot.)"
Warpath groaned in defeat. At the same time, Ratchet kept his way to base.
"Ratchet, what happened to Bumblebee's voice box?" Max asked.
"It was…severely damaged in battle."
"How?"
"How do you think? Tragically, of course. It happened at Tyger Pax: our brave scout was captured by Megatron's forces and interrogated. But he refused to provide intel, and paid a grave prize for his courage. Bumblebee was left for scrap, but Autobot troops found him and evacuated him to a triage facility, where a field medic managed to stabilize his condition."
"So, we owe Bumblebee's life to that field medic." Max assumed.
"That's one way of looking at it, I suppose. Though the medic…could have done better." Ratchet finished.
Inside the Pinwheel Forest on Unova, a ground bridge appeared and Warpath came out.
"Clear." Warpath said, allowing Bumblebee to came out as he sighed. "I still don't know how you talked me into this. You're worse than May."
"(At least I know how to defend myself.)"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know."
"(You don't have to worry about me.)"
"Not every mission ends in a high-speed pursuit. But without your…"
"(I thought we've dropped it.)"
"Fine, I'll drop it. But if Optimus or Elita finds out this was not my idea."
"(Fine, I got it.)"
Warpath's scanner started to beep. "Signal's coming from over there."
The scanner showed that the signal was inside a cave in front of them, but there was something wrong with it.
"And it's coming our way, fast."
Then Knock Out drove out at high speed and passed near them.
"Catch me if you can!" He challenged as he drove away.
"I'll stop him with a KABBOM." Warpath suggested, but then they saw Breakdown coming out of the cave preparing his hammer. "Okay, you get him!"
"(Understood.)" Bumblebee agreed as he started going after Knock Out while Warpath pulled out his own hammer and engaged Breakdown.
Bumblebee ran after Knock Out as fast as he could, but Knock Out drove faster.
"Sporting of you?" He remarked, seeing him through his rearview.
Bee tried to shot at him, but he was unable to summon his guns.
"(Don't tell me I can't even use my weapons.)"
"You're not even gonna try and shoot up my tires?" Knock Out asked in confusion before stopping. "Bumblebee, where is your famous horsepower, uh? Some me some speed!"
That hit Bee's nerves. He tried to reach Knock Out, but when he almost got him, the Decepticon drove away. Next to him, Bee saw an old car, so he grabbed it and put it on the road, jumping on it to continue the pursuit, like if he was skating with it.
"What is with the rent-a-car?!" Knock Out joked with a laugh.
Then the car started to get out of control when one of its wheels pop out and flew away, putting him nervous.
"I'd stick around and do some doughnuts around you, but I have a delivery to make." Knock Out said referring to the relic he had in his back seat.
Knock Out turned a sharp corner by a cliff before driving off. Bumblebee tried to do the same, but the car flew off of the cliff, along with him.
"(NOOOOO!)"
To be continued…