[[Author's Notes: 1) This is a sequel to Arceus Drops: Remembering. If you have yet to read it, please do so now, as many characters, situations, and plots will seem extremely unfamiliar to you if you were to begin this story from this collection of works. 2) Unlike Arceus Drops: Remembering, the author did not submit this work completely finished. It will be updated gradually. We thank you for your patience and apologize for any impatience.]]

"We need that alley covered up! We've got Rockets flooding in from the east!"

"Working on it!"

"They're going to be pouring through soon!"

"I said I'm working on it! I can only handle one fight at a time!"

"Use Double Team and Quick Attack to your advantage, Farron!"

"FINE!"

Growling through his teeth, the man wiped aside his khakied grey hair and scanned his surrounding opponents – searching for a weakness.

"Find breaks in their formations and split them!"

"I know, Leanne! That's what I'm doing!"

"You need to take them out one by one if you're going to have any chance!"

"I SAID I KNOW!" Farron scratched at his neck in frustration. "Umbreon! Double Team! Quick Attack the furthest group first! Aim for the Elektross then move down to the Tauros!"

"What are you doing?!"

"I'm the one that knows how to battle here! Trust me!"

In a flash of black and gold, the Moonlight Pokémon vanished into thin air – blurring in and out of visual reality as it closed in on its prey.

"Farron!"

"I said I know what I–"

His eyes went wide. A massive shadow covered the ground around him. The incoming assailant was far too close to avoid impact. Curses hissed from his lips as he blamed only himself for not seeing the flanking maneuver any sooner.

Should've listened to her.

Shut, it Trace. We've still got this.

He quickly swung his arm back, reaching for a particular poké ball that could save him from his mistake. His arm froze in place.

A giant stub-like limb wrapped around his wrist, preventing him from continuing his actions.

"Wh-What the–?!" Farron's arm tensed as the limb plucked from the ground like a ragdoll. He spun himself in its grip to face the large creature that moved far too fast for its size. His breath spiked as he found his answer.

An overgrown ball of blue hovered menacingly above him. Large spheres of red stared curiously into his features. The enormity of its eyes alone shocked the former Champion into silence. A jumpluff. Far too outsized to be considered just 'large'.

Farron tried to pull his wrist away from its hold. To no success.

He kicked at the open air below, attempting to find any form of drag or stop to hit the edges of his shoes – the lack of any stoppage only revealed the alarming distance forming between his feet and the ground. "Is someone going to help me out here?!"

"Learn to say 'please'!"

A roaring lion of blue fur and black mane leapt from the dirtied red rooftop to his left. Electricity sparked from its mouth, causing each strand of its mane to stand on end.

Alarmed, the jumpluff readied to dodge and counterattack – however, the weight of its recent victim slowed its reaction considerably.

The Thunder Fang hit home. Yellow energy fizzled and popped across the Grass-Flying Type's smooth surface. Not a scream, call, or yelp escaped its lips as the shock running through its system paralyzed it from tip to tip. Its movement stiffened completely and it began to sink from the sky.

With a shove, twist, and pull, Farron wrenched his arm away to freedom and fell to the ground below, landing in a limped roll.

"Learn to say 'thank you', too."

Tilting his head up, the freed Trainer smirked at the plainly dressed tomboy in front of him. "Thanks, Angie."

She shook her head in reaction. "Yeah whatever, you'd think for a Pokémon Champion you'd be mor–"

"Angie!" a harsh voice interrupted in irritation, "What do you think you're doing here?! I told you to cover the Pokémon Center!"

"I did, Ms. Bossy! But everyone came charging after you guys! I was standing out there like an idiot for ten minutes!"

"They wanted you to chase them! Now the Center's left wide open!"

"The Center's empty! We checked it from top to bottom! Ash ISN'T there!"

Leanne pulled off her glasses and squeezed them in growing frustration. "Where in the world is he…" A flash of light exploded down one walkway. However, she cared little to turn towards it.

Sounds and sights of battle continued to erupt around them, as they had been for the past hour. Chaotic scrambles, devastating clashes, and a never-ending flow of enemies faced them every other minute. Helicopters, trucks, and patrol units swarmed every last trace of escape and exit left for them. And most threatening of their predicament: They were alone.

None of the inhabitants of the once-friendly town of Solaceon was willing to help, guide, or hide them from the forces of the Rocket Empire… They were left trapped and exposed to confront the countless enemies and dangers with their own faltering strength and will, without assistance, without protection, without rest or pause.

Yet none of this concerned Leanne.

In her mind, she was confident in her ability to find an exit or an alternative to victory. She had strong confidence in her plans to attain whatever result was necessary – It was never a question of 'how', but of 'when'. Time was all that was necessary – all other details and factors could be found in abundance. But time was in short supply.

Time was running out. And with it, options were beginning to thin. Minor mistakes were soon becoming death threats – Unforeseen results were quickly becoming vicious dead ends.

They needed to find Ash.

And Maylene and the Quinns – but Ash was their main priority.

"Any sign of the other girls!" she shouted towards the green-haired tomboy, who was currently busied by a furious Rocket that chased her across the field.

Angie dodged another lethal swing of the electric baton and ran towards her luxio for safety. "I have no idea where they are either! You're the first one I ran into out here!"

With a curse, Leanne pressed the device embedded against her ear. "Maya? May? Anything yet?"

The Coordinator's voice was the first to hiss through, "Nothing yet over here. No Ash. No Quinn. No Maylene. You're sure they'd be here?"

"Their emotional traces went dim on this end." the Empathic responded next. "If they were here, they were here hours ago. I can't find anything distinguishable with all the other emotions around this town. They're all too loud."

"Which 'they'? The Quinns or Ash and Maylene?"

"Ash and Maylene. I think."

"Keep looking. We need them out here now. There's no way we're leaving them here alone."

May chimed back in, "Are you sure they're even in town still? What if they saw the soldiers coming and ran off… to find help maybe?"

"They wouldn't leave us without telling us."

"We are talking about the Quinns here." Maya voiced her thoughts. "They are not exactly forthcoming when it comes to creating plans for protecting Sato."

As much as she had expected nothing less from the Psychic, Leanne did not have the luxury of time to doubt. "No more talk about them being out of town. We can only assume they're here, given all the facts. Adjust your searches. May, move towards the Press Building. Maya, follow what little emotions you can still catch. We'll do our best to lower the interference."

"Got it."

"On it."

-click-

The device's sounds went blank. Radio silence for fifteen minutes after every major call, just as she had instructed, and the two females followed it perfectly… unlike Angie, who never turned her communicator back on.

Leanne massaged her forehead and released a heavy sigh.

Time was running out.

Time was straining her thoughts.

Sato… where in the world are you?

"Now where in the world are we?"

"Y-You don't know? But you said you knew where we were going!"

"I did say I know where we were going. Because I can see where we're going. I know where we're going better than you."

"So where are we? What's it look like, at least?"

Pink eyes narrowed, the fighter surveyed the dark tunnels ahead and behind them. Her hand scraped against the wall, allowing her fingertips to feel for any textures that could guide or misguide them. Sounds of pebbles and dirt scraping against one another echoed, as her bare feet felt for any hidden switches or carved signs embedded on the floor.

Though she had the advantage of sight, there was nothing left to view once the lights had flickered away minutes before. For all I know we're still in the lab… though every surface of the area she touched told her otherwise.

"This stuff's rock. Not plastic, metal, or concrete. Definitely rock."

"Rock? Weren't we inside a Pokémon Center?"

"I don't even know anymore."

Maylene pressed her head against the stone-surfaced wall, feeling its rough texture scrape and misshape the skin it came in contact with. Her sense of disappointment rose as she could feel the large tunnels vibrate. Whatever was occurring outside the labyrinthine walls of the Pokémon Center, could only have been a conflict of tremendous proportions. Nothing less than a poorly-timed construction job on the building itself could have caused such impossible-to-ignore tremors.

An epic battle raged endlessly outside; and she was missing out.

"I shouldn't have dragged us down here…"

"Er… Why did you drag us down here?"

The pink-haired fighter turned and faced the shadow that had literally been following her blind all this time. Ash…

She shrugged. "I thought I saw Quinn go down here."

…

The young man's dark silhouette tilted its head in confusion. "…And?"

"She didn't look like she wanted to be followed. Shady business stuff, y'know?"

"So why'd you bring me?"

"Because if she saw me, she would have probably killed me. With you around, I'm sure she would've actually explained herself before killing me."

"…But wouldn't bringing me along make her find us faster? I can't hide myself from her like you can."

Maylene slammed her palm against her face. "Right! Why didn't I think that through?!"

"You could've at least waited for me to get Pikachu. He could've definitely helped out here… You know, in the dark and all."

"Riiiight." The realization earned her another self-prescribed palm to the face. "You're thinking things through better than I am now. You sure Sato ain't awake in there?"

"I can't see. So yeah. I'm pretty sure he isn't awake."

"Whoever heard of a personality needing sleep…" she grumbled to herself, trying to find at least a little humor in the moment. "Ah well. Since you're blind, why don't you lead? I can't see a darn thing down here either."

Ash scratched his chin as he quickly thought through his options. "Um… Are we still looking for Quinn? Or are we trying to find a way out? And do you know how far in we are? I remember a few turns, but I don't remember if they were exactly lefts or rights…"

"How should I know? I just went down whichever way still had a little light left. Thought that Quinn would keep following whichever path she could see. I mean, I don't think she'd run down a pitch-black corridor, would she?"

…

…

Maylene sighed.

Ash had adopted Quinn's knack of keeping quiet when an answer was supposedly obvious. It was an annoying trait for her, as not everything was so black and white and clear as day in her fashion of decision-making and planning. The majority of her ideas and leadership skills were always beneficial for expected environments, players, situations, and results.

But her travels with the male Trainer were anything but expected.

As nothing ever turned out like she had anticipated or hoped for, Maylene had quickly learned that it was best to 'wing it' and be prepared for anything. Because of that fact: nothing was obvious to her. And there was never a dull moment because of it.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but: I kind of miss being bored.

"Alright, Ash. What now and where to?"

…

His shadow stepped aside, as if letting through something that had been waiting for this moment.

And for once, Maylene's guess was right – which surprised her in more than one fashion.

A yellow glow sparked into existence, and the rocky tunnels were given color and visual boundaries. An electabuzz stood proudly as the source of light – its striped fur tingling with electricity.

The Gym Leader winced at the sudden brightness. Her eyes could barely open larger than a narrowed slant, yet she still scanned the area for threats besides the Electric Pokémon. 'Who's there!' was what she wanted to shout, though she figured that Ash would already know – as he was the one who moved out of the way for the electabuzz. And because it was an electabuzz, the 'who' became obvious soon after.

"Quinn?"

"While it may be true that I would not have harmed you with Ash by your side…" A tall figure of midnight hair and blood red eyes appeared from the shadows. "You tend to forget that he and I share a bond. One that is impossible to ignore."

Adjusting her skin-tight uniform and equipment in the light, the Psychic nodded towards the young man before giving her full attention to Maylene. "The moment you invited him into the Pokémon Center, I had become immediately aware of your following."

"Thanks for snitching, Ash." The Veilstone Gym Leader sighed again. "Anyways, what are you doing sneaking around in…" The familiar sight of the black, red, and white designs forced the fighter into ignoring her original question. "Quinn? … Why are you wearing a Rocket uniform?"

"Information gathering."

"…As in…"

"Double-Agent work, yes."

Maylene gave an unsure look towards Ash…

…

…before remembering his slight handicap.

"Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"You okay with that?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You know the answer to that." Ash leaned towards Quinn and patted her shoulder.

The action caused Maylene to flinch. Though she had gotten used to the fact that he was the only one Quinn or Sabrina ever allowed to touch her, the sight of anyone doing so casually still shocked her. Quinn was a woman of immense power – An individual who could easily rid of any foe without moving an inch of her body… and he just pats her as if she's harmless.

"You don't trust Quinn?" he replied almost innocently.

"Er… Considering that she…"

"You can trust me, Maylene." the Psychic interrupted. A surprisingly sweet smile formed across her face. "I'm not the same Quinn I was before."

Maylene smiled back. Though before she could respond with a positive gesture, the Psychic shifted out of reality and reappeared just a step away from her.

Leaning down to glare at her with blood-chilling eyes, Quinn hissed menacingly, "However, if I catch you spying on me again… I will ensure you will never be able to repeat that mistake a third time." Turning away, she walked away with an air of nonchalant care. The Psychic waved for her electabuzz to follow. "I will contact the team as soon as I am able to. Do not track or pursue me. Please understand that this is merely for business hazard protection, MayMay."

Her use of the nickname reminded Maylene of Dominique's influence within the Quinns. It was a comforting realization to know that her friend was still there and a strong part component of what had made the unstoppable Psychic. Maylene may not have ever found real partnership with Sabrina – nor did she know enough about Casey – but she knew she could trust Dominique. They'll be fine. No way she'll betray us with Dom in there. "Good luck, Quinny! Don't be gone for too long!"

"Do not call me that! And I do not plan to!" the voice echoed back in response. "You watch over Sato and Ash for me! Do not mention that you found me around Leanne! It will only cause more problems!" Her figure disappeared into the darkness as electabuzz's yellow energy faded from view.

…

…

"OH CRAP I STILL DON'T KNOW WHERE WE ARE!"

"WE CAN'T WAIT FOR THEM ANY LONGER! WE'VE GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW!"

"No!" Leanne shouted back as she began her hurried estimations and calculations. Time was running short, but it was her only sense of measurement that she could use to save them now. Her mind began to compare and contrast the time it took them to have held off the first wave since the first attack, the time between intervals, the fluctuating rate of mistakes and flaws within every passing hour, the growing fatigue seen within each of the members, the – "Just… Ten minutes! I can squeeze out ten more minutes if you follow what I say!"

"We can't keep this up, Leanne!" the tomboy growled. She called back her bibarel and whispered an apology before pocketing the poké ball. Her attention returned to the blond-haired Battle Analyst. "Even with Maya and May's help there's no way we can hold out for more than five minutes!"

"Then give me five more minutes!"

A hand wrapped around her elbow and twisted roughly. "Ow!" She turned and found a furious Farron glaring down at her.

"Leanne, I said we need to get out of here NOW!"

"I'm not abandoning Sato!"

"And I ain't leavin' Ash." Angie threw in as support.

Farron glared towards her as well. "You said yourself that we can't keep this up!"

"Yeah. We can't. So either we all break off from this losing fight and just pick a spot to search for them, or we head straight for whoever's running this hunt on us! I'm not leaving Ash!"

"We have to stick together!" The Bianca of Unova's personality pushed itself to the fore, shifting Leanne's brown eyes into a noticeable green. "Sato told us to not lose each other and we won't! We're not going to run away just because we're losing! If we leave them here then… then we'll all lose!"

"Two against one, Farron. We're not retreating without Ash!" Angie nodded her head in victory. "…and Quinn and Maylene!" she added at the last minute.

Two more pokémon, Blastoise and Nidoking, fell unconscious – defeated from the overwhelming swarms of Empire Pokémon. Where they had failed in lasting a nearly endless battle, they succeeded in their single order of disarming and disabling all incoming forces that carried lethal weapons.

Though they could have succeeded in both, Farron thought to himself, if I could've given them commands individually. But no. There's too many enemies. We were swarmed. All because of Sato.

It wasn't all his fault, you know. the familiar voice of the Pokémon Sketch-Artist rang an irritating tone within the mind of Farron.

A complete consensus was needed to ensure that the former Pokémon Master stayed in one form. Despite this, the three personalities residing within found little reason to agree or support the other. Concerns for the battle and their encroaching defeat loomed over Gary Oak's shoulders and thoughts. The futility of their struggle and the cause of that deadly discomfort were where Todd Snap focused most of his attention. And Tracey Sketchit placed his efforts into finding a neutral point for both his partners to work as one in order to help their friends.

As one, their combined skills would have easily matched that of the older, more experienced Pokémon Champion Farron. However, they had kept to themselves – apart and away from one another's decisions – unwilling to support the other for sake of urgency or unease.

The battle is all that matters. Survival or victory. Whatever it takes with the fewest amount of casualties as possible…

Sato is at fault again – Ash is at fault again. We did everything we could up to this point just to save him, and he just runs off and endangers all of us. He was our greatest liability back then, and is our greatest liability now. He needs to be cut from the equation, for everyone's sake…

Our heads need to be kept on straight. We need to make sure that no one does anything irrational. Staying rational and sound in our decisions should be our main focus now. Teamwork and alliances shouldn't be broken for petty or panicked reasons…

With their objectives split and finding no intersecting point anytime soon, separation was a far more enticing option.

'Never separate in public. We can't risk anyone recognizing us as the original teams that raided the Rocket bases.' was Leanne's direct warning, however. And they followed it begrudgingly.

The only ones opposed to the warning was team Ramie – who was forced to stay separated from one another due to Maylene's recent disappearance.

"This is just way too inconvenient." Farron grumbled as he returned one more downed pokémon into its poké ball. "How did we even get into this mess in the first place?"

He regretted asking the question immediately.

Angie's resolute mood faded into depression.

"Farron!" Leanne growled angrily.

Nothing more was needed to be said. Farron had realized that his complaint was insensitive and foolish. It was a fumble of words and emotions – one formed from the stress of the moment. Whatever and however it came to be didn't matter in the end. The damage was done.

"No… It's fine." the tomboy responded quietly.

"Angie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean t–"

"I said it's fine." she said louder. "It was stupid of me… I should be the one saying sorry."

…

He wanted to take back his words, to prevent her from spiraling down in an undeserved guilt, but he didn't have the time. No one had the time. A massive carrier helicopter came roaring into view and sped towards a landing spot across the other side of town. Reinforcements, far too many to counter or hold back, would be heading their way soon.

Leanne had noticed this as well, and her skin turned pale at the sight. "Oh no…"

She shook her head immediately after, forcing her eyes to return to their original brown. "We're out of time. Plan C it is."

Farron eyed her suspiciously. "We had a plan C?"

"Technically we have up to plan F. But C will do." A strange smile crawled across Leanne's face as she pulled out a small device. Her hand hovered it behind her other forearm – preventing anyone but those closest to her from seeing it on her person.

"And what in the world is that?" All of Farron focused on her now.

Click.

…

A deafening boom tore through the atmosphere.

Bird Pokémon scattered into the skies, the ground shook, the glass of windows cracked, and a strange humming silence echoed soon after. All actions halted, all stood still in shock and panic. Rocket and pokémon alike froze in their positions, eyeing their surroundings for the source of the unseen explosion.

Within seconds, each and every human Rocket Agent tapped into their radio frequencies. Silent orders were spreading quickly through the ranks. Confirmation callouts and code changes were made and given. Their perfectly honed coordination showed as they began an immediate retreat from the area. One by one, land and air transports exited their positions and removed all Rocket members from view. None were left behind – and no second guesses or question of authorities appeared. It was as if they were used to this exercise. As if this was just an exercise.

Farron feared what a 'real mission' was for them…

Though Farron feared what had just occurred even more… "What the heck just happened?!"

"I had Dominique rig one of their bases with explosives." Leanne answered plainly.

"YOU WHAT?"

"We did it while we were passing that warhead area. It was a safety countermeasure in case we found ourselves in a tight spot." Her eyes faded into green. "Don't worry; most of the bang was around the building just to make it look bigger. The rest were placed in areas to slow down any movements inside the building itself. Just to make sure it feels like a threat to them."

Farron found himself speechless. To have planned and readied this far ahead without any of us noticing… it's almost as terrifying as it is impressive. What else is Leanne hiding from us?

"So wait. If you had that all along, why didn't you just use it earlier?!" Angie scratched at her hair in irritation.

"I would've preferred to use it later than sooner." she answered back, with her eyes returning to the plain shade of brown. "The same trick won't work twice – and we've just lost one of our best tricks. If we ever find trouble again, we'll have to find a different method of distraction."

"Yeah, maybe one that's not so loud."

The three nearly jumped in reaction to the fourth voice's appearance.

They turned to find an exhausted pink-haired female holding up a far more exhausted raven-haired figure.

"ASH!" Angie dashed forward to help lift him off the tired fighter's back, shortly followed by Leanne.

"I'm fine, by the way." Maylene laughed, at least thankful to have the weight off her shoulders.

Pocketing her glasses and dropping her newsboy cap to the ground, the Battle Analyst quickly checked Ash's pulse and temperature. She eyed him curiously as she felt for any cuts or bruises on his shoulders and arms.

No obvious marks or strains on his clothing; no need to check under them for now. Body temperature showing signs of fever, but no other symptoms. Loosened muscle tension, little reflex reaction, stiffened back… Eyes faded in color; definitely not Sato. Cold sweat… Only one last item to diagnose.

"Let go for a second." She pushed the tomboy away, uncaring if the action was rude. Placing her hand against Ash's stomach, she leaned him forward and struck his back.

"Wh-What are you doing?!" Angie was ready to push her away this time.

Leanne gestured for her to stay put without looking her way. Her focus remained on the catatonic male's fingertips and mouth.

A small cloud of blue seeped from his lips.

"Aura exhaustion." She tilted him back and set him on the ground with care. "He's been using his Aura for far too long…"

"You could've just asked." Maylene raised her brow. "We got lost down in some ruins underneath the town. Like a maze down there. He used his Aura to light up the place so I could find our way out."

"What about Lucario?"

"Ash kept insisting that I keep him in the poké ball. Reserve his energy in case we ever got into a fight. I would've argued, but frankly, he seemed to have a better idea of what to do in that situation than me." The fighter shrugged with tired regret. "I didn't even know he was crippling himself until he fainted at the exit."

"At least he made himself useful." Farron added to the conversation. He sat his back against a wall and invited his wounded umbreon to lay by his side. "What were you two doing in some ruin? And where's Quinn?"

"Er… That's kind of a long story." She laughed weakly, unsure how to answer after the warning she was given.

The two other women didn't seem interested.

Angie busied herself with caring for Ash.

Leanne readied the device against her ear. "Maya? May? Rendezvous out in the plaza. We've got Ash."

"And Maylene, but no one cares apparently!" the fighter shouted in her direction.

She ignored it. "Yes. He's safe. The area's clear so you shouldn't have any trouble on your way here. But hurry either way – we don't know how long my distraction's going to pull them off."

…

Angie turned her communicator back on. "Really sorry about this again, guys…"

"Don't beat yourself up over it, Anj. We all would've done the same thing."

Route 209. Once a popular route for traveler to take on their way to and from Solaceon and Hearthome. Now a road rarely walked on by either residence's locals or even foreign travelers. The cemetery known as the Lost Tower was the only reason left for the citizens of Sinnoh to visit this path – and it was the sole reason why so few walked this route anymore. Funerals were watched over, held by, and even permitted by the Rocket Empire.

As part of the Cultural Unification Program – originally made when the Rocket Empire became the Sinnoh region's protectorate in order to encourage advancements in culture, knowledge, and technology through a 'global standard' – the Rocket Empire had direct involvement in the burial and treatment of those passed on. And because of this influence, Route 209 was always gauged, guided, and guarded. No one could pass without a guardian – no one could follow through with any action without a minder – and no one was allowed entrance without proper paperwork.

At least that was what Maylene had gathered when she first read the plaques and propaganda flyers posted at the entry gate. She recalled how easy it was to sneak past the guards the first time – and she thought it was pathetic that it was just as easy the second time.

Despite the security posted around the once-popular road, Route 209 remained as Sato and the group's best hideaway from the Rocket forces.

No matter how much the world changes, Team Rocket still has problems with anyone who has half a mind to find a blind spot. Maylene thought to herself. And as long as we stay in their blind spot, we're as good as non-existent to them.

She shook her head. A part of her wondered if she ever had to stay under their shadow for so many years as a Rocket Agent – if she ever had to bother with a majority of the things she had to do just to escape them. It was never a matter of regret, but of curiosity. In truth, she was glad of where she ended up in life because of her experience with them. However, the incompetence found in the lower ranks of the Rocket Empire was simply impossible to ignore.

How in the world could a pathetic group like them become this powerful?

The answer soon became obvious in her thoughts: It isn't the lower ranks where Team Rocket had its power – but the higher ranks. It was the higher ranks that ruled over the regions. It was the higher ranks that had misguided the masses to believe their every word. And it was the higher ranks that had planned all… this. All of this.

No longer did the Sinnoh region belong to itself. The citizens, the pokémon, and even the land itself seemed to bow to the Rocket Empire. Through careful re-education, frightening brute force, and masterful strategizing: Sinnoh fell into the hands of the 'Empire'.

And it isn't just Sinnoh.

Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn also bowed to the 'Empire'. Orre, Fiore, Almia, and the Orange Isles remained unknown in alliance. And Unova… Unova was still fighting for its independence.

Poor Bianca… Maylene frowned. The Unova native had shown little sign of concern for her own region, but it had become obvious that she hid that wariness inside herself. Within any moment where news or conversation appeared about her home, she would find an excuse to escape into 'Leanne'. She rarely spoke of her home – and when she had, she had done it as Leanne.

We'll throw the Empire right out of your doorstep, green-eyes. You can count on it.

"Tch. 'Empire'…" the fighter growled. She reminded silently to herself that the 'Empire' had never existed – that it was simply an illusion. No matter how real it feels. "Team Rocket. That's all they are. Just with a new coat."

A new coat put on just a few weeks ago. Weeks. Though her body told her it was months due to the growing fatigue. And her mind played tricks with her by telling her it was years, being pulled in by the grand lie that they were able to make everyone believe.

Weeks. she repeated to herself. Weeks.

Every part of her wanted to believe it was years. The false reality created by Team Rocket's command over Arceus was difficult to disregard. One command, perhaps hundreds – however many, and they had changed the world. The world now bowed to them, ruled by them, and controlled through them. Arceus was theirs. And the universe was their playground.

They had failed to stop Team Rocket. Deceived and rerouted again and again, Ash, Maylene, May, Misty, Angie, Sabrina, and the others; all of them had been fooled by Team Rocket. Distracted. And now here we are. Strangers in a land – a reality – that Team Rocket created.

The lower ranks are nothing. Team Rocket's power comes from their head. And we underestimated it.

Maylene spat out a piece of bark that she had been chewing on, a habit she had gained from being around Angie for too long, and stood. She surveyed the canopy of trees one last time.

"Maylene?" her headset clicked.

She took a deep breath in.

"Coming."

And leapt off the branch.