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Michael's eyebrows furrowed as he sat within the ritual circle in his room.
After their conversation yesterday, Sabrina suggested to Michael that he begin to take meditation sessions once every day moving forward. He assumed this had to do with their discussion about his...admittedly frayed mental state. The idea was for one to look within themselves in order to understand their subconscious. That way they know what struggles lay beneath the surface.
And indeed, Michael did sense...something. Inner turmoil, memories of his old battles with Cipher, Greevil's defiance in the face of defeat…
But he couldn't put the pieces together. The teen did know that his fight with Cipher did play a part in his current attitude. Yet there was something else. Something at the back of his mind that was gnawing at him. It wasn't Shadow Lugia, he knew that much.
He sighed as he opened his eyes and ended his trance. This wasn't getting him anywhere. Everything he felt he needed in order to understand what he was going through was there. It's just he didn't know how everything fit together. Not to mention, why did Sabrina even want him to meditate in the first place? Wouldn't the better thing to do in a situation like this would be to seek a therapist? Sure, getting one to Orre would be a hassle, but the O.R.F. did have the resources to make it happen.
Maybe it has something to do with my connection to Lugia? he thought as he looked at the Master Ball at his side. Now he knew a bit more about the link the two of them share, it wouldn't be out of the question to assume Lugia knew what he was thinking. So naturally, it would make sense that the legendary could see a lot of the same things he was seeing. If they did have some telepathic link, maybe Sabrina wanted him to understand the nature of psychic energy to further nurture their bond. He wasn't psychic, but he did know that each human did have some kind of psychic potential.
He felt Espeon paw at his jeans, eliciting him to stroke his faithful companion's back. On his belt, Gardevoir's belt shook with concern, albeit calming down once she felt her partner's frustration fade. They too had been watching over his visions. This was Michael they were talking about, and if he needed help in the ways of the psychic they were eager to help. Although admittedly, neither of them quite understood his feelings either.
Although something about the energy that Gardevoir was giving off indicated she might be a bit more confident about Espeon. Michael would count on her to let him know once she finds out more.
"Michael, could you please proceed to Prof. Krane's office? There's an urgent matter to attend to."
Michael's ears perked up as he heard his mother's voice over the intercom. He knew that voice enough to guess that something big was about to go down. Standing up, he left his room and made his way over the Krane's office with Espeon following behind.
Something told him things were about to get a lot more interesting.
"What's going on?" Michael said as he entered the room with Espeon and Houndoom by his side. Krane, Lily, Sabrina and Kamino were already there waiting for him with concerned looks on their faces.
Krane spoke up. "Michael, we have reason to believe that Cipher is prepared to attack Kaminko's Laboratory sometime today."
This caught the teen off guard. The hair on Espeon and Houndoom's backs stood up. "WHAT?! How can you be so sure?!"
Krane discussed with Michael everything he had heard from Eldes. The distribution of authorities throughout the region. The likely places to be hit. The timeframe they're gonna be hitting. And what they could be hoping to accomplish. Particularly the part about finding schematics they could use to build something to capture Shadow Lugia. He also told him of how he sent Eldes to provide back up to the laboratory and requested a number of officers to be sent there to both supervise the former admin, and reinforce the locale.
"I doubt Looker's gonna be happy about that," Michael stated off handily.
"Trust me, he wasn't," the professor flatly stated. "I managed to convince him that we needed people on the lab, but he said that the rest of the agency is gonna raise some eyebrows. In order to placate their worries and further back them up, I want you to head to the laboratory. You'll meet with the sergeant there and follow his command.
"Sure thing!" Michael exclaimed. He was getting tired of waiting around for when Cipher would show up. Espeon's gem glowed as cinders began to leap from Houndoom's maw. Looks like he wasn't the only one eager for some action.
"I would also like to go as well," Sabrina said while stepping forward. "If this Cipher is as bad as you say they are, you're gonna need all the help you can get."
Michael grinned as he nodded. "Sure. Be happy to have you along."
"Then both of you better get going. Cipher could be arriving at any minute," Lily said.
The two of them nodded as they went outside to get their vehicles, Michael his bike and Sabrina the car she rented. Michael's Pokemon trotted along as they followed their partner.
They've been waiting for this moment for quite some time, and they're not gonna screw it up now.
Eldes stood outside the laboratory along with the rest of the perimeter defense right outside the laboratory. He didn't like it. He didn't like it one bit.
If the assault came from the front, then it would be a ploy to draw their forces away from the laboratory. Leaving Kaminko's plans relatively unguarded. He brought it up with the squad sergeant, but that still left only 3 officers to guard the lab. This left their forces stretched out, not helped by the fact that Eldes was assigned to perimeter duty for today. Which was understandable given that the sergeant didn't want a Cipher admin anywhere near the sensitive information. And given how Looker wasn't exactly happy to have Eldes on this operation, the least thing they needed was more drama.
But even with Chobin piloting Robo Groudon, the real issue was the lack of manpower. Most of the police force in Orre was stationed at the Production Facility to the east. As much as he hated to admit it, it was probably best. Kaminko's plans falling into Cipher's hands was bad enough, them getting access to their Key Hideout was a nightmare waiting to happen. There was no telling what they could build with the extra tech, not to mention the possibility of them swiping some of their machines and potentially start creating Shadow Pokemon there had to be a fight, they'd force them to take the battle that offered them the least to gain.
The other majority of their forces were stationed in Gateon Port. After the battle with Dragonite, it was decided that they needed to keep a token force in order to reassure the public. They were just about done wrapping things up there before they would reinforce the laboratory in a day or so.
Which was why everybody was on high alert today. Eldes knew that Greevil wouldn't miss this opportunity to strike at them when they were at their weakest. If the attack did came, the reinforcements from Gateon would take some time to get here. They just had to hold out until they did since Eldes doubted that his father would risk a full scale engagement. Doubtful considering their strength only consisted of 6 officers, a former Cipher Admin, and a mecha legendary. Said mech might give them an advantage from the front, but when the attack strikes the laboratory a giant robot stomping around an enclosed space would be virtually useless.
Their best bet was to contact the O.R.F. facility and call for backup. There were a few trainers there who could easily even the odds.
And so they waited. Hoping that their call managed to get through.
They didn't have to wait long.
From the bushes a horde of Pokemon burst forth, being led by a Wheezing and a Kingdra. Following them was a group of seven trainers, wearing the distinctive garb that signified them as members of Cipher.
The sergeant of the squadron roared "Here they come!" as he and the other two officers released their own Pokemon to counter the assault. The Wheezing coughed up a purple Smokescreen that covered the horde's charge. The Arcanine of the sergeant fired a Flamethrower blindly into the smoke, leading a barrage of special attacks hoping to find a target.
He got a Hydro Pump from the Kingdra for his efforts. The rest of Cipher's Pokemon charged the defenders, led by a particularly fearsome looking Rhydon who batted away an officer's Scyther. With seven Cipher members against three police, the perimeter's guard was outnumbered nearly two to one. And already the horde was beginning to make their numbers known as they began to push back against the officer's Pokemon. The Wheezing covered the Rhydon by firing a Sludge Bomb into an oncoming Machoke, giving the saurian space to stomp its massive feet into the ground. Such impact caused the ground to crumble, staggering the enforcement's Pokemon with a powerful Earthquake.
A supercharged mine from below popped up in front of the Rhydon's face, sending it careening with a mighty Eruption. The bulk of the Ground-type caught several of Cipher's Pokemon and sent them tumbling to the ground.
It seemed a good thing then that the officers had a mecha legendary at their side.
Robo Groudon bellowed a mighty roar as it charged into Cipher's ranks, batting away several Pokemon with a swing of its rocket powered Hammer Arm. The Kingdra attempted to fire upon the mech with another Hydro Pump, only to be tackled to the ground by Machoke's Submission. A Tropius sent several of its leaves flying at the robot with a Magical Leaf barrage, only for it and the attack to be blasted away by a Flamethrower fired by Arcanine.
With the mech in action, it seemed as though the odds had evened up. Already Robo Groudon was smashing through Cipher's Pokemon.
Eldes's attention was drawn to an explosion from the laboratory.
And there went his hopes that this would go smoothly.
"Get to the lab and back up our boys there! We'll handle things here!" the sergeant roared as he dodged several blasts from the melee. Nodding Eldes sprinted towards the flaming laboratory. Unhooking two Pokeballs from his belt, he tossed them into the air as he ran.
From one, a mighty Metagross emerged, its metallic arms tucked in as it hovered over the ground with its red eyes glowing with power.
From the other, a green dragon with big red eyes burst from the capsule. Flygon took wing as he raced alongside his partner and Metagross towards the facility.
Eldes burst his way through the main entrance and made his way to the right hand door from what passed as a lobby. Pressing himself against the wall, he silently made a hand signal at Flygon. Nodding, the dragon charged through the door followed closely by Metagross. A quick hiss from Flygon indicated the room was clear.
The former Cipher Admin. entered the room, only to see an officer and his Mightyheena be thrown from the staircase leading down to the main lab. A Tauros came charging up the steps, its horns aimed at the downed partners with a Horn Attack.
Metagross intercepted the charging bull while its body gleamed from the effects of Iron Defense. The construct grabbed the Tauros's horns, its metallic claws clamping down on the sharp weapons. Its back legs dug into the floor as the maddened Pokemon pushed it back, scraping its horns against Metagross's metallic hide.
Heaving with effort, Metagross tossed its arms upwards, yanking the Tauros's head with it and exposing its unguarded chest. It proceeded to slam a series of Comet Punches directly into the bull's lungs, sending the Normal-type flying down the staircase. Flygon proceeded to fly after it. From what Eldes could hear, the dragonfly fired a DragonBreath before Metagross stomped forward into the lower level.
Running down the steps and onto the lab's catwalk, Eldes could see that the main lab was in chaos. Cipher Peons ordering their Pokemon around, the two guards attempting to put together some form of defense, attacks flying, machinery exploding. He almost thought to himself that Kaminko may faint upon seeing the state of his lab.
Either that or get some ridiculous motivation to build everything from scratch. Somehow the latter seemed more possible to Eldes's disappointment.
Flygon flew down to the lab floor, blasting away a Girafarig getting a little too close to comfort for the encircled officers. Eldes proceeded to clamber on top of Metagross and rode the construct down to below. He leapt off as a series of blasts struck the Steel-type. Just as the special attacks hit, Metagross covered its face with both of its forward legs and allowed the beams to wash over its impenetrable steel with Protect.
Eldes scrambled to the pinned down officers. "Is everybody alright?!" he shouted over the chaos. One of them nodded numbly, though truth be told the situation wasn't looking too good. Already one was knocked out of the fight, and there was no way the three of them could fend off an attack from six peons plus their commander.
Their best bet was to hold them off until reinforcements arrived. And they wouldn't have to wait long for that.
Suddenly, an Alakazam from the Cipher ranks rushed forward and smashed a Fire Fist into Metagross's face, forcing the pseudo legendary to its knees. Flygon swooped in and tackled the mystical fox onto the ground, only to receive an Ice Fist right in the torso.
Eldes suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
He knew only one person who had an Alakazam that could utilize a combo like that.
The fighting from the peons stopped as a man in dark robes strode forward.
"Hello...traitor," Ardos spat out.
The two brothers stood apart from each other over the ruined remains of the lab, the chaos pausing for just a moment. Both sides and their Pokemon looked at each other, wondering what they should do.
"Ardos...it has been a while, brother," Eldes responded, though the venom in his voice wasn't quite intended.
"Indeed it has," Ardos commented as he began to pace back and forth. "I almost forgot you used to be one of us. Had the same dream as our grandmaster."
"That wasn't a dream. That was a nightmare! We both knew that what father was doing was wrong! You should know that as soon as he created XD-001!"
"You mean when we created XD-001? If I recall correctly, you stood by and watched in awe as XD-001 conquered the legendary birds. When it lifted the S.S. Libra out of the sea! Tell me, if XD-001 wasn't enough to convince you to turn, what was?!" Ardos shot back, his face turning red with fury.
"How about when Michael opened my eyes?!" Eldes argued, his voice just barely holding back a snarl. "He showed me what we were doing was wrong. Showed me what I should've known long ago! The Shadow Pokemon program was utterly cruel and destructive in design. I was too blinded back then, same as you! But when he won over XD-001 back at Citadark Isle, you were too obsessed with pleasing father to even notice."
"And yet when the tide turned, you betrayed us. Not before when you could've had a chance to 'set things right' as it were," Ardos shot back. "Are you seriously telling me that you really believed yourself better than us? That you weren't willing to do the exact same thing as us before Citadark Isle?"
Eldes opened his mouth...only to leave it open in shock. Ardos was right. It did take him a long while to wake up from the nightmare. He should've seen the warning signs as soon as Greevil mentioned the name "Cipher" to him all those years ago. Should've spoken out in protest when he first read the plans for XD-001.
"You believed in the same dream as us," Ardos continued, practically reading his brother's mind. "You believed that the old Cipher held the key to Orre's future. That in order to survive, man and Pokemon must become stronger. That's what you believed in. You wanted to serve the Grandmaster just like me to achieve this dream. Yet when the eleventh hour fell, you faltered and switched sides.
"Say all you want about being a hero, but you're just lying to yourself. You're nothing but a pathetic coward."
Again, Eldes stared in shock. Him, a coward? He risked surrendering himself to the International Police and facing a lifetime in prison to stop Cipher! How delusional could Ardos get if he honestly believed he defected out of cowardice?!
"I'll make sure to let the Grandmaster know you went down like the spineless worm we all know you to be," Ardos said as he pointed forward.
Alakazam's eyes glowed with power as it unleashed Psychic upon the given target, broken pieces of equipment and debris being thrown from the force. Metagross quickly placed itself between the attack and Eldes, throwing up a quick Light Screen to cushion the impact.
With the construct pinned down by the attack, Alakazam rushed forward with another Fire Fist burning within its palm. Flygon quickly darted right in front of the charging fox and quickly whipped up a Sand Attack, throwing debris in the Psychic-type's eyes.
The Alakazam snarled as it tried to claw the blinding sand out of his eyes, only to be thrown back from a Shadow Ball fired off from Metagross.
Before Metagross could follow up, a Loundred appeared and fired a Hydro Pump into the Steel-type. The battered construct was forced back from the water, landing right at Eldes's feet.
"Return!" Eldes recalled Metagross back into its Pokeball. He didn't want to risk his heavy hitter to get more bruised up this early in the fight. Truth be told, it wasn't looking good. The Pokemon of the officers were being forced back as the Cipher goons began to encircle them. There was only so much he could do against such formidable odds.
"Exol! How far are you into finding those files we're looking for?!" Ardos barked to the peon commander beside him. Exol looked up from one of the peons working on what Eldes assumed was the master computer of the laboratory.
"We're having a little bit of trouble. Looks like Kaminko locked up his files nice and tight, but we're attempting to override them with a program that our techboys cooked up! Just hold them off for a little while longer!" the peon commander responded.
Eldes almost broke out a grin. If that's the case, then they've got a little bit of time to interrupt it. Though admittedly trying to interrupt it wasn't looking as the most viable option. Right now their biggest concern was to extract safely and possibly prepare for a counterattack. They might be able to afford it.
That is of course, assuming they are able to safely retreat. Ardos, Exol, and the rest of their troops weren't really giving them an opening. Pull back at the wrong time, and they could be having Pokemon raining down attacks and assaults on their backside without being able to retaliate. And knowing Ardos, that would be a thing he would do.
"Pull back now!" Eldes shouted to the one who was put in charge of the ones guarding the lab. "We need to regroup and cut our losses so we can plan a counterattack!" He yelled as a Sharpedo began to advance on his position. The shark's teeth were barred as it bore down on the turned former admin.
A Leaf Blade sent the Sharpedo flying as a Shiftry leapt into the fray. Eldes stared in shock as the Shiftry's officer stood beside him.
"You know as well as I do that you can't hold them all back by yourself," he flatly stated. He then motioned for the other officer to head back up stairs to heal up as he took position beside Eldes.
Nodding to each other, Eldes, the officer, and their Pokemon stood side by side against the Cipher horde.
They couldn't win. They just needed to hold out for as long as they can.
Michael brought his bike to a screeching halt as he saw the scene before him. Nothing less was a battle was raging outside of Kaminko's laboratory. What looked like a horde of Cipher's Pokemon were assaulting a fortified position right outside the main gate. A group of officers (must've been the guys Looker positioned here) were trying to holdout against the assault, but it was clear that the numbers were on the attackers' side.
On the other hand, the law enforcement did have a giant robotic Groudon on their side. Which did seem to even up the odds a bit.
Kaminko would have the time of his life if he saw this in person, he thought.
Unfortunately, even Robo Groudon was being overwhelmed. Michael could see a Kingdra blasting it away with a Hydro Pump whilst a Gyarados had wrapped its snake-like body around the mech, its muscles tensed as it held the robot steady.
Instinct kicked in as he lept off his bike and reached down to his side grabbing two Pokeballs. From the balls, a pair of brilliant lights in the forms of Dragonite and Fearow appeared. Both the winged Pokemon spread their wings and flew towards the battle.
Michael gave his first orders, "Dragonite! Take care of that Gyarados! Fearow! Get that Kingdra!"
Dragonite gave off a ferocious roar that caught the Gyarados's attention. It's irises shrunk as it felt the fearsome bellow of Shadow Down. The dragon slammed into the sea serpent, dark energy blasting out from Shadow Rush, claws and teeth clawing and biting into hard blue scales.
The Gyarados roared as it tried to turn around and Crunch down on the attacking wyrm. Dragonite merely flew back and kept out of the serpent's range while continuing with the assault.
Unbeknownst to the dueling dragons, Kingdra was taking aim at the Dragonite-
-only for Fearow to rake its eyes with an Aerial Ace with her sharp talons. Kingdra attempted rear its head back and aim a Water Gun in order get her off, only for the raptor to gracefully flap away with Agility before ramming a Drill Peck right in its face.
"Now Espeon!"
Espeon ran forward with his gem gleaming with power. The magical cat unleashed a powerful Psychic attack that toppled the distracted seahorse. Kingdra attempted to aim another shot at the new combatant, only for Machoke to slam a Double Cross into its chest.
Freed up, Robo Groudon reached around and bit down on the wrapped Gyarados, its steel teeth cracking the blue scales. Flames bit at the Water-type, causing it to howl in pain and rage. The mecha proceeded to yank its head around and toss the serpent to the ground, before punching it out with a rocket power Brick Break. Dragonite proceeded to cover the robot's flank as it fired a Shadow Storm at an incoming Rhydon.
"Nice of you to join the party Michael!" Chobin's voice said, coming to life through the mech's inner speakers.
"Of course it takes a freakin' war to finally recognize me!" Michael shot back, just happy that the mech didn't try to roast him or something.
One of the officers, the sergeant by the looks of his uniform, ran up to Michael with his Arcanine in tow. "Glad to have you as backup kid! As you can see, we're having a little bit of trouble out here. We're counting at least seven peons on this end, and there's an assault happening at the laboratory. Eldes ran over there to go back them up."
Michael nodded as he took in the information. He did see a fire at the lab, and that's where the data they were looking for.
"I'll see to the lab. You focus on the front and keep them from breaching the entrance."
Michael and the officer jumped as Sabrina made her presence known. A Golbat proceeded to rush their position with its venom drenched fangs outstretched.
Sabrina's eyes glowed with power as her Alakazam threw a powerful Psychic attack that sent the Poison-type flying.
"Make sure you back us up as soon as you're done out here." Michael nodded as he understood her intentions. Dragonite and Fearow worked better outside anyways. And there was no telling what could happen should the assaulting force breach their defenses. Not to mention if he had to bring out the big guns...again. Outside they've got the advantage.
Sabrina's Alakazam and Gengar on the other hand, they can do wonders in close quarters.
"We'll hold them off! The reinforcements from Gateon Port should be here in any minute now anyways!" the sergeant said as his Arcanine fired another Flamethrower at a Tropius, knocking it out.
The gym leader and her Pokemon ran towards the laboratory as Michael got out the rest of his team. There really was no need to hold back when Cipher was bringing the war to your doorstep.
"PARTY TIME EVERYBODY!"
His Pokemon burst out of their balls as they dived head first into the battle. Dragonite slammed into the Rhydon with a furious Shadow Rush, sending both of them to the ground. Espeon channeled his psychic energies through Gardevoir through Helping Hand as a horde of Cipher's Pokemon descended upon them. The empath shot out both of her hands as she unleashed a supercharged Psychic on the incoming swarm, sending a few of them flying. Fearow bobbed and weaved amongst the shots from the Kingdra as Machoke used Submission to pin the seahorse to the ground.
And Houndoom raced through the carnage and leapt upon a Seviper that had its body wrapped around the sergeant's Arcanine. The hellhound's fangs were blazing with Fire Fang, causing the snake to hiss and lash out against its attacker. It was a momentary distraction, but enough for Arcanine to muscle his way out of one of the coils and launch a Flamethrower directly in the Poison-type's face, forcing it off.
As a Wheezing floated forth to back the Seviper up, both Houndoom and Arcanine stood side by side and unleashed a blazing inferno with a pair of Flamethrowers. The sheer force and intensity of the flames threw the two Poison-types back, both overwhelmed by the intensity of the fire.
The hounds' victory was short lived however as a particularly ferocious looking Manectric leapt through the inferno and unleashed a powerful Thunder at the duo. Arcanine was able to leap out of the way, but Houndoom was thrown back by the vicious attack. The orange dog's muzzle blazed with a fiery glow, before a massive rock thrown by what appeared to be Ancient Power sent the Pokemon straight to the ground.
The culprit turned out to be an Aerodactyl who swooped in from the sky with its massive wings outstretched. It descended upon the battlefield, its wings kicking up a gust of wind that hit the fires left over from the two Fire-types. As wind hit fire, a great deal of smoke was created that began to shroud the field.
"Somebody give me a sitrep!" the sergeant ordered as he recalled his badly injured Arcanine. Michael's own Pokemon staggered out of the smog, not willing to engage in obscured conditions. To his relief, Houndoom was able to make her way out of the smoke. Bruises covered her body from the last attack, but ash and cinders were still flaring from her nostrils. She wasn't even close to being done.
"We took some pretty nasty hits from that last assault sir!" One of the officers responded back. "All my Pokemon are in pretty bad shape."
"Damage levels are moderate at the moment. Robo Groudon is still functional, but it took some nasty hits in that last volley," Chobin reported over the speakers.
"Mine are still pretty fresh! Houndoom's little banged up, but she's doing fine," Michael reported as he took the moment to fish out a Super Potion and spray Houndoom down. She suppressed a snarl as the medicine sprayed against her wounds, but shook herself as she felt strength return to her body.
"Same here! Machoke's a little banged up but we're still in business," the last officer reported as he applied his own restorative to his partner.
The sergeant nodded to himself. "Alright...Rico, you stay here with Michael and Chobin and hold the line. Collins and I will pull back and get our Pokemon back into shape. The reinforcements from Gateon Port shouldn't be too far so we just need to hold out a little longer."
Michael and the officer named Rico nodded with acknowledgement as the two squad members retreated towards the laboratory. They needed to hold out a little longer. Though as he looked through the smoke, he had a feeling Cipher wasn't exactly standing idle. They were probably restoring their Pokemon as well, not to mention possibly getting reinforcements of their own. An assault of this magnitude would more than likely have a sizable attack force.
"Chobin! Is that Primal Mode of yours working?" the teen asked the lab assistant. For this last assault, they were probably gonna need to pull out the stops.
"It's called Protocol Primal! And yes it is working. However, Chobin would recommend we hold out on using it until we get the sergeant and his assistant back. We haven't quite worked out the flaws since our last stress test and Chobin does not want to create undue risk and deploy our trump card too early."
Michael grimaced. Annoying as he was, Chobin was right. Robo Groudon's Primal form did have the rather glaring weakness of having that blue orb visible and vulnerable to attack. With such a weakness, it would be best to hold out on the form until they were at full strength.
The Master Ball on his belt shook.
Luckily for them, they've got an alternative.
Espeon's gem glowed, causing the hair on the cat's back to stand up. Michael and his Pokemon got ready in anticipation. Rico along with his Machoke and what looked to be a Skarmory also tensed up, with the police officer slowly getting out his remaining Pokeballs. Robo Groudon roared out a challenge, indicating the mech was ready for action.
Everybody stood still as the smoke held in the air. There was no telling what was gonna come out of that fog.
Michael felt a wave of darkness emanating from the Master Ball.
Before he could figure out why, a small figure began to make its way through the smog.
"Wellll….it seems we meet once again. Although at this rate I should've expected this little reunion of ours."
The teen's blood ran cold as he heard that voice. His Pokemon tensed up while the Master Ball began to shake violently.
The figure continued. "As you can see, I haven't been idle ever since our last encounter. What with the mass arrests, the rebuilding and whatnot. But now that's all in the past."
"Kid...who is that?" Rico asked a little nervously.
"Just get yourself ready for anything. We're gonna be in for a fight," Michael simply stated as his muscles tensed and his heart pounded.
The figure halted.
"I see quite a lot has changed in the course of a month. You've captured the last of my Shadow Pokemon, you've made some choice allies with the International Police. But all of this has kept me wondering…"
The smoke suddenly dissipated from a gust of wind from the Aerodactyl, revealing a squadron of seven peons and their Pokemon. Some of them seemed familiar, but Michael could tell there were a few new faces compared to the last batch. Particularly, some of them had different colors of bandanas. Either red or blue.
But that's not what captured his attention.
In front of the squadron was a group of Pokemon. The Aerodactyl and Manecrtic from earlier, but also a Swellow, a Granbull, a Starmie, and an Altaria. All of them looked ferocious and ready for action.
But those weren't what drew Michael's gaze.
No. It was the diminutive man standing before them.
"...how is my dear XD-001 doing?" Greevil politely asked.
"His name's Lugia," Michael bit out, staring daggers at the old man. "He's not a weapon, and he never was yours. If he were, how come he turned his back on you?"
The Grandmaster merely shrugged. "Imperfections to be stamped out. We had dealt with such issues in the past. And we shall deal with them again."
"That's one heck of a defect," Michael snarked, hoping to get under Greevil's skin. "For the perfect weapon, XD-001 has a nasty habit of backfiring or not functioning as you envisioned. Wouldn't a weapon like that be considered defective?"
"Defects...are meant to be stamped out. XD-001 was merely not ready. We needed more time to fine tune the smaller aspects of its operating," Greevil said rather carefully, though Michael could tell that he must've struck a nerve. "XD-001 is still mine. I created it. And in time, he'll be mine again."
Michael cracked out a smirk as he got out the Master Ball. "If XD-001 is defective, then that must mean that it probably won't turn on you for a second time. After all, you did condition it to obey only you."
Greevil nodded, that awful smile still on his lips.
"Let's see how defective it really is."
He clicked the button to the Master Ball.
"GO! LUG-GAAAAAAAHHH!"
The teen yelped as he felt a shock zap his hand, forcing him to drop the Master Ball. Sparks danced around both the surface of the ball and within. The darkness within struggled to get out, but the electricity kept it confined.
"Whu-what on earth?!" Michael blurted out as he stared in shock.
"Did you really think I would let you pull the same trick on me twice?"
Michael looked up as he saw Greevil grinning madly. He also saw that the criminal mastermind was holding a small device in his hand.
"This is a little something that was left over from the war," the old man explained. "It's a jammer that interferes directly with the opening mechanisms of a Pokeball within a particular range. Admittedly this handheld model is a stripped down version of what the more powerful devices are capable of. They were used to prevent the enemy from using certain Pokemon in battles.
"Unfortunately, their use was limited since one needed to find the code of the particular Pokemon's Pokeball and those usually took a long amount of time. Luckily for us, there happens to be only one known Master Ball in the Orre region."
The trainer was left speechless. He wasn't sure of how to respond. Espeon looked back at his partner with concern in his eyes. But Michael gave no indication that he acknowledged his friend's gaze.
"One should never underestimate the Grandmaster of Cipher," Greevil stated flatly.
"Michael! You handle Greevil. Chobin and I will take on the others and cover you," Rico brainstormed as he called out his remaining Pokemon. The officer's voice brought Michael back to his senses, causing him to shake his head clear.
"Everybody, we just need to hold out for a little longer," Michael managed to choke out. "The reinforcements will be here any minute so try to focus on not getting yourselves banged up too badly." His Pokemon nodded in agreement as they formed a tight semi circle around the Master Ball, allowing them to cover each other should one face trouble. Robo Groudon and Rico's Pokemon took position on their flanks, staring down the peons.
Seeing the movement, Greevil stuck out his hand. "My servants! Your task is to retrieve XD-001! Show them the folly of defying Cipher!" he commanded as his Pokemon rushed forward. The Pokemon of the peons also rushed forward towards the circle, obviously hoping to overwhelm them with sheer numbers. Espeon shrieked, and on his signal, the defenders began to unleash a barrage of special attacks on the oncoming horde. He unleashed a Thunderbolt on the incoming Swellow, who nimbly dodged with Agility. Houndoom let forth a Flamethrower on the charging Manectric, blasting it with flames right in the face. Robo Groudon unleashed a barrage of missiles into the ranks of the horde, hoping to stem the tide.
In return, several of Cipher's Pokemon unleashed their own attacks to tie down the defenders and cover their allies. Starmie's gem glowed as it unleashed a powerful torrent of water through Hydro Pump at Houndoom, only for Gardevoir to quickly intercept the attack and narrowly block it with Light Screen. The Altaria left forth a DragonBreath at Dragonite, forcing the Shadow Pokemon to dodge.
With their allies covered, the more physically powerful of Greevil's team and his allies slammed into the defensive line. Their sheer numbers caused the line to buckle from the impact, but the positioning allowed the Pokemon to cover each other. This kept their lines intact for the moment.
Houndoom and Manectric rushed at each other with fangs barred and powers flaring. A sudden burst of light from the Electric type blinded the black dog, leaving her open to be tackled to the ground by a Quick Attack. Manectric proceeded to straddle the downed hound and snapped its fangs at her neck. She barely managed to place her forearm from the Crunch, those lightning infused fangs just inches away from her throat.
Houndoom snarled as flames leapt from her maw, engulfing her attacker with Flamethrower. Manectric was forced off from the inferno, giving her enough time to get to her feet and pounce on the wolf. Her fangs burned with infernal fire, gripping the Electric-type's mane with Fire Fang. Snarling from the assault, Manectric reared up and batted Houndoom down with its paws before gripping her with a fearsome lightning infused Crunch. The Fire-type then found herself tossed backwards like a ragdoll.
Manecrtic snarled as electricity came to life around its fur, heralding another Thunder. Houndoom groggily pulled herself up, her injuries causing her muscles to ache. Her eyes widened as the wolf let forth a huge electrical discharge-
-only for it to slam into a psychic shield. Houndoom looked back to see Gardevoir holding up a Light Screen. As the field collapsed, Manectric howled as it charged forward. The empath's eyes glowed as she conjured up a massive Psychic blast. Houndoom added to the assault with another Flamethrower. The two attacks combined to form a mystical force that sent the opposing canine skittering to the ground.
Their triumph was interrupted when the Starmie unleashed a Hydro Pump upon them. Gardevoir hastily set up another Light Screen, this one just barely holding back the attack. Her mind was beginning to strain under the relentless assault. Sensing the opportunity, the Granbull snarled as it charged forward with fangs barred, heralding a vicious Crunch.
Dragonite rushed forward, ramming into the Granbull with a Shadow Rush, sending the bulldog crashing to the ground. With unrestrained fury in his eyes, the dragon gave off a mighty roar that reverberated in the air. All who heard it froze in their tracks, with fear in their hearts from Shadow Down.
The only one who wasn't visibly affected was Greevil, who simply smiled as he saw the Shadow Pokemon bellow its awful cry.
Starmie was the first to break out of the stalemate, its gem glowing as it fired a Psychic at the raging wyrm. The attack caught Dragonite off guard, staggering him. The recovered Granbull took the opening, slamming into the Shadow Pokemon with a powerful Double Edge.
Both Granbull and Dragonite began to tussle with one another, claws flying and fangs bared. The Shadow Pokemon wailed down on the bulldog with his sheer force. But the canine managed to bob and weave through enough of the strikes to deliver some key punches and blows of its own. Brute force was matched by tempered skill, but neither could gain an immediate edge over the other.
Starmie spun to the side to get a clear shot, hoping to give its ally the edge with another Psychic-
-only to be blindsided by a Steel Wing from Rico's Skarmory.
Houndoom rushed to take her own position and fired a Flamethrower at the Granbull. The flames broke the concentration of the dog as it turned to snarl at the new assailant, allowing Dragonite to slam his tail filled with dark energy right into his opponent's face. Granbull was sent crashing to the ground again with another Shadow Rush.
"Thanks for helping out with that Starmie Rico!" Michael said, turning towards his companion.
"Couldn't let you have all the fun," the officer snarked in reply.
Meanwhile, the Starmie's gem glowed yellow as it unleashed a Thunderbolt at Skarmory. The metal bird managed to dodge at the last minute with a well timed Agility. She cried out a war cry before slamming another Steel Wing into the dazed starfish.
Skarmory then found herself blindsided by a DragonBreath from Greevil's Altaria. Before she could retaliate, the blue bird proceeded to throw its weight into the vulture with a ferocious Takedown. The bird like dragon shrieked as it pecked at the Steel-type's eyes.
Seeing the tussling birds, Dragonite took to the sky and slammed into the Altaria, knocking it away with a Shadow Rush. Skarmory squawked a thanks as she began to backpedal to the defensive line. Regaining its balance, Altaria fired a DragonBreath right at Dragonite's face. But the larger dragon managed to dodge with a surprising speed that belied his great bulk through Agility, before firing back with a dark Shadow Wave. The blue bird tucked its head within its cotton like wings, allowing the fluffy feathers to cushion the impact of the blast.
Dragonite howled in surprise as he suddenly took a Shadow Ball from behind. The Granbull roared as the dark orb dissipated. Hearing its comerade's cry, Altaria proceeded to give its own war cry as it slammed into the surprised dragon with Takedown, sending the beast down to the ground.
Granbull and Altaria charged at the downed Shadow Pokemon, only for Dragonite to fire another Shadow Wave. Both Pokemon stopped dead in their tracks, just barely avoiding getting hit by the blast.
Dragonite growled a warning as he got up and began to move back towards his teammates. If he had to fight both of them, he'd rather do it with friends watching his backside.
Up above, Fearow and the Swellow were engaged in a battle of their own. Their talons locked and swiped at each other as sharp beaks were jabbed and thrust between the combatants. The Swellow's wings are thrust forward, its powerful muscles driving them into a Steel Wing. Fearow managed to avoid the assault, dancing behind the charging raptor and slamming into its back with a Pursuit.
Swellow cried as it slapped its wing across Fearow's face, throwing the bird off kilter. It then proceeded to rake its claws across her chest in a show of Aerial Ace. Fearow was thrown back as the Swallow Pokemon continued its assault, slamming both of its wings into her through a powerful Steel Wing.
Seeing the Beak Pokemon under distress, the Aerodactyl swooped forward with its fangs outstretched, preparing to snap Fearow like a twig.
Missiles flew through the air and right around the besieged Fearow, causing both Swellow and Aerodactyl to back off. Her flight stabilized, she nodded down at Robo Groudon, thanking it for the assist.
She then curled her wings and dived back towards the group. Screeching, Aerodactyl followed in pursuit. The pterosaur diving with a predator gleam in its eye as it used its primal powers to pick up several large boulders from the ground, preparing an Ancient Power.
Espeon dash forward with dark energies coalescing around his forward, allowing him to fire a Shadow Ball at the incoming Aerodactyl. The dark orb smashed into the prehistoric predator, cutting its attack short and allowing Fearow to return to the circle.
Snarling, Aerodactyl dove towards the mystical cat with its claws outstretched. Espeon just barely managed to dodge its talons before charging up for a Psychic attack. The pterosaur just whipped its tail at the Psychic-type, sending him straight to the ground with an Aerial Ace.
Before Espeon could get up, Aerodactyl proceeded to scoop the dazed Pokemon up in its claws. It reached down with its open maw, its fangs gleaming dangerously as it moved in for a Bite. Instinct kicked in as Espeon fired a quick Psychic at his captor. The sudden burst of psychic power caught the living fossil by surprise, causing it to drop Espeon to the ground.
Taking the opportunity, Espeon dashed back to the defensive line. A thoroughly enraged Aerodactyl shrieked at its prey escaping, diving in order to recapture the fleeing cat.
The pterosaur was then hit by a powerful Flamethrower, forcing it to veer off and cancel its attack. Espeon looked up and saw the Arcanine from earlier with flames within his muzzle. He nodded gratefully as he retook his position.
Michael looked to his right and left as the officers and their Pokemon retook their positions. Some of them looked beat up from the earlier engagements, and judging from some of the absences not all of them were ready to continue the fight.
But it was still something rather than nothing. And at this point, that was all Michael could ask for.
"The reinforcements from Gateon will be here in a few moments," the sergeant announced. "We just need to hold out a little longer until then!"
Michael broke out a grin. Finally, some good news!, he thought.
"Well Michael, while it has been certainly fun meeting with you again, I must bid you adieu for now."
His thoughts were broken as he heard what Greevil was talking about. "What? Running with your tails between your legs? That's not exactly the comeback I was expecting," Michael shot at the old man.
Greevil's lips curled in that nasty grin. "No. We simply have what we came for. While it is regrettable that I haven't been able to obtain XD-001, what the good doctor has provided will ensure its retrieval in the near future.
"So until that day comes, I'll let you hang on to XD-001 for a little while longer. It's like I said. As long as XD-001 exists, Cipher will survive."
At those words, the Wheezing from earlier belched out a Smokescreen while the Aerodactyl whipping up another gust of wind. The gale carried the smog right in the faces of the defenders. Michael covered his eyes and gagged as the foul vapors entered his nostrils and throat.
He could hear heavy footfalls fade and the distant sound of engines roaring. But the smoke was too intense for anybody to really make a move.
By the time he lowered his hands, the goons were gone.
Greevil was gone.
His blood ran cold.
The sergeant put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry kid. We'll track em down. Did everything we could."
Michael collapsed on his knees as he heard those words.
Did everything they could.
Then why did he feel so helpless?
Eldes grimaced as he felt the Alakazam throwing Flygon back with another Psychic attack.
It wasn't looking good. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't get anywhere near the supercomputer. Not even to throw a special attack in order to cripple it. Ardos and Exol alone would've made it a challenge, but the numbers were simply not on their side.
The only thing Eldes and the squad could hope to accomplish was to survive long enough for reinforcements to arrive. But that was looking slimmer by the second. Several of his team were knocked out already or badly injured. Flygon was the only one who was a bit healthier than the others. His comrade's Shiftry was doing admirably, but even he could tell the Grass-type could only hold out for so long.
Exol's Loudred and Shiftry traded blows with one another, fists meeting sharpened leaves in a frenzied melee. The Loudred attempted to wrap its arms around Shiftry, hoping to catch it in a Seismic Toss. Shiftry proceeded to plant a Stomp right in the Big Voice Pokemon's face, allowing him to back away. The tengu then loosened several of his knife like leaves and launched them at his opponent through Razor Leaf. Loundred covered its face as it tried to shield itself from the onslaught.
His opponent on the defensive, Shiftry dashed in with a Leaf Blade in each of his hands, intent on slicing up the ene-
Loundred suddenly threw open his arms and gave a ferocious Uproar, blasting Shiftry away from the sheer force of the sound blasts coming from its mouth and amplified through its ears.
Eldes and his comrades were forced to cover their ears as the sound was so deafening.
With their opponents effectively pinned down, Alakazam rushed towards Flygon with ice forming around his first. The dragon's eyes widened as he whipped up another Sand Attack, throwing broken pieces of equipment and smoke in the psychic's face. Flygon then fly back whilst unleashing DragonBreath on Alakazam, forcing him back.
The Pyschic type on the defensive, Flygon rushed forward, hoping to end this with a Crunch-
-only for Alakazam to throw an Ice Punch right in his face, sending him to the ground.
It was easy in the heat of battle to forget that psychics didn't necessarily need to use their eyes in order to see you.
Alakazam formed another Ice Punch around his fist as he stalked forward. Flygon attempted to scramble back on his feet, only for exhaustion and his injuries to bring him back down.
He only watched as the one he once called an ally loomed above him with an unreadable expression on his face and holding an ice encrusted fist.
A Shadow Ball from nowhere proceeded to slam into Alakazam, sending him flying to Ardos's feet. Looking up, the dragon saw a Gengar getting between him and his assailant. The ghost looked back with concern written in his face. Flygon nodded in acknowledgement.
Loudred pounded the floor, clearly getting ready for another Uproar, only to be thrown across the room by what looked like a Psychic. To everyone's surprise, the attack came from another Alakazam, the air around him charged with unimaginable psychic might.
And into their midst strode a young woman with glowing eyes and hair billowing with power. Eldes and his comrades took a step back as she stood before the Cipher forces, with Gengar and her Alakazam at her side.
They all stared at her with trepidation, nobody wanted to be the moron make the first move.
"...how far are you coming along with the data?" Ardos said. Eldes noted that while he sounded confident, there was an undercurrent of fear in his voice.
"FINISHED!" the Peon at the supercomputer exclaimed (although a little too high pitched to be merely excited). "LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!"
The confidence returned to Ardos's face as he glared at Eldes. "You got lucky this time brother. We'll make sure to pick this up at a later date."
"What makes you think we'll just let you walk out of here?" Sabrina coldly asked.
"You don't have the manpower," Ardos pointedly. "Even with your fresh Pokemon, you're still outnumbered 7 to 1. My brother and his little friends aren't exactly in any good condition to keep fighting after all."
"I like those odds," Sabrina simply stated, her power flaring again. The auras of Gengar and Alakazam flared as they got ready for battle.
"It seems we must hold off our battle until next we meet," the Cipher admin said to his brother, ignoring the psychic entirely. "Go and play hero with those weaklings. You would fit right with them squirming around in the muck. What the Grandmaster ever saw in you I have no idea."
"Have you completely bought into his lies brother?!" Eldes snapped back. "You know as well as I that father only covets power! It was the only reason he gave into this Shadow Pokemon nightmare to begin with!"
"And he'll restore Orre to its rightful place in the process!" Ardos roared. "We've been under the shadow of the other regions for far too long due to their conflicts. Their wars. Shadow Pokemon provide the key to this. XD-001 provides the key to this! We can go toe to toe with their Mega Evolutions or Dynamaxes. We just need to be willing to take the necessary steps!"
"O.R.F. provides the means to restore Orre without resorting to Shadow Pokemon! They've been working tirelessly to undo the damages wrought from the war, and stem the chaos. Chaos that you and Cipher have been fostering!"
"Chaos makes us strong. It weeds out the weak and strengthens the strong. Only those greatest will rise and join our ranks. And from that, we will secure our borders and restore our place!
"And besides, we don't look too kindly at foreigners infiltrating our ranks," Ardos concluded looking squarely at Sabrina. "We know you've been seeking help from the International Police," he said, turning back to Eldes.
"Tell me, is O.R.F. really restoring Orre to its rightful place, or just fattening it up for others to exploit?"
Eldes opened his mouth...only to have it close back up. Fanatical as he may be, a grain of truth still lingered in his brother's words. Looker and his people may be good, but what about their higher ups and the world at large. The agent did say his leaders wanted Shadow Lugia taken into custody and for them to take over the operations of O.R.F.
But what could they gain from interfering in restoring Orre?
"They'll never change. They'll always toss us to the side when they've used us up," Ardos said whilst turning away. "You'll figure it out. Sooner or later."
The only warning Eldes had that something was about to go down was one of the officers yelling "LOOK OUT! FLA-!"
And suddenly there was an explosion, and the world went white.
Eldes covered his ears, trying to block out the ringing in his head.
He blinked several times before his vision returned, at first a blurry mess of after images and movement, but then things began to piece themselves back together.
By the time he regained focus though, Ardos and the squad had vanished.
"Crafty little-he must've had somebody use a flashbang on us while he was making that speech of his," somebody stated.
"Makes sense. Kind of hard to concentrate on your surroundings when you're being given a performance," Sabrina said with firmness.
"Right now though our biggest focus should be regrouping outside. They got what they came for and they've got a headstart on us," another officer said. The rest of the squad began to make their way up the stairs, with Eldes and Sabrina in tow.
Eldes couldn't help but have a bad feeling in his gut.
If Cipher was gutsy enough to deploy Ardos to retrieve the data, who was the one leading the charge out front?
Michael didn't hear the reinforcements come in. Didn't hear them put out the fires and secure the areas. He heard them talking about chasing after the convoy. Something about how Cipher got a head start on them.
He didn't hear the other team regroup with the stationed squad. Didn't acknowledge that Sabrina walked up to him, calling his name.
He barely even registered Espeon pawing at this jeans and the rest of his Pokemon gathered around him in concern.
All he noticed was the glowing Master Ball, and the darkness swirling inside.
"I let him get away. Again."
He heard somebody say it wasn't his fault.
"We knew he was going to hit this place, yet we still let it happen. I still let it happen."
Again, somebody was saying that they simply didn't have the manpower or the time to man a proper defense. He thought it was Eldes or one of the officers. Didn't know which.
"We might as well have let him waltz in and take all of our data."
Michael sunk to his knees.
"First Citadark Isle. Now the mansion...Why?"
He felt power coursing through his veins. Unbeknownst to him, his eyes were glowing red.
"Why?"
The soil and grass around him began to be disturbed as the Master Ball began to pulsate violently. Espeon began to lick his face.
"WHY CAN'T I DO ANYTHING RIGHT?!"
Michael screamed as a massive burst of dark energy burst around him, sending Espeon flying and his Pokemon reeling. The emotions poured out of him like a torrent. Hate. Rage. Sorrow. They just wouldn't stop coming. There wasn't anything to stop them. Nothing seemed to matter as he howled to the heavens, just wondering what, if anything, he did even mattered in the grand scheme of things.
Two steps forward, three steps backward. Greevil was still out there, Cipher was still active, they weren't any closer to purifying Lugia, and dad…
Did anything he does matter?
Suddenly, he felt himself embraced by several figures. He felt Sabrina and Gardevoir embrace him in a tight hug. Houndoom was rubbing her muzzle at his shoulder while Fearow perched on his shoulder. Even Dragonite curled his body around them.
And old Espeon was licking at the tears that wouldn't stop flowing.
The dark aura faded as Michael embraced Espeon in a tight hug, his body heaving from the sobbing.
Nearby, the Master Ball lay dark and silent. The being inside having withdrawn and left to its own ruminations
A/N: Whelp, Cipher's back and they're as dangerous as ever.
Eldes and Ardos have their reunion which I do plan on following up on. They really don't interact with each other all that much aside from the final cutscene so I figured I'd give some more insight into their relationship.
We also learn a bit more of what led Greevil to reform Cipher. At least, Eldes's and Ardos's interpretations. The truth lays somewhere in between, but we'll learn a bit more as the chapters go on. I mainly wanted to focus on why Ardos is so fanatical to the cause. Especially since when you do beat him in the Orre Colosseum, he still hasn't given up hopes of reforming Cipher despite how unlikely it is.
Big fight scene between the Cipher goons and the police. I'll admit I had some trouble with figuring out which Pokemon the peons and officers were gonna use. I also wanted to keep this at least somewhat tactically sound for the universe in question, which is why we have stuff like squad members retreating to heal up their Pokemon and the like.
As for Greevil's device, I figure this would be something that would be a natural extension of the universe. Pokemon do spend most of their time in Pokeballs as forms of data, so it would make sense for somebody to create a device that directly interferes with the opening mechanism and keeps them locked in.
Michael and Greevil also have their rematch. Greevil's Pokemon come from the rematch in the game when you capture all his Shadow Pokemon. They're of course a little more experienced since Greevil has had them for quite a while. Michael did okay but it's clear the Grandmaster would've won out in the long run.
And of course, we end with Michael's breakdown. Honestly, it's kinda amazing he's managed to hold up for so long. Kid loses his father not too long ago, has to fight against a terrorist organization, and now has to find a way to purify the world's strongest Shadow Pokemon. That kind of pressure can take a toll on an adult, let alone a child.
Next up, we find out the aftermath and check in on how Looker's negotiations with the International Police went. Cipher's going to lay low for a while since they have what they need and they really can't afford any more big operations.
Until then, thank you for reading, leave a favorite if you enjoyed, and make sure to leave those reviews! Take care!