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Pokemon HQ Lab
Eldes let out a sigh of relief as he felt the warm air of the outside caress his face.
He needed some fresh air.
The former admin of Cipher had been shut in the war room with Prof. Krane, Looker, and Doctor Kaminko, with the Pre-Gym Leader and de facto head of the militia, Justy on video. Topic of the day: where to position their forces. They knew Cipher was planning on another raid to get more tech for Project: TEMPEST, the question was where. The laboratory was immediately ruled out. Any data collected would've been redundant and not worth the risk. Not to mention that being a repository for Cipher's files, it didn't have the tech they would be looking for.
Krane then suggested Citadark Isle as the potential spot for the invasion. That was shot down by Eldes. For starters, Citadark Isle was not easy to assault. Even without Shadow Lugia churning the seas, the sharp dark cliffs and being out at sea made an all-out attack unlikely. Ironically, Michael's raid was best suited since he could more easily navigate through the corridors working alone. Not to mention the logistics of moving a force large enough to properly raid the base from the mountains across the region would ruin any element of surprise and give them ample time to bolster Citadark's defenses. Something Justy agreed with.
That left the Shadow Production Facility. Nestled in the mountain range, it would be easy to attack with no warning. Not to mention Cipher could easily retreat without betraying where they were going. All in all, the one place they shouldn't let unguarded. The decision was made to deploy the majority of the militia there, leaving just enough to properly defend the towns should an attack come there. A raid on the secret lab they could afford, and they would have enough time to redeploy their forces if Cipher attempted a raid on Citadark.
Manpower was still an issue, but it was better than nothing.
The topic then moved to where Cipher's base was. Looker's contacts were rapidly narrowing down possibilities. He even estimated by the time of the next raid, they may have a definitive answer. With Greevil losing the advantage of surprise, the military and Interpol would be able to finally launch their offensive. And with luck, take the Grandmaster down and dismantle Cipher once and for all.
Of course, nobody said such an effort would be easy. Knowing Greevil he probably anticipated such a scenario. They had to be ready for anything.
Those words. "Putting Cipher down for good." Eldes could scarcely believe it. Of course, he'd have to do time as well. But if this was the way to pay for his crimes, he'd do it. Who was he to cheat justice?
Yet that wasn't what bothered him.
He heard a pair of footsteps from behind as he sat down on the stone steps leading to the entrance. "Hey! Didn't expect you out here." It was that island girl that Michael brought home. Melody, he believed her name was.
"Since Eldes has shown good behavior and excellent conduct during the raid, it was determined he could wander the facility unsupervised. Minus access to the Purification Chamber of course." That voice was the more familiar Chobin.
Eldes sighed as he leaned back. "I suppose the tests regarding the song have been helpful?"
"Indeed! Melody's song is practically the opposite of the song that was used to corrupt the Shadow Pokemon in the first place. It may very well be the key to purifying Shadow Lugia!" Chobin announced cheerfully.
"Of course they're gonna want me to play that song in person when the time comes," Melody cut in, something Eldes was grateful for since he didn't know how much of Chobin's technobabble he could stand. "The effect may be stronger if it comes from me directly."
Eldes nodded as he closed his eyes behind his shades. XD-00...no, Shadow Lugia was on the cusp of being purified. Closer than ever in fact. From what he knew, Lily had ordered the technicians to begin wiring the Purification Chamber directly to the specially designed room where Lugia was to be purified. Judging from what he knew, Lily believed that having all the sets in the chamber be set at maximum tempo as a sort of powerbase. A way to maximize the amount of positive energy to open a Shadow Pokemon's heart. Melody would help funnel that massive amount of energy by playing Lugia's song. If all went well, Lugia should be purified at last.
There were a few technical details to be worked out, but the result was the same. And Cipher would be one step closer to total defeat. It should've been enough to lift Eldes's spirits.
And yet...something still didn't feel right.
"It's about Ardos, isn't it?"
Eldes spun around in shock as he heard Melody's words. "Michael told me about you two. Figured I needed to know."
The former admin chuckled warmly. "It's fine. I didn't realize it was obvious on my face."
"Well when you've been hanging out with a psychic sage for a while with a knack for reading people, you learn a few things," Melody snarked. Chobin opened his mouth, only for him to snap it shut, reigning in his instincts on asking the obvious.
Eldes sighed. "It's just...Ardos is unlikely to back down. I'm going to have to face him again and...well, putting one's own brother in jail for potentially a very long time makes one wonder. How...similar we are. Raised by the same father, raised under the same roof, raised by the same ideals. And the good times my brother and I had all those years ago. The memories we shared. How easy it could be for our roles to be reversed. Could...could I have done something to prevent this?"
Melody went quiet for a moment. Even Chobin took a sullen look for once. "The only difference was that I wanted to help Orre. He truly believed that Cipher could help Orre, not himself alone. If...if I had talked to him sooner. If I tried to show him the light...could he be standing beside me right now?"
Again, silence. The girl thought for what seemed like an agonizing amount of time. Enough for Eldes to consider the possibilities. Was he responsible for Ardos worshipping Greevil? Did he spurn him in some way? He already lost his father, he didn't want to lose his brother as well.
"Well...I think Ardos already made his choice."
The older man looked at Melody with bafflement. "Think about it. Didn't you give him every chance to switch sides? Did everything in your power to convince him what he was doing was wrong?"
"...yes. I did."
"And he saw all the same things you did. Which meant he would know what he was doing was wrong. It's not like you two were separated. Both of you were by Greevil's side all along. Doesn't that mean he would've known the same as you?"
Again, Eldes nodded. The girl's sayings were...surprisingly sound. Despite her age.
"Then...I don't think Ardos has an excuse anymore. He's probably deluded himself into thinking he's doing the right thing. And it's not like he hasn't seen the truth. He probably has. It's just...he may not want to face it. Take it from somebody who has a sister and who's seen a madman: there's just no reasoning with some people."
Eldes would've said something in his brother's defense...but then stopped. He admitted that Melody was correct. That did indeed sound like Ardos right there. Just hearing it said out loud though, that was something else.
Even then…
"He's still my brother. And he wasn't always like this. I...I can't just turn my back on him."
"Nobody's asking to turn your back on him. You just need to think about what's good for you. Worrying about what you may or may not have done isn't helping anyone. And if Ardos still won't listen, that's on him. You can't help him anymore. If anything, he needs to help himself. And if that means he needs to go to jail to pay for what he did, then so be it."
The answer was as blunt as it was true. It hurt of course, but ultimately, Eldes did concede that it was the only possibility. And if he did nothing, Ardos would continue to hurt more people. That, he could not allow.
"Besides, if what you said is true, then perhaps those memories of yours are not as happy as you remember."
Now it was Melody's turn to look in shock at Chobin's words.
"One should never look at separate memories as self-contained episodes," the assistant said, his face forlorn for once. "Often the seeds to one's choices are planted early on. You may not have seen it then, but you have seen the results."
Eldes looked down at his feet. Indeed. How much of his past did he truly remember?
…
"Sorry to bring that up. I thought you-"
"It's fine," Eldes said to the girl. "I...I think I needed it." He took a deep breath as he looked to the blue sky. How much of his memories were nothing but nostalgia for better days. Or if there were better days to begin with.
But just because his past was not happy didn't mean others would have to share the same upbringing.
Pyrite Town
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN LOVRINA ENTERED THE COMPETITION?!"
Everyone in Duking's office flinched at Michael's outburst. Nobody had expected to hear this much anger coming from a teenager.
"Relax kid. By the time we found out she already filled out her forum. It's not like she's trying to steal Shadow Lugia or anything. And even if she did, you've got that psychic link thing as Krane said. You'll know if she's gonna try anything," Duking pointed out. He kept his voice level, trying to calm Michael down. "And even then, taking her out of the tournament could cause a riot and I'm not gonna risk violence breaking out on my streets."
Unfortunately, the teen was already fired up. "So we're just gonna give her the chance to win?! That's what Greevil wants! She wins here, we're practically handing Pyrite Town to Cipher in a gift bask-!"
The Master Ball blinked once with power, followed by Gardevoir's Pokeball opening up, the maiden gently placing a hand on Michael's shoulder. She sent a soothing sensation in the room, aided by Espeon casting Helping Hand to amplify the effect. At once, the teen let out a sigh as he calmed down.
"I-I'm sorry. It's just...it seems like everywhere we turn Cipher's gonna take over this town. Once they have a steady stream of recruits, we'll be back to square one."
"Only if Lovrina wins the tournament." Marcia stepped in this time. "Michael...you're the best trainer I've known since Wes. I've seen you singlehandedly break the siege on ONBS and liberate Phenac. I filmed you sending Snattle packing for Arceus's sake! And you beat Lovrina twice before! I'll be honest, if anybody has the best chance of knocking her out of the tournament, it's you."
Michael gritted his teeth. He was their best option to get rid of Lovrina and avoid a slugfest. But the fact that she was hiding here all this time...that was a difficult pill to swallow. And given the circumstances, she'd be able to walk out of town lest they risk a riot.
So close and yet so far. That may as well be Cipher's motto: We're not going anywhere.
"Okay...okay. I'll do what I can. Lovrina's not walking out of here with that glory in hand," he declared firmly. The line needs to be drawn here.
"Alright. I'll talk to Cail, see if I can get him to tail Lovrina once this whole thing is over," Duking ordered, nodding to Secc. The teenager promptly left the room with orders in mind.
Then the burly man turned to Micheal. "Could I talk with you outside for a minute?"
Michael turned towards Gardevoir. She nodded along with Espeon, already following Duking out of the office.
The hot air greeted them as the two stepped out into the streets. Wanting to get away from the glare of the sun, Duking led them into the shade beside his office. They all leaned up against the wall, Gardevoir and Espeon settling down beside their trainer.
"Duking I...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped an-"
"It's okay Michael. I'm not mad. Heck. I was almost waiting for something like this to happen."
Michael blinked as he heard those words. Indeed, there wasn't any hunt of anger written on Duking's face. Just concern. "Whu-what do you mean?"
"Kid. How old are you?"
"...fourteen," he answered hesitantly.
"Well, there's your answer. Stuff like this...it's too much for someone so young to handle."
"I've been able to handle myself fine so far," Michael said, a little annoyed at being reminded of his age yet again.
Duking shook his head. "It's not that. You're a brilliant trainer. It's your mind that's the problem," he said, pointing to his head.
This didn't lighten Michael's mood. "So it's like Sabrina said. I'm going crazy."
"No! Not at all! Le-let me try to explain. My mom always told me kids think differently. That their brains are still growing and can't process many of the same things adults do. They have different...thresholds you can say. And there's only so much the mind can take before-
SNAP!
"And that threshold is a lot lower for kids," Duking explained. Michael looked down, as everything he did over the past few months were hit in replay. Cipher showing up to their doorstep. The Shadow Pokemon. Greevil's refusal to surrender. The raid…
"Hey. Listen to me." Michael looked up at the sound of Duking's firm but gentle voice. "Nothing you did was your fault. You did all you could with what you were given and no one can expect less. It's just...this was thrust on you. And that's not fair."
"But...but didn't other trainers fight criminal organizations in other regions like in Hoenn and Sinnoh?" the teen asked.
Duking shook his head. "Those places weren't Orre kid. And those criminals didn't show up at their doorstep looking for a fight. You've got a lot to worry about aside from what they did."
Michael looked at the Master Ball on his belt.
"One or two of those things are bad enough. You've had to shoulder all of them. It's no wonder you're starting to show issues right now," Duking said, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Besides...I've seen it before."
Michael looked up in surprise as he heard this.
"The Kids' Club...they had their moments too. A lot in fact. I couldn't blame them since, well, they were kids at the time. Still are in fact."
Michael leaned back as he turned towards his inner thoughts. The Kids' Club was an organization that funneled critical information to Wes and Rui about Cipher's doings. Secc and Marcia were part of them.
He never realized they were put in a similar position as he was in.
Duking then turned and knelt down as he looked Michael dead in the eye. "I want you to know this. There are a lot of people who went through the same thing you did. Who also...broke. And that's nothing to be ashamed of. Just know that whatever happens, you'll never be alone. That you'll never have to carry your burden alone."
At that, he felt several of his Pokeballs shake on his belt. He turned and looked towards his Pokemon. Espeon nodded, reinforcing what he always knew. Gardevoir also gave a nod, although this was a bit more forlorn.
Michael understood though.
He felt Lugia's ball shake as well.
They all broke at some point.
"ARE YOU READY FOR MORE?!"
The crowd in the colosseum as they clapped with approval, indicating their answer.
"Good! Cause our next matchup is gonna be quite the battle!" Duking announced. The last bout had Lovrina wipe the floor with some punk with a freaky hairdo. A bit one-sided, but the former Cipher admin did get a few more cheers than he would've liked. He was hoping to swing things around with this next bout.
Michael was the first to be introduced, to a rather enthusiastic chorus of cheers. Quite a lot more than yesterday's introduction. It was certainly a step in the right direction to be sure.
The teen walked to his designated side of the arena with Espeon, both of them awaiting their opponent.
"And his opponent! The champion of Phenac City, the leader of the Pre-Gym and one of the most seasoned trainers in this competition, give a round of applause for Phenac's Pre-Gym Leader: Justy!"
Justy strided into the arena with thunderous applause. Michael could understand the crowd's excitement. Justy was probably one of the stronger trainers he'd faced. He was honestly looking forward to having a rematch.
At least...he was trying to. He couldn't help but notice a few boos from the crowd. Justy seemed to take them in stride, but it didn't escape him that the leader was a staunch opponent of Cipher. After all, he did help expel any remaining moles following Cipher's takeover of Phenac.
Relax. Try not to focus on that right now. Keep your head in the battle, he told himself. Duking was right. He was letting things getting to him at the worst possible time. It wouldn't do either himself or Justy over what should've been a long-anticipated bout.
Even still…
He looked towards Espeon. The cat's muscles were flexed as he eyed the other trainer. His eyes and gem shone brilliantly in the sunlight. An image of exhilaration if one can be believed.
The sight of his partner pumped up for the coming battle did set Michael at ease.
"You all ready for this Michael? We've been waiting a long time for this!"
Michael smiled as he locked eyes with Justy. The challenge was made.
And he accepted. "I just hope you're not gonna hold back! We're gonna come at you with everything we've got!"
"I wouldn't worry about me! I did make a few adjustments to my team since we last battled."
Michael and Espeon glanced at each other. Willie shook up his team quite a bit from their last bout, it would make sense for Justy to do the same. It would be on the safe side if they started out slow.
The trainer nodded, giving Espeon the go-ahead to hop inside the arena. Michael proceeded to grab a Pokeball from his belt and click the button. Fearow came soaring out from the energy. Both of his Pokemon were relatively fast and agile. Not to mention Espeon's gem would allow him to more easily predict attacks. Perfect for scouting out what Justy's team was composed of.
Justy reached down to his own belt and threw out his first two Pokeballs. One opened up and a round, rabbit-like Pokemon hopped out. Michael was almost reminded of a Pikachu with the floppy ears and jagged tail. Course he already knew what an Azumarill looked like. Another new one, he thought. Guess Justy didn't lie about switching his team up.
The other one was a bit more familiar. A bat-like Pokemon with pincers for claws and the tail of a scorpion. Sharp fangs that seemed to glisten white and wild yellow looking eyes that-
Wait a minute. Gligars didn't have yellow eyes.
Looking again, Michael could see that this wasn't a Gligar. The similarities where there, but the flaps of skin that connected the arms to the tail looked larger, the pincers and fangs more pronounced, and an additional stinger at the tip of the tail. The skin looked darker with splashes of red breaking up the purple. And yes, the eyes were yellow.
All Michael could say was, "When did you have the time to evolve Gligar into a Gliscor?!"
Justy shrugged nonchalantly. "I did have a Razor Fang on me for a while. Got my hands off it from a Cipher storage cache from the original incarnation. Figured somebody was gonna use some to start evolving their Gligars. I figured, since this was the 5th anniversary of when Wes showed up to Phenac, now would be the time to evolve Gligar."
Gliscor hissed and did a cartwheel in midair, barring his fangs at Michael and his Pokemon in response.
Michael grimaced. Things were about to get a lot more complicated.
"Fearow, try and do what you can with Gliscor. He's still a Ground-type so you should be safe from some of his harder-hitting moves. You're faster so see if you can tire him out." Fearow nodded as she returned the shrill hiss with a warcry, answering the challenge.
"Espeon, focus on that Azumarill. From what I know that particular species is pretty bulky so try not to strain yourself too much. Probably not possible but we've got two more Pokemon to deal with. Do what you can now and before going on the defensive later so you can rest up." Espeon narrowed his eyes as he sized up Azumarill. The Aqua Rabbit Pokemon's skin seemed not unlike that of a balloon, so there may be some considerable defenses to punch through.
"Are you two ready for battle?"
Justy and his Pokemon nodded as they took their stances, starring down the enemy. Michael and his Pokemon also nodded as they pumped themselves ready for combat.
"Then...BEGIN!"
Fearow and Gliscor were the first to move, both of them charging toward each other. Gliscor lashed out with one of his pincers with a Slash. The raptor, in turn, parried the attack with a Peck. Both fliers careened to the sky before clashing again, this time Gliscor lashing out with his stinger for a Poison Jab. Fearow gracefully flapped her wings, her feathers loosened with Agility, and dodged the attack from above.
Above her opponent, Fearow raked her claws against Gliscor's hide with a ferocious Aerial Ace. This sent the scorpion tumbling to the earth before he extended his flaps and halted his descent. As he did this, several similar Gliscor's appeared beside him. Fearow recognized the Double Team for what it was.
"Try to see if you can get rid of those copies! Stay on the defensive and counterattack when you can!" Michael shouted up to her. Fearow narrowed her eyes. A frontal assault would be a bad idea lest she risk the entire horde descend upon her from all angles. She'll have to let them come to her first.
Indeed, the horde of Gliscors did charge at her all at once. Fearow quickly backpedaled in the air, hoping to at least hamstring them so she can take them out one at a time. She pecked and clawed away at the first few images, dispelling them with Fury Attack. At first, it seemed to work, with the mirrors vanishing as soon as she made contact. Eventually, she'd be able to hit the real one when he came in for an attack.
But the images just kept coming. Fearow wasn't able to keep up with all of them, being forced to dodge the ones she couldn't hit or parry away. Even then, she felt a Slash or two rake across her torso. There just didn't seem to be an end to them.
Finally though, one of her attacks did hit something solid, earning her a snarl. Fearow's sharp eyes honed in on the one reeling back and furled her wings. Gliscor extended his flaps to try and dodge, but Fearow had locked onto her prey now. All the others were just distractions. And indeed, her Drill Peck landed home.
Fearow rapidly pulled away from another wild Poison Jab, satisfied that she had done some decent damage. With the mirror images reduced and Gliscor now plainly visible, the element of surprise had been lost.
Of course, the wild look that Gliscor was giving her gave enough indication that the battle was far from over.
Down below, Espeon was having less luck with his opponent. Narrowly blocking another Hydro Pump with Lightscreen, he fired back with another Psychic. Azumarill stopped as she brought up her own Lightscreen, generated from her large ears. With her focused on blocking that attack, Espeon darted forward with his fangs bared and bit on the rabbit's arm with a Bite.
Azumarill simply thrashed her arm around, throwing the cat off like a rag doll. Landing on his feet, Espeon looked dumbfounded. It felt like he was fighting a brick wall. Every attack seemed to be simply absorbed by the Water-type's body. He wasn't even sure if she was feeling anything.
The Aqua Rabbit Pokemon bounded forward, recklessly throwing her full weight forward. Espeon flexed his muscles as he dove to the side to avoid the Double Edge. Rolling back up onto his feet, he summoned up another Psychic attack, sending Azumarill rolling on the ground. Judging from the heavy vibrations on the ground from Double Edge, that had to have at least hurt. It wasn't exactly an attack one would throw without abandon.
Instead, Azumarill simply got up and fired another Hydro Pump from her mouth, forcing Espeon backwards to dodge. No this was not gonna be easy at. All.
Up above, Fearow and Gliscor were engaged in a mid air melee. Having eliminated the last of the clones from Double Team, she had zeroed in on her target. Dodging a Poison Jab, Fearow laid into the flying scorpion with a flurry of pecks and claw swipes with Fury Attack. Her assault ended when she took a Slash to the chest, the pincers raking her feathers. The gargoyle then lunged forward, his fangs outstretched with lightning upon their tips. Fearow managed to grab the snarling head with her talons, maneuvering herself away from the Thunder Fang.
As she did, Gliscor lashed out with his tail, narrowly grazing Fearow's body with the stinger. The raptor squawked as the Poison Jab pushed her back, just thankful she hadn't taken the attack directly.
Now it was time to go on the counterattack.
Using the momentum from her backpedaling, Fearow snapped her wings and spun into a Drill Peck, heading straight towards her target.
At least she would've if her momentum hadn't been stopped by a timely swipe from Gliscor's Slash right to the eyes.
Fearow stopped in mid air as she cleared her vision. It was a light blow, but she didn't want to open herself up for a counterattack if she missed.
As her vision came back to, she could see a grinning Gliscor diving in, his stinger lashing out right at her.
Instinct kicked in as Fearow quickly extended her talons to maneuver the Poison Jab away from her. Gripping the tail, she propelled herself along the stinger as she spun into a Drill Peck, slamming right into Gliscor's torso. She allowed herself a moment of satisfaction, having landed a brilliant strike.
The moment passed when the Gliscor suddenly disappeared, vanishing into thin air.
Fearow's eyes widened with surprise.
Was that...Substitution?
Her thoughts shattered as she felt a pair of pincers grab her from behind as Gliscor rammed his stinger into her back, landing home the Poison Jab. The impact was so great that Fearow plummeted from the air, unable to control her descent.
Gliscor proceeded to give a quick shriek over to his companion. Seeing the plummeting Fearow, Azumarill fired a quick Bubblebeam to keep Espeon away. Then, focusing her inner energies onto herself, the Aqua Rabbit fired a powerful burst of strange energy towards the falling raptor.
Espeon and Michael looked on with surprise. It didn't feel like any energy they were familiar with. Although they had a feeling about what this move could be. Return. Almost any Pokemon could learn this move, but it mostly developed from a Pokemon's intense devotion and kinship with their trainer. The deeper the bond, the more powerful it was.
And this felt powerful.
The Return smashed into Fearow in mid-fall, slamming her into the ground. As the dust from the impact settled, the raptor could barely hold her head up before collapsing.
It was an easy call. "Fearow is unable to battle!" declared Duking. "That's one knockout for Justy!" The crowd cheered as Justy raised his fist in brief triumph. Sure the battle was far from over, but it didn't hurt to celebrate.
Michael called Fearow back to her pokeball. "You did good, girl. You've earned your rest," he complimented. And he meant it. She did take quite a bit of fight out of the Fang Scorpion Pokemon. He just needed to push the offensive a little more.
And Espeon was already ahead of him. The mystical cat sent another Psychic towards Azumarill. Powerful the attack may have been, it wasn't anything that the Aqua Rabbit couldn't handle as she set up a Lightscreen, letting the energy smash into her barrier.
As the Lightscreen faded though, Espeon's gem had already gleamed brightly for another attack. The light from the gem was brilliant, almost blinding both Gliscor and Azumarill.
Michael already knew what his partner was up to. He closed his eyes and felt his partner draw power from memories of the past. Return was fueled by the power derived when a Pokemon and their partner worked in sync. A bond tempered and hardened by not only battle and strife, but also love and compassion. The experiences they shared forged them into the partnership they were now.
And Espeon...Michael couldn't begin to count the memories they shared together.
When they first met when Espeon was an Eevee. Their first battles together. When Michael snagged his first Shadow Pokemon. Their initial battles against Cipher. When Eevee evolved into Espeon. Driving Cipher to Citadark Isle.
The confrontation with Shadow Lugia and Espeon's devotion to his friend…
The well for Return to draw power from was very deep.
And the deeper the well...the greater the power.
Espeon's gem glew brilliantly as a massive force kicked up sand, dust, and dirt from the arena floor. The very air seemed to fluctuate with the raw power behind the Return. Having just put down her Lightscreen, Azumarill could do little else but take the full force of the attack.
This was the result of their bond.
As the dust cleared, Espeon stood on Michael's side of the field, his eyes narrowed as he eyed his opponent. Azumarill was still standing, but she was breathing. Hard. And bruises covered her body. If she wasn't hurting before, she was hurting no-
Azumarill promptly flopped over on her side with spirals in her eyes.
"Azumarill is unable to battle! That ties up the score 1-1!"
Espeon blinked as the Water-type was recalled, before letting out a quick release of air. He couldn't stomach the idea of going any longer with that one.
Either that or his mind was beginning to fray. That...wasn't a good sign. Espeon kept this in mind as he struck his head towards the sun, hoping to recover some of his energy with Morning Sun. Best to rest up now when he has the chance.
Meanwhile, Michael and Justy were already reaching for their next pokeballs.
"Get em Sandslash!"
"GO! GARDEVOIR!"
Gardevoir emerged from her ball, emanating a small burst of power to warm herself up. Her eyes wandered to Espeon, seeing that the cat was tuckered out from the previous fight. Morning Sun had clearly rejuvenated some of his energy, but she could tell he wasn't up to his 100%.
Across the field, a shrew like Pokemon with spikes along his back and massive claws eyed the two of them. Sandslash sharpened his claws in anticipation for the melee.
"Espeon, Gardevoir. See if you can stay on the defensive. I'd rather not risk an all out assault if we can afford it. Give Espeon some time to recover. Try to see if you can get a knockout on that Gliscor. That should get us halfway." The two Psychic-types nodded as they eyed the other team.
Michael took a deep breath before the melee. Let his mind calm itself. There was a lot riding on this battle to be sure, but he remembered what Willie said. After all this was Justy he was battling. And truth be told the battle itself would've been fun if he loosened up a bit.
So why wasn't he able to relax?
Justy broke his concentration. "Alright you two! Go for the Sand Vortex!"
The teen blinked. Sand Vortex? That wasn't any move he had heard of.
As he thought that, Sandslash began kicking up dirt with his claws. The dirt and sand began to pick up in intensity as the wind began to howl. A Sandstorm had formed. This wasn't good. Michael knew that Sandslash and Gliscor had an ability called Sand Veil which made them difficult to hit in a Sandstorm.
Gliscor then proceeded to unfurl his wing flaps, flying in circles around Michael's side of the field. With every orbit around Espeon and Gardevoir, they noticed that the sand began to become more condensed and concentrated around them. The sands swirled more violently with every pass, to the point that they could barely see through the roaring wall.
Michael understood then why the combo was called a Sand Vortex.
Espeon fired an exploratory Shadow Ball into the swirling sands. The dark orb simply smashed against the violent sands. It became clear that they were effectively trapped in the vortex.
But that certainly didn't mean their Ground-type opponents wouldn't be hindered…
"Watch each others' backs! The attack could come from anywhere so stay on your toes."
The two Psychic-types complied as they backed up towards each other. Their eyes were peeled towards the swirling sands surrounding them. All they could see however was nothing but wind and sand. Not to mention the force of the tempest as well as the particles carried into the air made it difficult to even see into the vortex, let alone another Pokemon.
Espeon had no idea where the attack came from. All he knew was that Gliscor suddenly appeared before him, raked his face with a Slash, and disappeared back into the sand. It happened so quickly that the cat wasn't able to properly counterattack. Behind him, Gardevoir grunted as she took a Slash from Sandslash, before it too fell back into the sand.
They switched up positions as they watched the sands. It became clear that sight alone wouldn't be able to help them at all with the buffeting sands. A new approach was needed. Gardevoir closed her eyes and relaxed her nerves with Calm Mind. Her powers amplified in her zen, she reached out into the vortex with her mind, probing for the soul of her opponent.
She could sense the attack coming from below, heralding an incoming Dig. Her eyes snapping open, she narrowly sidestepped the Sandslash erupting from the ground with claws extended before thrusting out her fist for a Psychic. The Mouse Pokemon was flung back into the vortex, before disappearing once more.
The Sun Pokemon was having less luck. He reached out with his own mind, probing the sands for his opponent. It wasn't any good. Espeon sensed multiple images of Gliscor, indicating that the Fang Scorpion had used Double Team again. This wasn't good. A Pokemon with Sand Veil in a Sandstorm with Double Team active would be nearly impossible to hit.
Indeed, Espeon panicked as one of the images flew out of the vortex and came right at him. The cat fired a Shadow Ball in retaliation, only for the image to disintegrate into thin air. His tail twitching was the only indication he had before the real Gliscor came charging out with dark energy upon his claws. He only had a few seconds to hastily put up a Barrier before the Night Slash could rip him asunder, and no time whatsoever once the Flying-type retreated back into the sands.
And so both Gardevoir and Espeon were forced on the defensive. Sandslash and Gliscor were able to use the cover of the vortex to launch sneak attacks on their opponents. All the Psychic-types could do was defend themselves with Reflect and only counterattack when the opportunity presented itself. It wasn't often however given the speed of the strikes. And with the swirling sands and reduced visibility, more than a few attacks were able to land home.
Michael's mind raced as he tried to find a solution. Gliscor was the reason why this Sand Vortex was even here. Take him out and they should be able on somewhat even footing. He said somewhat since Sandslash was still more agile in the Sandstorm, but he'd rather risk taking a head-on attack rather than an onslaught from all directions.
Suddenly, his eyes were drawn to Espeon's split tail. The answer came to him as he saw the fork sway in the harsh winds.
"Espeon! Pay attention to that tail of yours! It only seems to twitch when the real one is coming at you!"
Espeon's ears perked up as he heard his trainer's advice. Between the fight against Azumarill and the whole Sand Vortex, it hadn't occurred to him to use his sixth sense. And it did twitch last time when the real Gliscor was about to attack.
Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes from the madness, Espeon focused his attention on his tail. Blocking out all other sensations in the process. It was a well known fact that the forked tails of Espeons were able to sense incoming threats by reading the psychic energy in the air. When it sensed hostile intent with a movement, it twitched involuntarily. The best trained ones could use that to essentially "foresee" an incoming attack.
All he needed to do was focus on his tail, and he should be able to counter the real deal.
His ears twitched as he felt a Gliscor charge at him. Espeon stumbled from the impact but stayed on his four feet, letting the mirror dissipate as it crashed into him.
At that moment, his tail twitched.
Espeon's eyes opened with tremendous power welling up inside of him. His eyes and forehead gem glowed with powe-
Gliscor simply slammed a Night Slash right into Espeon at point blank range. The Psychic-type cried out as the dark energies ravaged his body and mind, his will alone keeping him on his feet.
But that wouldn't last long. Gliscor grinned nastily with triumph as Espeon stumbled from the attack, almost seeing the cat fall to the ground fainted.
Then Espeon's eyes opened with rage.
And a whole lot of power.
At point blank range, Gliscor didn't have time to dodge to avoid the full might of the Return.
Michael almost stumbled from the sheer psychic might of the attack. He knew Espeon's Return was powerful, but this was on another level.
Or maybe...his perspective had shifted.
Ever since he'd become psychic, Michael had...been sensitive to other perspectives. Feelings and sensations he hadn't experienced before. Visions that blurred the line between reality and imagination. Mind you he was still fairly weak in the power department, but it was still enough to feel something rather than nothing.
And what he felt from that Return...was breathtaking.
All his memories that he spent together with Espeon both before he evolved and after. The victories they shared. The struggles they supported each other through. This wasn't just reminiscent. This was almost like he was reliving them all at once.
This was their bond given form. And Michael…
...Michael just smiled.
This was what it meant to be a Pokemon trainer.
Gliscor was sent flying from the Return, his body skidding across the arena as he gently hit the wall of the colosseum with stars in his eyes. It didn't take much guessing to realize that he'd fainted.
With Gliscor down, the Sand Vortex petered off into a regular Sandstorm. Although Michael could see that the sands were beginning to die down a little. Sandslash looked around in surprise, his cover blown.
Gardevoir looked toward her partner and wheeled around to Sandslash. Didn't want the rodent to try anything.
Espeon's body heaved as he took in great breaths of air. He looked up at his partner, who was grinning with pride for his old friend.
That...brought a warm smile to Espeon's face.
At least until he collapsed on the ground.
Duking made the call. "That's a double K.O.! Michael and Justy are now scored 2 to 2!" The crowd went wild with enthusiasm. Michael couldn't even hear the boos anymore the din was so loud.
Justy chuckled as he recalled Gliscor. "Now that was impressive. You must've trained a lot with your Espeon to get a Return that powerful."
"Well, he evolved into Espeon after we bonded for a while. Though that Sand Vortex combo of yours was great. Never figured you could do something like that."
"That's the thing with Pokemon. The more you fight with them, the more strategies and combos you can come up with. With the right mind, the possibilities reach the sky." The older trainer unhooked his last pokeball from his belt, looking the teen right in the eye.
"And I had quite some fun figuring out some things with this one."
Michael frowned as he heard that. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he got a bad feeling in his gut.
The pre-gym leader threw out his last Pokeball, and a pair of green appendages began to materialize from the energy. At first, Michael thought it was Justy's Cacnea. He fought her once after all and she was certainly green.
That thought shattered when he realized those weren't the prickly arms of a Cacnea forming.
No...they were a pair of green wings.
He only knew of one species with wings like that.
Almost as if they read his mind, the Flygon fully emerged from the Pokeball, hovering in mid-air. The crowd went wild at the sight of such a rare Pokemon. Marcia and Cameran in particularly focused their camera on the insectoid dragon.
Of course Michael only had one thing to say. "Where on earth did you get one of those?!"
"I went to one of those Poke spots that Duking found. Caught myself a Trapinch and I've been raising him ever since. I'd figured you'd want to meet him." Flygon trilled as he landed on the ground, almost as if to emphasize the pre-gym leader's point. Duking couldn't help but smirk as he saw his efforts bear fruit.
Well, color me impressed, Michael admitted. He had planned on trying out some of the Poke spots when this whole mess with Cipher was over. Just didn't have the time to do it. That and he was busy with all the Shadow Pokemon so having time to train more Pokemon was out of the question.
It was a good thing then that he brought a dragon of his own.
He reached down and unhooked his last Pokeball. It was already shaking with anticipation for the upcoming showdown.
"GO! SALAMENCE!"
Salamence charged out of the Pokeball, red wings spread and fangs bared. He fired a stream of Dragon Breath into the air, much to the delight of the now spellbound crowd. Michael couldn't help but shake his head. He knew the blue dragon liked a challenge, but he never pegged him for a showman.
With the crowd fired up, Salamence roared a challenge to Flygon. The other dragon spread his wings and trilled his reply.
The fight was on.
Salamence lunged forward, his fangs and claws outstretched. Flygon nimbly maneuvered out of the Dragon Claw's way, swiping the blue dragon's face with that long tail. He snarled in frustration, firing a Dragonbreath into the air, but the insectoid was too fast. Those wings easily maneuvered their owner out of harm's way and right onto Salamence's back. The snarls turned into howls as he felt the fangs of Crunch sink into his hide. His scales were thick, but that attack certainly hurt.
The stouter dragon whipped around, hoping to catch the dragonfly with Dragon Claw. But Flygon was too quick, simply spreading his wings and backing off at the last possible moment. A stream of mystic flames then burst from his mouth, striking Salamence right in the face. The hot flames licked at his skin, forcing the drake back.
Fire entered Salamence's eyes and fueled his wings, bringing them forward to whip up a gust of wind, propelling him forward through the inferno. Once again though, the attack went wide as Flygon saw the Aerial Ace coming, almost effortlessly dancing to the side as he whipped up a whirlwind of his own.
Flygon's wind however was filled with sand and dirt. The winds intensified around the arena as the Sandstorm was renewed with fresh vitality. Michael grimaced as he saw the green dragon slip into the winds, his smooth emerald scales allowing him to effortlessly swim through the winds.
He had Sand Veil as well. And given how maneuverable he was already, that meant he was gonna be a pain just to pin down. Not to mention he also had to worry about Sandslash on top of that.
"Gardevoir! See if you can get a Future Sight on Sandshrew! Even if you can't hit him now, we can at least ensure a hit in the future!" The empath already sensed his intention, preparing the strike right away and peering into the near future.
"Salamence! See if you can take Flygon higher into the air! That should get him out of the Sandstorm and into the open!" Hearing his trainer, Salamence already began his ascent, every wing beat taking him higher into the air. Already he could feel the winds die down with the altitude.
Down below, Gardevoir opened her eyes. The Future Sight was all set. All she needed to do was hold out a little longer. Sandslash did take a few hits in the previous engagement, and as far as she was aware the species wasn't particularly bulky against attacks like hers.
Problem now was holding out with an opponent who's currently more evasive than you are.
Sandslash lunged forward, his claws at the ready with a Slash. Gardevoir danced away from the first swipe, and blocked another swipe with a Reflect on her forearm. She lashed out with a quick Confusion, not wanting to strain her mind too much. Sandslash simply hopped away from the weak psychic burst while kicking up some sand.
As sand fell, Gardevoir saw multiple Sandslashes in front of her. He must've used Double Team in that brief span of time. She took a stance as the images came charging at her one after the other. The empath defended herself as best she could, sending weak attacks forward to dispel the solitary images, stronger ones to dispel large clumps. She figured the more quickly she could dispel them, the sooner she could find the real one.
Unfortunately, the ground shook as she dispelled the last image. It was then that Gardevoir realized that the mirrors were just a distraction, for the real one to use Dig on her. She braced herself, getting a Reflect ready for the impa-
Sandslash suddenly burst out of the ground right in front of her, a few feet off the mark.
Not wanting to miss the opportunity, Gardevoir fired a Psychic at point blank range. At such a close distance, it was impossible to miss, sending the Mouse Pokemon flying.
Sandslash hit the ground and sputtered to a stop. He tried to get his feet underneath him, but his strength failed him as he collapsed.
"Sandslash is unable to battle! That's 3-2 for Michael!"
Gardevoir blinked. The last few seconds happened so fast. And with so many questions. Why did Sandslash erupt from his attack early? A guaranteed hit may have been enough to take her down.
...Future Sight.
Right. Must've hit him underground.
Her head being brought up to speed, Gardevoir looked up to see how the battle was faring for her companion.
Not too well. Salamence had been doing everything he could to drag Flygon out of the Sandstorm. Dodging Dragonbreaths, returning in kind, he even dipped in and out of the tempest. But the dragonfly remained concealed, eager to pepper him with attacks from cover.
He snarled as he kept bobbing and weaving between the Dragonbreaths. He needed to land a solid hit and so-
-a Dragonbreath hit him square in the chest, knocking him towards the ground. Salamence attempted to spread his wings and control his fall, but he felt his muscles seize up. Paralysis.
The blue dragon plummeted seemingly helpless into the Sandstorm. Sensing his opponent's predicament, Flygon darted towards the falling dragon and slammed into him, fangs delivering a Crunch. Even when paralyzed though, Salamence refused to give up without a fight. Before Flygon could dart away, he grabbed his opponent and began to lay into the bug with Dragon Claw after Dragon Claw. His muscles prevented a relentless assault, but the direct blows were taking their toll as Flygon screeched out in pain.
At that point though, the green wyrm managed to wiggle his way out of Salamence's grasp, before slamming the pseudo legendary with a tail swipe, sending him crashing to the ground.
Flygon landed a good distance away to see his work. Salamence lay in a crumpled heap, his chest heaving up and down with effort and his muscles seized up with the Paralysis. He could only glare at the other dragon. At this point, it wouldn't take much effort to knock him out.
Turning around, Flygon assessed the other. Gardevoir was hurt badly, but she was still standing. And as far as the green dragon was concerned, a standing target represented a far greater threat. He wasn't doing so hot, so he couldn't risk the empath blindsiding him while dealing with Salamence.
Time to deal with the bigger threat first.
The Mystic Pokemon dived headfirst into the ground before tunneling his way through the earth. Gardevoir's eyes widened with horror. Dig would prevent her from attacking him from afar, allowing him to approach unabated. And between the long fight and the biting winds, she didn't have much energy left in her. Any attempt to dodge or block would've been futile given her state.
Salamence saw Flygon dive underneath the earth, the furrow heading towards the maiden.
Something in him snapped.
The great dragon roared as he flexed his muscles, fighting off the Paralysis with Refresh. He roared with fury as he rose into the air with his red wings outstretched as high as he could, before smashing into the ground with his full weight.
226 pounds being smashed into the earth at high velocity caused a very violent reaction.
Gardevoir almost fell over as she felt the tremors from the attack even from this distance. The very earth shuddered as cracks formed and the very earth upheaved from the impact.
Earthquake.
Earthquake on a tunneling Pokemon.
Flygon was thrown from the earth, his body flopping on the ground.
Salamence smiled with satisfaction at his work before closing his eyes in exhaustion.
Duking already made the call. "3-3!" The crowd roared from both the display of sheer power and the meaning of the call. Sudden death.
In this case though, the battle was already won.
Gardevoir focused the last ounce of her mental strength as she unleashed a mighty Psychic on the hurt Flygon. All the green dragon could do was pull himself up from the dirt and take the full force of the attack. He was sent crashing into the ground with a thud. Flygon's body stirred for a moment before going still.
"FLYGON HAS BEEN KNOCKED OUT! THE WINNER IS MICHAEL!"
The crowd went wild with the results of the match declared. All Michael could do was run into the ring to check his Pokemon. Gardevoir looked at him with a tired smile before embracing her trainer. Salamence had already shaken himself awake as he limped over and wrapped a red wing around Michael's shoulder.
Michael laughed with pride and joy in his Pokemon before raising his fist in the air, eating up the crowd's reaction. There were no boos this time.
"Nice work! Seems I was right to go all out," Justy complimented as he walked up, an exhausted Flygon at his side. The green dragon shared a look with Salamence.
Staring at each other, Flygon nodded with respect, accepting defeat.
Salamence returned the gesture, for the other dragon from Hoenn had been a worthy opponent indeed.
"Even at our best, we couldn't take you out." The pre-gym leader offered his hand.
"What are you talking about?" Michael asked with a smile as he shook his hand. "You nearly had us beat. And that Flygon of yours was great! Can't think of too many that can make Salamence fight like that!" Flygon lowered his head in embarrassment, not quite used to such high praise.
"Well it's not every day I've seen a Salamence use Earthquake and Refresh! Didn't even know he could learn the last one!"
"I used a TM for the first and the second...well that's something he picked up on." Michael was gonna tell him that he taught Salamence that move since he knew it was a good combo based on what he knew from the simulations, but he figured that was for another time.
For now, he basked in the adulation of the crowd and the company of his friends.
On his belt, the Master Ball shook with excitement.
Seemed Lugia was ecstatic as well.
The Wastes
Dagur sighed as she petted Ariados. The shack she called home was getting warm from the heat of the sun, so she figured she'd get some fresh air by sitting outside under the piece of cloth that acted as an awning.
The Wastes had never been the most hospitable of places. But if you wanted to find somewhere to hide, this was it. Dagur knew just about everyone here came out to live the rest of their days. Some of them wanted to escape justice, those she didn't talk to. Others wanted to leave a life of crime behind, but the sins of the past prevented a fresh start. Those she made good friends with.
Everybody had their reasons for coming here, some of them more understandable than others. She didn't judge. They were all Wastelanders now.
She heard something coming over the dunes. Heard vehicles stop in front of her shack and boots hit the sand. Dagur knew who they were. They'd been skulking around out here for a while now.
The one in front with a red scarf stepped forward. Must be their leader. The other five took up his flank. "Hello there!" he greeted her rather professionally. "We are-"
"Representatives of Cipher and you're looking for recruits. You got a tip from a 'friend' of mine that I was a trainer." The goon looked like the wind had been taken out of his sail. "Word travels fast in these parts. And my answer is no so don't bother asking."
To his credit, the goon managed to rebound with a rather nonchalant expression, his red scarf flapping in the slight breeze. "Okay then. It's just...everybody's got a story out here. A history they don't like to talk about. Looking at you, I'd wager you fell in the wrong crowd when you were younger."
He leaned down with a smirk on his lips. "So...where'd you come from? Galaxy? Flare? Plasma? ...Cipher?"
Dagur grimaced at the last one.
"Ahh...I thought you looked familiar," Red Scarf playfully said, amused that he got under her skin.
Or maybe it was the breeze that started to pick up, who knew.
"Checks out on the database Commander Kleef," one of his underlings said, checking that visor. "Dagur. Was a peon assigned to the communications department in the Under."
"Venus's division! You really were involved with us!" he exclaimed with feigned excitement. "I am curious though if you were involved with our work and knew what we were trying to accomplish back then, how come you didn't come back when our Grandmaster made his presence known?"
Dagur got off her seat with Ariados scuttling by her side and looked the commander straight in the eye. She could feel the sand start to pick up from the breeze. "Easy. I saw your work. And when I got arrested, I didn't want to look back."
Kleef sighed as he absentmindedly kicked up the sand, watching it be carried by the wind. "You know...I wanted to handle this diplomatically."
At that, he quickly yanked out and opened several of his Pokeballs, releasing the Pokemon inside. His peons did the same, unleashing their Pokemon as well.
"Don't say I didn't ask," he said with a scowl.
"And don't say I didn't say no," Dagur warned, although inwardly she was nervous. The odds were massively against her, and chances were they'd force her to join rather than just let her go.
But the day she went willingly back to Cipher was the day she died.
Ariados suddenly clicked as he backed away into the shade of the awning. Dagur looked back in confusion. It wasn't like him to suddenly get cold feet.
Now that she thought of it, the breeze did seem cold all of a sudden…
Her thoughts were shattered as she heard something heavy land on the metal roof of her shack. Somebody shouted "Commander!" as Dagur looked back.
All she could see was a shadow leaping from the roof, over her head. Huge orbs of water formed at the Pokemon's paws as it landed between her and the Cipher goons. The blue spheres exploded as a Surf slammed into the mob of Pokemon, washing them a good distance away. Landing on its four feet, the mysterious figure then quickly fired an Aurora Beam, freezing the waves solid and halting the advance of a few of the more foolhardy Pokemon that got back up on their feet.
Dagur then had to cover her ears as the Pokemon unleashed an earsplitting cry. At the sound, the breeze had kicked up into a hard tempest, the Gust shattering the frozen wall of ice into a shower of sharp icicles. Between the massive force of the wind and the sudden hail, the Pokemon and peons were floored from the combo.
The Pokemon then stood still, watching the Cipher peons and their Pokemon pick themselves up. Like if it were daring them to make the first move.
Kleef did.
He gestured towards his grunts, prompting them to recall their Pokemon and retreat to their vehicles to hightail it out of there. Not once did they look back as they got into their jeeps. Not even when they speed off into the distance.
Dagur let out her breath. That was way too close. If it weren't for-
The Pokemon looked back and stared right into her eyes.
Her heart went cold.
She had a feeling of who this was, but those red eyes confirmed it right then and there.
For she saw those red eyes before and knew they belonged to only one Pokemon.
Suicune.
The Spirit of the North Wind stared at her, and she stared right back. The wind died down to a breeze, but the purple mane and white tail strands flowed gracefully still. There was no mistaking the legendary at all.
Then, as suddenly as it appeared, Suicune ran off into the distance, the wind propelling it forward. Dagur could see it run off in the direction of the Cipher goons.
She breathed, finally. As the legendary ran off, she looked down at Ariados. Both of them nodded as Dagur went back inside to get her old gear.
The Aurora Pokemon's return meant only one thing.
And she wanted to be on the frontlines.
A/N: I am now convinced that the gods don't want me to finish this thing with all these delays. I had a vacation so I needed to rest up a bit from that. But aside from that, I am back and happy 25th anniversary for Pokemon.
Michael has started to crack a bit, and I want to assure you that it's not just his connection with Shadow Lugia that's causing it. Sure, it did happen before, but not so much in this particular case. As Duking said, he's too young to be dealing with stuff like this over a long period. Especially when so much is going on.
The Kids' Corner reference was something that happened in Colosseum and Secc was one of the primary leaders. They ran intelligence for Wes on Cipher's doings and whatnot. They also helped form ONBS by the time of XD. Since this arc does have a lot of references to Colosseum, I'd figure this would be a good tie-in.
Justy's the pre-gym leader you fight in an optional battle in Colosseum and XD. I figured I changed up his roster a bit while still keeping the overall strategy he utilized with his Pokemon. Figured Flygon would be a good fit and a good way to showcase that Duking finding those Poke Spots are paying off.
The Poke Spots by the way are the mechanic from XD. It was the only way to get wild Pokemon.
Finally we have the scene with Dagur. I wanted to showcase what Cipher was actually doing in the wastes and I figured another connection with Colosseum was fitting. Dagur was an actual peon you fought in the Under, one of the old Cipher's bases of operation. And Venus was one of the admins.
As for her recognition of Suicune, said legendary was captured and given to Venus as a Shadow Pokemon. Understandably, there's some history there.
But as we head into the semi finals, what could these appearances mean? Who will Michael do battle with next? Find out in the next chapter of Wings of Shadow to be released...eventually. I swear if I complete this thing a Guzzlord is gonna try to eat me like they did when Ash disrupted the natural order in the anime and won a league.
Other than that, thank you for the reviews, make sure to favorite and follow if you enjoyed, and as always, I'll see you all next time!
Also if you're binge reading this, this would be a good place to stop and take a break.