Rage And Vengeance

It seems that its vessel's life has run out.

A sad and depressing tragedy.

But it was a necessary one.

Once the message had been sent, Carol logged out of Kyle's email account and shut the computer down. She hoped that Professor Pine would get the message and send help as soon as he could. They were doomed without it.

"You…"

Carol turned. Extrasensory was still on the ground, restrained by Scarf's body. She was gritting her teeth audibly, the sound of it was unnerving. Her body was shaking in anger.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" She asked.

Carol frowned. She hadn't grown any more fond of Extrasensory's viewpoint. The more she thought about it, the more she thought it was Extrasensory trying to trick her or make her believe false information. It was actually getting annoying.

"Look," Carol said. "You have no right to accuse someone else of a crime when you've committed plenty yourself."

"Their crimes outweigh my own!" Extrasensory spat. "You wouldn't understand! You could never understand because you haven't seen what I've witnessed!"

Carol sighed. She was done. She didn't want to go down this subject any longer. Best to just leave it. She picked up her backpack and poked around in it until she found a roll of duct tape she had packed. It was about to come in handy.

She tossed it around a bit in both hands as she let the bag fall back to the ground. The roll made a ripping noise as Carol pulled on it. She moved towards Extrasensory to tie her hands and feet together.

Something struck her back with the force of a chucked rock the size of a basketball, knocking the wind out of her. She wheezed and gasped for air as she fell over onto her stomach, the silver-colored tape falling from her hands.

Carol stuck her arms out to break her fall, pushing her palms against the floor to keep her face from slamming down. She quickly turned herself around and swiftly crawled moved backward on all fours to move away and see what had hit her.

Noctowl was cleary still paralyzed, evident by the way it was struggling to stay in the air as it flapped its wings, but it had managed to move with enough force to knock Carol down. It dropped to the ground next to her bag and shivered slightly. Its eyes were on Carol, intent and menacing.

Right then. Time to go.

Carol scrambled towards the exit to the room. Thankfully, there was nobody in her way. She called to Scarf, who unraveled itself and followed her escape. Noctowl made a move to intercept the enemy Pokemon, but stopped and shivered again, thanks to its paralysis.

Leaving her bag and the duct tape behind, Carol charged and slammed her shoulder against the door like the people from the movies she'd seen. She was rather disappointed and discouraged when the door didn't budge at all. Now with a left shoulder that felt as if it had been ignited, she fumbled with the doorknob and managed to open it after a full two seconds. She was lucky Extrasensory was so slow.

After she finally managed to get the door open, she ran out into the hallway and took off to the right, though she really didn't have any plan as to where she was going. To find the others? Kyle was probably either still battling against Leader, or a victor had already been decided. Adrien was probably down there with him, fighting against some other people. And Jordan… Where had he gone? Had he been captured? She hadn't had time to think about what might've happened to her.

The building shook underneath her feet as she kept sprinting. There was more shouting.

Well, I could always follow the noise, she thought to herself. She charted her course and began running towards the sounds of battle. At least one of them should be there.

At first, Jordan had thought there was no way they could lose with this many Pokemon on their side. Now, he wasn't as confident.

They held the upper hand a few minutes before, actually. There were only about seven active Pokemon left working for Team Dominion, a much smaller number of what Jordan had. However, their levels were significantly higher than the freed Pokemon, and their trainers seemed to have an infinite supply of potions.

Six Pokemon could hold of the others while one of them retreated to their trainer and took a dose of the purple liquid. The flasks that the Team Dominion members had were much smaller than regular potion bottles, but they seemed twice as effective for some reason. It wasn't fair to Jordan. In fact, it had become rather annoying. There was no way for him to push past the line of defense protecting the healing Pokemon.

Not to mention Jordan couldn't find Fireball. He had wanted to split off from the battle while everyone else fought it out to check the rooms, but he didn't want to leave the freed Pokemon alone. Fireball wouldn't want it, either. So he stayed, just standing and watching while everyone fought each other.

The two sides were at a stalemate. The freed Pokemon weren't pushing Team Dominion back anymore; a sure sign that the tide of battle was taking a turn for the worse for Jordan. They were in the middle of a long hallway with a few doorways on each side. Occasionally, one Pokemon would be thrown through a doorway only to come leaping or rushing out only a few minutes later, except for one Flaaffy from Jordan's side that didn't come back out.

At the other end of the hallway, behind the Team Dominion trainers, Jordan saw none other than Carol round the corner. Jordan's eyes widened in surprise and relief. The guilt and grief he had held up to this point began to deflate a little. He had been worried he would have to wait until the fighting was done until he could go after her. She locked eyes with him and stopped in her tracks. Her Dratinini moved around the corner only a second behind her. It paused next to her. Its neck was bare; it had lost the device that allowed it to harm humans.

Jordan watched as Carol's eyes broke away from his and scanned the battleground, eyes wide as well at the sight of so many Pokemon in one place. The Team Dominion trainers were too focused on the fight to notice her. Their backs were turned to her. A perfect opening. Jordan knew that. She must have.

Carol didn't hesitate. She shouted something inaudible over all the noise produced by the large battle. Her Dratini whipped its head around and sent a roaring tornado speeding down the hallway towards Jordan. The Pokemon who could see Carol, which was to say all of the Pokemon that didn't belong to Team Dominion anymore, stopped fighting and backed away. Their opponents stopped and straightened with confused expressions. Then they turned around and received a Twister attack.

The attack made by Carol's trainer passed harmlessly through the Team Dominion members, unfortunately, but this was made up by the damage and disorientation it caused for their Pokemon, who were thrown against walls, cracking the cement. One, the Gallade, was blown towards a group of Pokemon who immediately jumped on it like an alleyway gang as soon as it landed. The Twister dissipated into thin air just before it could affect any Pokemon friendly to Jordan or Carol.

Jordan grinned. Every Pokemon that had been thrown aside by Twister were back on their feet or in the air after a few moments, save for the Gallade. The member who owned the psychic-fighting hybrid would have to get through the horde of enemy Pokemon to heal his Pokemon, which wasn't happening as far as Jordan could tell.

Just six to go.

The Team Dominion members turned their heads from Jordan to Carol, realizing they had been flanked. As it seemed they were pondering their next move, something else came around the corner at the end of the hall, headed straight for Carol.

Jordan felt a chill run down his spine. The sensation delayed his reaction, causing him to shout a warning a few seconds after the moment it would've been useful.

Carol was taking in the amount of Pokemon in the hall before she noticed Jordan's distraught expression followed by a loud yell.

Are these all the Pokemon that had been held captive? She had wondered. Did Jordan free all of them? That's amazing!

She had also noticed Fireball's absence. She hoped the fire-fighting hybrid was alright.

Then she noticed Jordan clearly trying to warn her. There didn't seem to be anything to worry about, however. Ther Team Dominion members in front of her were still plotting and their Pokemon were awaiting orders. She didn't feel like she was in any danger.

That was when she thought to look behind her. As she turned, she found sharp, light brown talons aiming for her face. It seemed that Noctowl was no longer paralyzed. She hadn't detected its presence with any of her senses.

Scarf was there in an instant, swiftly and cunningly jumping into the air while wrapping the lower end of its body around one of Noctowl's legs. The bird-like Pokemon was yanked away from Carol's face. Scarf threw it towards a wall, but Noctowl quickly managed to right itself and was hovering in the air again before it had struck anything.

Carol realized she was holding her breath. She let it out in a large exhale that made her much more tired than she had been before. The day had been exhausting. She would be needing plenty of rest after this was all over. If she survived until help arrived.

Extrasensory came running around the corner after her Pokemon, eyes full of rage. Carol backed away, then turned around towards the other Team Dominion members behind her. Now she was the one surrounded on two sides.

Carol kept her head on a swivel, making sure her an opponent wasn't in one of her blindspots for more than a second. She needed something to take the focus off of her. Right now, she was practically a lamb at the slaughter.

"Go!" Carol heard Jordan shout. She turned towards the sound of his voice and saw the boy pointing at the six Pokemon who had made it through Scarf's Twister. "Finish them off!"

The eleven remaining Pokemon that had been freed from Team Dominion's control took Jordan's cue and rushed forward. The clash ensued, and there was now only one more Pokemon left for Carol to worry about. She and Jordan met each other's eyes, acknowledging one another. Jordan would deal with the rest so she could deal with Extrasensory.

She turned to face her opponent and stared her down. Scarf poised itself between the two of them, positioned more closely to Carol, defending her. Noctowl continued to hover at Extrasensory's left side. The tension in the air grew as the sounds of the battle behind her were muted by her concentration. She took a deep breath.

"Twister!"

"Air Slash!"

Scarf sent a raging tornado forward while Noctowl slashed with both of its wings in front of and across its body, sending a blade of air straight towards Scarf. The Dratini dexterously moved out of the way, slithering under the attack. Carol jumped to the side, reminding herself to be careful. Noctowl's attacks could harm her, while Scarf's attacks didn't do anything any longer. The wind blade streaked passed her as she dodged. Carol heard the sound of the floor cracking from behind her as Air Slash struck the ground.

The Twister was avoided by Noctowl. It had to dash towards the wall and press up against it to avoid being caught in the strong winds of the attack. The tornado passed harmlessly through Extrasensory and disappeared as it hit the wall behind her.

"Thunder Wave!" Carol called.

Scarf fired a small jolt of electricity from the tip of its body. It traveled through the air towards Noctowl, who was now on the ground. The owl Pokemon spread its wings and flapped them once, pushing off the ground with its feet as it did so. The electric jolt tapped the wall next to where it had been and faded.

Extrasensory smirked. "You'll have to do better than that." Her smirk faded as soon as the words were out of her mouth. "Extrasensory!"

Noctowl's red-orange eyes flashed. Carol expected to experience the same sensations as before in the room with all of the computers and braced herself, holding her eyes shut and covering her ears while tensing her whole body. But nothing came. She opened one eye and saw Scarf reeling in pain. Her Pokemon had been the one targeted, not her.

Noctowl was idle, still fixing its gaze on Scarf. It hadn't taken the opening to attack Carol while she had been unaware. Extrasensory didn't give it any extra orders.

I need to be more careful, Carol thought to herself, frustrated that she had let her guard down so easily.

While Scarf was still shaking, Extrasensory reached into her right pocket and produced a small plastic bag. Carol squinted in an effort to make out what was inside. Was it… pills? They were all different colors and shaped like tiny cylinders.

Extrasensory put her fingers in the bag and removed a light greenish-blue pill. She held it up for Carol to see.

Scarf stopped shaking. It took a few deep breaths before regaining its fighting stance. It waited patiently for Carol's orders, but the trainer was curious to see what the pill was.

"You're Pokemon is high in experience," Extrasensory commented. "I can tell that. Though it's base statistics might be lower than Noctowl's, they're probably even now since Noctowl is most likely a lower level. That makes things pretty balanced." She tossed the colored pill into the air. Noctowl opened its beak and caught the pill, swallowing it. "But these things will tip the scales a bit."

No visible change occurred, making Carol wonder what had happened. What exactly was the pill for? Did it prevent paralysis? That would be useful for Noctowl since Scarf knew Thunder Wave.

"Now then," Extrasensory said, cutting into Carol's thoughts, "Take Down."

Noctowl crouched low to the ground and slowly spread its wings wide. Carol was unable to see the next movement the Pokemon made. All she could see was a blur streaking along the floor towards Scarf.

So fast! "Dodge right!"

Scarf complied, slithering to the right. Carol herself moved to the left to avoid being hit in case Noctowl kept going past Scarf.

Noctowl missed Scarf by a mere hair; she could've sworn the two Pokemon had actually made contact. Noctowl slowed down before coming to a halt, talons digging into the cement floor as it slid from its momentum, making scratches. It paused only for a second before it was a blur again, aiming for Scarf's backside.

How can it move so quickly? Carol wondered. It shouldn't even be possible!

This time, Noctowl struck Scarf dead-on. The Dratini was thrown backward as it tumbled on the floor. Noctowl came to a stop once again, sliding along the ground as it slowed itself. Carol no longer had any defense between her and Noctowl. Her Pokemon was now in between Extrasensory and Noctowl.

Extrasensory chuckled. "Fascinating, isn't it?"

Carol gritted her teeth. "What is that? How is that possible? Its speed stat shouldn't be that high!"

Extrasensory held up the closed bag again. "See these? Another one of our little experiments we performed here. I actually came up with these myself. I call them battle items."

"Outstanding name," Carol said dryly. Inside, however, she felt a growing anxiety.

Extrasensory shrugged. "I didn't want to try too hard on it. As long as it gets the job done, I don't care what they're called." She pointed to Noctowl. "I gave it an x-speed. It'll raise its speed stat significantly higher. Good luck with dodging."

Definitely not favorable.

"Right then," Extrasensory said. "Noctowl, ignore the Dratini. Use Air Slash on the girl."

Carol felt panic rise. Could she manage to dodge? Would the speed of the blade increase as well? Would she be taken out just like this? Her worries slowed her reaction time. She could've moved out of the way of the attack, but she didn't respond in time. She dashed to the right, but the blade of air nicked the right side of her leg, just above the ankle.

Pain flared. It felt exactly like getting cut with a real knife. Carol placed a hand on the wound and realized it was wet with blood. The attack had actually managed to cut through her skin.

Scarf let out a cry and rushed towards the grounded Noctowl. The owl Pokemon had its back turned, and it was busy with its own attack, so it couldn't counter. Scarf used Wrap on its own, entangling Noctowl's body. The psychic-flying hybrid struggled in frustration against Scarf's hold, but in vain.

Carol grinned despite the pain. Seeing Scarf fight so hard for her made her feel better. "Nice!" She exclaimed to her Pokemon. "Now, use Thunder Wave!"

Extrasensory made an annoyed scowl as Scarf electrified the restrained Noctowl, paralyzing it. The x-speed that had been used on it was virtually useless now unless Extrasensory had another paralyze heal.

"Use Air Slash to force your way out!" Extrasensory called.

Noctowl's wings glowed white as it struggled to free one of its wings. It finally did, bursting its right wing from its restrainment and slashing it in a horizontal motion towards Scarf. The Air Slash traveled two inches before hitting Scarf directly in its face. The Dratini released Noctowl and retreated. Noctowl's wings dimmed, and both Pokemon resumed their fighting stance.

"Wrap!"

"Take Down!"

The two Pokemon rushed towards each other, and the battle waged on.

Jordan was becoming more and more upset the longer he worried about Fireball. He wanted his Monferno to be there with him so it could help in the battle. He at least wanted to know where it was.

Carol was still fighting her battle against the woman with the Noctowl. It had seemed that the Noctowl had been overpowering her for a moment, but it seemed everything was better now. Which was to say Scarf wasn't getting its ass beat anymore. It was still unclear as to whether or not Scarf and Carol would manage to come out on top.

The other Pokemon fought on. The members of Team Dominion were beginning to run out of healing supplies. Two more enemy Pokemon had dropped. Only four remained. The members whose Pokemon had fainted had returned them to their containers and cowered behind those with Pokemon still in the battle.

While they had made some progress, Jordan's side only had six remaining Pokemon, and none of them were in good shape. They were tired and on the brink of defeat. He knew that they would soon begin to drop like flies.

Yet they continued to fight with everything they had. They were greatly lacking in experience compared to their opponents, but that didn't stop any of them from throwing themselves at their enemies again and again, until they were finally knocked down for good.

Time passed. Jordan wasn't sure how long. The anticipation made it seem like hours. Eventually, there were only three Pokemon in total left standing. There was only one Pokemon still conscious on Team Dominion's side: Salazzle. The other two belonged to Jordan's team: Machoke and Excadrill. Excadrill hadn't followed behind Jordan. It had already been fighting when they had arrived to join in. Thankfully, it hadn't used Earthquake again.

The last member of Team Dominion stood proudly as her comrades watched from behind her. Jordan recognized her as the woman who had picked them up from the shopping center in the rapist van. The leader had called her Venoshock. It was a pretty cool name, Jordan couldn't lie. Her friend who had also been there wasn't anywhere in sight. Jordan must've passed his unconscious body in the halls.

Venochock sneered. "You know, this doesn't seem like a fair fight to me." She turned to her fellow members. "Does it?" The members slowly shook their heads in agreement.

Jordan raised an eyebrow. "The hell? I'd say you have the advantage." He shocked himself at how casually he said the words. It really hit him hard afterwards. He was about to lose if he didn't do something. He needed to find Fireball. Now.

"What do you mean?" Venoshock asked with mock curiosity as she tilted her head. "It's two against one."

Fireball. Have to find Fireball. But do I just abandon these two? I mean, they could buy me time…

"I suppose we should even it up," she continued as she reached into one of her pockets. She pulled out a black and dark gray ball. A Dominance ball.

Wait, Jordan said, panic beginning to rise. She doesn't have another Pokemon, does she? If they had to fight another high-level Pokemon at full health, the odds of winning were even less than before.

Venoshock opened the Dominance ball. There was a flash of light. Another Pokemon materialized in the hallway. It was a little short, bipedal, and had a long, thin tail. It's skin was orange, and it had a bit of blue on its face. A flame burned steadily at the tip of its tail.

Jordan felt his mouth go dry. He lost all feeling in his knees and would later be surprised that he hadn't fallen over. A dreadful chill spread across his entire body, shaking him to his very core.

Fireball straightened beside Salazzle. It held no familiarity in its eyes when they met Jordan's own. Instead, they held hostility.

Venoshock began to cackle. She put her hands on her knees. "Oh man, you should go find a mirror! Your expression is goddamn priceless!" She laughed some more, standing straight and throwing her head back.

Jordan opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He didn't know what to say at all.

But a part of him knew what to do. He felt anger build up inside of him like a fire. It began to roar into rage, and his helpless expression turned into a deep scowl. He was going to tear her apart for this.

But then the fire went out as quickly as it had come. What, exactly, would he do? What could he do? Fireball had been his last hope. Scarf would be drained after the battle with Noctowl, if it won. Machoke and Excadrill would drop soon enough. They had already lost.

"Your Monferno definitely seems like it has the potential to become very strong," Venoshock commented. "I'm supposed to be a poison type user, but…" She turned to the other members. "You guys won't tell leader, will you?" They frantically shook their heads. Venoshock smiled as she turned back to Jordan. "Well, there you have it. I'll keep it just in case I ever need it. I think I might call it Surt." She grinned even wider.

Jordan clenched his teeth and fists. Was there any way to win? Any way at all? He could see none. But more importantly than that, would he even be able to manage to get his companion back?

"Alright, I think it's time," Venoshock said. "I've had my fun with verbal abuse." She flicked her hands toward Machoke and Excadrill. "Take them out."

Fireball and Salazzle moved at the same time, as if they had both been with Venoshock for years. Excadrill lasted three seconds. Salazzle defeated it with two moves sent out in quick succession. First, it sent out a puff of toxic gas that enveloped Excadrill's head. It then shot a peculiar liquid from its mouth directly into its face. After another second, Excadrill fainted.

Machoke held out a bit longer. Both of its opponents had to team up on it to get past it guard. But eventually, they managed it, and Salazzle created an opening that allowed Fireball to land a Mach Punch on its stomach. Machoke dropped to the ground.

And that was it. All of the Pokemon Jordan had freed. Defeated. He was the only one left, now. He gazed at the bodies of all of the fallen Pokemon. They had tried their hardest to regain their freedom. And for what?

"Aw, are you feeling depressed now that you know that you've lost?" Venoshock asked. Her voice held false sweetness and concern.

Jordan didn't answer. He didn't want to. He only looked at Fireball. He looked for signs of conflict. He was trying to see if there was still something left of what he'd trained in the Monferno that stood before him. There was none.

"Now your little breakout is over," Venoshock stated. "So it's time for your punishment." She sneered. "You ticked me off right from the start when I met you. I'm going to enjoy watching this." She beckoned with her left hand. "Venus, come stand over here. We're going to let Surt have a little fun."

Salazzle reluctantly stepped back to stand next to its trainer. It was clear that it had been wanting a hand in what was about to happen.

Fireball stepped up to Jordan until it was standing a foot away. It was a few feet shorter than he was, so it had to look up at him while Jordan looked down. They stared at each other for a few moments. Jordan's eyes fell to Fireball's wrist, where a bracelet-like device was attached. Jordan smiled sadly at his Pokemon.

Fireball reeled its fist back and delivered a punch directly to Jordan's stomach. It sent the boy flying backward and skidding along the ground. When he rolled to a stop, he was sputtering and coughing while holding his stomach. The pain was unimaginable. Indescribable. Jordan had never felt anything so painful before.

He had to stand back up. He slowly removed his hands from his stomach and pressed his palms against the floor. He pushed himself to a kneeling position so he could put an arm back over his stomach. He rose to his feet, wincing.

Venoshock laughed. "Okay, sure. I'll grant you your wish. Again!"

Fireball walked up to where it had sent Jordan. Again, it stopped in front of him and paused for a moment. Again, it punched Jordan, this time in the chest. Again, Jordan made no move to block or dodge. It was just as painful as the one before.

I'm sorry.

Jordan stood back up, slower than last time. His body was growing weaker as the pain increased. Fireball punched him again in the ribs.

I'm so sorry.

He stood up again. Another punch. This one in the face. Jordan wasn't sure if he had felt a tooth come out or not. All he could sense was pain.

I let them take you. You risked your freedom to them off so I could give them their freedom. And we lost anyway.

Jordan stood up again. He hadn't even straightened completely before Fireball hit him with another Mach Punch. He hit the wall this time and slumped down. They had gone the entire distance of the hallway.

Jordan was about to attempt to get back up when Fireball jumped on top of him and began to use fury swipes. Tears were made in his skin and clothes. Blood ran down his arms and torso. He felt a swipe come dangerously close to one of his eyes. Jordan bit back a scream, as well as the instinct to fight back. He would let himself be beaten. At least it was by the one he had failed. The one who had tried to be there for him even when he had been dissatisfied or disappointed in it. The one who had really saved him.

Fireball stopped slashing. Jordan looked up at it. For a moment, he thought that maybe Fireball had broken through the Dominance ball's hold on it. But when he looked into its eyes again, it was the same determination and hostility as before. It was simply taking a breath.

Jordan reached his hand up. It shook as he lifted it. He saw cuts and bruises painted across his arm. He touched the side of his partner's face with two fingers. It didn't move away.

"I'll see you later, buddy."

Jordan let his arm fall and closed his eyes.

Extrasensory saw that Outrage was breathing hard. She didn't understand why. Sure, she had to expend some energy to dodge a few of Noctowl's attacks every now and then, but it couldn't be that tiring. Personally, she didn't feel any more tired than she had when they had started the battle.

Outrage's Dratini was on its last breaths. A few more direct hits and the battle would be over. With x-speed on their side, and Noctowl no longer paralyzed since Extrasensory cured it, it would be child's play.

Of course, she had to worry about the people who could be on their way to arrest her. But she wasn't very worried. It would take a long time for enough backup to arrive. She was sure that she could escape if she left quickly enough. If they managed to get rid of these kids and heal their Pokemon, they could break through the first responders. They'd lose a lot of what they had here, but they would escape.

Of course, there was something else she had been thinking about. Leader would order everything they had worked on to be destroyed before they left so the CPP couldn't advance any further. Extrasensory had been working towards a few things that might progress the study and use of Pokemon. It would be a tragedy for her to have to get rid of it.

But if she sided with the girl…

No. There was no way the CPP could change its ways. She was a nobody with no influence. Besides, they'd never allow her to join them after what she'd done.

It was time to wrap things up. "Hypnosis!" Extrasensory ordered.

Noctowl fixed its gaze on Dratini and flashed its eyes. The snake-like Pokemon dropped to the ground, asleep.

Now, to finish it off. "Take Down!"

Noctowl sped towards the sleeping Dratini. This was it. The fight was over.

Then the unexpected happened. As Noctowl moved towards Dratini, Outrage came out of nowhere and took her Pokemon in her arms. She kept her momentum up and managed to barely avoid Noctowl's attack.

Extrasensory paused. But why? Why would she risk herself like that to protect her Pokemon? Her confusion shifted to indifference. Oh, well. She's only delaying the inevitable. "Again!"

Noctowl stopped on a dime and changed course, heading for Outrage and the Dratini she was carrying. She wouldn't be able to avoid this one.

Just before Take Down hit, Dratini jumped out of Outrage's arms. The girl's eyes widened in fear and surprise.

It woke up so quickly!

Dratini and Noctowl clashed mid-air. The collision caused Noctowl to veer off slightly, missing Outrage but dragging Dratini along with it. The two of them slid along the ground before coming to a stop.

Dratini hadn't fainted yet. The heads of the two Pokemon were locked together in a contest of pure strength. Neither were using attacks.

Dratini began to glow white. Its body elongated and widened. Noctowl began to struggle more as it was pushed back. The glow faded. Noctowl was no longer fighting a Dratini. It was fighting a Dragonair.

Dragonair let out a cry as it pulsed a shock wave over Noctowl's body. Dragon rage. It then wrapped its tail around Noctowl, picked it up, and threw it towards Extrasensory. The owl Pokemon tumbled along the ground before stopping at Extrasensory's feet. It was still conscious, thankfully. They still had a chance to win.

Dragonair slithered back towards its astounded trainer and blocked her from view. Extrasensory could tell that it would protect her at all costs.

It really cares for its trainer. And she cares for it. Even when it was clear they would lose, she tried her hardest to keep it fighting. Extrasensory looked down at her Noctowl. She wasn't sure if she could win anymore. In fact, she was sure she didn't want to.

People like this can change others. She's already influenced me, and I barely know her. The CPP disgusts me, and I don't want to let someone on their side win, but…

"I yield."

Carol blinked. "What?"

Extrasensory looked her in the eye. "I yield. You win."

The last few moments had definitely been a roller coaster for Carol. She had rushed in to save Scarf from being defeated, then Scarf had woken up suddenly to save her, then it had evolved out of nowhere to win a skirmish. And now her opponent was surrendering.

"But why?" Carol asked with genuine confusion.

Extrasensory sighed. "The anger I had before is gone. You and I have both convinced myself that maybe you can change the CPP. I just need you to promise me that you'll remember what I've told you, and act upon it."

"But… Just like that? That was a quick turnaround that came out of nowhere…"

"Just promise me."

Carol thought about the things Extrasensory had said. Pokemon being unethically tested. Corrupt professors. "Of course," she said. "I'll look into it. I'm sure some of my friends can help as well."

Extrasensory nodded. "Right." she looked down at her Noctowl. It looked like it still wanted to fight, but it was reading the room and it seemed that it wasn't going to remain hostile. "First, let's go save those friends of yours."

"Right!" Carol said, remembering Jordan. She turned and ran down the hall. During the battle, they had moved away from the fight involving the freed Pokemon on Jordan's side and the rest of Team Dominion. She heard Extrasensory's footsteps from behind her and the sound of Noctowl flapping its wings. Scarf slithered along beside its trainer.

Carol didn't want to place her complete trust in Extrasensory, so she would have to keep an eye on her for now in case she tried to stab her in the back. For now, she would see how things played out. Her words definitely seemed sincere.

Carol couldn't get over the fact that Scarf had evolved. Finally! It had taken so long to get it to its first evolution. It should be stronger now, and she was one step closer to having the strongest Pokemon out of the four of them.

Carol rounded the corner, thinking about how it would be when Scarf finally evolved into a Dragonite. Then she saw the situation.

Her heart plummeted.

Jordan was at the far end of the hall, but even from that distance, Carol could see the shape he was in. His face was almost unrecognizable. It was covered in scratches and bruises and blood, dry and wet. He was on his side against the wall. He didn't seem to be moving.

Standing over him was Fireball. It was idle, but it was clear from the positioning of everything that it was the direct cause of Jordan's injuries. But why-

Then Carol fixed her eyes on the group in the middle of the hallway, between her and Jordan. They were laughing at the sight of her friend, bloody and beaten. One of them was laughing harder than the others. The woman had a Salazzle standing next to her. A Dominance ball was in her right hand.

Carol felt rage stir inside of herself. She growled and began to step towards the group. Each time her foot touched the floor, it felt like earthquakes were pulsing from her feet. The pain in her body faded to a dull throb.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. She whipped her head around to find Extrasensory with a calm face. At first, Carol was annoyed that she was stopping her. Then she saw that Extrasensory was holding out something to her in her palm. It was a bracelet shaped device. She also realized that while her fave was calm, Extrasensory's eyes were full of an anger that match Carol's own.

"You might need this," Extrasensory said quietly.

Carol felt a sharp appreciation as she took the device and placed it on Scarf. When she was finished, she looked back towards the group. The anger flared inside of her once more.

"Twister," She growled.

Scarf sent a tornado towards the group. It was more powerful than it had ever looked before. Team Dominion turned around at the noise, and their eyes widened. Each of them was thrown aside with the force of an attack from an evolved Pokemon.

Salazzle was thrown against a wall, as well. It fell to its knees. The Dominance ball slipped from the woman's hand. It rolled along the ground away from Carol, towards the body of a fainted Pokemon.

Except it hadn't fainted yet. It was still on its last thread. The Machoke lifted its head until it saw the Dominance ball. Then it reached out its arms, took the durable, metal capsule in its massive hand, and crushed it to smithereens with pure grip strength.

Jordan felt arms wrap around his torso. He was confused, at first. Then he realized he must've passed out from the pain. He was dreaming. Dreaming of Fireball hugging him. Because, of course, he had never felt that before. And he would never get the opportunity ever again.

Then he felt pain, and he was confused again. Was this much pain normal for a dream? He'd never felt this much of it in one before.

He found he could open his eyes. His vision was a bit red. That wasn't normal. He also felt extremely light-headed.

The red was blood. The light-headedness was because he had suffered a few blows to the skull.

Jordan's vision cleared as he began to think more. He realized that he wasn't dreaming. Fireball was hugging him in reality.

But…what?

Fireball pulled away, and that's when Jordan saw. Its eyes weren't the same as they had been only moments before. They were kind and friendly. They looked upon him with familiarity. Respect. Love.

There was also fire inside of them. The raging flame of anger and passion mixed into one. It was unforgiving and destructive. Nothing could stand in the path of that fire.

Fireball straightened and faced its enemies. They were standing back up. Salazzle and Venoshock were the first ones on their feet.

"No!" Venoshock was shouting. "You bitch! I'm going to break you for that!"

Fireball held up a hand to Carol, who was standing on the other side of the hall. Carol tilted her head. Jordan thought it looked like Fireball was trying to tell Carol to hold off. Eventually, Carol seemed to understand as well and nodded, backing away.

Venoshock angrily turned back to Fireball. "Oh, what?" She asked. "You want to take me on yourself?" She pointed at the fire-fighting hybrid. "Venus! Drive it into dust!"

Fireball's skin illuminated to the point where it hurt Jordan to look, though his eyes widened all the same. The Pokemon grew taller, and its limbs grew longer. Its tail increased in size, and a large flame began to spew from the top of its head. The glow faded, and an Infernape stood before Jordan.

I-It evolved.

Fireball roared. The noise shook the very building with its volume. Salazzle roared back, though it wasn't near the magnitude of Fireball's. Fireball took off, sprinting towards its opponent. Salazzle did the same.

Jordan knew exactly the move Fireball should do. He had studied Infernape and he knew what move it learned upon evolution.

"Close Combat!" Jordan shouted with all of the energy he could muster.

Fireball's fists and feet glowed white. Salazzle blew a toxic cloud in front of itself, but Fireball moved around it and delivered a punch to Salazzle's right knee, causing it to stumble. The Infernape followed up with a kick against its side, sending it flying into the wall. Fireball rushed forward and unleashed a series of powerful blows that hit like trucks. There was nothing Salazzle could do to defend itself.

After a solid ten seconds of a pure beatdown had passed, Fireball reeled its fist back and dealt one final punch to Salazzle's face, knocking it out.