"You know, this same situation happened to me once before," I grumbled as Greninja blasted the door apart and me and my Pokemon were treated to a sight of several Grunts heading my way. "And the first time was bad enough, being underwater and all. But having this happen to me again really ticks me off." I took a step forwards. "Arcanine, Extreme Speed!" The Fire type sped into the grunts and their Pokemon, knocking them off their feet. Lucario and Mawile leaped into the hallway, taking down any Pokemon that tried to get back up.
I stepped past the groaning grunts and fainted Pokemon, the hallways bathed in a red glow as a siren wailed. "We're going to have a lot of company guys. So get ready."
We rushed down the next hallway, several grunts turning a corner twenty feet ahead. "Corviknight, Brave Bird!" The Steel type soared forwards, knocking them down like pins. A Drapion was released as they went down and I skidded to a halt as Greninja surged forwards, slamming a Water Shuriken down on his head before swinging a glowing fist upwards, striking him in the chin. He flew into the ceiling before falling back down.
"Lucario," I turned to the Fighting type. "I need to find the Control Room. Spread out your aura. We'll buy you the necessary time." Lucario nodded and spread his palms on the metal floor, his appendages floating in the air. Pounding footsteps alerted me to the impending arrival of more grunts.
"Arcanine, I want a Heat Wave as soon as they enter the hallway," I ordered. "Bisharp, I want you to use Guillotine on any Pokemon that don't go down. Mawile, Corviknight, and Greninja, I have a feeling more people will be arriving from the rear, so keep your guard up."
They nodded and the second wave of grunts hit us from up ahead. Houndooms raced along their sides, but most were blown back by Arcanine's Heat Wave. Those who weren't didn't have enough time to attack as Bisharp ran past, swinging long blades that sliced through the walls. I heard a blast behind me and glanced back to see my other three Pokemon engaging several more grunts and their Houndooms and Weavile.
Once they were all taken care of, Lucario rose, nodding to me. "Great," I nodded, hurrying after him. "All of you, let's go!" We followed Lucario down several hallways, past various doors into what I assumed were laboratories by the name plates that rushed by me. We encountered various grunts along the way, where my Pokemon engaged them quickly enough.
I lunged forwards, grappling a grunt and slamming him into the wall. I twisted my body, swinging my leg up as I caught another in the side. Greninja flew over me, slamming a glowing foot down on a Houndoom, then leaping back as he shot him with several Water Shurikens. I ducked below a fist, grabbing the wrist and yanking it to one side. The grunt yelled in pain as I kicked her feet out from under her and she collapsed onto the ground.
As I stood, I could see Lucario up ahead, backing up from a door as a man stepped out. The same bald admin from the Power Plant cracked his knuckled, his female Charizard lumbering next to him. "Boy, you are a real thorn in Team Flare's side. I'll enjoy killing you myself." He brushed the Flare symbol on his belt, bright light enveloping Charizard. "Mega Evolve!"
"Lucario, Greninja," I held up my knife, pressing my thumb down on the hilt. "Together! Lucario, Mega Evolve!"
Light burst from Lucario as he and Greninja dashed forwards. Heat blasted down the hallway as Charizard flapped her wings. She reared back her head and shot a jet of fire down towards them. Lucario hung back, letting Greninja take the lead as he whipped off his cloak, using it to shield themselves from the attack. Lucario leaped over him, foot ablaze as he twirled and slammed it into Charizard's head. She stumbled back and Greninja used that opportunity to swing himself forwards, wrapping his legs around her neck. He yanked his giant shuriken free and slammed it down on her head and leaped back with half a second to spare as it exploded on her head.
I rushed past the battling Pokemon, ducking as a claw sliced above my head. I rose, swinging a fist as I did so, but the admin caught it in his grasp. He grinned and pulled me towards him. I brought up my elbow and jabbed it into into his wrist and twisted from his grasp. I flipped my knife into the air, grabbing it as I slammed my foot into the admin's side. He grunted in pain and slammed himself into me. I stumbled and he grinned, reaching out for the knife. I released my grip on it and let it fall. His attention distracted for that single moment allowed me to grab his wrist and twist it painfully. He yelped as I pulled myself forwards, driving my knees into his chest. I snaked my way around him, pulling him into a choke hold from behind. He struggled for a couple moments before he finally lost conscious.
Greninja leaped away as the claws sliced through the wall with scraping noises. Lucario went low, driving a fist into Charizard's knee. She cried in pain as she was forced to kneel. Greninja slammed a sphere of water into her back as Lucario manipulated the aura around him to add force to the attack. She was driven to the ground with a mighty boom, where she fainted and reverted back to her normal form.
I grabbed my knife and slid it back into its sheath as all six of my Pokemon came forwards. Nodding to them, I kicked open the door to the control room. Monitors lined one wall with several desks with keyboards. A main control panel was situated beneath the monitors, where the red-haired admin stood. Several grunts stood up immediately as we strode in while the female admin stepped forwards angrily. "How did you get past Darell!?"
"Just like how we'll get past all of you," I said, as Arcanine padded forwards, growling menacingly. "I'll give you one chance to run."
"Hah," she laughed. "As if anyone here would run. We are awaiting the New World that will come upon us. There's no way we'd let someone like you stop us."
As I glanced around, I could tell not every grunt in the room looked like they wanted to take me on, but none of them were leaving. I snapped my fingers and my Pokemon took up their positions beside me, Lucario still Mega Evolved and Greninja still in his bond form. "Alright, you had your chance. Let's take them!"
...
"Incoming!" James yelled and the helicopter lurched. Smoke billowed from the rotors as they began to fall. Alex clung desperately to the door as Serena and Mairin did the same to the other door. Professor Sycamore held on to the back of Jame's seat, but there seemed to be only one way this ride would end.
Then, all was still. Alex blinked. "O-okay. Anyone here let out a Psychic type?"
Everyone shook their head as Alex peered out the window. A pink aura was surrounding the helicopter, lowering it gently to the ground. Squinting, Alex thought she could make out a figure standing atop a large Pokemon, floating down with them.
"Who is...!" Alex's breath caught in her throat, staring in wide-eyed shock at the new arrival. "No way!"
Mairin stumbled over to Alex's window, exclaiming, "It's him! Steven Stone!"
...
"Well now," the figure stepped off his Shiny Mega Metagross onto the concrete platform, facing the blue-haired Flare scientist Mable as the helicopter was gently lowered to the ground behind him. "I'm glad I had the thought to stop by here before Lumiose." His gaze hardened as he held out his hand. "Meteor Mash!"
Metagross' slammed all four legs together, a blue aura flaring up around him. Both Mable and her Weavile leaped to one side as the Steel type went zooming past into the warehouse behind her. An explosion rocked the area, fire and smoke billowing into the sky above. The dual Steel/Psychic type returned back to Steven as the passengers of the helicopter stumbled out.
"Oh hubba hubba." Jessie was practically drooling at the sight of the man outlined by the fire, starting to walk towards him.
"Oh get a grip will you," James grumbled, holding onto the back of her shirt to keep her in place.
"Mr. Champion!" Mairin cried as she and Professor Sycamore hurried over.
"It's great to see you here," Sycamore nodded to Steven.
The Champion of Hoenn sighed, gazing at the fire. "It would seem Lysandre had tricked us all. I had seen the previous incident regarding him weeks earlier, but since he came back, I decided a quick visit was needed."
"We have to get inside!" Mairin pointed towards the main building. "Chespie is in there!"
Steven exchanged a knowing glance with Sycamore.
"What?" Serena asked as she, Alex, and the Rocket Trio came over. "What is it?"
Steven glanced at the main building. "Aside from Chespie, there's something else in there that worries me. We're going to need to check that out as well."
"Then we'd better hurry," Alex was already heading towards where they needed to go. "I don't know what's going on in Lumiose, but I have a feeling whatever is in there needs to be stopped before this whole mess is over."
"Right you are," Sycamore nodded to the Champion and everyone began running, James having to shake Jessie out of her daydreams before they followed.
...
I pressed my arm further into the admin's neck as I held her against the wall, her weakening hands uselessly trying to grip my wrist. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and I finally let her drop to the ground. Behind me, my Pokemon had finally finished taking care of the grunts and their Pokemon, the Mega Houndoom that belonged to the red-haired admin having been blown through the back wall and hadn't returned since.
I headed over to the control panel, which was thankfully mostly intact from the battle. Only a few monitors had been cracked and only one showed a fuzzy screen. Trying to find my way around all the buttons and switched, I finally began flicking through several cameras around the facility. I stopped once the feed showed a small hospital like room where a Chespin lay on a bed, hooked to an IV as his body glowed green. I scrolled through the rest of the feeds quicker than before, catching as much as I could and already forming a layout of the area in my head.
"We need to hurry and get to that Chespin," I told my Pokemon. "I don't like the looks of him." I turned to them and held out three pokeballs, returning Mawile, Bisharp, and Corviknight, all of whom being Steel types had taken a lot of fire damage. Lucario, while being one himself, looked to be mostly fine, so I kept him out.
Glancing once more at the monitors, I grinned as one caught my eye. It showed the main entrance, where several Flare grunts were being pushed back by a familiar group of people. "Looks like it isn't just us anymore boys. Let's see if we can meet them on the way."
...
As it turned out, we reached Chespin's room just moments after everyone else did. Three grunts with their Houndooms were trying to hold the hallway, but they weren't prepared for an attack from behind. Greninja and I rushed forwards as one. I kicked a grunts legs out from beneath him, slamming him to the ground as Greninja slammed a fist into one's back while flipping over him to slice his blade along a Houndoom. The third grunt whirled around in time for me to slam a fist into his stomach and a kick into his side. Greninja had engaged the second Fire type, slamming a sphere of water into his face before slashing with two water blades, sending him flying backwards. The third Houndoom crashed into his side, one of his blades flying through the air. I lunged for it, hands closing around the cool handle. I slashed as I rushed past, the Houndoom crying out in pain before Greninja silenced him into unconsciousness with a swift punch to the face.
We stood, facing Alex's group. I raised a hand in greeting. "Alola."
Alex slammed into me with a hug. "Somehow I had a feeling you were going to show up." She sighed. "I'm glad you're okay."
I closed my eyes, allowing myself to take a moment to bask in the moment. "I'm glad to see you're alright as well, Alex."
"ZENO!" Jessie joined the hug, making it a lot harder to breath.
When Alex and I were finally freed, Mairin and the Professor rushed out of a room, Mairin holding the glowing Chespin to her chest. The one person I didn't recognize stepped past us. "Come on. We should hurry to the lab below."
"Wait, hold on," Serena fumbled for her Holo Caster. She listened for a moment before nodding. "I'll do that."
"What was it?" Alex asked.
"Clemont and Robert managed to free Zygarde," she answered, slightly shocked. "But... a price was made." She shook her head sadly as she pressed a few more buttons, then waited. Ash's voice soon spoke from it.
"Serena?"
"Ash, we're at Team Flare's base in Northern Kalos," she said. "And I need you to check on Clemont. He should be a couple floors below you."
"Alright," Ash said and before Serena could end the call, he said, "We won here as well. But... Lysandre threw himself off the building."
The man I didn't know shook his head at the news and motioned for us all to follow. "Come on, we need to check on the Megalith."
"Megalith?" I asked as we followed him. "And who are you?"
He glanced back. "My name is Steven Stone. I'm the Champion of Hoenn. As for the Megalith," He continued. "It's something Lysandre found and has been doing research on. It has a sort of primal energy, akin to Mega Evolution. I don't know what Team Flare has been using it for, but considering what Lysandre has been up to, I need to know if it's a possible threat."
I nodded and slowed so I could walk next to Alex. "Where's Clara and Preston?"
She shook her head. "I don't know. When we got out of the stadium, they weren't with us."
"Great," I rubbed the back of my head. "Though, I shouldn't worry. Clara can take care of herself. And if Preston is with her, he'll be fine." Even as I said that, I still had my fears.
Steven led us down a flight of stairs, his Metagross blowing open a lab door into a circular room with a holographic control panel. A giant rock floated in the center of the room, glittering with different colors as Steven began typing.
"Hm," The Champion pursed his lip. "This is... What the-!"
The rock began to glow and we all stepped backwards as red light emanated from it. Mairin yelped as Chespin was ripped from her arms and floated towards the rock. I quickly rushed forwards, grabbing onto his foot, but he was pulled away and sucked into the rock as if it were water, the surface rippling before becoming jagged once more. Sirens went off around us and Steven yelled, "RUN!"
...
We were all breathing heavily by the time we made it outside, then we heard an explosion. We all turned back to see something emerging from the base, towering over the landscape.
"Zygarde!?" Alex gasped.
"No," Steven shook his head grimly as the Megalith began moving towards the nearby forest, huge vines erupting from the ground as he went. "Something worse."
"Well, this isn't the time to be gawking," I said as I made my way over to an airship as Team Flare began evacuating the base. "Jessie, James! You're piloting. Let's go!"
They saluted, and along with Meowth and Wobbuffet, ran onto the aircraft and took the controls. I looked back at my group hurrying over. Then I looked back up at the retreating Megalith. Whatever that was, whatever it was going to do, I knew we had to stop it. Whatever the cost.
Double Update! Woo! Been a while since I've done this! After finishing Chapter 72, I just got really motivated to write more, so I did. Man, just 10 chapters left to go... Then LDOC will be over... Man, it's been a wild ride so far. But it ain't over yet, not by a long shot! Toodles!
