Everything's gonna be fine... Probably.

"Still can't believe we got ourselves involved in this shit."

Adam's grumbling could be heard as we flew our way towards our targeted location as fast as we could. Just when we thought we could finally get a break after everything that had happened on National Day, especially after how I had gotten involved with Lugia of all pokemon I could have associated with, we just had to be sent on another mission which very nature is one that Rangers hardly experience.

There wasn't much that I did to affect the battle at Olivine after Nova and I managed to free Lugia and have it assist Indigo in protecting Olivine and the Johto region. There was just a whole lot of power being thrown about by every single Legendary pokemon involved in that titanic battle. It was such a mess that I could hardly keep up with my eyes. The battle against Zapmolcuno only ended after Ho-oh finally arrived and after Looker came onto the scene with two ancient jewel-like relics that he snatched from Team Rocket. The combined powers of the Tower Duo and the mysterious ability of the two relics Looker procured was what reverted Zapmolcuno back to their original selves and thus ending the battle in Indigo's victory.

I'm sure I had garnered attention of every kind because there were many people who saw me riding Lugia into battle that day. I have a feeling that things would have been a lot more problematic for me if Falkner hadn't used his influence to intervene in the matter the moment he found out about it. I didn't really appreciate the subsequent talk I received from him over the phone though, about how I had associated myself with a Legendary pokemon of all things, with so many people witnessing it to boot.

I know he is simply worried about the implications of me being chosen by Lugia to help free it from whatever Team Rocket had done to imprison it within its own home back on the Whirl Islands, because being chosen by a Legendary pokemon for whatever reasons is apparently a very big deal in this world, but it's not like I asked to be chosen. I just happened to be there at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Still, I'm grateful for Falkner's help despite having to put up with his incessant nagging and worrywart tendencies. Lugia might have disappeared ever since the end of the battle at Olivine, and contrary to popular beliefs, I have no ability to establish contact with it or to summon it over to my side whenever I want to like a legendary hero. However, people can be stupid sometimes when they insist on believing what they want to believe. I'm certain that there would be people who would want to use my association with Lugia for their own gains despite how I repeated myself over and over again that my association with Lugia is a one-off thing.

The worst thing to have resulted from this thus far would be a League official ordering their psychic to forcefully invade my mind to dig out secrets regarding Lugia that he was convinced that I am hiding. Thankfully, Lugia had seemingly left me with a gift as well before we parted. A powerful psychic energy that I am sure is not of Cosmo's intervention mercilessly reflected the damage back to the aggressor when that incident happened. Falkner was understandably enraged after he learned of this issue and while I wasn't made aware of the specifics, such incidents had never happened again. If it wasn't for the protection offered to me by my brother using his status of a Gym Leader, I'm willing to bet that things would have been a lot worse for me, something which I am not eager to find out.

Things had quelled somewhat after the battle of Olivine ended in Indigo's overall victory after Zapmolcuno had been dealt with, although tensions are still running high throughout Indigo. True to the Black Squadron's reputation as the oh-shit-squadron, we only got ourselves a small break before we were informed of our participation in this operation because Rangers are needed to compensate for the current lack of manpower in Indigo's STAR forces, and our squadron just so happened to have the luck to be chosen by Lance himself because our squad's firepower is comparatively higher to the others. Amy kept complaining to me in secret that Jacky's presence in our squad has to be the reason why we are selected, saying that one Jacky is the minimum equivalent of three STAR operatives when it comes to firepower.

Come to think about it, if Jacky is really that powerful as a trainer, why did he choose to become a Ranger instead of becoming a part of STAR? A trainer as powerful as him would shine brighter in a place like that instead of within the Rangers, right?

Rangers rarely see combat in our work, because the scope of our work usually only entails dealing with wild pokemon or the likes. Even if we are ever engaged in combat, it's usually against wild pokemon. The only times we face trained pokemon would be if we were to come across poachers, but we would usually call in for help from STAR forces if we ever got wind of such activities. Thus, our experience in dealing with criminals who use trained pokemon are far and few in between.

However, Indigo is currently facing a severe manpower crunch in each and every of their forces, especially the STAR forces, which makes up the bulk of their most elite military might. Our manpower was already stretched extremely thin given the scale of the fight we had with the Rockets back on National Day and Indigo had also incurred casualties. Nothing severe enough to leave a lasting impact on Indigo's military power, but significant enough to affect us in the short term. As of now, there are simply not enough elite trainers from the STAR forces that Indigo can utilise, so us Rangers from the 1st Ranger Regiment were called in to fill in the numbers needed for Indigo to embark on this operation.

The aim of the operation we are embarking on right now is to capture Giovanni and end Team Rocket once and for all. It seems that Indigo has finally located Giovanni's hideout and they are sparing no effort to capture him as soon as possible. Giovanni has been confirmed to be currently located on Five Island or to be more precise, the Five Isle Meadow.

Definitely not the type of operation that I would fancy myself to be in if I ever have the option to choose.

The only way to properly bring an army into the Sevii Islands is through the sea, something which was easily resolved when Hoenn's Elite Four Drake had volunteered his ship for the cause. From what I was told, Drake's ship was modified to be able to sail faster than any other ships, which suits our purpose in this operation just fine where time is of the essence.

Our forces will set off for Five Island in three different waves. The operation started the moment the advance party consisting of the Champion, Elite Four, the interpol, Unova's Pillars, and a selected few STAR squadrons flew off from the deck of the ship when the ship finally arrived at the waters surrounding Five Island. They are the first wave among the forces for this operation to set off. The second wave will set off the moment the first wave is about to reach the Rocket's stronghold. My squadron is part of the second wave due to the fact that we possess higher mobility on account of having me, a Flying Specialist, within the squadron. The rest of the forces who lack flight capabilities or other means of mobilisation will be the last to set off as the third wave after Drake had docked his ship at Five Island to allow them to disembark. They will head to the site of the operation on foot due to their lack of mobility.

"One minute left. Do a last minute check."

Pyral's raspy voice caught our attention as we did one last check of our equipment on hand, a habit long since ingrained in us as veterans of the Rangers. I tightened the strap of my helmet around my head a little more when there really isn't a need to, something I did more out of nervousness than anything else. To officially participate in combat situations with stakes as high as this is a first for me, and I am sure this is also true for most of my friends within the Black Squadron as well.

"You know, I can already think of so many things to brag about to the ladies once everything's finally over," Rufus eased the tension with another of his exaggerated delusions, his words prompting everyone to do an eyeroll even before we realised we were doing it.

"You always say that, and how many times have you succeeded?" Amy deadpanned.

"None," Jacky added with a grin. "Hey Rufus, if you still couldn't get a girl after this, maybe you should consider joining those monks at the Bellsprout Tower."

"Don't jinx it!" Rufus exclaimed, looking sincerely terrified at the idea of being a monk.

"Jinx or no jinx, you still couldn't get yourself a girl anyway," Adam snorted.

"Guys? I thought we were friends? Comrades in arms? Why are you doing this to me?"

"It's precisely because we are friends that we are taking the liberty to remind you of how cruel reality can be," Jacky said with a long exaggerated drawn out sigh while patting Rufus on the back. "How about this? If you still cannot get yourself a girl after this, drinks on me the next time we go out drinking. Consider it as consolation from me."

"I'd rather get myself a girl than get myself a consolation from you."

"Ten seconds," Pyral interrupted the conversation as his gaze turned to me. "Skye."

"Roger, boss," I replied while gesturing for Tino to lower herself to allow us to climb onto her back, which we quickly did.

"Three, Two, One. Now!"

Tino took off from the ship's deck the moment it was time to do so, taking the lead as the remainder of the forces for the second wave trailed behind us. With Tino's speed, we didn't even take a minute to reach the site of the battle, a large warehouse located within the Five Isle Meadow. This is Team Rocket's final stronghold that Giovanni is said to be hiding in.

The battle had already started when we arrived. I could see Lance and the Elite Four each leading a small group of the STAR forces down below as they tried to overwhelm Team Rocket's numerical advantage with the quality of their firepower. I can see my fellow reincarnated friends fighting as members of the interpol down below, with Akamu right at the forefront and Nova commanding her ground types to raise defensive covers for our forces on the flat plains, allowing them to safely advance amidst the rain of enemy bombardment.

"Black Squadron, commence operation! Skye, cover us and maintain aerial superiority! Take out the Rockets on the roof!"

We leapt into action upon Pyral's command, with everyone else jumping off from Tino's back and landing safely on the ground below with their pokemon's help. I could see Jacky's monster of a nidoking emerging from its pokeball the moment Jacky touched ground, easily rampaging across enemy's lines and helping our side to break through the defensive line the Rockets are building to protect their base of operations. I could see Pyral's typhlosion and arcanine racing across the ground and blitzing their way through our enemies, taking our foes down in a fiery blaze. Amy's ursaring is just right behind Jacky's nidoking, cutting through the Rocket's with heavy swipes of its large paws. Adam's hydreigon and Rufus' kingdra provide long range support as they rain bombardment of energy beams from afar, allowing the rest of the squadron to move on unhindered.

Right, I have to play my role too.

I released my team as well, chopping my hand forward in the direction of the warehouse as Tino let out a huge bellow in response, diving downwards to the building below. There are Rockets hiding on the roof who are trying to take down our forces with long range attacks from afar, a problem that we have to address if we do not want to incur too many casualties.

"Dia!"

Dia flew right in front of us, acting as a mobile shield as she braved through the assortment of attacks the Rockets were throwing at us. She fell back the moment we were within range, allowing us to take over while she heals up her injuries with Roost.

"Hawk, Emi, Heli, Glide!"

Hawk swooped down and landed on the rooftop, landing a powerful High Jump Kick that sent a politoed flying and knocking back everyone in the direction that Hawk had kicked the politoed in. Emi released erratic sparks to disable as many pokemon as she could while Heli buzzed and nimbly navigated himself within the Rocket's ranks, disorienting our enemies with Bug Buzz. Glide cut through our foes with his pincers, forcing them to stay down.

"You guys, make sure that the Rockets cannot regain their place on the rooftop! Echo, Tino, to the air! We are providing air support!"

Leaving four members of my team down on the rooftop of the warehouse, I flew back into the air on Tino's back as I commanded the rest of my team to begin raining down attacks on the Rockets from above. With the rooftop secured by my pokemon, I can see members of the STAR forces immediately using this opportunity to land down on the roof and using it as a point of entry into the warehouse.

The Rockets are no pushovers either. Despite being caught by surprise and no longer possessing firepower that they once wielded, they are putting up an admittedly impressive fight. Their numbers are one thing, the quality of the trainers within their ranks are obviously of a much higher calibre too as compared to the usual Rocket grunts we run into. Just like how Indigo had sent out their elites for this battle, this is where the remnants of Team Rocket's elites had congregated too.

The bulk of the Rockets' attention seemed to be drawn towards a large weird looking pokemon that by all means, looks like the living definition of a moving fortress. That pokemon is slowly marching towards the warehouse with members of our forces hiding behind it, using it as a mobile shield as they make their advance towards the warehouse. I have no idea what kind of pokemon it is, only knowing that it is definitely a foreign species, but I am able to tell that Akamu is the one commanding it and while he seems to be able to hold his own even against insurmountable odds, I don't think he would mind me giving him a hand.

"Crown!"

Crown let out a cry as he released a powerful Air Slash that pushed a handful of Team Rocket's pokemon backwards. Echo let out a Boomburst that shook the ground, buying enough time for Akamu's carbink to ram them with a powerful Stone Edge.

"You're welcomed!" I shouted over the din as we flew past Akamu overhead, not knowing if Akamu replied to my cheeky remark because we are already making our way to the next spot that needs our attention.

"Zephyr, we need some assistance over here!"

"On it!" I replied over the comms we made a sharp turn, narrowingly avoiding an Ice Beam as Aria retaliated with an equally vicious Dragon Breath, putting down the dewgong that almost got a lucky shot at us.

It only took us a matter of seconds to arrive at where the rest of my squadron were at. At a glance, I could see that they were being stalled by the collective efforts of several groups of Rockets who are using pokemon capable of manipulating the terrain and thus hampering our efforts to break through their defense line.

"Guys, I'm going to powder them! Fall back!"

I heard my squad mates replying with an affirmative and watched as their pokemon swiftly pulled back and allowed us to take over. I directed Cotton to release a huge burst of Stun Spores as Crown flapped his wings and accurately directed the hazardous powder with a gust of wind. Our tactic succeeded in paralysing the Rockets and my comrades wasted no time in taking them down the moment they saw the opportunity.

"Why is it taking so long to take down one stupid warehouse?" I cannot help but grumble when I saw just how stubbornly tenacious the Rockets are defending their hideout and preventing us from getting close to it. I would have simply wiped it off the face of the map with something like a Draco Meteor or the likes, but the higher ups are insistent on capturing Giovanni alive, so a torch and burn approach wasn't a choice.

"We saw Grimsley and Velda already breaking in. Man, you should have seen how they did it, it was freaking brutal," Jacky informed me as his nidoking rippled the earth with an Earthquake. "Too bad nobody was quick enough to capitalise on the opening they created before the Rockets closed it up once more, this would have been long over otherwise."

"What else were you expecting? Grimsley's the best Dark Specialist in the whole goddamn world," Adam replied over the comms as his pangoro threw a large boulder that smashed a pack of raticates that were trying to gnaw at us with their abnormally large front teeth.

"Yeah, this would have been long over if only you had a tenth of your idol's skills," Pyral replied in a flat voice. "Heads up, the third wave is about to reach anytime now. Our job here is done the moment they arrive, we will pull back from the front and leave things to the pros. Copy?"

"Copy that."

True to Pyral's words, the main bulk of our forces made their appearance in less than a minute. Their arrival swiftly turned this battle into our favour and our job had now totally turned into a supportive one. We pulled out anyone on our side who had fallen in battle and did emergency first-aid whenever we could. Rufus is on his usual firefighter duty as his water types ensure that any resulting fire that was ignited as a result of the fight was extinguished before they raze the entire Five Isle Meadow to the ground.

"Black Squadron commander, this is Elite Four Bruno! There are Rockets trying to make their escape to the north! Our hands are tied here, I need your guys to pursue them!"

"Roger that!" Pyral acknowledged the order given to us by Elite Four Bruno over the comms as he signalled for us to give chase with a jerk of his head.

"Zephyr, you are the fastest here, go on ahead first! We will be right behind! Just stall them until we arrive!"

"Got it!"

My flight to the north was swift and eerily silent. Trying to spot a handful of Rockets from above wasn't easy given how easily anyone could blend into the tall grass of the Five Isle Meadow below. I would have missed them entirely if Crown's keen eyes didn't pick up movements below us, allowing us to finally locate the escaping Rockets.

"Aria, Rock Slide!"

Aria blocked their exit at the front with falling rocks as Tino swept her Hyper Beam in an arc behind them, effectively cutting off their escape when they tried to make a u-turn. Echo and Crown followed up with attacks they pelted down from the skies. Our aim isn't to fight them, but merely to catch up and then stall these Rockets until reinforcements arrive to assist in their capture.

"Fuck! Just take that bitch down, Thunderbolt!"

Voltorbs and electrodes were suddenly trying to shoot us down, forcing us to keep our distance. I could also see several flying types being released for battle, each of them a common species found within Indigo. Flocks of fearows and pidgeots charged at us, intending to take us on in an aerial battle. This is going to quickly turn into a dogfight.

"Disperse them, Whirlwind!"

Crown generated a strong burst of wind that forced the flying types to scatter. It was obvious that the flying types are somewhat trained seeing as how they are trying to take advantage of their superior numbers to surround and box us in, not that I would give them the chance to do so.

"Crown, Quick Attack! Aria, Take Down!"

Crown blurred in a burst of speed as he rammed himself into a fearow we identified to be placed in a leadership role. Aria did the same thing to a noctowl. I can tell that our counterattack had caused a break within their formation, an opportunity that we can take advantage of.

To be on the safe side, I immediately ordered Beats to cast a Mean Look to prevent the Rockets from sneaking off while I busied myself with clearing out the flock of flying types they had sent at us before trying to wipe out the voltorbs and electrodes that are still trying to shoot us down from below. Aria did most of the heavy lifting in dealing with the large flock, her part rock typing allowing her to shrug off most attacks the flying types were throwing at her without much fuss before she mercilessly tore into them with her jaws and claws. Beats let out a screeching Supersonic, forcing the voltorbs and electrodes to stop harassing us for a short while as we made quick work of the flying types around us.

"Fuck! We are so fucked!"

"Not yet. Voltorb, electrode! Self-Destruct!"

"You idiot! If you do that-"

I didn't even have time to curse those Rockets for the foolish decision they decided upon in their desperate attempt to escape when the voltorbs and electrodes blew themselves up before we could react. Thankfully, Tino had somehow managed to shield us with a Protect so the only thing that hit us was the force of the backblast of the explosion, something inconsequential as compared to what could have happened in the worst case scenario.

However, for the Rockets to decide to blow up their only effective means of clipping our wings and fail also meant that they probably have nothing left to deal with us, which works in our favour.

"Clear the smoke! We are taking them down!"

Crown barked out a cry of warning, giving Tino enough time to react and slap a pidgeot away with a Steel Wing. That pidgeot was obviously aiming to tear Tino's right wing, and it would have succeeded if Tino hadn't managed to turn her wings as hard as steel in the nick of time. The pidgeot had nearly punctured a hole in Tino's right wing merely from the sheer speed of its flight.

"You forced this upon yourself, girl! Pidgeot, we are doing it!"

My jaws dropped when the opposing pidgeot glowed in that damning rainbow hue. This is the third time I have witnessed this impossible phenomenon. The first time was when Volkner's gyarados further evolved to break us out of our confinement back at the Indigo Stadium, the second time was when Nova did the exact same thing with her garchomp at the Whirl Islands when we were there to help free Lugia. I had seen for myself the increase in power their pokemon had gained and thrown around after they finished with their evolution, and both times I was glad that both of them are on our side.

But now, having that exact same power being used against me? Things had suddenly gone south a little too soon.

I had heard about this mysterious power, it was disclosed by the PWL after National Day because too many people had witnessed members of Indigo's forces being forced to use that power to protect our homeland on that day. People were demanding an explanation. That power is known as Mega Evolution and while not much information was revealed about it, enough was disclosed for us to know that trying to even use that power is an extremely dangerous thing to do. I'm guessing that this is the PWL's way of discouraging curious individuals from trying to explore using this mysterious power on their own without the proper knowledge and supervision.

Out of curiosity, I had also sent Falkner a text message asking if he could reveal more information to me regarding Mega Evolution. He would have known something about it as a Gym Leader. The reply I received was "Will explain to you when you return" and then followed by "If Mega Evolution is used against you, run" and that was it.

This totally sounds like the time to heed my brother's warning. If this evolved-pidgeot is anywhere close to Volkner's gyarados or Nova's garchomp in terms of power then I don't want to be involved any further than I already am. That pidgeot is already strong enough to give Tino a run for our money before Mega Evolution, I shudder to even think what our odds would look like after it finished undergoing that process.

"Pull back!"

"You are fucking dead, bitch! Get'er, Mega Pidgeot!"

My eyes weren't even able to capture the form of that Mega Pidgeot as it zipped around us in a blur before hitting Tino with a Hurricane at point blank. That insane speed was enough to catch us by surprise and that Hurricane was powerful enough to knock me off Tino's back. Dia swooped down to catch me as I continued my fall through the air but was blown back when she was suddenly hit by a Heat Wave.

Cosmo was the one who managed to halt my fall with her psychic powers, buying just enough time for Aria to dive down and catch me with her back. Aria howled out a furious roar as she released a barrage of Ancient Power in her blind rage, which surprisingly, had all managed to hit the Mega Pidgeot despite Aria's poor aim.

That wasn't supposed to be possible given the speed Mega Pidgeot was flying at. It could have easily dodged them all, so how had Aria's attack found their mark?

I immediately understood that I have to test things out.

"Aria, Stone Edge!"

A slab of jagged rock was hurled at the Mega Pidgeot which it countered with a Mirror Move. My confusion deepened when I realised that the Mega Pidgeot had chosen to defend itself when it could have also easily avoided that Stone Edge with its speed. Something isn't right.

Was it an effect of a move somebody used earlier? No, it doesn't seem like it. None of my pokemon had used any supporting moves that would guarantee an accurate hit and such moves are rare to come across in the first place, let alone master.

In that case, maybe something else had changed the moment the pidgeot mega evolved into a Mega Pidgeot? Something that would force it to defend instead of making use of its superior speed for evasion like what most flying types would do under usual circumstances? What could it be?

"Destroy them! Hurricane!"

"Aria, Wide Guard!"

Aria managed to protect us all from harm just right before the Hurricane could hit us. That pidgeot had stunningly good aim despite the speed it was using to zip around us. There's usually a limit at how fast flying types could go without sacrificing the accuracy for their ranged attacks. Was it a Mind Reader? Maybe a Lock-on? No, it couldn't be, pidgeots are incapable of learning those moves and the Rockets are not using any other pokemon other than this terrifying Mega Pidgeot because it is their only pokemon left. Whatever that is causing this odd turn of events must have originated from this Mega Pidgeot. Increase in power aside, what else would change when a pokemon evolves? Come on, Skye, think! To allow the user to have perfect accuracy while also allowing the foes the same benefit? What kind of-

My eyes widened when I realised what could have caused this anomaly.

No Guard. An ability that ensures that all attacks used by, and targeted at, the ability bearer to hit without fail. Of course! A pokemon's ability might also change whenever they undergo evolution, I should have thought of it earlier!

It is then that I am grateful that the pokemon that I am facing is a Mega Pidgeot instead of any other species of pokemon. I was born and raised among flying types, and the pidgeot line is our family's specialty. We know every single thing there is to know about their species and assuming that a pidgeot doesn't magically learn some new moves whenever they mega evolve, there are only so many ways a pidgeot can defend themselves when they have no choice but to take hits.

"Its ability should be No Guard! Just take turns to wear it down! Beats, Toxic!"

Pidgeots are never known for their defensive capabilities, they are built for speed, their anatomy alone is enough proof of that. Seeing as how the body structure of the Mega Pidgeot doesn't outwardly differ much from the normal pidgeot, the same logic should apply for Mega Pidgeot too. It might possess firepower and speed that none of us can currently match, but it should be more afraid of being hit by us then worrying about if it could take us out in one devastating strike. After all, we have the numerical advantage here after the Rocket goons foolishly blew up their only effective means of taking us down, their voltorbs and electrodes.

If Mega Pidgeot's ability truly is No Guard, then it would do everything it can to avoid Beats' Toxic, a move that can easily cripple its momentum. It would be exceptionally deadly especially when it was forced to fight us on its own without any form of support.

I knew my hunch about its new ability was right when Mega Pidgeot immediately used a Detect to avoid Beats' Toxic instead of pressing its assault while easily avoiding the Toxic like a normal pidgeot would choose to do. Detect, Mirror Move, Roost, Protect, Substitute, these are the only effective options a pidgeot has in defending itself when evasion becomes impossible. The other choice would be to meet the attack with an attack of their own and hope that its own firepower could overwhelm their foes, but that is also a risky move on its own.

The effectiveness of Detect and Protect will wear down eventually with each successive use. No pokemon could continuously use Substitute without it taking a toll on their stamina. We would not be giving it a chance to heal it up with Roost so if we keep up our assault, the only option for the Mega Pidgeot to take would be Mirror Move, to counter our attacks with a replica.

I could see the effectiveness of our plan unfolding before my very eyes the moment I figured out Mega Pidgeot's new ability. We just have to keep this up long enough, ensuring that it would not be able to use Detect, Protect, or Substitute before we cripple it in one devastating attack. If we are lucky enough, my squadron would arrive before then and aid me in our endeavour.

"Take out the crobat!"

I figured the Rockets might try to get Beats out of their way when they realised that the tides are slowly turning in our favour. Beats' use of Mean Look is the only reason why they are still here and not using this chance to make their escape. This is why I paired Cosmo up with Beats, so that she could protect Beats with her psychic abilities. As long as Beats' Mean Look is in effect, there are no hopes of escape for them.

I knew I had this in the bag when the Mega Pidgeot failed to reach Beats due to Cosmo putting herself in the way and defending him with a Protect. Echo's Dragon Pulse finally forced Mega Pidgeot to lose the last of the effectiveness of its usage of Detect and Protect, the opening that we had been waiting for had finally shown itself.

"Clip its wings! Stone Edge!"

Aria roared as jagged rocks shot up from below Mega Pidgeot, forcing it to use a Substitute just to get away from Aria's Stone Edge. The Mega Pidgeot is clearly desperate as it begins to glow in a shine of white light that I know is the precursor to Sky Attack. It wants to go big or go home.

"Dia, Iron Defense, Endure! Meet it!"

Dia flew up to meet Mega Pidgeot's Sky Attack with a Drill Peck after bolstering her defensive capabilities. The collision of the two attacks generated an unexpectedly large shock wave that blew us backwards and had me closing my eyes for a second.

No damn way.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing the moment I reopened my eyes. The streak of white light barely slowed down in its flight as it continued to head in my direction. I wasn't expecting that even Dia's body of steel wasn't enough to put a stop in its charge. Had I underestimated the power boost Mega Evolution provided?

"Pro-"

I knew we wouldn't be fast enough to properly shield ourselves with a Protect the moment the words left my mouth. Mega Pidgeot's No Guard would mean that every attack used on the field would always find its mark, so evasion isn't a choice for us as well. We could try to overwhelm the Sky Attack with attacks of our own, but at the speed the Mega Pidgeot was flying it would probably just blitz its way through anything we might throw at it before bringing us down along with it.

Shit, I've miscalculated.

"Sparkles, take that attack!"

Something emerged from my shadows, catching Aria and I by surprise at the sudden appearance of what I identified as a sableye. The sableye let out a shriek as it leapt off Aria's back before meeting Mega's Pidgeot Sky Attack with a Foul Play, saving our skins just right before we were done in by the Mega Pidgeot.

I heard an irritated hiss emitted by the sableye as it punched the Mega Pidgeot down into the ground with a well-aimed Knock Off, stunning the Mega Pidgeot momentarily from the impact. The sableye disappeared into the shadows before swiftly reappearing right beside the Mega Pidgeot and brutally tearing out its throat with its sharp claws.

Whoever sableye's trainer was, he or she had just saved my life.

"Skye, right? You alright?" I turned my head downwards where I heard the voice coming from. Agent Looker of the interpol looked up at me from the ground with a small smile on his face.

"Looker?"

"The one and only," Looker affirmed as his shadows expanded, spitting out the bodies of several unconscious Rockets which I identified to be the ones that I was trying to capture earlier. How on earth had Looker defended me from the Mega Pidgeot while taking these Rockets captive all at the same time?

"Uh, thanks," I thanked Looker as Aria landed us on the ground below. I let out a small sigh of relief when I saw that Dia had survived that Sky Attack without any crippling injuries and had already started to heal the worst of her wounds with Roost. At least we came out of this alive.

"Did you see my squadron? They were supposed to reach me by now."

"You're welcomed, and I believe they were held up while making their way to you. I spotted them while making my way over here," Looker explained as the sableye crawled out from Looker's shadow, eyeing me curiously with those dazzling bright eyes.

"Don't fret too much about that battle. You did well in handling yourself against a Mega Pidgeot despite not knowing what it is capable of. Flying Specialists tend to prefer to evade attacks entirely than to defend. Seeing that you chose to defend instead of evading that Sky Attack, did you figure out its new ability?"

"It's No Guard, isn't it?" I asked, wanting confirmation whether my deduction was spot on or not. Looker's nod of approval gave me the answer that I wanted.

"Impressive deduction. I also saw how you provided aerial support back at the warehouse earlier and how fast you were flying back there, you truly lived up to your family's reputation as Flying Specialists. Hadn't seen such impressive aerial maneuvers in quite a while."

Looker accepted a small marble-like object that his sableye passed over to him and held it up for me to see.

"This is a Mega Stone. This particular one is a Pidgeotite, a held object that allows a pidgeot to undergo Mega Evolution if it is able to sync with a trainer holding onto a Key Stone. This was what that pidgeot was holding onto earlier."

"Are you sure it's fine to tell me about this?" I questioned, knowing very well that such information is definitely way beyond my clearance level. I am curious about Mega Evolution, but not to the extent that I would want to tangle myself with the wrong side of the law.

"If it's you, this much is fine," Looker dismissed my concerns, looking rather unbothered about what he just let slip to me.

"If you say so…" I trailed off as I surveyed our surroundings. "So, do we have anything else to take care of, or do we make our way back?"

"Let's go back," Looker decided. "But before then, Skye, I have a proposition for you."

"Proposition? For me?"

"Yes, for you," Looker patiently repeated himself before continuing to explain further. "I will cut to the chase. Skye, are you interested in joining the interpol?"

That was a shock I wasn't sure if I would be happy to receive. On one hand, it would mean my skills have been acknowledged by someone of Looker's calibre. On the other hand, I know about the kind of shit the interpol is involved in thanks to what Velda and co had divulged to me in our very first meeting. While being able to further challenge myself and work alongside them is something that I am all too happy to do, the kind of missions that the interpol will be embarking on is a daunting one.

"Why me?"

"Originally, we were supposed to scout for talents before we suddenly found ourselves involved in the war Team Rocket dragged us in, so this is just me doing what I was originally setting out to do in the first place. Your involvement with Lugia aside, Velda also recommended you after consulting Volkner about it and I trust their judgement. Even then, ultimately, your performance earlier was what finally convinced me to extend this offer to you. Your ability to react in almost any kind of situation, your skill in maneuvering through the air, your speed, your bravery, these are the kind of qualities that I need and expect of a Flying Specialist in a group like the interpol."

Somehow, the first thought that sprung up in my mind was how Falkner would react if he knew about this. This isn't like one of our usual disagreements, the things the interpol will be involved in are definitely a lot more dangerous than the usual ones I would encounter as a Ranger. I don't need to be as smart as Ciel to know that he would be hopping mad if I ever accept Looker's offer. However, I also know that Falkner's response isn't the issue that I should be thinking about right now. This is my life, not his.

Do I really want to join? That is the question that I should be asking myself.

"I… I need some time to think about this."

"I'm not expecting an immediate response," Looker spoke up. "But at the same time, I'm afraid I couldn't give you too much time to spare either. Two weeks, that is how much time I can afford for you to mull things over before giving me your answer. If I don't hear anything from you by then, I would assume that you had rejected my offer. If you want the details of our job and what we really do as members of the interpol, I'm sure Vel will be more than happy to explain it to you."

I cannot help but subconsciously jerk my head back a little in surprise. How had he known that I kept in contact with Vel? We had made sure to not look as if we knew each other more than we are supposed to.

Looker either didn't spot my surprise, or he probably didn't care. He simply pointed a lazy finger towards the direction of the warehouse where we came from.

"So, you don't mind if I hitch a ride back, right?"


Character and pokemon list:

Name: Skye Bale, 16, Female

Affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1st Ranger Regiment

Rank: Staff Sergeant

Code Name: Zephyr

Pokemon Team:

1. Pidgeot (Crown), male

2. Gliscor (Glide), male

3. Skarmory (Dia), female

4. Crobat (Beats), male

5. Jumpluff (Cotton), female

6. Dragonite (Tino), female

7. Noivern (Echo), male

8. Emolga, (Emi), female

9. Hawlucha (Hawk), male

10. Sigilyph (Cosmo), female

11. Aerodactyl (Aria), female

12. Masquerain (Heli), male