Thank you all for your patience. With that said, Pokémon is the property of Nintendo, Gamefreak and several other companies, while Beast Wars and all other Transformers related media is the property of Hasbro and Takara Tomy. Enjoy.

Chapter 6: First Contact

"You know, Jess. I've been thinking." Said James as he sat lotus position on the grass. "As I sit here, defeated and held captive by highly advanced, sentient robots of undeterminable origin, I can't help but point out that this all could've been avoided if you'd just listened to me and surrendered when they asked us nicely."

"Oh really, James? Well I've been thinking too." Jessie replied from her spot right beside him. "And as I sit here, listening to your effeminate and yet somehow condescending voice, I can't help but point out that if you don't shut up, I'm gonna knock your teeth out."

"Very classy, Jess. Very classy. Tell me, how on Earth are you still single?"

"Why you little…"

Click. Click.

Before the redhead could attempt to act upon her baser instincts, she suddenly felt the barrel of a futuristic looking ray gun press up against her temple.

"Go ahead, toots." Said the robot holding the gun with an accent roughly similar to that of her other teammate. "Make. My. Day."

Not needing to be told twice, Jessie simply gulped and assumed a more docile and sheeplike demeanor.

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

"Rattrap, what did I tell you about harassing the prisoners?" said the lead robot a short distance away; back in the form of a Blastoise.

"Hey, they were actin' up, so I gave 'em a little… incentive to calm down. That's all."

"Well next time, do it without your gun. And for the love of Primus, go back into Beast Mode before you get Energon Buildup."

"Alright, alight, you're like a broken record. Sigh. Beast Mode."

And with that, the intimidating robot shrank down to the relatively less intimidating form of a Raichu, before walking off to sulk and gripe.

"Well, ain't this just dandy." Meowth said sarcastically from his spot right beside Jessie. "Not only did we lose, again, but this time we didn't even get to make a speedy exit. Now we're bein' held captive by shapeshiftin' robots, and to top it all off, we're down to our last 500 bucks until next month."

"Uh… you might wanna do a recount, Meowth." James spoke up embarrassedly. "You see… last night, Jess and I got a little… carried away at the hotel. What with the steak frites, the champagne, the movie, the massages… man, who knew cashews were so expensive?"

"So we're broke? Again?" the Scratch Cat Pokémon said before his fury gave way to quiet exasperation. "Sigh. I shoulda just joined the circus."

XXX

The battle, if you can call it that, between the Maximals and Team Rocket's Mecha-Golem lasted approximately four minutes and seventeen seconds. The human bandits and their Pokémon sidekick were outnumbered, outgunned and just plain outsmarted by their Cybertronian adversaries. Now the shattered remains of the enemy mech lay smoking on the ground, while three of the Axalon's crew stood close by and waited.

"What do you think they're talking about over there, Big Bot?" Houndor asked his superior officer.

"The same thing we are, I suspect." Optimus replied as he looked over at the group of humans gathered around the main building. "Trying to figure out what to do next."

"But we helped them. We saved them from being robbed by those crooks. We should be all good now, right?" the young bot asked optimistically.

"I keep forgetting this is your first time off Cybertron." Backstop jumped in to dispense a little wisdom. "There's a reason our kind wrap ourselves in synthetic flesh when we go visiting other worlds, and it ain't just to protect us from Energon Fields. No, the simple truth is that we're not welcome most places. Even before our ancestors destroyed a billion worlds in their senseless war, the general feeling in our galaxy was largely anti-mechanical. Oh, there were exceptions, of course, just as there are today. But the bottom line is that most organic species can't or won't recognize machines as their equals."

"I know that, old friend." Replied Optimus, having realized that this lecture was as much for him as it was for Houndor. "And I'm willing to accept that possibility if need be, but I still stand by my decision to step in and help. It was the right thing to do."

"I agree. That's why I didn't protest when you gave the order. I just wanted to make sure you were aware this could still go sideways."

"Understood. But until these humans give us a reason to think otherwise, let's try to be optimistic."

"I don't see what the big deal is." Houndor remarked. "Humans have always been on our side."

"Not all humans, son." Backstop replied uneasily. "Not all humans."

XXX

"What do you think they're talking about, Professor?" Tracey asked his older mentor as they both observed their 'guests' across the way.

"Probably, the same thing we are." The Professor replied. "Just trying to get a handle on things. Figure out what they should do next."

"Yeah, that makes sense. But what are we going to do next?"

"Well, I know what I'd like to do, but I feel we should hear everyone's viewpoint before we make a decision."

And with that said, the old researcher and his assistant went back to join the main group.

"I say we call the police." Said Max in that whiney, opinionated tone he was known for. "Not to mention the army, the media and maybe even the Elite Four. We need to nip this thing in the bud."

"Nip what in the bud?" asked his older sister, sounding both confused and a little annoyed.

"Oh come on! It's so obvious. First there's that thing on the news this morning about meteors that don't show up on scanners, and now we've got shapeshifting robots. This is clearly the beginning of an alien invasion!"

"That literally makes no sense at all." May argued. "Why would they come to our rescue if they were going to invade us?"

"Well, obviously it was a ploy to make us lower our guards so they can betray us later. Of course, you'd have realized this if you possessed my keen intellect and years of experience."

"Max, you're three years younger than me, and your so-called intellect is just a bunch of stuff you read in books written by bigger phonies than you. No offense, Professor."

"None taken, my dear."

"Look, I don't know about meteors, or aliens or any of that stuff." Ash interjected confidently. "All I know is that those guys helped us out when they didn't have to and that makes them okay in my book."

"They're not guys, they're robots. Alien robots!" the younger boy argued fervently. "We can't trust them!"

"Well, I agree with Ash." May replied, possibly out of spite.

"What a surprise. My sister agrees with Ash."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"What do you think it means, genius?"

"Children, please, let's not argue." Delia stepped in to try and keep the peace. "Today's been stressful enough as it is."

"Brock, you're smart. You agree with me, right?" Max asked the older trainer pleadingly.

"Sorry, Max, but I'm with Ash on this one." Brock replied, trying not to sound condescending. "Those… things… whoever or whatever they are, they clearly had Team Rocket outmatched from the start, but instead of attacking outright, they tried reasoning with them first. And when that didn't work they only disabled their robot and captured them; they didn't hurt them. And afterwards, they could've easily escaped on their own, but instead they chose to stay and see how we'd react. All of that suggests intelligence and an aversion to violence. I think we should at least hear what they have to say."

"In that case, it's all but unanimous." The Professor spoke up suddenly. "I'm going over to have a talk with them and hopefully get some answers."

"Good luck, Professor." Tracey said concernedly. "And please be careful."

"Don't worry, Tracey. I know exactly what I'm doing." The old researcher said confidently before internally adding. 'I hope.'

XXX

"Looks like they're done talking." Backstop said as he observed the old man walking towards them. "How do you want to proceed?"

"Well, they sent over one delegate, I think it's only fair we do the same." Optimus reasoned. "I'll take care of this. You two watch my back."

"Okay, but it's your front I'm worried about." The older Maximal replied.

"Good luck, Big Bot." added Houndor concernedly.

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing." He replied, half lying, as he marched off to greet their 'host'.

While he had gone through countless simulations of First Contact Situations back at the Academy, usually scoring 85% or higher, this was the first time he'd ever done the real thing. And while those simulations were based off the case histories of over 900,000 real life FCSs, they were no substitute for hands-on experience, which the Maximal commander was severely lacking; after all he'd only been on the job a few months. However, even with all of this in mind, Optimus was quite confident that he possessed all the skills and knowhow necessary to make a good first impression.

"Bah weep graaaaagnah weep ni ni bong!" he said in the loudest but least threatening tone he could manage.

"Uh… what?" the old man replied confusedly; clearly unfamiliar with the Universal Greeting. "I'm sorry, I don't quite understand."

"Oh, it's okay, I was just… well, never mind." The Maximal leader said awkwardly before attempting to regain control of the situation. "Let's start over. Greetings, my name is Optimus Primal; Commander of the Maximal Exploration Ship Axalon."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir." The old man replied politely. "My name is Samuel Oak. Professor Samuel Oak, that is. That building over there is my lab, as well as my home. So you have my deepest gratitude for saving it from those three reprobates."

"You're quite welcome, but it was no trouble really. To be honest, those three don't seem very smart."

"They're not, but they make up for it with tenacity and dumb luck. This is the fifth or sixth time those troublemakers have tried to rob my lab and they're usually miles away before I can call the police."

"Well you don't need to worry about that this time. I had my crew put stasis cuffs on them. They're not really designed for organic lifeforms, but they should keep them from going anywhere in a hurry for a while."

"That's good to know." The Professor said, sounding almost relieved. "So what will you do with them?"

"I was going to leave that up to you. We're not really from around here, so I don't think we have any right to play judge and jury."

"Ah, so you are aliens? That is to say, you're beings from another world?"

"We are, and I'm sorry if that upsets you…"

"Upset? Why on Earth would I be upset?" the old researcher said, sounding almost amused by the misunderstanding. "The chance to meet and converse with intelligent beings from a world outside our own. I can think of at least eight fellow scientists off the top of my head who'd sell their front teeth for an opportunity like this."

"I must say, it's a relief to hear you say that." Optimus replied. "To be honest, our kind hasn't always received a warm welcome when visiting new worlds. Thanks to our metal bodies and our ability to transform, most organic species are uncomfortable to even be around us."

"Yes, well, I can't promise you won't run into people like that on this planet." The Professor admitted. "But you have my word, that as long as you're on my property, you and your crew will come to no harm."

"Well, you certainly seem like the trustworthy sort. If nothing else, your game preserve here shows that you have a love of animals."

"Pokémon."

"Pardon?"

"Pokémon. It's sort of a… catchall term for the nonhuman creatures of this planet. Be they animal, vegetable, mineral or something else entirely. I've dedicated my life to their study and preservation."

"Poe-key-mon." Optimus repeated the word slowly as he tried to see how it felt on his tongue. "That's an odd word."

"Yes, I suppose it would be to someone who's never heard it before, but then you could say that about pretty much any word."

"Yes, I suppose you could."

And with that, the two of them shared a brief but good-natured laugh.

"So… what happens now?" the lead Maximal asked cautiously.

"Well, before all the trouble started I was entertaining some friends of mine, and if it's not an imposition, I'd like them to be your friends as well." The old Professor answered warmly as he offered him his hand. "And I'd like to be your friend too, of course."

Upon hearing this, Optimus smiled and extended his own hand in the name of friendship.

"You know something, Professor? I'd like that too"

And with that all settled, the two 'men' shook hands, thus forging what was quite possibly the single most important alliance of our age.

End Notes:

Well, I'm back.

Just like I promised.

I hope this chapter was worth the wait and I'll see you in the next one.

Peace.