Hey guys, as I promised in the last chapter, this one is going to be long. After this chapter. Sorry about not posting for sometime, but I will do my best to bring these chapters.
"This is Ninetails News! We cover the news nine times faster than our competitors! I'm your host Kellen Sky and I'll be covering the news about a recent earthquake off the coast of the Vibrava Peninsula on the east side of Voyanna Beach that has caused part of Palossand Tower to collapse. This is one of the recent destructive earthquakes that have been happening across the world starting from the Hoenn region. These earthquakes have started happening less than a day after a two minute nationwide blackout. Experts are saying that these aren't natural earthquakes and are most likely being caused by Pokémon. More information about these unnatural natural disasters are coming in as experts in the field research the cause of these earthquakes and what Pokémon could be causing them. Now over to Jim Holland at the site of the earthquake."
"Thank you Kellen. I'm here at the Palossand Tower, a very popular tourist attraction. Unfortunately you can immediately see how a lot of the left side of the tower has been knocked away. The tower is leaning dangerously and could collapse at any moment. There are a few violent aftershocks here and there with no way to predict them. Fortunately, most people have fled the scene. But a few people are trapped inside. However, we have our very own Oak Alpha of the Oak Agency on the job. The Oak Alpha are a special part of the government agency known as the Oak Agency and are trained to be first responders in any kind of emergency. They have done us a great help in the past and are the perfect team to stop Palossand Tower from collapsing. The work they do is amazing, wouldn't you think so Kellen?"
"I agree with you wholeheartedly. Just yesterday they, along with the rest of Oak Agency, were very helpful and supportive during the few emergencies caused by the blackout. Thank Arceus people like them exist."
"Right. Anyways, there isn't much going on for the general public here seeing as the Oak Alpha have sealed the place to the public. But we're all praying for the people inside to make it out safely. Back to you Kellen."
"Thank you Jim. This is all for this news story. Up next, what is the Gamma Team up to with Bryce Shepperd. Stay tuned after this adbreak."
Scott, Haruka, Juan, Gavin, Wilhelm, Joyce, and Aisha were at the tower, helping alongside a few others to save the people in the tower.
Aisha was busy tending to the Pokémon while Joyce was tending to the people. While she may not have been a doctor, she was good at making people feel at ease. Ellen and Maggie were off investigating a series of crimes related to Gigantamax Pokémon, with Katie following behind for training.
Haruka, Gavin, and Juan were inside, locating people and bringing them outside. Scott was busy trying to stabilize the building so it didn't fully collapse while they were inside. He was doing this with the HFM suit. Also known as the Human Force Manipulator suit.
The suit was designed by Wilhelm and was built with the help of Victor and a few of Wilhelm's friends. The HFM suit was made to lift heavy things in places where helicopters or other heavy lifting equipment couldn't go.
Standing at eight feet, the HFM suit had two arms and legs, with a powerful claw at the end of each arm. The main body was a seat that had a harness over it, kind of like a roller coaster. The user would move their arms inside of the HFM suit's arms to move them, and their legs in the suit's legs. There were buttons inside each arm for arm and body rotation and claw maneuvering.
"Scott, I need your help over here. I've got a mother and her son trapped inside a suite and is blocked by some rubble. None of my Pokémon can get through," said Juan.
"Noted, but I'm being held up. The left side of the tower is collapsing and I'm the only thing that's holding it up. Wilhelm's trying to work up some mud ice thingy to use as supports."
"What's your position Juan?" asked Gavin.
"I'm around the middle of the tower, closer to the left side."
"That makes it too risky to get Speedy to smash his way through."
"Hmm, seeing the current situation. I think extracting the people from below would be the best course of action."
"From below?" asked Juan incredulously.
"Indeed, based on my surveillance scan, the bottom floors of the tower are already weakened and destroyed a lot. Because of this, removing more of the bottom floors wouldn't affect it that much. The weight limit for the floor you're on at this point is about fifty kilograms with you on it, that's too unstable for the HFM suit. This is why removing the bottom floor is a viable option. Just be careful not to damage any of the walls or supports, that will make the tower more likely to collapse."
"Like a tower of blocks."
"If you built a tower of blocks correctly, it would fall."
"Nevermind. I trust your plan works, I'm going."
Juan ran through the damaged building and climbed down a hole in the floor to get to the bottom. He pulled out his phone and looked at Wilhelm's scan as he navigated under the floor.
He sent out Typhlosion and had the Serperior lift him to the nearest hole in the floor. The hole was somewhat large, but not big enough for a whole person to fit through.
He knocked on the bottom of the wall. "Everyone in there, move towards a wall farthest from where I'm speaking! I'm going to knock a hole in the floor so everyone stays calm!"
He heard someone respond and waited for a few moments for them to move. He had Typhlosion lower him down and move back.
"Typhlosion, use Dragon Pulse!"
Typhlosion shot a stream of energy at the floor. Rubble fell as the original hole became bigger.
"Use it again!"
This time, a whole section of the floor came and Typhlosion got out of the way as the floor above came crashing down on them.
He saw people hanging back against the wall. He had Typhlosion extend his body and use his tail to slowly lower them down.
"I've extracted the two people. Neither of them have been hurt."
"That's great but I may be in a bit of trouble here," said Haruka.
Haruka was crouched underneath a pile of building material, the only thing stopping the rubble from falling on him was his Tyranitar, who was increasingly getting annoyed at the work he was doing.
"I blame you for this Scott," said Haruka as he carefully probed the pile of rubble for anywhere he could dig through.
"Me?" asked Scott.
"Yeah, it was you who convinced me to go on this mission rather than find criminals. Now, I'm stuck between a wall and a pile of rubble with a lazy Tyranitar and a fainted kid."
"The situation was unforeseeable. I'll come as soon as I can. Wilhelm, what's taking so long?"
"I have to do the calculations for the material strength. If we were to use the wrong material, the building could lean to heavily on it and break through. Causing the entire thing to collapse. We don't have many materials on hand. That reminds me, I should manufacture a substance that hardens in contact with air for future rescues like this one."
Scott gritted his teeth. "This thing can lock in place right and become a temporary support right?"
"Yes, but it isn't fully tested."
"Well then I'm doing it. Either we go with it or you find someone else to pilot it."
With that, Scott got out of the suit and jumped on his Flygon. They flew off and circled the building.
"Haruka, what's your position?"
"I don't know? Some place where the ceiling fell. Pretty far from where Juan is."
Scott continued circling the tower, trying to see where Haruka was. He didn't see any clues to where he might be, so he turned on his radio again.
"Haruka, which floor are you on?"
"Seventh floor."
"Just hold on, I'm coming!"
Scott directed Dark to the seventh floor and slowly rose to his feet on Darv's back. As they neared the broken floor, Scott leaped from his back and into the building, doing a survival roll to break the fall.
Darv landed beside Scott as he stood up. Scott looked around and saw that one side was closed off while the other had a huge gap in the floor.
"You can't me fly in here, the ceiling is too low. Can you bridge the gap for me?"
Darv nodded and gently flapped his wings. He grasped one edge of the floor and put his tail at the end of the other. Scott gently climbed over Darv and made sure to watch his head.
Scott got to the other side and helped Darv get up. He looked down the hall and saw that it had rubble too, but it wasn't too high. He returned Darv to his pokéball and climbed over the rubble.
"Scott, where are you?" asked Haruka, his voice nearing the edge of hysteria.
"I'm coming! You said you were near a wall right?"
"Yeah!"
"Well I'm going to need more information, there are walls everywhere!"
"There's nothing else I can tell you, please hurry up!"
Scott clambered over the rubble and rushed through the building. He saw another pile of rubble and saw the pile shifting.
"HELP!"
Scott could definitely tell where his voice was coming from.
"Haruka, take cover. Darv, clear the rubble! Use Stone Edge!"
Darv slammed the ground, causing a stone to jut out and slam into the rubble. Dust flew into the air as the building material flew everywhere. Darv covered Scott with his wings.
"Haruka, are you okay?"
"You could have given me more of a warning. I had barely any time to send out Greninja."
Scott looked and saw the Greninja sitting quietly one the floor. A mat slowly fading slowly out of existence.
"Glad you're okay. Grab the child and let's get out of here. Darv, can you carry three for a short distance down?"
Darv nodded and flapped his wings. Haruka grabbed the child and climbed onto Darv and Scott followed behind. Darv flapped his wings and flew down to the ground. Gavin and Juan were there as well.
"Wilhelm said there are no more people trapped in the building, but we still have to stop it from collapsing until the repair crew can get there," said Gavin.
"Why can't Darv just use Stone Edge?" asked Juan.
"Wilhelm said the force of the attack could cause the building to collapse even more."
"I've figured it out," said Wilhelm, coming up to them. "If we use some of the broken rubble and pack it with some material like cement, we can use ice type attacks to freeze it and make it strong enough to hold up the tower if we put it in a few key spots. At least, according to my calculations."
"Quick question," said Haruka. "Where are we going to get the cement from?"
"I have come up with a formula using materials we have on hand. I'm going to need assistance from our Pokémon however."
Scott looked at the crumbling building. "At least we have plenty of rubble."
Two hours later
Wilhelm sat at his desk fiddling with his computer, Iridus was by his side, reading a book. Pepper, the Breloom/Krokorok hybrid Wilhelm rescued from the Gamma Team, was sleeping under a table.
There was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
The door opened and Victor walked in. His Rotom computer is floating next to him. WIlhelm was always fascinated with Rotom, their ability to possess electronics and give them infinite energy always amazed him.
"Hey Wilhelm, I was wondering what you were up to. Whether you were designing a new gadget or hanging out with your Pokémon. You get what I mean right? SInce y'know, you're always doing some scientific work. I mean, I get it's a profession of yours, but you should really take a break."
"For what reason?" asked WIlhelm, never taking his computer. He removed the battery and peered at the back up battery.
"Uh, are you talking about you taking a break or me wondering what you're up to?"
"You're wondering what I'm up to," said Wilhelm. He removed the backup battery and discounted the light panel on the outside of the computer that was attached to it.
"I was wondering if you were designing a gadget. So I could help, I think we made a pretty good team when we made the HFM suit. That thing was amazing, you saw how well it performed right?"
Wilhelm sighed. No matter how bad he was at conversations, he knew that Victor would talk too much. To deal with this, Wilhelm simply listened to the first thing Victor said, and then ignored the rest.
"I'm trying to figure out a way to prevent my computer from fully shutting down in case of another blackout. Both the main battery and the back up battery were completely drained when the energy pulse hit, and since the pulse affected everything, there was no light to repower the back up battery."
"But what's the point? I mean, the blackout lasted only two minutes."
"That's true, but the pulse obviously emitted a lot of energy. If my computer were to stay on, I could use it to pinpoint the location of the pulse if it happens again. My hypothesis is that the pulse was due to Gamma Team activity, and that it's directly linked earthquakes."
A concerned expression appeared on Victor's face and he walked over to Wilhelm's desk. He however, got too close to Pepper. The hybrid Pokémon woke up and raced out from under the desk. Victor screamed and leaped back, tripping over Iridus' tail, which had decided to move up by a few inches, and fell hard on the floor.
Of course, the rest of Oak Alpha already knew about Pepper, but that didn't stop Victor from being scared of it, especially at sudden movements like that. Pepper rushed over to Wilhelm and started crying. Causing Iridus to roll her eyes in annoyance.
"Oh dear," said Wilhelm.
Five minutes later
Wilhelm finally managed to get Pepper situated and Pepper went to sleep in Wilhelm's lab storage. Victor got down from a chair he was standing on and glared at Iridus, who had a mischievous smile on her face.
"That Kommo-o laughing at me."
Wilhelm shrugged, not sure what to say at a time like this. Instead, he turned back to his computer and started fiddling around with the batteries.
"Anyways Wilhelm, what do you think the Gamma Team is trying to do with these blackouts and earthquakes? Strike fear into the public?"
"I doubt that, judging by the fact the pulse was so powerful it knocked out most of the Calzei region power, I believe they activated a very powerful machine. And I know only one machine that could emit so much power. If you look at how powerful the earthquakes are and their frequency, the only logical option is that it was caused by a Pokémon. And it's easy to guess which Pokémon is causing this and what the machine does if you look at where the earthquakes started, and their path."
Victor's eyes grew wide as he started understanding. "But if that was the reason, how come no one has drawn this conclusion."
"The blackout only happened last night, and everyone has been too busy trying to sort out all the disasters and emergencies."
Victor's eyes were almost double in size at this point. "So you're trying to say what I think you're trying to say."
"If you think that I'm going to say the Gamma Team has attempted to summon Groudon. Then yes, you are correct."
Executive Stewart stood in front of a large crowd assembled in the Gamma warehouse. They didn't have a meeting room big enough to accommodate all members. They didn't even hold entire Gamma Team meetings.
People sat on chairs they brought from the Gamma Base or sat on crates. Executive Stewart had a microphone that was hastily connected to various speakers around the room.
Executive Stewart sighed. If everything had gone according to plan, no one would be at this impromptu meeting. But of course, things hadn't gone to plan. He cursed Wilhelm for betraying the Gamma Team, if he was still here, the machine could've worked perfectly.
Executive Stewart waited until everyone was settled before beginning his speech. "Welcome assembled Gamma Team members! To start things off, I know many of you have doubts about what we're trying to do, and is what we're doing even worth it. Many of you have even left the Gamma Team. But fear not, tonight we're making history!"
The crowd cheered like all crowds do. Stewart looked around the room and smiled, he got the crowd hooked.
"How are we going to make history? We're going to summon and catch Groudon!"
More cheers, but Executive Stewart could see the obvious question on their faces.
"Now, I know we were supposed to do this yesterday. But things didn't really go as planned. But we've fixed the problem and will successfully use it tonight! Mark my words! We'll use Groudon to put ourselves at the top!"
The crowd erupted into cheers as people stood up and waved their arms. However, one voice pierced through the crowd, a question directed at him.
"I thought the Gamma Team wasn't about world domination?"
"You've got it somewhat wrong my dear . Most evil teams focus only on world domination, causing them to miss the potential of the wonderful machines they create. The Gamma Team's main goal is to expand our Pokémon and technology in any way possible. Domination can come second."
"Though I know the only one who's going to be dominant after this," muttered Executive Stewart. "Bring in the machine!"
A bunch of scientists wheeled in the machine. It was by no means beautiful, just a reinforced steel and titanium frame with an inner carbon steel box for the nuclear rods. There were wires, cables, and transmitters running up and down the machine, connected to satellite dishes and other components. The wires and cables were tangled enough to make a Tangrowth cry. Finally, inside a tungsten pedestal, laid the Blue Orb.
"It may not look like much, but this machine will bring Groudon to use. You'll all witness its glory when nightfalls. For now, everyone prepare! We have a legendary to catch!"
The entire room was a bustle of activity as the other executives gave orders and positions. People set up healing stations and other necessities. People also started refortifying the warehouse in the event the Oak Agency were to show up. The fortifications had been removed after the first failed attempt because a fortified warehouse in the middle of nowhere was more conspicuous than a warehouse in the middle of nowhere.
Executive Stewart looked around the warehouse, things were going to go to plan. He was going to make sure of it.
An hour and a half later
With Maggie, Ellen, and Katie returning from their mission, Oak Alpha decided to discuss what they discovered, and what to do next.
"It's just like I thought," said Ellen. "The Gamma Team was behind all three robberies."
"You did?" asked Maggie.
"Okay I didn't actually say it out loud, but I'm pretty sure there are no other evil teams that steal Gigantamax Pokémon, so you don't have to get all technical on me."
"Sorry. But anyways, Ellen and I, along with our little assistant, investigated robberies in three different areas. The VCP GRC, Pokécare Facilities, and Floatzel District Dynamax Research Lab in Barius City. Two places, Pokécare Facilities and the Barius City lab were attacked by Gamma Team members, while the robbery at the VCP GRC was quietly robbed. We suspect Gamma Team activity however due to the fact all three robberies happened around the same time frame and Giganta Max Pokémon were all stolen."
"This is nice and all," said Haruka. "But I'm pretty sure no one here has a clue what the VCP GRC is."
Wilhelm quietly raised a hand. "The VCP GRC stands for the Voyanna City Pokémon Genetics Research Center. The VCP GRC studies the mysteries behind how Pokémon work on a biological scale. Meaning evolution, form changing, Mega Evolution, Gigantamax, etcetera."
Haruka turned to look at him. "When I said no one I meant none of us non-scientific folks."
"My apologies then."
Haruka gave a quizzical look to no one in particular. "Is this guy from the 1980s? Cause no, and I mean no one says my apologies. And no one should dare say yes because we all know that's a lie."
Scott cleared his throat and Haruka turned to look at him. "My apologies but let's get back to what's important. The robbery at the VCP GRC sounds like our mystery thief Elaine. She's clearly a professional, and that's what worries me."
"And they're at least a thousand people named Elaine in the Calzei region, seven hundred and forty seven of them live in Voyanna, Barius, Croynaria, Outainus, and Alfheim! Don't forget the other hundreds that live in all the smaller cities and towns," said Aisha.
"Actually, we can forget them," said Juan. "Those smaller cities and towns don't have as much crime as the five major cities and aren't close to Voyanna."
"You should see the Azure Region," said Katie. "Half the women we met there were named Elaine. Though seven isn't really a lot."
"We're getting off topic," said Scott. "Besides, we can narrow the list down to at least eight people if we look at the people named Elaine with a criminal record that has theft on it."
"Unless of course they were so good they never got caught," said Haruka.
"I doubt that," said Joyce. "No thief is ever that perfect. You'd be surprised at the cases I've had where the person had been stealing for years only to get caught by that one mistake. Of course without practical evidence there's nothing you can really do about. You can't give too much help of course."
"Unless this thief perfected their art of thievery in another region then moved to this one to start fresh without facing the consequences of being marked as a thief. Seen it happen before."
"Where? And who was it?"
"Kaitlyn Yagashiro. Volume three of Stolen Hearts."
Everyone stared at him. Haruka shrugged.
"Never said it was a real person."
"If you ask me, you should focus on what's real. Anyways, where's Victor, he should be getting all this," said Ellen.
"He said he was designing something. Wilhelm must have rubbed off on him, I'll give him a debrief later."
"Cool, anyways. We should really try to focus on what the Gamma Team's main goal is, and how all these robberies are linked to it. If we can come up with a convincing argument. Our leader could spare us most of the Oak Agency's forces."
"The main goal is already clear," said Wilhelm. "Summon and capture Groudon."
"That has already been established from the start, but why do they need Groudon?" asked Gavin.
"I actually find that kind of strange," said Juan. "I thought the Gamma Team was about genetically modifying Pokémon? Remember when we fought the elite squad? The Electivire knew Volt Tackle and the Swampert had Sap Sucker."
"Which caused it to implode a few moments later," pointed out Ellen.
"Well yeah, and then there was also the Alpha Gene and Pepper."
"Right, Pepper," said Wilhelm, his voice dropping as he thought about the poor hybrid Pokémon.
Joyce shook her head slightly, indicating that Pepper was probably a bad topic to mention.
"With all this. You'd think the Gamma Team would just want to continue their freaky experiments. They could possibly do it on Groudon."
"Most likely, they wanted to clone him and create Groudon Two," said Aisha.
Everyone turned to look at Aisha. "You're kidding right?" asked Gavin.
"My apologies if I caused you all alarm. I was merely joking."
Haruka sighed. "Well, I'm out guys. Tell me when we've gone back to the present."
With that, he grabbed his game console he left on the table and walked out of the meeting room.
"Well that happened."
Maggie suddenly seemed to snap to attention. She'd been silently thinking for a moment, but now she had come up with something.
"I've got it! These three crimes were committed by the mission branch, and the mission branch so far has been focusing only on Operation: Resurgence!"
"Logically, that would mean the three robberies were linked to the operation," said Wilhelm.
"But what do Gigantamax Pokémon have to do with Groudon?" asked Aisha.
"Simple, the Gamma Team has been testing their Alpha Gene for almost a year, clearly they were trying to perfect it. They probably were creating the perfect Alpha Gene to use on Pokémon to fight Groudon! While the Master Ball may catch Pokémon sucked inside flawlessly, that doesn't mean it's easy to get the Pokémon sucked inside!"
Haruka walked back into the room. "I just heard something interesting. Juan, can I borrow your glasses?"
"Uh sure," said Juan as he removed them. He immediately almost dropped them as he handed them over.
Haruka put on the glasses and pushed them forward. He tilted his down with his fingers still on the glasses.
"It makes perfect sense! The Gamma Team engineered a serum to turn Pokémon into Kaiju super soldiers to use against Groudon. Of course, they would need Pokémon to use the serum on, and Gigantamax Pokémon aren't easy to come by. That's where the robberies come in! It's clear as day! We must do something to stop these fiends before they're given the chance to rule!"
"Is that a manga reference?" asked Aisha.
"No," said Haruka defensively as he gave a bewildered Juan back his glasses.
"Well it sure does sound like one," said Scott. "But why should I care? You've solved the mystery Shinomiya."
"Great, now all we need to do is present our argument to the captain and stop the Gamma Team when they strike," said Gavin.
"When we do, we'll have to be ready," said Scott.
Five hours later
It was time, everything was practically ready. The machine had been calibrated and was perfectly stable, the troops were on standby, no Oak Agency activity, no untimely seismic activity, nothing.
"Alright folks it's almost showtime," said Executive Stewart, resuming his position on the platform with the microphone. "Last thing we need to do, put all electronics in the bins for the safe boxes for when we activate the machine."
The safe boxes were special boxes that repealed extra energy. They were designed by Gamma Team scientists so when the machine was activated, they could store any important electronics in them so they would short circuit.
Various Gamma Team members rushed to the safe boxes, grabbing bins and putting their phones, watches, and other electronics for safekeeping. Executive Stewart waited as the people left the boxes and gathered in the back of the warehouse.
"All right folks. We're all settled now. Commence start up!"
Two scientists rushed over to the machine and gave it a quick look over. They then fiddled with the control panel, the machine giving a quiet hum as it began to power up. The carbon steel box inside it glowed green as the nuclear rods activated, feeding power throughout the machine's frame. The Blue Orb glowed brightly as its power radiated through the machine.
"Activate at ten! Ten… nine… eight… seven-"
Everyone in the room tensed as Executive Stewart went through his countdown. One of the scientist's hands was resting lightly on the activation button. The activation code already put in.
"Two… one… now."
The scientist pushed the button and activated the machine. The Blue Orb glowed impossibly bright as everyone shielded their eyes. A roar filled the warehouse as a pulse of energy flew from the Blue Orb. The lights in the warehouse shattered and died as they weren't protected.
The two scientists who were at the machine were wearing protective gear. The gear absorbed most of the shock from being thrown by the wild energy. They now stood up and looked at the information on the screen.
"Everything's clear!" one of them announced.
After a few moments of silence, another announcement was made.
"The machine has located and summoned Groudon off the coast of Sinnoh Island! Groudon's rapidly approaching as we speak!"
Everyone cheered at the news. A small shaking filled the room, but that was to be expected.
"Alright folks, we've done it. Gather your electronics and get ready. We're catching Groudon."
"Hey guys? Where did everyone go? I mean, of course I can't see anything. But it's unnerving," said Victor.
He'd been in his office when all the lights and power went off. He still had his phone, which was being powered by Vicey, his Rotom, but other than that, he had no power.
"I suppose trying to call them would be a waste," said Victor to his phone.
"That is indeed correct. However, give it a few moments and the backup solar power for the Oak Agency main base should start up."
"Hmm you're right. I should probably head to the meeting room. Wilhelm would want to share something about the energy that was released. Though I wonder, how come you weren't affected?"
"What do you mean, I'm a Pokémon, not electricity."
"True, but you supply limitless electricity to electronics. Shouldn't the pulse have interfered with the circuitry you're supplying electricity to. Or maybe-"
"No, because unlike a battery, I cannot be overflowed with energy."
"Makes sense. Anyways, activate your flashlight. Who knows how long it will be before the solar panels warm up."
Vicey listened and a glow of light emitted from Victor's phone. He walked through the dark halls, seeing others pass by him, equally confused.
As he walked, the solar backup suddenly switched on. Victor sighed in relief as the lights slowly flickered back to life. He put his phone away and continued to the meeting room.
When he got there, only Wilhelm, Maggie, Scott, and Haruka were there. Though Victor suspected that Haruka was only there because he was lounging on the couch, playing video games.
"Where's everyone else? Shouldn't they be here?" asked Victor.
"They had no way of knowing we'd be here. Our radio's are on the fritzs and it'll be a while before the pulse wears off," said Scott.
"However," said Wilhelm. "My computer was properly shielded from energy overload pulses and I have the data from the pulse. And you wouldn't believe what I got."
"For now, we should wait for the others. I already sent Scout to bring them here."
"How would they know where to go? Emolgas don't speak, in fact, only legendary Pokémon speak. Unless you gave her a note-"
"I did Victor."
Victor shrugged and sat on the couch while Wilhelm started setting up the meeting TV. The TV wasn't looking very functional however, sparks flew out from the sides randomly.
Eventually, the rest of Oak Alpha came in. Scout glided into the room and landed on Scott's shoulder.
Wilhelm finished with the TV and connected his computer to it. Immediately, the screen filled with lines, graphs, and other confusing things. Everyone stared at it in wonder and confusion.
"Alright everyone," said Wilhelm. "Now that we're all gathered, I want to talk about the blackout we just had. My computer is connected to many machines around the five major cities which track energy signals and particles. They're protected from EMP pulses and other electricity disrupting things, so they can pick up those signals just fine. I recently discovered a huge amount of energy being released and spread throughout the region. However, the energy frequency is something new and powerful, nothing like an EMP pulse. This has led me to believe the pulse was the cause of the Gamma Team machine. See this huge spike in the graph over here? I can't think of anything other than the Gamma machine that could produce that much energy. If you examine the wavelength and particle placement, you can see it's a whole new level of energy as well. If I trace the pulse back to its source and use a few triangulation methods, I could possibly find where it came from."
Scott sat straight up. "And once you do that, we could convince the captain to lead a full scale offensive to stop it."
"We should probably get the police force on board," said Juan.
"What can they do?" asked Aisha. "We need the army!"
"Bring both," said Gavin.
"And while we're at it, we can bring the coast guard," said Haruka dryly.
"Maybe we should try and see why they're summoning Groudon," said Joyce. "I don't remember them ever trying to summon legendaries in the past when they first appeared more than a decade ago. They've always been a shady scientific group."
"My theory is they want to blow stuff up," said Haruka.
Everybody turned and gave him a confused look.
"What, it's a plausible theory. Nineteen years ago, they blew up their own facility after trying to create a Pokémon or something. Fifteen years ago, the Gamma Team, or what was left of it at that time, had their lab blown up by Team Plasma or something. Three years after that, a Pokémon blew up their main lab."
"How do you know all this?" asked Scott.
Haruka gave him a glare. "I dunno, I think someone stole all my precious things in life until I read all the known files about the Gamma Team."
Scott gave him a smile. "I wonder who would dare do that."
Wilhelm, who was busy inputting numbers in a simulator, looked up. "I've found their location. By using the government's satellites, I was able to get a visual of their location."
Everyone looked at him in shock.
"A-Are you sure you can do that?" questioned Gavin.
"Considering I am a high ranking member of Oak Agency, yes. Is it prefered to do it without permission? No. Anyhow, take a look at this."
Wilhelm brought the satellite image on his computer, the image was taken only seconds ago. The rest of Oak Alpha looked at the fortified warehouse. A long chain fence circled the perimeter with healing stations and Gamma Team members on the inside. There were people standing outside as well, though none of the mission, scientific, or executive branch members were outside.
"How has no one seen this?" asked Joyce.
"Of course people can't be monitoring the satellites everyday in every place," said Victor.
"I know we were joking before," said Gavin. "But we might seriously need to bring the police force and the army."
Haruka scoffed. "The police are meant to investigate lowly crimes and stop petty theft. The army is meant to fight wars. I say take matters into our own hands! We were hired by the government, we're up in the elite ranks!" he stood up and struck a dramatic pose for emphasis. "Volume five of Stolen Hearts, chapter seven."
Scott raised an eyebrow. "Your acting awfully brave about this mission Haruka."
Haruka sighed and sat down, dropping his head into his hands."I figured no matter what I did you guys would still force me along."
Scott nodded wisely. "Let's get to the captain, gather forces, and bring this Gamma operation down!"
Kazuma stood on a makeshift watchtower on the top of the warehouse with Devon, staring out into the evening.
"I wish they put a railgun here or some kind of weapon. Would make things seem more post-apocalyptic," said Kazuma.
"This is an actual thing we're doing Kazuma, we don't need references to your fantasy worlds."
"Oh be quiet, you're probably about to burst with the prospect of fighting Groudon."
Devon glared at him. "There are people trained to control the Pokémon engineered to subdue Groudon. I'm not stupid."
Kazuma nodded sagely. "I get it, you're looking forward to fighting the Oak Agency when they show up."
"If they show up. And I bet they are all too weak to defeat me."
"Yeah, I mean they never bet me."
"Yeah you just ran away before they could."
Kazuma turned to him. "You dare mock me like that?"
"Yes."
"Well I, Lord Kazuma, challenge you to a-"
Devon turned. "Wait, what's that over there?"
Kazuma scoffed. "You think I'm stupid-"
Devon grabbed him by the shoulders and turned him around. Kazuma leaned forward and looked at the distance. He saw about forty Oak Agency cars heading towards them.
"Shoot," said Kazuma. He grabbed a megaphone and raised it to his mouth. "Attention everyone, the Oak Agency is on their way. Get ready!"
Scott drove his car in a wide arc around the Gamma base, he was joined by four other cars. Three of them held normal Oak Agency members.
The plan was the bulk of the force to attack head on while Oak Alpha and fifteen of the top Oak Agency members attacked from behind. Katie had to stay behind and continue her training as an Oak Agency member.
"All right everyone," said Scott through his radio. "We'll drop out here and resume on foot. If we do that, we could get there by the time the fighting starts."
Everyone agreed and they stopped the cars. As the leader of Oak Alpha, Scott was put in charge of all twenty five people. They moved quickly and quietly, not sending out any of their Pokémon.
As they neared the Gamma base, they saw the fighting had already begun. Scott motioned for everyone to stay still and pulled out binoculars.
He slowly scanned the battlefield, looking at positions and such. He noted none of the mission branches' known members were present on the battlefield, and that the Oak Agency outnumbered the Gamma Team.
"Let's move people."
They slowly made their way to the warehouse. They made it to the back doors and waited for Scott's command.
"Alright everyone, get your pokéballs ready. As soon as my Zoroark blasts this door open, all of you will attack. Affirmative?"
"Affirmative!" said everyone together. But Scott knew for a fact he heard Haruka ask, 'who says that?'
"Alright Xander, blast these doors down!" he commanded as he threw the pokéball.
The Zoroark appeared and immediately used Hyper Beam. Aiming the beam at the sides of the doors. Everyone behind him sent out their Pokémon.
"Attack!" shouted someone from inside the warehouse.
"Get down and take cover!" shouted Scott.
Everyone dove as the enemy Pokémon attacked. Scott knew it wouldn't be wise for all of them to engage the enemy. A large group fighting like that would cause more harm than good.
"Alright, all non-Alpha members try to draw as many enemies as you can away from the warehouse. Everyone else, pick a target and start battling. And pray to Arceus they don't catch on to our division tactic. Let's go!"
Everyone moved out to follow Scott's orders. Moves flew as the enemy attacked and chased down the diversion team of Oak Agency. The plan for the most part seemed to be working, however, Scott noticed that all the known members of the Gamma Team mission branch were staying behind.
"The mission branch must've had special orders to always defend the machine no matter what. It seems the executive branch either went to the frontlines or followed our diversion based on Maggie's description of them. We outnumber them ten to eight, let's go!"
All of the Oak Agency members entered the building. The other eight Gamma Team members stared at them, particularly Wilhelm and Maggie.
"Is it okay if I stay in the back and lend some support rather than be at the frontlines?" asked Wilhelm. "Not only am I a slightly inadequate battler, I am also quite intimidated."
Scott nodded. "All right, we outnumber them nine and a half to eight we can-"
Haruka raised a hand. "Can I also-"
"No."
"All right, time to die I guess."
"We're only going to apprehend them."
"I was talking about myself."
Two minutes later
The scene had gone from two groups glaring at each other, to a full scale battle. The fight wasn't as chaotic as you may have thought, each little group of fighters had their own little side of the warehouse, oddly enough, the machine was nowhere in sight.
Scott and Haruka were battling Kazuma and Jacob. Maggie, Joyce, and Victor were battling Gabrielle and Marlow with Wilhelm lending support. Gavin and Aisha were battling Olivia and Molly. Juan was battling Elaine, and Ellen was battling Devon.
"Xander, use Flamethrower!"
"Dodge it and use Victory Dance!"
Scott's Zoroark breathed a stream of fire at Jacob's Hisuian Lilligant, the Pokémon simply leaped over and tried doing Victory Dance.
"Do you already think you've won?" asked Haruka. "Cinderace, Flame Ball!"
"Goodra, use Ice Beam!"
The Cinderace kicked a ball of fire at Lily, Kazuma's Goodra stood in front of her and fired a bolt of ice enough to put out the flames.
"Oh yeah? Nitro Charge!"
Cinderace rushed forward and slammed into the Goodra with his foot. The Goodra pushed him back and used Sludge Wave, causing the Pokémon to leap back to Haruka.
"Lily, use Leaf Blade!"
"Don't let her-"
Ignoring what Scott had to say, Xander rushed forward, flames streaming from his mouth. Lily leaped away from the flames, but didn't get far before Xander was on top of her.
"Shadow Claw!"
Xander missed as the Lilligant rolled away. Kazuma's Goodra used Sludge Wave as Haruka's Cinderace came after it with another Flame Charge.
"Trying to build up your speed? Well try dodging this otaku kid! Sludge Wave!"
Haruka froze. "You dare. Cinderace, use Jumping Knee Kick!"
Cinderace leaped into the air over the wave. He brought his foot down on the Goodra face painfully, causing it to stagger back.
Kazuma was surprised by the force of the blow. Little did he know that Haruka's Cinderace was heavily against anyone calling his trainer an otaku.
"Alright you want it? My Goodra's special move?"
Haruka facepalmed. "And this is the part where he spends two minutes threatening me with a so-called special move," Haruka muttered to himself. "Get on with it already."
"Uh, okay! Goodra, use Draco Meteor!"
"Bad move. Cinderace, Surprise Attack!"
Right as Kazuma's Goodra began its attack, Cinderace moved at insane speeds, moving behind the Goodra and slamming it hard with Sucker Punch.
"Cinderace, Court Change! Scott, finish this sucker's Pokémon! Cinderace, ready a Nitro Charge!"
A glow emanated from the battlefield as Kazuma's Goodra and Jacob's Lilligant switched places. Neither had time to react as Kazuma's Goodra got slammed by a Hyper Beam, and Lily got hit by a Nitro Charge.
"What! That's not how Court Change is supposed to work!" shouted Kazuma.
Haruka fixed him with a cold glare. "We must have been reading too much manga. A Pokémon's potential for its moves can differ depending on how the trainer teaches them. But someone like you wouldn't understand!"
"You only beat one Pokémon. I still have two others! Out, Swampert!"
Haruka looked at his Cinderace. "Wanna teach this fool the difference between me and an otaku?"
His Cinderace nodded menacingly.
"Dragapult, use Dragon Dart!"
"Nice try! Gnasher, dodge one and use Dragon Claw!"
Ellen's Garchomp twisted to dodge a Dreepy missile and struck the other one down. Ellen noticed the Dragapult was gone and easily noticed an unnaturally moving shadow on the ground.
"Gnasher, watch out for the Phantom Force! Earthquake!"
Gnasher slammed a foot on the ground, creating cracks and weird stone protrusions that disrupted the Dragapult's movement. He then leaped away as the Dargapult rose from the ground.
"Wow, you're very perceptive," said Devon. "You have the markings of a professional battler. But not as good as me! Draco Meteor!"
Ellen fingered a pendant she wore. She had many in her collection, but she always wore a pendant with a fire like stone in it to important battles as good luck.
She quickly analyzed the battle. Seeing that the Pokémon was a Dragapult, she figured that most of its attacks were physical, using Draco Meteor so early in the fight meant he didn't worry much about the backlash of using it. Nonetheless, it was easy to dodge if you followed the pattern right.
"Gnasher, use Stone Edge and take cover!"
Devon immediately understood what she was doing. Stone Edge created a very sturdy rock that she intended to use as cover, and seeing as she knew how to counter Phantom Force as long as she was paying attention. Taking cover would allow her to watch the falling meteors less and focus on his Dragapult. Seeing as how the meteors fell diagonally, it would be safe to assume that it would be more likely for the meteors to hit the rock than assume a vertical angle and hit the Garchomp.
"Gnasher, Swords Dance!"
Devon knew that Gnasher could build strength while he was hiding. Devon quickly calculated the trajectory for Dragon Darts if he wanted to hit the Garchomp over the rock.
"Dragapult, use Dragon Darts and aim it this way!" he shouted, aiming with his hand.
Ellen understood his hand gesture. His plan was to drive Gnasher out of his hiding spot.
"Gnasher, take a few steps back."
Gnasher obliged and moved back, the Dreepys were coming straight at him now.
"Wait, now! Stone Edge!"
Gnasher slammed his claws into the ground and called forth a pillar of stone. It slammed into the Dreepys and knocked them away.
"Hmm, I see you really are good."
Devon was maintaining a calm posture, but in reality, he was worried. Not about himself, but about Aisha. He knew he couldn't betray the Gamma Team, but he also cared about Aisha and didn't want to think about what would happen if she was captured. He knew she wasn't that good at battling and that most of her Pokémon didn't even listen to her. He hoped she was fighting alongside someone who was capable of putting up a good fight.
Devon sighed, he knew he couldn't worry about her too much. He had his own battle to win and he could easily see that this trainer was very good. She in fact exceeded his expectations of the Oak Agency.
"I must say. You're stronger than I expected. Maybe I gave you guys too little credit. But this ends now!"
"Gengar, use Confuse Ray!"
"Snox, use Swagger!"
Both Pokémon got confused by each other's attacks, but seeing as Snox used Swagger, Gengar's attack was raised.
"Why would you use Swagger, it just makes my Gengar stronger?" asked Maggie with a smirk.
Wilhelm however knew why. "That's only part of it! A stronger Pokémon means that it'll hurt itself more if it comes to that. Not to mention Marlow's Malamar-"
"Shut up you fool! When I'm done with her, you're next! I'll make sure you get what you deserve-"
"Oh shut it. Gengar, use Shadow Punch!"
"Snox, Psycho Cut!"
Maggie's Gengar raced forward, dodging the terribly aimed Psycho Cuts easily. Only for him to rush past the Malamar and slam into the wall.
"Pathetic. Now, Psycho Cut again!"
"Candy, Protect!"
Joyce's Galarian Rapidash, which had just come back from assisting Victor's Bronzong, leaped in front of Maggie's Gengar with a shield up.
"Bell, use Body Press!" shouted Victor.
"Tony, Darkest Lariat!"
The two Pokémon collided, each being thrown back by the force of the other's move.
Gabrielle wished she could just blast the Bronzong with her Incineroar's Flamethrower, but the Bronzong had Heatproof, making fire type attacks have little effect.
"All right Tony, use Bulk Up!"
"Bell, use Toxic!"
Victor had been waiting for the moment her Pokémon wasn't rushing at Bell. He'd learnt a thing or two from Ellen before.
"Ugh, that won't stop Tony! Now that he's stronger he can finish your Pokémon off! Darkest Lariat."
"Dodge it Bell! And you're right, with Bulk up, your Incineroar is more likely to gain the upper hand every time our Pokémon clash with super effective moves. However, now that you're poisoned, I can have Bell stall you out until your Pokémon faints. Sure it isn't really fair and it's unsportanshiplike, but I don't think summoning Groudon is fair either. Why are you even summoning Groudon? Can't you like, I dunno, do something else. You have a brother who would really like to see you and you're here fighting battles against government agents and summoning dangerous legendaries that could kill everybody. I mean I get that you all have thought this plan out carefully and that you have these Alpha Gene Pokémon, but do you really think genetic monsters can subdue Groudon long enough to throw a ball at him. Actually, come to think of it. With the number of-"
"DO YOU EVER SHUT UP?"
"Based on what my friends think and the fact my mouth is actually pretty dry right now, I'd say no. But why don't people like me talking so much? I see it as a perfect way to make friends-"
Gengar and Snox faced each other down, neither of them getting any more moves in as they were both very cautious. Snox was unable to hit the Switcheroo and steal Gengar's attack boost.
Marlow was quickly getting mad. He desperately wanted to beat Wilhelm to the ground for what he did. While he wanted to do the same to Maggie, he didn't want to do it that much.
"That's it! Under different circumstances, maybe I wouldn't do this. But you two need to learn the punishment for betraying the Gamma Team! Go, Sketch! Go, Salamence!"
Everyone nearby gasped in shock. It was a sacred rule to use the same amount of Pokémon as your opponent. No matter if you were trying to stop a crime or if you were a dangerous criminal trying to kill someone. If your opponent sent out one Pokémon, you sent out one Pokémon.
Wilhelm knew he could stand back anymore in face of this cardinal sin. "Go Halby!"
The ice type Vanillish appeared and immediately saw the threat. He stayed in front of Wilhelm protectively.
"Snox, use Psycho Cut! Sketch, use Astonish. Salamence, use Zen Headbutt!"
Instead of listening, the Salamence snarled at Marlow and retreated backwards. Unwilling to fight a three versus two. Marlow growled in frustration at the Pokémon's refusal.
"Hah, it seems your Salamence has standards! Gengar, Hypnosis!"
"Marlow, I believe that in the light of your anger, you have taken things too far. Halby, use Ice Beam!"
"Okay Jeff, you ready?" asked Gavin, the little Joltik in his hands. The Joltik nodded, trying to give Gavin a fierce gaze with his big blue eyes.
"I fail to see what a Joltik can do against a Froslass and a Charizard," said Aisha.
"Doesn't matter. Jeff, use Thunderbolt!"
"Dodge it and roast it Charizard!" shouted Molly.
The graceful (and deadly!) Charizard flew away from the arc of lightning and breathed flaming hell onto the Joltik. The little spider scurried away surprisingly fast.
Aisha watched the little Pokémon for a moment before turning to her own situation. Her Reclianth had fainted and her Heatmor was less than non-reliable.
"Froslass, use Shadow Ball!"
"Dodge it Heatmor!"
That was one command he listened to, but mhe mostly did it on his own to save himself.
"Heatmor, Fire Blast!"
The Pokémon did nothing but stand there. Olivia laughed. In fact, she kept laughing and laughed so hard she doubled over clutching her stomach.
"This is why I prepare for these emergencies," Aisha muttered. She pulled out a pack of slightly mashed berries.
"Hey Heatmor. You want these?"
Aisha's Heatmor turned excitedly at the berries. Its tongue began to creep out.
"You have to battle first."
The Heatmor made a groan-like noise and turned around, powering up its flames.
Olivia stopped laughing. "Hmm, I see it's finally got a brain. No matter, dodge it!"
Her Froslass moved out of the way. However, through the flames, came a flaming tongue. It struck the Froslass and knocked it backwards.
"Never underestimate my Pokémon. Now, Fire Lash again!"
Heatmor, in a crazy want of food, struck the Froslass over and over again. Each hit dealt more damage because of the defense lowerage. By the time he was finished, the Froslass had fainted.
"Jeff, use it again!"
Molly's Charizard again dodged the attack. The entire time Olivia's Froslass was receiving a beating, Jeff had been running around, trying to hit the Charizard while not getting scorched. Gavin had a plan in mind that involved a natural Joltik instinct. He just needed the Charizrd to fly lower.
He didn't have to wait long.
"Alright Charizard, we need to take a more direct approach. Use Dragon Rush!"
Gavin knew it was time. "Get ready Jeff! Now, Jump!"
The tiny little Pokémon leaped with all his might. He landed on the underside of the Charizard's wings and stayed there.
"What a stupid place for you to be. Charizard, shake him off!"
The Charizard flapped his wings like mad, but despite his best efforts. The Pokémon stayed stuck,
"Jeff's a Joltik, if he wants to stay on something, he stays on it. Now Jeff, use Thunderbolt!"
Jeff poured out all his electricity. He may have been small, puny, and underleveled. But no Pokémon save for a legendary could withstand so much electricity if it was their weakness. The poor Charizard dropped to the ground, paralyzed and fainted.
"All right! Great-"
Gavin was cut off by a heavy shaking. He dropped to his feet as the ground seemed to be alive.
"He's here," said Molly.
"All right Typhlosion! Use Leaf Tornado!"
Juan Serperior powered up another Leaf Tornado against Elaine's Honedge, when the ground started shaking. Juan and his Pokémon dropped to the floor as Elaine managed to stay sanding easily.
"Thank you for indulging me in a one-on-one battle. Unfortunately, we are out of time. Groudon has arrived."
She returned her Pokémon and started walking away.
"Where do you think you're going?" asked Juan.
"To where Groudon is."
Suddenly, a grunt came running towards them. He breathlessly caught up with Elaine.
"Miss El- um I mean Dagger. Miss-"
"What is it? I know Groudon has arrived."
"It's more than that! Team Magma appeared as well!"
Juan smiled at the news. Team Magma would also want Groudon, and would most likely focus on the Gamma Team members.
"Looks like the only place for you to go is elsewhere in this warehouse."
Elaine looked at him. "I can disappear easily."
With that, she took off running. Juan barely had any time to react before she accelerated to a speed where he couldn't run.
Juan stepped forward and watched her widen the distance between them. "She really can run, wouldn't you say?"
The grunt he was talking to nodded.
"Anyways," said Juan. Reaching to his belt. "You're under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you."
Scott and Haruka made it outside along with Maggie, Joyce, Victor, and Wilhelm. They stared in disbelief as figures clad in red attacked both Gamma Team and Oak Agency members. Both sides had lost a lot of Pokémon in the original conflict, leaving the Magma Team to pick up the pieces.
In the distance, they could see nine huge Pokémon battling Groudon. The legendary Pokémon was strong, but could defeat nine enemies as big as him.
"There's no way Groudon can beat all of them," said Maggie. "I've seen how powerful they are. It took another Alpha Gene Pokémon to beat one when my own Pokémon did nothing."
Scott looked at her in confusion. "Where'd you get another Alpha Gene Pokémon from?"
"Some guy who worked at Poképark had one for some odd reason. I was able to recognize it as one."
Scott and Joyce's eyes lit up as they recognized the person. "Oh you mean Marcus. Me and Scott knew him before," said Joyce.
"Perhaps he could help. Groudon could probably take three, maybe four of them. This person has two."
"I doubt he could get here on time," said Haruka, who against all odds, managed to calmly play a video game.
Scott clenched his jaw. "There isn't anything we can do. Our Pokémon are hurt and any reinforcements that arrive from the five major cities will take too long-"
"Hey, look over there!" shouted Victor.
Everyone turned in surprise and saw that a large force of people were approaching in many cars. Scott immediately recognized them as Oak Agency members.
"Nevermind we may have a chance. Let's go!"
Ten minutes later
They made it to the battlefield eventually, the rest of Oak Alpha with them except for Gavin and Aisha.
The gargantuan Alpha Gene Pokémon were still trying to take Groudon down. The legendary Pokémon was fighting back, but was quickly being overwhelmed.
"Things may look grim. But we must try!" shouted Scott.
Everyone readied their pokéballs and were about to throw when they heard a voice.
"Now now. I wouldn't do that," said the voice.
Everyone froze, it was an instant reaction. No matter what they did, they couldn't move. A lady in a red, gold, and black Gamma Team suit set with diamonds descended slowly from the sky in front of them. Her head flaming red and blond hair, and cruel, red eyes. In her hand, she held the Master Ball.
"I am Scarlet, leader of the Gamma Team. Stand down, there's many things I could do to all of you."
Haruka opened his mouth to say something, but was immediately cut off with a cold glare.
"Really anime boy? You think I'm a demon? All the things I see in your mind disgust me. I can't have any of you interfering with my plans, not even if it'll be easier to let you all commit suicide trying. Think of what I'm about to do as a mercy, of course, you won't remember it."
With that, she swept out her arm. Causing all of them to fall unconscious. Scarlet shook her head as she slowly dropped to the ground.
"Doing that really drains me. I need to be complete, but I have to wait until the time is right." Scarlet's eyes flashed dangerously as she glanced at the battlefield. She looked back to the giant Pokémon fighting in front of her, and sent another command to all of them with her mind.
"First Groudon, then Kyogre, then Rayquaza, then whatever legendary Pokémon I see fit. Then, I will reclaim my souls and that wretched Pokemon. And ultimately gain the power I deserve!"
As you can see, we're getting into the plot now. While this story isn't necessarily plot driven, there is a plot and an end to this story. But don't worry folks, the end is not soon!