The leader of Team Galactic looked up at the statue in the Eterna city plaza.
Dialga, Palkia… Though it could be either, depending on who looked at the monument, it was inconsequential to him.
He planned to take control of both of them regardless.
A Mid-Sinnoh Night's Dream - VI - What Was That About Throwing Galaxies?
Hilbert went off on his own for a break, feeling like exploring the city for a while.
After hearing about the cool dragon statue, he decided to check it out.
A strange man in a strange suit with blue hair was looking up at it, mumbling. Hilbert felt an itch at the back of his mind. He had a 'G' insignia on his jacket, meaning nothing good.
The man walked past him, ignoring the tense look Hilbert was giving him.
"Wait."
The man stopped.
"Can I help you?"
"You're Team Galactic, aren't you." Hilbert turned slightly looking out of the corner of his eye, pupils focused in.
The man sighed.
"If you're only going to state the obvious, I'll be on my way."
"I said wait."
The man stopped again.
Golett appeared, bursting out of his Pokeball.
"Team Galactic is bad."
"Is it now? From whose viewpoint?" The man laughed cynically.
"Mine. What's your connection with them?"
"Me? I'm the one who will bring about the new world."
"Will you? Then, it looks like I'll have to stop you, if you're the leader."
"Stand down, little boy." The man looked at him, a cool indifference on his face, but an angry look tugging at his mouth. "You have no clue who you're dealing with."
"No. I'm not letting you walk away." Garchomp and Tyranitar burst out as well, drawing the attention of bystanders.
The man held out one Pokeball. "Stand down."
"Or what?"
There was a blast of light.
An enormous bird appeared, its tail feathers flowing in the wind like an ocean's wave. It was twice Hilbert's height, and seemed to crackle with freezing dark energy.
WHAT'S AN ARTICUNO DOING IN SINNOH?
His body was covered by ice in seconds by the proximity, his Pokemon being frozen as well.
"You don't know what you're dealing with, child." The man said, walking off. "Return, Shadow Articuno."
The Legendary Bird disappeared in a bolt of light, leaving him frozen in the plaza.
Hours later, after being thawed out of the icy coating, Hilbert looked up at the Team Galactic building in Eterna city. Looker was standing next to him, hands in his pockets and biting a lollipop stick. Again, kid's game. No smoking, that's how you get a sure-fire M-rating.
"Why are they allowed to operate in the middle of a city?" Hilbert asked, thoroughly confused, and still ticked off.
"See, their surface operation is a simple non-profit organization. They claim their money is sourced from donations, but I think you know how they really fund themselves."
"And you can't do anything about that?"
Looker shooker- Shook his head. "Their newer grunts are the ones who carry out the actual crimes. The most the top leadership can be charged with is aiding and abetting. Bail is pathetically low for that in this region."
"That's… Heavily lame."
"Just as well, they haven't committed any major crimes yet, and although they're designated as terrorists, what they really are is a cell organization of petty thieves."
"How is taking over a windmill and taking hostages not 'major'?"
"The scientist was fine, and your team did most of the damage. Easily reversible crimes are barely worth the League's notice. Just as well, they're too spread out. They could never catch everyone in Team Galactic, so they brought us in instead of dealing with it themselves."
"So, why exactly are you investigating them?"
"Our intel tells of a much more sinister purpose." He bit down on the stick in his mouth, exhaling. "They're a menace, but one that isn't easily found."
"That like, totally sucks."
"Could you at least act like you're not a child when speaking on official business?"
"You're the guy with the lollipop, don't pull that card on me."
"..."
"..."
Spitting the stick out, Looker nodded to himself. "Regardless, I believe you're now able to 'investigate' on your own?"
"What?"
"You're not tied down with red tape. I believe you have access to Cut inside of cities?" Looker said, gesturing the the pathetic shrubs blocking their way to the door.
"Well, yeah."
"The owner of the bicycle shop was reported missing yesterday, so I'll leave you to it." If the investigator had a hat, he would tip it. He walked off, letting his four human teammates walk up to him.
"...So, you're not about to do anything rash, are you? I mean, this is the middle of a city," warned Dawn.
Cracking his knuckles, Hilbert smirked with an angry smile.
"Wait outside, and give me fifteen minutes."
It was actually fairly normal, inside. Business people intermingled with Team Galactic grunts. Both groups seemed oddly wary of him entering their premises.
An office lady walked up to them, clearly nervous, but sent to do so by a superior secretary.
"Ah, hello… Welcome, what is the purpose of your visit?" She said, faking a polite smile.
"Eh, you know, just looking around." He spotted a set of stairs that a lot of the grunts were suddenly taking to the second floor. "I don't think I need help, thank you." He quickly walked after them, leaving the office lady stammering, just trying to do her job.
Almost stealthily so, like a master of sneaking, he walked up the stairs, and through the door at the top.
The lights suddenly flashed off, and the door slammed shut behind him.
"Ah. Did it to myself, looks like."
The lights flickered back on, revealing an open floor, sparsely decorated with storage shelves and unused equipment.
Also, there were a full two dozen grunts, grabbing their Pokeballs and throwing out a variety of 'Mons. Zubats, Croagunks, Stunkys…
Soon enough, he was surrounded in the warehouse-like room, in a semicircle.
"If you're trying to threaten me, it isn't working."
"Oh, but that isn't the purpose." Called a voice he couldn't spot.
At the top of a giant shelf, a woman with purple hair stood, looking down at him across the room. She was dressed in an oddly-modified Galactic jumpsuit, part of her thigh showing through the costume.
Hilbert unfixed his gaze, and replied, "Then what is?"
"To separate you from your team." She merrily replied, with a cruel undertone in her laugh.
In the street, a variety of businessmen, truly plain-clothes Galactic members, surrounded the remaining four members.
"I suggest that you come inside with us." Said their leader, a smartly-dressed man with bat-like blue hair. A Toxicroak and a Bronzong appeared beside him.
"Then I think you miscalculated," Hilbert said, releasing his four-fources-of-nature, Shaymin being completely dwarfed by the pseudo-legendaries next to them, and Golett motioning a knuckle crack.
"Oh? How so?" She asked, releasing her team with a sneer.
"Well… As much as they'd like to deny it…" He lifted the front of his cap, showing his gleaming eyes beneath. "Those guys are just as crazy as I am."
"Monferno, Fire Lance!"
A spear of flames ignited, forming in the Fire-types hands, and grew out a meter.
Cheryl and Chansey moved towards the center of their formation, being their support. Dawn's Turtwg and Combee weren't much help in the situation, but she'd shore up their defense when one of many Zubats slipped in.
Saturn stepped back, shielding himself with an arm.
Monferno held the spear he was holding, and tossed it to Lucas, before making an even bigger one for himself.
"How…"
Lucas looked up defiantly, already sweating from the heat. "Every trainer with a Fire-type and common sense buys dragon tamer gloves."
His hands were covered in gleaming scales, reaching up his forearms and keeping him from melting off his digits with the lightweight blazing weapon in his hands.
"What-"
"Rip and Tear?" Barry asked jokingly, letting Phantump use Trick Room on the area behind Lucas's back, splitting the battle in two.
Lucas nodded. "Until it's done."
"Sandstorm!"
Tyranitar and Garcomp raised their arms simultaneously, scattering sand into the rapidly kicking-up wind.
The first wave to approach were Zubats, shooting Poison Stings.
The Ground-type blocked with one arm, the darts pinging off like it was metal.
Tyranitar followed up with a Stone Edge, pulling rocks out of the concrete floor and shooting them into the Flying-types.
Golett whirred his drill.
"No, not yet."
The golem clanked in disappointment, before using Phantom Force to knock out the Croagunks at the back who were waiting for an opening.
Shaymin stepped back, to avoid being crushed underfoot, but also charging their own Safeguard, healing Garchomp's miniscule poisoning.
Jupiter stood at the top of the floor, glaring at the incompetence of the grunts below her. She didn't think she'd have to do anything, but that boy truly did have the Pokemon their intel had told them about.
Her Skuntank appeared beside her, waiting for orders.
"Giga Impact. Take them out."
The Poison-type reared its head and shot from the shelf, wind being pushed aside in blades.
The storage room that was currently being torn to shreds was actually used to store Pokemon. The cries of kenneled quadrupeds were unheard through the whipping of the sandstorm.
One of these Pokemon, a biped, and a restrained aura user, watched the battle, with dulled eyes. Its eyes drifted over to the newcomer, this trainer, 'Black'.
"Limit-" There was a brilliant flash of light as a blade of flames was swung. "BREAK!"
Bronzong was thrown through a window, eliciting a cry from those in the building, after being slashed by a sword-like flame. Saturn dodged out of the way, falling over, and his Toxicroak jumped in front of him to defend.
Lucas's sword somewhat diminished, but it still had time left for use.
In the background, Phantump was finally knocked out, but not before it managed to hex a Crogunk, knocking it out easily with the burn it already had.
"What are you?"
"Me?" He asked, then pondering, before whipping around and knocking an approaching Zubat across the street. Lucas delved into the cooler side of his mind. "Black would probably say, 'I'm just a kid taking the gym challenge.' But me? I'm Team Galactic's worst nightmare."
Monferno threw aside his lance, knocking a stray Croagunk back.
"Time for some Acrobatics, Monferno!"
Skuntank burst forward, moving through the air like a bullet towards the Shaymin, left on its own in the center.
Abra, sensing it from the Pokeball, burst out and formed a bastardized Protect shield around the Gratitude Pokemon. The sphere was only a foot in diameter, dozens less that the general shield, and just that much stronger from the focus.
The Giga Impact grinded against the shield, all of Skuntank's velocity and power colliding against the barrier.
Using Psychic, he yanked the shielded Grass-type out from under the massive Skuntank, letting the Poison-type collapse the Protect like a soap bubble.
"Nice one, Abra!" Hilbert turned his attention away, picking up Shaymin and crouching behind Tyranitar to check up on them. "How'd you do that?"
A Fire Blast exploded on Garchmoped front, but he endured and returned Dragon Breath.
"While setting the Protect, instead of fully solidifying the shield, I bent it inwards."
"Awesome. Think you could bend it into a cone?" He asked, covering his ears to protect them from another shockwave.
Abra's eyes twitched, not opening, but the motion signaled his realization.
"A drill, you mean?"
"You bet I do! Tyranitar, Garchomp! Stone Edge! Pin it to the wall!"
Riolu's eyes widened, as it watched the air freeze. It could see the aura flowing between the many Pokemon and their trainer.
Abra held its hands out, motioning them as if bending the molecules that made up the glasses. It seemed to fold somehow, twisting in and becoming visible, like solid air. It wrapped itself in a cone, and the rushing of air blasted throughout the room.
"Creating vacuum… Pressurizing air…"
Golett was shining a brilliant white, with glowing spheres flowing from his eyes and into a spiral heading towards the back of Abra's arm.
Jupiter was pinned between the wall and her Skuntank, yelling and trying to escape to no avail. They were both trapped by the pillars of concrete that had shot up.
Psychic energy began to gather on the edges of the drill, fully solidifying it as Abra kept his focus. His eyes opened slightly, a brilliant magenta shining out. Its gaze turned on the Team Galactic Commander and her Pokemon. His arm shot out, gripping the flat end of the cone. It reached inside of it, sealing again, and it became an extension of his very body.
"You've underestimated the sheer power of Team Black! Who the Hell do you think we are?" HIlbert held out a fist, shouting in triumph. "Don't you know how we roll? If there's a wall, there's a way, because we smash down anything that blocks our path! So if you're going to be something that stands in our way, we've got something that'll pierce a hole in you every time."
The cone began spinning, a dozen Psycho Cuts forming a spiral along its end, curving towards its point.
Saturn's Croagunk was annoyingly persistent, taking on Monferno head to head. Monferno had him on speed, until they fell into Lucas's Trick Room area, still standing. The last of the Zubats had been taken out, and the police arrived at the scene.
It was a slow series of punches, Croagunk would land a hit, Monferno would land a hit.
Saturn had already disappeared from the scene, a Pokeball broken in half where he was a moment. The police were helpless to stop him as he ran through the backstreets to evade capture. The Trick Room effect messed with Pokeball recall, and he was forced to abandon the Pokemon. If the Pokeball was intact, they would be more able to track him down.
"This… This shouldn't be possible!" Riolu had never seen anything like this, not once in all of his time in the Lucario Kingdom. Psychic power was working hand in hand with aura, and along with a Ghost-type, no less!
"And that thing… IS OUR DRILL!"
Monferno and Croagunk collapsed next to each other, panting heavily. Neither could muster the power for a single punch. Monferno held up his fist, just barely, and held it over the Croagunk.
The Poison-type bumped it with its arm, and then they both fainted. An agreement between men. In the figurative sense, of course.
Four stories above them, immediately attracting their notice, the wall exploded outwards. A woman, her Skuntank, a massive translucent-pink drill, and an Abra followed, flying out over the city, almost like it was in zero gravity. The rubble that should have fallen on them simply floated lazily through the air as they sped past.
Soon after, Golett jetted across as well, following up, with Hilbert holding onto his leg with an improvised Escape-Rope-grip in one hand, and cradling Shaymin in the other. Tyranitar jumped down into the street, while Garchomp took off flying after them. A trail blazed in the sky, energy fading away as they followed the speeding drill.
Tyranitar slowly looked around at the other members of the team, who, far from looking shocked, just looked way too tired of Hilbert's antics.
Jupiter (The commander, not the planet, obviously) landed to the west of Cycling Road, thankfully cushioned by her Skuntank.
That's the thing about the Galactic Uniforms. They get more durable the higher the rank. Up to the level of ballistic-fiber and kevlar, multiplied manyfold. The translucent second-skin worn under was just reinforcement. She would have broken some bones, definitely, but the clothes made her about as durable as a Dragon-type.
Somehow though, the drill had pierced a hole in it anyway. It didn't cut her navel, but the clothes were in tatters.
She quickly recalled her Pokemon and staggered off into the forest, checking her belt for something that could use Teleport.
Hilbert arrived a minute later. Golett wasn't as fast as a telekinetic drill, especially with the extra load.
They found Abra, totally knocked out, at the bottom of a three-meter wide crater at the base of the hill.
Hilbert dropped early in concern, landing in the dirt with a jolt that rolled up his ankles. He hobbled over to the Psychic-type and carefully picked him up.
"I think we won't have to worry about her for a while…" He gently said, returning the Pokemon to his capsule. He was about to hitch a ride back to town on Golett when Garchomp descended from the sky and carefully plonked down in front of him.
"...I told you to help out Lucas and the others."
The Dragon-type made a sort of shrugging motion, before lowering his wings, signaling for him to climb on.
He held onto the dorsal fin like his life depended on it as Garchomp sped back to town in a sonic boom. Because you know, it did from that height.
When he got back, slowly descending to the asphalt, Jennys were dealing with the damage alongside Looker.
"So, was that fifteen minutes?" He said, dissolving Garchomp into their ball and dropping to the ground in a crouch.
Lucas looked away from the officer who was talking to Dawn and Cheryl, pulling up his watch. "Eh… Nope, you went over by a few." His hat was gone, having been burned into ashes and scattered when he used Monferno's Flame Lance.
"Aw, man…" He actually stopped to take a look at the wrecked street. Pavement blown like gravel, unconscious Pokemon next to restrained Galactic grunts, Monferno leaning on a Toxicroak that was helping him up… "Wait, what?"
"Ah, funny thing." Lucas turned back towards the two Fighting-types, shrugging and ruffling his hair. "They're 'battle brothers' or something now. What term would you use?"
"No, that fits. Where'd he come from?"
"Oh, the guys who were messing with us, their leader, he ran off and broke the Pokeball so he couldn't be traced."
"Man, so we're out two for two? That sucks."
"But hey, did we win, or did we win?" Lucas held out his open palm, which Hilbert clapped. They grabbed each other's forearms.
There was a shared gleam in their tired eyes, like a manly bond.
"Well, co-leader, does the magma of your soul burn like a mighty flame?" Hilbert asked, fake-serious.
Lucas nodded. "Definitely, as a man's soul does."
"..."
"..."
"There's two of them now…" Dawn groaned, laughing lightly under her breath.
Barry was naturally laughing his ass off. Would he realistically be doing anything else?
Cheryl was taking pictures, as all of both of their Pokemon burst out, framing the scene. A promise between trainers, to kick ass and take names.
"Black, they want to talk to you about the captive Pokemon in the room you battled in." Looker walked up to him, twirling a lollipop in his hands.
"The what?"
As they walked past the lobby, he saw officers talking to the business people, who were swearing they didn't know Team Galactic was doing anything illegal. The grunts who were in the building at the time did the same, claiming that they thought the uniforms were standard issue, and yes, officer, these are my Pokemon, I've had them since I was little, are you saying they aren't my friends?
The big warehouse section of the building was cleared as well. Some of the lights had broken, but the sunlight streaming in from the hole he'd put in the wall lit it up well enough.
There were people taking records of all the kennels, noting them for transport. The Solaceon daycare was usually willing to shelter lost domesticated Pokemon.
A Riolu calmly walked up to him and tugged at his tattered jacket. Sandstorm had taken more out of him than he thought.
"Human," spoke a child-like, boyish voice.
"Oh, another one." He supposed he ought to get used to talking Pokemon. "You can talk? How can I help ya?"
"Black… That Pokemon isn't talking."
"Huh?" He turned to Looker, confused, before refocusing on the Riolu.
"Do you know what aura is?"
"Uh… Nope?"
"What? You were clearly using it, how do you not know?" The Fighting-type was annoyed by his denial.
"What?"
"When you used that… Drill move, I saw it."
"No, that was Abra using Psychic and Protect."
"No! I'm certain of it, I can see aura, and you were using it!"
"I have no clue what you're talking about."
"And you're a liar!"
"Don't call me a liar, pipsqueak!"
"Pipsqueak?" It cried in indignation.
"Yeah!"
"How dare you! I'll have you know, I was under the tutelage of the Great Aura Master, White Claw, of the Lucario Kingdom before I-"
"Looker, what's the Lucario Kingdom?"
"Village of Lucario to the north-east, we only hear about it occasionally by the few aura users that are allowed in it."
"Hey! I'm talking to you!"
Hilbert turned back to the Fighting-type. "What do you need?"
"I want to know how you used aura like that!"
"I have- NO- CLUE- What that is!"
"What?"
"This guy's saying something about aura."
"That's a type of energy some Pokemon can use. It's mostly only been recorded being used by Riolu, Lucario, and some rare human cases."
"Really?"
"Why are you acting like it's a surprise, you clearly know what it is!"
"I clearly don't, pipsqueak."
"Pipsqueak?"
"Yes, pipsqueak! Agh, that doesn't even sound like a word anymore!"
"That's your problem!"
One of the officers walked up, concerned about why he was yelling at a Pokemon. Seeing it was a Riolu, she relaxed, and shook her head. "Mr. Black, our analysis revealed several undomesticated Pokemon, likely snatched out of the wild. You have your pick."
"Huh?"
"Well, you're the one who freed them. It seems fair, doesn't it?" She looked back at her clipboard, then down at the Riolu. "That one's wild."
"Don't call me a 'that', you-"
"Hey, respect police officers." He crouched slightly and flicked the Riolu's forehead.
"Respect me! You're a mere human!" It swatted his hand away and started yelling again.
"How about you respect me!"
"Mr. Looker… Does this happen often?" The officer walked around the impromptu shouting match.
The investigator sighed, shrugging. "It's an occupational hazard. Kid's weird, but he gets some crazy stuff done."
"Stop following me!"
"Not until you learn to respect my station! I'm the student of White Claw, the Great Aura Master of-"
"Your teacher is named after a kind of-" Hilbert's voice suddenly cut out. "A kind of-" Oh, wait. Kid's game.
Wait, what?
"He's got a funny name, that's what I'm saying!"
"You'd dare disrespect my teacher? Why, I oughta-"
"Who's your friend, Hilbert?" Dawn walked up, looking between him and the Riolu. Everyone was looking at him weirdly for yelling at a Pokemon.
"Wild Riolu, if you can't tell by the immaturity."
"Immaturity!"
"Yes!"
"Why are you yelling at it?"
Hilbert stopped for a second, rewinding. "Officer Jenny said he was wild."
"I'm not a boy! How dare you-"
"And because I did a little stuff-"
Barry snorted in the back.
"They gave me a pick of the undomesticated captured Pokemon."
"Undomesticated!"
"Yes!"
"But why are you-"
"Oh, Riolu can talk with people or something."
"...See, that's funny, because I can't hear anything, besides the usual cries."
"Then consider yourself lucky."
"Hey!"
"Go home, pipsqueak!"
"Not until you show me some respect, and how you did that aura thing!"
"I don't know what aura is!"
"I already explained it! It's energy that-"
"I still can't use it! I don't know where you got that idea from!"
"Because you did, I saw it!"
"You saw wrong!"
"I did not! Get out one of your partners, I saw them use it!"
"Fine!"
Golett burst out of his Pokeball, cracking his metaphorical knuckles.
Riolu seemed awestruck for a moment. "-It's flowing off this guy! It's like he's made of the stuff!"
"Well, I don't know what to tell you!"
"Then get another one!"
"I don't have to prove anything to you, you're pissing me off!" He refused to reach into his bag for the next one.
Riolu tugged at it.
He tugged back.
He was soon facing off against the strength of a Fighting-type, which he should know, is a fight you never win.
The bag's zippers parted at the middle, sliding opposite ways from the force, and shaking some of his things loose.
Like say, a Great Ball.
The Pokeball clonked Riolu on the forehead and absorbed her in a blast of light.
Wobble.
Wobble.
Wobble.
Hilbert looked on in horror at the possibility he might have to take care of that pain-in-the-ass.
Click.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO-"
"How dare you! How dare you! How dare you howdareyouhowdare-"
"Ah, shut up!" He released her as quickly as he could then tried to block her punches aimed directly for his face. "It's not my fault!"
"Yes it is!"
"You shouldn't have tried to rip my bag!"
"You should have done as I said!"
"Agh! I'm tired of arguing with you…" His throat was hurting from all the yelling.
"Me too!"
"...?"
"I said what I said and I stand by that!"
"..."
"..."
"...Alright, we're going, come on." Hilbert shook himself off and zipped his bag back up. The others were already waiting by the door of the building.
"Going where?"
"Well, I'm starving. How long were you in there?"
Her stomach growled at the thought of food.
"Too long, then. Man, I could really go for burgers right now…"
They weren't real burgers of course, it being Eterna city. They're crazy about plants, always bragging about being 'gym-sourced'.
"Hey, Black!" Gardenia ran up to them. "I've been," she panted, out of breath, "Looking for you. I heard about what went down at the Galactic building, nice one."
"Ah, it wasn't just me. Thanks though."
"No problem. But I've been wanting to ask you about Shaymin."
"What about them?"
"I wanna see! Give them here!"
"Wha?"
He was nearly tackled off the seat by the gym leader, who was reaching for the Premier Ball on his belt.
"Come on! Please!"
Shaymin appeared outside of its Pokeball, thoroughly confused.
Gardenia let out a cry of excitement and scooped up the hedgehog. She hugged it to her chest and started rolling around on the floor.
"So cool so cool so cool-"
"Uh… Miss?"
She suddenly jumped up, still cuddling Shaymin. "Alright, super cool! Thanks!" She carefully handed the hedgehog to Hilbert before running off.
"..."
"So uh, that happened."
"Thank you for the clarification, Lucas."