Rumors and Robots
Michael groaned as he woke up, his bandages much lighter, and his limbs feeling extremely stiff compared to when he first woke from the surgery. "Alicia, how long has it been now?"
Well, good morning to you too. Today is the start of the third week since your surgery.
"And where is Liz?" Michael asked.
She went to the Pre-Gym. She said she wanted to train so she could start pulling her weight more. She also said she wanted to work with Wraith since she purified her, Alicia said, referring to the Duskull Liz had captured.
Michael smiled. "Glad she's staying active. Is she using that Roselia I snagged for her?"
Yeah, she's absolutely in love with it. She's almost purified too.
Michael smiled at the thought. "Anything new with Cipher?"
Alicia shook her head, half relieved, half uneasy. They've been strangely inactive these past three weeks. Maybe they're licking their wounds.
"That doesn't really fit them…" Michael said. "I really don't like that they're not being active now. Wouldn't it be really easy since Liz and I aren't working to stop them now?"
Alicia sat silently for a moment. I remember Mom told me once about a time when Team Aqua kidnapped May to try and tell Brendan to back off. It may not have worked, but their actions back then may be related to Cipher's actions now.
"You think they're sending a message?" Michael asked.
Maybe…I just think it could be a way of saying that we are so utterly insignificant to them that they can't be bothered to battle us in person.
"If that's true, they're either cocky, or they're actually that strong," Michael said. "Makes me worried, considering Snattle was already incredibly strong."
A knock came at the door, and Michael saw Dr. Ramoray in the door. "Hey, hope you're feeling alright. Today's the day you get the bandages off for good," he said with a charming smile.
"Yeah, Doc. I'm ready to hit the road," Michael said with a smile, looking at the closet where a fresh set of clothes was hanging. "And I get to try on that outfit the mayor sent as a thank you gift."
Even though they're the exact same as the clothes that got burned by the acid? Alicia asked.
"Yeah, exactly," Michael said.
And there's nothing else you want to try on again, right? Alicia asked, looking at the silver Pokéball-like device on Michael's nightstand. It was the new and improved Snag Machine, which Dr. Krane had completed for both Michael and Liz a week ago. Michael had wanted to try it on and test it immediately, but Alicia had forcefully restrained him, much to the amusement of Liz.
"And I thought you'd forgotten about that," Michael said.
Dr. Ramoray chuckled as he approached, a cute blonde nurse beside him. "Well, let's get those bandages off. You can enjoy the new clothes and the device all you want once we're done."
With some help, Michael sat up and the medical staff began to work.
In the Pre-Gym, Liz was in the middle of battling Justy's mid-level team, which was on-par with Liz's own team. And it seemed that she had him on the ropes this time.
"Well, this has been fun, but I think we need to end this," Liz said confidently. Justy's team was down to a Gligar and a Nosepass, with Liz having beaten his Sandslash, and Cacnea. "Wraith, use Shadow Ball on Gligar. Roselia, use Shadow Wave!"
The purified Duskull gladly gathered a ball of black ectoplasm in front of her, firing it at the tired Gligar across the arena. Roselia was less enthusiastic, the cold aura gathering in front of her as she fired the twin orbs of energy. The Nosepass was less mobile, having been ensnared by a Leech Seed that was steadily draining his health. Both attacks hit solidly, knocking out the last of Justy's team.
"Yeah, that was great!" Liz said, petting the two Pokémon as best she could while avoiding Roselia's venomous spikes and while barely able to touch Wraith. After a few moments of congratulatory petting, Liz recalled her two Pokémon.
"Great job Liz. You've definitely improved over this past week," Justy said with a smile as he recalled his team. "Is Michael doing better too?"
"To my knowledge, he is," Liz said. "I'm also pretty sure he's going to be discharged today. Who knows, he might be coming in today."
"Well, that's certainly good to hear. If that's the case, I'm guessing you'll be moving on from Phenac, right?" Justy asked.
"Well, we would, but we don't know how to proceed. I don't know where Cipher is working now," she said.
"Oh? In that case, I think I have some advice for you. I heard there were some shady characters in the desert north of the city. Might be a lead there," Justy said.
"Well, once Michael is ready, we'll take the scooter and check it out," Liz said.
"Oh…and I'm assuming the scooter has tires, right?" Justy said with a grimace.
"Yeah, why?"
"Sadly, you won't be able to get through the sand dunes north of here with normal wheels," Justy said, looking a bit apologetic. "Figured I'd save you the trouble of digging a wheel out of the sand."
"Either way, that should be a major help," Liz said. "Thank you so much."
With that, she headed to the locker room, having worn new set of active trainer clothes she'd bought at a Maple Apparel Outfitters. The outfit consisted of a forest green athletic tank top over a black sports bra, and a pair of tight grey dance shorts. To make things better, when she'd gone to buy it, the clerk recognized her, and thanked her for helping the city, saying the manager wanted to give her a 25% discount as thanks. That was when things got even better, because once she scanned her trainer card, the cost of the clothes dropped by more than 75%. The clerk, with a shocked expression, explained that the Maple family gave her and Michael half-off on everything. The note had said it was as thanks for protecting Alicia.
Liz smiled as she got to the shower stalls, stripping naked and letting the hot water run over her body. "I hope Michael is awake when I get to the hospital. Maybe I'll surprise him with some smoothies when I get there," she thought out loud as she conditioned her hair. "I should probably get something for Alicia too. Maybe a Sitrus Berry and mint." She continued to think out loud for her shower, using cherry blossom shampoo and conditioner, with a pine scented body wash, which she knew Michael liked.
Ten minutes later, she was dressed in her favorite outfit, with her hair in a cute ponytail. She sent out Titania to walk with her. "Alright. Time to go get some smoothies."
She left the Pre-Gym with a wave to Justy and the admittedly cute guy at the reception desk. She then walked to a new smoothie shop, Alola Fusion Smoothies and Drinks, seeing the line out the door. "Well, Titania, should we wait?" Liz asked. Titania just scampered into the line eagerly, her ribbons and tail swaying with joy. "Guess that answers that question." Liz laughed slightly, following her Pokémon. Thankfully, the line moved fast, getting them to the ordering counter quickly.
"Oh, you're Miss Liz Hanz, correct?" the girl behind the counter asked. Her eyes gleamed with joy and excitement.
Liz smiled bashfully. "Yeah, that's me."
"By Arceus, you and Michael are my heroes," she said. "Also, my manager wanted to offer you discounts as thanks."
"Oh, that's not necessary," Liz said, trying to be humble, but she knew there was no stopping the celebrity treatment.
"You saved the city. It's absolutely necessary. What can I get for you?"
Liz made some quick orders, getting Michael a Pecha Green Tea smoothie, Alicia a Sitrus Mint, a Nanab Rawst for Titania, a Cherri Oran for herself, and a variety for the rest of their Pokémon, which were just as tailored for their tastes. It took the staff about 10 minutes to get the smoothies all ready and put into a drink caddy. In total, there were 14 drinks. Titania was more than happy to help carry them to the hospital for Michael and his team, sipping her own smoothie while they walked, smiling cutely.
They entered the hospital, getting a wave from the nurses at the reception desk as she passed. The elevator was a quick ride, getting them up to the floor on which Michael's room was located. The door opened, and she saw an incredible sight. Michael was already waiting for the elevator with Alicia beside him, and his bandages completely off. He was even already wearing his Snag Machine, mirroring her own. "Hey…you look healthy."
"Yeah, and I feel great," he said with a charming smile that made Liz's heart skip a beat when she saw it.
"Well, I…umm…got some smoothies for everybody. Want to go sit outside with the Pokémon?"
"Of course!" Michael said. "There's a lot of quiet benches by the town fountain, want to go there?"
"Yeah, that sounds fantastic," Liz said, looking overjoyed at the idea of sitting with Michael like they were on a date. Then she could tell him all about what she'd heard from Justy. She took Michael's hand, pulling him into the elevator. Alicia followed right behind them, looking very happy with the situation. Liz also couldn't help noticing the nurses looking at the three of them with smiles of either encouragement, or happiness.
"I think we had a bit of an audience there," Liz said as the doors to the elevator closed. "But I didn't want one for this." She quickly leaned in and kissed Michael, still being careful to hold the smoothies upright. Michael smiled and kissed her back.
When they broke the kiss, Liz seemed more lighthearted than before, and she had a spring in her step when they got off the elevator. They didn't say much while they walked to the main fountain plaza of the city. They just enjoyed each other's company. The plaza was surprisingly empty, so they were able to send their teams out without issue, and the team began enjoying their smoothies almost cutely.
"So, how was training today?" Michael asked Liz.
"It was really productive," Liz said. "I think Roselia is about ready for purification. And it should be perfect timing, since we're probably going to need to go back home for a few days."
"Why's that?" Michael asked.
"Well, Justy said that there's some suspicious people in the desert north of here. He also said that the area is past some very deep, loose sand. We won't be able to pass with the scooter the way it is now," Liz said.
"Oh…so we need to go get the scooter modified?" Michael asked.
Liz nodded. "Unless you want to dig the wheels out of sand dunes," she said. "But I won't help if you do that." She winked playfully.
"Well, Perr should be happy to see us. And we can use the Purify Chamber while we're home. But we can't take too long for this hiatus."
"I know, but we can still enjoy the recovery time," Liz said. "Besides, if we waste time when it could be avoided is the definition of idiocy
"Okay, that's a good point," Michael said as he enjoyed his smoothie. Alicia smiled as she watched the two, smiling as she sipped her own smoothie, loving the flavors.
You know, I haven't seen your home yet. I'd love to go see the HQ Lab, Alicia said.
"Then it's settled. We'll call the Parts Shop and get the process started, then call home and get a ride back if it's needed," Michael said as most of the Pokémon finished their drinks. Only Nick, Alicia, and Titania were left to finish. Liz and Michael were still just taking their time, since it was still early in the day. They could probably even take their time on the road.
Just as they were about to start walking to the scooter, Michael's phone began to ring. He pulled it out and saw it was an incoming video call from Nett at ONBS. He answered the call, getting a view of Nett's office, with both an older man and a young girl behind him. "Hey, Michael, how's it going? You out of the hospital now?"
"Yeah, just got out this morning, about to get my scooter adapted for traveling into the desert," Michael said. "What's going on with you?"
"Well, these two behind me asked if we could help find a Pokémon that was supposed to be on the Libra. They said it was one of the only Pokémon that came from Sinnoh. According to them, it's a Bonsly," Nett said.
"Oh, the cute little Pokémon that evolves into Sudowoodo?" Liz asked with a smile. "I would love to help find that adorable baby."
Nett chuckled. "Well, to help with the task, I did some calculations. I had some people interview the crew of the Libra, and based on the direction they claimed the ship went when it went missing, I managed to calculate possible paths, assuming the ship didn't change directions, I think I figured out where the ship would've gone. Want me to send the map to you guys?"
"Yeah, that'd be great," Michael said eagerly. "We'll get it taken care of."
"Glad to hear it. I'll send it within the hour. Just let me know when your scooter is ready."
"It may be a day before then," Liz said. "But we will keep you guys up to date. Just don't make a news story about us both being out of the hospital until we're ready."
"Of course. See you all later," Nett said as he hung up.
Without any other issues, Michael had Alicia go back to her Pokéball before getting on the scooter, with Liz sitting on the back, holding onto Michael as he drove out of the city.
As they got onto the highway, a police car pulled up alongside them, rolling their windows down. One officer leaned toward them. "Mr. Orison, right? Where are you driving?"
Michael looked over at them. "Gateon Port. Why do you ask?"
"Follow us. We'll escort you there!" the officer said, pulling ahead of the scooter, switching on their lights, and some forward-facing sirens. Like a hive mind, all the cars began to move to the side, letting the car and scooter pass.
"Keep up the voltage, we don't want this one breaking free again! Last time it killed five people before we got it to " Gorigan said with authority as his team continued assaulting the Pokémon inside with the corrupting energy, including a fog that was only used to corrupt the most powerful of Pokémon. Suddenly, a brilliant beam of light erupted from the haze, hitting the incredibly strong glass that Gorigan and his team of technicians were behind. It blazed brightly for almost a minute before stopping, the window gaining a slight glow for a moment, due to the extreme heat.
"Sir, we need to tranquilize it now, or we'll be in danger," one of the technicians said.
"Get your gas masks on, and just keep going. We're too close to give up now, and Ramoray even said that our window to produce more Shadow Pokémon is closed. And who knows how much longer it will be before Orison and Hanz find these headquarters," Gorigan said with a glint of rage in his eyes.
"Alright, then let's increase the power as high as we can without killing the asset," one of the female technicians said as they all donned sophisticated gas masks. They then began turning knobs and pushing levers forward, increasing the power of the energy, and the potency of the fog. An incredibly powerful bellow sounded, shaking the room enough to throw Gorigan off-balance briefly. He righted himself as the fog cleared enough for him to make direct eye-contact with the powerful Dragonite bound in the center of the room, the chains made from an incredibly strong tungsten alloy. The Pokémon's eyes weren't just pained, they were full of pure rage. Moments later, the eyes went blank, lifeless, and emotionless as the shadow energy took over.
The technicians began to sigh in relief. "It's done," one of them said.
"Keep it restrained down here. Only enter the room to feed it. We still have to go to the Libra and get the final Pokémon from the ship, and I need to report to the Grand Master. Take the next three days off from making more Shadow Pokémon until we get more assets to turn," Gorigan said, pulling out his manifest of all the Shadow Pokémon Cipher had in their possession. The ones that had been snagged were crossed out with a red line, along with an indicator of who snagged the Pokémon.
"Any other orders, sir?" one of the technicians asked.
"Nothing else that would concern you lot. Enjoy your light workload for the next couple days," Gorigan said as he left the room. The technicians followed him out shortly after, except for one.
"Sorry, Dragonite…maybe Orison or Hanz will save you," he said before heading out of the room.
Thanks to the escort, Michael and Liz arrived at Gateon within two hours, rather than the expected three, much to Alicia's relief. So, where is the shop we're going to?
"It's under the big, rotating metallic statue," Michael said. "Right by the docks."
Huh…not even Mauville is that showy with its decorations.
Liz giggled. "Just don't tell Makin or Perr that. They built it themselves."
Well, you just love taking the fun out of everything, Alicia said with some playful sass in her voice. With another mirthful laugh, the three walked over to the shop.
As soon as the door opened, they were greeted by a surprising sight. Perr was sitting at the counter with a group of people, all watching a replay of the live broadcast of Michael's battle with Snattle, bowls of snacks around the room as people watched. It was just at the point when Alicia was about to evolve. As soon as she started glowing on the screen, the group began cheering. "Yeah, Cloud-Guy is screwed now!" one of them said. That was when Michael noticed there was a web camera recording, and a computer showing Festival Plaza's PokéTube, with the scene in the shop being live-streamed with half the screen showing the battle. In the half that showed the group, Michael, Liz, and Alicia were all visible. The group, however, wasn't paying attention to the computer as much as they were looking at the battle on the big screen.
Should we say something, or just let the stream's chat tell them we're in the room? Alicia asked, her telepathy only communicating with Michael and Liz.
Let's wait and see how long it takes them to notice, Michael said with a smirk.
"Guys, you don't get more intense battles than this outside of those involving Champions, Elite Four, or Champion-hopefuls. Honestly, Wes might have a run for his money soon, if Michael keeps improving," Perr said with a grin.
I wonder how many people are watching this reaction live stream, Liz asked. Not too many people outside of Orre would know about what's happening here anyway.
Unless my family has discussed it with the media, Alicia said.
One of the girls of the group started crying softly at the scene as Alicia finished the battle, only to start desperately healing Michael.
Alicia, I really need to thank you a lot more for saving my life like that. Once this is over, I'll repay you, Michael said softly. Alicia just smiled in response.
The girl who had started crying then reached for a box of tissues to wipe her eyes, likely to save her make-up. As she leaned forward, she saw the chat for the livestream exploding with activity. "Hey, Perr, chat's trying to get our attention about some-…" she stopped as she looked at their half of the screen, turning back to the entrance, seeing the trio in the shop with them. The fangirling started almost immediately as she clamored over the back of the couch. "Oh, my Arceus! You're actually here! I can't believe I actually get to meet you! And you look so healthy now!" she said, trying to not cry from happiness.
Perr got up. "Michael, good to see you up and kicking!" he said, giving both Michael and Liz a handshake. "And you must be Alicia. It's a pleasure to have you all back in the shop." He spoke loud enough for the camera to pick up what he was saying.
"Well, it's good to not be in a hospital bed," Michael said. "But I actually came to see if you can help modify my ride."
"Oh? What modifications are you making to her?" Perr asked.
"I'm planning on going over sand dunes in the desert north of Phenac. Got anything for that?"
Perr groaned a bit. "Hover technology would work, but the old man is the one who can install it in a heartbeat. He's at Dr. Kaminko's lab right now."
"Well, that's not too far off. Shouldn't be more than an hour to get there and back," Liz said.
"Yeah, but Chobin might make a fuss when we get there…like confusing us for burglars," Michael said.
Wait, who are you guy's talking about? Alicia asked.
"Oh, you'll see when we get there," Michael said. He nodded to Perr. "We'll go get him for you. How much will the modifications cost?"
"Well, normally they'd be worth about ten thousand, but I think we can cut that price for you. It'll be up to the old man how much to knock off the price," Perr said.
"Well, we'll talk about that when we're back with Makin," Liz said with a smile.
"Agreed," Perr said. "I'd ask if you'd like to take some time to watch the battle, but you guys kind of lived it."
Yeah…Michael's burns only just finished healing, it's a bit of a fresh memory, Alicia said, trying to make sure the camera picked up what she said.
"Well, let's get moving," Liz said. "I don't want to spend too much time at that weird lab."
As expected, the drive took less than thirty minutes to get to the Tudor-style lab in the middle of the haunted woods. The fountain was still completely dried, and the plants were all dead in the courtyard. "I think Chobin might not be doing a good job keeping this place looking vibrant," Liz said as they approached the front door.
"HOLD IT BURGLARS!" said a familiar voice. Michael rolled his eyes harder than he'd done in his entire life to that point. "You will not burgle this lab!" The short, dark-haired assistant to Dr. Kaminko.
"Chobin…do you not remember us?" Liz asked.
"You are not anybody Chobin knows. Chobin may have just taken part in the testing of the genius Dr. Kaminko's Amnesia Inducer, but that is irrelevant. Now, time to battle, burglar!" Chobin pulled out two Pokéballs, ready to battle.
"Michael, mind if I take this battle?" Liz asked. "You battled him last time. I want a shot."
"Sounds good to me. I don't mind giving you an easy opponent," Michael said.
"CHOBIN IS RIGHT HERE!" the small man cried out, his voice cracking. "And just for that, Chobin will not hold back. He will be using TWO Pokémon this time."
Michael just sat on the edge of the fountain behind him, watching with some amusement as Chobin sent out a Sunkern and a Magikarp. The poor fish was flopping on the ground pathetically, trying to find water. "Chobin, for fuck's sake, why are you sending out a water-type that can't breathe on land?"
"Chobin knows what he is doing. You will not confuse him with your nonsense. Fish need air to breathe," Chobin said.
Liz just sighed as she sent out Vixen and Roselia. The Shadow Pokémon looked much sweeter and happier than before, which gave Michael a sense that it was close to being purified. That sense was confirmed when his Battle Monitor showed the gauge for Roselia as being almost zero.
"Roselia, use Shadow Wave. Vixen, Heat Wave. Finish this quickly," Liz said with some boredom in her voice. The two Pokémon, both faster than the seedpod and fish, fired their attacks, hitting their marks almost perfectly. Both of Chobin's Pokémon passed out as they were hit twice in quick succession, getting recalled to their Pokéballs.
Chobin began to stomp his feet, like a child throwing a tantrum. "NONONONO! Chobin will NOT accept this. He may have lost but you will not get past Chobin." As he spoke, the door to the lab opened.
"What is all this racket out here?" Dr. Kaminko yelled. "Chobin, I thought I told you I was doing important research!"
"Sir, Chobin understands. He apologizes, but there are these two burglars out here. Chobin was doing his best to stop them."
"Burglars?" Dr. Kaminko looked over at Michael and Liz. "Chobin, these are Michael and Liz. You've met them. You even know Michael's little sister, Jovi. Are you still under the effects of the Amnesia Inducer?"
Chobin looked a bit sheepish. "Chobin has had a foggy memory since the experiment."
"I see…then I apologize. I'm not going to be testing those devices on you anymore," Dr. Kaminko said. "But…there is one thing I wish to test with which you can help me. Michael and Liz, would you be inclined to assisting with a field test of one of my proudest creations?"
"That depends on what you're testing," Michael said. Liz nodded in agreement.
"It's a mech designed to strengthen Pokémon. It was modeled after the legendary captured by the Hoenn Champion," Dr. Kaminko said. "The test is simply to battle it, and see if it out-performs a normal trainer in battle."
"Oh, that sounds interesting," Liz said. "I'd be happy to do it."
"Wait, Liz, I'm still fresh out of the hospital. I want to battle too," Michael said.
"Rock, Paper, Scissors?" Liz said.
Or…maybe I could second Michael's side. I haven't battled in a while. I need to knock off some rust, Alicia said as she let herself out of her Pokéball, a bit irate that Michael hadn't let her out yet.
"Oh, alright, I guess I can let you take this one. But only for my favorite Gardevoir," Liz said.
Alicia smiled, none of them noticing as Chobin walked into the lab with an eager look on his face. "Good. Looks like Chobin will be getting it set up. Are you ready to face it?"
You mean a Robot Groudon? Alicia asked, having heard the conversation earlier.
"What? How did you guess?" Dr. Kaminko asked incredulously.
My name is Alicia Maple, she said in response. I'm Gwen's daughter.
Dr. Kaminko's eyes widened a bit. "Oh, you must tell me all about the alien species that Brendan managed to catch! What's its name?"
You mean Deoxys? Professor Birch calls it the DNA Pokémon. It's relatively apprehensive around others. That's likely due to it being from another planet. Otherwise, it acts like any other Pokémon.
"Hmm…that is intriguing," Dr. Kaminko said, stopping what he was going to say when he heard a whirring coming from the fountain. "Seems Chobin got it ready faster than expected. When you have time, I'd love to talk more with you."
Alicia nodded as she turned to the fountain, seeing Michael and Liz watching with either awe, or disbelief as a clunky, short mechanical Groudon was raised into view on a platform. It looked like the body was taken off of the cabin of a backhoe, with a basic head that could barely turn on a rudimentary axle, and a tail that looked like it was held on with duct tape. There were two arms that looked relatively sleek, but it still wasn't much better than the rest. On the front, there was a seat with levers for control, like a backhoe would have.
"Chobin has prepared the Robo-Groudon as requested," Chobin said from the cabin. "And now he shall take on these non-burglars."
Michael watched as Chobin had the Robo-Groudon throw two Pokéballs, sending out a Gyarados, and a Sunflora. He smirked. "I have counters to both of those," he said with confidence. "Nick, Boreas, come out!" The Jolteon and Spheal came out, eager to battle, Boreas looking particularly energetic.
"Chobin will start this battle. Sunflora, use Seed Bomb. Gyarados use Water Pulse. Target whoever you'd like!"
"Nick, Thunderbolt on Gyarados. Boreas, use Ice Beam on Sunflora," Michael said. Nick moved first, firing a spiral of electricity at Gyarados. The massive sea serpent, which was partially coiled on the ground, rearing his head back to fire three rings of water at near supersonic speeds. The Thunderbolt branched off three times as it passed through the center of the rings, each small branch hitting a ring and making it immediately evaporate, before hitting Gyarados on the crown-like crest. The Pokémon cried out and almost immediately passed out.
On the other side of the field, Sunflora had gathered energy into a brown seed the size of a grapefruit, throwing it at Boreas like a baseball. Boreas just rolled to the side casually, letting the seed hit the ground beside him, making a crack in some of the stone. He then quickly fired a stream of chilling energy at the sunflower Pokémon. The shot hit the Pokémon, almost freezing it. As it did, the control panel within the Robo Groudon sparked and smoke poured out of the mouth.
"NO, why did it fail?" Chobin asked, freaking out as he got out of the robot, looking at all the pieces. "It should be working flawlessly!"
Dr. Kaminko just sighed. "It seems the Robo-Groudon was a failure. It was completely outmatched. Perhaps it can never be a substitute for proper training," he said. "Thanks to you all for the help," Dr. Kaminko said. Alicia, however, looked a bit annoyed.
Michael, I wanted to battle, Alicia said privately. Why didn't you let me go in?
Sorry, but it was Chobin. You saw how quickly it was over. That wouldn't have satisfied you, right? Michael asked.
Alicia sighed. Yeah…I hate to admit that you're right. None of you Pokémon would be too satisfied.
We'll have plenty of battles soon. I think it's better that we don't overdo it now. We don't even know what Cipher has been doing this whole time.
"Chobin, I am officially ending the Robo-Pokémon projects. I'm sorry, but could you please disassemble or get rid of the Robo-Groudon and Robo-Kyogre," Dr. Kaminko said.
Chobin looked dismayed. "Sir, Chobin wishes to keep the Robo-Groudon. He thinks it could become much greater with hard work and better parts."
Dr. Kaminko sighed. "So be it. You may work on it," he said.
"Hey, Dr. Kaminko, we're actually here to get Makin. Is he here?" Liz asked.
"Makin? He's in the lab," Dr. Kaminko said.
"Chobin saw him was in the basement with the incomplete Robo-Kyogre," Chobin said.
Dr. Kaminko turned to Michael and Liz. "You two and your Pokémon may enter my lab's basement via the back elevator. I usually keep it off-limits to anybody unqualified, but I shall make an exception for you." He then went inside to his office, looking a bit depressed. "So many months wasted…"
"Thank you, Doctor," Michael said. "We'll be in and out without trouble."
Michael and Liz went inside the lab, moving quickly to the main office, where they found the door to the elevator. The descent took less than a minute, and brought them to a garage-like area, with platforms, and boat that looked astonishingly like Kyogre. Makin was by the vehicle, looking inquisitive. "It'd be such a shame to just toss this thing out. With the right work, it could…" He noticed the newcomers to the room as he trailed off. "Oh, Mr. Orison, Miss Hanz, and Miss Maple, great to see you all. Dr. Kaminko radioed down just a bit ago saying that he was cancelling the project of Robo-Kyogre…personally seems like a shame to me."
Michael looked at the machine, and he had to agree that it was actually quite an impressive design. The materials used were also clearly superior to those used for Robo-Groudon. "Yeah, it would be. Maybe you could take over the project. It could be useful for ocean exploration with the right alterations."
Makin nodded. "That it might," he said. "So, what can I help you with? Dr. Kaminko said you'd come here for me."
"Yeah, Perr asked me to come get you. My scooter needs some modifications so I can go into the desert north of Phenac City. He said he needed your help with something like that."
"Oh, he most certainly does need my help. He knows the parts to making a hover-carrier device, but he's still learning the positioning of each component. Tell you what, I'll get this Robo-Kyogre loaded into my truck, then we'll head to Gateon Port to prepare your scooter. Deal?"
Liz nodded. "Need help with the loading?"
"This thing probably weighs more than five tons, so it'll be done with machinery. I may need you to help guide it into the truck, but that's about all it'll need."
Sounds like a plan, Alicia said.
Makin smiled kindly. "You sound like your mother does in her interviews. You have a beautiful voice, Alicia," he said. Alicia blushed a bit at the compliment.
Thank you. You're too kind, she said.
After about 20 minutes of working to load up the Robo-Kyogre, then a thirty-five-minute drive back to Gateon Port, they were back in the Part Shop. Makin had already begun working on Michael's scooter in the garage, taking off the wheels to prepare for their replacements. Perr was following the blueprints Makin had printed for him, putting the parts together slowly, but surely with Makin watching over his work.
"Alright, when we get the upgrades done, we'll head to Agate Village to purify any Shadow Pokémon with us that need it, then we head to the desert to try and find whatever is so interesting out there," Michael said.
"Right. Roselia is just about ready, though…I kind of already purified a lot of the Pokémon in the Chamber while you were in the hospital," Liz said.
Well, at least you weren't sitting on your laurels. I'm certain Cipher wasn't just resting this whole time we've been out, so even smaller wins like those will be important.
"Yeah, and the HQ lab now has about twenty total Pokémon added to their roster. They're also making training a mandatory session for the staff with Pokémon should there be another Cipher attack," Liz said.
"Perfect. I just kind of wish more of the Pokémon we purify decided to help us battle."
Actually…I don't blame them. Not after what they did to turn us… Alicia said, shuddering from the memory. I wouldn't be surprised if they were trying to stay as far away from Cipher as possible.
Michael looked at Alicia, sensing that her vague description was intentional. "Hey, if you ever want to talk about it, we're here for you," he said. Liz sat beside Alicia, hugging her from the side.
"You'll never go through that again," she said comfortingly. "We promise to keep you safe."
Alicia smiled and hugged Liz back. And I'll keep you two from getting hurt again, she said.
Michael joined in with the embrace. "Then we all promise to keep each other safe, and stop other Pokémon from going through that again."
In that moment, they all felt like beating Cipher wouldn't be so difficult. They just needed to work together.
In that moment, they didn't realize just how wrong they were.
Thank you all for being so patient with me these past 2 months. I got a new job with 72-hour work weeks, and have not had much time to write. I will try to improve my writing schedule by using my breaks (they're pretty long in the industry, so it should be doable).
Anyway, as usual, please leave a review to let me know what you liked and what you didn't like. I'm always looking to improve, and your feedback helps immensely.
Until next time (hopefully nowhere near as long of a wait) ~ jmoul18.