Hi, nice to see you all again!

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Life's been kinda crazy and all over the place, and frustratingly it's going to be for the best half of 2019. I can confidently say that my schedule is jam packed until late July, so updates honestly might be kinda sparse, or they might be quite plentiful. It just depends on how hectic my schedule becomes.

Besides, I hope that you'll all enjoy the chapters as and when they come out. Let me know by leaving a review (they really do brighten up my day)

Anyways, enjoy the chapter. This one relates to an overarching plot line I've had planned for months now, so it's a good one - well, at least I think it is.

Enjoy!


"I think you deserve this." Maylene says, reaching for the badge case and extending it out to Casey, "The Cobble Badge is yours."

Her eyes drift down to the badge, its metal coating gleaming brightly against the dark backdrop of the case it's sitting in. After a brief spell of hesitation she reaches out to the badge and takes it into her hands, holding it up in front of the light to examine it closely.

It gleams victoriously under the light, the blocky orange sections of the badge standing out boldly against the metallic parts of the coveted prize. Casey smiles as she looks at her newly acquired badge, one thought swirling around in the back of her mind as she directs her attention towards her Pokemon, who are both watching her with eager and proud eyes.

We did it! Badge number three is ours!


Casey strolls along the moonlit pavement, her sneakers hitting the tarmac in synchronisation with Dawn, who is walking alongside her with Piplup held firmly in her arms. Reggie's leading the group, the Pokemon Breeder being the only one that actually knows where they're headed. He had told them that he wanted to show them something before they left the city, but he was very particular in not specifying what that 'thing' is, much to Casey's frustration. The Pastoria native likes to know what she's doing as she's doing it, so this is a bit of an anomalous circumstance for her.

"Where are we going exactly, Reggie?" She asks after a moment of deliberation as they approach a tall hill thats been specifically outfitted with a stone staircase for easier traversing.

"Don't you worry. We're almost there. It's just up this hill." Reggie replies, nodding his head towards the hill in question.

He begins to ascend the staircase, taking heavy strides as he climbs the steep stone steps. Casey and the others soon trail after him, the five of them walking in unison up to the top of the hill. They ascend within a matter of moments, their jaws collectively dropping when they see what awaits them at the top.

Standing before them is a luscious green field of grass which is being lit from the same moonlight that was shining down on the pavement. What separates this field from others of its nature is what inhabits it. A plethora of large rocks that look oddly familiar to Casey sit comfortably across the extensive field, a distinctive blue hue illuminating the edges of each and every one of them.

"You like it? Pretty neat, huh?" Reggie says after watching them marvel the field for a few moments, "Since you're all leaving Veilstone City bright and early tomorrow, I wanted you to see our city's landmarks tonight."

"City landmarks, huh? You mean those bunch of rocks?" Ash asks, bemused.

"Those aren't just any old rocks, Ash." Dawn chimes in, turning to look up at Reggie, "Those are meteorites, right, Reggie?"

"Meteorites!" Ash exclaims, shocked.

Meteorites? Meteorites...where have I heard about meteorites before?

"Now I remember!" Casey gasps, her realisation hitting her like a ton of bricks rather suddenly, "My Grandpa told me about all about the Veilstone meteorites when I was little. Aren't these the things that put this city on the map?"

"Right! You see, our city's been called 'The City Hewn from Rock', and these meteorites are part of that." Reggie replies, his interest peaked when Casey shows some recognition of the meteorites.

He leads the group over a decently sized information board. A map of the meteorite field takes up most of the board, which smaller sections scattered around it giving detailed descriptions of the meteorites. It's a useful thing to have access to, especially considering that a lot of people who travel to see the meteorites are from outside of the city.

"Veilstone City was built surrounding these things, wasn't it?" Casey asks as she scans the information board, thinking back to all of the things she used to see and hear about the meteorites when she was younger, "My Grandpa used to show me pictures when I was a little kid."

She can still remember it so well. She'd rush home from a long day at the local Pokemon School to hear all kinds of incredible things from her Grandpa. He'd tell her everything: from the Sinnoh Time-Space Time legend all the way up to Champions and Pokemon Masters from far off regions across the globe. She always took comfort in the fact that her Grandpa would keep her inquisitive nature alive with his fantastical tales. It's incredible that she's getting to see one of those tales up close and for real.

"The truth is, these meteorites have been honoured as guardians since way back in ancient times." Reggie explains as he turns his attention back towards the meteorites. Casey mirrors his actions, smiling when she notices that Piplup and Pikachu have rushed over to one of the many meteorites to get a closer look, "Of course, as the meteorites fame grew, people started travelling from all over to see them, and that's how the shape of Veilstone City gradually began to take shape. Now, the grateful people of our fair city are watched over by all of our guardians."

Casey listens to Reggie's story with innate interest, feeling an odd sense of nostalgia as he talks. This is the kind of thing that her Grandpa would always tell her about; it's refreshing to hear about it all again.

She turns to look out on the field of meteorites, murmuring to herself as she marvels them, "And I thought Pastoria City had a cool origin story...This is something else."

She'll regret her misplaced optimism later on, for something far more sinister is occurring right at this very moment, yet none of them are aware of it just yet. It's not long until they realise what it is, and they'll be sure to regret it when they do.


"It's so great that you've both got three badges now."

Casey glances up from her Pokedex when Dawn speaks up from across the table. She's been reading through the data that the technological encyclopaedia collected on Dragonair. She hasn't really had the chance to fully examine the data of her newly evolved Pokemon; she wants to be aware of how Dragonair differs from how she was as a Dratini. Understanding your Pokemon is one of the many critical roles that a Pokemon Trainer needs to fulfil. After spending a fair few minutes reading about Dragonair, she likes to think that she has at least a somewhat greater understanding of the newly evolved Dragon-Type.

"Thanks, Dawn. But we're both still gonna need five more to get into the Sinnoh League, so there's no time to get too confident." Ash replies modestly, tucking his newly polished Cobble Badge away into his badge case along with his others as Pikachu observes quietly.

"Hey! No need to worry! Both of you will get those five in no time!" Dawn says supportively, speaking to them with her usual 'no need to worry' kind of attitude.

Listening to Ash's and Dawn's conversation draws Casey's thoughts onto an important matter that they haven't quite discussed yet: where they're headed next. She switches off her Pokedex and places it inside of her pocket before speaking up, "Speaking of, we should probably decide where we're going next."

"Good idea, Casey." Brock says. The former Gym Leader stands up and reaches for a moderately sized television remote, directing its sensor at the large screen on the nearby wall. An extensive map of Sinnoh flashes up on the screen, numerous towns and cities marked upon it with coloured dots.

"Any ideas on where we should head for?"

Casey scans the map for all of the possible locations, smiling when she realises where the closest city with a Gym is. She's surprised that she didn't notice it sooner. You'd think she would after living there for her entire life.

"Hey, guys. Why don't we head for Pastoria City?" She suggests, drawing her attention away from the map and over to her friends, "You guys can meet my Grandpa and all of my other Pokemon whilst we're there! And the Gym Leader, Crasher Wake, he'll be sure to give us both Ash and I excellent Gym Battles that neither of us will forget!"

She knows that Ash is sold on the idea at the mention of an 'excellent Gym Battle', and even Dawn looks to be in agreement with the idea, but Brock, as logical as ever, takes a moment to consider the possible complications with her plan, "It sounds great, Casey, but it's a fair bit away from here."

Casey shrugs, "Oh, that's not a problem. Valor Lakefront is supposed to be a beautiful resort location, and it's on the way to Pastoria City from here. We can stop there for a break if we need it."

"That sounds perfect, Casey!" Dawn gushes, enthusiastic about her idea.

Casey smiles at her bluenette friend before directing her attention towards Brock, waiting for his approval on their plan. They all need to be in agreement about this, after all, "What do you say, Brock-o?"

"Sounds like a plan." Brock replies, switching the television screen off with the remote and returning to his seat.

"What type of Pokemon does Crasher Wake use, Casey?" Ash asks, Casey turning back to her raven-haired friend when he speaks up, "We've got to start coming up with a strategy right away!"

"Pika-pi!"

Casey chuckles at Pikachu's overenthusiastic nature that perfectly mirrors his trainer's and answers their question willingly and with full confidence, "He specialises in Water-Type Pokemon."

"Water-Type Pokemon? Cool!" Ash responds, turning to his ecstatic partner excitedly, "You hear that, buddy?"

"Chaa!"

Ash smiles down at Pikachu before turning towards Dawn, changing the focus of the conversation onto what's next for the young Coordinator, "So, Dawn? What's going on with your next Contest?"

Casey notices it right away - then again, it wouldn't be that hard to miss if you knew what you were looking for. Ash and Brock, as insightful as the latter may be, don't pick up on it, but Casey sees it as clear as day. At the mention of her next Pokemon Contest, a brief flash of terror crosses Dawn's face, though the bluenette corrects herself before it can warp into anything too noticeable.

"Ash, you'll never guess!" Dawn stammers, the Coordinator desperately trying to keep her nervous voice in check, "We're right in the middle of working on a brand new combination!"

Casey knows that Dawn is blatantly lying as she says that, but she chooses to hold her tongue for now. She intends on talking about this with Dawn, but not right at this moment. Not in front of Ash and Brock. That'll only make Dawn feel awfully embarrassed, which is not what she needs right now.

"So, Casey." Brock chimes in, drawing Casey's attention away from Dawn and onto him as he speaks up, "You said that your Grandfather was Pokemon Breeder, right? Back when we first met you in Oreburgh City?"

"That's right." She replies, nodding, "That's why I leave all of my other Pokemon from previous journeys with him when I set off on a new one."

"What kind of Pokemon have you got?" Ash asks, intrigued.

"Pokemon from all over Kanto and Johto. The Pokemon that are with my Grandpa have competed in League Conferences and countless Gym Battles." She explains, "Well, most of them, at least."

Dawn's brows furrow, confusion written across her face, "What do you mean?"

"My Metang doesn't exactly like to listen to me." Casey says with an awkward chuckle, "It has to be one of the most stubborn Pokemon I've ever met, but I understand why it is the way it is. It's also super strong, but you'd never know that because it doesn't like to listen to anybody. My Grandpa's sure got his work cut out for him there."

"Why doesn't Metang listen to you?"

Casey holds her tongue. She doesn't particularly like talking about this subject - it just acts as a reminder that she's failed one of her Pokemon. That she can't get through to one of her Pokemon no matter how hard she tries. She decides that it's best just to divert the topic of conversation for now, and thankfully the opportunity to do just that appears right before her in the form of a certain blue-haired Coordinator.

"Hey, Dawn." She says, catching the girl's attention instantly, "How about we go outside and look at that combination you were telling Ash about? I'd love to see it."

Dawn stumbles as she suggests this, clearly not expecting her to play along with her lie. She awkwardly accepts her offer, the bluenette being smart enough to realise that if she doesn't, Ash and Brock may detect her lies. The two of them stand up and begin to make their way for the front door, but not before Ash questions the situation.

"Hey, I wanna see your combination." He says.

Casey glances over at Dawn, noticing that she looks even more uneasy than before at Ash's eagerness to see her falsified combination.

I need to get Dawn out of this...I know!

"Hey, Ash. Did you know that Crasher Wake battles with a Gyarados?"

Ash's ears perk up when he hears that, both Casey and Dawn long forgotten in favour of planning his battle strategy with Pikachu. The two of them converse excitedly, both just as eager as the other to come up with the perfect strategy. That provides Dawn and Casey with the perfect chance to slip out of the room without being noticed, at least by Ash. Casey knows how understanding Brock is. He won't follow them unless they explicitly ask him to, so there's nothing to worry about there.

The two of them step out into the cool nighttime air, a short chill running up Casey's spine as a gust of cold wind sweeps on by. Piplup's rather more comfortable than Casey and Dawn, the Penguin Pokemon nestling in the arms of the latter, her arms shielding him from the cold air that they're exposed to. They head over to a nearby wooden bench, taking a seat on the worn down wood in a comfortable silence that persists until Casey speaks up.

"Why did you lie to Ash back there, Dawn?" She sighs, "I understand that your confidence isn't quite there just yet, but to lie? That's not like you at all. You and I both know that."

"I'm fine!" Dawn gushes, the same shakiness in her voice from before returning, "No need to wor-."

"Don't say no need to worry, Dawn! The boys may not have fully noticed it yet, but Piplup and I sure have!" Casey interjects. She looks down at the Penguin Pokemon in Dawn's arms, noticing that he's watching her with innate interest, "Isn't that right, Piplup?"

"Pip-lup."

Dawn's face softens when she hears her partner's Pokemon's crestfallen voice; the Water-Type sounds ashamed to be admitting to what he's noticed. It's when she sees this interaction that Casey knows just what to say to Dawn.

"Look, Dawn." She sighs, the bluenette's eyes tearing away from Piplup and back up to her pitifully, "I'm not going to ask you to tell me everything that's going on with you right now, because I know that there are just some things that you keep to yourself. There is one thing that I'd like to ask of you, though."

"What's that?"

"If you can't confide in us, confide in your Pokemon." She smiles, nodding her head towards Piplup, "I'm sure that they'll be glad to listen if needed. Your Pokemon are often the greatest friends that you've got, you know?"

Piplup emphasises Casey's point when he stands up in Dawn's arm, brandishing his flipper proudly in the air as he makes it known that he agrees with what she's saying. Casey laughs and gestures towards Piplup, "See what I mean?"

Piplup's eccentric actions manage to elicit a laugh from Dawn, an uplifting smile crossing her face as she looks down at him. Casey can't help but laugh all the more when Dawn attempts to calm the overdramatic Penguin Pokemon, much to his chagrin.

"Thank you, Casey." Dawn says, lifting her head up to smile at her friend.

"Don't mention it, Dawn." Casey replies earnestly, pulling herself up from the bench with a slight shiver. She turns back to Dawn with a smile, "Should we head back inside before we catch a cold?"

Dawn agrees, the bluenette standing up from the bench with Piplup held firmly in her arms. They both begin to make their way back towards the Pokemon Center rather hastily, both of the eager to escape the cold nighttime air. They both stroll along at her reasonably pace, but Casey finds herself being struck down when an intense jolt of pain surges through her.

She screams, her body suddenly overcome by such an unexpected jolt of pain. It's not absolutely agonising (she feels that its more the shock than the pain that's making her scream), but it's enough for her to stop in her tracks and double over in pain.

Her knees catch her as she falls down to the ground, her hands desperately clutching the side of her head as she attempts to focus her thoughts on something - anything to take her mind off of the surprising pain. Dawn instantly kneels down by her side, her hands hovering awkwardly in the air as she tries to figure out what's going on.

"Casey!" Her voice betrays her as she attempts to keep her cool, instead desperately calling out to her screaming friend, "Casey, what's wrong!?"

"Som-something's wrong!" She gasps out a reply, albeit barely, "I feel...I...agh!"

"Lup! Pip-lup!" Piplup chirps, panicked.

She struggles to put it into words for two reasons: the pain, and the fact that she doesn't have a clue what's going on. Even if she could explain it, she wouldn't know where to start. However, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that something's wrong, which is something that Dawn susses out incredibly quickly.

"Stay here! I'll go and get help!"

She's vaguely aware of Dawn and Piplup rushing off inside, but her head's too fuzzy to fully process what's going on. She feels trapped, like there's an impending danger that's closing its way around her. She closes her eyes in attempt to block it out, but that only seems to amplify it all. She's seeing something just like she did back in Amity Square. It's blurred and unorthodox and doesn't make a lot of sense, but she's seeing it.

"Those meteorites and the Spear Key are made of the exact same material."

A snide voice is speaking, though she can't quite see the source of such a spine-tingling voice. The voice has an uneasy tone to it, which is what makes it stand out compared to everything else. It's a masculine voice, though it's not the deepest that she's heard.

"Saturn, here." The voice continues, "We've detected the target."

Her eyes snap open, the throbbing pain coursing through her body now just a distant memory, but her confusion is still at the forefront of her mind. She just experienced yet another one of those unexplainable visions, but at least this time around she has some idea of what's going on. Well, to be more precise, where it's going on.

Something's happening with the meteorites!

Confident knowing that, combined with the fact that all of her logical thinking has gone flying out of the window, she takes off in a run towards the meteorite field, ignoring the bitter chill of the night as she goes. She has to find out what's going on here.


Casey ascends the stone staircase leading up to the meteorite field breathlessly, immediately taking note of the numerous other people occupying the field. They're all dressed the same - clad in identical grey and white outfits with short teal blue hair. They all seem to be doing the exact same thing as well, the non-differentiating individuals kneeling down beside the numerous meteorites across the field and attaching some kind of tracking device to each and every one of the historic space rocks.

Their actions begin to make some kind of sense when a ginormous metal claw drops down from a hovering aircraft above, latching onto one of the numerous meteorites that have been tagged. The claw ensnares the meteorite in its vice like grip, tearing it right out of the ground and up towards the hold of the aircraft.

Her eyes scan the rest of the field, hoping to find the instigator of such a heinous act. She practically smirks when she sees another man stood by a grounded aircraft, his dark blue hair and piercing blue eyes setting him apart from the other perpetrators. Casey makes the instant assumption that he's the leader, which is exactly what motivates her to go running towards him in an attempt to set things straight.

"Hey!" She barks, angrily. She grinds to a halt in front of the man, catching his attention with her intense glare and loud voice, "What do you think you're doing?! You can't just take those meteorites! They belong to the people of this city, not you!"

A flicker of what Casey misinterprets as intrigue crosses the mans face as he listens to her, but his face quickly warps into anger and frustration at the mere sight of you.

"This is complicated enough with little brats like you interfering!" He scoffs, turning away from her with a roll of his eyes, "Stay out of our way!"

Casey's blood boils at his offhanded response. Her hand slips into her pocket, ready to send out one of her Pokemon and fight back with brute force if needed. However, her hopes are dashed when she feels two pair of hands wrap around her arms, one of which rips her hand right out of her pocket before she can grab ahold of a Pokeball. Two of the individuals pin her arms behind her back and hold them in an almost bruising grip, preventing her from retaliating against their smirking leader.

"I wouldn't try that again if I were you."

Casey's eyes narrow into a hateful glare, "What do you even want with these meteorites, huh? Why do you need them so badly?"

He laughs, "I wouldn't expect somebody like you to understand!"

"Understand what?"

"These meteorites must take the necessary forms to build the new world! A new world that is far too intelligent for a mere child to comprehend!" He explains, taking great pride in explaining his plan to her, "We have a greater purpose than you all! We are here to form the new world!"

New world? This guy's insane! I've never heard anything so ridiculous!

"I don't care about your 'new world' plans, okay?!" Casey snaps back, her resolve not letting up for a second, "Return the meteorites that you've stolen right now and get out of here!"

His eyes narrow, angry words sitting on his tongue that are just waiting to be snapped out. It looks as if he's going to do just that, but he stops himself when one of his subordinates rushes towards him, a sleek laptop held firmly in his arms despite all of his jagged movements.

"Sir! We have a problem!"

He snarls, "What is it?!"

"There's an unexplained energy spike thats just popped up in the area." The subordinate explains, extending the laptop screen out in front of his superior, "Look at this."

His eyes scan the screen as he hastily reads what Casey presumes is data, his eyes going wide about halfway through his inquiry. He tears his eyes away from the bright screen and up to her, his wide eyes narrowing and his face contorting into a scowl.

"Continue with the extraction." He orders coldly, his eyes trained on her despite him addressing the subordinate.

"But, sir!" The sniffly voice of the subordinate splutters, "This energy spike is something that can't-!"

"Continue with the extraction!" He snarls, briefly snapping his eyes away from Casey to glare menacingly at the subordinate, "And that's an order!"

The terrified subordinate rushes off without another word, desperately clasping his laptop in his shaking hands as he goes to command the other perpetrators across the field. That's a smart idea - his superior looks like he's about to scream at him. The superior in question turns back to Casey, his face twisting into an even greater expression of rage at the mere sight of her.

"Now, as for you-!"

"What are you doing here?!"

He stops abruptly when yet another subordinate catches his attention. Casey turns her head towards the source of the noise, albeit with a struggle due to her restrained position, and is thoroughly surprised by what she sees. It seems that Team Rocket have somehow managed to get themselves tangled up in this tricky situation, too. Admittedly, Casey's never been so glad to see the nefarious duo in her life.

"Not you losers again." The blue-haired man says, tiredly. It seems that he's had to deal with the pestering actions of Team Rocket before - an annoying struggle that Casey can relate to.

Another struggle that she can relate to is having to listen to Team Rocket's dreadful mottos, a pain that she's about to experience again for the umpteenth time.

"Your stupid team has much more to lose!" Jessie declares extravagantly, extending her hand out towards the sky in an over the top pose.

"Look in the mirror at what hair cut you use!"

Casey groans, "Is that seriously all you guys could come up with?"

"It's not like you could come up with anything better, Twerpette!" Meowth retorts, holding his head high in an act of smugness.

The Scratch Cat Pokemon is quick to do a double take, his mouth falling open along with his cohort's at the sight of her.

"Twerpette?!"

Casey rolls her eyes. Out of anybody that could turn up here, it just had to be Team Rocket. Why couldn't it be somebody helpful like Officer Jenny or her friends? But no, it's just Team Rocket.

"Sludge Bomb, Toxicroak."

Casey's nothing short of shocked when Team Rocket are sent blasting back by a multitude of thick, black sludge balls, landing in a heap a few feet away of where they started. Casey turns back towards the blue-haired man, her eyes narrowing at the sight of the smirk plastered on his face. She may not particularly like Team Rocket, but that wasn't cool of him to do.

She next notices the Pokemon that executed the attack. The mans Toxicroak is standing before him, its lean body hunched over and its snake-slit yellow eyes glaring menacingly over at Team Rocket. Casey's came across a Toxicroak once, when she much younger and decided to go exploring the Great Marsh with some of her friends back at home. She's also aware that Toxicroak is the evolved form of Croagunk, but her knowledge on the Toxic Mouth Pokemon ends about there. Regardless of her lack of knowledge, there is one thing that she knows for sure.

Toxicroak looks absolutely terrifying up close.

"Casey!"

She turns her sights away from Toxicroak and onto her friends, a smile coming onto her face as she sees them running up the staircase and into the field. Maylene and Lucario accompany them, both Gym Leader and Pokemon looking ready to fight back in a moments notice.

Lucario must've sensed what was going on. That must be how they found me.

"Where are the meteorites?" Maylene asks, glancing frantically around the field in an attempt to see the missing landmarks.

"These jerks stole them!" Casey replies, the hands on her arms tightening slightly at her use of the word 'jerks'. That doesn't quite sit well with the goons restraining her.

"That's right!" Jessie chimes in, surprising Maylene and the others when she approaches the group, "These fashion freaks stole our meteorites!"

"Fashion? Since when?" Dawn asks, bemused.

Casey has to restrain herself from laughing at Dawn's response. She's not kidding about their fashion - it is rather awful. The blue-haired doesn't seem to appreciate Dawn's comment, choosing to retaliate with brute force, "Toxicroak, use Dark Pulse!"

Toxicroak's long, clawed hands push together in a swift motion and the Toxic Mouth Pokemon forms a small orb of dark energy within its hands. It charges it up, making a low growling noise as it does so, before firing it off towards Ash and the others in the form of dark, swirling circles.

"Lucario, use Aura Sphere!"

The Aura Pokemon counters Toxicroak's attack with perfect precision, the two attacks colliding and erupting into a combination of purple and blue light. Lucario's attack, much to everybody's surprise, has little to no effect on Toxicroak, who remains standing tall in front of its conniving trainer.

"It didn't do a thing!" Maylene gasps, astonished.

"We don't care about your landmarks, but these meteorites must take the necessary forms."

"What are you talking about?" Dawn asks, puzzled.

"We're talking about the necessary forms to build the new world!"

Their confusion only seems to grow as he elaborates. Casey doesn't blame her. To her, this man sounds like he's insane. She can't help but wonder who put these delusional thoughts into his head - into his cohorts heads for that matter, as well. None of this seems right.

Luckily, the person that has the power to set it all right makes an appearance right at that moment.

Driving in upon her high-speed motorcycle, Officer Jenny rockets up the staircase leading into the field. She soars high up above them all, the vehicle slamming onto the grass in the space between Casey's friends and the people holding her captive. The mans scowl from before returns as Officer Jenny dismounts her motorcycle, directing her attention towards the crooks holding Casey captive with a stern glare.

"You took the meteorites, right?" She says, demandingly, "All communications are down because of your tricks!"

"Maybe, and maybe not." The man muses, smirking at her frustration.

"I'll bet they're responsible for the Pokemon Center breakdowns." Brock says.

"And not just the Pokemon Center, but every piece of equipment across Veilstone City!" Officer Jenny adds, her intense anger towards the crooks showing in her voice.

It's not just the meteorites that these people have impacted, it's all of the tech across the city! This is far bigger than I thought!

"You think the Sinnoh Special Police aren't aware of all of the behind the scenes activity going on lately?" She asks, the officer pointing an accusing finger towards the man, "Well, you're busted! You're a part of those super secret criminals: Team Galactic!"

"Team Galactic?" Ash murmurs, a puzzled expression crossing his face.

"Tell me exactly what you're planning to do with those meteorites!" Officer Jenny orders, sternly.

"That would be a big waste of time. But I will say it's all part of our plan." The blue haired man replies curtly. He then thrusts his arm out towards them, giving a quick yet confident command to his awaiting Toxicroak, "Toxicroak, Dark Pulse, go."

Toxicroak acts fast, generating yet another source of dark energy and firing it off at his opponents. The Dark-Type attacks surges towards Ash and the others, but luckily they're quick to counter with the help of their trusted Pokemon.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

"Piplup, Bubble Beam!"

"Lucario, Aura Sphere!"

The three multi-typed attacks merge into one threatening force of blue and yellow light, which collides directly with Toxicroak's dark purple energy rings. The sheer force of their combined attacks shatters the bonds between the dark rings, resulting in them all going flying off in different directions as the attack dissipates. One of the stray dark energy rings just so happens to be heading directly for Brock; the Pokemon Breeder isn't quite sure how to react, running frantically on the spot and yelling all the more as the ring approaches.

"Brock, watch out!"

The ring races towards Brock like a high-speed projectile. Just as it looks like it's going to smash down upon his head, Croagunk appears out of seemingly nowhere and saves its trainer of the burden. The pre-evolved Toxic Mouth Pokemon smashes the ring away with a decisive Brick Break, sending it flying down into the dirt where it eventually shatters.

"All right, Croagunk!" Ash cheers, "Good job!"

A smile even comes to Casey's face at the sight of the usually reserved Pokemon stepping in to defend its trainer, though her smile quickly fades when she notices what Toxicroak is up to. The far larger Toxic Mouth Pokemon is approaching Croagunk with long strides, its feet making loud booming noises as its heavy body crosses the field. It towers over Croagunk when it reaches it, a fact with Croagunk notices rather quickly. Regardless of the size disadvantage, Croagunk stands it ground against its superior, the two Pokemon squaring each other up in an interaction that intrigues everybody that's watching.

It's this interaction that Casey uses to her advantage.

With the men holding onto her being distracted by the heated interaction between Croagunk and Toxicroak, she chooses to fight back against their hold. She kicks her right leg back first, the back of her foot colliding with the unprotected sin of the man on her right with unexpected force. He releases his grip on her and instantly recoils back, bringing his hands down to his wounded shin as he gasps out in pain. She fights back against her second captor before he can wise up to what she's trying to do, this time opting to aim for his stomach with her elbow. He recoils back just like the man before him did, leaving Casey completely free of the restraints that were placed upon her just moments before.

She makes a mad dash away from the injured men, her hand reaching into her pocket and withdrawing a single Pokeball on instinct. She tosses it out towards the blue-haired commander, yelling out with both rage and satisfaction, "Dragonair, let's go!"

The Dragon Pokemon emerges with a fierce battle cry before the man, who observes her with a look of resentment and frustration. He looks over at his other cohorts, whom have only just rushed over in an attempt to control all of the commotion, "Deal with the rest of them. I'll handle this little brat!"

The subordinates obey his command instantly, turning towards the others and retaliating with their own Pokemon. They each send out an entire fleet of Golbat, the large flock of Bat Pokemon circling the sky above whilst screeching obnoxiously. It's a massive force to be reckoned with, but Casey's certain that her friends are more than capable of handling it.

"Golbat, go."

Casey inwardly groans at the sight of yet another Golbat emerging from the commander's Pokeball, its screeching just as loud and annoying as the rest of theirs. The Bat Pokemon hisses down at Dragonair, who responds with a cry just as ferociously as her opponent.

The commander quicks off the battle without a hint of hesitation, calling out calmly, "Use Air Cutter."

Golbat flaps its broad wings radpily, generating sharp-edged projectiles out of thin air. The newly generated ammunition rushes towards Dragonair, who executes a perfectly timed dodge without even being asked to do so.

"Quick, Dragonair! Use Aqua Tail!"

Dragonair's tail shines a glorious blue colour as she leaps up into the air, slicing it down with perfect precision and sending the unsuspecting Bat Pokemon crashing down towards the ground before its trainer can even think twice.

The man grits his teeth frustratingly as Golbat smashes into the ground with intense force, kicking up a cloud of dust and dirt as its body falls defencelessly downwards. Casey smirks, her initial thought being that Dragonair's Aqua Tail was so powerful that it knocked down her opponent in just one hit, but she finds herself to be awfully mistaken when the Bat Pokemon flies up out of the rising cloud of dust, its wings looking slightly maimed but the rest of it looking just fine.

"Now, Golbat. Use Poison Fang."

I get it. He's trying to wear Dragonair down with status conditions. Even if we were to allow him to pull off the attack, it's not like the poison would affect Dragonair regardless.

"Counter it head on with Dragon Rage!" She calls.

The fiery inferno of energy collides directly with Golbat's purple glowing fangs, engulfing the Bat Pokemon's entire body in a fiery vortex. The purple colour of its fangs fades as it goes soaring backwards, landing in an unconscious heap before its trainer.

He begrudgingly extends the Pokeball out and silently returns Golbat to its capsule, his piercing glare focused on Casey and her Dragonair the entire time. He pays no attention to the fallen Pokemon, simply shoving its Pokeball roughly inside of his pocket.

"Are you done yet?" Casey asks.

He smirks, "Not quite."

He surprises Casey when he reaches back into his pocket, presumably to bring out a second Pokemon to fight back against the battle that he's already losing.

Doesn't this guy understand that his plan's over? What's his deal?!

"Electabuzz, Thunder! Go!"

Casey's sights are drawn away from the man when she hears a familiar voice call out from behind her. She turns around to investigate, surprised to find that Reggie's turned up along with Paul's Electabuzz. She was so wrapped up in her battle that she didn't even notice that he arrived.

Despite her previous unawareness, she continues to watch with interest and awe as Electabuzz fires off a speedy lightning bolt directly at Pikachu, who is already rushing at top speed as electricity surrounds his body. He's using Volt Tackle, and it doesn't take Casey long to figure out why that is.

Pikachu's electrified body surges towards the cords pulling the meteorites up into the helicopters like a high speed rocket, severing through the metal as if it were merely made of paper. The metorites begin to cascade towards the ground, the claw parts of the machinery still firmly attached to them.

That's where Lucario comes in.

"Lucario, Bone Rush!"

The Aura Pokemon springs into action, smashing the claws off of the falling meteorites with a single laser bone within just a few moments. The now free meteorites continue their descent, prompting Dawn and Piplup to step in to slow them down.

"Piplup, Whirlpool!"

Piplup raises his glowing beak towards the sky and lifts his fins up high, generating an intense swirling cyclone of water within mere moments. The meteorites crash down into the whirlpool, kicking up a fair amount of water as they do so; the cyclone acts as a safety net for the meteorites. They ease down onto the damp grass as Piplup gently lowers the whirpool, returning to their rightful positions across the field with little to no harm done.

Casey smirks, turning back towards the disgruntled man, "It looks like your little plan is done for! Give it up now whilst you still can!"

He scowls, though he holds his tongue when he notices that one of his subordinates is approaching. It's the same goon from before, though this time he lacks a laptop; his expression looks even more concerned than before.

"Commander Saturn."

Commander Saturn, huh? So, that's his name.

"I know. There's no choice." He groans, disgruntled. Casey and Dragonair watch as he withdraws yet another Pokeball from his pocket; he aims it at Toxicroak, who is mid-battle with Croagunk, and gruffly returns it to its capsule without any further delay.

"Toxicroak, return."

He shoves the Pokeball back into his pocket forcefully, directing his attention towards the subordinate still stood by his side, "Evacuate immediately."

He turns around and begins to make his way towards a nearby helicopter, prompting Casey to step in, "Hey, Saturn!"

He halts, fooling Casey into thinking that he's going to turn around and confront her again. He doesn't, instead turning one of the many subordinates in the area and giving them one curt nod before walking on.

"Hey, stop!" Casey manages to yell. She takes off in a run towards the fleeing crook. She's not about to let him get away so easily.

She falls short when she feels a sharp shock of pain course through her abdomen, her legs giving out beneath her as she crashes down on the grass. She wheezes heavily, desperately attempting to catch the breath that was physically knocked out of her as soon as the subordinate's fist collided with her stomach. He had punched her before fleeing like a coward along with the rest of the crooks, leaving her gasping desperately on the muddy ground.

Two pairs of hands drag her up by the arms, moving her into a comfortable sitting position as quickly as they can.

"Casey, are you okay?" Dawn asks, her voice laced with concern.

Casey's frantic eyes dart over at the bluenette before shifting around the area, her fragmented thoughts frantically trying to compose themselves. She's still in a state of shock. That punch hurt.

She notices that everybody has rushed over to her, all of them looking just as concerned as Dawn. Reggie and Maylene both look beyond enraged, the two of them focused on the helicopters that are disappearing into the distance above them. Brock's rooting through the extensive inventory within his backpack, likely attempting to find some kind of medical solution for the situation. Ash is just staring down at her, Pikachu watching curiously from his shoulder as she attempts to formulate a sentence.

"It looks like they got away." Officer Jenny says, exasperated. She walks over to the group, clearly trying her best to conceal her frustration from them all. Casey doesn't blame her for her frustration. Those crooks deserved to be caught.

"I'm sorry." Casey admits, ashamed, "I let them get away."

"Don't say that, Casey!" Dawn insists.

"Dawn's right, Casey!" Brock adds, "We all tried to stop them. We just weren't fast enough, that's all."

Dragonair purrs comfortingly, bringing a much needed smile to Casey's face when she attempts to nestle her elongated, winged head inside the crook of her arm.

"Okay, Dragonair." Casey chuckles, lightly pushing her away with a smile, "I get what you're trying to say. I'm sorry for being negative for no reason."

"I wouldn't say it's for no reason."

She glances up at Officer Jenny when she speaks up. A frown comes to her face when she notices that she's looking at the sky frustratingly, clearly angry that Team Galactic managed to get away. Casey doesn't blame her: they're all angry about it.

"I'm sure we haven't seen the last of those criminals, no doubt." She murmurs, her eyes remaining fixed on the empty night sky, "If only we knew more about Team Galactic's plans."

Casey sighs, her eyes now fixated on the empty sky with a frown, "Yeah, if only we did."