"That's right!" Dawn chimes in, "And with both of you working on a strategy, I'm sure you'll come up with something great!"
"You think?" Ash asks.
"For sure!"
Casey raises a fist, smirking confidently at Ash, "She's right! Let's do this!"
Casey makes a promise to herself then and there - she's gonna do anything she can to help Ash get his fifth badge. She does want to battle him at the Sinnoh League, after all, and like she said, they're friends.
Celestic Town - Sinnoh
The sound of the television playing at the side of the Pokemon Center adds some noise to the otherwise silent lobby, where Casey's sat alongside Monferno awaiting the others. Dawn competed in the Celestic Town Pokemon Contest yesterday, where she defeated her Mom's childhood rival in order to win the Ribbon. It was an excellent battle to witness, and Casey's grateful that she got the chance.
Turning to Monferno, she smiles down at her partner, providing an answer to the question he just asked her about their next move, "Back to Hearthome next, pal. Ash needs to beat Fantina."
Ash has been working hard in preparation for his upcoming Gym Battle against Fantina, and of course Casey and her Pokemon have offered assistance whenever Ash has needed it. He's been doing quite well so far, so much so that Casey reckons he'll be able to come up with the perfect strategy in no time.
"Mon?" Monferno murmurs, and Casey understands what he's asking in an instant.
"Yep, he sure has been." She replies, smiling, "I think Dawn's Contest Battle yesterday really inspired him, you know? And I talked to him about using his surroundings to his advantage like we do, and I think he's really taking it all on board."
"We have more information concerning this mornings theft of the Adamant Orb."
She stops, eyes darting towards the flat screen on the far wall, and she subconsciously stands up from her seat to approach the screen, jaw slack in shock.
"What?" She murmurs, eyes fixated on the screen so much so that she hardly notices when Monferno comes to stand by her side.
A news reporter is on the screen, sat at her desk with a solemn expression on her face as she explains the situation at hand, "Fortunately, the transport ship made a successful emergency landing and it appears that nobody was hurt."
The screen cuts to images of the large aircraft that performed the emergency landing in a clearing, multiple police officers surrounding the aircraft itself.
"Casey, something happen?" Dawn asks, walking out into the lobby with Piplup in her arms.
Ash and Brock follow her out, the two of them joining the two girls in watching the screen because Casey doesn't really know how to articulate what she's witnessing. There's too much information being thrown at her, and all she can really focus on is the Adamant Orb.
She knows the importance of the Adamant Orb, so to hear that it's been stolen is beyond frightening. It threatens the very integrity of the Sinnoh Space-Time Legend.
"We have just received a report from Officer Jenny, who was actually on the ship at the time of the incident, stating that the organisation who is responsible for the theft calls themselves Team Galactic."
Team Galactic? Not these guys again!
"They are reported to be a secret organisation with illegal activity around the Sinnoh region. They are also believed to have some connection to the recent meteorite theft in Veilstone City. However, at this moment in time, their objectives continue to remain unclear." The reporter explains, "At the time of the theft, the legendary Adamant Orb was in the process of being transported from the Eterna City Museum, and heading to the Celestic Town Historical Research Center. The Research Center is currently conducting research on the Adamant Orbs counterpart: the Lustrous Orb, and has tightened its security in light of the recent criminal incident."
Casey feels her blood boil all the more as more information is announced. This was clearly planned and cruelly calculated, and the fact that there's no clear motive only frustrates her even more. Not to mention the fact that several police officers could've been killed if it wasn't for the successful emergency landing. She's seen Team Galactic's insane plots before - they all have - but this is truly something else.
"This is quite a serious situation, and The Champion is scheduled to return soon." Nurse Joy says frightfully, approaching the group with her eyes glued on the screen as well.
Casey doesn't register what Nurse Joy says at first because she's too focused on the events at hand, but Ash picks up on it right away.
"Cynthia's coming here?" He asks, sounding both surprised and excited.
"Yes. To the Historical Research Center." Nurse Joy replies, nodding, "Celestic Town is where she's from, and Cynthia's Grandmother is in charge of everything that goes on at the Research Center."
"If she's here, we should go see her and say hi." Ash suggests, and both Brock and Dawn agree with him right away.
Casey, on the other hand, remains focused on the television screen as it filters through images of the aircraft wreckage, her fists clenched angrily at her side as the report flicks through the images. She only unclenches them when she feels a hand on her forearm, glancing to her side to see Monferno looking up at her with concern.
"Mon?"
He's concerned - she can see that - and she knows that her friends are too, and the last thing that she wants is for any of them to worry. Besides, going to see Cynthia is probably the best thing she can do right now. She's probably the best person to voice her concerns to right now.
She nods, forcing a smile onto her face, "Okay, let's go."
The group approaches the Historical Research Center after a brisk twenty minute walk, and the first thing that Casey notices is the pure size of the facility. A large manor house is the first thing that she sees, and she presumes that all of the research itself is being conducted within the large building.
Monferno's in his Pokeball, but she reckons he'd be in awe at the sheer size of the building.
"Whoa! This place is huge!" She remarks, admiring the size and architecture of the building.
"And look! The Celestic Ruins are directly behind the Research Center!" Brock adds, gesturing to the large stones columns that they can just see from their side of the building, "That's where they discovered the Lustrous Orb!"
She has to admit, it's pretty incredible to be so close to where they discovered such an important artefact, and even closer to where such an artefact actually is. She suspects that it's somewhere within the research building under some tight security, which has likely been heightened to an even greater extent given the recent events.
"Casey?"
She looks down the pathway leading to the Research Center entrance, smiling at the sight of Cynthia's familiar face. The group and the Champion meet halfway, the latter being accompanied by an elderly woman clad in a lab coat. The woman's relatively short, with dark grey hair and eyes and a nonchalant expression on her face. She seems intrigued by their arrival.
"Hey, Cynthia." She replies.
"It's been a while!" Dawn adds, smiling.
"It's good to see all of you." Cynthia says, tone genuine.
"Who are the children?" The elderly woman asks, eyes narrowing on the group, and Casey instinctively recoils under her gaze.
This woman has a certain stern look about her that unnerves the young trainer, and she doesn't seem to be the only one. She feels Dawn and Ash react the same way by her side. Brock, as always, remains composed.
"I told you about them, remember?" Cynthia asks, "They're the ones that like to challenge everything."
The lady doesn't seem to really take in what Cynthia says, instead asking a question of her own, her gaze remaining fixed on the group of young trainers, "Which one is the prodigy?"
Cynthia seems just as stunned by the woman's bluntness as the rest of them are. The Champion's face flushes a deep red as she rushes to try and clear up the situation, "Grandmother, please! They're all highly skilled at-!"
"It's you, isn't it?" The woman - Cynthia's Grandmother, as it turns out - says, turning towards Casey and pointing a finger directly at her, "You've got that look about you."
"I do?" Casey questions, both surprised and somewhat honored to be told such a thing; she finds herself physically shrinking under the older woman's gaze, and Cynthia doesn't miss that.
"Grandmother!" Cynthia says hastily, quickly shushing the older woman before turning back to the group, remaining composed as she makes some introductions, "Allow me to introduce my Grandmother, Carolina. She's the head of the Research Center."
"It's such a pleasure to meet you." Dawn says, speaking on behalf of the rest of the group, and Casey's thankful for her quick reply because she's still looking like a Stantler caught in the headlights right now.
Carolina really caught her off guard.
"Thank you. The pleasure is all mine. I've heard so much about you all." Carolina replies politely, and it's after their brief introductions that the group begins to head down the path towards the massive Research Center nearby.
Cynthia leads the group, with Ash and Brock both rushing towards the Champion for their own respective reasons, and Dawn follows suit. Casey herself wants to have a conversation of her own with Cynthia, but before she can even approach the Champion, she somehow slips into conversation with Carolina, the two of them tailing the group from a significant distance.
"I apologize if I unnerved you, my dear. Only it's so rare to hear such high praises of one individual from my Granddaughter." Carolina says.
"What do you mean?" Casey asks, eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and Carolina smiles knowingly as they walk alongside one another.
"Let's just say my Granddaughter has high expectations of you." Carolina tells her simply, "So high, in fact, that I'd be surprised if anyone managed to meet them."
Casey's beyond confused. What expectations could Cynthia possibly have of her? Why her out of anyone? Why not Ash? Or Paul? Or even Dawn or Brock? Why her?
Before she can ask even one of the copious number of questions on her mind, the group approaches the front entrance to the facility, the sound of a deep male voice from behind stopping them on their way.
"I'm not too late to the party, am I?"
Casey and the others turn towards the source of the voice, and who they find is a single middle-aged man. His striking blue hair and eyes, combined with his suit-clad attire, make his stand out.
"My, my! There sure are a lot of visitors today!" Carolina remarks fondly, a broad smile on the woman's face at the sight of the man.
Carolina must know this guy.
"Oh, my! You must be the world famous mogul of Sinnoh's industrial complex, Cyrus!" Cynthia says, reaching out and shaking the man's hand politely, who responds in just as much of an eloquent way.
"It's indeed an order to make the acquaintance of a true Champion."
Cynthia turns to Casey and her friends, filling in some of the blanks for them, "You see, Cyrus is responsible for building and library construction throughout Sinnoh."
Oh! That makes sense! This Cyrus guy must be quite important.
"Mark my words, Cyrus is quite a big deal around these parts, for sure!" Carolina praises, and Casey doesn't miss the way Cyrus' face goes a deep red in embarrassment.
"Now, stop that! You're all very kind!" Cyrus replies modestly, "Though at this point I'd rather be thought of as an amateur history scholar, if you don't mind."
"Did your concern about the Lustrous Orb bring you?" Carolina asks.
"Exactly! When I heard about the Adamant Orb theft, I felt like I had to do something!"
Casey finds a new level of respect for Cyrus then and there. Despite hardly knowing the mogul, the fact that he's come all the way here, probably taking time out of his busy schedule to do just that, just to check on how the Lustrous Orb is because of everything that's happened shows that he cares about Sinnoh's heritage. He seems like a good guy.
"Grandmother, will you please escort our guests inside. I'd like to have a word with Casey." Cynthia says, turning to her Grandmother, and Casey's caught off guard by her request.
"You would?"
Cynthia simply nods.
"Of course, my dear." Carolina says, turning to the rest of the group, "Follow me, everyone."
The others begin to head inside, Dawn glancing back at Casey with a concerned and curious glance. Casey smiles back, appreciative of her concern, but she nods silently in response.
She'll be fine.
Dawn nods back, turning around and following the others inside, leaving Casey and Cynthia stood alone on the path outside of the facility. Casey was going to ask Cynthia why she wanted to talk to her - though she already had her suspicions - but the Champion cuts right to the chase.
"I got your message." Cynthia says.
"You did?" Casey asks, somewhat relieved but also unexplainably nervous. She doesn't know what Cynthia thinks about all of this, "W-what did you think?"
"It sounds like you had a frightening experience."
Casey shrugs, "As frightening as something in your head could be, I guess."
"I've already told you that I don't think it's all in your head." Cynthia tells her, tone somewhat scolding, and for a moment Casey's scared that Cynthia's gonna get mad at her. Cynthia seems to notice that, and she takes a moment to compose herself before speaking again, "How many visions have you had?"
"That was my second."
Yeah, that was her second. The first one definitely involved multiple people, but no Pokemon. Neither of them were very clear, which is part of the problem. The lack of clarity only makes her feel worse.
"And was it more clear than the first?"
"Even less, if anything." She replies, sighing, "But that's not all of it."
"What do you mean, Casey?" Cynthia asks, curious.
She wasn't going to mention this, but she feels like Cynthia's the best person to talk to it about. She hasn't mentioned it to her friends, not even to her Pokemon. The idea of talking to Cynthia about it just seems easier.
"I felt weird since I got to Celestic Town. Like, when I was watching Dawn compete in the Contest yet, I felt this kind of energy or aura."
She first noticed when she was at the Contest Hall yesterday. She just felt it suddenly, hitting her like a sudden crashing wave against the shore, and at first it made her feel somewhat nauseous. Once that passed - the nausea not the strange feeling - she began to feel something else entirely.
"And how did it make you feel?" Cynthia asks.
"I still feel it. It seems to be even stronger here, actually." Casey explains, "It's confusing, but I feel a sense of strength from it. It's like when you're in the heat of a battle, and you can feel the excitement and the adrenaline and the strength all at once."
She doesn't understand it, and she doesn't know if she ever will, but perhaps Cynthia can.
"Does it always feel like that?"
"It has since I got here."
It's definitely stronger here. She can feel it in her bones. It's like a buzzing feeling - something that can be unnoticeable with enough thought, but when you realise it's there it's hard to ignore.
"Follow me." Cynthia tells her after a moment, turning around and making her way towards the Research Center entrance.
"Where are we going?" Casey asks, running to catch up to the Champion and walking alongside her.
"I want you to see the Lustrous Orb."
The Lustrous Orb? Why does Cynthia want me to see the Lustrous Orb?
She has questions - that's all she seems to have these days - but despite that she doesn't ask them. She trusts Cynthia. She understands the Sinnoh Space-Time Legend more than most, and she did see Dialga and Palkia in one of her visions so perhaps there's a connection there. Besides, Cynthia's the Champion, and that's one of the reasons why Casey respects her perspective and opinion. If Cynthia wants her to see the Lustrous Orb, then she'll go and see the Lustrous Orb.
"How are your Pokemon doing?" Cynthia asks her as they turn into yet another hallway within the facility, one that looks identical to the last.
"My Pokemon? Yeah, they're great. They're doing really good." Casey replies, "Shellos evolved into Gastrodon. In a battle against Paul, actually."
"Against Paul?"
Casey nods, "He came and found me when I was at the Valor Lakefront and challenged me."
"And how did the battle go?" Cynthia asks, genuine interest apparent in her voice. She's intrigued.
"We won." Casey replies, "And I learnt a lot about Paul as well."
She can still remember his words and the harsh tone he spoke them with. Part of her considers telling Cynthia what he said, but part of her decides that that's a horrible idea. Something tells her that Paul wouldn't appreciate her repeating his words to the Champion, and thankfully Cynthia doesn't ask her any more questions as they reach the room where the orb is being kept, surprised to find Ash, Dawn and the others already there looking at the orb for themselves.
"Grandmother, what's going on?" Cynthia asks, confused.
"These two have claimed to see two of the Lake Guardians." Cyrus says, gesturing to Ash and Dawn, and Casey looks towards her friend with wide eyes.
Of course, she knew that Ash and Dawn have seen the Lake Guardians in the past - they all found out back at the Valor Lakefront - but she's surprised that the two of them mentioned it to Carolina and Cyrus.
She can tell by their faces that seeing the orb didn't make anything happen.
"Really?"
Carolina nods, "We thought that if they saw the Lustrous Orb up close, something remarkable may happen."
"I'd like Casey to see the orb herself." Cynthia says, Carolina quirking an eyebrow at her granddaughter.
"May I ask why?" Carolina asks, clearly slightly skeptical at her granddaughter's request, and Casey doesn't miss the way the two of them look at each other in a silent exchange. She doesn't quite pick up on what they're conversing about, but Carolina ultimately relents and steps aside, revealing the orb to the two of them, "Very well."
"Go on, Casey." Cynthia says, nodding towards the orb.
Casey hesitantly begins to approach the orb, smiling over at her friends as she passes them and trying to ignore the odd feeling that only seems to get stronger as she gets closer and closer to the orb. She stops once she's directly opposite the orb's pedestal, and it's then that the surge of power becomes so strong that it hurts and she involuntarily hisses in pain.
"What's wrong, Casey?" She hears Brock ask, tone concerned.
"Nothin-ah!"
She's cut off by her own scream of pain, her eyes scrunching shut as the pain rushes through her. When she opens them again, she's in a whole new place, a place that she doesn't recognise.
"We've lost control!"
They're approaching the tempestuous water at a speed beyond comprehension. She hears sirens blaring around her, panicked male voices there to accompany them. The room is flashing red on beat with the wailing sirens, forming a stark contrast in colour between the deep blue water and the inside of the vehicle. She can tell it's a vehicle by the speed they're moving at. It's shaking violently as it descends from above, as if it has been shot down by something just moments before. It's all out pandemonium.
The water is getting closer and closer by the second and the shouts of the men are growing simultaneously with it. They're all clearly afraid and hope is dwindling. It's as if most of them have accepted their fate, leaving them with nothing to do but panic.
She wants to look around, to scope out the area around her to grasp some understanding about what's going on, but she can't. As if she's been tied down to one particular spot and her heads been fixed to remain in one specific place, only allowing her to look at the glass windshield as it comes closer and closer the watery depths.
"We're about to collide with the water!"
She's not entirely sure who called out, but whoever they are, they turn out to be correct, as the vehicle crashes into the water merely a few moments later. The force of the water causes the glass to smash almost instantaneously, flooding the room with shattered glass and darkness. She can't see a thing, nor can she move as the water engulfs the space around her, snuffing out all light with it.
Her lungs scream for oxygen. She needs to breath, but the water is stopping her from doing just that. There's only one way to describe what she's going through, and it's something that she's never wanted to experience for as long as she lived. The very thought of it is making her stomach churn and ache.
She's drowning.
She's gasping for air when her eyes snap open again, and she jolts in surprise when she feels a hand grasp her shoulder tightly. She focuses her vision, relieved to see that Brock's the one stood directly in front of her, looking down at her with concern written across his face.
Dawn and Ash are by his side, looking at her with just as much concern, and Cynthia's by her side in an instant. Carolina and Cyrus both seem perplexed. Casey doesn't blame them.
"What did you see, Casey?" Cynthia asks, tone both pressing and worried, and it's clear that the Champion is trying to find an answer without being too pressuring to the bewildered trainer, "What did you see?"
She opens her mouth, perhaps to stutter out some kind of answer about what she just experienced, but she stops abruptly when the entire building literally shakes. Everyone around her either gasps or screams, but Casey's not entirely sure who does what because of her haze.
"What's going on?" Ash gasps, verbalising exactly what they're all thinking as the entire group rushes out of the orb room, standing in the hallway just outside with panicked expressions on their faces.
"There has been an explosion at the ruins! The area has been overrun with Golbat!" A male voice says over the loudspeakers in the facility, making them all gasp in shock.
Casey stands there for a moment, still dazed and stunned, but she puts two and two together fast, and the blood that boils in her veins is another to snap her out of her stupor.
"It's Team Galactic!"
"How do you know?" Dawn asks, but Casey's already off with a run, because who else could it be?
"Casey, wait!" Cynthia calls after her, and perhaps she would ordinarily stop, but right now there's nothing preventing her.
"Protect the orb!" She calls back, not even glancing behind her as she turns the corner into the next hallway, making her way towards the front of the facility as fast as her feet will carry her.
She tries to push the persistent thought of her harrowing vision out of her mind as she heads for her goal, fuelling every action with her desire to protect the orb. It's all she's focusing on. It's all she should be focusing on. It's all she needs to be focusing on.
And then she finally reaches her goal, and she comes to a stand still when her eyes lock with him.
The Team Galactic Commander from Veilstone, not to mention the rest of the lackeys stood around him.
He makes eye contact with with her and sneers, "Of course it had to be you."
She stands her ground, and the two of them simply glare at one another for a moment, neither reacting. The Team Galactic Grunts look to their commander, clearly waiting for some form of instruction and confused that they aren't receiving any.
She's got a lot to say, most of it being fuelled by anger and adrenaline, but she doesn't get the chance to express it this time, not when she hears the others approaching, two police officers running alongside their Meowth wheeling the cart with the orb on it among them.
Casey cringes when she sees the smirk that crosses the commander's face at the sight of it.
"Team Galactic!" Ash yells angrily, coming to a stop at Casey's side along with Dawn and even Cynthia.
The others hang back with the orb, though at a quick glance Casey can't see Brock, something that panics her for a moment.
It's fine. Brock knows what he's doing. He's probably just trying to get help.
She tries to rationalise the situation in her head as she turns back to Team Galactic, eyes burning with fire as she glares back at them.
"How about you hand over the orb now?" The Commander asks, glancing up at the Bronzor floating above his head with a smirk, "You see, Bronzor has put all of your security outside of the facility to sleep, and I'm sure that Toxicroak is dealing with everyone else that's left on the inside."
"It's not about to take me down! Or any of us!" Casey bites back, still glaring, "You aren't getting anywhere near the orb!"
He seems frustrated by her refusal, but he's good at composing himself, simply gesturing out in front of him and calling out calmly, "Alright, then! Bronzor, use Hypnosis!"
Casey's hand flies to her pocket, reaching for Monferno's Pokeball to strike back, and she can hear Pikachu and Piplup to her side, both Pokemon ready to attack on their trainer's commands. All of them are ready to go, but Cynthia beats them all to the mark, launching Garchomp out of her Pokeball with a shout.
"Now, Garchomp! Battle dance!" She declares, and as soon as the Mach Pokemon materializes, she's ready with her next command, "Brick Break, go!"
Garchomp's glowing forearm smashes into Bronzor's body, completely obliterating the Steel-Type with minimal effort.
"Return!" The Galactic Commander yells begrudgingly, returning Bronzor to its capsule and looking at Cynthia with a combination of anger and admiration, "Well done. You've definitely earned the title of Champion."
The more she sees this guy, the less Casey understands him.
Garchomp lands down in front of them all, letting out a loud battle cry that practically shakes the room, and Casey swears that she's never seen a Pokemon more powerful before.
Garchomp's incredible.
"If you don't mind, Officer Jenny, we'll take care of this. You need to look after the orb." Cynthia says curtly, turning back to the officer with a determined expression across her face.
Casey knows that Cynthia's going to deal with Team Galactic regardless of the answer she receives, but it's nice that she asks anyway.
Officer Jenny nods in response, "Alright, then. You keep your guard up."
"Cyrus, and Grandmother, go with her." Cynthia says next, looking to the two adults in question, who both nod back in agreement.
"Come with me!" Officer Jenny orders, looking to the two officers wheeling the orb, but as she goes to turn to leave, she's forced to come to a stop when yet another group of Galactic Grunts come running in through the only exit.
One person stands out to Casey in particular - a woman with striking red hair - and Casey can tell from just the look of her that she's important. Perhaps another commander, she reckons.
Regardless, the smirk that's plastered across her face right now is enough to make Casey despise her just as much as the rest of them.
"Phase Four is now complete: reunion." She remarks, the smugness in her voice palpable, only angering Casey and the others even more.
They're surrounded, trapped among Team Galactic with the orb, and it doesn't seem like they're gonna be getting out of here anytime soon.
As if it couldn't get any worse, Casey watches in horror as some of the glass from the ceiling above shatters, sprinkling sharp shards across the room; as they come down, so does Croagunk, and she watches as Toxic Mouth Pokemon crashes down onto the tiled ground with an anguished cry.
She feels it again. That overwhelming, unexplained sense of power and strength and foreboding and adrenaline all at once, and what she does next isn't of her own accord, rather just out of instinct.
She reacts before it even happens, rushing over so she's shielding Croagunk as a Toxicroak comes rushing down through the gap the glass ceiling, one of it's spikes glowing a deep purple as it prepares to strike its target.
The spike strikes her instead, and as soon as it does Toxicroak goes flying. Casey doesn't even move - she doesn't feel a thing - as an unknown force sends Toxicroak flying towards it trainer. Casey feels the force. She feels it echo through the room as Toxicroak lands down on the tiled floor with an anguished cry, and the whole room as everyone's eyes fall on her as she stands there stunned.
She watches as the glow fades from her arm, but the power she's feeling doesn't go with it.
If anything, she feels it growing stronger by the second, especially when she sees the fear in Team Galactic's eyes.
Who's trapped now?
