13- Sick Mind.

Everything was normal in the Autobot base, until…

"Optimus, Elita, you're not going to believe this: I've just pinpointed the location of the Decepticon warship." Ratchet announced as he saw the computer's screen.

"Whoa, Ratchet. That's impressive." Clemont congratulated.

"How did you penetrate their cloaking technology?" Elita asked as all the Autobots reunited at the command center.

"I didn't. I was experimenting with variable frequency wavelengths when I stumbled upon it. Even still, their ship must be experimenting some kind of electromagnetic break." Ratchet theorized.

"With Galvatron deceased and the element of surprised…" Sideswipe started.

"We could cause some serious damage." Warpath finished.

"And then we could say farewell, Decepticons." Max said excited.

The monitor showed the image of another cybertronian ship, with a design not the same as the Nemesis.

"Also, on the same frequency, an Autobot emergency beacon." Ratchet rode.

"The Decepticons can wait. There may be Autobots in distress. Ratchet, bring your medical kit." Optimus ordered.

"You should take Venonat with you. He can use his Compound Eyes to help you scan the ship's inside." Tracey offered as his pokémon stood beside him.

"Hum, that could come in handy." Ratchet reasoned.

Optimus, Elita and Ratchet traveled through the ground bridge to a huge sand desert near Dahara City in the Kalos region, already at night. Of course, the sudden appearance of the portal scared a small group of Hippopotas and Hippowdon, until Venonat spoke with them, reassuring them they were just passing through, returning calm. In front of them stood the Autobot ship, shattered in pieces.

"A crash landing. Buried here for centuries." Optimus observed.

Ratchet used his torch to cut through the wall and make an opening into the ship.

"If they traveled in stasis mode, there may be survivors." Elita suggested as she, Ratchet and Optimus turned on some flashlights. Once inside, she turned at their pokémon companion. "Venonat, you may procced."

Venonat commenced using his special ability to scan the ship as they started exploring the ship. Suddenly the ship shook a little, proving it was unstable and also making the Bots to lose their balance.

"Allow me." Elita said picking up Venonat. "This could be more unstable than we thought. Even dangerous for you."

"Venonat." The bug pokémon nodded.

Optimus opened at door at the end of the corridor, which let them to what seemed to be the ship's control room. They looked around to see a few Autobot bodies lying on the ground, already dead and rusty, with pools of a discolored purple-like energon.

"Still nothing?" Elita asked.

"Venonat." Venonat denied.

"It appears we're too late. Venonat has not detected any survivors on board."

"Optimus, Elita, these Autobots didn't perish in the crash." Ratchet examined. "They're displaying the effects of a virus."

"This is a plague ship." Optimus nodded before continuing walking.

Ratchet stopped him immediately. "Don't touch anything. The virus could still be active."

"We still don't know what else could we find on this ship. Let's better call for base so our friends can send us some of their fire type pokémon to disinfect this place." Elita suggested.

The ship stated to shake again, sending the Autobots against a wall. As Optimus went back to his feet, he saw the body of another dead Autobot, hanging from the ceiling. Next, a small drop of energon felt to his face. Optimus grunted as he tried to swipe it away, but it was too late.

"No." Ratchet said.

"Arcee, reopen the ground bridge! And tell Wheeljack to prepare sickbay, it's an emergency!" Elita called by com-link suddenly.

Moments later, everyone was at base again. But Optimus didn't have good look: he was lying on Ratchet's gurney, with the right side of his face a little rusty like the dead Autobots from the ship and his optics were blinking. It seemed that the energon drop passed him the virus.

"So, is it bad?" Clemont asked.

"Cybonic plague." Ratchet identified after scanning Optimus, making all the Autobots put at the same time confused and worried looks. "It's only contagious if contact is made with the infected energon."

"Then you guys can also become sick?" Misty asked surprised.

"Remember, living robots." Sideswipe reminded her.

"What was a plague doing in an Autobot spaceship?" May asked.

"Its passengers were infected. The virus wiped out millions on Cybertron during the Great War." Arcee explained.

"Cybonic plague was engineered in the Decepticons biological warfare program, by Megatron himself." Elita told.

"Well, if you guys can become sick you can also recover. Because you have a cure." Ritchie asked calmed. "Right?"

"No…cure." Optimus rasped.

"Optimus, please. Save your strength." Ratchet advised.

"Does that means…there is no way to cure Optimus?" Bonnie asked alarmed.

"No, there's gotta be a way. Galvatron wouldn't create something that dangerous without a way to counter it. I mean, in the probably case he caught it by accident."

"It's not like we can ask Galvatron, Ash. He's pushing up lugnuts." Wheeljack responded.

"But we might be able to access the Decepticon database." Ratchet suggested.

"You mean the cure could be filed there?" Clemont asked.

"If Ash's intuition is correct, as I believe, probably. For the moment, we still have a fix on their warship's location."

"Bumblebee, Moonracer, come with." Arcee ordered as she got ready to act.

"Arcee, quickly." Elita urged.

The three Autobots got inside a hallway of the Nemesis without problem thanks to the ground bridge with their guns ready.

"Let's start with the lab." Moonracer suggested.

Almost at the lab, they saw hidden behind a wall Knock Out walking out. Suddenly, he stopped, thinking that something was not right, but he shrugged and continued his way. With the cost clear, Bee, Moon and Arcee got inside.

"I'm in the network." Arcee reported typing on a terminal.

Ratchet continued checking Optimus' status.

"Elita. Were…you…?" Optimus spoke weak.

"Infected? No. Neither Ratchet." She ended.

"If it's here, I don't see it." Arcee reported through the com-link.

"Are you certain, Arcee?"

"I searched every file, nothing."

"Well, search again. Clearly you missed something." Moonracer hurried up.

"I scanned the entire database." Arcee repeated while Bee took a look through a hole of the door which led to the next room.

"(I wonder what's behind this door.)"

"Did you use a redundant quantum algorithm?" Ratchet suggested.

"Don't tell me how to research. You think you're the only ones who cares about Optimus?" Arcee defended.

"(Arcee, Moon, you should take a look to this.)"

"What is it?"

"What is it? What's going on?" Elita asked too.

What the fem Autobots saw made them gasp in surprised, but not a good one. Once the door opened completely, it showed what was in the other room: the leader of the Decepticons on a medical berth.

"It's Galvatron." Moonracer answered as Bee nodded. "He's alive."

That caught everyone by surprise.

"What?" Ash asked.

"How can it be?" Serena followed.

"That's not possible." Ratchet doubted.

"Well, we're staring right at him." Moonracer said as she, Arcee and Bumblebee entered the room as she took a closer look to the Decepticon leader. "Good news is Galvatron isn't exactly staring back."

Even Optimus heard that. "Galvatron?"

"He's critical, hooked up to life support. Time to finish this once and for all." Arcee said starting to charge her weapon.

"Wait! Don't!" Elita shouted.

"One good reason. Fast."

"Galvatron may be Optimus's only hope for survival."

That made her stop charging her weapon. "What are you talking about?"

"Does he display brainwave activity?" Ratchet asked

Arcee saw a monitor next to Galvatron which showed his condition. "Spiking hard. His sick mind is still at work."

"Perfect. If a cure exist, Galvatron may be the only one who knows it. You must enter his brain and find it."

"Enter Galvatron's brain? Elita, are you out of your fragged mind?" Arcee asked in disbelief.

"She's right. The Decepticon laboratory should contain all the equipment you need for a cortical psychic patch." Ratchet explained.

"What? No way, that's out of the question. Have you ever even performed the procedure?" Hot Rod asked.

"No. But I have thoroughly studied the theoretical literature: invented by Decepticons, outlawed by Autobots."

"Whoa. Can't we just haul Galvatron through the ground bridge? Buy us some time to figure this out?" Moonracer suggested.

"Time is one thing that Optimus does not have! One of you must try this! I will not allow Optimus to pass knowing that Galvatron will outlive him!"

"Elita, I would lay down my life for Optimus. Anytime, anywhere. But a mind-body split…" Arcee started.

"(You don't have to. I will.)"

"You will?" Moonracer asked.

"Are you…sure, Bumblebee?" Max asked worried.

"Bee is the best scout there is." Warpath reassured.

Max looked down as Misty and his sister began to comfort him. At the same time, at the ship's bridge, Darkscream was talking with some Decepticon engineers.

"Why has the electromagnetic shielding not been repaired?" Darkscream demanded angry.

"The crews are working as quickly as they can, lord…" One of the engineers said, until Darkscream smacked him on the face.

"We are leaking a trail. All the Autobots need do to pinpoint our position is to access the correct frequency wavelength. Accelerate your efforts."

"Yes, lord Darkscream." The engineer chief nodded before they got back to work.

Right in that moment, Knock Out entered the bridge.

"Doctor in the house."

"Ah, Knock Out. And how is the patient doing today?" Darkscream asked.

"Same old."

"An inglorious fate that he should remain in this vegetative state."

"On the contrary. Galvatron's body may be scrap metal, but his mind is still peculating."

"Keep that to yourself." Darkscream said softly as he approached Knock Out face-to-face. "That blasted Soundblaster sees and hears everything."

"The eyes and ears of the Decepticons." Knock Out said in the same voice tone.

"Well, as long as their master remains in limbo, so does their cause. The Decepticons deserve a strong alert leader."

"One who would require a loyal second-in-command." Knock Out offered, interested in where was going Darkscream with his conversation.

Darkscream chuckled. "A candidate would need to earn that post by making a strong case to said eyes and ears."

"A case for showing mercy, lord Darkscream?"

"You scratch my back, I scratch yours."

Back to the med lab, Arcee and Moonracer were finishing preparing the cortical psychic patch connecting a cable behind Galvatron's medical berth by one end of the cable and taking the other end with her to a hiding spot, where Bumblebee was already waiting. They looked at him and he gave them a thumbs up.

"Ratchet, we're ready." Arcee informed.

"Initiate cortical psychic patch." He instructed.

"(Okay. Here I go.)"

Arcee connected the other end of the cable to Bumblebee's head's back side. Immediately, his optics widen as he found himself in a totally different place, a sinister one. He checked that he was completely fine before moving on.

"Communications downlink activated. This will allow us to see and hear everything Bumblebee does while within Galvatron's subconscious mind." Ratchet explained.

"Eh…where's that?" Dawn asked, seeing some kind of dark city with menacing appearance.

"(It looks like Kaon, the Decepticon capital of Cybertron.)"

"Bee says it looks like Kaon, the Decepticon capital back on Cybertron." Max translated.

Warpath was also keeping a look to Optimus. "Ratch, Optimus's vitals."

"I know."

"Quickly Bumblebee, I know you're in unknown territory but you must figure out where information might be filed in Galvatron's mind." Elita instructed.

Bumblebee continued exploring until he saw something that caught his attention after climbing up a few stairs.

"(Optimus!)" He said walking at him.

"Bumblebee, that is not Optimus. But a figment of Galvatron's mind, it cannot see or hear you." Ratchet explained.

Then they heard an evil laugh which came from behind the false Optimus. It was Galvatron, but it wasn't really him, his appearance looked different: not as intimidating as he usually does, with grey colors and with a body not that advanced, but he still conserved his red eyes and gladiator-like body and with a cannon attached on his right arm: Galvatron's former self, Megatron. He was standing before them in a throne.

"Optimus Prime, your Autobot armies are defeated. Bow before your new master."

"Never, Megatron. One shall stand, one shall fall." The false Optimus pronounced as he pulled out one of his swords.

"So be it."

Megatron pulled out his own sword, jumped down from his throne and charged against his rival, the same as him. When both robots clashed with their swords, the false Optimus turned into dust. Something that Bee witnessed surprised, as everyone.

"Hey wait, that never happened." Sideswipe protested.

"Because it's not a memory. We're seeing Kaon as Galvatron has recreated it, in his darkest dreams." Elita sneered.

"Look, Galvatron's looking different from the last time we saw him." Serena observed.

"That was Galvatron before we arrived to this planet and before he was improved." Wheeljack told.

"Galvatron's original self." Ritchie recalled.

"Megatron." Ash remembered.

Bumblebee kept an eye on Megatron from behind a rock. But suddenly, that rock started to break and change and another Optimus formed from it.

"Megatron, your treachery ends here." The new Optimus proclaimed as he pulled out his sword.

Megatron simply retrieved his sword and fired his fusion cannon. Bumblebee decided to intercepted it and protect Optimus, but the shot already vaporized him. And now, Megatron put his attention at him.

"The Autobot scout. The punishment for trespassing in my domain…" He said as he crunched his neck and pulled out his sword. "…is your destruction!"

Bee looked at Megatron with fear on his optics as he hit him. But Bee didn't feel a thing.

"(What? I'm okay.)"

"How can this be?" Megatron asked in disbelief.

Megatron tried to swing his blade at Bumblebee multiple times, but it just went through it as if he was just air.

"Megatron can't touch Bee?" Bonnie asked relieved.

"Because he's not a creation of Megatron's mind, Bumblebee is immune to his physical attacks." Ratchet explained.

Seeing his attacks were not effective, Megatron walked around Bee, analyzing him. Meanwhile, Bee was terrified.

"You are not wearing phase displacement armor. Your eyes track my movements, so you're not a hologram. And I do not believe in spirits. So tell me, scout, what are you?"

"Megatron." A voice called.

Then, both Megatron and Bumblebee turned to see three more manifestations coming at them: Elita, Hot Rod, and another Bumblebee with their weapons ready.

"Uh oh, we got special guest stars." Misty observed.

"I'm…sure there's nothing to worry about."

"On the contrary, Dawn. This is not good." Elita feared.

"(Hold on a second. I want to try something.)" Was what Bee told to Megatron before went up to his imaginary counterpart. He even tried to call his attention waving his hand in front of it. "(Hello.)

Megatron roared by getting tired of weird things and fired at the whole group with his cannon. The shots vaporized everyone except the real Bumblebee.

"You are real, they were not." Megatron realized before chucking because he realized something. "A cortical psychic patch, how unexpected."

"We've stirred Galvatron from his oblivion: he's becoming self-aware." Ratchet warned.

Dawn groaned. "Me and my bigmouth."

Megatron took a look of his surroundings. "If this is my subconscious…" He said before facing Bumblebee. "…what are you doing inside my head?!"

Arcee and Moonracer were still guarding Bumblebee's body.

"Surely is taking him a while. Galvatron's mind must be huge, or messy." Moonracer opined.

"Come on, Bee. What are you doing in there?" Arcee hurried up.

Suddenly, both Autobots heard the door opening and saw Darkscream, Knock Out and Soundblaster entering the room.

"Knock Out, if you would be so kind as to provide your expert medical opinion to Soundblaster. For the historical record." Darkscream requested.

"Simply put: unaided Galvatron could remain in this deathless slumber forever."

"Our master would not have wanted to be seen this way: to stand idly by while he remains captive in his own body. Is not just." Darkscream expressed.

Soundblaster walked beside Darkscream and pointed to the monitor.

"Brainwave activity. Not evidence of consciousness, but merely of an endless dream from which Galvatron may never wake." Knock Out corrected.

"Soundblaster, we must face reality: Galvatron is lost to us." Darkscream declared.

"The only honorable option would be to show him mercy."

"A simple throw of the switch."

"Quick, painless, compassionate."

The girls were hearing everything from her hiding spot.

"Elita, are you hearing this?" Moon asked.

"Moonracer, Arcee, you can't allow that to happen."

"If Galvatron perishes, Bumblebee's mind will remain separated from his body, forever." Ratchet deduced.

"We'll lose Bumblebee and Optimus." Tracey realized worried.

Back in Galvatron's mind…

"The only way you could have entered my mind is via cortical psychic patch. But the question remains, what happened to me?!" Megatron asked to Bee, but he was too terrified by Megatron's mad face to answer.

Then Megatron had a flashback about when he already was Galvatron: his experience in the space bridge and when it exploded.

"The space bridge explosion. And yet if, if you're in my head I am not one with the Allspark. So tell me, scout, do I still function?!"

"Bumblebee, we are out of time. You must hurry." Elita called, allowing Bumblebee to think what to say.

"(Wait Megatron. I'm here because a little problem with a Cybonic plague.)"

"Cybonic plague? Someone besides myself is…is unwell?" Megatron asked, earning a nod from Bumblebee. After a few seconds thinking he knew who was Bee referring to. "Optimus." That made him laugh. "Such irony! But after ages of endless battle the mighty Optimus Prime is felled by a simple virus from distant past."

Megatron's reaction made Bee mad, because he was mocking of his leader.

"And what makes you think I would save the life of my oldest enemy?"

"Megatron, your treachery is…" Another manifestation of Optimus arrived, but Megatron disposed off it with a simple shot of his cannon.

"(I can help you to get what you want most.)"

"Oh, and just what is it that I want most, scout?"

"(Terminate Optimus Prime with your own hands.)"

Megatron laughed. "Did you not see? I do slay Optimus by my own hand, at will, whenever I desire."

"(If the real Optimus pass away because of the virus, you'll never have the chance to do it by yourself.)"

"Bee told Galvatron that if he lets the plague virus destroy the real Optimus, Galvatron will never get the chance to do it himself." Max translated.

"Smart." Tracey opined.

"Twisted." May added.

"But you think Galvatron is going to buy it?" Serena doubted.

"We hope so." Ritchie expressed.

Back with the Decepticons…

"Soundblaster, do I take your silence to mean you concur with Knock Out's medical expertise?" Darkscream asked, but as always Soundblaster didn't say a word, so he looked at Knock Out, who simply gestured his shoulder of uncertainly. "Speak now or forever hold your peace." Darkscream started to grab one of the cables that connected Galvatron to the life support machine. "Going."

Arcee and Moon aimed their guns in case they needed to intervene.

"Going."

But before Darkscream pulled out the cable, Soundblaster pointed at the cortical psychic patch's cable, something he noticed. And so now Darkscream, who saw it hooked to Galvatron.

"Scrap." Arcee cursed.

Meanwhile, in Galvatron's mind…

"After our deep history together, to not watch the spark ebb from Optimus's eyes with my very own…" Megatron confessed.

"(You'll be stuck here with a lifetime of regret.)"

"Well played, scout." Megatron congratulated as he opened his hand and appeared a cube of data. "The chemical formula for the cure you seek. Not that I expect you to know how to read it."

But before Bumblebee could grab it, it disappeared. At the same time as Megatron closed his hand. "(What?)"

"Not yet." Megatron objected.

"(Really?)"

"And how am I to accomplish terminating Optimus as you propose while I'm trapped here in a perpetual daydream? Once you release me from this prison you will have the cure." Megatron explained.

At the same time, Darkscream was checking the cable connected to Galvatron alongside Ravage, trying to see where it will lead him.

"Come on, come on." Moonracer asked to Bee.

Back with Bumblebee…

"You must guarantee my recovery, or Optimus fades to gunmetal gray. The real Optimus." Megatron threatened.

Now Bee was without options. But fortunately for him…

"Easy Bee, the future is now thanks to science." Clemont said as he reproduced and fast-forwarded the conversation until he got the picture of the cure. "I managed to include a recording system on the system in case we need it."

"Nice trick, Clemont." Ratchet congratulated.

"Girls, we have the formula. Disconnect Bumblebee now!" Elita ordered.

Arcee and Moonracer started to do it. That caused that Galvatron's dream started to crumble down.

"You were watching. You tricked me!" Megatron realized.

Bee saw how his body started to turn into dust.

"No! Take me with you! TAKE ME!" Megatron yelled as he tried to grab Bumblebee, with disappeared before he disintegrated too.

The girls disconnected the cable from Bumblebee's head.

"Hurry, Bee." Moon said trying to wake him up.

Seeing that Darkscream and Ravage were almost there, Arcee aimed her weapon at him. Fortunately, Bee came back online just in time.

Darkscream bent down to the hole and saw them. "What in…?"

In that moment, the ground bridge appeared behind the Autobots.

"(Time to go!)" Bee said getting inside the portal with Moonracer.

"Intruders!" Darkscream yelled preparing his weapon and Ravage ready to attack.

"Allow me." Arcee insisted firing.

Arcee's shot wasn't going directly at Darkscream, it hit one of the cables of the life support machine, in an attempt to terminate Galvatron, which Ravage attempted to intercept without success. Once done, she jumped back into the ground bridge before it disappeared. The damage made the terminal sounded, indicating that Galvatron's vitals were decreasing very fast. The four Decepticons gathered around their leader, while Darkscream smirked secretly, thinking that he finally was not going to worry about Galvatron anymore.

He sighed. "It was the inevitable outcome."

Ravage glared threateningly at him as Soundblaster approached him as he pointed at the life support cables in a threatening way.

That made Darkscream groan in annoyance. "Of course: it would be wrong to allow Galvatron to perish by an Autobot's hand. Knock Out."

The Decepticon medic gestured his shoulders before grabbing another cable and placing it on Galvatron's chest, stabilizing his condition. Moments later, back to the Autobot base, Ratchet used the formula to heal Optimus's sickness.

"That's it. Steady." He said as he and Elita helped Optimus off of the medical berth.

Everyone clapped and cheered in joy and relief to celebrate that their leader was once again fine.

"Please, reserve the hero's welcome for my physician. And my scout." Optimus corrected.

"He's right. You have been the hero this time, Bee." Ash supported.

"All hurrays for Bee!" Dawn yelled.

With that said, everyone turned at Bumblebee and clapped for him. Bee surely was surprised and a little embarrassed, but accepted their thanks bowing. Meanwhile, back to the Nemesis medical lab…

"And how is the patient doing today?" Darkscream asked entering the lab.

"Funny you should ask. Not sure what the Bots did in there, but Galvatron's registering zero brainwave activity." Knock Out reported showing the monitor's readings.

"Hm. Meaning?"

"Physically he's stable, but now there's no one home."

After the celebration of victory, Bumblebee stood where he was like paralyzed. The reason of that, and why Galvatron had no more brainwave activity, it was because he was inside the head of another one: Bumblebee.

"I'm out. Or should I say in?" Galvatron, still in his Megatron form, said in the shadows on Bee's mind and laughed maniacally.