Attempting a Rescue
Alec's POV
"Man, I'm stuffed," Ash said as he, Pikachu, and Dedenne lay on the ground.
"Well, you shoved who knows how much into your mouth," Alec pointed out as he helped Serena and Clemont clean up.
"Like you were much better," Liz said teasingly. Alec rolled his eyes in amusement.
His attention was then brought to Bonnie as she laid on a rock with Squishy and started singing.
~Squishy and me nuzzling cheeks
Best friends forever we're so happy
I promise I'll never leave Squishy
Squishy hears my song for you
My sweet Squishy that's you~
"Wow Bonnie, that's a really nice song," Serena complimented.
"I just made it up," Bonnie replied with a smile. "I call it "Squishy's song"," she added as Squishy curled up and started to take in the sun.
The group let out their Pokémon so they could enjoy themselves for a bit. Besides Flame and Ethan, Alec's team consisted of an elderly Noctowl named Dr. Hoot, who wore a pair of spectacles, a Vikavolt named Stinger, while Kitten, a female Meowstic, and Shark, a Garchomp, made a return. Dr. Hoot sat on a tree branch trying to get some sleep while Stinger was zipping around with Talonflame and Cotton having a friendly competition with Shark and Lagoon nearby in case Stinger overloaded on electricity, which he was prone to do, and Noibat was cheering for Talonflame. Kitten meanwhile, was having fun messing with Hawlucha, who looked a bit unnerved by her while trying to help Noibat's flying. From the sounds of it, she had taken a liking to him.
Liz's team consisted of Sino, Snowflake, Lucario, her Dusk form Lycanroc, Zip, and a Raboot named Alberto. Sino was currently doing a bit of mock training with Ash's Greninja with Zip and Flame nearby having a little spar with Blaze and Illusion doing the same. Snowflake and Ethan were getting into a mini scuffle but Eve was keeping it from going too far while Lucario stood nearby looking around as if standing guard. Lycanroc had curled up beside Liz for pettings, while Alberto was having a dance competition with Slyveon, Braixen, and Skiddo.
Pancham and Chespin, who weren't finding a reason to argue for once, jumped up onto the rock Squishy was resting on. [Hey Squishy, wanna play with us?] Pancham asked.
[Yeah, let's have some fun,] Chespin added.
Squishy muttered something before going back to sleep. "Leave Squishy alone you two. Let it do its own thing," Alec told the two.
"Oh, that reminds me, Alec, are you able to understand Squishy?" Serena asked.
"Not really, it's just sounds. Which is weird," he lied. What they didn't know was that Squishy communicated with telepathy, and it wanted to keep its identity a secret, or at least let them figure it out on their own.
"So it's not just me. I thought I couldn't understand Squishy because my Speaker abilities weren't strong enough," she noted.
"Guess it's a mystery then," Alec guessed.
Calem's POV
Far away from Alec and his friends, Calem was in a rocky cliff area walking through the area. "Shouldn't be too far," he said to himself. He then heard some commotion nearby. "Hmm." He quickly ran towards the area to see what was going on.
When he arrived, he saw a Weaville standing in front of a small green creature with a single eye and a blue hexagon on its chest. A Druddigon then emerged from the ground behind the creature. "What in the world is going on here?" he wondered.
"Weavile, excellent work," a woman said. Calem turned and was surprised to see members of Team Flare. The one who spoke had blue hair and there was another with ginger hair with her. He guessed they were in charge of what was going on here.
"And my Druddigon did well too you know," the ginger added.
The green creature then disappeared but the bluette shot some kind of beam from a rifle she had and the creature reappeared surrounded by orange electricity. "Z2, you're coming with us," the bluette said. The creature they called Z2 tried to go invisible again, but the orange electricity prevented it from doing so. The bluette then tapped a button on her visor. "This is Mable. Doctor, the beam is very effective. Z2 can no longer camouflage itself." The woman, now known as Mable, then walked up to the creature. "Alright. Time to go."
Calem knew he had to intervene. "Altaria, Dazzling Gleam!" he shouted, throwing a Poké Ball. Altaria appeared and fired spears of rainbow-colored energy at Weavile and Druddigon knocking them both back. Calem then jumped down and grabbed the creature in his arms.
"Who's this guy?" Mable questioned.
"Don't know, don't care. Druddigon, Dragon Pulse!" the ginger ordered.
"Dragon Pulse!" Calem called out to Altaria. The two beams clashed causing an explosion.
"Weavile, Metal Claw!" Mable commanded. Weavile jumped towards Calem and prepared to use the attack.
"Chesnaught, Brick Break!" he called out while throwing the Poké Ball. Chesnaught appeared and hit Weavile before he could get to Calem.
"Give us Z2 now or you'll face the consequences," the ginger ordered Calem.
"Not happening. I don't know why you want this Pokémon, but if you're after it then I can't let you have it," Calem replied.
"You have no idea what you possess. Give it to us, and we'll forget you interfered," Mable suggested.
"Here's my counter, Altaria, Draco Meteor!" Calem shouted. Altaria fired the orb into the air causing destruction to rain down around them. "Let's move!" he shouted as he and his Pokémon ran.
After a bit of running, Calem and his Pokémon hid in the forest nearby and he let out a sigh of relief. "That was close. Good work you two," he told his Pokémon who gave sounds of acknowledgment. He then turned to what Team Flare called Z2. "So, what exactly are you? I haven't seen a Pokémon like you before," he asked, but the creature was too busy glaring at him.
The creature suddenly jumped out of his arms and tried to go invisible again but the orange electricity stopped it from happening. When it was active though, Calem briefly noticed his keystone, which was attached to an armlet on his right forearm, glow. "I wonder if they used Mega Evolution energy with that beam? Anyway, you can't be running off. Team Flare's after you, but don't worry. I'll keep you safe," he told the creature as he picked it back up.
It looked at him with uncertainty and Calem didn't blame it. Who knows what Team Flare has done with it. "Hang on a minute. I feel like I've seen something like you before," Calem noted, trying to remember where he saw it. He then thought back to that dance he went with Miette and the little girl that was with Rich Boy and Liz. "That's it. That little girl had a creature like you with her." the creature perked up at those words. "Yeah, I've got it. I'll take you to them. Probably be for the best so you two can help protect each other, and with Rich Boy and Liz with you, you'll be protected pretty heavily. Course, that means turning around and heading for Snowbelle…"
Before Calem could come to a decision, he heard Chesnaught and Altaria shift like they sensed something. "Squishy?" three voices questioned. Calem turned to look to see a girl with pink hair, a man with blue hair, and a Meowth looking at the creature in Calem's arms.
"What do you three want?" Calem asked, pulling the creature closer to him.
"Hang on, I don't think it's Squishy, the markings are different. Which means there's probably more than one," the blue haired man said.
"Ureka! We struck Squishy gold!" the woman shouted in excitement.
"I'll ask again. What do you want?" Calem asked again.
"It's simple really. We want to give that to the Boss," the Meowth spoke, pointing at the creature.
"Okay, when did I get Rich Boy's ability because I swear the Meowth just talked?" he questioned.
"Oh, you're not going crazy, he's able to," the bluette stated calmly.
An Ice Beam then suddenly struck the three encasing them in ice. Calem turned to see Team Flare approaching. The three in the ice then suddenly broke out. "Well, what do you know…" the woman started.
"The glasses gang returns," the man added.
"Oh boy. Who are you?" Mable asked, sounding like she really didn't care. The three then introduced themselves as Team Rocket and as they did some kind of motto, Calem and his Pokémon attempted to sneak away.
"Hold it. Where do you think you're going?" the ginger asked him as Mable pointed the gun used on the creature earlier.
"You won't be leaving," Mable added before firing. Calme threw his right arm in front of the creature but when the beam reached him it bounced off something. Looking down, Calem saw his Keystone glow as the beam made contact with a rainbow-colored barrier.
"Destroy that weapon with Air Slash!" Calem shouted. Altaria brought his wings up and sent an 'X' of air at the weapon destroying it.
"Druddigon, Dragon Claw!" the ginger shouted.
"Weavile, Metal Claw!" Mable ordered.
"Inkay, Psybeam!" James commanded.
"Gourgeist, Seed Bomb!" Jessie called out.
The four Pokémon fired towards Calem as he grabbed another Poké Ball. "Absol, Dark Pulse! Chesnaught, Spiky Shield! Altaria, Dragon Pulse!" Absol came out and fired at Psybeam and Seed Bomb and stopped both attacks while Chesnaught put up his shield which Weavile didn't like touching while Druddigon was sent back by Altaria. Calem then started running deeper into the forest and his Pokémon followed, Altaria and Absol sending attacks to keep Teams Flare and Rocket away.
Eventually, they got the chance to stop near a bunch of rocks. "Man, we can't keep this up forever," Calem commented to himself and his Pokémon gave grunts of agreement. The creature then started shivering in Calem's arms. "What is it? Are you cold?" he asked. The creature then looked up and Calem followed his gaze to see a tall rock. "Do you need sunlight? Is that it?" The creature gave a weak nod. "Altaria, keep an eye out around us," he told him and Altaria nodded before heading into the air. Calem climbed to the top of the rock with help from Absol and Chesnaught and placed the creature there. The blue hexagon glowed as the creature seemed to relax a bit.
"Altaria!" Altaria cried out suddenly. Calem turned to look and saw Team Flare approaching from one side and Team Rocket from another.
"Nowhere to run now," Mable said as she approached with Weavile.
"Now hand over Z2," Ginger ordered. Calem then saw a few other Team Flare members all with Pokémon out.
"Oh please, that is going with us to Headquarters," Jessie stated.
"Sorry, our headquarters gets the delivery," Mable countered.
"Neither of you are getting it. I'm taking this to someone who can help protect it. You two can fight amounts yourselves for a bit," Calem stated.
"Not likely," Ginger countered.
Calem grabbed the rest of his Poké Balls and let out Vaporeon, Clefable, and his male Meowstic. "Either way, I won't let you have this," he said determinedly and was mimicked by his team. He then brought his hand to his keystone. "Absol, Mega Evolve!" Absol then transformed into Mega Absol and stood at the head of Calem's team.
"Looks like we'll have a battle," Mable commented as a few Team Flare trucks pulled up and more members disembarked and released their Pokémon, mostly Dark-types.
"Clefable, Altaria, focus on the grunts. Vaporeon and Meowstic, focus on Team Rocket. Chesnaught and Absol, we'll handle those two Team Flare heads," Calem told his team.
"Oh, and why are you forgetting about me?" a familiar voice questioned. Calem looked up to a sight he didn't want to see. Annabell was flying above the fight with her Salamence in its mega form. "You'd think after knowing my beloved for so long you'd remember me," she mocked.
"Oh great. Now I've gotta deal with the spoiled princess too. What do you want Annabell?" Calem demanded.
"Nothing much really. But my daddy wants that little green thing in your arms. Honestly, I don't know why he wants it, though I will admit it's a bit cute," she answered.
"What's she doing here?" Mable questioned.
"Daddy wasn't pleased hearing that Calem was here, so he sent me to give you a hand," Annabell answered the Team Flare Scientist. That answer surprised Calem. That meant that Lysandre did have connections to Team Flare. Now he really had to get to Alec and tell him what was happening.
"When Alec hears about this, it'll be over for you," Calem stated.
"No, it won't. Once daddy completes his goals, my beloved will see things our way," Annabell replied confidently.
"Altaria, Dragon Pulse!" Calem called out, pointing at Salamence. Altaria fired causing Salamence to dodge and Annabell to jump off.
"Dragon Rush! Then Steel Wing on that Clefable!" she ordered. Salamence moved at lightning speed and took down Altaria and Clefable before Calem could even react.
"Return," he said, holding out two Poké Balls and bringing back his downed team members. Calem had to admit. The spoiled princess knew what she was doing, taking down the two biggest threats to her main Pokémon. "Vaporeon, Ice Beam! Bring Salamence to the ground!" he shouted.
"Hyper Beam!" The two beams clashed but Vaporeon was quickly overpowered and knocked out along with Meowstic, who was standing close to Vaporeon at the time. Calem quickly returned them too.
"Fall back! We've gotta regroup!" Calem told his remaining team members as he jumped off the rock he was on. As he did so, two things happened. The first was Absol causing havoc with a few Dark Pulses. The second was Team Rocket attacking the scientists of Team Flare.
"We'll catch what you have later," Jessie told Calem.
"Right now, we'd rather not have the glasses gang have it," James added.
"We'll buy you some time. Can't promise much with Mega Evolution though," Meowth finished which was followed by a Wobbuffet shouting its name and shouts of confirmation from Gourgeist and Inkay.
"You clowns think you can buy Calem some time? That's cute. Salamence, Hyperbeam!" Annabell ordered. Salamence fired and Wobbuffet jumped in front of the attack and used Mirror Coat to send it right back at Team Flare.
"Wobbuffet yes!" Team Rocket shouted joyfully.
Weavile then suddenly showed up out of nowhere and hit Wobbuffet multiple times with Metal Claw and sending it flying into a rock brutally. This was quickly followed by Inkay and Gourgeist and both were quickly returned with Wobbuffet not far behind.
Calem then noticed the creature jump out of his arms. "You've gotta stay with me till it's safe! You could get-" he started when the ground started shaking and the creature was surrounded by green light. Multiple streaks of a similar color light then struck the creature and it transformed into something that stunned everyone.
The creature had turned into Zygarde! The green snake gave its equivalent of a glare at Team Flare before firing Dragon Pulse at them, causing massive damage to the area. Absol and Chesnaught managed to get Calem out of the way before the destruction reached him but the two teams got knocked around, Team Flare more than Team Rocket.
"This won't end like Terminus Cave," Mable growled. However, Zygarde disagreed and was about to fire another Dragon Pulse at the scientists when flames suddenly slammed into it, knocking it's shot off to hit Salamence.
"So that's our target?" a familiar voice asked.
"Who the hell are you?" Mable questioned while Calem was shocked by who he saw.
"ALAN! YOU TRAITOR!" he bellowed. "Absol, Dark Pulse! Chesnaught, Shadow Claw!" The two Pokémon sprung into action and attacked Alan's Charizard, both hitting.
"Charizard, Mega Evolve!" Alan called out and Mega Charizard X made his appearance. "Use Flamethrower!" Charizard let loose his fire but both Chesnaught and Absol managed to dodge.
"Why are you doing this Alan?!" Calem asked.
"I'm sorry Calem. But my orders are to capture Z2," Alan answered. "Charizard, Dragon Claw!" Charizard charged towards Chesnaught and Absol and Salamence and the members of Team Flare attacked Zygarde, who was doing a good job at holding its own.
"Chesnaught, Spiky Shield!" Chesnaught jumped in front of Absol and put up the shield. Charizard was quick to react though as he moved out of the way before he hit the spikes.
"Flamethrower!"
"Dark Pulse!" Blue fire and dark rings met in the air before causing an explosion. "Psycho Cut!" Absol jumped through the smoke and hit Charizard with his horn, which was glowing purple.
"Flamethrower!" This time the flames slammed into Absol's back and he hit the ground, but in doing so, left Charizard open for a sudden Shadow Claw from Chesnaught.
"Wood Hammer!" Chesnaught's arm was surrounded by green energy that took the form of a hammer and he brought it down on Charizard.
"Block with Thunder Punch!" The electric fist slammed into the hammer and stopped its momentum. "Now Flamethrower!" The blue fire slammed into Chesnaught's chest and sent him flying into a rock, unable to continue.
"Absol, Focus Blast!" The yellow orb slammed into Charizard's back as Calem took the opportunity to return Chesnaught.
"Dragon Claw!" Charizard turned around and flew towards Absol, claws glowing green.
"Dodge and use Psycho Cut!" Absol jumped out of the way and came down on Charizard with his horn, slashing across Charizard's back.
"Grab it and use Flamethrower!" Charizard managed to grab one of Absol's wings before letting out a point-blank Flamethrower. Absol emerged from the fire with multiple burns on his body and struggled to stand up.
"We can't give up Absol! Zygarde needs us! Air Slash then Dark Pulse!" Absol, encouraged by Calem's words, stood and flapped his wings, sending an 'X' of air at Charizard which was quickly followed by Dark Pulse. Both attacks managed to hit and Charizard was sent flying back. "Finish this with Focus Blast!" As Absol fired the yellow orb, Charizard pulled himself out of the rocks.
"Blast Burn!" Charizard slammed his fist on the ground and the blue flames headed towards Absol just as Focus Blast hit him.
The ground beneath Absol then exploded and Calem was sent flying back from the blast and landed near where Zygarde was fighting Team Flare and Annabell. He looked up and watched in horror as Zygarde was hit by multiple red beams from the Team Flare guns and it fell to the ground. Green lights then peeled off from Zygarde and it returned to the small creature that he'd originally found him as.
"Absol!" Calem called out, looking to where he last saw him. The smoke cleared to reveal Absol on the ground in his normal form, barely moving. "Return. You did your best," he said as Absol was brought back. He then struggled to get to Zygarde when Salamence suddenly slammed him to the ground.
"Can't let you keep interfering, Calem. It just won't work," Annabell said mockingly.
"Enough Annabell. Calem isn't the objective. Z2 is, and we've completed that. Let him go," Alan ordered her as he and Charizard, who was back to normal, walked towards her. Annabell seemed to think that over for a bit before Salamence returned to normal and she returned him.
"Very well. You make a good point. Still, daddy will be pleased to hear Z2 is ours," she replied as Zygarde was put into some kind of hard light cage, glaring at Team Flare.
They then started to leave as Calem struggled to stand up. "Alan!" he called out and the man stopped. "You know when Alec hears about this, and he will, you'll be a dead man walking. We both know how he handles betrayal," he told him.
"That's for me to worry about. But, if it means anything to you, I'm sorry we had to fight like this. If you knew what was at stake for me you'd understand," Alan replied before walking away with Charizard.
Once they were gone, Calem pulled out his holotransiver and opened up a contact he rarely used.