Draco: I've been averaging 3800 words a chapter, it's only Chapter 15, and we're almost at Realgam Tower. My point about this story not being short still stands.
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Chapter 15: Administrator of Endarkenment
A PC was stationed near the door that Ein had indicated; Wes made sure to heal his party before he and Rui started further in. Beyond was a long hallway, rather dimly lit, with an elevator near Ein's room that Wes suspected to lead to the Lab's entrance.
A Cipher Peon was standing at the far end, with bright blonde hair in a pair of tails out the back of his helmet; as they started down the hall, he dashed forward, meeting them at about the midpoint. "Hey, hey!" he warned. "What are you in such a hurry for? You can't just walk in like that!"
Rui glared at him. "Are you going to try and stop us?"
"No, I'm serious!" the Peon reprimanded. "You can't walk into the Endarkenment Chamber like that!" He aimed a hand at Wes' face. "Is this your first time in the Lab? Put your goggles on... before..." He trailed off as he regarded Wes' face, then turned to Rui. "Wait, you're from the blacklist!"
Wes glanced up at the ceiling lights. "I'd call you slow," he observed, "but the lighting in here isn't great."
The Peon stepped back. "Then, yes, I'm gonna try and stop you!" he snapped. "No way I'm letting you barge in on her!"
"Someone's devoted," Rui asked. "Are you another Advisor?"
"No," the Peon retorted, "I'm her brother!"
"What!?"
You are challenged by Cipher Peon Naps!
The lights abruptly intensified as he reached for his belt; Rui started working off auras, closing her eyes as she stumbled back, and Wes raised his left hand to shield his as a Vigoroth and an Ursaring appeared before him. Wes went for his own belt, and was already sending out Lucario and Ampharos when Rui called, "Wes, the Ursaring!"
"Already?" Wes grinned, lowering his hand from shielding his eyes to grab a Quick Ball; as fast as the Snag Machine would still register, he held it out at his side to be converted before throwing the Snag Ball forward. It arced through the air with precision, not giving the Shadow Pokémon a moment to react before it opened up. Quick Balls were most effective the moment battle began, but that meant he had to sacrifice weakening the Pokémon he was trying to catch; Naps gave a yelp of protest as the Ball closed, and Vigoroth charged forward to Slash at Ampharos as it hit the ground.
Shake... Shake... Shake... Click!
Naps cried out angrily as the Ball bounced back; Lucario quickly hurled an Aura Sphere at Vigoroth, prompting him to retreat as Wes caught the Ball and let it vanish. The Peon reached for his belt, sending out a Rhydon to take the Ursaring's place; Ampharos sent a barrage of Power Gems after Vigoroth, knocking him out as Rui set off her Key Stone; while his Mega Evolution was still coursing, Lucario charged at Rhydon, the sphere breaking around a most ferocious Metal Claw.
The Drill Pokémon wasn't knocked out by the blow, however, and promptly retaliated with a Drill Run that forced Lucario back like a sumo match. Lucario managed to force Rhydon aside and leap away as Naps sent out a Metang; an Aura Sphere was flung forward as soon as the Aura Pokémon landed, and this managed to finish Rhydon off as Ampharos released a Thunderbolt towards the newcomer.
Metang endured the voltage, turning a Psychic charge against Lucario as Naps withdrew Rhydon and sent out a Murkrow; Ampharos loosed another Thunderbolt in the Darkness Pokémon's direction as Lucario managed to right himself, charging Metang and bombarding it with a Bone Rush. The Iron Claw Pokémon was knocked out by the blow; Murkrow, however, managed to remain standing just long enough to dive-bomb Lucario with an Assurance, knocking him out as Ampharos finished him off with a Power Gem.
"Wow," Wes observed, withdrawing Lucario, "you go right for the threat, don't you?"
"You set off a Mega Evolution!" Naps retorted, withdrawing his own fainted Pokémon. "Don't act like that wasn't deserved!"
"Fair."
Rui stepped forward. "What were you saying about putting goggles on?" she demanded.
Naps shook his head. "The end of this hallway is the Endarkenment Chamber," he insisted. "You have to have protective eyewear when you're present for the endarkenment process." Glancing up at the lights; "Looks like she's wrapped up in there, though, so it should be safe to go in. Don't think you're gonna have the same luck against her as you did against me!"
He turned back around and charged down the way he'd come; Wes withdrew Ampharos as Rui turned to him. "You're not gonna blow your Potions when there's a PC right there, are you?" she asked, pointing back towards Ein's room.
"Absolutely not," Wes confirmed.
+x+x+x+
After backtracking to patch up, Wes and Rui headed into the Endarkenment Chamber.
It was an ominous-looking auditorium; the area they could access was relatively small, although still with enough room to host every Peon and Researcher they'd fought on the way down and keep them arm's length from each other. This section was not, itself, illuminated; a massive window of ballistic glass stood between them and a wide-open, brightly-lit area, with a stage that could hold a reclining Slaking. Several nested rings were set into the stage, and from the four corners of the open area extended prongs with dark crystals upon their points. Against the wall where the window was set was a computer interface, with a lever that was lying idle in the central position and an empty chair sitting askew before it; a tightly-locked door was sitting on the wall to the left, and the wall on the right had an open pipe of some sort, with what looked like indents for Poké Balls to be set in.
Wes knew this place; he had received an anonymous message to his PDA containing a video file of the Eevee he had Snagged in Gateon Port being made to suffer here, and now he realized that it had been endarkened.
There was a door in the wall hosting the window, in the opposite direction from the locked door, giving them access to the stage; Naps was standing at the side, and someone else was kneeling atop it, inspecting the grooves. It was a girl who seemed no older than Wes or Rui, a teenager at most; her pink hair was in long twintails that almost reached to the floor, and a pair of protective goggles were sitting atop her forehead. She was dressed in a labcoat, but as they stepped into the auditorium she got to her feet. The labcoat was removed, revealing a rather fashionable pink minidress over black tights; she turned around, throwing the coat aside as she regarded the newcomers.
"Hello, there."
Rui was absolutely dumbfounded, demanding, "Are you the Admin in charge of the Shadow Pokémon project?"
The girl giggled tauntingly. "You got it," she confirmed. "I'm Lovrina, the Administrator of Endarkenment. And you must be Wes and Rui." She shot Naps a glare, and her voice got much less pleasant. "I told you to keep everyone out while I was working..." Then, sweetly again as she face them, "But no matter. I was able to finish up before you got here."
"Finish up what!?" Rui demanded as Wes climbed onto the stage.
"We haven't been getting any new Pokémon since Snagger boy here stopped the deliveries," Lovrina replied, "so I've decided to put some of Ein's data to use. Endarkening an existing Shadow Pokémon further, making them harder and harder to purify." She turned around, looking up towards one of the crystals hanging from the corners. "He figures if we endarken a Pokémon long enough, its heart will be lost completely... but that's gonna take a lot longer than I can afford with intruders running around."
Rui grunted angrily. "You can't afford anything anymore," she snapped, following Wes up. "We're stopping you right here and now."
Lovrina giggled. "Oh, I love it when they don't know what's coming."
"What are you talking about?" Wes demanded.
"...Do you know the story?" Lovrina asked. "About the legendary Pokémon of Johto?"
Wes and Rui traded glances.
"Long ago, two towers stood in the north of the region. The Bell Tower, said to awaken Pokémon, and the Echo Tower, where Pokémon were put to rest. A great bird Pokémon was perched atop each tower - Ho-Oh, on the Bell Tower, and Lugia, on the Echo Tower." Lovrina shook her head. "But a terrible storm drove them away, and lightning struck the Echo Tower. Flames burned it down for three days, nearly reducing it to nothing before rain extinguished the ruins. Three nameless Pokémon perished in the tower. Yet Ho-Oh returned, and restored them to life.
She spun around, balancing briefly on one heel before setting both feet down properly. "The three Pokémon became incarnations of the calamity that had befallen the Echo Tower. Raikou, the lightning that struck the tower. Entei, the flames that burned it down. Suicune, the rain that doused its blaze. They were saved by Ho-Oh, who ever after flew away."
"What's your point?" Rui demanded.
"If someone saved your life," Lovrina asked, "wouldn't you feel indebted to them? Wouldn't you want to make it up to them, however you could?" A grin rose on her face. "And if you heard they were in danger... wouldn't you rush to their side? No matter the risk?"
Wes started as she drew out a Poké Ball.
"We were able to endarken Raikou, Entei, and Suicune... because they came to help their savior."
You are challenged by Cipher Admin Lovrina!
Lovrina hurled a Poké Ball forward - and the room got much smaller as it opened. A great avian Pokémon appeared there, with feathers of crimson and gold; its underside was bright white, and its tailfeathers seemed to be a blazing flame behind it. A golden crest flowed upon its head, and its black feet were tipped with silvery claws; its beak was long and sharp, and its eyes surrounded by a deep black.
The Rainbow Phoenix spread its wings, and cried out, loud enough to rattle the window of the Endarkenment Chamber.
"No...!" Wes stumbled back. "Ho-Oh?!"
Rui gasped. "Wes, quick!"
Wes's hand sunk into his pocket, and Lovrina glared at the sight, thrusting her hand forward. "Get them!"
A darkness visible even to Wes' eyes surrounded Ho-Oh as he drew out a Quick Ball, holding it out to convert it as it floated in the air. A mystical pink flame, laced with the shadows of endarkenment, began to gather before the Rainbow Phoenix; Wes flung his Ball forward, and Rui immediately tackled him from the side, knocking him into a roll that took them off the stage.
The Shadow Flare was launched before the Snag Ball opened, and razed across the stage where Wes had been standing.
He quickly righted himself, reaching for his belt and throwing two Balls forward. Espeon and Umbreon opened their eyes as the Snag Ball hit the ground, not even shaking once before it burst open - and Ho-Oh screeched, earning yelps of terror from the Eeveelutions.
"No you don't!" Lovrina snapped, drawing out another Poké Ball. "You're not double-teaming my Shadow Pokémon!"
A Gallade appeared next to the Shadow Ho-Oh; he quickly lunged forward, the sharp edge of his arm glowing sickly green as he closed in on Umbreon. The Moonlight Pokémon was struck by the Fury Cutter, left reeling in the wake of Gallade's blow as Ho-Oh rounded on the Snagger; Wes' heart sunk as he recalled that Shadow Pokémon had no restraint against attacking people, regardless of the presence of other Pokémon.
Lovrina had instructed Ho-Oh to get them.
Another Shadow Flare gathered before the Rainbow Phoenix as Espeon and Umbreon turned their attention to Gallade. Wes and Rui leapt aside, taking cover below the rim of the stage as the arcane flame burst; even their retreat was not enough to avoid it completely, and Wes cried out as the flame seared up his right sleeve, singeing his arm. Gallade was about to hit Umbreon with another Fury Cutter before the Moonlight Pokémon connected with a fierce Faint Attack; Espeon promptly followed suit with a hard-hitting Psybeam that left the Blade Pokémon spinning.
Rui grabbed Wes' Poké Balls off his belt, withdrawing Umbreon and sending out Ampharos to take his place. "Stun the Phoenix!"
Ho-Oh zeroed in on them, and that mystical flame began to gather before Ampharos managed to hit the Rainbow Phoenix with a Thunder Wave. Gallade ended up tripping over his own feet in an attempt to strike at Umbreon, falling to the stage and hurting himself as Rui hunched back down to drag Wes out of the way; Espeon's jewel gleamed, setting a Future Sight as the Shadow Flare was launched forward.
The flames washed over where the Snagger had been, as Rui and Wes had stayed hidden as they moved aside. Rui quickly made to withdraw Espeon as well, sending out Octillery with a yell of "Empty the field! We need to get Ho-Oh alone!" Ampharos nodded, manifesting Power Gems that slammed into Gallade full-throttle in concurrence with Espeon's trap. Ho-Oh's attention was still on the Trainers; as it gathered another Shadow Flare, Octillery unleashed an Octazooka that knocked out the Blade Pokémon.
Lovrina moved quickly, withdrawing Gallade and sending out a Roserade in his place. "Wreck them!" she commanded. "Wreck them!"
Roserade swept her flowers down at her sides, scattering Magical Leaves that lunged towards Octillery as Ho-Oh loosed its Shadow Flare; the Trainers made to take cover, but this time Rui was left yelping as the flames licked at her legs. Octillery managed to endure the bombardment, unleashing a Signal Beam at the Bouquet Pokémon; the shot had only just subsided before Ampharos followed through with a Thunder Shock that had her reeling.
Rui promptly withdrew Octillery, sending out Lucario. "Stay out of the way of that fire!" she warned; with an affirmative cry, Lucario dashed forward, sliding under the Rainbow Phoenix as another Shadow Flare began to gather. Roserade turned her attention on Ampharos, unleashing an unpleasant Sludge Bomb; the Light Pokémon felt the poison take root, but quickly retaliated with a Power Gem bombardment. No sooner had the last stone connected than Lucario rushed in from the side, striking her thrice with Extreme Speed blows that knocked her out.
The paralysis took a suddenly firm hold on Ho-Oh, stopping his Shadow Flare as Lovrina withdrew Roserade, sending out a Beautifly in its place. "Take out that Lucario!"
Lucario stepped back, concerned, before his Lucarionite started to glow, a grin rose on his face as the light of Mega Evolution washed over him, and Beautifly launched an Air Cutter that narrowly missed him and struck Ampharos for less-than-favorable damage. The poison was starting to take its toll; Rui quickly withdrew Ampharos, sending out Jumpluff in her place as Ho-Oh prepared another Shadow Flare on their new location. Lucario promptly dashed in, bombarding Beautifly with another Extreme Speed flurry; the Butterfly Pokémon spread a gale of Silver Wind that struck them both, but Jumpluff proceeded to close the distance and bombard her with Acrobatics, knocking her out.
Lovrina screeched angrily, withdrawing her and sending out a Gorebyss. "Take them out!" she commanded. "Now!"
Ho-Oh released a Shadow Flare; this time Wes barely managed to get out of range, and he quickly dropped to the ground, rolling to extinguish the hem of his coat. Rui was plundering his bag, pumping Hyper Potions into the team's Poké Balls as Lucario took a hard Water Pulse full-on. He managed to keep his balance, retaliated with an Aura Sphere as Jumpluff hit Gorebyss with a Mega Drain; somehow, she managed to endure the one-two, and as Rui emptied an Antidote she withdrew Lucario and hurled Ampharos onto the stage.
The refreshed Light Pokémon quickly loosed a Thunderbolt, striking the South Sea Pokémon and knocking her out.
"No!"
Rui withdrew Ampharos and Jumpluff, sending out Espeon and Umbreon to take their place. "Hold Back, you two! The field's clear!"
The Eeveelutions promptly charged forward; Espeon struck Ho-Oh first, and Umbreon immediately after. They were both concerned when Ho-Oh didn't even spare them attention for the blows, instead releasing a Shadow Flare on Wes and Rui's last location. The outburst was dangerously close to Rui's head, and she quickly made sure her hair wasn't on fire before turning to Wes. "Can you throw a Snag Ball?"
"My other arm feels like it's gonna fall apart if I turn too fast," Wes seethed.
"Then give me the Snag Machine."
She pried the pad off his hand and uncurled the wire from his arm before detaching the pauldron from his left shoulder and clipping it to her right. Wrapping the cord around that arm, she slipped her hand into the pad and grabbed a Timer Ball, raising her gaze as Umbreon and Espeon connected with another pair of withheld blows. Ho-Oh still had his attention on the Trainers; the Eeveelutions retreated as another Shadow Flare gathered, and Wes and Rui had split before the paralysis staggered the Rainbow Phoenix, stopping the blast from flying forward.
Rui held the Timer Ball out to her side, and the Snag Machine converted it in response to the motion. She and Wes rose up as Espeon and Umbreon struck once more; Ho-Oh seemed lost at the divided targets, and Rui brought her arm back. She couldn't curve her Poké Balls with the precision Wes could - but with only one opposing Pokémon, she didn't need to.
She hurled Snag Ball forward, and it opened up to envelop the Rainbow Phoenix with light. Lovrina cried out, and the Ball closed and fell to the ground.
Shake...
"No...!"
Shake...
"No!"
Shake...
"Don't you dare!"
...Click!
Lovrina screamed in anger as the Ball bounced back to Rui, who caught it in both hands with a terrified sigh. "That was terrifying," she murmured, stumbling away from the stage; Umbreon and Espeon shared the sentiment, the two of them dashing to Wes and Rui in defense.
"You filthy little trash!" Lovrina snapped. "How dare you!? How could you Snag my Shadow Pokémon like that?!"
"How could we?" Rui retorted. "How could you endarken a legendary Pokémon? Subjecting them to that torture-!"
The Cipher Admin looked like she was about to charge them bare-handed before Naps caught her arm. "Sis, calm down!" he insisted. "It's fine! You're already done here, remember? We did the job we were given!"
Lovrina closed her eyes, taking a deep breath through her nose. "...Yeah, that's true," she admitted. "The Shadow Pokémon we were deepening has already been sent to the higher-ups." She smirked as she opened her eyes. "Don't think you've achieved a whole lot by ticking me off like that! Cipher's plan is already in motion!"
"Plan?" Wes demanded. "What plan?!"
"I don't think we should spoil the surprise," Lovrina retorted, "do you?"
She turned to Naps, who shook his head. "No, we shouldn't," he agreed. "When things get set off, all of Orre's gonna know!"
Wes blinked. Those words sounded familiar somehow - but from where?
"See you around, Snagger," Naps taunted. "Next time we meet, you won't get away so easily!"
He and Lovrina took off; in their haste to avoid Ho-Oh's attacks, Wes and Rui had ended up on almost the opposite side of the stage from where they'd started, giving them a clear path out of the Endarkenment Chamber. With a tired groan, Wes made to support his injured arm.
"You okay?" Rui asked. "How are you feeling?"
"I don't think it's anything a little cold and a good rest won't fix," Wes insisted. "Come on. Let's get out of this place."
Draco: ...I've never hacked a core series game to let me catch Trainers' Pokémon. Does anyone know how that interacts with Quick Balls? They came out in Generation IV, they weren't in Orre. Is it the first turn of the battle, or the first turn since the Pokémon has come out?