Draco: Getting the Master Ball from Eagun as cued by an email you receive halfway through Realgam Tower, feels... shoehorned. I'm gonna do something about that.
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Chapter 16: The Snag Machine
"So, what do we do first?"
Rui's question as they stepped out of the Shadow Pokémon Lab had Wes sighing; he was still supporting his singed right arm with his left. "That depends," he admitted. "Do you think-"
He was cut off as his PDA went off. "Huh," Rui mused. "That's seems well-timed."
"I probably wasn't get a good signal underground," Wes observed, drawing out his PDA.
It was an email from Nett. Hey, Wes! If you find any data from Cipher, please bring it to me in the Under. I'll be waiting.
"Data," Rui mused. "Didn't you grab a memory stick off Ein's desk?"
"Yeah," Wes confirmed. "But first things first. You think you can play a flute?"
The question had Rui starting. "You mean the Time Flutes?"
"We've got four Shadow legendary Pokémon," he insisted, "and two flutes. I'm willing to use one on four. Let's go to Relic Forest, and see if Celebi can purify them."
He slipped his PDA back into his pocket with a groan, earning a concerned look from Rui. "You sure you're up to drive like that?"
Wes sucked in a breath through his teeth. "No," he admitted, "but you sure you can drive a bike?"
"How hard can it be?"
+x+x+x+
Aside from a few drifts that arose from trying to turn a little too hard in the Orrean sands, it wasn't too hard; Wes and Rui reached Agate Village without any serious trouble, whereupon they stopped by Eagun's house for a visit of assurance. Upon seeing their condition, Beluh promptly refused to let them go anywhere until their burns were tended to; once Wes' arm and Rui's legs were wrapped in wet bandages, they hit the Pokémon Center, loaded up Wes' team, and made their way into Relic Forest.
Wes hesitated as they approached the Relic Stone, turning to Rui. "Do we...?"
"No," Rui admitted. "Let me play it first. Then send them out once she appears."
She drew the Time Flute out of her Bag and raised it to her lips. As she blew, a most beautiful sound echoed through the clearing, and her fingers moved upon its body to play a gentle melody. As it faded out, a glow draped over the Flute, and Wes watched, shocked, as it slowly seemed to dissolve in her grip; after a moment, Rui's hands were empty, particles of light fading in the air.
Then a most different light began to appear above the Relic Stone. As Wes watched, a figure began to fade into existence - a small, almost humanoid Pokémon of two-toned green. Her feet were rounded, designed for brief landings rather than prolonged walking; her arms ended in small, almost unnoticeable fingers. A pair of thin antennae of sorts arced up and back from above a pair of large eyes, surrounded by deep black rings, and a pair of small, translucent white wings extended upon her back.
The Time Traveller opened eyes of baby blue, and her wings began to move as she appeared in this era.
"Celebi..." This was an altogether different sensation from seeing legendary Pokémon that had been endarkened; then, Wes had been filled with dread and anger, knowing that a beautiful creature had been turned into a mindless fighting machine. But this sight filled him with awe and wonder; this was a legendary Pokémon in her natural habitat, and Wes was left in admiration.
Regarding the two of them, the Time Traveller angled her head to one side, giving an inquisitive cry.
Words seemed insufficient somehow; Wes and Rui exchanged glances and nodded. Wes reached for his belt, seizing one Timer Ball - that which he had used to Snag Ho-Oh. The Ball needed not even open - Celebi recoiled at the sight of what he held, realizing what had happened to the Pokémon it contained. Rui turned to face the Time Traveller, and her face set; she nodded, assuring them that she could unmake what had happened to these Pokémon.
The three Balls that held Entei, Suicune, and Raikou were handed to Rui; Wes brandished Ho-Oh's Ball, as well as those of Sawk and Throh. They stepped back from the Relic Stone, and Celebi lifted higher, to give them berth; then those six Poké Balls were thrown forward, releasing the Shadow Pokémon they contained.
The darkness that flooded the Relic Forest caught Rui off-guard; she had never seen this many Shadow Pokémon in one place before. She saw the Relic Stone start to glow, but it wasn't enough; their hearts had not yet been opened, and the accumulated power within the monument was not enough to purify them.
Celebi brought her hands before her, and then turned her gaze skyward as she parted them at her sides.
Phantasmal images began to appear around the clearing; Wes and Rui watched, amazed, as countless ephemeral Celebi soared into the clearing, echoes from across the ages that she could wander freely. The Shadow Pokémon turned, seeming ready to attack; but as the Time Traveller's echoes soared forward, they trailed a shining light, and Rui saw the dark aura that surrounded each Shadow Pokémon start to subside in return.
One Celebi approached Suicune, setting her hands upon the crystal that emerged from her brow - and her ephemeral image cut through the darkness like a blade. Another Celebi neared Raikou, gently caressing his side, and a third flew up to Entei to cradle his face. Sawk and Throh seemed about to strike out at the phantasms before two Celebi flew up to them, each laying a gentle hand on a Fighting-type's shoulder; as Ho-Oh regarded the clearing, still another Celebi flew up, curling her arms around the neck of the Rainbow Phoenix in an easing embrace.
The darkness around each Shadow Pokémon vanished, and all hostility vanished from the Pokémon gathered in the clearing; the echoes lifted away, soaring back into the forest and vanishing among the trees.
Rui gasped, a relieved smile appearing on her face as the phantoms. "It worked," she breathed. "Celebi... thank you...!"
The Time Traveller smiled down at them, nodding her head gently; then she lifted her gaze heavenward, and a light surrounded her body as she faded away again.
Wes raised the Ultra Balls in his hands, withdrawing Sawk and Throh; as the beasts and Ho-Oh regarded him, he spoke up. "We brought you here to save you," he proclaimed. "Now that the darkness is freed from you all... what follows is your choice." He drew out the Timer Ball that Ho-Oh had been Snagged with, opening it manually and then setting it down on the ground; Rui followed his lead, doing the same with those that had Snagged the beasts.
The Rainbow Phoenix cried out, its call shaking the trees.
"You can't force a Pokémon to fight," Rui proclaimed. "You can catch a Pokémon that doesn't want to fight, if you're cruel enough to seek them out, but you can't make them battle - not without locking their hearts away. They'll try to run, as far as they can - or they'll attack the one responsible, if they feel they have no choice."
Wes shook his head. "I don't intend to bring any of you into a fight you don't want to take part in," he insisted. "The other Shadow Pokémon that Cipher has endarkened were taken from Trainers, which means they were willing to fight - but you were seized from your home. If you want to run, then run. I'll release you here and now."
He shifted his foot, that it was poised to come down on the hinge of Ho-Oh's Poké Ball and break it.
Suicune glanced at Entei, and then at Raikou; then the three of them turned to Ho-Oh, who lowered its head and shook it.
Wes was shocked. "You choose to fight alongside us?"
Raikou turned, nodding his head; Entei did the same, and Suicune stood tall and cried out.
A smile rose on Wes' face, and he moved his foot off the Poké Ball, kneeling down to pick it up. "Alright, then. We'll be happy to have you - when we can."
+x+x+x+
Eagun and Beluh were astonished to hear what Wes and Rui had done in the Relic Forest - and moreso when Wes decided to leave Ho-Oh with them "in case Cipher should get any more ideas". After collecting Espeon, Umbreon, and Lucario, they took off, detouring by the Outskirt Stand to stock up on Poké Balls before heading to the Under; no troubled ensued before they reached the elevator leading to the Under Colosseum, whereupon they were able to take the UFO platform to the town side of the chasm. Bitt was still on guard in front of Nett's house; as they approached, he led them inside, where Nett was happy to receive the memory stick.
Their burn treatment was starting to wear off, and Megg promptly got them some ice. "So it's true, then," she observed as she re-soaked their bandages. "Shadow Pokémon really do attack humans."
"They do when they're told to," Wes admitted.
Nett hummed from his computer setup. "Looks like you scored a jackpot."
"Did we?" Rui asked.
"Well, this is encrypted," Nett observed, "so it's not useful to us yet. But judging by the format, this is a log of all the Shadow Pokémon that Cipher has endarkened. If you give me some time to decrypt it..."
"That should give us a complete Snag List to work off of," Wes mused.
"I'll get to work on breaking the encryption," Nett assured him. "Once I have the list, I'll message you."
Wes was mid-nod when his PDA chimed from his pocket. "Speaking of messages..."
Duking had sent this one; Wes set his PDA on the table so Megg could wrap his arm. Wes, we've got trouble! Team Snagem was sighted en route to Gateon Port! Our people said they were transporting a large device. Can you please go to Gateon Port and intercept them?
"Oh, no," Wes muttered. "Don't tell me they fixed the mounted-model Snag Machine!"
"If Snagem has a working Snag Machine," Rui observed, "that's gonna give Cipher more Pokémon to endarken. We've gotta stop them!"
As soon as Megg was done bandaging him, Wes pocketed his PDA and got to his feet. "Sorry to drop and dash," he told Nett.
"No worries," Nett insisted, "you get going!"
+x+x+x+
Gateon was a small, but populous port on the northwestern corner of Orre, facing the sea. It hosted a fast-food stop known as the Krabby Club, a more formal restaurant called Coronet Diner, and a lighthouse from atop which you could see all of Orre. The dock was designed to host variously-sized ships, ranging from luxury liners that could carry the population of Unova's Castelia City, to private cruisers that barely had enough room for a party of four and a captain.
The only way into the city was a relatively narrow walkway on the north edge; Wes brought his bike to a halt on the left side after seeing a sizeable truck on the right. As he and Rui leapt out and ran in, Wes was terrified to see a couple Snagem grunts pushing a large, orange machine; a long barrel extended from its fore, and a glass casing - stained by smoke - extended between the main body and a compartment above.
The higher compartment was to store Poké Balls; they would be converted to Snag Balls in the glass portion, and then launched out the barrel.
A large bruiser that looked like he could go toe-to-toe with Dakim was advancing beside his grunts, with eyebrows and a mustache that extended out at his sides like the antennae of some threatening bug-types. The Team Snagem uniform - a hooded red vest, black cargo pants, and combat boots - looked threatening on him, amplified by his musculature; unlike the grunts, he didn't wear a tank top beneath the vest, leaving his abs and pecs exposed.
Rui glanced at Wes. "Is that the boss?"
Wes nodded. "Yeah. That's Gonzap."
Several trainers had gathered before the docks; many of them were Sailors and Navigators, but as Gonzap directed his grunts to halt, a Chaser stepped forward confrontingly. "So, Team Snagem has come back, has it?" she yelled. "What, did the cops take back your stolen Pokémon after your hideout blew up? Come to try and replace the ones you've lost?" She drew a Poké Ball and threw it before her, and an Arcanine appeared before her. "Don't think we're gonna sit back and let you take what you want!"
Gonzap scoffed. "You already are."
The Chaser started, and the crowd around her pulled back.
"We're not here for any specific Pokémon," Gonzap retorted, drawing out a PDA. "This is just a test run - to make sure our Snag Machine is up and running again! Thanks for volunteering your little Arcanine to get Snagged!"
Rui raised her hands to her mouth. "No-!"
The Snag Machine began to whirr; the barrel aimed itself at the Arcanine, who took a ready stance. After a long moment of noise, a Poké Ball was launched out of the barrel - and as it flew, Wes realized it was no ordinary Poké Ball. The top half was deep purple, with two pink bulges on its side, between which was a white M emblazoned against its surface. Everyone watching saw that Ball in flight, and knew there was nothing stopping Arcanine from being-
BONK!
The canine Pokémon recoiled as the Ball bounced off his face; it hit the ground with a spin to it, causing it to arc across the pavement like a Hitmontop. Gonzap yelped in anger, and his grunts all yelled in terror; the curious Arcanine watched the Ball approach him, and then batted it with one paw.
The Sailors gathered there stepped out of the Ball's path, letting it pass them and fall into the harbor with a plop.
Wes snorted in amusement, covering his mouth with his hand; Rui found herself giggling at the sight of the failure. The two glanced at each other, and seeing the amusement that they shared had them both laughing loudly.
"Who's laughing?!" Gonzap demanded, whirling around. "Wait a sec... Wes!?"
"Don't scare us like that," Rui reprimanded. "We hear about Team Snagem marching on Gateon Port with a working Snag Machine, and came running as fast as we could. Thought you were gonna raise havoc. But it turns out that was all for nothing. Couldn't have tested it on each others' Pokémon, you had to go out of your way to terrorize the civilians - with a Snag Machine that didn't even function."
Wes pumped his left fist before him, showing off the Snag Machine on his arm. "This is the only Snag Machine that works," he retorted. "And there's no chance I'm going to let this thing steal one more innocent Pokémon to be tortured by Cipher - and turned into a Shadow Pokémon!"
Gonzap huffed. "Fine then," he snapped. "If you've trashed the mounted model beyond repair, then we'll just take back the handheld model - the old-fashioned way!"
Just outside the Coronet Diner, three figures - two taller gentlemen in dark ensembles, one of brown hair and one of purple, and a short, elderly man with a cane - watched as the Snagem boss pounded one fist into his other palm, and cracked the knuckles of the former; then he mirrored the motion before interlocking his fingers and cracking them before him, intimidating the defector of his team.
"Get ready, Wes! This is where you pay up for all the trouble you caused us when you quit the team!"
You are challenged by Team Snagem Head Gonzap!
Wes smirked as Gonzap flung his Poké Balls forward; a Crawdaunt and Shiftry appeared there, both looking ready for a fight. "I don't know," Wes mused, glancing at Rui, "should I?"
"They offered, didn't they?" Rui teased.
"Yeah," Wes agreed, turning forward, "fair enough."
He seized two of the Timer Balls off his belt and threw them forth - and the entire crowd reacted at the sight of the two Pokémon that appeared there. Shiftry started fearfully on seeing the Volcano Beast, and the Thunder Beast glaring at Crawdaunt had the Rogue Pokémon taking a very wary step back.
"Raikou! Entei!" Wes swept his hand at his side. "As you will!"
Flames gathered around Entei's maw, and voltage crackled across the cloud on Raikou's back. Rui could not describe the satisfaction she felt at seeing these proud legendary Pokémon ready to attack, with none of the darkness that had cursed them before; Gonzap promptly yelled "Get them!" with a force that provoked his Pokémon into action, and Crawdaunt charged at Entei as spectral energy began to gather before Shiftry.
Raikou's voltage was unleashed before Crawdaunt could connect, a Thunderbolt surging through the Rogue Pokémon; he managed to stand through it nonetheless, slamming a watery Crabhammer into Entei. The Volcano Beast didn't let his flames falter, releasing a stream towards Shiftry; the Wicked Pokémon managed to hurl her Shadow Ball at Raikou before the Flamethrower washed over her, hitting hard enough to knock her out.
Gonzap growled, withdrawing her and sending out a Pinsir in her place. "Get them!" he commanded again.
Wes raised Entei's Poké Ball in return, withdrawing him before throwing his other Timer Ball - and the Northwind Beast appeared to take her compatriot's place. "Suicune, if you please!"
Pinsir moved quickly, stomping the pavement hard enough to shake it with an Earthquake as cold gathered around Suicune. Crawdaunt was knocked out by the tremor; Raikou came rather close to following suit, but Suicune managed to endure it, unleashing an Ice Beam that struck the Stag Beetle Pokémon hard enough to knock him out in one shot.
"Always did give me trouble, didn't you, Wes?!" Gonzap muttered, withdrawing his Pokémon. "Let's see how you handle this!"
He flung two more Poké Balls forward - a Hariyama and Skarmory appeared on his side of the field, and Wes was about to instruct the beasts forward before Rui cried out. "Wes, the Skarmory!"
"Huh?" Wes glared at Gonzap. "So you got some Shadow Pokémon out of the deal, did you!?"
"Didn't think all we got was the Snag Machines, did you!?" Gonzap retorted. "Wreck them!"
"Save the Skarmory!" Wes pleaded. "We can't knock that one out!"
Raikou and Suicune nodded; the Thunder Beast dashed forward as his compatriot howled. Skarmory promptly swooped up, spreading its wings; a familiar dark aura extended heavenward, and Wes winced as it enshrouded Gateon, encroaching on the non-Shadow Pokémon that were on the field. As the Quick Attack connected with Hariyama, he lifted one foot and brought it down hard to rock another Earthquake; Raikou was knocked out by the blow, and though Suicune endured better, she was on her last legs as she sent a Gust twisting towards the Arm Thrust Pokémon.
Wes withdrew Raikou, sending out Entei to take his place. "Mind the shadows!" he warned.
Entei nodded, charging at Hariyama; Skarmory promptly soared towards Suicune, darkness gathering upon his wings, and she had no opportunity to evade before the steel feathers lashed across her side, knocking her out. Hariyama was about to unleash another tremor before the Volcano Beast was up in his face; his Bite closed on the Fighting-type's arm, and he turned to throw Hariyama into the ground. The Arm Thrust Pokémon managed to right himself quickly, slamming his hands into the ground to simultaneously support himself and release a third Earthquake; Entei was knocked out by the tremor, only for the darkness to sap Hariyama of his remaining strength.
Gonzap withdrew Hairyama, and found his team empty; Wes withdrew the legendary Pokémon, and sent out Espeon and Umbreon to take their place. "Hold Back, you two! Let's hope we've got it in us!"
With affirmative cries, Espeon and Umbreon charged forward. Skarmory screeched, charging towards Umbreon and lashing his wing across the Moonlight Pokémon for another Shadow Break; Umbreon shook it off, slamming a withheld blow into the Skarmory and then clearing the path for Espeon to do the same. The Steel-type meant the damage wasn't as great it would have been otherwise - but Wes didn't want to take any chances with Shadow Pokémon.
The darkness shrouding the sky limited what the Pokémon could do to heal themselves; Rui quickly pulled a Hyper Potion out of Wes' Bag, prompting Umbreon to dash back as Espeon charged forward for another go round. As her attack connected, Rui clenched the trigger on the healing spray, aiming it carefully to wash over Umbreon; meanwhile, Skarmory had retaliated against Espeon's blow with another harsh Shadow Break, causing the Sun Pokémon to retreat.
"I don't think we have enough Potions to keep this up too long," Rui observed.
"We don't have to," Wes insisted. "We just need to last as long as we can!"
Umbreon charged forward, and Espeon took his place as Rui dropped the empty Potion bottle, drawing a fresh one and quickly turning it on the injured Eeveelution. Skarmory intercepted Umbreon in mid-charge, striking the Moonlight Pokémon with another Shadow Break; again did Umbreon fight through it, hitting with an easy blow and then retreating as Rui exhausted the Hyper Potion she was spraying Espeon with; the Sun Pokémon quickly charged forward to take his place as Wes drew an Ultra Ball.
"Okay," Wes called, "this one should be good!"
Gonzap glared as Espeon took another Shadow Break, connecting with another blow and then retreating. "You wouldn't dare-?!"
"Wouldn't I?" Wes yelled, holding the Ball at his side for his Snag Machine to convert it. "That Pokémon has been endarkened - subjected to torture until it can't do anything but fight! But that darkness can be unmade - and if I have to Snag it in order to see it purified...!"
Rings of light traced the Ultra Ball, and he brought it back and hurled it forward.
"...then I will!"
The Snag Ball opened up before Skarmory, and the Armor Bird Pokémon screeched as the light enveloped it, dragging it inside as the Ball closed and fell to the gorund.
Shake... Shake... Shake... Click!
Gonzap yelled angrily as the Ball bounced back towards Wes; the rogue Snagger caught it in his left hand as the darkness faded out from around the battlefield. "You little runt!" he snapped.
With the skies clear, Espeon and Umbreon were free to heal on their own power; an ephemeral sun and moon appeared above them, bathing their wounds as they stood between Gonzap and their trainer. With the battle over, the watching crowd was in no mood to tolerate the thieves; the Chaser with the Arcanine quickly stepped forward, yelling, "Get out of here, Snagem!"
The gathered Sailors nodded, pumping their fists in the air as they concurred, "Get out of here, Snagem!"
Gonzap glanced around the area; then he turned to his grunts. "Let's beat it!" Then, turning to Wes; "Don't think I'll forget this!"
Wes and Rui stepped aside, giving them a wide berth as they charged out of Gateon, climbed into their truck and took off.
The watchers before the Coronet Diner observed the crowd swarm the mounted Snag Machine, and work together to throw it in the harbor; then the three of them made their way towards the hotel.
Draco: So, obviously the display after the purification scene is just me throwing a huge #TakeThat at every cynical pessimistic jackass who doesn't actually pay attention to the dialogue in the core series. Semi-recent developments have taught me that #SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped. That being said, I felt that the Celebi-induced purification cutscene in Colosseum was simplified because of the limitations of the GameCube, so everything before Celebi takes off can be considered something I would have as part of the pseudo-remake, give or take a few more-specific actions that I'm free to represent in writing because I'm using a static medium.
Gateon Port is your last chance for level grinding before Realgam Tower, they'd better make it worth it; your dining locales are battle spots.
The Krabby Club works like the Mauville Food Court. Waiting for your meal, you get a series of battles (your choice of Singles or Doubles) against Trainers with just enough Pokémon to partake in that battle type, no healing between fights. You get a Nugget if you wrap up a battle on the same turn as they call your number, and a Big Nugget if you take out a Trainer per turn.
The Coronet Diner works like the Lumiose restaurants. Your dish arrives, and you get a battle (Doubles, Triples, or Rotation) against one Trainer with just enough Pokémon to partake in that battle type, per dish, healing after each fight. You get a take-home bag full of Big Mushrooms, with the number based on how precise your turn count was for each dish.