A/N: So, I realized that in the chapter Creation before Destruction, I made an error that Dawn didn't know how Cynthia got the egg even though she was told. I corrected that error. Also, this is the last chapter that's going to come up every 24 hours. We're completely caught up and will return to our regular waiting time intervals of every few days. Although I quite enjoyed the change of waiting a week and publishing a chapter everyday. I can't do that every other week obviously since I'd be racing to write both during the break and while I'm publishing, but it was fun.
Once Jupiter was locked up in Snowpoint City's holding facility, a smaller version of a jail since there was no crime period outside of shenanigans and tomfoolery, The teens headed to the Pokémon Center so that Dawn's Pokémon could be healed and alert the Prof. Ash's laptop, he called Rowan.
"Ah, hello you three. What's happening?" He asked in his stern voice as always.
"I apprehended and turned in another Team Galactic commander, Prof." Dawn reported with a joyful smile on her face. Rowan's face it up in positive surprise.
"Have you now? Excellent work, my dear. You're not just valuable, but powerful too." He commended his protégé.
"Aw, thank you."
"Has there been any new developments?" Ash asked.
"Yes. Cynthia told me that Detective Looker has found what he believes to be a secret entrance to Team Galactic's HQ in Veilstone City. But he believed that it was too dangerous to go alone. He waited for you to complete your lake missions."
"Understood. We'll be there as fast as possible." Ash said before closing his laptop.
"How are we supposed to get there quickly? Our birds aren't fast enough." Barry inquired, a little bit concerned. A local that heard the whole conversation suggested,
"There's a sailor that can take you. He normally doesn't take passengers, but you can say that it's an emergency."
"Thank you." Barry thanked. They waited for Dawn's Pokemon to be healed before the three went to the port South of the city and found said sailor, wearing heavy winter clothes. As they approached him, he asked,
"Do you have certification?"
"It's an emergency. We need to get to Veilstone City." Dawn answered.
"What kind of emergency?" He asked suspiciously, his eyes narrowing.
"We're trying to stop those that blew up the lakes. You saw us carry that woman and stuntank a while ago. I saw you." Ash mentioned.
"I do recall. If that's what you're doing, then I'll take you to Veilstone."
"Yeah! High fives!" Barry cheered as they each high fived each other. Once they were on board the large four person speed boat, it took only four hours to reach the outer limits of the city, though there were no ports to dock. The sun has just set, with only a little bit of sun left in the sky. The teens shed their winter clothes and had their casual clothes on.
"Alright, this is as far as I can go. You have flying Pokémon?"
"Of course we do." Barry stated like it was obvious before they hopped on their Staraptor and Togekiss and flew to where the warehouses were. Touching down and returning their Pokémon, they found Looker when he revealed himself.
"Greetings again. So you've captured another commander. You are quite special, the three of you."
"Well you know, we try." Ash remarked with a shrug.
"But beware, I can only take one of you. While four certainly cover more ground, that doubles the chances of getting caught than two. So, who wants to volunteer?"
"I think Dawn should go." Ash suggested.
"Huh?! Why not me?" Barry asked his rival incredulously. Ash stared at his best friend blankly.
"Barry, have you ever actually tried being stealthy? The reason I always found you during hide and seek as kids was because you were giggling and whispering how I'd never find you. This isn't the first time I had to explain that. Besides, Dawn has a steel and a psychic type. She's better equipped for handing problems than we are."
"Thank you Ash." Dawn said gratefully while Barry grumbled with his arms crossed.
"Very well. Dawn, follow me. You two, make sure no one enters here."
"Okay." Ash agreed.
"Roger that." Barry saluted.
"Wish me luck guys." Dawn told them as she gave both of the guys a hug.
"You don't need luck. You're strong enough." Ash told his partner. Hearing that boosted her confidence, so she rewarded him with a peck on the cheek, making Ash blush.
"Thank you." The researcher replied before following Looker down into the belly of the beast. The two boys stood there until Barry teased,
"Someone's in looooove." Ash's blush went deeper as he lightly punched Barry in the arm with a half amused face.
"Shut up."
Once they were down in the basement levels of Team Galactic's HQ, Looker and Dawn crept past security cameras and laser detectors using the boxes as cover, and poor lighting to their advantage. At a corner, two grunts were facing away from them talking about what Cyrus has planned. Dawn wondered where she heard that name before. But before she could remember, Looker was able to sneak up on them and introduce two tasers to their necks, zapping them before they fell to the ground. He then turned to the girl and tossed her a taser.
"Just in case." Dawn nodded to what he said as they went up some stairs. Unlike the basement where the floor and walls were grey, the floor was of a caramel color while the walls were grey with a big pink strip in the middle horizontally. There wasn't much in this room so they continued up to the second floor. Once again there was nothing where they were so they continued onto the third. However, when they reached that floor, there were two hallways leading off in opposite directions. Using his hand silently, he directed which one they'd take. Acknowledging his decision, Looker went left while Dawn went right. After ducking and weaving through the security cameras and passing by grunts, she was eventually able to hear the loud yet distant sound of a voice on a microphone. Using the voice as a guide, Dawn eventually found herself just outside a large room filled with dozens of Team Galactic grunts. It was unnerving how they all looked the same with their light bowler haircuts and space themed outfits. On the opposite side of the room, she also saw Looker whom wasn't detected as of yet. It was at that moment, a man stepped up to the elevated podium 10 feet off the ground, and she then remembered which person that Cyrus belonged to; Cyrus Hall, the blue haired man in Eterna City and that cave leading to Hearthome City. After a cough, he spoke to the mass of grunts.
"Fellow members of Team Galactic, hear me! You know me as your leader, Cyrus Hall. This world of ours is a crude one. It is incomplete. It has been, and always will be, a struggle to survive in this world. We humans and Pokémon alike are incomplete. Be because we are all so lacking, we lie... we cheat... we steal... we fight and maim... it is ugly and disgusting. I hate it all. That we are all incomplete... with of every fiber of my being. The world should be complete. The world must change. Who will step up to change it? It's all of us. Together, we've uncovered Sinnoh's myths and secrets. Together, we have captured the Lake Guardians. And now together, we have obtained the energy to change the world! Our dream is within our grasp! Understand this... my long held dream world is on the verge of becoming reality. All those that follow me to Mt. Coronet, or stay here... our missions may be different, but our hearts beat as one. Let there be glory... for Team Galactic!"
"Team Galactic!" The grunts roared.
"Set forth, for our new world is at hand!" Cyrus concluded before walking off somewhere, along with all the grunts leaving the room. Thankfully not using either of the hallways she and Looker were using to hide. After making sure nobody was going to interrupt them, the two looked up at the podium.
"So that's the real Cyrus Hall. And everyone thought he was the CEO of big energy company, but was really the mastermind of the recent crimes against Sinnoh... no, the world even. We must obtain all the clues where his office is. How preposterous; a world for only Team Galactic. It makes my head spin. What is this world he talks about, and the incompleteness of ours? It is my job within International Police. Will you help me?"
"Of course." The young researcher agreed as she brought out her Lopunny. "Lopunny, could you get us up there please?"
"Lop." She nodded as she took hold of her master and leapt up so that Dawn was on the podium. leaping down, she let Looker wrap his arms around her before going back up so that the two humans were on the same level. "Thank you. Return." Following Looker again, the two snuck through the hallways again, not worrying about lasers or grunts, but simply the cameras. At some point, they came up to a split hallway, one long and leading away, while the other was short with a door reading 'boss' on it.
"You go other way, Dawn. That office could be filled with booby traps, and I've trained for this. I thank you for the assistance."
"You're welcome Looker." The girl replied back.
"Now, make swift haste. Take extra care." Nodding, Dawn went the other direction, making sure she wasn't spotted. While she was stealthily making her way through the building, shocking any grunt that looked away, she found the directions to the lab.
("Could that be where the lake guardians are kept?") Following her gut instinct, she went in the direction of the lab and saw it lead to an elevator. But it appeared that it was key card restricted. But that wasn't a problem. Bringing out her Sun Pokémon, she whispered, "Crystal, use Psychic to open those doors."
"Esp." She responded as she looked at the doors and concentrated. The crystal on her forehead glowed red while the doors glowed blue and were forcibly pushed apart.
"Good girl. Dawn thanked her Pokémon, petting her head before swiftly entering the elevator. Returning Crystal, she soon reached the basement floor again and swiftly hid behind some boxes upon exiting just as a scientist turned the corner. He appeared as to why the elevator was here with no one going to the lab. When he got to close, Dawn leapt from her hiding place and shocked him into submission. Placing him behind the boxes, she crept through the hall, ducking behind the pillars of machinery whenever someone walked by. Turning a left, she found the entrance to the lab. Quietly entering, she saw the three lake guardians trapped in suspended animation. She couldn't help but marvel at seeing three legendary Pokémon in the same room. In the front and closest to her was Uxie. It looked like a grey fairy like creature with two tails and rubies in the middle of the tail's ends. It also had a dominantly yellow face and head that was really rounded, resembling a head, or even the brain. Mesprit looked the same body and tail wise, but its head was pink with four drooping appendages on the sides of its head, similar like a lucario but longer and more straight. Finally, Azelf looked the same like its kin, but its head was blue and was pointed to the sides on on the top of its head, like 3/4 of a four pointed star. They all had the same ruby like gem in their foreheads to go with their tails. In the room was Saturn and another person; a fat old man that barely reached Saturn's shoulders.
"I don't understand Cyrus, although that's nothing new. He wants us to release them? Why? Although we have everything we need and keeping them is unessential, I'd rather not risk them to try to interfere with our plans." The old man answered his concerns with a cold expression.
"It doesn't matter what they would do. He wanted them disposed since they are of no longer any use to us. And I'd rather not take the time to kill them. Let's just go."
"You do not tell me what to do, Charon. You're barely even a commander under me. But... I do agree. Killing them is effort beneath me. Consider yourselves lucky, lake guardians." The blue haired commander sneered as he pressed a red button. The machines holding them turned off, and when they could feel they were no longer contained, they glowed white before teleporting away. "Now, let us go see Cyrus's big plan. Whatever that may entail." Saturn said as he turned and went around Uxie's former prison, which was where Dawn was hiding. Luckily they didn't spot her. Just as Dawn was about to follow them at least as far as the hallway, Saturn turned swiftly and punched the young researcher right in the cheek. With a yell of pain, she grunted as she slammed into the metal floor, holding her cheek. Walking backward out of the lab, Saturn said to her, "You, I have no guilt about killing." Closing and locking the door, the commanders left while Dawn got up, her cheek darkening with a bruise.
"Jerk." She muttered. The lights turned red and an alert bared up, a female voice warning,
"Attention all Team Galactic members. Team Galactic HQ will self destruct in 2 minutes." That mad Dawn's heart skip a beat. Self destruct? She needed to get out of there. Now. But what could she do?
"Empoleon! Use Flash Cannon on the door!" Dawn pleaded as she summoned her faithful water starter. Upon being released, the Emperor Pokémon shot a silver beam at the sealed door, blowing it down with extreme force. "To the elevator!" She ordered as she and Empoleon retreated to the elevator and pressed the up button, but there was no response.
"1 minute, 30 seconds."
"No, they disabled the elevator! Wait, maybe we can blow up the computer!" Returning to the lab, the warning said,
"1 minute."
"Empoleon, Flash Cannon!" Forming a silver energy ball, she fired another blast at the computer console, obliterating it into a sparking crater in the wall. "Do you think that did it?"
"45 seconds."
"Agh! How do we escape from this death trap?!"
30 seconds later
"Well. We certainly handled this well." Ash remarked as he and Barry stood over ten defeated and knocked out Team Galactic grunts with defeated golbats, glameows, stunky's and an assortment of various other ones every here and there as they exited the secret entrance.
"Yeah. No way that these grunts will over come our winning team!" Barry cheered as they fist bumped. However, an air vent cover fell to the ground, clattering against the ground and startling the two boys. Looker tried to get down safely but he slipped and fell on his back landing on a grunt, whom yelled in pain.
"Looker, are you-"
"No time to explain! Get away now!" Hoisting both the stumped teens over his shoulders and ran as fast as possible out of the warehouse and managed to run a few hundred feet before an explosion to the East of them blew up, and subsequent detonations following to their location until the warehouse they were in also exploded, taking out all the grunts and Pokémon in there with it. The three getting away were pushed by the shockwave with enough force to fall forward, grunting from the rough landing. Ash and Barry were the first to get up to witness the destruction of the Northern most section of Veilstone City.
"Huh. Glad that... Looker came... when he did." Ash panted.
"What... happened?!" Barry questioned as he shook dust out of his hair. Looker coughed as he staggered to his feet, brushing himself off as he answered,
"The HQ... it blew up."
"What?!" Both of the guys gasped from the answer. Ash could feel panic rising in his heart.
"What about Dawn?! Did she also escape?!"
"I don't know. We split up. I was handling Cyrus's office when-"
"Wait, Cyrus?! That blue haired guy that I've met before several times? He's working for Team Galactic?!"
"Not for. He's the mastermind. I don't know if he set it and I set it off or something, but I had two minutes to leave, or I'd be as dead as those grunts there." Just then, Officer Vinny came to the warehouses in his police car, and gaped at the destruction as he and growlithe stepped out.
"Oh my... what did you all do here?!" The officer demanded, questioning the three people he could see.
"Officer. Officer, you got to help us!" Ash cried out as he ran to Vinny and clung to his clothes. "Our friend was caught up in there! You've got to save her!"
"Whoa kid, even if I wanted to, I couldn't in a fire like that. I would need water assistance which is insufficient as is right now."
"Water? I got a water Pokemon! Floatzel, I choose-" Before he could summon his Sea Weasel, the burning warehouse collapsed, eliminating whatever chance he might've had to stage a rescue. "no." He whispered, dropping the net ball onto the ground, unaware of its existence anymore. "No." He uttered again, his eyes staring in despair at the wreckage that lay in front of him. The fire raged making his body feel hot, but his heart and soul felt ice cold. "No!" Ash repeated, dropping to his knees, nearly unable to comprehend the thought that his partner, his companion, his best friend... was dead. He screamed into the sky with excruciating, dread filled anguish, "NOOOOOOO!" His voice rang out through the stone made city, whom was more concerned about the explosions and the disturbance of their city than the faint yell of a cry filled with depression and soul crushing nothingness. Ash let his hands touch the ground, tears dripping down his face as it felt like his whole world was destroyed. Not even the idea of losing his mother felt this extreme. Barry stared at his best friend with empathetic eyes as he wiped away tears. Looker and Vinny stared down at the ground, not really what to do at the moment.
Then in a moment nobody was expecting, a Lopunny burst through the ground, pushing apart the asphalt the warehouses were sitting on. Everybody except Ash were taken aback by this as Crystal, and then Dawn came out, floating thanks to Crystal's psychic ability. They didn't appear hurt, but they were definitely dusty from the rocks that nearly crushed them.
"Oh man. That was crazy. Almost didn't make it there." She sighed, falling to her knees. Her voice managed to get Ash's attention as he slowly turned his head towards the closest person he thought he lost and his breath got caught in his throat.
"D-Dawn?" He choked out.
"Dawn, you're alive! We thought you were caught up in the explosion!" Barry told her, tears coming from his eyes again.
"Nearly, but Crystal protected me with protect and then I used Lopunny's dig to-"
"DAWN!" They heard a relieved shout as Ash displayed a running speed that rivaled Barry's as he accidently pushed Barry and aside and hugged Dawn so hard she lost her footing and they fell to the ground together.
"Ugh. Ash, what-" She was going to ask him about tackling her to the ground, but he was just bawling into her dirtied scarf as he mumbled incoherent words, but there was one word she could hear every few seconds. Dawn. Putting the pieces together, a smile slowly formed on his face as she placed a hand on the back of his head and running her other hand down his back.
"There there."
A/N: Although, continuing on from that top A/N, I'm surprised that there has been very little reviews about how I've been doing on my writing. Do I need to ask to leave reviews to get them or whatever? What did you think of Dawn and Barry's match, Dawn on Iron Island, the fires, the protagonists fighting the commanders and this chapter? How good was all that? Tell me your thoughts please. Thank you.