~Pokeball Factory~
~Lower Levels~
With a third of all the captives already released and on their way to the exit, Sycamore and his group decided they had no more time to waste, they had to stop searching for their friends and release everyone. Sycamore had already voiced his concerns about being able to reach everyone before someone came to stop them when grunts began firing multiple attacks into the large room in an attempt to stop their progress. Currently Bonnie and Lucy were holding off the entrance with Zygarde and Seviper. Luckily, it's a lot easier to defend a single narrow hallway, rather than a widely open space like outside.
Everybody was busy working with helping out people they didn't know, except for Cilan. Cilan was looking for someone specific and important to him. Iris. Iris was, at this point, besides his pokemon, the only real friend he had. The only one who he knew understood what happened on that day he betrayed Ash. 'I'm coming Iris.' He thought. 'I won't leave you behind any longer. Besides, if I'm going to even have a chance at pleading my case, I need you.' He kept walking past the 'J' and 'K' holding sections and made his way to the 'L's' with Pansage following closely behind. "Why couldn't she have ever told me her last name before all this happened?" He wondered out loud.
A single pod finally caught his eye. This particular pod was labeled Iris Esmerelda Leigh and held inside the jungle girl Cilan knew and loved. "Pansage! We found her!" He exclaimed. "Cut her loose!" He ordered his monkey friend. Pansage nodded and used Magical Leaf to slice through the metal and the correct wire under it. The resulting loss in power caused the tube to lose all fluids inside. Iris's eyes slowly fluttered open and she gradually began regaining her conscious. The door to the prison pod flew open and Iris slipped out of the pod. Unlike the others, however, she landed on her feet. Cilan wondered how her reflexes and awareness were so good despite her situtation, but he guessed for someone who lives in the trees, it made sense. "Iris?" He tried putting a hand on her shoulder. "You there?"
Iris's head snapped up to meet Cilan's gaze. "Cilan?" She took a quick look around her. "Where are we? What happened to Oak and that other guy?"
Cilan enveloped her in a hug. "I'm so glad you're safe! We've been out of it for a long time." He pulled away from the hug. "We were too late. Whoever this guy is, he had Oak take us out of the picture long before we could get to Ash. He put us both in stasis pods. Max told me the date. It's been over a year that we've been out of it."
"A year? Well then what are we doing awake?" Iris asked ruffling her hair. "How'd you get out? Malfunction?" She guessed.
Cilan shook his head. "Paul let me out, though I don't think he really wanted to." He told her. "He called me a traitor. No one knows the truth, Iris."
"Paul, huh?" She said scratching her chin. "Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's tell Ash what really happened!" She insisted. "Where is the little kid?"
"Apparently with that girl from Kalos, Serena. There's no way they'll let us anywhere near him." Cilan said. "They think we're monsters. We need to start smaller. Brock is my friend. Or at least, he used to be. If we can convince him to help us, maybe we'll have a chance a salvaging this relationship."
Iris looked to her left to the pod standing next to the one she was in. "Well if you plan on pleading a case, it might be a good idea to let her out, too." Iris suggested pointing at the stasis tube. "We could use the help."
"I don't know...we don't know that she was manipulated like we were." Cilan admitted. "We might be better off on our own, don't you think?" He tilted his head.
"She was Ash's friend, too. If she liked him half as much as we did, she was just as much a tool as we were. We can't leave her. Wasn't she Ash's first traveling companion? Surely, she was played just like us." Iris insisted. Cilan paused for a moment before giving a slight nod. They both turned to the tube they were referring to. Inside was Ash's earliest traveling companion. An orange haired girl floated silently in a deep slumber, with a small frown on her face. Iris pulled out a ball from her pocket and it opened in her hand. A bright light shot from the ball and into her hair. Seconds later, a little dragon popped his head out of her poof.
"Xew." She cried. "Axew."
Meanwhile Brock was off alone helping a rather attractive young lady out of her pod with the help of his trusted Crobat. Everyone was sure that in any other situation there would be multiple proposals going on but despite the woman chaser Brock was known for being, he did know when to put that passion to the side. He grabbed the soaked girl from inside the pod and lay her up against the pod before moving on. "Come on, Crobat." He said waving forward. "We're not even close to done yet."
"Crobat."
"Do you think you could use a couple more pairs of hands over here?" A familiar feminine voice asked.
Brock turned to find May and Max behind him both with their pokemon Grovyle and Blaziken with them. Brock let out a deep sigh. "Normally I would say no, but I'm the only one working in this section, so if you must." He gave in. "I'll take this one. You two take those." He ordered pointing down at the pods next to the one he was working with.
May brought he Blaziken to the left of Brock and with a swift Sky Uppercut, slashed right through the metal in front of her. "So... how's Ash been?" May asked carefully. "You know since-"
"Since you betrayed him?" Brock finished. "Sad, angry, untrusting, nothing unusual wouldn't you say?" He asked bitterly as Crobat fired of a bunch of Razor Winds.
"Brock, I don't know what happened that day, but it wasn't my fault." May said quietly. "You know me-"
"I thought I did." Brock interrupted. "You didn't just hurt Ash that day, you know. I lost friends that day, too. I lost the nice girl I traveled all of Hoenn with and her little brother who I remember being so loyal and full of wonder."
"I would never hurt Ash. And neither would Max." May insisted. "Max was having his pokemon held hostage-"
"I know all about Max's situation. Ash told me everything just before I was kidnapped." Brock assured her reaching into the pod in front of him and pulling out a young boy. "You awake kid?" He asked shaking the little boy gently.
"Huh? Lane? Wait...you're not my big brother." The boy said backing away. He slammed into the machinery behind him. "Where am I?! Where's Lane?!" The boy shouted.
"Calm down." Brock said calmly. "We're going to get you reunited with you brother, I promise. But I need you to do exactly what I tell you, okay?" The little boy nodded. "First, I need you to calm down. Take this berry." He said handing him a blue berry with pours all over it. "It'll calm your anxiety." The boy popped the berry into his mouth and sat down. "Stay there. I have more people to rescue, but we will find your brother."
"Okay." The little boy agreed happily. Brock walked past both May and Max and moved on to the pod to the right of Max.
"I see you still have a gifted way with people." Max said. "It reminds me of how you used to defuse every negative emotion while we were traveling through Hoenn together."
"Yeah, well, having so many siblings does help prepare you for dealing with people younger than yourself." Brock admitted.
"Listen Brock, I know what you may think of us, but if we could just have a chance with Ash to explain what really happened-" May tried.
"May!" Brock growled silencing her. He shook his head and sighed again. "No one here wants to believe you more than me, but I was there. You watched as Oak held us captive. Paul told me you stood by while Oak shot at Ash. And you're asking me, his friend, to look past that and believe that somehow it wasn't your fault?" He asked calmly.
"I didn't know what I was doing! It was almost like my will wasn't my own." May said while she and Blaziken lifted an older man out of the pod. "Sir, we're going to get you out of here, just sit down. You may experience a loss of strength from being locked up so long."
"Thank you, young lady." He slumped down and immediately rested his head back, falling into an unconscious state. "I'm just gonna rest my eyes." He said weakly.
"I don't even remember it all that well." May continued. "I can't explain it well, but it's almost like it was a dream and not a memory."
"They're telling you the truth." Another person added. Behind him, his old buddy Cilan, along with Iris and a drowsy Misty joined the group of three. Misty was currently being held up by Iris as her only means of support. "Oak told us so. Before he captured us." Cilan said. "It was a set-up from his invitation to come meet with Ash with him to the moment he shot poor Pikachu."
"He bragged on and on about how easy we were to manipulate. Our emotions were tampered with." Iris added. "Then he and his Dragonite attacked and... nothing. Nothing until Cilan released me just now."
"And you traveled two whole regions with me. You know my feelings for Ash." Misty added weakly. "As soon as that gunshot went off, I woke up. It was like waking up from a nightmare."
"Whether you were in control of your emotions or not is completely irrelevant to most. You really hurt Ash, and if what you say is true, and you were manipulated, well it doesn't make things much better does it?" Brock said knowingly. "You were all driving forces in Pikachu's disablement. That's not something I see Ash forgiving just because you were feeling angrier than usual."
"But it's more than that!" May argued. Max decided that, at the moment, they were fighting a losing battle trying to convince Brock. So he cut his losses and moved on to the next tube down. There he found something rather shocking.
"Brock!" a feminine voice called.
Brock groaned. "What now?!" He pivoted to find The Pike Queen staring back at him. "Oh. It's you, Lucy. What is it?"
"Bonnie and I managed to fight back the grunts for now." Lucy reported. "Bonnie told me to come and help you." Lucy told him, blushing slightly. She leaned to the left and looked past him to see who he was talking with. She recognized May and Max but instantly remembered Brock telling her what they had done to Ash. "What are they doing anywhere near you, Brock? Are they bothering you? I can take care of them for-"
"I can take care of them." Brock interrupted. He turned back to the group of 'traitors'. "If you want to prove you aren't the terrible people he thinks you are, then maybe you should shut up and help these hostages instead of wasting precious time." Brock suggested. "Then maybe, just maybe, Ash might give you the time of day."
"Hey Lucy!" Max called from a few pods down. "Found Greta!" He announced pointing forward.
May joined Max in front of Greta and cringed. "Why does it look like time hit her in the face with a Crabhammer?!" She asked.
"What? Greta!" Lucy exclaimed. She pushed Brock to the side and ran towards the younger man. "You found her?!"
"Yeah. There's Tucker, too!" He said pointing to the pod right next to Greta's. "He's looking like himself, at least." Max observed.
Everybody else dropped what they were doing and joined Max and May in front of the Frontier Brains locked away in suspended animation. Lucy was a lot closer to Greta, so naturally she checked on her first. "Ooh." She squinted her eyes shut and looked away. "Greta, what did they do to you?" She asked desperately. "Seviper, come back out please!"
"What's the big deal?" Iris asked. "A little moisturizer and the old lady's wrinkles will go away in a cinch." She shrugged. "The elder at the Village of Dragons used to make a killer moisturizer out of berries, moss, and Weedle dung. The old lady'll look a decade younger in just one week."
"Idiot! Do you live under a rock?!" Lucy snapped.
"No, I do not!" Iris snapped back. "I much prefer the trees!"
Seviper slashed through the metal with its tail and waited for further directions. "That's Greta Dey!" No response was heard from the jungle girl. "The Arena Tycoon?!" Lucy snapped at Iris once again. "She's 22! She looks like she's 70!"
"Abel told me about this. Apparently, the bad guy stole her youth from her and used it to make himself younger." Max told her. "I kinda thought he was exaggerating. I don't even know how that's possible."
"Seviper, cut the black one." Brock advised. "That'll release her from her prison." Seviper slashed the thick wire in front of him and the pod began losing power gradually. "Max, get Tucker out." Brock ordered.
"Right." Max pointed forward and Grovyle's Leaf Blade followed its path.
Meanwhile, Greta was officially the oldest person they had released, meaning Brock, Lucy, and Misty were taking even more care than usual as to not damage he any further than she was right now. Cilan and Iris both realizing they weren't needed, or really wanted, decided to go off to the next few tubes. "Greta?! Greta, can you hear me?!" Lucy begged. "Oh, Greta. If only I'd gotten here instead of getting kidnapped like a weak rookie!" She cursed.
"Hey, don't talk like that." Brock said taking Greta's right arm and wrapping it around his shoulder. "Maybe we can find a way to reverse the process." Brock said.
"But we don't even know what he did!" Max said. He let out a grunt of pain as May elbowed him in the side, shutting him up. "I mean, yeah, anything's possible." He said rubbing his side.
As the Dome Ace slumped out of his pod, May caught him only to be hit in the face with the wings, or feathers, or whatever they were supposed to be, attached to the back of his costume. May did her best to hold Tucker up but she just wasn't strong enough. Eventually Max joined her in supporting the brain. Tucker eventually managed to come to his senses and realize he was being held up by two younger trainers. "Ah! Are you here for autographs?! That'll be-hey wait a minute...you're Ash's pals. I remember now!" He exclaimed. "Some crazy super old guy-"
"Is after Ash." Max finished. "We know. But right now, we're here to save you."
Tucker shook his head. He pushed both Max and May off of him and jumped into the air. He did a twirl and landed in front of the siblings facing them with seriousness. "I do not need to be saved anymore!" He said. "But we must find Ash."
"Anabel's probably already found him by now." Max said. "She said she could sense him or something. We need to get everybody out of here!"
"They're back!" Bonnie called from the entrance. "We've got more grunts!" They were all lucky this place echoed like an underground cave or they wouldn't have heard her.
Max looked around. While they had been focusing on the Frontier Brains, everyone else had been releasing people like crazy. It was to the point where there was another uprising starting. People who didn't fully understand the situation they were in getting restless and wanting to take things into their own hands. "If only we could get people out of here without using the door." Max said.
"Teleportation." Tucker said. "That's what you're wanting. Sadly, my Metagross is back at the Battle Dome with all of my adoring fans." He said.
"And my Kirlia is with Professor Birch." Max added.
"If teleportation is what you want," Lucy stated. "then I suppose I can help." She called out a new pokemon, one no one, even her colleagues, knew she owned. The pokeball opened and released a large pulse of light that faded to reveal a small humanoid pokemon floating silently in one place.
"An Abra?" Brock asked. "But I thought you only liked serpentine pokemon." He said.
"I also have another kind I like-" She said looking away from Brock.
"Which is...?" Tucker prompted. "The people would love to know."
Lucy sighed. She stood there for a moment before mumbling slightly. She mumbled a single sentence before looking back up. Everybody stared at her for a moment. She groaned loudly. "I think pokemon with squinty eyes are cute, okay!" She said angrily. Tucker tilted his head and everyone just stood in amazement.
"Whoa." Max said realizing the implications there. He cried out in pain again as May slammed her foot down on his and shushing him.
"So, the truth comes out." Tucker said bemusedly.
"Shut up! Look you wanted someone who could teleport." Lucy said trying to change the subject and hide her blush at the same time. "Abra can."
Brock shook all current thoughts out of his head and cleared his throat. "Right. So, he can teleport everyone away?"
"Well, I don't know how long he'd be able to keep a teleportation table up before running out of stamina. He also can't go anywhere unfamiliar. He either has to know the place he's teleporting or he can read the minds of those who teleport with him and go somewhere they know." Lucy explained.
"Sycamore's lab." Max said. "It's safe, out of the way, and large enough to hold everyone." He said. "We just need Professor Sycamore. Abra will take everyone to Professor Sycamore's lab while we keep freeing people and Bonnie holds off the oncoming grunts. Once everyone's out of here, Professor Sycamore can start working on getting everybody back to their homes. I'll go grab the Professor, Abra can take Greta and Tucker first."
~The Heart~
"Did he just say over a thousand years." Mairin asked. "Is he delusional? How can any human live for over a thousand years?"
"I should think it obvious." Aaron chuckled. "By stealing the life force from others. Every fifteen years or so my body begins to revert back to its true age so I need to siphon the living aura from others to keep myself alive. It's a bit of a nasty process for those not on the receiving end, but that's life for you, some people are just predestined to survive, while others to perish."
"And you take innocent people from their families to fuel that need." Anabel scowled. "How do you live with yourself?"
"I'll have you know that I have never taken the life force of anyone innocent." Aaron argued calmly. "It's the people who fight me, who discover my secret and demonize me for it that I end up using. That boy Red for instance. Years ago, he nearly exposed my secret to the world. So, I drained him for every last bit of aura he had." Aaron shook his head. "A lot of good that did. His aura didn't even last as long as the minimum expectancy. But it matters not. Now I have your blonde friend's aura, and it seems I'm back to my old self again."
"That's it!" Ash yelled. "You and me are gonna battle here and now! I've had enough of sitting here and listening to you tell me all about these terrible things you've done and tried to do to my friends! I'm going to beat you while you still have no power over me!"
"No power over you, you say? What about healing Pikachu? Have you stopped caring?" Aaron asked not standing up from his chair. "Are you ready to damn him to a life of disability?"
"Don't...EVER...accuse me of not caring about Pikachu, lowlife!" Ash growled. "I would fight the world for my little buddy, but you..." He said pointing at Aaron. "you won't help me or Pikachu! You want to enslave us! I'm done listening to you. And we're gonna fight!" He dropped his duffle bag on the ground. "My best versus your best."
"Ash, I don't want to humiliate you in front of your friends." Aaron chuckled. "Besides, what would I get from this battle? If I win would you join me? For good this time?" Aaron asked.
"Not in a million years." Ash shot back "But we're still fighting!"
"I say we all fight him!" Anabel said. She quickly pulled out her most trusted pokemon's pokeball, Espeon. "He still hasn't payed for what he did to Greta!"
"And Braxien!" Serena added. "And then he tries to poach Ash and turn him against us!"
"And you should have seen how his goon battled outside." Clemont joined in. "Thirty on one isn't exactly a fair battle. If that's his battle etiquette, then how do we know he plays fair here. He's just lucky that all my pokemon are out, or he'd have to deal with me too."
Aaron groaned. "Kids, you are hardly worth my time. That's why my underlings were sent to detain you. None of you have the skill to fight me." Aaron said. "But Ash, I suppose I can grant your wish and fight, I'll even give you an advantage, it'll be eight of yours versus six of mine. Good enough odds for you?"
"I don't need an advantage! Don't you know the heroes always win?!" Ash shouted.
"Very well, but don't say I never offered." Aaron shrugged. He stood up from his chair, pushing down on his legs for stability as he did so. "It'll be a simple six on six singles battle."
"Ash! Take these!" Serena yelled tossing him his two missing pokeballs. "Found them in the lab!"
Ash caught both balls in his hand. "Charizard! Noivern! Thanks, Serena!" He said.
"I was there too, but hey, don't mention it." Mairin grumbled.
Ash dropped both balls into the open duffle bag. "You're in trouble now."
"Oh no." He said sarcastically. "Whatever will I do. Ash, I didn't want to force you to join me, I gave you every chance to join me of your own will, even offering you the best luxuries you could ask for, but you still refuse." He turned his comm on once again and it lit up with a bright green light. "Butler, is it ready?"
'Yes sir, I've already sent it to you. Khan should be there any second now. We did just as you instructed.' Butler responded. 'It has been prepped and spit shined.'
"Good. I can't wait." He smiled. "Be sure to set yourself and any others still loyal up in a Trick Room as soon as possible." Aaron ordered. "You can call back all grunts that are currently trying to break through to the collection room. Obviously, they can't win." Aaron ordered shutting off his comm. "It seems your friends underground have been able to fight off my grunts, but it doesn't matter. They'll never evacuate all of my captives in time."
"In time for what?" Kidd asked.
"Sir! Your staff!" The group of intruding teens turned around to find an older man in a lab coat bowing with a long stick in his hands. At end of the stick was a blue orb held in place by several small branches curled around it. He walked past Ash and his friends and came to a halt in front of his boss. He turned the staff to its side and presented it to Aaron.
Aaron smiled and carefully took the staff from Khan and examined it. "Yes. This is exactly what I needed. Khan, leave us. Ash wants a battle, he'll get one." Aaron twirled the stick in his left hand for a moment before slamming the bottom end of it onto the ground. Upon contact, the floor immediately lit up with a blue glow than soon surrounded the entire room.
"What's going on?!" Serena asked observing the room. "What is that?!"
"Aura." Ash answered simply. "What are you up to now? And what's up with the stick? You gonna club us to death? I expected more from you."
"As you should." Aaron smirked. "This staff belonged to the leader of the Aura Guardians of Old. In my younger years, after the fall of the Guardians I managed to...confiscate it." He chuckled. "You'd think for such a powerful artifact they'd have a better security system for it. Simply put, this staff will amplify my abilities to levels the likes of which you've never seen. Whenever the Guardians couldn't beat an opponent by traditional means, they would call upon the staff's power, in order to give them the force to overpower anyone."
"What's so special about it?" Clemont asked pushing his glasses up. "I don't recognize the jewel at the end of it."
"The gem is something only found in a very remote region of the world just outside the Oblivia region. It's capable of harboring the powers of the Guardians Council that I've siphoned into it back in my youth." He gave a single laugh. "The fools."
"Wait a minute..." Kidd said. "Was it you, then? Are you the one-"
"Who killed the Aura Guardians of the olden days? Yes and no. I set everything up. I killed some, my lackeys killed the others, but a few evaded me. I suppose it's possible that the offspring of those who escaped are still out there somewhere,"
"Riley." Ash realized.
"but they're no match for me. I thought I had gotten rid of their empire. So, imagine my surprise, when I found that you, Ash Ketchum, had immense ties to aura despite seemingly having no guardian blood in you, and you were going around playing the hero across the world. It's quite remarkable."
"So that's why you really want Ash." Anabel concluded. "It's not that you care for him in the slightest. It's that he's the only one with Aura Guardian abilities, the only one who can beat you."
"Don't get cocky. You'll still lose this fight. I gave you every chance I could, but if these friends are such a distraction, perhaps I should get rid of them first."
"I won't let you." Ash glared. "I won't let you ever hurt anyone again." He promised. "Especially not my friends." He turned back to his friends. "I don't know what that staff's going to do, but you guys should get out of here, leave the rest to me."
"Pika!" Pikachu agreed. "Kaa."
"It's no use." Aaron said shaking his head. "There's nowhere to run, the staff will reach anyone and everyone within this factory. And we're still on emergency lockdown."
"You guys need to go and find a way out of this factory, just in case I really do lose this!" Ash said turning back to Aaron. "Before it's too late, go!"
"If you think I'm leaving you alone with him again-!" Serena shouted.
"He's already threatened to kill you guys! He needs me! If you don't find the others and leave now, then we're all at risk. Get as many out as you can."
"Well I'm not going anywhere." Anabel said. "I came all this way to bring you home alive. And that's what I'm gonna do."
"That's what we're going to do." Serena corrected. "I'm staying too."
"And me." Clemont added. "You're my brother Ash, I would never forgive myself for leaving you here. Besides, all you have to do is win, Ash. Beat him and we can all go home together."
"What about Bonnie?" Ash asked.
"Bonnie's fine. She's with the Professor, probably on her way out of the factory by now. Besides if I ran after her, I'd just get lost."
"Guys..." Ash said softly. "Alright, fine, you win. But everybody stay back!"
~Lower Levels~
~Collection Room~
Max had brought Professor Sycamore back the 'J' section of the collection room and the both of them now stood with Brock, Lucy, May, Tucker, and Greta, who was being held in Tucker's arms. Misty had gone off to help Iris and Cilan release the rest of the people. They along with Molly were currently clearing out the last of the 'K' section. Abra floated up to eye level with Professor Sycamore and slowly brought up his index finger connecting it to Sycamore's forehead. A pink flash surrounded Abra's finger for a moment before he tore it away from Sycamore.
Arba turned around and pointed towards the south end of the room and in another flash of bright pink light a small portal ripped open in front of the group. Inside the portal a rippling image of the corral at Professor Sycamore's lab could be seen. "Thanks, Abra." Lucy said. "Don't worry Professor, we'll save everyone before joining you. We're almost done here, so you can take everyone."
"What about Ash?" Tucker asked. "Are you guys going to leave him here when you're done?"
"Of course not." May said. "We need to start making up for what we did, and the only way to do that is make sure he makes it out of here in one piece."
"Alright." Sycamore said. "Make sure that you do. I've grown rather attached to him as of recent."
"We will." Brock promised. "I'm not letting him go without a fight, either." Sycamore nodded. He turned around and gestured for the frontier brain to follow. In a single step he traversed the portal and in a blip of light disappeared from the room. Tucker followed behind him quickly.
Brock turned to May and Max. "You two," He said pointing at them. "I'm still not sure about you guys, but we need to work together, so you inform all of the people we've released that they need to go through that portal, from there Sycamore can work on reconnecting them with any family they might have."
"Kind of makes you wish we hadn't sent Paul away with so many of the others." Max said. "If we could've just had them wait, we could get all of them out now, too."
"We can't change that now. I'm sure they'll find their own way out." Brock replied.
"Mrs. Ketchum!" Molly's voice cried. "I'll get you out of there!" Brock, May and Max's heads snapped their heads towards the source of the little rich girl's voice.
"Uh oh." May said. Beside her, Brock and Max took off towards Molly and May soon followed behind.
"Hold on, Molly!" Brock called. The group of three were too late. They reached Molly just in time for her Teddiursa to cut the power. Like all the pods before, the liquids drained.
"Somebody catch her!" Molly cried. The door flung open and Delia fell face first out of it colliding with the ground with great force.
"Oops." Brock said disingenuously. "Guess I was too slow." He shrugged.
Meanwhile the shock from hitting the floor seemed to be enough to wake Delia from her induced slumber. She gasped heavily. "My body! I can't feel my body." She tilted her head up from the ground without moving her head to find Brock, Max, May, and Molly looking down at her. "Oh, dear. It's you." She said. "Well? Help me up! I can't use my legs! Or my arms!"
"You know," Brock said turning to Max. "I'm not a vindictive person but this," He said turning back to Delia. "this feels right."
Max nodded. "I love irony."
"Vyle." His trusted partner nodded behind him.
"What are you doing?!" Molly yelled. "Help her up!" She went to take a step forward only to be stopped by May, who put a hand on her shoulder to hold her back. Molly turned back to her. "Hey! Careful! This dress wasn't cheap you know! And why aren't we helping her up?!"
"Because I'm not sure she deserves it." Brock told her. He took a knee in front of Delia, resting one arm on his knee. "Not after what you did to Ash." He said glaring at her. "And Pikachu."
"What I did to Ash?! What about what Aaron did to me?!" Delia glared back, still unmoving. "'Just get your son out of the way, and I'll leave you out of my invasion.' he said. Then I do what he said and he still sends his goons to kidnap me! I wouldn't have done that to Ash if I didn't have to!"
"So, that's it, huh? You sold out your own son, a kid with a heart of gold who saved countless lives, for your own safety?" Brock asked. "You had to." He got back up to his feet.
"What do you mean 'sold out'?" Molly asked. "I'm so confused."
"She attacked Ash to help this mad man to ensure he didn't capture her and lock her up with the rest of these innocent people." Brock said. "And now she's apparently angry that she did what this guy, who she knew was a bad guy, wanted and he didn't keep his word. Thought you were smarter than that, Delia." He said with disdain.
"You attacked Ash?" Molly asked. "And Pikachu? Are you responsible for his condition?" Molly asked.
"Of course not! That was Oak. All I was supposed to do was tell Ash he wasn't good enough to be a trainer. I would never shoot poor Pikachu! Molly you have to believe me."
"Of course, we should forgive her." May said sarcastically. "She would never shoot Pikachu. She would only ever emotionally scar her son. Is that so wrong?" May shook her head.
"You betrayed him, too! Both you and Max did!" Delia pointed out. "You fired an Overheat! I was there remember?"
"I didn't want to." Max growled. "You know that because you were in the room when Oak threatened to take my Treecko away. Right Grovyle?" Behind him Grovyle fired a couple of Bullet Seeds at Delia.
The seeds hit her square in the forehead. "Ow! You little-" She was cut off by May kicking her in the face. "What the hell?!"
"You threatened my little brother?!" May said dangerously. "With his own pokemon? You really are scum." May turned her head to Brock. "Can we leave her here?"
"No." Brock said.
"Why?"
"Because, May, I don't know about you, I'm better than that." Brock told her. "She may deserve to be left here to rot, but if I did leave her, I'd be no better than her. But I'm not going to be the one helping her up."
"Don't look at me." Max said. "I wouldn't touch her with a ten-foot pole."
"I'm not doing it." May argued. "I'm trying to fix my relationship with Ash, not worsen it."
Delia groaned. "Molly, be a dear and help me up. I don't know what happened to me, but I can't move."
Molly bit her lip. "I don't know...what about everything you've done. I don't know if I really want to help you. You were like a mother to me, and now...I don't know what to think."
"That just means you have a conscience, Molly. Unlike some people." Brock said. "We can get someone else to do it." He said turning to walk away. He continued on to the rest of the 'K' section. May and Max ran after him quickly.
"C'mon Grovyle!" Max yelled.
"You too, Blaziken! We've got work to do elsewhere."
Molly hung her head down and followed closely behind the two pokemon. "You can't just leave me here like this!" Delia shouted. "How long until somebody comes and helps me?!"
"Oh, right." Max said. "Careful with your breathing." He advised turning back around. "We don't know the last time this floor was cleaned after all. Hate to think what kind of disease-ridden bacteria are floating around."
So chapter 18 is finished. Some people might not be happy with the way I've taken this story because most of the traitors are being redeemed and Ash doesn't get any legendary pokemon, but I said from the start that I want this to be different. That being said feel free to tell me what you really think of this. Love it, Hate it, anything, don't pull any punches. I read all reviews left on this story.