Chapter Twenty-Eight: Espionage
Aaron, Sofia and their teams arrived at the designated meeting spot. Grass had long taken over the small community baseball field to the point that it wouldn't be surprising to see a seviper lurking inside. This place was somewhat run down even prior to the invasion. "Yuck, looks like you'd get tetanus just walking by those bleachers," Krista said. It was starting to get late; the atmosphere was bathed in orange, and any minute the sun would retreat behind the tree line. They had parked the cars near one of the dugouts and were waiting by what seemed like a concession stand. The audino wasn't quite tall enough to see over the counter and nudged Brooke. "Hey, gimme a boost. I'm willing to bet they have a few snacks still tucked away."
"Is that all you think about?" the floatzel asked.
"I dunno – is Marcus all you think about?" The two looked at each other for a moment before breaking out into laughter. Fortunately, the lucario was nowhere near them, instead leaning against one of the cars with Pierce as they kept a lookout for their visitor. The water-type helped Krista onto the countertop. She pushed open the metal shutters and disappeared into the dark room.
Aaron checked his phone, wondering how long they would be waiting – or how long that zoroark had been keeping tabs on them, for that matter. That was an unnerving thought to say the least. A missed call from his father would need to be answered tomorrow morning – maybe later, depending on how long this bizarre mission lasted. There was something along those lines, though, that brought a frown to his face.
"What's wrong?" Nora asked.
"…I haven't told Mom or Dad about… well…" She looked down.
"Are you ashamed of being with me?"
"No!" he quickly answered. "I don't regret this one bit. I'm just a bit scared of how he'll react, that's all." Robert had given no indication of his thoughts regarding mixed relationships. Though considering his usually annoyed disposition towards anything that could be even remotely associated with Delta – and pokémon-human relationships were a constant topic they paraded around – he imagined it wasn't good.
"I understand," Nora replied. "I love you, but I don't want that to come between you and your parents."
"Me neither. I hope he takes it well." That said, he was still in no rush to make that particular call. "But whatever happens, that's not going to affect what we've got going. You're one of the few major life choices that I don't regret making." The typhlosion gave him a small, pure smile, followed by a warm embrace. She stood on the very tips of her toes and pressed her lips to his, hardly bothering to check if anyone was looking. Aaron rested his hands over her shoulders as he readily accepted the kiss. His lips briefly brushed against pointed teeth. He had come to enjoy that feeling; it certainly wasn't something that he could expect from a human, and there was that unique curiosity that it invoked.
She pulled back, looking up at him sweetly and leaned closely towards him, resting her head on his chest. A quick glance confirmed that their moment was mostly between the two of them. Only Brooke seemed to have paid attention to the scene and made a particular gesture. He ignored her.
"YES!" Krista yelled from inside the concession stand, tossing a large cardboard box onto the counter. Both trainer and typhlosion looked towards the audino awkwardly climbing on top, one hand on her hip while the other rested against the box.
"What?" he asked begrudgingly.
"Popcorn!"
"You're joking me right now…"
"Hey, screw you! I looked all over for this."
"Isn't that stealing?" Nora asked.
"Uh… I mean, it's about to expire in a few weeks, and I had to dust the cobwebs off of it. So… no?"
"Whatever the case, I don't have a popcorn maker at home," Aaron said, releasing his hold on Nora.
"Well that's what microwaves are for, dumbass."
They waited for another twenty minutes before Sofia trudged over, tailed by an equally annoyed vaporeon. "Alright, what the hell is this? That asshole better not have lied to us."
"Hey, I'm just as irritated as you," Aaron replied. The other pokémon grouped up around them. "It's getting close to eight."
"Yeah – and no sight of him." They had confirmed multiple times that they were at the right location. A small church was off in the distance, its spires standing tall despite the ruin of the nearby city.
"Look, I don't know what to say. You and I both heard the same thing last night." Aaron looked at his phone again. They hadn't fought to defend Mistralton today, so who even knew how things were going on that front, and they hadn't earned any of the points that would have come with doing such.
A steady whirring noise came from above. They looked up and froze in their tracks. A trio of airships descended towards their location, side gunners pointing turrets at them as the back hatches flew open. "EVERYONE GET DOWN!" a voice yelled above the commotion.
"That bastard set us up!" Marcus snarled. "I'll kill him!" Aaron backed up against the concrete walls along with the others, tall grass tickling his feet, and clenched his fists as though there were anything he could do about this. Omega's soldiers seemed to pour out of the ships, sliding down on thick metal cables and raising their weapons towards them. Pistols of some sort that didn't resemble their nonlethals in the slightest.
"What do we do?!" Krista asked. She clutched the box in front of her.
"I don't know!" Aaron said, trying to hide the fact that he was just as scared as them.
"ON THE GROUND NOW!" one of the soldiers yelled. The pokémon were all caught between confusion and fear, trying to determine if they should comply or not. Another suited individual rappelled from the Hydreigon, his knees bending slightly as he impacted the ground. He stood up and looked directly at them, the others parting to make way for him. Two shoulder pads stood out from the others, black and white, each holding a wing of the opposite color. Aaron felt like he was about to throw up.
The very person trying to conquer the world was standing in front of them.
There was nothing they could do. All this effort in stopping Omega for them to pull a stunt like this? "Hell, if we're goin' down, I say we do it with a fight!" Pierce said, squaring off as though he would be able to take down even one of them before being filled with lead.
"No," Aaron said, clenching his fists. As much as he hated this, he hated the thought of watching his closest friends die more. "We… we gave it a good run. But I'm not going to watch you guys get yourself killed." He closed his eyes, weakly muttering the next words. "Get on the ground…"
"I…" Marcus trembled as he clutched his bone staff. "That fucking prick!" He flung it onto the ground, causing it to dissipate shortly after. Filled with spite, but not ready to die here, everyone reluctantly got onto their hands and knees before going prone completely. Soldiers came close with some sort of handcuff-like devices in hand as others held their pistols, ready to fire at the slightest wrong motion.
All that effort, only to lose from betrayal. Maybe this was what they deserved for being so stupid – for trusting an enemy of all things.
Only when they were a few feet away did they disappear from sight completely.
Propped against Sofia's car, Zak grinned victoriously with a pair of brown satchels tucked against his waist. "Tadaaa!"
"YOU MOTHERFUCKER!" Marcus yelled, springing up and readying an aura sphere.
"Ah ah ahhh – watch the car now." Aaron almost shuddered at the vicious sound emanating from Marcus' throat – a carnal growl that he never knew the lucario capable of. He helped his team onto their feet, trying to ignore his own agitation. They only needed one hothead on the team at a time. "Come on now, you have to admit that was pretty funny."
"I think we have very different ideas of funny," Sofia said, dusting her skirt off.
"Like I said – had I wanted y'all captured, I'd have done so at your campsite as you slept." He set the satchel on the hood of the car, ruffling through it as though they weren't there at all. "Gather around now, kids – I brought a few toys. And wipe that pissy look off your face, pup. No harm, no foul."
"I'll show you harm," Marcus murmured under his breath. If the zoroark heard him, he ignored it. Aaron patted the lucario on the back as they approached the dark-type.
'Trust me,' Aaron thought, 'he steps out of line one more time, you've got free reign.'
The two PDAs were laid out, glistening as though they'd just come off the factory line. Behind each was a cylindrical device of some sort. "What are those?" Marina asked.
"EMP grenades!" Zak excitedly said.
"Uhhh… alright?" The vaporeon nervously looked towards her trainer, then back at him. "…What kind of mission are we going on exactly?"
"Oh, don't worry your pretty little face – these are just in case things get a bit hairy, that's all. Any knights that happen to be in their suits will be down for the count if they get hit with these. After all, Humpty Dumpty is bound to fall when he weighs over seven-hundred pounds and loses power. I wouldn't send you guys out there without some form of backup. I may be crazy, but I'm not insane."
"…Right…" Aaron wasn't so sure about this. Not that he was particularly confident to begin with, but this was something else.
"Oh! One other little detail," Zak added. "If one of you has to use one of these, well… be ready for a battle. The electronic locks on everyone's pokéballs will go down, which means even if the knights aren't a problem, you can expect to see a few more faces – and there are a few ultra-beasts with this unit."
"I don't like this," Krista said. "Is it too late to back out?"
"As a matter of fact it is, my ravenous rabbit friend. But as long as your trainers do exactly as I say, there shouldn't be any issues." He looked towards Aaron and Sofia. "Got it?"
"…Sure." He broke out into a wide grin.
"Great! Then let's get going. We'll be taking a slight detour there to avoid attention. And once we're all finished up there, I'll show you where you'll be staying the night."
"What now?" Sofia asked.
"I just so happen to have a great friend who lives nearby. She's a real sweetheart and has agreed to let y'all spend the night. Of course, if you'd prefer your little trainer package meals and a wet cloth over a warm meal and shower, then feel free to turn her offer down." Krista looked towards her trainer, still clutching the nearly-expired popcorn box.
"…I changed my mind."
"You're pathetic," the lucario said.
"Shut up, Marcus. You suck the fun outta everything."
"You are a bit of a buzzkill." The zoroark only shrugged as Marcus shot him a glare. "Anyways, time to go!" He beckoned them before turning around and briskly heading towards the woods. Everyone followed suit, full of reservations as they did so. Aaron noticed that his lucario's scowl had dropped, now being replaced by an empty look towards the ground.
'What's up?' Aaron asked.
'I just realized… I couldn't see through his illusion at all…'
As it turned out, Zak wasn't kidding when he said they were taking a detour. He led them through the woods, keeping a respectable gap from open fields or roads. It was pitch black, and though Aaron could only a small ddistance ahead of him, there was no denying the various floating lights throughout the sky. During the day, Hydreigons were an intimidating sight. They always brought a fight, and Omega had more than their fair share of good trainers. At night, though, they were downright eerie – large shadows that blotted out the stars while emitting a blue flame of their own.
Every so often the zoroark stopped them, holding up a single clawed hand as troops sped by in their vehicles. What had turned this particular zoroark – a higher-up within Omega's ranks, by his own words – against this group was beyond him. Maybe questions of that sort were best saved, Aaron reasoned. He held Nora's hand tightly as they began going deeper into the woods north of Mistralton.
'Alright everybody,' Zak said telepathically. 'We aren't too far from their camp. Listen up and listen well. Aaron, Sofia – I'm gonna need you to return your teams. Except for the pup – we'll have a use for him. Everyone else is backup in case one of you two screws up. Capiche?'
"Why are we returning everyone?" Sofia asked. He shook his head, raising a claw to his lips. "Sorry," she whispered.
'I can easily hide multiple people, but it does become more difficult the more I'm trying to conceal. These woods are full of pokémon who sympathize with our cause. Pokémon that are on lookout for intruders, which we just so happen to be at the moment. They don't know what this particular unit has been up to lately. Heck, even we don't – which is why we're about to find out.'
"Oh…"
'So let's get everyone tucked away while we aren't in the redzone, yeah?' Aaron returned his team except for Marcus while all of Sofia's pokémon were recalled. 'And then there were four. Now gather around everyone; your personal space has been revoked.' Once they drew near, Aaron scrunched his nose as he caught the overly strong scent of juniper cologne. A purple mist rose from the ground and enshrouded them.
He went at a slow pace; concealed as they may have been, he couldn't exactly hide the movement of ground foliage or noises. Marcus kept a lookout for any pokémon as Zak led them northwest, constantly scanning the area. 'Stop!' the lucario snapped, causing everyone to freeze in their tracks. A pair of deerling pranced by, close enough to feel the air they were displacing and oblivious as could be. They receded into the forest. Aaron released a held breath.
'Good call,' Zak thought. Marcus more or less ignored him.
'So,' Aaron asked, 'what exactly do you think this unit did? What were those rumors?' The zoroark looked over his shoulder.
'I believe that's something I'll keep to myself. Not worth spreading rumors if you don't know if they're true, right?'
'I also feel like we have a right to know what the hell we're getting into here.'
'Hmm, touché. Let's see… I can say this much: this unit was assigned to Alola and was tasked with collecting the z-crystals.'
'Like the one you took from us?" Sofia asked snappily. 'Don't think I've forgotten about that. We paid good money for what your people just came in and stole.'
'People once paid good money for slaves. Unfortunately, not everything you feel like you have the right to own is truly yours.' He motioned for them to stop by a large hardwood tree for a moment. Folding his arms, he rested against the tree for a moment. 'The crystals from the z-bracelets came from the body of Necrozma, and without them he was close to death. Neither you nor the person who sold it to you had the right to own that.' If the female trainer had a response for that, she kept it to herself.
'Alright, but back to this unit…'
'A member of their squad has confessed something, likely out of a guilty conscience. It would appear as though this unit, under particular command, acted in such a way contrary to Omega's values. I am here to see if that is true. That is all I can say about the matter.'
'So you're still very much in bed with Omega,' the lucario said.
'What a crass way to put that, pup. But I feel like their goals are the only thing that can save this world from the fire which awaits it. I like a good show, but what this planet has been doing the past century is anything but. Our leader seeks to turn that around before it is too late.'
'Your leader is an egomaniac and we're going to stop him,' Sofia retorted.
'Oh, you poor, disillusioned girl. You would think that, wouldn't you? That daddy's money and all those professional tutors would have prepared you for what he has.' His grin became much wider, revealing his gleaming, pointed teeth. 'Are you serious? Do you not think the man with most of the world's legendaries on his side would easily be able to take down a team who couldn't even make it past her own Elite Four?' She glared at him, crossing her own arms.
'He hasn't seen what we've got.'
'He wouldn't need to. You can't even beat Iris, and Iris doesn't even come close to beating Alexander.'
'And how would you know?' Despite the nature of their mission, Zak chuckled quietly.
'Because Iris is helping us, and he swept her team.' For a moment, the only sound that could be heard were the summer crickets and the occasional noctowl cry.
'You're lying,' Aaron said. 'I don't believe that for one second.'
'Oh? Then open up your phone. Look up her name. Tell me, how many dissenter points does she have? Obviously a champion who supports their region would be participating in this little conflict, right?' Aaron maintained eye contact with the zoroark for a second before hesitantly withdrawing his phone. Tapping at the trainer application, he found that Iris had not engaged in a single battle this entire invasion.
'She's… been completely inactive.'
'Actually, she's been very active. Just not for your side.'
'Shit…' Marcus murmured.
'Truth is, kids, a lot of people are sick of all this crap. A lot of people that you wouldn't want to wind up in a battle with. And I know that just because you both have a couple gym badges that you think you and your teams are ten feet tall and bulletproof, but the reality is that you aren't.'
'I know we aren't,' Aaron thought. 'A few titanium plates on my ribs says that much…' Zak nodded.
'But alas, the heroic princess came to rescue the wounded knight. A plot twist in your story – a delta-type oblivious to her own power.' Aaron's eyes went wide, casting a glance towards Marcus who was equally shocked.
'…How much do you know about us?'
'I do my research. But… it was also kind of obvious. I saw her light the campfire the other night with her psychic powers. It takes one to know one, after all.'
'What do you mean by that?'
'Oh come on – I thought it would've been obvious after my fight with the pup.' Aaron paused for a moment before putting two and two together.
'You're one, too…'
'As it may surprise you, Nora isn't the only delta-type in the world.'
'Wait… just how long were you watching us last night?' Sofia asked.
'Eh, probably longer than you would've liked. I'm a very patient guy, after all…' He grabbed his satchel and held it in outstretched hands. 'But enough of that. I believe we have a mission. Sorry to say, kids, but cell phones aren't allowed on this little field trip.'
'What?' Aaron questioned. 'Why?'
'Well let's see here… what happens if an EMP strikes an electronic device? I do wonder…'
'Point taken.' They handed him their phones, trading for the EMP grenades. Aaron hoped it wouldn't come to that. Zak pulled a slim belt from the satchel, latching on a PDA of his own and a small, pill-shaped device. He then set the satchel on the ground and ruffled the foliage a bit to hide it.
'And that takes care of that. Onward and forward.'
The campsite was pristine and orderly, to the surprise of neither trainer, as each of the tents were tightly packed in a grid-like manner, about twenty of them in a square formation. Three Hydreigon ships were between them and the tents with nobody nearby. Cicadas chirped loudly, joining together in a loud chorus that carried on throughout the night. Zak's typical grin dropped as he focused intensely. 'Stay behind the trees. Don't move an inch,' he told them.
'Why? What's going on?'
'They always have a few people on guard. I can make us invisible – that isn't an issue. What I can't do is hide our heat signatures. The exosuits have thermal vision. Wanna guess what they're using when it's dark?'
'So you can't completely hide us?' Sofia said, clearly concerned.
'It's only two knights. Surely you've played follow the leader as a child, right? Just do what I say and you'll be fine.' He brought them towards the airships, hiding behind a closed hatch as he peered over the side. 'Alright pup, I need you to do your thing. Tell me if the coast is clear.' Marcus looked at Aaron, who only nodded, and sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. He waited, feeling everyone's aura in as non-intrusive a manner as possible.
'Nobody's looking. We're good.'
'Awesome. Now off we go; don't trail behind.' Zak briskly walked towards one of the tents with the three of them only feet away. His card-themed bead swayed with every step, contacting his body when they briefly stopped between two adjacent tents. Voices could be heard from one of them, which happened to be lit. It looked as though people were eating inside, a few flashes from holograms catching their attention every so often.
Aaron noticed that Sofia was breathing quickly. He quietly nudged her, nodding. They had this. If they could stand up to legendaries and ultra-beasts, obeying a few instructions from a zoroark, however scary the situation might be, was something they were capable of.
'Alright now, you guys see the armory on the other side of the central area?' It wasn't difficult at all to spot; it was the only structure that was made out of metal. 'That's where they keep the exosuits.'
'Okay…' Aaron looked around cautiously – as though they weren't currently invisible. Didn't hurt to be too careful, though, especially with two knights roaming about that could see them with ease.
'There's no electronic lock or anything. Not much of a need for it when the suits are ID locked. We just need to get over there, get in, and I'll lead ya from there.' The entrance to the storage unit was fortunately pointed towards the airships and not towards the central area where people sat around a fire and ate their rations. It was there that Aaron and Sofia caught a good look at several of the pokémon within this unit. Surely enough, a pair of bizarre pokémon with massive musculature features, four legs and thin proboscises jutting from relatively tiny heads stood by a few middle-aged trainers – and one who looked to be in her teenage years. Minus the much paler skin complexion, she looked as though she would have fit in perfectly on this planet.
Aaron returned his attention to the mission. The last thing they needed to do right now was humanize the enemies. Even this zoroark was somebody they were only tolerating for the moment. But he couldn't shake that one thought: though they may be enemies, there was no denying that Omega was far better than the other two teams. They were fair to the opposition, sought to minimize injury and actually had some sort of vision for the future – even if it was a world in submission. Alpha and Delta only wanted to spread their politics and kill those they disagreed with; Omega wanted to bring everyone together under a common cause.
They reached the door – a thin aluminum entrance that was fairly broad. Zak glanced in each direction before opening it, motioning for them to quickly come inside. What they saw was enough to make Aaron halt his breathing. Exosuits lined the walls, being held stationary within charging stations. Seven stations were along each wall with two being on either side of the door, each with their weapons on either side. One station was empty – likely one of the two guards outside. It was weird seeing them up close, and though the wearers tended to be shorter in stature than the average person of this planet, one would not be able to determine that by looking at these suits alone.
Zak quietly shut the door, keeping his illusion up all the same, and hastily removed the items from his belt. A PDA of his own lit up as he tapped onto a particular program. 'Here,' he said, handing the pill-shaped device to Aaron, 'twist this counterclockwise.'
'Which way is that again?'
'Arceus – do you know which way a clock turns?' It had been quite some time since he had seen one of the old-style, mechanical clocks, but thinking back to it, the trainer nodded. His grandparents had one in their house. 'Well, turn it the other way.' Doing as instructed, the case opened, revealing the tiniest of storage devices.
'Why is the case so big?' he asked.
'It's a Faraday shield – protects the drive in case of an EMP.' He apparently got the program he wanted to work and took the drive from Aaron, plugging it into his PDA.
'Now watch closely. We made this program specifically for this mission – to be as easy as possible. You see the circular part over the right ear?' The two trainers nodded. 'So that's for a few things. Noise cancellation, maintaining comm lines – that kind of stuff. But that one also has a tiny little feature that only four people in our entire team know about, me included. It records everything the visor cameras pick up while the suit is active.' To prove his point, he pressed the two slots over the circular segment, causing it to pop out slightly and revealing its circuitry. But he reached behind the rim, pressing a button that nobody would ever think to look for and caused a tiny slot to slide open. The tiniest of ports could be seen.
'Wow…'
'The visors aren't real. Well, they aren't real visors, I should say. That would introduce a weak spot in the helmet, and these are built to take almost every human weapon. Rather, they're a series of cameras towards the front of the helmet. That way, even if you shoot through one, there are several more active. The user can still see while the bullet gets stuck in a half-inch of titanium.'
'Why are you telling us this?' Sofia asked. 'You wouldn't even let us know why we're sneaking around here, but yet you let us know one of your team's most closely guarded secrets?'
'Because after tonight, everyone's suit gets a bit of a software update. Data will automatically be recorded and sent in real time,' Zak stated. 'What I just told you won't matter tomorrow.'
He plugged one end of a small cable into his PDA and the other into the port, showing them how to run the program. As he said, it was relatively simple and consisted of only a few steps. A progress bar shot up, though he couldn't read the language, and filled within a few seconds.
'Huh, that was fast.' Aaron was decently surprised; maybe this wouldn't take long at all.
'It has to be. We have to hit the other storage unit, too.'
'Of course…'
'Hey, we need all the data we can get here. If you want it to go fast, then do as I showed you. I'll keep the illusion up in case someone walks in. If the pup can do his job, we should know if someone's coming ahead of time.'
'What about me?' Sofia asked.
'Hmm… you used to be a cheerleader in high school, right? You can be moral support.' She didn't look amused by the statement. Zak rolled his eyes before producing another PDA setup from his bag, handing it to her.
'Is everything a joke to you?' Marcus asked. 'Or do you just seek to be as annoying as possible every second of every day?'
'Buddy, why do you have a stick up your ass? Pardon my French, but you need to lighten up.' Zak crossed his arms, leaning against the wall where the missing suit should have been.
'We are literally in the middle of hostile camp. No, I won't lighten up.'
'Ah, that's just the fear in you speaking.'
'No shit!' Marcus telepathically snapped. 'That's a perfectly reasonable thing to be afraid of!'
'Too many people let fear rule their lives. Fear of the other, of going without… of doing what's right. Who knows how much better a world we would have if it wasn't ruled by fear?'
'Your leader has made you all think you're a bunch of philosophers I take it.' Zak shrugged.
'Maybe. He is quite an interesting character.'
'He's interesting alright…' Sofia thought. 'So is a train wreck.'
'Then what do you think of the legendaries? Are they train wrecks, too? Are they the bad guys now?' he asked in a fairly condescending tone. 'Or maybe – just maybe – you humans have screwed up on every single moral account. Who's right – immortal legendaries with nearly infinite wisdom, or a bunch of spoiled Westerners who want everything their way?' Nobody answered his snappy comeback, to which he just leaned his head against the wall and grinned. 'That's what I thought. It seems that's what Necrozma thought earlier today, too.'
'Who?'
'Ah, you wouldn't know him – he comes from a different planet.'
'What is Necrozma?' Aaron asked.
'Only the most powerful legendary in the alternate universe. Strong enough to consume stars and supernovas alike.'
'And… he just joined you?'
'He was happy to do so! He's quite taken by our leader. So maybe you kids should think about that as you continue to oppose us. Who's right? The creature who shielded a planet out of his compassion, or a society that can't go a day without trying to destroy itself?'
'Alright, we get it,' Aaron replied as he shoved the circular piece back into the helmet, finishing his fourth download.
Eventually, Aaron and Sofia finished all the suits in this building and handed Zak the PDAs. The zoroark plugged both storage devices into one PDA, merging the data from each onto a single one before taking that device and tightly sealing it within a capsule. 'Alright, onto the next one.'
'Wait,' Marcus said with his eyes closed. 'One of the guards is nearby.'
'Good call. See? This is why we like having lucarios around.'
The four of them waited until Marcus gave the go-ahead. Zak held the door for them before closing it – as though they had never been there – and leading them between adjacent tents. A zip was heard as one of the Megalopolans stepped out. Sofia clasped her mouth, making a slight noise that caused him to look towards them. He remained still for a moment before heading towards the center of the camp.
'Remember,' Zak said, 'they can't see you. They can, however, hear us – so keep it down.'
'Sorry…' Aaron hadn't ever seen her so fidgety before. Then again, given the situation, he could understand why. They made their way towards the second armory by walking the inner perimeter, stopping only one other time when someone returned to their tent for the night. A brief glance inside revealed it to sleep at least four or five people. They were an almost unbearably tidy people.
They arrived at the second armory and went through the same procedure. One thing Aaron noticed when rummaging through the suits, was a few of the pistols that he had seen in the illusion. 'What are these?' he asked.
'Last resorts.' Zak grabbed one and looked it over before carelessly dropping it into his satchel. 'Fortunately, they won't be needing 'em.'
'What about the two guards?' the male trainer asked. 'Are we waiting for them to swap out or something?'
'Nah, we should have what we need here. At least a dozen people here were on that particular Unova mission, so we're fine missing two.' He flipped his mane, readjusting his satchel after tossing the rest of the pistols inside.
'If you're taking them anyways, think we could grab one on our way out?' Aaron asked. 'It'd be nice to have in case Alpha starts shooting at us again…'
'Mmm, no can do, kiddo. These shoot a special type of ammo, and I doubt you'd be able to handle the recoil. They were built the be shot with our exosuits, after all. That also means they're ID locked.'
'Oh…'
For a moment, the only sounds that could be heard were the tapping of screens. Marcus stood close by Aaron, looking up at the screen with curiosity before straightening up. 'Someone's coming!' For a brief second, Zak actually looked serious.
'Quick – the drives!' Taking them, he fumbled them back into their capsules before gripping an EMP grenade. 'Are they in a suit?'
'…No, she isn't.'
'Oh, alright.' He relaxed, dropping the device back into his satchel. 'No worries.'
'Wh-what?' Sofia asked.
'Like I said, as long as they aren't wearing that helmet, we're fine. Just be quiet and stand still. Not like we can go anywhere, anyways.' He joined them in the corner of the room furthest from the door. It opened quickly, revealing a woman in her thirties with dark hair that looked annoyed. She scanned the room without moving while Aaron and the others held their breath, and seeing nothing of interest, shut the door as fast as she had opened it.
"Dammit Ranik, I'm not in the mood for this tonight."
"I could've sworn I heard something, officer."
"Well obviously you were only hearing things. Turn in for the night." As her voice became distant, everyone relaxed.
'Break time's over. Back to work.'
Eventually, they finished all the suits. Zak compiled the data onto a single device as he had done before, then copied it to the other just to be safe. 'What now?' asked Sofia.
'Now, my friends, we leave the way we came.'
'Finally,' Aaron said. He felt as if he was speaking for the other three in wanting to get out of here. Despite what this zoroark might insist, this wasn't his idea of fun. At least they were getting some reward out of it. Knowing exactly what they were up against with each upcoming battle was a pretty nice advantage, after all. Or at least it put him on a somewhat even playing field.
Zak waited once again for a guard to pass before escorting them out. It was getting pretty late, and as such, most people seemed to be in their tents for the night. The officer sat in the center, drinking something from a slim, cylindrical cup while staring at the dying fire. A gabite was curled up beside her and napping contently. Her hand rested on his side, rubbing him absentmindedly.
'Is she one of the bad ones?' Sofia asked as they reached the halfway point.
'No,' Zak replied. 'Officer Mira and her squad are innocent of the supposed Melemele Island Incident. She has no idea what's going on here. Unfortunately, her squad isn't the only one here.'
'Oh…'
'And her little lizard friend is strong enough to beat most garchomps. But I guess that's fitting, seeing who his mother is…'
'What?' Aaron asked. He just shook his head.
'Nothing. Let's get outta here.' They could all agree to that. They had nearly reached the Hydreigons when Marcus stopped them.
'Company.' They remained stationary beside a tent with a dim light inside. As they waited for the guard to pass by, Aaron noticed something odd about the tents: they lacked even as much as a thin tarp for the base.
'Why don't they have a floor?' he asked.
'Well… that one's a bit of a downer.'
'Well, it doesn't look like we'll be going anywhere for a minute…'
'True. Let me put it this way,' Zak said, 'I hope you never have to watch grown men and women cry because they have seen grass for the first time in decades.'
'Damn…'
'Where did these people come from?' Sofia asked. 'They don't look like any humans I've ever seen.'
'Does any of this technology look like stuff you've seen?' he asked. She shook her head. 'They're from another world.'
'Wait… you mean like aliens?' Aaron asked, exchanging a shocked glance with Marcus.
'I suppose you could say that. Technically. But they are just as human as you two – just from another world, that's all. Well… another universe, but I think you get the idea.'
'Why are they here? Why are they doing this?' Sofia questioned.
'They have nowhere else to go. In the absence of Necrozma, their world began to wither. Now even if he did come back, it would be far too late. Too much has already died to bring back life on their world, and most of it became artificial over the centuries of his imprisonment. There is nothing left for them there.'
'And so you're going to let them do the same thing here?' Marcus asked.
'No – they have learned from their mistakes. Or at least… most of them. We have prepared a place for their people to live.'
'Yeah – on our world!'
'You don't own this world, Blondie. You don't get to decide who gets to stay and who has to go. But you all seem to think you have a right to make those calls, don't you?'
'Whatever,' she replied. 'Let's just get the hell out of here.'
'Guys, he's getting kind of close…' Marcus said. He pointed in the direction of the guard, and pretty soon, they heard the footsteps of the heavy exosuit trudging through the camp. It seemed as though he wasn't content circling the perimeter. Aaron listened as those steps came closer and closer, to the other side of the tent, and he felt his heart stop, instinctively reaching for a pokéball before stopping himself. Things were quiet for a moment. Then, to their horror, they heard him trailing the perimeter of the tent.
'Quick! This way!' Zak said, leading them between tents. Aaron and Marcus followed him, avoiding the knight's range of sight. As the zoroark neared the corner, though, their worst fears came to pass.
Sofia tripped over the corner of the tent.
The guard pivoted around, looking directly at her as she tried to scramble onto her feet, and sprinted towards her. She shrieked as she backed away on all fours. "HEY!" he yelled, loud enough to wake everyone around them up. "WHO ARE YOU? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"
'You had ONE job, Blondie!' Zak mentally snapped. She made a move for her EMP grenade.
"No you don't!" She cried out as the knight grabbed her arm, yanking her into the air.
"Sofia!" Aaron grabbed his own EMP grenade from his belt, pulling the ring and tossing it towards them. The knight looked down at it for a second.
"…Shit."
A violent pulse spread throughout the area. Aaron felt the blast within his chest, finding himself flung to the ground as his pokémon were forced out of their balls. His ears rung as he grasped the side of one tent, faintly making out outlines of the people within springing onto their feet. Nora grabbed him quickly and said something as everyone squared off.
'Great going – look what you two have done,' Zak said, vanishing from sight.
"Intruders!" yelled one of the Omega trainers. Aaron worked his way onto his feet, quickly helping Sofia up as the ten pokémon readied themselves for a fight. Nora locked eyes with a massive ultra-beast as he punched an open hand. The zoroark who had led them here was nowhere to be found. Right now, though, they had bigger issues at hand.
"Shit," Aaron murmured to himself. "Here we go…"
It was difficult to determine who struck first. Nora remembered sprinting towards the large ultra-beast and leaping into the air with a flame trailing behind, launching the fire towards him as he raised one of his thick arms to protect his face. She landed on it, launching off and flipping over him and following with an extrasensory attack before finding herself on the defensive from a gabite.
Pokémon poured from every tent, from every corner of the camp. Their humans scrambled towards the armories as the chaos unfolded. Aster used leaf tornado, causing a swarm of projectiles that circled him and his nearby allies while Krista formed barriers around teammates as fast as she could. Seth lit up the night with his thunderbolt, targeting a gallade as Marina launched a hydro pump towards a claydol. The serperior's eyes went wide as the second ultra-beast jumped over his attack effortlessly, slamming into the ground and causing them to scatter. He slithered between the creature's legs as it attempted to stomp him, making a break towards his team until he felt his tail pinned to the ground.
"Let go of him, freak!" Marcus yelled as he closed the distance between them. He struck with every ounce of strength he could muster, connecting his paw with the enemy's head. The attack succeeded in making him release Aster. It failed in making him budge in any other way. Marcus dodged a massive arm that seemed able snap his body in half, responding with a close-quarters aura sphere.
Brooke evaded one foe after another, a streak of frigid water pooled around her hands as she focused on a gigalith. One of its crystalline legs slammed into the ground, forcing sediment into the air as she shielded her eyes. That brief moment was all it needed to hit her with a power beam. She cried out as she was shot to the ground, rolling over and launching a blast of water in the direction of the rock-type. "Brooke! Look out!" A haxorus stomped towards her and prepared to bring its clawed foot into her side. Brooke shot back onto her feet, jumping up and striking him in the stomach with an ice punch. He roared out in pain.
"You little rat!" he growled. The air was forced from her lungs as he responded with an uppercut of his own, lifting her from the ground. Tears came to her eyes as she felt the unforgiving ground contact her back. She opened her eyes only to see his snarling face again. A bright light slammed into his face and knocked him off his feet.
"I've gotcha!" Krista said, quickly using heal pulse on the floatzel. A surge of energy rushed through her body.
"Th-thanks!" She regained her senses and prepared for the next foe.
Pierce helped Marcus in facing off against the bulky ultra-beast while the rest of Sofia's team fought a metagross and a pair of magnezone. Flashes of electricity jumped in every direction, those which were sent towards the vaporeon being blocked and absorbed by Seth's tail. Pierce nearly caught the ultra-beast off balance, but he managed to retain his footing despite the krookodile's earthquake thanks to its extra legs.
Another ultra-beast joined the fight, this one being a species they had seen multiple times. The naganadel floated towards the weavile as another blast was heard from far away. Aaron heard a blast from the other side of the camp, becoming momentarily distracted before returning his focus to the fight. "Nora! Get that reuniclus off Krista's back! Brooke, use aqua jet on the gabite!" The battles were going decently for most of their pokémon; the only issue was the number of opponents. Noctowls joined in from the woods, swooping in and attacking them in irregular intervals.
Getting tired of a fight that seemed to be going nowhere, the ultra-beast that Marcus and Pierce were fighting snapped and slammed a powerful leg into the ground, knocking everyone around him to the ground. The enemy kicked Pierce in the stomach, making him cry out in pain as he folded over. Marcus was unable to move quick enough before his leg was lifted from the ground.
Aaron could only watch in terror as it happened. The lucario was slung violently through several tents, crashing and rolling to a pained stop. "MARCUS!"
He tried to push himself back up. The ultra-beast was on him instantly, hoisting him into the air effortlessly and slamming the lucario into the side of the armory. A massive hand closed itself completely around his frame, squeezing so hard that Marcus felt like his ribs would crack. The enemy raised his other fist. In those small, black eyes, Marcus saw a different look than what most of Omega's pokémon had – one that was ready to finish him for good.
A purple blast slammed into the back of the ultra-beast's head, making him drop the lucario, who gasped for air as though he would never breathe again. The massive creature turned around only to be met with the end of a scepter. He fell to the ground and didn't move a muscle.
"Y-you…" he sputtered weakly. The zoroark extended a hand. Marcus readily accepted it, stumbling onto his feet and leaning against the wall. Zak levitated in place as several projectiles furiously began to spin around him. Aaron rushed over to the scene with Brooke, looking at his lucario with a mix of terror and relief.
"Zak… you came back…"
"You didn't think I left y'all out to dry, did you?"
"I didn't know what to think." The zoroark laughed.
"Ah, I just had to make sure those exosuits wouldn't be functional for a minute – that's all. Wouldn't want to deal with them and all these pokémon, now would we?" He floated higher, stretching his arms outward as a radiant aura overtook his body. "But anyways, I'd say it's about time to wrap things up here." He overtook the campsite with his illusory mist, scanning the remaining enemies, and the trainer and lucario could only watch as he vanished from sight once again.
The battlefield was overtaken, pelted with projectiles from every direction as Aaron and Sofia's teams watched with shock. The enemy pokémon were confused, striking towards air and crying out as attacks came from nowhere. In the heat of the moment, the male trainer managed to catch the faintest glimpse of Zak transitioning from four legs to two, leaping off of the barely-conscious haxorus to strike the naganadel, knocking it unconscious in a single shot.
'What the hell…' the lucario thought, hugging his aching torso. Nora did her best to help him out, as did the others, but before long the enemies began dwindling down, one psychic blast at a time. Crystals stormed around, kicking up dirt where they landed and slamming into those who still stood. Once the two remaining ultra-beasts were downed, the fight had concluded.
"Enough of this shit," a voice from behind them said, pushing a few Omega trainers aside as he stormed forth in his exosuit. His pistol was pointed towards Aaron and Marcus.
His body was lifted into the air and hurled onto the ground, narrowly missing the unarmored humans. Nora glared at him with bared fangs, ready to pull the titanium suit apart if she needed to. As he tried to aim the pistol again, Zak materialized behind him, telekinetically snatching the pistol. "Here," he said, dropping an EMP grenade by the knight. "Let's trade." He jumped away as the device exploded, sending a pulse through the suit and forcing it to lock up. Zak looked towards Aaron and Sofia's teams. "I think we should leave now!"
"…Yeah…" Aaron said.
They had made it back to the hidden satchel, and once Zak had placed it back over his shoulder, he handed them back their phones – and their new PDAs. "Password is all sevens," he said.
"Of course it is." Aaron glanced over the small device, decently surprised that this one actually used English and not whatever bizarre signs and characters the previous PDA systems had.
"Now let's get back to the cars. We need to get to the southeast part of town and I doubt either of you want to walk there after our little adventure."
"Agreed," Sofia said. With no risk of being pursued, Zak had dropped his illusions, and all ten pokémon were outside of their balls.
"What the heck were those things, anyways?" Pierce asked while the zoroark seemed to send a text of some sort on his own device.
"Hmm?"
"Those big bug things – the one that Marcus and I fought."
"Oh, those were buzzwoles. Strange creatures, aren't they?" Zak asked. "Those two were with squad 25-C, which happens to be the one we're investigating."
"I can see why," Marcus admitted. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that thing was trying to kill me..." Aaron noticed that for the first time in speaking to the zoroark, Marcus' tone wasn't filled with spite.
"Are you alright?" Brooke asked, approaching his side. "You just… disappeared all of a sudden."
"I'll be fine. I just need sleep."
Once they had arrived at the baseball field, Zak joined Sofia in her car, eagerly calling 'shotgun' as he did so. Aaron followed them onto the road, already keeping in mind what all needed to be done in terms of healing his pokémon. Aster looked a bit scraped up, and of course, Marcus needed attention. While Pierce was technically Sofia's now, he felt more than obligated to step in there, too.
Something strange happened, though, and in the night sky. A few stars disappeared from sight before a bright, circular flash appeared. Aaron slowed the car to a drift as they watched several Hydreigons pour out of the rift, heading the very direction they had come from. They were followed by none other than Lunala, who closed the portal behind her. "Arceus," Aaron muttered. "That explains how they're getting around so fast…"
There wasn't much talking along the drive; everyone was pretty tired. He brushed Nora's hand gently as she reclined a bit in the seat, her eyelids becoming heavy. She had become a fearsome presence on the battle as a result of all Adira's training. As much as Marcus might hate to admit it, she had taken down an opponent that both he and Pierce had all but lost to. And without injury to show for it, too…
It was about eleven at night when they pulled up to their destination. Sofia, Zak and the others who rode stepped out, and the zoroark motioned for them to come over. It was at that point Aaron finally got a good look at the building. He was expecting a house, maybe an apartment – but not this.
Not a flower shop.
A flygon was seated on a swinging bench by the front door and sprung up when everyone approached. "You're late," she said, folding her arms as though she were a thousand times more intimidating than she really was. Unfortunately for her, the smallest of grins betrayed her.
"And fashionably so," Zak replied, breaking out into a smile. The flygon giggled and gave him a quick hug. "How've ya been, Lily?"
"Great! And I see you've brought friends. Or… well, sort of friends, I guess? They are fighting us, after all." The zoroark waved a hand dismissively.
"Eh, don't worry about 'em. They're kids; they're just a bit confused, that's all." Before anyone could retort, the glass door opened, revealing a slightly larger dragon. This flygon wore a golden flower pendant around her neck and placed her hands on her hips. She, too, looked quite happy until she noticed something: the fur on Zak's shoulder matted with blood.
"Zak! Are you alright?!" She quickly made her way towards him.
"I'm fine Vivian – just a bit of a scratch, that's all." He looked towards the other pokémon. "Some of them, on the other hand, could use a bit of patching up. I've got to head out unfortunately."
"What?" Lily asked, sporting a pout. "But you just got here…"
"And now, I must leave. I had a very special mission today, and now it's time to see who's really on our side. But don't worry; if time permits me, I'll visit soon."
"Aww…"
"But," he said, drawing the word out, "I just so happen to be heading to Patagaza. Perhaps I could grab a few local species while I'm there…"
"Really? That would be awesome!" the young flygon perked up a bit at hearing this. Vivian cautiously approached Aaron and Sofia's pokémon, looking them over briefly before giving them a welcoming smile.
"Well, come on in – just mind the flowers, please. I can heat you all up something to eat and we'll get those wounds checked out." Marcus stepped forth, stumbling as he did so, and Vivian instinctively reached out and grabbed him. "Oh, you poor thing! Here, I'll carry you inside."
"I'm fine," he murmured, but she wasn't having any of it and picked him up anyways, heading inside the large shop which seemed to double as a house. Aaron noticed that Brooke clenched her paw.
A few moments later, the familiar whirring sound appeared nearby. Aaron looked to the sky, his pokémon doing the same, and noticed six Hydreigons descending towards them. What the hell… There was no way most of them were prepared for another fight. This time, though, Lunala trailed behind, effortlessly drifting through the air as a single aircraft turned around and barely touched the ground. Zak walked towards it. The hatch opened, and Aaron saw something he never imagined since the start of this invasion: members of Omega handcuffed and imprisoned by their own – the very people they had just fought.
"What the hell…"
"It's been a pleasure," Zak said, stepping onto the lowered hatch, "but I fear I must be heading out now."
"Will we see you again?" Krista asked.
"Oh, of course! You can't shake me that easily." With a wink, he tapped the side of the Hydreigon. The pilot nodded and the ship began to ascend. "Be good now!"
"No promises!" the audino replied, causing Aaron to roll his eyes.
"Hahaha! That's what I like to hear!"
A/N: Special thanks to FuryWrites for beta reading this chapter.