The Beginning in Kalos RIP

by BardofWorlds

As Ash attempts to win the Kalos League, he reunites with old rivals, friends and meets new ones while threats he dealt with and ancient forces begin to awaken from slumber, heroes rise to face them. In the end everything is connected and the destiny of many is not what they expect but one that they will love. Ash/harem Clemont/OC muilti story plot/ many stories united at the end

24. Chapter 24

Hey all he's my new chapter like I said, I have a work around for page breaks for my stories on Fanfiction and here on Archive the story is all caught up and last but not least I have an announcement to make… I HAVE A PAT E RON! I said I would only make one after I got over one hundred followers on my story and well I'll try and make a new chapter faster for you all. The address is P A treon /bardofworlds , so there's that. On a somber note I hope the coronavirus that sweeping the world doesn't kill any of you and that you all survive this horror that is affect planet earth. All in all I wish you all calm days, safe nights and good health.

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Kotaro looked at the monitor showing the prisoner/ deflector they had brought back from the Order base and sighed. This isn't going to be easy. The trouble is that this guy seems to be a good person, with how he reacted to what they did to that Pokémon. Still I…..We need to know what he does; this might be the one chance I have to figure out what they want in Saffron! He thought as helooked at the door and Happy gave him a thumbs up, they were ready to integrate their captive.

"What are we looking for from this?" Kotaro turned to Gabby as she leaned against a wall across from the door to the room the monitor displayed, still in her Hikari outfit with the helmet face down.

"I came to Viridian following a lead that the local Joey had the most info on Karin, I came here because I was hired to investigate them because they might be planning an attack on Slyph. Co., but him? Anything about them, I've never dealt with a true defector before." Kotaro said as he shook his head.

"Did all of them before treat their Pokémon like those people did?" Gabby asked as she rubbed her arms and Kotaro nodded.

"Yes most of them, I've dealt with a lot of people like them since the Siege, and it always feels good to take them down. Funny thing really, most of them were fanatics, they usually fought to their deaths or took their own lives." Kotaro said as he looked at the door, missing Gabby cringe in disgust.

"So good cop, bad cop?" Gabby asked as she pushed off the wall and walked towards the door and put her helmet back on.

"You lead, I'll follow." Kotaro said as he looked at her. "Your past as a reporter might help you to get him to talk easier, and you've always been able to talk to people better. I'll use the comns in our helmets to talk to you, remember you can't react to my voice"

Gabby swallowed and nodded and walked towards the door. Okay no more challenging than other interviews in the past, just got to get him talking and I'll go from there. She thought as she opened the door.

Inside the man was sitting in a chair, trying to comprehend what had happened and where he had made such a mistake to join up with those idiots. He looked up as Gabby and Kotaro came in, both of their helmets giving off an impression

So what do I call you? Dark man and white woman?" He asked and Gabby fought down a grin as Kotaro scoffed as he leaned against the wall and looked at him.

"He's Shadow I'm Hikari, and we'd like to ask you a few questions about your former…..comrades?" Gabby said as for a moment she was so happy she was wearing her mask so he couldn't see how nervous she was. So we took his Pokéballs, he has no weapons and left him here, and he's still brave enoguht to be a smart ass but he's still worried that we'll kill him, okay

"My Pokémon, what happened to them?" The man asked and before Gabby could say anything Kotaro spoke up.

"So far they seem to be reacting well to treatment, we gave them a few curatives and they seem okay. But we need to know everything you can tell us about those people you joined." Kotaro said and the man looked down.

"Anything, I don't know much but whatever I can tell you I'm fine with helping against them." The technician said as Hikari looked at him through her helmet and tried to keep her body from reacting to this information and Kotaro only held his arms tighter.

"Why did you join, if you don't mind me asking." Kotaro asked as he leaned against the wall, his facemask giving the impression of a glare.

"I'm one of the survivors of one of the Swallowed Towns from the last siege, lost my whole family. I wanted to keep that from happening ever again so I trained to become a Hunter but I was rejected from the League. While trying to become an unofficial one these guys found me and well." He said with a sigh as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Makes sense, they did infiltrate the League." Gabby said as the technician stared at him with his mouth open. "They find the ones who have skills, those who have a grudge and cash them out and find them afterwards and recruit them for their side.

"They did what, could they have infiltrated the League that much?" he demanded as he looked from Gabby to Kotaro, trying to understand just how they could have done it.

"Karin's one of them, high up on both sides from what I know and saw…." Kotaro interrupted him and he shot to his feet, shocked beyond words and muttered for a few seconds before he found his voice.

"Karen of the Elite four, she's one of them?!" The man said as he stared at them and started to sweet as he realized that he couldn't go to the authorities about this

Gabby shot a look at Kotaro who shrugged, as confused as she was about why he was so confused.

"You didn't know?! How could you not know! Wait who recruited you?" Gabby asked as the man only winced.

"The guy who was leading the place you attacked, I think there was something about needing a new tech guy before some hunt in Johto, something about using drones to track down a Black Mark. I'm pretty handy with programming, that's how they found me really, a Quest to fix a software glitch!" The man said as he stammered and looked thoughtful after a few moments. "But they did say the boss would give us our marching orders later."

"Johto, you're sure about that, nothing about Saffron?" Kotaro asked as the man shook his head.

"No, it was about hunting down this girl who stole something." The man said and looked conflicted. "At least they said she stole something, it was supposed to be something to do with detecting Chimera or something, they were never really clear about it."

Gabby nodded and looked at their captive and frowned when a light started to flash on her mask and she closed the external speaker and activated her internal comms to Kotaro. "What do you think?"

"All I can see is that he's a low level newcomer to the Order, but this doesn't matter much. I think we should press him about the Fossil Pokémon they used." Kotaro said and Gabby kept herself from nodding.

"Yeah, good idea." Gabby said as she reactivated her external speaker. "I'm sorry if this is hard, but we need to speak about the Pokémon that died."

"I didn't know anything about that, I never even heard he had one of those!" The man said as he looked at Gabby's mask and turned to look at Kotaro. "He never even hinted that his last resort was something like that, or that he had done anything at all to it!"

"How long were you a member then?" Kotaro asked and Gabby could barely keep herself from looking at him.

"A few days, I mean I only joined fully after the invasion." He admitted and they looked at each other.

"So does that have to do with the level comment that person made before she attacked you?" Gabby asked and Kotaro looked at him for a few moments before he nodded at her.

"Yeah…. From what I was told level ones are possible recruits, level two are new comers considered general members, that's what I was." The man said and Gabby

"He can't know anything, that thing about Johto is interesting though. Happy should have a false ID ready for him to slip into the Orange Islands, a gym leader there is against the Order and runs a hotel, she'll be able to give him a job and keep him out of the public eye." Kotaro said to Gabby over the internal comms.

"Thanks for you'll help, we'll drop you off later once the local problems are dealt with and we'll make sure you'll be feed in the meantime." Gabby said as she got up and Kotaro pushed off the wall.

"They'll come after me won't they, if they know I'm alive." The man said and Gabby looked at Kotaro who stood there before nodding.

"Yes, they will. I have a…..contact in the Orange Islands that will give you a new life, it's not much but better then nothing." Kotaro said and the man looked down at the table.

"All I wanted to do was protect Kanto and I'm leaving to stay alive, fine." The man said and looked at Kotaro and Gabby. "Just promise me you'll being them to light."

"I plan on dragging them into the light kicking and screaming if I have to." Kotaro promised and walked out of the room Gabby looked at the man before following Kotaro out and closing the door behind him. He sat down and sighed putting his head into his hands and closing his eyes and tried not to let what his joining the Order had cost him.

Gabby looked at the closed door behind them and activated her internal comms and looked at Kotaro who was walking towards where they had left Happy. "Do you do this kind of thing with those you've captured?"

"No, I do this for people who need to disappear from public view so the order won't find them. It's surprisingly successful

"And this Gym Leader in the Orange Islands, how'd you meet her?" Gabby asked and Kotaro stopped walking and seemed to radiate this sense of…..disgust.

"I was tracking a piece of Intel Happy found on the dark web, she discovered evidence of movement that hinted at a there was a project in play on her island, she was tracking missing kids. I discovered it was to train soldiers and I met here when we raided the same compound from two different sides. We saved the kids but everyone we captured committed suicide by Chimera, we almost died." Kotaro said and Gabby brought a hand to her mask as she realized what he hadn't said and swallowed. I knew they were behind the creation of the Chimera that created the last Siege, and Happy said that they were raising girls to sell as wives or breeders but child soldiers?! She thought as she looked at him as he continued through the ship towards Sarah.

As the two of them walked into the room Sarah turned around with a smile. "So what'd our guest have to say?"

"So far he seems to be an avenger that those bastards recruited to mold into one of them, probably going to be inducted into their deeper beliefs over time and if he failed he was probably going to be an experimental subject." Kotaro said and Gabby looked at him in shock as they removed their helmets.

"Is there anything that these bastards won't sink to? I mean really what are the limits of these scum?" Gabby asked as Kotaro removed his own helmet and shook his head.

"None and some. Some people I've met seem to be normal, a low opinion of Pokémon sure and then there's the ones who treat Pokémon like they were just weapons." Kotaro said as he looked at her. "But what about the other ones, those the police took into custody Sarah?"

"I'm in the hospital's system, I own it. So far the people they caught at the Order's base are still out but they expect them to wake up before dawn." Happy said as Kotaro nodded. "Also Shadow, one of those people you asked me to keep an eye on is outside the hospital, he seems to watching it."

"Who, I thought that they all went up with the others?" Kotaro asked and Sarah grinned.

"Everyone but the youngest, he's the one still in town." Sarah said as Kotaro grinned and reached over to ruffle her hair and she pushed him off her with a laugh.

"What about the Fossil Pokémon, anything from that angle?" Gabby asked and Sarah started to fume.

"Sarah?" Kotaro asked and she looked down.

"The police run a particularly tight computer system, I couldn't get in but I was able to get into the lab their using, mostly." Sarah said and Gabby nodded.

"Yeah, I remember some research I did for a story a few years back Fossil Pokemon, something about the water in the bones identifying where they came from...So if we find out where they came from….." Gabby trailed off and Sarah looked up and grinned.

"Then we can find out where the Order could have acquired it from! It might be a good way to identify more members!" Sarah said and grinned darkly as she snickered.

"Don't look for the armory, look for the smith." Kotaro said and Gabby looked at him with a smile.

"That sounds like one of the old man's proverbs, or was it one of his lessons on being unpredictable?" Gabby asked and Kotaro let a laugh bubble out of him as he grinned at her.

"Unpredictable I think. Anyhow Sarah, how are those three coming along?" Kotaro asked and Sarah looked at him before realizing what he meant.

"I put them on a slow cycle, they should be ready to be released within the next day or so….still with the Chimera up there I'd rather wait until the campaign is back." Sarah said.

Kotaro nodded and looked at a screen showing the mountain and lines of attack the Chimera had used when they attacked Viridian. Yeah, when they come back no matter if they win or not the hospitals are going to be swamped. Once they're back I can slip into the mountains and drop them off and then we can head back and grab the data from the police, we can leave the captives with the police, I mean what could they do…..fuck. He thought as he realized something that had slipped by everyone. "They're going to be killed."

"What are you?" Gabby began as Kotaro turned towards the door to the outside and she fell into step behind him as he dashed. Back in the room Sarah turned around and turned into the frequency of the helmets as they reached the exit and passed through it.

"Those bastards the police caught, their boss is going to send an assassin to silence them, why didn't I see it before, this is the best time to do it too!" He snarled as he dashed towards Viridian. "If we want any information we have to get it now!"

"Make sense Shadow!" Gabby said as she ran after him, happy that Sarah had set up the comms in the helmets to activate on default when they ran.

"The only way they've stayed in the dark is because they don't let evidence be brought to light! They have to have sent someone to get rid of anything that could lead back to them!" Kotaro said as they reached the outskirts of Viridian. "And they have to send an attack against the hospital with disposable assets and the one who's skilled to the police to get at the fossil Pokémon corpse!"

"Then we raid the police and hope that kid of yours can handle whatever attacks the hospital!" Gabby said as they climbed a buildings wall and reached the roof, Kotaro leading the way over the rooftops towards the police station.

After a few minutes they reached a roof overlooking the police station and Kotaro looked around. "We'll wait here, Sarah, do you have eyes on the station and hospital?"

"Yeah Shadow, I've got eyes on the hospital and ears on the police scanner." Sarah said as Gabby looked around and nodded. "I'll let you know when it's safe to move in and get what we need, you two just wait for the chance."

Kotaro looked at Gabby and shrugged. "Guess we wait then." Kotaro said absently and Gabby laughed and nodded at him.

"Not the first time I've staked out a site, but the first time I've watched a police station." Gabby said and pointed towards a chimney casting a shadow on the roof. "We can wait out of the sun, better then baking at least."

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Nicholas sighed and looked around the clearing, the remains of the defeated Treemen decaying as he watched. They had fought through the night and had barely been able to survive and he was worried about if they would make it to heart of their territory, and worse if they would even be able to destroy it when they got there.

"Not the best showing. I knew I shouldn't have been in charge!" Nicholas said as he looked around the clearing and saw the varuis people and Pokemon getting food and binding their wounds. "I must have been the worst person to have been the leader!"

"Better than you think kid." Nicholas turned at Dante's voice and saw him walking towards him with a grin, his axe dripping the green blood these things had. "You did everything you could have, I don't see how anything you could have done differently."

"They were attacked from ambush and it took us until the morning just to get back together, how is this not showing that I shouldn't have been made the leader?" Nicholas asked and he was met with a bitter grin.

"That's on the Templars, not you. I overheard them say that the old seneschal gave them orders if you weren't around to give them." Dante said bluntly and Nicholas stared at the Templars as one of them moved the clearing and destroying any of the crystals the Treemen had, any of them that were still in a relative solid state. "And you realized that something was wrong and gathered the rest of us to weather it, smart kid really."

"I thought some of those things that used long range attacks would attack, not an ambush." Nicholas said and suddenly he went still and looked around, his mind going back to the battle as something else came to his mind and caused him to go still and look around with a feeling of horror growing as he looked about. I can't believe I didn't notice it but when

"Yeah and where are those centaur things? I don't like this at all." Dante said as he looked around, hoping that he was right but part of him hoping he was wrong.

"Hey you!" Nicholas called out to one of the Templar and gestured to come closer to him, which the Templar did. "The centaur things that broke revived in the base, were any of them seen since we set out?"

The Templar stared at him before shaking its head and Nicholas cursed as Dante gestured for him to leave before turning towards Nicholas. "Just because we didn't see them doesn't mean that we're in the soup kid."

"But where could they be, and they were able to revive because of one of them and that one came from the leader of the force that attacked the base." Nicholas said and Dante nodded, gestureing for him to continue. "Then shouldn't those things be the leadership of these things, so where were they when we met the scouts and the ambush?"

Dante opened and closed his mouth and started to think, realizing that Nicholas was right. The kid's right, then everything we know about these things might be wrong. That's bad but if it's not then something more they might be after something more important to them, but what and why are they hunting so much 'food'? But what could be more important… I mean the only thing that I….oh no. Dante thought as he went still. "Good point, I can only think of two things. 1; we either missed another attack force that slipped by us or 2; their waiting to ambush us 'closer' to their base."

"I don't like either of those, we have to move and try to find out where the enemy base is. Why did we go this way anyway?" Nicholas asked and Dante looked at him in confusion.

"They didn't tell you when you were giving command? The queen did a ritual to look for their source with one of those crystal fragments, it's that way." Dante said as he pointed beyond the clearing towards the coast. "About another few hours as the crow files and we're be in the area she divined."

"So that's why we're here then….. then there's no other reason not to go heavy. You!" Nicholas called to a Templar who came over to him. "We're departing as in the next few minutes; I want the Golems in front with you Templars next with the Knights following!"

The Templar saluted and moved to carry out the orders as Dante looked at him. "Moving fast kid?"

"No, not really." Nicholas said and pointed in the way Dante had pointed towards. "Those crystals have to be receiving orders or power from somewhere over there, we find it we kill all of them, even those that got by us will die."

"So that way we can protect the others at home, or if their waiting to ambush us the Golems will take the blunt." Dante said and looked on as the Golems started to walk and the Templars followed behind them. As they moved out themselves a thought struck Dante. "Of course you know that only works if we understand them the right way, if we're wrong then this might be more then we can survive."

"That's something we can only hope is wrong Dante, this is a situation where we have to roll the dice and take a chance." Nicholas said and Dante stopped for a moment, frowned before he continued after a few moments.

Farther back two figures eyes Nicholas as he moved, a scowl on their faces. As they followed along with the others, Bryni turned and spoke to Victor as he rubbed his Pryoar's head. "So a death charge, I don't know why I'm surprised really. It seems like something one of his would do."

"Smart though." Victor said as he shook his head as his Houndour walked in front of them and looked around at the other knights as they followed after the Templars. "Most of them are a bit worried about the ambush, this way there is a layer between them, the Golems spring the traps, the Templars strike at the trap and we finish them off whatever set it off. A way to keep moving, raise moral and we don't have to retreat."

"Of course we don't have a choice but to follow along." Bryni said and Victor nodded and moved after the others Brynai shaking his head. That kid needs to learn to slow down and not go charging away all the time.

Ahead Victor did everything to keep his real feelings off his face. That old idiot, just like his 'master'. If the boss didn't want me here to get all the secrets I could I don't know what I would do besides killing this fool first chance I could get! He thought as he kept ahead of Bryni. "Come on partner, we don't want to let the rest of them take all of the glory and not leave us any."

Leaf looked through her binoculars and nodded towards Franz as he held his head as the others stood around them. Around them Holly, Kimi, Chogan and Isa were standing with their weapons out and their Pokémon in their Pokéballs, Chogan was looking at the sky

"That's not Nick, that idiot wouldn't be so slow to move around here." Franz said as he looked down at the forest from the hill. "Me, him and Ash always used to run around here back in the day, I mean whenever his mom would come to talk shop with gramps he'd always make it so she came around the days we have a celebration so he had a chance to make them stay."

"He was trying to set her up with somebody in the family cousin." Isa said and Franz looked at her sharply with glare before it morphed into a shocked expression before he stared into space.

"You know that makes more sense than it doesn't." Franz said after a few minutes and shook his head.

"Gramps is something isn't he? Always a trick to his madness." Isa said as she looked down at the forest. What happened to you Nick, you always said that those fools are scum who just wanted to be seen? Isa thought as Kimi gripped her scythe tighter and growled.

"What are we waiting for, lets go and find out what happened to him and get back to the city!" She said and made a step forward when Holly stopped her.

"Stay calm Kimi, I know how you feel but that's my brother, so think about how I feel about this!" Holly said and Kimi glared at her before nodding and softening her look.

"Any way, we should move and get undercover soon people. Those things that attacked them, I didn't see any of those flyers they hit us with before we made it into the city." Chogan said as he nocking an arrow to his bow, his eyes scanning the skies for any sign of them.

"Yeah, but move where? I mean I guess we could try and get ahead of them but where are they going?"

"That way… I think there's one of the Swallowed Towns, the ruins of the bridge they were trying to add to Route 16 from before the Siege, those forests and unclaimed land that stretches from here to Cerulean." Leaf said as she looked that way, her mind going dark places. And that's not counting about the remains of that varies labs Happy and Shadow destroyed over the years, and the rumors they passed on about those people behind our school. She thought as she listened to the others talk.

"The town over there, I think dad said that the place was being built there because of a fresh water spring/ fountain….good place for anything to set up a den really." Holly said and Isa nodded.

"Anyway I think the only place they could be after is my grotto a few miles away from here." Franz said absently and Holly turned to him with a confused look on her face.

"Why there? Why out of everything do you think that's the place to go?" Holly asked and Franz went still as he realized what he said. "Franz, what do you know that you're not telling us?

"Franz….." Yellow said and Franz started to rub the back of his head.

"About two, three months back I finally found a way around that blockage. Behind it was a tunnel that led to a bowl valley on Mount Terror." Franz admitted. "Now don't freak out….."

"Mount Terror, that's where your grotto is?! That's on the route that the Chimera used to attack the area during the last Siege! Most people leave it alone in case of hidden Chimera Eggs!" Leaf said with a snarl as she stalked towards Franz who looked away until she was standing in his face and looking up at him. "What were you thinking, just why the hell where you doing to have been going that way?!"

"I was tracking my Fearow, back then it was still attacking the herds with its flock and I tracked one who I wanted for my team. After a while I found it fighting a battle with a large Fearow with a scar, the one that's always attacking trainers with Spearows as back up." Franz admitted. "I was going to leave it alone when I saw the others in the larger one's flock attack it and it just watched. My team and I saved the new comer when the other Fearow moved in for the kill and well we ran until we found the grotto."

"What was in the valley Franz?" Chogan asked and Franz looked scared.

"An old stone compound, it looked like it had been battered by the rain for at least a hundred years or more." Franz said and looked at them, a strange look in his eyes that shocked the others. "That place, it's not right. Just being near it made me sweet and I had nightmares about something dragging me into it for a weak."

"Okay, strange ruin aside, what else, what makes you think that's where Nick's going?" Isa asked and Franz gained a haunted look.

"The tunnel came out across the valley from the complex, I could see this large tree at the center, it went to just below the valley's walls. I saw something in the shadow bellow the lip of the valley's wall facing outward, if I'm right then the whole mountain just moved to let those things out." Franz said and held up a hand. "Don't ask me why I think that's where those tree things are coming from, I can't explain it."

"If we can kill what those wood things are from, then we might save a few lives. And if he's wrong about where Nick and the others are going then at least we could find a place sleep with a watch tonight." Leaf said as the others nodded and started to release their Ride Pokémon. "And if we can find anything that might help our people then there's the more chance the League might step in and deal with Team Gaia once and for all!"

Nicholas and Dante moved after the Templars and looked ahead, both of them lost in their thoughts as they charged towards their target. I hope this is right. If those gems aren't made but harvested here then we might be running into an ambush! But this is the best chance we have, we don't have anything but the Queen's divining to guide us and that ambush, how did whatever's behind this have the knowledge to even try that? Nicholas thought as he walked, never noticing that Dante had started to look worried and glance around.

"Hey kid, did you notice that the quite is getting worse?" Dante asked suddenly causing Nicholas to look at him before listening and growing worried that he only heard the sounds the others had been making.

"Your right, this has to mean we're getting closer to our target after all." Nicholas said and Dante looked at him with a confused expression that slowly changed to understanding.

"What do you mean…..of course those things are 'hunting' for 'food'. They had to have picked this place clean." Dante said and Nicholas nodded. This might work after all. I'm never thinking bad things about the Queen's abilities ever again. Wait when did I think bad about her… Nicholas held his head suddenly as pain hit him, enough to cause him to stumble against a tree and pant as his head throbbed as he hugged himself as agony hit him.

"Kid! Kid can you hear me?! Nicholas!" Dante said as he rushed and grabbed Nicholas as he panted for a few moments. "Are you okay kid?"

"Yeah, I just got a migraine for some reason. It's gone now, but I can't remember what I was thinking about before it hit." Nicholas said as he pushed Dante off and took a few steps. "Come on we have to keep moving, we… why is that Templar coming towards us?"

Dante turned and saw a Templar running towards them and frowned. When those people move that fast, its nothing good. What's wrong with this campaign now? Dante wondered as the Templar reached them and saluted Nicholas.

"Sir, we've come across something you have to see to believe." The Templar said. Nicholas shot a glance at Dante who frowned, neither of them like this.

"Show us." Nicholas said and the Templar nodded and turned and rushed off, Dante and Nicholas following behind him.

"I don't like this kid." Dante said softly as they ran. "For a Templar to say something needs to be seen, I don't like this one bit, this is going to be bad."

"Let's see what's wrong first, maybe it's not as bad as you think?" Nicholas asked and went quite as Dante shot him a look. "Yeah it's probably just as bad."

A few moments later Nicholas stared as Dante swore at what they saw. A mountain had its side down like a hinge had been built into the mountain and it revealed a valley in the mountain about three hundred feet up, around the base of the slop the mountain had formed were trees about ten feet high with various Treemen around them, about twenty in sight alone.

"So we found our target then." Nicholas said and Dante looked at him and nodded.

"And there have to be a few of those centaurs and some of those bear things in that valley, what's the plan?" Dante asked and Nicholas looked at the 'ramp' for a few seconds before speaking.

"We send the Golems in to kill anything they can, then I'll led most of the Templar and half of the others up there once we have an opening." Nicholas said and Dante looked at him in shock. "This way we can have enough of a force to kill the 'maker' no matter what's there."

"If those flying things have more variants we haven't seen yet kid, you might be walking into a trap." Dante said bluntly and Nicholas nodded back and Dante continued. "Hell, we should go home and bring everything to kill this thing!"

"We're here, what might have slipped by us might be attacking the base as we speak. We're here and we have a chance to save our own, we have to take it." Nicholas said as he reached down and rubbed the Pokéball on his belt. "And your team will be able to handle an escape better if I'm the one going in."

"Fine kid, but stay alive okay?" Dante asked and looked at the other Knights moving towards them. "And two things, first we gather everyone together before you make this devil run and two we eat before we do anything else."

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Jenny got off her bike and looked around the circus that was the city's Pokémon Lab. Five squad cars and the officers had set up a perimeter and locked down the street in front of the lab and set a tarp part of the lab's wall with a few lab technicians looking over a truck near it and taking notes. She could see an ambulance pulled up to the front gate of the lab and no one been treated there, realizing that whatever had brought it here was inside and not that seriuis if the street was locked down. Looking around she notice that people had gathered to watch and the city's news station had sent a van and she saw the current prime time reporter start to give a report and moved quickly past her so she wouldn't see Jenny and try and get a sound bite before she knew anything about what had happened to need this kind of response. She ducked under the police tape and no sooner had she did then she heard the reporter notice her, ignoring the calls she continued on and stopped next to the van.

"What's the story?" She asked and one of the technicians looked up and frowned before gesturing towards the tarp.

"Go take a look boss, I saw it and I couldn't believe it." The technician said gestured towards the tarp and Jenny looked at him before walking towards it and ducked under, staring at the three robots on the ground of the Lab's inner garden.

"What in the name of Arceus? Okay, someone tell me what the hell this is!" She demanded loudly as she stared at what looked like three robots, two of them being examined by technicians as she watched.

"There you are boss lady, sorry about having to pull you into this horror show." A voice caused her to turn and see one of the best officers, a tall man with black hair in a ponytail and glass in the police uniform with a green coat over it. "Although everything was done before we arrived, all that was left is the paperwork."

"What are those things Roger, what the hell happened here!" She demanded and Roger scowled and looked away. Jenny followed his gaze and saw a flesh arm with what she hopped was a clawed gauntlet on being photographed by an office, farther to the right of she saw another tarp over a hole there.

"What happened here was a data theft and Pokémon abuse that I can't even categorize, and the only evidence we have is a video from cameras watching the garden." Roger said as he scowled and shook his head.

"Pokémon Abuse, class one or two?" Jenny demanded as she looked around and Roger looked sick for a few moments before replying to his boss.

"Class Two, Trainer abuse maybe….. We don't have any ID on the people responsible, if they can still be called people." He said and Jenny looked at him and

"Can't identify… Start at the beginning, what do we know about what happened." Jenny said as Roger looked at her and sighed.

"Yes mam. About two three hours ago the lab was attacked, the party responsible used that van outside to get at maybe ten of those things and two Pokémon near enough to strike without anyone being the wiser. It was around lunch so most people were out, those who weren't hunkered down and the street was empty." Roger began. "After they broke in behind you first and sent in two small drones to take some info the Professor had on his computer while two the attacking force kept them from knowing about it."

"Then their plan worked almost perfectly then, given that we know about the data theft?" Jenny asked and Roger nodded at her.

"Yeah, I think they were basing it around intel that said the Professor would be alone, his nieces/ assistants are at a family reunion and wedding for the other side of their family, if the Professor hadn't had visitors this would have happened a lot differently." Roger said as he chuckled. "As it was, one of the human attackers lost an arm, they retreated and lost all the robots they brought with them, the last bunch being fried, one of the kids claimed one and we're sending it to the Gym for a complete."

"Why is the gym involved with this? Wait…..don't tell me!" Jenny said and Roger grinned at her and nodded.

"Yeah, the Gym Leader's the one who claimed it; he's going on vacation with his sister so he said to tell Tara to store it for him to take apart when he gets back." Roger said with a smirk. "And get this, the two of them are going on a journey with the others trainers involved."

Jenny only looked at her suborned before groaning and covered her face with her hands and she tried to hold back her anger. "After all the trouble he's been causing with the gym he's here and going on vacation?"

"Actually boss about that, it seems that his own robotic creation chased him out of him gym." Roger said with a laugh and at her look he grinned. "Yeah, he created a robotic Vice Leader and it accidentally took over, he beat it and took back control before passing it to Miss Tara."

"So that problem's been solved then? Good but where are they and who cut off the arm, and that is a gauntlet right?" Jenny asked and felt a little sick when Roger shook his head.

"In there with the trainers who helped beat them back, and guess who it is, that trainer your twin was talking about last week." Roger said and Jenny stared in shock. "And no, it's not a gauntlet, we're looking at a real cyborg arm here boss, and that goes over to the possible Pokémon abuse."

"The Protector?" Jenny asked in shock and looked towards the inner lab. Cybernetics that advanced, I mean prosthetic limbs aren't that advanced and that looks like it might…wait. Her thoughts died when she realized what he had said and turned sharply to him with a shocked look. "Wait you can't mean!"

"Yeah and get this, our favorite mayoral official is here." Roger said with a smirk as Jenny just looked at in in disgust.

Inside Ash put his jacket back on as the paramedic finished looking over him and walked back to the others. Serena was talking with Lilith and Bonnie as Pikachu stayed by her. Clemont was helping the professor check his computer's files to see just what had been taking while Bianca made a few sandwiches in the kitchen. When he walked into the room Serena had seen him and smiled, causing the others to turn and smile.

"You're okay Ash?" Bonnie asked as Pikachu jumped to his shoulder and nuzzled his check against Ash's. Ash laughed and rubbed Pikachu's head and nodded.

"Yeah, he never even touched me, not surprising since they were trying to buy time." Ash said as Serena looked down, hating herself for letting the drone escape. She looked up when Lilith put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't think too badly about what happened, one beginning trainer and her Pokémon against two robotic infiltrators with unknown capabilities? That you took out one of them with Bonnie's help is something to be commended." Lilith said as she smiled at Serena.

"Lilly's right Serena, you did great." Ash said and smiled at her, Serena doing looked down so Ash wouldn't see her blush and Bonnie looked up at her and smirked slightly.

"Yeah Serena, you were so brave!" Bonnie said causing Serena to smile at her. The sound of a door opening caused them to look and see Clemont and August walk back into the room.

"Any luck finding what they were after?" Lilith asked and Clemont shook his head when a voice spoke up from the door.

"What the hell happened here Sycamore?!" The voice caused them to turn and see a man with blond hair and a beard dressed in a black suit with a green tie. He had a scowl and when they saw him Clemont and August both adopted flat smiles.

"Hello Joseph, how are you today?" August said as Clemont tried to keep his anger down.

"Don't play me Sycamore! I was about to head to an opera when I heard that you've had some data stolen!" Joseph snarled as he looked at August. "My god the damage that this could cause the city because you dropped the ball, the finical data alone could!"

"That was your decision Tregs! And the Gym used to be where it was kept and what you're talking about wasn't even touched!" Clemont interrupted Joseph who turned and scowled at Clemont and the others

"And you let this…..Gym Leader Clemont, what are you doing here?" Jospeh Tregs stammered as he looked at Clemont and realized who he was talking to.

Joseph Tregs / blond hair and a beard

"My friends and I stopped here to see the Professor and we helped fend off the attackers." Clemont said and Joseph stared as Clemont continued. "And I was actually hoping I'd run into you, I was wondering how the decision to use that subway as a place for the contest was made."

"That's that was made by other people in the League." Joseph stammered and no one noticed Ash and Lilith filing that piece of information away. "But that doesn't matter, what did they take then?"

"That's something I'd like to know too." Jenny's voice said as she and Rodger came into the room and Serena looked at her in shock.

"From what Clemont found when it was finished it imitated a system reboot and covered its tracks. I could tell that a few files I had were opened but it was basic data." August said with a shrug. "A few files on public emergency responses I have, a few files about starter Pokémon but that's handled through the League, it doesn't make any sense."

"Then nothing that they couldn't have been found easier in any other computer system, even found legally then?" Serena asked and August nodded.

"I have to admit that yes, that's true." August said and looked at the room he and Clemont had just come out of. You'd think they'd have been after any of my research, maybe even the answers to the contest riddles but all Clemont could find was only basic files were accessed, this doesn't make any sense at all. He thought as he turned back and saw Joseph fuming.

"It doesn't make sense, they had to have had a reason!" Clemont said and Joseph looked at him before his eyes lit up.

"It was probably a field test of those things out there." Joseph said with a snort and looked up, closing his eyes.

"That doesn't make sense, why attack and steel data from a computer in the same lab as they attack and make enough damage that anyone would know something happened.

"They obviously thought that the Professor would be alone." Joseph said in such a way that even Bonnie could see he was grasping at straws.

"It's possible, but you'd think whoever they were would have seen us enter the lab?" Lilith asked and Joseph looked at her in a condescending way before replying.

"Well you can't tell what some people thing little girl." Joseph said before turning towards Jenny and Roger. "I want wherever those things out there were made found and raided, we can't let this stand."

Ash looked on and nodded silently to himself as he listened and shook his head as he listened to the 'adults' talk amongst themselves. Once again the people in charge ignore the obvious and the 'kids'. I don't know what I expected differently. Ash thought as he looked at Joseph as he looked around the room, finally noticing him, Lilith and Serena and really seeing them.

"And somebody get these teens out of here, we have important work to fix!" Joseph demanded

"We've got statements about what was done from them right?" Jenny asked and Roger nodded and gave the trainers and apologetic look.

"Yeah, we did that when we got here, stander procedure." Roger said reluctantly before Joseph cut in.

"Then obviously they don't need to be here then!" Joseph said and August looked at the teens and saw Lilith fuming and moved to keep her from reacting.

"Come on, I'll show you the back door. You do not want to be ambushed by the press." August said as Ash gestured to the others to follow the professor with him.

As August led them deeper into the lab he looked back at them and smiled sadly.

"I can't thank you all enough for helping me, not matter what that…..man said." August said and Clemont just sighed.

"Yeah, he might be slime but he's one heck of an organizer." Clemont said and Ash just chuckled.

"Met a few people like that over the years, they're the ones who are the seen and don't hear types, aren't they?" Ash asked with a laugh in his voice.

Bianca appeared carrying a small tray of sandwiches and looked at the group before turning towards August. "What's happening?"

"An official appeared and wants us gone." Lilith spoke up before August could and Bianca gasped. "It was good meeting you Bianca."

"Yeah, you going to try for the League since you're here?" Ash asked and Bianca shook her head.

"No, I think I'll just try and make a life here for now, if I see my dad I won't go with him, I'm of age and out of that town." Bianca said after a few moments of thought. "The officers are in the study over there right, I'll bring this food there give my statement about what happened."

"I left the macaroons there, I hope you enjoy them!" Serena said as she and the others waved goodbye to Bianca.

August kept down the smile that threatened to break out. I have to tell the others about this, she's gonging to want to come and see Bianca! I have a chance to rekindle my relationship with my old friend, thank you. He thought as he led the others towards a door. "This will let you out into the alley, just follow the side street and you should be on 40th street, good luck on the gyms and contests!"

After the teens left August turned around and moved back towards the room, not wanting to let Roger around Bianca too long. As he came into the room he saw Roger trying to sweet talker her and scowled.

"So little lady who are you?" Roger asked and Bianca blushed a little and looked away.

"This is myold friend Bianca from Unova." August said frostily as he came towards them. "I unknowingly hired her to come and make a meal for me as a Quest."

"Well welcome to Kalos, and nice sandwich." Jenny said as she ate one of them. Bianca nodded and smiled at her.

"Thanks you, Serena said she left a box of macaroons around here…..where'd they go?" Bianca asked as she looked around the table and didn't see the box.

Ash looked around the alley and that the police had cordoned off the area the robots had broken the wall to get in and turned towards the other way. "Come on guys, this seems to be the only way we can go."

"You know there's a good restaurant nearby, a bit small but great service." Bonnie said as they reached the street and Clemont smiled.

"And their food is priced reasonably, how about my treat since Ash got the food before we left that village?" Clemont asked and Bonnie grinned as Lilith chuckled.

"Next time is mine, okay all?" Lilith said as she looked around and saw Ash deep in through. "Ash what is it?"

Ash never heard Lilith, his thoughts running wild through his head. I can't believe that actually happened, I mean I've never even heard rumors about people doing that, I mean the Mirage Pokémon were one thing but this was so far beyond what normal people would do, what the hell were they thinking, do that to themselves and their Pokémon! Ash thought and never noticed when the others stopped until he heard Lilith clearing her throat. Turning he saw the others looking at him and he rubbed the back of his head.

"What's wrong Ash?" Serena asked and Ash was about to say something when she continued. "And don't say it's nothing, you wouldn't be acting that way if it wasn't something important."

"What is it Ash?" Clemont asked as Ash only looked at them for a few seconds before he spoke.

"MCR105." Ash replayed and the others looked at each other before looking at Ash in confusion.

"What's MCR105?" Serena asked as Lilith got a sinking feeling.

"That's what those people, the other one not the one I fought, he…it called the Mightyena, MCR105 and MCR104." Ash said grimly and Clemont started to think before he realized what it might mean.

"You can't mean!?" Clemont demanded as the girls looked at him before turning back to Ash, confused by what Clemont had understood and they hadn't, Bonnie on the edge of understanding but something stopping her from taking the final step.

"Yeah." Ash said nodding.

"What are you two talking about, what do you think it meant?" Serena asked and Ash looked at her with a resolute expression on his face.

"Mightyenea Cyborg Ride 105. That's all I can think of it meaning." Ash said and the girls stared in horror and Bonnie grabbed Serena's legs as Lilith paled.

"105, they have over one hundred of those mutilations?" Lilith exclaimed in shock. I have to send another message with my girl, but I can't! The only thing I can do is send a request for a meeting and hope they can arrange one soon. Lilith thought as she looked around and Clemont spoke up.

"It could be series, the one hundred." Clemont said thoughtfully. "My inventions, I usually catorgize them based on number to show what there for, my 5000 series are for security and my 9000 series are basically for any inventions that have to do with movement. Heck my backpack is from the 3000 series, general lifestyle improvement series."

"I've dealt with inventors before Clemont, but what gets me is they called what they did to those Pokemon a numbered series." Ash explained before he continued before they could understand what he meant. "People who do that to Pokémon….. they are always the kind of people who would threaten regions and the world, I'm worried what that will mean for Kalos, and if it will 'pop' soon. And there's no way to figure out what they were really after!"

Clemont exchanged looks with the others and saw unease reflected back in the eyes of both Lilith and Serena. This more than anything tells me that Ash really has seen a lot on his Journey, I want him to be wrong but if he's not then it's something to be ready for. Maybe I should up my training, see if I can find any good Pokemon on this trip to add to my team….like him. Clemont thought as an old pain went through him and he looked down and opened his mouth when Lilith spoke first.

"And that's not even taking into account the fact that those people were cyborgs as well. Why did they do that to themselves, I can't even think of a reason." Lilith said with a shudder.

"That's only if they got rid of their parts by choice, an accident?" Serena asked and Clemont shook his head.

"But the same accident happened to their Pokémon too, that seems too far to even be possible." Clemont said with a scowl. "In the boarding school I went to there was a person there who said that science would make up for the failure of biology, he was a powerful Steel type trainer but everyone thought he was unhinged, most ignored him because he was the best in school, up until he disappeared."

"After an experiment, missed a few classes or just wasn't there one day?" Ash asked and Clemont looked thoughtful for a few seconds.

"Gone missing after a few days, but it was the weekend and a break and he said he'd be looking over an experiment, it was a robotics project last I heard." Clemont said with a shrug. Ash looked at Clemont and made a note to ask about his former classmate if they were ever around his old school.

"Anyway, let's go, it's almost time for the lunch rush. Let's make it there before its full!" Bonnie said as she grabbed Lilith's and her brother's hand and pulled her after her as she led the way towards the restaurant.

"Bonnie slow down!" Lilith said with a laugh as Clemont tried to get his sister to slow down and Bonnie ignored them.

As Ash grinned and moved to follow after them Serena grabbed his arm and when he looked at her and saw the look in her eyes he stayed silent and walked with her after the others.

"What didn't you say Ash?" Serena asked softly and Ash just shook his head.

"You caught that didn't you Serena, it's out there and if I hadn't had an adventure or two I wouldn't have even thought possible." Ash said as Pikachu jumped to his shoulder and looked at Serena.

"Tell me Ash." Serena asked and he sighed and looked at her.

"Those Mightyena's, they could use Metal Claw, and so could the controlers." Ash said and Serena looked at him and her mouth dropped open.

"Are….are you serious? That's possible? But Aura Guardians are just a legend!" Serena said and gasped when Ash looked at her and shook his head. "Ash, they're not?"

"They weren't legends; I met a Lucario who had been sealed into a crystal by his partner, an Aura Guardian who gave his life to stop a war." Ash said as he looked down. "He gave his life to save a Mew, and this was after it saved the lives of May, Brock and Max after we fought our way into the Tree of Begging to get back Pikachu who had been kidnapped by the same Mew."

"You've seen Mew?" Serena whispered in total shock.

"I've seen most of the Legendaries and even an Alien Pokémon." Ash said with a smirk as Pikachu grinned as Serena looked on in awe. "I'll tell you guys all about the alien one over the meal."

As they walked off after Bonnie, Clemont and Lilith they never noticed that they were being followed by the Chespin from the lab.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The black triangle drone flew through the air over the tops of the builds towards its meeting point when suddenly.

"Poison Sting now!" Jessie's voice called out before white needles shot at the Drone and it fell to the rooftop. Before it could get back into the air Meowth was there and stabbed down with glowing claws into it and the sounds of its engine died down and Meowth retracted his claws and laughed.

"Easiest takedown ever guys! So James think you'll be able to get anything out of this thing?" Meowth asked as James appeared riding Weezing and grinned as he walked to the drone and picked it up.

"Probably, once I find a way to get at the motherboard and mainframe, I should if it didn't have a protection set to it." James said absently as he looked over the machine in his hand. It doesn't seem to have an external port for data insertion, maybe hidden behind one of these, no maybe wireless commands sent out with an encryption key? That makes sense but what would the designer need to make it that way? He thought as he looked at the drone in his hand and identified a few screws to work at.

"Think that's what caused the commotion at the Lab?" Jessie asked as she came out from behind a chimera with Arbok behind her and looked at James as he took off his gloves and looked

"Part of it, and get this I saw some Mightyena's running away with riders in robes on them, and they didn't look normal." Meowth began and looked away before speaking again. "And the Mightyena's, they weren't right."

"What do you mean not right?" Jessie demanded and James looked up from the drone as Meowth looked….scared and confused.

"They had metal horns, maybe helmets and gauntlets on both legs and…. I I don't know, they I, I wasn't close enough to smell 'em but they just didn't seem right." Meowth said as he shrugged. "I can't explain it; my instincts are just telling me they were wrong."

James shared a look with Jessie and he looked over the rooftops of the city and tried to think what that meant. As he looked the around rooftops he was struck with a strange feeling, something he couldn't identify. He was so struck by this that he never noticed that Jessie had gone silent as well.

At Meowth's comment Jessie shook her head as half remembered thoughts went through her head. I've heard about that before, Pokémon wearing armor but when and where? Why do I have a bad feeling about this, why? Jessie thought as she looked down and didn't move until Arbok nudged her and she looked at its worried face. Jessie grinned and rubbed Arbok's hood and got up and stretched and looked around at James. "I don't like this James, not one bit."

"I don't either." James agreed with her and shook his head. "That gang, the way the café served drugged food and now this, what the hell is happening in this region?"

"And that's not even counting the preserve these two were in." Meowth said as Weezing and Arbok nodded and Jessie and James shared a look, both of them wondering what this might mean for them.

"Pierce is heading towards that place and we're too far to send more than anything but a text to him if we want it to be secure." Jessie said as she shook her head. "The best thing we can do is to try and find out where the twerp is and maybe beat him there to see if we can find anything out."

"Then with the police there attacking the lab is a fools dream, we can try and see what this thing has and maybe it has what we wanted." James said with a shrug. "If not we can attack when we come back to the city, that's the only thing we can do about this really."

"Yeah, I saw the twerp go in the laboratory before these things attacked, I think the police will let'em out in the back. We can probably find them by going that way." Meowth said and after a few moments they were off, hoping to find Ash and his friends.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

At the Airport a teen girl in black dress walked through the crowds, a black cloak and sunglass on moved towards the private departure gate pulled a suitcase as she moved through the crowds, listening to the people as she went.

"Hey did you hear about the attack on the Professor's lab?"

"Yeah, a van was involved but the police are keeping it quiet just what happened, even the Profesor hasn't given a statement yet."

"That's nothing, there was a Chimera attack earlier today, that's what, the third time in the last decade or something?"

"Hasn't this region been Chimera free for over a hundred years, something about the last time being before their civil war?"

"And did you hear about the gang over in City, how they kidnapped people?"

"Yeah, I heard they brainwashed teenage girls into sex slaves, glad I'm heading to Johto!"

"Haven't you heard about the Chimera nest near the border there?"

The woman just smirked and moved towards the gate and walked through a door towards a small plane with an attendant waiting for her.

"Ahhhh. You would be Madame Selene yes? I was worried that you wouldn't make it here with the traffic jam out there."

The woman removed her glasses to reveal that she was Felicity and smiled. "I wouldn't miss this flight for anything. We're ready and able right?" Felicity asked and the attendendt nodded her head.

"Yes mam, the captain said that we expect to take off as soon as the tower clears us, your luggage has been loaded and we're just waiting on finishing the final preflight checks."

"Excellent, let us make it home safe then." Felecity said as she got aboard the plane. Felicity sat down and removed her cloak and sighed, a pout forming on her face as she looked out the window. Who could guess that cousin would have found someone off the Homeland and that the prince would have a few Aura Links. Still I wonder what the message she gave me to open once I got onto the plane. She thought as she got out an envelope and openend it, quickly reading it.

"Cousin sorry for not telling you face to face, but I learned this after I sent my girl home with that scan. According to Ash when he was a kid two orphans killed Pokémon and used their parts to 'make' something. Yeah I think it was a Frankenmon, this mean the knowledge about that is still out there in the world. If this is connected to what attack on my girl, I don't know. Their home was raided but they slipped away before the police raided it, that means the local police in Pallet could be crooked, the team there needs to be warned. Sorry to tell you this way but I already told you about the Alchemy that the Buzz Lords used, and I couldn't tell you about this because Ash doesn't know about it but please make sure they know about the threats there, good luck and stay safe."

Felicity put the letter down and sighed, shaking her head as the plane taxied towards the runway. You always have to drop bombs on me cousin, you really do. Still a police group that might be crooked, I tell the boss and we'll warn the team, you just stay alive and maybe gain a romance with that Clemont. She thought as the plane started to takeoff.

"I'll tell the lady when she debriefs me cousin, see you when I see you." Felicity said as she looked out the window as the plane flew towards her home.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"That could work, it will work! We can get rid of her and the truckers trucks don't have to be repaired; we can sell them for scrap."Agent A removed her ear buds and sighed. So that's something that I have to handle later as well. I swear the fact that Team Galatic didn't have their surviving leaders here is the only good news I have. She thought as she sat down on the toilet and shook her head in disgust.

"And I was content to let him waste away in obscurity after I calmed down." Agent A said as she sighed and looked around the bathroom. The night before had been normal, she had been able to interview all the truckers and get their accounts of the ambush and everything looked normal. But when her spy had signaled her she when she woke up she had she had only recently been able to slipaway into the bathroom to hear what he had found. Looking down she saw a beep from her phone and smiled at the message on it, opening it she grinned evilly and chuckled.

"So Nate's nearby, perfect. So the plan is 'Lost Waif in the Wild', that's always fun." She said with a smile and sent off a copy of the audio file her spy had made and sighed and splashed some water onto her face before she nodded at herself. She got out of the bathroom and moved towards a map that showed the progress of clearing the island and looked over it until one of the guards came over and saluted her.

"Mam, current estimates shows that we'll be done searching the island by nightfall! Currently we've recaptured about 95% off the escapees and we think we'll have the entire island cleared out within the day." The guard said and she nodded.

"So most of them will have been found?" Agent A asked and the guard winced.

"With the discovery of the tunnel there is a chance that some of them made it into it and used it, but we expect that most of them who are still in the area will be found soon. We're going over the offsite records of who was here and we should have a total estimate of who escaped by nightfall." The guard said and looked at around before he continued. "Also mam, the truckers? They're getting a bit anxious about how long they've been kept here."

Agent A looked towards the building that the truckers had taken over and nodded to herself. I guess they can detect the fact the bastard is looking for a scapegoat and they might be on the block… once he makes his move they can leave, if they can prove they left before I 'died' then no wonder he wants them to stay where he can get them. She thought before she turned to the guard. "Tell them they should be able to leave tomorrow morning at the latest."

"Mam!" the guard said and saluted before he walked away and after a few moments she walked out of the building into the open air and walked towards the lake, looked about and sighing a little, wondering just what would happen to the prison now that the legend of the inescapable prison had been broken.

"Ahh Agent, there you are!" Jared's voice caused her to turn and see him walking towards her with a three of his personal guards following behind him and Bernard. "Have a good breakfast my dear, I would have seen you sooner but you know how much work to take care of this mess is needed!"

"Yes I did have a nice enough meal. But tell me Warden, have you found anything?" Agent A asked as she looked at him and he nodded and she kept her reactions from showing on her face. "I can think of no reason for you to have found me so what is it?"

"Oh yes. We found the body of one of the unaccounted escapees. I assume that you don't want to see it of course." Jared said and she fought down the urge to glare at him.

"I need to see the body." Agent A said as she looked at him and successfully kept a smirk off her face. I'm giving you enough rope to make your own noose, if you decide to tie it then I'll make sure it's around your neck at the end. She thought as she looked at him and he nodded.

"This way mam, it's in a cave alongside a river nearby." The Warden said as he turned and grinned as he led the way, a smile forming as soon as he had his back to her. Perfect, we can say she died when a landslide happened; we just have to make sure she's in the cave before it 'happen'. He thought as he lead the way out of the docks into the woods in the direction of the mountains, never noticing something was following them, jumping from tree to tree and staying out of sight.

In the woods three people waited on a cliff overlooking a stream; waiting for Agent A to be led into the trap.

"Keep yourselves ready men once they get her into position we drop her." A guard said as the others snickerd and one of the looked conflicted.

"I don't know about this guys I mean couldn't we use something faster than crushing her? I mean really!" Another of them asked as the first and he just sighed.

"We want to blame those truckers, they caused a problem and one of their Pokémon's moves killed her, easy and we then sell the trucks and say that they were destroyed in the battle." The first said and

"Then why can't we just burn her body, I mean wouldn't that be faster?" The second guard asked and the first shook his head.

"No Fire or Dragon Types amongst the truckers." The first said and looked towards the mouth of the gully. "We just wait for them to pass by the created cave and then we crush her."

"Yeah…..say sergeant who's that?" Another of the guards asked and pointed towards the other end and saw a brown haired boy with a red visor over his brown eyes wearing a blue shirt, light blue shorts and black leggings and red shoes walk along the river towards the port.

"What the hell is he doing here? Someone go get him and take him away from here, now!" The leader barked and looked at two of the guards who got up and

The teen was walking through the gully whistling a tone and looking around with a look of awe on his face as he moved. Okay, all I have to do is wander this way, once I see the lake I head straight there and when I find them say I got lost chasing down a Pokemon and I was trying to find my way back the main road. I should get there before they pull their plan off and then all I need to do is wander and strike. He thought as he walked, his hands moving to his belt.

"Hey!" He looked up and saw two people standing there looking at him. "This place is near a restricted area, what the hell are you doing here!"

"A restricted area? Sorry I was chasing a Pokémon I wanted for my team and it got away from me. I spent the next day trying to find it or my way back to the road and got lost, you wouldn't be willing to tell me where the nearest town is would you?"

One of the guards looked at him and felt a spark of pity. Great, just what we need a lost trainer….still maybe we could use him to help sell her death, maybe we won't be able to pin it on the truckers but that might be better in the long run. He thought and was about open his mouth when the second of the two guards spoke up in anger.

"This place is on lockdown brat! And if you think I'll let that lie pass…." The second guard said as he threw a Pokéball and released a Haxorus appeared, roaring as it appeared.

"You idiot!" The first guard said as he threw his own Pokéball and released his Golisopod. "It's just a new trainer you fool that got lost, no need to go so far!"

"Yeah wanna make something about this punk!" The second guard snarled as his Haxorus growled and Golisopod raised its claws. "Sometimes you have to go hard, and this is one of them!"

"You…..!" The first began the trainer threw something between them that with a bright flash and a boom that staggered the guards and their Pokémon.

"Dewott, Escavalier let's go!" The teen cried out and before the guards could recover he continued. "Dewott fire Ice Beam at Haxorus, Escavalier use Poison Jab on the Golisopod!"

"What the hell?!" The first guard exclaimed before his hand went to his throat where a dart had hit and he felt himself start to fall asleep as the second guard fell as well. Haxorus was incased in ice and Golispod had fallen to its knees and growled as Escavalier floated and aimed its lances at the Bug Type as Dewott, a bipedal, otter-like Pokémon with a primarily light blue body with small black ears, a pointed crest at the back of its head, a red nose, and long white whiskers forming tilted V-shapes. Its paws have three fingers each and they and its feet and flat tail are black. Around its waist is a large, dark blue, fringed arrangement of fur, with two scallops on the thighs.

Dewott suddenly dodged to the right as a Gallade and the trainer looked at the leader of the three guards as he looked down at the battle with a shocked expression.

"Who the hell are you?!" The guard captain asked and the trainer only looked up at him.

"So you're the last one, I must say despite being a scumbag traitor Warden Jared is quite smart or did Mr. Bernard set this plan up to kill my partner?" The trainer asked and the guard stared at him in shock.

Agent A looked as she was led through the woods, Jared talking to distract her from what she knew was to be her death if he had his way.

"So as I was saying it was chance that my men even found the body. They were trying to find the other end of the tunnel and well they found this river, we never go far into the forest. I mean we know where it goes out into the lake but we never charted it." Jared said as they reached a small valley that a river cut through and a step cliff face a few yards back that the river went around it. "Some of my people think it was created in a Pokémon battle between wild ones and given what's around here I agree, a good enough explanations as anything really."

Agent A nodded as they went into the valley and hid a smirk as she saw a tree whistle and saw a white claw point out, her spy was ready to attack if it had to. As they walked through the valley she looked at the river and noticed that it wasn't more than at most five feet deep and as the she watched she thought she saw a few food fish swim against the current away from the lake. So the current goes away from the lake, so that means whatever they used to make the Pokémon packs attack the ship wouldn't go out of the lake, did they know that? She thought as she knelt down and put her hand into the stream.

"Uh, madam, are you okay?" Jared asked and she looked back and saw the others looking at her.

Smiling she got up and stretched. "Nothing, just got a little confirmation about something that might mean something, might not."

"Of course….. anyway the body is over there, I hope you don't mind that I stay here…. I can't stand death you see." Jared said and looked ashamed as she looked at him. "I had to make the prison a lifer only, if my prisoners are going to die it's by old age or disease, I won't kill."

Agent A nodded and moved towards the cave Bernard looked upwards, wondering where the guards were. "Ummm boss."

"I won't kill prisoners, there's so much money to be made off them you see." Jared said as if he didn't hear Bernard and Agent A stopped in front of the cave and turned to look at Jared as he started to grin evilly. "But you my dear, you've got a reputation that is damaging to my bottom line. I'll make a story up about the truckers killing you and sadly they'll die resistaning arrest after you discovered their leader was involved with the breakout. NOW!"

As the moments ticked by and nothing happened Jared looked around in confusion and Bernard got a sinking feeling and looked at Agent A started to smirk.

"Mismagius let's go! So this was where you decided to try and kill me then?" Agent A asked as a Ghost type Pokémon hovered in front of her. It was purple with a round head with elaborate tufts resembling a witch's hat with the tips of the tufts are paler than most of the body. It has a thin, red mouth that resembles the letter "W." Below its head, Mismagius has a long neck with a round lump midway down. Three, elliptical red spheres surround the upper portion of Mismagius's body. There are extensions on the sides of its lower body with the foremost ones tattered compared to rear ones.

"How did you learn what we were going to do?" Jared asked as he stepped backwards as his guards and Bernard stepped forward and released their Pokémon, from Bernard came a Haxorus with a collar, the guards releasing two Gallades and from the last a Golisopod that stepped backwards to give it a good firing line.

Agent A gasped as she saw the Haxorus and stared at the collar around it's neck. That's one of those collars that those smugglers! He's connected to those scum…..wait that thing can! She thought and stared at Bernard. "If you're connecting to them don't you dare activate that thing!"

"What's she talking about Bernard?" Jared asked and Bernard only looked at her.

"Doesn't matter boss; guess we'll have to do this the hard way, right Haxorus?" Bernard asked his Dragon Type who snarled at the Ghost type. So she's met the people who hired me all those months ago before I got this job, small world. He thought as he looked at Agent A. "Start off with a Dragon Claw!"

Haxorus roared and charged at Mismagius with its claws outlined in a green aura and charged at Mismagius when a Weavile suddenly appeared and swung a fist glowing icy blue at Haxorus and sent it flying backwards, its whole body flinching and it lay there.

"NO! Haxorus get up!" Bernard snarled and looked at the Weavile as it land and got into a defensive stance in front of Agent A who smiled at the shocked looks on Jared and Bernard faces as Haxorus got back to its feet and growled.

"Where'd that Weavile come from, why didn't the others

"What did you really think I wasn't aware? Please you're not the first corrupt official I've busted, not even the first this year!" She said as Jared looked at her and Bernard's Haxorus got back to its feet and

"Yeah, maybe. But don't think that you'll escape us all on your own!" Bernard growled she only giggled at him. "What's so funny?"

"Who said she's alone?" A voice called out from above. But before anyone of them could react white needles shot down and hit the Gallades and Golisopod while Haxorus dodged to the side and the traitorous prison staff stumbled backwards as the needles fell on them. Looking up where the needles had come from they saw the trainer from before with a Dewott, an Escavalier and a Gliscor standing next to him as he looked down at them with a smirk on his face.

"Nice to see you Nate!" Agent A called out and Bernard swore and moved backwards as his employer Jared only looked on as the three Pokémon roared and leapt towards the battle, the Gliscor and Dewott attacking the Gallades as the Gliscor attacked the Golisopod. Bernard looked at the battle as his Haxorus got up and attacked the Weavile as the Mismagius floated before Agent A and he could only watch as the two guards who had released the Gallades fell to the ground, darts in their shoulders and snores showing that they had been put asleep.

As the International Police's Pokémon fought against the guard's Bernard could only look on and curse at what he saw. They're really good. Give them a few luck shots then I can see that they'll win. I guess it's time to escape and leave those three behind to buy me time.

"This is terrible Bernard, what do we do, what do we do?" Jared demanded and Bernard gave a grunt of disgust as he looked at him and decided to be spiteful before he left.

"Noivern let's GO!" Bernard cried as he threw out a Pokéball and a large purple bat like draconic Pokémon with two arm wings, a purple lower jaw, a red, V-shaped growth on its snout, two fang-like projections on its upper lip, and yellow eyes with blue-green sclera. Its large, teardrop-shaped ears have alternating rings of blue-green and black on the interiors like loudspeakers, around its neck is a fluffy mane of white fur that is longer in the back, its wings have three red claws on the middle joint of the three and are divided into segments by two black wing fingers with the ending edge of the wings purple. Its feet have two toes each and a red, claw-like growth on top of each toe, its tail is long and whip-like with a blue-green underside and two spines near the tip.

"Great we can escape on our Noiverns! Wait, the guards don't have Noiverns as part of their lout out?" Jared asked as the Noivern leaned down and he saw it had a saddle on it.

"In order, I'm escaping, they don't this is my personal and so long I hope you fry." Bernard said as he got on and flew away, dropping three Pokéballs that broke apart, releasing another Gallade and Golisopod with collars on that sparked and they and Haxorus screamed in pain before charging at the battle.

Benard come back damn you! TRAITOR, SCUM! WHEN…..I…..get….my…." Jared trailed off as he fell asleep as well as a dart hit his right shoulder. Agent A and her Pokémon moved backwards towards the cave as Haxorus rampaged and attacked the other guards Pokémon as the collared Gallade and Golisopod joined it and Nate's Pokémon pulled back.

Agent A could only look as Haxorus attacked one of the uncollared Gallades and cursed. This is going to be like that, there's no other way! She thought as she looked up at Nate. "Nate, heavy take down, we don't have a choice! Weavile, Ice Beam on the Haxorus, Toxic on the Gallade Mismagius with the collar!"

"WEAVILE!" Weavile screamed as it put its hands together and a blue energy ball formed before a beam shot from it and hit the Haxorus and Haxorus roared in pain and turned towards Weavile and growled.

"Mismagius." Mismagius said as it spat a stream of black liquid at the Gallade and hit the collar and it started to spark before part of it was eaten away and Gallade fell to the ground panting.

"A keep it up, aim for the collars, Gliscor Poison Needles on the Fairy Types!" Nate called out, Gliscor roaring before pointing its claws at the Gallades and firing white needles at them, and as they hit the Fairy types screamed and the panting one and the one that had been attacked by Haxorus fell to the ground. The collared Golisopod swung a claw at one of the down Fairy types but Dewott was there, holding one of its scallops in it right hand, the scallop glowing blue with an energy blade formed from it that met the claw and the other scallop was suddenly in its other hand and a black energy blade slashed across the Golisopod and it went it its knees before Dewott spun around and slashed it twice with both blades and Golispod was down. Nate looked at the battle, seeing Weavile dodging Haxorus and the last Gallade being stared down by his Escavalier and Agent A and Mismagius waiting for a shot at Haxorus. "Good job Dewott, back up Escavalier. Escavalier Poison Jab on Gallade!"

Escavalier's lances glowed purple and it starting jabbing at Gallade who jumped backwards only for Dewott to slash it with a black energy blade and Gallade fell forward only for one of Escavalier's lances to finally hit it and it was down.

"Mismagius, Toxic on the collar!" Agent A called out and Mismagius spat a stream of the black liquid at the Dragon type, hitting the collar and causing it to send a jolt of pain into Haxorus who fell forward, its body smoking. Nate breath sigh of relief as he looked around and saw that all the enemy Pokémon and people were down and they were alive and well.

"So how are we getting these people back to the port?" Nate called down to Agent A and she laughed at him and shook her head in exasperation.

"Keep moving you!" A guard said as he pushed the last of Jared's personal guards towards a waiting police van.

"Awe come on, I didn't have anything to do with what happened!" The man said as he was pushed again towards the van.

"I don't care, all of your friends are being pulled in, if you didn't have anything to do then we'll find out when we interrogate you!" The guard barked as his prisoner got into the van and he closed the door and it and three more vans rolled out.

Agent A looked on as after the vans left the truckers moved on, Zen waving to her as he pulled out, she waved back before she turned and walked into the tent towards Nate who had been looking over a file on his Pokénav and looked up as she came in.

"Well that was interesting, why is it that I always have to pull you out of the fire?" Nate asked as he grinned at her.

"Was that a joke Nate, you're learning after all this time, they are good for you." Agent A said as she smirked.

Nate looked at Agent A with a deadened expression and gestured towards the prison. "Anyway the final tallie of who's still here is done, the only people gone are a pair of thieves with suspected ties to Team Rocket, Colorless, Geist and a pirate boss."

"So Team Plasma or these Pirates might have been behind this then? Because why would Team Rocket even bother to attack a place like this to break out two thieves?" Agent A asked and Nate nodded.

"Yeah, I mean all this effort for just two thieves seems a bit excessive." Nate said

"I'm a bit mad that Bernard got away, those three Pokemon and those collars; it was just like those smugglers Looker and I caught in Johto." Agent A said Nate nodded.

"Yeah, I read the report looking over my own encounter with those things, I don't like it thy had to have been given as a 'reward' for work, what'd he do to earn those abominations?" He asked before a ringing was heard and he got his phone out, frowning as he looked at it. "It's the boss."

"I thought he said he'd wait to hear from us?" Agent A said and Nate shrugged and brought his phone to his ear as he activated it.

"Hey boss, everything is going almost perfectly here, we took down the warden and his people but his captain got away on a Noivern. Besides that this place should be ready to be mothballed in a few days….." Nate began before their Boss interrupted him.

"We found his body!" The voice from the phone caused Nate to look at Agent A and gesture to her to move closer as he manipulated his phone.

"Keep talking, I'm putting this on speaker and Agent A is here, you found who's body?" Nate asked as Agent A came closer and Nate put his phone down on the table.

"We got a phone call from the local police in a town near the Kanto border! They found a corpse in the woods, it's Geist!" The speaker said as Agent A looked at Nate as he frowned and reached for his a tablet and started to go over the.

"The west, they're going west." Nate said in a completely confidenty tone as he looked up, his eyes clear as everything fell into place and he realized what this whole incident really was.

"But it was near the Kanto border, why the heck would they be going west!?" Agent A demanded.

"Simple, they're trying to throw us off by using it as a red hearing. Colorless killed him, or his followers did. This makes sense….. I think I figured out what happened to this place." Nate said as both Agent A and the person on the other end of the phone went silent. "And I've been tracking a few shipments that look like they were trying to build another airship in Johto, with materials they bought and transported from Hoen."

Agent A stared at him, shocked beyond words, unable to even speak and stayed quite as the person on the other end spoke up. "Wait, what are you talking about Nate, who do you think did this? Didn't Team Galactic attack the prison? I know that there was some doubt with Colorless and Geist escaping but with all the prisoners from that section gone and the records of who was put there and with the Warden a traitor you need to tell me what you figured out."

"No, Team Galactic had nothing to do with this, that's what whoever did this WANTS us to think, I'll explain my reasoning." Nate said as he looked at Agent A. "To begin with whoever they were didn't plan on the two packs of Pokémon to attack each other, that was the plan of the Team Plasma group who released Geist and Colorless."

"Wait are you saying that there were two groups who attacked the prison?! And they didn't work together at all!?" The voice from the phone asked incredibly as Nate nodded.

"No, otherwise nothing about this makes sense. The two packs were meant to cause chaos and confusion at the docks, leaving the other side, the same side with the cave entrance to that tunnel mind you; open for infiltration." Nate said as he found what he was looking for, the reports from the guards at the dock when the Pokémon packs attacked. "Yes, a group led by a trainer on a Steelix attacked from the ship when the packs attacked, if they had planned it they would have used the Packs attacks to run for safety at the prison, and attacking once they were in."

Agent A went still as she realized he was right. "I see, yeah. Standard operation for places like this is to let the guards deal with any and all attacks by Chimera or Pokémon. If they had run for the prison they would have had the guards let them pass, it would have been a lot easier for them to take the place down if they were inside!"

"Then both parties weren't working together, perfect Nate that makes sense!" The person on the otheside of the phone said as he started to understand what he was talking about. "But why did Colorless kill Geist, that's what I don't understand."

"Look at the profile our integrations of all captive Team Plasma members, the whole Team was a mess! Geist split them in two factions; the White which dealt with abused Pokémon and the Black were the fanatical ones. And everyone thought that Colorless was purely in it for science, at least that's what Geist believed." Nate said as he looked thoughtful. "I think that the good Doctor was more after power than anything else thought."

"Then he used Geist as a figure head and after they lost…..he outlived his usefulness." Nate said as he looked out and saw the last of the truckers getting in their rigs and moving out,

Agent A "Wait, what's this about another airship?"

Nate looked at her for a few seconds before he spoke up. "A few weeks ago I was overlooking the financial records for Team Plasma trying to track down where all their funding came from and I noticed something off in a few accounts, money had disappeared that the investigators wrote off as bribes or embezzlement. I didn't think anything more about until I looked at the estimate of how much it cost to build that airship of theirs and the amount for both almost lined up, a few thousand short maybe."

"They had that much, enough to make two airships!?" The phone cried out in total horror.

"Giest was all about conquering the world, not his region but the world. Stands to reason that he do everything he could to gather enough of a war chest to at least try." Nate said as he crossed his arms. "If that's what it was for, maybe the breakout was originally a second chance if they failed…..no I doubt that Giest put that much stock in the possibility of his plan failing, but colorless maybe."

"But that Colorless, I've brought up the profile we have on him and I don't know…. Something is telling me he won't pick up right away, he'll be after something else….these are your orders. Agent A I want you to head to Alola, Nate will handle the Warden and his people, after that I want you to head to where you think the airship is and operate on your own from there, contact us if anything happens or you reach a dead-end."

"Alola?! Chief I can do more here!" Agent A began before the Chief cleared his throat.

"We've gotten more of those strange energy readings last night, higher than we've ever gotten before and it's a slow build up since then." The Chief said as Agent A and Nate went still. "It's not rising fast but our science division thinks its stronger there, and its raising by .01 per day, I've already sent word to our people there to be ready for you."

Agent A went still, the energy readings were a part of her past she didn't know about. If she could find anything then! but can I leave the case, I mean I can't let him go alone. She thought, so distraught that Nate looked at her and sighed.

"Go." Nate said, causing her to look up at him. "If I know anything then it's that you want to find out where you come from."

"He's right Agent. Get to Goldenrod City and a ticked for a seaplane to Alola will be waiting for you. Nate will finish up there before heading the investigating on where Colorless is." The boss said and Agent A looked at Nate before looking away

"I'm sorry." Agent A said and Nate just laughed.

"Don't be, I just hope what you find is what you find is all you hope you're past was." Nate said and Agent A looked at him and hugged him before turning and running towards the edge of the camp where she release her Salamance to ride to Goldenrod City. In the tent Nate brought looked down at his gear.

"I'll head out after I finish here tomorrow here, any idea where to transfer the inmates boss?" Nate asked and he looked out at the lake as he let his thoughts run wild. I promised Hugh and Rosa that I would met them in Alto Mare for Rosa's contest. And if Colorless is free he might try and bring together the other Dark Plasma members, then the Light Plasma need to be warned, they helped to put a lot of them away.

"Not yet, they'll be transferred to the regular prisons around the regions based on cellblock, for now it's the best we can do until we can set up a new facility." The boss said and before Nate could open his mouth the voice continued. "And we're locking down the prisons, no visitors or anything for the next month, which should handle security and keep other break-ins from happening. Not perfect but it's the best we can do for now."

"Boss, what level of security is Colorless escape?" Nate asked as he looked down at his phone and

"That girl of yours Rosa right? Her parents are high up in that charity for abused Pokémon and people the Light Plasma members set up ….. Alright you can tell them about it, recruit them if you want for this." Nate nodded and smiled a little before realizing what his boss had said and blushed.

"She's not my girl!" Nate exclaimed and he was only met with laughter and he turned off his phone and moved out of the tent and grumbled under his breath, not noticing a blush on his face as he went outside.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Lance stretched as he looked around, noticing that most of the company was ready to move on and eating a light lunch before they set off. He caught Brock's eyes as he poured some soup into a bowl and they nodded at each other. Should I go and check on the scouts, I know we decided to move after lunch because of the message Bruno sent but I can only hope that the plan will work and we can slip a group into their den and take out the master. He thought as he looked around and reached down and drew his fingers over his Pokéball as he felt his team was as aggregated as he was. "Don't worry everyone, just the calm before the storm."

"Talking to your team while their still in their containers Lance, and I thought the study showed that Pokemon couldn't hear that most of the time?" Giovanni's voice caused Lance to look at him as he walked towards him and he grinned back.

"Yeah, but you do it for both for when they can and yourself….How do you think we'll do, realistically?" Lance asked as he looked around the trainers that they would lead into battle soon, conflicted thoughts running through his mind.

"If Bruno can draw off at least half of them from their lair, if the strike team can make it in and kill the leader fast enough and it can't summon them back, maybe, just maybe we'll be able to win…..If one Chimera able to breed escapes we wouldn't see the last of them." Giovanni said as he looked at Lance with a hint of concern in his gaze.

"I know, I'm ordering that only convoys can travel to and from the Plateau for foreseeable future and I'll be calling the Ranger Union for them to take a survey of the mountains, see what we can do to heal it." Lance said as he looked around and noticed a few plants here and there, marks that something had eaten most of their leaves causing him to grow worried about the local ecosystem.

"After a Chimera Outbreak, the Rangers will have this place locked down for the next three years at least! Well, at least that plan to make a new road will have to be dusted off." Giovanni said as Lance nodded at him.

"Yeah, there's no choice really. There's a few old trails that lead to Viridian, I'll have a few of my students check them out and take stock of them, but do you think the old woman is up here?" Lance asked as he looked towards the edge of the cliff. She would be a big help but I don't expect that she would have let it get this bad; she's got a kind of six senses about those things! He thought before Giovanni sighed and shook his head.

"She passed through the city days ago, before the hurricane hit, I think she went to spend the season with her husband." Giovanni said as Lance breathed a sigh of relief. "Don't second guess yourself Lance, this is the best plan we could make with the time we had available."

"That obvious?" Lance asked and Giovanni laughed and looked at him with a smirk.

"Less than you think, but then the two of us fought together through two Sieges and held the line. Trust in them to handle this, each and every one of them has a record of handling at least one Chimera or a Pokémon Horde each; they wouldn't be here if they hadn't." Giovanni said as he crossed his arms. "And they all fought in the defense so they have experience."

"This is the first time I'll ever lead a hunt as the Champion, I mean my work with the International Police is one thing, this, it's something else." Lance said as he looked around and sighed. "Who do you think we should send?"

Giovanni looked around and noticed who he knew that had come with them and frowned. My people stayed back in Viridian, if that thing does what I think it'll do then this might earn us some good PR. Giovanni thought as he looked at Lance. "Brock as the leader of course, he's got a good head and a defensive style that would work on an attack, Yuji too and anyone else who can break away from the battle."

"So I'll a message to Brock and he'll have to choose when to strike out based on what happens then, nothing else we can do really." Lance said and Giovanni nodded and he looked around at the trainers as the last of the camping supplies

"Best give them a speech Lance." Giovanni said and continued before Lance could say anything else. "And it has to be you because you are the Champion after all, and the leader of this company."

Lance just sighed and nodded, looking at the trainers as those who would attack and those who would defend the base were all ready. He whistled and they all looked at him as he released his Dragonite and got onto it as Giovanni stood next to him. "I won't make a big speech as I already gave one. This is our chance, if we can handle this here and now our families will be safe and this Outbreak won't be a Siege! ARE YOU WITH ME?!"

The trainers roared and Lance smiled, and Giovanni chuckled. "And you said once that you can't give good speeches?"

"I took a class, sue me." Lance said as he released and got on his Dragonite. Giovanni laughed and got onto his own Pokémon as those who had been chosen to lead the way moved off, the first part being on or running with their Pokémon as they led the way, their destination mountain peak to track down the Chimera. Brock followed behind this wave with Yuji as they moved over the path, Yuji looking around and whistling.

"You know, when we were running for our lives from those things, I never noticed but this place might have been beautiful once." Yuji said as he looked over the mountain side and frowned as he noticed the brown plants all over the mountain face. "But those things really destroyed the mountain since they set up shop here, think it'll ever come back to life?"

"Yeah it's a shame. Once this is gone the Rangers are going to have a long job to get this place back to normal, I think they might even forbid capturing Pokémon here for a few years." Brock said and Yuji snorted.

"Can the League even do that?" Yuji joked and looked down as Brock stared away, a bitter look on his face that caused a shot of fear to go through Yuji. "Brock, what do you know?"

"There's tech that negates Pokéballs, empty ones only. Trainers can release and recall Pokémon but can't capture." Brock said and Yuji looked at him in shock.

"Something like that is possible?" Yuji asked in shock and Brock just shrugged and looked away.

"It's not that new, the Safari zones use a variation that only lets their Safari balls work in the zone." Brock said and shook his head. "They've even got special tech to discourage Pokémon from leaving the area and the like"

"You know, that explains more then it doesn't." Yuji said and looked around with a frown. "You know how about a lighter subject, did you see our rescuers, two of them came with us."

"Given what we were told in the cabin after they saved me I expected it." Brock said quietly before leaning towards Yuji. "Think that those…..people are related to that mess from before we left the city?"

"Maybe, I don't know anything really." Brock said softly and thought of all the high placed indivduals he had met with when he journeyed with Ash. I don't know how many others are like Karin, Prima, Scott? I have to talk to Ash and Misty about this in person first before I can do anything else and if I talk to Karin I can only hope that she won't know I know about her. And then there's the abilities I gained, if I can learn to use them I might have an ace up my sleeve the next time I'm in a battle to the death. His mussing was brought to an end when Yuji started to curse.

"Doc you're gonna need to see this." Yuji said faintly and Brock looked up, his mouth falling open at what he saw.

Farther back Riley looked ahead as he followed the other trainers as Rosette moved after him and moved closer to him before speaking softly. "So are you going to try and police the site, make sure no one finds anything that leads back to your people?"

"No." Riley whispered back. "The Order was behind all of this, this way they might pay more attention to the past and might track down any other sealed ones since they think me and mine are dead and gone."

"So you're trying to show dissent in the ranks so to speak, you're hoping it will cause them to act differently, worried. Are you hoping some of them might attempt to defect and turn state's evidence?" Rosette asked and Riley started to snicker.

"Those people, react like that?" Riley said with a smirk. "No, they'll try and make each other the scapegoat, that way we'll be able to slip out of Kanto before they realize we were involved with….. this?"

Rosette looked at Riley as he dropped down and looked at a marking on a rock, a frown on his face. "Riley what is it?"

"This was created by an attack, but by who?" Riley said as he brought the rock shard up and ran his finger along it, a frown on his face as he walked along the pathway slowly looking down at the ground and noted a few other marks here and there. "It was a running battle I think, whatever they were attacked something on the path before we woke up."

Rosette looked around as the last of the third wave moved ahead of them and frowned, the area was impossible an ambush to have happened, the only way it could have happened was…..! Rosette went still and looked out into the open air and turned to him.

"Whatever was attacked it was by those flying Chimera that attacked us, that's what you're think itsn't it?"

"That is one possibility yes." Riley said as he looked around and stopped when he felt something and grabbed it and brought it towards him. Green crystalline dust? From a kind of stone or crystal…wait the base has crystal light sources that work by gathering the Aura energy that people and Pokemon give off, could someone have found out how to use that principle to power artifacts, but how could it have been used out here and why. Riley thought as he stood up and looked around before turning toward Rosette. "Keep your eyes open Rosette, if those things are around here than they've set up guards so that's bad."

"What do you mean, what's that mean?" Rosette asked, her instincts telling her the answer but hoping she was wrong but all Riley did was sigh.

"It means that at least one strain of these things are sentient." Riley said and shook his head as Rosette gasped and looked at him in horror.

"A SENTIENT Chimera, is that even possible?" Rosette asked aghast and Riley shook his head.

"Yeah, I read a book back when I was younger and still training, a poem that referenced three…no four ways to classify Chimera. I think it was part of a recovered teaching ballad that was taken from a ruin by one of my predecessor found while killing a Chimera." Riley said and shrugged at Rosette's look. "Long story and I'll show you the text later, the point is that this might make the battle ahead that much harder."

"Should we warn Brock?" Rosette asked and Riley shook his head.

"Warn him what? That I found green dust and a stone from an attack? It's best that we keep an eye out, if whatever fought were an enemy of the Chimera hive we're after then we might see them sooner or later before this is done." Riley said as he looked ahead before going still. "Why aren't they moving?"

Rosette turned and stared at the trainers and Pokémon all staring at something ahead. "I think it's what made the rock Riley."

Farther ahead Lance and Giovanni looked at the battle they had run into, shocked beyond words. As they watched Hivers fought against Treemen; Treeslashers fighting with Hiver-Warriors as Hiver-warriorflys dueled Treewings as Treeblasters fired at Alphas and a Treelord rampaged through workers.

"I I, what are those wood things Giovanni?" Lance whispered in awe and Giovanni shook his head.

"I don't know, I just don't know….down!" Giovanni suddenly pushed Lance down before a blast hit the ground and caused an explosion. Looked where the blast had come from the two saw a Treeblaster had fired a shot while Treewolves charged them.

"Whatever they are their attacking, Trainers, defend yourselves, with me!" Lance cried as he drew his sword and charged with his Dragonite flying after him as a wave of armed trainers and Pokémon followed after him and the two sides met in combat. Giovanni watched and cursed, grabbing a flare gun and firing it upwards before he and his Rhydon joined the charge.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Bruno put the last gauntlet on his hands and looked around as he checked his armor and sighed as he did a few jabs at the air and nodded, he was as ready as he could be and his team was ready and fighting fit. As he moved out of his tent he looked around and saw the campsite was ready, everyone but the medical staff and the guard were ready to move out.

"Ready boss?" Van's voice caused Bruno to turn and see him walking up, his axe on his back and a bitter smile on his face.

"Yeah, were you able to switch to the right sensors?" Bruno asked and Van nodded, a frown on his face.

"Yeah, and the perimeter was hit by things that might have been what we're after at least twice last night.

"Great, then these things might know where we are….good." Bruno muttered as he nodded. "If they have eyes on us Lance and his group could slip in and silt their throat."

"If we're that lucky." Van muttered and looked everywhere but at Bruno.

"What is it?" Bruno asked Van who looked up. "You always look away form who you're talking to if something is wrong, so what is it?"

"I was going over the reports about how we found out about the destroyed outpost and the report was from the group that doctor led into the mountain." Van said and Bruno frowned and looked at him.

"That's not….why didn't we know that?" Bruno asked with a scowl as he realized what hadn't been said.

"Don't know boss, guess we were putting all out attention on the threat." Van said and shook his head. "But you best give a speech before we depart, could be good for moral."

"Your right, that's a good idea." Bruno mused before he threw out a Pokéball and released a massive Onix that was at least three times the size of regular ones. As everyone turned to look Onix moved its head down and let Bruno get on.

"You all know why we're here!" Bruno called out loudly and everyone, trainers and Pokemon looked at him as his Onix raised him upwards on its head. "Once more Chimera threatens Kanto and this time it will not be a siege, we will break them! When history looks back they will see that we hid and let others handle this threat or will they see that we had the courage and honor to defend all that we love?!"

"TO DEFEND!" The trainers yelled back as their Pokemon roared their approval.

"All force, we go to end them!" Bruno roared as he pointed forward and the trainers roared and moved towards the mountain. Bruno smirked and jumped off his Onix and rubbed its head and recalled it to its Pokéball and moved after the others, Van having gone to his post with the rearguard.

As the trainers began to move out with the Guard scouts leading the way Bruno noticed a group following behind and moved towards them. He walked towards them and frowned as one of them tripped over Silver as he had stopped to fix one of his shoes.

"Sorry about that, here let me help you up." Silver said as he reached down and helped the man back to his feet and dusting him off before he bowed and walked off.

"Some people, are you alright Captain Zontro?" A bald man in a blue uniform with medals on his chest with a blond goatee asked the man who had fallen. The other man was wearing a uniform that looked a little less formal then the man and had short black hair and took off his glasses and nodded.

"Yes Sir General Butoro! Just knocked me down, I should have noticed him!" Zontro said as he looked at the General who nodded back at him.

"Not your fault Captain you were talking to me at the time, but do keep your eyes open, we have a battle to win." Butoro said as he looked at Silver as he walked off and frowned. I know I've seen that person before, but where? Not important I guess, I would have remembered who he was if he was important. He thought before he shook his head. "Let's not pay him any more mind, now about what we were talking about. The preparations are ready for when we're done with this?"

"I have a few people back at base ready to move in and secure the lair once the Chimera are cleared out. The den they leave behind will be perfect for us to use for our own business sir." Zontro said softly and Butoro only looked back and smiled and snickered. Of course I won't say that I plan on killing you once I collect enough evidence against you. And when I clear out the people you set up in the den it will be a perfect gift for my lady, and it will be a perfect gift for the Order and prove that we are the only one who are able to control Kanto and not that foreign slut. He thought as he kept his ears open and waited for Butoro to speak.

"Perfect, don't think I won't make sure you're taking care of my boy! The higher I rise the more I will make sure that my people are taking care of." Butoro said and Zontro smiled while inside he was chuckling at his 'superior's' stupidity.

"There you are I was looking for you." Bruno called out behind them causing them to turn and salute when they saw him.

"Sir, everything is going smoothly, I expect that we will encounter the forward elements of the enemy soon." Butoro said and dropped his sault. "The scouts have orders to send up a flare and those behind them were instructed to charge in and back them up once they see it."

"That doesn't matter. Last night I realized something that still bothering me." Bruno said as he crossed his arms and Butoro and Zontro swallowed.

"Yes sir? What was it?" Butoro asked shakily as he looked at Bruno who stared levelly back and stay silent for a few moments before speaking

"Aren't the outpost supposed to have a trainer with a Flying type assigned to them, why didn't they escape or send a message to command the threat before they died?" Bruno asked as both men went still and swallowed. "That is the procedure isn't it?"

"Yes sir, I mean yes that is the rule." Butoro said as he looked at Bruno, inwardly cursing at the questions he was being asked. "I would expect that, well that is sir….."

"Most likely the Flyer trainer was killed first Sir, that's what the survivor said anyway.!" Zontro cut in and stopped as Butoro looked at him.

"A survivor? The briefing I received said that all hands were killed and the first expedition found the cabin used as a base up there destroyed, with no bodies besides marks of a struggle and a Chimera corpse?" Bruno asked dryly as he loomed over them.

"Yes sir that was the initial report." Butoro said and Bruno could see a drop of sweet going down his face. "We've received a report of a survivor and we will of course talk to them as soon as this matter and decided what steps if any once we destroy this blight."

"I'll make sure I'm there, and I'm sure Lance will want to sit in." Bruno said as he walked off towards the front and left the two officers behind him, not noticing the General had started to sweat. Looking about he spotted a grove of trees and pulled Zontro behind him and threw him against a tree out of sight of the trainers.

"Idiot, why'd you have to mention that bitch lived!?" Butoro exclaimed quietly and Zontro only looked back at him with a firm look and hard eyes.

"Sorry General, I was trying to save our skins!" Zontro said as he got up and looked at Butoro who looked back at him with a scowl. "If he talks to her then you know what he'd find!"

"Yes well now we have a new problem! When he finds out what we've been using the outposts for, when she talks about the people that were there when they meet!" Butoro said as he scowled. That bitch should have been broken and drummed out of the guard by now! I sent the penal recruits there after all, the leader was one of mine and he made sure she didn't know about any of the importance to my activities had with that route! He thought as Zontro looked at him and nodded.

"Then we have to make sure they don't meet sir." Zontro said and Butoro looked at him with a scowl on his face.

"Zontro what are you talking about, if she's staying in Viridian then we're fucked!" Butoro exclaimed and Zontro grinned at his superior.

"One of my agents in Viridian said she was part of the group that was sent out, if we're lucky then she'll die by Chimera, if not we'll deal with her." Butoro said and Zontro nodded and grinned.

"Friendly fire is anything but and I'm sure it won't happen." Zontro said and Butoro laughed.

"Yes, it would be such a shame for that to happen Captain, such a shame!" Butoro said and led the way out of the clearing. So sorry but it seems that your daughter will be joining you sooner than I thought and for the same reason, the fruit didn't fall far from the tree you old meddler! He thought as he laughed, never noticing the way Zontro was eyeing him.

Farther ahead Silver frowned as he listened in on the bug he had slipped into Zontro's right cuff when he had caused the fall. So the guard was infiltrated by another origination, hu? Best follow them, if I can find him alone I might get a few pieces of information that dad might like. Silver thought as he looked towards where Viridian was and smirked a little as he moved a little faster to get closer to Bruno.

Ahead Bruno looked at the mountain, a resolute expression on his face as he fingered his Pokémon and tried to figure if he should try to stay outside or try and get into the den to kill the 'mother'. As he tried to make a decision a howl caused him to look towards it and see an Arcanine and is trainer dashing towards them and Bruno looked at them with a frown. What's with that speed, what's wrong now. Bruno thought as he looked at the trainer as the Arcanine stopped before him.

"SIR! Forward scouts have found signs that a lot of things passed this way last night! We think we're within four miles of them!" The trainer said as he got off his Arcanine and Bruno looked at him before looking at the Mountains in the distance and started to think. The mountains are still too far, this can't be a patrol and they would have attacked us if they were heading towards the Plateau so what are they doing out here? Bruno thought as Zontro, Butoro and others gathered around Bruno.

"Anything else about the tracks, anything at all?" A voice from behind caused them all to turn and see Silver standing there, a frown on his face. Zontro looked at him with a scowl before realizing who Silver was.

"You! You're the trainer that caused me to fall!" Zontro exclaimed and looked at Silver who looked back unblinking. "Stay out of this and make sure you don't think above your station!"

"Stand down Zontro and you!" Bruno said as he turned towards the scout and he gulped at the look in Bruno's eyes. "Answer the question."

"But Sir!" Zontro protested and quieted down at the look Bruno sent him and nodded at him,

The scout's eyes moved from Bruno to Silver to and gulped before he spoke. "The tracks looked like they are coming towards the mountains, not away from them. And there a majority that appear to be from humanoids."

"But the Chimera we're hunting are all insect based with multiple legs…..could they have evolved?" Bruno asked as he covered his mouth with his hands.

"Could the leader be summoning others, could this be a a horde?" One of the trainers asked and this promoting the trainers to start talking about themselves as the horror of what this might be started to dawn on them.

Bruno looked around and just shook his head. Sure we don't know how Chimera communicate amongst themselves and create a horde, but these things seems to consumers, not something that unites others. What the heck is happening up here? Bruno thought as he looked around and tried to think of what he could have the army do next.

"A slow advance might be called for here sir, just so we don't run go past anything that might ambush us from behind." Butoro said as he tried to keep his fear off his face and tried to keep the panic he was feeling from being visible.

"A wonderful idea general, shall I call in the rest of my squadron so we can be the vanguard sir Bruno?" Zontro said as he smiled at Bruno while eyeing Butoro and barley kept his disgust at the greedy fool from showing in his voice. And this is a man who has climbed to the possible top of the Kanto Guard and he's reacting like this to a possible life threatening situation? I can't wait until I can send him to final judgment. He thought as he smiled respectfully.

Silver looked at Zontro and saw the way he looked at his Butoro and did all he could to keep his emotions from even his eyes. So you aren't a boot licker, good to know. You might be a little harder to take down then I first expected. Silver thought before Bruno spoke up.

"No, we continue as planned." Bruno said and everyone looked at him, Butoro looking like he would faint any second but Silver nodded.

"But Sir!" Butoro said and Bruno shook his head.

"Last night it was possible that the camp was found by those things, or the thing that made the tracks. We keep moving and hope for the best. You get back to the other scouts and tell them to keep moving as you all were instructed to do but tell everyone to stay alert!" Bruno said and started to walk towards the mountain, the others looking at him before Silver followed after him and the trainer nodded and got back onto his Pokémon and rode off.

"Are you sure that's the proper thing to do sir?" Zontro asked as he eyed Buturo and kept a scowl off his face. "We might be in a situation where we have to slow down to stay alive. I mean…"

"It's the only thing we can do, Lance and the others need us to pincir the Chimera between us if we're going to do this, we can't slow down." Bruno cut off Zontro who nodded his head when suddenly!

"Flare off the right!" A voice caused everyone to turn and looked and saw a red flare falling miles away.

"Distance!" Bruno barked and Silver had his binoculars up and was sighted on the flare and moved downward.

"Fifteen miles out, there's a battle!" Silver said and looked at Bruno who frowned.

"It's red, what was red…..wait it was! Target under attack from unknowns?! What the hell is going on over there?!" Zontro exclaimed as he looked at the flare as it fell. "Nothing about that makes sense at all?!"

"We'll find out soon. All force charge, we break through and help the others!" Bruno said as he released his giant Onix and it ducked its head for him to climb on as others released their own Pokemon to follow his example.