Chapter Twenty
Going Solo

Winning the game's the only rule allowed.
No more "good luck", or cheers from the crowd.
When the game began you never thought you'd lose,
But your time is up I play to bruise


Look around and find you've lost your team,
You did your best but you ran out of steam
I play rough,
I don't need to try,

You like to play mean,
But the score never lies
Game over.
Game over.

Game over…For now

Alexa Vega
 Spy Kids 3: Game Over

Route 276
Sam's Point of View)

We had stopped to camp last night on one of the plains that seemed to litter Dictioy. We had kept walking until just about half-an-hour before sundown. It felt weird setting up the camp, almost too normal, but I guess splitting the Dimensional Barrier wasn't exactly normal by anyone's standards. We had had an uneventful night; the biggest excitement was Zeus and Dirden having an argument. In the end, I think it was Zeus that won, but that was just judging by the fried look of Dirden afterwards.
Waking up, I stared up at the morning sky. I had opted to sleep outside of my tent, just because I felt like it. The sky was a rose colour, which, from my guess, meant it was about six-thirty or so. Zeus had spent the night in one of the tent; we had discovered the hard way that he tended to float away while asleep, so he decided to stay safe. The only Pokemon actually outside was Electra, the Coperagon, who was lazily scratching her stomach with a soft squeaking noise, somehow remaining asleep. Folding my arms behind my head, I stared up at the sky, just enjoying the quietness and tranquillity this time of the day had. The Jorei were starting to wake up, a few whistled songs coming from a wood some distance away, carrying across the flat plain. There was also a dull 'whump-whump-whump' that could only belong to a helicopter.
Helicopter?
Sitting upright, I looked behind me, in the direction of the road we had to take to get to Topery City. There it was, a helicopter flying fairly low. It wasn't damaged; I could tell that much, so there was really no reason it had to fly that low.
Getting up quickly, a nervous feeling in my stomach, I put my fingers in my mouth, blowing hard. A half whistle, half air blowing sound came out, showing I hadn't done it right. Quickly changing hands, hoping I'd have more luck with my left, I let out a splitting whistle that put Electra's steel-scratching squeals to shame.

Groans came from the tents around me, as the three inhabitants woke up. The Pokemon, having sharper hearing and sleeping more lightly than their Trainers were already beginning to evacuate the tents. Artemis stopped beside me, as uneasy as I was, while Zeus floated next to my shoulder on the other side.
A distance away from the camp, the helicopter stopped, just above the ground, before settling down and landing. Brendan appeared in my peripheral vision, frowning at the helicopter.
Two figures had gotten out of the helicopter, regaining their bearings. Once they saw the camp, they set off at a dash, heading straight for us.

"Zeus, can you spread your body out a little? Make yourself invisible to us. Just in case." I yelled to the cloud type over the steady beat of the helicopter's blades. Zeus gave his whole body a shake, and as I watched, he spread out. The air became a little heavier and moister, but, for all purposes, the cloud type had disappeared.
Squinting my eyes, I tried to make out who was coming towards us, while, at the same time, wondering why a helicopter would be here. The two figures were strangely familiar, but it was Katrina who recognised one of them.

"That's Wyatt, the guy in charge of the Rorroh Town Gym. I'm not sure, but the other one, call me crazy, but I think that might be Steven, the Pokemon Champion of Janera, the region just south of here."

Looking hard, I could see Wyatt, but Steven I couldn't recognise too well. All I had ever seen of him was a puny icon in my Pokemon Sapphire game, which, I can say, looks nothing like him.
Finally entering the camp, I frowned and looked at the two men. Wyatt's eyes were on me, while Steven's were jumping between me, Nick and Brendan.

"Sam, I know we're not giving you much time to recover, but we need your help." Yelling over the helicopter, Wyatt struggled to be heard. Next to him, Steven looked towards me, following Wyatt's gaze.

"We can't explain it right here, but we do need your help. If you can recall your Pokemon, we need to leave now. We'll send people along to pack everything up for you." Steven said, motioning for us to follow him. Giving him a strange look, I looked back at Wyatt. Humans and Pokemon alike in the camp became instantly restless, wondering what was going on.

Almost as if reading my mind, which, I realised, he probably was, Wyatt yelled, "You can bring everyone with you, but Sam, we honestly need to go now and explain it to you later. This is a case of international security."

Rolling my eyes, I grabbed my bag, which was lying next to my sleeping bag. My Trainer's Belt was on top of it, for easy access. Grabbing my Pokéballs, I recalled Artemis, Zeus, Hera, Helios and Diana, before stashing the Pokéballs back on my belt. In all my dreams of being called forward to help a government, I had never dreamt it would happen with me in my pyjamas.
The helicopter did fit us all, barely. The take-off was felt as my stomach dropped out from under itself, but, seeing as I had managed to score the front seat, I wasn't minding too badly. What was our campsite quickly turned into three, tanned dots and a tiny blue slither as the ground dropped away, as we sped off, back in the direction of Romanc City. As the city came whelming up, I expected to be set down there, but confusion washed over me as we passed over it. Pulling out my PokéNav, I looked at my map. If we continued in this direction, we'd reach Hitroy City.
Three hours passed, according to my PokéNav, but Hitroy came and went. I had given up trying to figure out where we were going. We had began going over the ocean about ten minutes ago. Just ahead, I could see a few islands, sticking out of the sea like a giant hand trying to claw its way out. It wasn't until the final minutes of the trip that I realised where we were going, when the place itself loomed up in front of us.
The Diamond League Headquarters and, most notably, the Diamond Elite Palace.

Looking down onto a large helipad, I could see several figures standing down there. Behind me, Nick let out a noise. Turning around to look at him, confused, he pointed down. Looking down again, straining to see, I dead weight fell in my stomach as I recognised three of the figures there. Chris Reeves, the current Dictioy Champion was there, and so was Sabrina, the Psychic Master Trainer, but the third one I had to rub my eyes to believe; Ash Ketchum, in the flesh. It took me a few minutes to get pass that little fact, that Ash, the guy I had been watching in cartoon form, and the International Champion for a good part of my life, was waiting for someone. My guess was that it was Kat or Nick; Ash was known for hanging around the Kanto Elite Castle, but I had no idea why.
The questions I was asking myself actually took up more time than I thought. Within what seemed like a few seconds, we were
landing. It was what awaited me once we landed that really shook me.

PokeTrainer Online is the revolutionary new virtual reality game to rock the world. Within the world of the PokeTrainers, the players are capable of catching, training, and even battling, virtually created Pokemon. Advancing on the same technology that created Porygon, Porygon2 and Porygon Z, the creators of PokeTrainer Online have created an entire virtual world for the players to become a part of. With special headgear and specialised body equipment, players can actually become part of the action and become trainers, without leaving the comfort of their homes. With over 15 million players world-wide, this game has broken many rec-'

Giving a snort, I read the back of the game. "Basically this is the sort of thing designed for kids too young to go on a journey, people unable to afford a Trainer License, people who hate exercise or plain lazy people to play. Though, from the looks of it," I quickly scanned the back of the box again." That's a lot of people."

Nodding his head, Ash put a wistful look on his face. "Yeah, it's a bit like that. However, what we've just gone over is true. Team Rocket has really outdone itself this time. But this is why we need your help. From what Wyatt and Keira have told us, you and Ashlee Botanis are the only two people in the entire world without any psychic powers. This leaves you vulnerable to psychic attack, but this game relies your mind extending a willing psychic link into it in order to control you. Since you don't have the powers to extend, the game can't control you."

Raising an eyebrow, I tried figuring this out in my head. "Ok, so, you're saying I'm the only person in the world, other than Ashlee, capable of taking out Team Rocket right now?"

Giving a nod, Ash made it clear that there were no other alternatives. "I know it sounds like something straight out of Pokemon Gold, or something, but what happened to you has almost specially tailored you for this. We do have operatives within the game, and should you accept this, they will be giving you some of the best digital Pokemon that you can get."

Giving a sigh, I looked down. "How long do I have to stop Team Rocket?"

"No pressure, but just over a day. They will send out the signal tomorrow at midnight, Dictian Time."

"Yeah, no pressure." Looking back at the group, I studied their faces to see what they thought I should do. Katrina's and Brendan's faces were carefully blank, betraying no emotion. Nick was showing signs of polite interest, but that didn't really help me at all. Obviously, they thought that I should make this decision on my own.

Turning back to Ash, I swallowed, before nodding. "I'll do it."

Gripping the side of the chair, I looked around the room. A helmet was on the desk next to the monitor of the computer, which had 'PokeTrainer Online' displayed on it. One click and I'd enter the holographic world.

"Ok, remember, one of our first contacts for you will be called Mikey, he should stand out; he'll have a Shiny Eevee. In order to let him know who you are, just ask him if his three brothers have Eeveelutions as well. That should get his attention. From there, he'll lead you to our head operative within the game; if you've watched the TV show, you'll know who he is." Giving a small smile, Ash gripped my shoulder. "Ok, time to enter the game."

Taking a deep breath in, I reached out and picked up the helmet, holding it above my head. Slowly, I lowered it down, and as my vision was swamped in black, I heard a beeping, and light sprang up in front of my eyes.

"Ok, Sam, we've reconfigured the system." A voice sounded in my ear; one of the scientists. "If you'll stand up, you'll find you only need to move like normal, walking around, that lot, you'll do it within the game. We've rigged up a treadmill and things like that, so you won't hit any walls. We do have a view of things from your point of view on our monitors up here, as well as a small, private room where your friends, Pokemon and Ash are located. They'll be able to give you help and advice, so don't think you're just hearing voices. Now, if you're ready, we'll start you up. We've already made a character for you, engineered to look and sound nothing like you, so you won't be traced after this. Are you ready?"

Clearing my suddenly dry throat, I stood up. From behind me, someone moved the chair. Standing stock still, I nodded. "Ready."

And with that one word, the white light got brighter. Squinting, I blocked it out when it snapped into several colours. Opening my eyes fully, I blinked in amazement. It looked entirely real, this world. Shaking my head, I turned, seeing an open square; filled with people walking around. Taking a step forward, I nodded in further astonishment when I went forward in the game.

"Hey Sam, it's Nick here. How's it going in there mate?" I jumped, and actually did it in the game.

"Yeah, I'm good Nick. How's the view from your place?"

"We have comfy seats, snacks, we've got it good. We've let out Artemis, Diana, Zeus, Helios and Hera. They're watching you now. Now, Sam, you need to find Mikey. Ash says he should be around there somewhere, just keep looking."

"Will do." I replied. Taking further steps forward, I waited until I was used to the game's effect on my movements, before I set off. Looking around, I waved to a few people, just taking a simple look around. Walking around the corner of a holographic house, I reached out and tried touching it. My hand kept going in real life, but it stopped in the game. "Ok, that's gonna take a little getting used to."

Looking around the corner, I was met with the sight of a brown, bushy tail whipping out of sight around a trashcan. Feeling a sense of Déjà vu, I left the Eevee to its own devices, skipping the alley and continuing along a street.
A cheering sound caught my ears. 'Looking' in the direction it was coming from, I saw a huge crowd of the animated people, gathering in a circle around something. From my guess, it'd be a battle of some kind.

"Diana saw that Eevee in the alleyway. We had to explain that it was all fake, but she felt sympathy for it. A LOT of sympathy."

"Yeah, I thought she would. Hey Diana, hang in there, ok? Just remember, this is definitely all fake." I replied quietly. When I attracted no attention, I nodded and smirked. Talking to yourself here was accepted, it seemed.

"Oh, Sam! They forgot to let you know, you have a Pokemon with you. When they made your character, they had to choose a starter for you. Just letting you know, you should have a Giblet on you."

"Thanks guys." I said sarcastically. Reaching the crowd and breaking through it, I wound up on the front row. A boy and a girl were fighting; their Pokemon hit each other with an impossible amount of force. The girl was using a Skitty, while the boy had a shiny Eevee.

"Sam, that's Mikey. Wait until the battle is over, but you need to talk to him."

Giving a laugh, I shook my head. "Thanks, I kinda got that."

The Eevee used a Pound Attack on the Skitty, who, in return, used a Tail Whip. Watching the two Pokemon trade attacks, I felt like I was watching a tennis match. It came to a conclusion when the Eevee opened its mouth and let loose a gigantic, golden beam which enveloped the Skitty. When the bema had passed, I watched as the Skitty turned red and returned to its Pokéball.

'Pokemon Trainer Mikey has triumphed over Lass Vikki, using an Eevee. Pokemon Trainer Mikey has won one thousand, two hundred and thirteen Pokedollars for winning.' A voice called out of the sky. Looking up, I frowned.

"That's the Game Judge. He decides all the rules and things, and is capable of disqualifying a trainer if they don't follow the rules." The scientist's voice called over the speaker again. "He's one of the things that Team Rocket actually did right; they are so confident they'll win that they made the Judge absolutely fair, not even their own minions can escape his decisions."

Giving a nod, I looked around. The crowd was dispersing, but Mikey was currently scratching his Eevee behind the ear. Walking up the guy, I nodded to him. "So, do your brothers use Eeveelutions as well?"

Looking up at me through simulated brown hair, Mikey grinned. "Yeah, they do. If you're interested, I can get you can Eevee as well. What do you think?"

"Ok, now say that, while you like Eevees, Growlithes are what you really like."

"I like Eevees, they're cute, but my favourites would have to be Growlithes." I responded. Giving me a wink, Mikey stood up, returning his Eevee.

"Ok, I think I can help you with that. Follow me." Mikey said, beckoning me to follow him with his finger. Nodding, I began walking after him. We walked in silence for a few minutes, until I heard a beeping noise, and I saw a little envelope flashing at the corner of my eye.

"Hey Sam, you just got a message from Mikey." Kat's voice was the one to come through. "It says 'So, you're the guy? Unless you give the password, I'm not going to be taking you to the Secret Base of Organisation Thirteen.' Ash says the password is 'Sparky'. We're sending the message for you, since you obviously can't, so you're safe. Ash also wanted you to know that Organisations are like, small guilds of Pokemon Trainers, usually friends, who can be called upon to help you when you need it. They also get Secret Bases, so that's where you're going. You're the thirteenth member, so now they're all ready for the plan to go ahead."

"Oh, great." I muttered. "Now I feel like some 'Chosen One' or something." Out of nowhere, a huge box covered my vision, giving a yelp, I stopped in place. Out of nowhere, a mouse pointer went across my vision and hovered over the 'Yes' option.

'Pokemon Trainer Mikey has invited you to join Organisation Thirteen. Would you like to join?"

The mouse clicked down, accepting the invite. When I got my vision back, I discovered that I was suddenly in the large room, filled with scientific equipment, including a healing machine, books on Pokemon, as well as a few lounges.

"Ok, this is the Secret Base." Mikey said, appearing next to me. He had materialised in, looking unphased about the fact he had just teleported or something. "This is a specially crafted one, and no Rocket Scientist will be able to get in; we're in the computer server within the Elite Palace in Dictioy. So, you're Jamie, right?"

I looked blankly at him, and was about to correct him, when Ash's voice cut me off. "Jamie is the name we created for you. James Reeves, so just say yes. We don't want anyone knowing who you really are, other than me, the Elite Four, Wyatt, Keira, your friends and the scientists in charge of this project."

Giving a nod, I smiled. "Yeah, I'm Jamie. And you're Mikey, right?"

"Yeah. I've sent a message out to the rest of the Organisation, so they'll be here in a second. Your Giblet might be very good for a low level trainer, but we really need to give you some of the strongest Pokemon you can get; you aren't going against a Magikarp that much is for sure."

Looking down at the Pokéball on my belt, I grinned. "Yeah, I know. What Pokemon were we thinking of giving me."

"It's really up to you. We have been planning this for a while, and so, we've gotten tons of different Pokemon, since we had no idea what your style would be like. We have normal Pokemon, Legendaries, you name it, we have it or we can get it. They'll be EV Trained as well, which is an added bonus. Apart from that, we're easy." Mikey said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Dragonite!"

"Zapdos!"

"Typhlosion!"

"Pikachu!"

"Me! I mean, wait, what am I?"

"You're a Mudkip. You evolve into Swampert eventually." That was Ash explaining things to Artemis. Giving a chuckle, I shook my head.

"Yeah, get one of me!"

"Artemis, honestly, I can only deal with one of you at a time." I said. I had the inkling that I'd have been hit with water if I had been in the room at that point.
Bright lights caught my attention; turning my head, I saw eleven portals of light opening up in the ground. Within a few seconds, all of Organisation Thirteen had gathered. Looking around at the mix of men and women, I suddenly felt very young and very unexperienced.

"No time to waste." Stepping forward, a man with red hair gave me a grin. "Hi, I'm Richie."

"I'm S- uh, Jamie."

"Nice to meet you. If you'll follow me, I'll take you to our little lab in the game." Turning on his heels, Richie took off in the direction of a door. It slid open as he went towards it; obviously an automatic one. Going through the archway, I blinked in surprise at the sheer multitude of Pokéballs this room contained. Giving a whistle, I joined Richie at a small computer terminal, which showed the picture of several Pokemon.

"Ok Jamie, just choose any six Pokemon. They will all be trained perfectly; they just need to be commanded skilfully."

"Um, alright. Going through my head, I gritted my teeth as I tried to think of a good team. "Swampert, Raichu, Frezent, Infernape, Leafeon and Articuno." The last one had been self-indulgence, it was my favourite Pokemon, and there was no chance I'd give up the chance to have it, even if it was in a game.

"Ok, one Pokemon team, coming right up." Richie said, tapping some keys on the virtual keyboard, something I actually found amusing, which caused a bright light to shine around my waist, adding five more Pokéballs to my belt.

"Ok, now, let's get you loaded up on items and things." Richie muttered, tapping away again on the keyboard. In response, I could see several messages popping up on my screen: 'PkmnTrainer Richie has given you 99 Revives!' 'PkmnTrainer Richie has given you 99 Max Potions!' following on that line, I could see that the Organisation wasn't leaving anything to chance.
As he was typing, and even though I couldn't see him behind the pop-up boxes, which someone was currently clicking away at with their mouse, Richie began speaking again.

"We've figured that the signal will be coming from a huge statue within Absol Park, the place you should have been in before. It's the most populated area in the game, which means that it will be able to get tons of people under the thrall of the signal right away. It also means that you will need to find a secret way in there, or get your Tyranitar to completely demolish it. I'd recommend option one, since number two will definitely be noticed." My vision suddenly cleared, showing Richie was facing me. "But, as of now, it's all up to you. The Organisation will be leaving the game in two hours, after which, you will be granted unrestricted access to the Base and all the Pokemon in it."

"Oh yeah, party at Sam's Base!"

"Nick, shut up."

"Yes ma'am."

"But, until then, we'll be training you, getting you used to battling in here. If you'll go back out to Mikey, he'll show you our little battle simulator."

Giving him a mocking salute, I turned on my heel, going back in the direction of the main room. Spotting Mikey, I wandered up to him. "Battle Sim, you know; the fun stuff."

Giving a chuckle, Mikey rolled his eyes in sympathetic disgust. "Yeah, I know the feeling. But, as long as it gets you prepped, it'll help. But hey, I bet you two PokeDollars I whup you on your first battle."

"You're on."

"Haha, Sam's going to wipe the floor with Mikey!" Brendan crowed. Smiling; glad to know my friend supported my abilities, I followed Mikey, not looking forward to battling a Simulation at all.