Chapter 12: Pokeballs

AN: Hello. First of all, I'd like to thank you PurpleKnightmare for flooding my inbox earlier. Seeing all those emails and your review, short as it was, made me quite happy. Now, as for this story; I have the end perfectly plotted out- I know exactly how it's going to end. It's just getting there that is the issue. I might actually skip a Route or two, otherwise I'll find myself banging my head against writer's block. There's only so much travelling I can write :/ Anyway, here's the chapter :)

One more thing- work is getting really busy, with overtime heading into Saturdays too, so the only time I really have to write is Sunday. Please bear with me everyone, and even if you don't review, seeing an email with a fav or an alert lets me know there really are people waiting for the next chapter, and it's not all in my head.

Michael chewed at his lip, swinging his feet absently and kicking the fat tree branch he'd found himself on. Thanau was perched on another branch, claws digging deeply into the wood even as the charizard craned his neck to admire his wings. The young agent had split off from Darius as soon as they'd entered Lareverre City, needing time to organize his thoughts. It was a strange concept, that Darius had some clue as to what had happened to him. Stranger still that he seemed completely unfazed by it. Although, he had mentioned rulers of time and space, so perhaps it wasn't as surprising. But still…

Both his hands were clasped in his lap, Amersu's Pokeball sandwiched between them. Even if she still wouldn't come out of the ball, she at least looked apologetic, the one time she did look up at Michael. Now she had pressed herself up against the side of her Pokeball, trying to see down past the lower half of the ball to watch the people in the town below them. Absently, Michael twisted the ball to allow her a better view, which earned him a quick half-smile, if not actual eye contact. But Michael didn't mind. Not this time. Instead, he just stared down at the people right along with her, lost in his own contemplations.

Darius tucked his hands into the pockets of his hoodie, sending only a quick glance up the tree in the centre of town to make sure his fellow was still safely balanced. He knew the younger agent needed to think for a while, but it didn't mean Darius wasn't itching for something to do. Content in the knowledge that Michael didn't seem about to fall anytime soon at least, Darius began to meander away from the centre of the town, looking to get away from other people. He found a wide and long stairway leading up a hill to an impressive factory, and sat himself on the steps off to the side, closing his eyes and casting his mind out; reaching for the ever-present draconic echo while simultaneously sinking himself into a trance. He found Rayquaza's mind already active, the dragon being the first to speak.

/You have a lot of questions./ The dragon commented, while across an ocean the serpentine lord of the sky circled a short ruined tower. It was closer to human settlements than he'd have preferred, but he only planned on pausing, not resting.

/Do you know what Pokémon could have moved Michael through time?/ Darius asked while simultaneously flexing his energy experimentally as he'd done sparring with Lucario.

/I believe it to be the work of a sprite by the name of Celebi./ Rayquaza admitted. /Other than the fact that she prefers to live in healthy forests and she is positively miniscule however, I know little else. She does not rule time, but she can move through it as she wills./

/You think everyone is miniscule./ Darius teased.

/You, hatchling, are simply small./ Rayquaza retorted, growling in amusement and startling a Druddigon which had been trying to sneak up on him. /Celebi is about the size of your head, for all the power of time travel that she possesses./ He paused, concentrating on the odd twisting and flexing he could sense through human and dragon's bond. /What are you doing hatchling?/

/I'm trying to figure out how to manipulate my energy like I did before with Lucario. I haven't really practiced with it since you helped me get the feedback under control./ Which had been almost two years ago.

/You should do as young dragons do./ Rayquaza said, watching in amusement as a small Golett poked one of his scales. /The power is different, but the principle is the same. Cubs are often left to their own devices, to experiment with their power and find their own limits./

/So basically, just play with it whenever I get the chance./ Darius surmised in amusement. Mentally sighing, the young man drew himself out of his trance. Rayquaza flickered with amusement before he drew his own energy away, fading back into that quiet echo in the back of Darius's mind. Absently, the young man continued to do as Rayquaza suggested, twisting his aura and seeing just what it could do. He was so focused on seeing how much of his aura he could shift away from himself that the young man almost missed the twin flickers of rebelliousness and fear coming up behind him. Ice-blue eyes glanced over in time however to see the young girl from the haunted house, Shauna, followed by her orange-haired friend. Both were running down the stairs at top speed, and several seconds after they disappeared, a man wearing Team Flare's suit came charging down the stairs as well, annoyance and irritation flickering around him. Once he was out of sight, the other two teens came charging down the stairs. Oddly enough, none of the procession of five had even noticed Darius, and the young man simply stared down in the direction they'd all disappeared before glancing up the way they'd come. Shrugging, he rose to his feet, letting his aura settle back around him as he set out to investigate.

Perhaps it wasn't so surprising that Amersu was the one who noticed something amiss first. Michael had almost slipped into a sort of dozing trance, seated several stories above the town proper. Inside her Pokeball, Amersu rocked herself from side to side, wriggling the ball enough to catch Michael's adrift attention. When the teen glanced down, he saw the little sprite was frowning, and jabbing a finger towards the ground. Michael glanced down in the direction she was pointing, but even so it took him a few seconds to pick out the vibrant red suit from the red and brown leaf-litter. When he did spot the suit however, and in turn the figures it was alternately chasing and being chased by, the agent scrambled to his feet. On the other branch, Thanau was already spreading his wings, reaching out his neck for Michael to grab onto before the winged fire-type leapt from the tree, gliding sharply down towards the Flare grunt.

Thanau let out a snarling roar as he and his trainer landed between the Flare grunt and the two children he'd been chasing. Michael slipped off Thanau's neck, grinning as he slipped back into the mind-set of Archangel. A distraction would certainly do him a bit of good right now.

Darius muttered darkly under his breath against whoever had designed the factory's layout. There were, at maximum, probably 5 grunts holding the factory, not including whatever higher-ups were in the president's office. But they'd placed themselves strategically to block almost every pathway through the factory floor. Luckily they hadn't thought to put anything sharp on the walls at the ends of the conveyor belts.

One grunt caught a clue and tried to climb onto the conveyor belt after Darius, and the young agent promptly scooped up one of the Pokeballs riding the belt with him and pegged it at the man, smirking when the red and white ball struck the man directly in the forehead; knocking him off the belt once more. Darius allowed himself to feel a dark satisfaction at that, but it was quickly interrupted when the conveyor belt took a sharp turn, flinging the frustrated agent off and back onto the floor.

Spotting another grunt rounding a corner, Darius quickly rolled to his feet and leaped back onto the conveyor belt, pelting the man with Pokeballs until the grunt stepped on one and hit the ground. Grinning in the way only a happy predator could manage, Darius looked forward once more, smirking as he spotted the walkway above the belt. This would be interesting.

"So Team Flare is in the Pokeball Factory?" Archangel asked his fellow trainers once they'd lost track of the flare grunt.

"That man earlier wouldn't let us in the factory." Shauna complained, stomping her foot in annoyance. "When I asked why, he started chasing us!"

"We should go check it out." Serena muttered, absently stroking the blue-furred ear of the Meowstic beside her. Archangel nodded, recalling Thanau back to his Pokeball. He'd have liked to have Titan as backup, but he wasn't sure where the other agent had gotten off to. Glancing around the four trainers gathered around him, he plotted.

"Shauna, Trevor, Tierno, you search the town for the guy that got away." He instructed. "Darius is probably already at the factory, so Serena and I will go provide backup." Green eyes glanced over to make sure the oldest of the four was fine with the plan, and she nodded, motioning to her Meowstic as they set off towards the factory. Shauna looked mildly upset, but she nodded anyway, turning to Trevor and Tierno.

"Let's go catch that bully!" She declared, leading the two boys in another direction. Once they set off, Archangel set off after Serena.

"Thanks." The girl said, once they'd reached the large set of stairs leading up to the factory. At the agent's curious glance, the blonde shrugged before elaborating. "Sending them after that other guy. They wouldn't stand for being left out, but I'd have been worried they'd get hurt in here."

Archangel hesitated, but nodded all the same. Soon, they reached the top of the stairs, and quickly crossed the green, pushing open the double glass doors. Both teens took a moment to marvel at the size of the factory; the conveyors weaving across the floor and the catwalks spread like a metallic spiderweb above their heads.

"You think your friend is already in here?" Serena asked, glancing over at a wary-looking grunt who didn't seem quite prepared to approach them yet. Before Archangel could answer, there was a particularly feminine yelp from one of the offices on the second floor, and both teens glanced up to see a woman in a white suit with poofy red hair go flying out the door, rolling several times on the metal catwalk before her momentum failed, and she was left sitting on her butt, looking rather dazed. Archangel smirked and glanced over at Serena as the wary grunt they'd been watching ran other to the woman.

"I'd say it's a pretty good bet." He informed her.

Darius laughed even as he hid his wince and focused on continuing standing upright. Perhaps he should have tested his theory after he'd made sure neither of the scientists posed a threat. Kuraishi stood between Darius and the scientists, who were both eyeing Darius and the door their boss had just been thrown through warily. Two skirls of energy were running up the catwalk, one radiating wariness and stubbornness, while the other held traces of amusement. The second one actually seemed somewhat familiar.

Several seconds later, Serena and Michael came through the door, both glancing around and quickly taking stock of their surroundings. Michael's frogadier Broga and Serena's Meowstic entered behind them, glancing around, wary like their trainers. Darius grinned and waved, leaning casually (he hoped) against one of the tables to the side of the office.

"You kids are late!" He greeted teasingly. Archangel gave him a look, and he felt the other agent's amusement twist, a flicker of concern there and gone in a second. Darn, the younger agent must have noticed that he was leaning more than necessary. At least Serena and the scientists were distracted by each other.

"There's more of them." The scientist in purple muttered.

"We must recalculate our chances of success." The green scientist replied.

"Even if there are three, if we keep the blue one at a distance, we can win." Purple replied. Serena and Archangel glanced at Darius curiously at that, but the blue-haired agent just smirked and shrugged. He had no intention of letting them know he'd used his aura to bolster his over-the-shoulder throw of the admin from earlier, which had sent her sailing out the door. Yes, best to keep that little ace up his sleeve. At least until he could do it without giving himself a splitting headache, that is.

"I've had my go, why don't you two have a turn?" Darius called, grinning and crossing his arms, not moving from his spot against the table. Archangel was giving him that suspicion-laced stare, and Serena seemed nervous about taking the scientists on, but they both nodded, turning to face the two scientists. Green Scientist released a Liepard while Purple Scientist sent out a Manectric. Archangel flickered with concern, and Darius saw him reach down, obviously intending to recall Broga before the water-type could be struck by Manectric.

"Liepard, use Mean Look." Green Scientist commanded, and the feline snarled, glaring darkly at Broga, who squeaked nervously. Archangel tried to recall his Pokemon, but the Pokeball's light wouldn't take, and he warily returned the empty ball to his belt. Beside him, Serena was obviously trying to calculate the type matchups. Darius had to admit, the teens were technically at a disadvantage. Water versus Electric and Psychic versus Dark. Unless of course they could keep their opposites away from the other's Pokemon.

Beside Darius, Kuraishi growled lowly, obviously watching the four combatants and making sure the two teens' Pokemon weren't in over their heads. However, the black-furred canine simply leaned against his trainer's leg, watching for the moment. Purple Scientist was the first to move.

"Manectric, take out that frog with Spark." She commanded, obviously planning on using her type advantage to the maximum. Archangel's energy flared with fear and concern for a second before he tamped it down.

"Broga, use Dig!" The dark-skinned agent commanded, and Darius couldn't help but smirk as the frog leapt to the side, disappearing into the ground before Manectric's attack could land. With Broga hidden for the moment, Green Scientist turned her attention to Meowstic.

"Liepard, use Slash." Green Scientist commanded. The feline leapt forward, claws digging into Meowstic and sending the psychic type sprawling with a yelp.

"Meowstic, use Miracle Eye!" Serena commanded after a wince. While the psychic-type's eyes took on a psychic glow, Broga burst up from the floor, catching Manectric directly in the stomach and sending the canine sprawling.

"Serena!" Archangel called, directing his battling partner's attention to the wounded Pokemon.

"Psychic!" The girl commanded, and Meowstic's ears snapped open for a second, releasing a powerful wave of energy at Manectric, sending the already stumbling Pokemon sprawling once more. The electric-type tried to rise to his paws, but his limbs gave out, and he hit the ground again with a pained whimper.

"Liepard, Night Slash." Green Scientist commanded, ignoring Purple's yelp of denial. The lithe dark-type moved quickly, almost seeming to materialize behind Meowstic, the super-effective clawing attack sending Meowstic flying once more.

"Broga, Water Pulse; cover Meowstic!" Broga nodded, opening his mouth wide and spitting out a blast of water at Liepard even as the frog shifted to stand between their opponent and the fallen psychic-type, who was once more struggling to his feet.

"Meowstic, hit it with a Psychic!" Serena commanded once Meowstic had risen once more.

"Broga, Water Pulse!" Archangel ordered at the same time. Meowstic's ears flew open, releasing another blast of psychic energy, and Broga shot another pulse of water from his mouth. As soon as his jaw closed, the frog took on a familiar glow, limbs stretching out and body transforming even as Liepard stumbled from the force of the two attacks, finally stumbling over its own feet and falling to the ground. Green Scientist glowered at Meowstic and the newly evolved Broga as she recalled her fallen Pokemon.

"You two want help leaving?" Darius asked with a smirk, pushing off from the table and taking a threatening step towards the two scientists. The two women glanced at each other and the door their admin had disappeared through before turning as one and bolting out the fire escape. Darius frowned, but let them go, instead turning his attention to Broga and Meowstic. The newly-evolved Greninja was flicking his tongue around curiously, and Meowstic had knelt down, shivering in pain. Both Serena and Archangel hurried over, both automatically reaching into their packs for assorted healing potions.

"What did you do to them?" Archangel demanded as he offered Broga a simple potion, seeing as the frog hadn't taken a large amount of damage. Darius just shrugged, brushing the question off, but he could tell from Archangel's annoyed flare that he'd certainly be questioned on it again.

"What were they doing stealing Pokeballs though?" Serena demanded, glancing around the office in confusion.

"It does seem odd." Archangel admitted. "I could see why they'd steal electricity, but what do Pokeballs have to do with power?"

"If you get into more esoteric research, Pokemon give off a large amount of energy when evolving." Darius offered, offering Kuraishi a Sitrus Berry. "Team Galactic tried to mug Professor Rowan for his research before they realised they had no way to harness that kind of energy and gave up."

"Team Galactic?" Serena asked, completely baffled. Darius offered her a lopsided smile, and shrugged, ignoring Archangel's skirl of calculation.

"They were a criminal gang in the Sinnoh region a few years back. Professor Rowan was studying Evolution in particular. I believe that's part of the reason his student, Professor Sycamore, is so interested in Mega Evolution now." Grinning sharply, Darius stood and stretched, trying to ignore the throbbing headache that was doing the salsa behind his eyes.

"Nothing left to do here I suppose; shall we take our leave?"

AN: There may be a few mistakes here, but I'm posting this using my local Panera Bread's wifi, and I can't stay here forever... So only enough time for a quick clean-up. Also, if anyone's interested, I'm going to post a one-shot sometime either this coming week or next weekend. It will be titled "Saw It In The Sky" and it's a fun little thing centred on Rayquaza; specifically when he touched down to have that conversation with Darius in this chapter. I'm not putting it as an Interlude here because the only character the two stories have in common is Rayquaza. Maybe I'll do more shorts there later, but right now I want to focus all my writing energy on this story. I also dropped a whole bunch of little hints about what Darius's ability to manipulate aura allows- I wonder if you caught all of them :-)

Thanks for reading, and until next time, have a good evening (or day, depending on timezone and when you're reading this chapter).