Chapter 3
Once Michael left the Purify Chamber, he went straight to his room. He sat at the desk in his room and grabbed the pack that he brought on all his journeys. Krane didn't say anything about leaving on this new journey yet but Michael knew that this was the staff's best choice. He took his P*DA and put that in his pocket. He opened the drawer to his desk and grabbed two more Pokéballs that belonged to his Feraligatr and his Donpohan and he put those alongside Jolteon's Pokéball on the desk.
As all this was going on, Jolteon was enjoying a peaceful nap before Michael came in. He gave a big yawn and looked at his owner. He tilted his head to the right, as he was puzzled at what his Trainer was doing. "Jolt!"
"Oh. Hey, Jolteon. We may be heading on another journey soon. I want to be ready for it."
After gathering a couple more things, he set the bag on his desk and waited for some message from Krane.
It was probably only about 20 minutes but for Michael, it felt like hours. In that time, Michael checked his P*DA numerous times, he even changed the batteries to make sure that the device was working. He sighed as he fell backwards onto his bed. After about 5 to 10 more minutes, the door to Michael's room opened. He looked up to see Krane and his mother came in. Professor Krane sat in the rolling chair that was at Michael's desk and Lily sat next to Michael on the bed.
Michael looked at both of them. "So what's going to happen?" he asked.
"Before we tell you what the staff decided, Michael, we want to tell you the truth about what happened," Krane said. "Remember that picture that you found the other day when you were helping me find the blueprints for the Snag Machine, the picture of your mom, me, and the Hero?"
Michael nodded.
"The Hero's name is Wes. He was an outstanding Trainer and had a really good heart. But he started out in a bad place. Wes grew up on the streets, alone except for his two best friends, which were two Eevee that Wes met when he was very young. As Wes lived on the street, he was found by Gonzap. You remember him, right, the leader of Team Snagem?"
Michael nodded again.
"As Wes grew older, his two Eevee evolved into an Espeon and an Umbreon. And those were the two Pokémon that earned Wes the reputation of the best Trainer on Team Snagem," Krane said.
"So what happened? Why did he leave?" Michael asked.
"Wes didn't like what Team Snagem was doing with Cipher. So he wanted to put an end to it all. He destroyed the base and stole the Snag Machine."
Michael nodded again.
"After that, he met me," Lily said. "Together, we saved Orre."
"But wait? How does that make sense?" Michael asked. "In all the historical articles that I found on the Internet, Wes was being helped by a girl named Rui?"
"Rui is my real name, Michael," Lily confessed.
"Why did you need to change your name?" Michael asked.
"I have a special power that no one else has. You know how you need your headset device to see Shadow Pokémon? I could see them with my own eyes. If Wes didn't have me, then he wouldn't know which Pokémon were Shadow Pokémon. I changed my name because all of Cipher knew my name was Rui, if I changed my name, then Cipher wouldn't know that it was me."
Michael nodded again. This was all a lot to take in but he understood it all.
Anyway, once the Shadow Pokémon Crisis was resolved," Krane continued. "Wes met me and we worked together to make the Pokémon HQ Lab. We built it together and we studied the Shadow Pokémon that he snagged on his journey. He asked me if I could help him build a machine that would purify a Pokémon without the need for continuous training. And thus, research on the Relic Stone and Celebi continued until the Purify Chamber was made. However, Wes never got to see the Purify Chamber's completion."
"What happened?" Michael asked.
"You were very little when this happened, Michael. Wes learned of men that were planning to restart the Shadow Pokémon Project. We believe that these were the same men that you stopped on your journey. So, Wes took his Espeon and Umbreon and went out into Orre to find these people."
"But he never came back," Michael said.
"Sadly, yes. But we want you to go and find him. We want you to search Orre and find either Wes or the criminals who broke into the Lab," Krane said.
Michael nodded again. "I'm already packed and ready," he said as he stood up and got his bag off the desk.
"Very well," Krane said, "But you are to contact us every other day. So we know that you are ok. Also, please report your progress."
Michael nodded again.
"You can leave first thing tomorrow morning," Krane said.
000
The sun rose up and the night began to hide. Michael loved to sleep in but this morning was a different story. He sat in the lab's break room finishing his breakfast. He threw away the trash of his meal and he went down to the main floor. His hover scooter was already prepped and ready. Wes was pumped to start another great journey he went down to meet his mother and Professor Krane. Lily gave Michael a backpack filled with food and a small medical kit incase Michael should get in any trouble along the way. Michael put it on his back and he turned to the Professor. He held a laptop in his hands with a map of the Orre region on it.
"Ok, Michael. When Wes left I told him to go to the north of Eclo Canyon. Eclo Canyon is where Team Snagem's base is. If Wes is still out there, that would be your best chance of finding him. If you cannot find him there, I would talk to Gonzap about it. Team Snagem is pretty spread out across Orre some of his men might have an idea of where he went."
Michael nodded and started up his scooter. He turned back to Lily and Krane.
"Good luck, Michael," Krane said.
"Be careful," his mother said.
Michael nodded and he hit the gas. His scooter sped down the path leaving nothing but a trail of dust.
000
The Orre is one of the vaster regions in the world. Being mostly desert, there isn't much in Orre but what there is in Orre it is very spread out. This was unfortunate for Michael because the Pokémon HQ Lab and Team Snagem's hideout were on opposite sides of the region. It was a fairly uneventful ride to the hideout but Michael made it. He took his goggles off and hung them around his neck. He dismounted his scooter and approached the base. The base was a mess and it looked deserted. That was because after 8 years, the team still hasn't cleaned up from the explosion that destroyed the base. Michael approached the door only to find one of the members hanging around outside. He took one last, long drag of the cigarette that was in his mouth and he put it out in the sand.
Michael didn't pay any attention to him. He walked right in the base. He bested all of them in Pokémon Battles so none of them tried to stop Michael from coming in. One of the more friendly members saw him and greeted him.
"Hey, Michael." The member said as he came up to him.
"Hey Wakin," Michael returned the greeting.
Wakin was about in his late 20's and he was Gonzap's right hand man. "What brings you all the way to our base?"
"I need to talk to Gonzap about something," Michael said.
"Well, the boss is kinda busy but I'll see if he can see you. Follow me."
Team Snagem's base was a maze to get through. Maybe before Wes trashed the base, it used to be clean and organized. Michael and Wakin went up the stairs that led to Gonzap's room. He saw Wakin and Michael come and he instantly stopped what he was going. "Michael, how's it going?" Gonzap greeted.
Gonzap was a huge giant of a man. He was physically strong and he had is signature mustache and hair that extended as points around his head. Michael even beat Gonzap in a Pokémon Battle and by doing so, Michael earned Gonzap's trust and respect. "I need to know some information."
Michael told Gonzap the situation and when he finished, Gonzap simply rubbed his chin. "So, you need to find Wes because you think that the Shadow Pokémon Project could be restarted?"
"Correct," Michael said.
Gonzap let out a heavy sigh. He got up from his desk and he started walking around the room. "Wes double-crossed us. He sabotaged our base and stole the Snag Machine. However, now I understand why he did it. We never should have teamed with Cipher. Wes was the right one. He stood up for what he believed in and he righted what was wrong."
"So you know where he went?" Michael asked again.
"Yeah, Wes stopped by here on his way out north. He said he needed fuel and food for the journey. We gave it to him and then he headed north," Gonzap explained.
"Did you ever go after him to see what he was doing?" Michal asked.
"Yeah, I had a couple of my men head out there but they didn't find much. It is difficult to travel up north."
"Why is that?"
"You remember that once the Shadow Pokémon Project was stopped 7 years ago, wild Pokémon started coming over here from Johto and Hoenn?" Well when you stopped the Shadow Pokémon Project, Pokémon from other regions like Sinnoh and Unova came too."
Michael nodded in confirmation.
"So what makes going up north difficult is that many Baltoy and Claydol have settled up there. Plus a group of Sandlie, Krokorok, and one Krookodile are up there too."
"I have a Feraligatr so I think I'll be fine."
"I don't want you going up there, alone. Wakin?"
"Yes, sir?" he said.
"Go with Michael. Your Vileplume can be helpful."
"Yes sir," he replied.
000
Michael's goggles kept a majority of the sand out of his eyes. The Baltoy in the area must have started a sandstorm, making it difficult to see. Michael tried to keep moving. He looked back to see that Wakin wasn't handling the sandstorm any better than Michael was. He was on a hover bike that had Team Snagem markings all over it. He needed keep focused on the task at hand and he kept searching.
"Wakin, Can you see anything?" Michael called.
"No," he called back. "This is why we don't normally come here. The Sandstorm makes it difficult to find out way."
Michael stopped his scooter. "Why don't we change the weather?" Michael called. Wakin stopped alongside Michael and he grabbed one of his Pokéballs and threw it up. "Come on out, Vileplume." The red and white ball opened up to release a large flower Pokémon. "Vileplume, use Sunny Day."
"VILE-PLUME!" the Pokémon said.
Suddenly the sandstorm faded away and all that was left was the blazing sun. The sandstorm fully subsided and all that was left were three Baltoy and a Claydol. They looked shocked at their Sandstorm disappeared. They fled. Not wanting a conflict.
Michael sighed, "Good jab, Wakin," Michael said. He didn't like having a scorching sun in the desert but it was better than the sandstorm. He unhooked the water bottle from his pack and he took a small sip. With the sandstorm gone, it would be easier to find what Wes was looking for. He looked more north and he saw something, a glimmer of light that was reflecting off of something near the rock ridge to the north. Michael put his bottle back in his pack and he hit the throttle.
"Hey! Where are you going?" Wakin called.
Michael sped off until he found what he saw. It was a piece of scrap metal. Michael picked it up and shook it off. It is likely that if a random piece of metal was here, then there must be something hidden here. Michael turned to his right as Wakin rode up.
"Hey, you found something," he said as he got off and walked towards Michael. "Do you think that there could be more…" Before Wakin could finished what he wanted to say he tripped on a chain hidden in the sand and he went face first into the ground.
Michael laughed as he walked over to the chain. "Good job, Wakin,"
The Team Snagem member simply gave Michael a thumbs-up.
Michael took the chain and at the end of it, he found a handle. This must lead to something. He pulled on the chain and a hidden door was opened up. Michael looked in and he found a set of stairs that went deep underground. Wakin looked down into it. Michael took out a flashlight from his backpack and he went down the stairs.
000
As Michael and Wakin got lower, they began losing light until it was all dark except for Michael flashlight. He went into a large room that still looked completely dark. Michael found four light switches and he flipped all of them. They still worked and they lit up the room. Michael was shocked to find the entire room trashed. Lab equipment was destroyed. There were cages that were bent and misshaped. The entire room was a mess.
"Wes did this," Wakin said.
Michael turned to him. "How can you tell?"
"I've seen what he can do first hand. He didn't want any of this to work ever again."
Michael nodded and he kept searching. He looked down a hallway and he heard something that caused him to be on guard. It was almost like a little pitter patter. Like the scurry of a small Pokémon. Michael flipped on his flashlight again to see a small little Sandile looking at him with his big black eyes. What Michael didn't expect was the Sandile to jump at Michael using a Bite attack. Michael leaned back and dodged the Sandile's jaws. The Sandlie turned back to face Michael. The young trainer responded by grabbing one of the Pokéballs I his pocket. Michael threw the ball and it opened up to let loose a white light. The light flew out and formed on the ground to reveal a huge, blue, alligator.
The small Sandlie looked up at the much bigger reptile and he ran away into the darkness.
Michael smiled. "Good job, Feraligatr," Michael said. He focused his light down the tunnel that the Sandlie went down. He flipped a switch on the wall but he was rewarded with sparks from broken lamps. Still Michael continued down the hallway. There were a few more Sandile that simply ran in fear of Michael's Feraligatr. Michael turned a corner and in the darkness, he saw some light. It was the faint glow of a computer monitor.
Michael propped his flashlight up so that he could see and work. While the rest of the area was mostly destroyed, this room was virtually untouched. Michael started searching the files. He found this computer to be filled with security footage from the base. The majority of the tapes were years of recording nothing. This place must have been abandoned for 7 or 8 years. Michael spent the next half an hour searching for anything that could help him when her pulled up the footage from July 17th about 7 years ago. It showed a man in a lab coat battling Wes. Michael watched as the scientist's Magnezone was at the mercy of Wes's Espeon. The scientist lost and Wes continued on. Michael went to another tape. It was of a place called Sector 9. It was of a hanger somewhere in the base. Michael saw 7 men in blue armor that looked similar to Cipher armor. They were loading up a truck with crates. There was one that was standing and ordering the others. He obviously seemed to be the leader. He turned around. Wes must have come into the room. The leader challenged Wes to a battle. He seemed very confident. Michael watched as Wes's Espeon and Umbreon were sent out of their Pokéballs. The scientist just smiled. He sent out a Pokémon that Michael had never seen before. It had a humanoid body but no legs. Its skin was pitch-black and ribbons of darkness came off of the Pokémon's shoulders and hips. It had what looked like white hair on its head and a red ring of what looked like teeth around its neck. One huge blue eye peeked out on the right side of its face. It looked very powerful.
Wes was intimidated but he would never back down. Not when the lives of Pokémon were at stake. It's appearance screamed Dark-type so Espeon's Psychic attack would be a bit useless here. But, Wes had faced powerful Dark-types before so this would be a piece of cake.
"Espeon, use Signal Beam. Umbreon, use Toxic," Wes commanded. Espeon raised its head and powerful energy began to gather in the gem on Espeon's forehead. Umbreon raised its head and poisonous sludge gathered in the red gem on its forehead.
"Darkrai, use Dark Void," the shadowy man ordered. The blue eye of the Pokémon that was Darkrai, glowed and then then a crimson orb of energy was forming above Darkrai. It didn't take long for the energy ball to reach full strength as Darkrai launched it at Espeon and Umbreon. The energy ball exploded into several smaller balls. They hit Wes's Pokémon and the energy formed a sphere around Espeon and one around Umbreon. Wes was shocked. He had never seen such power. The balls faded away and Espeon and Umbreon lay there motionless. There were simply asleep though. Wes looked up at Darkrai and at the trainer.
The truck was already loaded and the back was closed. The man turned around without saying a word and Darkrai followed him. The man got in to vehicle. He turned looked back at Wes. "Until, next time, Hero," he said. The vehicle then sped away out of Sector 9.
000
Michael and Wakin stood in the Sector 9 hanger. Jolteon was sent out and he was smelling for anything that could've given him a lead. So far, Michael had nothing.
"So, you mean to tell me, that somebody actually beat Wes?" Wakin asked.
"Yes, and you have seen what his Pokémon can do. We have to stop this guy," Michael responded.
"Right, well did any other tapes show which direction the truck went?" Wakin asked.
"Not, really, it just vanished from sight," Michael replied.
"Well, I've been around Orre for a while and there isn't much that is close to here. A truck like that one that they took wouldn't be able to go very far without fuel extra fuel," Wakin explained, "and it seems that all of their storage space was filled with the crates."
"Well, where could they have gone?" Michael asked.
Wakin walked over to a workbench that was in Sector 9. There was a map of Orre lay out there. Michael followed him. "Ok, if you got west, you get more deserts. It you keep going farther, than you will reach the Johto region but as I said, they wouldn't be able to make it there with that kind of truck."
"Ok, so what else is there?" Michael asked.
"Well, north is nothing. West and you get the Cipher Key Lair but that was cleared out." Wakin continued to explain.
"So, that leaves south," Michael said.
"Right, specifically, the Outskirt Stand. They could've filled up at the Outskirt Stand and then keep going. Maybe, that could've been where Wes went too."
A Note from Rappkea
Hey, everybody. Thank you for all the feedback that you've been giving me on my story so far. It is really appreciated. I just want to say thank you and keep them coming. I also want to ask you guys to recommend Pokémon for me to use. Starting in the next couple chapters, I will start having characters catching wild Pokémon for their teams. I am having a bit of difficulty thinking up of teams on my own so I want to ask you guys to help me out. Please recommend Pokémon that you really like or Pokémon that would be really interesting to include in my story. Pokémon from generation 1 through 5 are all fair game so feel free to give me creative ideas that I can use. Thanks, everyone. See ya for the next chapter. ;)