Chapter 32: Crisis at Lake Valor

I'll be honest here. I did not expect to see Prof. Rowan again. Thinking back, I should have known better. Events in this world lined up with events in the game for the most part. Why wouldn't I end up seeing him again? Still, the stone-faced professors arrival shocked me so badly, he was already walking away before I reacted to his statement. "Hold on, wait!" I cried, jogging to catch up to him. I stumbled a bit as I matched his long stride. "So, where are we going?" I asked nervously.

"The Canalave Library." Rowan replied. "Your friend Barry is already there, along with Dawn." There was a moment of silence before he glanced down at me. "How is Franklin doing?" he asked.

And there it was. The one question I didn't want him to ask me, the one thing I was dreading as soon as I had seen him. I sighed deeply, the wound of Franklins death old but still aching. "He's in the Lost Tower." I said numbly. "Gardenia's Roserade beat him in a freak hit."

Rowan paused, staring at me as I stared at the sidewalk. He nodded. "I've seen the tomb." He said. "Not just his, but the others as well."

That certainly got my attention. I rounded on him, blocking his path so he was forced to stop walking. "You knew!? You knew and you still asked? What the hell is wrong with you old man? What, you wanted to see if I'd lie? Wanted to see how I'm taking it, is that it?" I exploded. A lot of anger suddenly welled up inside me, and I let it all vent out on Rowan. "You know, I'm not the one at fault here! Every time someone's died, if it was Brittany, Lin, Trish, Sora, Armstrong, or Franklin, every one of them was because of something outside of my control! So I don't need another lecture from you, my team, or Cynthia about how I need to take responsibility! Alright!?"

I huffed and puffed, catching my breath after my tirade. Rowan just stood there stoically. "Are you finished?" he asked. I glared at him but nodded. "Then I will honor your request and skip the lecture. Let us make haste." he said, stepping around me and continuing towards the library. I followed him, if only to find out what he wanted.

Canalave Library was a rather large building to be built on the port city. It was something you would expect to find in a place like Eterna, or maybe Veilstone. Three stories tall, the old building creaked with age, blue paint starting to wear off. Entering the front doors, I saw that the first floor was lined with rows and rows of shelves, each packed with books of all kinds. The lady at the front desk greeted us warmly, and pointed Rowan to the stairs, as if she was expecting him. She probably was if Dawn and Barry are already here I thought. Going up the stairs, we arrived on the second floor, which was just like the first, only instead of a front desk, there were chairs and tables crammed in for readers to sit at. One more flight of stairs and we arrived on the top floor. Barry and Dawn were sitting across from one another at a table, and they waved when they saw us.

"Hey Nick, did you beat Byron?" Barry asked excitedly. I smirked and showed him the badge, which I still had clutched in my hand, not having the time to properly put it away. "Awesome! One step closer, right?" he grinned.

"If you'll excuse me, I'd like to get to the point of why I asked you three here." Rowan barked, causing Barry's usually indestructible joy to shrink away. Mean as it appeared, I was actually pretty impressed with the Professors ability to get Barry's attention. "Alright then, let's get right to it." Rowan said.

"As you all know, there are three great lakes in the country of Sinnoh. Lake Verity, outside of our own home, Lake Valor between Pastoria and Veilstone, and Lake Aucity nearby Snowpoint to the north." Rowan explained. "According to legend, these three lakes are home to three legendary pokemon. Mesprit, Azelf and Uxie. It has come to my attention that these pokemon do, in fact, exist, and that they will need to be protected from those who would wish them harm."

There was silence around the table for a short while. Deciding to break it, I leaned forward, hands folded under my chin. "So you think we should protect them? Not, oh I don't know, the police or gym leaders?" I asked sarcastically.

Rowan glared at me, annoyance clear in his face. "If the pokemon league believed in the existence of legendary pokemon, they would never allow humans to be anywhere near the lakes." he replied. "Since the league will do nothing, I have to trust you three." He produced a map from his coat and spread it out on the table before us. "Dawn and I will take Lake Verity." He explained, pointing at it. "It's the closest to our homes, it'll be easier for us to defend. Barry, I need you to take Lake Aucity in the north."

"That's next to Snowpoint, right? No problem, I was heading that way already!" he crowed.

Rowan ignored his outburst. "That leaves Lake Valor for you Nick." he said, sitting back up. "I trust that you and your team are up to the task."

Rowan knew that comment was going to poke at my competitive streak, and I don't know what pissed me off more. That he knew me that well, or that it had worked. "I'll be better protected than Verity, that's for sure." I snapped. "I can understand me and Barry, we're tough trainers with six badges under out belt, but no offense Dawn," I said, turning to her. "you're not a battler. And I don't think the Professor here keeps tough pokemon lying around the lab."

Dawn nodded nervously. "The Professor doesn't think that Verity would be high on anyones' priorities." she explained. "At best they'll probably send some grunts our way, and I can handle myself pretty well." she added. I immediately felt bad about questioning her abilities as a trainer, but didn't say anything. I instead rose to my feet, grabbing my bag and preparing to head towards Valor.

At that moment, an earthquake rocked the library. Shelves toppled over, spewing their contents all across the floor. Ancient tomes and recent additions alike were flung across the room and isles, the fluttering of pages almost drowning out the deep rumbling of the earth. All four of us were rocked this way and that. The others had the benefit of sitting in a more stable position, but since I was standing, I flew headfirst into a desk, the concussion blurring my vision and dulling the rest of my senses.

As my head cleared, I got to my feet again. The earthquake must have been really quick, since there was no more shaking or rumbling. Looking around the room, I saw that Rowan was also on his feet, the couch he was sitting on having fell back and rolling him halfway across the room. Barry and Dawn were still on the couch we had sat in, and in quite the embarrassing position.

The quake had knocked Dawn off balance, and she ended up laying on her back across the couch. Either as a result of the same rumble or one of the others, Barry had been tossed across the couch as well. Right on top of Dawn, his face buried in her shirt. She screeched as she realized the situation she was in, pushing Barry off and scrambling to her feet. Barry didn't react much, just grinning blissfully like an idiot.

"Oi, snap out of it!" I yelled, snapping my fingers in his face to rouse him from his stupor. He shook his head and looked around. "What the hell was that?" he asked, remembering the event that lead to his accidental groping.

"We need to get out of the building. It may still be unstable." Rowan ordered, already heading towards the stairs. We followed, helping people on the second floor who were just as confused as we were. Once we were outside, we mingled with the crowd that had gathered. Everyone was talking about the quake, but one tidbit of information caught my ear in the sea of voices.

"I heard it on the radio just now!" the man said. "It wasn't an earthquake at all! It was an explosion, like the one that happened in Pastoria recently. Apparently it was at Lake Valor, but nobody can get nearby to see what happened."

I looked back at the others, and the grim looks on their faces told me that they had heard him too. "Gramps, I'm heading to Aucity! No telling if this could happen there too!" Barry said without hesitation, releasing William and climbing onto the large birds back. The Staraptor spread its large wings and took off into the air, speeding north.

"Such a reckless young man." Rowan mused. He quickly fixed his gaze on me. "Nick, if what he said was true and the explosion was at Valor, the legendary pokemon will be in danger. You need to protect it, no matter the cost."

"I don't need you to tell me twice." I growled, releasing Moka. "Come on girl, fly me to Lake Valor!" I cried and we were off. Zooming over the landscape, we made excellent time, arcing south around Mt. Coronet. I directed Moka to fly directly to the lake, the man's talk about no one being able to get close echoing in my ears. As we flew over the forest surrounding the lake, it quickly grew apparent what had happened.

The lake was empty. Completely. All the water had somehow been blow out of it. If it was an explosion like they had said, it must have been ridiculously powerful, much larger than the one at the Great Marsh. Poor little Magikarp flopped around on the muddy floor, trying desperately to get back in the water where there was none. The orange fish weren't the only occupants of the empty lake. Bright blue haircuts atop of white jumpsuits told me that Team Galactic was crawling all over the place. They were mulling around idly, some moving equipment. A helicopter rose from the center of the lake, and took off, heading north. That's how I noticed the small hill there, a cave entrance carved into it.

"That has to be where Azelf is." I called to Moka. "No sense in trying to sneak in, let's just land and take them all out!" I yelled. I wasn't feeling particularly suicidal that day, but the sight of Team Galactic mistreating pokemon this way, and my desire to protect Azelf caused my blood to boil. Moka landed me on the edge of the gathered grunts. A few had noticed my approach and were already heading to defend themselves, Stunky, Glameow and Zubat all over. In addition to Moka, I released Rose and Lola. "Okay girls, take them down." I commanded.

It was a pretty amazing sight to be sure. They each silently took up roles in order to defend not only themselves, but each other. Whenever a Zubat tried to attack Rose with a flying attack, Moka swooped in and knocked it out of the sky. If a Stunky tried to leap up and swat at Moka, Lola would surprise it with a well-timed Jump Kick. And the Glameow attempted to ambush Lola, Rose sniped them all with Magical Leaf. One by one we took out the grunts pokemon, fighting our way to the cave. I left the three of them to guard the entrance as I moved inside.

The cave was pretty small, only one medium sized room in the middle of which stood a man I hadn't seen before. He had his back to me, talking into a phone. His hair was the oddest I'd seen yet, colored blue and spiked up on the sides, forming a kind of crescent shape. I sneaked up behind him, trying to listen in on his conversation as I looked desperately for any sigh of Azelf.

"-were no problems." he said into the phone. "No one has dared to get close enough to the lake. Only, now I think I hear a commotion outside. But as I said, no problems." there was a pause as he listened in on the other end. "I'll take care of it." he said before hanging up. He didn't move, merely staring at the opposite wall. "You know, it's rude to listen in on other people's calls." he announced.

I knew my cover was already blown, and really, there was no sense in trying to hide. "Who the hell are you to talk to anyone about being rude? And where's Azelf!" I snapped.

The man turned, revealing his sharp, hawkish face. "I am Saturn, second-in-command of Team Galactic. As for the legendary pokemon Azelf, it is safe. We have no wish to harm it, merely to use it's power for something greater."

I snorted. "That's the biggest load of crap I've heard in my life." I spat. "If you won't tell me where Azelf is willingly, I'll just have to beat it out of you." I released Cerberus, who growled deep and low, small flames flickering out of his muzzle.

Saturn was unimpressed. "I suppose I did say I would take care of the problem." He scoffed, grabbing he own pokeball and sending out a Golbat. "Use Supersonic." he commanded.

"Counter with Flamethrower!" I called. Unfortunately for me, Saturn knew how to battle using his surroundings. The Flamethrower hit home, burning the enemy bat badly, but the supersonic attack reverberated off of the walls of the cave, forcing me to cover my ears and confusing Cerberus. He stumbled around for a bit, shaking his head.

"Amusing, but I have a schedule to keep. Air Cutter." Saturn yawned. It was like this battle was a game to him, something that pissed me off even more. The attack landed, causing Cerberus to yelp in pain as he crashed into the wall of the cave. There must have been some kind of trick to the move, however, because one minute Cerberus was there and the next, he had vanished. I glanced around the cave worriedly, wondering where he could have gone. Only when he reappeared in midair behind the Golbat did I realize what had happened. Cerberus had instinctively used Faint Attack to retaliate after being hit, turning himself invisible for a short time. After the ferocious Flamethrower attack earlier, the Golbat folded easily under the onslaught of claws and fangs,

Saturn returned his fallen pokemon, eying the red and white ball with discontent. "It seems I may have underestimated you. No matter, I will finish this up soon enough." He said calmly, sending out two pokemon. A Bronzor appeared, the small metal disk pokemon floating menacingly behind its master. The real problem was the Toxicroak that smiled gleefully from his side. Standing about four feet tall, the navy blue frog had two wicked looking red claws on each of its hands. A large red ouch inflated under its jaw with every breath, releasing a soft croaking sound. Under a large horn, two yellow eyes gleamed in the dusk of the cave.

"Finish them off." Saturn ordered.

I knew immediately that Cerberus was in trouble. In a normal fight he could take the Bronzor on his own no problem, but confused like he was, I didn't want to risk it, let alone have him fight a Toxicroak. As the enemy pokemon charged, I scrambled for the last two balls on my belt. Toxicroak was about to land a devastating Brick Break on a helpless Cerberus when a large ball of black fur and blue electricity collided with it. Two blue and black fists quickly drilled into the Bronzor repeatedly, forcing it to retreat. Cerberus glanced up form the ground, the Supersonic attack from earlier still affecting him. "I didn't...need your help." he growled.

Mufasa didn't even glance down at the wounded Houndoom. "No, but you have received it." he answered. Kamina stepped up next to him, cracking his knuckles and grinning. "Leave it to us Uncle Cerb, we'll trash these clowns in no time!" he boasted.

The enemy pokemon were unaffected by this development. Bronzor's expression remained unchanged, while the Toxicroak calmly munched on a Sitrus Berry, regaining some of its lost health. Without warning, the counterattack began. Bronzor began shooting Gyro Ball attacks at Kamina, the whirling silver balls of energy crashing into the cave floor as he dodged and weaved around. Meanwhile, Toxicroak had finished his snack and lunged at Mufasa, he raised his hand, moving to use Brick Break and drawing the cats attention up. Having caught him in his trap, Toxicroaks throat pouch bulged more than usual and he spat out a large glob of mud, straight into Mufasa's face. The Mud Bomb attack was extremely effective, practically blinding the Luxray. Back at the other two combatants, Bronzor had maneuvered Kamina up against a wall. With nowhere left to run, he was forced to fling his arms over his body as another Gyro Ball hit him directly, obscuring him in a cloud of smoke.

Saturn laughed haughtily. "Do you see now how futile it is to oppose us?" he asked. "Watch helplessly as your pokemon are defeated."

I actually started chuckling myself. "Man, if you think a weak-ass Gyro Ball and a Mud Bomb from a non-ground-type are enough to take those two down, you are in for a rude awakening." I said.

Saturn's eyes narrowed as the truth of my words became evident. From the smoke cloud that surrounding Kamina, a ball of blue energy shot out at lightning speed, crashing into the Bronzor and knocking it out of the air. Toxicroak seemed surprised that its comrade had been defeated, and that distraction was enough for Mufasa to get his teeth around one of the poison-types arms, shocking it into unconsciousness with a Thunder Fang.

Clearly out of pokemon, Saturn just sneered at me. "Well, it doesn't matter in the long run. We still have Azelf, your victory here means nothing."

"Nothing huh? Well, let's see what the police think about that when I hand you over to them." I shot back.

"By all means, hand me over to the authorities." Saturn said, his tone unnerving me. "But then, if you were held up here, what would happen to Professor Rowan, and that poor little girl he travels with then Mars gets her hands on them at Lake Verity?" he asked, words as smooth as silk, but they hit like bullets.

I cursed and returned my team, doing the same outside the cave with Lola and Rose. "Moka, we've got to go!" I shouted and she immediately latched onto my shoulders. "Where to boss?" she asked as we took off into the air. I glanced back down, anger tightening in my stomach as I saw Saturn waving happily at me from the cave entrance. "Lake Verity." I growled.