A/N: Thanks for the reviews, and sorry for the delay in uploading. Things got in the way. Crestillia, I didn't know about Greninja until I did a Bulbapedia search, and I'll include him and his powers. Thanks Guest, and Great, that'll be explained later. Johnny Spectre, I'm guessing Armourshipping is more popular anyway with Ash getting a kiss, but I'll stick with what I know how to write.
Clemont's machine disassembled its unfortunate test subjects molecule by molecule before transmitting them as energy towards Galea.
It was hardly more complex than a standard Pokeball transfer. Except for the fact that trying to get through Galea's barrier was the molecular equivalent of a human running into a brick wall.
With all said in done, it was quite a miracle that they emerged on the other side completely intact. Or rather, almost completely intact. Jessie lost two of her fingernails, Misty one-twelfth of her liver, James found himself with a haircut, and Brock had lost about two gigabytes worth of memories (though they were mostly of girls rejecting him, so this, in a sense, can be said to be beneficial).
Jessie and James got the better end of the deal and ended up on a land mass. The Trubbish and Meowth were also deposited along with them, and while Meowth joined up with his criminals in arms, the Trubbish would find a piece of driftwood, go to the mainland, and then live its days happily ever after when it found a group of Trubbish in Thomdolt's domain.
Brock and Misty weren't so lucky. They were deposited right at the edge of the border that separated Galea from the rest of the world, and twenty feet beneath the ocean's surface to boot.
That wasn't much of a problem for Misty, who had begun swimming before she could walk. While she was fully capable of surfacing by herself, she knew that her Starmie would like an opportunity to be in the water.
As she surfaced, the air was obscured by a thick fog. She had almost forgot about Brock until he shouted out, "Misty! Are you there?"
"Yes!" Misty shouted back. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I had Ash's Greninja with me," Brock said. "Apparently it couldn't just wait to find Ash when it noticed that he was gone."
"Good idea," Misty said. "But where are you?"
"I don't know," Brock said. "I can't see at all. You could say… that it's too misty."
Misty face-palmed. "This is worse than that frying pan joke. Wait, I'll just think of something."
A strong wind came and began thinning out the mist. Misty noticed Brock, who was on Greninja and only a few feet away from her.
"Thank the gods…" Misty said. "Just where are-" She was cut off mid-sentence as she took a good look around her.
In her man years, while she had seen a whole lot of weird things, nothing, save for maybe that illusion that the Unknown had made once, rivaled this.
The place was normal enough with a peaceful ocean and lazy clouds floating above, but everything just somehow warped like the sides of a fishbowl and the sky and the sea seemed to meet . Beyond that, she couldn't see anything.
Both Brock and Misty knew that what they were looking at was quite literally physically impossible, but it was also right there in front of them.
Though they didn't know it, what they were looking at was the barrier separating Galea from the rest of the world.
Misty extended her hand instinctively towards what she saw, but she was never able to touch the end. Instead, her arm turned around even though she wanted to take it forward and it ended up with her hand back at her face.
"What…" Misty said.
"Hey Misty," Brock said, but he was completely ignored as Misty plunged into the water only to find something similar.
"Brock, there's no way out of here," Misty said. "What're we going to do?"
"Well, let's think about immediate things first," Brock said. Jokes aside, he was the one who was best at remaining calm in a given situation. "We need food, and I don't think you had any on you?"
Misty shook her head.
"And all I have is a loaf of bread," Brock said. "See, whatever this barrier is, and since we have a barrier I'm guessing we're in Galea, extends right here and all over the horizon as far as I can see, but behind us the path is clear. So let's head over in that direction. There should be land."
Jenkins was unsure of how to proceed. It was difficult enough to try and talk to his mistress when he had something positive to say, and the news for now was not in any way good.
And Selena had never been one to restrain from shooting the messenger.
She was currently enjoying a cup of tea in the gardens reserved for her, a rather unusual pastime that she had recently acquired. There were several butlers and maids scattered about, and the garden was as pristine as usual, but…
"So, what news do you have?" came the icy voice from Selena.
"Um, well, regarding Alan Lazar, Your Excellency, it appears that he was a traitor all along and has defected to Wade," Jenkins spoke. "It would also seem that he was behind hacking our systems and aiding Ash Ketchum in order to-"
He was interrupted by Selena, who had stopped him by raising a pinky.
Jenkins fidgeted while Selena finished her tea, and then said, "I already know of Mr. Lazar's defection. I can assure you however, that he is not the traitor that we are looking for. Alan Lazar would never help Ash Ketchum. He knows what would happen."
Jenkins was flabbergasted. "But then- why would he defect in the first place? And who else could have possibly hacked into our systems, unless they were someone of very high rank?"
"That is for you to find out," Selena said. "And do not fail me in that regard. As for why Mr. Lazar defected, it concerns a topic that I suppose I must divulge. I intend to attack His Majesty. Apparently Mr. Lazar got cold feet at this plan and chose to hide with Wade." She then glared at Jenkins. "And what of you? Where exactly do your loyalties lie?"
"Well- if you intend to attack His Majesty, Your Excellency, I would, um, obey you as a Gym Leader's vassal should," Jenkins said.
"Good," Selena said. "In that case you are dis-"
"That is not all, madam," Jenkins said which gave him a glare from Selena. When she interrupted him, it was fine, but him interrupting her? That was insubordination. "There is another set of events that may pique your curiosity. As you know, we have a branch at our research team to monitor the barrier's properties, and, well, it was broken."
"What?" Selena asked.
"We don't know how or why, but something happened which smashed through the barrier today earlier in the morning," Jenkins said. "The scientists are still trying to figure out what happened, but something could have or not have gotten through. The barrier's regenerative properties meant that it sealed itself almost immediately though."
Selena snarled, and Jenkins nearly jumped back. "This can only mean that the barrier is weakening… all the more reason for me to take matters into my own hands. Begin making preparations to lay siege to His Majesty's territory!"
"Yes, um, but, uh, Lord Wade has requested help regarding Ash Ketchum," Jenkins said.
"Let him continue requesting," Selena said. "Truth be told, there is little we can do now. Wade is only slightly more powerful that Linnea was, and Vanessa's requirement that she be defeated in a Pokemon Contest can only protect her for so long."
"Only one thing, uh, we're not allowed to attack His Majesty, so… how?" Jenkins asked. Even the lowliest peasant knew that the Badges forbade warfare between the Gym Leaders, and he was bound to be bombarded with questions from his subordinates.
"Don't poke your nose where it doesn't belong," Selena said simply and dismissed him.
"Brock, it's been hours and we still haven't seen any land," Misty said.
"Uh, Misty, I think you're seriously overreacting," Brock said. "It's hardly been fifteen minutes. And see? We've seen Wingulls in the sky, and I know one of them pooped on you, but we know that Wingulls can't fly very far, so there must be land somewhere nearby."
"Oh sure," Misty said.
As it turned out, they didn't find land, but rather what looked like a small shack. There was a single wooden house, and surrounding it was a wooden pier that flowed and jostled along with the ocean's tides.
"I think it's some sort of research base or something," Brock said. "There should be someone inside."
As it turned out, there wasn't anyone inside. The door was locked, but what was inside was visible from the windows.
"Do you think they'll mind if we break in?" Misty asked.
"Um, Misty, people in general do tend to mind when you break into places where-" Brock said before he was cut off as Misty's Starmie knocked the door down. "Well, that's that."
"Oh come on Brock," Misty said. "How many times have we broken into places we shouldn't have been before? Way more than I can count, if I remember. And since when have we gotten in trouble for it?"
The inside of the cabin had six beds, a small kitchen with a stove, and lots and lots of papers scattered about.
"Huh, I wonder what they say," Brock said. "This one's on 'Analysis of the Sea Current Eddies Due to the Barrier' and another one is, okay, I'm already bored."
"That's a very strange name for a paper," Misty said.
"No, I'm just actually bored," Brock said. "All of these are just maps, and they don't show any large land masses nearby except one named Aegis Island."
"Anything to eat?" Misty asked.
"There's no fridge here, oddly enough," Brock said. "But did Galea even have fridges? Were you paying attention to what Professor Sycamore said about the place, because I kind of dozed off in the middle there…"
"I don't know, he just talked about its ancient history, but this sort of stuff doesn't seem that important now, right? I mean, there was nothing about modern Galea. It's kind of like judging Kanto from an old samurai movie, and there is electricity here to run the lights, even though there's no fridge, so it can't be too backward, right?" Misty said.
"I guess you have a point," Brock said. "And I did manage to find some food, but all of it's dry. Mostly crackers, and um, some cake too for some reason? And biscuits. You know, stuff that doesn't go bad."
"Do you think they'll mind too much if we took some?" Misty asked, already having taken a bite out of a cookie. "This tastes terrible!" She took another bite anyway.
Once they were done eating, Brock said, "I call top bunk!"
"Brock, there are six beds here meaning there are six top bunks," Misty said.
"Then I want the one closest to the window!" Brock said.
Misty sighed. "You're going to sleep already?" She looked outside. "I'm guessing it's probably just three p.m. here."
"Yeah, I think I'll crash, it's been a long day," Brock said.
Misty on the other hand decided to go through the papers, but like Brock had said, they were extremely boring and she dozed off in her chair.
Almost immediately later, or so it seemed, she was awakened by someone saying, " Turner! Ernie! Who broke this door?"
That made her get up and immediately wake up Brock. Brock, who had been mumbling in his sleep about Nurse Joy had needed a tight slap before he regained consciousness.
As the door, after being knocked down, had been hastily propped up and had now been knocked down again to let in three people dressed in uniforms that resembled a nutcracker's, except that their coats with dark blue and one of them, a women with silky black hair also had small crowns on her shoulders and had an actual sword attached to her hip.
She didn't see Brock and Misty at first, and Misty was silently thankful that Brock hadn't tried to immediately propose to her.
"Oi! Captain! Someone's taken some of the food!" one of the others said.
"Right, Ernie, but where are the thie-" the person who seemed to be the captain saw Brock and Misty.
"Well, hello," Brock said.
The three people stared at the two of them.
"Um… who are you?" the captain asked.
"Oh, we just sort of got stranded and ended up here," Misty said. "We needed someplace to stay and something to eat."
"So… you went ahead and broke into someone's place and stole the food there?"
"In our defense, that's actually social protocol where we come from," Brock said. "I mean, we were lost and stranded in the middle of the ocean you see…"
"Okay," the captain said. "I don't know who you two are and I don't really care. I have work to do, and I'm willing to let this theft slide if that's all you took."
"Right, thanks," Misty said. "But what's with the uniforms?"
"This?" one of the guards asked. "It's the common standard uniform for the Marine Corps serving under Lord Wade, the Fifth Gym Leader. Just who are you people?"
"And for that matter, what is it with your clothes?" the captain asked.
"Oh, these are common things in Kanto," Brock blurted out.
"Kanto… you mean the Kanto? Beyond the sea?" the captain asked. "Don't be ridiculous here, the barrier isolating Galea means that no one can cross over."
"Oh, you mean that weird wall thing that I couldn't get past?" Misty asked. "What is up with that."
"Um… Captain Rodgers?" one of the guards said. "Weren't we investigating the barrier breaking down."
"Oh right," Captain Rodgers said as her face flitted through a vast array of emotions quickly. "Wait- so are you truly um, Kantonese- is that the right term, yes, Kantonese?"
"Yes," Brock said. "We're not sure exactly sure how we got here."
"Only one other person ended up in Galea from outside up till date," Captain Rodgers said. After a pause, she added, "Alright then! I suppose we'll take you to meet Lord Wade, who can then decide what to do with you."
"Yes, take us to your leader, that's a good idea," Brock said.
"Are you sure?" Misty whispered to Brock. She hadn't liked the stories she had heard about the Gym Leaders of Galea from what Professor Sycamore had said.
Brock didn't seem to have heard. "Yes, that's fine with us. Also, you mentioned that someone else had come here."
"Yes," Captain Rodgers said darkly. "One other."
"Well, one of our friends might of landed here," Brock said. "His name was Ash Ketchum. I don't suppose you've-"
Brock was cut off Captain Rodger's face shifted from one mildly bemused to fierce antagonism which was mirrored in her companions. Her hand clapped to her sword.
"What?" Brock asked.
"Ash Ketchum? The barbarian who is the sworn enemy of Lord Wade?" Captain Rodgers asked. "I see, you're invaders too. Get them!"
They released their Pokemon, three Floatzels.
Defeating them wasn't very hard, as while they were strong, they weren't much more powerful than an average challenger a Gym Leader had to face and so they beat a hasty retreat towards a boat they had brought. Brock and Misty didn't bother chasing them.
"That was weird," Brock said.
"You said it," Misty added. "That was stranger than Team Rocket."
Captain Rodgers, once she was certain that they were at a safe distance away immediately sent a message to Wade, knowing that he would know what to do.
A/N: Thanks for reading, and do please review if you liked.
