Summary: Human turned Pokémon have suddenly started disappearing without explanation. Their teammates and loved ones are left to scramble about in worry and wonder as to where their missing friends may be. However, the arrival of Celine, a newly human turned Pokémon, suggests that the Pokémon world is in danger once again. As she sets out on her journey, she is blissfully unaware of the darkness that follows her and her team…
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Chapter 25: Approval
Flabbergasted by the question, Icy shot her head up. She stared at the delphox as if she had grown a second head. "B-but… daddy… he…" she trailed off. She squeezed her eyes tight and looked away. Her hands balled up at her sides.
She knew for a fact that her father wasn't trying to kill anyone. He wanted to prevent that! Even with the human turned pokémon captured, he did not desire to take a life. All he wanted was for pokémon to see they didn't need the human-pokémon hybrids to solve their problems. In his own way, he was trying to tell the other legendaries who had the power to call upon the humans to stop. Not only was it inconsiderate to the humans, but it was also a low blow to their species. It was like saying that they couldn't save themselves in a time of crisis.
"You…" she began, finally finding her voice, "don't understand my daddy or his goals…"
She glared at the delphox. "You don't know the first thing about him! Instead of trying to see things from his perspective, you immediately label him as some kind of bad guy!"
Before Celine could protest, Icy spun on her heels and fled the scene. The delphox could have sworn that she had seen tears rolling down the weaviles face. Was she crying?
Celine released a sigh and leaned back against the wall. How could she see things from his perspective if he was convinced that human turned pokémon were evil? Eying the cell doors, she briefly wondered if Icy was right, or if she was merely blinded from his true intentions.
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"And that's the plan," Aldous finished as he eyed the group in front of him. Lizette fidgeted slightly beside him, uncomfortable with everyone staring at her. "Any questions?"
Celebi raised her hand. "How soon should we begin?"
"Right now," Lizette said, clearing her throat for the third time since they entered the room. "We are in no condition to fight an army by ourselves. Even with mega evolution at our beck and call and the reassurance that Rumi and her team will return, we are still physically limited. As we are now, if we were to jump headfirst into this, we'd be knocked out immediately. Mega evolution would be then be useless."
She eyed Aiden as she chose her next words carefully. "I am aware that all of us want to go there immediately and put an end to this chaotic war, but we are limited. In order to save all of the pokémon and our friends, we will need to use mega evolution. It's the key factor to this mission. Legendaries are like Gods. We'll need to be in our best condition to fight him equally."
Jaxon jumped to his feet. "But then we'd be sitting here for weeks! We don't have that leisure."
"I'm aware of that," Lizette sighed, rubbing her temples. "Which is why I suggest we wait at least a couple of days. And," she quickly added after noticing that the group was getting ready to protest, "during this time we would be gathering extra forces. We can't be in peak condition unfortunately, so this is the next best thing. We're going to need to reserve our strength for the real battle at hand, and to do that we're going to need a lot of extra help."
Everyone exchanged looks across the room. Lizette was keeping a close eye on Aiden, half expecting him to say "Screw this!" and run out the door. She was surprised to see that he was staring back at her coolly. It unnerved her.
Thankfully, someone else had agreed with her plan.
"She's right," Drexel said. "It is a detour, but it'll be a useful detour."
Aldous smiled gratefully at his leader. Drexel nodded back in return with Fiona winking from his side with a thumbs up. Then came the biggest shock of them all.
"I also agree." Everyone turned and stared at the lucario who had spoken up. Lizette's mouth had dropped and her eyes were wide in complete shock.
"Y-you… agree?" She couldn't hide her surprise.
Aiden lowered his head. He was a little hurt that everyone had such low expectations of him. He knew that acting irrationally now wouldn't do him any favors. And it certainly wouldn't get Celine back safely either. "Why wouldn't I? I want to save Celine more than anything, but I'm not nearly as narrow minded as you think I am."
She sweatdropped slightly and chuckled. "I never said you were. I was just expecting a different reaction!"
He mock glared at her, but she could see the small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. She could feel the warmth grabbing her heart and a weight being lifted off her shoulders. She returned the smile gratefully.
Glad to have one case under control, Aldous cleared his throat. "I'm glad we're all in agreement here. To move things along, I've already designed a help wanted poster. I'm going to be heading to the headquarters to make a plea that they gather all rescue teams immediately as well as putting these posters up. If they acknowledge my plea, there'll be a meeting at least within the next two hours."
"However," he said, stopping everyone in their tracks, "while I understand that it's ideal to have the leaders and their teams there, I think it would be better if most of you stayed behind. Every minute counts, and you're all going to need to save your strength for the coming battle. So I strongly recommend that you guys stay here. I will go and I will speak for all of our teams."
Lizette scoffed and placed her hands on her hips. "I'm going with you and that's final."
"Of course," he chuckled. "I would need Team Cosmic's fiery and beautiful tactician by my side to help move things along faster."
Her fur puffed up in embarrassment and her eyes went wide. She quickly covered her embarrassment with a scoff and a quick turn of her head. Her reaction only amused him more.
Kalista stretched her legs. "I need some exercise so I'm coming with you." Jaxon nodded right beside her, his usual goofy grin back.
Aldous nodded in understanding. Turning, he went and grabbed his bag. While he was preparing for the trip into headquarters, his female counterpart approached Drexel. Her eyes were scanning Aiden, and guilt panged her heart with each step that brought her closer to the frog-like ninja pokémon. Right now, the lucario was back to staring blankly out the window. I'm sorry, she thought, but I would rather be safe than sorry knowing someone is here to watch you and make sure you don't do anything reckless while I'm gone. "Drexel?" she whispered when she was in front of him.
He paused in his conversation with Fiona and looked down at her questionly. She smiled apologetically to the pair. "I need you to do me a favor. Can you watch over Aiden while I'm gone? I know he said he wouldn't do anything reckless, but -"
"But you would feel safer knowing that someone will make certain of that," he finished for her. She nodded slowly. He waved a hand dismissively. "I understand. I'll keep an eye on him, but don't get mad if you return and see an unconscious lucario."
A nervous chuckle escaped her as she scratched the back of her head. And I believe you'd be responsible for that too, she thought. Even though she hadn't known him nearly as long as Aldous, she had a feeling he never made empty threats. She only prayed that Aiden wouldn't try anything for both their sakes.
With one last grateful nod, she joined Aldous' side as he bade a farewell to everyone. Following him besides Lizette was the newly awakened arcanine and her co-leader, and the members of Team PokéStars.
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Lizette's arms were crossed in front of her while she watched Aldous speak with the penguin pokémon manning the front desk. The water-type was scratching the back of his neck with an uncertain look etched across his face. He was staring at the mock design of the poster laying on the desk before him. Aldous' eyes held a fierce determination. He would find a way to assemble the rescue teams. He had to, otherwise they were screwed.
She secretly prayed that the penguin pokémon would give him the okay and call forth every available team as soon as they could. She knew there were bound to be complications, especially on such short notice, but she couldn't give up. They needed this.
The feline let out a sigh, rubbing her throbbing head. Her nerves were getting the better of her at the moment. She was half aware of the hushed whispers of pokémon passing them. They were surprised to see the infamous Grovyle along with members of Team Echo Hearts and Team PokéStars there.
Slightly unnerved with the stares and whispers, she took the time to examine her surroundings. The building certainly lived up to it's name as the Headquarters of the R&E (Rescue and Exploration) teams. It was a fairly modern 2 story high building with plenty of moving space. The bottom floor consisted of four rooms: the front desk, the waiting room, the reward room, and the beginners room for starting rescue or exploration teams.
While the bottom floor was open to the public, the top floor was not. It was exclusive to both the workers there and the teams that completed the missions. It served as the space where teams could meet up with other teams, or to visit the bulletin board for more missions. There were only two rooms there: the management's office, and the large meeting room where the teams would gather.
Aldous' shout startled her out of her musings. "But this is urgent!"
Looking in his direction, she noticed that he was leaned over the desk. She felt her heart drop; she expected this.
The prinplup shook his head. "I'm sorry but I have to follow protocol. I can't call for a large scale team meeting without my superior's permission. That is if they even accepted your request. And even if they did, it would at least take a week's time. Tell you what," he said, handing the mock design poster to another pokémon who quickly rushed away, "I'll have it sent to their office today."
"Then please call down your management so I can speak with them! This is an urgent matter that needs to be attended to now!" Aldous pleaded.
The water-type continued to shake his head. "I'm afraid I can't do that."
"And why not?"
"We've been getting swamped lately with requests for help. They're most likely busy tending to those requests right now."
Aldous facepalmed himself. "Those requests won't matter unless we get the help we need!"
Before things could get out of hand, Lizette approached the two. Aldous looked at her worriedly. She knew what he was feeling from his look. Desperation, fear, determination…
She offered her feline partner a smile before turning to the pokeémon behind the desk. "Please understand that this is a very important request. I don't think it would be too outstretched to say that our world's fate relies on this very request's success. If we wait, then our world will be in grave danger - even more than it is now. We know who is causing all these problems, and whether we like it or not, we do not have the power to do it ourselves. This perpetrator knows that we know and that we will be coming after him soon. As a result, he is gathering his armies and preparing for an attack."
"A-armies?!" he nearly shouted. He looked between the two to see if this was some kind of joke. It had to be. But to his dismay, he didn't see an ounce of dishonesty in their eyes.
The female meowstic nodded sorrowfully. "We were recently attacked by them, and our friend was captured. If this request is forced to be waited on, then there is no telling what will happen. Believe it or not, but our fate lies in the hands of three particular pokémon, one of which were captured."
Tears were threatening to spill as she whispered quietly, "So please, if you can't do anything, then fetch your management for us. We are more than prepared to give them reasons why this request simply cannot wait."
Prinplup looked between them hopelessly. After a moment or two of silence, his shoulders sagged and he turned to another pokemon in the office. He nodded towards the stairs leading to the top floor. Nodding in understanding, the smaller pokémon darted up the stairs. He looked back to the pair. "You're absolutely certain of this...?"
The felines looked at each other, then to their waiting companions. Prinplup recognized the members of the two famous teams almost immediately. He was aware that the members of Team PokéStars had come here not long ago seeking help. And by their grim faces, he was horrified to have his fears confirmed.
Moments later, two pokémon descended from the top floor. A chesnaught and pyroar. Aldous and Lizette inwardly gulped. Now it was time to convince the big dogs of the building.
Aldous was the first to approach them. His paw outstretched, he offered a weak smile. "I take it you are the head management of this building?"
It was the chesnaught that replied. "Yes. My name is Griffin, and this here is Nora." The female pyroar nodded her head in greeting. "We were told that your team has a rather urgent request that needs to be tended to right away?"
"Yes," Lizette said. She came up to Aldous' side with the members of team PokéStars and Echo hearts behind her. The chesnaught raised his eyebrow at this, but said nothing. "Perhaps it would be better if we spoke in your offices however? I do not believe we should discuss the… delicate parts of this request here." She motioned her head towards the staring pokemon.
"Come, come then," the grass-type beckoned towards the stairway. "Let us be on our way."
"So, what is your problem?" Nora said once they were finally in their office. Griffin closed the door and joined his co-manager's side.
They wasted no time in telling them about the situation. Silver and Jaxon would help Aldous with the occasional comment while Lizette, Grovyle and Kalista nodded their head in agreement. Out of everyone who was there, Aldous and Lizette were the most nervous. There was a slight chance that they would still be denied their request. They could be brushed off as some team looking for attention. Thankfully, the famous co-leaders of PokéStars and Echo Hearts were there to verify things and confirm information. It was thanks to their reputations that their request was even getting a shot.
As Lizette listened, she found herself wondering if there were going to be any casualties. The thought sent shivers down her spine. She prayed that wouldn't happen, otherwise she would feel accountable.
Similar thoughts were going through Aldous' mind as he spoke, but he kept quiet about it. He knew there were no other options. It was a difficult decision to consider, but it was better than their team going there and falling. Their fall would send the pokémon world into a neverending pit of danger. At least with other rescue teams, they had a shot to prevent whatever harm Icy and her father were going to unleash.
When he finished, he waited quietly for their answer. Each second that ticked by felt like an hour for the two felines.
"That does seem rather urgent," Griffin finally said.
"And you can vouch for these teams, Mr. Jaxon and Mr. Silver?" Nora questioned.
The two nodded their heads. "I have seen the attack on their base with my own eyes, and I am positive that if you ask around the pokémon here can confirm the explosions, earthquake and screaming heard within the past day. Furthermore," Silver motioned towards his healing scars, "I have been attacked by those who were employed to the perpetrator responsible for the kidnappings. We...unfortunately lost our co-leader, Vivian, because of that attack. She was kidnapped, and we were left for dead. Had Team Cosmic and those following them never came, Grovyle and I would not be here."
"And," Jaxon piped in eagerly, "if we didn't get help from Team Invincible Hope or Team Solar Spiral, my friend Kalista would still be under the sleeping curse! They're all back at Team Cosmic's base healing from the recent attack, or at least I hope all of them are."
"And you two are from Team Cosmic and Invincible Hope?" asked Griffin as he turned to Lizette and Aldous. Lizette drew in a deep breath and nodded.
"We're actually the tacticians of the teams," Aldous said.
Nora and Griffin exchanged looks. "Tacticians? Then, if I may ask," Nora said turning to Aldous, "have you exhausted all of your options?"
"We have," Lizette answered for him. "We found that it would be suicide to send our teams into the heat of battle in their current condition without any help - especially against someone as strong as Zekrom."
"Z-zekrom?!" the two gasped in shock and horror. "You can't possibly mean the legendary dragon Zekrom?!"
Aldous nodded. Griffin stroked his chin thoughtfully as Lizette continued on. "Yes. He attacked our base and captured our leader. We're aware that he's attempting to raise some type of army, but for what reason, I'm not sure. Based on the dreams my leader had, I have reason to believe that this army is the human turned pokémon who have been captured and potentially twisted by some kind of dark force."
Nora looked skeptical of this. "When were you guys attacked?"
"Earlier today," Lizette said, idly rubbing her arm. "Aiden, my friend and co-leader of the team, could also vouch for me in regards to her dreams. However, he has some bruises and I'm not sure if he's really in a talkative mood."
Griffin kept his eye on Lizette. She wasn't sure if she liked the way he was staring at her. It was as if he was staring into her soul. Finally, he shifted his gaze away from her and onto the paper he was holding. "We were told that our worlds fate relies on the acceptance of this request. Now, if we go over the facts, I can see a few problems. Your team was recently attacked and left you with a few injured pokémon. Plus, you claim that two other teams supporting you have returned, or will be returning from their missions. Being a former rescue team member myself, I know how exhausting these missions can be."
"And let's not forget to mention that you say your teams are the only ones capable of stopping this pokémon and saving our world," he said, pausing. "Forgive me for being rude, but knowing all of that, how do you see your team's winning against a legendary pokémon under these conditions?"
"We have our own weapon against Zekrom," she answered confidently. She raised her paw and pointed to her wrist. "Our leaders and co-leaders have the ability to push their evolution and strength to the limit. We plan to use this power to defeat Zekrom. And most of them have recovered from their injuries. All they have now is sore bruises."
"And why can't you just use this power to get through his army and defeat him?" Nora questioned.
Lizette looked to Aldous when he cleared his throat. "Because it can only last for so long. We'd waste more time and strength trying to get to him, and by the time we would get there, our reserves would be depleted. That's the drawback of mega evolution; it's only temporary and can last only so long."
He smiled knowingly to Lizette. "Lizette here went through so many scenarios for her team and their success, but was unable to find any that wouldn't end badly. When she started to consider the assistance of other rescue teams, she saw their chances of success rise considerably. That's when we decided that we should make a plea for more help."
The male feline turned to the two managing pokémon. "We want to reserve our strength for the final battle. We're hoping that other teams will help to take care of anyone that tries to stop us."
Griffin couldn't stop the smile that spread across his cheeks. He looked down to his partner who didn't share in his smile. If anything, her eyebrows were creased together in a worry line. He knew what she was worrying about, but it was all apart of being a rescue team. Turning back to the expectant teams, he nodded. "You have our approval. We will be setting up an emergency meeting. Expect it within the hour. Bring your team here."