Hey guys, welcome to chapter 18. My story has come a long way since I started in April, and I just want you guys to know I appreciate the support you guys have given me. I hope you enjoy!
Scott walked through the hallways of the Oak Agency base, looking for his teammates. He hadn't seen them all day and was getting worried.
He went to the reception desk where Thalia worked in the Oak Alpha part of the base. She worked at the desk during the early hours of the morning before going to her own office in the morning.
Thalia looked up for her dented computer as Scott walked up to her. "May I help you?" she asked.
"I'm looking for Haruka, have you seen him today?"
She turned to a monitor on the side of her desk and quickly looked at the live security feed. Her access to the cameras only allowed her to see what was going on right now. The recorded footage was stored in a different room, and was only accessible there.
"He's in the training room. With his Pokémon."
Scott nodded. "Thanks."
He turned and started walking towards the room, as he did, Thalia waved him over.
"Also, watch out for Luna. She's feeling a bit grumpy today, so she's stalking the halls."
Luna was Thalia's Umbreon. The Pokémon wasn't very sociable and tended to avoid people. She was very aggressive in a direct confrontation, so she was typically avoided.
Scott nodded. "I will."
He looked at her hand slightly as he left. Thalia always wore a pair of black and yellow gloves with Umbreon designs on them. She told them the reason for this was because her left hand was afflicted with a skin disease, so she'd rather not leave her hand out in the open. Of course, wearing one glove would be strange, so she always wore a pair.
Scott kept walking through the hallways, heading to the Pokémon training room.
Thalia watched him leave before pulling out her desk phone.
"Haruka, get ready."
Scott walked into the training room, he saw Haruka at the training TV, a video game running on the screen. The game was a 3D fighting game and featured a Greninja and a sandbag on the screen. Haruka's Greninja sat nearby.
"Hello Haruka," said Scott when he saw him. "I've been looking for you, everyone seems to have disappeared today. Thalia said you were training your Pokémon here, I don't think video games count."
"I am training my Pokémon," said Haruka. "You probably know what happened in my last mission with Ellen, the one that ended up with some idiot telling his Electrode to explode. It seemed that the Gamma Team has gotten stronger, so I'm teaching my Greninja the actual version of Crossroad Killing."
Scott eyed the TV. "From a video game."
Haruka nodded. "Now before you say anything, it's actually possible. The move was first created in Starlight Wars, a manga, and then adapted into the video game. Actually people and their Greninja's then tried the move, and many succeeded. The move was then adapted for a movie called Shadow Strike. Normally, I don't watch action movies, but I want to see what characters could potentially be in the game WNX All Stars."
Scott shook his head, "I have zero context on all those things you mentioned, but I'll take your word for it." Scott then turned to Haruka's Greninja. "Hey, make sure you work hard. Custom moves won't teach themselves, take care of the kid."
Haruka looked at him. "I'm legally an adult."
Scott's eyebrows jumped upwards. "Could've fooled me."
Scott was walking back to Thalia's desk, wondering why so many people seemed to be missing. He shrugged to himself. The Oak Alpha side of the headquarters wasn't that big, but nine people plus a few extra workers like Thalia didn't exactly fill up the facility.
He entered the reception area and saw Gavin talking to Thalia while holding a plastic bag. They both turned and greeted him when they noticed him walking up.
"Hey Thalia, hey Gavin. I've actually been looking for you. Everyone seemed to have disappeared today."
Gavin shrugged. "Everyone's been busy recently."
Scott nodded. "True, but they've never been this busy before. I'm not even that busy today, seeing as I have time to walk around and look for everyone. Is today a special occasion or something?"
Gavin and Thalia exchanged a look. However, Scott didn't notice the silent words that passed between them.
"Anyways," continued Scott. "Have either of you seen Joyce? I know Wilhelm's in his lab. But what about Ellen, Maggie, Juan, or Victor?" he asked.
Thalia turned to her monitor. "I know Joyce went to Smith's Corner. Victor's working in his office, Juan's with his sister, and Ellen and Magie are in Ellen's room, looking at her collection."
Scott raised an eyebrow. "You mean the corner store? What's Joyce doing there?"
"I think she was going to buy coffee."
"Coffee?" asked Scott. "I thought we got some last week."
"You know us, right Gavin?" asked Thalia. "I've noticed we've been drinking a lot of coffee around here."
Gavin gave her a witty smile. "I think you've been using the most coffee, but half of it ends up on the floor or on your desk."
Scott gave him a knowing look. "I think you're wrong. I'd say seventy five percent of it 's in the bag?" he asked while trying to get a closer look.
He saw a brief flash of pink as Gavin moved the bag away.
"Just some stuff for my Pokémon. Food and whatnot."
Scott gave a wise nod. "We take care of our Pokémon like we take care of ourselves. I've noticed you really care for your Pokémon. Have you ever considered becoming a professional Pokémon trainer?"
"Not really. When I was younger, I always wanted to help others, and my dad encouraged me to do so. Besides, I have Speedy watching out for me. Without him, I wouldn't be here."
"I've seen that." Thalia put in. "Always the serious Pokémon of the team."
"Kind of the opposite of Jeff," said Scott. "Though I do really wish the Joltik would stop treating latching onto people as a way to greet them."
Victor checked his phone, looking at a message from Thalia. He put his phone away and roused Vicey, his Rotom that was currently on sleep mode inside a computer.
"Come on. It's go time. We have to get a move on and make sure everything goes according to plan. If it didn't, things would be very bad indeed."
Vicey woke up and exited the computer, floating lazily as she followed Victor out the door. Victor moved quickly and quietly as he entered Wilhelm's lab.
"How's it going there?" asked Victor as he approached Wilhelm.
Wilhelm, being hunched over a device, didn't acknowledge Victor's entry. Iridus looked over at VIctor and gave him a look that said "he's always like this''.
"Hello?" asked Victor, waving a hand in front of Wilhelm's face.
"Excuse me, but I can't see what I'm doing with your hand positioned like that," said Wilhelm. "And hello to you Victor."
"How's the watch coming along? I hope you'll be able to finish it today. Cause it's super important. I mean, I'm sure you know but still."
"According to my calculations, it will be completed today."
Victor stood there, expecting more from him. Realizing that Wilhelm wasn't going to give any information, he decided to pry a bit more.
"So tell me about the watch and some of its features?"
"The watch is very complicated, functioning on levels different from those even of advanced smartwatches. You should know, you helped work on it. The watch is built to process information very quickly, despite all of its added features. The three by two inch screen displays graphics very well, capable of displaying high quality videos flawlessly. It comes with the same software you'd expect on a phone, with a personalized voice assistant. Not to mention it has a very long battery life of up to a week," said Wilhelm instantly. While he spoke, his eyes were transfixed on the watch. Gluing and screwing different components under a high zoom lens.
"It'll be perfect for the big man. Just imagine how surprised he'll be. Thalia's honestly a-."
Suddenly, the lights above flashed red three times. It was a new system they implemented to tell everyone in the Oak Agency that there was an emergency that needed multiple members of the squad.
"Uh oh," said Victor. "Something big's going on if the leader of the Oak Agency is requesting both the regular team and the Alpha team. The present can wait, let's go!"
Everyone was gathered in the assembly room in the Oak Agency base. The commander addressed them on a stage, a grave look on his face.
"Right now, something very dangerous and worrisome is going on. Many of you have probably heard of Roggen Caverns. As I speak, people are being attacked by the wild Pokémon that live there. The entire cavern is also starting to collapse because of these wild Pokémon. Why is this happening? We have reason to believe that something is aggravating the wild Pokémon in Roggen Caverns and are making them act like this. I advise everyone to exercise caution and extract the people and find whatever is causing these Pokémon to act like this, before it is too late. Unfortunately, it is important you have your Pokémon remain in their pokéballs as much as possible. There is a chance they could go crazy and turn on you."
Everyone in the crowd gasped at the prospect of this idea. Everyone started whispering amongst themselves, casting fearful glances at each other.
"This however, will not stop us from rescuing those in need. Scott, you take your team and sort out a plan. Everyone else, ready supplies and get to the emergency scene as soon as possible. Move out!"
In an orderly fashion, everyone filed out of the room and headed to the supply room, which happened to be connected to the garage. Scott gathered his team in their section of the base and spoke to them.
"Alright, all of you get some riot equipment, there's no telling what could happen. Wilhelm, get a truck and bring the HFM Suit"
Joyce furrowed her eyebrows in concern. "We aren't going to hurt the Pokémon are we?"
Scott sighed. "I'm hoping we don't have to. But honestly, that is a real scenario."
Fifteen minutes later
Scott and his team were already heading into Roggen Caverns, their vehicles parked improperly in their haste.
All of them except for Wilhelm and VIctor were wearing riot gear. The suits were completely black and were full body, which included tough boots and helmets. The suits were designed with a light but sturdy metal, along with Araquanid silk strewn in. These suits had rubbed patches in strategic areas as well. It had temperature regulators and was heatproof.
The suits were so durable, that standard weapons would barely do anything. The suits were specially designed to withstand most Pokémon attacks to a certain degree.
Scott waved his team over. "Alright, me-"
Haruka cleared his throat. "I know we're already here, but I was wondering if I could like, not be directly involved in this mission. I know th-"
Scott raised a hand to quiet him. "You're right. You're only nineteen, it'll be dangerous. Stay back with the medical team, in the case a wild Pokémon comes out of the cave and tries to attack the medical team and their patients, hold them back. You have your riot shield and shock baton."
The riot shield was crafted like the suits, but was much more durable and heavier. The batons had different voltage settings and could be turned off. The shock from one hit on high voltage could be enough to induce the same paralysis level as a move like Discharge or Thunder Wave did.
Haruka raised an eyebrow and was about to protest when Scott shook his head.
"No, you're staying back. You're barely a year and a half over adulthood."
Haruka sighed as they went on ahead. "I shouldn't have suggested staying back," he muttered.
Scott led the way into the tunnels, other Oak Agency members swarming the area. He heard screaming echoing through the tunnels and then heard a loud snarl.
"Shoot, let's go!" shouted Scott.
They all headed down a tunnel with four other Oak Agency members and two medics.
"You six," said Scott, addressing the non-Oak Alpha members. "We'll hold back whatever Pokémon's there, you focus on getting any civilians out."
"Yes sir!" they shouted.
"Proceed with caution," said Wilhelm over their connection. "The distress call could've come from a side tunnel, the calls would've echoed throughout the cavern and could mislead you."
"I'm working on getting a map of the caverns out to, along with a program to help locate device signals to try and pinpoint the locations of anyone who needs help," said Victor.
"Great. Everyone, prepare yourselves!"
They headed down a few tunnels and found themselves staring at a Lycanroc Dusk and a Houndoom attacking two people.
"A Houndoom?" asked Gavin as they saw the scene. "I thought they didn't live here!"
"Less time for thoughts and more time for action!" shouted Juan as they all moved in.
"Maggie, noisemaker," said Ellen as they approached the Pokémon.
Maggie took out a small sphere. She pressed a button on it, causing it to emit a loud sound. The two Pokémon turned to them, glaring at the newcomers.
"Shields up!" shouted Scott. "You six, get the person. Ready your batons, don't strike unless your life's in immediate danger!"
The Houndoom attacked first. It breathed a plume of fire at them as the Lycanroc ran at them, using Accelerock. Both attacks were fended off with shields as the six other people carefully moved towards the civilians.
"Watch out!" shouted Ellen as the Lycanroc raised its forepaws. "It's using Ston-"
She wasn't able to get the words out when a pillar of rocks rushed out of the ground. They all lost their footing as they tried to avoid the attack in such a small tunnel space. The six rescue people had reached the two people and were trying to escort the couple out of the cave.
"No!" shouted the man suddenly. "I'm not leaving without my Houndoom!"
The two Pokémon's attention snapped towards the man as the woman and the six rescue people tried to calm him down. Maggie quickly pressed her noisemaker twice to divert the Pokémon's attention.
"Guys, we have another problem," said Victor. "This is purposeful."
"What!" shouted Scott as he and Maggie defended themselves from a Fire Blast.
"I traced a signal coming from deep within the cave, the signal is what's making these Pokémon go wild! It's some sort of high-pitched sound that irritates them! I can still pick up other signals though, and they're more people in trouble!"
"Shoot," said Scott. "Our biggest priority is to save the people, not stop the Pokémon. But we can't advance with these guys on our tail. We'll need someone to hold them-"
"I'll do it," said Aisha and Gavin at the same time.
Scott nodded. "Good luck. Maggie, give them the noisemaker."
Maggie tossed Aisha the noisemaker and took a step back as the two Pokémon approached. Aisha repeatedly pressed the noisemaker, directing the Pokémon's attention towards her and Gavin.
"Ready Aisha?" asked Gavin, powering up his baton. "Things may get rough here, especially since this isn't a six versus two anymore."
"I'll be fine," she said, still pressing the noisemaker as she watched the rest of Oak Alpha run down a different tunnel.
The two Pokémon suddenly leapt at them, Aisha leapt to the side and performed a survival roll to avoid the Lycanroc's Accelerock. Gavin raised his shield and muttered an apology as he smacked the Houndoom away.
"Gavin, can you do something for me?" asked Aisha as she dodged a Stone Edge.
"Name it."
"I need you to take care of the Lycanroc, I need to try and reason with the Houndoom!"
Gavin rolled away from a Fire Blast before raising his shield and blocking an Ancient Power.
"Are you crazy? You heard what Victor said!"
"I know! But didn't you hear that person, that's his Houndoom, he cares for his Pokémon. I can do it, I'm a professional nurse!"
Gavin fended off the Lycanroc with his shield. "I don't know how much time I can buy you."
"I'll do my best," she said, powering her baton to the low setting. Gavin faced the Lycanroc and held his baton threateningly. The Lycanroc used Stone Edge, Gavin couldn't avoid the move in the space he was in and thrust his shield forward. The Stone Edge cracked the front and jarred his hand.
Gavin ran at the Pokémon and swung his baton. The Pokémon yelped in pain and leaped to the side before jumping on him. His arm got trapped under his shield as he struggled to get the Pokémon off. The Lycanroc's fangs glistened.
"Gavin!" shouted Aisha, moving to try and help him before being cut off by the Houndoom.
Gavin could feel the Lycanroc's claws digging into his suit, breaking part of the suit.
"Not like this," he muttered half to himself, his teeth gritted in pain. "Not while I can still help her."
He pulled his arm out of the shield and punched the Lycanroc in the eye. The Pokémon howled as he felt its weight shift a bit. He put maximum power into his baton and smashed it against the Lycanroc's side.
The electric effect spread throughout the Pokémon, causing its movements to slow. He pushed the Pokémon off of him and leapt to his feet.
He turned to Aisha and saw her kneeling next to the Houndoom. The once feral Pokémon was crouched there with its paws over its eyes, whining pitifully.
Gavin watched in amazement as Aisha spoke soothing words to the Pokémon, telling it things like it wasn't its fault it hurt its trainer.
Aisha stood up, the Houndoom a bit more tame.
"I'm taking this Poke- holy Arceus. Are you okay?"
Gavin's riot suit was ripped in multiple places, along with his baton and shield damaged.
"I'll be fine. The Lycanroc won't be moving for some time, we should get pokéballs for cases like these. Can I borrow your shield and baton while you get the Houndoom out of here?"
Aisha nodded. She passed him her things and got the Houndoom to walk.
"Watch out!" shouted Ellen to Maggie.
Maggie looked to her side and saw a Rhydon charging at her. She leapt to the side as it slammed into a wall.
The four of them had been split into two groups after a Rhydon had attacked them while they were escorting someone out of a cave. Maggie and Ellen didn't know what happened to Scott and Joyce however.
"Such a good thing it had to be a ground and rock type," said Maggie. "Our shock batons won't do anything against it."
"It only makes sense," said Ellen while backing away from a Rock Slide. "This is a cave after all."
"Well what do we do?" asked Maggie, spinning away from the Rydon right before it smashed into her.
"I don't know! Too bad we can't use our Pokémon, Orchid would take this guy out with two Leaf Blades."
"Who says we can't?" asked Maggie.
Ellen gave her a look. "The fact that our Pokémon could become feral at any moment if we do."
Maggie leaped away from the Rhydon as it charged into a wall again. "True, but it's not going to take effect immediately."
"That is a stupid idea Maggie."
"Think about it! You said Orchid could take it out in just two Leaf Blades!"
"Fine, but we're going to have to be careful and fast. Go, Orchid!"
"I choose you, Axew!"
Both Pokémon appeared and immediately started covering their ears in slight pain. The Rhydon glared at the two newcomers and charged at them.
"Orchid, Leaf Blade!"
"Axew, Dual Chop!"
Orchid sidestepped the charging Rhydon and slashed it on the side with Leaf Blade. Axew stood back a bit, and waited as the Rhydon came swinging around.
The Rhydon whipped around and rushed at Orchid in a wild rage. Axew slammed into the Pokémon's side, using Dual Chop as Orchid hit the feral Pokémon with a Leaf Blade.
The Rhydon collapsed, sliding to a stop next to a cave wall. Maggie and Ellen quickly returned their Pokémon.
Ellen started down a nearby tunnel. "Come on! These peop-"
At that moment, the ground shook. The entire cave seemed to shift and shake as the ground started breaking up around them.
"Wilhelm, what was that?" asked Haruka on his earpiece as the ground outside the cave started shaking as well.
Wilhelm was quiet for a moment. "Judging by the power of that move, I'd say a Pokémon used Fissure. The most powerful ground type move, capable of defeating any Pokémon on the ground in one hit."
Haruka stared at the cave. "I have to get in there! They could be in trouble!"
"I don't think you should," said Victor from where he sat nearby. "You'd be ignoring a direct order from Scott. He told you to stay by and defend the medical station."
"I don't think it'll matter. Especially if there's no Scott!" Haruka argued.
"Haruka has a point," said Wilhelm. "There's-"
Wilhelm was cut off by a loud roar. Everyone in the medical station and nearby looked at the cave.
"What was that noise?" asked Victor. "Surely you all heard it, it was the roar of some kind of Pokémon. Wilhelm, can you figure out what Pokémon that was?"
"According to the sound it made, and the Pokémon who live in the cave. I'd say it's a Tyrantiar."
"Oh perfect," said Haruka. "At least my Cinderace has Jumping Knee Kick."
Victor, having easily picked up on Haruka's alternate names for Pokémon moves, shook his head.
"The signal of the device penetrates outside the cave. The only way to battle the Tyranitar with your Pokémon is to lead it close to the medical bay."
The roar sounded again. Haruka knew it was only a matter of time before the Tyranitar arrived.
"Wilhelm, is the area stable enough for you to leave with the HFM Suit?"
Wilhelm had been holding up an area in the cave that had been damaged by a Pokémon. While he'd been holding it, some people had been trying to stabilize it with wooden supports.
"Yes."
"Why don't you use the HFM Suit to hold it off long enough for the rest of us to shut off the device? The average Tyranitar is six foot seven, as seen with my own average sized but extraordinarily lazy Tyranitar. The HFM Suit is six feet two, and is wider than a Tyranitar."
"It's not just about size Haruka. The HFM suit was designed to triple the amount of force a person exerts. That equals about two hundred kilograms. That's barely how much a Tyranitar weighs, and I'm very sure a Tyranitar can exert almost the same amount of force, if not greater."
"Come on Wilhelm," pleaded Victor. "Haruka again has a point. Besides, the HFM Suit is very durable. If it can withstand the force of a rooftop falling on it, it can withstand a T-"
At that moment, the Tyranitar appeared. It looked around and spotted the medical station. It started moving towards the station, when something slammed into it from behind.
"This is a very illogical idea," said Wilhelm. "But it is my job to save people."
The Tyranitar whipped around, its tail slamming into the side of the HFM Suit. Wilhelm maneuvered the two arms to grab the Tyranitar's side and pin it against the cave wall.
The Tyranitar wasn't happy. It slammed its tail and used Stone Edge, the stone pillar slammed into the cab of the HFM Suit, cracking the plexiglass.
Wilhelm didn't sweat. He used the HFM Suit's legs and arms to shove the Tyranitar forward, causing it to lose its balance. While Wilhelm was fighting the Tyranitar, Haruka ducked between the Tyranitar's legs and ran into the cave with only his baton.
"You have to admire his bravery," said Victor. "Sometimes."
"And his crazy ideas," said Wilhelm, his voice vibrating as the Tyranitar slammed into the HFM Suit.
Scott was in big trouble, he and Joyce had been separated by a Whiscash using Fissure, and was currently trapped. Whiscash, being a ground type, was unaffected by the shock batons.
Scott dodged an Ice Beam by rolling on the ground. He wanted to send out his Pokémon, but he knew that would be a bad idea.
He raised his shield against an Earth Power and looked down a tunnel. He could possibly run there, seeing as the source of the feral signal was coming from there.
Scott looked around as he avoided another attack from the Whiscash. His options were limited, and were leaning heavily on escape. He knew that he couldn't fight or slow the Pokémon down without using his own Pokémon.
Suddenly, he heard footsteps from down the tunnel. The Whiscash didn't seem to notice the footsteps.
Scott immediately knew who the footsteps belonged to, especially when the person burst into view.
"Eat shock you overgrown Wishiwashi!" shouted Haruka as he jumped forward, his shock baton glowing with maximum power.
Scott winced inwardly, knowing this wasn't going to end well. Haruka failed to realize that Whiscash is a ground type. The baton hit the Whiscash and broke, an arc of electricity surrounded the Pokémon and did nothing but annoyed it.
"Well that didn't work," said Haruka. "Why would it?"
The Whiscash turned around and blasted a huge stream of water, barely missing Haruka. Haruka leapt to the ground and threw his pokéball.
"Alright Greninja, use Crossroad Killing!"
Haruka's Greninja landed on a wall and immediately bounced off, slashing the Whiscash as he did. He flipped in mid-air and leapt back, slashing the Whiscash again with a return stroke. He kept bouncing off the walls, attacking the Whiscash.
The Whiscash paused for a moment, and then used Hydro Pump. The move hit the Greninja and blasted him onto the ground. Realizing the danger of his Greninja being outside of his pokéball, Haruka returned his Pokémon.
"Haruka, get down!" shouted Scott.
Haruka turned and saw an Earth Power coming straight for him. He leapt away as Scott did as well, but Scott wasn't fast enough.
The attack clipped him on the side and sent him tumbling, making him lose his shield in the process. Something flashed in the air and landed on the ground.
"Scott!" shouted Haruka. "Are you okay?" he started to run over to Scott. Avoiding the Whiscash as he did.
"I'm fine-"
Suddenly, a bright flash emitted from the object that fell. Scott, Haruka, and the Whiscash turned as a Hisuian Zoroark appeared.
Scott's eyes widened "Oh-"
What he was going to say was cut off when Xander roared. He spotted the Whiscash and rushed at it, purple energy flaring around him as he used Bitter Malice.
The Wishcash stood no chance. The move seemed to be stronger than normal and sent the Pokémon slamming into a wall. The damage it sustained from the Greninja was enough to cause it to faint.
"Quick," whispered Scott. "We need to-"
"Watch out!" shouted Haruka as he tackled Scott to the ground. Right where they'd been, A huge bolt of energy from Hyper Beam destroyed the wall.
"Grab the pokéball!" shouted Scott as he and Haruka ran. Xander used Flamethrower and breathed a stream of fire all across the cave.
"Xander, stop!" shouted Scott. But the enraged Zoroark didn't listen. He instead leapt at Scott while using Shadow Claw. Scott grabbed his fallen shield and blocked the attack.
Haruka grabbed the pokéball off the floor and held it up. He dropped it and dove as Xander saw him and leapt at him. Xander breathed a stream of flame at him, only for Scott to slide in front of Haruka and block it with his shield.
"This isn't what I signed up for," said Haruka. "If I die, at least I won't be alone."
"No one's dying here Haruka," said Scott as he fended off the angry Zoroark. "We already saved everyone. We're going-"
Before he could finish. Xander disappeared in a red light. He stood up to see Joyce standing there, holding Xander's pokéball.
"I see you two ran into some trouble," said Joyce, handing Scott the slightly damaged pokéball.
"Doesn't matter," said Scott. Putting away the pokéball. "Haruka, thanks for coming."
Haruka shrugged. "Honestly, I'm half glad I came. I'm probably not going to sleep for sometime."
Scott chuckled, but then put on a serious face. "Come on. Let's find this machine. Whoever made it is going to have a bad time."
The culprit turned out to be a sixteen year old boy with crown hair and an outbreak of freckles. There was a bag nearby, left forgotten. The person was in a small area, past a forbidden area. Upon spotting the Oak Agency, his face broke out into relief.
"I'm-"
The boy stopped when he saw the look on Scott's face. "I know I'm not suppose to be here but-"
"Save it. Hand over your bag."
"Wait my bag? Why? It's mine!"
"Right now, you're in the midst of a crime scene. So I'm perfectly within my rights to confiscate your bag and search it."
"I didn-"
"Hand it over!"
The kid picked up his bag and gave it to Scott, who opened it and pulled out a small, phone-like device. Scott shut it off and handed it to Haruka.
"Get that to Victor, he might be able to trace where it came from," he turned to the kid. "As for you, you're in very big trouble. Was it worth it?" he asked severely.
The boy took a half step backwards. "But, I didn't,"
Joyce put a hand on Scott's shoulder. "Let me handle this."
Scott looked like he wanted to protest, but Joyce simply pointed towards the exit.
"Meet up with the others, I won't take long."
Scott sighed and walked away, flashing her a 'I hope you know what you're doing look'.
Joyce turned back to the person and gave him a small smile. "Don't worry about my boss. He was attacked by his own Pokémon, I understand that can put anyone on the edge. My name's Joyce, what's yours?"
The boy looked at her skeptically. "Are you supposed to be the good cop?"
Joyce laughed. "We don't really do that kind of thing here."
"Am I going to go to jail?"
Joyce sighed. "Being completely honest. If you're proven guilty, then yes. But there's always the chance of being proven innocent. Why don't you tell me what happened?"
The boy took a deep breath and looked at Joyce. "Me and my friends decided that we're going to explore Roggen Caverns for our last few days of summer break. We eventually got to the restricted area, and decided to turn back. I didn't want to turn back because the restricted area sounded cool. My friends said I shouldn't, but I ignored them. When I was exploring the restricted area, I saw someone else's shadow. I called out to the person, and then they took off! So I dropped my bag and started running after them, curious to see who it was. I eventually chased them in a circle and found myself back to where I left my bag. I took my bag and started off again, when a Whiscash came and attacked me! So I ended up even more lost after I fell down a tunnel. The Pokémon couldn't fit where I fell, so I was stuck."
Joyce had written down what he said on a notebook she kept with her. "Yeah, I saw the Whiscash. Did you notice anything the person was wearing? Did your bag seem like it was tampered with?"
The boy thought for a moment. "I think I saw a silver letter on the back of their shirt. It was a C or a G."
Joyce wrote it down and closed her notebook. "Thanks, this should help. I'm figuring it was the work of the Gamma Team. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be proven innocent. If you need a lawyer, you can ask for me."
The boy nodded, smiling for the first time.
Five hours later
"As it turned out," said Victor. "The device is Gamma Team technology. This attack wasn't the only attack. There were three attacks after the one in Voyanna City, and a lesser scale attack in Barius earlier. This pretty much tells us where the Gamma Team is."
"I doubt it," said Aisha. "Just because they struck first in Barius City doesn't mean they're based there."
"Unless we're overthinking this," Maggie pointed out.
"But you see," said Victor. "The one in Barius City was of a lesser scale. As Wilhelm can confirm, the device used in Barius City was a prototype."
Wilhelm nodded. "The other four devices are more advanced than the one used in Barius City, by a little at least."
Gavin shrugged. "It's really our only lead. I say we should take it."
Everyone nodded in agreement. Thalia took out her phone, only to almost drop it.
"I'll tell Commander O'Riley about this."
Scott stood up. "I'm going to patrol. Get the steam out."
To his slight surprise, no one offered to join him. He shrugged, people had other things to do.
Thalia looked up from her phone. "I suggest going to Verdant County. I heard there was a case about drug dealing near the Tangela Neighborhood."
Scott frowned. That's where he used to live when he was younger.
Scott drove around the neighborhood in his patrol car. People around the streets looked at him nervously. He couldn't blame them, he remembered his neighborhood had been pretty shady when he was growing up. People distrusted the authorities, except for him at least.
He saw two people standing in the shadows, hunched over something. One of them was wearing some kind of pink suit, something you wouldn't wear if you're trying to blend in. The other, wore all black clothing.
One of the people spotted him and pointed. The two of them immediately dashed off.
Scott slammed on his brakes and got down from his car. Both of the people had run onto someone's lawn, a place where his car couldn't follow.
"Out, Scout!"
Scott leapt out of his car as he sent out his Emolga. The Pokémon saw the fleeing men and flew ahead, using Discharge.
The electricity hit both people, but didn't do anything. Scott realized that they probably were wearing rubber suits.
Scott chased them across the streets, keeping his eyes on the man in pink. The person in black had already disappeared, but Scott wasn't worried about him.
Suddenly, the man in pink leapt through a window into a house. Scott froze as he saw the address. It was the house he used to live in with his mom.
Scott shook himself as Scout landed on his shoulder. He climbed through the window, figuring he had the advantage of knowing the layout. But the man leaping into this exact house? Scott hoped his mother wasn't home.
As soon as he stepped into the kitchen, every light in the house turned on. He was immediately greeted by the sight of balloons, streamers, and other party paraphernalia.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCOTT!" shouted a chorus of voices.
Scott turned in disbelief as he saw every member of the Oak Alpha standing there. Including Juan and Gavin, who were dressed in black and pink suits. Standing in front of him, with a cake was his mom.
Realization dawned on his face as he remembered today was his birthday. Then he remembered that everyone had been acting suspicious.
"Wait, this was all planned?" he asked. Struggling to form words.
His mom put down the cake and gave him a hug.
"You always forget your birthday, and rarely visit on the holidays. You work too much."
Scott stepped back and gave a sheepish smile as everyone laughed around him. As he looked through the crowd, he even saw their commander standing there.
"You're here?" Scott asked incredulously.
"As a congratulations to one of my most hardworking people here for aging another year. It was actually Thalia who planned all this, honestly, I forget about your birthdays."
Scott looked around. "Where is Thalia anyways?"
"She had to leave urgently soon after you left on patrol. A family emergency," said Joyce. "We can discuss it later though, cause we have a party right now!"
And that's the end of the chapter! Sorry for taking so long, I had my own winter break plans. As for birthdays, I couldn't really put them for other characters because that wasn't on the character submission form, but due to how I skipped time a lot. Pretty much all characters have aged at least one year. Some might have aged two by the next few chapters.
