Hey guys, welcome to Chapter 25! Sorry if you felt the last chapter was too long, the only reason why I didn't split the chapter was because I didn't want to have three different Oak Agency chapters. As you can see with the last chapter, main game events happened quite some time ago, with real characters, Zinnia for example, as well as Misty in my other story, are much older. The Pokémon timeline is convoluted enough to make things more confusing. For this case, I am making the main game events from Gens 1-8 (9 isn't counted cause it came out after this story was made) happened within a six year span, including the two years between Black and White and Black 2 White 2. After those six years came a nice twelve years of peace before the time the beginning of this story took place. Don't forget more than a year has passed since the beginning of this story and this chapter. So Team Rocket's first attempt to take over the Kanto happened nineteen years ago from now, and the summoning of Groudon and Kyogre in the main series Pokémon games happened three years after Team Rocket's first takeover attempt, or sixteen years ago. Of course, this is not to say that all events happened one after the other in relative order to each generation (Like the plot of XY could've taken place between BW and B2W2). I know this doesn't match up with the actual Pokémon timeline, but this is Fanfiction that has been oversimplified so your average Pokémon fan can understand it with relative ease. If you want to figure out how old actual Pokémon characters are now in my story, search it up and do the math yourself. I know this was a very long author's note, but without further ado, let's begin the chapter. I hope you enjoy it.
Scarlet sat in one of the meeting rooms, Marlow and Elaine sat with her. Scarlet looked extremely tired and especially angry. It had been two days since they failed to capture and her psychic powers hadn't fully recovered.
"Alright Elaine. You were caught, what happened?" she asked, annoyed. "I thought you were supposed to be an amazing thief!"
"Yes, I am," said Elaine, keeping calm. "Though mistakes and unexpected things can happen. I'm sure you didn't expect Zinnia to show up. You had called me back because my mission of infiltrating and sabotaging the Oak Agency was over. I went to capture and bring back Subject AJ-8 for my second mission, but it shook off the sedatives faster than I expected. Wilhelm also came back unexpectedly. When I was escaping, the machine I stole stopped Katraz from teleporting, which further hindered the mission. Other than the aforementioned things, things went without a hitch. Victor was put to sleep and hidden, and everyone else was gone."
"All I hear are worthless excuses, there should be no excuse for your failure!"
"By that logic you should've successfully caught Rayquaza. Since that was mainly your job."
Scarlet's eye twitched angrily as she glared at Elaine. "Whatever. Get out of here."
Elaine got up and left the room without a word. Scarlet turned towards Marlow.
"Any progress on my army?"
"My research has been very conclusive and has yielded good results. I'm going to need a few supplies. Namely mega stones. While stones can be extremely high prices or extremely hard to find, a large export of mega stones was delivered to a black market recently. I was wondering-"
"If you could have a large amount of money to spend on mega stones so you can make advancements into my army. That's why I asked you to do this. If you see Elaine ask her for the Gold Card. All the money you need will be on it."
"Thank you. I wanted to ask if I could borrow some of my fellow mission branch members to come with me. In a large black market such as Qwilfish Port, they're bound to be incidents and people picking fights."
"Go ahead, I don't need them for anything at the moment."
"Alright."
Marlow stood up and left the room. Before he could go, Scarlet said one more thing.
"Just remember, the funding is going towards making the army. Don't think you can spend it just to figure out a way to make your Mega Mimikyu strong. Nothing is going to be stronger than me."
Marlow gathered all the mission branch members into another meeting room to discuss who was and who wasn't going on his mission.
"Alright everyone, you're probably wondering why I gathered you all here today. As you may or may not know, I have been tasked with creating Scarlet a genetically modified army. For that, I am going to need supplies. Those supplies can be provided at the black market I am going to be visiting. But of course, going to a black market by yourself is suicide, which is why I need trusted associates to back me up."
"Well you better take me," said Devon. "Because I'm the strongest battler here."
"Didn't I beat you yesterday?" asked Kazuma.
Devon turned towards him and gave him a nasty glare. "I'm still trying to figure out how you managed to cheat that battle."
Kazuma reclined backwards in his chair. "You're just salt. You can't cheat in a Pokémon battle."
Devon slammed his hands on the table. "Then tell me how you managed to predict every single one of the moves I was going to tell my Pokémon to use!"
"I just have good perception."
"No you don't! Cause no one is that good, not even the champion! And this 'perception' thing only started after you came back from the Donalda Region! I call it mind reading!"
"Well I call it skill."
"You two settle down!" shouted Marlow. "I didn't bring you guys here to squabble like children!"
"Can I go?" asked Olivia. "Back up means I get a chance to fight people, and when I fight I go for the kill!"
Marlow gave her a tired look. "I'm not even sure why I bothered to call everyone. It's pretty clear you're not going with me. Last thing we need is the Oak Agency and the black market organizers after us."
"Well if she's not going I'm not going," declared Molly.
"Good."
"Hey! If you're going to act like that maybe I will go!"
"Well too bad for you," said MArlow. "I'm choosing who goes and who stays. If you have a problem, take it up with Scarlet."
That kept everyone quiet… except for Kazuma.
"Well obviously I'm going. You need my set of skills."
"Actually you're not. The last time you were sent on a trade deal you ruined everything. We ended up with less of the goods we needed, bad relations with Team Rocket, and the Oak Agency hotter on our tails."
Kazuma looked at him. "If you're not going to take me along, then I'll take it up with Scarlet like you said I should."
"Go ahead, I don't care. Last thing I need for you is to bungle this up."
"But you said yourself you're going to need capable battlers! Who's more capable than me? I literally destroyed Devon yesterday!"
"It wasn't that one sided, and you still cheated somehow," said Devon.
"It's not just about skill. You can be good, but rush into fights at any given moment. That's why I'm also choosing Jacob, he's very level headed unlike a lot of the people in this room."
"Including you," said Molly.
"And finally," said Marlow, ignoring Molly. "Gabrielle, for the same reason I chose Jacob."
"Actually," said Gabrielle, standing up. "I can't really go. I only came to this meeting to hear what you had to say, I wasn't planning on going for any missions. Not really feeling it right now."
"Is it because of your brother?" asked Kazuma.
Gabrielle froze for a split second, but tried her best to hide it.
"What brother?"
And with that, she turned and strode out of the room.
Everyone looked at Kazuma, who shrugged. "What did I do?"
"Who's Gabrielle's brother?" asked Olivia.
"I don't know the details, she was just thinking about it."
Devon narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean thinking about it? You're acting as if you read her mind or something."
"Get over it. I won fair and square. I just heard her mention something about a brother yesterday."
"Oh no no no. Don't give me that, you've been acting so differently since you came back. You've been able to tell almost exactly what people are thinking, you seem to be able to tell when someone or something is there. Last week I could've sworn I saw you using your finger as a lighter instead of an actual lighter! I know your Scarlet's favorite, did she give you powers or something?"
"No, you just haven't had enough sleep."
"Oh really? Well maybe-"
"All right, you two settle down!" shouted Marlow, standing up. "I have a compromise. Kazuma, you can come along, but you must listen to orders from me and not act impulsively! And Devon, you can watch Kazuma as closely as you want! Just stop your squabbling, we have more important things to take care of!"
Kazuma's attention immediately swung back over to Marlow. "Now you're talking. So when do we head out there and look for this seller?"
"It doesn't work like that, you have to set up an appointment."
"Seriously?"
"It makes sense if you think about it," explained Jacob. "Black markets are much more dangerous than regular markets. Theft and police arrests are extremely high. You wouldn't want to show up with high priced, illegal goods when there's no guarantee anyone's going to buy it. Being able to secure a customer for a price you want makes it highly worth-"
"Alright jeez I get it. When do we go?"
"Some time this evening," said Marlow. "After the last expected shipment. Thanks to Elaine's information she stole, we know the Oak Agency is going to be on the prowl, hoping to catch black marketers in the act. It took a lot of money to secure this appointment, considering their going to put the entire region on lockdown. We have to make sure this appointment succeeds, or else we won't have another chance."
Many hours later
Marlow lay hidden in the dense canopy of a few trees near Qwilfish Port, watching as a truck and many guards left the port. Inside the truck was a huge load of money that had been shipped overseas from the Kalos Region to lend support to all the calamities happening in the Calzei Region, but that's not what the Gamma Team was here for. The guards locked the gate behind them and left.
Marlow waited for a few moments before ascending out the signal. He jumped down from the tree and looked behind him. Sure enough, the other people he chose for the team were coming out from various hiding places.
He approached the gate. It was six feet tall with curved spikes on top. Along with that, there was barbed wire to prevent anyone from entering when they weren't supposed to. The gates were intricately locked to prevent the most clever of psychic Pokémon from unwinding it. FInally, the entire thing was extremely resistant to heat and electrified.
"I've heard this is the same exact kind of fence they use in prison camps and stuff," said Kazuma. "How do we get past this? Blow it up with dynamite? Use Sketch to tear it apart? Use-"
"No," said Marlow. Pulling out a key. Within a few seconds, he unlocked the gate and pushed it open.
"Or you can just do that," said Devon.
"Well that's lame," said Kazuma.
"And it also prevents us from being noticed," said Jacob. "So I'd say it's a win."
"Alright guys, stop talking," said Marlow. "We need to be more careful. There could still be more guards around. The seller agreed to meet us by the East Wing, near the loading deck. He assured us that it will be deserted."
"What's his name anyways?"
"Alva. The name feels familiar, but I can't seem to place it. It doesn't matter though. Let's move."
They crept into the port. Marlow taking the lead, Kazuma closed his eyes and focused on his surroundings. Of course, he didn't want the others to know about his powers, but he felt he should be useful in some way.
"I'm going to scout. See ya."
"Just be careful Kazuma," said Marlow warningly. "If you get caught, we're ditching you."
"Don't worry. My stealth level has been upped since my rendezvous with Elaine. Bye."
With that, Kazuma left. Devon looked at him suspiciously.
"Let him be," said Marlow. "If he knows what he's doing, you're just going to hold him back. If he doesn't, you're going to end up caught alongside him."
"Fine."
As they continued moving, Marlow got a message from Kazuma. Moving quickly and quietly, he pulled out his phone and read the message. He held up a hand for them to stop, causing Devon and Jacob to freeze as still as statues.
A guard passed in front of them. He started turning towards them, shrugged, and then walked on.
"Don't move, there's another guard a few feet away according to Kazuma," said Marlow.
They waited a few minutes before Marlow received another message. He nodded and continued walking.
"Wow," said Jacob. "It seems Kazuma upped his skills since the Red Orb mission."
Devon nodded. Even he couldn't disagree. Marlow held up a hand for them to be quiet and moved on.
After dodging a few more guards with Kazuma's help. They all made it to the East Wing. Kazuma was already there, waiting for them. There was a small warehouse in the loading zone where they were supposed to meet.
"Let's go," said Marlow.
As they approached the building, Kazuma stopped, sensing something was wrong.
"Hold up guys, my gut is telling me not to go in there."
"Seriously?" asked Devon. "We just made it here and you're telling us to turn back?"
"I think we should trust Kazuma," said Jacob.
"You're only saying that cause you two are buddies. What are you up to Kazuma?"
"I'm serious! Something just feels off."
"Alright, you three stay back and prepare for an ambush. I'm going in with Sketch," said Marlow.
Everyone nodded. Jacob readied Lily's pokéball while Devon got out his Dragapult's pokéball. Kazuma hung back in the shadows, waiting.
Marlow pulled out another key and unlocked the door. He carefully crept into the room when a large explosion sounded behind him. He turned around and saw part of the central dock had exploded, the sound of shouting and gun fire filled the air as people appeared from hidden areas around the East Wing.
As everyone sent out their Pokémon, Marlow was about to move in to help when the door closed by itself. All the lights flickered on as Marlow turned around to face whoever else was in the room.
A man with shoulder length purple hair that parted in three ways stood in front of a heavy oak table. He had black eyes. He wore a brown and yellow jacket and knee high boots. In his hand, he held a staff with a large golden mega symbol on it.
"Hello Marlow, as you've probably guessed. My name's Alva. Sorry for the commotion I caused back there."
"You caused the explosion?" asked Marlow, getting angry.
"Well, my lackey's did, not me. But you and the Gamma Team have a reputation for screwing things up, so I did it before you could, just for precautionary measures. Besides, I had to get your friends away. Don't worry, they'll be safe. But I'm only interested in talking to you. I brought the Mega Stones with me. But I want to talk first. I bought us some time with the explosion."
"Well then talk."
"Always direct and to the point, just like old times. How's your research going?"
Marlow narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean old times?"
"You forgot me? Well it's only expected. There are a lot of gaps in your memory."
"How do you know about my amnesia?" asked Marlow, clutching Sketch's pokéball.
"Oh I know a lot of things about you. You research on Mega Evolution. The Salamence we experimented on, humanely might I add, the one that's mine by the way, too bad I had to abandon it when I fled. What else, the fact that your senior researcher stole your research and fled."
"We experimented on? How do you know all this?"
Alva gave him a dumbfounded look. "You haven't realized yet? Maybe Dream Eater messed up your intelligence as well. I'm the person who stole your research and took off so I could work on my plan to take over the Kalos region, you dimwitted fool! How were you not able to recognize me? I'm offended!"
Marlow stared at him in shock and anger. "So you're the one-"
"Yes I was, you've finally caught on! My plan would have succeeded and I would now be the king of Kalos instead of a fugitive if it wasn't for Calem and his band of half-witted idiots! The two girls, the fat kid, and the guy who I seriously thought was a girl! What's with the world and kids thinking they're heroes? I don't get it!"
Marlow was finished listening to Alva's ranting. "Sketch, tear him apart!"
He threw his pokéball, releasing the Pokémon. He twisted his watch, releasing a burst of energy that flooded into Sketch. At the same time, Alva had thrown out an Aegislash and held his staff towards it, filling it with a black energy.
Sketch transformed into its mega form, its shadowy body throwing out tendrils that slashed towards Alva, but they never reached him. Instead, the attack was blocked by another Pokémon.
Alva's Aegislash had transformed as well. It had a humanoid body that was mostly covered by a breastplate save for a ghostly wisp at the bottom. It had a long purple cape and a round helmet with one eye. On its helmet stood a golden crown, the same color as the rest of its armor. Its left arm melded with a shield much alike the one in its base form, as well as the sword that used to be its main body.
"Very interesting Marlow!" shouted Alva, excitement filling his eyes. "It seems you've rediscovered your research and even made new discoveries! First of all, the bond required for Mega Evolution can actually be bypassed if you activate the power of a Mega Stone in an alternate way! The only thing a bond does is supply the power necessary! Second, all Pokémon have the capability to Mega Evolve! But not every Pokémon has the right Mega Stone! I had to use a Dusk Stone and the remnants of the energy created by Pokémon dying to AZ's life ending machine to create an Aegislashite! Only some Mega Stones were created during the aftermath of the war, and no one knows why only certain Pokémon got Mega Stones from the event, and why others didn't! But that doesn't matter, Umbra Cleave!"
"Full Blade, Stygian Slash!"
The Mega Aegislash's sword glowed with a ghostly energy as it swung it at Sketch, Sketch retaliated by combining his tendrils together and countering the attack.
"Such versatility! Use Flash Cannon!"
Sketch put his tendrils together and blocked the attack. He immediately struck back with his tendrils, throwing the Aegislash backwards.
"Shadow Ball!"
The Aegislash formed a ball of shadow and threw it at Sketch, who dodged the attack in a burst of speed.
"Mimic!"
With a flash, Sketch copied the attack and put his tendrils together to use the same attack.
"King's Shield!"
The Mega Aegislash put its shield in front of it and created a barrier around it, stopping the attack.
"Sketch, use Astonish!"
"Umbra Cleave!"
Sketch created a grotesque shadow form of himself and flung it at the Aegislash. The Pokémon slashed at the shadow and split it apart to nothing before closing in on Sketch.
"Impossible! That's simply a project of shadow! You can't cut through shadows!"
"My Mega Aegislash can cut through anything! Umbra Slash!"
"Stygian Slash!"
The two Pokémon clashed against each other. The Mega Aegislash's sword was much stronger than Sketch's whips, but Sketch had at least twenty of them and could combine and conform them to any shape. Despite Sketch's wild slashes, the Mega Aegislash's blade still made marks. The pain Sketch was showing from the attacks immediately told Marlow that the Mega Aegislash radiated the same energy that Sketch did, bypassing Sketch's shadow defense.
"Lock his blade!"
Sketch threw his tendrils above and below the blade before clamping down and trying to twist the Aegislash's arm. With a flourish of its blade, the Mega Aegislash cut threw the tendrils and drove its sword towards its middle.
"Dodge it and use Shadow Ball!"
Sketch twisted to the side, conforming his body to dodge the attack. A cruel, red smile twisted on his face as he fired a Shadow Ball, throwing the Aegislash into a wall.
"You're better than this! Flash Cannon!"
"Dodge and use Shadow Ball again!"
Sketch dodged the Flash Cannon as well and used his own attack. The Aegislash used King's Shield and defended himself from the attack, but that was what Marlow had been hoping for.
"Now," he said, twisting his watch and feeding more power into Sketch. "Give him hell! Use your Omega Power!"
Sketch drastically increased in size, more tendrils growing out of his body. Marlow dove underneath the table and flipped it over as Sketch swung his tendrils all around him. They cleaved through anything in their path, tearing long gashes in the steel walls. Alva, realizing the danger, ran out of the back door with the mega stones.
When Sketch finished, the Aegislash lay fainted. Marlow threw two Lock Balls at Sketch. The Pokémon destroyed the first one, but was trapped by the second one.
"I really have created a monster," said Marlow. He then noticed Alva was gone.
"Damn you! Trying to take off!"
He turned around and ran, and it was a good thing he did. The building creaked just as he was reaching the back door. Upon slamming the half damaged door shut, part of the building gave away, collapsing on itself.
"Now where is-"
A Shadow Ball came flying at him. He sidestepped the attack and sent out Snox to face his attacker.
Marlow's attacker was a shiny Mega Gengar, behind it was Alva. It fired another Shadow Ball which Snox blocked with his tentacles.
"Now what kind of bs was that?" asked Alva. "Who uses a Z-Move as a Mega Pokémon? Well technically, I'm doing my own bs by having three mega Pokémon under one source, but Alva is always right! Sludge Bomb!"
"Swagger!"
Snox puffed up his body, confusing the Gengar while boosting its attack. Alva gave a frown and raised his staff.
"Confusion, such illness in the mind is unacceptable!"
A bright light shone from his staff and flooded into his Gengar. The Pokémon gave a scream of agony as it glowed brighter and brighter. When the light faded, the Gengar had a sinister and regular look, its confusion completely gone.
"Now, attack!"
The Gengar fired a ball of sludge that hit Snox before he could react. Snox shook the damage off and used Power Swap, switching their stat boosts.
"Swagger and Power Swap, and an interesting combination! Too bad the confusion part is useless thanks to my staff! Shadow Ball!"
"Psycho Cut!"
The psychic blades tore through the Shadow Ball and hit the Gengar, causing it to reel back in pain. It sank through the ground and disappeared, leaving Marlow and his Pokémon guessing.
"Get ready for an attack!"
"Shadow Punch!"
"Payback!"
The Gengar rose up and threw one of its shadow cloaked fists at Snox. Snox took the attack and lashed back with a more powerful Payback, sending the Gengar flying.
"You shouldn't continue like this," said Marlow in a menacing tone. "Snox has superior attacking power and superior type effectiveness. Your Gengar stands no chance."
Alva shrugged. "And why should I care? Pokémon are simply expendable tools."
Marlow froze, shocked. Despite all the things he'd done, he never considered Pokémon as tools meant to be broken and thrown away. He gritted his teeth at Alva's words.
"It truly makes sense. You were always evil. Defeating you will make my life happier! Psycho Cut!"
"Just wait till you see my next Pokémon! Dark Pulse!"
The Dark Pulse nullified the psychic attack and slammed into Snox. Snox fired another Psycho Cut, but the Gengar sank below the surface to dodge.
"Shadow Ball!"
"Psycho Cut, behind you!"
As Marlow predicted, the Gengar rose up behind Snox and fired a ball of shadow right as Snox used his Psycho Cut. The attack struck the Gengar head on and finished it off.
Before Alva could send out his last Pokémon, Marlow leapt at him and tackled him to the ground. The case containing the Mega Stones fell to the ground, so MArlow picked the case up and took off.
"Damn you! Come back here!" shouted Alva, getting to his feet.
Marlow didn't respond and kept running. He heard sounds of fighting deeper inside of the docks, and smoke was still rising in the air. He heard the cry of a Gyarados behind him before the place was illuminated with a rainbow light.
Ducking behind the cover of a building, he opened the case. Out of the case came a wide variety of Mega Stones, a few Keystones, and accessories. Marlow looked at the contents in confusion, he'd only been expecting Mega Stones.
"You can run, but you can't hide!" shouted Alva as his Mega Gyarados slammed into stacks of crates.
Knowing he had no time, he put a Salamencite into a bracer, slipped on a Keystone, packed the rest of the stuff up, and got out from behind the crates to confront Alva.
Alva looked at the Keystone on his arm. "It is not very nice to open what doesn't belong to you!"
"What do you mean? I ordered this!"
"Well you did and I got another buyer. The only reason I confirmed your appointment was to see my old student Marlow again, and that turned out to be a mistake! Now die!"
Marlow ducked behind the crates and ran as the Mega Gyarados used Waterfall and smashed into the crates.
"There's only one other option," he muttered. "Go, Salamence!"
His Salamence appeared from the pokéball and immediately noticed the Keystone on his arm. She gave a snort of disdain and turned away.
"Salamence, this is important. I know you don't like Mega Evolution, but right now, we need you to Mega Evolve."
"Talking to your Pokémon I see! What a waste! Crunch!"
Marlow's Salamence noticed the Mega Gyarados and leapt to the side, avoiding the attack, she spotted Alva and gave an angry snarl, her eyes filling up with rage.
"Oh ho! I see you remember me Salamence! I hope your time with Marlow was fun, because you're coming back to me now!"
"See!" shouted Marlow. "That's the person I need your help against! If you don't Mega Evolve and even the odds, he's going to end up killing not only me, but my compatriots as well. Not only that, but he's probably going to use his twisted version of Mega Evolution one you just like his other Pokémon. It requires no bond and puts Pokémon through a lot of pain. Don't you want to stop this?" he asked carefully, playing on her sense of justice.
"Enough of this! Bulldoze!"
Marlow's Salamence met the attack head on with Dragon Claw, throwing the Gyarados back with a burst of strength. She then made a noise that sounded a lot like a sigh before holding one of her legs towards Marlow.
Marlow was taken aback for a moment before fastening the bracer to her leg. He held out his own arm, the Keystone glittering.
"Alright Salamence! Mega Evolve!"
His Salamence was covered in a glowing rainbow light as it transformed. Her two wings became one as armor grew over her body. She gave a roar and charged at the Gyarados with Dragon Claw.
"A fair fight eh? Not anymore! Mega Wave Burst!"
Alva thrust his staff out as it glowed with an intense light, heat radiating from it as his Gyarados glowed in a more intense light. When it faded, the Gyarados was much bigger with longer fins and larger jaws. It rushed at Marlow's Salamence and used Crunch. The Salamence dodged the attack with a graceful sweep and flew higher into the air, leaving the Gyarados chasing it.
"Dragon Claw!"
Deciding to listen to her trainer, Salamence dove down and raked the Gyarados with her claws while dodging a Waterfall. The Gyarados roared in pain, both from the attack and its heightened Mega Form.
"Your fancy flying won't help you! Outrage!"
The Gyarados surrounded itself in a red aura and sped up, slamming into Marlow's Salamence. She was thrown back by the attack and slammed into a crane, taking it down with her.
"Salamence! Get up, it isn't over!"
Marlow's Salamence struggled to her feet, but Alva's Gyarados wasn't giving her any time to breathe. Its head glowed with a silver energy and rammed its head into her over and over again.
Marlow looked at the beatdown in horror. He'd never seen such brutality like this before. He realized that all the rage from the Gyarados was because of the cruelty Alva was putting it through with his Mega Wave. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, realizing that he was almost like Alva himself.
Coming to a decision, he picked up a piece of metal and ran at the Gyarados. He flung the metal as hard as he could, hitting it in the face.
The Gyarados stopped and looked at him, menace and hate in its eyes.
"Get away from my Pokémon! She may not like me, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stand by and let you do this! I understand how you feel, but your trainer's your enemy!"
Alva laughed. "Say what you want Marlow! My Mega Wave controls it! It will never lay a single fin on me! But I suppose you have a death wish, attack him!"
Marlow turned and ran. His Salamence painfully got to her feet, watching as the Gyarados turned and attacked her trainer. She didn't understand why Marlow was doing this for her, considering how he treated her before. But she was mad, and she wasn't going to be beaten easily.
Marlow continued running, ducking behind broken crates, metal beams, and jumping over random pieces of unidentifiable matter. The Gyarados continued chasing after him, smashing anything in its path.
Marlow glanced over his shoulder and saw the fury in its eyes, spurring him onwards. Suddenly, he heard a loud crash to his side. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw his Salamence flying in the air, the Gyarados having been tackled to the ground.
"I see your Salamence still wants to fight, another death wish in my book! Outrage!"
Marlow's Salamence used Outrage herself and avoided the Gyarados before slamming into its side. The Gyarados gave a roar of pain and used Waterfall, shooting into the sky and missing the Salamence.
Marlow stared at his Salamence, the same Salamence that had previously hated him so much, was now fighting for him.
Marlow's Salamence surrounded itself in a red aura and used Frustration, slamming into the Gyarados and throwing it into the ground. It gave a roar and flew at her. The Salamence used Flamethrower, the fire burning its eyes. It screamed and missed the Salamence as she used its blindness to dodge.
"Come on you stupid beast! How can you not hit a stupid Salamence? I need you to kill it and then kill the trainer damn you! I don't want to have to waste this Gyarados, but I suppose I'll have to utilize the full power of Mega Wave! Curse you Marlow! Do you not know how hard it is to find a Gyarados in this region?"
Marlow came to a horrible realization of what Alva meant. As Alva raised his staff, Marlow ran at him and grabbed it. He wrenched it from his grasp and threw it on the floor before smashing the crystal with his foot.
"No!" shouted Alva. He regained his balance and punched Marlow in the face, knocking him down. But it was too late.
Up in the sky, the Gyarados gave a roar as it diminished in size and reverted to its normal form. Regaining its senses, it dove into the water and left.
"Damn you Marlow!" shouted Alva, standing over Marlow. "I'll make you suffer even without my-"
He didn't finish his sentence when Marlow's Salamence clipped him on the side with her wing as she landed. Alva was sent flying and skidded to a stop next to some waterlogged mattresses.
Marlow walked up to Alva, the Mega Stone case in his hands. "Alright Alva. There are a number of things I want to do to you, but I'll let you off easy," he then grabbed Alva's jacket and pulled his face a few inches off the ground. "First, tell me where you kept all your research, then I'll deliver you to the Voyanna City authorities with enough evidence to get you shipped back to the Kalos Royal Family."
"No! Please, anyone but them!"
"You were perfectly ready to kill your own Gyarados and replace it as if it was nothing. You deserve no mercy. Now tell me where you kept your research!"
Alva hung his head and slowly confessed.
Marlow landed his Salamence next to a storage facility around the outskirts of the city. After explaining to the clerk and showing them Alva's key, he found stacks and stacks of papers detailing Mega Wave and alternate Mega Evolutions. He shook his head, disgusted by the amount of cruelty he once dreamed of himself.
He took every last paper and prototype and took them outside. He then dropped everything in front of his Salamence.
"Burn it," said Marlow. "Every last page, I'm done. Once Scarlet receives her army, I think I'm going to defect from the Gamma Team, and take a break from Mega Evolution."
His Salamence looked at him in slight surprise. To her, all her master ever cared about was his science.
"I believe that Wilhelm was right. Maybe the Gamma Team isn't everything I thought it was going to be. All this rage I had against Alva, it's all just… dissipated. I feel much better than I did many years ago. This mega army is going to be my last project for a long time."
His Salamence seemed to agree with him. She breathed in and exhaled a huge burst of fire, destroying many years of research, the same research the Marlow had once been yearning for.
Scarlet looked at the bag in front of her, it was all packed and ready to go. Of course, she wouldn't need much, but some money and food were necessary. On second thought, she decided to add a medical kit and a spare change of clothes, in case the ones she was wearing were destroyed.
"Leaving already?" asked a voice behind her.
She turned around, knowing full well it was Executive Dakota.
"Of course I am, we failed to capture Rayquaza. We've already been moving very fast and losing Rayquaza is a severe blow to our operations. If I find Hoopa fast enough, I can use his power to set our plan back on track, heck I could even finish our plan faster."
"Alright then. I suppose I'll be fully in charge for the time being."
"Yes you will, don't do anything stupid. Once I gather enough legendaries, I'll get my revenge on Zinnia and capture Rayquaza. Then our domination can begin."
And that's the end, talk about character development. Anyways, I know that Alva is an anime exclusive Pokémon character, but since Ash and all the anime is absent from my story, I changed it a bit. Basically, Calem and his friends (Serena, Shayla, Tierno, and Trevor) defeated him and destroyed his original Mega Wave staff. Alva had come to the Calzei Region research Mega Evolution (Since the Calzei Region is very known for science) in order to hatch a plan to take over the Kalos Region. Magearna, Volcanion and Zygarde are not part of it in any way.
